MECCGBackground

WhatisaCollectibleCardGame?
(IfyoualreadyknowaboutCCG's,skiptothenextsection)TounderstandtheMiddle
EarthCollectibleCardGame,ithelpstohavesomebackground.So,hereishowthe
CollectibleCardGame(CCG)cameabout.

In1993,Magic:theGatheringappearedinspecialtygamestores.Youcouldbuya'starter
deck'with50orsocardsor'boosterpacks'whichlookedlikebaseballcardpackages.Two
peoplebuyingwhatseemedtobethesameproduct,astarterdeck,wouldactuallyget
differentcontents,thoughafewoftheircardsmightbethesame.

Theideabehindthisgamewasthattwoplayerswouldplayeachothereachusingtheir
owndeck,ratherthansharingadeckasinmoretraditionalcardgamesorRookor
Melbourne.Further,eachplayerwouldalmostcertainlybeusingdifferentcardsintheir
decks.Beforeagame,youwouldbuildyoudeck,andyouropponentwouldnotknow
exactlywhathewouldbeupagainst.

Itwashopedbymakersthatplayerswouldenjoytheirfirstfewgamesusingthedeckthat
cameintheirinitialStarterDeckbox,andthattheywouldwanttobuy$2.00boosterpacks
inordertoaddcardstotheircollection,givingthemmoreoptionsinbuildingtheirdecks.
Therehopeswerewildlysurpassed.Totheirsurprise,thousandsofplayersacrossthe
country(andsoonaroundtheworld)boughtnotjustafewmoreboosterpacks,butentire
boxesofboosterpacks.

Thegamewasgood.Notonlydiditpossesthenoveltyofsurprisingyouropponentwith
thecardsthatyouwoulduseinthegame,butitwasverywelldesigned.Ithadan
elegantlysimplepremise:Eachplayerisawizardduelingforsupremacy,eachattempting
todispatchtheiropponentbydraininghislifepoints,aidedbysummonedfantasy
creaturesandotherspells.Thegamewaseasytolearnanddifficulttomaster.

Butpeopletriedandcompetitionwasfierce.Onewaytoincreaseyourabilitywastohave
morecardsinyourcollection.Thiswouldincreaseyourpoolofavailablecards,makeyou
betterabletosurpriseyouropponent,andmakingyoumorelikelytohavecardsthat
workedwelltogether.Further,somecardswerebetterthanothers,andthosetendedtobe
more'rare'.Thesecardsappearedintheboosterpackssubstantiallylessoftenthanother
cards.Peoplewerebuyingboosterafterboosterjusttogetmoreoftheparticular
hardtofindcardsthattheywanted.Theyquicklysoldoutofthegame.Theyprintedmore,
andsoldoutofthose,printedmoreandsoldoutofthose.Thatthirdtimetheyprintedalot
andittookthemlongertoselloutatleast.Itwasahugefinancialsuccess.So,others
wantedapieceofthepie.

Soontherewereothercollectiblecardgames(CCGs).Manyattemptedtogainanedgeby
beingbasedonpreexistingbrands.Asthe'90'swentonwehadtheStarWarsCCG,the
1

StarTrekCCG,andothersbasedonHighlander,Babylon5,xfiles,Hercules/Xena,and
manymore.ThereareaLOTofthesenow.Manydowellatfirstandthenfailtokeep
peoplebuying.Othersdon'tevendothatwell.Mostareeventuallydiscontinued.Iusethe
presenttensebecausethisisstillgoingonnewgamesarecomingoutthisyear.Some
willdookay,otherswon't,mostwon'tlast.Thatfirstgamebytheway,Magic:the
Gathering(MtG),theonethatstarteditall,isstillgoingstrongerthananyothers.

Almostallofthesegamesfollowtheformatofhavingstarterdeckstogetnewplayers
goingandboosterpacksforreallymakingmoney.Thestarterdecksusuallyhave60orso
cardsandaretheoreticallyallyouneedtoplay,thoughyouropponentwillneedonealso.
Thisismorethecasewithsomegamesthanothers.Infact,theydon'twantthedecktobe
toogood,becausetheywantyoutobuymore.Atypicalgamehas,say,300different
possiblecardsyoumightgetinyourstarterdeckorboosters.Theywantyoutowanttoget
themall.Andalmostalways,therearevaryingraritylevelstothecards.So,youcan'tjust
get300cardsandtradewithsomeoneelsetogetthemall.Ohno.Try3000+.Andinmost
games,youcanhavemultiplesofatleastsomecards,sotohaveallyouroptions,you
needtospendmany$100's.Then,somemonthsormaybeayearlater,theycomeout
withanexpansionset.Whichmeansmorecards.Ifagameispopular,itkeepsgoing.MtG
hasputoutalmost3setsayearfor10yearsnow.It'snothardtofindplayerswhohave
spentthousandsofdollarsonthegameovertheyears.

TheMiddleEarthCollectibleCardGame

IronCrownEnterprises(ICE)possesedtheliscensetomakeandsellgames(andsome
otheritems)basedonTheLordoftheRingssincethe1980's.Theymadequiteafew
(usuallyquitegood)boardgamesbasedonTolkien'sworld,aswellastheMiddleEarth
materialsthattookadvantageoftheirexcellentRolemasterroleplayingsystem.In1996
theyjumpedintheexplodingCCGmarketwithMiddleEarth:theWizards,thefirstsetof
cardsfortheMiddleEarthCollectibleCardGame(MECCG).Thissetcontained400+
cards.Therewerestartersandboosters,varyingraritylevels,theusualdeal.Itwas
probablythemostinovativeCCGsinceMtGitself.InMECCG,eachplayerisoneofthe5
Istari(Gandalf,Saruman,Radagast,ortwomoreobscureones,AlatarandPallando.)
doingthebesttheycantofurtherthefightagainstSauron.Itwouldseemthenthatthe
playersshouldalmostbeonthesameside,right?Kindof,butthekeyisthatonyour
opponentsturn,youhaveacompletelydifferentjob.Atthattime,yourjobistobethe
forcesofevilarrayedagainstyouropponent.Alotoffun.
Thegamedidverywell,soonnecessitatingareprintingofthefirstset.Itwonawards.The
firsttwoexpansionsetsweresnappedup.Then,asisoftenthecase,thegamewanedin
popularity.Twomainreasonsforthis.First,thisistheusualpattern.Therearealwaysso
manynew,coolgamescomingout.ManygameshaverivaledMtGforayearortwo,but
noneareabletokeepupthatlevelofpopularity.Thesecondreasonisthatthegame,
alreadywithasteeperlearningcurvethannormal,addedcomplexitytooquickly.The3rd
set(oronemightsay,thesecondexpansion)addednewrulesthattookabittogetused
to,andplayerswerestillgettinggoodattheoriginalrules.The4thsetaddedcomplication
inadifferentway,and,combinedwiththeregulartendencyofplayersto'moveon',many
playersdidjustthat.Sevensetswerepublishedinall,andin1999itwasthoughtthatthe
2

gameneededtoberedonesomewhat,simplified,easiertolearn,streamlined.Thechance
nevercame,asTolkienEnterprisedrevokedtheliscensetoTolkien'swork,guttingICE.

Tomanypeopleactivein'gaming',whoknowthecurrenthottestgameandareusually
playingit,MECCGsometimesappears'dead'.Mentionitatyourlocalgamingstore(if
you'reluckyenoughtohaveone),andsomeonewillsaysomethinglike,"TheMiddleEarth
game?Yeah,thatwasagreatgame.Verycool.Toocomplicatedthoughtogetalotof
newplayersthough.Yeah,it'sdeadnow.Toobad."Well,there'sdead,andthere'sdead.
Whatpeopleusuallymeanbydeadisthatagamenolongerhasanactive,visible,and
pervasivetournamentscenethatissupportedbythepublishingcompany,thatthegame
isn'tplayedmuch(oratall)intheeveningsatthegamestore,thattheseriousgamesdon't
knowmanypeople(orany)thatareplayingthegame.However,itwouldbemoreaccurate
tosaythatMECCGishalfdead.Perhapsundead.

MECCGhasslightlydifferentdynamicsthanmostothergames.Thishastodowiththe
gameitselfandthosewhotendtoplayit.Thegameismoreinvolvedthanperhapsany
otherCCG.Ittakesawhiletobuildyourdeck.Youcan'tbuildagooddeckquicklyunless
youhavesomeexperience.Agamecantakeacouplehourstoplay.Italsotakeslonger
tolearnthanmostotherCCG's.Despitethesedisadvantages,thegamewassodarn
good,sothematic,andsounique,thatitmanagedtobethehotthingforawhile.Agame
soinvolvedcouldn'tkeepthatupthough.Butthegameisverygoodandveryunique.
TheremightneverbeanothergameabletocapturetheroleplayingfeelthatMECCG
does.Peoplecomebacktothisgame.

ThepeoplewhoplayMECCGtendtobeadifferentlotthanmostotherCCG's.At
tournamentsforotherCCG's,you'llseealotofkidsandteenagersplaying.InMECCG,it's
mostlyadults.Thishastodowiththeaforementioned(relative)complexityofthegame,
butitisalsobecauseoftheMiddleEarththeme.Thismeansthatthepeoplewhotendto
loveMECCGarealsopeoplewho,relativetootherCCG's,don'tgotobiggaming
conventions,andaren'tfrequentlyplayingattheirlocalgamestore.Soyousee,thislack
ofvisibilityforMECCGisdeceptive.Comparedtoother'dead'games,thataredead
becausetherewasnothingspecialaboutthem,MECCGappearsdeadbecause,in
additiontonotbeingquiteaspopularasitwasbefore,theMECCGplayersareless
visible.

Thoughwewouldallliketohavenewcardsfromnewexpansions,manyofusareactually
happythatthegamehasstoppedexpanding.Wewon'thavetokeepspendingmoneyto
playthiswonderfulgame.Futurecards,asissooftenthecaseinothergames,won't
renderourcurrentfavoritecardsuseless.

Currentlythetournamentscene,withNationalChampionshiptournaments,aWorld
Championshiptournamentheldeachsummer(intheU.S.forthefirsttimeinthesummer
of2004),tournamentsheldatthebigconventionsandatlocalgamingstores,isrunby
players.(Ifyoueverwanttogetinvolvedinthis,letmeknow.)MostMECCGgames
thoughhappeninpeople'shousesandapartments.Usuallyasmallgroupofpeople
3

discoverhowincrediblycoolthisgameis,getsomecards,andplaywhentheycan.
ThousandsofMECCGgamesarehappeningtodayaroundtheworldsinlivingroomsand
dorms.Formostanyothergamethatyourlocalgameexpertwouldlabel'dead',thisis
definatelynotthecase.

MECCGcomparedtootherCCG's.

TheincrediblethingaboutMECCGisitsdepthandopenendedness.Sometimesitfeels
morelikearoleplayinggamethanaCCG.Youhaveapartyofcharacters(ormultiple
parties)thattravelsaroundMiddleEarth.Youcangowhereveryouwant,anddoanmany
variedthings.Yourcharacterscanacquireitemstomakethemmorepowerful,theygain
allies,andyourpartyofcharacterscangrow.Yourwizardcancastspells.Youentice
groupsofpeople(factions)toactivelyjointhefightagainstSauron.Yourcharacterscan
becomeinjuredanddie,atthehandsoforcsandothermonstersandthroughotherways.
Yourcharacterscansuccumbtootherdangers.Theycanbecomecorruptedandforsake
yourcause.

Thedepthisincredible,andonlymadepossiblebecauseMiddleEarthisalready
somewhatknowntous.Eachcharacterhasarace,skills,pointstheyreworth,costof
recruiting,differingamountsofinfluencetheypossess,fightingability,constitution(body),
andspecialattributes.Itwouldbeimpossibletogetstraight.Butbecausewealreadyknow
thesepeople,itsnot.YoudonthavetomemorizethatFrodoisahobbit,withlowfighting
ability,highconstitution,andexceptionalresistancetoevil.Further,itsnothardto
rememberthatintermsofthegame,hehasthediplomatandscoutskills,slightlymore
mindpowerthantheaveragehobbit(thoughnotasmuchas,say,AragornorElrond),a
smallamountofinfluence.ThesethingsjustmakesenseifyouknowFrodo.Letstake
theRangersoftheNorthfaction.Itsworthaprettygoodamount,isplayableatBree,and
ismoreeasilyinfluencedbyDunedaincharacters.Nothardtorememberthatstuff,
becauseitallmakessense.YoumightguessthathavingAragornIIinthepartyor(toa
lesserextent)otherDunedaininyourdeckwouldhelpingettingthem.Surprisesurprise,
youreright.So,withthisgameyoucanquicklybehavingveryinvolved,thematic
adventures.

DuringyourturnyourcharactersfightthegoodfightagainstSauron.Duringyour
opponentsturn,yourjobistobetheforcesofevilforhim!Itsalotoffun.Youcansmite
hischaracterswithorcs,wargs,dragons,andallkindsofgoodstuff.Youcancorruptthem,
stealtheiritems,makethemhungry,sick,tonguetied,homesick,delayed,andmore,by
playinghazardcards.

Youexistinthesameworldwithyouropponent.YoucantbothbeusingGimle!Ifyour
opponenthasGimleworkingforhim,andyouwanthim,thenyouhavetogotowherehe
isandconvincehimtojoinyou.TheresonlyoneOrchrist.IfyourLegolashasit,youre
opponentcantuseitalso.IfyougetTomBombadilonyoursidefirst,youropponentisout
ofluck.Ofcourse,hemighttrytoconvinceTomtodumpyouandjoinhim.Unlikeacertain
4

otherLordoftheRingsgame,thisreallygivesthefeelthatyoureinareal,interactive
world.

Unlessboththeplayersreallyknowwhattheyredoingandarequickplayers,agame
takesoveranhourtoplay,perhaps2orevenmore.Inastandardtournamentgame,there
isan85minutetimelimit.Mosttournamentgamesareendedbythistimelimit,though
someendearlierinanaturalfashion.Itishoweverenoughtimetogetinagoodgame.
Evenincasualplay,somepeopleusethestandardtimelimit,thoughmanyofusliketo
addsometime,makingitanhourandahalforanhourand40minutes.Thereisashorter
versionofthegame(1deck)whichgoodquickplayersandeasilyfinishinanhour.This
timerequiredtoplayisadrawbackforsomepeople.(Ittakestoolongtoplay).Well,if
youwantaquick,simplegameforaspare20minutes,youvegotMtGorDeciphersLotR
TCG,orothergoodgames.MECCGtakesabitmore.

AbouttheSets:
Noteabout'Hero'and'Minion':InMiddleEarth:TheWizards,youareaWizardbattling
Sauron.Thiswastheonlytypeofthing(avatar)youcouldbe.Whenthe4thset,Middle
Earth:TheLidlessEye,cameout,itaddedanotherdimensiontothegame.Youcouldnow
beaRingwraith,ratherthanaWizard.PeoplebegantousethetermsHerotoreferto
playingasaWizard,andMiniontorefertoplayingasaRingwraith.Actually,youneednot
revealaWizardorRingwraithcharactercard,andindeedasaMinionyoucanbeSauron
withoneofacouplespecialcards.So,thetermsHeroandMinionarebettertermsto
describethetypeofdeckyou'reusing,ratherthanWizardorRingwraith.

(That'senoughtogetstartedwith,butifyouwantthefullpicture:The6thsetaddedanew
kindofthingthatyoucanplayas,theFallenWizard.Intournaments,thisisacompletely
differentkindofavatar,withsomedifferentrulesjustasplayingheroorminionhasslighty
differentrules.The7thandlastset,MiddleEarth:TheBalrog,addtheBalrogas
somethingyoucanbe.However,thisisconsideredasubsetoftheMinionalignment,
inheritingthespecialMinionrulesfromTheLidlessEye.Intournaments,ifyouarethe
Balrog,youareconsideredMinion.)
ItendtoconsidertheHeroalignmentasthe'basic'alignment.Itisthealignmentnew
playersusuallywanttoandprobablyshouldstartoutwith.TheFallenWizardalignment
assumesexperiencewithbothHeroandMinionalignment,andcouldreasonablybe
thoughtofasan'advancedalignment'.Meaning,don'tworryaboutitnowitwillmessyou
up.TheMinionalignmentisreallyaparalleltotheheroalignmentineveryrespect,and
youcouldstartoutplayingthatway.However,onthispage(andintherestofmysite)I
willassumethatyou'restartingoutplayinghero.Thatis,you'vegotcardsfromMiddle
Earth:theWizards,andmaybeDragonsorDarkMinions,andyou'llstartplayingwiththat.

Noteaboutthecoloringofthesettitles:Forthetitleofeachset,Iusedthepeach
heroresourcecolorifit'saheroset,darkpurpleifit'saminionset,greenitit'saFallen
Wizardset.Thetitleofsetwillbespreadamongstthesecolorsinproportiontohowmuch
thatsetisforeachalignment.Thisisjusttogiveyouavisualcueastohowapplicablethe
setistoyouif,forexample,youwanttoconcentrateonplayingheroatfirst.Now,thevast
5

majorityofhazardsfromanysetcanbeusedagainstanyone.Sotoacertainextent,every
setisbeneficialtoyounomatterwhatalignmentyouprefer.Forexample,Ihavethe
WizardssetcoloredcompletelyhasaHeroset,butthisisintermsofresources,
characters,andsites.Manyofthehazardsinthesetwouldbehelpfultoaminionplayer,
whetherthey'replayingagainstaherooranotherminion.

TheWizards
Mainset
Thisiswhereyou'llstart.Onlythissetscontainskeycardsthatarehardtoplaywithout,
cardswhichcardsinothersetsdependupon.Thissetcontainsalmostallthehero
charactersandsites,aswellastheWizardcharactercardsandmostfactions,alliesand
items.
Thefirstthingforyoutodowhengettingintothisgameistogetoneofeachofthefixed
portions.EachStarterdeckcontains,randomly,3rares,9uncommons,40commons,and
oneoffivedifferentfixedportions.Eachfixedportioncontains2wizardcharacter,5other
characters,2factionsandsitesthatyoucan'tgetanywhereelse.Bottomline:youreally
wanttogetthese5fixedpacks.Problemis,it'sapaintogetthem.Youdon'tknowwhich
you'llgetuntilyouopenthelittlestarterdeckbox.YoumightthinkaStarterbox,which
contains10starterdecks,wouldhave2ofeachfixedpackinit,andyou'dbewrong.It'll
probablyhave3of2ofthem,2ofanother,and1oftheothertwo.Somethinglikethat,or
worse.Prettyannoying.
Youcangetstartedprettywellwithjustthisset.Ifyouhaveatleastoneofeachfixed
portionandaboosterbox'sworthofcards,you'rereadytogo.Thefixedportionsgiveyou
agoodcoreofcharacters(Aragorn,Glorfindel,Gimle,muchmore),sites,andfactions.
Theboosterboxwillgiveyoualliesanditems,plentyofsupportcards,andmore
characters(LegolasandSamforexampleareuncommons,nothardtoget),factionsand
sites.Andofcoursehazardswithwhichtosmiteyouropponent.Youmaywanttoconsider
gettingasetthoughifyouthinkyou'llreallylikethisgameandwanttogetgoingquickly,
andhavethemoney.Makesureyougetasetwithplentyofextranonrares.(Remember,
youcanhaveuptothreeofcardinyourdeckifitisnotunique.)
Alignments:Justhero.That'salltherewaswhenitcameout.
Numbers:484cards.121eachraresanduncommons,182commons,plus57fixed
cards.Startersandboosters.Boosters:1rare,3uncomons,11commons.Theonlyset
reprintedinbluebordered'UnlimitedEdition'.
Cost:Notbad.Therewasalotprinted.BoxesarealmostascheapasDragons.But,itwill
takesomemoneyandefforttocompletebecauseit'safullsetwith121rares.Acouple
rares(TheOneRing,Assassin)areexpensive($710forUL),buttherestaren'tbadatall.
"UL"bythewaymeansUnlimitededition.FirsttheyprintedtheLimitedEditionwithblack
borders,andwhentheywererunningouttheyprintedtheUnlimitedEditionwithblue
borders.Noothersetshaveanycardswithblueborders(theyprintedenoughoftheblack.

TheDragons
Firstexpansion.Fewnewrules,justcoolnewcards
Thisisagreatexpansion.Itonlyaddedonelittlerule(hoards),andaddedalotofgreat
cards.Basicallyasitecontainsahoardifthereisadragonautoattack.Somethings
6

(addedinthisset),includingsomeitems,canonlybeplayedathoardsites.Thissetadded
anewmajorclassofcreaturehazards(drakes)andaddedsomenicecardsforother
hazardthemes.Drakeslikedeepwilderness(usually3wildernessinthesitepath)so
you'vegottofindawaytomaximizethat.(WitheredLands!)Asyoumightguess,Dragon
creaturesbenefitedfromthisset,nottomentionadding5newDragoncreatures.The
hazardFoolishWordsbecameastaple.
Ontheresourceside,thecardMarvelsToldchangedthegame.You'renolongeratthe
mercyofnonenvironmenthazardpermanentevents.Thiscardalongwithsomeothers
madethesageskillhelpful,whearasbeforeithadn'treallybeen.Alsodoingthisarecards
thatutilizeInformationsites.Thissetaddedafewnewfactions,anally,andplentyof
items.Italsoaddedafewcharactersandagoodnumberofsites.
Alignments:Justhero.Otheralignmentswerejustanideaatthistime.
Numbers:180cards.70commons,60uncommons,50rares.Boosters:1rare,4
uncommon,10common.Someraresare'R2'andsome'R3',appearingontheprintsheet
twiceand3times,respectively.ThebetterraresareusuallyR2's,withsomenotsogreat
uniqueR3's.Moresothanothersets(exceptAgainsttheShadow),mostpacksareeither
winnersorlosers,withmanyraresworth$.25andsomeworth$4.00
Cost:Thecheapestboxes.YoucangetthemintheU.S.for$20.There'snoreasontonot
getalltheDragonscardsyouneed,especiallysincemanyaregreatcards,fromrares
downtothecommons.

DarkMinions
Secondexpansion.Somenewrulesandnewkindsofcards.
Therewerethreebignew(groupsof)rules,aswellascardsthattooktheserulesinto
account:
Underdeepssites.Youcannowtravelintothebowelsoftheearth!Youcangettoeach
underdeepssitebytravelingdowntoitfromitssurfacesite.It'snotforthefaintofhear.
Hazardsareoftenmoreplayableandthereareespeciallyevilthingswaitingforyou,but
thepayoffcanbegreat.Youcanplaymoreitemsanddospecialthingsthere.Mostofthe
newsitesinthissetareunderdeepsites.
Agents.Youcannowplayevilagentsofallracesashazards.Theyremaininthegame
fromturntoturnandcanmovefromsitetosite,attackingyouropponent,influencingaway
hisfactions,andmessingwithhiminavarietyofotherways.Agentcards(awholenew
template,withapurplebackground)areintroduced,andothercardstotakeadvantageof
them,aswellascombatthem.
Prisoners.Yourcharacterscannowbetakenprisonerbytheforcesofevil.While
prisoner,theystilltakeupgeneralinfuencebutareuselesstoyou,andtheirMPcountas
negative!Youmustgetthemback,butthatmightnotbeeasy.
Besidesthesenewcomplications,thereareplentyofothergoodcards.Undead(The
MoonisDead,Chilldouser,others)andMan(RankuponRank)hazardsarebeefedup.
Alsoaddedarehazardstopunishyouropponentfordaringtoentertheunderdeeps.You
candomuchmoreevilevenifyoudon'tgetintousingagentsandtakingprisoners.You
mightwanttotakealookatthehazardTrollpursethough.Itmakestheprisonerrules
7

worthlearning!
Manygreatresourcesadded.Itemsandothercardstotakeadvantageofthe
underdeepsofcourse."Quest"typecards(permanenteventsthatgivepointsfordoing
certainthings)canmakeforsomeinterestingadventures.TheallyNobleHoundbegins
twointerestingtrends.First,itisanonuniqueally,soyoucangetmorethanone.(There
willbemoresuchalliesinthefuture,andevennonuniquefactions.)Second,itisthefirst
Ally/Item/Factionplayableatanalreadytappedsite.Therewillbeafewmorecardslike
thisforheroplayers,butthistypeofcardwillbekeyforMinionsandFallenwizards.
TwocardsthatgreatlyaffectedthegameweretheresourceSmokeringsandthehazard
AnUnexpectedOutpost.Beforethistime,theSideboard(I'llwriteanarticleonthisthis
Spring)wasonlyaccessedviaacouplehardtorememberrules.Thesetwocardsadded
easyaccessstothesideboard,aswellascardrecycling,whichisbringingacardtoyour
playdeckfromyourdiscardpile.Previouslyyouhadtodothiswithafewspecialtycards
likeVilyaorPalantirofOrthanc.
Thisisaverycoolexpansion,butitwasabitofaproblemtoo.Thegamewasalready
morecomplicatedthanmostotherCCG's,butwiththeaddedrulesinthisexpansion,a
largechunkofpeoplecametoseeitastoocomplicated.Thisperception(rootedinreality)
hurtthegame.Ifyou'renewtothegame,sure,getthisset.Youcandoalotofneatthings
withitevenifyoudon'twanttouseunderdeeps,agents,andprisoners.I'dputofflearning
thosethingsuntilyouhavethebasicrulesdownthough.Theyaddneatdimensionstothe
game,butyoucouldwinWorldswithoughusinganyofthatstuff.
Alignments:Justhero,butthereatwistonthissetthough.Theyknewtheyweregoingto
dotheMinionalignmentinthenearfuture.Thissetintroduces"agents".Theseareactually
minioncharacterswiththeagentkeyword.TheycanbeusedbyMinionplayersas
characters!It'stheagentkeywordthatmeanstheycanbeusedasagenthazards(by
anyone).Atthetimepeopledidn'tknowthis,andjustthoughtthey'donlyeverbeusedas
agenthazards.WhenLidlessEyecameout,peoplesaid,"aha!ICEwasthinkingahead."
So,ifyou'reonlygoingtoplayasaMinion,you'dofcoursewantthehazardsfromthisset
asyouwouldfromanyset,butyou'dalsowanttheagentcardsfromthisset,thatyou
coulduseascharacters.
Numbers:180cards.70commons,60uncommons,50rares.Boosters:1rare,4
uncommon,10common.HasR2'sandR3's,butwithamoreevenspreadinvalueand
utilitybecausetheR3'sareallnonuniqueandtheR2'smostlyunique.
Cost:AlittlemoreexpensivethanWizardsUL,butthat'sstillcheap.Anditbeinga180
cardexpansion,it'smuchcheaperthanWizardstocomplete(secondonlytoDragons).
Manyofthegreatcardsarecommons,soyoucouldjustgethalfaboosterboxandit
wouldgreatlyaddtoyourabilities.

TheLidlessEye
Parelleltofirstset.Nowyoucanbeabadguyinsteadofgoodguy.
WhenplayingasaMinion,insteadofhaving2(or3)Wizardcharactercardsinyourdeck,
youcanhaveupto2(or3)Ringwraithcharactercards.WhenplayingasaMinion,you
canonlyuseminionresourcesandminioncharacters.Heroplayerscannotusethenew
Minionresources,characters,andsitesintroducedinthisset.AsIsaidbeforethough,the
newhazardcardsprovidedinthissetcanbeusedbyheroplayers.Anybodycanuseany
8

hazards.(Actually,thereisasmalllistofhazardsthatcan'tbeusedagainstMinions,but
don'tworryaboutthatnow.)Somehazardsthougharemoreeffectiveagainstcertaintypes
ofopponents.
Thisguideforbeginnersassumesyou'llbestartingoffplayinghero,soIwon'tgetmuch
intoplayingasaminionhere.I'lljustsaythatitworksbasicallythesame,butthereare
someadditionalrulesforMinionplayers.Forthisreason,itisslightlymorecomplicated
thanplayinghero.Itwouldbeeasierifyougotintoplayingminionaftergettingsome
experiencewithplayinghero.But,some(usuallyexperiencedgamerswholikebeingthe
badguy)havestartedrightoffwiththissetplayingasabadguy,andhadmuchfundoing
it.
Alignments:Minion.ThewholepointofthissetistointroduceplayingtheMinion
alignment.
Numbers:419cards.121eachrares,uncommons,commons,plus54fixedcards.
Startersandboosters.Startershaveone'fixedportion'ofabout20cards,1rare,12
uncommons,andI'mguessingabout40starteronlycommons.Boosters:1rare,4
uncomons,11commons.Rares(anduc'sandc's)allappearonceontheraresheet,
thoughsomearemuchbetterthanothers.Thisisthesetwheretheyreallyscrewedupthe
rarities.Somecardsweremaderaresthatreallyshouldn'thavebeen.
Cost:Thisismostexpensivesettocomplete.Notonlyareboxesexpensive,butit'sa
fullblownmajorsetwith121rares,withonerareperbooster.Thissethasthemost
expensiverares,withTheLidlessEyeandElfLordRevealedinWrathsometimesgoing
for$20.Foracoupleyears,20002001,thissetwasevenmoreexpensive,butluckily
somemorestockwasfoundtorelievethepressure.Bepreparedtodropsomemoneyto
completeaset.Somepeoplethough,likeme,useheroforseriousplaybutdabblein
playingminionforfun.Ifso,youcouldjustgetthefixedportions,commonsand
uncommonssomehow,withmaybesomeofthecheaper(butstillverygoodrares).This
wouldsaveyoualotofmoney,sincethemanyveryexpensiveraresmakeupthemajority
ofthevalueofafullset.AndI'lltakethisopportunitytoplugmyLEBudgetStarterboxin
myCardsforSalesection.

AgainsttheShadow
Morecardsforbothheroandminionplayers
ThisexpansionislikeDragonsinthatitisverysimplenonewrules,justcoolnewcards.
Newhazardstouseagainstanyone,andcoolresourcesforheros.Forminions,there
weresomeholesleftoverfromLidlessEyethatneededtobepluggedmainlysites.There
werepreviouslysitesthatheroshadthatminionsdidn't,soheroscouldgotothesesites
andtheminionscouldn'tfollowthemthere!Afterthisset,minionshaveallthesitesheros
do,eventheherohavens.Ofcourse,minionstendtohaveatoughtimewhentheygoto,
sayLorien.Alsoaddedwerealotofhazardcreaturesaimedatminions,dwarves,elves,
anddunedain.It'shurtswhenyourorcsrunupagainstArthedainRangers.
Ninehazardcreature/PermEventswereaddedtoparelleltheNazgulhazardcards.
Minionsnowhavetodealwithhazardsforthe5Istari,Cirdan,Elrond,Galadriel,and
Beorn.Verycool!ThecommonhazardAloneandUnadvisedgivesthoseannoyingoneor
twocharactercompaniessomethingtoworryabout.FullofFrothandRagebeefedup
SpiderandAnimalattacks.PowerBuiltbyWaitingaddressestheproblemofyour
9

opponenthavinglowhazardlimits,andaddsapotentialcosttohimleavingcharacters
squattingathavens.Someothernicehazardstoo.TheminionresourceDarkTrystwas
basicallyaddedtohelpminions,perceivedasbeingatadisadvantageagainstheroes.It's
consideredrequiredinminion(andFallenWizard)decks.Thereareafewnonunique
alliesforminionsthatarequitegood.
Alignments:ResourcesforbothHeroandMinion,5sitesforherosandabunchfor
minions,afewnewminioncharacters.
Cost:Thisisanexpensivesettocomplete,secondonlytoTheLidlessEye.It'san
expansionandsmallerthanthetwomainsets,butboxesaresomewhatexpensiveand
theR1'saretoughtoget.CompletingthissetisallaboutgettingtheR1's,whichcancost
$10(ormore)easy,whiletheR2'sgofor<$1.00onaverage.
Numbers:170cards.50commons,55uncommons,65rares.Boosters:2rares,4
uncommon,6commons.9raresareR1andtherestR2.TheR1'sarethankfullynot
necessarytoanygooddeck.
Cost:Boxesareabout$60perbox,butthatgoesupanddown.Eventhoughthereare2
raresperpack,completingasetisdifficult/expensivebecausethe9R1raresaresohard
toget.However,ifyoudon'tneedtogeteverycard,thissetisnotbadatall.Youcould
buyaboxandsell/tradetheR1'stogetsomeofyourinvestmentback.Or,buyasetfrom
someonewithouttheR1's.OraskanolderplayerforhisextraAtScommons/uncommons
andthen(easily)tradefortheR2rares.AndonceagainI'lltakethisopportunitytoplugmy
BudgetAtSSet,whichhaseverythingyouneedfromthissetminusthe9ultrarares.

TheWhiteHand
Addsthethirdtypeofthingyoucanbe:FallenWizard.
Thissetintroducesanewalignment,theFallenWizard.Mostofthecardsinthesetare
specialcardsforFallenWizards,andnotusableforanyoneelse.However,thereare
somecoolhazardandresourcesforbothheroesandminionsalso,andthesearemostly
commonoruncommon.
Alignments:ThewholepointofthissetistointroducetheFallenWizardalignment.A
FallenWizardisawizardonhisown,whohasdespairedtodefeatingSauron.Theminion
alignmentcouldbeconsideredslightlyadvancedinthatitaddedspecialminionruleson
topoftheinitialwizardrules.Well,thisalignmentismuchmore'advanced'.Thereare
quiteafewnewrulesthatcantakeawhiletokeepstraight,andmanyofthenewFallen
Wizardresources(withagreentemplate)areahandful.Addtothisthatyoucanuseboth
heroandminonresources.Definatleyanalignmentforadvancedplayers.
Cost:Althoughtheboxesareslightlymoreexpensivethanaverage,it'snotthatexpensive
tocompletebecauseoneboxshouldbeallyouneedtomakeaset.There's2raresper
booser,only47rares,andnoneofthemareannoyingR1'slikeinAgainsttheShadow.
Numbers:122cards.35commons,40uncommons,47rares.Boosters:2rares,4
uncommon,6commons.R2'sandR3's.LikeDarkMinions,theyarrangedthem
reasonablywell.UnliketheLidlessEye,whichintroducedtheminionalignment,thisset
doesnothavestarters.TheFallenWizardcharactercardshavetobepulledfrom
boosters,whichisn'taproblem,becausethey'replentiful.

TheBalrog
10

NowyoucanbetheBalrog.LookMom,I'maBalrog!
ThissetintroducesbeingaBalrog.Thisisnottechnicallyanewalignment,likeFallen
Wizard.BeingtheBalrogisconsideredbeingaspecialkindofMinion.So,youuseMinion
ruleswithafewspecialaddedrulesofyourown,ifyou'regoingtobetheBalrog.Forthe
restofus,thissetsaddssomegoodhazards,somemostusefulagainsttheBalrog,but
othersverygoodagainstanyone.Therearealsosomeresourcesforminonsand,toa
lesserextent,heroes.They'reallverygoodthough.YOucancertainlydowithoutthemin
casualplay,butifyou'regoingtobeaseriousheroor(otherkindof)minionplayer,
considergettingasetofBalrog.Evenjustoneofsomeofthesecardsaddssomeneat
twists.
Evertriedringdecksandtheywerejusttodarnunwieldy?RumoursofRings(andits
minioncounterpartWhispersofRings)singlehandedlymakesringdecksbetter.Havinga
singleBeorningSkinchangersinyourdeckorsideboardisniceincaseyouropponents
usesnastyhobbitesss.UnabatedinMaliceisnasty,andElvenRopeiscool.
Alignments:Thissetdoesn'tactuallycreateanewalignment,butcreatesanewtypeof
Minionplayeryoucanbe,theBalrog.TheBalrogismuchgearedtowardsunderdeeps
sites.
Cost:Thoughboxes(3ofeachdeckbox)areexpensive,youonlyneed1/3ofaboxfora
completeset!Ifyouareaseriousplayerthough,youmaywanttwosetsorthree(anentire
box).Thesearegettinghardtofindandyoumighthavetopaymorethanretailprice,
whichis$114abox.Ifyouseeasetofbothboxesfor<$40,grabit.
Numbers:AllFixed.Itwasreleasedintwosetdecks.Buyboth,youhavetheset.That's
right,nothingrandomizedinthisset.

11