Hunters Cards, Version B!

After the first weekend of playtesting The Hunters Draft Pack cards, we have reviewed the feedback and, with the designers at Decipher, have decided on some changes. These will be updated in a patch either later today (Monday the 28th) or tomorrow (Tuesday the 29th). We’ll still be looking for feedback following these changes, and we anticipate further updates in the weeks to come.

You can help make it easier to track your feedback by noting in your posts which version of the card you’re referring to. This version can be referred to either by date (11/28) or version letter (these are “version B”).

The changes are:

*Gimli, Sprinter
Culture: Dwarf
Companion *  Dwarf
Cost 2
Strength 6 Resistance 6
Hunter 1. Damage +1.
Each time Gimli wins a skirmish, you may add a threat to wound a minion (or to wound a non-hunter minion twice).

The consensus among testers seemed to be that the original Sprinter was too weak in comparison to existing Gimlis. However, the leading suggested change (that he become hunter 2 while keeping the same game text) seemed on the verge of being strictly better than Eager Hunter (15 C 5). Version B of Sprinter tries to improve the card by sweetening the skirmish reward, without threatening Eager Hunter by being too similar.

In addition, Gimli’s resistance was lowered from 7 to 6. A lot of feedback indicated that the increase of resistance over other Gimlis felt uncalled for here.

*Gandalf, Returned
Culture: Gandalf
Companion * Wizard
Cost 4
Strength 7
Vitality 4
Resistance 7
When you play Gandalf (except in your starting fellowship), you may play a [Gandalf] possession on him from your draw deck or discard pile.
Each time Gandalf wins a skirmish, you may reinforce a Free Peoples token

The consensus among testers that the original Returned was somewhat weak, and not terribly useful in draft beyond being a “strong companion.” His potential use in draft is now slightly broader by opening up his token reinforcement to any Free Peoples culture. In addition, he can now play a possession from draw deck or discard pile.

As with Gimli, the resistance of Gandalf was reduced by 1, as feedback again seemed to feel the increase was uncalled for.

*Aragorn, Heir to the Throne of Gondor
Culture: Gondor
Companion *  Man
Cost 4
Strength 8
Vitality 4
Resistance 6
Hunter 2.
Aragorn is resistance +1 for each Free Peoples culture you can spot.
While you can spot 3 Free Peoples cultures, Aragorn is defender +1.
While you can spot 2 Shadow cultures, Aragorn is defender +1

While the feedback seemed uniform in stating that version A of HttToG was weak, the prevailing suggested changes (to make him a Ranger, at various other costs) seemed to go against the original design intent of the card. In addition, making this Aragorn a Ranger when two others in The Hunters block already are seemed to be introducing too much similarity.

Instead, a second means of granting him defender +1 was introduced, to improve the strength of the card slightly and further prove useful in draft.

*Saruman, Instigator of Insurrection
Culture: Isengard
Minion * Wizard
Cost 4
Strength 8
Vitality 4
Site 4
Saruman cannot be assigned to a skirmish.
While you can spot 6 companions, all minions gain hunter 2.
Response: If a hunter minion is about to take a wound, exert Saruman to prevent that.

A minor change was made here: hunter 1 becoming hunter 2. While many playtesters suggested a further change, that this Saruman become a lurker, this is not an option as the lurker keyword is not being used in The Hunters block.

*Lurtz, Halfling Hunter
Culture: Uruk-hai
Minion * Uruk-hai
Cost 7
Strength 13
Vitality 3
Site 5
Archer. Damage +1.
Maneuver: Spot 6 companions to make Lurtz fierce until the regroup phase.
Assignment: Exert Lurtz twice to assign it to an unbound companion. The Free Peoples player may exert that companion or add 2 threats to prevent this.

Here, the “or 2 Hobbits” clause in the Maneuver text was removed as needlessly punitive and unfriendly to draft. A suggestion to replace this with an “anti-rainbow fellowship” clause (of “or 3 Free Peoples cultures”) was evaluated and rejected as being even less friendly to Draft play.

In addition, the Assignment text was revised to incorporate threats (a theme of the block) instead of discarding as a “buyout.”

*The Witch-king, Conqueror of Arthedain
Culture: Wraith
Minion * Nazgul
Cost 8
Strength 14
Vitality 4
Site 3
Fierce.
Each time the Witch-king wins a fierce skirmish, you may exert a companion for each companion over 4.

A minor change here turns “over 5” to “over 4.” Consensus put this card as too weak, but there were wildly different notions of how to fix it.

The suggestion to make this minion a hunter was rejected, as that keyword is extremely rare in the Wraith culture. (It does not appear printed on any such minion in The Hunters set.)

The suggestion to transform this minion into a version of Castamir was rejected as being too far outside the original design intent. (We feel that it needs to remain a version of The Witch-king in whatever final incarnation it ends up taking.)

The suggestion to make this function trigger off any winning skirmish (not just a fierce skirmish), while requiring an exertion, was also considered. However, the cost of exerting a vitality 4 minion is fairly trivial, and yet still would not notably improve the card, as a Free Peoples player could reasonably play under 6 companions and render The Witch-king an essentially “blank” card. Lowering the threshold from 5 to 4 is being tried instead.

Please continue to test these cards in game and report your feedback, and we’ll see what happens in version C.