Category Archives: Metagame

Metagame: Balance of Power

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Beorn

Reading history, it’s easy to assume that the current state of things is inevitable. In fact, history is littered with random, unexpected turns of events. The same can be said for this game. Over a decade after its release, it … Continue reading →

Posted in A Long-extended Party, Community, Metagame, Multiplayer, Play Style, Series, Solo | Tagged Balance, Card Pool, Community, Deck Building, Design Space, Elrond, Elrond's Counsel, Fantasy Flight Games, Feedback Loops, Imladris Stargazer, Living Card Games, Lord of the Rings LCG, Master of the Forge, Metagame, OP, Over-powered Cards, Power Creep, Power Curve, Sleeping Sentry, Spirit Glorfindel, Strategy, Sudden Pitfall, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Tolkien, Under-powered Cards, Vilya, Warden of Healing | 4 Comments

Metagame: The Core of the Problem

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Beorn

The announcement of the repacked Core Set was greeted by the community with much fanfare. The excitement is understandable, especially when some players thought that the hiatus of official content amounted to a death sentence. Caleb has confirmed that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Archetypes, Community, Metagame, Mono-Sphere, New Players, Play Style, Series, Solo, Theme, Tribal, Two Handed | Tagged Core Set, Deckbuilding, Fantasy Flight Games, Fellowship, Full Play Set, Introduction, Learn to Play, Living Card Games, Mono-Sphere, New Players, Out of the Box Experience, Player Cards, Revised Core Set, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Theme, Tolkien, Tribal Decks, Unique Cards | 6 Comments

Alternate Art: All The Pretty Horses

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Beorn

He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret. He thought that the world’s heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world’s pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate-Art, Books, Contract, Decks, Metagame, Multiplayer | Tagged Alternate Art, Anato Finnstark, Attachment Heavy Decks, Beornings, Contract, Cormac McCarthy, Deck Building, Elfhelm, Eowyn, Fantasy Flight Games, Forth the Three Hunters, Grimbeorn the Old, Literature, Living Card Games, Mounts, No Ally Decks, Power Deck, Restricted Attachments, Strategy, Strider, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Tolkien | Leave a comment

Alternate Art: Wandering in Search of the Entwives

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Beorn

ENT: When Spring unfolds the beechen leaf, and sap is in the bough; When light is on the wild-wood stream, and wind is on the brow; When stride is long, and breath is deep, and keen the mountain-air, Come back … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate-Art, Combo, Community, Contract, Control, Decks, Metagame, Theme, Tribal | Tagged Contract, Control, Deck Building, Ents, Fantasy Flight Games, Living Card Games, Resourceful, Secrecy, Single Hero Decks, Solo, Strategy, Strider, The Grey Wanderer, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Timely Aid, Tolkien, Treebeard, Tribal Decks | 4 Comments

Bear Market: Vengeance of Mordor, My Favorites So Far

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Beorn

I had hoped to have more of the cycle released by this point, but the release schedule of the game has slowed to a glacial pace. Still, Wrath and Ruin is finally available in the US (apologies to our European … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Market, Community, Contract, Control, Metagame, Multiplayer, Spoilers, Tribal | Tagged A Shadow in the East, Contract, Control, Deck Building, Decks Without Allies, Discussion, Doomed, Fantasy Flight Games, Gondor, Hero Only, Hobbit Optional Engagement, Living Card Games, Location Control, Rohan, Saruman, Silvan Bounce, Spoilers, Staging Area Control, Strategy, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Tolkien, Vengeance of Mordor | Leave a comment

Alternate Art: Bear Jamboree

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Beorn

I’ve been tinkering with various means for unlocking the fierce potential of Grimbeorn the Old, and this decks represents my current thinking. There are undoubtedly decks which focus more directly on Grimbeorn, but I also wanted to create something thematic. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aggro, Alternate-Art, Art, Community, Decks, Metagame, Multiplayer, The Hobbit, Theme, Tribal | Tagged Aggro, Alternate Art, Beorn, Beornings, Card Draw, Dunedain, Fantasy Flight Games, Gandalf, Gildor Inglorion, Grimbeorn the Old, Hobbits, Leadership, Living Card Games, Readying, Resource Acceleration, Shadow Cancelation, Signal Attachments, Sneak Attack, Tactics, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Tighten Our Belts, Tolkien, Weapons | Leave a comment

Alternate Art: The Three Hunters Aggro v2

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Beorn

Sands of Harad was not exactly my favorite deluxe expansion, when it was first released. The versions of Gimli and Legolas had obvious synergy, but their effects seemed a bit underwhelming. Spirit Legolas, in particular, was in an uphill battle … Continue reading →

Posted in Aggro, Alternate-Art, Art, Community, Contract, GenCon, Metagame, Power, Solo, Theme | Tagged Aggro, Alternate Art, Aragorn, Caldara, Contract, Deck Building, Doomed, Fantasy Flight Games, Fun, Gen Con 2013, Gimli, Haradrim, Legendarium, Legolas, Living Card Games, Magali Villeneuve, Restricted Attachments, Sands of Harad, Solo, Strategy, The Lord of the Rings LCG, The Three Hunters, Thematic Decks, Tolkien | 1 Comment

Poll Results: Which archetypes most deserve more support

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Beorn

I’ve had enough time to play through the scenarios of The Shadow in the East, in solo and multiplayer. Before too much time passes, I want to look back on the Ered Mithrin cycle and the related poll which I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aggro, Community, Metagame, Multiplayer, Poll, Solo, Tribal | Tagged Aggro, Beornings, Dale, Doomed, Dunedain Trap, Dwarf Swarm, Dwarven Digging, Eagles, Ents, Ered Mithin, Fantasy Flight Games, Gandalf Hero, Gondor Swarm, Harad Ally, Hobbit Ally, Hobbit Optional Engagement, Living Card Games, Mono-Tactics, Noldor Discard, Outlands, Poll, Questing, Rohan Mounts, Rohan Swarm, Secrecy, Sidequests, Silvan Bounce, The Lord of the Rings LCG, The Wilds of Rhovanion, Tolkien, Traps, Valour, Victory Display, Woodmen | Leave a comment

Bear Draft: Playing v5 at Lure of Middle-earth 2019

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Beorn

In less than a week, I will pack my bags and head out from the Hall on an adventure. I’m heading to Castle Stahleck for the Lure of Middle-earth 2019 Convention. If I’m going to travel half way around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Draft, Community, Draft, Game Variant, Lure of Middle Earth, Metagame, Multiplayer, Theme | Tagged Bear Draft, Bear Draft v5, Beorning, Castle Stahleck, Community, Conventions, Dain Ironfoot, Dale, Deck Building, Draft, Dwarven Digging, Dynamic Encounter Decks, Fantasy Flight Games, Germany, Havens, Limited Formats, Living Card Games, Lure of Middle-earth 2019, Signature Cards, Strategy, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Tolkien, Wizard's Quest, Woodland Realm, Woodman | 2 Comments

Metagame: A Few, Key, Words

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Beorn

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to teach The Lord of the Rings LCG to a fair number of players. In the spectrum of design complexity, this game sits firmly on the opposite end from “beer and pretzels” or … Continue reading →