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You will find the latest 15 Strategy-Notes here (order desc by publishing date).

The Moria Culture

The Shire Culture

The Gandalf Culture

When Gandalf arrived with Saruman and the other Wizards in Middle Earth, more than two thousand years before the events described in The Lord of the Rings occur, Círdan the Shipwright saw in him a hidden strength. Even though Saruman was the head of their order, Círdan saw that Gandalf was the greatest of the Wizards and entrusted him with Narya, the Red Ring of Fire. When Saruman betrayed Middle Earth to Sauron, Gandalf was indeed shown to be wiser and more powerful. It the end, it would be Gandalf who would lead the final fight against Sauron and aid in the destruction of the One Ring.

The Gandalf Culture - Designer note

The Gandalf culture is unique. The strengths and weaknesses of most cultures can be described in terms of what mechanics the cards do and do not have. The Gandalf culture, on the other hand, is designed to be the swiss army knife. Need conditions cancelled? Gandalf can do it. Need to bail another companion out of trouble by adding a little strength in a skirmish? There are a couple of spells that fit the bill. You don't want to wait to draw Gandalf? Play a few A Wizard Is Never Late and you are in business.

The Gondor Culture

Most famous of the Dunedain are the men of Gondor whose rule extended over all lands west of the Sea of Rhun, and whose two Gondorian white towers, erected in the year 3320 of the Second Age, were known across all of Middle Earth. And yet, the years have taken their toll on the Gondorian people - we now see them divided, with a shattered nobility, and little time remaining for them to set their course true. But it is the people of Gondor that must carry Middle Earth into the dawn of a new age and so begins the ultimate journey for redemption.

Heir to the throne of Gondor

Gondor Designer's Notes

As the design team got down to business with Two Towers design, one of our first orders of business was dealing with Gondor and some of their cultural definitions. Most important of all was determining these cultural characteristics and bringing them to life onto the Gondor cards that would come out in the set.

We felt that Gondor already had some strong themes developed from Fellowship block. Take these Fellowship of the Ring cards shown below.

The Elf Culture

When you think of elves what comes to mind? Santa's Elves, The Keebler Elves, or an immortal race of supreme beings, Fierce Hunters, Great Artisans, and skilled defenders renowned throughout Middle Earth for their mythic and magical ways. Well, the latter of the three is what should come to mind if you are thinking in terms of The Lord of the Rings TCG. The Elves of Middle earth are an enriched people, loving nature, art, peaceful tranquility and harmony; they sailed from the undying lands of Valinor to find just that. Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Cirdan had no idea the roll they would play in Middle Earth when they first arrived, or the hand they would have in destroying Sauron; but time would show that the Elves were to play a crucial part indeed.

The Dwarven Culture

Where would The Lord of the Rings be without Dwarves? If not for Thorin Oakenshield and his quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo never would have started off on the adventure that eventually led to his finding of the One Ring. When Sauron gathered his strength, he would surely have persuaded the dragon Smaug to join his forces, and the will of the Ring would have led Gollum straight into Mordor at some point. With all of these things, plus the Nazgul and Orcs already at his command, neither Men nor Elves could have withstood his onslaught for long. The world of Middle Earth would have perished if not for a group of Dwarves with a grudge.

Dwarven Culture - Designer Notes

Gimli is the lone representative of the Dwarf culture in The Two Towers, yet his influence permeates the story.

Gimli is the ideal traveling mate. Once a companion earns Gimli's respect and trust, Gimli is devoted. The designers wanted the Dwarf culture in The Two Towers set to feature Gimli as a strong and hearty fighter, but we also wanted him to raise his companions' morale and aid them in skirmishes.

Enter the Circus

Some sort of card manipulation seemed in order to allow better access to Free Peoples cards. Dwarves have a precedent of relying on support area conditions from Fellowship block, so conditions would be integral in our plans.

Rohan Culture

The people of Rohan, the Rohirrim, are the Horse-lords of Middle Earth. They are a people constantly at war - with the Orcs, the people of Dunland, and against Saruman the White. This has made the Rohirrim a strong culture, who appreciate life and are willing to fight for their way of life when they need to. During the War of the Rohan, the king of Rohan, Théoden was bewitched by Saruman. When Gandalf freed him, Rohan was able to fight back the armies of Saruman's Uruk-hai and aide in the final battle against Sauron. This strength and nobility shows in the power of the Rohan culture to win skirmishes and to punish your opponent.s minions turn after turn.

Rohan - Designer's Notes

When we entered the design phase on Battle of Helm's Deep the TCG studio felt that while Rohan has some powerful utility cards, they needed more cultural definition. With cards such as Simbelmynë, Weapon Store and Éomer, Rohan had many generic strengths but when put together, needed a more cohesive feel to them. Along with all this, their strengths came at a relatively expensive price. With Rohan seeing little action in the tournament circuit and players screaming for justice, we decided to answer the call.

Possessions, Possessions, Possessions

The Ringwraith Culture

The Nazgûl : Out in the Open

Not long ago players constructed decks for a fellowship's journey to Amon Hen. Fitting to this theme, the Ringwraith culture appeared as the shadow side of choice for many a competitive player. Sites like Bree Streets (Nazgûl have no roaming penalty) and the Ford of Bruinen (first Nazgûl is twilight cost -5) meant that fellowship players had to be prepared for a large Nazgûl position well before their arrival at the first sanctuary. But alas, times have changed, and constructed Fellowship play must await cycling through the next two trilogy blocks (Two Towers and Return of the King) before it will again be reborn.See the rest of this Strategy-Note...

Ringwraith - Designer's Notes

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