Pssst. Got some Secret news for you. Strategy stuff. Here you go.
Secret News - Resource - Short-event
Opponent reveals to you 5 random cards at once from his hand.
Secret News appears at first to be inferior to Mirror of Galadriel and Palantir of Amon Sul, but Secret News has several advantages over those two cards. First, though, it would be best to see what advantages this card has on its own.
In a game where players are drawing and discarding like mad (as is usually the case in METW) knowing what is in the opponent's hand isn't as useful in some games. However, it can be a decisive advantage. For example, you are in a haven with an item in your hand and several places to play it are available. You take a look at your opponent's hand during Organization phase and notice that he has a Nazgul (or Dragon or whatever) and adjust your movement accordingly. A peek at your opponent's hand can also tell you what he's going to do in the near future (factions, items, etc.) and help you manage your cards accordingly.
However, just seeing 5 cards can often either mislead you. If you only see 5 of the 8 cards in your opponent's hand, you might be missing the three Nazgul he'll hit you with, or you don't see an important item he'll go for. So if possible, Palantir of Amon Sul or Mirror of Galadriel are much better. Secret News has some advantages over those. Amon Sul imparts corruption and is difficult to get out and use. Mirror of Galadriel requires a character at Lorien, which is sometimes not feasible. Secret News can be played any time during your turn, such as during Organization or right before you play Riddling Talk or tomorrow's card, The Riddle Game. With Secret News/Riddling Talk you just have to make a decent roll and you can cancel a wide array of strikes (this combo is especially fun in a Hobbit deck).
So over all, Secret News can give you some vital info, or not give you quite
the whole story.
| Ratings for Secret News: | |
|---|---|
| Isildur: | 6.0 |
| Frodo: | 7.0 |
| Farmer Maggot: | 7.0 |
| Gandalf: | 6.0 |
| Legolas: | 6.0 |
| Strider: | 6.0 |
| Wormtoungue: | 4.5 |
| Samwise: | 6.0 |
| Average: | 6.0 |
Card names and text copyright 1996 by Iron Crown Enterprises, all rights reserved. This document copyright 1996 by Trevor Stone. Permission given to duplicate so long as no profit is made and the copyright notice is kept in tact, blah, blah, blah.