The last faction seen by the ring-bearers was
Elves of Lindon - Resource - Elf Faction - 2 MP
Unique. Playable at Grey Havens if the influence check is greater than 9.
Standard Modifications: Dunedain (+1), Elves (+2).
As this is the first faction I've done, I'll start by mentioning a few things about factions. Factions are probably the safest mode of MP gathering, as they impart no corruption, are played at free- and border-holds (without auto-attacks), and there are fewer ways to get rid of factions. However, factions don't do much of anything other than sit there and give you MPs (with a very few exceptions). On top of that, factions are often not sure things, as they require a roll with modifications and not just the tapping of a character like items. Over all, however, I really like factions because of the safety factor.
On to the rest of the review. Elves of Lindon, while on the low end of the scale for MPs and on the high end for influence required, is a very good faction. It is played at a haven inside a free-domain, just about the safest place possible, which means you are safe from almost all attacks on your way there. Its location makes it a prime candidate for a costal-seas strategy, as Grey Havens will almost always available to that strategy, even if you've got Snowstorm, Long Winter, and Will of Sauron in play. The other locational advantage to this card is that your opponent won't be expecting you to play anything when you move to Grey Havens (as she wasn't for yesterday's card), so she won't do much to hinder your progress or tap your site.
The +2 for elves makes it slightly easier to bring in and if you plan on including Cirdan, one of the best characters in the game, this faction will automatically be influenced by him if he's not controlling anybody. This can be done while he's just sitting in Grey Havens, giving you an extra card. Another option for influencing this faction in is to leave a wizard like Saruman, Pallando, or Alatar in Grey Havens using their special abilities and waiting for this card or a Wizard's Ring (if you want to risk the corruption).
The two problems with this card are the fact that Grey Havens is out of the way for most decks most of the time and the high influence number for the relatively low number of MPs. But overall, Elves of Lindon is a very safe faction, especially useful in coastal decks.
| Ratings for Elves of Lindon: | |
|---|---|
| Isildur: | 7.5 |
| Strider: | 6.5 |
| Frodo: | 7.0 |
| Gandalf: | 5.0 |
| Legolas: | 7.0 |
| Eonwe: | 9.0 |
| Samwise: | 7.0 |
| Smaug: | 8.0 |
| Farmer Maggot: | 8.0 |
| Wormtongue: | 7.5 |
| Average: | 7.3 |
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.