It might just be me, but I get a great kick out of cards with a phrase in the title. In fact, I sometimes play with this card just so I can say in a deep and sinister voice "There is
No Escape From My Magic # Hazard # Permanent-event
Playable on any faction in play. On the turns after it is played, this card
affects the region that contains the site where this faction is playable and
all adjacent regions. Each company moving with region cards using one or more
of such regions must make a roll (or draw a #) modified by +2 for each ranger
in the company, by +1 for each scout, and by +1 for each diplomat. If the
result is 12 or less, the company must do nothing during the site phase.
Cannot be duplicated on a given faction.
While I have rarely seen this card actually pulled off with great effectiveness that might just be because it's rare, as it can be a VERY nasty card. If nothing else, it provides one more reason to include several rangers in your deck.
First of all, this card is designed to hose decks that concentrate on one geographic area. Interestingly, almost all constructed decks are so built. Also, almost every deck uses region movement, as any other way would be rather slow. So the only drawback to putting this card in your deck is if your opponent is concentrating on the same region you are. The effect can be deadly. Consider a company of a diplomat and a scout traveling around Gondor while another heads somewhere else to get items. If you plop this down on the Knights of Dol Amroth the company must roll an 11 on their way to bring in the Men of Lamedon, the Men of Lebenin, anything in Tolfalas, and most probably stop them on their way to Minas Tirith or Stone-circle. They can avoid this by just using haven movement, but that takes twice as long :-) Another good place to place No Escape From My Magic is Nothern Rhovanion. This will hurt anyone going to Shrel-kain, Iron Hill Dwarf-hold, Buhr Widu, Thranduil's Halls, Sarn Gorwing, Withered Heath, or Northern Rhovanion. In short, by playing this card on Men of Dale you double the time it takes for an unprepared dragon company to do anything.
There are ways to Escape From My Magic. The first is Marvels Told, Palantir of Osgiliath, or The Cock Crows. Barring that, you can make sure to have several rangers in your deck and travel as one company. If you have two rangers, two scouts, and one diplomat (a reasonable company), you just need to roll a 7 or better. Still not great odds, but at least you're talking better than 50%. This card also doesn't affect the Underdeeps, so it can be used effectively with that strategy (though you have to pop up out of there SOME time). And if you get REALLY bothered by this card and didn't put Marvels Told in, you can always send an agent to influence away your own faction...
So No Escape From My Magic is a card with a really cool name that for some reason doesn't seem to get as much play as it deserves.
| Ratings for No Escape From My Magic: | |
|---|---|
| Isildur: | 8.7 |
| Bandobras: | 9.0 |
| Farmer Maggot: | 8.0 |
| Legolas: | 6.0 |
| Strider: | 7.5 |
| Fingolfin: | 6.5 |
| Beorn: | 6.9 |
| Cirdan: | 8.5 |
| Frodo: | 7.0 |
| Samwise: | 6.5 |
| Average: | 7.5 |
Card names and text copyright 1996 by Iron Crown Enterprises, all rights reserved. This document copyright 1997 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.