CoE weekly Rulings/Clarifications 7

1. Balrog of Moria is Spawn. So, I guess Durin's Bane is a Spawn? Also, The Balrog is a Spawn? If the last one's correct, that means I can throw extra Balrogs from my hand when I already have one in play to satisfy "Desire All for Thy Belly"?

*** Only cards identified as "spawn" in their text and those specifically listed in The Balrog Rules Summary as spawn (Shelob, Spider of the Morlat, and Balrog of Moria) are actually considered "spawn".

2. Can I play an "org phase" card in the "end of the org phase" slice of time?

*** No. Once "end of the org phase" cards are played, you may not play "org phase" cards. To do otherwise would make "end of the org phase" cards redundant.

3. So says Legendary Hoard: If target Dragon is required to be discarded or removed from play, invert Dragon on table until this card is discarded. Anything about "and then pretend it's not still out"? Nope. So, let's say I Legendary Hoard, Itangast at Home. Then Marvels Told hits Itangast at Home, so it's inverted. So, do greater items still give +1 CP?

4. Is there a stipulation concerning orc movement in [c]?

*** There is no stipulation regarding water that affects orcs/trolls other than the ones listed on the coastal site cards themselves. The stipulation is that Ringwraiths (aka ringers) cannot have a coastal sea region in their site path.

5. Please confirm the following is as it should be: My hazard opponent has a Cave-drake resting on a Summons/Sleep. He has the Cave-drake attack as per Summons' text. I respond with a Marvels Told on Summons. No more effects. My interpretation is that the Summons gets discarded, and with it the drake, before the declared attack resolves, due to the tricky LIFO timing. Eh?

*** You are correct. The attack would fizzle and the evil lizard would go away.

And here's another: Flatter a Foe calls for an influence "check," not "attempt." Is it true that an "attempt" is where I tap a character to try to play a resource, and a "check" is just the rolling-dice-plus-DI bit? In other words, does Flattery tap the character?

*** No, Flatter a Foe does not tap the character making the flattery attempt.

6. During the site phase I play a resource and the site taps. Now I want to play a minor item. Unfortunately my opponent played Heedless Revelry on-guard and I have to tap all characters. But now I play We have come to kill or A chance meeting to bring a character into play. Can this character then play the minor item ? Additional question to that scenario. If I untap a character with the help of an untapping resource, can then the character play the minor item ?

*** In either case, no. You must play your minor item immediately after you play your resource which taps the site.

7. Same scenario. Now A Ringwraith and a follower have the problem with the Heedless Revelry. But on the card you can read: Tap all untapped non-Ringwraith characters in the company. Question: Is the Ringwraith follower tapped ?

*** No. A Ringwraith follower is still a Ringwraith character.

8. Faces of the Dead: May the defender choose which character has to make the roll ?

*** No. The hazard player chooses the targetted character.

9. Spells of the Barrow-wights: Counts a detaiment strike as succesful, if the character becomes tapped after the strike ? Additional: May the defender choose which character has to be taken prisoner (if more than one character becomes wounded/tapped) ?

*** A detainment attack is considered successful if its prowess is higher than the defending character's final prowess whether he tapped or not. Spells of the Barrow-wights is played by the hazard player on a specific character facing an undead strike, not after the result of the strike is determined. It only affects one character per card.

10. Turning hope to despair:
a) Does this also apply for detaiment attacks, if one character becomes tapped ?

*** The card reads: "Playable on a company facing a non-detainment attack from..." so you won't even be able to play it.

b) What about the site path ? If the company is not moving; then no site path?

*** Correct. Just the site type and site name.

c) If the company is moving then does the change from ruins/lairs to shadow hold (with the help of deeper shadow) still apply? Can you change the site path (for example withered Lands) for the single character ?

*** Yes. When you change a region type, either on the site card or for a particular region, the effect applies to all companies utilizing that site card or that region until the effect ends. Changing a region type for a single character company does not change the application of this rule.

d) How do the separated movement/hazard phases are work? Does the defender choose what order he will do them? If the company is moving, then do both players draw cards? Can you send the character back to the starting site?

*** First, you face the attack that Turning Hope to Despair (THtD) is played on. If the attack is not defeated, the defending player chooses the order in which the characters will make their THtD rolls. Failed rolls result in the separate M/H phase immediately. Moving companies draw cards again and are susceptible to being sent back to the site of origin.

11. Reaching Shadows and friends. If I play RS and key something nasty (say, undead or orcs) to for example Brown Lands, is that attack detainment against minions? I've used the cards with undead to attack larger areas with the nastier undead but also to target minions better.

***(Thanks to J.P. Keulen): It's detainment if you key it to a shadow-land region (e.g. Brown Lands). If you'd key it to a non-shadow-land region (e.g. Anduin Vales) it wouldn't be detainment of course. (From the LE rules: [about detainment attack rules:] The parameters above also apply if an attack is keyed to a region or site name which happens to be of the appropriate type.)

12. I saw a deck with legal three (2+1) ringwraiths in the deck itself and five other ringwraiths in the sideboard. Is that legal?

*** You can have up to 3 of all the same wizard/ringwraith in your main deck or 2 of the same and 1 of another. Regardless, all of the remaining wizards/ringwraiths not used in your main deck can appear in your sideboard as long as you have no more than one of the wizards/ringwraiths duplicated in your entire deck.

13. If I play Rebel-talk on a character, does it move immediately under the general influence but does not return to hand or whatever before the next org phase?

*** The character talking like a rebel immediately moves out of direct influence but its mind does not affect general influence until the controlling player's next organization phase.

14. What about Shut Yer Mouth? If I play it on a character who controls another character and cannot control it with the reduced direct influence, is the controlled character moved under general influence immediately or in the next org phase?

*** If a character does not have enough direct influence to control a follower, the follower does not have to move out of direct influence until the controlling player's next organization phase. The mind increase caused by So You've Come Back does immediately take up more general influence though.

15. We think that Tom Bombadil cancels the return to origin site -effect of Long Winter but the destination site is still tapped if it's a double wilderness site. Is that the correct ruling?

*** No. Long Winter does not target a specific company or character, therefore, Tom Bombadil cannot cancel any of its cheezy effects.