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'''Standard''' format, in contemporary use, is a format including all cards from sets 7 ([[Return of the King]]) to the final set ([[Age's End]]), as well as most [[Promotional]] cards, such as the [[Weta Collection]] and reprints from those sets, except for cards on the [[X-list]]. This includes cards from [[King Block]], [[War of the Ring Block]], and [[Hunters Block]]. The format uses the Shadows-style [[Site|site path]], allowing [[Site#List of War of the Ring Block Sites|site cards from War of the Ring Block]] and [[Site#List of Hunters Block Sites|Hunters Block]]. This format includes all rule changes made by Decipher, including the site changes and the rule against [[Skirmish Cancellation|cancelling]] the [[ring-bearer]]'s skirmishes. The full rules were consolidated in [[Comprehensive Rules 4.0]] and the [[Current Rulings Document]]. On [[mLOTRO]], this format is called "Hunters Standard".
'''Standard''', in contemporary use, is a format with all cards from [[Return of the King]] to [[Age's End]] (sets 7-19) as well as [[The Weta Collection]], excluding cards on the [[X-list]] and [[King Block]] sites. It is the last incarnation of Decipher's "standard" format for competitive play. On [[mLOTRO]], this format is called "Hunters Standard".


Standard is no longer the actual standard for LOTR TCG play. While Standard was the primary official format supported by [[Decipher]] until the end of the game, today it is no longer the most popular [[format]] for tournaments, leagues, and casual play, either offline or on online recreations like [[GEMP]] or [[mLOTRO]]. Today, Standard is less popular than the similar but more-inclusive [[Expanded]], as well as a number of historical snapshots of Standard that include only earlier sets and earlier versions of the rules.
In the first three sets, playing the game simply meant using the cards that had been printed. [[The Two Towers]] introduced a new site path and split the game into formats -- "block" formats which had completely separate card pools and a single "open" format which allowed all cards except sites from past blocks. Not long after, Decipher determined that a small group of cards had an outsized impact on the competitive landscape and created the "standard" tournament format -- [[Open]] with an [[X-list]]. While block formats mostly stayed the same, Standard grew with each set and included all cards (except for the obsolete sites and the X-list) up until the 12th set. When [[Black Rider]] was released in 2005, Decipher began [[Rotation|rotating out]] older sets in Standard similar to other TCGs like ''Magic: the Gathering''. This was not popular with players who preferred to use those cards, and was announced during a time of many other unpopular changes. To compensate, Decipher created one last format: [[Expanded]].


Historically, Decipher's official "standard" tournament format was officially defined with the release of [[The Two Towers]], which introduced a new site path, rendering the [[site]] cards (and a number of cards that interacted with them) from [[Fellowship Block]] obsolete. This definition soon also included the [[X-list]], which banned certain [[overpowered]] or [[NPE|exceptionally obnoxious]] cards from tournament play. Except for the obsolete sites and the X-list, Standard included all of the cards released to date up until the 12th set. When [[Black Rider]] was released in 2005, Decipher began [[Rotation|rotating out]] older sets in order to keep the card population fresh, similar to other TCGs like ''Magic: the Gathering''. This was not a popular change with players who preferred to use those older cards.
Past blocks (including [[Movie Block]]) and Expanded were supported in official tournaments, but Standard was always preferred by Decipher. A majority of tournaments they hosted as well as the Worlds Championship tournament were always held in Standard. For some, structured play was the only reason to build a deck in the format at all. Once Decipher's license over the game expired there was nothing to prop Standard up, leaving it largely ignored by the community both offline and in online recreations like [[GEMP]] or [[mLOTRO]].


Today, some of the most popular formats are "snapshots" of older versions of Standard. They include all cards released up to some cutoff point (usually the end of a [[Block]]), with the exception of obsolete sites and X-listed cards. They also often use historical versions of the rules, without rule changes that were made to accommodate later cards. They stand in contrast to [[Block]] formats, which only include cards from a block of about three sets released (more or less) one after another. (However, some of the historical standard formats are named "Block" anyway for historical reasons, just to make things confusing.) These formats include:
Today, though Standard itself is not very popular, several of the most played formats are "snapshots" of older versions of Standard. They include all cards released up to some cutoff point (usually the end of a [[Block]]), with the exception of obsolete sites and X-listed cards. Because these formats are primarily to play the game as it used to be, the communities which implement them often exclude rule changes that were made later in the game's life span. They stand in contrast to Block formats, which only include cards from a block of about three sets released (more or less) one after another. The most notable of these historical formats are '''[[Fellowship Block]]''', '''[[Towers Standard]]''', and '''[[Movie Block]]'''.
 
* '''[[Fellowship Block]]''', which includes sets up to [[Realms of the Elf-lords]] and uses the [[Site#List of Fellowship Block Sites|Fellowship Block site path]]. It uses the original rules except in that it includes the [[Rule of 4]]. The ring-bearer's [[Skirmish Cancellation|skirmishes can be cancelled]]. This format technically predates Standard, but works similarly. It's also the only historical standard that is also a block format, since blocks were introduced to LOTR TCG afterward. This is one of the most popular historical formats; it's far and away the most popular casual format on [[GEMP]], for example.
* '''[[Towers Standard]]''', which includes sets up to [[Ents of Fangorn]] and uses the [[Site#List of Towers Block Sites|Towers Block site path]]. This format adds the [[culture token]] and [[ring-bound]]/[[unbound]] rules. The ring-bearer's skirmishes can be cancelled. This is not a popular format in general, much less than Fellowship Block or Movie Block, but it does have enthusiasts, and it's more popular than the post-Shadows Standard formats.
* '''[[King Standard]]''', which includes sets up to [[Return of the King]] and uses the [[Site#List of King Block Sites|King Block site path]] but including only the sites from set 7. This format adds the [[initiative]] and [[threat]] rules, but the ring-bearer's skirmishes can still be cancelled. This somewhat non-standard "standard" format lands in the middle of a block, and was founded by players who were unhappy with [[power creep]] in later sets in that block. This format is supported with tournaments in the French community, as well as on [[GEMP]] and [[The Last Homely House]] forums. ([[mLOTRO]] doesn't support a 1-7 format, but has a similar format, called "Early King Standard", that includes sets 1-8.)
* '''[[Movie Block]]''', which includes sets up to [[Mount Doom]] and uses the [[Site#List of King Block Sites|King Block site path]]. This format also adds the [[initiative]] and [[threat]] rules, but the ring-bearer's skirmishes no longer be cancelled. The name is misleading: this isn't a Block format, but rather a historical snapshot of Standard. (Indeed, this format is instead called "King Standard" on [[mLOTRO]].) The changes made in the next set, [[Shadows]], both to the whole game and to the tournament standards shortly thereafter, were divisive enough to mark this as the most inclusive of the "old" formats, with anything coming after as a "new" format. Movie Block remains fairly popular to this day in general, and it is the second-most popular format on [[GEMP]].
* '''[[War of the Ring Standard]]''', which includes sets from set 4, [[The Two Towers]], to set 14, [[Expanded Middle-earth]]. This set uses the new numberless sites first introduced in [[Shadows]], and only allows [[Site#List of War of the Ring Block Sites|sites from War of the Ring Block]]. The changes to the site path are the largest rule change made for this format. This format is very unpopular: the changes to sites, Shadow [[culture]]s, and set rotation have a lot of detractors, and there's a very noticeable amount of [[power creep]]. Those players who do appreciate those changes for what they are generally play [[Expanded]] (or occasionally Standard) instead.
* '''Standard''', which includes all cards from sets 7 to 19 and is described in this article. It's most popular among players who enjoy [[Expanded]] but would rather not deal with {{C|Orc}} strategies using {{Card|Demoralized}} or the {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}} / {{Card|Ithilien Blade}} combo.


== X-List ==
== X-List ==
''For the X-list in historical versions of [[Standard]], see [[X-list]] or the articles for those formats.''
''For the X-list in historical versions of [[Standard]], see [[X-list]] or the articles for those formats.''


The last [[Current Rulings Document]] defined the [[X-List]] for Standard Format as follows:  
The last [[Current Rulings Document]] forbid the following cards in Standard, with new additions to the X-list since Movie block noted with the reason:  


* All cards in sets 1-6, including [[Promotional]] cards originally printed in those sets
* All cards in sets 1-6 and any [[Promotional]] cards originally printed in those sets
* {{Card|Steadfast Champion}}
* {{Card|Steadfast Champion}}
* {{Card|Aggression}}
* {{Card|Aggression}}
* {{Card|Memories of Darkness}}
* {{Card|Memories of Darkness}}
* {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}
* {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}} - undercosted with too little cultural enforcement
* {{Card|Mordor Fiend}}
* {{Card|Mordor Fiend}}
* {{Card|Final Account}}
* {{Card|Final Account}} - circumvents the deckbuilding rules that limits cards to 4 copies and does so with no regard for culture or card type
* {{Card|Strange-Looking Men}}
* {{Card|Strange-Looking Men}} - multi-step loop with {{Card|Pavise}}, either {{Card|Ceremonial Armor}} or {{Card|Wildman's Oath}}, and certain minions' texts which allows an arbitrary number of {{C|Men}} minions to be played in the maneuver phase
* {{Card|Demoralized}}
* {{Card|Demoralized}} - loop with {{Card|Rapid Reload}}
* {{Card|Orkish Smith}}
* {{Card|Orkish Smith}} - undercosted and effectively disables the only way for the Free Peoples player to deal with most Shadow conditions (discard them)
* {{Card|Courtyard Parapet}}
* {{Card|Courtyard Parapet}} - too easily abused with [[site manipulation]]
* {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}}
* {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}} - too powerful in conjunction with {{Card|Ithilien Blade}}


== See Also ==
== See Also ==


* [https://mlotro.derwinski.pl/formats mLOTRO's list of supported formats], particularly [https://mlotro.derwinski.pl/formats#huntersstandard Hunters Standard] (their version of Standard) and [https://mlotro.derwinski.pl/formats#supersededofficialformats their list of Superceded Official Formats]
* [https://mlotro.derwinski.pl/formats mLOTRO's list of supported formats], particularly [https://mlotro.derwinski.pl/formats#huntersstandard Hunters Standard] (their version of Standard) and [https://mlotro.derwinski.pl/formats#supersededofficialformats their list of Superseded Official Formats]


----
----
{{Format
|Name=Standard
|ValidSets=7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19
|ValidCards=0P56,0P57,0P58,0P59,0P60
|XList=7U49,8C1,10U2,10R11,10C91,11C31,11R100,11U114,11C132,13U188,15R64,
|RList=1C248
|RingBearerCancel=No
|SitePath=Shadows
}}


{{Format Table}}
{{Format Table}}

Revision as of 01:35, 21 October 2022

Standard, in contemporary use, is a format with all cards from Return of the King to Age's End (sets 7-19) as well as The Weta Collection, excluding cards on the X-list and King Block sites. It is the last incarnation of Decipher's "standard" format for competitive play. On mLOTRO, this format is called "Hunters Standard".

In the first three sets, playing the game simply meant using the cards that had been printed. The Two Towers introduced a new site path and split the game into formats -- "block" formats which had completely separate card pools and a single "open" format which allowed all cards except sites from past blocks. Not long after, Decipher determined that a small group of cards had an outsized impact on the competitive landscape and created the "standard" tournament format -- Open with an X-list. While block formats mostly stayed the same, Standard grew with each set and included all cards (except for the obsolete sites and the X-list) up until the 12th set. When Black Rider was released in 2005, Decipher began rotating out older sets in Standard similar to other TCGs like Magic: the Gathering. This was not popular with players who preferred to use those cards, and was announced during a time of many other unpopular changes. To compensate, Decipher created one last format: Expanded.

Past blocks (including Movie Block) and Expanded were supported in official tournaments, but Standard was always preferred by Decipher. A majority of tournaments they hosted as well as the Worlds Championship tournament were always held in Standard. For some, structured play was the only reason to build a deck in the format at all. Once Decipher's license over the game expired there was nothing to prop Standard up, leaving it largely ignored by the community both offline and in online recreations like GEMP or mLOTRO.

Today, though Standard itself is not very popular, several of the most played formats are "snapshots" of older versions of Standard. They include all cards released up to some cutoff point (usually the end of a Block), with the exception of obsolete sites and X-listed cards. Because these formats are primarily to play the game as it used to be, the communities which implement them often exclude rule changes that were made later in the game's life span. They stand in contrast to Block formats, which only include cards from a block of about three sets released (more or less) one after another. The most notable of these historical formats are Fellowship Block, Towers Standard, and Movie Block.

X-List

For the X-list in historical versions of Standard, see X-list or the articles for those formats.

The last Current Rulings Document forbid the following cards in Standard, with new additions to the X-list since Movie block noted with the reason:

See Also


Formats
Sets 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 9 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 16 19
Historical Decipher Formats Fellowship Block Towers Block King Block War of the Ring Block Hunters Block
Towers Standard
King Standard
Movie Block
War of the Ring Standard
Standard
Expanded
Open
Player's Council Formats (including PC Errata) 1 2 3 V1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
PC-Fellowship
PC-Movie
PC-Expanded
Unofficial Formats 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 9 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 16 19
French French
Austrian (Movie)
Austrian (Shadows)
Other Variants
Sealed • Booster Draft • Cube Draft • Culture Shock • Highlander • Poor Man's • PC Errata
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