Standard: Difference between revisions

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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]].


'''Standard''' format was officially defined with the release of [[The Two Towers]], which introduced a new site path making itself partially incompatible with the earlier [[Fellowship Block]] cards.  For the [[Movie Block]] era Standard included all printed cards, but once [[Black Rider]] was released in 2005, Decipher chose to introduce [[rotation]], which was the process of "rotating out" the oldest set in favor of keeping the card population fresh. This concept of rotation was controversial (as were many of the changes done in Shadows), although in this case Decipher was not alone as rotation is a common factor of many TCGs.  
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.


Standard continued to be the primary official tournament format until the end of the game, at which point it consisted of sets 7-19 (as well as legal [[Promotional]] cards, such as reprints from those sets or the [[Weta Collection]].
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.


There exist several "historical" versions of Standard which consist of a snapshot of the format at that point in time, such as [[Towers Standard]] (sets 1-6).
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:
 
* [[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.''
The last [[Current Rulings Document]] defined the [[X-List]] for Standard Format as follows:  
The last [[Current Rulings Document]] defined the [[X-List]] for Standard Format as follows:  


* All cards in sets 1-6, including Promotional cards originally printed in those sets
* All cards in sets 1-6, including [[Promotional]] cards originally printed in those sets
* {{Card|Steadfast Champion}}
* {{Card|Steadfast Champion}}
* {{Card|Aggression}}
* {{Card|Aggression}}
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* {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}}
* {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}}


== Historical X-List ==
----
 
Cards were added or removed from the [[X-List]] as needed, often removing cards once the combo or meta they were banned for no longer applied.
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Card Name !! Date Added !! Date Removed !! Notes
|-
| {{Card|Elrond, Lord of Rivendell}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Galadriel, Lady of Light}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Ottar, Man of Laketown}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|No Stranger to the Shadows}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Savagery to Match Their Numbers}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Ulaire Nertea, Messenger of Dol Guldur}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Forces of Mordor}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Sting}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Flaming Brand}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal}} || March 25, 2003 || May 4, 2004 || Removed when it was ruled that Ringbearer skirmishes could not be cancelled
|-
| {{Card|O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!}} || March 25, 2003 || May 4, 2004 || Removed when it was ruled that Ringbearer skirmishes could not be cancelled
|-
| {{Card|Aragorn, Heir to the White City}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Horn of Boromir}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Saruman, Keeper of Isengard}} || March 25, 2003 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Uruk Regular}} || March 25, 2003 || January 12, 2004 || Removed after Deep of Helm was no longer on the site path.
|-
| {{Card|Relics of Moria}} || January 12, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added to take some power away from Moria once RotK was released. Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|The Palantir of Orthanc}} || January 12, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Frying Pan}} || January 12, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added as a counter to removing Relics of MoriaRemoved when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Bill The Pony}} || January 12, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Removed when Fellowship Block Rotated out of Standard Format
|-
| {{Card|Steadfast Champion}} || July 6, 2004 ||  || Added due to interactions with Treebeard, Keeper of the Watchwood
|-
| {{Card|Gondorian Captain}} || July 6, 2004 || November 10, 2004 || Added due to interactions with Base of Mindolluin, removed when Shadows Sites became legal
|-
| {{Card|Aggression}} || July 6, 2004 ||  || Added due to being under-costed
|-
| {{Card|Mordor Fiend}} || July 15, 2004 ||  || Added the day after the set released, before he would have been legal to use in a deck.
|-
| {{Card|Memories of Darkness}} || August 3, 2004 ||  ||
|-
| {{Card|Saruman's Snows}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced
|-
| {{Card|Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced
|-
| {{Card|Sam, Son of Hamfast}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced
|-
| {{Card|A Talent for Not Being Seen}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced
|-
| {{Card|Gimli, Dwarf of the Mountain-race}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced. Deemed to be abusive with the focus on site path introduced in Shadows
|-
| {{Card|Galadriel, Lady of the Golden Wood}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced. Granted easy site path manipulation without cultural enforcement
|-
| {{Card|The Shire Countryside}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || March 25, 2005 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced
|-
| {{Card|Legolas, Dauntless Hunter}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || June 9, 2006 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced. Abusive with the new unbound hobbits released in Shadows
|-
| {{Card|Fortress Never Fallen}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || June 9, 2006 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced
|-
| {{Card|Get On and Get Away}} || Prior to November 3, 2004 || June 9, 2006 || Added prior to Shadows Release date before rotation was introduced.  Provided too much site path manipulation.
|-
| {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}} || January 18, 2005 ||  ||
|-
| {{Card|Final Account}} || January 18, 2005 ||  ||
|-
| {{Card|Demoralized}} || Prior to May 22, 2006 ||  ||
|-
| {{Card|Courtyard Parapet}} || January 29, 2007 ||  ||
|-
| {{Card|Madril, Defender of Osgiliath}} || January 29, 2007 ||  ||
|-
| {{Card|Strange-looking Men}} || August 13, 2007 ||  ||
|-
| {{Card|Orkish Smith}} || August 13, 2007 ||  ||
|}


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

Revision as of 04:47, 13 March 2022

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 path, allowing site cards from War of the Ring Block and Hunters Block. This format includes all rule changes made by Decipher, including the site changes and the rule against cancelling the ring-bearer's skirmishes. The full rules were consolidated in Comprehensive Rules 4.0 and the Current Rulings Document.

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.

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 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 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.

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:

  • Fellowship Block, which includes sets up to Realms of the Elf Lords and uses the Fellowship Block site path. It uses the original rules except in that it includes the Rule of 4. The ring-bearer's 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 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 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 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 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 cultures, 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 Orc strategies using Demoralized (11U114) or the Madril, Defender of Osgiliath (15R64) / Ithilien Blade (15C62) combo.

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 defined the X-List for Standard Format as follows:

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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