Aragorn, Heir of Elendil (4C109)
 Wizardry Indeed (4U108)
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Arrows Thick in the Air (4U110) 
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Aragorn, Heir of Elendil (4C109) is a 
Gondor Companion from the The Two Towers set.
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Strategy[edit]
In the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn drew on his skills as a ranger to help guide the quest in secrecy. Heir of Elendil represents Aragorn's first thematic departure from this role as he begins to take on his mantle as a leader of men in the defense of Rohan.
One use for this version of Aragorn, naturally, is to shield your ring-bearer from being assigned to too many minions. Comparisons can easily be made with Aragorn, Ranger of the North (1R89)
, who would seem to have the upper hand with his ability to defend against even more than 2 minions at a time--and the fact that he maintains the Ranger keyword.
So what is the advantage to this Aragorn's built-in Defender Bonus? Well, first of all, it doesn't come with any cost to Aragorn's vitality. This not only helps Aragorn stay in the fight (and frees up vitality for Aragorn’s Bow (1R90)
); it also means that if Aragorn should happen to be exhausted, you can still rely on his ability.
Which leads us to another subtle benefit. Heir of Elendil is Defender +1 at all times. As a result, his ability isn't dependent on choices made during the manuever phase. And since a character who is Defender +1 is not required to take on 2 minions at every opportunity, Heir of Elendil pairs exceptionally well with Swordarm of the White Tower (1C116)
, turning an inherently defensive ability into a source of offensive power.
In short, Heir of Elendil provides the understated power of being Defender +1 without forcing a player into the risks and costs typically associated with that ability. This version of Aragorn offers consistency and adaptability.
As with so many other versions of Aragorn, Heir of Elendil fits well into a wide variety of deck strategies, whether included as a splash companion, or supported with strong weapons and conditions, such as Ranger’s Sword (1U112)
or The Last Alliance of Elves and Men (1R49)
or Trust Me as You Once Did (3U35)
.
At the same time, it is worth pointing out the obvious: Heir of Elendil is of the Gondorian culture. In Towers Block, the game finally gave us a wide array of Gondor companions whose names were not Boromir or Aragorn. So, the fact that this version is neither a Ranger nor a Knight can help point to the idea that he's actually quite ready to fit in *either* of those broader strategic builds. Did you draw a Sword of Gondor (4C134)
and War and Valor (4C135)
? No problem, Heir of Elendil will put them to good use. Need to transfer Citadel of the Stars (5C32)
to a minion skirmishing a Gondor companion? Need a champion fighter to really get the best use out of Garrison of Osgiliath (6C52)
? Check and check.
Gameplay Strategy[edit]
In this section, describe:
- General usage
- Unorthodox or subtle usage
- Common pitfalls of using this card
Deckbuilding Strategy[edit]
In this section, describe:
- Cards and strategies this card works well with
Strong Versus[edit]
- Swarm decks, since Heir of Elendil can defend against multiple minions.
Weak Versus[edit]
- Alternate cards you might consider picking instead of this one, depending on the situation, including alternate version of characters
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Synergizes With...[edit]
- List friendly cards that work well with this card
Strong Versus...[edit]
- List enemy cards this card does well against
Weak Versus...[edit]
- List enemy or friendly cards to avoid playing this card with
Rulings[edit]
In this section:
- Put quotes from the CRDs and Comprehensive Rules here that reference this card specifically by name
- Also put quotes if a particular rule commonly affects the outcome of a card in a subtle manner (such as quoting the Rule of 4 for Saved From the Fire (8R20)
) - Link to rules discussions on TLHH
Alternate Personas[edit]
| Portrait | Name | Game Text |
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Aragorn, Ranger of the North (1R89)
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Ranger.
Maneuver: Exert Aragorn to make him defender +1 until the regroup phase. |
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Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365)
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Ranger. At the start of each of your turns, you may heal another companion who has the Aragorn signet. |
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Aragorn, Heir to the White City (3R38)
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Ranger.
Each time the fellowship moves during the fellowship phase, remove |
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Aragorn, Wingfoot (4P364)
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Ranger.
Each time the fellowship moves, you may wound a minion for each unbound Hobbit you spot. |
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Aragorn, Defender of Free Peoples (6R50)
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Skirmish: Remove an  token to make a minion skirmishing Aragorn strength –3. Skirmish: Remove a  token to heal a Dwarf. Regroup: If Aragorn is mounted, remove a  token to wound a minion twice.
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Aragorn, Captain of Gondor (7C81)
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Knight.
At the start of each fellowship phase, you may add |
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Aragorn, Driven by Need (7P364)
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While you cannot spot 4 threats, Aragorn is strength +1 for each threat.
Regroup: Exert Aragorn twice to remove 3 threats. |
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Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar (10R25)
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When you play Aragorn, you may heal another companion. At the start of each fellowship phase, you may exert a companion of one culture to heal a companion of another culture. |
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Aragorn, Guide and Protector (11S53)
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Ranger. Each time a Free Peoples skirmish event is played, you may exert Aragorn to wound a minion he is skirmishing. |
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Aragorn, Strider (11R54)
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Ranger. Each time the fellowship moves, add  .
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Aragorn, Isildur's Heir (13R59)
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Aragorn is strength +1 for each card that has a culture token on it.
At the start of each assignment phase, you may exert Aragorn to make an unbound companion that has resistance 7 or more defender +1 until the regroup phase. |
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Aragorn, Swift Hunter (15S54)
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Ranger. Hunter 1. (While skirmishing a non-hunter character, this character is strength +1.)
Skirmish: Exert Aragorn to make a hunter companion strength +1. |
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Aragorn, Thorongil (15R55)
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Ranger. Hunter 2. (While skirmishing a non-hunter character, this character is strength +2.)
Maneuver: Add a threat to exert a non-hunter minion with strength less than Aragorn's. |
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Aragorn, Defender of Rohan (17R93)
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Valiant.
While the Ring-bearer is assigned to a skirmish, each |
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Aragorn, Heir to the Throne of Gondor (18R38)
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Hunter 2.
While you can spot 3 Free Peoples cultures, Aragorn is defender +1. While you can spot 2 Shadow cultures, Aragorn is defender +1. |
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Aragorn, Well-traveled Guide (19P12)
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Fellowship. Ranger.
While the Ring-bearer is the only other companion you can spot, Aragorn is an archer, defender +1, and can take no more than 1 wound each skirmish. |
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Aragorn, Last Hope of Men (V2_16)
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Valiant.
At the start of each turn you may spot another valiant companion to draw a card. Skirmish: Exert Aragorn to make a skirmishing valiant companion strength +2. |
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Aragorn, Estel (V1_19)
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When you play Aragorn, you may take an ally with a twilight cost of 2 or less into hand from your draw deck.
Skirmish: Discard an |
See Also[edit]
- Add links to the wayback machine (or wiki archival links) for official Decipher articles regarding the card
- Link to decks that use this card
