Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365)
 Gandalf, The Grey Wizard (1P364)
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The Lord of the Rings, Trading Card Game (1M2) 
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Aragorn, King in Exile (1P365) is a 
Gondor Companion from the Fellowship of the Ring set.
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Overview[edit]
Aragorn, King in Exile, has the simple ability to heal one wound at the start of your turn. Although that isn't flashy, it can certainly spell the difference between one of your companions withstanding your opponent's shadow side, or being lost to the goblins. The effectiveness of Aragorn's ability can be enhanced by damage reduction cards such as Armor (1C92)
and Mithril-coat (2R105)
, and supplemented with additional healing from cards like Athelas (1U94)
and Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad (3R13)
.
Unfortunately, Aragorn's healing is restricted to companions with the 
Aragorn Signet, which means that if you choose to use this version, you must also give careful consideration to which versions you are using of the other companions in your Fellowship. The good news is, there are plenty of strong character options with the Aragorn signet. In Fellowship Block alone, you have standouts like Sam, Son of Hamfast (1C311)
, Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer (2C102)
and Arwen, Daughter of Elrond (1R30)
. Other respectable candidates include Gandalf, The Grey Pilgrim (2P122)
, Merry, From O'er the Brandywine (1C303)
and Boromir, Lord of Gondor (1R96)
.
In fact, King in Exile's game-text is one of the few, truly-effective uses of character signets in the game's production, and can provide the foundation for a deck which makes further use of the mechanic. Hard Choice (4U123)
, for example, provides top-tier healing at a minimal cost (and fits right into King in Exile's strategic wheelhouse). Alternatively, some very interesting plays can be made with These Are My People (5R41)
. Or perhaps there is some synergy to explore with No Mere Ranger (2R36)
.
Overall, this version of Aragorn provides an answer to shadow sides designed to generate lots of wounds through archery, damage bonuses, threats, regroup phases actions, etc.
Gameplay Strategy[edit]
Generally, it's important to get King in Exile out as early in the game as possible, because his healing occurs at the beginning of each turn. The later he shows up, the fewer wounds he will have the chance to heal.
It is worth noting that Aragorn has the Ranger keyword, and therefore has access to a large collection of cards which spot, exert or otherwise support rangers.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Although King in Exile isn't as tempted to exert himself as his FotR counterpart, Aragorn, Ranger of the North (1R89)
, his gametext can not be used to heal himself, so it is important to protect Aragorn as much as is reasonably possible.
Finally, although healing and damage reduction can be a valuable tool for a well-built Fellowship, it can do nothing to spare Frodo from getting overwhelmed after an ill-advised double-move, or after that Fellowship has flooded the twilight pool. A Free Peoples side with powerful healing still requires the ability to remove minions from the table and/or shield its Ringbearer during the skirmish phase. Fortunately, Aragorn has access to a number of cards which can help confront the opponent's shadow side.
Synergizes With...[edit]
- Hard Choice (4U123)
- Athelas (1U94)
- Armor (1C92)
- Mithril-coat (2R105)
- Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad (3R13)
Strong Versus...[edit]
- Uruk-Hai, whose damage bonuses are inevitably oppressive.
- Wounding strategies: Archery, Threats,
Isengard orcs, etc.
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Swarm strategies. Can be answered with Aragorn’s Bow (1R90)
- Beatdown stategies which can kill companions by overwhelming.
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, 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, Heir of Elendil (4C109)
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Defender +1. |
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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, 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 |
