The Lord of the Rings

An Important Lord of the Rings™ TCG Organized Play Announcement

Decipher is constantly evaluating ways to maintain and grow the playing communities for its games. Without a way to get new players involved, a TCG will struggle to grow or even maintain its current player base. The announcement that follows will affect Standard Format players only. In March 2005, the Fellowship Block will rotate out of the Standard Format environment for The Lord of the Rings TCG. This will coincide with the release of the Black Rider expansion and will kick off a new rotation schedule for The Lord of the Rings TCG going forward. The minimum amount of time that a set will remain legal in Standard Format will be three years for a base set and approximately two-and-a-half years for an expansion. The Tower Block will also rotate out of the Standard Format when The Hunters set releases in November 2005. The King Block will be rotated out of the Standard Format in November 2006 with the release of The Great Eye expansion set.

Our rationale is simple: Rotation keeps the card pool at a manageable size for game developers and players. This change will make it easier for new players to get into The Lord of the Rings TCG. Without set rotation, the initial investment in start-up knowledge and financial resources for a new player becomes too high. As sets age, they become increasingly difficult to find, so players who don't have staple cards from older sets find it difficult to compete against players who've been in the game since the beginning. Another compelling argument in favor of rotation is that it gives game developers more control over game mechanics, allowing them to positively impact the play environment with each new release.

Additionally, this change will immediately reduce the number of individual cards on the X-list. Rather than remembering a list of 30 cards, it will now be seven cards and all cards from The Fellowship of the Ring, Mines of Moria, and Realms of the Elf-lords, which are easily identifiable by their collector number.

While Fellowship Block cards will no longer be playable in Standard Format, they will be allowed in Open and Block Format tournaments as well as casual play. If you would like to see more Open or Block Format tournaments in your area, please talk to your local dAgent, tournament director, or retailer about setting up these events. Beginning with the Black Rider set, some Fellowship Block cards will be reprinted and remain legal in the Standard Format. When a card is reprinted, all older versions of this card will also be playable in the formats that allow for the new version to be played.

Decipher will continue to promote The Lord of the Rings TCG to new players through local and high-level organized play, convention and in-store demos, and various other promotions. These efforts, along with your continued support, will help keep The Lord of the Rings TCG growing in your community for years to come.

Dan Bojanowski
Brand Manager, The Lord of the Rings
Decipher, Inc.

November 16, 2004

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