Citadel Plate

The best pure hit point boost.

Background

The only description of what the Guard of the Citadel is wearing describes their robe or tabard they and helmets.

The Guards of the gate were robed in black, and their helms were of strange shape, high-crowned, with long cheek-guards close-fitting to the face, and above the cheek-guards were set the white wings of sea-birds; but the helms gleamed with a flame of silver, for they were indeed wrought of mithril, heirlooms from the glory of old days. Upon the black surcoats were embroidered in white a tree blossoming like snow beneath a silver crown and many-pointed stars. This was the livery of the heirs of Elendil, and none wore it now in all Gondor, save the Guards of the Citadel before the Court of the Fountain where the White Tree once had grown.

J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King, Chapter 1: Minas Tirith

Assuming the Guards of the Citadel would wear plate armor isn’t a bad assumption. Particularly as the quoted passage notes the guard gets mithril helms handed down from their old glory days. Plate armor if well maintained could be passed down over the years as well.

Card Theme

The hit point bonus provided by the armor is a little bit of thematic miss. The defense stat prevents characters from taking damage to their hit points. Plate armor is designed to deflect slashes of swords and other bladed weapons to keep them from the wearer’s flesh. A defense bonus would seem more appropriate. Players can imagine that instead the armor allowing a character to survive more attacks because of the protection it provides is how it ties to the bonus hit points.

Card Synergies and Interactions

Gloin

Gimli

Defenders

Heroes with good defense can always benefit from additional hit points. Not quite as good as more defense as hit points are gone once damage is taken until a hero is healed. Still there are some heroes with good defense but not many hit points like Denethor, Amarthuil, and Fastred. An unfortunate strong shadow or chain of shadows could kill them.

Quest Specific

Quests with lots of Archery and other direct damage effects it is helpful to have more hit points to take the additional damage. This ensures the heroes can survive until they have healing on the board an/or a good action window. Watcher in the Water has many attacks from tentacles that can become undefended on a hero. The Against the Shadow, Haradhrim, and Vengeance of Mordor cycles have quite a bit of archery. The Lord of the Rings saga quests starting in Treason of Saruman features Archery quite heavily.

Ring Rating

Card Talk uses the highly scientific yet arbitrary scale of 1 ring for the card to rule them all to 10 to be cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came.

I rate Citadel Plate at 7 rings. Citadel Plate is the best pure hit point boost in the game. The others only add one or two hit points. It can take several attachments to equal the effect of one Citadel Plate. Bonus hit points aren’t quite as good as defense, but it can still be very useful particularly combined with healing. Then there is the Gloin Combo. You can build up Gloin to take several undefended attacks without Citadel Plate, but it gets so much better with Citadel Plates. Gloin can take huge attacks from bosses and all other enemies without much trouble and generate resources all the while. It takes a while to set up but very much worth it. As much fun as that combo is, Citadel Plate is very expensive for a stat that while essential isn’t as important to boost as the others. Defense and healing typically are better to build up to improve characters chances of survival since hit points don’t refresh on their own.

• Dave – 8
• Grant – 8
• Ted – TBR
• Matt – 7

External Links

• Tolkien Gateway
• Hall of Beorn
• Ringsdb

Sample Decks