Bard the Bowman · RingsDB

Bard the Bowman. Obviously Bard the Bowman is strictly better in Multiplayer. But no review still seems odd to me. He's not always the best. His stats could be more streamlined, and his ability could be economically abusable like generating cards, resources or actions.

But Bard the Bowcannon is a special character in the lore. How many other characters can boast to have slain a dragon? Not just slain, but shot out of the air, and killed, with a single arrow. The Black Arrow. Tales of dragon slaying usually don't talk about the third age, in which all the well known characters live. Bilbo and Thorin Oakenshield have passed through Esgaroth at the long lake before enraging Smaug the dragon. Bard the Cannonman didn't provoke the dragon's wrath. Yet, still, the dragon came and spit fire upon the laketown, and Bard the Mancannon had to deal with it. He had to rally the townspeople, against a dragon, and you can see his town burning in the background of his card art. He didn't falter, nor did he run.

Did the fellowship stand their ground against Durin's Bane, the balrog in the mines of moria? No, they fled. And while it is arguable whether a dragon or a balrog is more powerful, or harder to kill, or whether that specific balrog or that specific dragon are stronger than the average of their kind, it is still true that Gandalf, one of the more powerful beings in middle earth, fought the Balrog for 10 days. Bard the apex of Mankind only needed one arrow to slay the last known living dragon.

6/9/21

Mataza 18

Coolness Review. I like it! — Truck 1409 6/9/21

Yeah, I could list the number of enemies Bard could kill with [Hands Upon the Bow](/card/04131) or how he is probably the most valuable ranged attacker to ready again, but then I'd have to find out what makes a non-standard attack "ranged" — Mataza 18 6/9/21

This card and Rivendell Blade have always bothered me. You can only attack each enemy once per phase, so why do these cards specify that their defense is lowered for the phase? Is it really for cards like Straight Shot or something? — frozen 172 6/9/21

Frozen, I don't know. Things like Straight Shot and Quick Strike have been around for a while, my guess is they left you a little benefit from that. It might just be some wording they used on R. Blade and just carried it over to Bard. — Truck 1409 6/9/21

Each player is restricted to attack each enemy once during the combat phase, but with the help of ranger two different players can each attack the same enemy as two separate attacks. Let's say Enemy A is engaged with Player A, while Player B is the first player. During Player B player attacks step Player B declares Bard as an attacker against Enemy A, not killing it but imposing the Defense Reduction. When Player A start declaring attacks Enemy A still counts Bard's Defense reduction during damage calculation. — Alonewolf87 1921 6/9/21

Wouldn't you still rather combine his ranged attack with Player A's standard attack? if the enemy had exactly 2 printed defense or less, the enemy would end up with the same remaining health in both scenarios, or even more health if the enemy had more than 2 printed shields. — frozen 172 6/10/21

Player A's character might gain benefits attacking alone. In a very niche interaction, Bard can quick strike before another player's Grimbeorn defends and imposes a total -4 defence — Icarus 1 6/10/21