Ben & Ben always bring a smile to my soul, but put them up with Kathleen and Nelson? Absolutely wonderful content with the promise of wonderful bits and good fun at the table
“I hate ponder” -man who has ponder tattooed on his arm. Goes perfectly with the other ponder-related wheeler quote of “fish ponder is the best ponder” when it’s orb ponder on his arm
Every time Ben called Sam "Samuel" I blurted out "it's Samwise!" out of the sheer desire for him to get the respect he deserves. What a game! And what an excellent round of precons!
We just played these last night! Sauron mind controlled all my hobbits they very quickly became the arch enemy. They had also board wiped like twice by this point so a lot of our resources were spent. The poor riders never got off the ground, it was a bloody battle, but Sauron was finally stopped when Rohan came to aid us, and then won the next turn thanks to the door of destiny. They were very big horsies, some of which had trample.
39:28 Feel like the meme of Walter White screaming in the car. Ben! No! Cavern-Hoard Dragon has a cost reduction! You can cast it and get a huge amount of treasure immediately! Ben!!
As a maiar, I'm pretty sure Sauron is about as old as the universe, and thus older than Galadriel (one of the oldest elves - fun fact, she's older than the *sun*, I'm pretty sure). I'm sure LRR appreciate this level of into-the-weeds LOTR lore.
So the Balrog not being able to fly is actually tied to a very long history of debating whether or not it actually has wings. To make a long story short, there's one reference to the Balrog having wings, but in an earlier passage from the same scene the Balrog is said to be cloaked in shadow "like wings", so it's unclear if it's just a simile that evolved into a metaphor over the course of the chapter. The only other possible references to wings are circumstantial and depend on how literally you're reading. So if you read "winged speed" to be the literal speed granted by having wings, or just flowery language that evokes great speed, which wouldn't be uncommon for the writing style. It also depends on whether you read "to fly" in a certain passage as retreating, like the good wizard says, or retreating but on literal wings. I think my source for this is gone, but the estate seems to fall on the side of "No Wings in canon" but it's left up to people's imaginations. Either way, the Balrog fell to its death, so no Ben, it doesn't get flying. Some wings are just for show.
Not to throw more kindling into this fire, but it falling doesn't mean any wings it had would be useless! Most winged beings can't really fly from a standstill, much less a fall, so it's perfectly acceptable that a winged balrog would eat that fall just the same!
Don't forget about all the work Sauron created! Out of a job? Go to the pits! Wife left you? Here, make some blades! Got beef with the neighbors? Cut down some trees for the pyres of the deepest forges to let the embers of dispear engulf your nemesis from next door.
39:30 Ben missing that Wheeler allowed him to get net-positive mana with that dragon hurts me. ETA: Oh, misremembered how many Foods Wheeler had at the time. And he could always do the pig loop. Really, criticizing gameplay post hoc is kind of a bad idea in general.
As a person looking to major in jazz, every time that sax hits its long growled note that fits perfectly over every chord in the progression I loose the game and enter the jazz enjoyment zone.
I hadn't considered that Nelson was referring to anyone but his dog when talking about the mushrooms, but it's infinitely funnier to think he is actually talking about Kathleen
NELSON: You sure you should be at that much life? BENJAMIN: (under his breath) Tomatoes omg what a great flavorlicious commander game. Great play, great banter, and so glad you all knew the lore, fun!
"It stepped forward slowly onto the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall." - The book in question.
So often I see "I can't believe that costs that cheap" when the only reason the card was in a good position was after many turns of other things being set up. Or a 4 mana sorcery speed draw 3, something that by itself would be an okay uncommon at best, which only is a cheaper Time Warp if your opponents let you.
@LRRMTG would you mind telling me what type of dice you guys use in your gameplay? (specifically the oversized ones with numerals instead of pips). They are spiffy!
the balrog has shadows like wings, he doesn't actually have wings. also, do you know how cramped it is to fly in Moria? I get that it has huge halls but the balrog is also huge
I have been a huge fan of LRRMTG and appreciate all the content y'all put out ❤! With all of the prize pig attention, it feels like treebeard missed his attention for all of the +1/+1 counters each time Ben gained life. His board should have been swoll.
Learning question for me, I was confused by wheeler stacking frodos tempting before he had gained any life. Do you stack the trigger (when, whenever) in the order ypu want and then do something if it now is true? Quick rule-gle indicates ypu would remove it from the stack if thenl condition isn't true as the trigger resolves. I had thought that stuff just didnt trigger
Why does everyone insist on gandalf getting rescued from orthank on a giant hhornet? and where were the giant whales during the battle between the corsairs of umber and arigorn's possy? anyways exelenet things I decided to stand back and yell "destroy it!, through it in the fire!" or wanting to try elrond, master of healing or other rivendell elves myself. The flavor and the way cards were done for the set are hit out of the park!
Can someone explain why Nelson's Eomer deals 32 damage in the final combat. It has 16 power, which Nelson acknowledges, but then he doubles it for damage "16 times 2." Where is this doubling effect coming from?
Balrogs did not have wings. It was a detail the movie chose to make it look more like a traditional demon and add mass. There are no references in the literary sources of them flying, nor are they ever described with wings.
@@Caseyuptobat Yes, the key here being the shadows and like, as an allusion to a shape. Not two dark wings like vast shadows. Two very different statements. Good quote to get that fast though, and a very flavorful line that can easily be confusing.
“IT DOESNT FLY!??!!”
LotR fans have been arguing over this for decades, Ben.
But does it have fluffy slippers?
Ah, the Elder Dragon Shire Club.
Also, Ben's quiet "Good for Sam." In response to Sam being tapped is underappreciated comedic gold.
Ben & Ben always bring a smile to my soul, but put them up with Kathleen and Nelson? Absolutely wonderful content with the promise of wonderful bits and good fun at the table
Ben-Ben? Akki Hermit??
They're just so gosh darn cute together ❤️
Wheeler just casually baiting Ben Ulmer into reopening the 'do balrogs have wings' debate in the Year of our Lord 2023.
The Lego one has wings. That’s all I’m sayin.
"The Hot Wife has been bottomed" has the same energy as "The Witch has been startled"
“I hate ponder”
-man who has ponder tattooed on his arm.
Goes perfectly with the other ponder-related wheeler quote of “fish ponder is the best ponder” when it’s orb ponder on his arm
Thaaaat also has to do with Dan Scott (the ponder artist) suddenly posting a bunch of transphobic junk
@@SilasTheLunark Just goes to show how much of a gamble getting a tattoo of something can be
@@ThorAxiun yarp
The only scene with the Balrog literally involves it falling from a great height.
Every time Ben called Sam "Samuel" I blurted out "it's Samwise!" out of the sheer desire for him to get the respect he deserves. What a game! And what an excellent round of precons!
"It has wings! And it doesn't fly!" Look, Ben, we've had this debate for decades about Durin's Bane...
Love this series. It doesnt feel overproduced like some other commander series, and the banter is very natural.
I should get some Jund 'Em Out sleeves for my Esper deck; really lean into the mind games.
I think I'm going to adopt Wheeler's head-in-hands pose whenever people crack things on my turn now. Seems cute.
We just played these last night! Sauron mind controlled all my hobbits they very quickly became the arch enemy. They had also board wiped like twice by this point so a lot of our resources were spent. The poor riders never got off the ground, it was a bloody battle, but Sauron was finally stopped when Rohan came to aid us, and then won the next turn thanks to the door of destiny. They were very big horsies, some of which had trample.
39:28 Feel like the meme of Walter White screaming in the car. Ben! No! Cavern-Hoard Dragon has a cost reduction! You can cast it and get a huge amount of treasure immediately! Ben!!
"Oh. Screaming is a sorcery" is a my favourite quote from this episode
Yes, finally! Elder Dragon Social Club after the move! ITS ABSOLUTELY GREAT TO BE HERE.
As a maiar, I'm pretty sure Sauron is about as old as the universe, and thus older than Galadriel (one of the oldest elves - fun fact, she's older than the *sun*, I'm pretty sure). I'm sure LRR appreciate this level of into-the-weeds LOTR lore.
Ben makes a convincing case for Sauron.
Hat tip to the editing team; the amount of work that must go into these..
The greenscreen was pretty good. I almost thought that Ben and Ben were real.
I love the background music for these. Everything on the show is really chill, except once every 10 minutes, the sax player goes absolutely apeshit
I like it for the 9 minutes and then that shrill horn is like nails in a chalkboard for me 😢
So the Balrog not being able to fly is actually tied to a very long history of debating whether or not it actually has wings. To make a long story short, there's one reference to the Balrog having wings, but in an earlier passage from the same scene the Balrog is said to be cloaked in shadow "like wings", so it's unclear if it's just a simile that evolved into a metaphor over the course of the chapter.
The only other possible references to wings are circumstantial and depend on how literally you're reading. So if you read "winged speed" to be the literal speed granted by having wings, or just flowery language that evokes great speed, which wouldn't be uncommon for the writing style. It also depends on whether you read "to fly" in a certain passage as retreating, like the good wizard says, or retreating but on literal wings.
I think my source for this is gone, but the estate seems to fall on the side of "No Wings in canon" but it's left up to people's imaginations.
Either way, the Balrog fell to its death, so no Ben, it doesn't get flying. Some wings are just for show.
while it did fall, technically it didn't fall to it's death, but that's beside the point.
Not to throw more kindling into this fire, but it falling doesn't mean any wings it had would be useless! Most winged beings can't really fly from a standstill, much less a fall, so it's perfectly acceptable that a winged balrog would eat that fall just the same!
Grahm gonna be sooo happy, More Treefolk for his Treefolk deck!
what unbridled joy y'all bring to the internet. thank you.
"A big die, for a creature that's gonna make us big die." Quote of the episode right there xDDD
if the balrog had wings, why didn't it just fly the ring to mordor?
Don't forget about all the work Sauron created! Out of a job? Go to the pits! Wife left you? Here, make some blades! Got beef with the neighbors? Cut down some trees for the pyres of the deepest forges to let the embers of dispear engulf your nemesis from next door.
"I hate that card" says Wheeler, casually looking down at the artwork tattooed on his forearm
Excellent game. Big swings. Good jokes. Music mix was a little loud though.
53:43 the fact that it needed clarifying that Nelson was talking about his cat and not Kathleen... lol
Thank you, Wheeler, for resisting the "Pippin ain't easy" joke for as long as you could.
Great episode and I always love watching the Bens playing next to each other.
These decks looked so much fun to play. Food based hobbit decks are so perfect!
The poor Sauron deck had the Sauron deck thing happen. Also the hobbit deck is my favorite precon I have ever played with
39:30 Ben missing that Wheeler allowed him to get net-positive mana with that dragon hurts me.
ETA: Oh, misremembered how many Foods Wheeler had at the time. And he could always do the pig loop. Really, criticizing gameplay post hoc is kind of a bad idea in general.
a lot of the jokes on LOTR here remind of the D20 season Escape From The Bloodkeep. highly recommended if you enjoy fantasy parody (especially lotr)
As a person looking to major in jazz, every time that sax hits its long growled note that fits perfectly over every chord in the progression I loose the game and enter the jazz enjoyment zone.
I'm a simple man; I see Wheeler playing Hobbits, I hit like.
I love that all the cards have new art!
For the turns where Ben Ulmer is digging for lands I kept hearing Diggy Diggy Hole in my head because it's Moria even though it's an orc
Ben playing as Sauron legit made me chuckle, considering that he's basically the human equivalent of a golden retriever in the best possible way.
Any day with a new EDSC is a good day to me!
Oh I am so happy to see this. I’ve watched every episode many times over at this point!!!
Even I know the Balrog doesn't have wings. Unless it drinks a redbull
"I'm not going to Pignify that with a response, Ben."
YAY, been searching UA-cam for more MTG LOTR games!
1:57:09 "It is a beautiful day in the Shire... and you are a horrible goose."
I hadn't considered that Nelson was referring to anyone but his dog when talking about the mushrooms, but it's infinitely funnier to think he is actually talking about Kathleen
I feel for you Ben 😅. Sauron is always forced out of the party too early. Guess it is just the LOTR vibe.
I don't agree with all of Sauron's policies, but he did reduce Orc and Goblin unemployment in Middle-Earth
NELSON: You sure you should be at that much life? BENJAMIN: (under his breath) Tomatoes omg what a great flavorlicious commander game. Great play, great banter, and so glad you all knew the lore, fun!
I was just thinking this morning that I'd love a new EDSC!
47:31 Oh! I didn't know that! Thanks for that fun fact, editors! 😂
This was a great game! I'm really looking forward to playing these decks with my group soon!
I was on my hands and knees hoping for the Gaffer to somehow be the reason Wheeler pulled off a comeback.
“Why do you take the ribbons from the pig?”
The pig was found to be using ham-abolic steroids.
Balrogs are never described as winged creatures in the books. That a liberty the film took
"It stepped forward slowly onto the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall." - The book in question.
So often I see "I can't believe that costs that cheap" when the only reason the card was in a good position was after many turns of other things being set up. Or a 4 mana sorcery speed draw 3, something that by itself would be an okay uncommon at best, which only is a cheaper Time Warp if your opponents let you.
After you spoiled the release schedule I was looking for it yesterday and Monday 👀
Super excited to watch
oops whoops 😅
There should be a rule that says: every time you tap a creature called 'Prize Pig' you have to say out loud "i floop the pig!"
@LRRMTG would you mind telling me what type of dice you guys use in your gameplay? (specifically the oversized ones with numerals instead of pips). They are spiffy!
I love these goobers. Dream blunt rotation tbh.
There are few things in this world that I love more than Ben Wheeler! And the rest of course but Ben makes me so happy.
the balrog has shadows like wings, he doesn't actually have wings. also, do you know how cramped it is to fly in Moria? I get that it has huge halls but the balrog is also huge
These videos make me so happy. Great stuff!
23:00 Does Ben know "Good Guy Sauron"-Memes exist? Because if not, it's going to blow his mind
I've been so excited for this episode!
@52:57 The moment Wheeler decides to start a bunch of internet comment section arguments.
Love that Turn Cold shirt.
Ben, welcome to grixis; we don’t draw lands regardless of how many are in the deck.
I have been a huge fan of LRRMTG and appreciate all the content y'all put out ❤! With all of the prize pig attention, it feels like treebeard missed his attention for all of the +1/+1 counters each time Ben gained life. His board should have been swoll.
Great playing Nelson, I was hoping you’d flash back the token spell that gets cheaper from the cmc of your commander and 1 shot wheeler with jt 🤣
Might just be me but if you don't look closely at it does it look like sauron is missing his face and instead has a flaming horse head?
Also 25:41
Homie with the red black lumberjack shirt def goes to a hood barber 😂
Learning question for me, I was confused by wheeler stacking frodos tempting before he had gained any life.
Do you stack the trigger (when, whenever) in the order ypu want and then do something if it now is true?
Quick rule-gle indicates ypu would remove it from the stack if thenl condition isn't true as the trigger resolves.
I had thought that stuff just didnt trigger
I don't think he did that, he was careful to put the lifegain at the start of combat while Frodo triggers when you declare attackers.
What's the song played in the intro
Just used the affiliate code yesterday to finish my PDH deck.
I don't know how well this will land, but I kept wanting Wheeler to say "I floop the pig"
The background music goes really hard sometimes and it can be very distracting. :D
Why does everyone insist on gandalf getting rescued from orthank on a giant hhornet? and where were the giant whales during the battle between the corsairs of umber and arigorn's possy? anyways exelenet things I decided to stand back and yell "destroy it!, through it in the fire!" or wanting to try elrond, master of healing or other rivendell elves myself. The flavor and the way cards were done for the set are hit out of the park!
19:54 was that a Nirvana the Band the Show reference?
Nelson getting Gafflighted about the dash trigger
😂priorities: hold gameplay in the name of jokes and giggles, but dont you DARE think quietly about ur next move. ❤❤❤
is that a custom intro song or is it from something? i sounds groovy
34:44 I thought the Star Wars joke was about “Orchard Strider” being a knock off Skywalker.
farmer cotton, honorary member of the fellowship
I have to add a correction to Wheeler. There are actually 5 H's of hobbits. He forgot about HEMP!
I just had whiplash from 4h being referenced xp
We just played our lord of the rings match earlier. I got the win with Wraiths :)
Eomer seems like he could be a real fun aggro token deck, kinda wanna pick him up and brew something with him.
"Thinking Thinking Thinking" ... Why do I suddenly want to respect the helm?
20:56 as decreed by SAMWISE (not samual) loyal attendant
Bosk (sp) is in the good trilogy! Fun game as always 😊
Ah, the old "Does the Balrog Have Wings" debate- still alive even today. Sorry, Ben!
They should do a similar game but build a Sauron deck for archenemy using the archenemy cards
Can someone explain why Nelson's Eomer deals 32 damage in the final combat. It has 16 power, which Nelson acknowledges, but then he doubles it for damage "16 times 2." Where is this doubling effect coming from?
Do you mean the Red/White Eomer, King of Rohan? It has Double Strike naturally.
Never seen Wheeler so giddy haha
Best Commander content ever
What is that boardgame behind Ben's head? 🤔
Balrogs did not have wings. It was a detail the movie chose to make it look more like a traditional demon and add mass. There are no references in the literary sources of them flying, nor are they ever described with wings.
"His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings."
@@Caseyuptobat Yes, the key here being the shadows and like, as an allusion to a shape. Not two dark wings like vast shadows. Two very different statements. Good quote to get that fast though, and a very flavorful line that can easily be confusing.
i enjoyed the nirvana the band the show reference