#7 Ally for Cost Value - Gandalf

We begin our list of the top Allies for Cost Value with two cards for the price of one. In (joint) seventh place we have the Ally version of Gandalf. The grey wizard is a neutral ally found in both the Core Set and the first of the two Hobbit Saga expansions. His Cost Value is 160%.

Gandalf is not the only Ally character who we have two versions of; there are also two version of Bofur. But unlike Bofur, the two Ally versions of Gandalf have exactly the same cost and stats, which is why they are paired into a single item on this list.

The Cost Value formula works out that Gandalf should have a cost of eight resources to play him, but his relatively low cost of five is what earns him a place towards the top of the current list.

The low cost for such good all-purpose stats is balanced by the fact that he is reluctant to stay with you. The Core Set version will leave play automatically at the end of a round, and the Hobbit version of this powerful Istari will do the same unless you raise your threat each round by an additional two.

Although five resources is higher than average for an Ally, we do get a character that can be useful in any deck. Whether you need cards, damage dealt to enemies, threat reduction or a character who can be both an amazing quester and defender or attacker in the same round, Gandalf is worth a place in most, if not all, decks. The fact that he is a neutral card also means he becomes even more useful in multi-sphere decks.

#4 Hero for Stat Value - Beorn

For the second time on this blog, Beorn earns a place as a top Hero. This time he is the fourth best Hero for his Stat Value. He is a Tactics Hero from the first Hobbit Saga expansion. His Stat Value is 167%.

I have already mentioned in my post about his Threat Value how his huge Health makes him unique, but in the Stat Value list he earns his place simply for his attack value of five. Even for a Threat Cost of twelve, which is on the higher end of the scale, this is impressive.

Beorn is the last Hero we will see on the Stat Values list with such a low willpower. The final three all earned their places for their abilities at questing.

#2 for Threat Value - Beorn

The number two spot for Threat Value is taken by Beorn. He is a Tactics Hero from the first Hobbit Saga expansion. His Threat Value is 133%.

It doesn't take a genius to see that he earns this rank for two big reasons; his Attack and his Health. Beorn is the only Hero in the game to boast five attack, and no other Hero has anything higher than this. Beorn is also the only Hero in the game with ten health, and again no other Hero can top this. Even with zero willpower and only one defence, the sum of his stats is still amazing.

Of course the game designers have balanced the power of this bear by stopping you putting any attachments on him and making him immune to any effects from your player cards. I think that the most important result of this is that you cannot heal Beorn. With the Sentinel keyword, and the ability to defend without exhausting, mean you will use him offer to defend on behalf of anyone without worry. But the one defence means that that will usually become wounds on Beorn that you will never be able to get rid of. But even when he is close to the brink of death, you still have the Hero with the most powerful printed attack at your side.

With his unique stats and bizarre mix of keywords and card text, Beorn may not make the top spot for Threat Value but he definitely makes the top spot for the most unique and interesting Hero released in the game so far!