In my opinion, this card makes the Dale archetype. I've had 2 of these out with valiant determination and a couple other attachments and they are bonkers. Throw in a spare hood and cloak or two and they're questing for 4+, blocking for 5+, and attacking for 4+ every round. Honestly, the picture should have them surfing on a wave of items, throwing wild stallions like boomerangs because that's how I picture them as they destroy quests.

They should re-name this card Gandalf of Esgaroth. Except it gets better, because you can have three of them, and attachments have lots of different abilities too. I have not played with this card yet, but I am picturing something as absurd as the top comment with the horse throwing surfers.

This card single-handedly helped me beat both Fire in the night and mount gundabad. by getting his defence up to 8 he can defend consistently against Dagnir the main boss of those quests. I got Guardian of esgaroth to 5 willpower 5 attack 8 defence and 7 health by giving him Wild Stallion, Ancestral Armor, Hauberk of Mail and Valiant Determination. this let him quest as well as defend. The ability to get his stats up to massive levels means that Guardian can help dale consistently defeat quests with high attack boss enemies, but by giving him other attachments he can be made into a great attacker or quester as well.

The best Dale ally by far among an already very solid pool of options, Guardian of Esgaroth is often the big "payoff-card" for its already very strong archetype. It can easily become a complete stat-machine, being a prime target for various different attachments. Readying is also often key to utilizing its very high potential to the fullest extent, so look to combine this ally with cards like Valiant Determination or Narya. This would still be a very playable and strong option if costed at 3 and for 2, Guardian of Esgaroth is an absolute bargain in my opinion.

Rating: 8.5/10

Decks of mine using Guardian of Esgaroth

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