Council of Elrond

My rules knowledge is kind of rudimentary when it comes to what card targets what and how this can be put together in a legal fallenwizard deck (maybe it is only because I am usually looking for weird decks).

My question this time is:
1) Does Thing Stolen actually target the item that I may play or only the character?
2) Can the item then be a hero item?
3) If so, which site card do I need?
4) Is the faction supposed to be a minion faction?
5) If 3 is correct, what about a sapling at a shadowhold???

Thanks in advance!
Dominic

Thing Stolen wrote:Playable after a faction is successfully played at a Shadow-hold or Dark-hold. Tap a character at the site to play a non-unique, non-hoard minor or major item (even if the item is not normally playable there).

1 wrote:1) Does Thing Stolen actually target the item that I may play or only the character?

The action is playing an item. Playing an item does not target the item being played. Tapping a character is a condition for enabling the play of the item, but the item itself is in no way affected by this card.

2 wrote:2) Can the item then be a hero item?

Yes. Enabling the play of the item is neither a condition nor a target of this card. It is simply an effect. However:

3 wrote:3) If so, which site card do I need?

MEWH Rules wrote:In order to play a non-Fallen-wizard resource that would normally tap a site, either the site and the resource to be played must both be hero cards or they must both be minion cards.

You can play a hero or minion item with this card as a Fallen Wizard, but the item must match the site's alignment since minor/major items normally tap a site when played.

4 wrote:4) Is the faction supposed to be a minion faction?

MELE vs METW wrote:Hero items may not be used as conditions for minion resources, and minion items may not be used as conditions for hero resources. Note that a Fallen- wizard may play special ring items regardless of the alignment of the gold ring item tested.

Condition: Faction successfully played.

Since the faction is not an item, either a hero or minion faction may be used as a condition for this card.

5 wrote:5) If 3 is correct, what about a sapling at a shadowhold???

Thing Stolen does indeed override Sapling's text, since Thing Stolen specifically states that it allows the play of items normally not playable at a site.

Bandobras, you are great! Thats exactly what I wanted to hear!

Bandobras Took wrote:Condition: Faction successfully played.

Since the faction is not an item, either a hero or minion faction may be used as a condition for this card.

Condition in this case is successfull play of faction, not the faction itself.
So even if the faction would be removed from active play (for any reason), just after it was played, player would be able to play Thing Stolen.

Regardless, alignment of the faction and alignment of the item played with Thing Stolen may be different.