Vale of Erech and...

[Chizakura]

The Army of the Dead, Men of Lamedon and the Stone of Erech.

I've looked up some resource cards that untap sites, but is there a practical way to play all three?

[Bandobras Took]

Have your Wizard control Aragorn II. Once you have in your hand Army, Paths, Fireworks, and No Strangers At This Time, use Paths of the Dead cheeze, untap the site with Fireworks, and play No Strangers so it's never discarded. Do Men Of Lamedon and Stone at your leisure.

Another Possibility:
Use Old Road/Hour Of Need to play Men of Lamedon, as this does not tap Vale of Erech. Then do Paths/Army/Stone as an end-of-game combo.

[Chizakura]

Thanks as always, Bandobras~ You're like a forum superhero.

[Chizakura]

A follow-up question. If I play a faction, do I need to play Fireworks to untap the site before I play No Strangers At This Time? Since the card states that a site cannot be tapped if I've played a faction, it seems like I can forego Fireworks and save myself the space in the deck.

[Bandobras Took]

Here we go:

If you want to play two factions at Vale of Erech itself, you need Fireworks. Play of faction taps a site and requires an untapped site unless otherwise stated, so some means of untapping will be required. No Strangers does not require a tapped site, merely that you have played a faction there; it will keep the site on the table (in case you draw in to Men of Lamedon well before Stone of Erech) and it's an extra MP. Once No Strangers is played, Fireworks will be unable to untap the site.

If you use a card that lets you play a faction at a different site (e.g. Old Road), then the site you are at will tap, rather than the site where the faction is normally playable; in this case, you would not need Fireworks, as you are not trying to play two factions at the Vale of Erech itself.

[Konrad Klar]

it will keep the site on the table (in case you draw in to Men of Lamedon well before Stone of Erech)

No Strangers At This Time prevent the site from being discarded. It does not prevent it from being returned to Location Deck. So it cannot be used to keeping an untapped site on table.

[Chizakura]

Ahh, ok, I think I get it now.

So, b/c playing a faction will tap a site and No Strangers doesn't untap a site, per se, simply that it prevents a site from being tapped (after the card gets played on the site), but b/c it can only be played after a faction is played, the site taps before No Strangers can be played requiring a card that will untap the site first, ie Fireworks? Do I have that right?

Also, I was looking into other scenarios to use No Strangers other than Vale of Erech and came up with something like the following:

Go to Wellinghall, play Ents of Fangorn, untap with Fireworks, play No Strangers then play an ally like Quickbeam then play three Ent-draughts.

[Chizakura]

Konrad,

But, even if it goes back to the location deck, it can not be tapped so long as No Strangers is out, right? So a player can stay at the location or come back later and play more resources there, no? And thank you for your help, also.

[Konrad Klar]

Konrad,

But, even if it goes back to the location deck, it can not be tapped so long as No Strangers is out, right?

Not right.
No Strangers At This Time says that site cannot be untapped. Of course if site will be returned to Location Deck it could not be tapped .

So a player can stay at the location or come back later and play more resources there, no?

Right. But in such case No Strangers At This Time is not needed.
Fireworks may untap site after playing Army od Dead to play Men of Lamedon in the same turn.
At this point you may play No Strangers At This Time , move company elsewhere (site is tapped now, so No Strangers At This Time will prevent it from being discarded) and return to Vale of Erech, when you will have Stone of Erech at hand (because Stone of Erech does not require untapped site).

[Chizakura]

Er, I completely misread the card description when looking it up. I read it as never tapping not never untapping. No wonder I was confused. Thanks.

[Bandobras Took]

it will keep the site on the table (in case you draw in to Men of Lamedon well before Stone of Erech)

No Strangers At This Time prevent the site from being discarded. It does not prevent it from being returned to Location Deck. So it cannot be used to keeping an untapped site on table.

Nice catch.

[Konrad Klar]

And even, strictly speaking, it cannot be used to keeping on table Haven sites cards (tapped or not) converted to Border-Hold. But can be used to keeping on table untapped non-site cards threated as site (Refuge, Wondrous Maps), because they are never returned to Location Deck.

[Chizakura]

Konrad, that's an interesting use of the card.

See, this is the sort of card usage that never occurs to me or see b/c I'm so inexperienced. My strategies and card usage tend to be very simple and straightforward so I often fail to see more complicated strategies and card uses. To be fair, though, I tend to like simpler strategies b/c I often think trying to pull off a huge card combo or some convoluted strategy might be absolutely devastating if it can be done, but too often, I think you sacrifice too much time and effort for something that has a low chance of happening or succeeding. If that's the case, I'd rather resort to things that give me a more consistent chance at success even if other methods might earn style points.

[Konrad Klar]

I think you sacrifice too much time and effort for something that has a low chance of happening or succeeding.

Thanks for appreciation.*
However I think that any question about rules deserves precise answer, even If asking person in not iterested in all details.

*) You are not alone. I have a big fanclub here and there...

[kober]

If it was my opponent who played Men of Lamedon, and if they were successfully influenced away from him (into my MP pile), could I play No Strangers at This Time on Vale of Erech?

Playable during the site phase on a or if youʹve played a faction there.