Shadow Over Nentir Vale is the first set of 80 themed "booster" cards released by Wizards of the Coast for their Dungeons & Dragons 4e game (specifically designed for use with the D&D Essentials brand). The set of 80 cards are themed to fit into the setting material being released for 2011 (the newest D&D Encounters Season: The March of the Phantom Brigade and the upcoming Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale). The cards come in packs of 8 with one rare card (a small star appears on the bottom to indicate rare card). The cards come in three varieties: Attack, Defense and Tactic. A user-made deck needs to be somewhat balanced between these three types of cards.