Archer

The Archer trait was first introduced in the Core Set and has proven to be one of those traits that got abandoned by the developers right after. There have been only 3 cards with the printer Archer keyword, and only one is worth including in your decks. The other Archer trait cards are not worth the deckspace, let along the resources that they cost. The only reason that this trait got revived close to the end of the ninth cycle, was as an inside joke to the community, as the Hobbit Archer has the same title as his traits.

Who are the Archers?

The two Ranged allies in the Core Set both got this trait, with the hope that the trait might get developed in future cycles. That did not turn out to be the case. As of this moment, the Archer trait remains undeveloped outside the Core Set. This was the case until the ninth cycle gave us a new Archer ally, which was more meant as a joke towards the community.

Expansion Packs

Core Set
The Land of Sorrow

Spheres

Leadership and Tactics, no real synergy with either sphere though.

Synergy

They have the Ranged keyword and the early ones are terrible

Synergy with other traits

None, besides the fact that they are a Silvan and a Rohan character. Both allies don’t benefit much from their respective traits and their synergies.

The newest Hobbit Archer does have some synergy with its trait, as it gets extra attack when attacking enemies with a higher engagement cost than your threat. This helps the Hobbit trait a little, as he is one of the first Ranged characters for that trait, and a decent attacker when brought into play with Tom Cotton.

Staples

You can staple these to your bike spokes.

In all fairness, the Hobbit Archer is probably the best of the three, but being the best Archer traited card is a really low bar to clear.

“Bad” Archer cards

Silverlode Archer is too expensive for his stats, he is outclassed by the Greenwood Archer that is cheaper and has a useful ability. The Silverlode Archer also doesn’t play well with the Silvan synergy.

Horseback Archer is also too expensive for only his ranged keyword. He also doesn’t play well with the Rohan synergy and was a Tactics ally in a time where Rohan was focussing on Spirit. He might be useful if you use the effect of Spirit Theoden, but there should be plenty of other, better targets for this.