Solo smeagol

[MR. Lurtzy]

I need help refining my solo smeagol deck. Please help.

[Gil-Estel]

in order for us to refine your deck, maybe it is helpful to post your deck

[TheJord]

Open? Expanded? Standard? Block?

More info required please

[Elessar's Socks]

...Great, in testing mine just died to Ulaire Lemenya, Lieutenant of Morgul + Fell Beast + Black Breath at site 3 (went first). So... maybe your deck is better than mine?? *LOL*

Incidentally, if you're not too concerned about whether it's pure solo, other starting companions can be a safety net. If Fishing Boat, Gladden Homestead, and some 1-cost cards come down all at once that's a fair amount of twilight. Faramir SoD immediately comes to mind (against Ninja Gollum, there shouldn't be enough twilight for Her Ladyship), and Pippin HoSI can help your starting bid.

Anyway, I'll just throw this out there after adding those and some other tweaks. Wonder if it's similar to yours; I'm learning too!

30 cards.

Smeagol, Bearer of Great Secrets
The One Ring, The Ring of Rings

1 Faramir, Son of Denethor (starting)
1 Pippin, Hobbit of Some Intelligence (starting)

1 Fishing Boat

2 Don't Look at Them
1 Follow Smeagol
2 Gladden Homestead
4 Never
4 Poor Wretch
2 Safe Passage
4 There's Another Way

1 Naked Waste
3 Nasty
4 Still Far Ahead

Went easy on the skirmish events because at the early sites there might not be any minions, and the clog gets in the way of a Shadow kill.

[lem0nhead]

Nice deck socks though id find a way fit 4 nasty in. That card rocks.

[Elessar's Socks]

Holy... smokes, Juicy Fruit operates at the speed of lightning! Haha, Nasty indeed rocks! Justifies all those copies of Never, too. Switched one to Naked Waste though just in case all my conditions get blown up. At that point it should be a piece of cake () to remove 4 cards for a timely save.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Open? Expanded? Standard? Block?

More info required please

Open please.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Any more ideas (thanks socky)? What would be the best shadow to pair this with? I currently have it with nazgul but I'm open to suggestions.

[DáinIronfoot]

One note: I see ES recommending to start Pippin HoSI, but I don't think there's a need. I believe there was a ruling a while back that stated that when you begin with Smeagol BoGS as your Ring-bearer, you do NOT add a burden, since he is NOLINK never actually "played" when you use him as the RB. You only have to add the burden if you play him as another companion in the starting fellowship or in your deck (though why you would NOT use him as the RB is beyond me).

...oh, just realized that Pippin HoSI might be to help with bidding. In that case, uh, nevermind.

My only other comment would be that if ES could find a way to squeeze in some Nice Fish, it could greatly offset the exerting Safe Passage and Follow Smeagol require.

[MR. Lurtzy]

With never, since I cannot discard smeagol, does it take away two threats for free?

[DáinIronfoot]

With never, since I cannot discard smeagol, does it take away two threats for free?

I don't think so. I think ES included multiple copies because it's a free condition that can be spotted to make other cards like Gladden Homestead and Nasty as potent as possible. The only other FP -cost conditions are Safe Passage (already in use here), There's Another Way (ditto), and Come Away (which requires wounding a companion each time the fellowship moves).

That last one reminds me of one more recommendation, though: if you use Faramir, I'd include No Stranger to the Shadows to cut down on twilight a little more.

[Elendil!Urukfear]

Man!!! I gotta say this deck is amazing!!!!!!
I should make a hobbit and smeagol deck. I know i have the right cards anyway.

[Trooper]

I played these Solo Smeagol decks a lot and all went fine until my opponents started to add Saruman's Power in their deck. Once the conditions are gone, it's very soon game over with Gollum.

But nevertheless, Solo Smeagol is fun and combine it with a Ninja Gollum Shadow. Naked Waste is so nice in that way !!!! You nearly always can pump 2x that way.

[Elessar's Socks]

Thanks for the suggestions, Dain. You're correct that Never is being used solely as a 0-cost [Smeagol] card to spot. Also once I figure out if going first or second is preferable, Pippin ought to help the bid one way or another. (All right, so that 1-cost slot was just too tempting to leave unfilled.)

That said, there are some excellent field-tested decks out there if people want to see how the true experts do it! I hear Gil-Estels's version has been winning some games.

[Gil-Estel]

Well, I try the best I can ofcourse...to stay modest, I don't know whether it was due to my good deck, or the match-up. Some match-ups are horrible for solo-smeagol, others are not. I guess with solo-smeagol this is more the case than with other decks. Here is my version of solo-smeagol:

*The One Ring, Such a Weight to Carry (7R2)
*Smeagol, Bearer of Great Secrets (RB)(9R+30)

Fellowship (32)
1x *Gladden Homestead (13R49)
1x *Safe Passage (11R50)
2x Don't Look at Them (6R39)
1x Follow Smeagol (5U23)
3x Nice Fish (15C46)
4x Poor Wretch (5C27)
4x There's Another Way (12C40)
1x Clever Hobbits (7U54)
2x Nasty (7U64)
2x Not Listening (6C43)
4x One Good Turn Deserves Another (11U49)
3x Still Far Ahead (8U29)
2x Where Shall We Go (7U78)
1x *Deagol, Fateful Finder (13R46)
1x *Fishing Boat (13R48)

Deagol is there as an extra smeagol card, and, when you don't get Fishing Boat soon enough, it will make sure you'll get fishingboat. Smeagol gets strong, manipulates the sites, with One Good turn deserves another and Still far Ahead. He is strong due to There's another way and poor wretch, so yeah I like this deck......