Competitive Deck Discussion

[Mythdracon]

NOTICE: The following thread is a composite of several lines of discussion which have been split from several threads and then merged. Care has been taken to keep the thread readable through the addition of quotes, however, please bear with us as we attempt to clean up the boards.

Thanks!

~NB

P.S. This post split from Last Alliance Thread

Yes, but what about alternatives? Theme decks rock, and I'll be making this one, but... I have to beat my friend in LOTR.

[Gil-Estel]

Yes, but what about alternatives? Theme decks rock, and I'll be making this one, but... I have to beat my friend in LOTR.

I have played several good decks, and have beaten them....
You can only win if you know what loosing is. So this deck will teach you well. Ofcourse, you can loose with it, but my experience is that it can win as well....HARD

[SomeRandomDude]

I have played several good decks, and have beaten them....
You can only win if you know what loosing is. So this deck will teach you well. Ofcourse, you can loose with it, but my experience is that it can win as well....HARD

Mythdracon, you know how I learned to make killer decks? I lost to killer decks. I used to be the worst player in my group, like, people woukd be shocked if I won. Then I joined CC and some other stuff, began playing Bib and Smally and lost badly. But then I built my first Ithilien Blade/Sauron discard deck. It sucked, but not as bad as my Moria Strength Deck. Took my Moria side, paired it to IB and dropped the, erm, Goblin Patrol Troops...and went all out swarm, then I built a Dwarf discard side to go with Sauron discard and that's when I started winning.

Moral: Practice make perfect. Try testing out some stuff on SdA.

BTW, kee your eyes peeled, I've got something I'm posting soon, today or tomorrow.

[Mythdracon]

Mythdracon, you know how I learned to make killer decks? I lost to killer decks. I used to be the worst player in my group, like, people woukd be shocked if I won. Then I joined CC and some other stuff, began playing Bib and Smally and lost badly. But then I built my first Ithilien Blade/Sauron discard deck. It sucked, but not as bad as my Moria Strength Deck. Took my Moria side, paired it to IB and dropped the, erm, Goblin Patrol Troops...and went all out swarm, then I built a Dwarf discard side to go with Sauron discard and that's when I started winning.

Moral: Practice make perfect. Try testing out some stuff on SdA.

BTW, kee your eyes peeled, I've got something I'm posting soon, today or tomorrow.

I dunno...for me the problem has always been picking the right cards that have chemistry together, and also having the right number of them in a deck. So most of the time I rely on other people's advice and expertise to make decks. In actual gameplay I do well, it's just the making of the decks which isn't my favorite part. SO MANY CARDS TO CHOOSE FROM. :S

Also, as for SDA--my time difference with people in other parts of the world is probably pretty scary at this point.

[SomeRandomDude]

This post split from Deceived Wizards thread.
~NB

*Guffaw*

You're trying to beat ELVES with Deceived Wizards? Gosh, if you wanna beat elves, do something like...anything EXCEPT DW. Man, elves are DWs WORST matchup.

Lackey and Archery pwn elves. Just a tip.

[SomeRandomDude]

I dunno...for me the problem has always been picking the right cards that have chemistry together, and also having the right number of them in a deck. So most of the time I rely on other people's advice and expertise to make decks. In actual gameplay I do well, it's just the making of the decks which isn't my favorite part. SO MANY CARDS TO CHOOSE FROM. :S

Also, as for SDA--my time difference with people in other parts of the world is probably pretty scary at this point.

Well...since I never sleep anymore...

[Mythdracon]

Well...since I never sleep anymore...

Hm. But that'd mean I have to make the decks again, online. Oh noes. I mean, I guess I could, it's just...I'm so busy playing WoW, tutoring kids in English, meeting friends and family and reading the 70 new books I have....I could *make* time, but as I can do that in college....It's just my computer here has so much better graphics than mine in the U.S. In 3 months though, I'll happily SDA with you in the wee hrs of the morn.

[Gil-Estel]

Hm. But that'd mean I have to make the decks again, online. Oh noes. I mean, I guess I could, it's just...I'm so busy playing WoW, tutoring kids in English, meeting friends and family and reading the 70 new books I have....I could *make* time, but as I can do that in college....It's just my computer here has so much better graphics than mine in the U.S. In 3 months though, I'll happily SDA with you in the wee hrs of the morn.

But you're working on decks, you have certain decks, maybe copy/paste decks from others...get to know certain decks and learn from them. You need to focus. My friend builds nice decks, but ever since I start to concentrate on building decks, I win. He misses focus, so he had a lot of everything, which is in general not enough. If you want to wound, do it to the max, if you want to corrupt, do it as best as you can (which means Lost to the Goblins  )...at everything you do, give it your best shot. I would love to have the Balrog in every available deck, same with the Witch-king, same with Sauron...but that doesn't work.
Try to play some, seriously!

[Mythdracon]

*Guffaw*

You're trying to beat ELVES with Deceived Wizards? Gosh, if you wanna beat elves, do something like...anything EXCEPT DW. Man, elves are DWs WORST matchup.

Lackey and Archery pwn elves. Just a tip. 

But archery won't pwn them if they use Elven Armaments.

What's Lackey?

[And yeah, DW is bad against Elves....unless they don't have condition removal, and I guess Saruman would get shot to death, hm.]

[SomeRandomDude]

But archery won't pwn them if they use Elven Armaments.

What's Lackey?

[And yeah, DW is bad against Elves....unless they don't have condition removal, and I guess Saruman would get shot to death, hm.]

Yes. Exactly.

Lackey? As in Orkish Lackey + 4x Goblin Hordes + 4x Mumak Commander, GatS + Black Land Chieftain + Mouth of Sauron setting up a Countless Companies/Pavise racket for an easy 2 dead companions each manu phase + elves.

Check it.

35 cards

Orkish Lackey x 4
Mumak Commander, Giant Among the Swertings x 4
Watchful Orc x 3
Black Land Chieftain x 2
Mouth of Sauron, Messenger of Mordor x 3
Sunland Scout x 4
Gothmog, Morgul Leader x 2
Goblin Hordes x 4
Unforgiving Depths x 3
Countless Companies x 4
Pavise x 2

When Mouth comes out, nab your Countless Companies and a Pavise.

Now each turn, Mumak Commander gets a Pavise for double the wounding.

Drop Lackey and Goblin Hordes and use recursion racket to get 'em back every turn. Exert with Commander + Pavise, wound with Lackey, 1 dead 3 vitality commander, threats trigger from Chieftain, kill another comp and then usually they're chock full enough with wounds to drop 3 comps in one turn, Gothmog tosses out some more unguided arrows, voila. Yeah, what about condition discarding? Time your Countless Companies to kill their Namarie before you get your conditions. They got Namarie? Drop Mouth of Sauron, nab Pavise, trigger Sunland Scount...whoopsie, buh-bye Namarie! Oh look, a Countless Companies, just in time for my Mumak Commander next turn too!

[SomeRandomDude]

I would love to have the Balrog in every available deck, same with the Witch-king, same with Sauron...but that doesn't work.

Unless you run a Grimmy/Forearmed deck.

[Gil-Estel]

Unless you run a Grimmy/Forearmed deck.

forearmed is nice....very nice ...such a shame for a good friend of mine. He had come up with a great Nazgul deck, but I played forearmed, and if I may say so, I did it well......I kicked his lower body parts on the rear side of his body very hard!

[Mythdracon]

forearmed is nice....very nice ...such a shame for a good friend of mine. He had come up with a great Nazgul deck, but I played forearmed, and if I may say so, I did it well......I kicked his lower body parts on the rear side of his body very hard!

I do play games, often, and I do win, just not as often as I'd like. And when I lose, I usually lose terribly. It's true I lack focus, I want to make awesome decks from every culture so I feel like my LOTR collection is complete....since as a 'collector' I want deck ideas collected, and represented, in their best form. Ambitious. But I think it's possible, with some help. I have been trying to get the cards for a particular Nazgul corruption deck one of our older CC members made---Utterly Corrupt Corruption anyone?

And God, Forearmed is a little OP. A must-have in my Elven telepathy deck I suppose, but as of yesterday I didn't see anyone posting to help me with it. Anyone know of counters to Forearmed? I know Dark Alliance can cancel events, and Final Triumph can make vitality the winner....any others? (Aside from cancelling skirmish, something that actually wounds or wins?)

[Mythdracon]

Yes. Exactly.

Lackey? As in Orkish Lackey + 4x Goblin Hordes + 4x Mumak Commander, GatS + Black Land Chieftain + Mouth of Sauron setting up a Countless Companies/Pavise racket for an easy 2 dead companions each manu phase + elves.

Check it.

Nice! If only I had the Mumak Commanders to make it in full. :S

Anyone got a Namarie deck build that has won before?

[SomeRandomDude]

Anyone got a Namarie deck build that has won before?

*falls off chair*

DUDE! Has anyone? HECK YEAH! That's like, perhaps the most powerful deck!

32 cards

Galadriel, Bearer of Wisdom
Ring of Rings

Legolas, of the Woodland Realm
Rumil, Silvan Elf

Orophin, Silvan Elf x 2
Elven Guardian x 4
Aragorn, Thorongil

Elven Bow x 4
Sword of the Fallen x 4
Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow
Dinendal, Mirkwood Archer

Namarie x 4
Into the West x 2
Take Up the Bow x 3
Elven Marksmanship x 4

OR

34 cards

Frodo, Weary from the Journey
The Ring of Doom

Gimli, Sprinter
Legolas, of the Woodland Realm

Aragorn, Thorongil
Orophin, Silvan Elf x 2
Rumil, Silvan Elf x 2
Elven Guardian x 3

Elven Bow x 4
Gimli's Battle Axe, Trusted Weapon
Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow x 2
Sting, Elvish Long-Knife x 2

Shake Off the Shadow x 3
Namarie x 3
Focus x 3
Forth The Three Hunters x 2

Hearth and Hall x 4

Probably a more competetive version. Forth the Three Hunters dumping out massive archery with a fighting ability! The engine here is Shake Off the Shadow + Hearth and Hall =  tons of archery. 2 max per copy = 6 possible + possible 8 archery once set up = 14 + Aragorn's Bow/Sting Combo = 23 wounds per phase max...ouch.