Gimli's Elven Buddies w/ Dunland Site Control

[DáinIronfoot]

Wow, NO Tower block sets posted here yet? I think it's high time to remedy that.

Poor Gimli is all by himself for the Tower block, of course. If you go back to Fellowship block you can dig up some of his friends, but in all-Tower, his kinsmen are nowhere to be found. Poor Gimli.

But never fear, for this Dwarf can make friends wherever he goes. Even with those pointy-ear snobs from Mirkwood and Lothlórien.


FREE PEOPLES (37 cards):

Frodo, Couteous Halfling w/ Answer To All Riddles

Gimli, Skilled Defender (starting)
Legolas, Archer of Mirkwood (starting)
Balglin, Elven Warrior
Lorien Swordsman x3

Frodo's Cloak
Hobbit Sword
Axe of Erebor
Legolas' Sword
Elven Bow x4

My Axe Is Notched x2
Final Count x2

Khazad Ai-Menu x4
Lend Us Your Aid x2
Quick As May Be x4
Toss Me
Must Be A Dream x4
Feathered x4

This deck is chock full of Elves, but it is Gimli who is the centerpiece. Khazad Ai-Menu spots his favorite Elven buddy to turn him into a one-Man one-Dwarf wrecking crew, but he can also spread the love (and strength) around with a well-timed Lend Us Your Aid. Toss Me is here to combo with Must Be A Dream and ensure you have a card on top of your deck, thus healing Gimli as needed (and for free, at that). If you're facing a minion he can handle, Legolas' ability allows him to heal Gimli or any other Elf as well. Now if only I could go back and snatch four copies of Endurance of Dwarves from Fellowship block too....

In general, your Elves do what Elves do best: shoot everything up, with a base 5 archery once everything is out. And with probable archery wounds on surviving minions, your Swordmen combo with Feathered to ensure you finish off anything that's left. Oh, and just in case your archery doesn't provide enough wounds, Quick As May Be should. That plus archery is nothing fancy, but brutally effective in a set where nearly every minion has less than 4 vitality and NO enduring. Bwaha.

To ensure your opponent doesn't simply sprint towards the finish, I have this paired with Dunlendings that will grab at their ankles and pull sites out from under their feet.


SHADOW (37 cards):

Saruman, Rabble-Rouser x3
Wulf, Dunlending Chieftain x2
Hillman Horde x2
Hill Chief
Hillman Tribe x4
Dunlending Ransacker x4
Dunlending Elder x4

War Club x2
Iron Axe

Hides x4
Over The Isen x2
Ready To Fall x2
No Retreat

Burn Every Village x4
Wake of Destruction


Again, nothing too fancy here. Hillman Tribe, Dunlending Ransacker, and Wulf control sites, then Hillman Horde and Dunlending Elder get big. Rabble-Rouser and Burn Every Village help your Dunlendings win when they need help doing so, as do the clubs and axe. Rabble-Rouser also combos with Hides to keep them alive until skirmish time (and even during and after). Over The Isen chips in there as well and lets you pick and choose your battles. Ready To Fall turns extra twilight later in the game into minions back from discard. No Retreat and Wake of Destruction don't directly contribute to the overall strategy, but can make your opponent weep at the right time.


Now, rip this deck apart.

[Kralik]

Your Freeps deck is very close to one that I have. I always found healing Gimli to be difficult in Towers block. The Toss Me combo is something I had not thought of... but is it worth clogging your hand? On the other hand, Must Be A Dream would probably work well to heal elves. Another combo that might work would be Courtesy of My Hall / Defending the Keep. Toss Me could stack on CoMH (S+1) and Axe of Erebor could discard CoMH once you have used it to heal. You might consider That Is No Orc Horn as well for its ability to liberate a site.

Does the My Axe Is Notched and Final Count combo work for you? Seems like I've had trouble pulling it off until late in the game, and then it's not as potent.

Dunlend is a lot of fun... It's disappointing that they didn't survive as a culture outside of Towers block. You should definitely try to fit No Refuge in there to help with Ready to Fall.

EDIT: Regarding No Refuge, I just realized you don't have a stacking Dunlend setup. Another option if you want to swarm.
EDIT 2: How about squeezing in Company of Archers?

[DáinIronfoot]

Your Freeps deck is very close to one that I have. I always found healing Gimli to be difficult in Towers block. The Toss Me combo is something I had not thought of... but is it worth clogging your hand? On the other hand, Must Be A Dream would probably work well to heal elves. Another combo that might work would be Courtesy of My Hall / Defending the Keep. Toss Me could stack on CoMH (S+1) and Axe of Erebor could discard CoMH once you have used it to heal. You might consider That Is No Orc Horn as well for its ability to liberate a site.

I'd considered all of those, and it WOULD be nice to get more use out of Toss Me. That Is No Orc Horn is a good one too, but more expensive than I'd like. I'll tinker with it some more.

Does the My Axe Is Notched and Final Count combo work for you? Seems like I've had trouble pulling it off until late in the game, and then it's not as potent.

No idea, as I have only played one deck (Expanded) that used them, and had only one copy of each; would have been more of a bonus then anything else if I HAD pulled it off then. Haven't played THIS deck yet. I was actually making it so I'd have at least on Tower block set to use against YOU if we're able to play again.

Dunlend is a lot of fun... It's disappointing that they didn't survive as a culture outside of Towers block. You should definitely try to fit No Refuge in there to help with Ready to Fall.

EDIT: Regarding No Refuge, I just realized you don't have a stacking Dunlend setup. Another option if you want to swarm.

Duly noted, but I was going for more of an all-out site control strategy to make certain minions big. Kind of a hybrid half-swarm/half-beatstick deck. I've used it in Expanded (albeit with Freca included) and it's worked brutally well thus far.

EDIT 2: How about squeezing in Company of Archers?

A good thought...that's one I missed. I'll see if I can get it in there somehow. Thanks!

[SomeRandomDude]

Love the dwarves. Baruk-Khazad? I also find it odd that Aragorn with all his wounding cards...erm...Defend It And Hope, is missing. But, then again, the whole Three Hunters deck probably isn't what you're looking for.

Number 1 problem I see with Dunland is...how the HECK do you plan to get all that twilight? Wow. I can see ents getting trashed, though. I'd drop the minion that controls sites, he isn't gonna win, and I'd run something that stacks Dunlendings with No Refuge.

BTW, War Club always pwns Iron Axe.

[FM]

Always. I, too, think a "free" defender +1 character that can be fetched via site 1 and can dish out some wounds is nothing to sneeze at. Not to mention, isn't Ring of Barahir a Tower Block card?

[TheJord]

I am the King of Dunlends!

Sorry, Dunlends make me spam

[SomeRandomDude]

Eh...Dunland makes a tasty snack for my elves.

[TheJord]

Elves means a site 3 win for Dunlends sorry

[DáinIronfoot]

Alright then...an alternative that includes Gorn.

FREE PEOPLES (37 cards):

Frodo, Courteous Halfling w/ The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles

Gimli, Skilled Defender (starting)
Legolas, Archer of Mirkwood (starting)
Aragorn, Defender of Free Peoples
Balglin, Elven Warrior
Lorien Swordsman x2

Frodo's Cloak
Hobbit Sword
Axe of Erebor
Legolas' Sword
Ranger's Sword, Blade of Aragorn
Ring of Barahir
Elven Bow x3

My Axe Is Notched x2
Final Count x2

Khazad Ai-Menu x3
Lend Us Your Aid
Quick As May Be x4
Must Be A Dream x2
That Is No Orc Horn
Feathered x4
Defend It and Hope x2
Trust

Pull Aragorn at Site 1 with The Riddermark, then go to town. Healing now mostly comes from the Ring of Barahir, which spots tokens on My Axe Is Notched and Final Count to heal Gimli or your Elves. There's also some other healing aid in the form of Must Be A Dream, That Is No Orc Horn, and Trust, as well as potentially Aragorn's and Legolas' text. The rest works as before...though note that to fit Aragorn in, I removed one of the Swordsman and a bow. Hopefully the addition of Defend It and Hope and a potential strength 10 (or 12 against Uruks) Aragorn helps offset that.

[FM]

It probably does.