Chance Observation/Mordor Fighter stupid swarm (Suggestions wanted)

[idleninja]

This is my Movie daily deck. Has some success against non-top tier decks, it's very fun to play though and the FP holds its own very well. Feel free to mess around with it/improve it if you like, I will take any suggestions as well.

Right now the FP is 4 hobbits GEW semi-choke, uses Birthday Present to pull back Chance Observation, couple allies for help, and is very condition heavy. Shadow side uses Mordor Fighter with multiple Under Foot to get out 8-12 minions in 1 turn. Also includes Plotting Deceiver and Final Strike to neutralize Greenleaf or Gorn's Bow. Very fun when your opponent gives too much twilight and has no idea how you reconciled twice during your shadow phase.

Ring-bearer: Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
Ring: The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles

Adventure deck:
Sleeping Quarters
Rohirrim Camp
Hall of the Kings
Pelennor Plain
Pelennor Flat
Minas Tirith Third Circle
Pelennor Grassland
Northern Ithilien
Dagorlad

Free Peoples Draw Deck (34):
1x Boromir, Son of Denethor
1x Merry, Friend to Sam
1x Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver
1x Sam, Great Elf Warrior
1x Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit
1x Bounder
1x Farmer Maggot, Chaser of Rascals
1x Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal
4x Hobbit Party Guest
1x Melilot Brandybuck, Merry Dancer
1x Rosie Cotton, Hobbiton Lass
1x The Gaffer, Sam's Father
2x Hobbit Sword
1x Red Book of Westmarch
1x Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
4x Chance Observation
2x A Talent for Not Being Seen
2x Birthday Present
1x Consorting With Wizards
1x Escape
1x O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
2x The Tale of the Great Ring
1x There and Back Again
1x Three Monstrous Trolls

FP Strategy: Play everything. Give swords to Frodo and Merry, Sting to Sam, Pippin is there for wounding/archery so no sword for him. Most everything costs 0 or 1 so it chokes fairly well. Birthday Present to recycle Chance Observation is your survival mechanism. All you have to do is choose when to play them, don't have to win every skirmish since your allies can peel wounds every turn.

Shadow Draw Deck (34):
1x Gollum, Plotting Deceiver
4x Corsair Lookout
4x Desert Sneak
2x Southron Chieftain
4x Mordor Fighter
4x Orc Chaser
4x Orc Pursuer(2)
1x Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul
1x Ithil Stone
3x Captured by the Ring
1x Final Strike
1x Haradwaith
3x Under Foot
1x Flames Within


Shadow strategy: Use CBtR early to get threats out and Plotting Deceiver in your discard pile. Get your conditions out (unless you're playing LR...) and use Corsair Lookout if they have allies, but don't play anything else until at least site 5. If you get the Southron Chieftan and a lot of Southrons (or Haradwaith) maybe you can swarm at site 4. Make sure you have a tracker, Mordor Fighter, a raider minion, and 1 Under Foot in hand, and a lot of twilight in the pool. Play a tracker and Mordor Fighter to get initiative, play Plotting Deceiver from your discard pile, play all the minions you have in hand, use Under Foot to reconcile, rinse and repeat. Very combo intensive but when you pull it off it works great.

Any suggestions to improve either side? The FP actually holds its own against most Shadows, but I've lost to beseigers every time due to lack of Grond removal. I will probably swap out some conditions for more allies (especially Hobbit Party Guest) to pump up Chance Observation added allies and an extra copy of Birthday Present, removed A Promise, maybe some burden removal so Birthday Present is more accessible. I also want to splash Gandalf if I can. Don't know how to make the Shadow side more efficient, but this deck could probably use a little cycling. Any suggestions are welcome!

[ramolnar]

Any deck that has no way to deal with Tale of the Great Ring cannot be anywhere near top tier in Movie Block. Haradwaith is not a good card because to get your 5 twilight you have to give up a Raider card. I don't want to discard my cards. I don't like Southron Chieftain either, because it's too obvious. Hey look I want initiative! Any decent FP player is not going to double after seeing that card. Instead, what about Evil Smelling Fens? and some way to deal with Tale of the Great Ring. Eye of Barad-Dur requires a Sauron Orc in the skirmish, unfortunately. Discovered is never terrible.

[idleninja]

Thanks for the input! To respond to each of your points:

Haradwaith is not a good card because to get your 5 twilight you have to give up a Raider card. I don't want to discard my cards.

I feel like it's a good trade-off for me and even helps since I will be cycling with initiative + Under Foot and restocking my hand anyways, that 5 twilight can get me an extra 2-5 minions or another Under Foot if I'm set up. If I'm not set up I can cycle a little bit as well which is something this deck doesn't have a lot of.

Instead, what about Evil Smelling Fens?

I like this a lot since I will have Gollum out when I swarm with initiative, I will try to add a few in there if I can.

Any deck that has no way to deal with Tale of the Great Ring cannot be anywhere near top tier in Movie Block.

I agree. Maybe Hobbitses Are Dead for same reasons as above, or Eye of Barad-dur as you suggested since most likely I will have Sauron orcs out with Mordor Fighter.

I don't like Southron Chieftain either, because it's too obvious. Hey look I want initiative! Any decent FP player is not going to double after seeing that card.

He is more of an insurance/discardable card if I can't get Mordor Fighter + another Sauron orc out, but yeah he is at the top of my drop list.

Discovered is never terrible.

I will definitely look into adding a copy or two.

Droppables (shadow):
Southron Chieftain
Haradwaith
Flames Within

To add:
Evil-Smelling Fens
Hobbitses are Dead / Eye of Barad-dur
Discovered

I have midterms through Friday but afterwards I can look at this deck some more. I definitely want to splash Gandalf with Roll of Thunder for artifact/possession removal, also want to add burden removal so Birthday Present is more accessible. Will update over the weekend!

[sgtdraino]

Perhaps I'm missing it, but if you're constantly cycling Chance Observation with Birthday Present, it seems like those burdens are going to be adding up. What's the plan?

[idleninja]

Perhaps I'm missing it, but if you're constantly cycling Chance Observation with Birthday Present, it seems like those burdens are going to be adding up. What's the plan?

Yes. This was something I put together right before school started so I am still altering it quite a bit.

Decided to add Smeagol instead of Gandalf since he fits the stealth/choke theme better. Added Slippery Sneak, Days Growing Dark, A Light in His Mind, and No Help for It to FP side. Lets me bounce Smeagol (or sacrifice him if necessary) for cycling and initiative manipulation (especially with Birthday Present), No Help for It in case of Gollum or to remove the 3 burdens.

For the shadow side I dropped Haradwaith and added 2x Evil-Smelling Fens, Hobbitses are Dead, and Discovered. The deck is up to 37/37 but as a swarm deck it does fine. I might add some Goblin Runners to make sure I have enough twilight but we'll see how the deck does with these changes.

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
1x Smeagol, Slippery Sneak
1x Boromir, Son of Denethor
1x Merry, Friend to Sam
1x Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver
1x Sam, Great Elf Warrior
1x Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit
1x Bounder
1x Farmer Maggot, Chaser of Rascals
1x Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal
4x Hobbit Party Guest
1x Melilot Brandybuck, Merry Dancer
1x Rosie Cotton, Hobbiton Lass
1x The Gaffer, Sam's Father
2x Hobbit Sword
1x Red Book of Westmarch
1x Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
4x Chance Observation
1x No Help For It
1x Days Growing Dark
1x A Light in His Mind
1x A Talent for Not Being Seen
2x Birthday Present
1x Consorting With Wizards
1x Escape
1x O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
2x The Tale of the Great Ring
1x There and Back Again
1x Three Monstrous Trolls

Shadow Draw Deck:
1x Gollum, Plotting Deceiver
4x Corsair Lookout
4x Desert Sneak
2x Southron Chieftain
4x Mordor Fighter
4x Orc Chaser
4x Orc Pursuer(2)
1x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
1x Ithil Stone
3x Captured by the Ring
1x Hobbitses Are Dead
1x Discovered
2x Evil-smelling Fens
1x Final Strike
3x Under Foot
1x Flames Within