The Last Homely House

Middle-Earth => Lothlórien => King Standard => Topic started by: Wyrden333 on September 03, 2018, 09:19:21 AM

Title: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: Wyrden333 on September 03, 2018, 09:19:21 AM
Hi y'all,

I just built a Southron deck for King Standard (the Free People are some Rohan guys, but I'm not sure if I wanna keep it) and just wanted to hear your opinions on it.
 I haven't seen many takes on Southron, to be honest, neither here nor on Gemp, but maybe I'm just blind.

Minions:
4 Desert Sneak
4 Desert Runner
4 Desert Scout
4 Southron Assassin
4 Southron Chieftain
1 Southron Conqueror
2 Southron Intruder
2 Southron Invaders

Possessions:
4 Mûmak
3 Raider Bow
3 Southron Spear

Events:
2 Discovered
3 Whirling Strike

Conditions:
2 Howl of Harad
2 Wrath of Harad
1 Ithilien Wilderness

That are 45 cards in total... and thats the main reason why I'm here: I just don't know what to cut.
The main strategy is to wound the Ring-Bearer directly threw Howl and Assassin, what costs a lot of twilight in skirmish phase. That's why you need the Initiative Southrons for their ambush as well as the ambush of Raiders Bow.
Mûmak helps you to produce more twilight, as well as producing more fights and strengthen the bearer. If you kill some companions on the way threw direct wounding, thats also in your favor.
I'm not sure if I want to keep the three high cost minions (Intruder, Invader and Conqueror) since they don't do that much on their own.

The problem of the deck is (a bit surprisingly, but true as I found out in test games) are big archerys/direct wounding (i.e. Legolas, Greenleaf)

 Please leave any suggestions here (and also interesting ideas for a good Free People side)

EDIT: Just edited some card names.
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: RJH777 on September 04, 2018, 11:56:35 PM
I'd say the issue at the moment is you're not really focused one way or the other.

The strength route arguably works better in movie block as you need things like desert lord and seasoned leader along with some of the threat mechanic stuff to punish those overwhelms to really work. Otherwise go all out initiative wounding.

If you're going wounding you can drop the conqueror, intruder, southron spear (just too costly), the skirmish boosting conditions. Then add in some red wrath (so brutal with raider bow), maybe some copies of rout and either harsh tongues or corsair war galley and ships of great draught to ensure initiative for all your desert guys, along with a couple desert lord and maybe another of the towers block archers.

For freeps - you'll want something reasonably well cycling so you can always have 2-3 wounds per site to keep the pressure up so if you want something more "interesting", maybe some kind Gondor/Rohan wounding deck? Use Rohirrim Bow, Gondor Bowmen, Aragorn's Bow etc to take minions down in Archery then Hidan, Third Marshall etc. Mop up anything leftover. You should be able to set it up without using any events and always able to play the majority of possessions so it should cycle quickly.

Something like:

40 Cards

Eomer, TMoRM
Elite Rider

Aragorn, DoFP x3
Boromir, DoMT x2
Merry, ST x2
Eowyn, LoR
Sam, SoH
Leowyn x2

Rohirrim Javelin x4
Eomer's Spear
Rider's Spear
Ranger's Sword
Blade of Gondor
Firefoot
Brego
Rider's Mount x2
Rider's Spear
Eowyn's Sword, DB
Aragorn's Bow x2
Merry's Sword
Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs

Gondor Bowmen x4
Help In Doubt and Need x2
Arrow Slots
Fortress Never Fallen
We left None Alive


Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: Wyrden333 on September 05, 2018, 04:44:14 AM
For the Shadow part:

First of, the Cosairs didn't come out til Siege of Gondor

Desert Lord is something I'd considered as well, but since the deck was already that big I let him out.
Ok, one could cut Intruder and Conquerer, but sure about spear? I mean, the [4] should always be there, but I agree that the exert cost is heavy.

What's about Assassin and Howl? I'd like to keep 'em im, since they were the reason for the deck (at least one reason).

Shadow (35)

4 Desert Sneak
4 Desert Runner
4 Desert Scout
2 Desert Lord
2 Southron Assassin
2 Southron Invaders

4 Raider Bow
3 Mûmak

2 Discovered
4 Whirling Strike
2 Red Wrath

2 Howl of Harad

For Free Peoples I just pot what I had til now:
 
(35)

RB: Frodo, HoFP
Answer to all Riddles

Eomer, TMotRM
Elite Rider

2 Elite Rider
1 Hrethel

Guma
Leod
Hlafwine
(The last Villager)

Firefoot
Brego
3 Riders Mount
Eomers Spear
4 Riders Spear
4 Rohirim Javalin

3 (+1 for each Rohan)
4 Simbemyne

Fortress never fallen
We left none alive
3 Thundering Host
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: ket_the_jet on September 05, 2018, 07:29:01 AM
I can’t make this deck (http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,11063.0.html) work in King Standard consistently. But I will say that moreso than Howl of Harad, Fierce in Despair is the amazing surprise with the best results. No one has extra copies of starting companions, so it is a great way to get rid of Legolas, Greenleaf or something like that.
-wtk
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: RJH777 on September 05, 2018, 08:10:30 AM
Of course they are, in that case it'd have to be harsh tongues - not as reliable but does enable Rout.

If you definitely want to focus on Howl and Assassin then what you've got looks pretty good - maybe drop a discovered for a  Chieftain?
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: Wyrden333 on September 05, 2018, 08:23:15 AM
Hahaha, your deck just looks (at least a bit) like mine!

Hm, you've a point on that Despair. But... how often does it go off? Isnt it clogging your hand? And I agree Greenleaf gives you a hard time! Tough, the original idea of my deck was, to punish people for not playing Answer to all Riddles. But... that just works a bit like win more. If you get to the point, where you'd kill Frodo, you most often swarmed them anyway so it doesn't matter anymore. I'll see if I find time to give Despair a shot.

Ever considered adding the Sauron Orcs you talked of to your deck?

And @RJH ever tried that Archery deck? As I said I'll watch for time to test them.
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: Wyrden333 on September 05, 2018, 08:25:43 AM
Ahh

thanks I always forget Chieftain since he does nothing on himself. O'couse I want to play him.
I'll see later
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: RJH777 on September 05, 2018, 08:49:38 AM
The Gondor/Rohan one?

Played something similar in the past although smaller as I paired it with Beasterlings and was Movie block so started Lady of Ithilien and used Hardy Garrison and a few other cards like that but was always pretty decent once set up - biggest weakness is corruption and an early swarm due to high twilight adding - one option is to swap the Aragorn for Ranger of the North as although you lose the easy doubling he gives early site protection till you get Firefoot.

Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: Dictionary on September 05, 2018, 11:48:04 AM
I'd agree it lacks focus. You could make two different decks with these ideas and see which you prefer.

For general wounding, keep the initiative dudes and go the Rout / Harsh Tongues route I guess. Red Wrath is great.

For Howl, you need bigger minions. Southron Traveler, Desert Stalker and Suzerain of Harad all have bigger ambush and work better with Mumak. Army of Haradrim for the same synergy. Desert Stalker + Mumak is a free Howl per win, and the culture hate is just icing on the cake. Try and combo the Suzerain with the Chieftain. Traveler blocks archery, though he's pretty bad. Southrons don't have much better before Line of Defense and High Vantage.
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: Wyrden333 on September 05, 2018, 12:13:08 PM
OK, i was just looking threw the ambush Minions, and the Ini-wounders seemed to be the best ones. :lol:

Southrons don't have much better before Line of Defense and High Vantage.

Yeah, I just saw that, when reading the MD cards again.

I'll come back after testing some variants.
Title: Re: King Standard Southron (Shadow only... for now)
Post by: Wyrden333 on September 12, 2018, 11:55:21 AM
It seems like "Beater Southrons" doesn't pair up very well in King Standard :( .They just benefit to much  from cards like Seasoned Leader and Mûmak Chieftain.
I probably only return to them in KS when somebody (or myself ;)) prove me wrong.
So lets explore Ini-Southrons!