Refuge/Corsairs, by Reed Mash-potatoes-and-cola

[HawkeyeSPF]

Reprint of an April 24, 2006 article by 2005 World Championship Top 16 Finisher Reed Mascola


What in the world is Refuge you ask?

ref-uge
n.
Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship.
A place providing protection or shelter.
A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble.

This card was spot on the money when it was made, you see. Not only can several of these cards build you a cheap 'refuge', but it can also shelter your companions from evil. When I first saw Refuge, I thought, "I can make that work with the right type of deck." So it began: My quest to break Refuge.

My first version of 'The Refuge deck' contained 4 copies of Refuge, as well as 26 companions. Among these companions were Aragorn, Captain of Gondor, and Glorfindel, Revealed in Wrath. This was probably the most enjoyable version to play, as it REALLY stuck it to archery decks. Every turn, you would practically take off the wounds you acquired from last turn. The problem with this deck, is that it would lose to everything else.

My rule of thumb for decks is that they must have the following:
1-Condition Removal
2-Possession Removal
3-Burden Removal/Prevention
4-Cycling
5-Doubling Capabilities
6-Healing
7-Swarm Protection
8-General Strength Protection

The original Refuge dek had healing set, as well as minor cycling. How could I exploit this to cover all bases? Well, as my online collection grew, I started discovering companions. I will divide this into the 8 categories:

1-Condition Removal:
Who has condition removal? Elves, Gandalf, and Dwarves with Blood Runs Chill. I decided to go with Elves and 4x Seclusion, as the maneuver phase is typically the best phase to discard conditions, with cards like Last Days and Rapid Reload about. It was with Seclusion that I recently discovered a key companion: Celeborn, The Wise. Celeborn allows you to pull back an event every time you move in the regroup phase.

2-Possession Removal:
Everyone recognizes Rohan with the best possession removal. With Elves for condition removal, I could start a 2-cost Elf, and fit an Eowyn into the starting fellowship. With both Rohan and Elves in place, I could add in For the Mark for nice Maneuver/Regroup possession removal. Erkenbrand has the ability to discard possessions, in the most important phase of all - the skirmish phase. This gives me a limited amount of possession removal. With Corsairs around every corner, I decided to throw in Derufin, who can exert in the regroup to discard possessions if you have 5 cards in hand. With Refuge, this allows for a pretty much unlimited amount of possession removal.

3-Burden Removal/Prevention:
Tolman Cotton is simply the best means of keeping corruption decks under control, so he was an immediate choice, and with Refuge, I can use him more effectively than typical decks that play him. However, it doesn't help me much if my opponent gets a bunch of burdens on Frodo and has a ton of Abiding Evils. This deck needs burden removal, so Sam popped in to mind, not as burden removal, but as a back-up ring-bearer, so that I can sacrifice Frodo at any time to get the burdens swept off.

4-Cycling:
Well, Refuge allows for a decent amount of cycling, although I was really impressed with Legolas, Fearless Marksman. Here's an underused Legolas that, in my opinion, is better than Greenleaf in many situations. If I get a REALLY bad draw first hand, starting him with Eowyn, Lady of Ithilien gives me good backup with 2 archery wounds and Eowyn to do the rest of the work. The reason so many players struggle when playing Legolas, Fearless Marksman is because they want to hold on to key cards. To use him effectively, you can't get too attached to your cards, literally.

5-Doubling Capabilities:
Eowyn usually kills off the minions, allowing for a safe double. Celeborn gets Seclusion, which can also be beneficial if you have 3 cards in hand, so that you can activate Legolas' abiliy again. Since this is a strong running deck, Radagast is always welcome for a couple of triples.

6-Healing:
Well, with 14 companions in the draw deck, and 3 copies of Refuge, there is plenty of healing. Against archery, Merry, Swordthain and Grimbeorn are an added bonus.

7-Swarm Protection:
Legolas, Fearless Marksman, Tale of the Great Ring, Sam, and a large fellowship are your only protection. Oh, and Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow has been known to crash a few parties.

8-General Strength Protection:
Eowyn can't always be counted on. Aragorn's base 8 strength with Hunter 2 gives you a nice, strong companion. Grimbeorn, when combined with a shadow that uses strong minions, can be more than enough when combined with Eowyn and other fighters to take down a fleet of minions. Eomer's ability always gives you the upper hand. Your opponent will not know whether you have Rohan cards to discard to boost him, and you can use this to your advantage.

What's so special about Refuge? Nothing. It's an average card that makes a versatile deck come together. Top tier decks are often based on average cards that are exploited. Tough matchups include Ninja Gollum, and the old Lurker Swarm, which, thanks to a timely banning, is no longer a problem. To hose down Ninja Gollum, one copy of Clever Hobbits will more than do the job. With the amount of possession removal, Webs won't stick around for long, and Seclusions with Celeborn will completely decimate the shadow.

The shadow of choice is the typical Corsair build, however, I have been fooling around a bit with Initiative Gollum and his toys, and have come up with a version that's a little more fun to play.

Frodo, Weary from the Journey
The One Ring, The Ring of Doom
Eowyn, Lady of Ithilien
Legolas, Fearless Marksman

Courtyard Parapet
Anduin Banks
Neekerbreeker's Bog
Pelennor Flat
Cavern Entrance
Stables
Wold Battlefield
Trollshaw forest
Mount Doom

Seclusion x4
Refuge x3
Celeborn, The Wise
Dinendal, Mirkwood Archer
Clever Hobbits
Aragorn, Thorongil x2
Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow
Derufin
For the Mark x4
Haethen, Veteran Fighter
Eomer, Horsemaster x2
Erkenbrand
Rohirrim Mount
Coif
Riddermark Javelin
Spear of the Mark
Sam, Great Elf Warrior
Merry, Swordthain x2
Tolman Cotton, Farmer of Bywater
The Tale of the Great Ring
Radagast, The Brown
Grimbeorn, Beorning Chieftain

Fierce in Despair
Quelled
Captured by the Ring
Gollum, Plotting Deciever
Let Her Deal With Them x2
Corsair War Galley x4
Black Sails of Umbar x4
Ships of Great Draught x3
Castamir of Umbar x3
Corsair Plunderer x4
Corsair Marauder x4
Black Numenorean x3
Wind That Sped Ships x4

The deck typically takes some getting used to, but the fellowship is by far the most versatile, and one of the most enjoyable competitive decks to play.

Reed Mascola was a top 16 finisher at the 2005 World Championships. He is also from Ontario, and the other writers feel sorry for his Canadian roots.