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Author Topic: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck  (Read 15420 times)

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June 26, 2015, 11:32:11 AM
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sgtdraino

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Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« on: June 26, 2015, 11:32:11 AM »
Here's a deck that is very much a work in progress, an idea brainstormed by chrisie and myself that attempts to take full and ridiculous advantage of both Realm of Dwarrowdelf and Shoulder to Shoulder:

Starting cards:
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
Ring: The One Ring, Isildur's Bane
1x Gloin, Friend to Thorin
1x Arwen, Daughter of Elrond

Adventure deck:
Green Dragon Inn
Trollshaw Forest
House of Elrond
Hollin
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Caras Galadhon
Anduin Wilderland
Gates of Argonath
Slopes of Amon Hen

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
4x Farin, Dwarven Emissary
4x Fror, Gimli's Kinsman
4x Gimli, Son of Gloin
1x Sam, Son of Hamfast
4x Thrarin, Dwarven Smith
4x Elrond, Lord of Rivendell
4x Galadriel, Lady of Light
4x Orophin, Lorien Bowman
4x Rúmil, Elven Protector
4x Book of Mazarbul
4x Dwarven Axe
1x Gimli's Battle Axe
4x Gimli's Helm
4x Hand Axe
4x Gwemegil
4x Sting
4x Foul Creation
4x Hobbit Stealth
4x Beneath the Mountains
3x Make Light of Burdens
4x Realm of Dwarrowdelf
4x Song of Durin
3x Stairs of Khazad-dum
4x Shoulder to Shoulder

Shadow Draw Deck:
3x Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
4x Saruman, Keeper of Isengard
4x Troop of Uruk-hai
3x Uruk Captain
4x Uruk Lieutenant
4x Uruk Raider
4x Uruk Ravager
4x Goblin Runner
4x Goblin Sneak
1x The Balrog, Durin's Bane
4x Tower Assassin
1x Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow
4x Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
1x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
4x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur
4x Abandoning Reason for Madness
4x Beyond the Height of Men
4x Bred for Battle
4x Breeding Pit
4x Hate and Anger
1x Lurtz's Battle Cry
4x Saruman's Power
4x Savagery to Match Their Numbers
4x Host of Thousands
4x Saruman's Ambition
4x They Are Coming

Total Cards: 180!

Bid 4 to go first, start Gloin, Friend to Thorin and Arwen, Daughter of Elrond. Pull Sam, Son of Hamfast with the sites, take off burdens, and go.

I chose to start Gloin to take full advantage of the Tales, draw Gimli later and use extra copies of Gimli to heal him.

This deck can cycle pretty much as fast as it wants to. The general idea is to use the Moria and Isengard stuff to load minions onto the bottom of your deck. If things don't go well and the opponent is going to beat you to the end, use Realm of Dwarrowdelf to discard down to where you have 100% minions. Ideally you'll have at least 2x Saruman's Ambition out by then and at least one Hate and Anger in your hand, along with Saruman. Draw a bunch of minions, and drop the bomb.

Thinking about switching Gimlis to better-load the bottom.

The main issue I've been running into so far, is simply getting swarmed. Even with Thrarin as backup, it seems like to often I'll end up in front, and an extra big bunch of minions will come down and punch Frodo's ticket. Considering adding 4x PATHS, but not sure yet.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

chrisie's version is somewhat different than this one, hopefully he'll post it.
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

June 26, 2015, 11:37:55 AM
Reply #1

Chrisie

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2015, 11:37:55 AM »
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
Ring: The One Ring, Isildur's Bane

Adventure deck:
Green Dragon Inn
Trollshaw Forest
Council Courtyard
Mithril Mine
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Dimrill Dale
Anduin Wilderland
Shores of Nen Hithoel
Tol Brandir

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
1x Farin, Dwarven Emissary
2x Fror, Gimli's Kinsman
2x Gimli, Son of Gloin
1x Gloin, Friend to Thorin
1x Arwen, Elven Rider
1x Sam, Son of Hamfast
1x Thrarin, Dwarven Smith
4x Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad
3x Book of Mazarbul
3x Dwarven Axe
1x Gimli's Battle Axe
3x Gimli's Helm
4x Hand Axe
3x Gwemegil
3x Sting
2x Mithril-coat
4x The Council of Elrond
3x Hobbit Stealth
3x Beneath the Mountains
1x Greatest Kingdom of My People
3x Make Light of Burdens
4x Realm of Dwarrowdelf
2x Song of Durin
1x Till Durin Wakes Again
4x Shoulder to Shoulder

Shadow Draw Deck:
3x Goblin Backstabber
2x Goblin Flankers
4x Goblin Runner
4x Goblin Scavengers
4x Goblin Sneak
3x Guard Commander
4x Moria Scout
1x The Balrog, Flame of Udun
4x Orc Ambusher
3x Tower Assassin
2x Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
3x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
2x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur
4x Goblin Scimitar
2x Moria Axe
4x Host of Thousands
4x Goblin Armory
4x Goblin Swarms
3x They Are Coming

this is my current version, about half the size of drainos because i feel like his is currently a bit to inconsistent with getting out shoulder to shoulder, i also play pure moria because i'm very new to fellowship block so wanted to play a simple shadow while focusing on tweeking the free peoples.
same start as draino.

edit: i found the vast amount of elf allies using elrond to heal them to inconsistent so i switched to healing elrond and added more dwarves to rely purely on the book for card draw
« Last Edit: June 26, 2015, 02:46:56 PM by Chrisie »

June 26, 2015, 04:15:59 PM
Reply #2

Cw0rk

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2015, 04:15:59 PM »
One tiny tip if you have problem with swarm would be to use Legolas instead of Arwen. If you worry about  Nazguls, you can even use Legolas, PoM which is basically the same + one arrow. You can use Bow of Galadhrim instead of Gwemegil.

June 26, 2015, 05:11:59 PM
Reply #3

Not a Zombie

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2015, 05:11:59 PM »
Another anti moria option is betrayal of isengard.
No one loves you like I do.
--God

I'm imploring people I've never met to pressure a government with better things to do to punish a man who meant no harm for something nobody even saw, thats what I'm doing!

June 27, 2015, 07:02:27 PM
Reply #4

sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2015, 07:02:27 PM »
One tiny tip if you have problem with swarm would be to use Legolas instead of Arwen. If you worry about  Nazguls, you can even use Legolas, PoM which is basically the same + one arrow. You can use Bow of Galadhrim instead of Gwemegil.

I think Gwemegil is pretty important for cycling crap out of my hand, with a deck this size. Legolas can't do that. He also can't beat any Nazgul on his own, and most of the time he can't even beat them with his tools. So, versus Nazgul, I think Arwen is the best.

Another anti moria option is betrayal of isengard.

I think my 4x Song of Durin pretty much takes care of that angle. I suppose Betrayal of Isengard could always help in addition to that... but generally I don't think twilight is the problem. Mostly the problem is when I either get several companions out early but with nothing to pump them, and they get killed by Nazgul... or I can't seem to draw any more companions until late, and I get swarmed by Moria. Still trying to find the right balance. Currently testing Mk 6:

Starting cards:
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
Ring: The One Ring, Isildur's Bane
1x Gloin, Friend to Thorin
1x Arwen, Daughter of Elrond

Adventure deck:
Green Dragon Inn
Trollshaw Forest
House of Elrond
Hollin
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Caras Galadhon
Anduin Wilderland
Gates of Argonath
Slopes of Amon Hen

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
4x Farin, Dwarven Emissary
4x Fror, Gimli's Kinsman
4x Gimli, Son of Gloin
1x Sam, Son of Hamfast
3x Thrarin, Dwarven Smith
4x Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad
3x Galadriel, Lady of Light
2x Golradir, Councilor of Imladris
2x Orophin, Lorien Bowman
2x Rúmil, Elven Protector
4x Book of Mazarbul
3x Dwarven Axe
4x Dwarven Bracers
2x Gimli's Battle Axe
4x Hand Axe
4x Gwemegil
4x Sting
4x Foul Creation
4x Beneath the Mountains
4x Make Light of Burdens
4x Realm of Dwarrowdelf
4x Song of Durin
4x Shoulder to Shoulder

Shadow Draw Deck:
3x Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
4x Saruman, Keeper of Isengard
4x Troop of Uruk-hai
3x Uruk Captain
4x Uruk Lieutenant
4x Uruk Raider
3x Uruk Soldier
4x Goblin Runner
4x Goblin Scrabbler
2x Goblin Warrior
1x The Balrog, Durin's Bane
4x Tower Assassin
4x Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
1x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
4x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur
4x Abandoning Reason for Madness
4x Beyond the Height of Men
4x Bred for Battle
3x Hate and Anger
4x Saruman's Power
4x Savagery to Match Their Numbers
4x Saruman's Ambition
4x They Are Coming

Total Cards: 160 (down 20)

I gave up trying to load the bottom of the deck with minions. Wasn't very effective, and way too much of a hassle discarding down that far.

Took out Host of Thousands, seemed like about half the time I drew it, I didn't have Moria in the discard yet.

Took out Lurtz's Battle Cry, just wasn't using it. Ditto Bill Ferny.

Took out Breeding Pit, for reasons listed above. Same with Goblin Sneak. Replaced with Goblin Scrabbler and Goblin Warrior.

Replaced Uruk Ravager with Uruk Soldier, cheaper is better in this deck, can't depend on the Saruman combo.

Took out Stairs of Khazad-dum, generally the Dwarfs are strong enough to take on Moria without it.

Took out Hobbit Stealth, it was never in my hand when I needed it.

Took out Gimli's Helm, again, I was always drawing it before I'd draw Gimli.

Added another Gimli's Battle Axe, took out a Dwarven Axe.

Added Dwarven Bracers. Mostly for emergency wound prevention.

Added Golradir, Councilor of Imladris, to help prevent Orc swarming.

Replaced Elrond, Lord of Rivendell with Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad. This was a suggestion by Chrisie, and I'm liking it. Much less prone to getting killed by Ally hate, no spotting requirements, and can also heal the ring-bearer. He doesn't draw cards, but Book of Mazarbul has that sufficiently covered, I think.

That's about it. Everything else is simply adjusting the number of copies for this or that. I think it's getting pretty good, now.

"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

June 28, 2015, 08:21:44 PM
Reply #5

sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2015, 08:21:44 PM »
Okay, we're now at Mk 8! A few changes this time around. Incidentally, I'm thinking of calling this Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, since it's got Arwen and seven Dwarves in it! Anyway, Mk 8:

Starting cards:
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
Ring: The One Ring, Isildur's Bane
1x Gimli, Son of Gloin
1x Arwen, Daughter of Elrond

Adventure deck:
Green Dragon Inn
Trollshaw Forest
House of Elrond
Hollin
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Dimrill Dale
Anduin Wilderland
Gates of Argonath
Slopes of Amon Hen

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
2x Dwarf Guard
4x Farin, Dwarven Emissary
4x Fror, Gimli's Kinsman
4x Gloin, Friend to Thorin
1x Sam, Son of Hamfast
3x Thrarin, Dwarven Smith
4x Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad
4x Galadriel, Lady of Light
2x Golradir, Councilor of Imladris
2x Orophin, Lorien Bowman
3x Rúmil, Elven Protector
4x Book of Mazarbul
3x Dwarven Axe
4x Dwarven Bracers
2x Gimli's Battle Axe
4x Hand Axe
4x Gwemegil
4x Sting
4x Beneath the Mountains
4x Make Light of Burdens
4x Realm of Dwarrowdelf
4x Song of Durin
4x Shoulder to Shoulder

Shadow Draw Deck:
3x Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
4x Saruman, Keeper of Isengard
4x Troop of Uruk-hai
3x Uruk Captain
4x Uruk Lieutenant
4x Uruk Raider
3x Uruk Soldier
4x Goblin Runner
4x Goblin Scrabbler
2x Goblin Warrior
1x The Balrog, Durin's Bane
4x Tower Assassin
4x Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
4x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
4x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur
4x Abandoning Reason for Madness
4x Beyond the Height of Men
4x Bred for Battle
4x Saruman's Power
4x Savagery to Match Their Numbers
4x Saruman's Ambition
4x They Are Coming

Total Cards: 160

Mk 7 is essentially the same as this version, except that Mk 7 started Gloin and drew Gimli, instead of (now) starting Gimli and drawing Gloin. To me, Gimli seems to be slightly more dependable early in the game at not getting murdered (which is the weakest time for this deck). Gloin tends to only get really good later in the game (once more tales are out), so it makes sense to wait and bring him in later. Also, if you're going up against Isengard, it's a good bet your tales are going to get Saruman's Power-ed when you least want them to, leaving Gloin weak, but Gimli still strong. Starting Gimli also gets Gimli's Battle Axe going ASAP, which can be important vs. swarm.

Other changes from Mk 6:

Took out Hate and Anger. Was just hardly ever pulling it off.

Maxed out Shotgun Enquea with 4x. If he's running large or has 5 guys and 5 burdens, Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur can pull a Shotgun from discard.

Took out Foul Creation. Again, I just wasn't drawing it often enough for it to be a useful one-shot event.

Added 2x Dwarf Guard (for a total of 7 Dwarfs!). I still found I was sometimes getting swarmed, so it's important to have lots of companions to play, even disposable ones. Thanks to Shoulder to Shoulder, I can run a large fellowship and be mostly immune to Shotgun Enquea.

Replaced Caras Galadhon with Dimrill Dale. With a full 9 companions, and 4x of many of them, as well as a bunch of Site 6 allies, getting swarmed at Site 6 is very unlikely with this fellowship. More often, my Caras Galadhon was actually hurting me more, preventing me from swarming an opponent who moved there ahead of me. So, I switched it for a site that I can do more damage at.

The only other thing I've changed, is I no longer bid high with this deck. I suggest only bidding 1. If you end up going first, great. If you don't, then you've only got 1 burden which will probably come off at your Site 3. If you're going up against Nazgul corruption, they don't want to go first anyway, so they can use their Sites 2 and 3. So, by bidding 1 and pulling Sam, you've got at least two more burdens you can easily take off, possibly more if you can keep Sam alive.

Here's a real nail-biter of a game, in which I actually managed to deck out!

http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=sgtdraino$l8x72pn627m8r5qt

ETA: I just can't stress enough the amazing synergy between Gwemegil and Book of Mazarbul. With both of those in play, you can really roll quickly, as well as set yourself up with an amazing shadow hand for the next turn.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2015, 03:51:16 PM by sgtdraino »
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

June 30, 2015, 06:32:12 AM
Reply #6

sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2015, 06:32:12 AM »
Realm of Dwarrowdelf (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) Mk 9!

Starting cards:
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
Ring: The One Ring, Isildur's Bane
1x Gimli, Son of Gloin
1x Arwen, Daughter of Elrond

Adventure deck:
Green Dragon Inn
Trollshaw Forest
House of Elrond
Hollin
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Dimrill Dale
Anduin Wilderland
Gates of Argonath
Tol Brandir

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
2x Dwarf Guard
4x Farin, Dwarven Emissary
4x Fror, Gimli's Kinsman
4x Gloin, Friend to Thorin
1x Sam, Son of Hamfast
3x Thrarin, Dwarven Smith
4x Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad
4x Galadriel, Lady of Light
2x Golradir, Councilor of Imladris
2x Orophin, Lorien Bowman
3x Rúmil, Elven Protector
4x Book of Mazarbul
3x Dwarven Axe
4x Dwarven Bracers
2x Gimli's Battle Axe
4x Hand Axe
4x Gwemegil
4x Sting
4x Beneath the Mountains
4x Make Light of Burdens
4x Realm of Dwarrowdelf
4x Song of Durin
4x Shoulder to Shoulder

Shadow Draw Deck:
3x Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
4x Saruman, Keeper of Isengard
4x Troop of Uruk-hai
3x Uruk Captain
3x Uruk Lieutenant
4x Uruk Raider
4x Uruk Scout
4x Goblin Runner
4x Goblin Scrabbler
2x Goblin Warrior
1x The Balrog, Durin's Bane
4x Tower Assassin
4x Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
4x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
4x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur
4x Abandoning Reason for Madness
4x Beyond the Height of Men
4x Bred for Battle
4x Saruman's Power
4x Savagery to Match Their Numbers
4x Saruman's Ambition
4x They Are Coming

Very minor changes in terms of cards, but a somewhat significant change in terms of strategy: Replaced Uruk Soldier with Uruk Scout, and swapped out Slopes of Amon Hen for Tol Brandir. The implications should be pretty obvious: This deck is great at cycling, so there's a fair chance Site 9 will now guarantee you 3 Uruk Trackers on top of whatever else you can throw at them. They Are Coming helps with cycling, and also with building up twilight by playing Goblin Runner from discard. So, if you've got They Are Coming in play when they move to Site 9, even if you only have 2 minions in hand, you should still be able to throw out 7 guys. Of course, you don't get the twilight discount that Slopes of Amon Hen was giving, so it's important to build that twilight as much as possible. Also, the opponent probably won't expect Tol Brandir, since it's not typically played with Isengard. Surprise!
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

July 01, 2015, 09:32:59 AM
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sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2015, 09:32:59 AM »
Realm of Dwarrowdelf (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) Mk 10:

Starting cards:
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
Ring: The One Ring, Isildur's Bane
1x Gimli, Son of Gloin
1x Arwen, Daughter of Elrond

Adventure deck:
Green Dragon Inn
Trollshaw Forest
House of Elrond
Hollin
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Dimrill Dale
Anduin Wilderland
Gates of Argonath
Tol Brandir

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
2x Dwarf Guard
4x Farin, Dwarven Emissary
4x Fror, Gimli's Kinsman
4x Gloin, Friend to Thorin
1x Sam, Son of Hamfast
3x Thrarin, Dwarven Smith
4x Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad
4x Galadriel, Lady of Light
2x Golradir, Councilor of Imladris
2x Orophin, Lorien Bowman
3x Rúmil, Elven Protector
4x Book of Mazarbul
3x Dwarven Axe
4x Dwarven Bracers
2x Gimli's Battle Axe
4x Hand Axe
4x Gwemegil
4x Sting
4x Beneath the Mountains
4x Make Light of Burdens
4x Realm of Dwarrowdelf
4x Song of Durin
4x Shoulder to Shoulder

Shadow Draw Deck:
3x Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
4x Saruman, Keeper of Isengard
4x Troop of Uruk-hai
3x Uruk Captain
3x Uruk Lieutenant
4x Uruk Raider
4x Uruk Scout
3x Goblin Runner
2x Goblin Scavengers
2x Goblin Scrabbler
2x Goblin Warrior
1x The Balrog, Durin's Bane
4x Tower Assassin
4x Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
4x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
4x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur
2x Goblin Scimitar
4x Abandoning Reason for Madness
3x Beyond the Height of Men
4x Bred for Battle
4x Saruman's Power
4x Savagery to Match Their Numbers
4x Saruman's Ambition
4x They Are Coming

Total Cards: 160

Just a couple of tweeks this time around, I'm still evaluating their effectiveness: I took out 1x Goblin Runner, 2x Goblin Scrabbler, and 1x Beyond the Height of Men in order to make room for 2x Goblin Scavengers and 2x Goblin Scimitar. The theory being that, with a deck this size, anything that can improve cycling is good. Once I get a Goblin Scavengers and a Goblin Scimitar in discard, I can potentially mill my entire hand with They Are Coming to play 3 Moria minions instead of two, or simply improve my chances of drawing a decent non-Moria card. The downside is, of course, a higher twilight cost to do Goblin Scavengers, and fewer copies of Goblin Runner and Goblin Scrabbler. Thoughts?

Incidentally, it occurs to me that in some ways the way this deck works isn't that much different than my various "pulling" decks, that pull cards from draw deck or discard. Instead of searching through the draw deck, this deck more-so just allows you to cycle more of that draw deck through your hand, so you can keep what is helpful and ditch the rest.

ETA: Another strategy change: I'm starting to feel like it's best to bid 1, and then if given the option, choose to go SECOND. The FP is definitely weakest early in the game, but once set up can move pretty fast. Going second helps protect you from Nazgul poundings at sites 1 and 2.

Also, which is the better name:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

or

Realms of the Dwarrowdelf-lords

?
« Last Edit: July 01, 2015, 12:20:45 PM by sgtdraino »
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

July 02, 2015, 04:40:00 PM
Reply #8

ANGRY

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2015, 04:40:00 PM »
Snow White, for sure.
"Alas, poor Yorrick. I knew him, Horatio."

July 06, 2015, 10:39:43 AM
Reply #9

sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2015, 10:39:43 AM »
SIGNIFICANT changes this time around. We are jumping all the way from Mk 10 to Mk 17!

Starting cards:
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
Ring: The One Ring, Isildur's Bane
1x Gimli, Son of Gloin
1x Arwen, Daughter of Elrond

Adventure deck:
The Prancing Pony
Trollshaw Forest
House of Elrond
Mithril Mine
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Dimrill Dale
Anduin Wilderland
Shores of Nen Hithoel
Tol Brandir

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
4x Farin, Dwarven Emissary
4x Fror, Gimli's Kinsman
4x Gloin, Friend to Thorin
1x Aragorn, Heir to the White City
1x Merry, Friend to Sam
1x Sam, Son of Hamfast
3x Thrarin, Dwarven Smith
4x Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad
3x Galadriel, Lady of the Golden Wood
2x Golradir, Councilor of Imladris
4x Rúmil, Elven Protector
4x Book of Mazarbul
1x Dwarven Axe
2x Dwarven Bracers
2x Gimli's Battle Axe
3x Gimli's Helm
4x Hand Axe
4x Gwemegil
4x Sting
4x Foul Creation
4x Beneath the Mountains
4x Make Light of Burdens
4x Realm of Dwarrowdelf
3x Song of Durin
4x Shoulder to Shoulder

Shadow Draw Deck:
4x Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit
4x Goblin Runner
3x Goblin Scavengers
4x Goblin Scrabbler
4x Goblin Warrior
3x Moria Scout
1x The Balrog, Durin's Bane
1x The Balrog, Flame of Udun
3x Orc Ambusher
3x Orc Scouting Band
4x Tower Assassin
4x Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
4x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
4x Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur
4x Goblin Scimitar
4x Goblin Spear
4x Foul Things
4x Host of Thousands
4x Too Great and Terrible
4x Goblin Armory
3x Goblin Swarms
3x Relics of Moria
4x They Are Coming

Total Cards: 160

As mentioned above, a huge number of changes from the last time this list was published! For one thing, the deck can no longer be called, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," because there are no longer 7 dwarfs in it! The 2x Dwarf Guard sadly had to go, in favor of better companions.

Aragorn, Heir to the White City
-This was a suggestion made by gemp player Dictionary, after I mentioned the trouble I'd had with my Fellowship getting killed early on by Nazgul, before they can get set up. Dictionary suggested that I add Aragorn, since so many players run The Prancing Pony as their Site 1. I switched this deck's Site 1 to The Prancing Pony as well, but the deck still bids just 1 and (if given the option) chooses to go 2nd. This normally keeps me pretty safe from Nazgul throughout Region 1.

Merry, Friend to Sam
-He replaced the other Dwarf Guard. Through the course of playing, I tended to realize that, unless there's very little threat from condition discard, this deck tends to stick to around 5 companions. Those companions tend to be Frodo, Arwen, Gimli, and two guys that AREN'T Dwarf Guard, because Dwarf Guard is just so incredibly weak-sauce. You want to have at least one of those 2 guys be Dwarfs (for Book of Mazarbul), but every other option is just so much better than Dwarf Guard, so Dwarf Guard had to go. The 5th companion most often tends to be Aragorn, his twilight removal really helps this deck. So, why Merry? Well, (1) he costs the same as a Dwarf Guard, (2) he has no spotting requirements, (3) if my opponent starts Farmer Maggot's Fields, he's another companion I can grab from the deck, and (4) his ability comes in pretty handy sometimes. True, I can't protect him from Shotgun Enquea with Shoulder to Shoulder, but really everyone's expendable except Arwen and the Dwarfs.

Galadriel Lady of Light replaced with Galadriel, Lady of the Golden Wood
-This was a brilliant idea that Chrisie had, to try and avoid getting your Allies wiped out by Anduin Confluence. I'm really liking it! Beyond the ability to play my own Site 7 even if I'm in front, I'm also digging her ability to heal a wound off any Elf at the start of your turn. Sure you don't get the mass-ally healing that you got before, but it's generally still good enough. Particularly since...

Removed Orophin, Lorien Bowman, maxed out copies of Rúmil, Elven Protector
-Too often Orophin's archery actions vs. Uruk-hai just weren't doing much, with Saruman doing his thing, or just Uruks with enough vitality that you couldn't shoot them to death. The Archery is far more effective vs. Orcs, so I decided to maximize my potential there.

Removed 2x Dwarven Axe and 2x Dwarven Bracers
-Mostly because I needed the room, and also (again) because I often found myself only running a couple of Dwarf companions at a time.

Foul Creation back in!
-Isengard, particularly Uruk-hai, continue to be the biggest challenge this Fellowship has. So, I made some room, and stuffed 4x Foul Creation back in there. I think it's helped.

BIG changes to the Shadow
-Due to another recommendation from Chrisie, Isengard is now 100% GONE from the deck, and the Shadow is now heavily invested in Moria. I loved the power and versatility Uruk-hai could give me, but with a deck this size, they just don't cycle well, hog twilight, and clogged up my hand. This Dwarrowdelf deck was originally conceived to be a Fellowship Block version of my "Echo of Luthien/Initiative Southrons" deck found here:

http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,9060.0.html

...and Chrisie (correctly) felt that Moria cycling was the closest Fellowship analogue to the kind of swarming and cycling Initiative Southrons can do. I had steered clear of Moria before then, because I don't like being too condition dependent... but my Uruks had evolved to the point where I was stuffing all kinds of conditions in there anyway, trying to find ways to get the twilight high enough to play a good swarm. I had also already given up any notions of using Saruman's Power with the deck, because it had become too dependent on its own conditions. So, Isengard out, Moria in!

Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit
-One thing a deck this size is very good at doing, is playing the Cave Troll over and over again! With Moria it's generally pretty easy to get the twilight up high enough, and 4x Foul Creation means I can play the Troll from discard if necessary.

Goblin Spear
-Another addition is 4x Goblin Spear, which both the Cave Troll and The Balrog can use. Often I can get one of these on the Balrog at Site 5, and on the Cave Troll elsewhere. That extra +2 strength is often a bit more than the opponent was expecting.

TWO Balrogs
-Again, with a deck this size, I can afford to run one of each Balrog, and play whichever one offers the greatest advantage.

Goblin Scrabbler and Goblin Warrior Maxed Out
-With these guys being my only condition discard, I maxed them out. But often Dwarf or Elf conditions are the ones I want to get rid of most anyway!

Too Great and Terrible
-Moria is dependent on conditions, and the biggest threat to those conditions is Gandalf. So, to compensate, I run 4x Too Great and Terrible. Still deciding whether it's worth having or not. I did kill Gandalf with it in one game, but most of the time I don't draw them often enough to be that effective, IMO.

Orc Ambusher and Orc Scouting Band
-With Isengard out, I replaced Uruk Scout with three of the cheap Sauron Trackers, and three of the not-so-cheap Sauron wounding Trackers. I feel like that's a good balance.

Of course Site 4 and Site 8 were changed to Sites that work better with the Orcs.

The rest is just your standard Moria support cards.

The verdict is clear: This version is significantly more effective than any of the earlier versions. Just HOW effective... need a few more games racked up before that will be clearer, I think.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2015, 10:43:17 AM by sgtdraino »
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

July 06, 2015, 04:28:26 PM
Reply #10

Cw0rk

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2015, 04:28:26 PM »
I would suggest using Aragorn, RotN instead of the other one. It would help you against swarm.

July 06, 2015, 08:44:28 PM
Reply #11

sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2015, 08:44:28 PM »
The deck doesn't generally have any problems versus swarm. The most challenging matchups are versus Uruk-hai beatdown and Nazgul... Which really is pretty typical of Fellowship Block.
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

July 07, 2015, 02:00:17 PM
Reply #12

Dictionary

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2015, 02:00:17 PM »
Hi, just joined TLHH, I hope the Aragorn suggestion was useful. Have you fought many Discard decks with this?  I'd love to see the look on their face when they realise they have to discard 160 cards :)
Visit LOTR TCG wiki for strategy articles and extra card details, contributed by various community members. All set 1 cards finished.

July 10, 2015, 07:23:27 PM
Reply #13

sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #13 on: July 10, 2015, 07:23:27 PM »
Heh heh, yeah discard decks can pretty much hang it up.

Aragorn was a FANTASTIC suggestion, chrisie added him to his deck too!
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir

July 21, 2015, 12:14:27 PM
Reply #14

sgtdraino

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Re: Realm of Dwarrowdelf/Shoulder to Shoulder Fellowship Deck
« Reply #14 on: July 21, 2015, 12:14:27 PM »
Now up to Mk 21 on this deck! My main computer is kaput so it's currently difficult to post an updated deck list... But I'll describe some of the changes I'vs been testing out:

For a while experimented with Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit for condition discard, figuring he could work well with all the tales, but I just couldn't pull him off reliably or often enough. Finally went with 4x Secret Sentinels which has worked very effectively with my allies.

Now tweeking the Shadow side, after finding myself too often not QUITE being able to overwhelm the ring-bearer at site 9, often due to Bounder, There and Back Again, and/or other events and allies. Experimented with some Sauron events, but there aren't really enough Trackers in the deck to make use of them. There are, however, twelve Nazgul minions, so I'm now trying out Fear and Beauty is Fading, instead of Tower Assassin. Also trying out Orc Bowmen, since I can play it anytime, and be guaranteed a Sauron Orc at site 9. Testing is still ongoing.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2015, 09:48:32 PM by sgtdraino »
"I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king." - Boromir