| Author |
Message |
| AnxiousChieftain |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 12:53 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 3947
Location: Maryland
|
I started work on this deck a little while ago. I’ve traded for most of the cards, but I still need a few more to make my deck complete. Here’s how it’ll look when it’s done:
Ring-bearer and Ring
Gimli, Bearer of Grudges
The One Ring, The Ring of Rings
Adventure Path
Abandoned Mine Shaft
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Cavern Entrance
Chamber of Mazarbul
Barazinbar
Moria Stairway
Moria Guardroom
Starkhorn
Mount Doom
Free Peoples (37)
Durin III, Dwarven Lord (starting)
Linnar Dwarven Lord (starting)
Dwarven Axe x4
Hand Axe x2
Dwarven Bracers x2
Belt of Erebor
Dwarven Armor
Ring of Fury
Ring of Guile
Ring of Retribution
Proud and Able x2
Till Durin Wakes Again x2
Stalwart Support x2
Delving x2
No Pauses, No Spills x2
Blood Runs Chill x2
Tidings of Erebor x4
Out of Darkness x3
Their Halls of Stone x3
Shadow (37)
Castamir of Umbar x2
Corsair Marauder x2
Corsair Lookout x4
Corsair Plunderer x4
Corsair Boatswain x3
Goblin Backstabber x4
Goblin Runner x4
Ships of Great Draught
Black Sails of Umbar x4
Corsair War Galley x2
Under Foot x4
They Are Coming x3
Free Peoples Strategy
By looking at the cards, you can probably guess the strategy of the Free Peoples side: choke the twilight pool, and draw cards.
There are only 3 companions, but they can all become very strong with the Dwarven possessions I’ve included. These possessions are all very cheap - the only possession that costs any twilight is Dwarven Bracers. In fact, the entire Free Peoples side doesn’t add very much twilight at all. This serves a double purpose: it will allow fewer minions to be played (thus protecting your Ring-bearer), and it will clog up your opponent’s hand.
There are a bunch of cards that allow you to draw cards in this deck. Delving is a cheap and efficient event that draws 3 cards. No Pauses, No Spills draws 4 cards. Out of Darkness is a strength event, but also allows you to draw 2 cards (circumventing the Rule of 4!). Tidings of Erebor draws 3 cards during the regroup phase. And then, to top it all off, Stalwart Support gives each of your Dwarves muster, so you can cycle through the cards in your hand. Hopefully, after you reconcile you will have an almost perfect Shadow hand.
Till Durin Wakes Again provides cheap healing, since most of your sites are underground. It’s an awesome card to keep the Dwarves alive.
Shadow Strategy
This is a cool swarm deck, featuring Corsairs and Goblins. One of the key cards is Under Foot - I’ll explain more about it later.
To start things off, you want to set up your support area as fast as possible. Since there are 4 Under Foot, you are likely to get one copy of it fast. Corsair Boatswain will play your boats from your deck, which is a wonderful ability. Several copies of They Are Coming are also included.
Once your support area is set up, you will have initiative due to Corsair War Galley. This is now the perfect opportunity to swarm. Play all the minions in your hand - they’re cheap, so you’ll probably have the twilight to do so. Discard all your copies of Black Sails to play several Corsairs from your discard pile for no twilight. And then, if you have any twilight left, discard Under Foot to reconcile your hand - during the Shadow phase! You can play more minions, and discard the Free Peoples cards to play Goblins, via They Are Coming. If you chance to draw another copy of Under Foot, then you can repeat the cycle (in fact, I’ve reconciled my hand 4 times during the Shadow phase!).
Please comment. Thanks! |
| Last edited by AnxiousChieftain on Wed Apr 26, 2006 9:57 pm; edited 2 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Hazael |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:29 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 444
Location: Up North
|
creative shadow side
The Freepeoples really help your shadow side by drawing cards and having muster. With this many ways to draw and reconcile your hand, you NEED MORE CARDS! |
Some of the best scenarios on EE...
Up All Night Productions |
|
| Back to top |
|
| AnxiousChieftain |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:43 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 3947
Location: Maryland
|
Hazael wrote: The Freepeoples really help your shadow side by drawing cards and having muster. With this many ways to draw and reconcile your hand, you NEED MORE CARDS!
Yeah, I’ll probably bump it up to at least 40 cards per side. I just need to test it out a bunch, and see what’s best. |
| MODS RULE. - lem0nhead |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Cobra |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:53 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 1202
Location: Austin, TX, USA
|
Killer Shadow side. 
IMO, this looks like one of those decks that will win by site 6, or not at all. If you’re setting up the perfect Shadow hand, playing everything, then discarding much of your support area for a massive bomb... that’s not likely to happen twice no matter how many cards are in the deck. I’d actually favor keeping the deck size relatively slim so that big swarm will come more quickly and reliably. |
| http://cobracards.com -- Web's best deals on Trading Card Games. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| AnxiousChieftain |
![]() Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 2:25 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 3947
Location: Maryland
|
Cobra wrote: Killer Shadow side.
Thanks!
Cobra wrote: IMO, this looks like one of those decks that will win by site 6, or not at all. If you’re setting up the perfect Shadow hand, playing everything, then discarding much of your support area for a massive bomb... that’s not likely to happen twice no matter how many cards are in the deck. I’d actually favor keeping the deck size relatively slim so that big swarm will come more quickly and reliably.
You’ve got a great point. Like I said, I need to playtest the deck. All I need to complete the Shadow side are 2 Black Sails, 1 Corsair War Galley, and 2 Under Foot - all of which were in my latest order from you. Hopefully they come today! |
| MODS RULE. - lem0nhead |
|
| Back to top |
|
| AnxiousChieftain |
![]() Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:06 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 3947
Location: Maryland
|
I playtested the deck a ton, and 37 cards seems perfect. Most of my wins were at site 5 or 6, so I never ran out of cards (except once  ).
The strategy itself works perfect. My Dwarves set up the perfect Shadow hand, and they also choke my opponent so bad that they can’t get as many companions as usual.
The Shadow side can swarm like crazy - even when not completely set up, I can easily get out 12+ minions. My all-time high at the moment is 15 minions for 10 twilight. |
| MODS RULE. - lem0nhead |
|
| Back to top |
|
| AnxiousChieftain |
![]() Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 2:08 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 3947
Location: Maryland
|
Wow, this is by far my favorite deck now. I changed several of the cards - I’ll explain why.
Gloin got switched to Linnar - for one thing, the Gloin from Hunters hasn’t been released yet, and for another thing I realized that Linnar is amazing. His healing ability is helpful, but his skirmish ability can drop all my Free Peoples cards so that I have an all-Shadow hand.
I switched 2 of the Delving to No Pauses, No Spills. I did this because I figured it’s good to have a bit of both.
2 copies of Blood Runs Chill are now included in the deck, so that the Free Peoples has a larger chance of winning. I can’t even describe how good this card is.
For the Shadow side, I mainly just added more cheap Goblins, and dropped a couple Marauders. In addition, 1 copy of Ships of Great Draught was thrown in, because it can recycle my minions and ships.
By the way, I played exactly 20 minions a couple days ago. 20! I was able to reconcile my hand 4 times with all 4 copies of Underfoot, so I had almost limitless recources. |
| MODS RULE. - lem0nhead |
|
| Back to top |
|
| sickofpalantirs |
![]() Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:37 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 7750
Location: somwhere, over the rainbow way up high. There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
|
| Whoa until I read your minion strategy the minion side looked really bad, but after reading the strategy I can see how it wins most of the time. I like the Dwarves. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| SnowBalrog |
![]() Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:00 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 63
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
|
| That deck looks absolutely amazing. Smeagol, Poor Creature might be worth considering since he can drop cards from hand to pump himself and speed-bump against something if need be. Although from the looks of it, that wouldn’t be necessary. Very cool! |
Marcus: Our Snow Balrog would be a lot more impressive if it didn't keep melting.
Jason: Maybe if we used a little less lighter fluid...? |
|
| Back to top |
|
| AnxiousChieftain |
![]() Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:00 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 3947
Location: Maryland
|
SnowBalrog wrote: That deck looks absolutely amazing. Smeagol, Poor Creature might be worth considering since he can drop cards from hand to pump himself and speed-bump against something if need be. Although from the looks of it, that wouldn’t be necessary. Very cool!
Yeah, I considered Smeagol, but Linnar can drop cards too and Linnar’s dropping ability is more useful (especially when I have to take out someone big like Shelob).
Thanks for the comment! |
| MODS RULE. - lem0nhead |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Forum index » Lord of the Rings TCG » LOTR TCG Deck Clinics » Expanded