What can I say? I am generous.
Here are a few more thoughts on making a more streamlined Rohirrim archery deck in the King Standard format. I am going to downplay the multicultural aspect of the Elves and the Gandalf support, because I think that Rohan has some good options itself for condition and possession discarding.
With the idea of leaving some of that support behind, I'd also like to see about getting the deck down to the 33-36 card deck size. We'll see how we can do with that, while also having some:
- Condition Discarding
- Burden Removal
- Threat Removal
- Possession Protection/Discard?
- Healing
When building the deck, let's not start with the Ring-Bearer. We know it is going to be Frodo (though you could kill him instantly for Sam if you were so inclined). Don't know why you'd do that.
For starting companions in Rohan, there is kind of
Eomer, Third Marshal of Riddermark and either
Elite Rider or
Eowyn, Lady of Rohan. Either choice makes for strong candidates, but in this deck I might lean towards
Eowyn, Lady of Rohan. Two companions will allow you to use
Simbelmyne for a quick set-up, and she is also valiant which will become important. We know that we will want a copy of
Sam, Son of Hamfast (burden removal, check!) and a splash copy of
Legolas, Greenleaf for bonus archery support. That covers 5 of 9 potential companions.
Eowyn is valiant, but Eomer is not. There are several good valiant
companions in King Standard, including
Gamling, Warrior of Rohan and
Theoden, Leader of Spears, plus a few fringe options like
Grimbold, Marshal of Rohan and
Elfhelm, Marshal of Rohan. Let's go ahead and include all four for now, and we can edit as we see fit later.
With all of these companions,
Greed or
Shotgun Enquea will be devastating. Luckily, Rohan has access to one of the best pre-skirmish wounding cards in the entire game:
Merry's Sword! With
Merry's Sword, you can ensure many pre-skirmish exertions, leaving you a much lighter load for the archery and skirmish phases.
Merry, Swordthain can bounce into your hand as a quick healing option, but you'll need to be able to retrieve
Merry's Sword. With this, we rely on
Ecglaf, Courageous Farmer. Now you know why we want valiant men, right?
Let's recap where we are right now.
Starting Fellowship:Ring-Bearer
Eowyn, Lady of RohanEomer, Third Marshal of RiddermarkDraw Deck So Far:Merry, Swordthain x4
Theoden, Leader of SpearsGamling, Warrior of RohanGrimbold, Marshal of RohanElfhelm, Marshal of RohanLegolas, GreenleafSam, Son of HamfastEcglaf, Courageous FarmerMerry's Sword x2
Simbelmyne x4
So we're already at 19 Free Peoples cards! That's potentially half of our deck, but it is important. We need more copies of Merry, who cannot be tutored with
Simbelmyne, and
Merry's Sword is an important target. Now, let's focus on finishing off minions and healing old
Ecglaf.
Rohirrim Javelin and
Rohirrim Bow are the two Ranged Weapons available to the Rohirrim. You had initially used
Rohirrim Javelin, but I prefer the Bow for the ability to choose where the wound is placed. That said, that introduces the need for more healing. Either possession can be recycled into play by
Merry, Swordthain, so think of them as "unlimited use." Choose which one you prefer, and roll with four of them.
Firefoot,
Eomer's Spear are classic Rohirrim cards, and with all of these wounds and exhausted minions, a copy of
We Left None Alive and an emergency
Rohirrim Helm might really help. Otherwise, I wouldn't really even worry about carrying the ponies in the deck.
Eowyn's Sword, Dernhelm's Blade can get a kill when necessary. A single copy of each of these cards should be fine.
Arrow-Slits and
Fortress Never Fallen are great for condition discarding. You are susceptible to
Greed right now.
Healing will need to be a big part of this deck, particularly if you choose
Rohirrim Bow.
Leowyn is the best healing option for
, but there are also
With Strength to Fight.
I Am Here is an option, but most of these valiant men do not have the Theoden signet so you are effectively exerting Theoden to heal Eomer and Eowyn.
We are now at 33 cards, which is looking pretty good. Let's add a
Bounder,
Sting, Baggins Heirloom, and
Farmer Maggot, Chaser of Rascals for a little bonus Merry protection.
All that's left is choosing a Ring-Bearer!
Starting Fellowship:Frodo, Courteous Halfling or
Frodo, Wicked Masster!Eowyn, Lady of RohanEomer, Third Marshal of RiddermarkDraw Deck:Merry, Swordthain x4
Theoden, Leader of SpearsGamling, Warrior of RohanGrimbold, Marshal of RohanElfhelm, Marshal of RohanLegolas, GreenleafSam, Son of HamfastEcglaf, Courageous FarmerLeowynFarmer Maggot, Chaser of RascalsBounderMerry's Sword x2
FirefootEomer's SpearRohirrim HelmRohirrim Bow x4
Eowyn's Sword, Dernhelm's BladeSting, Baggins HeirloomArrow-SlitsFortress Never Fallen x2
We Left None AliveWith Strength to FightSimbelmyne x4
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The deck might still be a little light on healing, but I think this looks a lot better than where you started. But that's what play testing is for! Give it a shot! See what happens!
-wtk