The Last Homely House
Middle-Earth => Lothlórien => Movie => Topic started by: Galdor420 on August 22, 2012, 03:46:39 PM
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Hey Guys,
I'm gonna describe the kind of deck I'd like to play and you guys submit your best deck list you can think of that fits all of these criteria:
Fellowship Side:
* Gandalf Centric
* Pipeweed used for Burden, Wound and (optionally) twilight removal (bonus if u can get them doing more)
* No companions that cannot bear a pipe
* Lots of spells (to contribute to the Wizard feeling of the theme)
* some way to deal with minions (power, archery, whatever)
* Some sort of Grima defense (terrible and evil, great day great hour, etc)
* Ideally it uses conditions sparingly
Shadow Side:
* Saruman Centric (ideally I'd like to play him as many sites as possible)
* Lots of spells or iconic Saruman moves (traitor's voice, weather conditions / events, saruman's power etc)
* Saruman's gear (his staff, palantir, tower of orthanc etc)
* I vastly prefer Uruks to Orcs, but I wont rule them out completely (again, unless u can do all Saruman? :O)
* Condition removal is a must (ideally, this shadow is also light on conditions itself)
* Some focused way to attack the fellowship (discard, burdens, wounds, whatever - just have a theme)
Thanks in advance guys! Also, keep in mind I don't mind using x-list cards or any sites from sets 1-10 to make this work. Cheers!
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I know I said I'd be helpful when you stop being defensive and arguing. That ain't gonna happen, so I guess I'll be the hero you need, but not the one you deserve right now. I think the best place to start when considering a pipeweed deck is Alex Tennet's Worlds 2002 deck, "Union Jackweed." Yes, it's a Fellowship Block deck, but I am confident it could be updated for Movie, with more of a focus on the wizards, if you so choose.
(http://www.decktech.net/lotr/decks/decks.php?deck=26287)
Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
The One Ring, Isildur’s Bane
The Prancing Pony
Trollshaw Forest
Council Courtyard
Hollin
The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Caras Galadhon
Anduin Confluence
Anduin Banks
Slopes of Amon Hen
Sam, Son of Hamfast (starting)
Legolas, Greenleaf (starting)
Aragorn, Heir to the White City
Gandalf, Friend of the Shirefolk x4
Boromir, Son of Denethor
Old Toby x4
Longbottom Leaf
Frodo’s Pipe x2
Aragorn’s Pipe x2
Gandalf’s Pipe
Ranger’s Sword x2
Flaming Brand x2
Aragorn’s Bow x2
Betrayal of Isengard x2
Sleep Caradhras x2
Sting x2
Glamdring
Armor x2
Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal
Saruman, Keeper of Isengard x4
Uruk Warrior x4
Uruk Captain x3
Uruk Ravager x4
Uruk Lieutenant x2
Troop of Uruk-hai x3
Orthanc Berserker
Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
Tower Assassin
Savagery to Match Their Numbers x4
Saruman’s Ambition x4
Saruman’s Power
Abandoning Reason for Madness x2
By the way, I'd have to search for it, because I don't have the list on hand (since, like you, I don't play cards after Movie Block), but there was a Shadows era deck with no minions other than Saruman, of Many Colours (with Radagast Deceived, Pallando Deceived, Alatar Deceived). It had Saruman's Staff and Staff of Saruman (different names, so you could have up to four of each) and Men Will Fall.
Figured you'd think that's cool, even if it's a bit off-topic. The staff and Men Will Fall are probably good ideas for a Saruman themed deck though.
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Well if it isn't my new friend Batman troll here to contaminate another one of my threads. While I have yet to see a non-sarcastic/confrontational post from you in the movie board this one, at least, contains useful information burriend amoung that other crap. It's an interesting deck list to start from to be sure, but how would you adapt it to fit the above criteria?
Legolas cannot bear a pipe, so I'd be inclined to remove him from the deck if possible. Also, having both arragorn and Boromir seems excessive (not to mention theres only 1 unique gondor pipe), especially since there is only 1 copy of each (I see that prancing pony but without that theres no need to use the x-listed arragorn anyway which should make everyone happy). I question how essential flaming brands are to the deck but all those multiple copies of pipes seem to be a wise move. I would deffinately choose another frodo with his own signant to take advantage of his own pipe too (also another good reason to change sams aside from the fact hes x-listed and we no longer need him for prancing pony) unless you work in These Are My People somehow. I do not see the significance of Betrayal of Isengard in this deck though, and I have a feeling it would be lacking weed most of the time.
As for the shadow side, it's really quite basic and could use a complete overhaul to take advantage of being a movieblock deck as opposed to just a fellowship block one. It also focuses perhaps too much on the uruks for my taste and leaves out the saruman flavour of his spells and gear. I would be very interested to see how you would modify this deck to be more in line with the specs laid out in he OP. As for the shadows era deck you mentions your right, I do find that very neat. Too bad it's not in movie block :)
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For minion side, what about a bunch of cheap discarding/wounding Isengard Orcs, with four copies of the Saruman that repeatedly assigns the minion to a guy, making him exert to prevent it?
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sgtdraino thats a great idea! I like the synergy there. How about a deck list?
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While I have yet to see a non-sarcastic/confrontational post from you in the movie board this one, at least, contains useful information burriend amoung that other crap.
Shrug. If you see a post from me, try and picture a playful tone. I am blunt and sarcastic, yes, but not meanspirited.
It's an interesting deck list to start from to be sure, but how would you adapt it to fit the above criteria?
I'll try and come up with some thoughts on that. I never made a Movie Block deck with Mithrandir. I, personally, feel that he is the ultimate Gandalf for a Gandalf fan. Pipeweed is really good for healing too, so it MIGHT have some synergy...
Legolas cannot bear a pipe, so I'd be inclined to remove him from the deck if possible. Also, having both arragorn and Boromir seems excessive (not to mention theres only 1 unique gondor pipe), especially since there is only 1 copy of each (I see that prancing pony but without that theres no need to use the x-listed arragorn anyway which should make everyone happy). I question how essential flaming brands are to the deck but all those multiple copies of pipes seem to be a wise move. I would deffinately choose another frodo with his own signant to take advantage of his own pipe too (also another good reason to change sams aside from the fact hes x-listed and we no longer need him for prancing pony) unless you work in These Are My People somehow. I do not see the significance of Betrayal of Isengard in this deck though, and I have a feeling it would be lacking weed most of the time.
Greenleaf and Aragorn's Bow were incredibly powerful together in Fellowship, and they could be tossed into a lot of decks without much card commitment, which is why they're here. They can still be decent in Two Towers, but in my opinion, you have to go all out with archery in Movie Block, or not at all; enduring is just too scary. So, yes, I agree that neither should be in a Movie Block version. The copy of Boromir was for if the huge burden bid didn't go well. He could use Aragorn's Pipe or be a backup companion. You only NEED three companions with the Frodo signet, unless you have a companion with more than 4 vitality, and I agree that Frodo is likely one of the better ones to have it. Betrayal of Isengard was to protect against fairly specific situations in Fellowship Block. Like you say, it's not needed here.
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Once you come up with a working pipeweed, please post it, I'm interested :-)
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Okay, so let me preface by saying the following ideas are off the top of my head. They are not playtested, nor do I think they are necessarily ready to do so; they are skeletons. First idea, Mithrandir meets "Union Jackweed":
Frodo, Resolute Hobbit
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring
Gandalf, Mithrandir (starting)
Aragorn, King in Exile x4
Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith x2
Merry, Friend to Sam x2
Gondorian Merchant
Glamdring x3
Ranger’s Sword
Hobbit Sword x3
Aragorn’s Pipe x2
Frodo’s Pipe x2
The Gaffer's Pipe
Gandalf’s Pipe
Old Toby x4
Longbottom Leaf
Intimidate x3
Um ... pros: Grima couldn't do jack against it, Pippin wouldn't immediately die, Gandalf is strength 12, damage +1, and Merry can pump him to 17. Cons: lots. Foremost in my mind: I really do like more pipeweed. Galdor wanted more of a Gandy focus, and it's not really there. Mithrandir and pipeweed require lots of card commitment. Next idea, LESS Mithrandir meets Jackweed:
Frodo, Resolute Hobbit
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring
Aragorn, Wingfoot (starting)
Gandalf, Defender of the West x3
Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith x2
Merry, Friend to Sam x2
Ranger’s Sword
Hobbit Sword x3
Aragorn’s Pipe x2
Frodo’s Pipe x2
The Gaffer's Pipe
Gandalf’s Pipe
Old Toby x4
Longbottom Leaf x4
There and Back Again x3
Well, I thought that if Mithrandir is a pain, go with Defender, since we have three hobbits anyway. Result? More consistency and weed, I think, but even less of a Gandy focus, less chance of anyone winning any skirmishes, and went from zero conditions to three. A general feeling of yuck (even though Wingfoot is fun with Pippin and Merry in Pipeweed).
...And now for something completely different (we don't need no stinkin' hobbits? I can haz Mithrandir?):
Gimli, Bearer of Grudges
The One Ring, Such a Weight to Carry (or The Binding Ring)
Gandalf, Mithrandir (starting)
Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar (or maybe back to King in Exile, if Gandy dies in playtesting) x4
Glamdring, Elven Blade x3
Gimli's Battle Axe
Hand Axe
Ring of Fury
Ranger’s Sword x2
Gimli's Pipe x2
Aragorn’s Pipe x2
Gandalf’s Pipe x2
Old Toby x4
Longbottom Leaf x4
Intimidate x3
Hmm, Gimli can be a 12 strength, damage +3 and actually skirmish thanks to Gandalf's pipe annihilating burdens. Gandy is back to the 12 strength, damage +1, and Aragorn would be an 11 strength, damage +1. Only three companions means a hint of choke. Zero conditions. Chief Counselor is a problem if you don't immediately ditch the pipeweed, and what if you don't get Gandalf's Pipe or Aragorn's Pipe quickly enough? Does anyone even play him? Dumbest idea ever? Shrug, shrug.
Current feeling: not sure about a pipeweed Movie Block deck after all (not that I'm saying I've tried every concept or anything). Though I'm feeling confident you can't have one with a Gandy focus, because both require huge real estate in card count.
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http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,6966.0.html
I would say Mauddib's deck is probably the way to go, for freeps at least. It doesn't perfectly fit your requirements, but you could tweak it a bit.
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@Gerontius: That deck looks a lot like a shire countryside deck that was my main deck during the movie years after helms deep which I will post in another thread later. It's awesome, but even better without weed.
@Zurcamos: Thanks for the decklists! Looks like you put alot of thought into it. The one I like most is the final one but in my opinion you are going about Mithrandir completly wrong. The only way to run him successfully is to give little to no #$&*@! about his safty lol. The card Sent Back makes him viable. I present to you: Mithrandir, Pipe Smoker!:
Gimli, Bearer of Grudges (starting)
The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles (starting)
Aragorn, Ranger of the North (starting)
Anduril, Flame of the West
Coat of Mail
Aragorn's Pipe x2
Gimli's Battle Axe, Trusted Weapon
Ring of Fury
Gimli's Pipe x2
Elrond, Lord of Rivendell
Bilbo, Retired Adventurer
The Gaffer's Pipe
Longbottom Leaf x4
Old Toby x4
Gandalf, Mithrandir x4
Gandalf's Pipe x4
Sent Back x2
Heres the idea: It's small (only 30 cards), and it cycles fast thanks to old toby and Elrond. Elrond also heals Bilbo each turn who in turn can bring at least 1 weed back into your deck when you have both. You are able to play Elrond because chances are you'll spot gandalf with 4 in the deck. Gandalf is so strong it's as if your playing Stormcrow with Glamdering each time you play him so the only posession he needs is his pipe. He needs 4 copies though, because we are expecting him to die often due to his game text. But thats ok, no one cares because sent back means we can just play him again in the fellowship or the regroup! Needs playtesting but the test draws look delisous :twisted:
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Gimli, Bearer of Grudges (starting)
The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles (starting)
Aragorn, Ranger of the North (starting)
Anduril, Flame of the West
Coat of Mail
Aragorn's Pipe x2
Gimli's Battle Axe, Trusted Weapon
Ring of Fury
Gimli's Pipe x2
Elrond, Lord of Rivendell
Bilbo, Retired Adventurer
The Gaffer's Pipe
Longbottom Leaf x4
Old Toby x4
Gandalf, Mithrandir x4
Gandalf's Pipe x4
Sent Back x2
I like having 30 cards. A lot. There are exceptions, but I feel very few situations require more than 30 for each side.
Let me know how it goes. I think the deck would be fun to play, regardless of how often it wins. As far as critique goes, the only thing that I'd say NEEDS changing is throwing in Aragorn, Heir of Elendil instead of RotN, unless you have a site (or card I missed) specifically needing a ranger. I went back and forth on the version of Gimli's Battle Axe, and your version very well may fair better (again, I just hate those mofo enduring minions!). You may want to test Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad, if you end up have trouble spotting Gandalf or need an extra boost in healing (companions or Bilbo twice).
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Hey Zurcamos, I like the Aragorn and Elrond swaps, I'll try those instead. Thing is, I'm going on a week long cruise starting this weekend and I'm busy preping in the the mean time so I won't have a chance to play test this for at least 2 weeks. Does anyone else have the ability to play test in the mean time? Otherwise, we will all have to wait until then. Sorry.
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Does anyone else have the ability to play test in the mean time? Otherwise, we will all have to wait until then. Sorry.
Eh, no rush, no worries. Enjoy your cruise and try it when you get back. We'll still be here.
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FYI, I tried a deck that was very close to the Mithrandir Pipe smoker described above, and I think you don't have enough companions...
Until Gandalf arrives, you are in survive mode, and you cannot double move much. Why not adding Legolas, Greenleaf and some Aragorn's bow? With Aragorn's pipe, you can heal both of them and go on killing minions before Gandalf comes to the rescue.
I still prefer Aragorn, Ranger of the North because in desperate cases, you can still make him defender +2 or +3...
Another weak point is that you give a lot of twilight. Alright, you don't pay much when moving because you don't have a lot of companions, but you are far from a choke (you need bilbo and the gaffer's pipe to reduce the number of twilight, but you only have one of each). So in my very short experience with the deck, you often end up with a lot of twilight and 2 or 3 companions to deal with the horde of minions you are facing.
That being said, I like the concept of the deck and I am pretty sure there are some changes that could make it more efficient
Kind regards
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FYI, I tried a deck that was very close to the Mithrandir Pipe smoker described above, and I think you don't have enough companions...
Until Gandalf arrives, you are in survive mode, and you cannot double move much. Why not adding Legolas, Greenleaf and some Aragorn's bow? With Aragorn's pipe, you can heal both of them and go on killing minions before Gandalf comes to the rescue.
I still prefer Aragorn, Ranger of the North because in desperate cases, you can still make him defender +2 or +3...
Another weak point is that you give a lot of twilight. Alright, you don't pay much when moving because you don't have a lot of companions, but you are far from a choke (you need bilbo and the gaffer's pipe to reduce the number of twilight, but you only have one of each). So in my very short experience with the deck, you often end up with a lot of twilight and 2 or 3 companions to deal with the horde of minions you are facing.
That being said, I like the concept of the deck and I am pretty sure there are some changes that could make it more efficient
Kind regards
Interesting! Thanks for the comments, neopium. I know that Galdor wasn't huge on Greenleaf / Aragorn's Bow, but combined with Gimli's Battle Axe, Trusted Weapon, adding lots of archery might be a good direction to go. Then again, having Bilbo at all kind of defeats the idea of Gimli in the first place. If it requires a hobbit, you might as well run Frodo. All this leads me to this:
Frodo, Resolute Hobbit
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring
Legolas, Greenleaf (starting)
Faramir, Ithilien Ranger (starting)
Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar x3
Merry, Friend to Sam x3 (edit, previously Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith)
Hobbit Sword x2
Gondorian Sword x2
Aragorn's Bow x2
Faramir's Bow x2
Aragorn’s Pipe x2
Frodo’s Pipe x2
The Gaffer's Pipe x2
Old Toby x4
Longbottom Leaf x4
Galdor, buddy, howzabout having two different decks: a pipeweed one and a Gandalf centered one? I just don't see how both ideas can fit in one deck.
You only NEED three companions with the Frodo signet, unless you have a companion with more than 4 vitality
Whoops, definitely thought Frodo's Pipe said something different. Derp.
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You really like this Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith, don't you... But you don't have any fortification, what did I miss? Is it just to be able to discard cards from hand?
This is what I came up with (yet another variant):
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
Ring: The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles
Adventure deck:
Steps of Edoras
Rohirrim Camp
Beacon of Minas Tirith
Osgiliath Fallen
City Gates
Minas Tirith Fifth Circle
Osgiliath Crossing
Morgul Vale
Dagorlad
Free Peoples Draw Deck:
1x Gimli, Skilled Defender
1x Legolas, Greenleaf
4x Gandalf, Mithrandir
1x Aragorn, Ranger of the North
1x Elrond, Herald to Gil-galad
1x Bilbo, Retired Adventurer
1x Gimli's Battle Axe, Trusted Weapon
2x Gimli's Pipe
2x Gandalf's Pipe
1x Glamdring
2x Aragorn's Bow
3x Aragorn's Pipe
2x Ranger's Sword
4x Longbottom Leaf
4x Old Toby
1x The Gaffer's Pipe
1x Grown Suddenly Tall
1x Sleep Caradhras
1x Sent Back
On a pre-shadow multipath, the idea is to have a different site path, with the site that allows you to play aragorn from your draw deck (this is why I only have one copy of him). Thus you can start with Legolas, Greenleaf and Gimli, Skilled Defender, retrieve Aragorn quickly and with 4 copies of Gandalf, Mithrandir, hope that he arrives sooner than later.
You don't have much backup companions though, which is why I chose 3x Aragorn's pipe, in order to heal my companions as early as possible.
The choice of frodo is to heal Bilbo, retired adventurer that I use to recycle the pipeweeds. Obviously, with only one copy of him, You have to be lucky... Maybe I should replace him with more weapon for Gimli... don't know.
IRL, I also have only one copy of sent back, which is why I didn't include more. Moreover, with all the healing power and multiple copies of Gandalf I have, I hope he can survive long enough...
I didn't play it much, so I don't know if it performs well, but I really wanted a pipeweed deck, and I found the Mithrandir idea very interesting.
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You really like this Pippin, Guard of Minas Tirith, don't you... But you don't have any fortification, what did I miss? Is it just to be able to discard cards from hand?
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The choice of frodo is to heal Bilbo, retired adventurer that I use to recycle the pipeweeds. Obviously, with only one copy of him, You have to be lucky... Maybe I should replace him with more weapon for Gimli... don't know.
I didn't play it much, so I don't know if it performs well, but I really wanted a pipeweed deck, and I found the Mithrandir idea very interesting.
I focused on the archery idea, but I don't know if it'd work. Guard of Minas Tirith is here because he's the only Frodo signet hobbit sturdy enough to stick around. Friend to Sam is another option though, for boosting others instead. Everyone has the Frodo signet in my latest build, except Faramir, for Frodo's Pipe. I feel it's A LOT better for healing Legolas and Aragorn than Aragorn's Pipe, but obviously, both are here. You'd end up with Greenleaf, an 11 strength archer Aragorn, a 9 strength archer Faramir who can carry Aragorn's Pipe, along with the hobbits [Hmm, maybe Friend to Sam WOULD be better actually; Aragorn and Faramir might win skirmishes, he requires no spotting, and is cheaper too (I'll edit the other post)]. No Grima can do a thing to it without having condition support, due to it only being three cultures, and only Faramir carries three items. The Elrond/Bilbo combo isn't a bad idea by any means (I have it in one of my decks), but yeah, one copy of each seems too inconsistent and takes up card slots. It's just so hard to fit everything you want into a Pipeweed deck, if you have lots of pipes and all 8 weed, which is why Tennet didn't do it. I still like the Mithrandir idea too, but letting him die again and again requires about as many cards as just keeping him alive, huge and winning skirmishes; you just avoid threats, adding tons of twilight, and putting in more copies of his pipe. Shrug, shrug.
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If it's about archery, I already tried a Pipeweed deck like that. I explained here why it did not work:
http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,8109.0.html
The idea was to have 4 Gondor bowmen and to recycle them with Bilbo's pipe. It required too many cards to work and there was a focus on too many things: drawing plenty of cards, recycling Gondor bowmen and general pipeweed.
I tried too things, first with Gandalf, then with only Gondor guys. None ever worked very well. I couldn't double move and relying on archery only was not enough to beat the minions before skirmish, were the fellowship was too weak... This is when I abandoned this deck and tried the one detailed above.
I tried it once on Gemp, but it is currently very hard to find opponents for multipath. I was defeated by a southron wounding deck that managed to exhaust all my companions before I could draw Frodo's pipe... Once Aragorn and Gandalf were killed, at the Steward's tomb, I finally drew Frodo's pipe... but couldn't use it because of the site... Not a very conclusive game, thus. But I have to try it again and again.
Instead of Faramir, Ithilien Ranger, you could also try with Faramir, Son of Denethor. You can't have him in the starting fellowship, but he can be very useful against annoying minions and he has the Frodo signet...
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If it's about archery, I already tried a Pipeweed deck like that. I explained here why it did not work:
http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,8109.0.html
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I tried it once on Gemp, but it is currently very hard to find opponents for multipath.
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Instead of Faramir, Ithilien Ranger, you could also try with Faramir, Son of Denethor. You can't have him in the starting fellowship, but he can be very useful against annoying minions and he has the Frodo signet...
Galdor told me to look at your deck, but I never did until now; sorry. There are a lot of similarities. I have less I'm trying to do in my build, but I am not saying it would necessarily work any better. As for multipath, Galdor likes it. Maybe you two can play/test your decks online together in the future...? Though I like Faramir, Son of Denethor a lot too, you'd have to switch to a different Aragorn in order to have him replace the other two in the starting fellowship. You'd lose cardslots, make it harder to double move early on, and give up Aragorn's Frodo signet (unless you, like Galdor, don't care about the X-list ... but then I'd start thinking you ARE Galdor with your shared love of Pipeweed and multipath and hatred of the X-list!!! :whistle:).
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unless you, like Galdor, don't care about the X-list ... but then I'd start thinking you ARE Galdor with your shared love of Pipeweed and multipath and hatred of the X-list!!!
Nope, I'm not Galdor :-)
[Off-Topic]
IRL, I only have one opponent and we play for fun, so indeed we have our own X-List (which says "if it ain't fun, don't play the card"). Movie block X-List contains Bill the pony for instance and I don't see why it is a problem when Lady Redeemed is not X-Listed and is clearly NPE.
However, when I first create and test my decks, before buying tons of useless cards, I try to test them on Gemp, where I have no choice but to respect X-Lists and format limitations.
In the end, respecting the X-List remains the rule, even though there might be exceptions IRL.
[/Off-Topic]
Back to the pipeweed topic, the problem with my previous deck was that it was too much focused on playing with the pipes, drawing plenty of cards and recycling tales, while it should have focused on killing minions and surviving skirmishes...
Archery is strong, but it is not enough to win games. It works great against Moria or Dunland, but in front of Nazgüls (or worse, enduring Nazgüls), you have to exert Legolas and Aragorn so many times that it is not worth anymore... Don't forget either that healing with pipes only happens in Fellowship phase, so double moving is not necessarily easy when you exert your companions several times during the first skirmish...
Maybe Out of the High Airs could help, but then you have to include Gandalf... and exerting Mithrandir is dangerous (especially when double moving)...
That's a complex equation to solve :-)
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Archery is strong, but it is not enough to win games. It works great against Moria or Dunland, but in front of Nazgüls (or worse, enduring Nazgüls), you have to exert Legolas and Aragorn so many times that it is not worth anymore...
That's what I was afraid of.
Maybe Out of the High Airs could help, but then you have to include Gandalf... and exerting Mithrandir is dangerous (especially when double moving)...
That's a complex equation to solve :-)
I keep thinking the entire idea of Pipeweed in Movie Block is a complex equation with no real, working solution. For me, personally, I'll keep playing my Fellowship Block Pipeweed deck, as it's very good there (though I wouldn't mind playtesting some of my Movie deck ideas, just to see how badly they go wrong). I signed up for Gemp and put a deck together, but I watched some games, got stressed, and quit out without playing, haha. Gotta get 1+ of my homies to sign up, so nobody has to deal with our cluelessness.
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Galdor, I can see you came back to the site and gave me a bunch of negative gold for old posts that I thought we had moved past. I've tried very hard to play nice lately. Just for you, I created a Gemp account and playtested the archery and Gimli ringbearer decks multiple times. Archery won 50% of the time, but Gimli never won, no matter what changes I made to it (they were paired with the exact same shadow). Hope you enjoyed the cruise, and thanks for the gold. See you later.
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Doesn't exactly fit all the requirements, but still, here's a fun pipeweed movie deck, I've been running lately, and I gotta say it's doing surprisingly well.
Ring-bearer: Frodo, Resolute Hobbit
Ring: The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles
Free Peoples Draw Deck:
4x Gandalf, Friend of the Shirefolk
1x Smeagol, Slinker (Starting)
1x Boromir, Son of Denethor (Starting)
1x Merry, Friend to Sam (Starting)
2x Gandalf's Pipe
2x Aragorn's Pipe
2x Frodo's Pipe
1x Hobbit Sword
3x Longbottom Leaf
4x Old Toby
1x Sting, Baggins Heirloom
1x The Gaffer's Pipe
2x Roll of Thunder
2x Sleep Caradhras
4x Don't Follow the Lights
2x There and Back Again
So basically; Smeagol is there, to get rid of the big minions. Gandalf's job is burden/condition/posession removal. Merry's and Boromir's job is to strengthen Smeagol/Gandalf/each other, and Frodo's job is to heal everyone and possibly ... survive. :D
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@neopium: I can see how the deck might run low on companions, but adding legolas doesn't seem the best choice if you want more. Sure he has the frodo signant but theres no frodo's pipe and you can't start with him so you'd need multiple copies for 1 companion and the archery even with aragorn's bow would only be so-so. Maybe adding a couple copies of radagast instead of 2 copies of gandalf's pipe would work since you don't need the burden removal every site and Radagast can work off sent back as well as gandalf for extra disposable wizards. I don't think having a hobbit removes the need for gimli since you can start frodo for 0 even if hes not your ringbearer ;)
your 2nd deck relies too much on getting arragorn out to start. What if your oponant bids more than you? You will only have 1 arragorn in the deck and 7 other cards that depend on him... Overall I think that deck just requires too much luck to work.
@Zurcamos : "I keep thinking the entire idea of Pipeweed in Movie Block is a complex equation with no real, working solution" <-- I think that is the general community consensus, and I hope with all our collective brainstorming we can prove that piece of conventional wisdom wrong lol. I appreciate your playing nice lately. I honestly just figured out how gold worked on this site and figured you were the source of all my minus gold in that other thread so I figured I'd return the favor lol. I have no hard feelings so don't take it personal. Who cares about the site gold anyway, really? That fake gold isn't useful for anything but e-penius comparisons anyway. I did enjoy the cruise thanks, it was perfect. I still haven't had time to play test though which is why I refrained from posting here since I got back.
It's interesting to note the Gimli / Gandalf / Aragorn variant didn't work, yet archery had some success. I'm guessing it's because of the lack of ways the Mitherandir pipesmoker deck has in dealing with minions directly but it's impossible to tell without knowing what you died from (assuming they were fellowship deaths) during those games. My brother is running a Southron Wounding / 3 hunters choke deck at the moment so I'll see how it fairs against that.
@Pepi: Thats interesting. It looks super similar to a shire countryside deck I used to run but it gets away with sleeps by not having the countrysides. I'll try that if Mithrandir falls flat of his face. Still, you could probably get away with Deep in Thought and keep the countrysides for the best of both worlds especially if you are already using Roll of Thunder.
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In Movie block you cannot start Frodo uless he's the ring-bearer. Only Frodo FF can be a non ring-bearer companion.
The problem of Movie block pipeweed is that it needs possession and this format has great shadow possession removal (Corsair Marauder, Cantea FTW and a few others). In FotR block only thing you really had to worry about was Isengard Smith and if you prepared, you usually could have him exhausted till regroup phase. All top end Movie decks (except Dvarves) run no or close to no possessions (and Dwarves manage to survive by being choking powerhouseaiming mostly to survive and setup their shadow, with no running intended).