Gollum's Tentacles ;-P

[macheteman]

Ring-bearer   4C302   • Frodo, Tired Traveller
The One Ring   4R1   • The One Ring, Answer To All Riddles

Adventure Deck
1   7U334   Steps of Edoras
2   7U337   West Road
3   7U339   Hall of the Kings
4   10U118   Pelennor Prairie
5   10U119   Steward's Tomb
6   7U351   Minas Tirith Sixth Circle
7   8U120   Osgiliath Channel
8   7U359   Northern Ithilien
9   7U360   Dagorlad

Free Peoples Draw Deck
Free Peoples Total   30

1x   4R116   • Faramir, Captain of Gondor
3x   4C122   Gondorian Ranger
1x   4U127   • Mablung, Soldier of Gondor
3x   4C130   Ranger of Ithilien
1x   4R119   • Faramir's Cloak
4x   4C134   Sword of Gondor
2x   8R113   • Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
4x   4C131   Ranger's Bow
3x   6R49   Ancient Roads
3x   1C117   Swordsman of the Northern Kingdom
2x   7C111   Man the Walls
3x   1C102   Dagger Strike

Shadow Draw Deck
Shadow Total   30

1x   7C59   • Gollum, Vile Creature
1x   10R21   • Gollum, Mad Thing
4x   2C58   Foul Tentacle
4x   2R66   Huge Tentacle
2x   2R73   • Watcher in the Water, Keeper of Westgate
1x   1U178   Goblin Runner
2x   10R23   • Shelob, Her Ladyship
4x   5U22   Evil-smelling Fens
3x   6R46   They Stole It
1x   7R57   • Fat One Wants It
2x   8R24   • Promise Keeping
1x   10U20   Final Strike
4x   7C53   Captured by the Ring


So here's a funky little movie block deck i've been having a lot of fun with. its kind of a one trick pony, but its pretty fun. so i usually bid 1 to go first. if you end up second, no big deal, but it helps a lot to be ahead, because if you can lure someone to a double, you can pull a swarm much earlier. pray you get an evil smalling fens in your first draw, and if you can double to site 3 do it. the fellowship seems pretty solid. strip burdens with frodo's text, cycle through comps as necessary, and if you are pretty sure they aren't running enquea lom, drop 9 companions and power through. those dagger strike have saved frodo a few times. and i often have to win on the fellowship side, because if the shadow doesn't pull off a decent swarm, it probably won't be effective through the rest of the game.

so here's the shadow strategy. don't drop or show any tentacles until you are ready to drop a swarm. play your gollum cards, even drop a gollum/shelob combo early if you can, but save your tentacles until you can play a decent swarm. DO NOT string out the tentacles and play 3x at site 4, and then 4x at site 4... SAVE them until you have the necessary twilight to drop a bunch at one site. you need at least 2 minions on the ring bearer. if you try to pull a swarm and it just doesn't work, you are going to be handicapped, but not dead. use the evil smalling fens to bring back shelob, and try to work a gollum/shelob combo and utilize the support cards. if your swarm was decent enough, you will probably be up against a battered fellowship. my favorite site to swarm is 4.

tentacles are not roaming, and there are 2 more shadow phases between the fellowship and sanctuary healing. but you won't always have the twilight to pull it off. if you don't, play your gollum support cards, and pass as if you just can't play anything. people will often suspect that you are having problems drawing a gollum or shelob, and try to double, thinking you won't be able to play anything. if they do, PUNISH them with a nice swarm.

even though i love the tentacle swarm with watcher in the water, and i love the strength and damage bonuses he gives, don't forget to do your math. his text prohibits gollum and shelob from being in play. but you CAN have gollum shelob (freeze a comp) and a bunch of tentacles in play. that can be the best option sometimes, if you have enough twilight. not only will you be shelling out lots of nasty minions, but also you will have less comps to skirmish, so it will be easier to swarm.

but. if your first swarm is an epic fail, try to filter out the tentacles with the draw deck text, and put your faith in the fellowship. with barely any shadow cards in the deck, you should get some good fellowship draws.

cheers.

-mm

[Gil-Estel]

I would recommend Might of Numenor, since you will be exerting a lot to kill of minions.

[macheteman]

that would be nice any way you look at it, although only mablung really does much exerting to kill minions. the rest usually take advantage of the strength pumps, and only exert to wound if they can get the kill with one exert. because more often than not, an ithilian ranger with a gondorian sword vs. a roaming minion with a healthy pump in hand can dish out damage +1 or +2 which is nice. to say the least. but i will consider sticking it in, what would you recommend out?

[ket_the_jet]

If you have the pool, play Gollum, Shelob, then Watcher in the Water.
-wtk

[macheteman]

i've never had that kind of pool lol. but it has crossed my mind. in you would need to be at like, site 9, and by then, most tentacles will probably be in the discard. but you are exactly right, if at say sight 5 your opponent dishes out, lets see

2+8+4+(10 to 16)=24 to 30

30 twilight, or  if you have that 1x goblin runner ;-) you could pull a hefty swarm if you had in hand:

1x captured by the ring
1x goblin runner
3x huge tentacle
1x foul tentacle

and 2 copies of evil smelling fens in play.

play captured by the ring, exert gollum twice to play shelob from discard, freeze durin III or smeagol slinker, (right ket?) play 3x huge tentacle, pulling watcher from discard (toss shelob and gollum) play 1x foul tentacle to play another fould tentacle etc, and once all foul tentacles are out of the deck, pull the last huge tentacle, and there is your swarm.

my only problem with that is you lose 2 minions, (gollum and shelob) for 1 minion (the watcher) but he does give some nice bonuses for those other tentacles.