Deck-Out Dwarves/Ring-bearer Hate

[NappyKorn]

By now everyone knows (<----LOL, auto link) I like to make some odd decks and this one is no different. I sent the idea to Macheteman and a few others and I've played it a few times on GccG, but didn't want to run it to death and have others completely try to avoid certain ring-bearers when they play me. Anyway, here is a deck list with a strategy.


Frodo and Ring
*The One Ring, The Binding Ring (9R+1)
*Frodo, Resolute Hobbit (10P121)

Sites
(1R)Dunharrow Plateau (7U329)
(2R)West Road (7U337)
(3R)Beacon of Minas Tirith (7U338)
(4R)City of the Dead (8U118)
(5R)Pelennor Flat (7U345)
(6R)Minas Tirith Second Circle (7U349)
(7R)Ruined Capitol (7U355)
(8R)Morgulduin (7U358)
(9R)Narchost (7U362)

Fellowship (32)

1x *Gimli, Feared Axeman (7R7) (start)
1x *Smeagol, Poor Creature (6C45) (start)
1x *Uri, Dwarven Lord (9R11) (start)
1x *Grimir, Dwarven Elder (1U17)
2x *Ring of Fury (9R+7)
2x *Ring of Guile (9R8)
1x *Sam, Son Of Hamfast (1C311)
1x *Ever My Heart Rises (4R46)
3x Beneath the Mountains (2R1)
2x Dwarven Heart (1C10)
4x Endurance of Dwarves (2U4)
4x Preparations (7R12)
4x Defending the Keep (5C6)
1x Rest by Blind Night (4R54)
1x *Axe of Erebor (4R41)
1x Dwarven Axe (1C9)
2x Hand Axe (2C10)

Shadow (32)

1x Saruman's Frost (1U135)
1x Saruman's Snows (1C138)
1x A Dark Shape Sprang (10R19)
1x Captured by the Ring (7C53)
1x Hobbitses Are Dead (7R61)
1x Houses of Lamentation (10C61)
2x Servants To Saruman (3C70)
4x Such A Little Thing (3R80)
4x Terrible As The Dawn (3R103)
4x The Ring is Mine!(10U97)
1x *Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow (2R75)
1x *Gollum, Old Villain (6C40)
1x *Grima, Chief Counselor (5R51)
4x Goblin Man (2C42)
1x Goblin Scrabbler (2C64)
1x Gorgoroth Stormer (8C101)
1x Mordor Fighter (7R286)
1x *Gothmog's Warg (10R89)
1x Nazgul Scimitar (7U203)

Free People's:

Basically bid high go first. Pull Ever My Heart Rises with your site 1. Stack 6 cards and hope you got a Preparations, Beneath the Mountains and perhaps an Endurance of Dwarves. If not hopefully you got a few Defending the Keep. Add burdens to play Ring of Fury or Ring of Guile if they weren't in your opening hand or got stacked. Now start to discard your draw deck with Every My heart Rises (taking free peoples cards on it into hand). When you see Axe of Erebor, Hand Axe, or Dwarven Axe discarded toss the top 3 of your draw deck to grab them. If you have Defending the Keep in hand use it to retrieve conditions you've tossed . I've had a great success with getting the cards I've needed in my starting hand or stacked on Ever My Heart Rises (thanks to running 3 to 4 copies of each). If you don't get them don't worry play your game out until you draw what is needed. Once decked out your shadow should be ready. I have Grimir in the deck to recycle the Rest By Blind Night and Defending the Keep if you are forced into your opponent not playing shadow to and avoid you using Ring of Guile in the manuever phase. Just Stack Grimir on Preparation if that becomes the issue.

Shadow:

Shadow revolves around 7 cards a turn and depends on what ring-bearer and ring you see your opponent running. Obvisously some are easy wins where some can take several sites and uses of Preparations and Rest By Blind Night to pull off. I will start with the easiest match-up and go to the more difficult.

Galadriel bearer:

Stack Mordor Fighter and 4x Terrible As the Dawn. Even if they have a few elves laying around she will normally be done .

Boromir bearer:

Stack Goblin Scrabbler and 4x Such A Little Thing. Once again if they do manage to get a few possessions out he will more than likely bite the dust .

For these two bearers they only take 5 cards to stack and you can stack up to 7 shadow and draw them all with preparations. I tend to stack A Dark Shape Sprang with these in case they try to get a possession out on the bearer for whatever reason. If they do this drop gollum on them and toss the other 7 cards to pump him up for a potential overwhelm. For the last card to stack prehaps Hobbitses Are Dead.

Frodo or Bilbo:

I have two strategies for these two bearers only because if I cut the original my deck would be less than 30/30. My original idea was to play 4x Goblin Man (and hope they didn't manage to get 5 companions out at site 1 before the move), 2x Servants to Saruman, and an Isengard Axe (even though I dropped the Axe). Basically tried to figure out the math if they just ran 3 companions into site 2 and give me the least amount of twilight possible. Idea was to get a Goblin Man on Frodo or Bilbo and pump with Servants to Saruman for an overwhelm. Can still be done but you won't get the extra twilight for the axe now. I can remove this and replace it with other cards if I get some feed back. Newest Strategy is a Ferny Frost idea. Granted it is tougher to pull off in Movie Block but I think it could work against Frodo or Bilbo. Basically stacked Grima, Saruman's Frost, Ferny, Nazgul Scimitar, A Dark Shape Sprang (to discourage them from playing a possession on the bearer), Hobbitses Are Dead, and depending on the ring either Saruman's Snows if they run ATAR (to prevent them from wearing it for strength) or Houses of Lamentations to pump Ferny (if they run SaWTC). If they run ATAR bearer could possibly be strength 1 and an easy Overwhelm, but if they run SaWTC it can be a bit tougher and you have to hope they don't have events or other ways to pump. I flirted with dropping Houses of Lamentation for say Saruman's Power but that leaves Grima short 1 vitality for the weather conditions. Anyway with that hand stacked just wait for the twilight to show up. Should get it by site 5 even if they don't play a single card and run only 3 companions.

Now the bearers that are alot tougher to face and the main reason I'm posting the deck. I need some ideas for 7 cards that can cause Gimli and Isildur some headaches. Right now the strategy I have takes at least 2 cycles with Preparations and can easily be jumped to more if they raises Gimli's damage bonuses or get Scroll of Isildur out with artifacts.

Gimli and Isildur bearers:

Idea is for your first stack get Captured by the ring out to get a threat. On the other stacks you need Mordor Fighter, Gorgoroth Stormer, Gothmog's Warg, and 4x The Ring is Mine!. That will net you 6 burdens each run through and after 2 cycles they should be corrupted. Problem here lies in getting your dwarves healed to exert for preparations and also in thinking far enough ahead to get Grimir out incase they refuse to play shadow cards and keep you from a manuever phase and Ring of Guile.

I have played a game where I was able to corrupt Gimli at site 4 with this, but opponent said he got bad draws (and they didn't pull Lord of Moria with my site 1). I'm sure if I dug around long enough I could perhaps come up with a better idea, but that's what the forums are for since some people just simply know the cards better than I do.

Thanks in advance for any ideas and for reading this long post.

NK

[legolas3333]

Why wouldn't you play the Gimli RB with ATAR and Durin? That gives you three more cards, enough for 3 more Gorgoroth Stormer against Gimli/Isildur. And it's not like you're worrying too much about conditions being discarded.

[SomeRandomDude]

I think he likes the resistance 12 cushion. Because Gimli RB won't be able to handle the burdens being tossed on.

That's a brilliant idea, NK. Props to you.

[Gil-Estel]

[NappyKorn]

I'm leaning towards removing the gorgoroth stormer idea for something a bit more fun. I think I have a way to play gollum every turn, make him fierce, damage +2 and strength 21. Idea is to get 3 tokens on Harsh Tongues using castamir with a raider Halberd (to add twilight and self pump) and use Corsair Buccaneer to get that last token or 2. Stack Castamir, Harsh Tongues, Corsair Buccaneer, CBtR, Raider Halberd, Hidden Even From Her, and Unabated in Malice. Stay within my 7 card stack as well so no need to have to hope for a chance to double load Preparations. With initiative and an empty draw deck you cn play Gollum, Plotting Deceiver, Let Her Deal With Them and Hobbitses Are Dead. Gollum will be fierce, damage +2 (thanks to Unabated in Malice and Let Her deal with Them).

First round you can only grab the 4 copies of Hobbitses Are Dead from discard pile then they are placed under your empty draw deck (so you will draw them). Next site Play the 4 copies from Hand place in discard pile, play again from discard pile and place under your empty draw deck to draw again. Nice to have a strength 21, fierce, damage +2 minion for + for the 8 plays of Hobbitses Are Dead .

Not sure if it would do the job, but I'm thinking a possible 2 dead companions a site until just the ring-bearer is left to face that beast. If nothing more it could provide some stopping power .

NK

EDIT:

Here is the new deck list with the Gollum idea instead of the Gorgoroth Stromer idea. I was actually able to cut the deck down to 30/30 as well .

Frodo and Ring:
*The One Ring, The Binding Ring (9R+1)
*Frodo, Resolute Hobbit (10P121)

Sites:
(1R)Dunharrow Plateau (7U329)
(2R)West Road (7U337)
(3R)Beacon of Minas Tirith (7U338)
(4R)City of the Dead (8U118)
(5R)Pelennor Flat (7U345)
(6R)Minas Tirith Second Circle (7U349)
(7R)Ruined Capitol (7U355)
(8R)Morgulduin (7U358)
(9R)Narchost (7U362)

Fellowship (30):
1x *Gimli, Feared Axeman (7R7) (start)
1x *Smeagol, Poor Creature (6C45) (start)
1x *Uri, Dwarven Lord (9R11) (start)
1x *Grimir, Dwarven Elder (1U17)
1x *Ring of Fury (9R+7)
1x *Ring of Guile (9R8)
1x *Sam, Son Of Hamfast (1C311)
1x *Ever My Heart Rises (4R46)
3x Beneath the Mountains (2R1)
2x Dwarven Heart (1C10)
4x Endurance of Dwarves (2U4)
4x Preparations (7R12)
4x Defending the Keep (5C6)
1x Rest by Blind Night (4R54)
1x *Axe of Erebor (4R41)
1x Dwarven Axe (1C9)
2x Hand Axe (2C10)

Shadow (30):
1x *Unabated in Malice (10U24)
1x Harsh Tongues (7C150)
1x Hidden Even From Her (8C22)
1x Let Her Deal With Them (7R63)
1x Saruman's Frost (1U135)
1x Saruman's Snows (1C138)
1x A Dark Shape Sprang (10R19)
1x Captured by the Ring (7C53)
4x Hobbitses Are Dead (7R61)
2x Houses of Lamentation (10C61)
4x Such A Little Thing (3R80)
4x Terrible As The Dawn (3R103)
1x *Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow (2R75)
1x *Castamir of Umbar (8R51)
1x *Gollum, Plotting Deceiver (7R58)
1x *Grima, Chief Counselor (5R51)
1x Corsair Buccaneer (8C53)
1x Goblin Scrabbler (2C64)
1x Nazgul Scimitar (7U203)
1x Raider Halberd (7C156)

Let me know what you think about the gollum idea or if the Gorgoroth Stormer idea is better .

NK

[Anautikus]

This deck is sucio, NK! Is an early choke even an issue? It doesn't seem like it for the first version, but it could possibly hinder the second version for a quick set up, or rather, you'd have to wait a few to load up harsh tongues. Either way, it should be rolling by site 5, and they'll be dead haha. Other than that, awesome job with these nutty ideas of yours.

[NappyKorn]

I read your post and thought you were saying my deck was sucky. I then reread your post and had to google the word sucio to see if it was a word or maybe a typo and you were really trying to type sucky, LOL. Anyway back on topic, and yes I have a pretty limited vocabulary so please use little words for me, HAHAHAHAHA.

It is pretty difficult to find a 7 card way to deal with Gimli and Isildur as the opponent's RB, so instead of going with the boring 6 burdens a site which actually would take a few loads of Preparations an alot longer to set up than this I believe. Granted it does take a bit of twilight (thought of a cheaper minion to use than castamir but most of the [raider minions] with decent enough vitality to survive a dwarf deck early (since this is for a Gimli and Isildur Bearer Only) cost 5 or more. I opted for this idea because it seemed alot more fun to run than stormer and the warg and it benefits from the Free Peoples side decking you out. Not to mention the idea seemed a bit more original than stormer adding burdens and The Ring is Mine adding extras. I have yet to give it a test since the adding of this and the one game I did test it on just ran Galadriel RB and that ended at site 2.

As always if anyone has a 7 card idea to deal with Isildur and/or Gimli better feel free to toss out those ideas .

Thanks,

NK

I will be expecting some spam on my post now with people using more words I will be having to google, so thanks in advance for helping me expand my vocabulary .

[Anautikus]

Hahahahah next time I'll stray from the spanish slang and just say dirty. Which is exactly what it is for ARBs hahah.

How do you deal with healing those 7 wounds, for someone with high resistance, in case the first 7 card run-through doesn't work? That's a crap load of exertions being thrown around. Or are you just recycling Dwarven Heart? 

[NappyKorn]

yeah if you see you aren't looking good with the RB they are running for your first stack swet up the recycling part of the Free Peoples. stack Dwarven Heart (can be tossed with Axe of Erebor) and stack Grimir to put Defending the Keep (to grab those Dwarven Heart) and Rest By Blind Night in your empty draw deck. I'm kinda thinking if you knew the match up was a bad one (by seeing the starting fellowship) you could stack to benefit your fellowship and be able to survive until you saw an opportunity to jump with your shadow. Keep in mind you don't have to deck out at site one if you wanna draw for grimir, sam or any other card before you deck out to unleash the shadow .

NK

[Cw0rk]

I tried to do something like that before. I ended up stopping using it because I was tired of losing to maneuver wouding. Here is my old post.

http://lotrtcgwiki.com/forums/index.php/topic,3937.0.html

Maybe you should consider site 5 corruption using Morgai.