Need help trimming Hobbit Choke/TMAYOD FP

[benhutch]

*edited deck-list to reflect changes, now down from 65 to 43*

I started working on a FP side with a focus on hobbit choke, Bilbo tales/condition removal, and Gandalf aid. Plan is to survive, if not win through skirmish phase, then double with narrow escape. Haven't quite decided on the shadow yet, I'd want to see how well this deck cycled first (answer: probably not as well as Rohan). Probably nazzie beatdown.

Problem is there are way too many sweet cards I want to include, so even after some trimming I'm still at 65 (!!) cards. Anyone interested in taking a look and help me cut further?

Ring-bearer: Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
Ring: The One Ring, The Binding Ring

Adventure deck:
Sleeping Quarters
West Road
Hall of the Kings
Pelennor Prairie
Pelennor Flat
Minas Tirith Fifth Circle
Ruined Capitol
Morgulduin
Slag Mounds

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
4x Gandalf, Defender of the West
1x Merry, Rohirrim Squire
1x Pippin, Friend to Frodo
1x Sam, Great Elf Warrior
2x Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit
2x Hobbit Sword
1x Red Book of Westmarch
1x Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
1x Gandalf's Staff
1x Narya
1x Clever Hobbits
2x Hobbit Intuition
2x Narrow Escape
1x Nine-fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom
1x Moment of Respite
1x Not the First Halfling
3x Trust Me as You Once Did
2x A Light in His Mind
1x A Talent for Not Being Seen
2x Birthday Present
2x Consorting With Wizards
1x Escape
1x O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
4x The Shire Countryside
2x The Tale of the Great Ring
2x There and Back Again

The things that stand out to me so far: fearing the worst and stone trolls are probably meta-dependent enough that they can be cut. I've tried to trim down non-tale conditions since I can't protect them, but I do really like the ones that are left. I guess maybe I don't need as many possessions? And also I can't tell if I've gone overboard with the burden removal/shire countryside hospital. Help is appreciated!

[ket_the_jet]

Welcome to the boards.

The first thing that I saw that stood out to me as egregious was Impatient and Angry. Why run the risk of an exertion for a singular character when Hobbit Intuition serves as a strength +3 boon for any Hobbit?

With this in mind, here are some thoughts on cards that just seem unnecessary to shorten the deck.

-1 Bilbo, Well-Spoken Gentlehobbit
-1 Red Book of Westmarch
-1 A Talent for Not Being Seen
-2 Numenor's Pride
-1 Hobbit Sword
-1 Escape
-2 Consorting With Wizards
-1 O Elbereth! Githoniel!

You have several copies of cards that are meta-dependent.
-1 Clever Hobbits
-1 Fearing the Worst
-2 Stone Trolls
-1 Betrayal of Isengard

You have several cards to remove burdens...why not add Birthday Present to recur Hobbit Intuition or Nine-Fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom? How many other events are even necessary?

There is a lot of pressure on Gandalf to stay healed. Not the First Halfling is an amazingly risky proposition unless you can guarantee a burden removed to set off The Shire Countryside. How many times do you actually intend to use Glamdring's text? You want to save those exertions for Not the First Halfling and Trust Me as You Once Did.

-1 Glamdring
-2 Impatient and Angry
-1 Rare Good Ballast
-1 Narrow Escape
-2 A Promise--Love this card, but it looks like you're going a different direction with this deck.
-3 Everybody Knows--I like this card significantly less than the one above it...making cards like this 'work' bloat decks.
+3 Hobbit Intuition
+2 The Tale of the Great Ring

That's -20 cards net. I think the deck still plays too largely at 45 cards, but it is beginning to find its focus. You could, of course, drop the Bilbo stuff entirely and replace these things with Roll of Thunder and Deep in Thought, which probably help you more anyways...but there probably is not a more helpful Frodo for you.

Let me know how it turns out.
-wtk

[benhutch]

Thanks for taking a look! It's my first 'original' deck - not that I'm saying no one's tried this strategy before, of course!

I didn't think about hobbit intuition instead of impatient and angry, that's a great recommendation, even if I am a little sad to lose the potential burden removal. I've thought about using Gandalf as my condition remover, but think I'll stick with Bilbo for now - I don't like all the twilight Gandy adds to make doubles tough, and feel like Bilbo will do a good enough job shutting down the Moria swarms/ninja Gollums that can thrive with little twilight.

I'm keeping clever hobbits just for now, because it feels like I see ninja Gollum every other game, and that one card basically shuts that down. And I switched to The Binding Ring, because I feel like that could be a fun way to ensure there are burdens to remove, and a way to trigger their removal.

At 43, this needs a little trimming, but is at least testable. Summary of changes (edited deck list is in first post, no one needs to see my original bloated deck!):
-1 The One Ring, Isildur's Bane
+1 The One Ring, The Binding Ring

-1 Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit
-1 Glamdring
-1 Hobbit Sword
-1 Red Book of Westmarch
-1 Mithril Coat
-2 Impatient and Angry
-2 Narrow Escape
-1 Nine-fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom
-1 Betrayal of Isengard
-1 Not the First Halfling
-2 Numenor's Pride
-2 A Promise
-1 A Talent for Not Being Seen
-1 Consorting With Wizards
-2 Escape
-3 Everyone Knows
-1 Fearing the Worst
-1 O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
-1 Rare Good Ballast
-2 Stone Trolls

+2 Hobbit Intuition
+2 Birthday Present
+2 The Tale of the Great Ring

[Shelobplayer]

edit:
Nvm. Wanted to suggest Hope is Kindled, because I thought it came out in Mt. Doom.... duh

[ket_the_jet]

I don't like all the twilight Gandy adds to make doubles tough, and feel like Bilbo will do a good enough job shutting down the Moria swarms/ninja Gollums that can thrive with little twilight.

If that's the case, what does Gandalf actually add to the deck (besides a fighter and Not the First Halfling, I guess)? You could almost consider cutting the eleven cards (down to 32) and adding a copy of Faramir, Son of Denethor and Boromir, Son of Denethor to keep the halflings alive. Then add two more copies of Hobbit Intuition, two copies of Nine-Fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom, and swap Merry, Friend to Sam. Maybe consider some Hobbit Hospital elements with Farmer Maggot, Chaser of Rascals, but the burden removal/The Shire Countryside aspect should keep everyone in decent health.
-wtk

[benhutch]

That's a fair point, and after testing this deck a little, I've generally found Gandalf to add little, other than Narya burden removal (which arguably adds too much twilight) and TMAYOD, the few times it actually sets up properly and isn't discarded. As such, I'm actually trying two slightly different decks now, one that removes Bilbo/tales and doubles down on , and another which sticks with Bilbo/tales but replaces with .

I've left both decks slightly on the larger end at 40 each; not to give too much away, but my shadow side involves 4x Fell Beast so I think the extra cards will be useful, and will filter OK.

For the Gandalf deck, I've removed Bilbo and most tales, except the ones that are useful enough in and of themselves (NFFATROD and There and Back Again). In addition to the traditional Deep in Thought and Roll of Thunder (plus Barliman), I've added a different Glamdring (to help trigger ALIHM), Light the Beacons as a useful event (especially if healing is rolling well) for both buffing and ensuring enough twilight for Deep in Thought. Added Bounder, since I removed the Tale of the Great Ring and because he synergizes well with Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir. Also switched to Pippin, WOBAS, which lacks the sig, but can help with roaming , and could set up some fun hand manipulation.

Ring-bearer: Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
Ring: The One Ring, The Binding Ring

Free Peoples Draw Deck: (40 cards)
4x Gandalf, Defender of the West
1x Merry, Rohirrim Squire
1x Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver
1x Sam, Great Elf Warrior
1x Barliman Butterbur, Prancing Pony Proprietor
1x Bounder
1x Glamdring, Elven Blade
2x Hobbit Sword
1x Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
1x Gandalf's Staff
1x Narya
2x Deep in Thought
1x Light the Beacons
2x Roll of Thunder
2x Hobbit Intuition
2x Narrow Escape
1x Nine-fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom
1x Moment of Respite
1x Not the First Halfling
3x Trust Me as You Once Did
2x A Light in His Mind
1x A Talent for Not Being Seen
1x Birthday Present
1x Escape
4x The Shire Countryside
1x There and Back Again

For the deck, I removed all cards, and added two Faramirs and Boromirs. That's basically the only change, other than doubling down on some events and condition removal cards which I think will be even more important now. I added one Athelas as I'm a little worried about removing conditions played on companions, tricks in particular....hopefully one is enough, because the only alternative, Seven We Had, seems crummy.

Ring-bearer: Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
Ring: The One Ring, The Binding Ring

Free Peoples Draw Deck: (40 cards)
2x Boromir, Son of Denethor
2x Faramir, Son of Denethor
1x Merry, Friend to Sam
1x Pippin, Friend to Frodo
1x Sam, Great Elf Warrior
3x Bilbo, Well-spoken Gentlehobbit
1x Athelas
2x Hobbit Sword
1x Red Book of Westmarch
1x Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
3x Hobbit Intuition
2x Narrow Escape
2x Nine-fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom
2x A Light in His Mind
2x A Talent for Not Being Seen
2x Birthday Present
2x Consorting With Wizards
1x Escape
1x O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
4x The Shire Countryside
2x The Tale of the Great Ring
2x There and Back Again