Welcome to the game, Gemp, and the forums.
The first thing I would note is that you are entirely using cards from the first set--Fellowship of the Ring. Fellowship Block is actually the first three sets: Fellowship of the Ring, Mines of Moria, and Realms of the Elf Lords. Considering your deck is Dwarf-heavy, you are missing some of the strongest cards for your free peoples in the Mines of Moria set. I would also immediately note your lack of rare cards...this puts you at a distinct disadvantage.
Dwarves are an interesting culture, because they are quite hardy and a lot of their possessions are low-cost cards. So you can end up with a lot of beefy, strong companions who can win (or survive) skirmishes. They also have one of the best card drawing abilities, emulating their
greed to "mine" your deck for more cards. That said, Dwarves do not have strong condition removal which makes them susceptible to
![[Sauron]](https://lotrtcgdb.com/forums/Smileys/classic/sauron.png "Sauron")
trackers and Nazgul, specifically.
With that in mind, let's start by looking at your free peoples side on a whole. The first thing I would note is that poor Frodo has no support to speak of. No matter what, you want a
Hobbit Sword at the very least. But realistically you'll learn that a Fellowship Block deck is not complete without at least two copies of
Hobbit Stealth. This card will allow you to dodge skirmishes against the Balrog or other high-profile minions like
Lurtz, Servant of Isengard or Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Deep. I would recommend two.
Let's start the deck from the very beginning, slowly introducing cards by set. In this comment, I will try to stick entirely to FotR cards. In a later comment, I'll then address the deck while supplementing with Mines of Moria cards. Finally, we'll take a look at cards from Realms of the Elf Lords.
Ring-Bearer: You have two choices--Frodo,
Son of Drogo and
Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir.
Son of Drogo's game text does not help you when you consider your choices of Gimli--Son of Gloin or
Dwarf of Erebor. On the other hand,
Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir could serve a use if we add a
![[Shire]](https://lotrtcgdb.com/forums/Smileys/classic/shire.png "Shire")
ally or two.
Let's start with
Old Bilbo's Heir.
As for the ring, you have two choices:
The Ruling Ring or
Isildur's Bane.
Isildur's Bane is better in that it provides more vitality for the ring-bearer and the response action can happen in any phase. By comparison,
the Ruling Ring is largely limited to the Skirmish phase, but wounds are converted into singular burdens. Because you are new to the game, let's stick to
the Ruling Ring until you are better equipped to make decisions regarding how many burdens your ring-bearer can manage.
Let's get that Hobbit some support! I've already mentioned two copies of
Hobbit Stealth at a minimum, and a
Hobbit Sword, but we can do even better. Frodo has his own sword--Sting!
Sting is a rare card that allows you to scope out your opponent's hand and remove twilight if your opponent is playing Orcs. We definitely want a copy of that in the deck.
Take a look at
Hobbit Intuition.
Hobbit Intuition is similar to
Hobbit Stealth in that it cancels skirmishes or provides a pump, but it only gets you through site four. I'm not saying you should use one over the other, but it's an important card and you will be better off to know both.
Additionally, we have
Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir who can heal a Hobbit ally each turn. There is an immediate thought of someone worth adding to the deck:
Bounder!
Bounder will prevent your Frodo from succumbing to a smaller swarm of minions, as he increases the base amount to overwhelm Frodo. I recommend two copies in this version of the deck.
Another thing Dwarves aren't good at is removing burdens as they pile onto your ring-bearer. The best card in the game, hands down, is the uncommon
Sam, Son of Hamfast. He's a lock to be included in almost every deck.
Let's talk about the guys we all came here for: the Dwarves! You don't have a lot of options for companions in Fellowship block.
Dwarf Guard is basically Cave Troll fodder, and
Farin, Dwarven Emissary has limited use against Uruk-Hai or Nazgul. That said, we'll do our best to improve this deck as we can.
Your two Gimli choices at this point are the rare
Son of Gloin or the uncommon
Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor. Rare cards are not always better than their less valuable counterparts, but in this case,
Son of Gloin provides a little more punch in a deck that could use some. If you are in a close skirmish, you can take the risk of exerting Gimli to improve his strength in battle. Of course, you don't want to exert too much because you could lose a skirmish and the companion.
As I mentioned,
Dwarf Guard is basically Uruk-Hai lunch meat, so we're going to need a few more companions to help out. Let's add someone who unites free peoples and provides cover for your other companions:
Gandalf, Friend of the Shirefolk. Having multiple copies will help get him out sooner, and with a dwarf and your ring-bearer he will be at least strength 8. Of course, we can toughen him up with his sword,
Glamdring which functions similarly to
Sting.
Gandalf has a handful of spells that will be very helpful. One of which is
Strength of Spirit. Imagine being able to "exert" Gimli to make him strength +2, but not have to place the token on him! You can also use that same card for
Sting,
Glamdring, or other exertion-based cards.
In the place of dwarves that will come in future sets, let's lengthen your free peoples with
Aragorn, Ranger of the North and
Boromir, Son of Denethor. Both are incredibly important against
![[Moria]](https://lotrtcgdb.com/forums/Smileys/classic/moria.png "Moria")
swarm decks as they can keep Frodo tough and keep enemies off of Frodo.
We're also going to chip in a free people condition:
Greatest Kingdom of My People. The card is unique, but can be devastating to both
and
shadows in Fellowship block. I added in a few possessions, and you are looking at a jaunty 34 card free peoples.
Ring-Bearer:
Frodo, Old Bilbo's HeirRing: The One Ring, The Ruling RingFree Peoples (34):Gimli, Son of Gloin (starting)
Farin, Dwarven Emissary (starting)
Gandalf, Friend of the Shirefolk x4
Aragorn, Ranger of the NorthBoromir, Son of DenethorSam, Son of HamfastThrarin, Dwarven SmithBounder x2
Gimli's Battle AxeDwarven Axe x2
Dwarven ArmorGlamdringStingGreatest Kingdom of My PeopleAxe Strike x4
Delving x2
Here Lies Balin, Son of FundinServant of the Secret Fire x2
Strength of Spirit x3
Hobbit Stealth x2
Hobbit IntuitionStay tuned for more help with the shadow side!
-wtk
Topic: New to the game, 1st deck advise (Read 3707 times)