Frodo Sam Smeagol discard

[chompers]

Pretty dead message board - so not many people play Towers block?

I have never ever played Towers block and wonder what fellowship and minions others find work well?

Here is my first attempt at a Fellowship deck ... (I am not overly confident it will work that well) ...

Start ...
Frodo Master of the Precious
The One Ring Answer to All Riddles
Smeagol Poor Creature
Sam Nice Sensible Hobbit
Faramir Ithilien Ranger

Deck ...
1 x Frodo's Cloak
1 x Hobbit Sword
1 x Sam's Pack
4 x Sting, Baggins Heirloom
4 x Light Shining Faintly
4 x No Help For It
4 x Swiftly and Softly
4 x You Must Help Us
4 x Don't Follow the Lights
4 x Not Listening

34 cards

So the goal is to beef up Smeagol using Sting BH and also by discarding cards (given i will discard a few cards I can probably increase the size fo the deck but if i dont get Sting BH early I am probably history). Hopefully he will win and discard a minion here or there, as sometimes heal and remove burdens. Cycle Smeagol to remove burdens and heal the hobbits. There is next to no cards that actually deploy in the fellowship - they are all events, so hopefully this deck will choke opponent? Faramir is there to fill out the fellowship, to help with any early trouble, and will be the first to die. It's all probably wishful thinking, but any help appreciated.

Still need to do sites and minions. Given i may discard alot of cards using Smeagol I wouldn't mind using minions that play from discard pile if they exist in Towers.

I considered cycling the two unbound hobbits but they take up too many card slot and also looked at using Frodo signet companions for some direct wounding but it also didn't seem to fit.

Also might consider Get On and Get Away to rig the site path to cheap sites and to increase the choke ...

[legolas3333]

well constantly threatening and ready to fall play from the discard pile,I would add faramir's bow and some other gear for him

[Cw0rk]

Solo Frodo-Sam-Smeagol are almost impossible to play in TT Block because of the lack of pumps for ring-bound hobbits in this block.

I would remove 1 Sting to add 1 Hobbit Sword. Otherwise, there are high probabilities that Sam will never wear a sword.

[Smeagollum]

Solo Frodo-Sam-Smeagol are almost impossible to play in TT Block because of the lack of pumps for ring-bound hobbits in this block.

I would remove 1 Sting to add 1 Hobbit Sword. Otherwise, there are high probabilities that Sam will never wear a sword.

Oh It's playable!

Take out Faramir (gives to much twillight), Sam's Pack (gives to much twillight), 4 x Light Shining Faintly (don't think you need them) and 4 x Swiftly and Softly (why??? Smeagol will not take wounds and if you win with smeagol and have a dftl then you'll discard the most threatening minion and F&S can take wounds, There's no problem with that).

Put in Cliffs of Emyn Muil (nice extra protection if you play against a one vitality monster), 2x Severed His Bonds (opponent won't be able to overwhelm both F&S), Rare Good Ballast (this one is very important against irritating regroupactions), 2x Don't look at them (Makes sure you can cycle) and 4x Impatient and Angry (for boostin up sam and a possible burden remover).

You won't add much twillight, so you probably won't be confronted with a lot of minions. Win with Smeagol by adding burdens and using baggings heirloom Discard a minion (if there's one on Frodo then that one need to be discarded) with don't follw the lights. Use in regroup No help for it. Sam is protected by jis own gametext and also with Impatient and Angry.

Sites:
Eastemnet Downs; not that you want to walk in front
Plains of Rohan Camp (If you've allready played Sting then you will walk with just 5 pool and that won't be very scary)
Barrows of Edoras (make sure giving no more then 3/4 pool); very nice to cycle some extra cards if needed.
Ered Nimrais (no more then 5/6 pool)
Helm's Gate (no more then 9/10 pool)
Hornburg Armory (no more then 6 pool)
Hornburg Causeway (no more then 9/10 pool)
Wizard's Vale (no more then 9/10 pool)
Site 9 depends on your shadow, but if you play with Saruman then i think it's obvious which one you want to play, otherwise choose one of the others (choose Palantir Chamber only if you play easterlings!); but won't be more then 11 or 12 pool.

With that less pool your opponent won't cycle very fast. Important is that you'll need a shadow which is fast enough and what can slow down your opponent. Gollum/easterlings will do fine. Most threatening to this deck is actually Gollum, Old Villain. All other decks will be slown down because they won't cycle fast enough. Also dunlend will be no real problem. Other thing what is scary is that you can't cycle enough as well... Other threat might be warg riders (but that might be to expensive to really hurt this deck and it will be tricky for your opponent to get and minions and wargs on them as well).
I think I won about 80% of my matches when playing this.

Also nice shadow combination is Isengard Men in combo with Gollum. Nice thing about Isengard Men is that they are cheap and Grima is a pain for your opponent's cycling! 3x eveil Smelling fens (probably Grima or Unferth) makes sure that your opponent will have a lot of fellowship during your turn. Also most people will play deck's with Men (Rohan, Aragorn or Ringbound Men) in it and wounded (2x) and Leechcraft (2x) will take care of that. Desertion (4x) will take care of other fellowships. Ents are a problem though......, They might probably run you out; so better to put in 2x Isengard Mechanics (prefer to play them at site 7 (in combo with the site it might really hurt) and 8).

Oh and maybe you want to play 35/35.. another hobbit sword will indeed help, but 4x sting bh is very important!

[chompers]

I have been looking through all cards in TTT block and there is very little that supports Frodo.

There is nothing to increase his strength in any way beyond a sword and the One Ring unless i missed something. That leaves direct wounds, cancelling skirmishes for the early sites, and adding lots of burdens (the One Ring) to protect him if he happens to skirmish.

Was Towers Block a bit light on as far as strategy as far as keeping Frodo alive or is it all about killing minions before skirmishing? Or using Defender +1 and the like to protect him? The feel of the block is very different to FOTR - is it less popular cause it stinks a bit or are their a range of viable strategies?

[chompers]

Was Towers Block a bit light on as far as strategy as far as keeping Frodo alive or is it all about killing minions before skirmishing? Or using Defender +1 and the like to protect him? The feel of the block is very different to FOTR - is it less popular cause it stinks a bit or are their a range of viable strategies?

There is very little crowd control so there is very little that pumps Frodo.
-wtk

By crowd control you mean fellowship? So the best strategies use a large fellowship and this effectively protects Frodo .... Death to the Strawheads is pretty nasty if nine companions are in play ...

If crowd control refers to the shadow then this makes no sense. Then there would be a great need to use cards that protect Frodo. I guess i have answered by own question

[Smeagollum]

I have been looking through all cards in TTT block and there is very little that supports Frodo.

There is nothing to increase his strength in any way beyond a sword and the One Ring unless i missed something. That leaves direct wounds, cancelling skirmishes for the early sites, and adding lots of burdens (the One Ring) to protect him if he happens to skirmish.

Was Towers Block a bit light on as far as strategy as far as keeping Frodo alive or is it all about killing minions before skirmishing? Or using Defender +1 and the like to protect him? The feel of the block is very different to FOTR - is it less popular cause it stinks a bit or are their a range of viable strategies?

I actually like tt-block more then fs-block. There ar enough strategies in tt-block, but imo you'll have to play more tech.

But realy... what do you want to play against FSS? It's tricky to play, because you need the tech and it's sure not invincible, but...:

Dunlend site control get not enough minions on table to become a real threat
Dunlend possesion discarding win with smeagol and discard if need be other minion.
Dunlend card discarding can be a challenge if combined with Gollum
Isengard Trackers same
Easterlings Might be difficult, because of the Easterling skirmisher, but do-able
Southrons get not enough minions on table to become effective
Nazgul which Nazgul?
Sauron As long they don't have a site no problem, but I'd Make You Squeak will slow fss down.
Gollum Not strong enough on it's own as shadow to be competetive in a tournament so you need to combine it; Gollum, Old Villain on the other hand is deadly for this fss deck.
Isengard Wargs, Might be difficult if they have and a warg and a wargrider on table, otherwise to expensive.
Isengard discard Orcs to expensive, but rare good ballast is needed for FSS.
Isengard site control same story and you will be desperate if the to become effective they needy control a site
Isengard Archery To expensive to become effective they need 4x weapons of isengard full with tokens; won't happen.
Isengard beserkers same story
Isengard men not effective against FSS-decks.
Moria Fortunately it's not tt-standard we're talking about...

So imo there is enough protection in this deck-type: People won't be able to play a lot of shadow to overwhelm and frodo and sam: Smeagol Slinker with tech is their protection.

[legolas3333]

but what about putting 9-11 twilight at site 5, 9 at site 7, 11-12 at site 8 and 11-12 a site 9? all of those are 3-4 minions

[Smeagollum]

but what about putting 9-11 twilight at site 5, 9 at site 7, 11-12 at site 8 and 11-12 a site 9? all of those are 3-4 minions

Sam Nice Sensible Hobbit (must be trippled)
2 (4 if you take out coem and if you go 35/35)x Severed His Bonds (play when needed for Frodo; must be tripled)
4 x Don't Follow the Lights (play when needed; byebye most dangerous minion)

How do you want to overwhelm both Frodo and Sam; it only happens if drawing went real bad.

[chompers]

I am looking at making a Dunlending swarm deck using mostly 2/3 cost dunlendings. Also the ones that may discard cards from opponents hand including Wild Men of the Hills. I will then use Leaping Blaze to cycle hand and hopefully increase the size of the swarm. I think this version of Dunlendings will mess up this deck .... 4-5 cheap dunlendings easy for 11 shadow.

I want Frodo Sam Smeagol to work ... but it seems flawed. My luck never leaves the right cards in my hand .... and holding onto Severed His Bonds or Don't Follow the Lights will choke up my hand.

[Smeagollum]

I want Frodo Sam Smeagol to work ... but it seems flawed. My luck never leaves the right cards in my hand .... and holding onto Severed His Bonds or Don't Follow the Lights will choke up my hand.

That's the difficulty of this whole deck And why you need to play the following sites:
Ring of Isengard and Barrows of Edoras. Both would help you cycle. Together with Gollum, Old Villain, don't look at them and hides it should be enough. But recognizable situation indeed: Patience my padawan :p And don't be afraid to use the SHB or to discard them. You could start Smeagol Poor Creature for the extra cycling, but I prefer slinker, because he gives +2 instead of +1. You could also add a Forest Guardian to your party...., an extra comp can make it more dangerous though (vulnerable when opponent plays Orc Insurgent).

You could also play 4x Light Shining Faintly and 4x Brace of Coneys instead of 4 x No Help For It and 4 x You Must Help Us: Less burden and wound removal and it will generate more twilight, but it will make your deck a bit faster.