Running Ithilien Blade (FP only)

[Elessar's Socks]

First shot at an Ithilien Blade deck. Goal is to run like crazy.

Ring-bearer and the One Ring:

Frodo, Resolute Hobbit
The One Ring, The Great Ring

Free Peoples (30):

1 Faramir, Captain of Ithilien (starting)
1 Gondorian Prowler (starting)
1 Pippin, Wearer of Black and Silver (starting)
1 Madril, Defender of Osgiliath (starting)
1 Smeagol, Poor Creature (starting)

1 Aragorn, Thorongil
3 Eowyn, Lady of Ithilien
2 Radagast, The Brown

1 Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow
1 Faramir's Bow
4 Ithilien Blade
3 Ranger's Cloak

4 Citadel of Minas Tirith (alternatively Might of Numenor)

2 Last Throw
4 What Are They?

Bid to go first and pull Thorongil with The Prancing Pony. The starting fellowship gives you the requisite 2 rangers (not counting Aragorn) to play Madril for free, Pippin to help double move to 3, and Smeagol to cycle. Aragorn and Faramir are strong to begin with, but if you get a very bad draw, it's okay to use the Prowler and Smeagol as throw-aways (just remember to clear your hand first with Smeagol's ability).

Add enough threats with Thorongil to make minions roaming with Madril. Ithilien Blade and What Are They? can clear minions in the maneuver phase. If anything makes it to the skirmish, Eowyn and Pippin can clean up. Then run with Radagast or Last Throw. Ideally the movement will be 1-3, 4-6, 7-9.

Citadel of Minas Tirith provides efficient healing at the end of the turn to reuse the Blades.

I haven't settled on the Shadow but I'm thinking about using Moving This Way and Old Villain. It might look something like this:

1 Gollum, Old Villain
21 Nazgul
4 Moving This Way
4 Captured by the Ring

Moving This Way sends a Nazgul from hand to the bottom of your draw deck to draw a card. If you have enough Nazgul packed in you can cycle through fairly quickly even while running. Alternatively grab Old Villain to dump excess cards.

Suggestions on how to make it better?

Edits since last version:

-2 Aragorn's Bow
+1 Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow
+1 Eowyn, Lady of Ithilien

[GarrisonofGondor]

 No suggestions, But plenty of praise.AWESOME!!!!!!!

[Gil-Estel]

Well, certain decks aren't that nice to play against. I guess no-one will have fun playing against you. But in essence it is a good deck. Only hope that you run into a Demon of Might deck that skips both archery and maneuver. Other than that, I can't see threats waiting for you.

[DáinIronfoot]

I'd use Ranger's Longbow instead of Aragorn's Bow for more threat potential, then toss in some NfFatRoD to peel threats with Pippin when you run out of What Are They? in your hand, allowing you to reuse Thorongil and Ranger's Longbow to add threats back to helpful levels. That way, if you use up What Are They? before a potential double (or triple) move, you can feel confident moving forward by freeing up threat space to get rid of minions the old-fashioned way: exerting and wounding.

Just my thoughts. I'm sure your deck is plenty lethal as it is, but the ability to potentially reuse Thorongil and Ranger's Longbow with NfFatRoD when you already have a bouncing Hobbit is very tempting to this outsider.

[GarrisonofGondor]

 If your doing roaming minions, You have to use Faramir, Captain of Gondor.

[DáinIronfoot]

If your doing roaming minions, You have to use Faramir, Captain of Gondor.

A good idea, but he lacks Captain of Ithilien's healing ability. Still, with it being pretty much a guaranteed +2 boost....

I dunno. I'd say it's a wash.

[GarrisonofGondor]

 Thank's Dain.

[Thranduil]

There's no reason ever to use Captain of Gondor because Captain of Ithilien has the same conditional strength boost, effectively costs the same in your starting fellowship, has greater resistance and has another ability. The only advantage comes if you wanted to start with 4 Prowlers just for the #$&*@! of it! In fact, you could start 9 companions:

Isildur/Boromir RB
Faramir, Captain of Gondor
2x Gondorian Prowler
Strider
Madril, Defender of Osgiliath
3x Ranger of the White Tree

for example.

Sorry, though - I'm diverting the thread from its intended topic. Move along...

Thranduil

[Elessar's Socks]

If your doing roaming minions, You have to use Faramir, Captain of Gondor.

Granted strength +2 while roaming is maybe a little more guaranteed than hunter 2, but I think Captain of Ithilien edges out with his healing ability. Usually Aragorn is the first to get the Blade and Cloak, so I can get a little more mileage out of him.

I'd use Ranger's Longbow instead of Aragorn's Bow for more threat potential, then toss in some NfFatRoD to peel threats with Pippin when you run out of What Are They? in your hand, allowing you to reuse Thorongil and Ranger's Longbow to add threats back to helpful levels.

I'll try Ranger's Longbow. I don't think I've exerted Aragorn once yet with the FotR version. But I'm a little wary of NFFatRoD, especially if it increases my deck size!

Well, certain decks aren't that nice to play against. I guess no-one will have fun playing against you. But in essence it is a good deck. Only hope that you run into a Demon of Might deck that skips both archery and maneuver. Other than that, I can't see threats waiting for you.

Haha... *sweatdrop* Thought you'd show up, old friend. I agree with you here that this isn't something I'd run in a casual match, at least not without asking for permission first. I was just thinking, though, if I wanted to make a running deck that pulled out all the stops, what might it look like? And I ended up taking a shot at this.

[Elf_Lvr]

If you can find the room, throw in Sting, Elven Long Knife and Seeing-Stone of Orthanc. It's a neat combo.

[Elessar's Socks]

I was thinking Thranduil's and EL's ideas could be combined. Start Denethor LoMT and pull Seeing Stone of Orthanc, Aragorn DbN, and another card (Cloak toss on Denethor?) at the site 3 sanctuary. Haven't tested this but it could get interesting.

30 cards.

Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms w/ The One Ring, The Ring of Rings

1 Faramir, Captain of Gondor (starting)
1 Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith (starting)
4 Gondorian Prowler (starting)
1 Madril, Defender of Osgiliath (starting)
1 Aragorn, Driven by Need

1 Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow
1 Faramir's Bow
4 Ithilien Blade
3 Ranger's Cloak
1 Seeing Stone of Orthanc

4 Last Throw
4 Might of Numenor
4 What Are They?

Yeah... something like that. Hopefully you'll get lucky and draw into more copies of What Are They? or a timely Might of Numenor while you're running.

BTW, I noticed that Thranduil's starting fellowship is packing Ranger of the White Tree, but am I being extra dense or is there not a 3-cost, unbound companion to spot? Otherwise I do like his ability.

Both versions really, really don't like Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul slipping through the cracks and knocking out Madril. I'm thinking about running Might of Numenor in the original version as well (dropping Citadel of Minas Tirith) partly as another line of defense. Also thanks to Captain of Ithilien's healing ability, healing 2 companions (including CoI) with MoN could translate into healing a companion with Ithilien Blade twice. Just gotta hope MoN reveals something good.

[Thranduil]

BTW, I noticed that Thranduil's starting fellowship is packing Ranger of the White Tree, but am I being extra dense or is there not a 3-cost, unbound companion to spot? Otherwise I do like his ability.

D'oh! I forgot that Captain of Gondor was a Ring-bound Man!

Thranduil