Psycho Merry (FP only)

[DáinIronfoot]

Your extra Ent Draughts could obviously go on your other companions. I think packing 2 or 3 Escape wouldn't be a big problem, as an extra can go on Pippin and then the other could easily just be discarded.

One other thought I just had (though it would again require taking this into Expanded): followers. Slap a couple like Hobbiton Brewer on Merry and he's much more powerful by the time it comes to skirmishing. I might have to build a deck like that myself....

Anyway, like you said, you could either start with the Hobbits and Bregalad or the Hobbits and Leader of Men, then have a Birchseed or two in your deck.

If you go Gandalf LoM with a bunch of Strength of Spirit, might I also recommend Fireworks? It would let you pull those SoS back and have them to use more often.

Another option when starting with LoM would be Saved From The Fire. You could burn Gandalf and pull another Gandalf, Sent Back to replay him, and Birchseed all at once and help filter. Or you could go Ent heavy and burn Gandalf for Birchseed and other non-Gandalf cards.

Just some Movie Block-legal thoughts for a change.

[SomeRandomDude]

Also, when do I stop being a Goblin? It's highly demeaning 

When you make as many posts as me.

*Almighty maia moderator zaps puny Goblin. Bwahahaha*

Anyways...back to the subject at hand.

I'm thinking Gandalf, Leader of Men would be best to start with your hobbits. Then, you can run Fireworks, as Dain suggested, play 4x Birchseed for the Ent Draughts, and your Strength of Spirit. Some Escape and Everyone Knows and suddenly, you've got some big vitality. Merry, Friend to Sam is good for a pinch, but why not make him a killer himself? Seriously, 6 vitality? With your Everyone Knows out, just 2 of them, he's a strength 11, I think, with a Hobbit Sword. Use the Strength of Spirit combo for a pinch.

And yes, The Shire Countryside is awesome, but methinks its banned?

I like Dain's route. Roast with the Saved From the Fire. Then, of course, run Smeagol, Poor Wretch for his awesome random card dumping ability, and of course your lose initiative stuff like Brooding on Tomorrow and A Light In His Mind, and you're looking like you're set.

The point of Smeagol and SFTF, obviously, is to filter down your deck (BTW, you should have it 30/30) with a massive cycling shadow, at which point you can set up a Fireworks racket in a cycled out deck to ensure you always draw the events you need next turn. Decking out, you can use Fireworks to nab 2 Fireworks, then another to nab 2 Strength of Spirit. Dump your hand with Smeagol, draw all 4, repeat process. Suddenly, you've got Merry tossing his strength around for nothing!

Man, I gotta build this deck. Here's an idea.

Frodo, Wicked Masster (w/ RoTK sites)
The One Ring, AtaR

Merry, Friend to Sam
Pippin, Hobbit of Some Intelligence
Gandalf, Leader of Men
Smeagol, Poor Creature

Saved from the Fire x 4
Fireworks x 4
Strength of Spirit x 4

Gandalf, The White Wizard
Birchseed, Tall Statesman

Sent Back
Trust Me As You Once Did
Brooding on Tomorrow
A Light In His Mind
Ent Draught x 2
Escape x 2
Everyone Knows x 4
Hobbit Sword x 2

Goblin Armory x 4
Goblin Scimitar x 4
Goblin Swarms
Relics of Moria
Hides x 4

Goblin Runner x 4
Goblin Scrabbler x 4
Goblin Backstabber x 4
Goblin Scavengers x 4
Goblin Flankers x 2

32/32. Moria Swarm for cycling, of course, what else? I also noticed that you had 3 Gandy signets starting, so why not Trust Me As You Once Did? Hides is there for strictly cycling purposes.

[Cave Troll Counsellor]

Fireworks sounds good

If Merry has Escape and Ent Draught and there are four copies of Everyone Knows down, he's vitality 6, and when he exerts twice, he normally goes down to vitality 4, and each Everyone Knows will give +1 strength. So if two copies of Strength of Spirit are played his vitality will stay at 6, and we're looking at a strength +15 Merry assist? (before swords and there and back again?!) who can then do it again (because he's not exerted) for an additional +7 (excl. swords).

Can someone check my maths? I'm thinking that Escape + Ent Draught + Everyone Knows x4 + Strength of Spirit x2 = a +22 boost for another companion? In Movie Block? Cool.

[NappyKorn]

well if The Shire Countryside is banned in Movie Block as well Mr. Kralik used it illegally against me in one of his crazy movie block decks LOL.

[Cave Troll Counsellor]

I'm pretty sure it's legit for Movie Block.

[SomeRandomDude]

I....because of being slow...posted a deck idea...and edited my post above. Just some rambling thoughts on an infinite Fireworks/Strength of Spirit racket once decked out.

[DáinIronfoot]

well if The Shire Countryside is banned in Movie Block as well Mr. Kralik used it illegally against me in one of his crazy movie block decks LOL.

You've got to watch him. He thinks he can get away with murder because he A.) is the local Movie Block expert and B.) has a God complex. The power has gone straight to his head, I tell ya!

I'm kidding, of course. Don't smite me, boss!

Anyway, your math looks correct, CTC. Even if you have only one Strength of Spirit to use, you're still looking at a serious booster. This looks like a winning combo as long as you have a Shadow side that doesn't clog your hand. You'd need to have as many Shadow cards cleared out as possible whenever you reconciled for your turn, because without Strength of Spirit in hand, Merry will be hard-pressed to provide fantastic bonuses.

But like NB said, if that happens, he and Pippin can both be pretty powerful on their own, and at worst you could exert Pippin to throw Birchseed at the enemy, so you'd probably be fine on turns when Strength of Spirit refused to show up. You could probably even afford to bide your time and wait until you DID have a couple in hand to spring your trap.

[SomeRandomDude]

Anyway, your math looks correct, CTC. Even if you have only one Strength of Spirit to use, you're still looking at a serious booster. This looks like a winning combo as long as you have a Shadow side that doesn't clog your hand. You'd need to have as many Shadow cards cleared out as possible whenever you reconciled for your turn, because without Strength of Spirit in hand, Merry will be hard-pressed to provide fantastic bonuses

Poor Creature and to the rescue! Gotta love the Goblin Scimitars! You can even build the deck without the Armories, though its better with 'em.

[Cave Troll Counsellor]

Only one Birchseed, NB? Because without Ent Draught you'll be relying heavily on Strength of Spirit to get any boost from Merry. But this is looking like a great deck, I'm glad I asked for help with mine!

And beware, Maia! I have become an orc!!! (fanfares and confetti) 

[SomeRandomDude]

One Birchseed because you nab him, youre new Gandy, and Sent Back with Saved from the Fire. Meaning you'll usually have him turn 1 or 2.

*Konks orc on head with a massive scepter twices as big as he is.*

[Kralik]

well if The Shire Countryside is banned in Movie Block as well Mr. Kralik used it illegally against me in one of his crazy movie block decks LOL.

You've got to watch him. He thinks he can get away with murder because he A.) is the local Movie Block expert and B.) has a God complex. The power has gone straight to his head, I tell ya!

Now wait just a minute!

For better or for worse, The Shire Countryside is legal in Movie Block... you can check the official list from LotRO and/or the old erratas Pepin recently uploaded. I know because I use and abuse it, as Nappy pointed out.

Here's my decklist: Keep in mind that it is large, and could use some clipping (Yes, NB, I know, I know). However, it's paired with a cycling Dunland and it seems to work very well for me the few times I've used it. With So Fair, So Desperate, Strength 30 Hobbits is where it's at! Flat out ridiculous.

Frodo, Reluctant Adventurer
The One Ring, Such a Weight to Carry

4x   Birchseed, Tall Statesman
1x   Merry, From O'er the Brandywine
1x   Pippin, Friend to Frodo
1x   Sam, Great Elf Warrior
3x   Brace of Coneys
4x   Hobbit Sword
1x   Sting, Bane of the Eight Legs
3x   A Promise
4x   Ent Draught
3x   Escape
3x   The Shire Countryside
3x   There and Back Again
4x   Everyone Knows
3x   So Fair, So Desperate
2x   Impatient and Angry

[Kralik]

One Birchseed because you nab him, youre new Gandy, and Sent Back with Saved from the Fire. Meaning you'll usually have him turn 1 or 2.

Nice for Gandy, but what about Ent Draught?

[SomeRandomDude]

You draw it. You've got a 32 card deck with SftF and Moria swarm, Smeagol dumping, I'd say deck out by around 4-5 if you play it right. And I dropped the Scouts for 4x Hides, meaning that it now cycles better (or worse, for your opponent).

[veBu]

You draw it. You've got a 32 card deck with SftF and Moria swarm, Smeagol dumping, I'd say deck out by around 4-5 if you play it right. And I dropped the Scouts for 4x Hides, meaning that it now cycles better (or worse, for your opponent).

Hides for Moria Swarm? My advice, don't even consider that just add two They Are Coming and they will do tha trick

EDIT: 32card Swarm for cycling

4x Goblin Armory
4x Goblin Scimitar
1x Moria Axe
1x Goblin Swarms
1x Relics of Moria
2x They Are Coming

4x Goblin Runner
4x Goblin Scrabbler
4x Goblin Backstabber
4x Goblin Sneak
1x Goblin Scavengers
1x Goblin Flankers
1x Host of Moria, Legion of the Underdeeps

[SomeRandomDude]

Hides for cycling, not Moria swarm. The point is to make the freeps killer, not the shadow, and Hides is ALWAYS a great card if you don't care about the shadow.