My issues with Expanded Format

[ramolnar]

Something I'm curious about.

I can see the appeal of Rapid Reload, but I'm surprised more decks don't seem to rock Greed (a card I love to drop on decks that run a lot of threats).  What is it about the expanded meta that shuts it down?

Uruk Hunters (the best version) crush some Fellowships, and often get site 2 stops, but all the good decks will eventually set up and start winning. Also, they cannot deal directly with Madril. Therefore they cannot be Tier 1. A well timed Greed will hurt Madril - it's one of the few things that does - but the timing is tough, even though when I see Madril I automatically mulligan without Greed. After that, though, most of the men are hunters, and so you're just playing Trackers against Gondor - decent at best.

As for Greed, there's quality Maneuver condition removal - Namarie and Gladden Homestead. Or playing against 9 companion Ents, there's not enough pool. Greed looks nice, and it trips up a few decks, but it's not good enough.

[sgtdraino]

I'm surprised I don't see Greed more often. To my thinking, it's a must-have card for Uruks in Expanded. If the opponent isn't ready for it, it can win the game. It's a great tactic to use against Madril, since Greed works even if there are no minions present. Especially if you get it out early, it can drastically cripple a Madril deck.

I do try to counter Greed, primarily with Albert Dreary. I can grab him with A Wizard is Never Late. I also use Gladden Homestead, though of course that only saves you for a turn or two.

[Shelobplayer]

I could see Greed working well in an   deck with Grishnak, Treacherous Captain and some splashed Uglúk/Mauhur, but straight uruks are just in a horrible position in expanded.

[bibfortuna25]

Uruk hunters (with Violent Hurl) can pack a nice punch, but they're just so bland and powerless against the most powerful FP strategies.

[dmaz]

Something I'm curious about.

I can see the appeal of Rapid Reload, but I'm surprised more decks don't seem to rock Greed (a card I love to drop on decks that run a lot of threats).  What is it about the expanded meta that shuts it down?

Greed is an amazing card indeed, the problem is that uruks in general are not. The best uruks are generally aggressively costed vanilla-ish fighters, and those are not great for expanded, because every better expanded deck has solutions for them. Generally you expect more from your minions in expanded than winning skirmishes, and that's where uruks excell. I can see some multiculture uruk deck doing alright in expanded, but honestly, the unupdated ban list is not really fair for them. Keeper of Isengard and Savagery to Match their Numbers wouldn't be overpowered in the format at all imo, but would make uruks competitive (still I doubt they'd be ahead of most well established shadow strategies).

This is a great point. You do see greed in FotR Block now and then, but manuever condition discarding is more prevalent there as opposed to expanded which seems to have more fellowship/regroup ways of dealing with conditions (at least from what I've seen so far).
But the issue with Uruk-hai is a reasonable question - they stink so much in Expanded because they lost the cards that helped make them competitive. I can understand why they are x-listed in Movie and Towers Standard, but like you pointed out, the Fellowships you see running around in Expanded deserve to be challenged by KoI and StMtN

[sgtdraino]

Interesting you'd say that, bibfortuna. Maybe they're just extra-tough against my deck, but I usually find Hunter decks to be pretty tough, able to throw out a lot of really tough minions for what (to me) doesn't seem like that much twilight. Again, maybe they're just more effective against me. Then again, tough as they are, I still usually win against them... unless they get lucky with a Greed.

[ramolnar]

Interesting you'd say that, bibfortuna. Maybe they're just extra-tough against my deck, but I usually find [Uruk-hai] Hunter decks to be pretty tough, able to throw out a lot of really tough minions for what (to me) doesn't seem like that much twilight. Again, maybe they're just more effective against me. Then again, tough as they are, I still usually win against them... unless they get lucky with a Greed.

My strategy for Hunter Uruks against Madril:
1) Do I have Greed in my opening hand? If not, mulligan.
2) Do I have Greed on the mulligan? If not, concede.

It's not that bad, but it's close. There are three problems:
1) Minions will never become not roaming so they can always be taken out with Ithilien Blade.
2) There's no wound protection so Aragorn's Bow will slaughter minions.
3) Finally, if a minion gets to a skirmish, there are multiple Hunter men around to block the best effects. Sure, I might get something through with multiple pumps, but I can't hold three pumps until site 5-7 when I can get a minion through.

Many Madril versions run 4 Ithilien Blade and Aragorn's Bow. I have 3 bows. You run none, which hurts you against this type of midrange deck.