Next Level Filter

[Shelobplayer]

This one might be a bit broken but that's exactly why I enjoy it so much

So the base idea is to set up with the regular hornfilter loop (although not going full retard with it like regular New Chapter builds), then try to fill the gaps where the regular builds' defenses are wanting. The general Frodo + Gamling + Merry + Pippin + Smeagol builds are extremely vulnerable and defenseless against a good expanded shadow, but the raw power of the loop is undeniable. Possession discard, direct wounding, multi cultural hate, Demon of Might, Wormtongue and countless other expanded power cards just simply crush the traditional setup. So how is this version better? It does not rely on strength bonus from the horns, I barely ever resort to ditching followers for strenght, which gives me an edge against possession hate. Stewards' Legacy and Perspective protect against Wormtongue, shotgun Enquea, Southron Leader and so on, and Wise Guide protects the conditions. Even though corruption is not a huge contender in expanded, it is yet another strategy that beats the classic builds fairly easily, and this one has both counterplay and burden removal against.

So to sum it up, this one takes the strenght of the traditional build's engine and is equipped to deal with most of the expanded metagame at the cost of some consistency. That said it is by no means unbeatable, for example against Sgtdraino's Ultimate Madril I only have a 2-2 4-4 record (with a 80%+ average win rate after around 30 games). I'd say it's power level is on par with Powerful Guide and Madril.

The sadow is a combination of Under Foot corsairs with Sudden Strike and a host of silver bullets. Plotting deceiver with Corsair War Galley is surprisingly effective, and allows me to keep my shadow consistent with a 150 cards deck, and I can't imagine doing it in any other way with a deck this huge. On early sites, the shadow usually just sets up the ships or maybe drop a few silvet bullets to try to deny double moves, but as the ships start to fill with tokens doubling becomes extremely risky as CWG provides enough twilight to play everything I draw with Under Foot. I've had 10+ minion swarms with Demon of Might and Her Ladyship on the board and so on.

Here is an example of a site 9 shadow kill (also shows that my freeps side is far from invulnerable):
http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=B0r0m1r$umyb6b487fqn1ljp

I lose Aragorn and Gamling early on here, yet still manage to race to 9:
http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=B0r0m1r$7pu2cgxdcsx6sycx

I got outbid in this one and Sméagol died on site 2, so I never got to do the horn loop, yet still managed win the race to 9:
http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=B0r0m1r$qvfu8jt3p15idlad

Ring-bearer: Faramir, Bearer of Quality
Ring: The One Ring, The Ring of Doom

Adventure deck:
Steward's Tomb
Cavern Entrance
Neekerbreekers' Bog
Mithlond
Mere of Dead Faces
Caras Galadhon
Dammed Gate-stream
Mount Doom
Sirannon Ruins

Free Peoples Draw Deck:
3x Gandalf, Wise Guide
1x Grimbeorn, Beorning Chieftain
1x Quickbeam, Bregalad
1x Smeagol, Scout and Guide
4x Aragorn, Driven by Need
1x Gamling, Defender of the Hornburg
1x Merry, In the Bloom of Health
1x Pippin, In the Bloom of Health
4x Barliman Butterbur, Prancing Pony Proprietor
1x Hugin, Emissary from Laketown
2x Beorning Axe
1x Shadowfax, Greatest of the Mearas
1x Aragorn's Bow, Ranger's Longbow
1x Armor
1x Faramir's Bow
1x Flaming Brand
1x Ithilien Blade
1x Brego
1x Coif
1x Erkenbrand's Horn
1x Gamling's Horn
1x Rider's Spear
1x Gandalf's Staff
1x Anduril, Sword That Was Broken
4x A Wizard Is Never Late
4x Momentous Gathering
2x Roll of Thunder
1x Saved From the Fire
2x Speak "Friend" and Enter
2x Traveled Leader
4x Something Slimy
2x Long-stemmed Pipe
1x Perspective
1x Watch and Wait
1x Don't Look at Them
1x Follow Smeagol
1x Gladden Homestead
3x Stewards' Legacy
1x New Chapter
1x Alatar, Final Envoy
1x Gwaihir, The Windlord
1x Meneldor, Misty Mountain Eagle
1x Pallando, Far-travelling One
1x Radagast, Tender of Beasts
2x Deagol, Fateful Finder
1x Elendil's Army
1x Faramir's Company
1x Gondorian Servant, Denethor's Handman
1x Rohan Worker
1x Rohirrim Doorwarden

Shadow Draw Deck:
1x Gollum, Old Villain
1x Gollum, Plotting Deceiver
1x Shelob, Her Ladyship
1x Grima, Chief Counselor
2x Grima, Servant of Another Master
1x Grima, Wormtongue
1x The Balrog, Demon of Might
3x Black Numenorean
4x Castamir of Umbar
4x Corsair Boatswain
3x Corsair Freebooter
1x Corsair Gunners
3x Corsair Lookout
4x Corsair Marauder
4x Corsair Plunderer
1x Southron Leader
1x Orc Insurgent
2x Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
1x Úlairë Lemenya, Eternally Threatening
3x Úlairë Nelya, Third of the Nine Riders
1x Úlairë Nertëa, Dark Horseman
1x Web
4x Black Sails of Umbar
3x Corsair War Galley
4x Ships of Great Draught
4x Captured by the Ring
4x Sudden Strike
4x Saruman's Power
4x Evil-smelling Fens
4x Under Foot

There is a number of card slots I'm still not set it stone on. I'm considering adding either Last Throw or Riding Like the Wind + another mount. I might also change Smeagol, AH to either Poor Creature or Simple Stoor, as I rarely have the opportunity to search for Don't Look at Them (and Simple Stoor could ditch Plotting Deceiver too).

[sgtdraino]

Your FP setup has a few things in common with a setup faramirkj recently used to beat me, which I have dubbed "Golden Glimmer," as it makes excellent cycling use of "Golden Glimmer." You can see the card in action at Site 9 during this game:

http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=sgtdraino$zqnwmsieva1bo8e7

And here's a second game, where his FP side in general did really well:

http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=sgtdraino$uuggo5k2072ww1yf

As I mentioned during our game, I suspect Golden Glimmer would make an excellent addition to your deck!

Your Shadow looks like a cross between a Sudden Strike deck and an Underfoot Swarm deck. Not sure which one to call it... or whether to call it something else entirely. Thoughts?

[Shelobplayer]

Your FP setup has a few things in common with a setup faramirkj recently used to beat me, which I have dubbed "Golden Glimmer," as it makes excellent cycling use of "Golden Glimmer." You can see the card in action at Site 9 during this game:

http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=sgtdraino$zqnwmsieva1bo8e7

And here's a second game, where his FP side in general did really well:

http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/game.html?replayId=sgtdraino$uuggo5k2072ww1yf

As I mentioned during our game, I suspect Golden Glimmer would make an excellent addition to your deck!

Your Shadow looks like a cross between a Sudden Strike deck and an Underfoot Swarm deck. Not sure which one to call it... or whether to call it something else entirely. Thoughts?

I added a copy of Golden Glimmer, will see how it does, not entirely sold on it with a 6 base resistance rb. If I get Steward's Legacy the only problematic thing is Too Great and Terrible.

In our games I won when I got SL out, and lost when I didn't, a 3rd or even a 4th copy of that card may get in the deck.

As for the shadow side... idk, call it Cpt. Gollum?

[Shelobplayer]

Just finished my league games with this deck and it did pretty well. 4-0 in series 1 and 9-1 in series 2, the only loss comming from me not having Mount Doom in my adventure deck at that point (now that flaw is fixed) and getting my swarm Caras Galadhoned at site 9.

Removed the Falls of Rauros/ The Prancing Pony/ Ranger of Westernesse/ Saved From the Fire plan from the freeps side to make space for Mount Doom after that one loss (and then proceeded never to play Mount Doom in the rest of the league).

Thinking about adding a 4th Nelya and a few more nazguls and replacing Caras Galadhon with Buckland Homestead.

Also thinking about ditching Aragorn for Treebeard, but then I'd need another way of removing threats I think.

[sgtdraino]

Just kill a guy, spread 'em out, and move to Mithlond. That's what I do.