Victory on the eleventh attempt!
The Deck
My many failed attempts to escape the trappings of Dunland began with a grand idea of Theoden, Eomer, and Prince Imrahil riding down their enemies as they trampled past locations and off into the sunset. And then I found out this quest basically hates Rohan and its horses. I still gave it a fighting chance, making tweaks here and there, but kept washing up on that final stage. Eomer was hard to let go of, since his boosted attack value could take out almost every (non-boosted) enemy in the quest. Prince Imrahil and Halbarad switched out a few times, both providing the same basic bonus (questing + defense or attack). Despite the Mount hate, I kept making it within a hairs breath of victory.
Towards the middle of the attempts I threw in a few experiments, such as a mono-Leadership Dunedain deck and a mono-Lore deck highlighting Rossiel and all the cards that pertain to her. Both need a lot of work and were thoroughly trounced by the encounter deck.
I returned to my Rohan roots, with Eowyn taking the place of Theoden. Things still were not working out and, a rare move of desperation for me, I went netdecking. Much to my surprise, I found that Master of Lore found success using a deck just slightly different than what I had been using for the second half of my own attempts. You can find his deck, and the reasoning behind it, here.
Good questing, good attack, and a way to deal with Condition Attachments (would you like Lore or Spirit today?) are essential for brewing a deck that can regularly hold its own against this quest. You want to build up marks, traits, and songs vs. items and mounts. Even with all of that factored in, it was still a close call for me...
The Journey
Player Setup
Starting Threat: 30
Draw: Squire of the Citadel, A Test of Will, Envoy of Pelargir, Escort from Edoras, Unexpected Courage, Feint
Encounter Setup
Stage 1A. Chief Turch and Munuv Duv Ravine set aside. Old South Road made the active location.
Search encounter deck for Boar Clan Stalker and put in play engaged with me.
Flip to 1B. Place two time counters on stage 1B.
Round 1
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (1), +1 Eomer (1), +1 Prince Imrahil (1)
Draw: Stand and Fight
Forced (Boar Clan Stalker): Add 1 resource (1).
Planning Phase
Play: Squire of the Citadel (Prince Imrahil -1).
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4), Price Imrahil (2)
Total Willpower: 6
Reveal: Hithaeglir Stream
Total Threat: 3
Discard Escort from Edoras to give Eowyn +1 willpower.
Updated Willpower: 7
Place 4 progress on Old South Road, exploring it and adding it to the victory display (1).
Travel Phase
Travel to Hithaeglir Stream
Encounter Phase
No engagements
Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Boar Clan Stalker. Attacks! Squire of the Citadel defends. Shadow: Boar Clan Stalker (no effect). Add 1 resource to Prince Imrahil (1). Squire of the Citadel is destroyed. Eomer gets +2 attack until the end of the rounds. Ready Prince Imrahil.
Eomer + Prince Imrahil declare an attack on Boar Clan Stalker, destroying it.
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 31.
Remove 1 time counter from stage 1B (1/2).
Round 2
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (2), +1 Eomer (2), +1 Prince Imrahil (2)
Draw: Dunedain Warning
Note: I transcribed this from my OCTGN feed two weeks after the fact, so it looks like I missed what my second draw was here. No big deal, since there were no forced effects triggered.
Planning Phase
Play: Dunedain Warning (Prince Imrahil -1). Attach to Prince Imrahil.
Play: Envoy of Pelargir (Eomer -2). Add 1 resource to Eowyn's pool (3).
Play: Stand and Fight (Eowyn -1). Return Squire of the Citadel to play.
Play: Unexpected Courage (Ewoyn -2). Attach to Eomer
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4), Prince Imrahil (2), Envoy of Pelargir (1)
Total Willpower: 7
Reveal: Hills of Dunland
Total Threat: 2
Discard Escort from Edoras to give Eowyn +1 willpower
Total Willpower: 8
Place 4 progress on Hithaeglir Stream, exploring it
Place 2 progress on stage 1B (2/18)
Travel Phase
Attempt to travel to Hills of Dunland
Draw: Gandalf
Forced (Hills of Dunland): Discard Hithaeglir Foothills (no effect)
Travel to Hills of Dunland
No Engagements or Combat
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 32.
Remove final time counter from stage 1B.
Discard: Ganalf, Feint, A Test of Will
Draw: Power of Orthanc, Envoy of Pelargir
Place two time counters on stage 1B
Round 3
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (1), +1 Eomer (1), +1 Prince Imrahil (2)
Draw: Squire of the Citadel
Planning Phase
Play: Envoy of Pelargir (Eowyn -1, Eomer -1). Add 1 resource to Eowyn's pool (1).
Play: Squire of the Citadel (Prince Imrahil -1).
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4), Prince Imrahil (2), Envoy of Pelargir #1 (1), Envoy of Pelargir #2 (1)
Total Willpower: 8
Reveal: Hills of Dunland
Total Threat: 2
Place 3 progress on Hills of Dunland, exploring it
Place 3 progress on stage 1B (5/18)
Travel Phase
Attempt to travel to Hills of Dunland
Draw: Close Call
Forced (Hills of Dunland): Discard Dunland Tribesman. Put in play engaged with me.
Travel to Hills of Dunland
No Engagements
Combat Phase
Deal shadow car to Dunland Tribesman. Attacks! Squire of the Citadel defends. Shadow: In Need of Rest (no effect). Squire is destroyed. Add 1 resource to Prince Imrahil (2). Ready Prince Imrahil. Eomer gets +2 attack until the end of the round.
Eomer + Prince Imrahil declare an attack on Dunland Tribesman, destroying it.
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 33.
Remove one time counter from stage 1B (1/2).
Round 4
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (2), +1 Eomer (1), +1 Prince Imrahil (3)
Draw: Feint
Planning Phase
Play nothing.
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4), Prince Imrahil (2), Envoy of Pelargir #1 (1), Envoy of Pelargir #2 (1)
Total Willpower: 8
Reveal: Dunlending Ambush. Attach to Hills of Dunland. Surge.
Reveal: Boar Clan Warrior
Total Threat: 2
Play: Power of Orthanc. Doomed 2 (raise threat to 35). Discard Dunlending Ambush.
Place 3 progress on Hills of Dunland, exploring it.
Place 3 progress on stage 1B (8/18)
Travel Phase
No travel
Encounter Phase
Engage Boar Clan Warrior
Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Boar Clan Warrior. Attacks! Squire of the Citadel defends. Shadow: Off Track (no effect). Squire is destroyed. Add 1 resource to Prince Imrahil (4). Ready Prince Imrahil. Eomer gets +2 attack until the end of the round.
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 36.
Remove final time counter from stage 1B.
Discard: Feint, Close Call.
Draw: Escort from Edoras, Snowbourn Scout
Add two time counters to stage 1B
Round 5
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (3), +1 Eomer (2), +1 Prince Imrahil (5)
Draw: Hasty Stroke
Planning Phase
Play: Escort from Edoras (Eowyn -2)
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4), Prince Imrahil (2), Escort from Edoras (4), Envoy of Pelargir #1 (1)
Total Willpower: 11
Reveal: Frenzied Attack. Draw: Sneak Attack. Discard: Snowbourn Scout.
Place 12 progress on stage 1B (19/18), clearing it.
Advance to stage 2A. Make Munuv Duv Ravine the active location. Choose Envoy of Pelargir #1. Discard Escort from Edoras and Envoy of Pelargir #2.
Flip to side 2B. Search encounter deck for Boar Clan Warrior. Put into play engaged with me. Shuffle player discard into player deck.
Draw: Minas Tirith Lampwright
Forced (Boar Clan Warrior): Deal shadow card
No Travel or Engagements
Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Boar Clan Warrior. Attacks! Envoy of Pelargir defends. Shadow #1: Dunlan Berserker (makes an additional attack. Shadow #2: Off Track (no effect). Envoy is destroyed. Ready Prince Imrahil. Eomer gets +2 attack until the end of the round.
Boar Clan Warrior attacks again! Deal new shadow card. Prince Imrahil defends. Shadow #3: Hills of Dunland (no effect). Prince Imrahil takes 2 damage (2/4).
Advance to stage 3A. Put Chief Turch in play, engaged with me.
Flip to side 3B. Place 5 time counters on stage 3B.
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 37.
Remove one time counter from stage 3B (4/5).
Round 6
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (2), +1 Eomer (3), +1 Prince Imrahil (6)
Draw: Dunedain Warning
Planning Phase
Play: Dunedain Warning (Prince Imrahil -1). Attach to Eomer.
Play: Minas Tirith Lampwright (Eowyn -1)
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4), Prince Imrahil (2).
Total Willpower: 6
Reveal: Dunlening Ambush. Attach to Munuv Duv Ravine. Surge.
Reveal: Hithaeglir Stream
Total Threat: 3
Place 3 progress on Munuv Duv Ravine (3/6)
No Travel or Engagements
Combat Phase
Deal Shadow card to Chief Turch. Attacks! Minas Tirith Lampwright defends. Shadow: Low on Provisions (+2 attack). Lampwright is destroyed. Ready Prince Imrahil. Eomer gets +2 attack until the end of the round.
Discard shadow card.
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 38.
Remove one time counter from stage 3B (3/5)
Round 7
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (2), +1 Eomer (3), +1 Prince Imrahil (6)
Draw: Unexpected Courage
Planning Phase
Play: Unexpected Courage (Eowyn -2). Attach to Prince Imrahil.
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4), Prince Imrahil (2)
Total Willpower: 6
Reveal: Low on Provisions (Deal 3 damage). Deal 2 damage to Eowyn (2/3). Deal 1 damage to Prince Imrahil (3/4).
Total Threat: 3
Place 3 progress on Munu Duv Ravine, exploring it and adding it to the victory display (4).
Forced (Dunlending Ambush): Search encounter deck and put Boar Clan Stalker in play, engaged with me. Shuffle. Forced (Chief Turch): Remove a time counter from stage 3B (2/5).
Travel Phase
Travel to Hithaeglir Stream
Encounter Phase
No engagements
Combat Phase
Deal shadow cards to Chief Turch, Boar Clan Stalker
Boar Clan Stalker attacks. Undefended. Shadow: Dunlending Ambush (no effect). No damage dealt.
Chief Turch attacks. Eomer defends. Shadow: Dunland Chieftain (no effect). Eomer takes 2 damage (2/4).
Exhaust Unexpected Courage to ready Eomer.
Eomer + Prince Imrahil declare an attach on Boar Clan Stalker, destroying it.
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 39.
Remove one time counter from stage 3B (1/5).
Round 8
Resource Phase
+1 Eowyn (1), +1 Eomer (4), +1 Prince Imrahil (7)
Draw: Sneak Attack (Prince Imrahil -1)
Draw: Gandalf
Wow. That is an amazing draw and might just win me the game, when I kind of thought I would be loosing this attempt.
Play: Sneak Attack. Put Gandalf into play. Draw: Gandalf, Feint, Dunedain Mark
Return Gandalf to hand
Planning Phase
Play: Gandalf (Eomer -2, Prince Imrahil -3). Draw: A Test of Will, Stand and Fight, Close Call
Quest Phase
Commit: Eowyn (4)
Total Willpower: 4
Reveal: Wild Men of Dunland. Attach to stage 3B. Surge.
Reveal: Frenzied Attack. Draw: Stand and Fight. Discard: Gandalf.
Total Threat: 0
Place 4 progress on Hithaeglir Stream, exploring it.
No Travel and No Engagments
Combat Phase
Deal shadow card to Chief Turch. Attacks! Gandalf defends. Shadow: Dunland Chieftain (no effect). Deal 1 damage to Gandalf (1/4).
Refresh Phase
Ready all. Raise threat to 40.
Remove final time counter from stage 3B.
No engagements.
Deal shadow card to Chief Turch. Attacks! Gandalf defends. Shadow: Plains of Enedwaith (+1 attack). Deal 2 damage to Gandalf (2/4).
Game over!
Final Scoring
7 Completed Rounds x10: 70
Ending Threat: 40
Total Damage on Heroes: 7 (2 Eown, 2 Eomer, 4 Prince Imrahil)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: -4
Total Score: 113
The Recap
An amazingly smooth ride, with almost no enemies or locations exploding with evil upon my every card draw, and yet I only made it out alive due to the magical Christmas land of that Sneak Attack + Gandalf draw on the final round. The Dunland Trap is not a broken quest (here's looking at you, To Catch an Orc), but it is unforgiving and cruel. As someone who wants to see this game grow in popularity, I cannot give my approval to the decision of opening up a cycle with a quest of this difficulty.
There is a challenge to be enjoyed here, though. Can you survive a boss battle with basically your opening set up (or rather Round 2 set up, since you get to keep one ally)? But wait! First, survive an 18 quest point stage with your heroes in good enough shape to make it through that boss battle.
While The Dunland Trap is not going down as a favorite quest, it is a memorable one that faced me with a unique puzzle. There will be a night in the future where I am brewing a deck and wonder if maybe, just maybe, this deck could survive the challenges of Dunland.
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