Well, I think I have found my favorite cycle!
Angmar Awakened features creative mechanics and a good spread of difficulty among the quests. Even the most difficult ones are still fun experiences and present unique challenges.
No real strong critique here from me. If I went to a random meetup and someone said "We're going to play something from Angmar Awakened," I would be excited despite no knowledge of the specific quest we were going to dive into. That is not something I would be willing to say for preceding cycles.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Quest 45: The Dread Realm
Victory on the First Attempt!
The Deck
Once again, I decided to test Seastan's Boromir against one of the more difficult Angmar Awakened cycle quests. This was actually done between attempts 3 & 4 of The Battle of Carn Dum, with the goal being to not fail against that quest so many times in a row I become demoralized. I actually ended up pulling a victory here, which even further helped with moral.
Seastan's Boromir
Heroes
Boromir (The Dead Marshes)
Galadriel (Celebrimbor's Secret)
Glorfindel (Foundations of Stone)
Allies
Arwen Undomiel (Watcher in the Water) x1
Bofur (The Redhorn Gate) x1
Galadriel's Handmaiden x3
Warden of Healing x1
Gandalf (Core) x3
Attachments
Gondorian Fire x3
Gondorian Shield x3
Ancient Mathom x3
Blood of Numenor x3
Light of Valinor x3
Mirror of Galadriel x3
Unexpected Courage x1
Asfaloth x1
Steward of Gondor x3
Nenya x3
Events
A Test of Will x2
Dwarven Tomb x2
Elrond's Counsel x3
Hasty Stroke x2
Daeron's Runes x2
A Good Harvest x3
Sets Used
Core
A Journey to Rhosgobel
The Dead Marshes
The Redhorn Gate
The Watcher in the Water
The Long Dark
Foundations of Stone
Heirs of Numenor
The Steward's Fear
Assault on Osgiliath
Celebrimbor's Secret
RingsDB Link
Fantastic deck with every card playing its role. Horn's Cry might have been welcome for this quest. Not to prevent damage to Boromir, but to allow a round of attacks to possibly go undefended and thus save the threat increase Boromir would give at that point. And, along those lines, Favor of the Valar would also be a welcome sight. As always, the tricks is figuring out what to swap out.
The Journey
Set Up
No Steward in my opening hand, but I do have: Gondorian Fire, Nenya, Asfaloth, Elrond's Counsel, Mirror Galadriel x2. I like a lot of what I see and figure the Mirror will (hopefully) let me fish out the remaining pieces. It will be tricky to get A Good Harvest & Steward in my hand at the same time, but this is just a first attempt and I am pretty open to risk on these.
Round 1
I start equipping Boromir with some Gondorian fire and Galadriel with Nenya. The Mirror is kept in hand. I want Galadriel to save her resources to pay for Asfaloth during round 2. No worries about the single Reanimated enemy in play, who is quickly dispatched by Boromir.
Round 2
I buy some more time with Elrond's Counsel and get Asfaloth & the Mirror down. No Steward & A Good Harvest waiting at the top of my deck, but there is a Gondorian Shield. The second Mirror is randomly discarded (yes!) and the shield goes onto Boromir. Now the threat of those reanimated enemies are basically removed. A good amount of progress makes its way onto Stage 1.
Round 3
Steward of Gondor is drawn into hand! I want to wait to use the Mirror until I have more cards to optionally discard. Asfaloth clears a location in the staging area and more progress goes on the quest.
Round 4
And the draw is...A Good Harvest. Well, there we go. Slap that Steward onto Boromir and throw down a Gandalf to use for card draw. Boromir gets his second copy of Gondorian Fire. A few enemies are Reanimated and taken out by Boromir, clearing up the board but taking my threat to 30. Could have used Gandalf for the threat reduction, but I want to get Boromir voltroned-up ASAP.
Round 5
I use A Test of Will on Death and Calamity, wanting one less curse out and to mitigate the amount of times I am readying Boromir. Galadriel drops my threat a bit and I pick up a Handmaiden. This is great, since every point of threat will count from this point on. As it is, there are a handful of Reanimated enemies to deal with as well as Daechanar. Boromir takes a few damage from Daechanar and he (with a little help from Glorfindel) cleans up most of the board.
Round 6
After getting the Handmaiden into play (reducing me to 35 threat), I use the Mirror to dig up a Blood of Gondor for Boromir. With Blood & Fire both activated, Boromir is able to defend without taking a beating and able to clean up the handful of enemies who have made their way onto the board. Threat is now up to 39.
Round 7
The Mirror digs up an Unexpected Courage, which is going to save me at least one Boromir threat increase per round. Really valuable right now. This + only a few enemies allows me to keep the increase minimal and I end the round at 42 threat. The last curse has been discarded and, barring an unfortunate staging next round, I can take out Daechanar.
Round 8
Restless Evil comes down and I reanimate another card. Still, Boromir is able to pump up enough to destroy Daechanar! A little bit of strong questing and we should be good to go.
Round 9
I am able to get another Handmaiden in play, then go all in and reveal...Cursed Dead! Dude! These guys always come out when I think victory is just in site. Still, I get Altar of Midwinter out out of the way. I spend my actions defending the plethora of enemies attacking me, but opt not to take them out. I end the round at 45 threat and am happy there. Doomed is a keyword in this quest and would hate to throw the game down the drain just to have a clear board.
Round 10
I quest hard, nothing crazy comes off of the deck, and victory is mine!
Final Scoring
9 Completed Rounds x10: 90
Ending Threat: 45
Total Damage on Heroes: 3 (Boromir: 2, Glorfindel: 1)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: -15 (Daechanar: 10, Altar of Midwinter: 5)
Total Score: 84
The Recap
Once again, this is a "beatable" kind of tough and one that I appreciate. The encounter deck puts on a heavy amount of pressure via the Reanimation mechanic. For every small enemy it spawns out, you need to commit 2+ actions to deal with it. This makes the game a race for action advantage. Now, Boromir handily takes care of that. In fact, my playthrough became more of a race against the threat dial than the encounter deck.The Reanimation mechanic was also a great way to use your own deck against you (stop hitting yourself) and makes adding that 1x of a card a risky move. Even more than The Battle of Carn Dum, here is a difficult test I would enjoy bringing more strong decks up against in the future.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Quest 44: The Battle of Carn Dum
Victory on the Seventh Attempt!
The Journey
Attempt 1
Knowing the reputation of this quest, I wanted to bring something proven & powerful to the table. I asked on Discord if I should run Seastan's Boromir against this or The Dread Realm. Seastan himself said the deck could beat either quest, but something tuned better to the challenge would likely fair better. I figured I would try this #1 deck for my first attempt, realizing that I would need to come back a few more times, and would use the input I gained to plan my next attack. Not too much information was gained after Boromir died on round 2.
Attempt 2-4
A quick Google search for decks that have gone up against The Battle of Carn Dum pointed me towards Elrond's Ents by Xanalor. While a very powerful deck, the author gives a warning that this is hard one to pilot and threat is your biggest enemy. For all three attempts, this deck put up a fighting chance but ended up loosing ground to the encounter deck. Most of my attempts felt fairly close and I do think this deck could beat the quest (as it did for the author), but I wanted to explore a few more possibilities.
Attempt 5-6
Xanalor was the start of the show for the next deck I tried: Back to Basics. Attempt 5 never really had any traction, but Attempt 6 had Sneak Attack + Beorn in the opening hand, allowing me to blast past the questing stage of the first round. But Beorn wasn't around to help after that and enmies began swarming me.
It was getting late & time for a pause. I thought back on what type of deck would do well here. It would need to be able to have extremely strong attack & questing abilities. Defense was not as much of a problem as long as consistent chump blockers could be found. I thought of refining the Quad Sphere Dwarf Swarm with some of the newer dwarf additions. Attacking & questing is something a Dain-centric dwarf deck can do very well. I also thought of revisiting Seastan's Boromir and switching out Galadriel with Tactics Eowyn. This would give me the big punch I need that first round and consistent questing afterwards. Actually, I thought of Tactics Eowyn then pairing her with Glorfindel then realized I probably should just modify Seastan's deck at that point, with Boromir himself being the third wheel. Then, in the midst of my fatigue, I somehow remembered that I had not ran The Rapid Charge of Outlands! yet. I had been wanting to run that one against something really tough and, six attempts in, this quest fit the bill. Waking up fairly early, I decided to do one last attempt before the work day started...
Attempt 7
For the first six attempts, the burden was on me to play smart and hopefully get the right draws. Attempt 7 put the pressure on the encounter deck from the get-go and never let up. It only took me five rounds to destroy the quest. By the end I had twelve Outlands allies down and a few chump blockers (helped by the fact that the ally hate is not strong this time around). It trivalized the quest to the point where I am glad I did not start with this deck. I enjoy winning and I actually enjoy destroying a quest, but I am also glad I was able to get a clear picture of how truly tough The Battle of Carn Dum is before the decimation began.
Final Scoring
5 Completed Rounds x10: 50
Ending Threat: 34
Total Damage on Heroes: 2 (Erestor)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 8 (Denethor)
Victory Display: -10 (The Power of Angmar)
Total Score: 84
The Deck
I know how powerful Erestor decks are and have heard Denethor touted as one of the best heroes in the game right now. Add them with Outlands and you are in pretty good shape to trample quests. I had enough resource acceleration to play my entire hand the first round and that became the norm for the remainder of the game.
The Rapid Charge of Outlands!
by 13nrv
Heroes
Denethor (Flight of the Stormcaller)
Hirluin the Fair (The Steward's Fear)
Erestor (The Treachery of Rhudar)
Allies
Errand-rider x3
Forlong x1
Warrior of Lossarnach x3
Anfalas Herdsman x3
Henamarth Riversong x1
Hunter of Lamedon x3
Warden of Healing x1
Either Swordsman x3
Knights of the Swan x3
Envoy of Pelargir x3
Attachments
Steward of Gondor x3
Lembas x3
Events
A Very Good Tale x3
Gaining Strength x3
Men of the West x2
Wealth of Gondor x3
Daeron's Runes x3
Heed the Dream x3
A Good Harvest x3
Sets Used
Core
The Long Dark
Foundations of Stone
Over Hill and Under Hill
Heirs of Numenor
The Steward's Fear
The Druadan Forest
Assault on Osgiliath
Trouble in Tharbad
The Treachery of Rhudar
Flight of the Stormcaller
RingsDB Link
The Recap
The Battle of Carn Dum is a seriously tough quest. But, in contrast to Escape from Dol Guldur, I found it to be a "Fair" tough. Escape starts you off at a major disadvantage with possible openings that are instant game-enders. Battle begins tough and never lets up, but strong decks can at least stand a fighting chance.
I don't see myself coming back to fight this Battle often in the future. The extremely tough quests are not always my favorites after the initial challenge of that first victory is past. But if I ever come up with a deck that I think is the end-all of player decks, then I know where to come to test that notion.
The Journey
Attempt 1
Knowing the reputation of this quest, I wanted to bring something proven & powerful to the table. I asked on Discord if I should run Seastan's Boromir against this or The Dread Realm. Seastan himself said the deck could beat either quest, but something tuned better to the challenge would likely fair better. I figured I would try this #1 deck for my first attempt, realizing that I would need to come back a few more times, and would use the input I gained to plan my next attack. Not too much information was gained after Boromir died on round 2.
Attempt 2-4
A quick Google search for decks that have gone up against The Battle of Carn Dum pointed me towards Elrond's Ents by Xanalor. While a very powerful deck, the author gives a warning that this is hard one to pilot and threat is your biggest enemy. For all three attempts, this deck put up a fighting chance but ended up loosing ground to the encounter deck. Most of my attempts felt fairly close and I do think this deck could beat the quest (as it did for the author), but I wanted to explore a few more possibilities.
Attempt 5-6
Xanalor was the start of the show for the next deck I tried: Back to Basics. Attempt 5 never really had any traction, but Attempt 6 had Sneak Attack + Beorn in the opening hand, allowing me to blast past the questing stage of the first round. But Beorn wasn't around to help after that and enmies began swarming me.
It was getting late & time for a pause. I thought back on what type of deck would do well here. It would need to be able to have extremely strong attack & questing abilities. Defense was not as much of a problem as long as consistent chump blockers could be found. I thought of refining the Quad Sphere Dwarf Swarm with some of the newer dwarf additions. Attacking & questing is something a Dain-centric dwarf deck can do very well. I also thought of revisiting Seastan's Boromir and switching out Galadriel with Tactics Eowyn. This would give me the big punch I need that first round and consistent questing afterwards. Actually, I thought of Tactics Eowyn then pairing her with Glorfindel then realized I probably should just modify Seastan's deck at that point, with Boromir himself being the third wheel. Then, in the midst of my fatigue, I somehow remembered that I had not ran The Rapid Charge of Outlands! yet. I had been wanting to run that one against something really tough and, six attempts in, this quest fit the bill. Waking up fairly early, I decided to do one last attempt before the work day started...
Attempt 7
For the first six attempts, the burden was on me to play smart and hopefully get the right draws. Attempt 7 put the pressure on the encounter deck from the get-go and never let up. It only took me five rounds to destroy the quest. By the end I had twelve Outlands allies down and a few chump blockers (helped by the fact that the ally hate is not strong this time around). It trivalized the quest to the point where I am glad I did not start with this deck. I enjoy winning and I actually enjoy destroying a quest, but I am also glad I was able to get a clear picture of how truly tough The Battle of Carn Dum is before the decimation began.
Final Scoring
5 Completed Rounds x10: 50
Ending Threat: 34
Total Damage on Heroes: 2 (Erestor)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 8 (Denethor)
Victory Display: -10 (The Power of Angmar)
Total Score: 84
The Deck
I know how powerful Erestor decks are and have heard Denethor touted as one of the best heroes in the game right now. Add them with Outlands and you are in pretty good shape to trample quests. I had enough resource acceleration to play my entire hand the first round and that became the norm for the remainder of the game.
The Rapid Charge of Outlands!
by 13nrv
Heroes
Denethor (Flight of the Stormcaller)
Hirluin the Fair (The Steward's Fear)
Erestor (The Treachery of Rhudar)
Allies
Errand-rider x3
Forlong x1
Warrior of Lossarnach x3
Anfalas Herdsman x3
Henamarth Riversong x1
Hunter of Lamedon x3
Warden of Healing x1
Either Swordsman x3
Knights of the Swan x3
Envoy of Pelargir x3
Attachments
Steward of Gondor x3
Lembas x3
Events
A Very Good Tale x3
Gaining Strength x3
Men of the West x2
Wealth of Gondor x3
Daeron's Runes x3
Heed the Dream x3
A Good Harvest x3
Sets Used
Core
The Long Dark
Foundations of Stone
Over Hill and Under Hill
Heirs of Numenor
The Steward's Fear
The Druadan Forest
Assault on Osgiliath
Trouble in Tharbad
The Treachery of Rhudar
Flight of the Stormcaller
RingsDB Link
The Recap
The Battle of Carn Dum is a seriously tough quest. But, in contrast to Escape from Dol Guldur, I found it to be a "Fair" tough. Escape starts you off at a major disadvantage with possible openings that are instant game-enders. Battle begins tough and never lets up, but strong decks can at least stand a fighting chance.
I don't see myself coming back to fight this Battle often in the future. The extremely tough quests are not always my favorites after the initial challenge of that first victory is past. But if I ever come up with a deck that I think is the end-all of player decks, then I know where to come to test that notion.
Quest 43: The Treachery of Rhudaur
Victory on the First Attempt!
The Deck
It has been a long time since I've dived deep with Dwarfs, after leaning heavily towards them during the first few years of the game. But who wasn't? They were the first truly flushed out trait and are still receiving support. In fact, with AtaruSlash's Quad Sphere Dwarf Swarm being a year old, it was tempting to add in a playset of Erid Luin Miner and a Dwarf Pipe (hello, Mr. Rhys-Davies) or two. But I wanted to tackle my first attempt with the deck as-is and that first attempt is all that was needed.
Quad Sphere Dwarf Swarm *COTR Deckbox*
by AtaruSlash
Heroes
Bifur (Khazad-dum)
Dain Ironfoot
Oin
Allies
Dori (Over Hill and Under Hill) x1
Erebor Hammersmith x3
Erebor Record Keeper x3
Ered Nimrais Prospector x3
Miner of the Iron Hills x3
Warden of Healing x2
Fili x1
Gimli (The Treason of Saruman) x1
Gloin (On the Doorstep) x1
Blue Mountain Trader x3
Bofur (The Redhorn Gate) x1
Dwalin (On the Doorstep) x1
Kili x1
Erebor Battle Master x3
Gandalf (Core) x3
Attachments
Legacy of Durin x2
King Under the Mountain x2
Narvi's Belt x2
Steward of Gondor x2
Events
A Very Good Tale x3
Sneak Attack x1
To me! O my kinsfolk! x2
We Are Not Idle x3
Hidden Cache x3
Sets Used
Core
Return to Mirkwood
Khazad-dum
The Redhorn Gate
The Watcher in the Water
The Long Dark
Shadow and Flame
Over Hill and Under Hill
On the Doorstep
The Morgul Vale
The Dunland Trap
The Treason of Saruman
RingsDB Link
The Journey
The Treachery of Rhudar asks you to do a lot and to do it quickly. Three side quests with a total of 48 quest points is the ultimate goal to get through in just five rounds. I figured I would be able to knock out one or two, with the ally-punishing Decipher Ancient Texts going unfinished. But I underestimated the strength of the dwarf swarm! I was able to clear all three side-quests by the time the last counter was removed, then sweep through the final stage and the necessary damage to Thaurdir. Not even a reveal of Haunting Fog in the last quest phase could stop the army.
Final Scoring
5 Completed Rounds x10: 50
Ending Threat: 34
Total Damage on Heroes: 0
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: 0
Total Score: 84
The Recap
The Treachery of Rhudar is a solid, enjoyable quest that I would not pass up an opportunity play again. It did not quite strike me as "Favorite Quest," but if every quest did then there would be no point for the designation. Similar to Battle of the Five Armies, I enjoy the choice to pick which challenge I will attempt to tackle each round and the associated risk/reward that comes with it. This will go down as an added testimony to the strength of the Angmar Awakened cycle.
The Deck
It has been a long time since I've dived deep with Dwarfs, after leaning heavily towards them during the first few years of the game. But who wasn't? They were the first truly flushed out trait and are still receiving support. In fact, with AtaruSlash's Quad Sphere Dwarf Swarm being a year old, it was tempting to add in a playset of Erid Luin Miner and a Dwarf Pipe (hello, Mr. Rhys-Davies) or two. But I wanted to tackle my first attempt with the deck as-is and that first attempt is all that was needed.
Quad Sphere Dwarf Swarm *COTR Deckbox*
by AtaruSlash
Heroes
Bifur (Khazad-dum)
Dain Ironfoot
Oin
Allies
Dori (Over Hill and Under Hill) x1
Erebor Hammersmith x3
Erebor Record Keeper x3
Ered Nimrais Prospector x3
Miner of the Iron Hills x3
Warden of Healing x2
Fili x1
Gimli (The Treason of Saruman) x1
Gloin (On the Doorstep) x1
Blue Mountain Trader x3
Bofur (The Redhorn Gate) x1
Dwalin (On the Doorstep) x1
Kili x1
Erebor Battle Master x3
Gandalf (Core) x3
Attachments
Legacy of Durin x2
King Under the Mountain x2
Narvi's Belt x2
Steward of Gondor x2
Events
A Very Good Tale x3
Sneak Attack x1
To me! O my kinsfolk! x2
We Are Not Idle x3
Hidden Cache x3
Sets Used
Core
Return to Mirkwood
Khazad-dum
The Redhorn Gate
The Watcher in the Water
The Long Dark
Shadow and Flame
Over Hill and Under Hill
On the Doorstep
The Morgul Vale
The Dunland Trap
The Treason of Saruman
RingsDB Link
The Journey
The Treachery of Rhudar asks you to do a lot and to do it quickly. Three side quests with a total of 48 quest points is the ultimate goal to get through in just five rounds. I figured I would be able to knock out one or two, with the ally-punishing Decipher Ancient Texts going unfinished. But I underestimated the strength of the dwarf swarm! I was able to clear all three side-quests by the time the last counter was removed, then sweep through the final stage and the necessary damage to Thaurdir. Not even a reveal of Haunting Fog in the last quest phase could stop the army.
Final Scoring
5 Completed Rounds x10: 50
Ending Threat: 34
Total Damage on Heroes: 0
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: 0
Total Score: 84
The Recap
The Treachery of Rhudar is a solid, enjoyable quest that I would not pass up an opportunity play again. It did not quite strike me as "Favorite Quest," but if every quest did then there would be no point for the designation. Similar to Battle of the Five Armies, I enjoy the choice to pick which challenge I will attempt to tackle each round and the associated risk/reward that comes with it. This will go down as an added testimony to the strength of the Angmar Awakened cycle.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Quest 42: Across the Ettenmoors
Victory on the Second Attempt!
The Deck
Mono-tactics victories, especially against trolls, have had a special place in my heart since I began my quest to achieve such a victory against Conflict at the Carrock. It took the combination of Hama + Thicket of Spears to make that possible. The Rohirrim Arrive by Some Sort is built around that same concept, but greatly benifits from the inclusion of Tactics Eowyn. Her + Theoden make this a deck that hold its own during the questing phase as well as the combat phase. Adding in a Song of Travel playset allows you to get all of the Spirit Rohan benifits while staying mono tactics with your heroes.
A typical Hama + Thicket build can be pretty loose with what allies it wants to include. I think a well-rounded selection was included here, with Bofur contributing some needed willpower and Legolas & Azain giving bonuses for all those enemies you will defeat. Beechbone is an inclusion I would like to see, simply due to the additional willpower and I would switch a x1 of him for one of the Bofurs. Resources can be tight in this deck, as is expected with tactics, so finding a way for the new Proud Hunters card would be worthwhile. But those are just small suggestions. This is a solid deck and only showed the quest a little mercy (thus the two attempts).
The Rohirrim Arrive
by Some Sort
Heroes
Eowyn (The Flame of the West)
Hama (The Long Dark)
Theoden (The Morgul Vale)
Allies
Azain Silver Beard x1
Bofur (Over Hill and Under Hill) x3
Defender of Rammas x3
Grimbold x2
Honour Guard x3
Legolas (The Treason of Saruman) x3
Westfold Outrider x2
White Tower Watchman x3
Attachments
Golden Shield x3
Spear of the Mark x3
Song of Travel x3
Herugrim x3
Snowmane x2
Unexpected Courage x3
Events
Feint x3
Foe-hammer x3
Forth Englorias x2
Thicket of Spears x2
Elven-light x3
Sets Used
Core
The Hills of Emyn Muil
The Long Dark
Over Hill and Under Hill
Heirs of Numenor
The Druadan Forest
The Morgul Vale
The Voice of Isengard
The Treason of Saruman
The Wastes of Eriador
The Land of Shdow
The Dread Realm
Flight of the Stormcaller
The Flame of the West
RingsDB Link
The Journey & Recap
If I had attempted this a few months ago, it would have gone down as an enjoyable quest but not one I would mark down as a favorite. That meaning has shifted for me over the years but right now it means a quest that presents a unique challenge or nitch for deck building. The size of the enemies in this one is a challenge in and of itself, but what really sticks out to me is the strong focus on side quests and almost always having one out. Thurindir, another recent release, means that this is challenge I want to spend time tackling in unique ways.
The deck I used held its own against the quest, but it was not foolproof. Things were going well during my first attempt, even with a copy of Scavenge for Supplies almost making Thicket of Spears unplayable. I finally added that side quest to the victory display, only to lose my hand to Lost in the Wilderness which caused me to loose Hama to a Ruthless Hill-Troll. Victory was still possible, and I almost cleared the quest, when Pressing Needs redirected my efforts and cost me the game.
My second attempt started off a bit uncertain, with neither Feint nor Thicket of Spears in hands, but quickly stabilized and marched on to a slow & steady victory.
Final Scoring
14 Completed Rounds x11: 140
Ending Threat: 46
Total Damage on Heroes: 5 (Eowyn: 2, Hama: 1, Theoden: 2)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: -30
Total Score: 161
Quest 41: Escape from Mount Gram
Victory on the First Attempt!
The Deck
I had a little time for a quick OCTGN game today and decided I would netdeck my first attempt of Escape from Mount Gram (I'll probably netdeck the rest of this cycle, actually). I had heard there was some element of loosing all your stuff and rescuing it going on here, so I did a quick Google search for recommended decks to tackle this one. The first result was Escape From Mount Gram Nightmare Deck Fun by Lecitadin. No hearts or stars, but it looked like it would be a blast to play for this one. The idea is to get Elrond loaded up ASAP with Strider & Resourceful, then start rescuing a capture deck full of allies.
Escape From Mount Gram Nightmare Deck Fun
by Lecitadin
Heroes
Aragorn (The Watcher in the Water)
Elrond (Shadow and Flame)
Treebeard (The Treason of Saruman)
Allies
Ithilien Archer x2
Ithilien Lookout x2
Mirkwood Explorer x2
Mirkwood Pioneer x3
Mirdwood Runner x2
Warden of Healing x2
Robin Smallburrow x1
Arwen Undomiel (The Watcher in the Water) x3
Escort from Edoras x2
Galadriel's Handmaiden x2
Silvan Refugee x2
West Road Traveler x3
Snowbourn Scout x3
Warden of Helm's Deep x3
Defender of Ramas x3
Galadhon Archer x2
Honour Guard x2
Attachments
Resourceful x3
Strider x3
Events
Daeron's Runes x3
The Evening Star x3
Sets Used
Core
A Journey to Rhosgobl
Return to Mirkwood
The Watcher in the Water
The Long Dark
Foundations of Stone
Shadow and Flame
Heirs of Numenor
The Druadan Forest
Encounter at Amon Din
The Dunland Trap
The Nin-in-Eilph
Celebrimbor's Secret
The Antlered Crown
The Treason of Saruman
The Wastes of Eriador
The Grey Havens
The Thing in the Depths
The Drowned Ruins
RingsDB Link
The Journey & Recap
And we've found another addition to my favorite quest collection. Escape has such a unique feel to it and opens up some very creative space for deck building. I had a blast, blew the deck away, and did that while seriously handicapping myself! The whole game I was waiting for the moment when I would get my out-of-play face-down hero back. Then I was thinking you only get 2 heroes the whole quest (which would be unique; not knowing which 2 you would be able to run). Then I re-read the rules and realized the hero not shuffled into my capture deck was supposed to be placed on top of it. Well I think we can safely say this deck is amazing for the quest when it can hold its own running one hero for four rounds and only two heroes for the remainder of the game.
With an early Strider and Resourceful x2 out on Elrond, I began slowly building up an army early on. The Evening Star was a great addition to help out in a pinch. Once I was down to only having two cards captured under stage 2, I began questing only for what was in the staging area and, once that was fully clear, not questing at all. The 1-3 threat per round was more than a fair trade for the opportunity to rescue a new ally. While I could have played this out a little more, I finally advanced to stage 3 and wrapped up the game in a few rounds with 12 allies living to tell the tale.
Final Scoring
7 Completed Rounds x11: 110
Ending Threat: 38
Total Damage on Heroes: 3 (Treebeard)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: 0
Total Score: 161
Quest 40: The Wastes of Eriador
Victory on the First Attempt!
The Deck
Alright, so my attempt to elicit feedback on my Three Hunters attempt did not take off. And that is on me! Updating a blog every 1-2 months and not really participating in the game's community is not a winning strategy to get people engaged.
So I decided to take the as-is deck out for a blind spin against The Wastes of Eriador. This was my first time heavily utilizing cards from The Sands of Harad and I, unsurprisingly, found that Unlikely Friendship was as amazing as it seemed like it would be. The regular cost of keeping Legolas and Gimli in their prime (one resource and one card) proved to be an unfounded fear, often thanks to Friendship and Elven-light. Once everyone had a little bit of kit on them (defense for Gimli, willpower & attack for Legolas, a lot of willpower and a little attack for Aragorn), questing heavily and surviving combat was not a concern. Having such strong heroes made it beneficial to reserve cards for their use and being more thoughtful in how many resources to hold back (vs. just trying to play out my hand). This philosophy also gave credit to my theory that Inspiring Presence can do some great work in this deck. While the card is best for multi-player, you'll often have all three heroes ready for combat and being able to pull off a stronger defense and attack for even one combat can come in handy.
For this specific quest (and possibly for this cycle?), A Test of Will and Dunedain Remedy would have been great inclusions. Captain's Wisdom is a great card I debated but ultimately did not miss. Maybe a great early play but its benefit would have decreased sharply as the scenario went on. I won, but it was often a matter of having exactly the amount of action advantage I needed to keep my head above water.
While Aragorn was usually pretty skilled at readying himself, I did forget that Gimli and Legolas can ready any hero (just without the willpower or attack bonus). Note to self for future decks with them. They're just so good together that it's easy to get a bit myopic!
The bottom line is that this deck performed well, was a blast to play, and will probably hit my table again down the line.
The Journey
My opening hand honestly should have been a mulligan: Celebrian's Stone, Inspiring Presence, Dunedain Mark, Faramir, Gandalf, Dunedain Warning. I should have looked for Unlikely Friendship, Elven-light, or Steward of Gondor. Especially since my strategy was to take advantage of Gimli & Legolas' abilities. But on we went.
Excited to get rolling and let my heroes' skills shine, I revealed my starting encounter card: Cold from Angmar. Wut. Someone needs to get nerfed right off the bat? Not in the plan. The weakest ability at this point is Gimli's, so on him the damage goes and Cold gets attached to what looks like it will be a very long quest stage.
It takes me until round 6 to get through stage 1, somewhat due to a Sudden Darkness coming up an throwing off my rhythm. By this point Gimli is a defense beast with two Dwarven Shields and a Duendain Warning. Legolas has a Mirkwood Long-knife and Aragorn has Celebrian's Stone, The Sword That Was Broken, Steward of Gondor, and a Dunedain Warning. The machine is alive!
Locations lock never hits me and enemies are usually by themselves. Moving onto stage 3 was a bit harry, with a Blood-thirsty Warg, Wolf of Angmar, and the Pack Leader engaging me (and exhausting three of my characters). Sneaking in Gandalf for a Wolf of Angmar kill saved me loosing a hero (but man it was hard to not use all 4 of his damage points). The next turn I drew into Fili who fetched Kili and gave me some bodies to use as chumps while I wreaked face on the Wolf of Angmar, finishing him off (and winning the quest) by laying down Gandalf again at the start of the next round.
Final Scoring
7 Completed Rounds x11: 110
Ending Threat: 48
Total Damage on Heroes: 6 (Gimli: 3, Legolas: 1, Aragorn: 2)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: -3 (Pack Leader)
Total Score: 161
The Recap
Nightfall & Daybreak is an amazing mechanic. Often new mechanics just bring an extra layer of punishment to the game (looking at you, Time X). But here we have a real threat (an extra encounter card, deadlier enemies, and often other negative effects) alternating with a bonus (space to quest hard, weaker enemies, and additional benefits like willpower). This made even bad Nightfall rounds just a setback to endure with hope around the corner. Switching from day to night and back also gave the quest more of an epic feel for me. This was not simply a few rounds of smashing face, but a race with our heroes surging forward during the day & fighting off the hoards at night.
We've got a big winner here in my books. Big enough to (hopefully?) get me playing a bit more frequently. Other "lifestyle" games have been taking the majority of my time lately. Wastes has reminded me that, while still challenging, Lord of the Rings: the Card Game can be an absolute blast as well. My only regret is that I still have quite a backlog to work through and probably shouldn't spend the next month or so just replaying this quest.
(Note: And I finally got around to playing against an encounter card illustrated by Preston Stone!)
The Deck
Alright, so my attempt to elicit feedback on my Three Hunters attempt did not take off. And that is on me! Updating a blog every 1-2 months and not really participating in the game's community is not a winning strategy to get people engaged.
So I decided to take the as-is deck out for a blind spin against The Wastes of Eriador. This was my first time heavily utilizing cards from The Sands of Harad and I, unsurprisingly, found that Unlikely Friendship was as amazing as it seemed like it would be. The regular cost of keeping Legolas and Gimli in their prime (one resource and one card) proved to be an unfounded fear, often thanks to Friendship and Elven-light. Once everyone had a little bit of kit on them (defense for Gimli, willpower & attack for Legolas, a lot of willpower and a little attack for Aragorn), questing heavily and surviving combat was not a concern. Having such strong heroes made it beneficial to reserve cards for their use and being more thoughtful in how many resources to hold back (vs. just trying to play out my hand). This philosophy also gave credit to my theory that Inspiring Presence can do some great work in this deck. While the card is best for multi-player, you'll often have all three heroes ready for combat and being able to pull off a stronger defense and attack for even one combat can come in handy.
For this specific quest (and possibly for this cycle?), A Test of Will and Dunedain Remedy would have been great inclusions. Captain's Wisdom is a great card I debated but ultimately did not miss. Maybe a great early play but its benefit would have decreased sharply as the scenario went on. I won, but it was often a matter of having exactly the amount of action advantage I needed to keep my head above water.
While Aragorn was usually pretty skilled at readying himself, I did forget that Gimli and Legolas can ready any hero (just without the willpower or attack bonus). Note to self for future decks with them. They're just so good together that it's easy to get a bit myopic!
The bottom line is that this deck performed well, was a blast to play, and will probably hit my table again down the line.
The Journey
My opening hand honestly should have been a mulligan: Celebrian's Stone, Inspiring Presence, Dunedain Mark, Faramir, Gandalf, Dunedain Warning. I should have looked for Unlikely Friendship, Elven-light, or Steward of Gondor. Especially since my strategy was to take advantage of Gimli & Legolas' abilities. But on we went.
Excited to get rolling and let my heroes' skills shine, I revealed my starting encounter card: Cold from Angmar. Wut. Someone needs to get nerfed right off the bat? Not in the plan. The weakest ability at this point is Gimli's, so on him the damage goes and Cold gets attached to what looks like it will be a very long quest stage.
It takes me until round 6 to get through stage 1, somewhat due to a Sudden Darkness coming up an throwing off my rhythm. By this point Gimli is a defense beast with two Dwarven Shields and a Duendain Warning. Legolas has a Mirkwood Long-knife and Aragorn has Celebrian's Stone, The Sword That Was Broken, Steward of Gondor, and a Dunedain Warning. The machine is alive!
Locations lock never hits me and enemies are usually by themselves. Moving onto stage 3 was a bit harry, with a Blood-thirsty Warg, Wolf of Angmar, and the Pack Leader engaging me (and exhausting three of my characters). Sneaking in Gandalf for a Wolf of Angmar kill saved me loosing a hero (but man it was hard to not use all 4 of his damage points). The next turn I drew into Fili who fetched Kili and gave me some bodies to use as chumps while I wreaked face on the Wolf of Angmar, finishing him off (and winning the quest) by laying down Gandalf again at the start of the next round.
Final Scoring
7 Completed Rounds x11: 110
Ending Threat: 48
Total Damage on Heroes: 6 (Gimli: 3, Legolas: 1, Aragorn: 2)
Threat of Defeated Heroes: 0
Victory Display: -3 (Pack Leader)
Total Score: 161
The Recap
Nightfall & Daybreak is an amazing mechanic. Often new mechanics just bring an extra layer of punishment to the game (looking at you, Time X). But here we have a real threat (an extra encounter card, deadlier enemies, and often other negative effects) alternating with a bonus (space to quest hard, weaker enemies, and additional benefits like willpower). This made even bad Nightfall rounds just a setback to endure with hope around the corner. Switching from day to night and back also gave the quest more of an epic feel for me. This was not simply a few rounds of smashing face, but a race with our heroes surging forward during the day & fighting off the hoards at night.
We've got a big winner here in my books. Big enough to (hopefully?) get me playing a bit more frequently. Other "lifestyle" games have been taking the majority of my time lately. Wastes has reminded me that, while still challenging, Lord of the Rings: the Card Game can be an absolute blast as well. My only regret is that I still have quite a backlog to work through and probably shouldn't spend the next month or so just replaying this quest.
(Note: And I finally got around to playing against an encounter card illustrated by Preston Stone!)
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