GAME 144 - A JOURNEY TO RHOSGOBEL

Heroes: Aragorn (Lore), Gandalf, Glorfindel.

I decided going into building this deck that (a) I would build a solo deck using Gandalf and (b) I would not use Legolas and Eowyn since they have been in just about all the decks I've built for this challenge. As it turns out the deck worked well, Gandalf is possibly wildly over-powerful and allowed me to win the game. In the end Wilyador was one ten wounds (after sacrificing two Wardens of Healing and a Daughter of Nimrodel to heal him and I had two Athalos so I scraped a win by powering through the stages as quickly as I could. Getting Asfaloth as the top card of the deck on turn one probably turned it from a narrow defeat into a narrow win.

My score was:

Rounds (5): 50

Threat: 36

Damage: 2 (on Aragorn)

VP: 2 (2 Flame of Arnor)

Total; 84.

GAME 145 - HILLS OF EMYN MULL
Heroes: Aragorn (Lore), Gandalf, Glorfindel.

This one was a drag because of the amount of enemies I had to deal with. Gandalf is wildly over-powerful. By the end of the game I had 16 cards in hand and 9 allies in play. My score was:

Completed Turns (11): 110

Threat: 32

Damage: 0

VP: 22.

Total: 120.

GAME 146 - THE DEAD MARSHES

Heroes; Aragorn (Lore), Gandalf, Glorfindel (Spirit).

This one went surprisingly well again, mostly because of Gandalf's massive over-powerfulness. I think I may go for a less broken hero combo next time since I want to try something Ranger-related since Wingfoot looks like a handy card and it gets kind of forgotten in the istari related shenanigans.

GAME 147 - RETURN TO MIRKWOOD

Heroes: Beravor, Boromir (Leadership) and Mablung

This one went catastrophically wrong, Being on 47 threat going into the refresh phase on turn three sealed my fate. I now remember why I tend to avoid Gondor decks like the plague.

GAMES 148 & 149 - RETURN TO MIRKWOOD

Heroes: Haldir of Lorien, Idraen and Mablung

This deck worked but I threated out because of my threat increasing by 4 per turn. I steadily made changes to the deck, learning from my mistakes until.

GAME 150 - RETURN TO MIRKWOOD

Heroes: Haldir of Lorien, Idraen and Mablung

I managed to get a win by a massive fluke. I managed to use three Core Gandalf's, three Elrond's Counsel's and two Galadhrim's Greetings to keep my threat low enough to manage to quest through to the end. In the end Mablung managed to survive long enough to complete the quest.

GAME 151 - INTO THE PIT

Heroes: Aragorn (Lore), Frodo Baggins, Glorfindel (Spirit).

This hero combo, thought up on a whim, seemed to work well. Even though I didn't get either Asfaloth or Henamarth Riversong into play the hero combo worked; Aragorn attacks and drops threat from 48 to 24, Frodo quests and takes undefended attacks and Glorfy quests and attacks. All in all, this is possibly the best no Eowyn or Legolas deck I've tried recently.

Turns (7): 70.

Threat: 25.

Dead Hero Threat: 0.

Damage: 0.

VP: 4.

Score: 91.

GAME 153 - STONE OF ERECH

Heroes: Celeborn, Galadriel and Glorfindel & Haldir of Lorien, Legolas & Mirlonde.

These decks are pretty darn strong. I went into the quest completely blind as to what I had in store and lost Legolas and Glorfindel before beating it in 8 turns (I guess, I was not taking notes but I had just swapped in Night so I guess that it was 8 turns). All in all, the decks are pretty nifty and I'm going to go back to the Hobbit mission and try all the quests with them.

Crank up the speedd! The year is almost over!

There are 43 days left in this year. So 1 game per day wouldnt make it. You need to do 4 games extra then!

I didn't start this until March this year so I've got 4 months to complete it. I'll probably keep writing up my games after I hit 200 games since it's been interesting to read through all the decks I've tried up until now.

Aha, didn´t know that. Then you´ll have some time left, I guess.

I joined a 100 game play challenge with LotR LCG, about a month ago, and completed it two days ago Here's the Spreadsheet I use to track my plays (in German, with some statistics):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FXc6V-Mg5XzPV_UIz-5rRFdB29AyCr6D2_1psmhtIBE/edit?usp=sharing

I also have a blog on BGG:

https://www.boardgamegeek.com/blog/3969

I think I might start to track the deck type (like "dwarf", "eagles" etc.) and heroes I use, too; I only recorded spheres to date.

100 games in a month, that's impressive.

GAME 155 – PASSAGE THROUGH MIRKWOOD

SET-UP

As will become standard for this run through the scenarios my heroes are Beregond, Eowyn and Legolas for a starting threat of 28. My starting hand is A Test Of Will, Defender of Rammas, Feint, Galadhon Archer, Song of Travel and Spear of the Citadel. I'll keep this hand.

The quest set-up is normal for this quest, Forest Spider and Old Forest Gate go in the staging area.

TURN ONE

To start off I add a resource to all my heroes and draw Black Arrow. In the planning phase I play Black Arrow on Legolas and Spear of the Citadel on Beregond before spending a resource each from Beregond and Legolas to play Galadhon Archer. Her ability does 1 point of damage on the Forest Spider.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn for 4 willpower. The staging draw is Mountains of Mirkwood for a total 5 threat. My threat value increases to 29.

in the travel phase I travel to Old Forest Road, using it's ability to refresh Eowyn.

After engaging the Forest Spider in the encounter phase the Spider gains a shadow card and attacks Beregond whose Spear of the Citadel does another damage to it. The shadow card is Black Forest Bats and has no effect and the Forest Spider's 3 attack does nothing to Beregond's 4 defence.

In retaliation Legolas attacks for 3, killing the Forest Spider and adding 2 progress to Old Forest Road.

At the end of the round I refresh my cards and increase my threat to 30.

TURN TWO

After adding a resource to all my heroes and drawing Gondorian Shield I attach the Gondorian Shield to Beregond the spend a resource from Eowyn to play Song of Travel on Legolas before I spend a resource from Legolas and Beregond to play Defender of Rammas.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn for 4 willpower while the staging draw is another Forest Spider for a total of 4 threat. No progress is made.

After skipping the travel phase I engage the Forest Spider and it attacks Beregond, then takes 1 wound because of Beregond's Spear of the Citadel. The Forest Spider's attack of 3 does nothing with Beregond's defence at 6.

In return, Legolas and the Galadhon Archer attack for 5, killing the Forest Spider then adding 1 progress to explore the Old Forest Road before adding 1 progress to stage 1B.

At the end of the round I refresh my cards then increase my threat to 31.

TURN THREE

After adding a resource to all my heroes I draw Gondorian Spearman. With the new resource I spend a resource from Legolas and Beregond to play Gondorian Spearman.

During Questing I commit Eowyn for 4 willpower and draw another Forest Spider for a total of 4 threat (I did shuffle the encounter deck). No progress is made again.

In the travel phase I travel to the Mountains of Mirkwood, drawing the top card of the encounter deck, a King Spider. In the encounter phase I engage both spiders, exhausting the Defender of Rammas and proceed to the combat phase.

The King Spider engages Beregond, suffering 1 wound from his Spear of the Citadel while the Forest Spider attacks Gondorian Spearman and also takes 1 wound. The King Spider's 3 attack does nothing to Beregond and the Forest Spider gets a boost of 1 extra attack from Dol Goldur Orcs and overkills the Gondorian Spearman.

In return, Legolas attacks the King Spider for 3, killing it and adding 2 progress to Mountains of Mirkwood. The Galadhon Archer attacks for 2, doing 1 damage to the Forest Spider.

With a empty staging area I refresh all my cards and increase my threat to 32.

TURN FOUR

After adding resources I draw Close Call (I did put Spirit cards into the deck) and skip planning. In the quest phase I commit Eowyn for 4 willpower and draw Old Forest Road for 1 threat. I add1 progress to explore Mountains of Mirkwood and 2 progress goes onto Stage 1B. Thanks to Mountains of Mirkwood I can search the top 5 cards of my deck and put 1 into my hand. I choose Ethir Swordsman and shuffle the others into my deck.

In the travel phase I travel to Old Forest Road, refreshing Eowyn.

Since I have a empty staging area I proceed to the combat phase where the Forest Spider attacks Beregond and suffers a third wound from Beregond's Spear of the Citadel before his 2 attack does nothing to the Gondorian defensive behemoth.

On the counter-attack Legolas kills the Forest Spider and adds 2 progress to Old Forest Road before I refresh all my cards and increase my threat to 33.

TURN FIVE

After adding resources and drawing Boromir I spend 2 resources from Eowyn to play Ethir Swordsman and 2 resources each from Beregond and Legolas to play Boromir.

During Questing I commit Eowyn and the Ethir Swordsman for a total of 6 willpower before drawing Dol Goldur Orcs for a total of 2 threat. I would have had to take 2 damage on Eowyn but I play Close Call to increase my threat to 35 instead. 1 progress explores the Old Forest Road and the other 3 progress goes onto stage 1B leaving me with 2 progress left.

In the encounter phase I engage the Dol Goldur Orcs who proceed to attack Beregond, taking 1 damage from Beregond's sharp pointy stick and doing nothing to the Gondor hero. In return, Legolas attacks and kills the Dol Goldur Orcs, his ability adding the 2 progress needed to proceed to stage 2.

At the end of the round I refresh everything and increase my threat to 36.

TURN SIX

After adding resources I draw Guthlaf before spending 1 resource each from Beregond and Legolas to play Guthlaf.

During the quest phase I commit Eowyn, Ethir Swordsman and Guthlaf for a total willpower of 7. Against this I draw East Bight Patrol for a total of 3. Of the 4 progress I made, 2 explored Stage 2B and the rest is lost. I then randomly select a Stage 3. I hit lucky, drawing Beorn's Path.

Since there are no locations in the staging area I proceed to the encounter phase where I have to engage the East Bight Patrol.

The East Bight Patrol attacks Beregond, taking 1 damage and doing nothing to Beregond. Again, Legolas attacks and kills the East Bight Patrol, adding 2 of 10 progress to stage 3B before I refresh everything and increase my threat to 37.

TURN SEVEN

After adding resources I draw Core Gandalf before again skipping planning.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn, Ethir Swordsman and Guthlaf for a total of 7 willpower. Against this I draw Hummerhorns for a total of 1 threat. 6 progress goes onto stage 3B for a total of 8 of 10 progress.

In the encounter phase I ignore the Hummerhorns and skip the combat phase before refreshing my cards and increasing my threat to 38.

TURN EIGHT

After adding resources I draw Galadriel's Handmaiden before spending 2 resources from Eowyn to play Galadriel's Handmaiden, reducing my threat to 37, then spend 1 resource from Eowyn and 2 resources each from Beregond and Legolas to play Gandalf. I then use his ability to do 4 damage to the Hummerhorns, killing them.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn, Ethir Swordsman, Guthlaf, Galadriel's Handmaiden and Gandalf for a impressive 13 willpower. Against this I draw The Necromancer's Reach which does 1 damage to Eowyn, Guthlaf and Gandalf and outright kills Ethir Swordsman and Galadriel's Handmaiden. My reduced willpower is 9 against the staging area's 0 meaning that I add 9 progress stage 3B, exploring it and winning the game.

In conclusion this deck works well against arguably the easiest quest in the game. Beregond is ridiculous once you get his shield and stick on him and Legolas didn't get a chance to do much more than kill enemies with his basic abilities after I put a few toys into the deck for him to use. Eowyn did what Eowyn always does, quested like her life depended on it and Boromir pretty much did nothing at all. He may be card box bound if he doesn't at least do something in the next couple of games.

My score was as follows:

Completed Turns (8): 80

Threat: 37

Wounds: 1 (on Eowyn due to the last turn Necromancer's Reach).

VP: 0

Total: 117.

GAME 157 – ESCAPE FROM DOL GOLDUR

For this, probably the most difficult quest in the game I use my standard Beregond, Eowyn and Legolas combo giving me a starting threat of 28. My starting hand is Defender of Rammas, Gandalf (Core), Citadel Plate, Guthlaf, Galadhon Archer and Spear of the Citadel. Since I have no idea what hero will be captured I keep this one.

Stage 1A tells me to place the three objective cards, guarded into the staging area; Dungeon Torch is guarded by Enchanted Stream, Shadow Key guarded by Dol Goldur Beastmaster and Gandalf's Map guarded by Driven By Shadow. This is only getting worse.

Stage 1B makes things even worse by having one of my heroes be captured; after random selection processes I wind up with Legolas as the captive, which is all kinds of bad. Guessing that this will end badly and quickly I proceed onwards.

TURN ONE

After adding resources I draw Galadriel's Handmaiden before I play a discounted Spear of the Citadel on Beregond.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn for 4 willpower. The staging draw is Iron Shackles, which goes on top of my deck but adds no threat. Since the threat total is 4 I add no progress.

In the travel phase I travel to Enchanted Stream with Dungeon Torch.

In the encounter phase I do not optionally engage anyone so there is no combat phase and I end the turn by refreshing my cards and increasing my threat to 29.

TURN TWO

After adding resources I discard Iron Shackles instead of drawing a card. I then spend 2 resources from Beregond to play Galadhon Archer and add 1 wound to Dol Goldur Beastmaster. I then spend 2 resources from Eowyn to play Galadriel's Handmaiden which reduces my threat back to 28.

in the quest phase I commit Eowyn and Galadriel's Handmaiden for 6 willpower. The staging draw is Dol Goldur Orcs for a total of 4 threat. 2 progress is made, which explored Enchanted Stream and means that I increase my threat back to 30 and attach it to Beregond.

Skipping the travel phase I optionally engage the Dol Goldur Orcs who attack Beregond and take 1 of 3 wounds from the Spear of the Citadel. The Orcs attack of 2 bounces off Beregond's 4 defence before the Galadhon Archer kills them with her 2 attack.

At the end of the turn I refresh everything and increase my threat to 33.

TURN THREE

After adding resources I draw Song of Battle and proceed to the planning stage where I do nothing.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn and Galadriel's Handmaiden for 6 willpower. The staging draw is Eyes of the Forest which forces me to discard nothing from my hand. The 2 total threat means that I make 4 of 9 progress towards stage 2.

Again skipping the travel phase I proceed to the encounter phase where I risk engaging the Dol Goldur Beastmaster. He then attacks Beregond and suffers a wound from Beregond's Spear, the Cavern Guardian shadow card returning Dungeon Torch to the staging area before Dol Goldur Beastmaster does no damage to Beregond.

Galadhon Archer then attacks the Dol Goldur Beastmaster, doing another point of damage to him.

To end the round I refresh my cards and put my threat up to 34.

TURN FOUR

After adding resources I draw Boromir before I spend 2 resources from Beregond to play Guthlaf.

In the quest phase I exhaust Eowyn, Galadriel's Handmaiden and Guthlaf for a total of 7 willpower. Against this I draw Hummerhorns for 1 threat. The 6 progress is enough to explore Stage 1B but I need to get one of the Objective cards to finish the stage.

I then skip travel and encounter, proceeding directly to the combat phase where the Dol Goldur Beastmaster attacks Beregond, taking another wound from Beregond's beating stick. The two shadow cards are useless and the Beastmaster does no damage. To deliver the coup de grace the Galadhon Archer, who has really delivered the goods so far this game, does the last point of damage to kill the Dol Goldur Beastmaster before I attach Gandalf's Map to Eowyn, raising my threat to 36 and moving on to stage 2B.

At the end of the round I refresh all my cards and increase my threat to 37.

TURN FIVE

To start off with I add a resource to my heroes and draw Gondorian Spearman before spending 1 resource from Eowyn to play Song Of Battle on her.

n the quest phase I exhaust Eowyn, Galadriel's Handmaiden and Guthlaf for a total of 7 willpower. Against this I draw Mountains of Mirkwood for a total of 3 threat. Of the 4 progress I make, the first progress realeases Legolas with 1 wound on him and adds the Nazgul of Dol Goldur to the staging area.

In the travel phase I travel to Mountains of Mirkwood and draw Under the Shadow, which has no effect.

In the encounter phase I risk engaging the Nazgul of Dol Goldur, who attacks Beregond, gaining a wound from Beregond's spear. Luckily there is no shadow effect and the Nazgul does no damage to Beregond. In return Legolas and the Galadhon Archer do 2 more damage to the Nazgul.

In the end of the round I refresh everyone and increase my threat to 38.

TURN SIX

To start I add a resource to my heroes and draw Rivendell Blade before I spend 1 resource from Legolas to play the Rivendell Blade on him then spend 2 resources from Beregond and 3 from Eowyn to play Core Gandalf, using his ability to kill the Hummerhorns and gain 5 VP.

In the quest phase I exhaust Eowyn and Galadriel's Handmaiden for a total of 6 willpower. Against that I draw Necromancer's Pass for 2 threat. Of the 4 progress I make, 3 explores Mountains of Mirkwood, allowing me to take another Galadhon Archer into my hand before the last progress goes on stage 2B.

During the travel phase I travel to the Necromancer's Pass, discarding Defender of Rammas and Citadel Plate.

Skipping the encounter phase I proceed to combat where the Nazgul attacks Beregond again and takes another point of damage from Beregond's Spear. Luckily there is no shadow effect and Beregond takes no damage. In return Legolas, Galadhon Archer, Guthlaf and Gandalf attack for a total of 10 damage which (with Legolas's Rivendell Blade) is more than enough to kill the Nazgul of Dol Goldur.

Buoyed up by killing the Nazgul, I increase my threat to 39 and discard Gandalf.

TURN SEVEN

After adding resources I draw Elven Mail before I spend a resource from Legolas and Beregond to play Galadhon Archer.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn, Galadriel's Handmaiden and Guthlaf for a total of 7 willpower. The staging draw is Caught In A Web, which I attach to Legolas for a total of 0 threat. The first 2 progress explores Necromancer's Pass and the other 5 goes onto stage 2B.

At the end of the turn I refresh and increase my threat to 40.

TURN EIGHT

As usual I add resources then draw Defender of Rammas before I spend 1 resource from Legolas and Beregond and 2 resources from Eowyn to play Boromir.

In the quest phase I commit Eowyn, Galadriel's Handmaiden and Guthlaf for a total of 7 willpower. The staging draw is Under the Shadow for a total threat of 1. Of the 6 progress made, 5 explores Stage 2B and I increase my threat to 44 to take the other 2 objectives and attach them to Legolas and Beregond before moving on to stage 3B.

At the end of the turn I refresh and discard the three objectives before increasing my threat to 45. This is troubling as it means that I am going to have to race through stage 3B.

TURN NINE

At the start of the turn I add resources and draw Defender of Rammas before proceeding tot he quest phase where I commit Legolas, Eowyn, Galadriel's Handmaiden, Guthlaf and Boromir for a total of 9 willpower. In order to win the quest I need to draw a card with less than 4 threat. I draw Caught in a Web, which attaches to Eowyn just as I manage to win the quest (presumably by Beregond and his allies dragging Eowyn and Legolas out of Dol Goldur, webbing and all).

I suspect I hit very lucky with this game. The hero combo is showing it's quality more and more as the quests get steadily more complicated and I've never had a deck complete EfDG on the first time. The score was:

Turns (9): 90

Threat: 45.

Damage: 1

VP: 5

Total: 131

I just beat my head against Dul Goldur for a while yesterday evening - wanted to win with my Outlands deck, but to no avail glad to see it's actually beatable!

Like I said, I hit lucky with the encounter deck. The nasty shadow cards invariably turned up as staging draws and vice versa. I've never managed to beat it first time with a deck before so I guess it was luck.

GAME 158 – THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM

After realising that the Beregond/Eowyn/Legolas combo has been used a whole lot of times since it is a powerhouse combo I decided to try a different approach.

I decided to go with a Scout based deck with Haldir of Lorien and Idraen as well as Bilbo Baggins for card draw. This gives me a total threat of 29.

My starting hand is Arwen Undomiel, Daughter of the Nimrodel x2, Galadriel's Handmaiden, Gandalf (Core) and Henamarth Riversong. Since it's got Henamarth Riversong in it I'll keep it.

The quest's set-up is relatively easy, I draw the top card from the encounter deck, Banks of the Anduin.

TURN ONE

At the start of the turn I add a resource to all my heroes and draw A Test Of Will and Gandalf (Core) before I spend 1 resource from Bilbo to pay for Henamarth Riversong. I then exhaust Henamarth to look at the top card of the encounter deck. It is a Signs of Gollum.

In the quest phase I commit Bilbo, Haldir and Idraen for a total of 5 willpower. Against that I draw, oddly enough, Signs of Gollum which is guarded by River Ninglor for a total of 3 threat. The 2 progress I make is added to stage 1B.

In the travel phase I travel to River Ninglor then skip the encounter and combat phases. At the end of the turn I refresh my cards and increase my threat to 30 before River Ninglor removes a progress from stage 1B.

TURN TWO

To start off I add resources and draw Self-Preservation and Warden of Healing. I then spend 1 resource each from Bilbo and Haldir to pay for Warden of Healing and 2 resources from Idraen to pay for Arwen Undomiel. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to look at the top of the encounter deck, Evil Storm.

Knowing what the next card is I commit Bilbo, Haldir, Idraen, the Warden of Healing and Arwen for a total of 8 willpower. The staging draw is Evil Storm, which has no effect and I make 8 progress, 4 of which explore River Ninglor (readying Idraen and adding the Signs of Gollum to Bilbo) and the other 4 go on stage 1B. Now that I read the full stage 1B I remember to look at the top 3 cards in the encounter deck and place Evil Storm into the staging area which, again, does nothing at all.

In the travel phase I travel to the Banks of the Anduin.

Skipping the encounter and combat phases I refresh all my cards and increase my threat to 31.

TURN THREE

As usual I add a resource to all my heroes and draw Cloak of Lorien and Song of Wisdom. I then spend 1 resource from Haldir to play Cloak of Lorien on him and spend 1 resource from Bilbo to play Song of Wisdom on Idraen. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to look at the top card of the encounter deck, River Ninglor.

Moving on to the quest phase, I once again commit Bilbo, Haldir, Idraen, the Warden of Healing and Arwen for a total of 8 willpower. The draw, unsurprisingly is River Ninglor for a total of 2 threat, meaning another 6 progress is made, 3 of which explores Banks of the Anduin and sends it to the top of the encounter deck as well as readying Idraen. The last 3 progress completes stage 1B and I proceed to stage 2B.

In the travel phase I travel to River Ninglor before skipping the encounter and combat phases before refreshing all my cards and increasing my threat to 32.

TURN FOUR

As usual the turn starts with me adding a resource to all my heroes and drawing Miner of the Iron Hills and Wingfoot. I then spend 1 resource from Haldir to play Wingfoot on Haldir as well as spending 2 resources from Idraen to play Galadriel's Handmaiden (reducing my threat to 31) before spending 2 resources from Bilbo and 1 resource from Haldir to pay for Daughter of the Nimrodel.

Proceeding to the quest phase I have to look at the top 2 cards of the encounter deck and put 1 into the staging area, I select the Banks of the Anduin. I then commit Haldir, Idraen, Warden of Healing, Arwen, Galadriel's Handmaiden and Daughter of the Nimrodel for a total of 11 willpower before choosing “Location”. The staging draw is Treacherous Fog, which adds 1 to the threat of Banks of the Anduin for a total of 2 threat. A whopping 9 progress is made, 4 explores River Ninglor and readies Idraen before the other 5 go onto stage 2B.

In the travel phase I travel to Banks of the Anduin before skipping the encounter and combat phases. I then refresh all my cards and increase my threat to 32.

TURN FIVE

At the start of the turn I add resources and draw two Ethir Swordsmen. Handy although I can't pay for them this turn.

Skipping the planning stage I proceed to the quest phase where, after putting Evil Storm into play and having a lower threat than the minimum threat to trigger it, discard the card. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to look at the top card of the encounter deck. It is pursued by Shadow so I will have to commit everyone to the quest to lower the threat increase. In order to do so I commit Bilbo, Haldir (naming Treachery for Wingfoot), Idraen, Warden of Healing, Arwen, Galadriel's Handmaiden and Daughter of Nimrodel for a total of 11 willpower. The staging draw is Pursued By Shadows. Haldir refreshes thanks to Wingfoot and Henamarth Riversong and I am forced to raise my threat to 33. The threat total is 0 so 11 progress is made. The first 3 progress explores Banks of the Anduin and return it to the top of the encounter deck before the next 8 progress explores Stage 2B and I move on to stage 3.

Thankfully I have a clue card attached to Bilbo so gameplay proceeds with me again skipping the encounter and combat phases and refreshing my cards before I increase my threat to 34. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to look at the top card of the encounter deck, it is Banks of the Anduin which means that I can, in theory win this in the next turn.

TURN SIX

To start the turn I add a resource to all my heroes before drawing Daeron's Runes and Galadhrim Minstrel. I then play Daeron's Runes, draw Erebor Hammersmith and Unexpected Courage and discard one of my Gandalf's. I then spend 2 resources each from Bilbo and Haldir and 1 resource from Idraen to play Core set Gandalf into play. I then use his ability to lower my threat to 29.

Proceeding to the quest phase I commit Bilbo, Haldir (guessing Location for Wingfoot), Idraen, Warden of Healing, Arwen, Galadriel's Handmaiden, Daughter of the Nimrodel and Gandalf for a grand total of 16 willpower. In response, the staging draw is Banks of the Anduin for a total of 1 threat. In a case of ridiculous amounts of overkill I make 15 progress, 7 more than is needed to complete stage 3B and win the quest.

In conclusion this deck worked remarkably well. I hit lucky by not having a fight in the whole game (I'm guessing there may have been something deeply wrong with the shuffle but I was filtering out any enemies in the first two stages using the quest effects and it seemed to work. One thing I noticed is that I can potentially have all my characters readying at one point or another in the round. The Henamarth Riversong – Wingfoot combo is nasty.

In the end, the total score was:

Turns (6): 60

Threat: 29

Damage: 0

VP: 0

Total: 89

GAME 159 – CONFLICT AT THE CARROCK

For this game I am going to try a deck I've never played before, a all-Gondor deck. The heroes will be Boromir (Leadership), Eleanor and Mablung for a total of 28 threat. My starting hand is A Test Of Will, Blood of Numenor, Envoy of Pelargir, Pelargir Ship Captain, Spear of the Citadel and Visionary Leadership.

Since I didn't get certain cards I mulligan, drawing Blood of Numenor, Envoy of Pelargir, Feint, Gandalf (Core), Gondorian Fire and Squire of the Citadel.

The set-up for the quest adds the Carrock to the staging area and I am ready to begin.

TURN ONE

As usual I start with adding a resource to all my heroes before I draw Steward of Gondor, I really couldn't ask for a better first turn draw.

In the planning stage I spend 1 resource each from Eleanor and Mablung to play Envoy of Pelargir, who adds a resource to Boromir. I then spend 2 resources from Boromir to play Steward of Gondor before exhausting it to add 2 resources to Boromir and remove 1 resource from Boromir to play Squire of the Citadel. I then play Blood of Numenor and Gondorian Fire on Boromir.

Proceeding to the quest phase I commit Mablung (for 2), Envoy of Pelargir (for 2) and Squire of the Citadel (for 1) for a total of 5 willpower.

Against that I draw Bee Pastures, which makes a total of 3 threat. 2 progress goes onto Stage 1B.

In the travel phase I travel to Bee Pastures, which allows me to search the encounter deck for Grimbeorn the Old.and place him into the staging area.

Skipping the encounter and combat phases I refresh all my cards and increase my threat to 29.

TURN TWO

I add a resource to all my heroes and draw Herald from Amorien. I then exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir.

In the planning phase I spend 1 resource from Boromir to put it on Grmbeorn the Old. I then spend 2 resources from Boromir to play Herald of Amorien.

In the quest phase I exhaust Mablung (for 2), Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1) and Herald of Amorien (for 2) for a total of 7 willpower.

Against that I draw Misty Mountain Goblins who make for a total of 4 threat. 3 progress is made, 2 of which explores Bee Pastures and 1 goes onto stage 1B.

Skipping the travel phase the Misty Mountains Goblins engage me which adds 1 resouce to Mablung.

In the combat phase I defend with Eleanor who, after a useless shadow card, takes no damage although I lose a progress from stage 1B, which at this point isn't necessarily a bad thing, Boromir attacks for 3, doing 2 damage to the Goblins.

At the end of the turn I refresh all my cards before increasing my threat to 30 and removing a resource from Boromir to add it to Grimbeorn the Old.

TURN THREE

After adding a resource to my heroes I exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir and draw Errand-Rider. I then spend 1 resource from Boromir to play Errand-Rider, then exhaust it to move a resource from Mablung to Boromir and transfer a resource from Boromir to Grimbeorn the Old.

In the quest phase I commit Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1) and Herald of Amorien (for 2) for a total 5 willpower.

Against this I draw Goblin Sniper for a total of 4 threat. 1 progress goes onto stage 1B.

Skipping the travel phase I risk engaging the Goblin Sniper, which adds a resource to Mablung.

In the combat phase the Misty Mountains Goblins attack Eleanor, who takes no damage although again I lose 1 progress from stage 1B.

The Goblin Sniper attacks Mablung, who again takes no damage. In response Boromir attacks the Goblin Sniper and kills him.

At the end of the round I refresh my cards before increasing my threat to 31 and transferring a resource from Boromir to Grimbeorn the Old.

TURN FOUR

At the start of the turn I add a resource to all my heroes and draw another Feint. I then exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir before transferring another resource from Boromir to Grimbeorn the Old.

In the planning phase I remove 2 resources from Eleanor and 3 from Mablung to pay for Gandalf (Core). I then use his ability to drop my threat to 26.

During the quest phase I commit Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1) and Herald of Amorien (for 2) for a total 5 willpower.

Against this I draw Muck Adder for a total of 3 threat. 2 progress is made against stage 1B before Boromir then transfers a resource to Grimbeorn the Old.

Skipping the travel phase the Muck Adder engages me (as usual adding a resource to Mablung).

In the combat phase the Muck Adder attack Gandalf doing no damage and the Misty Mountain Goblins attack Mablung, removing 1 progress from Stage 1B and doing no damage. In response Boromir and Eleanor attack for 4, killing the Muck Adder. Boromir then transfers a resource to Grimbeorn the Old.

At the end of the turn I refresh all my cards and increase my threat to 27 before Boromir transfers a resource to Grimbeorn the Old and he becomes a ally. Gandalf then is discarded.

TURN FIVE

To begin the turn I add a resource to all my heroes before drawing Defender of Rammas. I then exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir before spending 2 resources from Mablung to play Defender of Rammas.

In the quest phase I commit Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1), Herald of Amorien (for 2) and Errand-Rider (for 1) for a total of 6 willpower. The staging draw is Banks of the Anduin for a total of 3 threat. 3 progress goes onto stage 1B before I travel to Banks of the Anduin.

Skipping the encounter phase the Misty Mountain Goblins attack Defender of Rammas (removing a progress from Stage 1B). I get lucky as the shadow card is a Hill Troll and has no effect. The Goblins do no damage and Boromir finally kills them.

At the end of the turn I refresh everything and increase my threat to 28.

TURN SIX

To start the turn I add a resource to all my heroes and draw another Herald of Amorien. I then exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir. I then spend 2 resources from Boromir to play Herald of Amorien.

In the quest phase I commit Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1), Herald of Amorien (for 2), another Herald of Amorien (for 2) and Errand-Rider (for 1) for a total of 8 willpower.

Against this I draw Roasted Slowly, which is negated by Eleanor and dicarded. The replacement is another Muck-Adder. The total threat is 3, meaning that 5 progress is made. The first 3 progress explores Banks of the Anduin and sends it to the top of the encounter deck. The other 2 finally completes stage 1B.

At this point the Carrock becomes the active location and I proceed to stage 2B. Louis, Morris, Rupert and Stuart come into play, thankfully with 34 threat I have a round or two to whittle down their numbers.

Speaking of which, after skipping the travel phase I am forced to engage the Muck-Adder (which adds another resource to Mablung) and optionally engage Stuart.

In the combat phase the Muck-Adder attacks the Defender of Rammas and does no damage. Stuart then attacks Grimbeorn the Old and does 1 damage to him. In return, Boromir pays 1 resource to activate Gondorian Fire and add 4 to his attack. Boromir, Mablung and Grimbeorn then attack for 13, killing Stuart.

At the end of the turn I refresh my cards and increase my threat to 29.

TURN SEVEN

At the start of the turn I add a resource to all my heroes before drawing A Test Of Will. I then exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir.

In the quest phase I commit Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1), Herald of Amorien (for 2), another Herald of Amorien (for 2) and Errand-Rider (for 1) for a total of 8 willpower. Against that I draw Oak Wood Grove, which means that the threat total is also 8. No progress is made.

After skipping the travel phase I optionally engage Morris (and add a resource to Mablung). Morris's attack on Grimbeorn is Feinted at the cost of 1 resource from Mablung and the Muck-Adder's attack on Defender of Rammas does no damage. In response, Borormir removes a resource to trigger Gondorian Fire before Boromir and Grimbeorn the Old attack for 13, killing Morris.

At the end of the round I refresh my cards and increase my threat to 30.

TURN EIGHT

At the start of the turn I add a resource to all my heroes before drawing Gandalf (Core). I then exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir. Before spending 3 resources from Mablung and 2 for Eleanor to play Gandalf, who then does 4 damage to the Muck-Adder, killing it.

In the quest phase I commit Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1), Herald of Amorien (for 2), another Herald of Amorien (for 2), Gandalf (for 4) and Errand-Rider (for 1) for a total of 12 willpower.

Countering that, I draw Bee Pastures for a total of 7 threat. 5 progress is made and goes onto The Carrock.

Once again skipping the travel phase I optionally engage Rupert whose attack on Grimbeorn is Feinted at the cost of 1 resource from Mablung. Boromir Borormir removes a resource to trigger Gondorian Fire before Boromir and Grimbeorn the Old attack for 15, more than killing Rupert.

At the end of the turn I refresh all my cards before raising my threat to 31 and discarding Gandalf.

TURN NINE

At the start of the turn I add a attachment to all my heroes before drawing another Herald of Amorien. I then exhaust Steward of Gondor to add 2 resources to Boromir. I then spend 2 resources from Boromir to play the last Herald of Amorien.

In the quest phase I commit Envoy of Pelargir (for 2), Squire of the Citadel (for 1), Herald of Amorien (for 2), another Herald of Amorien (for 2) and another Herald of Amorien (for 2) for a total of 9 wilpower.

In response I draw Sacked! Which I negate by exhausting Eleanor. The replacement is Despair which has no effect. The total threat is 5, meaning that 4 progress is made. The first explores the Carrock and the next one completes stage 2B. All I have to do is kill Louis to complete the quest.

After skipping travel I optionally engage Louis who attacks Grimbeorn the Old for 4, doing no damage. In response Boromir spends a resource to trigger Gondorian Fire, which gives him a unholy 11 attack and, alongside Grimbeorn the Old does 15 damage to Louis, thoroughly killing him and winning the quest.

In conclusion, this deck is ridiculous once I get Steward of Gondor under Boromir his stats can be boosted to a ridiculous amount by Gondorian Fire and Blood of Numenor. Also my questing was boosted greatly by Boromir's ability (the main reason why I didn't go Eleanor/Imrahil/Tactics Boromir). Mablung was generating a lot of resources but I drew relatively few Tactics cards to play them on and Eleanor's suffered from the same problem but her ability was handy on the few occasions I needed to use it (although there are some scenarios where it will be so useful). All in all, I'm starting to wonder why I never built a Gondor deck before.

GAMES 160-162 - A JOURNEY TO RHOSGOBEL

These three tries confirmed why I've tended to avoid all-Gondor decks over the years. I either ran out of threat or ran out of wounds on Wilyador and by the time I had finished the third game (having switched out Boromir for Faramir) I was thoroughly sick of the whole all-Gondor idea.

I'm going to try something else next time.

GAME 164 – HILLS OF EMYN MUL

For this game I am using the exact same hero line-up as last time; Spirit Glorfindel, Haldir of Lorien and Idraen for a starting threat of 25.

My starting hand is Cloak of Lorien, Gandalf (Core), Lore of Imladris, Lorien Guide, Radagast (who I could have sworn I had removed since I played last) and Wingfoot.

Since I didn't get a certain elven horse I mulligan and draw Cloak of Lorien, Gandalf (Core) x2, Henamarth Riversong, Ithilien Archer and Power of Orthanc.

Quest set-up is adding Amon-Lhaw and Amon-Hen to the staging area.

TURN ONE: THREAT: 25. VP: 0.

To get the show on the road I addded resources to all my heroes and drew Song of Wisdom.

I then spent 1 resource from Haldir to play Henamarth Riversong before Idrain spent 1 resource to play Song of Wisdom on herself. I then exhausted Henamarth Riversong to look at the top card of the encounter deck, namely Rockslide.

In the quest phase I commit Glorfindel for 3 (adding 1 to my threat) and Idraen for 2 for a total of 5 willpower. Unsurprisingly the draw is Rockslide which does 2 damage to Glorfindel and Idraen. The threat total is 4 so I make 1 progress on Stage 1A.

In the travel phase I travel to Amon Hen and cannot play events.

Skipping the encounter and combat phases I refresh everything and increase my threat.

TURN TWO: THREAT 27, VP: 0

To start the turn I added resources to all my heroes and drew Galadhrim Minstrel. I then exhausted Henamarth Riversog to look at the top card of the encounter deck, Rauros Falls.

Skipping the planning phase I proceeded to the quest phase where I committed Glorfindel for 3 (increasing my threat), Haldir for 2 and Idraen for 2 for a total of 7 willpower.

The draw is Rauros Falls for a total of 4 threat. 3 progress goes onto Amon Hen.

Skipping the encounter and combat phases I proceed to end the turn by refreshing and increasing my threat.

TURN THREE: THREAT: 29. VP: 0.

As usual I started by adding a resource to my heroes and drew another Song of Wisdom. I then spent 1 resource from Haldir to play Song of Wisdom on Glorfindel. I then spent 2 resources from Glorfindel to play Galadhrim Minstrel who allows me to search the top 5 cards of my deck for a event, Elrond's Counsel. I then spent 3 resources from Idraen to play Ithilien Archer.

After doing a whole lot of planning I exhausted Henamarth Riversong to look at the top card of the encounter deck, namely Necromancer's Pass.

Knowing what to expect I commit Glorfindel for 3 (increasing my threat), Haldir for 2, Idraen for 2. Galadhrim Minstrel for 2 and Ithilien Archer for 1 for a total of 10 willpower.

The draw is Necromancer's Pass for a total of 7 threat, meaning that the 3 progress explores Amon Hen and sends it to the victory display while readying Idraen.

Having made some progress I travelled to Amon-Lhaw before skipping the rest of the round and refreshing before increasing my threat.

TURN FOUR: THREAT: 31. VP: 5.

To start this turn I added resources to all my heroes before drawing Asfaloth, cue my happy face as I can finally kick this quest into high gear.

In the planning stage I spent 2 resources from Haldir to play Asfaloth on Glorfindel. Although I can't use it right now it's going to be able to cut the amount of turns I'll need to finish this quest. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to look at the top encounter card, namely The Necromancer's Reach. This is going to take some planning.

In the quest phase I committed Glorfindel for 3 (adding to my threat) and played Elrond's Counsel to add 1 to Glorfindel's willpower while cutting my threat. The willpower total was 4.

The encounter draw was The Necromancer's Reach, which did another point of damage on Glorfindel. The threat total is 5 so I raise my threat again.

To end the turn I refresh all my cards before raising my threat again.

TURN FIVE: THREAT: 34, VP: 5.

To start the turn I added resources to all my heroes before drawing Arwen Undomiel. I then spend 1 resource each from Glorfindel and Idraen to play Arwen Undomiel. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to see that the top card in the encounter deck is The East Wall Of Rohan.

Knowing that I can safely go all in in the quest phase I committed Glorfindel for 3 (adding to my threat), Haldir for 2 Idraen for 2, Galadhrim Minstrel for 2, Ithilien Archer for 1 and Arwen Undomiel for 2 for a total of 12 willpower.

The draw is the East Wall Of Rohan for a total of 9 threat. 3 progress goes on Amon-Lhaw.

To end the turn I refresh all my cards before raising my threat again.

TURN SIX: THREAT: 36. VP: 5.

To start the turn I added resources before drawing Self-Preservation. I then spend all the resources on my heroes to play Gandalf who immediately cuts my threat by 5. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to see that the top encounter card is The Highlands.

Proceeding to questing I committed Glorfindel for 3 (adding to my threat), Haldir for 2 Idraen for 2, Galadhrim Minstrel for 2, Ithilien Archer for 1, Arwen Undomiel for 2 and Gandalf for 4 for a total of 16 willpower.

The encounter draw is The Hightlands for a total of 10 threat. 6 progress is made, which is more than enough to explore Amon-Lhaw, refresh Idraen and send Amon-Lhaw to the victory display.

Since I now can use attachments Asfaloth exhausts to explore the East Wall Of Rohan and add it to the vicory display.

I then travel to the Rauros Falls.

To end the turn I refresh all my cards before raising my threat again and discarding Gandalf.

TURN SEVEN; THREAT: 33, VP: 13.

At the start of the turn I added resources before drawing Radagast. I then spend 1 resource from all my heroes to play Self-Preservation on Glorfindel, who then exhausts it to heal him completely. I then exhaust Henamarth Riversong to see that the top card of the deck is The North Star.

Forewarned, I am forced to commit Glorfindel (raising my threat) for 3, Haldir for 2, Idraen for 2, Galadhrim Minstrel for 1, Ithilien Archer for 1 and Arwen for 2 for a total willpower of 11. I then exhausted Asfaloth to explore Necromancer's Pass and refresh Idraen.

The draw is the North Stair and the total threat is 4. I make 7 progress and explore Rauros Falls.

I then travelled to The North Stair.

To end the turn I refresh all my cards before raising my threat again.

TURN EIGHT: THREAT: 35. VP: 16.

To start the turn I added a resource to my heroes and drew Ithilien Archer. I then spent 1 resource from each hero to play another Ithilien Archer before exhausting Henamarth Riversong to see that Slick Footing is the top card in the deck and exhaust Asfaloth to explore the Highlands.

In the quest phase I committed Glorfindel (raising my threat) for 3, Haldir for 2, Idraen for 2, Galadhrim Minstrel for 1, two Ithilien Archers for 2 and Arwen for 2 for a total of 12 willpower.

The encounter draw is Slick Footing for no effect. The 12 progress explores the North Stair which means that I have made 20 victory points and win the quest.

This quest is very different from the last one. I really needed to get Asfaloth at the start of the game but I managed to get through due to the ridiculous amount of questers in this deck.

GAME 165 – THE DEAD MARSHES

Once again, I used my Glorfindel (Spirit), Haldir of Lorien & Idraen combo for a starting threat of 25. My opening hand was Daughter of the Nimrode x2l, Elrond's Counsel, Gandalf (Core) x2 and Henamarth Riversong.

Since I didn't get Light of Valinor I mulligan'd, drawing Erebor Hammersmith, Light of Valinor, Lorien Guide, Northern Tracker, Self-Preservation and Song of Wisdom.

Set-up consists of adding Gollum to the staging area and drawing Wolf Rider to the staging area.

[Turn One – Threat: 25. Stage 1A progress remaining: 12]

To start the game I added a resource to all my heroes before drawing Cloak of Lorien to my hand.

I then spent 1 resource from Glorfindel to play Light of Valinor.

In the quest phase I committed Glorfindel for 3 willpower before drawing Nightfall and making a 2 card escape test. I exhaust Glorfindel for 3 willpower before drawing another Nightfall and the Heart of the Marshes for a total of 3 escape so I fail the escape test.

As a result I added 1 resource to Gollum and added 2 to my threat. On the other had I made 2 progress towards stage 1B.

After skipping the travel phase I engaged the Wolf Rider, who attacked Idraen for 2, doing no damage.

At the end of the turn I exhausted Haldir for 2 willpower before making an escape test. The draw was The Brown Lands, meaning that I passed the test. I then ended the the turn by refreshing my cards and raising my threat.

[Turn Two – Threat: 28. Stage 1A progress remaining: 10]

At the beginning of the turn I added a resource to my heroes before drawing A Test Of Will. I then spent 2 resources from Idraen and 1 resource from Glorfindel to play Lorien Guide and 2 resources from Haldir to play Erebor Hammersmith.

In the quest phase I again committed Glorfindel for 3 willpower before drawing Despair, which removed the 2 progress from stage 1A before adding another 3 for succesfully questing.

After skipping the travel and encounter phases the Wolf Rider attacked Idraen, doing 1 damage to her due to a Wargs shadow card. In return, Haldir attacked for 2, killing the Wolf Rider.

At the end of the turn I exhaust Glorfindel for 3 willpower before making an escape test and drawing Hill Troll, meaning that I passed the escape test. I then refreshed my cards before raising my threat.

[Turn Three – Threat: 29. Stage 1A progress remaining: 9]

To start the turn I added a resource to my heroes before drawing Elrond's Counsel.

Skipping planning I proceeded to the quest phase where I committed Glorfindel (for 3), the Lorien Guide (for 1) and the Erebor Hammersmith (for 1) for a total of 5 willpower.

The draw was Goblin Sniper for a total of 2 threat. Another 3 progress is added to stage 1B.

Skipping the travel phase I engage the Goblin Sniper and he attacks Idraen for 2 and doing no damage. Haldir then attack him for 2, killing him.

At the end of the turn I exhaust Glorfindel for 3 willpower and drawing Marsh-Adder for nothing meaning that I win the escape test. I then refreshed my cards and increased my threat.

[Turn Four – Threat: 30. Stage 1A progress remaining: 6]

As usual I started the round by adding a resource to my heroes before drawing Lorien Guide.

In the planning phase I spent 2 resources each from Glorfindel and Idraen to play Northern Tracker.

In the quest phase I committed Glorfindel (for 3), Lorien Guide (for 1), Erebor Hammersmith (for 1) and Northern Guide (for 1) for a total of 6 willpower.

The draw was Fens and Mires for a total of 2 willpower. 4 progress is placed on stage 1B.

In the travel phase I risk travelling to Fens and Mires, adding a resource to Gollum.

After skipping encounter and combat I committed Glorfindel for 3 before drawing Great Marsh Worm, which means that I won the escape test before refreshing my cards and increasing my threat.

[Turn Five – Threat: 31. Stage 1A progress remaining: 2]

To start with I added a resource to my heroes and drew Lore of Imladris. I then spent 3 resources from Haldir to play Self-Preservation on Idraen.

In the quest phase I committed Glorfindel for 3, Lorien Guide for 1 (adding a progress to Fens and Mires), Erebor Hammersmith for 1 and Northern Tracker for 1, giving me a total of 6 willpower.

The draw was A Wind of Pale Sheen which I exhausted Haldir to only have to add 1 resource to Gollum. I made 6 progress, 1 eplored Fens and Mires, the next 2 completed stage 1B.

Skipping the travel, encounter and combat phases I exhausted Glorfindel for a total of 3 willpower before drawing Fens and Marshes and passing the escape test. I then exhausted Self-Preservation to heal the wound on Idraen before I refreshed my cards and raised my threat.

[Turn Six – Threat: 32. Stage 2B progress remaining: 3]

To start the turn I added resources to my heroes before drawing Cloak of Lorien. Knowing that this might be the last turn of the game I spent all the resources on Glorfindel and Idraen to play another Lorien Guide.

Proceeding to the quest phase I committed Glorfindel for 3, 2 Lorien Guides for 2, Erebor Hammersmith for 1 and Northern Tracker for a total of 7 willpower.

The draw was Eastern Crows for 1 threat. 6 progress was made and added to stage 2B, completing it and meaning that I have to survive a three-card escape test. I commit Glorfindel for 3, Haldir for 2 and Idraen for 2 before playing Elrond's Counsel to add another willpower and reduce my threat.

The three cards drawn were Evil Storm for 0, The East Bight for 0 and The Light Of The Dead for 5 giving it a total of 5. With the escape test passed I complete the quest.

Glorfindel really shows his quality (so to speak) in the quest. The ability to quest then solve escape tests is probably the main reason why I won this quest (added to the lack of enemies coming out of the encounter deck).