Just curious about how most players tackle new decks/expansions...

When you play an adventure pack or expansion for the first time, do you...

a) first study all the new cards (hero, player and encounter) before playing in order to design as strong a deck as possible?

Or

b) do you prefer to simply play with a deck you have previously used successfully against other scenarios, and allow yourself to be surprised by what the new pack/expansion throws at you, and make adjustments afterwards?

Or

c) do some research to find out what other decks players have come up with and try one of those without testing a deck of your own making first?

Or

d) Have a different approach (please elaborate)?

I have purchased the whole Mirkwood cycle as well as the Khazad-Dum expansion, but haven't played either yet… I'm still having fun with my single Core set! But I suspect that my approach will be "b" above (perhaps allowing for a few substitutions if I find some particularly interesting heroes/cards in the new pack/expansion, even if I don't know what the encounter deck will throw at me)… I like the idea of being surprised and learning as I go, and if necessary researching other player decks if I'm really getting my butt whupped non-stop.

What about you?

Definitely B. I do use small sideboards for my two decks however so I do look at the encounter cards before hand and decide which sideboard cards I will substitute in if any (and which cards to take out for the sideboard cards; ones that wont work well in the quest). I prefer the encounter deck having a bit more bite and aside from lets say Battle of Lake Town or something similar hate building a deck just for a certain quest.

Generally B, but we had soooooooo long to wait this time that I looked at all the available spoilers.

Generally B, but we had soooooooo long to wait this time that I looked at all the available spoilers.

Yeah same, already know which sideboard cards I plan to use, what cards I want to see in my starting hand and the strategy I'm going to use. Going to try get Arwen and Treebeard out early as the allies i'll keep when progressing from stage 1 to 2 and will focus on Dunedain Marks and Dunedain Warnings instead of weapons which stage 2 will discard, can't save weapons either due to the discard your hand effect in stage 1.

Events like Feint and Ever Vigilant will be very useful considering how combat heavy the quest is and the limit on your allies. Same with forest snare and ranger spikes, I definitely plan to Forest Snare some Dunland Chieftains so that the only boss strength enemy is the unique Boar clan chief.

B... I use an old deck and play the quest blind. In some cases I'll make a new deck that I *think* might work for the new quest based on the theme (like, do I expect a flood of enemies or more locations?). But I generally do not look at encounter cards before playing.

I build a new deck, assuming any of the new player cards interest me. Then play blind. The wait for new cards is to long as it is.. there is no stopping me making a new deck as soon as I get them

I'm the same as Boored, I am always excited to use the new player cards. I almost make a new deck every time I play.

Then I play through the scenario blind. Sometimes the strategy of the new cards works on the new scenario but not always. I then often have to make a deck that can beat the scenario. Winning to me isn't as important as exploring the new mechanics of the player cards.

I'm a B. As of recent, I look at zero spoilers. I seem to have a lot more self control than others. Its so amazing to have a brand new pack in your hands and have NO clue what amazing things might be inside. Players can basically pick to open their pack online by looking at all the card spoilers, or then can look at no spoilers and open their pack by hand and examine the cards for the first time in person. It think the latter is far more exciting choice.

B for me.

I love a lot that moment

Huh. I always flip through the encounter cards before doing a quest, or read a few spoilers to know what kinds of things are necessary. (Like some healing to get through The Drúadan Forest. Or minimal card draw for The Fords of Isen.)

But I don't tend to pay too much attention to the quest phases before I get to them.

I only review and incorporate the new player cards for the pack only. I always let the encounter cards be a surprise (often leading to building a new deck).

(Like some healing to get through The Drúadan Forest.)

Why do you need healing for the Druadan Forest? I've never needed it.

(Like some healing to get through The Drúadan Forest.)

Why do you need healing for the Druadan Forest? I've never needed it.

(Like some healing to get through The Drúadan Forest.)

Why do you need healing for the Druadan Forest? I've never needed it.

All the nasty archery damage!

Only two enemies in that set have archery. So I usually only get one or possibly two of the archery enemies each game. That hardly does anything....

The location that gives enemies archery can get really nasty.

Only two enemies in that set have archery. So I usually only get one or possibly two of the archery enemies each game. That hardly does anything....

Are you playing solo one-handed? The archery damage ramps up ridiculously as you add players.

Only two enemies in that set have archery. So I usually only get one or possibly two of the archery enemies each game. That hardly does anything....

Are you playing solo one-handed? The archery damage ramps up ridiculously as you add players.

I play by my self mostly. One Handed. About once a month, I get together with a couple friends and we play. We have done both Druadan Forest and TLD twice. Both times on each quest it was easy. Never ran into trouble. And we DID NOT build powerful decks. Just average. However, we have played all the quests 3 player and the ones we had lots of trouble on were:

1. Assault on Osgiliath

2. Blood of Gondor

3. Morgul Vale

4. To catch an Orc

Each of the above we played multiple times WITH powerful decks and still lost bad. All other quests were no problem though.

When I get a new pack I look through all the player cards, get super excited and add the coolest cards to a currently designed deck of mine. I also quickly browse through the encounter cards just to see the artwork and what kind of enemies and such there are but I don't read the cards entirely since I like being surprised and losing for the first time I play that quest.