After some interesting discussion on another post (and a while ago) about campaigns, I thought I would post up two decks that I've been running through the Saga campaign, and which I finally completed the 9th quest with recently - each scenario took only one attempt with the exceptions of Helm's Deep and Journey in the Dark. These decks utterly stomped the rest. They're unusual decks for me in that I've actually played them a lot (I tend to change up decks all the time) so they're a little more carefully built than usual. But I'm interested to see what others make of them - I'm always open to comments on how to improve.

Some comment first: deck 1 started with Haldir, who then sacrificed himself to the Balrog, and was replaced by Rossiel - this meant that the deck lost a lot of attachments for Haldir, and ended up gaining some encounter deck manipulation and Burning Brand. In campaign there are obviously some boons around, but the decks don't actually need them to function. More thoughts to follow each deck.

Deck 1

Heroes (Threat 27) + 1 in campaign

Gandalf

Rossiel

Glorfindel

Allies (x17)

Bofur (spirit) x 2

Bilbo Baggins x 2

Arwen x 2

Ethir Swordsman x 3

Warden of Healing x 3

Elrond x 2

Treebeard x 3

Attachments (x17)

Light of Valinor x 3

Expert Treasure Hunter x 3

Burning Brand x 2

Horn of Gondor x 1

Rivendell Blade x 2

Wizard’s Pipe x 2

Gandalf’s Staff x 2

Shadowfax x 2

Events (x15)

Test of Will x 3

Elrond’s Counsel x 3

Daeron’s Runes x 3

Leave No Trace x 3

Keen as Lances x 3

Side Quests (x1)

Scout Ahead x 1

TOTAL = 50

Sideboard

Curious Brandybuck x 3

Power of Orthanc x 2

Gather Information x 1

Double Back x 1

This deck is designed to bump each hero into a strong build, with a few allies picked around support and questing. The key attachments are LoV and Wizard's Pipe or Shadowfax. With any of those in play, the deck hums quite nicely, and can quest very heavily once set up. It's not such a hard one to describe!

In campaign, Glorfindel has both Noble Hero and Leader of Men, making resources not a problem. I try to keep out of sphere cards to a minimum, so only 3 tactics cards, and no Steward of Gondor as Gandalf's Staff and Horn of Gondor usually do enough!

In quests with a lot of conditions, I add in Power of Orthanc, and some quests, like Helm's Deep, in which locations may not leave play, or where locations are made into active locations at odd times, Curious Brandybuck has been surprisingly effective.

Once upon a time I had a lot of high cost cards and Flame of Anor, but it never really payed off - except in one game in which Landroval saved Eomer, giving me a surprise victory against Weathertop Hills. But in the end this more focused deck was more potent.

Deck 2

Heroes (Threat 31) + 1 in campaign

Theoden (spirit)

Galadriel

Eomer

Allies (x26)

West Road Traveller x 3

Escort from Edoras x 3

Riddermark’s Finest x 3

Westfold Horse Breeder x 3

Hama x 2

Elfhelm x 1

Eomund x 3

Honour Guard x 3

Westfold Outrider x 3

Guthlaf x 2

Attachments (x20)

Unexpected Courage x 3

Herugrim x 2

Ancient Mathom x 2

Mirror of Galadriel x 2

Firefoot x 2

Rohan Warhorse x 1

Captain of Gondor x 2

Secret Vigil x 3

Nenya x 3

Events (x3)

Ride to Ruin x 3

Side Quests (x1)

Scout Ahead x 1

TOTAL = 50

Sideboard

Double Back x 1

Gather Information x 1

This deck had one purpose at first: to abuse the lower cost allies and free questing on first round from Theoden and Galadriel. In the end, it actually became about Eomer being a combat beast, and the key cards are any of his attachments - even Nenya is not that important!

The aim is to play one ally per round at least, get Eomer kitted up (in campaign mode he gets Anduril to go with Valiant Warrior and Intimidation), and then largely chump-block to boost his attack. In campaigns he's been using Anduril to defend and then hit back, often killing two enemies in one attack thanks to Firefoot. Outside campaigns it's all about the combo of Firefoot and Rohan Warhorse, but in campaigns he gets whichever two attachments come out first.

The other unexpectedly important card is Hama for rounds of hefty defending - in the fight at Weathertop he ended up defending two Nazgul in a single round, saving my bacon, and then copy two popped up in the draw next round, so he defended the Nazgul twice more. I really cannot applaud him enough! In early scenarios an important pinch-hitter was actually Saruman, but sadly in the final 3 quests he had to be dropped. Getting a free quest out of him for 3, and then 5 attack could really make a difference - in Journey through the Dark I drew two trolls in the first round - he put one out of play, then helped kill the other. Epic.

Honour Guard was a pain to put in, as they're not cost reduced, but their ability to ignore archery on heroes is too good to pass up - once one or two are in play, that's all they do.

Deck 2 originally had a pile of Rohan events, but I ended up slowly cutting them out to leave a very slim events section. Both decks use Scout Ahead to fuel Rossiel, and I don't proxy cards, so no Snowmane in the deck (yet). Once Snowmane is released, I'm tempted to rebuild deck 2 to have tactics Theoden, and lose the ally advantage for more hero potency, but for the moment it works pretty well.

Anyway, I've enjoyed playing these two decks (which oddly tend not to play cards onto each other, but complement one another nicely in terms of relative strengths), and I hope they're of interest to someone.

Thanks for posting these. I'd be interested to see you revisions to Deck 2 with the new Delixe expansion cards. Also, why not Eowyn instead of Galadrial?

I'm looking forward to the new Deluxe expansion, but I never use cards before I have them in my hands, so I don't know what I'll change yet! It's partially a lack of time - I don't have that much time to play, so I focus on the stuff I can lay hands on (and can physically see as cards, rather than spoilers on the web). Snowmane for sure goes in, and I'm seriously thinking that could change the deck shape with Tactics Theoden, maybe. 3 questing AND 3 attack each round, with Herugrim for 6.

As to Eowyn vs Galadriel, honestly it was because the original idea was to get multiple actions from the endless avalanche of cheap allies. Eowyn gives good questing out of the gate, but the deck thrives on questing with a cheap ally, often only 1 or 0 cost, and then letting them each archery or an enemy attack to boost Eomer. The lack of that extra use on their first turn means that allies don't function quite right. It does sadly mean that Galadriel is partly only there for that purpose, but she also gives repeatable card draw and threat control, and the deck starts at 31, so it's pretty high already. I like that Galadriel makes that side of things more controlled, and the extra card often means I have one more ally to dump into play. Feed Eomer!!

And thanks for replying! I realise it's a very long post, and that often means people get put off replying (I know I do...).