Beat Escape from Dol Guldur solo

By Strategian, in Strategy and deck-building

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Combos with Gandalf and Sneak Attack or Gandalf and Ever Vigilant were key. For once, I primarily used Gandalf's ability to draw cards.

Second key combo was Dunhere tricked out with multiple copies each of Unexpected Courage and Spear of the Mark.

Steward of Gondor on Sam paid for everything ... not thematic, I know (the first version of this deck had Leadership Boromir instead of Sam).

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Nicely done! I've spent a lot of time with that quest, in both regular and Nightmare mode, and it definitely takes a lot of effort to come up with a deck for it. Feel proud!

One of my favorite combos is to use Saruman to cancel the Nazgul and then just quest like mad on the last turn. I've used that trick many-a-time to end the game before it was too late!

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On 10 settembre 2017 at 2:33 PM, Strategian said:

This low threat/staging area attack deck beat Escape from Dol Guldur solo (one handed). My threat was 49, the score was 214, it took 16 turns and Dunhere was lost to a treachery during the final quest phase (in the very moment of victory), but it was a win nonetheless.

http://www.ringsdb.com/decklist/view/6308/defeated-efdg-low-threat-staging-area-attack-1.0

Congratulations, very well done!
In late, I know, but I've just read the post.

I won Escape from Dul Guldur too for the first time one week ago.
I've got only the Core Set still now, so I can't use your deck build, but I love the idea of a "low threat/staging area attack deck" to try another escape in solo.

Your victory is like mine in the score, and in the end ( I escape in round 16, loosing Gimli just before); two of the keys the same too :sneak attack and gandalf (for 15 threat reduction in my case) and steward of gondor; you use Dunhere well buffed and I use Legolas with double blades... Funny!

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Thanks for commenting ... I'd love to see your decklist.

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8 hours ago, Strategian said:

Thanks for commenting ... I'd love to see your decklist.

I'd love to see other's builds to win in Dol Guldur too.

About mine 50 cards deck... Nothing special : I mixed Leadership and Tattic core cards, discarding all archery allies and events, the expensive longbeard dwarfs, and the useless thicket of spears. 3xGandalf and 4 Spirit cards(Galadhrim, dwarf tomb, UC) if Celebrian come, and go.

Not exactly a winning deck for Dol Guldur, because I try again and again , hoping to have Aragorn and Legolas to rescue Gimli and a nice start hand.
I'm learning how to play defeat after defeat...

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On 10/16/2017 at 4:51 AM, Moradir said:

I'd love to see other's builds to win in Dol Guldur too.

Here are mine from several years back (using Core set only). Different decks posted in different posts in the same thread.

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Dol Guldur was a special obsession of mine for a while two years ago. I really wanted to be able to win consistently regardless of which Hero was chosen as the captive. This was my solution from back then:

http://ringsdb.com/deck/view/22076

I also took on the Nightmare version of the quest on as part of my Thematic Nightmare series on my blog. Things got... a little out of hand. I played the same quest over and over again pretty much nonstop for weeks.

https://darklingdoor.wordpress.com/2016/11/12/escape-from-dol-guldur-quest-analysis/

Edited by Authraw
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Thx all guys,
you did a great work in the last years, I'm pleasantly impressed. I like this quest, it is so challenging. This post is a little well of science with your links, I will read it every time before any " Ok , let's try to win Escape from Dol Guldur now!" ;)

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Authraw -> I don't see any second article as announced so how did this end against the nightmare?

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Thanks a lot! Your deck look really like my secrecy mono spirit: http://ringsdb.com/deck/view/67007

Doing this amount of test against Dol Guldur nightmare was something I want to do since a long time but I alway delay it. I play it a lot at the time when he was released and I wasn't able to pass it using the deck I owned. I finally build a deck just to beat it and I success within like 8 try. And then I win on turn 2 ( http://www.cardgamedb.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17838-mono-lore-combo-beat-dol-guldur-nighmare-turn-two-and-others-scenarios-on-turn-one/#entry130296) . But it was a combo deck that don't work anymore because of errata. Then I managed to win it again with Vilya deck when Gandalf was released then with Caldara when Prince Imrahil was released. But I want to know more about how my deck manage this adventure.

Your action probably give me enough motivation to finally did it. However I will probably no build especially against him because this is not something I like... except if I find combo who work as well as the previous one against him ^^.

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So I start playing. I got my first victory after 6 defeat on the very beginning (I reach the turn three only once) with my vilya deck. Special thought for the one were I have to exhaust two character on the setup then the only ready hero was captured and I have to deal with three enemies on the combat phase ^^. Until now I never get my weakest hero (Arwen Undomiel prisoner) but it was most about the luck on the first revealed card and the efficiency of my firsts vilya activation that matter.

I will probably write also an article after playtest a lot like you did :).

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Awesome! Gives me hope that a White Council themed solution is out there somewhere.

You might consider playing to at least 2 wins rather than just taking the first; I think my first win was on game 5 or something, but it took me tons more tries to get the second one. In my experience there's a lot of variability in the way the setup shakes out that can really make or break a run.

Post the link here when you're done! I'd love to read it.

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I will play a lot more with this deck. It is just that my 6 looses takes 20 minutes (for all of them) but then my winning ones takes one hour so then I haven't time to do any other today ^^.

My Gandalf / Elrond / Arwen is probably my best solo deck. He take down major part of the nightmare very easily and is the only deck I know who is great against absolutely any adventures. He have no major weakness, even if a lot of decks are better on some point or another. As far I know Arwen wasn't part of the white council. But Glorfindel is among the people who might be in this (there is not a real list of the white council member). And his spirit version is a good replacement for Arwen (I even prefer it when I play on multiplayer). So I think taht a white council theme is not only possible but even absolutely competitive :).

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You where kind of right. It took me 10 additional games to win another one. I don't know if I was lucky on the encounter (pretty hard to be objective on that point) but about the prisoner I wasn't since the less important hero (Arwen) was prisoner only 2 times on 17 :x.

I still have a pattern on my wins: I alway use elrond counsel to get my threat under the engagement level of the enemies. That why I'm pretty sure that Glorfindel hero is better than Arwen on this quest. First because if I loose this hero I have a -4 threat discount, then because it allow me to have a great target to light of valinor no matter who is my prisoner. And I think in this case having Arwen ally and Asfaloth is better than Glorfindel ally. Arwen ability is great as usual though but I can't, as usual, don't look my threat and engage all enemies.

But I stay on my idea: I will play the deck on this classic version so I keep Arwen. But if you're still interested by the white council you may want to know this point ;).

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Nice work Rouxxor! Gandalf will be very happy with the actions of the White Council.

I will try a second victory in normal mode using Core x1 cards and Aragorn Legolas and Gimli us heroes . First victory was on 19ยบ attempt so 5,26% for now. Hoping to have another chance...

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@Moradir I finally come to give you my feedback of this old session. I was using this deck (or a very similar version): http://ringsdb.com/deck/view/43432. It is my regular decklist (the same with I do the saga campaign for example), so I don't have no specific deckbuild.

I manage to win 4 times in 51 games (I want to play only 50 but I miscount ^^), so 7,84% of wins.

At first I think that the best situation was to loose Arwen. After all this game I prefer Gandalf to be the prisoner. When Elrond was prisoner my chance to win are very low I think.
I got 20 Gandalf prisoner, 16 Arwen and 15 Elrond.

I already know that the Spider of Dol Guldur is nasty but I never realized how much. No matter how good my start was I stand no chance if I see one on the first 3 turn. No matter if it in shadow or during the quest. A lot of threat, surge, a very low engagement cost, attack at 3, very hard to kill, a shadow effect that kill any character in any enemies. All this taking separately is okay but not if you put them together. Dark Interrogation during setup or turn one that request to me to discard almost all my hand was also a game over. So as Sentinel of Shadow was generally in turn one. Those cards push really too much the game to an impossible early game and later they have almost no effects.

A common case to defeat was to be engaged by 5 enemies on the first two turns. I'm only allowed to play one ally per turn and lose one hero. Mercy Dol Guldur, mercy :(

My high threat was a problem and draw a lot of elrond counsel was something that help me go to the end. On another hand I need alternative way to put more cards in play and a lot of willpower or it is nonsense to let enemies in the staging area. And it doesn't do any change when a spider of dol guldur come.

Here is a brief resume of each game:

I note each time wich hero was captured. When I have to choose during setup (so before hero was captured) a hero to exhaustI select the hero I want to be captured. Average situation (exhaust my best hero so whatever happens I'm not too bad) was not enough in this case. When I write "T1" it mean "Turn one"

1- Gandalf
2- Gandalf
3- Elrond
4- Elrond 2 king spider on set up, I discard my hand and finally the prisoner was the only untap hero xD
5- Elrond
6- Elrond
WIN! 7- Gandalf Play 2 elrond's counsel on early and let the enemies on the staging area and put many willpower with allies before to engage enemies only when I can kill them on the same turn.
8- Arwen I got a good hand but a spider of Dol Guldur was enough to beat me
9- Elrond I have a good turn one and was happy because the win seem possible even with the worst prisoner. But a spider of Dol Guldur in shadow kill an hero and so my dreams.
10- Elrond 6 enemies on turn one. \o/
11- Gandalf spider of Dol Guldur on shadow kill me a hero turn one. I still believe it for a few more turns but I finally get beated because you just can't go with only one hero on Dol Guldur NM ^^
12- Elrond Way too more lore cards in hand without any pipe
13- Gandalf What beat one spider of dol Guldur? Two spider of Dol Guldur? Fair enough
14- Gandalf And what now? 3 spider of dol guldur in shadow on turn 5? Okay
15- Elrond Just 4 enemies on turn one
16- Arwen sentinel of shadow bring a Nazgul turn one
WIN! 17- Gandalf Still playing elrond's counsel to be undercover.
WIN! 18- Gandalf 2 torture chamber and another location on turn one. If you need a lot of willpower I'm the deck of the situation. I sacrifice Arwen to be able to rush the win.
19- Elrond Arwen was exhausted and I can't handle the only two enemies of the turn one
20- Elrond 2 spider of Dol Guldur turn one
21- Arwen 2 treachery with no effect and a spider of dol guldur during setup. In this cas I can deal with it ^^. But a Ungolian infant on turn 2 was too much for me.
22- Arwen 2 spider of Dol Guldur T1
23- Gandalf spider of Dol Guldur, 15 threat in the staging area and need to block 3 attack on the turn one :x.
24- Arwen Have a difficult turn one but get crush by shadows on turn two
25- Gandalf T1 sentinel of shadow bring a Nazgul turn one
26- Arwen T1 Spider of Dol Guldur
27- Arwen T1 Spider of Dol Guldur, discard my hands and 3 locations
28- Elrond T1 spider on shadow
29- Arwen, T2 spider on dol guldur so I get 4 enemies engaged with me
30- Arwen Have a start with elrond counsel and other good cards to play turn one just like my two first win. But I reveal a ungoliant spawn turn one and a spider of dol guldur turn 2.
31- Arwen T1 spider of Dol Guldur in shadow kill me a hero
32- Gandalf T2 spider of Dol Guldur in shadow kill me a hero
33- Gandalf 2 spider of dol guldur on turn 2
34- Gandalf Perfect start (empty staging area on set up) but I reveal an enemy, that enemy have a spider of gol guldur shadow who kill Arwen so I have only my Elrond and loose 3 turns later
35- Gandalf T1 spider of dol guldur T2 a shadow kill Arwen
36- Gandalf 3 enemies turn 2, a spider of dol guldur turn three finish this situation
37- Gandalf spider of dul guldur and I lost my hand turn one
38- Arwen T1 spider of dol guldur so I have 4 enemies that engage me turn one.
39- Elrond Torture chamber + 2 maze turn one, a spider of dol guldur turn 2.
40- Elrond five cards in the staging area turn only
41- Elrond spider of dol guldur turn one
WIN! 42- Arwen My threat go up too quickly (was at 49 turn 3 or 4) but then I totally control the game with jubayr and firyal and reduce my threat
43- Gandalf ungoliant spawn turn one
44- Gandalf torture master on shadow on an undefended attack turn one capture a second hero
45- Elrond 4 enemies turn one because of escape of dol guldur
46- Gandalf 6 cards in the staging are turn one
47- Arwen shadow cards discard all my cards in play (vilya, light of valinor, imladris stargazer) on the first two turns
48- Arwen Good start but get crush by a spider of gol guldur
49- Arwen Nazgul turn one
50- Gandalf Nazgul turn one
51- Arwen 4 enemies on turn one

Edited by Rouxxor