Hi guys, recently i've come up with a pretty simple yet engaging challenge which will probably force you to use some cards that you've never used and rely less on consistent synergies and try to find combos in combinations of cards you would usually never use.

If you guys have ever played MTG you probably know already what this is about from the tiel but if you haven't i'll explain - you're going to be using a deck in which every card can only be included once and the deck itself is much larger - in case of LOTR LCG, i decided on 85 cards (it should be 83 based on proportions of usual highlander but 85 is an easier number to remember for the sake of the challenge).

Because LOTR is a cooperative game, the challenge is going to work a bit differently than in your usual pvp games, as the encounter deck itself won't change because you're playing another format. I suggest to just treat it as a harder variant of the game rather than something that needs to be balanced to the player deck to encounter deck strenght ratio is unchanged. It's for players that seek a deckbuilding and gameplay challenge.

Let's see what we can come up with. Share your decks and scores against particular scenarios!

I already try to play only one exemplar of each card, but it was with 50 cards, in a vilya deck with some tutors. Then I try still with 50 cards, but only with unique attachments and allies. This time I go with a Noldor.

Those two strategies may work well also in this case. I will see if I can take a little time to make a try for you challenge later ;).

I try to play most of my decks with one copy of each unique card save from certain outliers like (Vilya, Treebeard or Light of Valinor). An 85 cards deck sounds quite slow though. Have you had any test runs already?

2 hours ago, Rouxxor said:

I already try to play only one exemplar of each card, but it was with 50 cards, in a vilya deck with some tutors. Then I try still with 50 cards, but only with unique attachments and allies. This time I go with a Noldor.

Those two strategies may work well also in this case. I will see if I can take a little time to make a try for you challenge later ;).

I have also done the 50-card version, with Vilya, then good-stuff Theodred/Eowyn/Beravor. I'm curious if people can come up with anything more interesting than "1x of a bunch of tutors and draw, then 1x of a bunch of generally good cards".

In noldor it is much more a "I draw tons of cards anyway", the only card that make a real differences are to the sea! to the sea and steward of gondor because resources generation rules. And eventually elven-light. It is less goodstuff than vilya since you play a lot of noldor stuff. But it may be harder to do a 85 instead of 50 cards deck.

With Gandalf/Elrond/Denethor you can have Heed the Dream, Word of Command, Gather information, and Vilya itself in your deck. Shouldn't be too hard to find one of those in 85 cards.

I agree. That's close to the build for 50 cards I build. And that fit exactly to the definition of many tutors and drawing element and the rest is good stuff cards.

You could also include Steward to put on Elrond, so with Gandalf and Denethor's resource you could still play up to a 5-cost ally off the top of your deck every turn if you don't find Vilya/tutors.