oh and this is for any quest not just for 2 (tho tbh i havent tried 3rd quest yet that might be harder)

Ramas said:

One of the game points is to stop using preconstructed decks and start constructing decks in such a way to best the scenario.

Why would I want to cripple my deck and remove the joy of thinking while constructing it?

For me it's half of the game.

How are you completting a quest on turn 3 when you can only make one quest success each turn and the first quest requres 8 successes to go on to quest 2?

Legolas and Gondolin Blade allow you to add progress to the quest outside of the quest phase. The second part of the Mirkwood quest only requires 2 progress, so it's possible to complete both in a single turn (although it would still be hard to complete the whole thing in 3 turns).

@Vigerus: For me as well. You can add some extra fun with constructing your own encounter decks.

I get the impression that not too many people have played the 3-4 player with tournament legal decks versus Journey Down the Anduin and Escape from Dol Guldor? The challenge is a heap crazier than going with the simple starter decks. For me this has been a great challenge, as this gets your deck building tightened up to tackle the higher-end stuff.

Maybe we (my friends and I) just really suck at deck building, or perhaps we have had poor luck, but we are fining the last two quests to be satisfyingly challenging!

Attemts at soloing Journey down the Anduin have been all met with failure at this stage...but I don't get much time to play atm.

Escape from Dol Guldur was another faceroll :|

Had to exchange the resources on Gloin with a 20-sided-dice as we ran out of counters -.-

Hey Guys, I have tried to travel through Mirkwood with several different deck combos playing solo, and the game keeps kicking my butt! Any tips?

DurinIII said:

What kind of deck you use???? You cannot defeat first quest???? I give you my deck list with this one you cam easy take off first and second quests. Third one is the problem for solo but for 2 players is not a problem either. Now already people around have couple of powerfull deck which is win 90% of the games. Quite boring. If hunt for gollum dont change it game will lose a lot of loyal players.

Deck list:

Total Cards (50)

Hero (3)
Eowyn (Core) x1
Gimli (Core) x1
Theodred (Core) x1

Ally (11)
Faramir (Core) x2
Gandalf (Core) x3
Northern Tracker (Core) x3
Lorien Guide (Core) x3

Attachment (14)
Celebrian's Stone (Core) x2
Citadel Plate (Core) x3
Dwarven Axe (Core) x3
Steward of Gondor (Core) x3
Unexpected Courage (Core) x3

Event (25)
A Test of Will (Core) x3
Dwarven Tomb (Core) x2
Feint (Core) x3
Quick Strike (Core) x3
Sneak Attack (Core) x3
Stand and Fight (Core) x3
The Galadhrim's Greeting (Core) x3
Valiant Sacrifice (Core) x2
Hasty Stroke (Core) x3

Strategy: Gimly is killing machine. With plate, axe and U.courage on him he is unbeaten. he can make 12 damage is enough to kill any enemy in the game for now with one strike. Quick strike kill them even before they can come close.
Theodred for quest and add resources to heroes.He can died in the end if need it.
Eowyn she is for quest and counter some nasty with hasty stroke and test of will(and reduce treat with galadrimes greatings).
Faramir for quest and Gandalf depend of situation.Kill, draw, reduce treat.
Use 1d6 dice when you play the game. Making mistake add 1 to dice. In the end of the game you can see how many mistake you done. Tracking your mistake make you better player in the future.

Glaurung said:

Why don't you try and find decks along a different theme or with different heroes that perform equally well against the existing scenarios? As this game is co-operative it's going to be relatively simple to build a single deck that beats a single scenario, but surely the appeal of this game is try to different combinations of heroes and cards and see if you can do equally well with those decks?

I'm not sure FFG should waste too much time trying to make more and more difficult scenarios just to stop playing with that killer deck from being "boring". Someone is always going to be able to build a killer deck to defeat the next adventure pack that comes out, but if people are only playing with that killer deck then surely those people are a bit boring (or perhaps not suited to the game) rather than the game itself being boring?

pumpkin said:

First i dind build up the deck against certine scenario. I just build up deck try to thinking about all aspects of the game. And the killer deck cannot exist in good balanced game. Here is lot of mistakes of the designers.

Yes you can have a good deck but...... you cannot win 90 %!!!! this is not right sorry!!!! There is problem with balance. What encounter deck can make against you if you have half on the deck in your hand and lot of resources???? Right nothing. So this is boring becouse in the game in the basements there is fondations mistakes. There is so much draw without any restrictions. I waiting for tournaments!!! I want to see different ideas of decks and strategys. But for now is not much of them and game on the tournaments is just about the schores. We play to win or to make our threat level zero??? The game must give you feeling of the fight and dangerous journey, you must to feel fear of the enemies. But here i just thing how to get points from him. And this is Tolkien!!!!

Yesterday we play with my friends coop. Crazy we cannot lose. Ok yes you can reveal more encounter cards in staging but i wonna play by rules, i prepare my self for serious tournaments, playing worldcups and nationals. I use to do it for years when i use to play Magic and Lotr tcg form Decipher. So as i say if they don make better balance of the game this game will be only for home fun play. But i not for that.

Glaurung said:

A few questions...

Yes Gimli can do 12 damage, but thats only 1 hit away from death, have you never been hit with a 1 hit that kills him unexpectedly?

You have 3 different sphere heroes, do you have no issues getting enough resource of the right type to play the cards you want? sure you have steward, but that's unique so is only usable on one hero and Theodred, which also helps, but on average how many cards can you play per turn?

I can see that your allies are based for questing or getting rid of locations, but what are you blocking attacks with?

Cheers

I need to pack my solo deck with more allies to give me chump blockers so I'd be interested to see how you are avoiding the need for that, thanks.

pumpkin said:

I say Gimly can be 12 by attack but i dont mean this is idea for any game. Sometimes he can sometimes not. And i have in my hand all the time hasty stroke or test of will by Eowyn to prevent all problem. If you dont have play Dwarven tomb to get in back from discard.

the sateward of gondor you put on Eowyn. And only for her. +Stone to make her +2 spirit and all of U.courage is for gimly. Theodred is only for add resources. gimy is a main guy in the strategy. Than when you have enough resources you dont care anymore.

there is also a trick with stand and fight and northern tracker. You discard him in quest phase for make her +1will power and than play him with stand and fight and commit him to the quest as well to get rid of location.

When you get Faramir You can quest easy for 20 around 20 per turn + you explore location. This deck is interesting to play you can still lose. But another spiri/lore/leadership is so powerfull!!! you cannot lose with this one!!!!!! i hate this!!! is to ubalance the game. try this one . This is not my deck but this deck is number one and this deck make game a boring and easy.

Total Cards (50)

Hero (3)
Beravor (Core) x1
Gloin (Core) x1
Eowyn (Core) x1

Ally (20)
Gandalf (Core) x3
Brok Ironfist (Core) x1
Faramir (Core) x2
Snowbourn Scout (Core) x3
Daughter of the Nimrodel (Core) x2
Erebor Hammersmith (Core) x3
Gleowine (Core) x2
Henamarth Riversong (Core) x2
Miner of the Iron Hills (Core) x2

Attachment (16)
Celebrian's Stone (Core) x2
Steward of Gondor (Core) x3
Dark Knowledge (Core) x1
Forest Snare (Core) x3
Protector of Lorien (Core) x1
Self Preservation (Core) x1
Unexpected Courage (Core) x3
The Favor of the Lady (Core) x2

Event (14)
Ever Vigilant (Core) x2
Sneak Attack (Core) x3
Dwarven Tomb (Core) x1
Hasty Stroke (Core) x3
A Test of Will (Core) x3
Will of the West (Core) x2

This deck is almost impposible to lose. And this is not right!!!! should be balance in the game. Try both decks and tell me what you think.

hey Glaudrung,

I think you mentioned before that you own 3 or 4 core sets, although I am not sure now if the deck you posted above needs more than one deck (i assume so, but bare with me please because i don't have all the cards in my mind now ). My question is similar to pumpkin's: Why do people buy and use let's say 3-4 core decks to build one SUPER deck and than complain about a too low difficulty?

I will simply suggest that the game was not inteded to be played with 1-2 player with more than one core set, because its simply wirtten on the packing "1-2 players". for 3-4 player games 1-2 additional core sets surely make sense, that is another thing.

You still get plenty off different deck building options, not even thinking about the mass of cards with the future expansions...

that is my opinion I get so far from ready other people's experience with more than one or let's say 2 core sets.

Glaurung said:

So in your first deck that only has a few allies who does the blocking?

pumpkin said:

Hmmmm yes there is few of them. And mostly you dont need to block either. Gimly wit U. Courage can block and attack Twice.+ you have feinn, quick strike and hasty stroke to be sure everything is under control. Test of will for any nasty revealed effect and dwarfen tomp to get it back. Faramir is very good for questing, gandalf and sneak attack + 3 stand and fight (steward on Eowyn) + Theodred give her resources in quiest if you need more. She can make in 1 round 4 resources.

P.S. i have some chat with the guy who is get already Hunt for Gollum. He say is really difficult and interessting. Dont worry man this is difficult 4. But of you compare core scenarios this difficult 7 up. Im happy.

Iver said:

I own 2 sets and my friend own 2 sets too. There is doesn matter how many sets you own. We talking about balance of the game.

So if you look on the game from perspective to play against core quest with 50 cards dual or three sphere decks the quest will be boring and easy. But if you play with mono starters decks this is a challenge. I chat wit a guy who have Hunt for gollum. And he explane me a lot.

So i understand now the real challenge lies ahead with adv. packs. And than you proff deck will meet a real dangerous!!!! Core set i just a introduction.

Glaurung said:

Cool news man regarding Gollum!

guys, another thing i always wonder is how u manage to get so many cards on your hand? Played the Anduin recently with two players and we got something around 12-15 cards out max! is it that important/crucial to have a lot of cards on your hand? for me it was so far just luck if you got good cards out of your deck actually, with a quite low probability....

Glaurung said:

Hmm, well would say it does matter how many Gandalf for instance you have on your hand. Or probably let speak about other low cost/high value events? Some are included only 1 or 2 times in the core set, for a reason I assume? Or as asked before, does the cost for those high event cards equalize the fact that they are very good, means, it wouldn't make any sense to only include high cost cards into your deck?

Sorry for bogging so much and asking noob questions, but its something me as a beginner doesn't get yet completely.

cherrs,
Iver

Iver said: