Welcome & Introduction:

Welcome to what looks to be my second Solo Player LOTR LCG Tournament of the Week. The idea behind this tournament is that for one week (Sunday – Saturday), everyone is invited to participate in playing a particular quest with particular deck building requirements in a Solo Player Tournament. You are then invited to record and post your final score, the heroes you used, and any additional narrative that you’d like to add.

Note: this is not a place to post results from the past. The tournament has a one-week lifespan, and only games played and recorded throughout this week are valid. As the week unfolds, I will keep this first post updated with the Top Ten results. (Each participant can occupy a maximum of one Top Ten spot at a time, so you’re welcome to try and best your own result throughout the week.)

Will you place in the Top Ten for the week? I hope you’ll participate and find out!

After the end of this week’s tournament, you are welcome to continue to post results to this thread if you continue to play this particular quest under these particular parameters. However, the Top Ten on this first post will not continue to be updated after the week is over, thus preserving (like a time capsule) the results from this week’s tournament. Further, please refrain from using this thread for extensive theorizing and/or conversation that is not directly related to this particular tournament. Nothing against other conversations – it’s just, that’s what other threads are for. Specifically, if you have ideas for a future tournament of the week, feel free to suggest them in the Ideas Thread.

And now… on to this week’s Solo Player Tournament!

Solo Player Tournament #2:

Quest: Passage Through Mirkwood
Deck Parameters: Open Build, Monosphere Deck Only*
Number of Players: Solo Play – 1 Player/1 Deck

*In deck building for this week’s tournament, you may use cards from any number of available sets and adventure packs to construct your minimum 50-card deck. However, you may only use cards from a single sphere of influence + neutral cards.

Top Ten:

1. Bungo_Underhill ~ 38 (Prince Imrahil, Aragorn, Glóin) [3B: Don’t Leave the Path!]
1. muemakan ~ 38 (Aragorn, Prince Imrahil, Glóin) [3B: Don’t Leave the Path!]
3. OnkelZorni ~ 49 (Frodo, Dunhere, Éowyn) [3B: Beorn's Path]
4. wraith428 ~ 51 (Dunhere, Éowyn, Frodo) [3B: Beorn's Path]
5. Chac ~ 54 (Prince Imrahil, Theodred, Glóin) [3B: Beorn's Path]
6. Mighty Jim ~ 60 (Dunhere, Éowyn, Frodo) [3B: Beorn's Path]
7. Avalanche ~ 68 (Éowyn, Dunhere, Eleanor) [3B: Beorn's Path]
8. leptokurt ~ 73 (Glorfindel, Denethor, Bilbo) [3B: Beorn's Path]
9. ClydeCloggie ~ 74 (Glóin, Prince Imrahil, Aragorn) [3B: Beorn's Path]
10. plueschi ~ 75 (Éowyn, Frodo, Dunhere) [3B: Beorn's Path]

Honorable Mentions:

Tactics Top Three:

1. Narsil0420 ~ 79 (Brand, Gimli, Legolas) [3B: Don’t Leave the Path!]
2. Mighty Jim ~ 101 (Legolas, Boromir, Gimli) [3B: Don’t Leave the Path!]
3. plueschi ~ 114 Heroes (Boromir, Gimli, Legolas) [3B: Beorn's Path]

Lore Top Three:

1. muemakan ~ 65 (Glorfindel, Beravor, Bilbo) [3B: Beorn's Path]
2. leptokurt ~ 73 (Glorfindel, Denethor, Bilbo) [3B: Beorn's Path] [Ranked in Top Ten]
3. Mighty Jim ~ 101 (Glorfindel, Denethor, Bilbo) [3B: Beorn's Path]

Last Updated:

December 11, 2011 (12:03am) [FFG Time]

[This week’s tournament will run from December 4 – December 10, 2011 and will officially close at the end of the week (midnight) as time-stamped by the FFG forum time clock.]

Hi,

For my first try on this quest i choose to play a leadership deck (Prince Imrahil, Theodred, Gloin). Unfortunetaly, i only achieved victory on turn 7.

Final Score 100

Round markers : 6 (60)

Threat : 36

Wounds on heroes : 4

Total : 100

I am afraid this tends to be a boring, very luck dependent quest. Maybe there should be 4 different top ten lists for each sphere. I tried spirit.

It all depends on the last quest card for spirit. If you draw the card where you have to defeat the spider, it´s over. If you get Beorn´s Path its easy.

I always had an escort or astonishing speed in my starting hand. (mulligan helps) So I get 12 willpower in the first round.

I think the only thing that could been better is to draw a encounter card with just one threat or none and finish the first quest card in round 1.

( I think there are only 3 cards with 1 threat or none that don´t affect the first turn questing, so this is nearly impossible)

Rounds: 3

Threat: 24

Wounds: 2

Total: 56

Nice work you two! Yes, I'm curious to see which sphere ends up getting the most play.

muemakan, which Spirit heroes did you use? (I'll update the Top Ten with their names.)

juicebox said:

I used Dunhere, Eowyn and Frodo.

muemakan said:

Thanks muemakan!

Also, I was finally able to get in some play time tonight...

I went with Leadership (Aragorn, Théodred, Prince Imrahil)

Threat: 31

Hero Wounds: 1

Round Tracker: 50

Total Score: 82

Aslo I think it might be a good idea to not only put down the score, but also the last quest card. Mine was Beorn´s Path. (which for spirit makes it much easier)

After tryring this scenario with a tactics deck first (best score: 95) I then gave the lore fellowship a chance. After 6 games I didn't get a score below 120. I even lost two games, but then I managed a run through, abusing Protector of Lorien to its limit (plus a trio of Rivendell Minstrells). If Bilbo hadn't died through a shadow effect in my penultimate turn, the score would have been even better.

Heroes: Glorfindel, Denethor, Bilbo

Result: 93

Threat: 34

Dead Hero: 1 (8 points)

Damage: 1

Rounds: 5

Stage 3B: Beorn's Path

After several new attempts with my Leadership deck, i finaly win this quest with a score of 89

Heroes : Prince Imrahil, Theodred, Gloin

Third stage of the quest : "Don't Leave the Path!"

Round Markers : 5 (50)

Threat : 33

Wounds on heroes : 6

Victory Points : 0

Final Score : 89

muemakan said:

Nice idea muemakan. I won't make it obligatory, but if anyone includes that information in their post, I'll add it to the Top Ten listing content.

ps: The 3B Quest Card for my Leadership deck score of 82 was "Don’t Leave the Path!" I think in my case, it was almost a wash because it took me an extra turn to kill Ungoliant's Spawn anyway, just as it might have taken me at least an extra turn to quest 10 for victory. However, I was more assured of the kill than the successful questing, so "Don't Leave the Path!" was probably the slightly quicker option for me.

I definately agree with the "luck based" comments here. I've played a few spirit and a few leadership games so far but my last leadership game I think might be virtually unbeatable. I did use the most pwerful combo in the game on turn 1, and probably also played the best in sphere card, but even so I was amazed at how quickly the quest was won...

Heroes: Imrahil, Aragorn, Gloin

Turns: (finished in turn 2!) 10

Wounds: 0

Threat: 28

Result: 38

3rd Stage: Don't leave the Path

I'm in the same boat as leptokurt, trying different spheres for the fun of it.

So I started with tactics and got a score of 114.

Heroes Boromir, Gimli, Legolas

stage 3B Beorns Path

And another lore expedition through the Mirkwood:

heroes: Glorfindel, Denethor, Bilbo

result: 76

threat: 33

rounds: 4 (40 points)

damage: 3

This time I got two Gandalfs in my starting hand. Furthermore I had Protector of Lorien and a Rivendell Minstrell. The adventure didn't began promising, but thanks to Denethor's foresight my group avoided an orc camp led by Chieftain Ufthal. The group decided to travel the Old Forest Road, not listening to Beorn's warnings. There they crossed the way of a nasty King Spider which immediatly hurt Glorfindel while Denethor kept a Forest Spider away.

Next the heroes heard some distant cries, apparently coming from a Great Forest Web, but they decided not to travel there. On their way they met Gandalf who helped them escape both spiders. He killed the Forest Spider with a mighty spell, and used his staff to kill the King Spider which had attacked Denethor before.

In round 3 the group was followed by a Beastmaster, but managed to keep him at distance. Joined by a Rivendell Minstrell the heroes eventually travelled to the Great Forest Web while using Protector of Lorien to get through stage 1B.

In round 4 a Forest Gate appeared. The fellowship chose to travel through it. Cunning Radagast send some help so the Beastmaster posed no threat, which enabled the group to finish stage 2B. The fooled Beastmaster became very angry and attacked Denethor, but the latter stood his ground.

In the final turn Gandalf returnd and delivered some new resources (3 cards). The fellowship lost some of them (3 cards) when the were haunted by The Eyes Of The Forest, but then Gandalf led them quickly to the end of Beorn's Path and left the haunted woods.

After several attempts with different hero constellations I managed to win with the spirit deck (Dunhere, Eowyn and Frodo). My 3B card was Beorn's Path. I killed Hummerhorns with Dunhere the round before the last one.

Threat: 12

Hero Wounds: 1

Round Tracker: 80

Victory Points (Hummerhorns): 5

Total Score: 88

Bungo_Underhill said:

Ok, that´s insane.......you got to tell us how you did it.........there must be a sneak attack gandalf involved.

But apart from that I cannot imagine anything.

Bungo_Underhill said:

Hah...interesting. i was thinking that the quickest way to beat this quest was in 3 turns, tackling one stage each turn. But of course if you draw Don't Leave the Path, you can actually finish in 2. Good stuff on defeating the Spawn in one go!

Can I take a wild stab at the cards you played? Obviously Sneak Attack / Gandalf and Steward of Gondor, than Gandalf again on turn 2 which leaves you with 2 resources....For Gondor! perhaps? But then who took the Forest Spider wound...there must have been an ally, so For Gondor! is out. Did you perhaps play a Snowbourne Scout? let that be my guess for the cards you played: Sneak Attack, Gandalf, Steward of Gondor, Gandalf, and Snowbourne Scout. Close?

ClydeCloggie said:

Those are in fact the exact cards I played! - Do you want to have a guess at the play of events to?

I'll give you a clue Imrahil got sticky and there was an animal lover involved...

Bungo_Underhill said:

Easy! Caught in a Web on turn 1, Dol Guldur Beastmaster on turn 2.

And you travelled to Old Forest Road, I presume.

ClydeCloggie said:

SoG and Sneak Gandalf in Turn one......killing the Spider with Gandalf and getting very lucky with the encounter card. Snowborn Scout and Gandalf in Turn 2.....which leaves one resource to ready aragorn ( quested with aragorn, imrahil and gandalf) . Travel to the old forest road......ready Gandalf. Ungoliant Spawn kills Snowborn Scout. Imrahil readys........Aragorn, Imrahil and Gandalf attack spider FTW.

That´s my guess how he did it. Thats an insane starting hand for any scenario. Also very lucky with the first encounter card.

muemakan said:

Yeah - Gandalf and sneak attack plus Steward of Gondor in the starting hand was awesome, but if I don't have one of those in my initial start hand I will mulligan. Still getting both seems pretty unlikely (I'm running three of each in a 50 card deck - anyone got the maths skills to work out the odds?)

Whilst I usually cringe when I see Caught in the Web it was indeed a really lucky draw in this case as Imrahil basically made it useless against me (if the game went longer though, it would have probably cost me). As someone said earlier though there are very few cards that I could have drawn that wouldn't have stopped me completing stage 1 of the quest in turn 1.

Likewise Beastmaster is a horrible card, but only if you have to interact with it, 2 threat is nothing against the questing power of Gandalf!

Turn two was a quest with Aragorn, Imrahil and Gandalf - Aragorn readies himself, Gandalf was readied through travel to the forest road, and Imrahil was readied when the spawn ate my snowbourne scout.

Taking out The big nasty required all og my characters Aragorn, Imrahil, Gandalf and Gloin. (12 vs 2 DEF = 10 damage)

As it turns out If I had run Theodred in Gloins place I could have probably finished this quest with a score one point higher... And have been able to play the Citadel Guard I had in my hand for an extra bit of security...

Decided to try this first with Tactics - always a terrible idea for solo mono-sphere, but never mind.

First attempt I choose my heroes by their abilities- Legolas, Boromir, Thalin -sadly their combined questing power of 3 was not enough, and even Gandalf could only delayed the inevitable. I hit threat 50 on about turn 14.

Second attempt, subbed Gimli in for Thalin for that extra questing power. Got Gandalf and born aloft in my starting hand. Put winged guardian out as a blocker, which delayed Gandalf till round 3, cleared stage 1 in round 6, did stage 2 and 3 in one round each (Ungoliant's spawn came out at end of 1 round, and died in the next)- got Don't leave the path, through an eagle in as a blocker, and hit back with a damaged Gimli, Legolas, and a vassal of the windlord to finish him off.

Final threat 32
3 Damage (Gimli)
4 Victory Points (Ufthak)

7 rounds completed

score: 101

will hopefully be back later in the week with a better score from another sphere...

Mighty Jim said:

Do you have Radagast in your deck? He's the key for successful questing, and he's also able to help you buy some eagle allies. I always try to get him in my starting hand and play him in round 2. Switching to Gimli was a good idea. I use him to quest as often as possible.

Played one game with Lore, but could not improve my score.

Then played one game with Leadership and got a score of 96. Heroes have been Theodred, Aragorn and Imrahil. 3B was Don't leave the Path.

Bungo_Underhill said:

I tried to work it out, but I didn't cover every single possible scenario (mainly the combo in which you get only one of those two cards in the first scenario, and both after taking a mulligan). However, the probability to get exactly those two cards is round about 16 percent. Which means you should get the Gandalf/Sneack Attack combo in every 7th game (which is not too unlikely).

The probability to get either Gandalf or Sneak attack is approx. 80 percent, and the probability just to get Gandalf (with or without Sneak Attack) is at approx. 54 percent.

Did 2 games with Spirit, lost the first one (thanks Ungolianths Spawn!) but won the other with a score of 75.

Heroes: Eowyn, Frodo, Dunhere, stage 3B Beorns Path