This tournament is part of the Living Tournament system. You are welcome to read this, play the scenario, and post your results (in that order). Place well enough, and you may just end up with a Living Tournament World Ranking !

Scenario: Return to Mirkwood
Deck Parameters: Open Build*
Number of Players: Solo Player

Tournament Parameters:

1) This is a Living Tournament. You may play and post results at your own pace.
2) *Open Build means you may use any legal LOTR LCG cards at your availability.
3) A valid result in this tournament consists of reporting your results (wins and losses) from 3 back-to-back games (may be spread out over as much time as you like), using the same deck for each of those 3 games. (Please observe the mulligan rule, and all other rules, from the LOTR LCG rulebook and subsequent official FAQ documents.)
4) After you post your results, the results from your 3 games will be calibrated using the RGun formula** to obtain your Weighted Result.
5) Weighted Results will then be ranked against other player’s Weighted Results, and the rankings will be updated over time as new results are posted to the thread.
6) You may play this tournament as many times as you would like (so you can try out different deck builds over time), but you can only hold one spot in the overall tournament rankings at a time (i.e. this gives you a chance to try and best your own result while only occupying one spot in the rankings).
7) Do not cheat. Just don’t. It destroys the fun and integrity of the tournament system. If you realize you have made a mistake at a later date that had serious implications for a result you had posted in the past, please make a new post in this thread drawing attention to that fact – that past result will be invalidated, and of course, you are welcome (and highly encouraged) to try again.

**The RGun formula has been designed to value both Final Score (per game) and overall Win Ratio (from your 3 games, cumulative). The formula is: (Average Score of Games Won) x (Total Games Played/Games Won). For an expanded discussion on how this formula was created, you can read the thread called Measuring Success .

Posting Your Results (Required Information):

When posting your results for this tournament you are encouraged to cut and paste from the following template and complete the requested information:

Heroes:

Game 1 Result: (Report Final Score or Loss)
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero:
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes:
Victory Points Earned:
Number of Rounds Completed:

Game 2 Result: (Report Final Score or Loss)
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero:
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes:
Victory Points Earned:
Number of Rounds Completed:

Game 3 Result: (Report Final Score or Loss)
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero:
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes:
Victory Points Earned:
Number of Rounds Completed:

Posting Your Results (Optional Information):

After completing the above, you are welcome to include any other details you would like to add. Some suggested ideas are: your specific available card pool (number of Core Sets used, specific Adventure Packs used, etc…) and additional narrative to share epic tales of your adventures through Middle-earth.

Living Tournament Rankings:

1. Robert McMutton ~ 81 (May 1, 2012)
2. lleimmoen ~ 84 (June 4, 2012)
3. muemakan ~ 85 (April 20, 2012)
4. leptokurt ~ 88.66 (May 17, 2012)
5. masonos ~ 92.25 (December 30, 2012)
6. fruszu ~ 97.33 (September 9, 2012)
7. Budgernaut ~ 132 (May 4, 2012)
8. vandertramps ~ 138.75 (July 7, 2012)
9. jjeagle ~ 154.5 (May 18, 2012)
10. Tracker1 ~ 165.75 (April 29, 2012)

Honorable Mentions:

11. Marael ~ 297 (April 23, 2012)
12. Mandolf ~ 381 (May 10, 2012)

Last Updated:

January 26, 2013 (3:37am) [FFG Time - Forum Time Stamp]

Home Link:

Living Tournament Library & World Rankings

Played it with a draw deck. The first 2 games were easy because I didn´t encounter to many enemies....only a Hill Troll and A Marsh Adder.
.....both late in the games.

Game 3 was nice because I got Despair as setup....and then Attercop, oh my.
I managed to hold off the spider by throwing 2 scounts and a horsebraker at her.
In turn 3 she was snared. I killed her late in the game with Gandalf and Henemath.

Heroes: Eowyn, Eleanor, Boromir
Game 1 Result: 99
Final Threat Level: 49 (Wow!)
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 1 (Eleanor)
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 5
Very hard scenario, the threat always raising puts a lot of pressure. My tactics idea works fine, and I do not have any problems with fights. Maybe I will run a leadership deck, as Eleanor has defended the major part of combats.

Game 2 Result: Loss
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero:
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes:
Victory Points Earned:
Number of Rounds Completed:
Very difficult, I lost by threath. Raise to 50 without anything I can do.

Game 3 Result: Loss
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero:
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes:
Victory Points Earned:
Number of Rounds Completed:
Same above…

My decklist
3 Vassal of the Windlord
3 Gondorian Spearman
3 Veteran Axehand
1 Horn of Gondor
3 Blade Mastery
2 Feint
2 Quick Strike
1 Swift Strike
3 Escort from Edoras
3 The Riddermark's Finest
3 West Road Traveller
3 Westfold Horse-Breaker
2 Eomund
2 Lorien Guide
1 Northern Tracker
3 Ancient Mathom
1 Unexpected Courage
2 A Test of Will
2 Hasty Stroke
2 The Galadhrim's Greeting
2 Astonishing Speed
3 Gandalf

Marael, I agree with you that this scenario could be so awesome playing the tactics sphere, but honestly, they screwed it and made it the most annoying adventure (ok, Rhosgobel is admittedly even more annoying) so far. Why, o why does a single player have to raise his threat by 3 points? Just when youhave set up your allies and the game starts to get intereresting, you're running out of threat.

I decided to play a rabbit deck to be done witth RtM ASAP. Originally I wanted to have three wins in a row, but as I am already fed up I m satisfied with only two wins:

Heroes: Thalin, Frodo Baggins, Éowyn

Game 1 Result: 74
Final Threat Level: 34
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 4

Game 2 Result: Loss

Game 3 Result: 87
Final Threat Level: 35
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 2
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 5

Maaan... seeing the results, muemakan managed to get 0 threath in all 3 games... this is right ??

He started with 27 from heroes, and after 10 rounds, it raised 40 more (10 for rounds, 30 for Gollum). How you reduced your threath by 67 ??? This is the most impressive, but on the other games you´ve reduced more than 50 !

Thanks for sharing info (I really need this on my decks, lol)

Yes, these results are right. And unfortunatly legal. Here is the trick:

1) You play as many Unexpected Courage on Beravor as you have.

2) Then you draw your whole deck with Beravor''s ability.

3) Then you play all threat lowering cards you have.

4) Then you play Will of the West to get them back into your hand

3) Repeat step 3 and 4, if neccessary.

Though if your man enough, you won''t try to exploit something that is mainly based on a designer error. It works even with only one UC, but to get three of these results in a row you need at least two of them.

Ouch, this is clever. I never have thinked on something like that. And the champions do exactly what you´ve done. Exploit weakness of others and find a way to get an advantage.

Any way I am trying to figure this out. You need a lot of resource to play this kinds of things, even with steward of Gondor. Congrats, I will try it anyway… and thanks for sharing the secret with everyone. I will try to copy you, but I think I will not get so many sucess…

The ones who beat champions find another way to get better results, but I really think this will be very difficult on this case, lol.

Marael said:

Well, from my PoV only loosers play with this deck, as it requires exactly zero deck building and playing strategy. Everybody with an IQ over room temperature would get a great score with it. However, f you think that drawing an awful lot of cards makes you a champion of this game, so be it.

As for the resource problem, it doesn''t exist.

All you need is:

2-3 x Will of the West

1x Protector of Lórien

1x Horn of Gondor

1x Song of Battle (if you don''t have a tactics hero)

2-3 Unexpected Courage

3x Galadhrim''s Greeting

2-3x Dwarven Tomb

Sneak/Gandalf is for free because you have Horn of Gondor

perhaps it would be wise to add some secrecy cards, because your threat will be under 20 for most of the time; the rest of your deck will be used to feed Protector of Lórien

All in all these cards cost you 15 resources at most. The rest of the cards you don''t have to play at all. If Théodred is one of your heroes, you can get these resources in only 4 rounds.

Heroes: Bifur, Dunhere, Theodred

leptokurt said:

Wow, I was wondering about some of these low scores too. I've never tried this deck strategy. I have had some problems with card draw, but I think it would be a bit overwhelming to have the whole deck in front of me, with most of the cards just being feed to protector of lorien. I dont mind the low draw, although it's frustrating if I'm waiting for a certain card, but some of the thrill of it is when the card you need shows up at the right moment, and if it did'nt you would loss the game. Gandalf has saved me a few time in this way.

Heroes: Aragorn (WitW), Bilbo Baggins, Eowyn

Game 1 Result: 83
Final Threat Level: 28
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 5
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 5

Game 2 Result: 77
Final Threat Level: 27
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 5

Game 3 Result: 83
Final Threat Level: 21
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 6
Victory Points Earned: 4
Number of Rounds Completed: 6

Total Score: 81

Card Pool: Core x3, all AP up to and including WitW

Posting Your Results (Optional Information):

After a lot of tries, I finally got 3 wins in a row. The first and the second were the easiest, with barely any enemy to confront, and the last I got a Hill Troll in the first rounds, who got me some difficulties, but finally I managed to Snare him, and kill him lately. In all my games, I used Aragorn in the round previous to the end of the game to reset my threat, and gaining a lower score.

Just realized how the new Aragorn was the perfect response to this quest's main issue (the massive threat increase in solo play).

I'll have to finally give it a try soon!

SiCK_Boy said:

Indeed. It's great to be for example with a threat of 49 and say, no problem, I go back to 30 (in my case) just now .

SiCK_Boy said:

Oh yes, I'm also anxious to play this scenario up to its full potential. Hopefully I'll get TWitW before the weekend…

Heroes: Éowyn, Frodo, Glorfindel

Game 1 Result: Loss
Final Threat Level: 28
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 0

Game 2 Result: 94
Final Threat Level: 49
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 9
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 1
Victory Points Earned: 5
Number of Rounds Completed: 4

Game 3 Result: 82
Final Threat Level: 42
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 4

Posting Your Results (Optional Information): So I just gave up on the first one because the starting card was Ungoliant's Spawn. I was really excited to get a win on the second game, but was even more amazed to get a win on the third game! This is the only scenario I've played in weeks because I was trying to earn the right to say I beat it solo. I'm glad I can move on to other scenarios now.

Heroes: Aragorn (Watcher in the Water), Beravor and Boromir

Game 1 Result: LOSS

Game 2 Result: LOSS

Game 3 Result: 127
Final Threat Level: 42
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 12 (Aragorn)
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 3
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 7

Final weighted score: 127*3 = 381

Finally won against this scenario solo, after 3 losses in a row!

In the first game an early Hill Troll proved to be very troublesome, especially since Gandalf refused to show up (I had 2 sneak attacks in hand!). Extra threat from spill-over attacks from the troll combined with the automatic 4 threat per round quickly spelled doom for my fellowship. Second game didn't go very well either; Hummerhorns immediately engaged me when it showed up since my threat was so high, killing Boromir. King Spider's When Revealed effect then exhausted my planned defender the next round and so both the spider's and Hummerhorns attacks went undefended, killing Gollum.

Last game was looking pretty grim too after Gollum bit Aragorn and Mirkwood Bat's forced effect killed him (together with 3 allies) the following round, but no more enemies showed up and I quested peacefully to victory!

Ok, I tried to play this one with Loragorn:

Heroes: Théodred, Loragorn, Frodo Baggins

Game 1 Result: 92
Final Threat Level: 33
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 4
Victory Points Earned: 5
Number of Rounds Completed: 6

Game 2 Result: 89
Final Threat Level: 27
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 2
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 6

Game 3 Result: 85
Final Threat Level: 23
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 2
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 6

Result: 88,67

I first tried to play a secrecy deck, but to no avail. Then I added Frodo to the mix and things got much better. I still lost most of my games, until I won my last 4 recent games in a row. Not sure if this is because of luck, a better understanding of how to play my deck or some slight changes to my deck (substituted Gildor and Gléowine with Out of the Wild and Rumour from the Earth).

In game 2 Henamarth "Out of the WIld" saved my ass by taking out Attacop, Attacop. ALl in all therw were only few enemies, some Mirkwood Bats, some Wargs (which were "gandalfed") and some Hummerhorns in game 1.

The stratgey is quite simple. I try to have one of Faramir or Broken Blade in my starting hand which usually gives me enough WP to make progress. Broken Blade + Steward of Gondor is a nice combo on Loragorn. I also try to play Elfhelm ASAP to keep my threat low.

On of my best games ever has been the first in this row of four wins (result: 118) in which I defeated Attercop, Attercop twice and also a Hill Troll who cma e up during stage 3B. In another game I made it to stage 3B despite getting Ungoliant's Spawn in the setup and Attercop, Attercop in round 4 (without Gandalf!). A Swamp Adder in stage 3B was then too much for my fellowship, but it was close.

Heroes: Aragorn (Lore), Beravor, Theodred

Game 1 Result: 109
Final Threat Level: 36
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 3
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 7

Game 2 Result: 97
Final Threat Level: 19
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 8
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 7

Game 3 Result: Loss

Posting Your Results (Optional Information): Cards from 3 x core and all other packs up to and including TWITW.

Heroes: Glorfindel, Beravor, Frodo

Game 1 Result: 85
Final Threat Level: 38
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 2
Victory Points Earned: 5
Number of Rounds Completed: 5

Game 2 Result: 82
Final Threat Level: 22
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero:
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes:
Victory Points Earned:
Number of Rounds Completed: 6

Game 3 Result: 85
Final Threat Level: 29
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 6
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 5

Posting Your Results (Optional Information):

In game 1 I was barely able to play any threat reduction despite drawing many cards. Was also reluctant to cancel Gollum's Bite and instead assigned the damage to Glorfindel who then didn't have enough time to heal himself; at the end I was holding two copies of A Test of Will, dumbfounded. Hummerhorns engaged me due to the quest card effect, it was the first time that happened to me and no heroes died, thanks to Frodo Baggins. Glorfindel killed the creature to win me rare victory points.

Game 2 and 3 were almost identical in terms of score but very different in substance. I had to fight my way through game 2 whilst I was getting a location after another in game 3 which Asfaloth was able to clear quite easily; in the endgame though I had to encounter the Bats and a Wolf which almost killed me.

I had to play this quest a lot to get such a good series of three games, usually I was too slow or lost. So I congratulate all of you who won without repeating too many times.

The cards were taken from multiple core sets, a copy of each expansion, plus the previewed cards for Foundations of Stone - hope that is not breeching the rules.

Heroes: Theodred, Eowyn, Denethor

Game 1 Result: 76
Final Threat Level: 26
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 5

Game 2 Result: loss
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned:0
Number of Rounds Completed:

Game 3 Result: 97
Final Threat Level: 27
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 7

Final Score: 129.75

Card Pool: 1 Core Set, Mirkwood Cycle

Just got this adventure pack the other day along with the dead marshes, these were my first 3 games against this scenario. the second game was a nightmare, i drew one hill troll to set up and the second in my first turn! but over all it was not as difficult as i expected when first looking through the encounter cards. Denethor was a huge help in getting rid of some of the really bad treacheries and enemies

oops, just realized i've been calculating my threat incorrectly, forgetting to add the one threat level increase at the end of the round in addition to the 3 raised by gollum.

here are my corrected scores:

Heroes: Theodred, Eowyn, Denethor

Game 1 Result: 81
Final Threat Level: 31
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 5

Game 2 Result: loss
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned:0
Number of Rounds Completed:

Game 3 Result: 104
Final Threat Level: 34
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 7

Final Score: 138.75

Card Pool: 1 Core Set, Mirkwood Cycle

Heroes:
Aragorn (Lore)
Frodo
Glorfindel (Spirit)

Game 1 Result: 99
Final Threat Level: 34
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 5
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 6

Game 2 Result: 77
Final Threat Level: 37
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 4

Game 3 Result: 116
Final Threat Level: 46
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 7

Decklist:

Allies (20):
3x Arwen Undomiel
3x Imladris Stargazer
3x Zigil Miner
2x Lorien Guide
2x Northern Tracker
1x Bofur
1x Erebor Hammersmith
1x Henemarth Riversong
1x Gleowine
3x Gandalf

Events (15):
3x Daeron's Runes
2x The Galadrim's Greeting
2x Hasty Stroke
3x A Test of Will
2x Dwarven Tomb
3x Elrond's Counsel

Attachments (15):
1x Unexpected Courage
2x Ancient Mathom
3x Light of Valinor
1x Protector of Lorien
2x Fast Hitch
3x Asfaloth
3x Healing Herbs

Heroes: Aragorn (Lore), Theodred, Glorfindel (Spirit)

Game 1 Result: 75
Final Threat Level: 14
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 1
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 6

Game 2 Result: Loss
Final Threat Level:
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero:
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes:
Victory Points Earned:
Number of Rounds Completed:

Game 3 Result: 48
Final Threat Level: 8
Threat Cost of Each Dead Hero: 0
Damage Tokens on Remaining Heroes: 0
Victory Points Earned: 0
Number of Rounds Completed: 4

Total: 92,25

Card pool: everything till Hobbit.