Hello All, I've been working on an article analysis of Secrecy. It's not done but considering the hotness of the topic, I'll just put it up here.

An Exploration of Secrecy

Secrecy Cards This section will look only at the cards that contain the key word secrecy and the themes that they support.

Lore

Needful to Know Resource Cost 2. Secrecy 2. Net Cost 0 Theme: threat reduction

Out of the Wild Resource Cost 3. Secrecy 2. Net Cost 1 Theme: encounter control

Risk Some Light Resource Cost 3. Secrecy 3. Net Cost 0 Theme: encounter control

Spirit

O Elbereth! Gilthonial! Resource Cost 4. Secrecy 4. Net Cost 0 Theme: enemy removal

Out of Sight Resource Cost 5 Secrecy 3. Net Cost 2 Theme: enemy can't attack this round

Leadership

Dunedain Wanderer Resource Cost 5. Secrecy 3. Net Cost 2Theme: ally

Timely Aid Resource Cost 4. Secrecy 3. Net Cost 1 Theme: ally

Unaligned

Resourceful Resource Cost 4. Secrecy 3. Net Cost 1 Theme: Resource generation.

Themes

Secrecy card break down into five themes. 1) Resource generation. 2) Enemy removal. 3) Encounter deck control 4) Allies and 5) Threat reduction.

The most important theme of the five is probably threat reduction since without this none of the secrecy cards are economically viable. But the secrecy theme itself lends little support to the threat reduction theme. It relies on spirit cards. I will look at some of the cards that support each of the themes.

Cards Supporting Encounter Control Theme

Lore

Henamarth Riversong: Cost: 1 Ability: Look at top of the encounter deck. You can’t control what you can’t see.

Rumors From the Earth: Cost 0 (1 to return to hand); Ability: Look at top of the encounter deck.

Spirit

A Watchful Peace: Cost: 1; Ability: Place a resolved location on top of the encounter deck. Some encounter cards have benefits or mild. Use this to recycle them and delay encounter with more difficult cards.

Unaligned

Shadow of the Past: Cost 2; Ability: Place top of the encounter discard on top of the encounter deck. (See A Watchful Peace)

Cards Supporting Enemy Removal or Enemy Control Theme

Lore

Forest Snare: Cost 3; Ability: Engaged enemy can no longer attack.

Ranger Spikes: Cost 2; Ability: Enemy becomes trapped in the encounter area and has -2 Threat

Expecting Mischief: Cost 1; Ability: Deals two damage to enemy when it is revealed during quest. Works only if you know what’s on top of the encounter deck.

Spirit

A Light in the Dark: Cost 2; Return enemy to the staging area.

Leadership

Take Initiative: Cost 0; Cards with a cost greater than 2 revealed from the deck result in 2 damage and two cards drawn.

Cards Supporting Threat Reduction Theme

Spirit

The Galadhrim’s Greeting: Cost 3; Ability reduce threat by 6 for solo game.

Elrond’s Council: Cost 0 but requires a Nodor hero; reduce threat by 3 and increase quest by 1.

Unaligned

Gandalf: Cost 5; Reduce threat by 5 or do 4 damage to an enemy

Heroes for a Secrecy Deck

Spirit

Eleanor – Threat 7; Exhaust to cancel a when revealed effect.

Glorfindel – Threat 5; Pound-for-pound, the best secrecy hero. His drawback of 1 threat for exhausting when questing is offset by cards like Light of Valar and Asfaloth.

Lore

Denethor – Threat 8; Exhaust to look at the top of the encounter deck and move it to the bottom if you wish.

Aragorn – Threat 12; Ability to reset your threat to the beginning level is great. Because of high starting threat should only combine with Glorfindel.

Leadership

Theodred – Threat 8; With his ability, combined with Steward of Gondor and Resourceful, he becomes a resource machine to crank out allies.

Aragorn – Threat 12; He can become a resource machine also but should only be used with Glorfindel.

Somewhere in this theme is a tri-sphere deck waiting to come out, but I’m not sure I can quite pull it off.

Spirit is a must because lower threat is the engine that runs the whole machine. So that means Glorfindel.

Glorfindel – Aragorn (lore) is very good but lacks followers and resource development.

I may try Glorfindel –Denethor next without much change from the above because of his great ability.

I’m very interested in giving Glorfindel Theodred a build and place a few songs in there to give Theodred the lore trait. My concern is a draw without Light of the Valor AND a song will mean frustrations in a lot of games.

I have actually made a reasonably successful solo secrecy deck, (not amazing, but it holds its own). Single hero is elrond, using almost all the secrecy cards (not O Elebreth, Githonel! (SP?)) and maybe one other. I've only played it a couple times, but with Resourfulness, Vilya, Imladris Stargazer, Light of Valinor, and Unexpected Courage, it manages to pull enough allies (spendy ones too with Vilya! Think Gildor, Beorn, ect…) and other cards to stay afloat till it needs to start making real progress and killing enemies.

NotAZombie said:

I don't doubt there are many secrecy decks that can hold against quests that are slow and lets player build up and stall in first stage then just quest through stage 2 and 3.

The problem is that any other reasonably built deck would do fine against those scenarios.

When it comes to fast tempo quests like RtM, MaO, and new Heirs of Numenor quests, I really doubt any secrecy deck has a standing chance.

I've given Bifur, Frodo, and Glorfindel a try. Starting threat 19. They give you access to many of the cards you've mentioned.

Ellareth said:

I don't see that as a problem. Quests shouldn't force you into a particular deck design. I see Secrecy's potential as an alternative approach to the game, not a deck design that is essentially the "solution" for particular quests where non-Secrecy decks struggle. If Secrecy and non-Secrecy decks can both tackle a particular quest, great!

I should have added that I don't feel secrecy is a theme for every quest. Heirs is a good example. Also, a solo secrecy deck has very different strategy than two-play secrecy.

I find secrecy a fun theme for encouter deck manipulation. That is what I find the most entertaining about the them.

Hmm Bifur, Theodred and Glorfindel.

Don't forget Hands Upon the Bow and the upcoming Yew Long Bow!

I'm really interested in making a Glorfindel/Legolas deck… I've tried it a few times with some success.