I wanted to share the challenge I enjoy playing to spice my games.

I like having decks that attempt to have answers to the diversity of threats that the different quests offer, rather than fine-tuning them for every quest.

The rules: attempt all available (publicly released) quests in solo - normal mode - in a row:

1. Passage through Mirkwood
2. Journey along the Anduin
3. Escape from Dol Guldur
4. The hunt for Gollum
5. Conflict at the Carrock
6. A journey to Rhosgobel
7. The Hills of Emyn Muil
8. The dead marshes
9. Return to Mirkwood

10. Into the pit
11. The seventh level
12. Flight from Moria
13. The redhorn gate
14. Road to Rivendell
15. The watcher in the water
16. The long dark
17. Foundations of Stone
18. Shadow and flame

19. We must Away, here break of day
20. Over the Misty Mountains grim
21. Dungeons deep and caverns dim
22. Flies and spiders
23. The lonely mountain
24. The battle of the five armies

25. Peril in Pelargir

26. Into Ithilien
27. The siege of Cair Andros
28. The steward's fear
29. The druadan forest
30. Encounter at Amon Din
31. Assault on Osgiliath

32. The Massing at Osgiliath
33. The battle of laketown

without changing any card of your deck between each quest (well except for adding treasures)

The goal is to succeed as many quests as possible (the ultimate goal being the streak of 33 !), with the average score as a tie-breaker.

I like this challenge for several reasons:

- it really tests the versatility of a deck. In fact, I think this challenge is a very efficient way to "rate" the overall quality of a deck.

- it adds some tension playing quests : the fact that you just don't retry if you lose adds some spice, some more thinking to the risks you take.

- it makes me enjoy the easy quests, that I don't play otherwise : I take them more seriously knowing that the small chance I could be beaten actually matters - and I have to put some thoughts in taking risks to shoot for a high score, which also makes them more enjoyable.

- it increases the storyline atmosphere : as quests are played one after the other with the same heroes, you better feel the adventure. Also, there is a special feeling anticipating the following tough quests when breathing through easier ones.

I have been attempting the challenge with my best deck, but I am also looking forward playing it with mono-sphere decks! I'd be very curious to see which sphere scores the largest number of quests!

To set the bar (hopefully high enough!), I managed to win 32 out of the 33 quests with my best deck, with an average 90.735 victory points.

I enjoyed it a lot and I will now attempt this challenge with mono-sphere decks.

Do you keep damage or dead heroes from one quest to another ?

Do you keep damage or dead heroes from one quest to another ?

No, I did not. First because it would favor decks with access to healing. And I think putting a single "Fortune or fate" in your deck and waiting for it once a game is virtually won would usually do the trick to save you from the dead hero problem.

The score keeps tracks of wounds and lost heroes. Losing one hero already harms you when playing a quest. I did not think modifying the rules was necessary.

In the result I reported, there are two quests where I lost a hero, plus of course the quest I lost that I conceded after losing my second hero.

Which was the one quest you lost?

Which was the one quest you lost?

Well, I had a hard time against several quests ... for example:

- My threat reached 49 at some point against Escape from Dol Guldur.

- I thought I was toast when I had to resolve an 8-card collateral damage in Peril in Pelargir

- I remember sweating against Shadow and Flame

but it is in the Battle of Laketown that I bit the dust.

I lost a hero on turn 2 for Reckless in his rage, and a second hero on turn 4 to the second Reckless in his rage. I had an answer in hand, but did not save ressources to play it, as I had chosen to use it to play an ally. My single hero facing the reckless dragon conceded and went back home, leaving Laketown to its burning fate!

I did something similar a while back with a spirit/lore deck (Eowyn, Frodo and Aragorn, if i recall correctly), but that was prior to the first Hobbit box coming out. Sounds like a fun challenge.

What was your deck?

What was your deck?

Well, I'd be audacious enough to think that this deck may be the best currently available.

So I am going to ask a little something before sharing my preciously-kept deck list:

Have someone beat the performance of this deck !

(Either by winning the 33 quests in a row, or 32 with a lower average score)

Let it be a little teaser to encourage people to try this enjoyable challenge !

My outland deck (Hurluin, Theodred, Beravor) beat everything but Dol Guldur, when I did this awhile back. I have yet to make any modifications since Steward's Fear. I only made modifications for AJtR, with some healing cards, so I guess they were 31 out of 33. . Avg score 82.3, and probably more than 95% of the scenarios were first attempt wins.

Edit

So your deck must include at least 3 or more cards for healing damage. Or i don't see how AJtR would be possible, Either, healing Herbs or Lore of Imladris. Personally, unless a scenario calls for those types of healing cards there pretty much a waste of deck space

So your deck must include at least 3 or more cards for healing damage. Or i don't see how AJtR would be possible, Either, healing Herbs or Lore of Imladris. Personally, unless a scenario calls for those types of healing cards there pretty much a waste of deck space

That's a fairly good guess. The goal of the deck is to consistently win every quest in normal mode. And I agree there is a small adjustment I made to the deck thinking about A Journey to Rhosgobel. The issue was to make the selection of cards that would dramatically increase my chances against AJtR without being detrimental to the other quests.

And in fact, the loss I had against the Battle of Laketown was not where my odds are the worst. That's the appeal of this challenge: you need a deck that's consistent.

My outland deck (Hurluin, Theodred, Beravor) beat everything but Dol Guldur, when I did this awhile back.

This certainly sounds like a strong selection of heroes. But there is a good 10 quests that are not automatic wins, especially the ones putting a strong early pressure where outland deck is still fragile. Treacheries damaging all characters could be tough when Anfalas herdsman refuses to show, and heavy staging areas can present a challenge when Ethir swordsmen hide deep down in the deck. But I agree that this deck looks like a good contender!

My other deck that handled all quests, except the past few since i had not tried it, was Frodo, Glorfindel spirit, and Aragorn Lore. Unfortunately, i don't have all the stats for the quest. Much more consistent then outlands, but its also a slower deck. It's probably my most solid deck.

I think Dwarfs will always be the top tier in this game, i have 2 Dwarf decks that beat all the quests (nightmare to) with very high chance of success ( i like playing with Elfs better tho ) i don't have the time for your test tho buddy

Dwalfs, Elves and Outlands can beat every quest i the game regually. Last time I did it was before outlands and I got 100%, though I have tested my various decks vs all the "hardest". I feel you could get 100% with any of those 3 deck lists.

I have 2 Dwarf decks that beat all the quests (nightmare to) with very high chance of success

I agree dwarfs are still top tier, but no - they do not win solo Nightmare Escape from Dol Guldur on a regular basis . That quest is very seriously tough.

Dwalfs, Elves and Outlands can beat every quest i the game regually. Last time I did it was before outlands and I got 100%, though I have tested my various decks vs all the "hardest". I feel you could get 100% with any of those 3 deck lists.

Yes, I certainly think it is possible to do the 33 in a row with one of these decks - but it is not that easy. Consistently winning the whole Mirkwood cycle (Escape from Dol Guldur - A Journey to Rhosgobel - Return to Mirkwood) is already not that automatic. And there are many other quests that could sometimes turn tough!

This is what I'm setting out to do with four monosphere decks from this week, but I don't expect to come anywhere near 32 wins with any of the four. Some are just crazy match-ups (only Lore can win Rhosgobel, only Spirit has a chance against Return to Mirkwood, and Tactics could be a train wreck all the way if Trained for War doesn't show up early enough for Hama to recycle).

This is what I'm setting out to do with four monosphere decks from this week, but I don't expect to come anywhere near 32 wins with any of the four.

That's what I am planning to do to ! I will be glad to compare what we get ! And indeed, I am pretty sure I won't reach 32 with any monosphere deck either ! I'd be already be glad to shoot for a 25-30, but I may seriously be wrong.

Just a last clarification. There are several possible definitions for mono-sphere, like: can you include cards from other spheres ? or could you have elrond in a 100 % tactics deck ? I suggest sticking with the definition encouraged by FFG.

A deck is considered as mono-sphere if all its hereoes have the same printed icon.

It will take me a little time as I am still working on fine-tuning the mono-sphere decks, but I expect to have one finding a passage through Mirkwood soon ... and then be on its own for a very long journey!

I am looking forward to sharing our results and see which sphere best stands alone !

Trying to do this, Outlands and Dwarves are the most close.

Are you really serious in saying that you "test" a deck over 33 games? Well, I thought I have given more than a fair share of spare time to my gaming, having had played well over 1000 games since its release. Still, I wouldn't want to invest that much time into testing a deck, you're talking about 10 to 15 hours easily, with all the set up. But I wish the designers and play-testers would be so willing.

Each to his own, but I find it much better to select few "prototypes" of quest to do the same thing. I would always exclude quests that require certain specific strategy which is not seen anywhere else: like A Journey to Rhosgobel. And I would certainly not want to reply some of the more boring quests like A Long Dark. Choosing something between six to eight tougher and more dynamic quests, each requiring slightly different skills but not diverging too much from the basic mechanics of the game, seem to be a good way to test a deck.

This is what I'm setting out to do with four monosphere decks from this week, but I don't expect to come anywhere near 32 wins with any of the four.

That's what I am planning to do to ! I will be glad to compare what we get ! And indeed, I am pretty sure I won't reach 32 with any monosphere deck either ! I'd be already be glad to shoot for a 25-30, but I may seriously be wrong.

Just a last clarification. There are several possible definitions for mono-sphere, like: can you include cards from other spheres ? or could you have elrond in a 100 % tactics deck ? I suggest sticking with the definition encouraged by FFG.

A deck is considered as mono-sphere if all its hereoes have the same printed icon.

It will take me a little time as I am still working on fine-tuning the mono-sphere decks, but I expect to have one finding a passage through Mirkwood soon ... and then be on its own for a very long journey!

I am looking forward to sharing our results and see which sphere best stands alone !

My four decks only have cards from that sphere and Neutral cards, so no Songs / Vilya etc. to splash other spheres into the deck. It makes it even more difficult to get results as it is almost impossible to cancel in-sphere weaknesses. But I really want to explore how well individual spheres, with their own pros and cons, are now equipped to handle the game.

I will probably not run identical decks and heroes all the way through as it will take a while to get done and new cards may be released that need to be included. Theoden, Sam, Scroll of Isildur are certainly candidates to come into play at some stage.

Are you really serious in saying that you "test" a deck over 33 games? Well, I thought I have given more than a fair share of spare time to my gaming, having had played well over 1000 games since its release. Still, I wouldn't want to invest that much time into testing a deck, you're talking about 10 to 15 hours easily, with all the set up. But I wish the designers and play-testers would be so willing.

Each to his own, but I find it much better to select few "prototypes" of quest to do the same thing. I would always exclude quests that require certain specific strategy which is not seen anywhere else: like A Journey to Rhosgobel. And I would certainly not want to reply some of the more boring quests like A Long Dark. Choosing something between six to eight tougher and more dynamic quests, each requiring slightly different skills but not diverging too much from the basic mechanics of the game, seem to be a good way to test a deck.

Yes, we are exactly on the same line.

I am only playing the 33 to find out 'what is the very best deck' in an unforgiving enjoyable challenge. But I am currently testing a mono-spirit deck and I took a selection of 3-4 quests to do so (Into Ithilien, Journey down the Anduin, The seventh level) ... before attempting the 33 once I think I have found the best mono-spirit deck. I am still struggling ... spirit definitely has issues getting rid of big guys.

Also, I am playing most of my games on OCTGN which goes way faster than hand-shuffling. Using the shortcuts, the games usually play quite fast. I am just playing with real cards the recent quests that do not have pictures yet on OCTGN.

Happy to report that I've started the challenge with 4 mono-sphere decks.

Since I'm limiting all decks to cards of that sphere + neutral, I'm not going to make it even more difficult by sticking to the exact same deck and heroes for all scenarios, so strictly speaking it's not a one deck to beat them all type campaign.

All scenarios to be played in Normal mode, with 50-card decks and adhering to all FAQ changes.

Fortunately no early hiccups, all four spheres beat Passage Through Mirkwood. Lore (Aragorn, Denethor, Mirlonde) and Leadership (Aragorn, Theodred, Gloin) both had tough openings against a number of enemies but established board control after about 6 rounds. Spirit (Eowyn, Dunhere, Glorfindel) breezed through, as expected with the round's best score of 69. Tactics (Boromir, Hama, Legolas) was a blast. An early Ungoliant's Spawn was dragged from the SA by a Knight of Minas Tirith and later that round shot down by a Legolas Black Arrow and Hama, who recycled a Trained for War to race through the scenario at near Spirit pace. If not for the minor delay that was Beorn's Path Tactics would have come close to the Spirit score.

Journey Down the Anduin up tomorrow.

I am on my way too !

But I am proceeding each sphere one after the other.

I playtested Spirit and I struggled a lot at the beginning. I seriously thought about going with Secrecy. I finally found a deck I was satisfied with. I found (as usual) that cheap allies was usually the best answer when you are struggling between two choices. The deck is doing fairly well for now, but I am currently playing the 'easy part' (The Khazad Dum cycle and the Hobbit saga), The real tests will come with Heirs of Numenor.

I hope to report soon !

I love what you guys are doing with the mono-sphere solo decks. Looking forward to getting your assessments of which spheres are strongest now that the card pool is getting respectably deep.

I am about to report on my challenge run with my mono-spirit deck:

Here is the list I played.

Frodo Baggins

Glorfindel

Eowyn

Ally (26)

Bofur x 1

Eomund x 1

Damrod x 1

Arwen Undomiel x 2

Elfhelm x 2

Emery x 3

Gandalf (OHAUH) x 3

Northern tracker x 3

The riddermark's finest x 3

Pelargir shipwright x 3

Minas Tirith Lampwright x 3

White tower watchman x 1

Attachment (7)

Unexpeted courage x 2

Ancient Mathom x 2

Light of Valinor x 3

Event (17)

Hasty stroke x 3

A test of will x 3

Stand and fight x 2

Dwarven tomb x 3

Elrond's counsel x 3

O Elbereth! Githonial ! x 1

The Galadhrim's greeting x 2

the same list with comments:

Frodo Baggins

Glorfindel

Eowyn

I once though going for secrecy, especially with a starting threat so close to 20! But it turns out that the available secrecy cards in neutral / spirit sphere are not very strong. These three heroes are just so much stronger and versatile than the others in the spirit sphere. I though about Dunhere for his two attack and rohan trait, and Caldara, but I stuck with the 3 heroes with the best individual potential.

Ally (26)

Bofur x 1

I playtested with 2 but this deck is not the one where he shines the most

Eomund x 1

There are a bunch of Rohan characters in this deck, and you can usually ready one ally and Eowyn for 2-3 extra attack after defending with Eomund. Eomund will shine with future expansions, but he is ok in this deck

Damrod x 1

His stats are just ok, but attack strength is so much lacking in spirit that I think he is worth the slot.

Arwen Undomiel x 2

Elfhelm x 2

Arwen and Elfhelm are two extremely strong allies, but not that mandatory to include three and be very likely to draw extras.

Emery x 3

I decided to go with 3 times Emery, because her 'drawback' is actually entirely beneficial, with a deck including Stand and fight and dwarven tombs, and no strong "draw and discard" mechanic that deplete a deck very fast. And well, she is free -- in a resource limited deck

Gandalf (OHAUH) x 3

Gandalf is a very strong card, his high defense and attack are almost mandatory for battles and sieges, and his 4 attack is needed for tough minions like Smaug and the Balrog. There are efficient way s to play around his threat cost in the spirit sphere, meaning you usually keep him every turn if you play him late in the game after playing everything else you had.

Northern tracker x 3

No brainer

The riddermark's finest x 3

His ability can be useful, he readies with Eomund, he has 1 attack strength for 2, which is not that easy in spirit, 2 life ... all these details make him a reliable filler.

Pelargir shipwright x 3

3 willpower and 3 life points for 3 resources make him a nearly no-brainer.

Minas Tirith Lampwright x 3

Cheapest blocker (disregarding Emery) in spirit. His power is to consider very carefully, but can be very handy. A good situation to use his power is when:

- you are questing for tons and have one or two test of will - in that situation treacheries and locations are not a worry and you can take the risk of shooting a minion.

- you have a good idea that the encounter deck is strongly dominated by one kind of cards.

White tower watchman x 1

I playtested with more - he sounds great being able to handle one small and one big attack, but he did

not prove being that strong - I usually prefere paying one more for an attack-2 ally.

Attachment (7)

Unexpeted courage x 2

This is usually a crazy card, but not that much in this deck that has light of Valinor for Glorfindel, and Eowyn being quite poor in the combat phase if you cna ready her. It is nice to put one on Frodo, but the second one is not very strong. Putting two in the deck is probably the right number.

Ancient Mathom x 2

The most efficient way to draw cards in Spirit, but you rarely want to have 2 with your limited resources. Good target for dwarven tomb in long games.

Light of Valinor x 3

No brainer with Gorfindel - having it in your starting hand is a strong component for the muligan decision. You can discard extra with Eowyn

Event (17)

Hasty stroke x 3

strong, cheap and flexible

A test of will x 3

No brainer

Stand and fight x 2

Very good card, but you don't really have combos with it in this deck with the timing of playing allies, and you sometimes prefer just drawing an ally in the early game, than being able to reuse one if he is discarded.

Dwarven tomb x 3

This card shines in a mono-spirit deck. Yes you pay one more for the card, but there are so many good targets depending on the situation ... Elrond's councel, A test of will, ancient mathom, athe galadhrim's greeting, O Elbereth, a strong ally you discarded, or a cheap blocker.

Elrond's counsel x 3

This card is very strong, especially in a deck limited in resources and including Frodo

O Elbereth! Githonial ! x 1

This card is an oddball. You can sometimes play it for free, but even for 4, it is quite often a very good answer to nasty minions, including unique ones immune to atachments. I really struggled between including a second one or another cheap ally.

The Galadhrim's greeting x 2

This card is virtually 6 more life for Frodo at worse. It offers a lot of flexibility. I could have included three but I prefered going strong on allies. But is is a frequent target for dwarven tomb.

Other cards I considered:

Against the shadow

it sounded ok with cards like Eowyn, but it paled in comparison to The Galadhrim's greeting ... just one less resource, but 6 more life sounded better than a boost of defense, and it is much more flexible.

KIli

I though about adding a package of 2 Kilis + 1 Fili, but it did not make the cut ... yes, either 2 attack or 2 cheap blockers for just three resources. But it happens pretty often that you just draw Fili, or that Fili discards Emery, bith being frustraing.

There are no other cards that struck me as being worth a spot. Once I settled on the heroes, it was more in the selection of the number of each cards (previously discussed) that I had to do the fine tuning. My overall decision was to prioritize cheap allies for flexibility, over expensive contextual events.