My wife and I have been playing this game since the first cycle, and recently we sat down to do an exhaustive study of the best pair of decks for synergy and efficiency at moving through quests. After trying a lot of different ideas and hero combinations, we settled on the following.

Ironically, I started with what I consider the "best" solo deck and modified it to fit what was needed for a two-player variant.

Heroes - Eowyn, Glorfindel, Beravor

Starting Threat - 24

Allies (18)

Arwen Undomiel x3

Warden of Healing x2

Bofur x3

Mirkwood Runner x3

Rivendell Minstrel x1

Northern Tracker x3

Gandalf (Core Set) x3

Events (21)

Stand and Fight x3

Elrond's Counsel x3

Daeron's Runes x3

Hasty Stroke x3

A Test of Will x3

Dwarven Tomb x3

The Galadhrim's Greeting x3

Attachments (11)

Song of Wisdom x1

Light of Valinor x2

Protector of Lorien x2

Asfaloth x2

A Burning Brand x2

Unexpected Courage x2

So the goal of this deck, obviously, is to handle questing while managing smaller threats on its own. Beravor can exhaust for card drawing on either side of the table once each turn, and with UC I can also quest or block as needed.

The partner deck does the opposite.

Heroes - Denethor, Mirlonde, Legolas

Starting threat - 23

Allies (23)

Warden of Healing x1

Vassal of the Windlord x3

Gondorian Spearman x2

Gleowine x2

Defender of Ramas x3

Dori x1

Daughter of the Nimrodel x2

Ithilien Archer x3

Rivendell Minstrel x1

Haldir of Lorien x1

Gildor Inglorion x1

Gandalf (Core Set) x3

Events (16)

Mithrandir's Advice x3

Infighting x2

Hail of Stones x2

Feint x3

Behind Strong Walls x3

Quick Strike x3

Attachments (11)

Song of Battle x2

Protector of Lorien x2

Rivendell Bow x2

Rivendell Blade x2

Gondorian Shield x3

Legolas is probably my favorite hero in the game. There were a few times when we just couldn't break 0 on questing but he still got us through the stage or a difficult location we just couldn't handle if the turn had ended with that thing on the board. I thought about cutting down to 2 Unexpected Courages, but I frequently drop the attachments in the order of Denethor, Legolas, Beravor.

The Rivendell Bows are another card that seem a little redundant at first, but there are a lot of options for it. The most obvious use is Legolas for that +1 attack, but Mirlonde, Glorfindel, the Mirkwood Runners, and Gildor can all benefit from them as well.

I plan to include some of the Isengard cards into these decks - like the 0 cost Lore card that lets everyone draw 2 for 2 threat to replace Mithrandir's Advice - but for the moment, I don't think there is a better pair of a decks out there. These could stand some minor tweaking, but it really comes down to personal play preference at that point, and how much you're willing to spend on extra encounter packs just for a couple of player cards (like having 3 more Wardens of Healing instead of falling back on the subpar Daughter).

I'm always willing to entertain constructive criticism so please feel free to share your thoughts.

I was reading your posts on the VoI thread and wanted to make a comment. It seems like you're frustrated about the limited strategic options in the game. It may be true that there are certain strategies that are better than others for most scenarios (Glorfindel is in EVERY deck) but this is also a very "Boromir" ("I must win in the most efficient way") way of looking at the game.

There are other ways of enjoying this game. I for instance, love to make the most thematic deck possible and it doesn't reduce my enjoyment of the game if this doesn't yeild the most wins possible. Looking at these other ways of enjoying the game may help reduce your feeling of being locked into certain decisions.

Cheers and nice decks!

It's true, I'm more of a strategic-over thinker than a thematic player. I don't expect to win every time, but it's pointless to just go through the motions if losing is a foregone conclusion.

My frustration, as explained in the other thread, stems from the fact that the only viable style of play is frowned upon by the designers. Caleb calls it turtling, but it's really just a question of math. To win you need x tokens on card a. To get x tokens, the total of y has to be greater than the total of z over a period of n turns. Everything else is just flavor.

Well, I know one thing...

If we ever do tournaments for the game, I'd want you as my partner!

Lol, thanks! I will take you up on that if I am able.

Expanding into 4 player games, these are the decks I am working with:

Player 3

Heroes - Sam Gamgee, Dunhere, Eleanor

Starting Threat - 23

Allies (25)

Snowbourn Scout x3

Pelargir Ship Captain x3

Bill the Pony x2

West Road Traveller x3

Rider of the Mark x3

Faramir x2

Erestor x2

Northern Tracker x2

Damrod x2

Gandalf x3 (core set)

Events (15)

Stand and Fight x3

Sneak Attack x3

Hasty Stroke x3

A Test of Will x3

The Galadhrin's Greeting x3

Attachments (10)

Hobbit Cloak x3

Ancient Mathom x3

Visionary Leadership x2

Steward of Gondor x2

So the role of this deck is pretty straightforward. Sam is there for questing, Dunhere hits enemies in the staging area, and Eleanor offers a solid support method for dealing with treachery cards. Plus, more spirit means 3 more Tests of Will, 3 more Hasty Strokes, and 3 more Galadhrin's Greetings. Sneak Attack and Damrod is a great combo, especially when you need to get your threat down to keep from anything engaging you. Pulling from the attachments in the 2nd deck and 4th deck (Dagger of Westernesse and Spear of the Mark), Dunhere can hit with a whopping 7 attack when he targets something in the staging area. Visionary Leadership + Steward of Gondor + a slew of Gondor allies in 3-4 decks is winning as well.

And of course, the 4th player deck gains benefits of its own from Bill the Pony:

Player 4

Heroes - Théoden, Merry, Pippin (Black Riders)

Starting Threat - 23

Allies (23)

Gondorian Spearman x3

Defender of Rammas x3

Farmer Maggot x2

Guthlaf x2

Eagles of the Misty Mountains x3

Descendant of Thorondor x3

Radagast x3

Gandalf (core set) x3

Landroval x1

Events (15)

Feint x3

Quick Strike x3

Word of Command x3

Ravens of the Mountain x3

Take No Notice x3

Attachments (12)

Black Arrow x1

Spear of the Mark x2

Protector of Lorien x1

Fast Hitch x3

Song of Wisdom x1

Great Yew Bow x1

Ring Mail x3

You lose some potential with Merry by not having a third hobbit, but you gain so much more by having him paired with Théoden. First, he has 3 Willpower, and the deck offers the ability to both quest and fight once you get a couple of Fast Hitches out. Word of Command works great with Radagast as it allows you to search for things like Black Arrow or the Great Yew Bow, both of which can be played on Legolas (if the 2nd player deck hasn't drawn and played the Black Arrow first, of course). Radagast being in the deck couples well with playing Eagles. If you're wondering why Defender of Rammas instead of Winged Guardian, the main reason is that Defender doesn't eat up tactics resources in the early game. Also of importance is the fact that Defender can benefit from Visionary Leadership or Gondorian Discipline when necessary.

As stated in the first post, a lot of the challenge with this game is the lack of access to more than 3 copies of cards not in the core set unless you are willing to buy multiple encounter packs. At this point, I'm not. I have tried switching out the Yew Bow for things like A Burning Brand, and the Eagles for more lore allies. The only ally I would run more of if I could fit it into one of the three lore-based decks is Miner of the Iron Hills, which I have switched in from time to time against quests with difficult conditions.

Feel free to chime in with suggestions for changes and/or improvements.

Still the best.

And still...

We dropped Beravor for Denethor, and then put Haldir in with Legolas and Mirlonde. Working on modifying the decks slightly as a result.

One thing being considered is to drop Glorfindel for Eleanor. It will slow questing a little bit but Light of Valinor can be played on Haldir or Mirlonde.

I left the original post intact so people who are interested can see the evolution of these decks. I just don't believe there's anything stronger for a two-player set-up than the core synergy between these two.

So, these are our updated decks. We smashed through The Old Forest in about 20 minutes. Sadly, we couldn't survive the attacks from Old Man Willow because of the condition cards the first time, so we tossed in more Miners of the Iron Hill and swapped out Glorfindel for Eleanor. It was a tough decision - particularly because of Asfaloth - but the treachery cards are just too difficult to handle these days. So, that said:

Heroes - Eowyn, Denethor, Eleanor

Starting Threat - 24

Allies (18)

Arwen Undomiel x3

Warden of Healing x3

Bofur x3

Mirkwood Runner x3

Rivendell Minstrel x1

Northern Tracker x2

Gandalf (Core Set) x3

Events (21)

Stand and Fight x3

Elrond's Counsel x3

Daeron's Runes x3

Hasty Stroke x3

A Test of Will x3

Dwarven Tomb x3

The Galadhrim's Greeting x3

Attachments (11)

Song of Wisdom x1

Light of Valinor x2

Protector of Lorien x2

Asfaloth x2

A Burning Brand x2

Unexpected Courage x2

In addition to questing, this deck is now responsible for defending as necessary. Eleanor being Gondor gives me a second defender as long as I didn't have to exhaust her to cancel a treachery card.

The partner deck is a powerhouse for combat, especially with Haldir.

Heroes - Haldir, Mirlonde, Legolas

Starting threat - 24

Allies (20)

Vassal of the Windlord x3

Miner of the Iron Hills x2

Gondorian Spearman x3

Gleowine x3

Ithilien Archer x3

Rivendell Minstrel x2

Gildor Inglorion x1

Gandalf (Core Set) x3

Events (15)

Mithrandir's Advice x3

Hail of Stones x2

Feint x3

Behind Strong Walls x3

Gondorian Discipline x3

Foe-Hammer x1

Attachments (11)

Song of Battle x2

Protector of Lorien x2

Rivendell Bow x2

Rivendell Blade x2

Gondorian Shield x3

Dagger of Westernesse x3
Black Arrow x1

Feedback aka constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Haldir? Two Denethor Heroes?

Darn copy/paste. Fixed.