I got into this game 3 weeks ago and quickly bought a lot of the sets that are currently available, waiting on reprint for some of them. I have got the all shadows of Mirkwood cycle, Darrowdelf cycle (except the first two) and OHaUH. I am using some proxies in the two decks I have for the moment until the reprints happen but the two decks are as follows:

Noldor Deck:

Thorin company (based on Glaurungs deck):

Now Against most anything both these decks can cope with, some with more difficulties than others but I make it through. However "We Must Away, Ere Break of Day" with Thorin's company gets be killed almost all the time, I have way too much threat going into the last phase and end up fighting 2-3 trolls, If I'm lucky to fight 1 I only get one turn off before the second joins the fray sacking two of my guys. That usually isn't an issue as I just get Bilbo to free them. However I don't have enough turns to kill them or burn the encounter deck due to Tom.

Any recommendations how to play the dwarf deck before entering phase 2?

No-one?

Okay let me rephrase the question, is there any strategies you can use to get around tom other than using a single high hitting ally/hero or have low threat with spirit? As mass allies really suffer against the trolls from the when revealed effects of some of the cards and tom stops the mass damage from all of them stacking. I guess the new Saruman card can help instead of using gandalf? Any other ways?

Here's a few quick tips:

- Consider swapping Ori for Nori and making a Leadership/Spirit Deck. Nori will reduce your threat for each Dwarf played from your hand and give you access to other low threat cards

- Does the dwarf deck always have too many resources? With Thorin, SoG, We are not Idle, and A Very Good Tale, it would seem that you would have more resources than you know what to do with. Parting Gifts, for me at least, is never a reliable way to get resources to another set of heroes. Consider Errand Rider.

- You have Dain buffing all the dwarves in one deck, but there are no dwarves in the other! You're missing an opportunity to maximize Dain's effectiveness.

- If you want to go the route of killing the trolls, dwarves have some amazing tactics cards that can quickly deal with them. Consider swapping out Denethor for Gimli and then adding Erebor Battlemaster and Khazad Khazad

- Durin's Song is a Leadership card that can be very clutch in tense moments

- Elrond is awesome but a very expensive threat investment, A Vilya deck can also be great, but if threat is your problem, consider switching to Bifur, his ability will also help you move your plethora of leadership resources over to the other side of the table

-I know I can beat it with spirit, I was wondering how I can do it without.

-Dwarf deck does have a lot of resources late game though early game it burns through them all. Though I think I shall look into Errand rider.

-I play each of these single player so doesn't matter which the other deck has for buffs.

-Elrond deck like I said goes through fine so I don't need to change anything there. Sure he's an expensive threat investment but most games with that deck I end with sub 25 threat no issue, I have 8 threat reducing cards in the deck. 3 of which are free.

- Durin's song might be an idea, I might try to play the deck as leadership/tactics with gimli or something, might be the only real way to deal with it.

Im looking at trying this quest, but I cant find the part on how to get rid of the sack cards.

There is a card called Troll camp which is a location in the deck. As long as it is in play Bilbo can release sacked characters as an action (including himself) by exhausting and spending one Baggins resource. The trick I usually use is try to get it out during the first part of the quest so I can change it into the active location for the second part as I either tank or attempt to kill at least one of the trolls. This being with the spirit/lore deck. I'm sure Tactics could likely kill one troll with a buffed Beorn or something similar. If you've got good questers you can keep Troll camp in the staging area so as not to make it hit the discard while you mill the encounter deck.

There are other encounter cards in the deck that put the Troll camp into play from the deck or discard as well. Though if you are in part two you will likely mill past the card trying to get to part 3.

well I beat it a few times with the suggested deck in the rules. I don't have anything besides this expansion so I don't know anything about your deck. The strategy was stall on first stage till I get a few things accomplished. I want gimli equipped with both dwarven axes or 1 and. citadel plate Ill take a few undefended attacks from crow to Max out gimlis. attack there's also a shadow effect which puts troll camp in play. Then if need be Ill play gandalf to keep my threat low enough to only engage two lowest trolls I usually kill middle troll first to eliminate his effect and with a goblin cleaver or 2 they go down in one swing. Also try to manage my resources and attachments to keep chances of.gimli getting sacked as low as possible. That's the strategy and its not really a strong.deck beat it 3 out of 10 never able to get treasure though. I did first try in easy mode though.

The two strategies that I have used that work are:

1) Tactics powerhouse 1 hit kill tom so there rest of the trolls become a cake walk, without tom around you can chump block the troll then pile on it with allies when you want to kill one. The deck itself has no scary enemies, the bird can be a nuissance but it isn't too much of an issue unless it cycles the card that makes all allies take 2 damage with trolls out.

2) Using Burning brand and some healing capabilities just to wear down the trolls prioritizing tom first. Mirkwood runner can kill tom in 5 turns on his own as he ignores defence. It can be a little slow but with threat control it is an easy way to be safe and bait the key and purse out of the deck. (Don't forget that the key or purse discarded even as a shadow card get attached to the trolls)

I still haven't found a way for Leadership to deal with them as Leadership has mass amount of allies but none with particularly high attack or ways to get around high defence (other than pile in but tom negates that.) I've also found that a well built questing spirit/lore deck that relies only on the heroes with threat control breezes through this scenario and never even fight the trolls. Have Eowyn/Glorfindel/Denethor (starting threat 21) with threat reduction, light of valinor and Asfaloth. You don't get the treasure admitely but it is an easy win otherwise. Said deck doesn't do well against the other two scenarios though.

My version of Thalin & co was a bit different - for a start it did not have Thalin I used Bifur & I Narvi's Belt for some Tactics & Spirit cards (2 more or less unnecessary Will of the West & 3 Erebor Battlemaster). The lower starting threat gives it more time to develop before hitting the Trolls & then very high attack characters in the Battlemasters to finish Tom quickly.

I guess this fits your single high attack character pattern though.

For leadership style can you not take down Tom in 2 turns with Sneak Attack Gandalf, Attack with Gandalf, Gandalf? Then swarm the other trolls.

Here's a thought... Ranger Spikes is a card that can drastically alter the course of this scenario. And since you have the option of letting engaged trolls retreat back to the staging area, it opens up additional options for getting it attached to the trolls. From what you originally posted, I don't think you own the card, but you could always proxy it.

Note that Bert's anti-attachment text has no effect on Ranger Spikes since it is not played directly onto a troll. We have had official clarification about that. The strategy is vulnerable to untimely Suspicious Crows and Wind-whipped Rain treacheries, but otherwise is a nice approach for decks with Lore. And Erebor Hammersmith can recycle discarded copies of Ranger Spikes, as can Second Breakfast if you wanted to make room for that card.

Some love for Thorin such as Dunedain Marks, Durin's Song, and maybe even Grave Cairn after a chump blocker leaves play should help him take out Tom.

@Pickles: I didn't think of the Gandalf loop, I kept thinking William's ability is so that trolls can only take damage through combat but I guess you can damage them once they are engaged through Gandalf. I'll give that a go without changing the deck much and see if it helps.

@Grand: I've just picked up HoN yesterday and a few of the against the shadow cycle to try out the Outlands trait. Ranger spikes seems like it would be a lot of fun, I see there are a lot more trap cards abound. Are there any heroes that are particularly good with traps?