Picture a deck where you never defend an attack or destroy an enemy the only goal is to quest like the wind and avoid confrontation. Sound like fun? Probably not, but if you are waiting patiently for VoI to arrive and want to try something really different here is a deck for you. This deck by no means is perfect, and it is limited use on only a handful of scenarios, it is only going to work on willpower based scenarios and ones without a boss fight. Here is the Deck.

Hero (3)

Pippin (EaAD) x1

Fatty Bolger (TBR) x1

Frodo Baggins (CatC) x1

Ally (17)

Ethir Swordsman (TSF) x3

Imladris Stargazer (FoS) x3

Pelargir Shipwright (AoO) x3

West Road Traveller (RtM) x3

Silvan Refugee (TDF) x3

Arwen Undomiel (TWitW) x1

Bofur (TRG) x1

Attachment (15)

Ancient Mathom (AJtR) x3

Good Meal (TRG) x3

Hobbit Pipe (TBR) x3

Map of Earnil (AoO) x3

Resourceful (TWitW) x3

Event (18)

A Test of Will (Core) x3

Dwarven Tomb (Core) x3

Hobbit-sense (EaAD) x3

The Galadhrim's Greeting (Core) x3

Out of Sight (TLD) x3

O Elbereth! Gilthonial! (SaF) x3

Strategy:

The most important cards in the deck are Hobbit Sense and Out of Sight. Essentially they are the same thing other than cost, but they are going to prevent the inevitable swarm of enemies that come crashing down on you in the last few rounds, and this is what you want to save these card for.

The next important cards are Galadhrim's Greeting, Map of Eranil, and Dwarven Tomb. Especially in the early game. I want to drop my threat deeper into secrecy early on even in the first round if possible. With these few cards in the opening hand I can keep my threat below 10 for a few rounds.

All the allies other than Stargazer are primarily for willpower questing. Stagazer can help get key cards into hand, but the deck is pretty slow on draw, with just Ancient Mathom and Hobbit Pipes.

So here is how to play the deck. I have primarily played this on 7th Level scenario. And what I want to try to do first is reduce my threat, then bring a quester in next round. Try avoid engaging an enemy as long a possible, and just let them pile up in the staging area. Hopefully willpower can exceed or at least keep up with it the threat. If enemies do engage send them back to the staging area with Pippin ability or use O Elbereth! Gilthonial!. Once you start to use pippins ability threat will begin to snowball, which mean higher engagement cost enemies will be engaging next round so, make sure this does no start to early, at some point it is inevitable that a swarm of enemies will bare down and this is when you want to play Out of Sight while in secrecy or Hobbit Sense to avoid the attacks. This is what you want to have happen, since now you will have cleared the staging area and can quest free and clear for 15+ willpower next turn. If you do not clear the stage, you better have another HS or OoS or you are goblin stew next round. Fatty's ability comes into play late game when threat no longer matters, unless it means losing the game, but his ability can get you a few more progress and can be key at times.

This deck is not easy to play, but it can be quite exciting to race to the finish as the enemies swarm around you. During 7th level I have had victories with 10 engaged enemies and 4 more in the staging area, utterly amazed that I escaped without ever being attacked or destroying an enemy the whole game.

Question, suggestions, and comments are always welcome.

this deck is the worst one you have ever posted.

this deck is the worst one you have ever posted.

Thanks for the honesty, but that's pretty much stating the obvious. Anyone who tries to build a solo deck using Pippin's hobbit restricted ability is already at a major disadvantage on creating an awesome deck.

If you can build me a better deck with him and 2 other hobbits I would be more than happy to try it.

This deck is no push over, It was able to handle nigtmare THfG. Which is not super difficult but still NM mode.

It will not handle every scenario, but it's pretty good at what it attempts to do.

you can beat HFG-N by choosing your deck randomly (practically). This is not barometer!

this deck is the worst one you have ever posted.

Yeah how dare you try to make something of a bunch of coaster level cards!

It snowed here yesterday - quite unexpected.

There true but not quite as unhelpful as the quoted post.

I would be interested in hearing just what quests you can win with this - some of the Dwarrowdelf ones I expect - probably not the Watcher as the enemies are very low threat but the 3 long questy ones, maybe even the one with the elder things?

As I am a "deck for all seasons" sort of guy this is not my cup of tea but it's nice to see

Alright guys, I'll yield. I really just wanted to set a very low bar so that my next decks will look really awesome.

But seriously, this deck is not supposed to be a deck for all seasons. It's an experiment testing a strategy trying to use cards that eliminate the need to attack or defend. The developers designed many of these cards with this intent I believe, so I wanted to see if it actually works in practice, and it does to a very limited degree in terms of the scenarios it can handle.

This one is not going to pass the rigorous tests, but someone at BGG is trying it on NM Dol Guldur. I'll keep you posted.

Haters gonna hate. Decks like this make the game more fun.

Alright guys, I'll yield. I really just wanted to set a very low bar so that my next decks will look really awesome.

But seriously, this deck is not supposed to be a deck for all seasons. It's an experiment testing a strategy trying to use cards that eliminate the need to attack or defend. The developers designed many of these cards with this intent I believe, so I wanted to see if it actually works in practice, and it does to a very limited degree in terms of the scenarios it can handle.

This one is not going to pass the rigorous tests, but someone at BGG is trying it on NM Dol Guldur. I'll keep you posted.

I saw that. I was trying to be supportive but not doing a very good job. I like one "deck to rule them all" as I tend to play in bursts & want to run through several scenarios rather than rerunning one over & over. If there is someone around to make interesting & novel & at least somewhat effective decks for me that are tailored to the missions in hand then that's good for me!

I am looking forward to your Love of Tales deck *

*IMO it might be passable if 2-3 people all play some sort of Love of Tales decks then the resource income is multiplied much faster. It's pretty Heath Robinson** though & probably too slow for serious play.

** Rube Goldberg to Americans

I imagine this deck is really fun when playing across the table from someone using Dunhere or Great Yew Bow and the like.

This is awesome. Fun and thinking outside the box are always good!

I applaud you Tracker1, you're become well known for your smart and innovative deck ideas, even Glaurung said so in one of his videos! And Glaurung's praise does not come easily!

Some players give this game some flack for being too combat intensive. I like that this deck is a step in the other direction. Also, cards like the newly unveiled Leaf Broach and Noiseless Movement will make strategies like this even more viable.

Some players give this game some flack for being too combat intensive. I like that this deck is a step in the other direction. Also, cards like the newly unveiled Leaf Broach and Noiseless Movement will make strategies like this even more viable.

Yeah Leaf Broach is a perfect fit for this type of deck, looking forward to see how it plays out.

I've been playing this (modified for 1 core set) against a few scenarios and having a lot of fun!

Handled Redhorn Gate really well, decimated 7th Level, and just had an epic Massing at Osgiliath victory with 6 enemies, including the Witchking, engaged with me at the end, all foiled by some Hobbit Sense!

I've been playing this (modified for 1 core set) against a few scenarios and having a lot of fun!

Handled Redhorn Gate really well, decimated 7th Level, and just had an epic Massing at Osgiliath victory with 6 enemies, including the Witchking, engaged with me at the end, all foiled by some Hobbit Sense!

Cool! I love having these types of cards that make this type of strategy a possibility, it really turned how i was playing the game on its head.

I've been playing this (modified for 1 core set) against a few scenarios and having a lot of fun!

Handled Redhorn Gate really well, decimated 7th Level, and just had an epic Massing at Osgiliath victory with 6 enemies, including the Witchking, engaged with me at the end, all foiled by some Hobbit Sense!

Could you post your deck modifications?

I'm going to do some to be able to play this deck and a few insights would be great

New Spirit Bilbo ally is a must for this deck. With him I am finally getting the pipes to make Smoke Rings work in this deck.

Leaf Brooch is also perfect fit.

After a few test runs with these new cards, i am really liking the direction the deck is taking.

Nice deck smoother for this deck.

I could not resist modifying the original deck in light of the spoiled Bilbo ally and Leaf Brooch. Fatty had to make way for Glorfindel. With LoV Glorfindel is adding 3 will to the quest where Fatty need to raise threat to help place progress. I lose Pippin ability and Hobbit sense but no big deal. I have played a few games with this deck now and have won games with 0 threat. I was basically playing threat reducing events to draw more cards. Bilbo makes using the Hobbit pipe a reliable card draw option for this deck now. Leaf Brooch is okay. With Resourecful and Good meal I can end up with a mountain of resources. Put all 3 resourceful on a hobbit and lay of Nimrodel will blow through late game quest stages.

Hero (3)

Pippin (EaAD) x1

Frodo Baggins (CatC) x1

Glorfindel (FoS) x1

Ally (9)

Ethir Swordsman (TSF) x3

Pelargir Shipwright (AoO) x3

Bilbo Baggins (TRD) x3

Attachment (18)

Good Meal (TRG) x3

Hobbit Pipe (TBR) x3

Map of Earnil (AoO) x3

Resourceful (TWitW) x3

Light of Valinor (FoS) x3

Leaf Brooch (TTT) x3

Event (23)

A Test of Will (Core) x3

Dwarven Tomb (Core) x3

The Galadhrim's Greeting (Core) x3

Out of Sight (TLD) x3

O Elbereth! Gilthonial! (SaF) x3

Elrond's Counsel (TWitW) x3

Lay of Nimrodel (TMV) x2

Smoke Rings (TBR) x3

Booo! Now you need to change the thread title to "Harmless Hobbits and one of the Greatest Heroes of the Third Age".

Booo! Now you need to change the thread title to "Harmless Hobbits and one of the Greatest Heroes of the Third Age".

Just so you know, I went back to back to using fatty, the deck works better that way, and Pippin's ability is quite useful at times. I still made room for leaf Brooch, Bilbo ally and Smoke Rings. The deck is now much better then my OP.

I had a very cool victories over TMaO, JAtA, and I even made it past Stone of Erech, but the last quest card was really tough. i forgot about the battle quest! 7 attack strength was barely cutting it, and I had 5 rounds with 7 enemies engages, while using hobbit sense and out of sight to make it through.

Yay! Hobbits FTW!

This is pretty much exactly how I build deck. I get an idea.. something I think is kinda cool and make the deck.. that as I play with it I tweak it and usually the theme gets lost or the more "unusual" cards are dropped.. but the deck end up way way better.

I've been playing this (modified for 1 core set) against a few scenarios and having a lot of fun!

Handled Redhorn Gate really well, decimated 7th Level, and just had an epic Massing at Osgiliath victory with 6 enemies, including the Witchking, engaged with me at the end, all foiled by some Hobbit Sense!

Could you post your deck modifications?

I'm going to do some to be able to play this deck and a few insights would be great

It's only 4 cards so not that big of a deal. I probably added in gandalf and and extra bofur and arwen