The Lord of the Rings

The Free Peoples/Shadow Connection: Part II

by Ted Vessenes (vessenes@earthlink.net)

Matching Free Peoples and Shadow

In Part I we looked at the currently viable deck archetypes. Today, let's try to make some sense of all that information and find some good Free Peoples/Shadow fits. Looking over the list, the most obvious combination is a Pipeweed/Moria Swarm deck. They are the only decks that routinely play 5-8 cards per turn. Even better is that the Swarm deck is an early game deck while the Pipeweed deck is a late game deck. And to top it off, there are no site conflicts. Since it averages 6 cards drawn per turn over perhaps 7 turns times 2 players, this deck can easily draw 80 cards. This deck will be larger than sixty cards. Playtesting seems to imply that 80-86 cards is the right size.

Sites:
    [1] Shire Lookout Point
    [2] Trollshaw Forest
    [3] Rivendell Terrace
    [4] Mithril Mine
    [5] The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
    [6] Galadriel's Glade
    [7] Anduin Wilderland
    [8] The Shores of Nen Hithoel
    [9] Summit of Amon Hen

Ring-bearer:
Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring

Free Peoples:
    1 Gandalf, Friend of the Shirefolk (starting)
    3 Aragorn, Ranger of the North
    2 Boromir, Son of Denethor
    2 Merry, From O'er the Brandywine
    1 Bilbo Baggins, Retired Adventurer
    4 Hobbit Stealth
    4 Old Toby
    4 Longbottom Leaf
    3 Hobbit Sword
    2 Glamdring
    2 Ranger Sword
    1 Aragorn's Bow
    3 Aragorn's Pipe
    2 Gandalf's Pipe
    2 The Gaffer's Pipe
    2 Bilbo's Pipe
    2 Gandalf's Cart
    2 Sleep, Caradhras

Shadow:
    4 Goblin Runner
    4 Goblin Sneak
    4 Goblin Backstabber
    4 Goblin Wallcrawler
    4 Moria Scout
    4 Goblin Scavenger
    2 Goblin Warrior
    2 Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit
    4 Host of Thousands
    4 Goblin Scimitar
    4 Goblin Armory
    2 Goblin Swarms

Another good fit seems to be the Dwarf/Cave Troll deck. Both decks want an underground site at site 4 and have similar card rates. The Dwarf deck is pretty much outfitted from the beginning (one Dwarf pump card is much the same as another), so it's an early play deck, while the Cave Troll deck takes some time to get started. Here is one potential build for this deck:

Sites:
    [1] Westfarthing
    [2] Breeland Forest
    [3] Rivendell Waterfall
    [4] Dwarrofdelf Chamber
    [5] The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
    [6] Dimrill Dale
    [7] Anduin Confluence
    [8] The Shores of Nen Hithoel
    [9] Emyn Muil

Ring-bearer:
Frodo, Son of Drogo
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring

Free Peoples:
    1 Gimli, Son of Gloin (starting)
    1 Farin, Dwarven Emissary (starting)
    4 Dwarf Guard
    4 Dwarven Axe
    2 Gimli's Battle Axe
    3 Gimli's Helm
    4 Their Halls of Stone
    4 Axe Strike
    4 Cleaving Blow
    2 Hobbit Stealth
    1 Sting

Shadow:
    4 Goblin Runner
    4 Goblin Scavengers
    4 Troll's Keyward
    4 Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit
    4 Host of Thousands
    4 Goblin Armory
    4 Goblin Scimitar
    2 Cave Troll's Hammer

The Elf deck has a bit of a problem. It's a late game deck that doesn't draw a lot of cards per turn. The best match is probably a Nazgûl deck, although the Elves would have to give up Trollshaw Forest and Rivendell Valley as sites 2 and 3. Alternatively, you could mix it with an Uruk-hai or Mordor deck, but the late game nature of both Free Peoples and Shadow strategies would probably confound the deck, despite having so many good cards. It would never get its feet off the ground. Here is an attempt at an Elf/Nazgûl deck:

Sites:
    [1] East Road
    [2] Weatherhills
    [3] Ford of Bruinen
    [4] Moria Lake
    [5] The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
    [6] Lothlorien Woods
    [7] Silverlode Banks
    [8] The Shores of Nen Hithoel
    [9] Summit of Amon Hen

Ring-bearer:
Frodo, Son of Drogo
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring

Free Peoples:
    1 Legolgas, Greenleaf (starting)
    1 Arwen, Daughter of Elrond (starting)
    2 Haldir, Elf of the Golden Wood
    3 Lorien Elf
    1 Asfaloth
    1 Gwemegil
    1 Bow of the Galadhrim
    1 The Tale of Gil-Galad
    4 Elvish Bow
    4 Defiance
    3 Border Defenses
    1 Sting
    1 Galadriel, Lady of Light
    1 Celeborn, Lord of Lorien
    1 Elrond, Lord of Rivendell
    1 Orophin, Lorien Bowman
    1 Rumil, Elven Protector
    2 Swan-ship of the Galadhrim

Shadow:
    4 The Witch-king, Lord of Angmar
    4 Úlairë Attëa, Keeper of Dol Guldur
    2 Úlairë Enquëa, Lieutenant of Morgul
    3 Úlairë Cantëa, Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
    3 Úlairë Nelya, Lieutenant of Morgul
    4 Morgul Gates
    4 Black Breath
    3 Blade Tip
    3 The Pale Blade

The Archer and Gandalf decks (similar in nature) are late game decks that play few cards per turn, so they are best suited for the Nazgûl Shadow strategy. The match seems a bit better than the Elf/Nazgûl match. Here is one version of the Gandalf/Nazgûl strategy:

Sites:
    [1] Westfarthing
    [2] Weatherhills
    [3] Ford of Bruinen
    [4] DwarrowdElf Chamber
    [5] The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
    [6] Galadriel's Glade
    [7] Anduin Confluence
    [8] The Shores of Nen Hithoel
    [9] Summit of Amon Hen

Ring-bearer:
Frodo, Son of Drogo
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring

Free Peoples:
    1 Legolas, Greenleaf (Starter)
    1 Gimli, Son of Gloin (Starter)
    4 Gandalf, Friend of the Shirefolk
    1 Aragorn, Ranger of the North
    2 Glamdring
    2 Dwarven Axe
    2 Gimli's Helm
    1 Sting
    1 The Tale of Gil-Galad
    4 Strength of Spirit
    1 Sleep, Caradhras
    2 Servant of the Secret Fire
    4 Hobbit Stealth
    4 Hobbit Intuition

That leaves the Ranger and Hobbit decks looking for Shadow deck mates. Both are early game decks (in that the Free Peoples prepares itself relatively quickly). Their closest Shadow deck matches appear to be the Uruk-hai and Mordor decks, both late game decks with similar card rates and no site conflicts. Since the Hobbit deck gets prepared faster than the Ranger deck ("More" early game) and the Mordor deck starts working later than the Uruk-hai deck, that leaves us with a Hobbit/Mordor deck and a Ranger/Uruk-hai deck. The Hobbit/Mordor deck:

Sites:
    [1] The Green Dragon Inn
    [2] Buckleberry Ferry
    [3] Council Courtyard
    [4] Balin's Tomb
    [5] The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
    [6] Galadriel's Glade
    [7] Anduin Confluence
    [8] The Shores of Nen Hithoel
    [9] Tol Brandir

Ring-bearer:
Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring

Free Peoples:
    1 Merry, From O'er the Brandywine (starting)
    1 Pippen, Hobbit of Some Intelligence (starting)
    1 Sam, Son of Hamfast (starting when going second)
    2 Legolas, Greenleaf (starting when going first)
    2 Boromir, Son of Denethor
    1 Bilbo Baggins, Retired Adventurer
    2 Sting
    4 Hobbit Stealth
    4 Hobbit Intuition
    4 Power According to His Stature
    4 There and Back Again
    4 A Talent for Not Being Seen

Shadow:
    4 Orc Soldier
    4 Orc Scouting Band
    4 Orc Hunters
    2 Orc War Band
    2 Orc Inquisitor
    2 Morgul Warden
    4 Forces of Mordor
    4 Orc Bowmen
    4 Hate

And finally, the Ranger/Uruk-hai deck:

Sites:
    [1] The Prancing Pony
    [2] Trollshaw Forest
    [3] Council Courtyard
    [4] Moria Lake
    [5] The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
    [6] Galadriel's Glade
    [7] Silverlode Banks
    [8] The Shores of Nen Hithoel
    [9] Slopes of Amon Hen

Ring-bearer:
Frodo, Son of Drogo
The One Ring, The Ruling Ring

Free Peoples:
    1 Boromir, Lord of Gondor (starting)
    1 Merry, Friend to Sam (starting)
    3 Aragorn, King in Exile
    4 Athelas
    2 Hobbit Sword
    2 Ranger Sword
    1 Aragorn's Bow
    1 Blade of Gondor
    1 Armor
    3 No Stranger to the Shadows
    2 A Talent for Not Being Seen
    1 Saga of Elendil
    4 Hobbit Stealth
    4 Hobbit Intuition

Shadow:
    4 Uruk Fighter
    4 Uruk Warrior
    4 Uruk Lieutenant
    2 Uruk Shaman
    3 Orthanc Assassin
    2 Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
    4 Saruman's Ambition
    4 Savagery to Match Their Numbers
    3 Worry

Whew! That's a lot of decks! Let me warn you that some of these decks have been tested more than others. The Ranger and Pipeweed decks have been tested the most and are very effective. The Gandalf deck listing has also been tested a fair amount and seems pretty good, although it could use some work. (My testing is hampered by not owning 4 Witch Kings and 3 Pale Swords.) And remember, these decks are just starting points, not finished products. Try them out for yourself and figure out how to improve them.

The Shores of Nen Hithoel

There isn't enough time to analyze each of these decks in detail, but there is one detail worth explaining. Each of these decks plays Shores of Nen Hithoel as its 8th site. Why is that?

Consider every site that could be played as site 8: Anduin Banks (good against large companies), Brown Lands (good with Minion Archers), Pillars of the Kings (bad against people playing men), and Shores of Nen Hithoel (good when you want 3 more in the pool or when you have orcs).

It's just better to have 3 more points in the twilight pool. Remember, when your site 8 enters play, it means your opponent moved ahead of you. The only way Shores of Nen Hithoel could hurt you is if: #1: You opponent doesn't move on to site 9, #2: The extra 3 points against your opponent didn't help you damage them more, and #3: The extra 3 points against you helps your opponent kill you or stop you

Yes, all three of those things can happen. There are rare situations when Shores of Nen Hithoel can cost you the game. But more often than not, the extra three points makes YOU win the game by playing yet another minion that kills yet another companion.

Lets consider the other options. Anduin Banks? Only really better than Shores of Nen Hithoel when they have 6 companions -- and if they have 6 companions by site 8, your Shadow deck needs work. Brown Lands? How many minion archers are there? One playable Moria Orc and two playable Uruk-hai. At best, Brownlands would add 2 to the archery total. You can just as easily deal 2 extra damage by playing another minion. Pillars of the Kings? This can only help your opponent unless you move there first. This means you played Pathfinder to put the site out, stopped at the Pillars (and your opponent doesn't race through for the win), and then healed yourself next fellowship phase before moving on. How likely is that to happen?

Honestly, Shores of Nen Hithoel is the only site 8 that should ever be played. It's possible that future expansions will print enough Moria Orc archers that Brown Lands could be considered, but even that is doubtful. You don't know if you will draw minion archers, but you'll always draw minions that require Shadow points to play. It's unfortunate that Decipher printed a card that absolutely goes in every deck (the mark of an unbalanced card), but I guess that's expected in a new game.

In the realm of unbalanced cards, it could be far worse. Imagine if every Shadow deck could easily play The Balrog of Moria, instead of having a minion spot restriction like The Cave Troll of Moria! Since there is only one site 5 (and I doubt another will get printed), absolutely everyone would play The Balrog in every deck, fetching him out when the fellowship moved to The Bridge of Khazad-dûm. People would start building 59 card decks and then add one Balrog. The more unbalanced cards get printed, the less creativity goes into deck design. But I have confidence that Decipher will print a reasonably restricted version (versions?) of The Balrog.

January 15, 2002

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