[Hero (Gandalf) vs. Hero or Minion] Reborn of Eriador

[Fangorn]

Gandalf wants to turn Eriador from a wasteland back to a civilized area.
He thus gathers scattered folk of NW Eriador : Elves, Dwarves and Dunedain.
Meanwhile, Gandalf has heard rumours about a Ring of Power, and enlists Hobbits to discover it.
Indeed, nobody pay attention to the little folk within the great deeds of Middle-earth.
Moreover, Hobbits are the most suitable people to handle with the recent growing of Ungoliant's Progeny.


Character Pool

Starting Company
Fatty Bolger
Sam Gamgee
Bilbo
Frodo (+ Healing Herbs)
(+ Rumours of Rings)

In deck
Gloin
Balin
Beretar

Not in deck
Folco Boffin
Robin Smallburrow
Strider


Wizards Characters

Gandalf
Gandalf
Radagast
Galdor
Cirdan


Resources

Precious Gold Ring
Precious Gold Ring
Precious Gold Ring
Fair Gold Ring
Fair Gold Ring
Scroll of Isildur

Elves of Lindon
Blue Mountain Dwarves
Rangers of the North

Goldberry
Gollum (*)

Concealment (*)
Concealment (*)
Concealment (*)
Stealth
Stealth
Dark Quarrels
Dark Quarrels
Many Turns and Doublings
Riddling Talk (*)
Escape
Halfling Stealth (*)
Test of Form (*)
Marvels Told
Marvels Told
Marvels Told
Smoke Rings
Smoke Rings
Longbottom Leaf (*)
Promptings to Wisdom (*)


Hazards

Giant Spider
Giant Spider
Giant Spider
Lesser Spider
Lesser Spider
Lesser Spider
Shelob's Brood
Shelob's Brood
Shelob's Brood
Neeker-breekers (*)

Spider of the Morlat
Spawn of Ungoliant
Dwar of Waw
Smaug at Home

Full of Froth and Rage
Full of Froth and Rage
Full of Froth and Rage
Flies and Spiders
Black Vapour (*)
Alone and Unadvised (*)
Foolish Words (* MELE)
Call of Home (* METW)
Call of Home (* METW)
Fear, Fire, Foes ! (*)
Whole Village Roused (*)
Tookish Blood (*)
Tookish Blood (*)
Tookish Blood (*)
An Unexpected Outpost
An Unexpected Outpost


Sideboard

Dwarven Ring Thelor's Tribe
Dwarven Ring Thrar's Tribe
Magic Ring of Stealth
Magic Ring of Stealth
The One Ring
Test of Form (*)
Test of Form (*)
Wizard's Ring
Free to Choose (*)
Free to Choose (*)
Cracks of Doom (*)
Halfling Strength (*)
Withdrawn to Mordor (*)
Praise to Elbereth
Bill the Pony
Lindion the Oronin
Tempering Friendship (*)
Muster (*)
A Friend or Three (*)
Twilight
Twilight
The Ring's Betrayal
The Roving Eye (*)
Shelob (*)
Mumak
Watcher Water (*)
The Way is Shut
Diminish and Depart
Muster Disperses
Lost in Free-domains


Sites

Grey Havens => Elves of Lindon, Wizard's Ring
Blue Mountain Dwarf-hold => Blue Mountain Dwarves
Bree => Rangers of the North, Bill the Pony
Old Forest => Goldberry
Bandit Lair / Gladden Fields / Gondmaeglom => Gold Ring
Isengard / Ost in-edhil / Isles of the Dead => Gold Ring
Goblin-gate => Gold Ring, Gollum
Moria => Gold Ring, Gollum, Scroll of Isildur
Mount Gundabad, Carn Dum, The Stones => Scroll of Isildur


Deck description

Characters in the starting company are Hobbits which feel the call of adventures :
- Bilbo who is fond of stories (being the only sage),
- Frodo who loves his uncle (being with him suitable to bear the One Ring),
- Sam Gamgee who can cook in the wild (being the only ranger),
- Fatty Bolger who can make a diversion against creatures (having his special ability).

Frodo has Healing Herbs to untap (or heal) a useful character in the company (himself having no special ability).
Rumours of Ring is used to dispose of Special Rings.
Such company is weak against Beorning Skin-changers and Call of Home, so deck rely on Promptings to Wisdom and Tookish Blood as protection.

In case opponent plays with Hobbits too, Robin Smallburow and Folco Boffin are back-up characters.
If Sam Gamgee is bounced during character draft, Strider is played to have one ranger in starting company.

Main Wizard is Gandalf, because he can be brought into play in Grey Havens, can test rings, and has a bonus for corruption check (absolutely needed for Wizard's Ring).
Additionally, he is the only one being friend with Hobbits.
Back-up Wizard is Pallando, because of his home site in Grey Havens and his extra hand size.

Most characters in deck have 5 mind, allowing Gandalf to control 2 of them.
Characters in deck are the ones having bonus against factions of the deck :
- Balin and Gloin for Blue Mountain Dwarves,
- Strider and Beretar for Rangers of the North,
- Cirdan and Galdor for Elves of Lindon.
Additionally, factions were chosen because of their closeness from Grey Havens (only 2 regions far with only one wilderness), making travel not very dangerous.

Allies are those with an attack-cancelling ability.
Goldberry, always helpfull with Hobbits, who act as protection against Beorning Skin-changers.
Gollum, being himself a Hobbit and former bearer of the One Ring.

All items are Gold Rings (except for Scroll of Isildur which help finding the One Ring).

Support cards are only attack-cancellers, my prefered being Riddling Talk which is very fun.

Hazard part is mostly spider strategy which covers most parts of Middle-earth and makes journeys dangerous with enhancers.
The criteria for other cards is an artwork with Hobbits (cards with *), except for Smaug at Home (very useful because most of sites of deck have 1 card to draw).


Play Notes

Gandalf enters play at Grey Havens and seeks for factions with help of other characters.
When he enters play, sideboard Wizard's Ring.

Hobbits' company seeks for items and allies.
If you have Gold Rings in hand, make your first moves to Gladden Fields and Bandit Lair to fool opponent.
He'll perhaps think about destroying the One Ring which isn't the goal at all !
Cracks of Doom and Halfling Strength are in sideboard (for a desperate attempt) only just in case the game will finish with a heavy loss.

If you have nothing playable for first turn, go to Moria which most MPs (Gold Rings, Scroll of Isildur and Gollum) are playable.

When a Gold Ring is played, sideboard additional Test of Form if needed.
When Scroll of Isildur is played, sideboard the One Ring.
When a Gold Ring is tested, give :
- the One Ring (only if Gollum is not in company !) to Frodo, who can control Bilbo
- Dwarven Ring to Frodo or Bilbo, who can control Fatty Bolger
- Magic Ring of Stealth first to Fatty and second to Sam

When the One Ring is played or Wizard's Ring is in hand, sideboard Free to Choose.

In case opponent plays lots of annoying hazards for influence attempts, sideboard Tempering Friendship, Muster and/or A Friend or Three.

If allies are killed / discarded / played by opponent, sideboard back-up allies to avoid opponent doubling ally points :
- Bill the Pony, friend of Sam, playable just after Rangers of the North.
- Lindion the Oronin, very useful if opponent plays Spider hazard too.


MP overview (expected / max)
Characters : 10 / 14
Items : 12 / 24
Factions : 5 / 8
Allies : 3 / 3
Miscellanous : 0 / 0
Kill : 0 / 2
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Total : 30 / 50

[zirilan]

What are the plans against decks that most of the time travel in the Gondor area ( )?
The resource part looks fine seems like a fun deck to play with. A nice thing once you play The One Ring, while opponent thought you play normal Dwarven Rings, Factions, and Allies .

[Fangorn]

Indeed, the deck is not very efficient against Gondor deck, but as you pointed out, it doesn't really matter, because it's rather a fun deck than a competitive one.
As creature, only Lesser Spider and Neeker-breekers hinder.
More event event may hurt (Alone and Unadvised, Foolish Words, Call of Home, Fear, Fire, Foes !, Whole Village Roused).
Sideboard contains 2 interesting creatures (Mumak for Southrons or Sapling in Harondor, Watcher in the Water for Tolfalas) and 2 interesting events (Muster Disperses, Lost in Free-domains).