003-Guidelines to Deck Building

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dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

I like to write here my reasons for the peculiarities of the decks.
In the Second Age of MECCG I desired to have most of the cards used in one large, multi-deck game.

Dream cards made this into a reality. Read that sentence again. :D

First, I like to use as many different MECCG cards as possible. I am tracking these cards
in a spreadsheet including expected visited sites. I expect folks reading this decks
to scratch their heads of why Concealment is not in more decks. I have spent many hours
to move two or more cards to another player.

2-I like to see different strategies too including hazard strategies.

3-Some events/items are not used due to being expected to be played in the Power Decks (i.e. the 16 player game after the councils).
or will be played by fallen-avatars.I have a unique weapon for each Elf-lord to play if corrupted.
Elrond-Aiglos, Galadriel-Sulhelka,Cirdan-Aranuth with Evenstar, Thranduil-Ringil.

4-I did not want to use strategies that one can easily use in a tournament or friendly game.
For example, The last deck posted, Thrain, has him using Mines of Falek-Dim as a Lord-haven. I could of
had him use Agarlond to make Glittering Caves into a dwarf-hold and Deep Mines on Gem-Deeps to make
it a one move to Under-gates. No. I can simply make a deck that does that and plays Mithril or Map to Mithril.

5-I have characters in starting companies not expected to be used later. For example, I have Bladorthin as a starting
elf for Thranduil, but that elf is not used later? I plan on using starting companies to blitz to sites to play resources,
expecting many to killed or corrupted away since I may not tap to remove those hazards. When I was playtesting
Gandalf I ran into problems of discarding characters to play other characters. So might have to change that process.
However, having no good characters later in the game may prove disastrous. Play testing will uncover any flaws.
That is another reason many players have 8+ characters in the play deck. A positive on this many is when the
deck is exhausted unneeded characters will be exchanged for hazards.

6-I am thinking about removing Gollum as a player and having Gandalf's main hazard player to be Necromancer.
Then Radagast will face Azog/Bolg who are at Mount Gundabad. I am debating on if Azog is allied with Felagrog (balrog at Moria)
or with Witchking. Azog will encounter orcs from Thorkmaw. I might have Azog being allied with Witchking and friendly with Felagrog.
Felagrog, Azog, Thorkmaw, and Durlach each can play 2 unique minions with 7+ mind.

7-The only Dwarven Ring being played by the Heroes is DR of Thrar by Thrain. The other six Dwarven Rings will be played by the minions.
So there will not be any duplicated DR in the play decks.

8-Each hero tries to have at least one anti-agent resource.

9-Heros in the Wilderland Division will try to visit Dol Guldur on Turn 8,9, or 10 together to play missions. More heroes means better success.
Radagast-Pass the Doors
Galadriel-Fate of the Ithel-stone
Thranduil-Towers Destroyed
Thrain-at first was to visit Sulfur-Deeps before his deck exhausted, but may not be involved. His gang might move to Moria at this time
after Thrain plays items in the under-deep sites below the Grey Mountains.

Other heroes will also make dangerous trips at this time.
Theoden will invade the north confines of Mordor.
Imrahil will play Raid on Umbar.
Denethor will invade into Mordor to play stolen knowledge
Atani-lord in Rhun will invade Nurn, while
Saruman will visit that Ruins in Nurn, then move to Mount Doom to play Into the Smoking Cone.
I know that this mission can be played at that volcano in Chey Sart, but I like to see the faces
of the black players when this all goes down.


All for now. Now you know some of my reasons for deck building.
dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

This reply is about the hazard decks.
I follow the 18 creature minimum in the play deck rule.
I wanted as many creatures to be included as possible.
I track the count of each creature for each alignment and total count.

For the Dragons, only Merkampa-creature is not played.
Every At Home and ahunt Dragon is played except for Merkampa.
I am waiting for the Power Decks to use Elven Archer and Little Snuffler.
There are a few of the 255 creatures not used other than manifestations of
non-creatures. Below is the list of the most common creatures used in all the 40 decks.

10 Wandering Eldar
9 Durin's Folk
9 Dwarven Travelers
9 Barrow-wight
9 Chill Douser
8 Marsh-drake
8 Nameless Thing
8 Sand-drake
8 Sons of Kings
8 Beorning Toll
8 Ghosts
8 Ghouls
7 Cave Worm
6.....56x

Many hazard event strategies are duplicated between the alignments such as AA or Roadblock.
Only six Twilights are allowed among the four in a single Division "side" with a maximum of two per player.
I try to have every player with corruption hazards.

I am tracking the use of agent hazards. Below is matrix of hazards used by the minions (x) and heroes (y).
I try to have a minor strategy in certain themes such as agent-Roadblock at least once.
Almost every agent is in present once. I am thinking Court of Ardor will have many hazards to play with My Precious.

Not Come D D x y
Good Sense R D x x
Twisted Tales D x x y
Welcome Doubt D x
Cunning Foes W x x
To Get u Away x
Seek w Success R x y
Sudden Fury Sc x x
Article Missing Sc x y
Pilfer x x
Near Whisper x
dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

as of 08-16-2014

A host of hazard events are awaiting the Warlord and Power decks.
The nazgul hazards will be used in the Warlord decks.
Others such as Foul Fumes, Morgul Night, and Clouds are prohibited in the Avatar Decks.
The list of hazard events used more than 12x (Doors of Night, Twilight, An Unexpected Outpost, Aware of Their Ways,
Nobody's Friend, two of Three Tribes Present, Muster Disperses.

I realized that it may be dumb to put too many hazards in the sideboard. At best hope for
An Unexpected Outpost to grab 4 hazards in each of the first two decks, then exhaustion will
bring in five more hazards for a total of 13.
The Warlord Phase Game Point card exchange expects to see The One Ring and fallen-avatar
hazards become selected for the Power Decks.

Below is a list of hazards not used in the Avatar Decks. Some decks are not finalized.

0 Awaken the Earth's Fire
0 Balrog of Moria
0 Clouds
0 Eye of Sauron
0 Fell Beast
0 Foul Fumes
0 Lost in Dark-domains
0 Lost in Shadow-lands
0 Morgul Night
0 Morgul-horse
0 The Balance of Things
0 The Nazgûl are Abroad
0 The Pale Sword
0 The Will of Sauron
0 Traitor
0 Words of Power and Terror
0 Merkampa Ahunt
0 Merkampa at Home
0 Smaug Ahunt
0 Smaug At Home
0 Thorkmaw Ahunt
0 Thorkmaw at Home
0 Black Breath
0 Deftness of Agility
0 Exile of Solitude
0 Many Sorrows Befall
0 Passion of Wrath
0 Peril Returned
0 Prowess of Might
0 Shadow of Mordor
0 Subtlety of Guile
0 Times Are Evil
0 Velocity of Haste
0 Ireful Flames
0 Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
0 Drums
0 Exhalation of Decay
0 Eyes of the Shadow
0 Helms of Iron
0 In Great Wrath
0 No Way Forward
0 Out of the Black Sky
0 Reluctant Final Parting
0 Scimitars of Steel
0 The Black Enemy's Wrath
0 Tribal Totem
0 Wraith-lord
0 News of Doom
0 The Ring Will Have 1Master
0 Webs of Fear & Treachery
0 Early Harvest
0 Ride Against the Enemy
0 Short Legs Are Slow
0 Slip Treacherously
0 Turning Hope to Despair
0 Unhappy Blows
0 Will Shaken
0 Blind to the West
0 Cast from the Order
0 Echoes of the Song
0 Flotsam and Jetsam
0 Fool's Bane
0 Foul Tooth Unsheathed
0 Heart Grown Cold
0 Ire of the East
0 Mask Torn
0 Will You Not Come Down?
0 Imprisoned and Mocked
0 Bonds of Winter
0 Mordo
0 Where the Wolves Howl
0 Spirit of Oku-Tori
0 Wield It While I May
0 Decisions of the White Council
0 Doom of the Noldor
0 Elven Wards
0 Pride
0 Watchful Peace
0 Call of the Deeps
0 Flooded to the Surface
0 Gollum's Cave
0 Hurling Rocks
0 Out of Practice
0 Wyrmsiege
0 Attrition
0 Dragon's Breath
0 Dragon's Vengenance
0 Greater Storms
0 Imagination Run Away
0 Insatiable Hunger
0 Western Winds
0 Wings Under Trees
0 Hated Elves
0 Betrayer's Heart
0 Curse Unto Kin
0 Failed Devices
0 Nurnen
0 On their Master's Errand
0 Presence of the Dark Lord
0 Under His Domination
0 Underneath The Shadow
0 Withstand the Nine
0 Cursed Journey
0 Drawn to Its Master
0 Fake
0 Hunt For the Ring
0 Lure of the Rings
0 One Ring to Bring Them All
0 Only Four He Has
0 A Thing of Surpassing Potency
0 Black Riders
0 Bitter Enemies
0 Courtesy Lessened of Late
0 His Own Master
0 It is My Own
0 Long Wailing-cry
0 Seized Upon the Bearer
0 Speak, Friend, and Enter
0 Swarthy Sneering Fellow
0 Taint of the Wilds
0 The Old Villain
0 Until All Else Is Conquered
0 Fire Unwatched
0 Ambush!
0 Darkness Ahead
0 Hunt Wild Men like Wild Beast
0 Like Shreds of Cloud
0 Lost in Emyn Muil
0 Out of the Swamps
0 We Wants It
0 Death of a Kinsman
0 Last Army of the West
0 Left on the Field
0 Lord of the Nazgul
0 No More Would Come
0 Quick As a Snake
0 Reaching Wings of Darkness
0 Siege of Gondor
0 Spirit of Mordor
0 The Black Captain
0 The Muster of Gondor
0 Weary and Asleep
0 Weary of War
0 Come Forth
0 Devouring Wyrms
0 Lands Untended
0 Subtle Treachery
0 To Breed a War
0 Use and Old Age Accepted
dirhaval
Posts: 791
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:39 am

Here is a list of hazards not in the 40 avatar decks.
Note that Gollum will use some of the hazards listed below.


Creatures not used at all in avatar decks; no creature found more than 3x in either alignment
-----------------------------------------------------
Durin's Bane
Bane of the North
Lomaw
Scatha
Smaug
Throkmaw
Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
Alatar the Hunter
Gandalf the White Rider
Pallando the Soul-keeper
Radagast the Tamer
Saruman the Wise
Elf-lord Revealed in Wrath
Lord of the Woods
Lady of the Golden Wood
Lord of the Haven
Master of the House
Evenstar of Her People
Assassin
Pick-pocket
Thief
Lord of the Eorlingas
Grima Wormtongue
The Great Goblin
"Bert" (Bûrat)
"Tom" (Tûma)
"William" (Wûluag)
Bûthrakaur the Green
Umagaur the Pale
Gothmog
Gorthaur the Lame
Rogrog


+


Count of hazard events found more than 6x
-------------------------------------------------------
120-An Unexpected Outpost
40-Twilight
20-Doors of Night
13-Never Seen Him
8-Nobody's Friend

+

EVENTS
-----------------------------
Balrog of Moria
Lomaw Ahunt
Lomaw at Home
Scatha Ahunt
Scatha at Home
Smaug Ahunt
Smaug at Home
Thorkmaw Ahunt
Thorkmaw at Home
Parsimony of Seclusion
Aware of Their Ways
Reluctant Final Parting
Which Might Be Lies
Early Harvest
Unhappy Blows
Will Shaken
Blind to the West
Flotsam and Jetsam
Ire of the East
Dark Days
Elven Wards
Crossing the Borders
Eagles ahunt
Old Enemies
Orc-Tortured
Out of Practice
Dragon's Vengenance
Western Winds
Wings Under Trees
Hated Elves
Dark Shapes Gathered There
Failed Devices
Under His Domination
Drawn to Its Master
Fake
Hunt For the Ring
Lure of the Rings
One Ring to Bring Them All
A Thing of Surpassing Potency
Courtesy Lessened of Late
The Ring Has Moved On
Fire Unwatched
Tharbad's Thieves
Hunt Wild Men like Wild Beast
Last Army of the West
Left on the Field
No Longer Allowed to Pass
The Black Captain
The Muster of Gondor
Weary and Asleep
Lands Untended
Lure of Conquest
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