Deck 16 : On the Earth, in the Water and in the Air

[Fangorn]

There are several ways to build decks for this scenario.
The most obvious is playing Rohir at Edoras, or Dunedain at Minas Tirith, in the reach of the 3 conditions.
But I wanted to try something different with Blue Mountain Dwarves.

The first version of the deck was coastal-based, playing Noble Steed along with Southrons, but it wasn't efficient because too long and far.
I built the deck anew arond Eriador and its coast, this is thus the second version of the deck.

Deck requirements : none

Winning requirements Easy :
A non-Wizard character with no marshalling points must be brought into play at his home site and must be in play at the end of the game.
This character must use a ship to go from a site to another site via a Coastal Sea (Great Ship or Belegaer), and have been in the air (Eagle-mounts or Gwaihir), using the abilities of the mentioned cards.
The character must also have successfully played a horse ally (Shadowfax, Bill the Pony or Noble Steed).

Winning requirements Medium :
A non-Wizard character with no marshalling points must be brought into play at his home site and must be in play at the end of the game.
He must return to this home site with an unique item, or an hoard item, or a major item he has successfully played.
Before that, this character must have used a ship to go from a site to another site via a Coastal Sea (Great Ship or Belegaer), and have been in the air (Eagle-mounts or Gwaihir), using the abilities of the mentioned cards ; the character must also have successfully played a horse ally (Shadowfax, Bill the Pony or Noble Steed).

Winning requirements Hard :
A non-Wizard character with no marshalling points must be brought into play at his home site and must be in play at the end of the game.
He must return to this home site with a major or a greater item he has successfully played at a site in a Coastal Sea, and a horse ally (Shadowfax, Bill the Pony or Noble Steed) he has successfully played.
Before that, this character must have used a ship to go from a site to another site via a Coastal Sea (Great Ship or Belegaer), and have been in the air (Eagle-mounts or Gwaihir), using the abilities of the mentioned cards.


This scenario is very suitable with another one.
I added a back-up scenario with Alliance of Free Peoples (easy version only), and again not the obvious one with Dunlendings as human faction and Isle of the Ulond as hoard site.

Deck requirements : none

Winning requirements Easy :
Alliance of Free Peoples and three factions (one Man, one Elf and one Dwarf) are in play.
A company contains at least three characters ; one of those characters has to be an Elf, one a Man and one a Dwarf.
A company containing these three characters has successfully played a Valiant Sword at a non Haven site, and is still in possession of this weapon at the end of the game.


Character Pool

Starting Company
Dain II + Elven Cloak
Thorin II + Horn of Anor

In deck
Bifur
Bofur
Nori
Fili
Cirdan
Galdor
Peath

Not in deck
Gloin


Wizards Characters

Pallando (Gandalf as back-up)
Pallando
Pallando


Resources

Lindion the Oronin

Elves of Lindon
Petty Dwarves

Durin's Axe
Zwergenaxt
Great Shield of Rohan
Orcrist

Alliance of Free Peoples
Great Ship

Eyes of Mandos
Token of Goodwill
Token of Goodwill
Token of Goodwill

The Dwarves are upon You !
The Dwarves are upon You !
The Dwarves are upon You !
Flatter a Foe
Flatter a Foe
Flatter a Foe
New Friendship
New Friendship
New Friendship
A Chance Meeting
Not at Home

Smoke Rings
Smoke Rings
Smoke Rings
Longbottom Leaf
Longbottom Leaf
Longbottom Leaf


Hazards

Bert
Tom
William
Buthrakaur the Green
Umagaur the Pale
Wild Trolls
Wild Trolls
Wild Trolls
Trolls from the Mountain
Trolls from the Mountain
Olog Warlords
Olog Warlords

Ent in Search of the Entwives

Hoarmurath of Dir
Uvatha the Horseman

Minions Stir
Minions Stir
Minions Stir
Redoubled Force
Redoubled Force
Troll-purse
Reaching Shadow
Siege
Siege
Shut Yer Mouth

Revealed to all Watchers
Call of Home
Dror

An Unexpected Outpost
An Unexpected Outpost


Sideboard

Eyes of Mandos
More Sense than You
More Sense than You
Belegaer
Eagle-mounts
Gwaihir
Bill the Pony
Noble Steed
Dunlendings
Blue Mountain Dwarves
Valiant Sword
Pledge of Conduct
Old Friendship
Lordly Presence
Marvels Told
Wizard's River-horses
Withdrawn to Mordor

Scroll of Isildur
Gothmog
Rogrog
Choking Shadows
Lost in Free-domains
Spider of the Morlat
The Roving Eye
Unhappy Blows
Short Legs are Slow
Something Else at Work
Diminish and Depart
Ireful Flames
Gnaw with Words


Sites

Stone-circle => Lindion the Oronin
Eagles' Eyrie => Gwaihir
Bag End / Bree => Bill the Pony
Amon Hen / Edoras => Noble Steed
Himring, Isle of the Dead that Live, Geann a-Lisch, Ruined Signal Tower => Durin's Axe, Zwergenaxt, Great Shield of Rohan
The Stones => Orcrist

Grey Havens => Elves of Lindon
Blue Mountain Dwarf-hold => Blue Mountain Dwarves
The Worthy Hills => Petty Dwarves
Dunnish Clan-hold => Dunlendings
Isle of the Ulond => Valiant Sword


Journey Tips

I built deck around diplomats, skill rarely played.
I took risk with no ranger, because I never seen anymore River since some years.

Start only with a 2-character company, to keep 5 GI free and full DI free.
Dain is the best with +3 DI and an additional +1 vs men, costing 1 less GI than Cirdan his back-up.
Thorin has only +2 DI, but with his additional +2 vs dwarves, he'll control the scenario-character for free. His back-up is Gloin.
Their minor items will be used only in the very first turns, Elven-cloak to avoid wilderness in Eriador and Horn of Anor to influence Dwarves and Elves.

The key start of the deck is to have very quickly a scenario-character among Bifur, Bofur, Nori and Fili.
There's a trick to have him in the starting hand : there are very few MP cards straight in deck.
If key character isn't in the first starting hand, there's thus a good chance to mulligan.
As soon as drawn, play him at home site and move to join with Thorin and Dain.

Go to the Worthy Hills and avoid aa by offering the Elven-Cloak with Token of Goodwill (need 4 with Dain), and take Great Ship in hand.
Play Petty Dwarves if you have it.

Go to Himring with help of Great Ship.
If you're afraid of Ice-drake (opponent playing drake hazard strategy) go to Isle of the Dead that Live instead.
Play there a major item with scenario-character, reducing highly risk of being killed.
Having no way to untap character in deck, Great Shield of Rohan might save the scenario to play later the horse ally.

If Lindion is not drawn, go to a site I never played before, because it is very dangerous : Geann a-Lisch.
Go to this men nest and avoid aa by offering the Horn of Anor with Token of Goodwill, and take Lindion the Oronin in hand.

Go to Stone-circle to play Lindion, and sideboard Eagle-mounts.
Grab Petty-dwarves if not already, Orcrist at the Stones or a major item at Ruined Signal Tower using Lindion's cancel ability.

Otherwise fly with Eagle-mounts to Bag End and play Bill the Pony there.
Go back to Blue Mountain Dwarf-hold to end the journey, and influence Blue Mountain Dwarves.


Support and back-up strategy

3 Tokens of Goodwill in deck is not enough to make sure to have scenario cards in hand.
Pallando ensure it by probing with Eyes of Mandos.
Gandalf is his back-up for the home site Grey Havens.

Cirdan helps for hand size, MP (deck is very low), and playing Elves of Lindon.
Galdor is his back-up.

Ressources helps for fight with The Dwarves are upon You, and for escaping with Flatter a Foe and Not at Home.
Not at Home is useful by visiting lots of Ruins and Lairs against Drakes and Dragons, and mirror to Troll hazard strategy.
Other ressources help for corruption and influence, the most versatile being New Friendship and the others in the sideboard.

The main support card for the scenario is Dror, reveal him when played and move him to free Blue Mountain Dwarf-hold.
If opponent plays him first, sideboard Withdrawn to Mordor.
The other support card for the scenario-character is More Sense than You, almost at beginning of the game without axe or shield.

If scenario-character dies early, there's a chance to restart with another one.
There's a very-low risk of opponent playing Bill the Pony, in this case switch for Noble Steed in Rohan.
In this sideway you can go further to Eagles' Eyrie if Lindion dies, the primary way to play Eagle-mounts and you may even find there Gwaihir.

Finally if the start for the scenario is very bad, switch for Alliance of Free Peoples scenario.
Dunlendings is the man faction of this unusual alliance of Eriador peoples.
The leader of Dunnish Clan-hold is the diplomat Peath, playable with A Chance Meeting by Dain.
As a side note I chooses A Chance Meeting because Thorin is in the main company.

The Valiant Sword should be played at the Isle of the Ulond, to avoid nasty drakes, shadow and Angmar creatures.
Being the back-up scenario, you have to be quick, and save a turn at a very high cost.
If Valiant Sword is not drawn, trade it with Earcaraxe by offering Orcrist with Token of Goodwill.


Hazard strategy

Hazard part is an heavy Troll theme which has only one goal : kill and eat.
The minion version of Minions Stir with troll artwork must be used.
Troll-purse is a very nasty surprise for opponent.

Reaching Shadow makes Olog-warlords playable in the whole Rhovanion, and Gothmog and Rogrog north and south of Dol Guldur.
Sideboard Choking Shadows if opponent plays Doors of Night.

Ent in Search of the Entwives, Siege and Shut Yer Mouth (for artwork) fills the loopholes.
Ent in Search of the Entwives remembers trolls were made in mockery of Ents.
Additionally I played this deck at Lure 2023 with cards Bert, Tom, William, Hoarmurath, Uvatha, and Ent in Search of Entwives signed by Liz Danforth.

Lastly Call of Home is mirror to the scenario.
And Gnaw with Words is mirror to the diplomats, this card being very efficient to tap a Wizard.


MP overview (expected / max)

Characters : 9 / 11
Items : 8 / 18
Factions : 4 / 13
Allies : 2 / 5
Miscellanous : 0 / 0
Kill : 2 / 3
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Total : 25 / 50