A Burning E-brand 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

This deck has the same name as my previous deck based on Erkenbrand. I know using the same name is not very original, but this is really the real Burning E-brand deck, where Erkenbrand becomes quickly a strong defender that ignores shadow effects. The previous one ended up being an entertaining Dale deck, but too slow in setting the defender as to be good for covering the defending role in multiplayer.

Deck Play Style

The deck as it is, is presented in its multiplayer form. Normally, you have to mulligan for Elven-light, as card drawing is the deck's weakest point.

By now, everybody knows how to play with a deck like this one.

Mainly, use every round Arwen's and Éowyn's ability to discard Elven-lights and any card you cannot pay, like Warden of Healing, Outmatched and Self Preservation. Use Stand and Fight and Reforged to play them from your discard pile.

In case you need it, there are also two copies of A Good Harvest to play those cards from your hand, and two copies of Dwarven Tomb to recycle Stand and Fight, Reforged or A Test of Will.

Something very cool about using Reforged on Outmatched is that it allows you to play the card in the quest or travel phases, allowing you to play it when the right enemy pops up. I am talking about those nasty enemies with "When reveal" effects, Surge, or nasty engagement effects.

Erebor Toymaker is here to help in the early game to pay for the Ancestral Armor or put an Armored Destrier or Unexpected Courage for free. The rest of the allies are here to help attacking and questing, besides the Wardens, who are here for heling obviously.

Do not get too obsess with playing Ancestral Armour, for most adventures Hauberk of Mail and the healing effects are more than enough.

By mid to end game you will have an excess of resources on Erkendbrand, including a Song of Travel or of Wisdom may be a good idea. Remove cards depending on what roles your partners cover best with their decks.

Multiplayer Compatibility

Although Arwen and Éowyn are an awesome combo for this deck, it can survive with only one of the two. You need at least one hero that provides the ability to discard cards from your hand. If Arwen is taken, one option is to add Théodred and send the resource to Éowyn every round. In this scenario I would suggest to add a couple of copies of Necklace of Girion to compensate for the lack of resources and questing, remove the three copies of Elrond's Counsel, The Day's Rising and the Silver Harp to add three copies of Sneak Attack and two copies of Gandalf. I typically wait to have a Sneak attack + Gandalf combo in my hand to play the Necklace, but it mainly depends on the staging area and players deck development state. Instead of the Necklace of Girion, you can add Songs of Travel and the Celbrian's stone. It will do the same effect but without the Guarded keyword. In the rare situation that the Steward of Gondor is free, take it and use it on Éowyn. Finally, change may be also Glorfindel to add a copy of Dwarven Sellsword instead.

If Éowyn is taken, any Spirit hero with 2+ will do, really.

None of the unique allies are essential for this deck to function, so feel free to change them by copies of Ranger of Cardolan (or similar allies) if they are used by someone else on the table.

Solo version

As it is, the deck works in solo as well, but you have far too many readying effects. I would suggest to remove the three copies of Outmatched and add anything you like. Songs of Wisdom and Travel are a good option as by mid to end game you will have an excess of resources on Erkenbrand.

Final thoughts

With 3 copies of Outmathced, 3 Unexpected Courages, one (or two) Armoured Destrier, and the in-build Burning Brand effect in Erkenbrand, you can block for the whole table comfortably trivializing combat.

The goal of this deck is to prove that errating A Burning Brand is only going to move the super-defender role from Beregond/ 2 to Erkenbrand (or to Beregond + Balin).

So, what is it achieved with the errata of A Burning Brand? What will be errated next? An errata on Erkenbrand? on Unexpected Courage? I hope erratas will stop, they are of little benefit for this collaborative game.