Vilya for the strongest solo deck I know

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Elrond / Gandalf / Arwen Undomiel for the strongest solo dec 35 23 10 3.0
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Rouxxor 1742

This is the deck I train with since many years. Based in Elrond + Vilya I'm able to play a free card each turn. I try to get the best card ally existing (like Beorn, Fyrial, Jubayr of Boromir) each turn so I'm quickly able to defeat anything. But I play only a few of thoes high cost cards so the major part of my deck can still be played very easily by the regular way: paying them.

With Gandalf hero this deck gain a lot. Not only because he can play a lot of cards from top of the deck (a lot of Card Advantage) but also because we know alway know what we put with Elrond.

The third hero is clearly the most arguable. Glorfindel take the spot during a large period but gaining resources is too powerful so I switch to Arwen. Galadriel can also be played instead but is not that great here. And since messenger of the king I found a even higher versatility.

With this deck I have played and success in every scenario, nightmares includes. He doesn't have any real weakness. It it not the best deck against all scenario, but it is still one of the best decks against each of them. The only scenario that are hard for this deck are scenario that no deck win easily (especially no deck not made especially for this), like Dol Guldur nightmare, Mount Doom, Battle of the five armies nightmare or fortress of Nurn.

We got a bunch of powerful attachments that you mulligan for. First of all vilya, the most important card in your deck. But light of valinor and gandalf's staff are really good too. The first one have to be play on Elrond, the staff usually give resources in the first places then discard shadow cards in a preemptive way. Unexpected courage is particularly powerful in this deck where heroes have crazy stats (3 in each). Getting a second use of Gandalf each turn and a third of Elrond is very interesting. Wizard pipe is used a few time to put back on top expensive cards in hand but is also used to optimize an use of Gandalf (like put back a test of will or hasty stroke so we can use them on the proper phase, or play an ally from top during organisation phase so we have draw the event). Steward of Gondor is the only card that can't play from hand, only from top from Gandalf or vilya. We have tested many ways to get resources and it was the most effective by far even with those difficulties. It is not mean to be play on the first turn but even in Mid-Game it help a lot because you are not really limited by the number of cards you can play each turn (thanks Gandalf) but more by the number of resources available.

We play only a few events even if they are in fact the best cards to see with Gandalf because there is 6 more phase were you can play events than attachments, allies or quests cards. Daeron rune is for me the best card of this game but it even more crazy when played from top: you just draw one more card for 0. Elrond's counsel is a good help to reduce threat and gain will even at the beginning of the game. A test of will are not always a key card but in some scenario you just loose if you have not a lot of them. So there is no way I play less than3 of this. Cancel the only card revealed on a turn by the encounter deck for only one resource and one card is really strong. Don't be afraid to do it on treachery who gain surge as part of the "when revealed effect" (usually because they are ineffective) so there will be nothing this turn. Drinking song is the other recent include in the deck. Since we fetch for Bilbo most of the time (who will fetch pipe) drinking song is at no cost like daeron's rune. It will increase your chance to find vilya on turn one and make quality advantage if you know when to play it. And even a card quality when played from top of the deck.

Allies are the most complicated part of this deck obviously. We try to play the best, but not a lot of big allies. We also want small allies to stand the ground at the beginning (quest, kill enemies or die when block). Imladris stargazer seem relevant since Gandalf but not at all. You even can settle a perfect turn so you play the right cards at the right phase. Envoy of pelargir can put resources where we need them and 1 where we want on the turn one. Warden of healing is so effective with Elrond: it can heal 4 damage each turn. Since you have many big character that block well (elrond, gandalf, jubay, beorn, boromir) you can with a healer block multiple big enemies without even sacrificing any character. Every other ally just are the best at their spot, usually uniques. They are key in a specific scenario and just usually good in all other.

The sideboard is here because you can't play the one ring in any saga scenario. So for those scenario I will remove the one ring and master ring and add Faramir and Gildor Inglorion, who are at their best in those scenario.

Thanks to Mornengil who was my thinking mate about deckbuilding since at least one year. From the decklist that we almost share of vilya he even made a successful run against each scenario with the highest win rate ever seen. Check his deck here: https://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/19545/mormegilsultimatesolodeck-2.0

Thanks for reading me.

6 comments

Feb 22, 2021 doomguard 1923

main difference is, you play with the one ring, or are there some other relevant changes?

if not, i can understand that additionally boost. and, against the most (even nightmare) quest it will help.

but against the quests where "the one deck2 has most problems, it will not help this much (asuming the horrible playerset-up in stage 7.....)

in my opinion one of the hardest quests for this gandalf-elronddecks is not even in the pool. i am talking of long arm of mordor, the 3. of the harad deluxe. even in mount gram you start with 1 of your heroes, in long arm of mordor, with none.

if you can keep your heroes and get you chosen motk into play, this is the best. if not, i think other decks can overall do better.

Feb 22, 2021 Mormegil 2896

It seems that after all our talk we agree on every card (because I too would certainly add the One Ring in non-saga quests) except one copy of Henamart for one copy of Pippin. :). That is great to see, also well done onthe deck description!

Feb 22, 2021 Emmental 405

@doomguardin Long Arm of Mordor you will in fact have one hero thanks to Messenger of the King (and the new setup rule that i dislike).

So yeah, maybe Vilya is useless, but i think you still get a very good early compared to a standard (non-MotK) deck.

Feb 23, 2021 penninck 57

Great deck, can you clarify why you opt not to use Master of the Forge or Haleth?

In many Vilya decks these are seen as auto-includes so I'm sure you have a good reason to leave them out.

Feb 23, 2021 Rouxxor 1742

@doomguardIt is a 1 Henamarth (the 2nd of the list) VS 1 Pippin (not in mornegil decklist) and a one ring include that mornegil would like to have but can't afford because he want to play every scenario with the exact same deck. He will probably still play Faramir MD if I understand correctly what he told me (but not a 2nd henamarth too, so it will probably be henamarth and gildor in SB).

@The MormegilThanks, but my description is still quite short ^^. I'm way more enthousiast for deck building than for explaining each part, especially in english.

@penninck You can find some very good explanation on @The Mormegildeck I linked at the end of my deck, since we share most views on the deck (or even the game ^^). Bot on master of the forge it is really a card that make the game to be slow. It is already a little bit slow compared to other top decks, since vilya need you to pay 2 and to exhaust a powerful hero for a gain that is not always that great, so if you need to setup a master of the forge (that cost lore and so is a little bit complicated to cast early), exhaust it to fetch a vilya (that you are not THAT likely to found) and then pay vilya and play it you will not win a game against a very hard scenario. If you compare to Imladris stargazer the later cost spirit, help all along the scenario with gandalf or vilya ability and still is only in 2 copy because is not mandatory thanks to drinking song and daeron's rune who allows us to find vilya most of the time turn one and to find interesting enough cards on top to wait until turn 3 or 4 to cast a stargazer. It worth also mentioning that this deck does not need any drawing outlet. Between the draw of the turn, vilya ability and gandalf ability you can easily pass the 5 cards seen by stargazer each turn, and so get through your entire deck within 7/8 turns. That why a very good drawing outlet like Expert Treasure-hunter that work every time with Gandalf is not interesting. WIth Haleth to be 100% honest it is not tested but only based on the fact that card alike where alway look good but aren't in this deck for the reason says above. It is still recent so I haven't found any time to test it but I don't think I will do it because I don't see any issue that it would help with. It it a good card for sure, but may be not for this deck, at least as long we play gandalf in it.

Feb 23, 2021 DEER PARK 225

Cool