Vilya for the strongest solo deck I know 4.0

• Versions
• 4.0
• 3.0
• 2.0
• 1.0

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.