Death from Above: Merry rides Gwaihir to Mt Doom (Solo Saga)

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Death from Above: Merry rides Gwaihir to Mt Doom 1 0 0 2.0
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GKZhukov 97

GKZhukov has a newer deck inspired by this one: Death from Above: Merry rides Gwaihir to Mt Doom

Eventually my intent is to see if the eagles could in fact have flown the ring to Mt Doom, and if a hobbit could just have chucked it in, thus saving all of Middle Earth the trouble of a protracted all out war. And, more importantly, avoiding yet another early demise for Sean Bean.

Please note, I haven’t played the campaign yet so, whilst I very much would like general feedback on the deck, please avoid spoilers. I’m assuming I’ll have to have a backup hero to feed to the Balrog though. This will likely be Hirgon or Éomer (in Éowyn’s slot).

Deck should be fairly self-explanatory but basically mulligan for Radagast's Staff or Word of Command (and use it to fetch Staff). If you still can’t find Staff, Drinking Song may give you yet another chance. You’re pretty much set for Resources once Radagast gets his favourite stick.

Draw is everywhere so that’s not usually a problem. Low threat makes for easy use of Deep Knowledge and generally means threating out isn’t something to worry about. If a quest really needs it, there’s Secret Vigil and Woodmen's Clearing in the sideboard.

Merry is really good, despite his 1 attack due to being a solo hobbit (I guess it’ll be 2 when Frodo’s around). What he’s really there for (apart from cheap solid questing) is his ability to ready a buffed up Eagles of the Misty Mountains - repeatedly, if he has Fast Hitch. Together they can mince through enemies with ease (Éowyn can be teamed with Merry instead if you need to kill 4 Nazgul on turn 4 or something absurd). The 2nd Support of the Eagles basically allows for Misty plus Merry to go even more berserk.

Defence-wise, Radagast with the first Support of the Eagles and dual wielding A Burning Brand can handle the big bad, with Winged Guardian and Misty doing the grunt work. Magic Ring gives an extra defense or healing if he actually gets hurt (it’s in the sideboard atm as haven’t worked out what to cut to include it).

Radagast‘s Wizard Pipe allows for stacking the top deck for Gwaihir's Debt, The Eagles Are Coming!, and Flame of Anor. Flame can be used for an extra defence in which case the pipe can just switch out a card you don’t want.

Loyal Hound and Landroval are your insurance policy, though Warden of Healing can also be included for Quests with lots of damage treacheries.

I’m unsure about Glamdring and Sting. You can generate huge draw with Merry/Fast Hitch, and Sting helps with questing plus can preemptively kill a 1 health attacker (Descendant of Thorondor maybe hurt it earlier), but Dagger of Westernesse avoids the Guarded issue and perhaps Merry doesn’t need weapons at all, given the heavy lifting the Eagles do. But seems such a waste of potential not to include them.

I had Flight of the Eagles in originally for some bouncy Meneldor into Misty etc but ultimately decided the draw of Deep Knowledge was more valuable. Flight not having the Eagle trait was the deciding factor.

Final note - the reason there’s no Wilyador or Eagle Emissary is that procuring the final cycle in the UK is more difficult than actually flying to New Zealand and throwing a ring in a volcano.

Opinions, ideas, criticisms welcome.

8 comments

Mar 11, 2021 Alonewolf87 1922

Just a small thing, you cannot attach Support of the Eagles to Radagast unless you play a Song of Battle to it first.

Mar 11, 2021 doomguard 1975

playing an eagledeck solo is quite hard, i think. you will handle the fighting but quest not enough. but i think its possible, would made some changes:

because of lacking tactic-symbol, skip support of the eagles (its expensive too...) give radagast the The One Ring and Well Preserved and you will be able to handle early aggression until the big eagle (lets say 6/6/ stands.

i would skip the guarded. its to risky early, and late you do not need them.

i would put in 3 gandalfs. with Gwaihir's Debt they are very potent and overall can help where it is needed.

flame of arnor, i think its not worth it. early eowyn can kill and later the eagles will. putting all this together, you will have some place for some allies that can add some willpower.

if you do not have #well preserved, put in some healing and some Song of Wisdom a Ioreth is never wrong ^^ but i would add 3 Warden of Healing and for them and their healing you need more loreressources.

btw playing with proxies is not this bad ;)

Mar 11, 2021 doomguard 1975

if you playing saga, the ring and well preserved is not availaible. but you have 2 hobbits (most of the time) so think about Frodo's Intuition and Fellowship of the Ring (dont let eagles die but attach through their leaving) because of the neutral ring ressources Envoy of Pelargir Treebeard and Steward of Orthanc are good options. and btw, if playing saga, you cannot use sting and glamdring (for long), so much can be spoilered ;)

Mar 11, 2021 GKZhukov 97

@Alonewolf87Oh shoot, not sure how I missed that. I played it on Merry in my earlier tests but stuck it on Rada last night vs Three Trials oops. Will have to make sure I don’t make that mistake again.

Mar 11, 2021 GKZhukov 97

@doomguardThanks for the thoughts :)

Yeah, the guarded are prob the cards I’m least sure of. Both when I had Dagger of Westernesse in there instead and with Guarded I don’t seem to draw them in my tests so couldn’t conclude much, but I do agree that with the firepower of the Eagles, Merry’s main task is just to ready them, adding more attack is kinda redundant. And I did wonder if they’d be off limits in sagas anyway :p

I did consider Gandalf for Gwaihir’s Debt, even just 1 or 2 since I can Wizard Pipe him to the top. I want to limit diluting the eagle pool for The Eagles are Coming, but he could go in instead of the weapons maybe. Also helps questing.

If I ever get the last cycle Eagle Emissary will help questing but for now I think with the 3 Heroes able to quest every round and 3 Meneldor, it’s not too bad? Adding Gandalf is def something for willpower heavy quests. And Arod and Arkenstone in sideboard for this purpose too.

I had Wardens in there initially but swapped them for Hounds. I think it’ll be quest dependent but with an early staff and constant Eagle drops heroes only really end up in danger from treacheries (quest dependent), an undefended that sneaks through (typically lethal so healing redundant) or at the point I’m losing regardless of healing. They could heal Misty (maybe Ioreth is worth putting back in actually and also doesn’t eat Lore resources).

Apart from guarded what would you drop to fit in any changes?

Mar 11, 2021 doomguard 1975

@ 3 meneldor, he is unique, are you aware of that? you can only have one of him in play.

q Eagle Emissary i found hem not so usefull for questing, it cost to much. i used them to quest once and then be attachement.

so a Bofur or Beechbone or Quickbeam could help questig or even the Beorning Skin-changer

would drop Flame of Anor and Support of the Eagles together with the guarded these are 6 cards.

Mar 11, 2021 GKZhukov 97

Yeah - his enters and leaves effect is pretty handy, so I just chump block him and stick him under Misty if I draw multiples. Hasn't been an issue so far.

Mar 15, 2021 GKZhukov 97

I switched out Flames and Weapons for Gandalfs (and to fit in Magic Ring). I do find Support useful though as Merry's readying means he can take out multiple bosses via tag-teaming with a mid-level Misty or, alternatively, with a high level Misty he can defend in an emergency (eg when a Shadow causes an extra attack).