The key to winning with this deck is to play Sword that was Broken on Aragorn as early as possible. Once it's attached to Aragorn, it grants him the Leadership sphere, and all of your characters gain a one-point boost to their Willpower. That turns both Halbarad and Sam Gamgee into questing machines, with three and four Willpower, respectively. If you don't draw one of the three copies of the Artifact early on, you can play Galadriel to put it into play from the top of your deck. Of course, if you've already got Sword that was Broken, there are plenty of other attachments that Galadriel can find for you.
Let's take a quick review of those attachments. Dúnedain Warning transforms Halbarad into a sturdy, reliable defender, allowing you to take advantage of his ability to quest without exhausting. Dagger of Westernesse is a fun inclusion in this deck for both mechanical and thematic reasons. Playing just one of these Weapon attachments on Aragorn can boost him to five Attack Strength against enemies with engagement costs higher than your threat. Given that Aragorn's passive ability reduces the Defense Strength of each enemy by one, he should frequently be able to destroy enemies in a single attack, allowing him to trigger the Response of Foe-hammer, as well as his own ability to engage another enemy in play. In turn, this can trigger Sam Gamgee's Response, readying him and boosting his stats. With a Dagger of Westernesse, Sam can easily attack for as much as four Attack Strength. That's nothing to sneeze at, especially when he can be boosted to six Attack Strength by a single copy of Halfling Determination! Finally, if you attach Secret Vigil to the enemy before destroying it, your attack can also lower your threat.
The allies in this deck can also add to these combos, setting them up with their abilities. When he enters play, Weather Hills Watchman can search the top five cards of your deck for a Signal, like Dúnedain Warning or a Ranger Summons, which you can then use to shuffle a Ranger of the North into the encounter deck. The Dúnedain Hunter and Son of Arnor both engage enemies when they enter play, which can also trigger Sam's Response and boost his Willpower prior to the quest phase. Additionally, if you have an extra enemy engaged with you, Heir of Valandil can further lower the cost of the next Dúnedain ally you play. You can also play Farmer Maggot to deal damage to the enemy you engage. That can be a nice way to destroy an enemy or to bring it within one hit point of destruction so that your Gondorian Spearman can finish it off in the combat phase.
The last piece of the puzzle is the new side quest, Gather Information, which can be used to find Sword that was Broken or any part of your other combos, meaning that while he keeps his eyes open for signs of the enemy, Halbarad is sure to shine alongside his chieftain, Aragorn, as they help you quest your way to victory and a safer Shire.
-Caleb Grace, Developer Posted to the FFG website 3/12/15