The purpose of this deck is to let Elrond gather resources to pay for a bunch of Ents. No cheating with Vilya, no shenenigans with Steward of Gondor, you just pay for them the honest way. Duh.
With Arwen and Theodred, that's 3 resources per round. And once Treebeard hits the table, you can invest 4, while Daeron's Runes, Entmoot and Elven-Light make sure you never run out of cards.
The only disadvantage of Ents is that they enter play exhausted, but with Ever Vigilant they can join the fight immediately if required. And Sneaky Gandalf is a welcome helper, too. Also note that Elrond synergizes very well with your healers.
Great cards in your opening hand are Treebeard and Elven-Light, with Elven-Light being even more essential, as I found out in playtesting.
- Conflict at the Carrock (success in 2nd attempt)
- Foundations of Stone (success in 1st attempt)
- The Steward's Fear (success in 2nd attempt)
- Intruders in Chetwood (success in 1st attempt)
- The Mumakil (success in 1st attempt)