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| Saga Deck 9.1: The Uruk-hai | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 |
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| Saga Deck 11.1: The Road to Isengard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 |
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RedSpiderr 1809
I used this deck for the tenth quest of my Saga Campaign. I am going to try and keep it as thematic as possible, stemming from the 'What If?' of 'What if Gandalf didn't escape from Orthanc in The Fellowship of the Ring?' Please note, I don't own all the cards, so am not able to make the most powerful thematic deck theoretically possible, but constrained by what I have, here is my best attempt.
Having rescued the Ringbearer, the remainder of the Fellowship find Rohan in a state of war. Guided by a repentant Grima and the King's nephew Eomer, Aragorn and Merry are shepherded to the fortress of Helm's Deep where Theoden King hopes to make a stand against the encroaching forces of Saruman. Accompanying Aragorn are the twin sons of Elrond, who have chosen to follow Aragorn despite the Fellowship being dissolved, and Celeborn's mysterious guest from Mirkwood, Legolas Greenleaf, who wishes to see more of the world beyond Mirkwood's borders. And so these companions come to Rohan in her darkest hour, but all hope is not lost. The Rohirrim are valiant warriors, and if any can halt the fearsome hordes of Saruman, it is the skilled cavalry of the Riddermark.
The role of this deck is two-fold. First, using Théoden’s cost reduction of allies, this deck is to call up a flood of cheap bodies for questing or as emergency chump-blockers. Westfold Horse-breeder and The Riddermark's Finest each contribute their willpower, while at the same time supporting either gathering mount attachments, Snowmane and Armored Destrier, or helping to manage our locations, in the same vein as Snowbourn Scout. West Road Traveller also straddles the gap between questing and location management, while Ride to Ruin ensures any of the cheaper allies can be used to nuke a location as needed. Gamling will allow us to cycle these allies, and if we can get a Sneak Attack and Éomund at the same time, we’ll be able to ready practically our entire board on demand for whatever purpose best needed, defending or attack.
The second purpose is to defend the two decks from the onslaught of Isengard. Erkenbrand will be the chief defender, and with an Armored Destrier he will be able to achieve 4 and cancel shadow cards from all-comers. Only two enemy cards have a higher base attack, and if we get a Golden Shield and Song of Travel on him, then because of Elfhelm’s bonus, Erkenbrand can take a 6 and walk away unscathed, triggering The Day's Rising to boot. Elfhelm can be pressed as defender if needed, but Warden of Helm's Deep would be a better choice, with Ceorl on hand to be called on in a pinch.
This deck represents the defenders of Helm's Deep at the time of Isengard's attack. While there are some dedicated warriors, such as Ceorl, Gamling and the Warden of Helm's Deep, quite a number of the fortress's defenders are the ordinary people of Rohan, such as the Westfold Horse-breeder and West Road Traveller, who are willing to give their lives to protect their homeland. The Rohirrim are a very musical people, so I have brought a full compliment of sphere-smoothing songs across the two decks, as well as Burst into Song and The Day's Rising. Other attachments are for their owner's hands, such as Herugrim and Snowmane for Théoden.
The play-through using this deck can be found here: https://theroadlotr.wordpress.com/the-saga/