Hobbit-sense 3.0

• Versions
• 3.0
• 2.0
• 1.0

Theme: This is the final version of a mono- Hobbit deck, designed to feel like Hobbits sneaking their way past their enemies, instead of attacking and killing them. It is designed to deliver high levels of willpower and even higher levels of threat reduction. Pippin's ability is essential to helping this deck avoid engaging enemies, although if combat becomes necessary, Glorfindel and Northern Trackers provide a little bit of a deterrent. In addition, when powered up with a Hobbit Cloak and one or more Dúnedain Warnings from the other deck, Fatty Bolger becomes a sturdy defender.

Strategy: The core engine of this deck is the Hobbit Pipe. With the amount of event-based threat reduction available to this deck, it can become an incredibly powerful draw engine. As such, Bilbo Baggins is included to fetch it. If you draw a second copy of Bilbo, the first can be used as a chump blocker or discarded to an encounter deck effect to make room to play a second copy and fetch another pipe. To aid in drawing allies and other pieces of the engine, Ancient Mathom and Elven-light are included to get you there faster, along with the card draw from Song of Eärendil. The Song is included to help manage the threat of the companion deck, so that the fellowship can consistently engage enemies on its own terms, instead of being forced into defending against enemies we aren't yet ready to handle.

Resourceful is also key to the function of the deck, to enable you to play many of the more expensive cards like Northern Tracker and Glorfindel. In addition, it makes sure that the deck has the resources available to play Elven-light enough times to get the cards needed.

The remainder of the deck consists of questing allies to quest past all the enemies that are getting left in the staging area, and event-based threat reduction to keep triggering Hobbit Pipes and keeping the deck below engagement costs.

An ideal opening hand includes at least one Hobbit Pipe or a copy of Bilbo Baggins and a means of threat reduction. After the companion deck plays and clears Gather Information, this deck should fish out Double Back.

That side quest, along with Galadriel's Handmaiden and Merry offer important threat reduction that doesn't trigger the Hobbit Pipes. Ideally, this threat control will be sufficient to allow you to hold off on playing the event-based control until you have at least two pipes in play, allowing you to start maximizing your card draw.

The sideboard is just condition removal and a single copy of Fortune or Fate, included for campaign play to allow the companion deck to revive Folco Boffin after using his ability.