The Antlered Crown progression - Rohan calling

Finally, I put Théoden to some good use. Antlered crown belongs to the more difficult quests, once again it is difficult / borderline annoying to build for because of the card draw hate. I've had quite a few Heirs of Númenor flashbacks, having to scoop often.

This Rohan centered fellowship (with some Gondorian influence) is possibly not the strongest option when you just really want to beat the quest, but it's quite fun and I have still managed to score some victories. Its main idea is to gain action advantage from Éomer and Théoden, who get Unexpected Courage / Steed of the Mark / Firefoot / Rohan Warhorse and can pull double or even triple duty with questing / attacking. Théoden can also get the Heir of Mardil, which can ready him in combination with the Horn of Gondor or a resource from the Errand-rider. Merry is only expected to be questing the entire game.

The original version of the Support deck was a trisphere deck with Gríma, however, threat is a huge factor and there is not enough room for any other doomed player cards beyond the mandatory Power of Orthank - besides, the treacheries are often so punishing that Eleanor becomes really important. From across the table, she can get the Gondorian Shield and become an optional second defender, while Erkenbrand is a strong defender when getting the Captain of Gondor attachment/ another shield. Faramir and Northern Tracker are huge once they hit the table. Resource smoothing feels more important than resource acceleration, so I got rid of Steward of Gondor which only generated a big pile of unusable resources, taking up room in the deck.

Keeping Count is only included as I had hoped I could finally make it work by attaching one to Éomer early on, piling some resources on it and then attaching a different copy in the late game to someone else. I didn't manage to pull it off even once, however, it would have been a very satisfying moment :)

Mulligan for cheap cards / try to shorten your hand asap - the ideal first turn starts with choosing Dunland Tribesman and Dunland Prowler as initial enemies, getting under 5 cards in each hand (discarding with Éowyn's ability can help), questing with Éowyn + Merry + Théoden + an ally, clearing the active location, engaging the Prowler with the Support deck and the Tribesman with Tactics. Then defend the Prowler with Chief Turch, chump block the Tribesman, and get rid of the Prowler with Eleanor + Erkenbrad + Chief Turch, while Éomer boosted by the chump block can dispatch the Tribesman. If you can manage all that without getting any first turn treachery, you are well set to go.

I am really glad this cycle is now behind me, looking forward to the Lost Realm which I hear is awesome.