Made up on the fly for lotrlcg subreddit weekly challenge #3. Just threw it together for the purpose and it managed to pull it together just in time to pull off a win.
First run was doomed early on. I'd thought that having Mirlonde as the random prisoner was ideal, but a lack of willpower and poor draws left me just enough to threat out by round 6.
Second run looked like a worse start, with Aragorn as the random prisoner and Hummerhorns guarding an objective. It was rough to begin with, but an early Fast Hitch and Burning Brand on Bilbo coupled with some favorable Encounter draws allowed me to get things mostly under control in the first few rounds. Henamarth made an early appearance, followed by Gleowine. Unfortunately, both only lasted a few rounds before Necromancer's Reach and other direct damage eliminated them temporarily. Several smaller allies also had to be sacrificed while I got a handle on things. I'd racked up quite a lot of threat, and a couple of unfortunate Encounter draws brought me to 40 threat just as I was about to complete the first stage. I actually thought it was over, due to Hummerhorns engagement effect... But I was able to complete 1b, free Aragorn and immediately trigger his threat reset to get out of engaging it AND the Nazgul released by his freedom. Finally able to muster the resources for Gandalf, I was able to nuke Hummerhorns and get ahead of the Encounter deck once and for all. Bilbo's card draw led me to my other copy of Gleowine who also sped up aquisition of the second Henamarth. Deck drawn out, and being able to see what was coming, it was just a matter of holding back enough to kill off the Nazgul after a few rounds and Quest through the final stage.
Both Wardens of Healing only managed to heal a few points before they had to be sacrificed. The Ents proved integral to this run, partly due to their timely appearances. The Wellinghall Preservers made a huge splash, keeping themselves and the Wandering Ents topped off while I worked up the resources to engage the Nazgul and finish off the final stage of the quest.
I had a great deal of fun doing this, and I'm really looking forward to the next challenge!