Send in the AirBeorn 2.0

• Versions
• 2.0
• 1.0

Just trying out a fun idea for a theme deck. There aren't really enough Beornings to build a deck around, and there's not really that many Eagles either, so why not combine them? Unfortunately they're both expensive, so Mablung is included to generate extra resources. Tactowyn provides for solo play, but could potentially be replaced with Beorn, Legolas, Gimli, or any hero that doesn't use up resources. Generally avoid paying for cards with Grimbeorn the Old, so that he always has at least one resource to pay for his Response.

Allies

Beorning Skin-changer is a critical card for reducing the cost of Beornings, and is primarily meant for bringing out ally Beorn. If you choose to use hero Beorn instead of Éowyn, and consequently remove ally Beorn from the deck, there are still lots of other expensive Beornings to choose from: Giant Bear, Beorning Beekeeper, and even Beorning Guardian can all be reduced in cost this way. Including lots of expensive Beorning allies is also meant to provide lots of options for Beorning Skin-changer to choose from, in case you don't own three copies of ally Beorn, or don't draw him early on.

Gwaihir is expensive to bring out, but as long as some other Eagles are discarded before he is played, he can also help cut costs. Since doesn't have good card draw, aiming to get out a smaller number of expensive cards is a decent strategy, given that Mablung can generate resources. Still, this deck is very expensive, and it may be useful to drop some of the more expensive Eagles and/or Beornings in favour of allies like Westfold Outrider, that can synergize with Mablung to generate resources. Soldier of Dol Amroth is also good to include to help with cost reduction. Gondorian Spearman is always useful, especially if some Warrior attachments are also included. Vassal of the Windlord is the only ranged character in this deck at the moment - it might be wise to swap out some more expensive Beorning or Eagle allies for a low-cost ranged ally like Galadhon Archer, especially if playing with other decks that might need combat assistance. On the other hand, this deck tends to attract enemies, so it can actually be more important for the other decks to have ranged characters.

Attachments

Support of the Eagles is the only attachment included in the main list, and is typically intended for Grimbeorn, although in late-game it could be used on Éowyn or even Mablung as well. It's probably worth it to swap out some of the allies in this deck for attachments like Captain of Gondor, Raiment of War, and Warrior Sword, which all work well with Grimbeorn the Old, giving him even more and for his special ability. Outmatched can allow Grimbeorn to defend and then attack twice in one combat phase, but can also be used effectively with almost any character in this deck.

Events

For events, The Eagles Are Coming! provides a bit of card draw, Beorn's Rage is very powerful in combination with Grimbeorn, and Meneldor's Flight can be used with Meneldor to gain some questing power, or to power up Eagles of the Misty Mountains. I'm surprised that Flight of the Eagles and Eagle of the North both count towards the 50 card deck total, since Eagle of the North is technically an encounter card - I'm not sure if ringsdb.com is taking this into account - does anyone know the ruling on this? If Eagle of the North is counted towards the card count total, this ally can slightly increase your deck's overall predictability, because your draw deck now only includes 47 cards - although some might consider this a disadvantage because you also lose some versatility. Finally, if you want to swap in some different events, Blade Mastery is great for Grimbeorn, and while Feint doesn't allow him to use his ability, it can give him a break if he's out of resources.

Final Thoughts

All comments welcome! This deck is obviously meant for fun more than for serious play, especially since both Beornings and Eagles are so expensive. Still, I think it might prove useful when combined with other decks, especially decks that include ranged characters to help out when things get busy! (Mablung is effectively an enemy magnet).