The Sea is Calling 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

The Sea is Calling

This deck aims to quickly establish a strong board in the early game, and to do this very consistently in each game. Small advantages and setbacks early on tend to have a snowball effect on later turns; this deck allows you to gain tempo over the encounter deck at a crucial moment in the game and hopefully turn the tide in your favour.

Below is a set of 10 random starts that I played through sequentially, showing the board state for the first 3-4 turns (events are omitted). The numbers in parentheses indicate the total costs of the cards in play on turn 3, averaging around 25. Compare this to the 9 resources you earn in this time period! Even if you count the loss of Caldara as -4, you're still way ahead.

Sample Starts

A (27)

1. To the Sea, to the Sea!, Galdor of the Havens
2. Emery, Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Glorfindel, Northern Tracker, Henamarth Riversong
3. Elladan, Elrohir

B (19, 32 turn 4)

1. To the Sea, to the Sea!, Emery, Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe, Elladan, Elven Jeweler
2. Treebeard
3. Galdor of the Havens
4. Prince Imrahil, Jubayr, Northern Tracker (or Sword-thain), -Caldara

C (29 - 30)

1. To the Sea, to the Sea!, Emery, Gildor Inglorion, Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe
2. Galdor of the Havens
3. Elven Jeweler, Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Glorfindel, Elrohir (or Northern Tracker, but Elladan is discarded and there are 2x Stand and Fight still in the deck)

D (25 - 27)

1. Elven Jeweler, Elven Jeweler, Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Northern Tracker, Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe
2. Emery, Sword-thain
3. To the Sea, to the Sea! + Glorfindel (or Gandalf, or Treebeard, or Jubayr)

E (32)

1. To the Sea, to the Sea!, Galdor of the Havens, Silver Harp
2. Gildor Inglorion
3. Emery, Elven Jeweler, Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Jubayr, Glorfindel, Henamarth Riversong

F (14, 30 turn 4)

1. Galdor of the Havens, Elven Jeweler
2. Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe
3. To the Sea, to the Sea!, Glorfindel
4. Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Jubayr, Northern Tracker, Elladan

G (27)

1. Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe, Elven Jeweler, Elven Jeweler
2. Emery, Sword-thain, Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Glorfindel, Imladris Caregiver
3. To the Sea, to the Sea!, Elven Jeweler

H (25)

1. To the Sea, to the Sea!, Glorfindel, Henamarth Riversong
2. Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Jubayr, Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe
3. Gildor Inglorion, Elven Jeweler

I (24)

1. Emery, Sword-thain
2. Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe, To the Sea, to the Sea!, -Caldara, Prince Imrahil, Jubayr
3. Gildor Inglorion (or Gandalf)

J (20, 29 turn 4)

1. Emery, To the Sea, to the Sea!, Glorfindel, Henamarth Riversong
2. Prince Imrahil, -Caldara, Northern Tracker, Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit Pipe
3. (nothing)
4. Elladan, Gildor Inglorion

In addition to being effective, this deck is also fun! Each turn you will be drawing a new hand of 4-5 cards minimum and have access to 4-5 resources. Cards in hand can be used in a multitude of ways: playing them normally, gaining a resource, cost discounts, healing, readying, or boosting or . Stand and Fight gives you access to every non-neutral ally in your discard pile. There are lots of interesting little card interactions to discover and it's fun to puzzle out how best to play out each turn.

Notes on selected cards

I won't go over every card, but will highlight a few key ones:

Caldara

One of the key cards that makes this deck work. Still a great card even after the FAQ 1.9 errata, and even in a deck with only two heroes. Play Prince Imrahil or Sword-thain and use her to put two powerful allies into play for free. If she's exhausted and/or has damage/condition attachments then you also gained action advantage and free healing. With experience you can almost always pull this off in the first few turns of the game as shown in the examples.

To the Sea, to the Sea!

The other key card in the deck. It allows you to play cards like Glorfindel, Gildor Inglorion, or Galdor of the Havens for as little as a single resource, which is bonkers! Note that Glorfindel can be discarded to help pay for his own cost, which is pretty cool :-). Many other allies in the deck have the Noldor trait too.

Bilbo Baggins

2 and 2 for 2 resources is a solid deal. Played on turn 1, he enables a turn 2 or turn 3 Sword-thain. His ability to pull Hobbit Pipe is great -- this adds free card draw to Elrond's Counsel, making an already good card absolutely amazing! It also acts as a buffer against encounter effects that discard attachments, protecting your other more crucial ones.

Elven Jeweler

Pretty much a free ally in your opening hand. Her 1/1/1/2 stats aren't exactly epic, but she's very versatile which is great in the early game. She can even survive a hit from a 2 enemy which isn't bad. With To the Sea, to the Sea! in play, you can choose to pay 0, 1, or 2 resources for her depending on whether cards or resources are more plentiful at the time, adding lots of flexibility.

The White Council

This card is amazing! In the early game its main use is for its second ability, which acts as resource smoothing. It enables you to play the 4-cost allies in the deck on turn one (or any turn where you start with no leftover resources). There are also lots of combos that require 4 resources, e.g. Bilbo Baggins + Silver Harp, Bilbo Baggins + To the Sea, to the Sea! + Glorfindel, Galdor of the Havens + Stand and Fight, etc. Going the other direction, it allows you to play Imladris Caregiver or Henamarth Riversong + Protector of Lórien. I prefer this card over A Good Harvest in this deck. The latter only works if you happen to draw it in combination with the card(s) you need it for, whereas you can use The White Council to transfer a resource in anticipation of needing it the next turn, e.g. saving up to play Prince Imrahil on turn 2 or 3.

In the mid to late game, its 4th ability allows you to put a key card like Gandalf or Gildor Inglorion back into your dwindling deck with a high chance of drawing it soon after. Handy for putting Will of the West back in your deck too if you drew it too early. Readying a hero is also always good (great on Erestor with Protector of Lórien), and occasionally I've even used its card draw ability in a pinch. It's super versatile, which fits in nicely with the rest of the deck.

Silver Harp

The ability to keep one of your cards between turns opens up all kinds of new possibilities. Useful for holding on to situational cards like Gandalf or A Test of Will, or just to have an extra card to fuel abilities or to pay for Gildor Inglorion should you draw him. Useful on turn 1 to hold on to a key card like Prince Imrahil or Sword-thain for play on turn 2 or 3.

Galdor of the Havens

Essentially gives you 5 cards per turn instead of 4, which is a huge boost. You can even time the triggering of his ability such that you get 6 cards in a given turn (but then only 4 the next).

Elladan and Elrohir

Individually they are a bit overpriced, but in this deck it's possible to get the pair in play for as little as a single resource, which is insanely good. Even at 3-4 resources for the pair, you are getting a great deal. With the speed at which you go through your deck, you'll be able to get both in play fairly often.

Opening Hand

I look for these cards in the opening hand:

• To the Sea, to the Sea!
• Elven Jeweler
• Bilbo Baggins
• Silver Harp
• The White Council
• Henamarth Riversong
• Protector of Lórien

I usually toss any hand that doesn't have any of those. There's no point keeping a hand full of cards like Jubayr, Prince Imrahil, etc. if you don't draw the other cards to play them.

Emery is great to have in your starting hand, but you can't rely on her since her ability will sometimes whiff due to discarding a card. Treat her more like a bonus rather than relying on her for a strong opening. In case you're interested, the odds of her ability succeeding when played from your opening hand of 10 cards if it contains 0, 1, or 2 cards are 61%, 66%, and 72% respectively.

Treebeard on turn 1 is also decent as a backup plan, but he enters play exhausted and uses up all your resources for the turn, which is effectively a tempo hit. He's usually better on turn 3 onwards once the initial board is set up, at which point the tempo hit is easily worth it to get one of the best allies in the game.

The End

Thanks for reading this far! This is my first published deck so feedback is most welcome. Hopefully you find this deck useful.