The Doomed Wanderer

Questlogs using this decklist
Across the Ettenmoors - 1 Player - 2020-03-14
Challenge of the Wainriders - 1 Player - 2020-03-13
The Mûmakil - 1 Player - 2020-03-21
The Fate of Númenor - 1 Player - 2020-04-10
The Redhorn Gate - Nightmare - 1 Player - 2020-04-11
The Watcher in the Water - Nightmare - 1 Player - 2020-04-13
The Long Dark - Nightmare - 1 Player - 2020-04-16
Foundations of Stone - 1 Player - 2020-04-15
Shadow and Flame - 1 Player - 2020-04-16
Road to Rivendell - 1 Player - 2020-04-12
Under the Ash Mountains - 1 Player - 2020-06-17
Beneath the Sands - 1 Player - 2020-08-21
The Wastes of Eriador - 2 Players - 2020-08-27
Desert Crossing - 1 Player - 2020-08-31
Fellowships using this decklist
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Alduc 596

Even there was no such thing as a contract in this game, I think Saruman would be viable for a one-hero deck. With The Grey Wanderer, he becomes a powerhouse.

Put Strider into play during setup, and try to get a strong ally on the board (preferably Firyal or Treebeard) as soon as possible. Mid-game you will lose Strider's bonus to willpower, but The Favor of the Lady will be there to compensate.

Radagast's Cunning and Secret Paths are useful in the early game before you have a strong enough board, but they are the flex spots of this deck. Consider swapping in a couple of Ent Draught for quests that stress damage more heavily. Objectively, three copies of Daeron's Runes would make the deck stronger, but it already has a lot of card draw.

With Saruman already having a build-in readying effect (and not having to exhaust to quest thanks to Strider), most rounds the contract's ability serves as a safety net. Using it to gain resources in the planning phase in the first few rounds, then hold it in reserve for later on. You'll probably be able to get the resources most turns anyway.

4 comments

Mar 16, 2020 Flamewright 69

I would probably put in a single Waters of Nimrodel. It can get you out of a sticky situation when your Ents/Saruman take a little more damage than you initially intended and is easily fetchable with The Seeing-stone.

Mar 17, 2020 Alduc 596

@Flamewright I started testing with a single copy of Waters of Nimrodel, but discovered that as long as I kept a Close Call or a The Wizards's Voice in hand, I didn't really need it. That said, swapping one in wouldn't hurt the deck at all, and against some quests it would certainly be of value.

If I ever try this deck against The Three Trials, I'll certainly add two copies!

Mar 23, 2020 Gibby 51

I love that you actually included The Favor of the Lady. When building my mono-Thalin deck, I also noticed that the options for WP boosting were limited, but in the end opted for Necklace of Girion instead for thematic reasons.

Mar 24, 2020 Alduc 596

@Gibby In almost all cases putting a cheap ally into play will be better than playing The Favor of the Lady. But this is an exception, as you want the bonus willpower from Strider to work as long as possible.

Against most quest I think this deck will be strong enough to take the tempo hit of playing a Guarded attachment. However, I feel they'll end up being win-more. But I agree, Necklace of Girion is much more thematic with Thalin!