My strongest single Core Set deck for solo play 1.0

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• 1.0

Recently I've decided to go back to basics and challenge myself to make the most out of the single core set. No expansions, no multiple cores. So, a few days ago I have published a really solid tri-sphere deck for new players, along with some basic tips & tricks (https://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/15960/soyouveboughtyourfirstcoreset-1.0). Take a look if you want to see the foundation for what I'm going to show you here.

Well, this time I decided to create the most powerful deck that fits my own personal style of play. And I have to say that I was really surpised by how much I've enjoyed playing it and how many times it allowed me to overcome seemingly impossible challenges in Journey Along the Anduin.

After extensive testing I came to a single conclusion: Stand and Fight is just bonkers. I forgot how good and flexible this card can be, especially with a hero like Éowyn, with an in-built discarding ability. If you choose to put a Steward of Gondor on her and you'll be able to play every ally (obviously except for Gandalf) from your hand/discard pile, in any phase - I can't express how many times this saved my life ;). It is also a fantastic resource-smoothing card (I rarely looked at it this way to be honest). Glóin is lacking resources for Faramir? No problem, discard him and put him into play via Stand and Fight with your pile of blue resources. Remember this nasty location with 5 and single quest point in Journey Along the Anduin? Well, with Stand and Fight you can play Snowbourn Scout after the staging step, but before the questing resolution and explore it immediately, effectively boosting your by 5. It's those little tricks that made me appreciate going back to basics once again and forcing myself to make the most out of every card I have. Seriously, don't underestimate this card - it elevates the options you have with this deck to another level. With Steward of Gondor on Éowyn you'll be able to play Beorn in just two rounds and keep him on your table for much longer than in case of simply Sneak-Attacking him into play for a phase. This card will also allow you to bypass the limit of playing one ally per round in Escape from Dol Guldur (play and put into play are totally different things). Stand and Fight is pure gold.

One of the key things is to play Self Preservation on Glóin as soon as you can. It basically turns him into a second Steward of Gondor. I tend to use him exclusively as a defender against max 3-attack enemies (so that I can heal him completely before the next round), but if you plan to make him a main defender against some stronger foes then Protector of Lórien is your best friend (another staple from the core set). However, if I manage to draw Unexpected Courage I tend to play it together with Protector of Lórien on Beravor due to her extra point of defence - she will handle the swings of a Hill Troll even more efficiently. And with Unexpected Courage you'll be able to use her priceless card-drawing ability "for free".

Steward of Gondor can be played either on Beravor or Éowyn, depending on your draw. If you have a hand full of Forest Snares and Self Preservations, you'll know to whom to attach it. If you want to really abuse Stand and Fight, Éowyn is your target.

Don't underestimate Son of Arnor! Many people think that he's way too overpriced (and he probably is, at least before Dunedain decks became a thing), but he can be super useful. If you put him into play via Stand and Fight or Sneak Attack right after resolving enemy attacks, you'll be able to engage a tough enemy and it won't be able to attack you this round, but you'll be able to attack him immediately. Also, if you have enough resources you'll be able to engage an enemy during the planning phase and play Forest Snare immediately, without having to keep him engaged 'till the next planning phase. And last but not least, he allows you to engage enemies who normally cannot be optionally engaged.

Ever Vigilant is also fantastic! If you e.g. Sneak Attack Beorn, you'll be able to hit two enemies with his ability, before he bounces back into your hand.

I was debating putting Wandering Took instead of Guard of the Citadel in this deck because of his superior statline (for the same cost), but I decided that Éowyn's blue resources needed to be saved on other expensive cards.

Finally, For Gondor! is included to compensate for the lack of strong attackers. Sometimes you just need this extra boost to slay a mighty foe engaged with you. What's cool is that For Gondor! gives some fighting capabilities even to cards like Snowbourn Scout (swarm of weaker allies can turn into killing mashines for a phase).

I really encourage every experienced player to go back to just the core set from time to time and experiment with creating a working deck from this very limited pool of cards. Nowadays we have all the options and all the complexities in the world, but sometimes it's just cool to go back to simpler times ;).

/update, 29 December 2021: Looking back, If I were to change something in this deck I would strongly consider putting 1 copy of Dark Knowledge instead of e.g. 1x Miner of the Iron Hills (to keep the proportion of the spheres). Dark Knowledge can be really useful for deciding whether or not to take undefended attacks with Glóin.