Conflict at the Carrock - Nightmare - Progression - Katherin 1.0

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• 1.0

This nightmare scenario is the kind of challenge I like. Requires specific deck building but with properly built decks is surmountable while at the same time still requiring a lot of thought and good choices. Difficulty that you just need luck is dumb and scenarios that a proper deck obviates any challenge is also dumb. This straddles that balance brilliantly, in my opinion. The only exception is that I think there is one card that should have been changed. The treachery that you must discard a creature (of which there are very few) or both players raise their threat by the threat in staging area. You can play an incredibly long and well thought out game making all the right decisions and right at the end get this card with no more creatures or test of will and then both players raise their threat by 10 or something and basically lose right there. This card should not have made the encounter deck or at least been changed to a static threat increase like 4 or something.

Speaking of incredibly long plays, we played once, very long, yet lost (and in large part due to the aforementioned treachery). Then tweaked the decks (reasonable extensively but keeping the core concepts the same) and then played a second incredibly long game and won.

The idea behind these decks is to keep you threat low to start, do everything to stay low and raise enemy engagement cost while building a board of allies that can be sacrificial lambs and clearly the staging area. Amass traps in your hand/snare some of the minor enemies (ideally non-unique trolls; sometimes if Hennamarth Riversong is free he can help alert you when is a good time to play Ranger Spikes), potentially amass copies of Gandalf for direct damaging high health and defense trolls. Then when you have yourself good and well setup up, pushing for Quest Phase 2 and the onslaught of unique trolls (of course as long as the auto quest progress has not prematurely pushed you there).

Now that you arrived at Quest Phase 2 with a good board, staging area and hand; hopefully your threat is under 34 (or 35 with Pippin) and you can take the trolls one at a time (or more if you have defenders and snare ready to play next turn). We took Rupert first, then Louis, then Morris then Stuart. Remember that Stuart will release trolls from trap, even non-unique trolls. I think for sure he's best for last. Rupert best for first and the others take them as your circumstances demand.

We did a decent job managing Gladden Fields and Hives and Hives with Thror's Key but we definitely almost killed Pippin with Hives and Hives, ooops, pay attention to that. Also watch out for you Vassal of the Windlord and Winged Guardian as they only have 1 health and you may need to discard them for the creature treachery.

It felt good to slog through this one and come out on top !