Resource Production and Cost Reduction 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

There is nothing in this game that I enjoy more than the feeling of running a Gloin deck. His unique playstyle and way of gaining resources has always appealed to me for some inexplicable reason, and so when I signed up for RingsDB I was ready to share my Gloin deck with the world...

Until I realized that Sean from CotR had already published a deck similar to mine. So I went back to the drawing board in search of a new hero to pair with Gloin, and found Gríma.

Grima shores up what in my opinion is the biggest flaw of a Gloin deck: early game resource flow. If you want anything to do with Gloin's resources, you have to put some big allies in the deck, but those allies cannot be payed for until your Gloin machine is up and running, and that requires relatively expensive cards like Self Preservation and Citadel Plate. Grima allows you to pay for these cards earlier on, even to the point of a first turn Steward of Gondor or Self Preservation, which can allow you to establish a solid board position from turn one. Once Gloin is set to wreak havoc, you can stop using Grima's ability, as it wouldn't really matter at that point since you're getting six resources a turn from Gloin. But he did his job, and he did it well.

If you are groaning and averting your eyes at the sight of Song of Wisdom, Elrond, and Warden of Healing in a Gloin deck, don't worry. Song of Wisdom (which can be fetched by Rivendell Minstrels) is only in the deck to allow Gloin immediate access to Lore without the need to use his belt.

There are many allies in the deck, and I'm not going to focus on all of them. It is sufficient to say that they are meant to be played with Glóin's resources, and are all very good. The only ones I would point out are the two healing allies, Daughter of the Nimrodel and Warden of Healing, which are obviously meant to heal Gloin; Gleowine, who can provide steady card draw; and Master of the Forge, who can help Gloin find all of his toys.

All of the attachments in the deck are key to the efficient running of the deck. Steward of Gondor and Keys of Orthanc, combined with the inherent abilities of Grima and Gloin, mean that the deck should never be hurting for resources, while King Under the Mountain will insure that there are always cards to spend that money on. Narvi's Belt and Song of Wisdom can give Gloin the right icons at the right times, while Self Preservation, Citadel Plate, and Boots from Erebor will let him stay alive the whole game. The hit point boosting attachments especially are useful because they let Gloin take hits from enemies with higher attack and live to tell about it.

You can tell that deck space is hard to come by when there are six total events in the deck. Deep Knowledge can help with card draw, while Sneak Attack can bring in Gandalf to reduce your threat after the repeated Grima use.

Note that this is a solo deck, as bringing it to multiplayer will trigger both a Grima fight and a Steward war, both of which don't need to happen.

Overall, the desire to create a "different" Gloin deck has led me to make a new deck that I actually really enjoy playing. Grima is a solid addition to almost any deck, but I believe he especially shines in this one. Enjoy the deck!