Solo Progression Deck

Shadows of Mirkwood & Ringmaker

Intro

The first AP adds a ton of options to make far more affordable than it was in the core set. Since hero readying is one of my favorite deck powers, I've exchanged Legolas for Aragorn. While he may be a bit expensive to maintain, scrying with Denethor or Henamarth Riversong make it easier to predict when to commit him to the quest or ready him.

Starting Hand

Steward of Gondor is the obvious best starting card in the deck, but Song of Kings, Celebrían's Stone, Rivendell Minstrel, and Gléowine are other great options for helping you set up. For Journey Down the Anduin, The Galadhrim's Greeting or the combination of Sneak Attack and Gandalf can put the Hill Troll on a strict "no-heroes" diet.

Early Game

Early on, you'll want to use The Galadhrim's Greeting and Denethor to avoid engaging really tough encounter cards. Just keep playing allies and attachments to incrementally increase your stats. Take enemies as soon as you can defeat them in a single attack. Daughter of the Nimrodel is another great card to see.

Mid Game

Denethor should be immortal with Daughter of the Nimrodel and Protector of Lórien. Dúnedain Mark and a couple of cheap allies should get you up to 6, but it can be a bit difficult, since this deck doesn't have .

Late Game

This deck can quest for quite a bit thanks to Celebrian's Stone, The Favor of the Lady, and a bunch of cheap allies. Combat can be a bit more difficult, but you can use Unexpected Courage on Denethor to avoid the worst of combat.

On Using Aragorn

Knowing how to use Aragorn is the hardest part of piloting this deck. Generally speaking, you can judge when to use him based on 3 factors:

These are just guidelines, not rigid rules.

Sideboard

• [Miner of the Iron Hills](/card/01061) in quests with condition attachments
• You can use [Forest Snare](/card/01069) for the Hill Troll, but it's more fun to beat it without the permanent stun.