Elrond's Secret Wanderings

Questlogs using this decklist
None.
Fellowships using this decklist
None.
Derived from
Elrond's Secret Wanderings 2 1 2 1.0
Inspiration for
None yet.
Card draw simulator
Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
The gameplay simulator is an experimental feature and is currently only available for those that support RingsDB development on Patreon.
Gameplay simulator
Round
0
Threat
0
Hand
In Play
Deck
Discard Pile
Log a Quest
Play on DragnCards

FattyBolger 215

Theme: Elrond quietly builds an army, forging alliances, drawing on the power of his elven-ring, and avoiding direct confrontation with the enemy until the right moment comes, and he reveals himself in a blaze of power.

Mechanics: a secrecy + Vilya + Outlands deck for one-handed solo play. Quite powerful if you can get Vilya early and build up your board state the first few rounds.

Piloting: The Grey Wanderer contract lets Elrond start with Strider, which allows him to quest and also use Vilya each round. Obviously you'll want to mulligan for Vilya. Galadriel is there to help find Vilya if that fails.

This deck is all about cheating allies into play. While in secrecy, use Timely Aid to put high-cost allies into play for free. (There are only two copies since the card is dead once your threat goes above 20.) During the early rounds, use The Grey Wanderer Contract for the extra resources; later in the game, this probably won't be necessary. These resources can be spent on cheap Outlands allies. Once a few allies are in play, use A Very Good Tale to summon more.

On a good turn, you should be able to put 3 or even 4 allies into play. Once you've built up your board, you should easily be able to quest for 15+ and attack for 10+. The deck's only weakness is defense. When it comes time to engage enemies, use Outlands allies (which you can recover with Men of the West) and unneeded copies of Imladris Stargazer and Warden of Healing for chump blocking. Jubayr can help with enemies with less than 6 attack.

3 comments

Apr 08, 2022 hockeyplayer1889 7

two comments from a quick play test

  1. Don't you have to have strider in your deck to pick it? "Search your Deck". I think you'd have to move it out of the sideboard and into the deck
  2. Is Sneak Attack worth it? Gray Wanderer only lets you plan an out of phase card during the planning phase, and sneak attack only lasts for one phase. Sure you can sneak Gandalf in for his bonus, but you have to put him back in your hand before he could quest, defend or attack. It can still be useful, but seems like maybe another card would be better to me.

Apr 08, 2022 kjeld 662

Light of Valinor and Unexpected Courage would be a big help, as would Heed the Dream to help fetch Vilya.

Apr 09, 2022 FattyBolger 215

@hockeyplayer1889

  1. Thanks, you're right, technically Strider should be in the deck. Doesn't make a difference, of course, unless you wanted to cut one of the cards from the main deck--maybe Legolas or Sneak Attack?

  2. I'd say totally worth it if you can get Gandalf in your hand. Sneak Attack + Gandalf is still the most powerful combo in the entire game. The cost to value ratio is already incredible for any of his three abilities, and the flexibility to choose the one you need at the moment takes the combo to the next level. But I can see the argument for leaving it out, since it's liable to misfire if Vilya reveals it when you don't have Gandalf. Still, with Imladris Stargazer to help, I'd be willing to take the risk.

@kjeld
Heed the Dream is a good idea, thanks. No need for Light of Valinor since Elrond starts with Strider. I'm not convinced UC is necessary: Elrond already quests without exhausting, and b/c there's no shadow cancellation, using him as a defender is risky (depending on the quest, of course). And the allies should have no problem handling attacks.