Who needs Aragorn when you've got BARD? 1.0

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• 1.0

Ever felt like Bard the Bowman was the true champion of Middle-Earth?

Well, here's your chance to find out.

After the War of the Rings ended, Aragorn became king. Being a responsible adult, he couldn't romp across the countryside orc-slaying with his old pals Legolas and Gimli anymore. So the indomitable pair decided to find a new partner in crime.

After visiting the Eaves of Fangorn and fleeing the ghost of Helm Hammerhand in the depths of the Glittering Caves, the two decided to head north for some Lonely Mountain nostalgia.

And that's where they met the greatest warrior to grace the earth, one who would put the likes of stuffy King Aragorn to shame:

The legendary Dragon-Slayer himself, Bard the Bowman*.

With this deck, play out the greatest adventure of all time. Watch Gimli defend 5 times across the board, and use Bard the Bowman and his (albeit lesser) companion Legolas Greenleaf to wreak havoc on orcs and dragons alike. With all heroes being Ranged or Sentinel, you're the one they all look to when the game seems hopeless. "Can't you just ready Gimli one more time?" they ask, and sure enough, with some careful strategy, you can.

Seriously though, I really enjoy this iteration of Bard the Bowman. He's always struck me as an extremely fun hero, and I'm surprised that nobody seems to use him (or at least, he's always paired with Great Yew Bow and staging area assault).

Mechanically it's pretty straight forward; this is a multiplayer (preferably 4-player) combat deck. It can't do much for questing (at least not before flipping the contract), but it's a war powerhouse. And my, it's fun.

Mulligan for the best restricted attachments, or some serious card draw (a hand with Foe-hammer is often worth keeping).

Bard the Bowman gets all Rohan Warhorses and War Axe. He and Gimli get to share Cram and Raiment of War, and he can share those Daggers of Westernesse with Legolas. Everyone gets one Golden Belt - in orc-slaying competitions, you have to at least be fair.

Anyone can take Strider, though I think I favored Legolas as my main quester. He also gets some Mirkwood Long-knives, Rivendell Blades, and a Silver Circlet. He is, after all, a prince.

Gimli actually gets the most toys: Armored Destrier, Dwarven Shield, Heir of Mardil, King Under the Mountain, and, best of all, ALeP's auto-include defense for Dwarves and Elves, the ancient Relic of Nargothrond. Ring of Thrór is the icing on the top. I especially love the readying interplay with a bunch of Armored Destriers...when everything seems hopeless, you can take an undefended attack and get a coin with Dwarven Shield to activate Heir of Mardil.

Foe-hammer, Elven-light, Open the Armory, and Unlikely Friendship serve as card draw, and Dwarven Shield and Unlikely Friendship give you money. A Good Harvest is extremely useful to even out the playing field, especially to give some of greedy Gimli's resources to one of his companions.

As far as the sideboard - any suggestions on how to tighten the deck a little more to include those cards would be great. I love the idea of giving Gimli Hauberk of Mail, but it just didn't seem worth it most of the time. Any advice is appreciated.

Have fun, and let me know if Bard the Bowman becomes your new favorite hero!

*yeah I know Bard was dead, who cares!