Return of the King 1.0

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• 1.0

The goal with this deck was to make the most noble, powerful version of Aragorn we possibly could. The idea do to use Arwen and Erestor to power a third hero was I trick I learned from reading Deck Tech.

Basically the goal is to load Aragorn with powerful attachments, particularly tapping into the incredible potential of Blood of Numenor and Gondorian Fire. Aragorn's resource pool is accelerated by a number of effects; in addition to Steward of Gondor you can get more resources onto Aragorn via Envoy of Pelargir, Errand-rider, and Arwen. You can also make use of A Good Harvest to spend Arwen and Erestor's resources instead of Aragorn's, to keep his pool high. You have tons of options for readying Aragorn, to make use of his incredible stats.

The Arwen synergy, Sword that was Broken, and Roheryn emphasize the strengths of Aragorn in particular, as opposed to other possible candidates for the Gondorian Fire. With the right setup, you can get Sword that was Broken and Steward of Gondor on turn one. It is possible to have Sword that was Broken and ally Faramir at the same time for powerful questing.

Thanks to Erestor and Arwen, Aragorn's pieces come in to play quickly. But there's still a challenge to ramp up, particularly with early enemies. Andrath Guardsman, Ranger of Cardolan, and Warden of Helm's Deep are all there to help a bit. Erestor's decent attack can also help Aragorn clear an enemy early-mid game.

If you can't quite pay for the pieces you have in your hand, and don't want to lose them, you can use Silver Harp. If you haven't seen a good expensive card yet, or missed a chance on one, it can make sense to use the Harp to maintain A Good Harvest so you can spend Arwen and Erestor's resources instead of Aragorn's, when something good shows up. Good Harvest hands can be quite explosive, since with Steward you are netting 6 resources per round (and without it you are still netting 4). You do have to be smart not to spend too much of Aragorn's resources, though, depending on the board state.

With all the effort taken into raising Aragorn up, it'd be a shame to lose him to a treachery that ignores his defence. Unfortunately, Erestor isn't the best for keeping Hasty Stroke around (and using a harp on it all game sounds exhausting). So the Dunedain Watchers are there as a lifeline, allowing you to utilize Aragorn's defending and readying with impunity, for Aragorn should not shy away from defending others. Playing multiplayer and want to block AND attack for the whole table? Side in Rivendell Bow or Dunedain Cache. With the Unexpected Courages and Heir of Mardil, you have up to four attacks and defends a round with those insane stats, AND sentinel.

I hope you enjoy experiencing the rise and Return of the King.