Babysitting Merry - a Vilya Starter Deck #RCO 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

Revised Content Only (RCO)

The Elrond + Vilya archetype is one of the strongest in the game. Its ability to thrown down high-cost, high-value allies is unmatched. Coupled with Elrond's static ability to pay for any sphere ally and you have the keys to unlock very powerful decks.

Vilya can be a bit tricky to use, however. Without some way to sequence your deck, you'll be at the mercy of RNG. That's where Gandalf comes in. His static ability lets you peek at the top of your deck to ensure you know exactly what card you can play with Vilya. Once you equip Wizard Pipe, then you can swap the top card of the deck with any in your hand. This way, you can maximize its value!

Unfortunately, with a limited card pool, typical Vilya ally staples are unavailable. But there are still plenty of strong options within Revised Content that we can use to make a solid deck.

How to use this deck:

• Setup: Mulligan for Vilya. If you turn over a Wizard Pipe and Unexpected Courage, then you've already won the game.
• Heroes: Elrond and Gandalf will do the heavy lifting. Depending on your allies, I usually quest with Elrond and keep Gandalf for combat. Merry provides some decent early but once you get Hobbit Pony you can wait to send him on the quest and see if an enemy pops up from the Encounter Deck. This hero combo starts with high so this ability is important to manage it.
• Attachments: Elrond should get Vilya and the first copy of Unexpected Courage. That way he can use his ability and stats in the same turn. Gandalf should get his toys (Wizard Pipe and Gandalf's Staff) and the second and third copy of Unexpected Courage.
• Allies: These are some expensive allies, so this deck will be slow to get going if you don't get Vilya right away. Remember that you can use Gandalf's resources to pay for the top card of your deck. You can combine with Elrond's ability to pay for allies in this manner, which helps. Beorn and Boromir are your combat specialists, with support from Northern Tracker and Ranger of Cardolan. Bilbo Baggins and Wellinghall Preserver provide solid , and you'll want Faramir to power through progress-heavy quests. Northern Tracker can also provide some location control if you're getting location-locked. I sometimes swap Henamarth Riversong for West Road Traveller for two-handed or multiplayer games.
• Alternate hero setup: For an even faster start, consider using Messenger of the King rules to make Bilbo Baggins a hero. Then you can start with Wizard Pipe in your hand. If I run this setup, I usually swap out my Hobbit Pony and extra Wizard Pipe for Citadel Plate and The Galadhrim's Greeting.
• Sideboard: Vilya decks are extremely flexible. Depending on the quest, you may want to swap out different allies. Daeron's Runes can help you find Vilya, but you may also want to bring Gather Information just in case. Flame of Anor is useful for combat-heavy quests, but I don't find it to be an auto-include every time.

Hopefully this can get you started on this powerful archetype! Good luck!