Guarding Elven Lands 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

"It seemed to him that he had stepped over a bridge of time into a corner of the Elder Days, and was now walking in a world that was no more. In Rivendell there was memory of ancient things; in Lórien the ancient things still lived on in the waking world. Evil had been seen and heard there, sorrow had been known; the Elves feared and distrusted the world outside: wolves were howling on the wood's borders: but on the land of Lórien no shadow lay." -"Lothlórien," The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The timeless realms of the elves, where there are haunting lays, ancient stories, and crafts no mortal could fathom. The lands are full of unfading beauty, and are guarded by the keen eyes of archers and mysterious, enchanted boundaries. So it is with this deck. As with any combat deck, it's purpose is simple, that no foe will darken the table with its shadow for long. The elven archers are ready to condemn any enemy posing a threat, Elrond is prepared to defend against intruders and heal the masses. The path of the enemy will be closed off, for great is the wisdom and power of the elves.

Resources: Keen as Lances

This deck runs very lean on resources, with no dependence on acceleration. Keen as Lances gives the option of gaining additional resources though, if it helps get more cards on the table.

Card Draw: Deep Knowledge, Keen as Lances, The Long Defeat

A little bit of card draw can go a long way, and it should be all you need thanks to all the other card fetching. Deep Knowledge gives a great return as far as card draw, but only 2 copies are included due to the adverse effect doomed can have in multiplayer. Keen as Lances is a powerful option for card draw when its cost is reduced to 1 or 0. The Long Defeat provides either healing or card draw for each player's benefit.

Defense: Elrond, Defender of the Naith, A Burning Brand, Cloak of Lórien, Elven Mail, Feint

Elrond is the main defender. He will get A Burning Brand, Elven Mail, and Cloak of Lórien as they are drawn, and become a stalwart sentinel defender. These attachments also work well of Defender of the Naith, who can be a decent defender too. Of course, Feint is included for shutting down the most bothersome attacks.

Offense: Legolas, Haldir of Lórien, Bow of the Galadhrim, Galadhon Archer, Greenwood Archer, Marksman of Lórien

All of our attacking characters are ranged, so it is no trouble to finish off enemies engaged with other players. Keep in mind that Marksman of Lórien can make sniping an enemy with Haldir of Lórien easier if you are able to set that up. Galadhon Archer also synergizes well with any other direct damage cards being played.

Healing: Lembas, The Long Defeat, Silvan Tracker

Elrond boosts the effectiveness of healing all the more, adding endurance to your team. This deck could be thought of as something like a combat medic deck, handling combat and healing for the group. Lembas is generally played on Elrond, allowing him to heal and ready for another defense. As already mentioned, The Long Defeat allows for impressive amounts of healing given Elrond's enhancement to healing. Silvan Tracker could be replaced with Galadhrim Healer for a better chance at healing another player's heroes, but the continuous healing of Silvans allows for easy archery and direct damage absorption.

Deck Searching: Galadhrim Minstrel, The Tree People

Playing the Minstrel and bouncing her back out with The Tree People is a solid way to access the other allies and events of the deck, putting your events in hand your allies on the table rather than waiting to draw them from the deck.

Control: None Return, Leave No Trace, Scout Ahead, The Door is Closed!

Victory display manipulation is another useful tool of this deck. Not only does it let you use Keen as Lances at a discount, but adding enemies and maybe a location or treachery to victory display makes The Door is Closed! a swiss army knife of cancellation. Cancelling an enemy with surge or other vicious card text feels so good, and it is a clean and safe way to be rid of enemy without having to risk combat at all. If this approach isn't to your taste, there are other fine events in the sideboard that fill a similar niche. Revealed in Wrath, Hands Upon the Bow, and Quick Ears are also good events for disrupting the encounter deck's devices.

Concluding Thoughts:

Now here is a deck that can dispatch enemies, heal characters, and exert some Elf-like control over the encounter deck. Despite being a Silvan deck, it doesn't stand in the way of other popular Silvan decks in multiplayer since it doesn't have the unique characters and attachments that are more typical of Silvan build. In fact, I built this to pair with my Silvan-Scout deck http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/4006/scout-corps-of-rhovanion-1.0, and it makes for great partner. This deck won't complain about playing alongside an Elfhelm deck and also will even appreciate Silvan synergy across the table, especially from the likes of Celeborn and O Lórien!. If you are looking for such a deck, I hope this deck hits the spot for you.