Sharky, Wormtongue, and Stinker

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kjeld 709

What's to say -- who doesn't like a lineup of the shiftiest and smarmiest villains of Middle Earth masquerading as heroes?

Game Play

Mulligan for Saruman's Staff and Keys of Orthanc. It's also nice to see an Isengard Messenger and some combination of draw cards, especially Mithrandir's Advice and Deep Knowledge.

Between Gríma's discount (use to boost your Isengard Messengers) and Keys of Orthanc, the deck effectively generates 5 resources per round. Use these to get out Firyal as soon as possible (a good choice for Word of Command), though Far-sighted can help in the meantime.

Early game, quest hard with everyone -- your Doomed events can ready Saruman for combat as needed, and with backups like Close Call and Loyal Hound it's safe to take small undefended attacks. Defiant Challenge is an amazing card here, as it can ready up anyone as well as Sharky -- this is your primary way out of an early Stinker treachery, as Grima and Saruman together can flip him back.

Mid game, build up your board state through aggressive use of the Doomed keyword and the deck's prodigious card draw -- don't forget Sméagol's ability. All attachments go on Saruman, though Ent Draught can go on Treebeard or Gildor if you need a beefier defender. Generally you won't need to worry about Archery and other direct damage -- Ioreth, Wellinghall Preserver, and Silvan Tracker can soak and heal a lot.

Late game, once your board state is set up, grab Helm of Secrecy to swap in Loragorn for Sharky and reset your threat dial back to 25. Then quest/fight to win.

Sideboard Ideas

A few basic ideas are in the Sideboard. Note that Poisoned Counsels is there to remind you to shuffle in 2 copies of Stinker (which isn't on RingsDB). Another The Wizards's Voice is useful if you know you'll be engaged multiple rounds by a big enemy like a Mumak or Troll. Waters of Nimrodel is a good choice if the encounter is particularly heavy on direct damage, though a standard Warden of Healing could do as well.

Some other options to consider depending on the quest include Thrór's Map, The White Council (if hand/deck discard is a concern), Henamarth Riversong if more encounter deck control is needed, or a second Treebeard if heavy combat is expected. Another Ent Draught can help weather big attacks, as well.

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