Mono-Spirit pseudo-secrecy (a.k.a. Caldara-less Caldara.dec)

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Taurelin 517

This is a deck which I used for playing the Lord of the Rings campaign and also the Hobbit saga (solo). It combines a bunch of cards from your standard Caldara-decks (without actually relying on those discard/reanimation-shenanigans) with several of my favourite cards that I simply like to play with.

The core elements of the deck are

  • low threat (Glorfindel provides a ridiculously low starting threat; Galadriel keeps it stable for a while until a single Counsel shifts you into secrecy)
  • questing and location management (allies + Asfaloth)
  • cancelling and utility
  • fighting if necessary, and then on your own terms.

Galadriel and Elven-Light are the card-drawing engine, and Arwen (later Resourceful, too) provides the resources you need. With Nenya, healing can be put on the table later as well.

Tale of Tinuviel can be played either on the trackers or the Wardens of Annuminas. Note that Galadriel lets your allies remain untapped for 1 turn. This essentially means that if Galadriel tells a Tale of Tinuviel, a lonesome Northern Tracker can go questing (possibly clearing some locations on the way), defend an attack of 8 and survive (!), AND attack back for 6 in a single turn!

There are some other nice tricks the deck can do, like infinitely recycling events (with Dwarven Tomb + Map of Earnil), bringing back fallen allies or heros, playing the same Tale of Tinuviel twice during a single combat phase etc...

The sideboard contains some help against scenarios which have more serious combat or require some other special preparation.

10 comments

Mar 16, 2017 Mormegil 5393

Great to see you're active on Ringsdb as well now!

A little suggestion: Since you basically seem to use Warden of Annúminas only for his trait and his stats, why not use Ranger of Cardolan instead? He has the same stats as the Warden except for his willpower which is higher by two. Yes, the Warden is boostable but I don't think you will get him to two willpower very often in this kind of deck. The Ranger of Cardolan instead has a very good ability and just better stats for a deck where you do not want more than two enemies engaged (which I think you do not want).

Anyways, great deck and I hope the first of many :)

Mar 16, 2017 Taurelin 517

Thanks for your feedback and your suggestion.

To be honest, I have not considered the Ranger over the Warden so far. One disadvantage I can see is that the Ranger is neutral. This is, however, more relevant with Caldara. In my deck this only means that I couldn't reanimate him with Stand and fight. But apart from that, I agree that he is more than a solid substitute.

Mar 16, 2017 Kakita_Shiro 41

The Ranger's ability won't work without a Dunedain hero.

Mar 16, 2017 Taurelin 517

Of course. But the Warden's ability is not relevant in most cases, either. That's the point.

Mar 16, 2017 Kakita_Shiro 41

@TaurelinThe comment is directed at @Jake Hagewho brings it up.

Mar 16, 2017 Taurelin 517

Right.

And he said: "The Ranger of Cardolan instead has a very good ability and just better stats for a deck where you do not want more than two enemies engaged (which I think you do not want)."

Now, if you cut out the abilty:

"The Ranger of Cardolan instead has ... just better stats for a deck where you do not want more than two enemies engaged (which I think you do not want)."

I can agree with that.

Mar 17, 2017 Mormegil 5393

Sorry, totally blanked out on his ability!

Mar 31, 2017 Kvasir 1

Nice deck. I just can't figure out how do you get Northern Tracker defend and attack same turn with those stats? You don't exhaust NT when he quests the round he's played. So he's ready to defend in combat with defend of 2. After that you can play Tale of Tinuviel and have him attack with 6?

Mar 31, 2017 Taurelin 517

1) You declare him as a defender, whcih exhausts him. 2) You play Tale of Tinuviel (before resolving the attack), which readies and boosts him. 3) You resolve the attack. 4) You attack back.

Mar 31, 2017 Kvasir 1

Ah! Of course :)