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Mormegil 5393
This deck is part of Mormegil’s Deckbox, an effort to create an extensive catalogue of decks for the different archetypes, themes and playing styles available to players. Click here to check out the whole project.
Preferred Player Count: 1, (2-4)
Rating: .5
Premise
For almost the entire run of our beloved game, the Rohan archetype has been synonymous with underwhelming. Its cards were deemed to be too expensive, its draw too weak, its swarming too slow for an archetype that synergizes around allies leaving play. Rohan was almost non-existent at conventions, it had created fewer buzz than other archetypes like Silvans or Dale (despite being even more prevalent in the books) and the AleP-Designteam even chose the expansion of Rohan as one its first goals.
So what if I told you that (especially with the release of Bond of Friendship, but starting even before) Rohan is actually one of the strongest archetypes in the game, able to tackle almost any scenario in solo with ease and overall one of the premiere powerdecks? Because I feel that is truly the case.
What makes this deck so strong is its sheer number of resources. Bond of Friendship providing you with 4 resources is already pretty busted, but what about 7 resources? That is straight-up insane and exactly what Théodred, Théoden and Gríma provide you with (that can go up to 9 with Steward of Gondor). The sheer amount of stats you can pump out with those resources (as well as with your starting heroes) will be too much for almost any scenario in the game.
How To Play
What I look for in my opening hand is almost exclusively draw. Resources will not be the problem - running out of cards is the most common way this deck stagnates. If you therefore have Peace, and Thought, Gléowine or Gather Information (to find one of these two) in hand, I seldom take a mulligan. If I don't, I often mulligan. From there on you draw aggressively, pump out allies to your hearts content and keep a lid on threat with the various tools at your disposal. Once you get Gúthwinë out, you can recycle useful cards like Grimbold or Éomund to finish off whatever is left of the encounter deck.
Considerations
Halfling Bounder can be a game-saver in scenarios that have game-ending When Revealed-effects, Keys of Orthanc and A Very Good Tale can be used to dial up your swarming potential to 11. There were a couple of cards that almost made the cut in the sideboard (like The Muster of Rohan or Gamling), but alas, the available slots here are very competitive.
Enjoy!!!
| 4 comments |
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Jun 05, 2024 |
Jun 05, 2024I think I agree with that assessment. Before releases in the last cycle (like BoF, MotK, Lothiriel or Muster of Rohan), the playable Rohan stuff was either just a bunch of amazing but thematically not that connected heroes or consisted of very good archetypes like Hama or Fastred, which to me are more their own archetypes happening to run Rohan heroes more than the Rohan archetype itself. I should probably clarify therefore that when I call the Rohan archetype underwhelming, I mean mostly its defined theme of allies leaving play for beneficial effects. I feel that that archetype was always very subpar until the latest releases. Hama decks/Fastred decks/attachment focused decks/the individual heroes were always good, just not very Rohan-ish to me. So thank you for your comment! A very good summary on the history of the archetype/where it is at and probably a needed specification on my comments above! |
Jun 05, 2024The "discard mechanic" theme was overpriced and underwhelming for almost all of the game's life, for sure (though there were a few standouts-- Westfold Horse-breaker and Westfold Outrider especially, thanks to their optional, immediate, on-demand discards that don't require an exhaust and produce a potentially powerful effect). With Éomund lurking, though, Rohan was always a bit of a sleeping giant-- all it needed was a consistent way to find him, play him, and ditch him to essentially double all actions for all Rohan characters at the table. Sneak Attack and Reinforcements were both early standouts, but Lothíriel also does tremendous work. |
Jun 05, 2024Yes, that is exactly what I mean, late on that very underwhelming mechanic became actually really workable (as I hope is showcased in the other published Rohan decks in the deckbox). And couldn't agree more on Eomund. He might be Rohans most important card. |
IMO, Rohan has ALWAYS been fantastic-- it's just a faction whose strength has always been its heroes. Dating back to the core set, Éowyn has continuously been one of the most powerful heroes in the game, Théodred one of the most splashable, and Dúnhere one of the most "toolsy", giving you unique solutions to difficult problems.
Later Rohan heroes kept up the trend-- Háma was a game-breaker and is one of just four heroes to get an errata (after Beravor and at the same time as one-deck superstars Caldara and Boromir), Erkenbrand is one of the best defensive heroes in the game, both versions of Éomer are standout attackers, Gríma is arguably the best resource accelerator in true solo, Spirit Théoden goes a long way towards making the allies more playable, Fastred transformed Dunhere from toolsy gimmick to reliable combat solution, and Tactics Éowyn somehow managed to outperform even her stellar spirit version and become a staple in "One Deck"s.
The attachment kit really leaned into this focus on Rohan as a hero-driven faction-- Firefoot, Herugrim, Golden Shield, Snowmane, Spear of the Mark. And then, of course, the last cycle kicked Rohan into overdrive with hero-centric contracts like Messenger of the King (most often used with (MotK) Gamling to make ally discards more reliable, but most effectively used with (MotK) Gléowine, IMO), Bond of Friendship, and my favorite, Forth, The Three Hunters! (which goes crazy with the faction's tendency to get extra uses out of willpower).