Mettle of the Strong

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Derived from
Mettle of the Strong 14 8 3 2.0
Inspiration for
Mettle of the Strong 29 21 5 4.0
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WingfootRanger 2742

WingfootRanger has a newer deck inspired by this one: Mettle of the Strong

I have played with this deck for the better part of a year now, and it has kept on being a success against a wide array of scenarios. It is actually one of my strongest decks right now. This new version contains my slight changes and updates that I've made since last time.

Right off the bat this aggro deck has strong starting defense, willpower, and attack thanks to it's heroic team of Beregond, Círdan the Shipwright, and Beorn. With some of the best low-cost cards in Spirit and tactics, that starting strength will quickly grow. Arwen Undómiel, Galadriel's Handmaiden, and Ethir Swordsman are cheap questing allies that can be afforded any round. Dúnedain Hunter, Galadhon Archer, and Westfold Outrider are cheap allies forming the attacking team. So while Beregond and Beorn handle combat, Cirdan usually quests and gives consistent​ card draw. Yet, with Light of Valinor Cirdan can participate in combat as well with his 2 attack or use Narya instead to ready allies for an even bigger attack.

On the defense side, Arwen Undómiel, Gondorian Shield, and Captain of Gondor are all cards that boost Beregond's defense to point of being nigh unbreakable. Then there is Unexpected Courage and Desperate Defense to gain even more defensive actions from him.

Another key element of this deck is the events, in this deck they provide protection against some of the nastiest circumstances the encounter deck can put you in. Of course A Test of Will, Hasty Stroke, and Feint are the essentials, but Desperate Defense and Fortune or Fate are also character-saving events. Revealed in Wrath is one of those things that is very nice to have against some scenarios, but other times it is better to replace it with Dwarven Tomb, Thrór's Key, The Wizards's Voice, or Power of Orthanc. There are some other cards that are still pretty new in the sideboard I haven't fully tested yet, but I hope I won't be disappointed.

If you are interested in a deck that is powerful and adequate to handle most scenarios (even many nightmares), then I encourage you take a look at this one. It is well-built with simple strength without resorting to any major jank or combos. I still enjoy playing it, especially since it is flexible enough to play most quests solo or multiplayer and makes for all sorts of rapid fun.

2 comments

May 21, 2017 HappyHappy 157

Nice deck!

Given that I mostly play 4p fellowships, my decks tend to be very specialized. I like how versatile this deck is, and also how it's both solo-friendly and multi-friendly (Sentinel + ranged + utility events).

As you described in your notes, I like how well Círdan the Shipwright fits into this deck.

I think Rhovanion Outrider is a surprisingly good choice for this deck. 2 if you don't find tactics allies, 2 (usually) for questing, and some location management if you need it. It's no Northern Tracker, but for solo you don't need that level of location management, and for 3-4p fellowships someone else will also be helping with location management.

I'm really liking the idea of Steward of Orthanc (in your sideboard) for this deck. Given your starting threat of 34, even with Beregond I'm not sure if you have enough threat wiggle room for Steward of Orthanc without making a bit of room for something like Elrond's Counsel as well. Hm. Food for thought. :-)

Thanks for posting! Two thumbs up. (thumb) (thumb)

May 23, 2017 WingfootRanger 2742

@HappyHappy Thanks for your thoughts, I think the versatility of this deck is one reason I have kept it around for a while. It has been convenient to have a deck that I can play in most settings. Anyway Steward of Orthanc was a recent thought, but I would probably take advantage of it for scenarios that don't spike my threat up very much. Depending on the scenario, I should be fine to replace Bofur and an Ancient Mathom for the steward (or maybe keep Bofur and swap out 2 mathoms), then drop Revealed in Wrath for Elrond's Counsel if necessary. I should try it sometime.

I also just realized that I meant to include one copy of Lindir in the sideboard rather than that extra copy of Bofur. Oh well. I might update this deck again in the future depending on what and cards come our way. Thanks for checking out this deck Happy, and have fun in your multiplayer games!