Here comes the South 2.0

• Versions
• 2.0

Faramir and a group of his Ithilien rangers join forces with the finest of the Haradrim.

This is mainly a support-focused deck, designed as a companion for my Dúnedain deck. It takes a few rounds to get going, but once it’s set up, it can take on some tough quests all on its own.

Heroes

Kahliel

• Kahliel's Headdress + Steward of Gondor → Rod of the Steward
• Harad Al Ghul: Enables powerful ally plays and resource smoothing, making the Haradrim engine run smoothly.

Faramir

• Sword of Númenor + Steed of the North
• Ithilien Captain: Boosts attack and questing for the whole team, and turns traps into permanent power-ups.

Damrod

• 2nd Sword of Númenor + 2nd Steed of the North
• Trap Specialist: Reduces trap costs and keeps the encounter deck under control, making the most of every snare.

Mulligan & Setup

Mulligan for Steward of Gondor since it’s the engine that gets our deck running.

Ranger Spikes is also a great early card to see. It can give us some "free" rounds by trapping enemies in the staging area and start boosting our rangers right away.

Strategy & Card Interactions

Ally Deployment:
Emyn Arnen Ranger, Guardian of Ithilien, and Southron Refugee can all be played in a single round for a quick board presence. After that, Firyal or Jubayr are the first big allies to look for.

Firyal is usually easier to play in the early game, since Jubayr and Yazan can only be played using Kahliel's resources.

• Southron Refugees can reduce their 5-cost by up to 2, making them more accessible.
• Kahliel's Tribesmen mainly boost Jubayr's .

Any extra copy of The Big Three is the perfect target for Kahliel's special ability.

Trap Synergy:
Ranger Spikes permanently boost Faramir's and Emyn Arnen Ranger's .

Guardian of Ithilien's response works especially well with Faramir's ability, and is even better when Ranger Spikes are already in play. Afterward, Guardian of Ithilien becomes the epitome of a chump-blocker.

Anborn's response can return previously used Poisoned Stakes to our hand, or Ranger Spikes in the rare case they have been discarded, giving us more flexibility and trap recursion.

No Place to Hide:
Even though this isn’t a secrecy deck, Ithilien Lookout's response and stats still make them a valuable 3-cost ally. Scrying is always welcome.

On the other hand, if we already have a trap in staging, it might be worth waiting for a better occasion to play him.

Unlikely Visitor:
Ioreh may not be from Ithilien, but she’s one of the best healers in the entire card pool. While not a thematic choice, her ability to keep our heroes and allies healthy makes her a valuable addition to the deck.

Card Draw:
Heed the Dream is our best early-game card draw. By mid or late game, Rod of the Steward (fueled by Steward of Gondor) takes over as our main draw engine.

Campfire Tales isn’t my first choice for card draw, but it’s one of the few options I have left in my pool. It works better when this deck is paired with Dúnedains, where the multiplayer effect is more valuable.

Threat Management:
Pillars of the Kings is our only threat reduction. By late game, resources should not be an issue for playing it.

Sideboard

• Forest Snare is always a great trap to see, since it can permanently neutralize a dangerous enemy. However, it works against Faramir's ability, so use with caution.

In summary: This deck brings together Gondor’s rangers and Harad’s finest for a trap-combat mix. Mulligan for our key resource and trap cards, use Kahliel to power up our Haradrim, and let our rangers control the staging area.