Red Arrow 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

This is a thematic deck built for an ongoing series on my blog, Darkling Door.

Theme: The Oath of Eorl

Played Against: Nightmare Encounter at Amon Dîn

"My lord does not issue any command to you, he begs you only to remember old friendship and oaths long spoken, and for your own good to do all that you may... Make haste! For it is before the walls of Minas Tirith that the doom of our time will be decided, and if the tide be not stemmed there, then it will flow over all the fair fields of Rohan, and even in this Hold among the hills there shall be no refuge."

—Hirgon, The Muster of Rohan, The Return of the King

Strategy

Anyone who thinks mono- still isn't viable for solo players hasn't tried this lineup!

This deck is aggressive, with an impressive amount of right out of the gate. For the most part, the Heroes carry the questing, although Allies like Grimbold and Steward of Orthanc contribute a little too. Gandalf can help out if the Staging Area is starting to look locked up, but as long as I'm clearing the Active Location every turn I shouldn't have too much to worry about during the Quest phase.

Combat is largely handled by the Allies. Hirgon's ability to drop down an extra defender or chump blocker once the questing phase is over can be a huge help. This deck also has access to plenty of attack cancellation in the form of cards like Feint and Grimbold. Elfhelm works kind of like a Feint, too, since he can be used as an emergency defender for just 1 resource should the need arise.

The Knight of Minas Tirith and Westfold Outrider are both very efficient attackers for the number of resources I spend for them—especially if I get them with Hirgon's discount. I don't usually end up using their abilities much, but for that price I don't really need them.

Sometimes I hold back Théoden for the Combat phase, in case I need his to help kill a larger Enemy. doesn't have much in the way of readying for characters who want to quest, with Hold Your Ground! being the only native way to ready up a questing character. Fortunately, Théoden has the necessary Sentinel keyword to make him eligible. I also have access to Grappling Hook, which plays a similar role of allowing me to keep Théoden ready in case he's needed for combat, but allowing me to send him on the quest if he's not.

My goal is to quest hard and clear out the Staging Area as quickly as possible. The deck's lack of significant card draw means it will eventually burn itself out, so the faster I go, the better shot I'll have at victory.

► For more analysis, check out my blog post on this deck.