New Eagles on the Roost - Jon's Con Deckbox 1.0

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• 1.0

I love Eagles. Not The Eagles, or the Philadelphia Eagles, or even particularly actual eagles (they're fine, I guess). But cards with the Eagle trait? Love. Thanks to our friends at ALeP, we've got more toys to make this already-improved archetype stand on its own.

First things you've already noted: "Jon, this has 56 cards and a starting threat of 31?! Are you actually crazy?"

Not to worry, fair reader. RingsDB counts the 3 Eagle of the North cards as part of the deck, though you set them aside. And, as I and others have said repeatedly, it's no problem to run 3 Daeron's Runes as cards 51, 52, and 53.

As for the starting threat, well, this deck is not scared of much. Yes, perhaps a rogue Hill Troll will pay you a visit early, but there are enough tricks and bodies to give you a fighting chance even in a non-optimal quest for this deck.

Speaking of, this is a capable solo deck in the standard testing quests and will play well in multiplayer; but it's not a One Deck, and you should expect it to be fun but not S Tier.

So, About Them Eagles...

There are 37 cards with the Eagle trait in this deck. If you whiff with The Eagles Are Coming!, you must be me and you must be sitting next to Chad at a convention. Unless both things are true, I think you're safe.

Mulligan for Radagast's Staff or Word of Command. Or get lucky like I do, and don't see either until turn 6. That's fine, because Radagast's built in smoothing, Alagos' acceleration, and a wide selection of inexpensive allies along with an instantly useful Gwaihir's Debt will keep your board state healthy enough to tread water.

Yes, but Your Threat!

Ok, look, Eagles are not Hobbits, sneaking through the brush. Nor are they Noldor, revealing their hidden power when they choose. They're giant birds, they have huge claws, and their forceful poop can knock a grown man off his feet.

(That last part isn't canonical, but I expect to find something about it in The Nature of Middle-earth.)

Threat does become a problem eventually, which makes Hidden Roosts a key card. And it combos nicely with Breath of Arda in the player action window before Engagement Checks.

Piloting the Eagles

Like any ally-heavy deck, you're looking to put bodies on the table. There's no healing to speak of, but bringing ally cards back to hand will remove all of their damage tokens.

Be on the lookout for allies with Enters Play and/or Leaves Play effects. Meneldor, Descendant of Thorondor, Messenger of Manwë, Gwaihir, Veteran Eagle, Chieftain of the Skies...it might be quicker to list the allies that don't have Enters or Leaves Play effects.

You have a lot of options to keep bodies moving, put stats on the board, and build your Eagles of the Misty Mountains Voltron. Speaking of, don't forget the second effect on Radagast's Staff: After a certain point, it makes more sense to use it to ready a fully armed and operational EotMM than to reduce costs.

Flight of the Eagles isn't consistent, but a surprise Eagle of the North ripping a ship (or other eligible enemy) in half is kind of my thing. Guided by Fate makes that less of a trick play.

If you want more consistency and less shenanigans, dump all of those for 3 Warden of Healing and 2 Gandalf. You can dig out our favorite grumpy Istar from the top 5 with Gwaihir's Debt.

Last Question: Is the Name A Bad New Kids on the Block Pun?

You got it (the right stuff).