"In the North also there had been war and evil. The realm of Thranduil was invaded, and there was long battle under the trees and great ruin of fire; but in the end Thranduil had the victory. And on the day of the New Year of the Elves, Celeborn and Thranduil met in the midst of the forest; and they renamed Mirkwood Eryn Lasgalen, The Wood of the Greenleaves." - The Return of the King, Appendix B

This deck is the second part of a fellowship that is dually inspired by this moment in the War of the Ring when the victorious Elves of Lorien and Mirkwood met in the middle of Mirkwood and renamed it, and by my love of playing Silvans (what's more fun than playing a Silvan deck? Two Silvan decks!). Note: This is NOT designed to be a solo deck and will require a partner deck to provide .

Archers of Eryn Lasgalen

Questing

Other than Argalad's ability, this deck is not focused on contributing (although Gandalf and Host of Galadhrim give you the option for crucial moments). Naith Guide should typically target Argalad so that he can double his impact (and also soften up targets for Haldir of Lórien across the table).

Defense

Thranduil and Greenwood Defender handle the defensive duties. Once Thranduil has Elven Mail, Armored Destrier, and Cloak of Lórien, he can defend across the table multiple times and then heal up with help from the Silvan Trackers. Feigned Voices provides an extra level of protection against particularly nasty enemies. Greenwood Defender is clutch against enemy swarms, as he can defend repeatedly for 3 when he hits the table (boosted by Celeborn) until goblin hordes just bounce off of him.

Attack

As befits the name, ranged is no problem for this deck, which sports 11 different ranged characters (including two in your starting fellowship). I know that (MotK) Legolas was not technically present during the battle for Mirkwood, but as the son of The Elvenking he still fits the theme relatively well (and it's not like there are all that many extra Silvan heroes to choose from). I opted for Messenger of the King to have card draw on the table right away, but core Legolas could be subbed in if you prefer. This deck will not struggle to amass power and can also drop in Rúmil late to great effect. If you prefer more direct damage (or if the quest demands it) the sideboard is full of options to tailor the deck in that direction.

The priority for most of the weapons should be Haldir of Lórien across the table, but (MotK) Legolas, Argalad, or any of your ranged allies could benefit from any extra copies that show up.

Miscellaneous Strategy

Heed the Dream should be used in digging for whatever you need (Host of Galadhrim, Silvan Tracker, The Tree People, Armored Destrier, etc.). I have been trying to get away from using Steward of Gondor in every deck, so resources are generated by Tighten Our Belts (helped by the smoothing ability of Thranduil's combat action). Sneak Attack + Gandalf needs no explanation.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! I enjoy running this deck as part of its fellowship against challenging quests that feature forests (Return to Mirkwood, The Three Trials, etc.). It also pairs quite nicely with the recommended Elves of Lorien deck in the starter pack if you are playing with a partner :). Hopefully you enjoy taking Silvans out for a spin!