Wisdom and Walking Sticks 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

This is a trap deck with plenty of card draw and a focus on encounter deck scrying. 70 cards sounds like a lot, but most rounds you should expect to be drawing 2-5 cards using Haleth, Damrod, and Beravor's abilities.

The strategy is to enter the Quest phase well-informed, so you can choose when it's safe to send everyone in. Or perhaps you have been holding out for a big combat round, and you need just enough progress to get by. Scrying will also tell you when it's the best time to play a trap. Having a big hand means lots of options during the Planning phase, so a little foresight will ensure you use resources effectively.

Without cancellation, you will use cards like Firyal, Risk Some Light, Interrogation, and Scout Ahead to bypass the worst the encounter deck has to offer by simply discarding them or stacking the deck so they become shadow cards. The Scroll of Isildur will allow you to use a single scrying card up to three times and Erebor Hammersmith can restore the scrolls after you use them.

The key to a winning strategy is choosing the right rounds to use your scrying events to the greatest effect.

Threat reduction comes from Woodmen's Clearing, while resource acceleration can be found in the form of discounts from Damrod, Seasoned Forager, and Elf-stone.

I threw in some other handy toolbox events and attachments for traveling and clearing locations, such as Thrór's Map, Explorer's Almanac, and Mirkwood Explorer. Strider's Path and The Great Hunt are fun experimental cards, and will get you out of trouble more often than you think. If you are a two-hand player and haven't tried Gildor's Counsel, check it out. I don't know how Deeping Defenders ended up in Ithilien, but they are a new staple card for trap decks.

For a different playstyle, you could swap (MotK) Haleth for (MotK) Firyal - just be sure to take out the extra copy of Firyal ally. I selected the former because I like to pick and choose my attachments early into the game. This is also a way to play an 'easy mode' solo game.

If you go solo, remove the copies of Gildor's Counsel and pick a couple sideboard cards.

Condition removal is in the sideboard, along with some extra healing options and Gandalf if you need additional threat reduction. Distant Stars can be used for quests where you are looking for a specific location, and can also be used to force-shuffle the encounter deck when you don't like what's sitting in top of it.

Candidates to swap out for sideboard are one copy each of any of the following: Erebor Hammersmith, Anborn, Thrór's Map, Leather Boots, Risk Some Light

Favored quest: Across the Ettenmoors

Avoid: The entire Ring Maker cycle