"Lonely Men are We" - Multiplayer (#RCO) 1.0

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• 1.0

RCO - Revised Content Only (h/t @TheGameLocker)

"Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters - but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only." - Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring

This deck can be constructed using only the Revised Core, Angmar Awakens Heroes Expansion, the Defenders of Gondor starter deck, and by pulling A Very Good Tale from the Dwarves of Durin starter. It is designed to be played across the table from a questing deck (specifically, one constructed mainly from the Elves of Lorien starter). The three heroes each have a particular set of skills, which make them a nightmare to any foes you may encounter ;).

Aragorn - He's the main attacker and leader (essentially giving a +1 buff for each attack you make). Once he's got a weapon and Unexpected Courage (from another deck), he can drag multiple enemies out of staging and dispatch them with ease. This is especially powerful once you have some attacking allies out, as you can avoid the attacks of higher engagement enemies by leaving them in staging until Scorpagorn is ready to drag them down.

Halbarad - The ability to optionally engage more than one enemy is quite useful in keeping the questing deck safe, and his bonus 2 without exhausting never hurts. He should get Steward of Gondor so that he can pay for Guardian of Arnor and eventually Faramir.

Beregond - As one of the top defenders in the game (w/sentinel too), he handles the bulk of the defense. Gondorian Shield, Raven-winged Helm, and Honour Guard help to keep him alive. In quests featuring multiple heavy hitters (i.e. Carn Dum), he can take the first Unexpected Courage.

General Strategy - Steward of Gondor is the obvious card to look for (and mulligan for) early, but other important cards to see are Gondorian Shield and Raven-winged Helm for Beregond, defensive allies, and any piece of the Sneak Attack + Gandalf classic combo. Ranger of Cardolan is another great panic button for early enemies (and can be an excellent target for A Very Good Tale in the refresh phase). Depending on the quest, you will probably want to use Gandalf w/Sneak Attack to either draw 3 cards or lower your threat, since enemies will often present less of an obstacle (and it's often not the end of the world if an enemy survives to stay engaged with you).

Miscellaneous Strategy - Favor of the Valar and Secret Vigil provide tech against quests that push threat (Wastes of Eriador, Mount Gram, Carn Dum). Descendants of Kings can be extraordinary for averting disaster. Gather Information is always solid, but it can also be critical to help the Elven deck find Nenya in a pinch.

Battle of Carn Dum Strategy - Sub out Gather Information (no time for extra side-quests), Derndingle Warrior (too long to get ready), and Valiant Sacrifice (since you are guaranteed an opening hand weapon for Foe-hammer). Besides Foe-hammer, throw in another Faramir and two Gondorian Spearmen. I continued using this version through the end of Dread Realm.

Select Raiment of the Second Age as your opening campaign boon. While it has it's greatest potential on Aragorn, in most games it makes more sense to equip Halbarad, who can quest without exhausting and then attack (especially important for the opening battle quest). Either way, this gives the two Dunedain a combined 7 , which is enough to take out the Carn Dum Garrison (and to drag down the second one w/Scorpagorn. The sooner you can do this, the better chance you have of gaining tempo on this quest. Do not be shy about using Aragorn to drag down enemies (allows Halbarad to quest and attack and helps to keep the board as clear of enemies as possible). With luck, the Elven deck will be able to play Unexpected Courage on your attackers quickly. Try to get as many allies out as possible to be ready to chump Thaurdir's attacks (this avoids putting Beregond at risk to a particularly nasty chain of shadow attack buffs). If you can keep the board relatively clear of enemies, you can weather the threat increase upon advancing to stage 2 and try to quest through and take out Thaurdir in 1-2 more rounds.