Glorfindel at Cirith Thoronath 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

Lore

Glorfindel was a lord of Gondolin and one of the mightiest elves of the First Age. To the people of Gondolin he was a beacon of unwavering strength and courage.

During the Fall of Gondolin F.A. 510 Glorfindel stood as a last defense between the elves and Morgoth's minions and led the survivors out of the ruined city. They made their way across the surrounding valley until they reached the narrow mountain pass of Cirith Thoronath, the Eagles' Cleft. There, they were ambushed by a band of orcs led by a Balrog. Though the great eagles came to their aid, Glorfindel faced the Balrog alone.

Already the half had passed the perilous way and the falls of Thorn Sir, when that Balrog that was with the rearward foe leapt with great might on certain lofty rocks that stood into the path on the left side upon the lip of the chasm, and thence with a leap of fury he was past Glorfindel's men and among the women and the sick in front, lashing his whip of flame. Then Glorfindel leapt forward upon him and his golden armour gleamed strangely in the moon, and he hewed at that demon that it leapt again upon a great boulder and Glorfindel after. Now there was a deadly combat upon that high rock above the folk; and these, pressed behind and hindered ahead, were grown so close that well nigh all could see, yet was it over ere Glorfindel's men could leap to his side. The ardour of Glorfindel drave that Balrog from point to point, and his mail fended him from its whip and claw. Now had he beaten a heavy swinge upon its iron helm, now hewn off the creature's whip-arm at the elbow. Then sprang the Balrog in the torment of his pain and fear full at Glorfindel, who stabbed like a dart of a snake; but he found only a shoulder, and was grappled, and they swayed to a fall upon the crag-top. Then Glorfindel's left hand sought a dirk, and this he thrust up that it pierced the Balrog's belly nigh his own face (for that demon was double his stature); and it shrieked, and fell backwards from the rock, and falling clutched Glorfindel's yellow locks beneath his cap, and those twain fell into the abyss.

The Book of Lost Tales - Vol. II - The Fall of Gondolin

This deck attempts to recreate the battle of Glorfindel and the Balrog during the ambush at Cirith Thoronath.

I tried to strike a balance between theme and playability. The deck contains many thematic allies, attachments and events that fit the tale such as the Timely Aid of the Eagles that came down to aid the Exiles, Legolas of Gondolin who aided in their escort through the Pass of Cirith Thoronath and the Strength and Courage of Glorfindel. But also a few less thematic cards like The One Ring, Strider, War Axe and Unexpected Courage to keep the deck playable.

Gameplan

The deck runs Glorfindel with the The Grey Wanderer contract as well as a very small The One Ring package to set up with Strength and Courage. The allies are there to support with questing and to chump if needed. Legolas and Foe-hammer providee excellent card draw in more combat oriented scenarios. A Lesson in Caution and Hidden Roosts can also help out with card draw but their main purpose is to play in secrecy for as long as possible and to really exploit the contract.

While the deck can function for solo play, it fares a lot better in multiplayer games. When playing solo it often struggles with questing and like with most The Grey Wanderer decks, don't attempt scenarios where heroes can get captured. (Escape from Dol Guldur, Conflict at the Carrock etc.)

Setup & Opening Hand

You should try to mulligan for at least one copy of Resourceful as this deck does burn through resources quickly.

Attach The One Ring to Glorfindel and add either Strength and Courage (or Inner Strength) from your deck to your hand.

Next, search your deck for Strider and attach it to Glorfindel to let him quest for 5 without exhausting during the early stages of the game. If you find Strider in your opening hand after your mulligan, you will have to attach a different 1-cost attachment such as War Axe or Rivendell Bow.

Other cards you want to look for in your opening hand include:

• Timely Aid to put a more expensive ally like Legolas, Gwaihir or Eagles of the Misty Mountains in play.

• The War Axe or Rivendell Bow are good to find early on as well. The axe gives Glorfindel +2 since The One Ring is also restricted while the bow gives glorfindel a the ranged keyword which is important for multiplayer scenarios but can also be used to give Legolas +1 . These weapon attachments also enable Foe-hammer for the extra card draw.

• Support of the Eagles is an amazing attachment that can turn Glorfindel into the legendary hero he is meant to be. By exhausting this attachment, you can add the and of one eagle ally to Glorfindel's and . This attachment is not restricted, nor limited to a single copy per hero. Using this with Eagles of the Misty Mountains can result in some truely absurd numbers.

• some cheaper allies like Eagle Emissary or Winged Guardian or Vassal of the Windlord.

• With Hidden Roosts and A Lesson in Caution allowing you to reduce your threat, you should not be afraid to use The Grey Wanderer to ready Glorfindel and give him more resources.

• Quick Strike provides you the opportunity to defeat enemies before they can attack which can come in handy.

• Unexpected Courage is still one of the best cards in the game.

Solo play

For solo games I would recommend to adapt the deck a bit. Take out Strength and Courage for Inner Strength to give Glorfindel a much needed +1 buff and a way to cancel shadow effects as he will be defending himself a bit more often. Also, take out the Rivendell Bows for a third copy of War Axe and Unexpected Courage or Support of the Eagles.

Dragncard Replays

Solo

• Passage Through Mirkwood

• to be continued

Multiplayer

• Journey Along the Anduin

Glorfindel and the Balrog

For the fun of it, let's see what it would take for Glorfindel to defeat The Balrog with a single attack...

The Balrog has 8 , 9 and 25 .

If Glorfindel is to slay this foe in one strike, he would need to withstand at least one hit and attack for 34 .

Is this something realistic you can achieve during a real game? Maybe not... But neither is it entirely impossible.