The Gents (#RCO) 1.0

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• 1.0

RCO - Revised Content Only

"And wherever King Elessar went with war King Éomer went with him" - The Return of the King

This deck is the combat-focused half of a semi-thematic two-handed fellowship (https://ringsdb.com/fellowship/view/18702/ladiesandgentlemenrco) using only cards from the Revised Content (primarily from Angmar Awakened and the Defenders of Gondor and Riders of Rohan starter decks). It is not designed for solo play.

Heroes -

-Aragorn - He serves primarily as the leader (essentially giving a +1 buff for each attack you make). He will alternate between committing his 2 to the quest and staying ready to fetch enemies from staging (or away from the questing deck).

-Éomer - The newly-crowned King of Rohan is a one-man attacking machine. His ideal setup is Firefoot and a Rohan Warhorse, allowing him to swing multiple times for 7 each round (boosted by allies leaving play from across the table). The classic combo of Eomer/Firefoot + Quick Strike is a very satisfying way to trample two enemies into the dust before they have the chance to attack(!).

-Beregond - As one of the top defenders in the game (w/sentinel too), he handles the bulk of the defense. Gondorian Shield and Honour Guard help to keep him alive. He will most often take the first (and sometimes the second) copy of Unexpected Courage from across the table for extra actions.

Allies -

Combat is the name of the game, with a heavy dose of stout defenders (including numerous sentinels: Déorwine, Derndingle Warrior, Gondorian Spearman, and Guthlaf). Legolas and Rúmil head up a band of Markswomen of Lórien and Galadhon Archers (we can suppose that he brought them with him to Ithilien as allies of Gondor) capable of launching devastating ranged attacks. Boromir also makes an appearance, more for sentimental reasons than anything else, though he is a solid, multi-purpose ally.

With no access to healing or cancellation, Honour Guards play a critical role in keeping the heroes on their feet, especially when facing the nasty weather treacheries of the Angmar quests. Don't forget that once your hits 40 they can cancel up to 5 points of damage at once (very useful for surviving additional boss attacks).

Westfold Outrider can pseudo-quest by removing threat from staging, but is also handy as a panic button to grab enemies that slip past to engage the questing deck. In the meantime, 2 and 2 is not too shabby on its own. And to top it all off, Eomer gets an attack boost when the Outrider leaves play :).

Gandalf does it all, providing whatever it is you need at a given moment. Typically, that will be threat reduction, with card draw coming in at a close second.

Attachments -

The first priority is to get Gondorian Shield on Beregond and an attack boost on Éomer. Ideally, the King of Rohan will end up with Firefoot and a Rohan Warhorse (imagine this as riding one upgraded horse) so that he can utilize up to 7 twice a round with splash damage. Aragorn can take War Axe and Dagger of Westernesse for added power, but mainly to allow for Foe-hammer to trigger.

Captain of Gondor can be given to either Beregond (if you need stronger defense) or Eomer (if you need added attack). Secret Vigil serves as an additional form of quest removal.

Events -

Feint is self-explanatory, but once Eomer has Firefoot Quick Strike is often the superior card, as it can allow you to take out two enemies before either has the opportunity to attack. Thicket of Spears may not be the most popular card, but it has saved my bacon several times (it is often useful to have in hand when you advance quest stages and anticipate several new enemies coming out at once). Use Foe-hammer for more card draw :).

General Strategy -

You should be looking for Gondorian Shield, a weapon/horse for Eomer (a weapon + Foe-hammer is a nice bonus), and a method to block a first round attack (defensive ally, Feint, or Quick Strike) in your opening hand. From there, your goal is to set up multiple sentinel defenses as quickly as possible so that you can keep all the enemies away from the questing deck, block their attacks, and then feed them to an angry Eomer. Aragorn can quest if needed, but be careful to keep him ready if the other deck gets engaged by an enemy they can't kill so that you can drag that enemy over to you (Westfold Outrider can also help with this). The other priority is getting Honour Guards into play so that your lack of healing doesn't come back to bite you. Engage enemies liberally to keep the questors safe, and watch the hosts of Sauron scatter!

Sideboard -

Azain Silverbeard and Beechbone are helpful additions for quests that require direct damage. Favor of the Valar can be included as tech against quests that ramp up your threat. I started the deck including Hour of Wrath as my splash event, but I ultimately opted for Thicket of Spears instead.