Against the Shadow

Overview

Hi everyone,

I've decided to share some of the decks me and my friend group play with for particular cycles. This fellowship is meant to be played by 2 players for a Dwarrowdelf Cycle. For more in-depth review of those decks check out their descrpitions :)

Each of those fellowships for each cycle contains two decks - one for players that I'm introducing to the game (Deck #1) and the other one for myself (Deck #2). Each of those Decks #1 is meant to represent the most fleshed out archetypes in the game, while Decks #2 are either some more niche archetypes or specific mechanics (think of Doomed keyword or Staging Area attack).

For additional flavour and some deckbuilding challenge I set up some rules regarding those decks:

Deck #1:

• most represented archetypes in the game, for each cycle they were chosen either for theme or what player cards were developed during this time (mostly both at once),
• strictly sticking to the theme,
• most powerful cards combination, while keeping in mind the rule above (so e.g. no Steward of Gondor in Silvan deck with , even though it is probably the most powerful card to include there),
• no card repetition (this means, that even though A Test of Will is no doubt really powerful and technicaly fits the theme of many decks, it can be only included in one of those Decks #1)

Deck #2:

• niche and underdeveloped archetypes in the game, for each cycle they were chosen either for theme, what player cards were developed during this time or what is the best approach to beat those particular quests,
• sticking to theme as much as possible (it was sometimes not possible to make a functional deck around a niche archetype while only including thematic cards),
• also the most powerful card combinations, while keeping in mind the rule above,
• no restriction on repetition (meaning even when previous Decks, either #1 or #2, used A Test of Will, it's possible to include them in every Deck #2 - I'm not a masochist. I hope.).

Also, while appreciating what this community can create but being a bit of a purist, I've decided to include ALeP cards only to a minimum, when it's either necessary to complete the archetype or it makes obvious thematic and mechanical sense.

Another thing I forgot to mention in first two fellowships is that no changes can be made for those decks while playing for consistency's sake. So no swapping heroes or other cards between the quests.

Cycle

I remember fondly playing first time through the Against the Shadow Cycle. I think it was around a time when Grey Havens were the newest addition to the game but it was around this period when I decided to commit more to the world of LOTR LCG. Nostalgia aside, how does this cycle compare to others? It was certainly a breeze of fresh air after (mostly) dull quests from previous adventure packs with new quest mechanics, very repeatable scenarios, push from the developers to create more trait or mechanic focused decks and of course - the difficulty. No wonder this cycle is often (or rather was, since it's really hard to grab older additions nowadays) not advised for a newer players. Those quests, comparing to Shadows of Mirkwood and Dwarrowdelf, are really brutal going in blind, demanding to play a certain types of decks rather than your standard do-alls. First deckbuilding challenge presented by this cycle is straightforward - bring mono-spheres. Another problem are the battle and siege keywords that change the focus of your games dramatically. Playing progression style it can be really difficult to overcome those challenges but with complete card pool things get a little bit easier. This cycle brought some fan favourite quests like The Steward's Fear or created many memorable moments while playing demanding scenarios like The Siege of Cair Andros. Still, there are some duds. Maybe not that some quests are badly designed, more so the particular cards are. Watcher in the Woods, Blocking Wargs, Power of Mordor, Southron Support to name a few. They all follow a trend of scaling horrendously in higher player counts and if it wasn't for them i would definitely rank this cycle as a whole much higher. With that out of the way, here is quick overview for each scenario while using this fellowship:

1. Peril in Peralgir (Difficulty 3/5) - warm-up quest for battling and other new mechanics. Attach Alcaron's Scroll to either Ingold or Caldara so the Thugs can take it back, keeping it only makes the game harder.

2. Into Ithilien (Difficulty 4/5) - I really hate this one, it culminates almost all of the worst treacheries in the cycle. Keeping Celador alive doesn't really matter, stage 2 has fewer questpoints and you can fight enemies while stage 3 uses standard questing so it can be easier. Almost always last round comes to the wire, I would advise throwing everything to quest on the last stage.

3. The Siege of Cair Andros (Difficulty 4/5) - try to clear The Banks as soon as possible since stage 2 is probably the worst. Also chaining shadows can be bonkers here so chumpblocking is probably advised.

4. The Steward's Fear (Difficulty 3/5) - apart from being very unique and repetable quest, it isn't that hard. Keep found clues till stage 2, when the Plot drops you should probably try to wrap it up quickly.

5. The Druadan Forest (Difficulty 3/5) - really depends what you get during the setup and first round, some cards are really nasty, while others not so much. I think there is no point in keeping resources for encounter effects since they can be easily discarded anyway. Just keep in mind what some treacheries do without cash in play.

6. Encounter at Amon Din (Difficulty 2/5) - really easy quest, I'm still surprised how quickly you can finish it. Only thing catching off guard could be this treachery increasing threat by the number of dead villagers, so have Favor of the Valar ready.

7. Assault on Osgiliath (Difficulty 3/5) - depends heavily on how many locations you reveal but even if the game drags on it shouldn't be a problem. Grab Lieutenants during setup so their when revealed doesn' trigger.

8. The Blood of Gondor (Difficulty 3/5) - also depends on the first draw. I would more often than not risk revealing hidden cards, since there are a few treacheries that can mess up your plans. Also Numenorian should be taken care of, or at least engaged, as soon as possible.

9. The Morgul Vale (Difficulty 5/5) - the first scenario in my opinion that is extremely hard, at least while playing those decks. Deling direct damage to the Nazgul is the best way to beat it but this mechanic is almost exlusive to . But it's not all lost since there are those Morgul Roads that can deal one damage to Captain enemies and you should keep them for the Nazgul so he won't be delaying you for 5 rounds. On the first round I would either try to kill Murzag or stall for one turn since the deck with the highest threat starts at 29 and Murzag has 30 engagement cost. Lord Alcaron should also be taken care of in one round. The hardest part is transition from stage 2 to 3 since you reveal 4 cards. There is a lot to juggle here but it can be beaten with this fellowship after some tries and a bit of luck.

Conclusion

So this pretty much sums up the fellowship. Keep in mind it's designed for this particular cycle and with some rules that I stated at the beginning of the description. Feel free to try those decks out!