Core Campaign Escape from Dol Guldur 3 – February 20, 2022

Overview

I sideboarded in another Guard of the Citadel and Erebor Hammersmith. I want more allies to get a board state going earlier. I took out the two copies of Hasty Stroke and a copy of Northern Tracker. That should help with dead draws in the early game. This attempt has my best start so far. My opening hand has Steward. Staging area threat is low and I didn’t get a hero Caught in a Web.

Warlock000’s strongest Core Set deck for solo play – revised for 2022

Hero (3)
Beravor (Core Set)
Éowyn (Core Set)
Glóin (Core Set)

Ally (20)
1x Beorn (Core Set)
2x Erebor Hammersmith (Core Set)
2x Faramir (Core Set)
3x Gandalf (Core Set)
1x Gléowine (Core Set)
2x Guard of the Citadel (Core Set)
1x Henamarth Riversong (Core Set)
1x Longbeard Orc Slayer (Core Set)
2x Miner of the Iron Hills (Core Set)
1x Northern Tracker (Core Set)
3x Snowbourn Scout (Core Set)
1x Son of Arnor (Core Set)

Attachment (14)
1x Celebrían’s Stone (Core Set)
1x Dark Knowledge (Core Set)
2x Forest Snare (Core Set)
2x Protector of Lórien (Core Set)
3x Self Preservation (Core Set)
3x Steward of Gondor (Core Set)
2x Unexpected Courage (Core Set)

Event (16)
3x A Test of Will (Core Set)
1x Ever Vigilant (Core Set)
2x For Gondor! (Core Set)
2x Hasty Stroke (Core Set)
2x Lore of Imladris (Core Set)
3x Sneak Attack (Core Set)
3x Stand and Fight (Core Set)

3 Heroes, 50 Cards

Deck built on RingsDB.

Play by Play

Starting Hand after mulligan

  • Sneak Attack x2
  • Steward of Gondor
  • Stand and Fight
  • Snowbourne Scout
  • Lore of Imladris (Not great but it has Steward. I’m going to give it a shot.)

Setup

  • Shadow Key guarded by Under the Shadow which raising staging area threat by 1 for Setup.
  • Shadow Key is unguarded
  • Dungeon Torch guarded by Iron Shackles
  • Iron Shackles attached to my deck.
  • Dungeon Torch is unguarded.
  • Gandalf’s Map guarded by Dungeon Jailor. (I might lose an unguarded objective to the encounter deck turn 1, but I’ll take low staging area threat and an enemy I don’t have to deal with right away.)
  • Eowyn is face down as the prisoner
  • Mendor also face down as a prisoner.
  • Appointed by Fate and Valor attached to Gloin.

Turn 1

1.3 Draw

  • Discard Iron Shackles

1.3 Action(s)

  • none

2.2 Planning

  • Steward of Gondor on Beravor
  • Exhaust it for resources (from here on out, I’ll exhaust Steward in the resource phase every round, but record doing so.)

3.1 Quest Phase 3.1 Action(s)

  • none

3.2 Committed Characters vs Main Quest

  • Gloin
  • Beravor
  • Total Quest Power = 4

3.2 Action(s)

  • none

3.3 Staging

  • Great Forest Web
  • Total Staging Area Threat = 3

3.3 Action(s)

  • none

3.4 Quest Resolution

  • +1 quest progress (1 / 9)

3.4 Action(s)

  • none

4.2 Travel

  • none

4.2 Action(s)

  • none

5.2 Optional Engagement

  • none

5.2 Action(s)

  • none

5.3 Engagement

  • none

5.3 Action(s)

  • none

6 Combat Phase

6.2 Action(s)

  • none

7 Refresh

  • 7.3 Threat – 29
  • 7.4 Action(s)
    • none

Turn 2

1.3 Draw

  • Unexpected Courage (I really wanted Gandalf with my 2 Sneak Attacks.)

1.3 Action(s)

  • Sneak Attack Snowborune Scout

  • +1 Great Forest Web progress (1 / 2) (I don’t like doing this but I can’t have locations build up. This one I won’t be able to travel to for a while.)

  • Snowbourne Scout returns to my hand.

2.2 Planning

  • Snowbourne Scout
  • +1 Great Forest Web progress (2 / 2) and explore it.
  • Claim Skeleton Key (I have Lore of Imladris if damage becomes an issue. Plus now Gloin gets 3 resources per turn.)
  • Threat – 31
  • Mendor flipped over and dealt 1 damage

3.1 Quest Phase 3.1 Action(s)

  • none

3.2 Committed Characters vs Main Quest

  • Gloin
  • Beravor
  • Mendor
  • Total Quest Power = 5

3.2 Action(s)

  • none

3.3 Staging

  • Enchanted Stream
  • Total Staging Area Threat = 3

3.3 Action(s)

  • none

3.4 Quest Resolution

  • +2 quest progress (3 / 9)

3.4 Action(s)

  • none

4.2 Travel

  • none (I need cards to play and traveling to Enchanted Stream will hamper me too much.)

4.2 Action(s)

  • none

5.2 Optional Engagement

  • none (I could engage the Jailor to avoid losing Dungeon Torch into the encounter deck if I don’t quest successfully, but I have an objective to get to Stage 2. I think I can risk it.)

5.2 Action(s)

  • none

5.3 Engagement

  • none

5.3 Action(s)

  • none

6 Combat Phase

6.2 Action(s)

  • none

7 Refresh

  • 7.3 Threat – 32
  • 7.4 Action(s)
    • none
  • 1 damage to Gloin and +1 resource.

Turn 3

1.3 Draw

  • Mendor’s Support (I should be able to quest successfully with this, but I’m not getting a board state. I think I’ll need to draw with Beravor and offset the willpower loss with this.)

1.3 Action(s)

  • Beravor draws Erebor Hammersmith x2

2.2 Planning

  • Erebor Hammersmith x1

3.1 Quest Phase 3.1 Action(s)

  • none

3.2 Committed Characters vs Main Quest

  • Gloin
  • Mendor
  • Erebor Hammersmiths x1
  • Total Quest Power = 4

3.2 Action(s)

  • none

3.3 Staging

  • Dol Guldur Orcs
  • 2 damage dealt to Erebor Hammersmith
  • Total Staging Area Threat = 5

3.3 Action(s)

  • Mendor’s Support for +2 Willpower

3.4 Quest Resolution

  • +1 quest progress (4 / 9)

3.4 Action(s)

  • none

4.2 Travel

  • Enchanted Stream (I have an ally to play next turn. I can afford to miss a draw now.)

4.2 Action(s)

  • none

5.2 Optional Engagement

  • none

5.2 Action(s)

  • none

5.3 Engagement

  • Dol Guldur Orcs

5.3 Action(s)

  • none

6 Combat Phase

6.2 Action(s)

  • none

6.3 Enemy Attacks

6.4b Enemy – Dol Guldur Orcs

  • 6.4b Action(s)
    • none
  • 6.4.1 Defender – none
  • 6.4.1 Action(s)
    • none
  • 6.4.2 Shadow – Discard all attachments (Cavern Guardian)

Postmortem

I concede on that. I’ll lose the Skeleton Key, Valor, Appointed by Fate, and Steward of Gondor. I have a pile of resources already, but I need Valor to kill the Orcs next turn with Gloin. Especially since I won’t be drawing a new card next turn. It’s too bad since this was the best start so far. I hoped for Gandalf with my 2 sneak attacks. Then I could have sneak attacked him twice to quest hard for stage 2 while taking out the Jailor or filled up my hand. Probably would have drawn cards to make sure I could play an ally each turn. Then I’d have the board state to deal with things.

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