The Three Trials with a Minimum Purchase Deck 1 & 2 – January 26, 2020

Introduction

Skipping over The Dunland Trap as I had skipped ahead to beat it with Dave’s minimum purchase deck. This is going to be the last scenario in Ringmaker with a minimum purchase deck. This one broke me a bit on that kick. You’ll see why over the course these playthroughs.

Decklist

Attempt 1

Threat is 30, and time is 4.

Starting hand: Celebrían’s Stone, Westfold Horse-breeder, Saruman, Henamarth Riversong, Deep Knowledge, and Wandering Took

Turn 1: Legacy of Númenor drawn. Play Deep Knowledge to draw Saruman #2 and Legacy of Númenor #2. Threat is 32. Play a legacy for resources and threat is 36. Play Celebrían’s Stone on Eowyn. Play Henamarth Riversong and breeder. Exhaust Henamarth to see top encounter card. Top card is low provisions. Eowyn, Gloin, Glorfindl, and Breeder quest for 12. Low provisions deals 3 damage to Gloin and 2 to Glorfindl. 3 resources added to Gloin. 10 progress placed on the quest. Travel to the Edge of Fangorn. Add Dark Hearted Huron to the staging area. It engages and removes a quest progress to reduce it to 9. Heal 1 damage on Gloin with Glorfindl. Refresh, threat is 37, and time is 3.

Turn 2: Threat is 39. Steward of Gondor drawn and played on Glorfindl. Exhaust Steward for resources. Exhaust Henamarth to see that another Dark Hearted Huron is the top card. Play Saruman and threat is 42. Eowyn quests for 6. Huron added to the staging area and results in active location explored plus 2 quest progress for 11 total. Exhaust Gloin to capture Mugash. Advance to stage 2. Deadly Huron added to the staging area for stage 2 and engages. The hurons can’t remove any progress. Saruman, Glorfindl, and Wandering Took attack a Dark Hearted Huron killing it. Glorfindl pays a resource to heal a damage on himself. Refresh, threat is 43, discard Saruman, and time is 3.

Turn 3: Threat is 45. Glorfindl takes 3 damage from Deadly Huron. Exhaust Steward for resources. Westfold Horse-breeder drawn and played. Play second Saruman and threat is 48. Quest with everyone for 18. Heart of Fangorn added to the staging area for 3 threat. 15 progress added to the quest to win.

Setup: The trial of Intuition for first stage 2. Raven’s Gaurdian engaged. Stone Barrow in the staging area. Threat is 30.

Starting Hand: The Galadhrim’s Greeting, Feint, Unexpected Courage, Lórien Guide, Veteran Axehand, and Gondorian Spearman

Turn 1: Beorn drawn. Play Unexpected Courage on Idraen. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Treachery removes a time from Raven’s Guardian. 4 encounter cards discarded. Travel to Stone Barrow. Ready Idraen with Unexpected Courage. Guardian attacks, threat is 33, Idraen defends, no shadow, and 1 damage dealt. Refresh, threat is 34, and guardian time is 2.

Turn 2: Dwarven Axe drawn. Play Spearman. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Spirt of the Wild added to the staging area for 1 threat and discard 5 cards. 5 progress on the active location. Idraen readies. Spirit engages and attack undefended, shadow returns Barrow to the staging area and a damage assigned to Eowyn. Guardian attacks, threat is 37, Spearman defends, deals a damage, shadow exhausts Idraen, and Spearman dies. Eomer attacks spirit for 5 dealing 3 damage. Refresh, threat is 38, and time is 1.

Turn 3: Lórien Guide #2 drawn and played. Eowyn quests for 4. Cursed Forest added to the staging area for 5 threat. Threat is 39. Travel to the barrow. Guide defends the guardian attack, threat is 42, no shadow effect, and guide dies. Spirit attack undefended, shadow returns Barrow to the staging area, and 1 damage to Eomer. Idraen attacks the Spirit killing it. Eomer and Idraen attack the guardian for 8 and deal 3 damage. Refresh, threat is 43, and last time removed dealing a damage to all heroes. Time is 4.

Turn 4: The Wizards’s Voice drawn. Play Veteran Axehand. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Tangled Woods added to the staging area. It adds a a forced effect that requires a hero to exhaust which pretty much means location lock for me.

Attempt 2

Setup: The trial of Intuition for first stage 2. Raven’s Gaurdian engaged. Cave Barrow in the staging area. Threat is 30.

Starting Hand: Silver Lamp, A Test of Will, Stand and Fight, Northern Tracker, Horn of Gondor, Gondorian Spearman

Turn 1: Westfold Outrider drawn. Play Horn of Gondor on Eomer. Eowyn quests for 4. Spirit of the Wild added to the staging area for 4 threat. Discard Spearman to discard the top encounter card. Travel to Cave Barrow. Stand and Fight the Spearman. Spirit engage, attack is undefended, no shadow, and 1 damage assigned to Eomer. Guardian attack defended by Spearman, deals a damage, shadow gives guardian another attack, and Spearman dies. 1 resource added to Eomer. Idraean defends the 2nd attack, no shadow, and 1 damage dealt. Eomer attacks the spirit dealing 2 damage. Refresh, threat is 31, and time is 3.

Turn 2: A Test of Will drawn. Play Westfold Outrider. Eowyn quests for 4. Treachery deals a damage to Outrider. 4 progress on the active location. Outrider defends the guardian attack, no shadow, Outrider dies, and Eomer gets a resource. Spirit attack undefended, no shadow, a damage assigned to Eomer. Idraen and Eomer attack guardian for 8 resulting in 3 damage. Refresh, threat is 32, and time is 2.

Turn 3: Silver Lamp drawn. Northern Tracker played. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Treachery removes a time counter from Guardian and time is 1. Active location explored, top 2 encounter cards discarded, and Idraen readies. Tracker defends the guardian attack, no shadow, and 1 damage dealt. Spirit attack undefended, no shadow, and 1 damage assigned to Eowyn. Eomer and Idraen attack guardian for 6 dealing a damage. Refresh, threat is 33, time removed dealing a damage to each character, and time is 4.

Turn 4: Gandalf drawn and played dealing 4 damage to the guardian killing it. Eowyn and Gandalf quest for 8. Spirit of the wild added to the staging area for 1 threat resulting in 7 top encounter cards being discarded. Key of the Raven discarded, added to the staging area, and attached to Eowyn. Advance to Trial of Perseverance. Stone Barrow, Wolf Key, and Wolf Guardian added. Guardian engaged. Travel to the Barrow. Spirit #2 engages. Tracker defends guardian attack, no shadow, tracker dies, and Eomer gets a resource. Eomer and Idraen defend the spirits attacks and no damage dealt for those. Gandalf discarded and Eomer gets a resource. Refresh, threat is 34, and time is 2.

Turn 5: Gandalf drawn and played. Deal 4 damage to undamaged spirit killing it. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Cursed Forest added to the staging area for 3 threat. Discard a silver Lamp to place 4 progress on the active location. Gandalf defends the guardian attack, no shadow, and 1 damage dealt. Eomer defends the spirit attack, shadow adds 1 attack, and no damage dealt. Gandalf discarded and Eomer gets a resource. Refresh, threat is 35, and time is 4.

Turn 6: Westfold Horse-breeder drawn and played. Eowyn quests for 4. Grim Foothills added to the staging area for 4 threat and threat is 37. Breeder defends the guardian attack, no shadow, breeder dies, and Eomer gets a resource. Idraean defends the spirit attack, no shadow, and no damage dealt. Eomer attacks and kills the spirit. Refresh, threat is 38, and last time is removed killing a hero. I scoop at this point as I’m falling too far behind.

Postmortem

I should not have quested with Gandalf on turn 4 and tried to build up for another turn or 2.