The Three Trials with a Minimum Purchase Deck 3 & 4 – February 2, 2020

Introduction

Two more attempts at the The Three Trials without any changes to my deck so far.

Decklist

Attempt 3

Set up: Stage 2 is Trail of Intuition. Raven Guardian and Hill Barrow randomly selected. Time is 4. Threat is 30.

Starting Hand: Feint, The Wizards’s Voice x2, Greyflood Wanderer, Northern Tracker, and The Galadhrim’s Greeting

Turn 1: Stand and Fight drawn. Eowyn quests for 4. Treachery removes a time. No progress and no threat gained. Travel to Hill Barrow. Guardian gets 2 shadow cards and play The Wizards’s Voice. Threat is 33. Idraen and Eomer attack for 6 dealing 1 damage. Refresh, threat is 34, and time is 2.

Turn 2: Wandering Took drawn. Play Northern Tracker. Eowyn quests for 4. Grim Foothills added to the staging area for 1 threat. Three progress on Grim Foothills exploring it and my threat is 36. Guardian attacks, tracker defends, shadow gives guardian another attack, and a damage dealt. Wizard’s Voice the second attack and threat is 39. Idraen and Eomer attack for 1 damage. Refresh, threat is 40, and time is 1.

Turn 3: Gandalf drawn and played. Deal 4 damage to Guardian. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Tangled Woods added to the staging area for 2 threat. Active location explored, added to the victory display, and Idraen readies. Top encounter card discarded and not the key. Gandalf defends the Guardian’s attack, shadows do not have any effect other than adding more shadows, and no damage dealt. Idraen, Eomer, and tracker defeat the guardian. Refresh, threat is 41, and Gandalf discarded.

Turn 4: Hasty Stroke drawn. Idraen and tracker quest for 3 and a progress on Tangled Wood. Treachery adds Raven Guardian to the staging area.

I scoop because that destroys my plan to build up for a few turns.

Attempt 4

Set up: Stage 2 is Trail of Intuition. Boar Guardian and Cave Barrow randomly selected. Time is 2. Threat is 30.

Starting Hand: Westfold Horse-breeder, The Galadhrim’s Greeting, Veteran Axehand, Unexpected Courage, Warden of Arnor, and The Wizards’s Voice

Turn 1: Stand and Fight drawn. Play Westfold Horse-breeder. Eowyn quests for 4. Treachery deals 1 damage to breeder. Discard top encounter card and it is not a key. Travel to the Barrow. The Wizards’s Voice the Guardian and threat is 33. Then Idraen and Eomer attack for 8 dealing 4 damage. Refresh, threat 34, and time is 1.

Turn 2: Hasty Stroke drawn. Play Veteran Axehand and Unexpected Courage on Eomer. Eowyn quests for 4. Treachery returns Barrow to the staging area. Discard top encounter card and not a key. Travel to Barrow. Axehand defends the Guardian attack, shadow exhausts Eomer, and Axehand dies. Eomer readies via Unexpected Courage. Eomer and Idraen attack for 8 dealing 4 damage. Refresh, threat is 35, and time is 2 as no allies in play to discard.

Turn 3: Gandalf drawn. Eowyn quests for 4. Tangled Wood added to the staging area for 2 threat and 2 progress on the active location. Stand and Fight the breeder so it can defend the Guardian attack. No shadow but breeder dies. Eomer and Idraen defeat the Guardian. Refresh and threat is 36.

Turn 4: Stand and Fight drawn. Play Warden of Arnor on Idraen. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Treachery whiffs as no non unique characters in play. 4 progress added to active location for 6. Play The Galadhrim’s Greeting to reduce threat by 6 to 30. Refresh and threat is 31.

Turn 5: A Test of Will drawn. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Grim Foothills added to staging area, it gains 1 progress thanks to warden, threat is 3, and my threat is 33. Grim Foothills explored and Barrow progress is 7. Refresh and threat is 34.

Turn 6 Stand and Fight drawn. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Spirit of the Wild added to the staging area for 3 threat. Active location explored, Idraen readies, 2 encounter cards discarded, and no key found. Travel to woods tapping Idraen. Spirit engages and attacks. Eomer defends, no shadow, and nod damage dealt. Eomer readies and attacks dealing 1 damage. Refresh and threat is 35.

Turn 6: Silver Lamp drawn and played on Idraen. Eowyn quests for 4. Treachery returns woods to staging area. 2 encounter cards discarded and no key. Tap Eomer to travel to woods and ready him with Unexpected Courage. Eomer defends the spirit attack, no shadow, and no damage. Idraen attacks dealing 1 damage. Refresh and threat is 36.

Turn 7: Feint drawn. Eowyn quests for 4. Cursed Forest added to the staging area for 3 threat. 1 progress on the active location. Spirit attack defended by Eomer, shadow is key that gets shuffled back into the encounter deck, and no damage. He readies. Idraen and Eomer kill the Spirit. Refresh and threat is 37.

Turn 8: Gandalf drawn. Idraen and Eowyn quest for 6. Grim Foothills added to the staging area, threat is 4, my threat is 39, and it is explored. Refresh and threat is 40.

Turn 9: Dwarven Tomb drawn (where are all my regular allies?). Idraen and Eowyn quest for 6. Ancient Forest added to the staging area for 7 threat. Threat is 41. Refresh and threat is 42.

Turn 10: Warden of Arnor drawn. Play Gandalf and lower threat to 37. Eowyn, Idraen, and Gandalf quest for 10. Cancel Guardian’s Fury with A Test of Will. Active location explored, Idraen readies. Travel to Ancient Forest. Refresh and threat is 38.

Turn 11: Greyflood Wanderer drawn and played without doomed. Play Dwarven Tomb to get Test of Will back. Eowyn and Idraen quest for 6. Ancient Forest #2 added to the staging area for 7 threat. Discard Warden to avoid gaining threat. Refresh and threat is 39.

Turn 12: Lórien Guide drawn and played. Play Gandalf and draw Gondorian Spearman, The Galadhrim’s Greeting, and Silver Lamp. Eowyn, Idraen, Gandalf, guide, and wanderer quest for 13 and 1 progress on the active location. Treachery fails to remove any time. Active location explored. Travel to Ancient Forest #2. Refresh, threat is 40, and discard Gandalf.

Turn 13: Gondorian Spearman drawn and played. Eowyn, Idraen, wanderer, and guide quest for 9 and a progress on the active location. Key added to the staging area and attached to Idraen. Advance to the Trial of Perservance. Hill Barrow and Raven Guardian added to the staging area. Raven key attached to the Barrow. Raven Guardian engages. 7 threat in the staging area, discard Silver Lamp for a willpower, and active location is explored. Idraen readies. Travel to the Barrow. Guardian attacks. Spearman defends, shadows add 1 attack, and he dies. Refresh, threat is 41, and time is 3.

Turn 14: Westfold Outrider drawn and played. Play Stand and Fight bring back Gandalf and drawing Horn of Gondor, Westfold Horse-breeder, and Westfold Outrider. Play Westfold Horse-breeder and Horn of Gondor on Eowyn. Idraen, Eowyn, Gandalf, guide, breeder, and wanderer quest for 14 and an active location progress. Treachery removes a time for 2 on Guardian. Active location explored, Idraen readies, raven key claimed, and advance to Trial of Strength. Wolf Guardian engaged and Stone Barrow added to the staging area. Guardian attack defended by Westfold Outrider, shadow adds 2 attack, and Outrider dies. Eowyn gets a resource. Eomer attacks for 5 dealing 2 damage. He readies and attacks with Idraen for 5 more damage. Refresh, threat is 42, and time is 2.

Turn 15: Westfold Outrider drawn and played. Eowyn, guide, wanderer, and breeder quest for 8. Staging reveals Guardian’s Fury. Eomer defends the attack, no shadow, and 3 damage dealt. Ready Eomer. Outrider defends during combat, cancel shadow that would exhaust a character, and Outrider dies. Eomer and Idraen attack for 8 defeating the guardian and claiming the last key. Advance to stage 3. Guardians all engage and Hallowed Circle added to the staging area. Refresh, threat is 43, and time are 3, 2, and 1.

(This is where not getting my allies for most of my early turns early on hurt.)

Turn 16: Lórien Guide drawn. Play last Stand and Fight to bring back Gandalf and deal 4 damage to Boar Guardian. Eowyn quests for 4. Grim Foothills added to the staging area for 5 threat. Threat is 46. Travel to the foothills. Feint Wolf Guardian since its shadow gives it 2 more shadow cards and can’t have it attack twice or exhaust a character. Wanderer and breeder defend the other Guardian attacks, no shadows, and they die. Eowyn gets 2 resources. Eomer, Idraen, and guides attack Boar for 10 defeating it. Eomer readies and attacks the Wolf with Gandalf for 9 dealing 6 damage. Refresh, threat is 47, discard Gandalf, and time is 2 and 1.

Turn 17: Dwarven Axe drawn. Play Gondorian Spearman and The Galadhrim’s Greeting. Threat is 41. Eowyn, Idraen, and a guide quest for 7 and 1 active location progress. Grim Foothills #2 added to the staging area for 5 threat which gets a progress for warden. Grim Foothills #2 is explored. Spearman defends wolf dealing a damage and dies. Guide defends raven and dies. Eomer attacks wolf twice dealing 4 damage. That is basically game because undefended wolf attack at the end of the turn will kill a hero and won’t be able to get enough quest or attack power going to finish.