This is an adaptation of a deck I have used in 1-deck games in the past. It relies on speeding through the cards to score a ton of item points very quickly with the help of Lucky Search. Risky, but fast and potentially devastating to an unprepared opponent. Give it a try if you’re in the mood for madness this Christmas.
Starting Cards:
Strider / Cram
Thorin / Cram
Hama
Bofur
In Deck:
3 Radagast
Eowyn
Thrain
Thranduil
Resources:
3 Lucky Search
3 Risky Blow
2 Helm of Her Secrecy
3 Dark Quarrels
2 A Friend or Three
3 Smoke Rings
3 Gates of Morning
2 Cock Crowed
1 Enruned Shield
1 Emerald of the Mariner
1 Wormsbane
1 Orcrist
1 Durin’s Axe
1 Mithril Coat
1 Glamdring
1 Narsil
1 Stinker
Key Sideboard Cards:
A chance Meeting
Rangers of the North
Blue Mountain Dwarves
Tom Bombadil
Noble Hound
Cock Crowed
Mount Slain
Alatar
Play Tips:
Your main sites are going to be Mount Gundabad, Mount Gram, Carn Dum, Goblin Gate, and Moria. Spend the first two or three turns getting 2 items (hopefully) out of each site: quarrel your way in, play an item, lucky search for another. Use Smoke Rings to send items back into the deck so that you have a high probability of drawing one early, saving your big scouts from getting chomped up by the Lucky Search strike.
Radagast can either join up with the 4 questers, or tap to sideboard in the ACM, move to draw a ton of cards, and play a big character for 3 MPs at a . Next turn tap him again, move to draw, and play your faction or Tombo. Smoke Rings can bring in these cards, alternatively.
I’ve found just having Hama in the starting company often keeps my opponent from hitting me with Nazgul; the Helm trick is too obvious. So, if you want to psych out your opponent, drop Eowyn and the 2 Helms for a Longbottom or ACM or Concealment or Crept Along Carefully. Or switch Eowyn for Hama and use Concealments.
Hama is guaranteed to be the first of your characters hit by Seized by Terror, and with 2 Mind, he’s an almost-assured loss (12/13 chance of losing him). In fact, Seized/Call of Home is one of the main worries of this deck, so get your items on the first 2 turns and don’t go back into the or . Stinker, though a wimp, is playable at two different :S:s, which makes him a must in any Lucky Search deck.
Don’t play Doors of Night. Play hazards that will hurt your opponent when he inevitably comes to influence or cvcc you. Having Eowyn around will make Malady Akhor think twice (though he’ll probably come anyway and just malady HER).
All in all a fun deck with high potential to win quickly and hugely, or get torn to bits. Use at own risk.
MP Breakdown:
Character: 9
Ally: 2-5
Faction: 3-6
Item: 12-20
Kill: 0-5
Total: 26-45