LotR 39 - The Dead Marshes (3)

Tags

• lotr-lcg
• lord-of-the-rings
• lord-of-the-rings-lcg
• lotr
• the-dead-marshes
• spirit-tactics

Game 3 of The Dead Marshes using the same Spirit/Tactics deck as the first two games of this scenario.

The deck feels as if it should go the distance.

Initial hand:

1. The Galadhrim's Greeting
2. Veteran Axehand
3. Ancient Mathom
4. Stand Together
5. Ancient Mathom
6. Northern Tracker

Through the Mist drawn as initial escape, we decline, place 1 R on Gollum.

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Feint.
2. Planning: none, save for Northern Tracker next turn.
3. Quest: Eowyn, draw Giant Marsh Worm, net +3 on stage 1.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 29.

Round 2

1. Resource: 6, draw Gondorian Spearman. Good deal.
2. Planning: play Northern Tracker.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker, draw Impassable Bog. Net +3 P.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 30.

Round 3

1. Resource: 3, draw Winged Guardian.
2. Planning: none.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker, draw Impassaable Bog, net +2 P.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 31.

Round 4

1. Resource: 8, draw Will of the West.
2. Planning: none, waiting on Citadel Plate.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker, draw Marsh Adder, Threat 32. This is turning into exactly the same game as before. If I get a Hill Troll next, that's pretty much the game. The rate at which the enemies are coming out of this deck, I'd be better off with a pure Tactics deck. Probably couldn't pass any of the escapes though.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Giant Marsh Worm.
6. Combat: Gimli takes this undefended, draw Shadow no effect, net 2 D by end of round, will have Eleanor defend next round, should be able to kill it.
7. Refresh: Threat 33.

Round 5

1. Resource: 11, draw Winged Guardian.
2. Planning: play Winged Guardian.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker, draw Impassable Bog, Threat 34.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Winged Guardian defend, Shadow no effect, no damage on Winged Guardian, 1 R to keep in play. Eleanor and Gimli kill Giant Marsh Worm.
7. Refresh: Threat 34.

Round 6

1. Resource: 11, draw A Test of Will
2. Planning: play The Galadhrim's Greeting, Threat 28.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker, draw Wargs, Threat 30.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Wargs.
6. Combat: Winged Guardian defends, Shadow Giant Marsh Worm, no effect. This is good, several of the baddies are gone. Gimli kills Wargs.
7. Refresh: Threat 31.

Round 7

1. Resource: 10, draw Northern Tracker.
2. Planning: play Northern Tracker.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker x 2, draw Evil Storm, no effect.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Marsh Adder.
6. Combat: Winged Guardian defends, Shadow no effect. Gimli and Eleanor put 5 D on Marsh Adder, Threat 32.
7. Refresh: Threat 33.

Round 8

1. Resource: 8, draw The Galadhrim's Greeting.
2. Planning: none.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker x 2, draw The Lights of the Dead which wants me to make an Escape check, but I'm not having it, cancel with A Test of Will, net +2 P for 10 P on Stage 1.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Gimli plays Feint to destroy Masrh Adder.
7. Refresh: Threat 34.

Round 9

1. Resource: 11, draw Strength of Will.
2. Planning: play Galadhrim's Greeting, Threat 28.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker x 2, draw Hill Troll. Net +2 P clearing Stage 1.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 29.

Round 10

1. Resource: 11, draw Feint.
2. Planning: play Winged Guardian.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker x 2, draw Hill Troll. Bad Luck. Still net 1 P on stage 2. If I can beat these trolls, they're gone from the game. I don't think I can, they're both coming out at the same time next turn unless I can lower threat via Gandalf or Galadhrim. I can do this.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: one Hill Troll.
6. Combat: both Winged Guardians defend, play Stand Together, draw Shadow Evil Storm, no effect. Gimli lays on 2 D.
7. Refresh: Threat 30.

This is going to be tough, I don't think I can do it as I don't have enough firepower to take down one troll, never mind two of them. Let's do another round and see what happens.

Round 11

1. Resource: 10, draw Vassal of the Windlord. Ok, I can take down one of the Trolls this turn.
2. Planning: play Vassal of the Windlord.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker x 2, draw The Heart of the Marshes. Net -1 P, Threat 31.
4. Travel: The Heart of the Marshes. Play Ancient Mathom and Strength of Will.
5. Encounter: other Hill Troll comes out.
6. Combat: First Troll takes out Winged Guardian, Threat 32. Second Troll gets Feint and +6 D. I wish I'd held back one of the Northern Trackers. That's going to mess me up next turn.
7. Refresh: Threat 32.

Round 12

1. Resource: 10, draw Quick Strike, cool, will get rid of first Hill Troll.
2. Planning: none.
3. Quest: Eowyn, draw Eastern Crows and The Brown Lands. Dang. Net -5 Threat 37. Dang.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Eastern Crows.
6. Combat: Quick Strike for Northern Trackers to kill first Hill Troll. Shadow was Nightfall, which is an Escape testing card. Second Hill Troll defended by Winged Guardian, Threat 39. Gimli, and Vassal of the Windlord put 6 D on Hill Troll. Eastern Crows Eleanor defends, Shadow is Evil Storm, no effect.
7. Refresh: Threat 40.

Round 13

1. Resource: 12, draw Song of Battle, finally!
2. Planning: play Song of Battle on Eowyn, Ancient Mathom on The Brown Lands, Gondorian Spearman.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Northern Tracker and draw Gandalf, Unexpected Courage and Dwarven Tomb. Draw Eastern Crows and surge Dead Marshes. Dammit.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Eastern Crows.
6. Combat: Northern Tracker defend against Hill Troll, Shadow no effect, Northern Tracker killed, Threat 41. Gimli and Gondorian Spearman kill Hill Troll. No more Hill Trolls. Eastern Crows Eleanor defends, Shadow induces exhausted ally return to hand, will choose Gondorian Spearman. Second Eastern Crows undefended, Shadow is The Brown Lands, no effect. Eleanor takes 1 hit. Eleanor destroys Eastern Crows. Vassal of the Windlord destroys other, Eowyn pays.
7. Refresh: Threat 42.

Round 14

1. Resource: 11, draw Swift Strike.
2. Planning: Unexpected Courage on Eowyn, Dwarven Tomb to get Galadhrim's Greeting back in hand. Play Gandalf to reduce Threat to 37. Sad.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Gandalf, Northern Tracker, draw Warg Rider, Surge Through the Mist, we'll put another token on Gollum.

Ok, now it's time for an escape test, which doesn't matter, because I've found I've been playing this wrong. I'm supposed to make an Escape Test at the end of each Quest phase. Given how badly this deck quests, Gollum would have been back in the Encounter deck a long, long time ago, or I would have simply lost it otherwise.

I think this quest needs either heavier Tactics to get through enemies faster, or switch to Leadership as lead sphere to bring in the questing ability.

The Escape check is like having 2 Quest stages. Really going to have to bring a metric crap ton of Will to the deck which beats this scenario.

Looking online, a Leadership/Lore deck can beat this scenario in 4 turns. However, I specifically wanted to use Spirit/Tactics for this scenario.

Tags

• lotr-lcg
• lord-of-the-rings
• lord-of-the-rings-lcg
• lotr
• the-dead-marshes
• spirit-tactics