LotR 271 - Into Ithilien 15

Tags

• lotr
• into-ithilien

Apparently this is one of the harder quests in the game. FFG ranks it pretty easy. Rereading a previous set of articles where I did a set of first round trials, here are some guidelines I came up with to determine whether I should scoop on the first round or continue:

• Celador undamaged OR with 1 damage from e.g., Forest Bat and remaining criteria fulfilled AND
• Ithilien Road cleared OR no enemies in play with a chump on the table and a chump in hand AND
• No hero destroyed AND
• Low or no threat in the staging area AND
• Round 2 is viable with a chump on the table, a playable chump in hand, progress on Ithilien Road if not cleared.

These are a little bit flexible depending what I also have in my hand. These are also tuned to the deck I am playing through this quest, which doesn't have healing (and really needs it).

AAR from 5 plays

I finally got a win on the 15th play, of which maybe 8 of those were solitaire having played it collaboratively in the past. I didn't recall much of the previous play though.

As noted above, the conditions for advancing are somewhat dependent on the deck. In this case, the deck did not have healing, so it was critical to avoid getting damaged as much as possible.

I finally eked out a win in 15 rounds detailed in play 15 below. This has two known asterisks, neither of which would have been game breakers:

1. Celador should probably have come out a round or two before he did, and
2. I forgot to put archery damage from Southron Mercenaries a couple of turns.

I had enough characters in play to deal with the archery damage, very confident about that. Not quite as confident about Celador, but I believe I would have been able to manage without him a couple of turns earlier, just would have been potentially riskier.

Game play

Let's give it a go.

Game 267/11

Initial hand:

1. Dwarven Tomb
2. Vilya
3. Daeron's Runes
4. Hasty Stroke
5. Dunedain Watcher
6. Vassal of the Windlord

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Light of Valinor.
2. Planning: Play Daeron's runes drawing Imladris Stargazer and A Test of Will, discard Dunedain Watcher. Play Light of Valinor on Glorfindel.
3. Quest: Celador, Elrond, Glorfindel for Will 7, reveal Morgul Spider. Scoop

I played Vassal of the Windlord and not committed to the quest, I might have a chance dealing with spider. But not clearing Ithilien Road just puts me two steps back. Checking the shadow card, it adds 1 hit to the attack, which is already swinging for 5. Because Ithilien Road wasn't cleared, Southron Company would also engage.

I might be able to handle this with a different set of heros, this set can't manage it.

Game 268/12

Initial hand:

1. Dori
2. Light of Valinor
3. A Test of Will
4. Faramir
5. Light of Valinor
6. VAssal of the Windlord

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Imladris Stargazer
2. Planning: Light of Valinor on Glorfindel, play Vassal of the Windlord.
3. Quest: Celador, Vassal of the Windlord, Glorfindel, Elrond for 11 Will, reveal Watcher in the Woods, Threat 30, surge Morgul Spider. Ithilien Road is cleared.

Morgul Spider will be swinging for 6, which kills a hero, scoop.

I need to have a chump out on the first round. In this case Vassal of the Windlord would have been the key to surviving it. The spider would have survived the round, but would not have gotten the attack bonus on the second round.

BIG MISTAKE: I should have canceled that treachery with A Test of Will!

Game 269/13

Initial hand:

1. A Test of Will
2. Erebor Hammersmith
3. Daeron's Runes
4. Arwen Undomiel
5. Faramir
6. Elrond's Counsel

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Galadhrim's Greetings.
2. Planning: Daeron's Runes drawing Gandalf and Light of Valinor, discard Faramir. Light of Valinor on Glorfindel.
3. Quest: Celador, Elrond, Glorfindel for 7 Will, reveal Lost Companion and play A Test of Will to cancel. Otherwise Ithilien Road won't clear and we'll have to engage Southron Company.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere puts 2 hits on Southron Company.
7. Refresh: Threat 27.

Successful first round! Let's see how it plays out. I think the key now is going to be building the board state before advancing, and ensuring Celador doesn't leave play. I think this deck needs healing.

Round 2

1. Resource: 4, draw Vassal of the Windlord.
2. Planning: Play Vassal of the Windlord and Elrond's Counsel, Threat 24.
3. Quest: Celador, Vassal of the Windlord for 5 Will, reveal Overgrown trail. Threat 26
4. Travel: Overgrown Trail.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere adds 2 more hits to Southron Company.
7. Refresh: Threat 27.

Round 3

1. Resource: 5, draw A Test of Will.
2. Planning: none.
3. Quest: Celador, Glorfindel, Vassal of the Windlord for 8 Will. Reveal Blocking Wargs which surges to Mumak and scoop.

I was going to cancel Blocking Wargs, but the surge on that cannot be canceled.

Mumak has 4 Threat, really hard to get around that one. It's pretty much a game breaker in solitaire progression, there is no way to cancel the text box on it.

Game 270/14

Initial hand:

1. Asfaloth
2. Unexpected Courage
3. Vilya
4. Imladris Stargazer
5. Erebor Hammersmith
6. Bofur

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw The Galadhrim's Greetings.
2. Planning: Unexpect Courage on Elrond.
3. Quest: Celador, Elrond, Glorfindel (threat 27), Dunhere for Will 9, reveal Haradrim Elite, which attacks immediately and will also engage.

Scoop, will lose a hero round 1.

Game 271/15

Initial hand:

1. Vilya
2. Daeron's Runes
3. Elrond's Counsel
4. Erebor Hammersmith
5. Faramir
6. Daeron's Runes

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Galadhrim's Greetings.
2. Planning: Daeron's Runes draw Vilya and The Galadhrim's Greetings, discard Vilya. Play Daeron's Runes draw Hasty Stroke and Gandalf, discard The Galadhrim's Greetings. Play Elrond's Counsel Threat 23.
3. Quest: All for Will 9, reveal Forest Bat to remove Dunhere and deal 2 hits to Glorfindel. Also, Threat 24. Ithilien Road cleared.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Forest Bat.
6. Combat: Shadow Forest Bat, Threat 25, 1 hit on Elrond.
7. Refresh: Threat 26.

Viable start.

Round 2

1. Resource: 6, draw Arwen Undomiel.
2. Planning: play Gandalf, draw Vassal of the Windlord x2, Beorn. Play Vassal of the Windlord.
3. Quest: Celador, Gandalf, Elrond, Glorfindel, Vassal for 16 Will, reveal Southron Company for net +10 Progress. Threat 27.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Forest Bat attacks, shadow Watcher in the Wood, Threat 28. Duhere kills Forest Bat.
7. Refresh: Threat 29. Gandalf leaves play, 1 hit on Celador.

Round 3

1. Resource: 3, draw Daeron's Runes.
2. Planning: Play Daeron's Runes, draw Light of Valinor and Asfaloth, discard Faramir. Play Vassal.
3. Quest: Elrond, Glorfindel, Celador, Vassal x2 for 13 Will, reveal Southron Company. Net +4 progress, yikes!
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere puts 2 hits on Southron Company.
7. Refresh: Threat 31.

Round 4

1. Resource: 5, draw Elrond's Counsel.
2. Planning: Play Elrond's Counsel for Threat 27.
3. Quest: Celador, Glorfindel, Vassal x2, Elrond for 13 Will, reveal Secluded Glade for net +1 clearing Stage 1.
4. Travel: Secluded Glade.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 33.

Round 5

1. Resource: 8, draw Northern Tracker.
2. Planning: Play Arwen, Asfaloth.
3. Quest: Celador, Elrond, Glorfindeli, Arwen, Galadhrim's Greetings for Threat 27. Reveal Blocking Wargs to put 1 damage on all committed to the quest, surge Southron Mercenaries, net +5.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere puts 2 hits on Southron Mercenaries, takes an Archery.
7. Refresh: Threat 28.

I think I need to build board state very, very badly. I suspect the last stage is going to have all the enemnies engage all at once.

Round 6

1. Resource: 4, draw Hasty Stroke.
2. Planning: none.
3. Quest: Celador, Elrond, Glorfindel, Arwen for 10 Will, reveal Overgrown Trail. Net +1 progress. Asfaloth for 2 progress on Overgrown Trail.
4. Travel: Overgrown Trail.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere kills Southron Mercenaries, take an archery hit.
7. Refresh: Threat 29.

Round 7

1. Resource: 8, draw Zigil Miner.
2. Planning: Play Vilya.
3. Quest: Celador, Arwen, Glorfindel for 7 Will, reveal Secluded Glade. E/V to draw Zigil Miner and put into play exhausted for quest, 8 Will for net +2 progress, Asfaloth to clear Overgrown Trail. Build that board state…
4. Travel: Secluded Glade.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere puts 2 hits on Southron Company.
7. Refresh: Threat 30.

Round 8

1. Resource: 9. draw Unexpected Courage.
2. Planning: Play Unexpected Courage on Dunhere.
3. Quest: Celador, Glorfindel, Arwen for Will 7, reveal Haradrim Elite which attacks, Zigil defends, shadow Southron Support. Net +1 progress on Secluded Glade. E/V to draw Gandalf, quest +4 to clear Secluded Glade and put 2 Progress on Stage 3, draw Snowbourn Scout, Dwarven Tomb, Light of Valinor.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere kills 1 Southron Company, 2 hits on another.
7. Refresh: Threat 31.

Round 9

1. Resource: 10, draw Snowbourn Scout.
2. Planning: Play Beorn from hand :(.
3. Quest: Celador, Beorn, Glorfindel, Arwen for Will 8, reveal Morgul Spider, E/V for Elrond's Counsel +1 to Will, Threat 28.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere puts 2 hits on a Southron Company and 2 hits on a Morgul Spider.
7. Refresh: Threat 29.

Round 10

1. Resource: 7, draw Ancient Mathom. Where is Imladris Stargazer?
2. Planning: Play Dwarven Tomb to retrieve Galadhrim's Greetings, then play to reduce threat to 23.
3. Quest: Celador, Beorn, Glorfindel for 6, reveal Southron Mercenaries. I need to quest it out, too many enemies building up. E/V draws Hasty Stroke which is discarded. Bummner, but the deck marches down. Threat 27.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere kills another Southron Company, puts 2 more on Morgul Spider. Archery on Beorn.
7. Refresh: Threat 28.

Round 11

1. Resource: 6, draw Imladris Stargazer. Finally.
2. Planning: Play Stargazer, scry and do shenanigans to get Zigil Miner and Erebor Hammersmith x2 into play.
3. Quest: Celador, Glorfindel, Arwen, Beorn, Erebor x2 for 13 Will, reveal Ithilien Road. Asfaloth puts 2 on Ithilien Road, Snowbourns will clear it next turn. 0 net progress, which is ok, didn't lose any characters.
4. Travel: Ithilien Road, there are no engagement checks this turn.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Dunhere kills Morgul Spider, 2 hits on Southron Company.
7. Refresh: Threat 29.

Round 12

1. Resource: 5, draw Vassal of the Windlord.
2. Planning: Play Ancient Mathom on Ithilien Road. Stargazer scry for 2 Dunedain Watchers, E/V Gandalf and clear Southron Mercenaries, mine for 2 resources, play Snowbourn x2 to clear Ithilien Road, draw A Test of Will, Haldir of Lorien, Asfaloth.
3. Quest: Gandalf, Glorfindel, Arwen, Beorn, Erebor x2 for 12 Will, reveal Blocking Wargs, which surges to Southron Mercenaries. Cancel the Blacking Wargs. Net +6 Will for 11 total progess on Stage 3.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter:
6. Combat:
7. Refresh: Threat 30. Scry to put Henamarth on top.

Round 13

1. Resource: 6, draw Henamarth Riversong.
2. Planning: Play Henamarth, scry Lost Companion. E/V for Gildor Inglorion.
3. Quest: Gildor, Glorfindel, Erebor x1, Snowbourn Scout, reveal Lost Companion and remove Snowbourn Scout from quest. Net +1 progress.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Haradrim Elite.
6. Combat: Snowbourn Scout defends, shadow Ithilien Guardian which deals two hits to the enemy, but Snowbourn is still dead. Zigil and Beorn take it out. Dunhere dishes it out.
7. Refresh: Threat 32.

Round 14

1. Resource: 9, draw A Test of Will.
2. Planning: E/V to play Bofur. Scry Watcher in the Woods. I got this.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Bofur, Gildor, Erebor x2, Arwen for 12 Will, reveal Lost Companion which is canceled. Net +9 progress.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Engage Southron Mercenaries,
6. Combat: Snowbourn Scout defends, shadow Forest Bat to raise threat to 33. Beorn and Dunhere kill. Dunhere kills Southron Company.
7. Refresh: Threat 34

Round 15

1. Resource: 11, draw Dori.
2. Planning: Play Haldor of Lorien, Henamarth scry Ithilien Guardian, which is really not a card I want to see right now. I need to play it safe and go another round. But that bumps my threat up… all in yolo.
3. Quest: yolo, and hope for the best: Morgul Spider and that's a win*.

Tags

• lotr
• into-ithilien