LotR 281, 282 - The Steward's Fear (8,9)

Tags

• lotr
• the-stewards-fear

This time with a basic Outlands deck. The main difference is A Test of Will x3 and Hasty Stroke x3. Some of the Shadow effects are stupid nasty, like "Discard your hand." Really bad.

Mulligan for Steward of Gondor:

1. Steward of Gondor
2. A Test of Will
3. Hasty Stroke
4. Hunter of Lamedon
5. Hasty Stroke
6. Daeron's Runes

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Miner of the Iron Hills.
2. Planning: Daeron's runes draw Men of the West (discard) and Knights of the Swan.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Beravor, reveal City Street, surge Storehouse. Net +2 progress.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 28.

Round 2

1. Resource: 6, draw Miner of the Iron Hills.
2. Planning: Play Steward of Gondor on Hirluin, Knights of the Swan, Hunter of Lamedon draw A Test of Will and discard.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Beravor, Hunter of Lamedon, reveal Sewers and that's almost surely the game right here.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 29.

Round 3

1. Resource: 8, draw Ethir Swordsman.
2. Planning: Play Ethir Swordsman.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Hirluin, Ethir, Knights, Hunter, reveal Lurking in Shadows for surge Lurking in Shadows surge City Street surge Storehouse for 11 Threat with 11 Will for net zero, and we're location locked.

Scooping.

This just feels unlucky, although having at least some location control would be helpful.

Game 282/9

Let's try again:

1. Steward of Gondor
2. Miner of the Iron Hills
3. Hasty Stroke
4. Henamarth Riversong
5. Warden of Healing
6. Anfalas Herdsman

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Hasty Stroke. I have 3 of these, and I keep drawing them early on when they're worse than useless.
2. Planning: Henamarth and scry A Knife in the Dark. Henamarth is wasted. Dang.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Hirluin, reveal A Knife in the Dark. One damage to Hirluin and discard Henamarth. The Fourth Star is cleared revealing Underworld Dissident.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Underworld Dissident.
6. Combat: Beravor defends, shadow Storehouse for 1 hit on Beravor. I could have conceled this, but there are way worse shadows in this quest.
7. Refresh: Threat 28.

Round 2

1. Resource: 5, draw Warden of Healing.
2. Planning: Play Steward of Gondor, Anfalas Herdsman..
3. Quest: Eowyn, reveal City Street surge Local Trouble attach to Beravor. Bummer.
4. Travel: City Street.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Beravor defends, Threat 29, shadow City Streets which is going to be canceled with Hasty Stroke.
7. Refresh: Threat 30.

Round 3

1. Resource: 8, draw Daeron's Runes.
2. Planning: Play Daeron's Runes draw Unexpected Courage and Warrior of Lossarnach, discard Warden of Healing. Play Warrior of Lossarnach.
3. Quest: Eowyn, reveal Market Square for net +1 Progress.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Hirluin defedns, shadow City Street and Hirluin takes 2 hits.
7. Refresh: Ready Beravor, Threat 31.

I'm feeling like if I'm careful and aggressive I might get through Stage 1. We'll see.

Round 4

1. Resource: 11, draw Knights of the Swan.
2. Planning: Play Miner of the Iron Hills to remove Local Trouble, Knights of the Swan. If I can get through this round, I might have a shot.
3. Quest: Eowyn, reveal Lurking in Shadow to put Underworld Dissident back in Staging. This means I still don't clear City Street, which is bad. Threat 33.
4. Travel: none.O
5. Encounter: Underworld Dissident.
6. Combat: Miner of the Iron Hills defends, shadow A Knife in the Dark with no effect. Miner takes one hit. Hirluin and Warrior of Lossarnach kill Dissident. Ok. Beravor draws Hunter of Lamedon and Ethir Swordsman.
7. Refresh: Threat 34.

Round 5

1. Resource: 13, draw Sneak Attack.
2. Planning: Play Ethir Swordsman, Hunter of Lamedon drawing Snowbourn Scout which discards, bummer. Play Unexpected Courage on Hirluin.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Hunter, Ethir for 8 Will, reveal Market Square which clears the active City Street.
4. Travel: Market Square.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none. Beravor draws Knights of the Swan and Men of the West.
7. Refresh: Threat 35.

Round 6

1. Resource: 11, draw Snowbourn Scout.
2. Planning: Play Warden of Healing, heal Hirluin and Beravor. Play Knights of the Swan.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Hunter, Ethir, Warrior for 10 Will, reveal False Lead, apparently this is a no-op, and would be very cool as the first card in a 4 player game especially in a very early or first round.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none. Beravor draws Daeron's Runes, Gandalf.
7. Refresh: Threat 36.

Round 7

1. Resource: 13, draw Miner of the Iron Hills.
2. Planning: Warden heals another hit from Hirluin. Play Daeron's Runes draw Knights of the Swan and Snowbourn Scout, discard Snowbourn. Play Knights of the Swan.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Ethir, Warrior, and Hunter for 10 Will, reveal Local Trouble and attach to Beravor. No big deal.
4. Travel: Market Square.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none. Beravor draws Ethir Swordsman, A Test of Will, Threat 38.
7. Refresh: Beravor readies, Threat 40.

Round 8

1. Resource: 17, draw Hasty Stroke.
2. Planning: Play Ethir Swordsman. Warden heals. Play Miner of the Iron Hills to clear Local Trouble.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Ethir x2, Hunter for Will 10, reveal Unwelcome Discovery which is canceled with A Test of Will. Market Square is cleared for Stage 1. Stage 2 plot is Poisoned Counsels which is an extra Threat point each round.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none. Beravor draws Anfalas Herdsman and Warrior of Lossarnach.
7. Refresh: Threat 41.

Round 9

1. Resource: 18, draw A Test of Will.
2. Planning: Play Warrior and Anfalas.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Hunter, Ethir x2, reveal Sewers. This clears roots of Mindoluin and puts Lossarnach Bandit x2 in Staging.
4. Travel: Sewers.
5. Encounter: Optional Lossarnach engagement, then mandatory, 3 resources from each hero. Bummer. Hope I don't get a Market Square shadow which would discard all resources.
6. Combat: Hirluin defends, shadow Sewers for no effect. Sneak Attack Gandalf defends, Threat 36, shadow Storehouse which puts a hit on Gandalf, big deal. Hirluin readies and with Warrior kills first bandit, Knights of the Swan, Hunter, Warrior kill second bandit. Beravor draws Men of the West and Hunter of Lamedon.
7. Refresh: Threat 38.

Round 10

1. Resource: 12, draw Parting gifts.
2. Planning: Play Hunter of Lamedon, Snowbourn Scout.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Ethir x2 for 10 Will, reveal A Knife in the Dark, discard Miner of the Iron Hills with a hit on Hirluin. Sewers is cleared with Zealous Traitor into Staging. This thing suck, it will kill Warden of Healing, which is bad.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Zealous Traitor which kills Warden of Healing, Snowbourn Scout.
6. Combat: Hirluin defends, shadow False Lead. A bunch of characters kill Zealous Traitor. Beravor draws Miner of the Iron Hills and Anfalas Herdsman.
7. Refresh: Threat 40.

Round 11

1. Resource: 12, draw Henamath.
2. Planning: Play Henamarth and scry Unwelcome Discovery.
3. Quest: Nobody, reveal Unwelcome Discovery and cancel with A Test of Will.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none. Beravor draws Gandalf and Ethir Swordsman.
7. Refresh: Threat 42.

Round 12

1. Resource: 15, draw Unexpected Courage.
2. Planning: Ethir Swordsman. Scry Lost in the City.
3. Quest: Eowyn, reveal Lost in the City, add City Street.
4. Travel: City Street.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 44.

Round 13

1. Resource: 18, draw Steward of Gondor.
2. Planning: Play Gandalf, Threat 39.
3. Quest: Gandalf, Eowyn, reveal Lurking in Shadow, which whiffs and surges to Sewers. Active location cleared putting Zealous Traitor in Staging.
4. Travel: Sewers.
5. Encounter: Zealous Traitor. Henamarth and Miner of the Iron Hills is dead. This thing can lose me the game.
6. Combat: Hirluin defends, no shadow as deck is empty. Zealous Traitor is killed. Beravor draws Gandalf and A Test of Will.
7. Refresh: Threat 41.

Round 14

1. Resource: 22, draw Sneak Attack.
2. Planning: none.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Ethir x3 for 16, reveal Sewers, clear Active to put Pickpocket and A Prisoner Clue in Staging. Stage 2 cleared, reveal Stage 3 for Telemnar's Bane. I got this.
4. Travel: Sewers.
5. Encounter: Pickpocket, Telemnar's Bane.
6. Combat: Hirluin defends Telemnar's Bane, shadow The Fourth Star with no effect. Beravor defends Pickpocket discard Parting Gifts, shadow Lurking in Shadow to return Pickpocket to Staging. Knight's of the Swan kill Telemnar's Bane.
7. Refresh: Threat 43.

Now all I have to do is go all in questing probably and that should be it. I don't recall anything which zaps questing characters in this scenario.

Round 15

1. Resource: 21, draw Warrior of Lossarnach.
2. Planning: Play Warrior of Lossarnach.
3. Quest: Eowyn, Ethir x3, Hunter x2, Anfalas x3 for 33 Will, reveal Underworld Dissident clearing Stage 3 for the win.

Dang. That was a long, long game.

AAR

This quest needs serious location control, in the sense of Northern Tracker, Lorien Guide, Glorfindel/Asfaloth. I suspect it would have gone many round shorter, and the previous game wouldn't have locked out. However, this game allowed me to build my board state.

Also, It's probably really smart to clear the iniiial location, The Fourth Star, and also hopefully deal with the initial enemy right away.

Tags

• lotr
• the-stewards-fear