LotR 304 - The Morgul Vale (6,7,8)

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• lotr
• the-morgul-vale

Last day of the year, and if I can beat The Morgul Vale today, I will have achieved one of my 2023 playing goals. The only one in fact.

I'm going to start with the previous Cair Andros deck, and see where I get to with it, then start to rebuild as I go. I'm going to attempt a pure Tactics deck and rush the quest as fast as possible. Threat will be a problem as I have very little questing power in this deck.

Initial hand:

1. Horn of Gondor
2. Eagles of the Misty Mountains
3. Rain of Arrows
4. Hail of Stones
5. Feint
6. Winged Guardian

Seems reasonable, let's get going.

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Beorn. A little too early.
2. Planning: none, save for Eagles.
3. Quest: none, reveal Morgul Spider, which attacks for 7 because no one is committed to the quest. Threat 38.
4. Travel: Morgul Vale.
5. Encounter: Murzag and Morgul Spider.
6. Combat: Boromir defends Murzag, Orc Arbalesters for +2 attack and Boromir is dead. Scooping.

I could have used Feint. Probably should have. Unforced Error.

Game 303 - Morgul Vale 7

Well, the previous was nasty, so let's try it again.

Substituting Gimli for Thalin since I'm not questing at all if I can get away with it.

Initial hand:

1. Watcher of the Bruinen
2. Eagles of the Misty Mountains
3. Horn of Gonder
4. Hail of Stones
5. Horn of Gondor
6. Blade of Gondolin

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Khazad Khazad, which is an error I'm going to fix right now…Foe Hammer.
2. Planning: Horn of Gondor on Boromir. Watcher of the Bruinen.
3. Quest: none, reveal The Power of Mordor. Doomed 3 for Threat
4. Since Murzagh cannot leave play and the Tower must stay in the Staging area, shuffle in Morgul Vale and add Morgul Vale back to Stagin Area.
5. Travel: Morgul Vale.
6. Encounter: Murzag, reveal The Dead City Looms which is not
7. Combat: an enemy so no effect. Watcher defends, shadow Watcher in the Wood raises threat to 40. Bruinen leaves play, add 1 R to Boromir. All attack Murzag placing 4 damage.
8. Refresh: Threat 41.

Round 2

1. Resource: 3, draw Dwarven Axe.
2. Planning: Eagles of the Misty Mountains. Hail of Stones to get rid of Murzag. Advance to Stage 2 adding Alcaron to Staging.
3. Quest: none, reveal Morgul Bodyguard. Threat 45.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Morgul Bodyguard, Lord Alcaron.
6. Combat: Gimli takes Morgul Bodyguard undefended, shadow is Forest Bat, Threat 46. Gimli takes 2 hits. Beregond defends against Alcaron, shadow Forest Bat, Threat 49 and Beregond takes no hits. Boromir, Gimli, Eagles swing for 9 killing Bodyguard.
7. Refresh: Threat 50 and game.

I mis-played this round, forgot to exhaust for Hail of Stones, so that would had the Bodyguard still engaged and not destroyed.

Game 304 - Morgul Vale 8

The mono-Tactics deck can't kill things fast enough to stay ahead of the threat. In the interest of proceeding, the following is netdecked from Chad of COTR Morgul Vale Porgression Series Let's take it for a spin.

Initial hand:

1. Ranger Bow
2. Mirkwood Runner
3. Mithrandir's Advice
4. Daeron's Runes
5. Rivendell Minstrel
6. Master of the Forge

Round 1

1. Resource: 3, draw Burning Brand.
2. Planning: Daeron's Runes drawing Daeron's Runes and Light of Valinor, Discard Mirkwood Runner. Again, Mithrandir's Advice and Forest Snare, discard Master of the Forge. Play Light of Valinor.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Denethor, Mirlonde, reveal Terror Drives Them which is a whiff. One Progress token on Stage 1.
4. Travel: Morgul Vale.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: none.
7. Refresh: Threat 20.

Round 2

1. Resource: 5, draw Henamarth Riversong.
2. Planning: Play Rivendell Minstrel, find Song of Wisdom in the deck.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Denethor, Mirlonde, Minstrel for 8, reveal Forest Bat. Two damage on Denethor for 7 Will, cleared Morgul Vale.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Forest Bat.
6. Combat: Undefended on Glorfindel, shadow Orc Abralester for 3 hits. Glorfindel kills bat.
7. Refresh: Threat 21.

Round 3

1. Resource: 5, draw Erebor Record Keeper.
2. Planning: Play Mithrandir's Advice drawing Gleowine and Mithrandir's Advice. Play Erebor Record Keeper and Gleowine.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Mirlonde, Minstrell for 7 Will, Denethor reveals Morgul Bodyguard. We'll take it. Net +4 Progress.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none, but I do need to deal with Bodyguard quickly.
6. Combat: none, Gleowine draws Elrond's Counsel. Henamarth scries Morgul Tracker. (This was a blunder, Henamarth is not yet in play. Small asterisk.)
7. Refresh: Threat 22.

Round 4

1. Resource: 6, draw Gandalf.
2. Planning: Mithrandir's Advice drawing Mirivor and Warden of Healing. Play Warden of Healing and heal from Glorfindel and Denethor. Burning Brand on Denethor.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Mirlonde, Minstreal for 7 Will, reveal Morgul Tracker.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Morgul Tracker optional engage, 1 Progress on Tower.
6. Combat: Denethor defends, shadow Morgul Spider with no effect. Glorfindel kills Morgul Tracker. Gleowine draws Protector of Lorien.
7. Refresh: Threat 23.

Round 5

1. Resource: 4, draw Burning Brand.
2. Planning: Mithrandir's Advice drawing Mirkwood Runner x2. Heal 2 more damage. Play Mirkwood Runner, Henamarth, scry Morgul Tracker.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Mirlonde, Minstrell for 7 Will, reveal Morgul Tracker.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Optionally engage Morgul Bodyguard, start chewing down his hit points.
6. Combat: Denethor defends, shadow Orc War Camp, Burning Brand negates shadow. Glorfindel and Mirkwood Runner put 3 hits on it.
7. Gleowine draws Ithilien Tracker.
8. Refresh: Threat 24.

Round 6

1. Resource: 3, draw Ithilien Archer.
2. Planning: Play Ithilien Tracker and Ranger Bow. Warden heals, Henamarth scries Terror Drives Them which is a surge.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Mirlonde, Minstrell for 7 Will, reveal Terror Drives Them surge Orc War Camp. Play Elrond's Counsel to get 8 Will and 21 Threat, then we're net +3 Threat for 24 Threat total. Worked out. I do need to get the threat back down, maybe keep the Gandalf in reserve for that.
4. Travel: Orc War Camp.
5. Encounter: Morgul Tracker.
6. Combat: Denethor defends Bodyguard, shadow Lieutenant of Mordor which has no shadow and takes no hits. Erebor Record Keeper defends Morgul Tracker, shadow Orc Vanguard, second shadow Impenetrable Fog which has no shadow. Glorfindel kills Morgul Tracker, Runner puts 2 hits on Bodyguard, Ithilien Tracker puts a hit on Murzag, which is redirected to Bodyguard which is a kill. Now we can start taking out Murzag hopefully. Gleowine draws Elrond's Counsel.
7. Refresh: Threat 25.

Round 7

1. Resource: 3, draw Ithilien Archer.
2. Planning: Scry Morgul Bodyguard. Play Mirkwood Runner.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Minstrel for 5 Will, reveal Morgul Bodyguard for Net 0.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Morgul Bodyguard.
6. Combat: Denethor defends, shadow Master's Malice has has no shadow effect. Glorfindel, Mirlonde, Runner 2x kill Bodyguard. Tracker puts a hit on Murzag. Gleowine draws Asfaloth.
7. Refresh: Threat 26.

Round 8

1. Resource: 3, draw Rivendell Minstrell.
2. Planning: Play Asfaloth. Scry Watcher in the Woods. Asfaloth clears Orc War Camp.
3. Quest: Minstrell for 2 Will, reveal Watcher in the Woods, Threat 27.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Ithilian Tracker sticks another arrow into Murzag. Gleowine draws Ithilien Tracker.
7. Refresh: Threat 27.

Round 9

1. Resource: 4, draw Warden of Healing.
2. Planning: Scry Sleepless Malice.
3. Quest: Minstrell, reveal Sleepless Malice with Doomed 2 for Threat 29. Play Elrond's Counsel for Threat 26. We need to get a couple more turns back.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Ithilien Tracker puts another hit on Murzag. Gleowine draws Ranger Bow.
7. Refresh: Threat 28.

Round 10

1. Resource: 7, draw Master of the Forge.
2. Planning: Play Ithilien Tracker and Ranger Bow, scry Morgul Road. Very cool, will put some damage down.
3. Quest: Minstrell and Runner x2, reveal Morgul Road.
4. Travel: Morgul Road, Asfaloth puts 2 Progress.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Ithilien Tracker x2 on Murzag. Gleowine draws Gandalf.
7. Refresh: Threat 29.

Round 11

1. Resource: 7, draw Rivendell Minstrel.
2. Planning: Play Elrond's Counsel for Threat 26. Scry Orc Arbalesters.
3. Quest: Glorfindel, Mirlonde for 5 Will. Reveal Orc Arbalesters.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Orc Arbalesters.
6. Combat: Denethor defends, shadow Orc Arbalesters which whiffs on Burning Brand. Glorfindel and Mirkwood Runners x2 kill Arbalesters. Ithilien Tracker x2 hits on Murzag. Asfaloth clears Morgul Road with another hit on Murzag to kill. Stage 1 is done. Gleowine draws Light of Valinor.
7. Refresh: Threat 30.

Round 12

1. Resource: 10, draw Ithilien Tracker.
2. Planning: Warden heals 2 hits. Scry Impenetrable Fog. Play Master of the Forge, he's going to chump if necessary.
3. Quest: Glorindel, Mirlonde, Minstrel for 7, reveal Impenetrable Fog which effectively surges for Watcher in the Woods which raises Threat to 33. NBD. Ithilien Archars put 2 hits on Alcaron.
4. Travel: none.
5. Encounter: Alcaron.
6. Combat: Denethor defends, shadow Morgul Road which whiffs on Burning Brand. Gleowine draws Mirivor.
7. Refresh: Threat 34.

Round 13

1. Resource: 11, draw Daeron's Runes.
2. Planning: Daeron's Runes drawing Light of Valinor and Ranger Bow. Discard Light of Valinor. Scry Morgul Road. If I time it right, I can use the Morgul Road to put a damage on the Nazgul. Play Forest Snare on Alcaron. Play Ithilien Archer so that we can get the Nazgul back into the staging area.
3. Quest: Rivendell Minstrel. Reveal Morgul Road for net 0.
4. Travel: Morgul Road. Asfaloth for 2 Progress.
5. Encounter: none.
6. Combat: Alcaron is snared, so let's kill him with Glorfindel and Runners x2. Nazgul comes out. White Bridge comes out. Reveal Master's Malice which whiffs. Gleowine draws Erebor Record Keeper. One Ithilien Archer puts 1 hit on the Nazgul.
7. Refresh: Threat 35.

Round 14

1. Resource: 7, draw Erebor Record Keeper. Ithilien Ranger puts a hit on Nazgul.
2. Planning: Play Gandalf, put 1 hit on Nazgul. Scry Morgul Bodyguard. Dang. This makes it hard. Play Erebor Record Keeper x2.
3. Quest: I need 11, but only putting 7: Glorfindel, Minstrell, Erebor Record Keeper x2. Reveal Morgul Bodyguard. Threat 39.
4. Travel: none. Asfaloth puts 2 Progress on Morgul Road.
5. Encounter: Engage Morgul Bodyguard, Nazgul.
6. Combat: Denethor defends Bodyguard, shadow Morgul Sorcerer no effect due to Burning Brand. Master of the Forge defends Nazgul, shadow Sleepless Malice which returns it to Staging Area after the attack. Convenient as it turns out, although a waste of a Gandalf. Glofindel, Mirlonde, and Runner x2 kill Bodyguard. Ithilien Tracker puts another hit on Nazgul. Gleowine draws Unexpected Courage.
7. Refresh: Threat 40.

Round 15

1. Resource: 3, draw Elrond's Counsel. Ithilien Tracker puts a last hit on the Nazgul and that's the game.

AAR

That's a win, and that's the Against the Shadow wrapped up for 2023. I achieved one of my Mastery game goals. This was most of the day, which means nothing else got done, but I'm ok with that.

Rangers can be really, really good.

Tags

• lotr
• the-morgul-vale