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[ket_the_jet]

Starting:
Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir
The One Ring, Such a Weight to Carry
Gimli, Feared Axeman
Sindri, Dwarven Lord

Free Peoples (35):
Durin III, Dwarven Lord x2
Linnar, Dwarven Lord x2
Aragorn, Ranger of the North

Grimir, Dwarven Elder
Bounder

Sting, Baggins Heirloom
Gimli's Battle Axe, Trusted Weapon
Axe of Erebor x2
Dwarven Axe x2
Ring of Fury x2
Ring of Guile
Ring of Accretion

Dwarven Heart x2
Ever My Heart Rises
Preparations x2

Slaked Thirsts x3
Battle Tested x3
Rest By Blind Night x3
Blood Runs Chill x2


Shadow (35):
Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul x2
The Balrog, Terror of Flame and Shadow x3
Host of Moria, Legion of the Underdeeps
Guard Commander x3
Goblin Runner x4
Goblin Sneak x4
Goblin Scavengers x4

Goblin Scimitar x4

Goblin Armory x4
Goblin Swarms x3
They Are Coming x2
Relics of Moria

Sitepath:
Dunharrow Plateau
Rohirrim Camp
Hall of the Kings
Anduin Banks
Steward's Tomb
Minas Tirith First Circle
Osgiliath Crossing
Morgulduin
Haunted Pass

A lot of swarm decks just like to throw everything out there again and again. But let's face it. Unless you have the Perfect Swarm/Storm, then you are just wasting minions. That's why Goblin Sneak is so key. He allows you to throw the guys who do get killed before getting stacked on Goblin Swarms on the bottom of your draw deck. It is a relatively short deck (70 cards), so you are guaranteed to have a nice swarm by site seven or eight.

Ulaire Enquea is used to avoid those guys who throw out every companion in the book when they see a swarm deck. I find it to be wildly effective.

I used to use 3 Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit, but I recently replaced them with 3 The Balrog, Terror of Flame and Shadow.

As for the free people, I may only have five total companions (plus cannon fodder in the recently added: Aragorn, Ranger of the North), but I regularly play games where none of them die. Dwarven Heart, coupled with Axe of Erebor is an easy way to heal dwarves, and by only having an axe and a ring each (sorry Sindri, we're one ring short!), I avoid Grima, Wormtongue. Sindri allows me to play Battle Tested that gets stacked on Preparations or Ever My Heart Rises and Slaked Thirsts is just a fantastic card as well for cycling and direct exerting.

Blood Runs Chill is one of the greatest cards ever printed. The only problem on the dwarven side is the lack of burden removal, but I have incorporated Sting, Baggins Heirloom to counter the pesky Gollum, Stinker.

Thoughts appreciated.
-wtk

[Beregond25]

I like Shotgun Enquea in a swarm also the balrog, but what I would do is have more 1 twilight 2 vitality cards cuz if you play an archery deck goblins are not the best thing to have. Greed is also a good card if you have Uruks.

[ramolnar]

Why are you using Frodo? Dwarf decks, particularly in movie block, cry out for Gimli ringbearer. Sure, Uri's not great, but it would make all your cards one culture. You've got three Frodo specific cards.

Unless you have a ton of Wormtongues around, I would suggest one Gimli's Helm. It's much better than Dwarven Heart - it will absorb threat wounds.

[ket_the_jet]

particularly in movie block, cry out for Gimli ringbearer.

I appreciate your feedback. But, Gimli, Feared Axeman is the best Gimli overall and to me, a staple of any Dwarf deck. If not only for the protection of Preparations and Ever My Heart Rises, which is vital, it plays so well with the Moria swarm.

I only have three skirmish events, all of which will end up back on Preparations (thanks Sindri!). Gimli is the cornerstone of the deck, not for fighting (granted, strength plus one thanks to Axe of Erebor after healing twice with Dwarven Heart is convenient) so much as protection for the other dwarves.

I picked Frodo out of the remaining ring-bearers, because he is the easiest to keep from being corrupted (I thought about using the resistance 12 Frodo, which I still could conceptually do), but my two most common opponents play Easterling burden and Direct Ring-bearer wounding.

I don't really see the difference between one culture and two.
-wtk

[ramolnar]

The point of one culture is to give you better protection for the Ringbearer. Right now Frodo is 5, and you have three cards to help. Gimli would have a lot more helpful cards - all the pumps, rings, and so forth. The situation I worry about is that you have five companions total, and no defender +1. It's not that hard to get five to seven minions out at site 4. Getting Frodo double and triple teamed is quite possible, and support will be low. What about a deck of cheap minions? Or even your shadow?

Admittedly, if your opponents are playing burdens and Ringbearer wounding (Morgul Brute, I presume), Gimli's not so good a choice. Metagame does matter.

[ket_the_jet]

Yeah, the ring-bearer wounding is Twilight Nazgul, Gollum, Dark as Darkness, Morgul etc...

I guess I really just can't change Gimli, Feared Axeman. The thing, to me, about Gimli, Bearer of Grudges, is that, like Galadriel, Bearer of Wisdom there is no bonus to playing him opposed to any of the other alternate ring-bearers. Conceptually, Gimli might be damage +2 with his axe and his basic game text (I'm not going to run 4 copies of Lord of Moria) so we are looking at resistance six. With no burden removal in the Dwarven community, that's a real problem--especially when I play a lot of Easterlings and Twilight Nazgul. Granted, I can avoid Visions From Afar by just battling the ring-bearer, but only having six resistance is a real kick in the #$&*@!.

The basis of the free peoples of this deck isn't to make it to site nine. It is to survive, which they are uncommonly good at doing. If I put two copies of Slaked Thirst or Battle Tested on Preparations every other site (healing at sanctuaries or with Dwarven Heart), then there is a good chance that I can make it. And if I need a little extra firepower on the baddies' side, I can stack Host of Moria or Goblin Armory of Relics of Moria or whatever I need to on Preparations and send it back into my draw deck with Rest By Blind Night. It is more important to me that I protect that than the chance that someone will play a swarm deck.

I don't know. Those are just some thoughts. I had thought about starting Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms or (more likely) Boromir, Bearer of Council, but then I would have a stronger ring-bearer at the cost of less resistance. And I don't want to change to the resistance 12 Frodo and add a few copies of Power According to His Stature at the cost of Bounder and Sting, because where there are burden decks, there is Gollum, Stinker. Sting, Baggins Heirloom is a nice card to keep around.
-wtk

[ket_the_jet]

Here is a thought (although it brings its own problems as well).

What if I replaced Frodo, Old Bilbo's Heir and the One Ring, Such a Weight to Carry with Boromir, Bearer of Council and the One Ring, Answer to All Riddles? I would then swap Sting, Baggins Heirloom with Blade of Gondor and just drop the Bounder for Sam, Son of Hamfast.

Thoughts?
-wtk