Oh, the Humanity! 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

I love making thematic decks - not only for the flavor, but also for the extra challenge. With the current card pool, there are not enough cards to make a dedicated deck for any of the traits. However, there are enough heroes to make a purely-human deck. When I realized this, I knew I had to build one.

You will only see Dunedain, Gondor, Rohan, and Dale characters here. That means no Gandalf!

I was actually amazed by how capable this deck is. Even though this was my "first draft", it beat EVERY QUEST ON HARD MODE ON THE FIRST TRY! Each of those were a PERFECT 275 except quest 4 (only due to not having enough threat reduction to recover from the slug).

This deck has its flaws, but I haven't had to change it. After all, if it can consistently win on hard with 275, why bother? I think this is a testament to how powerful the three human heroes are.

It was really fun to make and use this deck. I think I'm going to make a purely-Elven deck next, and use Aragorn for the third hero (since there isn't a third elf yet).

SPECIFIC CARD NOTES: This deck actually just got a major upgrade in the balance update. Although the Ranger's Blade and Rohirrim Lancer are more expensive, Ithilien Lookout, Gondorian Shield, and Self-Preservation are cheaper (along with reduced threat for Éowyn and Faramir).

Gaining Strength is not something I'd usually include in a hard mode deck, but Faramir's ability provides plenty of card draw. I usually drew my entire deck (especially if I got an Unexpected Courage on Faramir).

Threat reduction is limited due to a lack of Galadriel's Handmaiden and Gandalf. Only on quest 4 would I consider adding Careful Planning to compensate. It wasn't an issue on the other quests.

My actual deck has East Road Rider instead of Lembas, but ERR has not been added to ringsdb yet.