Gandalf and the Unbound Hobbits | openCards

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Gandalf and the Unbound Hobbits

    Gandalf icon Isengard icon

    This Deck was build by Matt Clemans and was published first on "Lord of the Rings Online (lotrtcg.decipher.com)".

    Gandalf and the Unbound Hobbits

    Deck listing:

    Adventure path:

    Barrows of Edoras (4 U 337)
    Caves of Aglarond (4 U 352)
    Deep of Helm (4 U 347)
    Fangorn Forest (4 U 332)
    Hornburg Causeway (4 U 356)
    Orthanc Balcony (4 U 361)
    The Riddermark (4 U 328)
    White Rocks (4 U 346)
    Wizard's Vale (4 U 359)

    Starting fellowship:


    Draw deck - "free" cards (36):
    Elven Companion (1):
    Legolas, Dauntless Hunter (4 R 73)
    Elven Possession (2):
    Bow of the Galadhrim (1 R 33)
    Long-knives of Legolas (3 R 21)
    Gandalf Ally (2):
    Albert Dreary, Entertainer From Bree (1 R 69)
    Treebeard, Earthborn (4 R 103)
    Gandalf Artifact (2):
    Gandalf's Staff (2 R 22)
    Gandalf Companion (4):
    Barliman Butterbur, Red-Faced Landlord (17 U 16)
    Gandalf, Greyhame (4 R 89)
    Gandalf Event (7):
    A Wizard Is Never Late (1 R 87)
    Fireworks (3 C 32)
    Wielder of the Flame (2 U 28)
    Gandalf Possession (1):
    Shadowfax (4 R 100)
    Gondor Companion (2):
    Aragorn, Wingfoot (4 P 364)
    Gondor Possession (2):
    Aragorn's Bow (1 R 90)
    Ranger's Sword, Blade of Aragorn (4 U 132)
    Shire Companion (5):
    Merry, Learned Guide (4 C 310)
    Pippin, Just a Nuisance (4 R 313)
    Sam, Proper Poet (2 C 114)
    Shire Event (6):
    Severed His Bonds (4 C 319)
    Swiftly and Softly (4 C 321)
    Shire Possession (2):
    Sting (1 R 313)

    There are no "shadow" cards in this draw deck.

    Hints & strategie notes for this Deck

    One of the new themes introduced in The Two Towers is the discarding Unbound Hobbits. Captured and held by the Uruk-hai and the Orcs of Sauron, Merry and Pippin were hardly able to fight against their captors. When they were able to, they escaped into Fangorn Forest where they met Treebeard and were reunited with Gandalf. This adventure is mirrored in the game by the abilities of Merry and Pippin to discard themselves to either remove a Sauron Orc or an Uruk-hai from a skirmish or to discard themselves from a skirmish. This allows you to avoid fighting nasty minions and allows you to keep replaying Merry and Pippin to fight (and run) another day. While many of the cards central to this strategy are a part of the Hobbit culture, Gandalf and the Ents contribute a significant amount of power and versatility to the Unbound Hobbits. Here we will look at some of the ways in which Gandalf benefits the Unbound Hobbit decktype.

    The key to unbound hobbits is being able to continuously play your hobbits again after you.ve discarded them. Gandalf, Greyhame was custom tailored for this - with his ability to play a companion from your discard pile each turn, you should have no problem bringing back your hobbits when you need them. Greyhame also allows you the luxury of not having to hold your hobbits in your hand if you want to play them later. This allows you to discard extra hobbits as you draw them and bring them back when you need them, avoiding cards like Greed or Ulaire Enquea that trigger when you have too many companions in play. Also, the ability to get your companions back after you discard them allows you to save cards like Aragorn, Ranger of the North or Sam, Proper Poet for the final push into site nine.

    Treebeard, Earthborn serves a similar function to Greyhame. When your unbound hobbit is about to be discarded, you can stack him on Treebeard and then play him next turn. Unlike Greyhame, you can play both Hobbits each turn. Also, Treebeard is a powerful fighter when at his home site or allowed to fight with other cards. If you are using Treebeard as the lynchpin of your deck, you must also be careful of cards like Tower Assassin and Fear. If he is discarded or killed, the Hobbits stacked on him are discarded. Treebeard, Oldest Living Thing is also a viable option for this deck. Whether you are playing multiples of Merry and Pippin or multiples of Gandalf, you can use the extra copies to heal the companions you have on the table. This gets those extra copies out of your hand and keeps your companions on the table healthy away from Sanctuaries.

    Not all the useful Gandalf cards for the Unbound Hobbit theme come from the Two Towers. Many older Gandalf cards can enhance this deck. Wielder of the Flame from Mines of Moria can make Merry or Pippin defender +1 so that they can run away from even more minions. Also, Fireworks, from Realms of the Elf-Lords in invaluable in retrieving your Hobbits as well as stealth cards and anything else you might need at the time.

    This sample deck uses many of the above concepts and mixes them with a strong Uruk-hai shadow side.