The Shire Starter Pack 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

This is the start of The Starter Pack Series, where the many regions of Middle Earth are chronicled as best as possible in thematic decks. That way, every player has a deck that makes sense thematically for each and every scenario.

The first deck, of course, has to start in the Shire and its immediate surroundings, like Bree, Tom Bombadil's cottage, and the Old Forest. (Hence the Ents!) Tactics and Lore combine beautifully in this deck (even in solo!), and this is maybe my most enjoyable deck yet.

Search for the Entwives with Quickbeam and his ent companions in the Old Forest, deny the Black Riders with Fatty Bolger and Gaffer Gamgee, chase them off with Farmer Maggot's dogs, be rescued by Tom Bombadil, and journey to the Grey Havens with Gildor Inglorion.

While this deck's primary focus is being thematic, power is still a significant part of this deck. The flurry of attachments, card-draw, and triggers can often be slightly confusing to play as, which is a good indication that the skill of the deck's pilot can certainly affect its performance. I recommend taking it against quite a few easier scenarios before taking it straight to Mordor.

In the early game, focus on playing tons of ents and getting out as many attachments as possible to fuel Nob. This is when you want to play Resourceful because you are in secrecy. Your goal should be to keep as much damage off of the hobbit heroes as possible to avoid direct damage wiping out one of your heroes. Never take undefended attacks. If your hand ever feels like it's dead, even on the first turn of the game, never be afraid to play Drinking Song. Use Halfling Determination for additional early and . Shuffling Tom Bombadil into the encounter deck with Tom Bombadillo! is best to do in the early game to increase your chances of finding it at some point in the game.

In the mid-game, you should prioritize getting damage on your ents to enable Booming Ent and Leaflock. This is the best opportunity to play Sting, because in the early game it can be tough to deal with the extra encounter card and , and in the late game its simply not worth it for the minimal buffs it gives you. Merry is the best target for Sting, but if he already has 2 Dagger of Westernesse, it's probably better to leave them on him and put it on Fatty Bolger to make him your dedicated defender. You should have enough resources due to Resourceful to start cycling Gaffer Gamgee back and forth and cancel attacks.

By the late-game, your board should be chock-full of damaged ents ripe for The Dam Bursts. If you have Gildor Inglorion, it is probably worth it to save up for him for his powerful stat line. If you get him out earlier in the game it can sometimes be worth it to use his ability to find other tools you need, but at this point, the best use for him is questing or defending. If you reach this point, with an army of damaged ents and powered-up hobbits, the game is yours for the taking.

General Tips:

• Ent Draught should go on Merry first, as he only has 2 hit-points, which is much too vulnerable to leave like that for the whole game. If you lose Merry, you lose the game.
• If you have to lose a hero, it should be Fatty Bolger, as even though his ability is important and he is a nice defender, he is not as important as the other two. However, I generally find that you shouldn't really be taking a lot of damage to your heroes with Derndingle Warrior and chump-blocks.
• It is always better to use Feint or Gaffer Gamgee than defend against an attack with your heroes.
• Always damage Quickbeam.
• Put Fast Hitch on Nob first so you can always do his ability and have him ready, even if you don't hit an attachment. Next put it on Merry so he can contribute his .

Hope you enjoy the deck, happy questing, and I'll see you next time, basking in the power of Imladris and sailing away from the Grey Havens.