If you listened to Episode 103, you heard me talking up the “inspired by” feature on RingsDB, which allows an author to link to a deck that it was derived from. Not only does this give credit where credit is due, but it also lets future deck-seekers trace a deck’s lineage; maybe some cards were changed to support a specific strategy, or maybe the deck was being updated to a more current version of the cardpool.

In honour of this feature, today I will showcase a fun little ditty that was derived from an FFG staff deck, and one from which I have myself drawn inspiration.

Join us today, as CoTR shines a spotlight on…

Top 10 Songs of 3016

by wilecki

http://ringsdb.com/decklist/view/2411/top-10-songs-of-3016-2.0

Hero (3)
Bifur (Khazad-dûm)
Bilbo Baggins (The Hunt for Gollum)
Gríma (The Voice of Isengard)

Ally (20)
1x Faramir (Core Set)
3x Gandalf (Core Set)
1x Gléowine (Core Set)
1x Haldir of Lórien (A Journey to Rhosgobel)
1x Henamarth Riversong (Core Set)
2x Isengard Messenger (The Voice of Isengard)
1x Longbeard Elder (Foundations of Stone)
1x Longbeard Map-Maker (Conflict at the Carrock)
1x Longbeard Orc Slayer (Core Set)
3x Master of the Forge (Shadow and Flame)
3x Rivendell Minstrel (The Hunt for Gollum)
2x Warden of Healing (The Long Dark)

Attachment (17)
1x A Burning Brand (Conflict at the Carrock)
1x Celebrían’s Stone (Core Set)
2x Forest Snare (Core Set)
3x Love of Tales (The Long Dark)
2x Miruvor (Shadow and Flame)
1x Protector of Lórien (Core Set)
3x Song of Kings (The Hunt for Gollum)
2x Song of Travel (The Hills of Emyn Muil)
1x Steward of Gondor (Core Set)
1x Thror’s Map (Over Hill and Under Hill)

Event (13)
2x A Test of Will (Core Set)
3x Durin’s Song (Khazad-dûm)
1x Dwarven Tomb (Core Set)
1x Lay of Nimrodel (The Morgul Vale)
2x Mithrandir’s Advice (The Steward’s Fear)
2x Power of Orthanc (The Voice of Isengard)
2x Sneak Attack (Core Set)

Decks in the Dwarrowdelf, Part One, originally published in an FFG staff deck article, was brought to RingsDB by Amerithrash (thank you for that). While the original played on Love of Tales, wilecki has taken the song deck in a darker direction. Top 10 Songs of 3016 adds Grima as backup vocalist to cash in on Middle Earth’s gothic rock movement.

The idea works rather well.  Like most resource advantage in the lore sphere, Love of Tales is slow to get going. Grima speeds things up considerably.  By mitigating the early-game tempo hit, you can cash in on Love of Tales in the mid-game without having sacrificed your board state.  That means you’ll have loads of cash to spend on your high-cost allies, Lay of Nimrodel, or Longbeard Map-Maker.  Know also that this deck has been hardened by fire.  The author has finely tuned this deck, and the current iteration is capable of completing most of the Dwarrowdelf quests.

The only really downside is that significant deck space has been given up for the auxiliary support cards necessary for solo play, and you will only be playing solo, because, well… you’ll be using Grima a lot.

It’s fascinating how much wilecki has managed to alter the feel of the original deck with only a few changes.  This just goes to show that, despite the relatively small size of the player card pool (compared to the competitive LCGs), this game is rich with possibilities. So, if you don’t mind playing solo, or if your name is Brandon and you like grief-decking your friends, this deck is definitely worth a second look.

Now, just as wilecki drew inspiration from FFG for his deck, so to have I drawn inspiration from Top 10 Songs of 3016 (you can see my derivation here).  How about you?  Does today’s spotlight spark any ideas in your head?  Perhaps someone can find a way to make this deck more multiplayer-friendly, or maybe update it to take on The Battle of Carn Dum.  Just remember to copy one of these decks first; that way RingsDB will automatically fill out your deck’s parentage.  One day it’ll be fun to dive through the family tree to see how player strategies have evolved.

– WanderingTook