Ents are bonkers. Stat-wise, they are fantastic for their cost, though the tempo hit can be a hard pill to swallow. When the hero leadership iteration of Faramir was first spoiled, I think we all saw his potential in an Ent deck. The catch, as many pointed out, is that leadership cannot boast a single Ent. In fact, to get the most out of them, you need access to both tactics and lore; though a tri-sphere deck would then have problems paying for all the allies. An alternative option, of course, is to spread the Ents out across a Fellowship.

Join us today, as CoTR shines a spotlight on…

Hero (3)
Beregond (Heirs of Númenor)
Faramir (The Land of Shadow)
Mablung (The Nîn-in-Eilph)

Ally (20)
1x Beechbone (The Battle of Carn Dûm)
1x Bofur (Over Hill and Under Hill)
3x Booming Ent (The Antlered Crown)
3x Derndingle Warrior (Escape from Mount Gram)
3x Dúnedain Hunter (The Lost Realm)
2x Errand-rider (Heirs of Númenor)
2x Fornost Bowman (The Dread Realm)
2x Gandalf (Core Set)
2x Honour Guard (The Wastes of Eriador)
1x Skinbark (The Land of Shadow)

Attachment (13)
1x Black Arrow (On the Doorstep)
2x Gondorian Shield (The Steward’s Fear)
1x Heir of Mardil (Celebrimbor’s Secret)
1x Raven-winged Helm (The Wastes of Eriador)
2x Secret Vigil (The Lost Realm)
1x Spear of the Citadel (Heirs of Númenor)
1x Steward of Gondor (Core Set)
3x Sword of Númenor (The Dread Realm)
1x The Day’s Rising (The Antlered Crown)

Event (19)
3x Behind Strong Walls (Heirs of Númenor)
2x Boomed and Trumpeted (Escape from Mount Gram)
2x Feint (Core Set)
2x Foe-hammer (Over Hill and Under Hill)
2x Sneak Attack (Core Set)
3x Sterner than Steel (The Flame of the West)
3x Tireless Hunters (The Lost Realm)
2x Wealth of Gondor (Heirs of Númenor)

Voices Like Horns

Hero (3)
Arwen Undómiel (The Dread Realm)
Elrond (Shadow and Flame)
Mirlonde (The Drúadan Forest)

Ally (24)
3x Galadhrim Healer (The Dread Realm)
3x Galadriel’s Handmaiden (Celebrimbor’s Secret)
2x Gandalf (Core Set)
1x Gléowine (Core Set)
1x Henamarth Riversong (Core Set)
1x Quickbeam (The Treason of Saruman)
3x Silvan Refugee (The Drúadan Forest)
1x Treebeard (The Antlered Crown)
3x Wandering Ent (Celebrimbor’s Secret)
3x Wellinghall Preserver (Across the Ettenmoors)
3x Woodland Courier (The Drowned Ruins)

Attachment (16)
2x A Burning Brand (Conflict at the Carrock)
2x Cloak of Lórien (Celebrimbor’s Secret)
2x Ent Draught (The Treason of Saruman)
3x Light of Valinor (Foundations of Stone)
2x Protector of Lórien (Core Set)
2x Steed of Imladris (Across the Ettenmoors)
2x The Long Defeat (The Battle of Carn Dûm)
1x Unexpected Courage (Core Set)

Event (11)
2x A Test of Will (Core Set)
3x Elven-light (The Dread Realm)
2x Island Amid Perils (The Nîn-in-Eilph)
2x The Galadhrim’s Greeting (Core Set)
2x The Tree People (The Dunland Trap)

Player Side Quest (1)
1x Double Back (Escape from Mount Gram)

March of the Ents is Herumen’s answer to the question of how to fit all of the Ents together in a package that works.

The strategy behind Footsteps Like Drums is to maximize the benefits from engaging enemies. Faramir and Mablung both trigger off of engagement, and though their abilities are limited to once per phase, cards like Dunedain Hunter and Tireless Hunters allows you to play around this restriction by triggering outside of the encounter phase. Ents take this idea to the next level, since Faramir’s ability to ready them negates their biggest downside, and Mablung’s ability ensures that you can get them out quickly. Since this is the designated “combat deck”, it should be engaging as much as possible; though, in the event that something slips through to harrass the partner deck, there is plenty of ranged, sentinel, and damage-mitigation here to keep your friends safe.

The focus of Voices Like Horns is questing, threat reduction, and healing. What’s interesting about this deck is that it comprises a healthy mix of Ents and Silvans, only using those that advance its core strategies. There’s no Celeborn or Galadriel here, but we don’t want them this time, because the stats of these Silvans don’t matter: only their enters-play effects do. From that angle this deck makes a lot of sense. What, no Wardens of Healing in an Elrond deck? Nope, they’re not needed. Between the Galadhrim Healers and Wellinghall Preservers, you should have all the healing you need; furthermore, these allies provide benefits above and beyond what the Wardens would give you (access to Silvan events and high willpower, respectively).

Together, these decks form quite a pair: Footsteps Like Drums takes care of combat, and keeps its partner flush with resources. Likewise, Voices Like Horns takes care of questing, and ensures that the combat Ents live to fight another day. They are a fun pairing that is worth a second look. In the words of Quickbeam, “go be hasty, and try these decks out now!”

– WanderingTook