The Unfaithful [Necromancer vs. Hero]

Moderators: Thorsten the Traveller, Vastor Peredhil

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Thorsten the Traveller
Ex Council Chairman
Posts: 1764
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:44 pm
Location: Tilburg, Netherlands

General idea:
This is the deck that I've played in the last two DCGO tournaments (Lure XX, Worlds Lille), and gotten 2x third place. Not overly competetive, a bit challenging, but good fun. You'll run a company of Shadow-mages on behalf of the Necromancer through Eriador and Wilderland, looking to tempt Unfaithful Men of the darkness to join the Dark Lord's troops. If the chance arrises, visit your hero opponent to conjure up Hounds of Sauron or a Phantom Devised by Wizardry, get the Gaze of Sauron fixed on them, spread some Malady, or just attack with an army of lingering Undead.


Starting company:
Elerina (Open to the Summons), Taladhan, Grachev Hos (Thrall-ring, Paste).

How to Play:
You'll be going for Man factions (Hillmen, Dunlendings, Woodmen), Dúnadan armour (High Helm, Helm of Madness), and allies (Blackbole, Feagwath).
Magic will keep you safe: Deeper Shadow, Hounds of Sauron (reduce to 1 strike) and Gold Chains (time and again via His Spirit Endured) will keep you safe.
You'll probably need to tell some Crooked Promptings to The Unfaithful, to bring in the factions (or luck, or a Helmet on Elerina). Perchen and Freca can also pop up at Dunnish Clan-hold, but the latter you'll prefer to play at a Darkhaven to become a Faithless Steward, together with Wormtongue.

The Necromancer gives great sideboard access, allowing resources, hazards, and characters to sideboard, potentially several times per turn. The trick is to assess the situation, especially opponent's vulnerability to corruption, whether you stand a chance to get something out of visiting him.
Do not sideboard too much, as this is an 80 card deck, so it will not exhaust in 4 turns. Most resources and hazards are very easily playable to keep the cardflow up, nevertheless focus on 1 shot to target opponent. Gaze Fixed does provide 1 misc. MP, which can be good if opponent doesn't have any, but sometimes a Long Grievous Siege or Tribute to Sauron is just more feasible.

In Pool there are a few agents you might select for Treason the Greatest Foe or Twisted Tales (both sideboard). Put the relevant one(s) in deck, and the rest to the sideboard. Influencing away opponent's only Dwarven or Dúnadan faction can be great if that means doubling your faction MP.

Hazards are not devastatingly strong but designed to provide speed, flexibility, and protection (Maia). Arda Marred should allow you to obstruct opponent's sideboarding. Options with Evil Entered Secretly are many, consider a Phantom Devised by Wizardry (resource) on a character with corruption to separate him from the herd (or a Haven), and follow that up with Alone and Unadvised. Evil!


DC percentage 27% (36/133)

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Pool
####

# Minion Character (10)
1 Deallus
1 Drór
1 Elerína
1 Fori the Beardless
1 Gaurhir (NE)
1 Grachev Hos (NE)
1 Nimloth
1 Odoacer
1 Taladhan
1 Wormtongue

# Minion Resource (3)
1 Foul-smelling Paste
1 Open to the Summons
1 Thrall-ring

####
Deck
####

# Hazard (39)
1 Adûnaphel
1 An Unexpected Outpost
3 Arda Marred (NE)
1 Bane of the Ithil-stone
2 Black Crows (FB)
3 Dwarven Warparty (DF)
1 Daelomin at Home
2 Evil Entered Secretly (NE)
1 Eyes in Their Service (NE)
3 Foolish Words
1 Gandalf the White Rider
1 Indûr Dawndeath
1 Lord of the Woods (FB)
1 Mouth of Sauron
1 Pallando the Soul-keeper
3 Power Built by Waiting
1 Radagast the Tamer
1 Revealed to All Watchers
1 Saruman the Wise
3 Shut Yer Mouth
2 So You’ve Come Back
3 True Cold-drake
1 Twilight
1 Ûvatha the Horseman

# Characters (2)
1 Freca (GP)
1 Perchen

# Minion Resource (39)
1 Blackbole
3 Crooked Promptings
3 Dark Tryst
3 Deeper Shadow
3 Driven as by Madness
1 Dunlendings [M]
1 Feagwath (NE)
3 Gold Chains in the Wind
1 Helm of Madness (NE)
1 High Helm
1 Hillmen [M]
3 His Spirit Endured (NE)
3 Hounds of Sauron
4 The Necromancer (NE)
1 The Unfaithful (NE)
3 Voices of Malice
3 Weigh All Things to a Nicety
1 Woodmen [M]

#########
Sideboard
#########

# Hazard (20)
1 Alone and Unadvised
1 Call of Home
1 Diminish and Depart
2 Eye of Sauron
2 Heedless Revelry
1 Lost at Sea
1 Lost in Free-domains
1 Lure of the Senses
1 Many Burdens (NE)
1 Many Sorrows Befall
1 Muster Disperses
1 Presence of the Dark Lord (NE)
1 Rolled down to the Sea
1 The Roving Eye
1 Twilight
1 Stay Her Appetite
1 Twisted Tales
1 Your Welcome is Doubtful

# Minion Resource (20)
1 A Malady without Healing
1 Blasting Fire
2 Deadly Laughter (NE)
2 Eye Never Sleeping
2 Faithless Steward
2 Gaze Fixed (NE)
1 Honey on the Tongue
1 Long Grievous Siege
1 Phantom Devised by Wizardry (NE)
1 The Unfaithful (NE)
1 Treason the Greatest Foe
3 Tribute to Sauron (NE)
1 War-wolf
1 Words of Menace and Deceit

MP breakdown:
Characters: 7 (11)
Factions: 7 (11)
Items: 2 (4)
Allies: 2 (4)
Misc.: 2 (8)
Total: 20 (39)

Like said the deck does not score big time, but it scores solid and is flexible, and this is a conservative estimate. It is quite possible to score the Faithless Stewards, not counted here. Do note that in none of my games the Audience was called before time, but that is common in DC games. Wwhy quit when you're having fun? ;-)
Stone-age did not end because man ran out of rocks.
Goblin King
Posts: 237
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:49 am

Taladhan is also an Agent so he requires Open to the Summons as well.
Vastor Peredhil
Council Member
Posts: 1321
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:46 am
Location: Kempen (Niederrhein) Germany

As per DC rules you CAN play one agent without OttS when you start at the agent's homesite
Goblin King
Posts: 237
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:49 am

Ah, I see! Thanks. I'm going to try giving this deck a whirl.
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