Hi. For those who have been following my Lord of the Rings thread in the general section and making great suggestions...thank you. The list below is not complete. For example, there are too many spiders, orcs, rings, and spot removal, and I haven't completed the humans section with Haradrim and Easterlings, but it is what I have so far. Originally, I was going to make a good-aligned LotR deck, but then realized I liked the evil colors more. This is not intended as a competitive offering. It's a janky fun deck to fit in my group, aimed more at the theme. If you have suggestions on cards for play or theme (both are welcome), please tear it apart. Thanks.
Note: Please see deck further down in, this has changed dramatically from this original first post.
Sauron's Will through the Ring and Palantir Desertion (Isildur abandoned his duty) Treachery (Saruman was seduced) Mind Twist (Denethor's will was crushed) Ray of Command (Boromir was overcome shortly, shattering the Fellowship.) Captivating Glance (Pippin was only just saved by Gandalf) Control Magic (Frodo surrendered at the precipice, mere feet from his goal) Dominate (Gollum was completely a slave of the One Ring) Clash of Wills (The protectors of the three elven rings dared not to use the enemy's tools, lest their wills falter) Mind Control (Slavery is the doom for all who tempt use of the enemy's tools, save for Aragorn alone)
added to Smaug's entry Slave of Bolas (Only a fool looks into a dragon's eyes)
I'm open to an actual card that would fit, but have devoted many slots to its use and enslavement of Sauron's enemies. I honestly haven't done much searching since a WotC article that solicited Middle Earth showed no decent cards that fill that role. I think at the time the Mirari was about the closest analog they could come up with. Did you have something in mind? I am all ears, especially if it has cool play value.
Edit: Oops, never mind. Mirari was your suggestion, lol. I guess maybe that could fit after re-reading the card.
Needs more Nazgul; Abyssal Specter with its MM17 art seems like the most natural fit. I don't know that you want to dedicate a full set of slots to wraiths but Pale Rider of Trostad also may work.
Needs more Nazgul; Abyssal Specter with its MM17 art seems like the most natural fit. I don't know that you want to dedicate a full set of slots to wraiths but Pale Rider of Trostad also may work.
Ooooo...Scythe Specter is physically strong enough for a nazgul. I like him better than most specters that are physically weak with lackluster abilities. While flavorful, most don't measure up to being Sauron's chosen top servants. But Scythe Specter is nice. I'll make room for this one.
As I'm cutting cards, I've settled on 7 spiders, 7 orcs, 7 humans, and about 9-10 other creatures. I'll have to cut some of the rings and other things, but I'm getting fairly close. The specter, though, is a great card.
OK, here is my first 100 card list. I'm curious what people think about the overall flavor, and any suggestions, be they about mana, flavor cards, or mechanics. I'm especially trying to find something to remove to put Dauthi Embrace back in.
Sauron's Will through the Ring and Palantir (6) 1 Desertion (Isildur abandoned his duty) 1 Treachery (Saruman was seduced) 1 Ray of Command (Boromir was overcome shortly, driving Frodo away, before redeeming his honor) 1 Control Magic (Frodo surrendered at the precipice, mere feet from his goal) 1 Dominate (Gollum was forever a slave of the One Ring) 1 Mind Control (Slavery is the doom for all who tempt use of the enemy's tools, save for Aragorn alone)
While I hated my original list, I got inspired again by folks talking about tight flavor themes, felt the pull to give this list another try. THIS is what you call a casual use for Yidris, lol. I expect I'll probably revamp the lands, but for now...any feedback?
Sauron's Will through the One Ring and Palantir (7) 1 Desertion (Isildur abandoned his duty) 1 Treachery (Saruman was seduced) 1 Ray of Command (Boromir was overcome shortly, driving Frodo away, before redeeming his honor) 1 Mind Twist (Denethor's will was crushed, driving him to despair and suicide by immolation) 1 Control Magic (Frodo surrendered at the precipice, mere feet from his goal) 1 Enslave (Gollum was forever a slave of the One Ring) 1 Mind Control (Slavery is the doom for all who tempt use of the enemy's tools, save for Aragorn alone)
This is a cool theme. I have a Vorthos build around Yidris myself, so I know how tough it can be to find the right flavour, and the right fit for the deck. I have a couple of suggestions:
Kulrath Knight is a legitimate Nazgul to my mind. Great rattlesnake too.
Is Rings of Brighthearth a viable card here? Flavour win to my mind for obvious reasons. There are a couple of pieces it interacts with too, could be a good add.
Could Demon of Death's Gate work here? Maybe as Balrog? It'll cascade into anything else in your deck as it stands, and has an alternative cost if needed.
Can I suggest instead of Dominate playing Enslave? Similar card flavour wise, the reason I suggest the change is mechanical though. Cascading into Dominate means X=0, so best case scenario you're nabbing a token or a Memnite. Enslave has a lot more surety, and stings the owner each turn you control said creature.
Sandsteppe Mastodon is pretty flavourful, but I have to say I'm not a fan of the card. Could you live with yourself having Terastodon instead?
The orcs: Have you considered Sek'kuar, Deathkeeper? Pretty solid advantage for your deck. Dire Fleet Ravager could be good too, so long as you're ok with the fact that it's a pirate.
Keep up the good work, this is looking really flavourful. Would love to hear about some playtesting too.
Lol, you asked if I could live with myself for adding in Terastodon. Let me explain it this way. A Terastodon is a creature that destroys three "things", then poops out three baby elephants that add up to its own power/toughness, and gives them to the owners of the people who had their stuff destroyed. Thematically, it just doesn't work for Sauron's armies other than it's an elephant in this type of deck. Now, Terastodon may be a bit extreme, but your suggestions play-wise are very good, including the elephant pooper. If I was playing in a more competitive group, I might look a little more liberally on the lists and make some of the more extreme changes for play value. But, I can get away with more casual choices like Sandsteppe Mastodon. I will say that demon you suggested was in my early lists, but it and the Terastodon are both too high in cmc for me to get out much, given my mana base.
All that being said, I do like Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper and it fits thematically. There was a lot of undead in LoTR, both realized and hinted at, so this doesn't rock the boat, and it adds creature value more than what it replaced. Enslave is also very spot-on. I wanted to use both it and Dominate, but alas I did not have the slots. I took out some of the weaker theme cards like Damnation, and added more on-theme stuff like a few more big spiders to round out the higher curve stuff.
Terastodon jokes aside, thanks for the feedback, I appreciate the time you took to reply.
Lol, you asked if I could live with myself for adding in Terastodon. Let me explain it this way. A Terastodon is a creature that destroys three "things", then poops out three baby elephants that add up to its own power/toughness, and gives them to the owners of the people who had their stuff destroyed. Thematically, it just doesn't work for Sauron's armies other than it's an elephant in this type of deck. Grin Now, Terastodon may be a bit extreme, but your suggestions play-wise are very good, including the elephant pooper. If I was playing in a more competitive group, I might look a little more liberally on the lists and make some of the more extreme changes for play value. But, I can get away with more casual choices like Sandsteppe Mastodon. I will say that demon you suggested was in my early lists, but it and the Terastodon are both too high in cmc for me to get out much, given my mana base.
Totally get it. Sandsteppe Mastodon is EXACTLY how Sam describes the 'Oliphaunt' in Two Towers. It's a dead ringer. Definitely see how the Demon isn't a perfect fit either. I'd still think twice about Kulrath Knight though. CMC is a little high for a 3/3, but it's flavourful and helps Yidris break the line.
Terastodon jokes aside, thanks for the feedback, I appreciate the time you took to reply.
More than happy to. I like a good theme deck, and it's hard to get people invested enough to feed back for improvement, whether that be in terms of flavour or mechanics.
@toc: If the demon were cheaper, it's a dead ringer. I could spend some more on ramping, but there was one last flavor reason against using it. Balrogs (and Saruman) are Maiar, and so literally are planeswalkers (Silmarilion versus LoTR), so it feels right to do those two as planeswalkers. I'd do Sauron similarly, but there isn't a planeswalker that works. But Yidris will keep coming back, so it still works thematically. Plus, Ob Nixilis Reignited has some really great abilities. PWs give me exactly that difference needed to work the theme.
This card would go in under the Sauron's will through the One Ring and Palantir section to tie in the tragic circumstances of the house of Isildur and the line of Stewards of Gondor (of which line Boromir also hailed from as son of Denethor). Although Aragorn redeems Isildur's line, the stewards of Gondor failed ultimately when Denethor despaired and immolated himself and tried to suicide pact Faramir. Yeah, I'm a geek.
So what card should I ditch to fit this? I can't decide, though I want to keep 25 creatures in the deck. Any ideas?
Balrogs (and Saruman) are Maiar, and so literally are planeswalkers (Silmarilion versus LoTR), so it feels right to do those two as planeswalkers. I'd do Sauron similarly, but there isn't a planeswalker that works. But Yidris will keep coming back, so it still works thematically. Plus, Ob Nixilis Reignited has some really great abilities. PWs give me exactly that difference needed to work the theme.
I really like the flavour of this - planeswalkers do suit as an elder race/ascendant style character in a vorthos build. It's a nice touch.
Note: Please see deck further down in, this has changed dramatically from this original first post.
Sauron's Will through the Ring and Palantir
Desertion (Isildur abandoned his duty)
Treachery (Saruman was seduced)
Mind Twist (Denethor's will was crushed)
Ray of Command (Boromir was overcome shortly, shattering the Fellowship.)
Captivating Glance (Pippin was only just saved by Gandalf)
Control Magic (Frodo surrendered at the precipice, mere feet from his goal)
Dominate (Gollum was completely a slave of the One Ring)
Clash of Wills (The protectors of the three elven rings dared not to use the enemy's tools, lest their wills falter)
Mind Control (Slavery is the doom for all who tempt use of the enemy's tools, save for Aragorn alone)
added to Smaug's entry
Slave of Bolas (Only a fool looks into a dragon's eyes)
added to Saruman's entry
Staff of Domination
Propaganda (Grima Wormtongue's grip on Theoden King)
added to War Rages Across Middle Earth
Total War
Darkness
Cover of Darkness
added to Witch King of Angmar
Manaforce Mace
added to Battle Equipment
Warlord's Axe
Conqueror's Flail
Edit: Oops, never mind. Mirari was your suggestion, lol. I guess maybe that could fit after re-reading the card.
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
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As I'm cutting cards, I've settled on 7 spiders, 7 orcs, 7 humans, and about 9-10 other creatures. I'll have to cut some of the rings and other things, but I'm getting fairly close. The specter, though, is a great card.
1 Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder
Sauron's Will through the Ring and Palantir (6)
1 Desertion (Isildur abandoned his duty)
1 Treachery (Saruman was seduced)
1 Ray of Command (Boromir was overcome shortly, driving Frodo away, before redeeming his honor)
1 Control Magic (Frodo surrendered at the precipice, mere feet from his goal)
1 Dominate (Gollum was forever a slave of the One Ring)
1 Mind Control (Slavery is the doom for all who tempt use of the enemy's tools, save for Aragorn alone)
Smaug - Destroyer of Erebor and Dale (6)
1 Scourge of the Throne
1 Slave of Bolas (Never tempt a dragon's gaze)
1 Sky Diamond
1 Moss Diamond
1 Fire Diamond
1 Charcoal Diamond
Gollum (1)
1 Nezumi Shortfang
Great Cave Troll (Moria) (1)
1 Mossbridge Troll
Balrog (1)
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Watcher in the Water (Moria) (1)
1 Wrexial, the Risen Deep
Nazgul (3)
1 Stronghold Overseer (Nazgul - Witch King of Angmar)
1 Scythe Specter (Nazgul)
1 Hex
Oliphaunt (1)
1 Sandsteppe Mastodon
Haradrim (3)
1 Veteran Explorer
1 Nekrataal
1 Femeref Archers
Easterlings (4)
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Tetsuo Umezawa
1 Hand of Cruelty
1 Isao, Enlightened Bushi
Battle Equipment (3)
1 Tenza, Godo's Maul
1 Conqueror's Flail
1 Manaforce Mace
Spiders (7)
1 Deadly Recluse
1 Oran-Rief Recluse
1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Shelob)
1 Kessig Recluse
1 Silklash Spider
1 Netcaster Spider
1 Stingerfling Spider
1 Batterskull
Saruman (1)
1 Tezzeret, Master of Metal
Rings of Power (6)
1 Ring of Evos Isle
1 Ring of Kalonia
1 Ring of Valkas
1 Ring of Xathrid
1 Sisay's Ring
1 Sol Ring
Sight of the Palantir (4)
1 Mirari
1 Mind's Eye
1 Rhystic Study
1 Braingeyser
War Against Middle Earth (4)
1 Exsanguinate
1 Overwhelming Forces
1 Decimate
1 Hull Breach
Orcs (7)
1 Warbringer
1 Zurgo Bellstriker
1 Shaman of the Great Hunt
1 Screamreach Brawler
1 Bellowing Saddlebrute
1 Ambuscade Shaman
1 Alesha's Vanguard
Mount Doom (3)
1 Fiery Confluence
1 Lavalanche
1 Volcanic Offering
Land (36)
1 Command Tower
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Savage Lands
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Gruul Turf
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
1 Breeding Pool
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Blooming Marsh
1 Botanical Sanctum
1 Spirebluff Canal
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Grove
1 Vivid Marsh
3 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder
Sauron's Will through the One Ring and Palantir (7)
1 Desertion (Isildur abandoned his duty)
1 Treachery (Saruman was seduced)
1 Ray of Command (Boromir was overcome shortly, driving Frodo away, before redeeming his honor)
1 Mind Twist (Denethor's will was crushed, driving him to despair and suicide by immolation)
1 Control Magic (Frodo surrendered at the precipice, mere feet from his goal)
1 Enslave (Gollum was forever a slave of the One Ring)
1 Mind Control (Slavery is the doom for all who tempt use of the enemy's tools, save for Aragorn alone)
Smaug - Destroyer of Erebor and Dale (6)
1 Scourge of the Throne
1 Slave of Bolas (Never tempt a dragon's gaze)
1 Sky Diamond
1 Moss Diamond
1 Fire Diamond
1 Charcoal Diamond
Gollum (2)
1 Nezumi Shortfang
1 Beast Within
Great Cave Troll (Moria) (1)
1 Mossbridge Troll
Balrog (1)
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Watcher in the Water (Moria) (1)
1 Wrexial, the Risen Deep
Nazgul (4)
1 Stronghold Overseer (Nazgul - Witch King of Angmar)
1 Scythe Specter (Nazgul)
1 Hex
1 Doom Blade (Nazgul knife)
Oliphaunt (1)
1 Sandsteppe Mastodon
Haradrim (3)
1 Veteran Explorer
1 Nekrataal
1 Femeref Archers
Easterlings (3)
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Hand of Cruelty
1 Isao, Enlightened Bushi
1 Tenza, Godo's Maul
1 Conqueror's Flail
1 Manaforce Mace
Spiders (7)
1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Shelob)
1 Silklash Spider
1 Kessig Recluse
1 Deadly Recluse
1 Skysnare Spider
1 Acid Web Spider
1 Archweaver
Grond (1)
1 Batterskull
Saruman (1)
1 Tezzeret, Master of Metal
Rings of Power (6)
1 Ring of Evos Isle
1 Ring of Kalonia
1 Ring of Valkas
1 Ring of Xathrid
1 Sisay's Ring
1 Sol Ring
Sight of the Palantir (4)
1 Mind Stone
1 Mind's Eye
1 Rhystic Study
1 Braingeyser
War Against Middle Earth (6)
1 Overwhelming Forces
1 Damnation
1 Decimate
1 Terminate
1 Terror
1 Murder
Orcs (3)
1 Shaman of the Great Hunt
1 Sek'kuar, Deathkeeper
1 Ambuscade Shaman
1 Fiery Confluence
1 Lavalanche
1 Volcanic Offering
Land (36)
1 Command Tower (Barad-Dur)
1 Crumbling Necropolis (Minas Morgul)
1 Savage Lands (Plain of Gorgoroth)
1 Woodland Stream
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Gruul Turf
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Botanical Sanctum
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Blooming Marsh
1 Spirebluff Canal
1 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Arcane Lighthouse (the eye of Sauron from Barad-Dur)
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Grove
1 Vivid Marsh
4 Swamp
3 Forest
3 Island
3 Mountain
Decklist updated: 10-26-17
It's not easy to come across, but Volrath's Stronghold seems to fit as either Cirith Ungol or the Tower of Doom. Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle seems like it was made to be Mount Doom too.
Kulrath Knight is a legitimate Nazgul to my mind. Great rattlesnake too.
Is Rings of Brighthearth a viable card here? Flavour win to my mind for obvious reasons. There are a couple of pieces it interacts with too, could be a good add.
Could Demon of Death's Gate work here? Maybe as Balrog? It'll cascade into anything else in your deck as it stands, and has an alternative cost if needed.
Can I suggest instead of Dominate playing Enslave? Similar card flavour wise, the reason I suggest the change is mechanical though. Cascading into Dominate means X=0, so best case scenario you're nabbing a token or a Memnite. Enslave has a lot more surety, and stings the owner each turn you control said creature.
Sandsteppe Mastodon is pretty flavourful, but I have to say I'm not a fan of the card. Could you live with yourself having Terastodon instead?
The orcs: Have you considered Sek'kuar, Deathkeeper? Pretty solid advantage for your deck. Dire Fleet Ravager could be good too, so long as you're ok with the fact that it's a pirate.
Keep up the good work, this is looking really flavourful. Would love to hear about some playtesting too.
All that being said, I do like Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper and it fits thematically. There was a lot of undead in LoTR, both realized and hinted at, so this doesn't rock the boat, and it adds creature value more than what it replaced. Enslave is also very spot-on. I wanted to use both it and Dominate, but alas I did not have the slots. I took out some of the weaker theme cards like Damnation, and added more on-theme stuff like a few more big spiders to round out the higher curve stuff.
Terastodon jokes aside, thanks for the feedback, I appreciate the time you took to reply.
More than happy to. I like a good theme deck, and it's hard to get people invested enough to feed back for improvement, whether that be in terms of flavour or mechanics.
1 Mind Twist (Denethor's will was crushed)
This card would go in under the Sauron's will through the One Ring and Palantir section to tie in the tragic circumstances of the house of Isildur and the line of Stewards of Gondor (of which line Boromir also hailed from as son of Denethor). Although Aragorn redeems Isildur's line, the stewards of Gondor failed ultimately when Denethor despaired and immolated himself and tried to suicide pact Faramir. Yeah, I'm a geek.
So what card should I ditch to fit this? I can't decide, though I want to keep 25 creatures in the deck. Any ideas?
+ 1 Damnation
+ 1 Mind Twist
+ 1 Fiery Confluence
-1 Oran-Rief Recluse
-1 Eaten by Spiders
-1 Stingerfling Spider