Your Starting Fellowship
Lets start with the basics. Which character(s) do you start in your fellowship? This is pretty basic; you will defiantly want to start Legolas, Greenleaf and Arwen, Daughter of Elrond. These two characters will provide a solid base. This rare version of Legolas is much more equipped with his special archery skill. Instead of taking a blind archer shot, Legolas has the ability to point his bow at a particular minion. This does come at the price of a wound (Exert), but it is well worth it sometimes. Legolas also has his own Bow, the Bow of the Galadhrim that allows him to wound a minion everytime he wins a skirmish. Many of the minions (with a vitality of 2) rely on being able to exert themselves to perform their particular action. When you spot a possible weakness in your fellowship, Legolas is always there to back you up.

Arwen is just a BEAST! A +6/+3 ranger, alone she is decent, but give her all her equipment and you just can't say no. Asfaloth will give her strength +2 (+4 if at a Plains). He is free to play when played on Arwen. The only disadvantage is that once you go underground, Asfaloth is lost. I suggest only playing 1 or 2 in a deck and to hold onto it until site 6 when you will not have to go underground anymore and you WILL need it in the end.

Every little bonus helps, especially when you are being overwhelmed. Gwemegil, Arwens trusty sword works great in an Archery deck. Very few minions have Vitality +4 or higher. With archery and Arwens newly gained +1 damage with Gwemegil you will now be able to take out those fierce minions and not have to worry about a second encounter. Next, Arwen can easily become an archer just by throwing an Elven Bow on her. I suggest that you play with 4 bows and the first bow you draw to go directly on her.

If you play smart, Arwen should live all the way to Site #9. If she does, her archer skill that she gets with the Elven Bow will be invaluable! Finally, The Tale of Gil-galad will provide another excellent asset to an Elven deck. This can be played on either Legolas or Arwen to give them an extra vitality. It can also be discarded during a skirmish to add +2 to strength.

The Other Companions
Aragorn, definitely a must for this type of deck, but he is too expensive to start with. Besides costing 4 you are forcing yourself have to draw into your elves which most of your cards will rely on. I suggest keeping Aragorn as a side game. It's best to concentrate on the Elves. Don't forget he is easily accessible via Prancing Pony. Even if you don't get to go first many other decks will be playing this site for the same reason.

Boromir, also another great addition to this deck-type, but also he is too expensive. But, that is not the only reason I am not starting him. He just doesn't really have too much strategy by himself. He too relies on you drawing into the rest of your companions. Not good.

Gandalf, [see Aragorn, the same applies].

Haldir, Elf of the Golden Wood. Nothing special here, if you do decide you would like to include him in the deck he really works great as a late game companion. Strength +2 at sites 6, 7, or 8 which would make him a +7/+3. No need to start him, he is useless in the start.

The Dwarf Boyz, Dwarfs and Elves are too much of a mixed up strategy. Both styles are card intensive by themselves. If you try to combine the two you will just end up with a deck that is too big to work with. I suggest playing one or the other, not both.

Hobbits. With hobbits you can start Sam (uncommon) in place of Legolas and start the Farmer Maggots fields to pull Merry (uncommon) and Pippen (Rare). If you are going to play hobbits I wouldn't suggest starting Prancing Pony. Playing Aragorn in a Hobbit/Elven deck will spread your strategy thin and you will end up trying to do too many things at once and not accomplishing any of it. Again, concentrate on one strategy! Confucius says, "Man who chases 2 rabbits catches neither."

The Heart of The Forest
If you have read this far, you have either chosen to play Elves or want to know how an elf deck works. So I will tell you! Elves, famous for their great accuracy with bows, are more than just archers in this game. These Elves are powerful workhorses! To start off, Arwen is strength +3 against ANY Nazgul. The Uncommon Legolas is strength +3 against ANY Nazgul! Now you are playing on a level field with those annoying super powers! Against the remaining culture, your steady aim and precise hits with Bows will take care of the weaker stragglers and don't forget to double-tap with Double Shot and drive a second arrow into that suffering minion to finish him off! If picking off your opponents minions form the site isn't enough the White Arrows of Lorien can give you an edge in the round of skirmishes! While you sit back and wait to see whom you hit with your arrows (Its amazing these guys NEVER miss) you can wield your hand weapons to overpower your opponent. Between Arwens Sword, Legolas' Bow, and the proud pony Asfaloth, you will have some nice strength bonuses that should handle the remaining minions. If you still feel that is not enough you can pack a couple of Defiance's.

Axis and Allies
Do you want to add allies to your deck? Some of the allies are great and some powerful sidegames! One of my favorite combo's in the game is Celeborn + Galadriel + The Mirror of Galladriel. This combo does several things for you, you get to see what your opponent has hiding up his sleeve; you can also fudge up his plans for this turn or upcoming turns. If your Allies make it through Anduin Confluence (Site #7 U353) this would increase your chances of survival at site #9 ten-fold! Next is Elrond, Lord Of Rivendell. He is Lord for a reason; he can heal himself every turn and give you the opportunity to draw an extra card every turn! If you have this guy, he is definitely a must in any Elf deck (play 2 copies if you have them)! Two of the Allies, Rumil and Orophin, are archers. Although they are allies there are several cards that will allow them to participate in many Skirmishes and Archery Phases. I cannot express enough how vital the archery phase is.

Other cards to consider when playing Elves: Elven Cloak, Far-Seeing Eyes, The Splendor of Their Banners, Support of the Last Homely House, Swan-Ship of Galadhrim, and Gift of Boats.

The Other Side Games
Along with you starting crew you are going to want to be playing some other strategy that complements your start. Here are several of my suggestions:

The Man Show
One of the most common strategies to play with is to start Prancing Pony, pull Aragorn, and get him jacked! If Aragorn in himself isn't enough to convince you, look at all the helper cards that work with him and not to mention they also help Arwen and Rangers in general. If you play the Man show, I suggest playing 3 copies of Aragorn (1 Rare and 2 Uncommon), 2x Aragorn's Bow, 2x Rangers Sword, and definitely 4 of Rangers Versatility. If you have it in your collection, a nice complement to this deck is Arwen's Fate for an additional Strength bonus. Don't forget your trusty pal, Borimor, Lord of Gondor! This dude lets you take the attrition when you need it. Naked Borimor can't be overwhelmed unless you can get up to 21 power. There aren't going to be to many Minions that are going to do this, and if they do, then it was meant to be. Besides, once you start dressing Boromir with his goods he becomes the center of attention! Check this combo out! Lord Boromir + Blade of Gondor + the Saga of Elendil + The Last Alliance of Elves and Men = Boromir with Strength 11, Vitality 4 and Damage +1. He is an Aragorn Equal! The only problem is drawing into Boromir Early. I suggest playing 3 copies (All rare if available).

Don't forget to play Athelas in The Man Show; it is well worth a slot or two for protection against Black Breath and Blade Tip. An excellent late game card is A Valiant Man From the West. Keeping the Minions away from your ring bearer is the absolute KEY to surviving site #9. Other powerful cards that will help your adventure run smoothly include An Able Guide, No stranger to the Shadows (x4), Strength of Kings, and Swordsmen of the Northern Kingdom (x4).

The Wonderful Wizard of Middle-Earth
Gandalf can have his place in any deck! He plays such a great supporting role. The first thing I'm going to say is if want to play Gandalf you absolutely MUST include Ottar & Elrong, Lord of Rivendell. This combo allows you to discard up to 3 cards per turn during your Fellowship phase to draw the same! Both Ottar and Gandalf are pullable with A Wizard is Never Late. Gandalf also deserves the protection of the Glamdring, and additional 2 to his strength and Damge +1. Can't say no! As helper cards I like to Play Intimidate, Mysterious Wizard, and Strength of Spirit (2x each).

The Fast, The Furious, The Little People
This game can be tons of fun to play! Hobbits are excellent at getting you to the end of the line! With stealth cards such as Hobbit Intuition and Hobbit Stealth you can quickly get past those early minions and blaze the trail ahead for player 2! Any deck should have 2 copies of Sting for Frodo, but in this deck you should also include 2 or 3 copies of Hobbit swords. I suggest starting Sam with Arwen and Farmer Maggots Field (and bid high to go first) and exert Frodo to Pull the Rare version of Pippen, and Then Exert Pippen to Pull the Uncommon version of Merry. Cause merry will be taking a lot of the Grunt work he will need some backup and the extra +2 if he is holding his sword is just the tool you need. When you play Pippin First turn you can immediately take one of those Burdens off Frodo, so here you have the edge to bid just a tad higher. Another great complement to this deck is Power According to His Stature. Between Your archery, your Stealth Events, Frodo could be involved in many battles and not have to worry about laying a finger on anybody!

Other cards to consider for this deck: There and Back Again, Bounder, Master Proud Foot and Sorry About Everything.

The Adventure Through Middle-Earth
Every game must have its adventure path well thought out. When you are playing any Elven deck there are a few sites that will help you out tremendously. Let's start at the beginning in Shire. Site #1 is always dependant on your side game; Elves by themselves gain nothing from any of the starting sites. Most common is the Prancing Pony to pull Aragorn.

For any Elf deck I would always play Ettenmoors for site #2 because this site could give you the advantage that you need to make that first turn Jump to site #3 by allowing you to exert to make yourself Strength +2. In many instances you may be able to exert 2 or even 3 times which will destroy your opponent when most of the time they will only be able to exert once. If you have Asfaloth early you will also gain additional +2 strength because you are at a Plains. A fast start is always good!

Moving on to site #3. My Choice is a toss up. Either Rivendell Waterfall or Council Courtyard. At this point in the game you should be able to spot a Ranger (Aragorn, Borimor, or Arwen) and you move Limit could be +1 getting you to the next sanctuary in a hurry. Depending on how many you play you may have No Stranger To the Shadows out right now and this will help reduce the shadow number for each site an in turn possibly allow you to travel faster to Site #6. But beware of a large fellowship. I suggest that you play Council Courtyard if your deck tends to run a big fellowship by turn 2 or 3 and take your time getting to the next Sanctuary. This site will help reduce the already large twilight pool.

Site #4, just another stepping-stone in the path. I suggest playing Pass of Caradhras. There are one very simple reason, this is the ONLY site that doesn't hurt you. It is the only site besides Moria Lake that isn't underground, and by this point in the game you should have Asfaloth out. This is where you make up your lost ground, but ONLY if you're strong. Asfaloth will do this for you, but only if you're not underground. Thus, Pass of Caradharas.

Site #5 - The Bridge of Khazad-Dum. This site is broken! No explanation needed.

Take your last breath. You are about to find out what hell is really like! This is somewhat of an easy choice. I would play Lothlorien Woods because more than likely you will be playing at least 1 Ally who is Home to site #6. They will be able to take a few hits for you while you pass through. But don't forget to stop and heal. You WILL need it for your finals steps!

Site #7 is another basic choice. Silverlode Banks. Like site #4, this is the only Site at this level that WONT hurt you. It may even help you in your shadow phase. The other two sites require you to skip your archery phase, or discard all your allies. Your allies can still be very helpful in the end, and you are just plain NUTS if you want to skip the archery phase eat this point in the game! After you play a few games with archers you will realize how important they are!

Site #8 is a tough choice. I think that if you have to pull your site #8 you will most likely not have enough strength and time to catch up to your opponent. From here on in I think you should be considering a defensive game and choosing this site based on your minions. I personally like Anduin Banks because you get to increase your archery total against a big fellowship. And we all should know by now how much I like archery.

Site #9 - Face it, if you just pulled your site #9 You are going to need a Strong Minion Deck to Cover you! This site is up to how you play your Minion deck! I like Summit of Amon Hey because you get to draw extra cards to play with. Trust me, they ALWAYS help.

Well, there you have it! I hope you've enjoyed and you all have learned something. Keep an eye out for more to come! I will leave you with a sample Free people's Deck and a few facts.

~Jeremy "JerUNH" Oakes Rogue 72

Sample Deck
  1x - Arwen, Daughter of Elrond (Starting)
  1x - Legolas, GreenLeaf (Starting)
  2x - Elrond, Lord of Rivendell
  2x - Gwemigil 
  2x - Bow of Galadhrim 
  3x - Asfaloth 
  1x - Aragorn, Ranger of the North
  2x - Aragorn, King in Exile 
  2x - Aragorns Bow 
  2x - Rangers Sword
  2x - Athelas
  2x - An Able Guide
  2x - Blade of Gondor
  2x - The Saga of Elendil
  4x - A Rangers Versatility
  3x - Borimor Lord of Gondor
  3x - The Last Alliance of Elves and Men 
  4x - Swordsmen of the Northern Kingdom 
  


[Just a few facts... About Archery]
 Fellowship Archers:
   Legolas, Greenleaf (Companion)
   Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood (Companion)
   Orophin, Lorien Bowmen (Ally)
   Rumil, Elven Protector (Ally)

 Possible Archers:
   Aragorn combo w/Aragorn's Bow (Companion - Man)
   Elven Bow combo w/
     Arwen, Daughter Of Elrond (Companion)
     Haldir, Elf of the Golden Wood (Companion)
     L¢rien Elf (Companion)
     Celeborn, Lord of L¢rien (Ally)
     Elrond, Lord of Rivendell (Ally)
     Galadriel, Lady of Light (Ally)    
     Silinde, Elf of Mirkwood (Ally)
     Uruviel, Maid of L¢rien (Ally)

 Archery Helpers:
   Double Shot - Event Archery Total +1 for each Elf Archer companion.
   The Splendor Of Their Banners 
- Condition - Exert an elf companion to make Archery total +1.
   Elven Bow - Any Elf becomes an archer!