by mr18196
IntroductionRecently I’ve been having loads of fun playing my newly purchased LotR LCG Core Set solo. Great game. I’ve also been tracking my games, because I like statistics and this game lends itself so nicely to it. I haven’t kept score (that doesn’t interest me), but I have kept track of success rates with different heroes against different scenarios. I’m sure there are others like me that enjoy statistics, so I thought I’d share. So enjoy, and tell us about your own record keeping!
Decks
I only own the Core Set. I made 33 card dual sphere decks with max 2 cards of each, to keep the same card ratios as a tournament deck. This allowed me some deck building options with only the Core Set. I won’t waste space on card lists here, as you can probably figure out what cards are likely to be in each deck anyway from the limited card pool.
The Challenge
I made 15 different viable (in my opinion) hero teams to face the Passage through Mirkwood and Journey along the Anduin scenarios. I skipped the Dol Guldur scenario, as it seemed a bit too masochistic for such a limited card pool.
I played each hero team against Mirkwood at least three times, in a “best of three” competition. The ones that did best I played again and again, until one hero team was alone with the best success rate against Mirkwood. The ones that did worst I didn’t bother to try against Anduin, so only 13 of the 15 hero teams went up against Anduin. For those 13 I played best of three again, and continued playing the best ones until one hero team was alone with the best success rate against Anduin too. Below are statistics from this personal challenge.
Passage through Mirkwood
In total I played the Mirkwood scenario 61 times and won it 42 times, for a success rate of 69%.
Top three hero teams (threat/attempts/victories/success rate):
Denethor-Glorfindel-Legolas (LORE-Tactics): 29 / 8 / 8 / 100%
Denethor-Eowyn-Glorfindel (LORE-Spirit): 29 / 8 / 7 / 88%
Denethor-Gloin-Aragorn (LEADERSHIP-Lore): 29 / 7 / 6 / 86%
A perfect record for the winning team! Denethor was managing the threat in all top three decks and Glorfindel was bringing power to the top two. Lore was a part of all top three decks as well.
Top three heroes (attempts/victories/success rate):
Legolas: 15 / 13 / 87%
Glorfindel: 22 / 18 / 82%
Denethor: 42 / 30 / 71%
Denethor was in all top three hero teams, but he was also in some less successful teams. Legolas and Glorfindel on the other hand brought victories to all of their teams. It pays to keep good company.
Major spheres (attempts/victories/success rate):
LEADERSHIP: 13 / 10 / 77%
TACTICS: 7 / 5 / 71%
LORE: 32 / 22 / 69%
SPIRIT: 9 / 5 / 56%
Decks with two Leadership heroes did best overall, while decks with two Spirit heroes did worst. I played many more Lore-based decks because they gave the most viable hero teams. Two Lore-based decks also competed for the top spot, meaning more attempts.
The worst
Every deck managed at least one victory in three attempts. Worst of all did LORE-Leadership decks. With three different hero teams they only managed 3 victories in 9 attempts, for a 33% success rate.
Journey along the Anduin
This one was a bit harder than Mirkwood…
In total I played the Anduin scenario 52 times and won it 12 times, for a success rate of 23%.
Top three hero teams (threat/attempts/victories/success rate):
Denethor-Eowyn-Dunhere (SPIRIT-Lore): 25 / 7 / 4 / 57%
Denethor-Eowyn-Beravor (LORE-Spirit): 27 / 7 / 3 / 43%
Gimli-Eowyn-Dunhere (SPIRIT-Tactics): 28 / 5 / 2 / 40%
Some completely different heroes did well at Anduin. The Hill Troll set up defines the scenario and makes low threat essential. Denethor was still viable, but it was Eowyn that ruled the scenario in all top three decks. Dunhere brought staging area boat ride kills to two of the top decks, and most importantly the Spirit sphere brought Galadhrim’s Greetings to all top three decks.
Top three heroes (attempts/victories/success rate):
Beravor: 7 / 3 / 43%
Dunhere: 18 / 6 / 33%
Eowyn: 33 / 11 / 33%
Beravor took the top spot, but that’s mostly because she was in no other team than the one with Dunhere and Eowyn. They may share second place, but it was really their show.
Major spheres (attempts/victories/success rate):
SPIRIT: 15 / 6 / 40%
TACTICS: 7 / 2 / 29%
LORE: 16 / 3 / 19%
LEADERSHIP: 14 / 1 / 7%
Decks with two Spirit heroes did best overall, while decks with two Leadership heroes did worst. This is the opposite of the Mirkwood scenario.
The worst
How the mighty have fallen. Glorfindel failed to take part in a single victory in nine attempts. His threat is just too high for Anduin.
Bye!
That’s some of the numbers from my 113 games Core Set personal challenge. Let me hear your thoughts, comments and experiences! For example, why do Leadership decks do well at Mirkwood but suck badly at Anduin? Bye!