The Riders of Rohan Starter Deck Review

The first step into The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game can be a daunting one, given the sheer volume of content and the re-releases and repackaged content that is being produced. The first required step is the Revised Core Set, a must have to even play the game, but what makes a good next step? The series of starter decks make the perfect next step for new players to join the game, or experienced players to pick up a deck based around their favourite archetypes. With each starter deck being built around a different theme and playstyle. The Riders of Rohan Starter Deck focuses on powerful hit-and-run tactics, with allies dashing into and out of battle, being played and returning to a player's hand, in a gameplay style reminiscent of a cavalry charge. Riders of Rohan Starter Deck comes with a fully precompiled deck ready for players to jump straight into the action, no need to learn about deck building or choosing cards and heroes. In addition to the prebuilt deck players also get a collection of additional cards that can be used once they are ready to start experimenting with building their own decks.

One of the most unique aspects of the Rohan starter deck is focus on speed and combat efficiency. Many of the cards in the deck feature a high willpower stat, giving players the ability to quickly progress through quests. This is highlighted by Eowyn’s hero ability for her willpower to be boosted by players discarding cards from their hands, or ‘Ride to Ruin’ which allows players to discard a Rohan ally in exchange for placing progress tokens on a quest. This deck can also hold its own when it comes to combat, with high attack and defence heroes and allies and key event cards. ‘Forth Eorlingas!’ gives characters the ability to attack during the questing phase, dealing with threats before they are engaged. Or the hero Eomer with his high base attack which can be further boosted when a character leaves play. Characters coming in an out of play is a key aspect of the Rohan starter deck, with many hero abilities and action cards being triggered when a character or ally leaves play, such as ‘Rider of the Mark’ or ‘Westfold Horse-Breaker’ both can be discarded to ready a hero or character. With many different ways of readying exhausted characters this deck makes full use of its powerful hero cards, allowing them to perform multiple actions in a round, questing, attacking and defending.

Who is this pack for? The Riders of Rohan Starter Deck makes a perfect addition to any new players to the game, giving them a strong collection of cards all assembled into a pre-constructed deck. With the unique theme of removing and discarding cards from play to trigger powerful abilities this deck would also fit any experienced players who enjoy a fast-paced combat focused playstyle. With many cards helping to quickly deploy and discard allies encourages an action oriented game. This deck also suits players who want to experience a cooperative playstyle with the deck's ability to ready and boost character stats after other characters leave play. These triggers encourage players to work together and plan their strategies closely. There is however some overlap between this deck and some of the other released cycles so it may not be the best pick depending on your existing collection.

The starter decks also make a great option for those players who do not intend to pick up every single piece of content for this game, and who can blame them, there’s a lot! These starter decks offer players some of the best content the game has to offer, with a lot of staple cards included in the decks. This starter deck also makes a perfect purchase for those veteran players who want to make it easier to introduce the game to new players, with the ability to get them to choose their favourite faction and instantly have a fully workable deck to play.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Riders of Rohan Starter Deck is a worthy addition to any new and experienced players collection, I find this deck to be one of the most engaging ways to play the game from the 4 precompiled starter decks. Bringing new and engaging strategies and a dynamic playstyle that will appeal to many different types of players. The pre-constructed deck is well built and will fare well against many of the different scenarios players will face without much deckbuilding needed. Offering a good balance between questing and combat this deck allows for a variety of strategies which may appeal to experienced players who are looking for a solid deck that can adapt to the different scenarios of the game.