One of the more fun Dunland decks to play is site control. It isn't as consistent as, for example, focusing on possession removal and fierce skirmishes, but when it works, it really works - and it's great fun to try.

There are two parts to the deck - controlling the sites, and then making use of them. Careful balance is needed to ensure that you can actually get some sites early enough in the game to make a difference, and that you have enough cards to take advantage of it when you do.

This need to control sites early also leads to a dilemma - Dunland site control keys off minions winning skirmishes, so you want to be having those skirmishes when there are sites available to be controlled. In the early game, this means that you need to be ahead of your opponent, because you can only control sites when both players have passed them. This usually means going first though, which in turn not only means you have to bid higher than you might be comfortable with, but deprives you of being able to use your first two sites, both of which are important to keeping you minions alive by preventing archery.

If you choose to go first, you'll be able to control sites from the very early stages of the game (especially because it will be easier for your minions to win the skirmishes they need to because your opponent's fellowship won't be set up yet), but your minions won't have the protection from archery that they might need to stay alive to get to those skirmishes; however if you go second, you can't control any sites until, potentially, both players are at site 4, and you might not be able to get enough sites controlled by the end-game to be as damaging as you need to be then.

The common response to this problem is to go second anyway, if you have the choice, and include more site control capability to compensate for not being able to start until the mid-game, but it can be just as effective to go first, and rely on the Hillman Horde and Hides to keep your minions alive through the archery phase. Which works best for you will depend on the deck you're facing, and the style of play you're comfortable with.

Once you have those sites controlled, you have to make use of them to deal large amounts of damage, quickly. There are a number of extremely useful effects that require only a single site to be controlled, such as being able to assign your minions with Over the Isen, or forcing your opponent to double move when they don't want to with No Retreat, each of which can have game-winning effects. Some of these also require additional setup, such as stacking a minion on a site for No Refuge to add +5 twilight to the pool each time your opponent moves.

Combining these effects, and introducing possibly the most difficult to pull off combination, controlling four sites to make all your minions immune to archery, fierce, and damage +1 - especially if you can make them move a second time into site 8 with a number of minions on the table and one stacked on a site! - is where the fun in playing a Dunland site control deck comes from. Getting all those cards on the table, meeting their costs, and controlling enough sites, is hard to make work - but when it does, your opponent will need a miracle to survive, and the satisfaction you'll feel at bringing it all together is well worth the risk.

Here's a sample deck that tries to maximize the chances of successfully combining the effects of site control. One thing to note is the large size of the deck. This is partly due to the cycling ability of Hides and the Hill Chief, but it still needs to be paired with a Free Peoples side that can help with throughput.

Collection Manager deck file

Ring-bearer:
Frodo, Tired Traveller
The One Ring, Isildur's Bane

Free Peoples (36):
Gandalf, The Grey Pilgrim (starting)
Merry, Learned Guide x2
Pippin, Just a Nuisance x1
Aragorn, Heir of Elendil
Eowyn, Lady of Rohan
Boromir, Son of Denethor x2
Sam, Proper Poet x2
Legolas, Dauntless Hunter
Sting x2
Mithril-Coat
O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
There And Back Again
Elrond, Lord of Rivendell x4
Ottar, Man of Laketown x2
Treebeard, Oldest Living Thing x2
Foul Creation x2
Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal
Sleep, Caradhras
Narya
Albert Dreary
Swiftly and Softly x2
Severed His Bonds x4

Shadow (36):
Hillman Horde x3
Dunlending Warrior
Saruman, Rabble Rouser x3
Dunlending Looter x2
Dunlending Pillager x2
Hillman Tribe x3
Hill Chief x2
Hillman Rabble x2
Wulf x3
Hides x3
War Club x3
Constantly Threatening
No Refuge
No Retreat
Over The Isen
Burn Every Village x4
Wild Man Raid