With the release of The Battle of Helm's Deep expansion, the ever popular Trust Me As You Did deck archetype has undergone some changes. Grima, Chief Counselor makes the Gimli/Legolas start much more risky to play, while the introduction of two new Rohan Companions with the Gandalf signet makes a single culture Trust deck much more viable. Here we'll look at how the Gandalf signet versions of Eowyn and Theoden can be used to create a solid Trust deck that is not vulnerable to either Grima, Chief Counselor, or Grima, Wormtongue.

The first thing to note about our new starting fellowship is that they both have similar special abilities. As the first companions that allow you to play possessions out of the Fellowship phase, Theoden and Eowyn provide some interesting strategic choices. No longer will you have to worry about the three cards on a companion that can trigger Grima, Wormtongue - any possessions he sends back can be replayed in the same phase. Also, you can choke your opponent of some pool by playing your expensive Rohan possessions in Maneuver, after she has played her minions. One important thing to remember is that even if there are no allies to heal for Theoden or no wounds to heal on Eowyn, you can still use their text to play possessions on them.

Another side affect of being able to play possessions in Maneuver is that Simbelmyne looses some of its potency. Since it requires you to play the card you've pulled from your deck, you lose the benefits of playing possessions after the fellowship phase. Simbelmyne is still useful, however, for pulling Eomer and his possessions.

If this article is about the Gandalf culture, what are we doing talking so much about Rohan? Well, it's important to understand how the new Theoden and Eowyn work, because they create a strong synergy with the Gandalf culture, which feeds off of twilight remaining in the pool in the Maneuver and Skirmish phases. The Gandalf that works best in this deck is Gandalf, The White Wizard. Since he gets stronger when there is at least three twilight in the pool during his skirmish, the abilities of our starting companions gain extra power. When armed with the right staff and steed, Gandalf becomes capable of killing almost any minion in the game in one hit. Also, extra twilight during the Maneuver phase allows the Free Peoples player to make use of Deep in Thought. This previously underused card becomes extremely powerful when you can reliably add pool during the Maneuver phase - discarding all your opponent's conditions while leaving your own intact.

One drawback to this deck is that it needs to be able to cycle through cards quickly. In order to facilitate this, I've paired it with a fast-cycling Moria shadow. Many of the sites on the path favor the Shadow side of the deck since you'll need to pull out all the tricks to slow your opponent down.

Collection Manager deck file

Ringbearer:
Frodo, Tired Traveler
The One Ring, Isildur's Bane

Adventure Deck:
[1] Horse Country
[2] Plains of Rohan Camp
[3] Stables
[4] Westemnet Hills
[5] Helm's Gate
[6] Caves of Aglarond
[7] Cavern Entrance
[8] Wizard's Vale
[9] Orthanc Library

Free Peoples [37]:
Theoden, King of the Golden Hall (starting)
Eowyn, Daughter of Eomund (starting)
Gandalf, The White Wizard x4
Eomer, Third Marshall of the Riddermark x2
Sam, Son of Hamfast
Albert Dreary
Treebeard, Oldest Living Thing
Weland, Smith of the Riddermark
Gandalf's Staff, Walking Stick
Sting, Baggins, Heirloom
Shadowfax
Brego
Firefoot
Eomer's Spear
Eowyn's Sword
Herugrim
King's Mail
Rider's Mount
Narya
Hearken to Me
Thundering Host x2
Servant of the Secret Fire x3
Deep in Thought x2
Betrayal of Isengard
Trust Me As You Once Did x2
Simbelmyne x2
A Wizard is Never Late

Shadow [37]:
Ancient Chieftain
Goblin Scavengers x4
Goblin Runner x4
Goblin Wallcrawler x3
Moria Scout
Troll's Keyward
Cave Troll of Moria, Scourge of the Black Pit x2
Grima, Wormtongue
Ulaire Enquea, Lieutenant of Morgul
Isengard Warrior x3
Isengard Forger x2
Goblin Scimitar x4
Host of Thousands x2
Goblin Armory x3
They Are Coming x2
Dark Places
Relics of Moria
Goblin Swarms