Ser Barristan stepped out alone onto the terrace gardens. I am not made for this, he reflected as he looked out over the sprawling city. The pyramids were waking, one by one, lanterns and torches flickering to life as shadows gathered in the streets below. Plots, ploys, whispers, lies, secrets within secrets, and somehow I have become part of them.
Our staff has put together a first blush analysis of the newly released “City of Secrets” chapter pack. Answers to frequently asked rules questions can be found on the individual card pages on thronesdb.com. Cards are listed in number order and scored on a scale ranging from one through five, with five being the best possible score.
Let us know in the comments how you feel about the cards in this pack!
Smalljon Umber (3.75 Average)
scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5
He’s comparable to Dacey, maybe a touch worse, although still a beatstick when Milk’d. I suppose in the later rounds you could sacrifice him with Heir to the Iron Throne.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
I agree with Steven that the comparison point is Dacey, though they shine at different times in the game. I’d pay 4 for a 4 strength bicon with renown, but I’d be more hesitant to do that for strength 3 or below – unless I’m closing out the game, so I think plots 1-3 of the game are fine for him. Dacey still wins out for me though as she has the added flexibility of being searchable with the Mormont chud.
Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5
I like him. He’s an excellent early to mid game body with renown. For Crossing and Sea of Blood decks, especially, he can be very handy to push through some of those early challenges. Sure, by plot 5 and 6 he’s pretty sad, but Stark games rarely last that long. The renown is just gravy.
OKTarg – 4 out of 5
Everyone else has summed it up: NuDacey, with different plusses and minuses. I think I prefer Smalljon right now since first turn Sea of Blood defense is so important.
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
Smalljon is just really good from setup to round 3, where he’s a super strong body with renown. In a standard 7 card plot deck, he’ll always have at least a point of strength with that renown, and more if you control Winterfell. There seems to be no end to great Stark characters being released throughout the cost curve, and I’m sure he’ll be another auto-include 1x in many Stark decks.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5
Boring efficient statstick, not Stark’s first and not their last, we’d wager.
No Surprises (3.4 Average)
scantrell24 – 4 out of 5
A potential Rookery format card if there ever was one. No Surprises will win games against Targ, Martell, Sea of Blood, and Assault from the Shadows, but in some matchups it will be less effective.
Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5
I’d like this card much better if it didn’t allow ambush either, but it already has some strong uses. Knowing that my opponent can’t use Hand’s Judgement against my events, or Treachery against my character abilities is nice. Knowing that Greyjoy can’t use Risen from the Sea to protect against my Put to the Sword is nice – for that reason Stark Sea of Blood wants this. I don’t mind revealing my hand out of Stark as a rule given that it usually tells my opponent little, it doesn’t matter if they know the events if they can’t stop them after all. However, if I am behind in a game this is less effective – no point using Winter is Coming and not having it cancelled if I can’t win the challenge! Also if it is the only card in my hand I can’t even play it.
OKTarg – 3 out of 5
I like it, mostly. Pre-empting Sea of Blood is likely its best use, but the upside against Shadow decks is also non-negligible. Strangely, you get to play events and shadow stuff yourself, which is pretty nice, but the downside of revealing what those events are helps to balance it. I think there is a “No Fun” deck hiding in there somewhere in the current meta, and this will be a part of it!
Hybrid92 – 2 out of 5
It’s cute but I don’t think Stark decks will find the space for it unless Shadows decks are absolutely dominant in the meta and Stark finds them particularly difficult to deal with. Revealing your own hand is a pretty big downside. As scantrell24 mentioned, this feels like a Rookery card and little more.
hagarrr – 5 out of 5
I think this is a game-winning card for Stark in many match-ups. If you thought core Catelyn and Winterfell were a pain in the arse, then wait until this is added to their arsenal. This will completely shut down shadows for a key challenges phase, and the ability to block ANY event being played for the phase is fantastic. That means the game will be played by what is on the board, and Stark are easily one of the most constructive decks, with the ability to build a bigger and better board to dominate challenge phases. Without have to worry about Nightmares, Burn, shadows, Sea of Blood events etc, I don’t see many factions challenging the Stark supremacy anytime soon. The revealing of your hand is quite a significant downside, but as the card suggests, they’re so predictable you’ll likely find No Surprises at all.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5
An interesting card, both a thematic hit and fun new design. We’re split on whether we think Stark can freely spend a gold and card on pure card disadvantage in exchange for the tempo or not, hence the middling rating. On the Nedly side we kinda wish you didn’t need to reveal at least 1 card, as Eddard was at his most honest when he had nothing to hide in the first place.
Arrogant Contender (3.3 Average)
scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5
Yet another Tyrell character (like Big Brienne, Randyll, etc.) that begs to be voltron’d, and I will happily oblige. A couple of months ago I had a fun Martell Rose deck with Reckless, Harpoon Marge, Ellaria Sand, intimidate Red Viper, Darkstar, Renly’s Ride, and Dornish Revenge. Arrogant Contender could slide in there easily, maybe with the additions of Tourney for the King, and Mare in Heat. I don’t think he sees much play in goodstuff decks, but Arrogant contender is fantastic jank material.
Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5
This guy fits well in Knight decks, as with a couple of Jousting Pavilions you can threaten a win by 5 if your opponent doesn’t defend – and force your opponent to overcommit to the challenge if they want to win it themselves. Tyrell Sea of Blood also likes the Arrogant Contender. You may not get much power from throwing him into a big challenge with a couple of Green Apple Knights, but winning military by 5 will not be difficult at all.
OKTarg – 3 out of 5
You will never believe it….Tyrell has received a midrange powergrab knight! He’s better than the 4-cost knight of summer with more upside, but I’m not sure he’s so much better than other knight options to justify his 5 cost. It does feel like perhaps one gold too much…all in all, great in a Knight deck, able to be considered in other decks, will be fun to try to build around.
Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5
An old favourite of mine from 1st Edition. A knight with an intrigue icon is always good, and he can push challenges through on his own. The power gain is just the cherry on top (attempting) to justify the high cost of this card as I’m not sure you’ll gain all that much power from it unless you have a huge threat coming from winning an unopposed challenge. Probably could’ve been a 4 cost card, to be honest, but it’s not like Tyrell are lacking the gold to pay for it.
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
Assuming that is Brett Zeiler in the art there, I’d say he’s looking extremely pleased with himself. He should be too, because this champ card is a pretty good one for Tyrell. The reality is that you can overcommit to block the challenge, which will leave you more vulnerable in other challenges, or you will leave it unopposed. The latter gives rise to Lady Sansa’s Rose and other Knight tech, which is a shot in the arm for that archetype. Given the existence of numerous strength buffs in Tyrell, such as Margaery Tyrell, Jousting Pavilions, Growing Strong, Lord Renly’s Ride etc., there’s no guarantee you’ll even win the challenge if you try to block it! Thank the gods then that he’s at least non unique and vulnerable to Valar Morghulis.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5
The best-case scenario of 3 power is probably too niche to be meaningful. However, as a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t scenario to get a power either way, he’s good, though expensive.
Show of Strength (1.6 Average)
scantrell24 – 2 out of 5
It’s an interesting type of blanking effect that we haven’t seen before, but in order to be better than Nightmares it needs to reliably hit 2+ of your opponent’s characters, and I don’t see that being the case. Might have been playable if it buffed one of your characters, THEN blanked all characters with 3 strength or lower.
Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5
This can provide a huge NPE against some decks like Martell, and does very little against others like Night’s Watch once their Wall is built. For that reason it’s a meta-call card, and one I hope not to face.
Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5
It could be very effective against decks with powerful chuds such as Martell or NW Builders but, again, I can’t see Tyrell finding the deck space for an event like this, especially at two cost, and especially as it blanks your own Green-Apple Knights, Highgarden Courtiers, Left and Right, etc. Probably another Rookery card.
OKTarg – 2 out of 5
I think I like this more than the other reviewers seem to, but that’s not a high bar! For two gold, Tyrell usually wants something constructive, and this soft (double-sided!) control card isn’t it.
hagarrr – 1 out of 5
I don’t think this is very good, particularly at the 2 cost price point. As a general rule, those characters with low strength are less impactful, ignoring the likes of Daenerys Targaryen, Begging Brothers and Tycho Nestoris (lol), and so spending a card and 2 gold to blank them seems somewhat unimpactful. This could be situationally good in some games, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this never saw play.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 1 out of 5
This card would struggle to win the race to make a deck, but there’s an outside chance it could sneak its way to the finishing line; trouble is, Nightmares tied its shoelaces together before the race began and it fell flat on its face.
Owen the Oaf (3.5 Average)
scantrell24 – 3 out of 5
Owen has some uses, but the cards we have already do it better. I’d rather have Builders with Practice Blades than Owen with a Practice Blade to defend the Wall. His best use might be on attack to push through intrigue challenges in Night’s Watch Rains, but even there he needs a Dagger or other buff to win alone. Also, outside of that agenda intrigue is probably the weakest challenge type, in terms of reactions and rewards for winning.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
In first edition Owen’s effect was considered strong enough to grant the opponent power for their house card (as it was then ) when he left play – and that was on a 2 strength character! There aren’t many intrigue monocons with strength 4 or higher outsides of Nights Watch, and that means winning intrigue challenges against Owen will prove very difficult. There is always the option with Practise Blade or Off to Gulltown to have Owen provide a similar restriction in other challenges, though at that stage Owen would contribute no strength himself.
Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5
He’s good. With him out, your opponent’s bicons and tricons are going to have a hard time pushing through intrigue challenges. Slap a Practice Blade on him and he can do his trick in military challenges too. Granted, if you do that he’ll KO his own strength in the process but that won’t matter if you’re playing a Wall defence deck and just want to fizzle out the challenge.
OKTarg – 3 out of 5
It’s like the Red Viper got sent to the Wall and reversed his ability! I think he’s….okay. It’s clear that he’s designed for a Core Wall defense deck and can work there, but he’s pretty expensive for defending INT there. You can practice blade him, as the others have said, but then his ability will affect himself! The other option floated, that of Rains, seems like a lot of work (a two card combo where the other cards aren’t the type of thing Rains likes). Now, in Rains Wall Defense, there you go!
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
Owen the Oaf is a really good card for negating and disincentivising the opponents’ challenges. Funny then that I think he’s a nice addition for a Core Wall deck (remember them?), as there aren’t many intrigue monocons that can beat Owen in a battle of wits. In some ways, it’s a shame he’s “no attachments except Weapon” as he’d be pretty funny with a Noble Lineage. Perhaps it’s a good excuse to get Othell Yarwyck out of the binder!
Q&T Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5
Reminiscent of the “Prized” monocons in First Editions. In Rains decks, he’s lovely, as with a single STR boost (Wall, Halder, Dagger, Pick) he has a good chance of triggering your agenda all by himself, round after round; in all other decks he’s fine but not amazing, and Night’s Watch would probably much rather have this effect on either of the other icons.
Shadow of the Wall (1.0 Average)
scantrell24 – 1 out of 5
I love finding niche uses for head-scratcher cards, but so far I don’t see any of consequence for Shadow of the Wall.
Von Wibble – 1 out of 5
Given that you are only standing a monocon, this has very limited applications. You can use the character to attack and defend. Problem there is that Night’s Watch decks tend to want one or the other, not both. You could gain the strength towards dominance. Surprise factor aside, that’s about it. Generally Nights Watch aren’t running that many winter plots so I’d consider it a bonus to get it back to hand. This feels like it will be more fun to use just before using icon granting tech for multiple challenges, perhaps a jank Nights Watch Lion build for Gregor Clegane?
Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5
Pretty disappointing. You’re only standing a monocon, and NW rarely use winter plots unless it’s choke (and if it’s choke then you’re probably not wasting 2 gold to stand a solitary monocon). Pass.
OKTarg – 1 out of 5
I can channel my inner Russell Westbrook here: “Next Question”
hagarrr – 1 out of 5
Rubbish. To pay 2 gold for a conditional stand effect might be okay, but the range of targets is very narrow. If Night’s Watch receive a powerful effect that plays off cards emerging from shadows, this could certainly improve, but currently it’s binder fodder.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 1 out of 5
Situational, Winter trait doesn’t offer much help to recur, quite low impact for a stand, single icon characters are the ones you get the least value from standing. Next!
Red Keep Gaoler (3.4 Average)
scantrell24 – 3 out of 5
Red Keep Goaler is only worth deck space if you’re looking for “out of shadows” triggers. The following card is a start, but I don’t think Bara Shadows is there yet. In any other deck type he’s fine but not optimal when compared to Penrose, Davos, etc.Though it is nice that you can setup the Goaler for just 2 gold.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
If you don’t see moving 2 power as a cost, which could be achieved by having a very well protected character out, or some Stormlands Fiefdoms, then this guy reads as an efficient 2 cost 4 strength bicon. A guard too, if you are into that sort of thing. I’m just not sure that Baratheon decks that aren’t shadows focussed have room for him unfortunately. Interesting to note you can move the power to an opponent’s Baratheon card if you want to, for melee table talk, jank with shadows Varys, or extreme jank with Kingslayer.
Hybrid92 – 3.5 out of 5
A perfectly fine 4-for-4 non-unique body which Bara is in need of. We’ve gotten some decent mid-range characters recently but no non-unique ones, so this could be a great filler card. If you’re playing Stormlands Fiefdom or it’s a post reset period in the game, then his come-out-of-shadows cost is no cost at all, and in that case he becomes a very efficient 2-for-4 that can surprise jump in at any time. Having said all that, this guy would not see play in most other factions but this is Bara we’re talking about. #BaraTax
OKTarg – 4 out of 5
So, I like this guy quite a bit. Played regularly, he’s passable, which automatically puts him in the top third of Bara cards ( 🙂 ) and the shadow jumping ability is pretty nice! It plays nicely with Black Cells, helps avoid resets, and can work against Sea of Blood type stuff. I’ll have to look back at all of these types of cards to see where this one lands, but relative to the power level of the other cards in the house, I think this one is a contender to be played.
hagarrr – 3 out of 5
It appears that each faction may get a character that has a way to cheat itself out of shadows, and I think the Gaoler may become one of the better ones. The power manipulation and movement that Baratheon are getting is interesting, and with the Baratheon deluxe box on the horizon, this may develop further. The cost of moving two power isn’t really a cost with Stormlands Fiefdom available, and the Gaoler works perfectly in tandem with The Black Cells too. There’s plenty of jank to be had in the mirror matches, especially with Melisandre killing opponents characters with power….
Q&T Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5
We don’t think the “move 2 power” cost is quite free, especially mid-late game where you have to take real steps to protect the character, but early game it can actually be useful to shield your faction card from power claim (and Stormlands Fiefdoms can of course put it right back there). Bara needed a cheap efficient non-unique power icon though, so we assume this goes in their decks.
The Black Cells (4.2 Average)
scantrell24 – 4 out of 5
Nerfed by gaining the unique symbol. In 1st edition these were non-unique so you could have multiple Black Cells in play. Still very good, but if you run 3x the additional copies will be dead draws unfortunately. The Bara tax strikes again.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
Again this card is for shadows decks, as a single trigger of this effect for 4 gold isn’t good enough. In decks with enough shadows effects this will be strong. The fact we already know of 2 non loyal cards that reliably trigger from shadows means that banners are a potential option as well as Assault from the Shadows. I’m going to be generous on the rating but if Baratheon shadows isn’t a thing by the end of the cycle this score goes down for sure.
Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5
An amazingly strong card for future Baratheon shadows decks, and my rating reflects the potency of this card in that theoretical deck. Until then, it’s probably binder fodder. Kinda makes me wish this was released in the last pack of the cycle.
OKTarg – 4 out of 5
I’d like to make it a 5, but the other reviewers have noted that there’s a few drawbacks, notably the lack of repeatable shadow cards in Bara, and the uniqueness. That said, the control offered here really is unparalleled in Bara….not being able to kneel means they can’t challenge, or if they’re a non-kneeler, use your kneel to get them down and the cells to make them stay down! (Perhaps with an Asshai Priestess or something). The problem, as always, is gold….Bara needs more to make shadows work.
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
Cannot kneel or stand is a very powerful effect, but will necessitate a playable Baratheon shadows deck to be effective. This is a great example of why cheap shadows cards can be very impactful, triggering effects like these to further nullify characters in the challenge phase. Baratheon players have been lamenting the ubiquity of standing effects, especially in Stark and Targaryen, and so ‘cannot kneel’ helps to ease those problematic matchups a little. This probably makes Dominance decks worse, but who cares about that?
Q&T Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5
A step towards making Bara control decks viable in the face of all that stand, huzzah! It will of course improve once we get the Kingdom of Shadows agenda or through bannering, but we think you can just about run this as a centrepiece in a monofaction deck as it is; and even if you don’t, it may be worth a spot as a 1x. Baratheon’s main issue will be cycling their shadows cards to get repeat triggers – only A Pinch of Powder will naturally be available to play multiple times.
The Regent’s Guard (X Average)
scantrell24 – 4.5 out of 5
The Regent’s Guard is exactly what jumper decks needed to come back into the meta. Returning your own characters to hand as a “cost” is extremely powerful. You can dodge a reset, re-use come into play abilities, clear negative attachments, run away from lasting effects like Tears of Lys or Poisoned Coin, or even just add a card to your hand so Myrcella doesn’t kneel to attack.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
Unlike the Martell and Baratheon equivalents, this needs main faction Lannister (or at least false banner Lion) to reliably work. I like that this card works well with Harrenhal and Lionstar (see the Baratheon box preview) to get around the downsides at no loss in tempo for you at all.
Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5
The synergy with Harrenhal and Lionstar has already been mentioned. There’s also synergy with Hear Me Roar and I Never Bet Against My Family. Apart from that, I don’t really see the tempo hit as being worth it for this vanilla body. Don’t get me wrong though, if you’re playing any combination of those four aforementioned cards, you probably include these guys.
OKTarg – 4 out of 5
At first I was thinking that wh these non-costed shadow characters, this one carried the most cost, and then I realized that actually pulling things back can be great. All of the jumper tech really gets a boost with these guys, and even replaying things from Shadows like Ser Gregor (albeit expensive) can be worth getting them back in your hand. What about 7-cost Joffrey (lol)?
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
These are excellent, allowing a multitude of uses and generating plenty of options for Lannister. This can be used with jumper events INBAMF and Hear me Roar to avoid losing the characters, and it can be used similarly with Harrenhal and the upcoming Lionstar. With the Regent’s Guard in shadows, the losses of those cards are lessened considerably. This extra tempo and “draw” may allow Lannister to compete better with other factions going forward. In a more dedicated shadows deck, you can also return your Mandon Moore or Robert Strong to hand to set up extra uses if your Clever Feint hasn’t shown up yet!
Q&T Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5
This is part one of a two-part special we like to call “Istaril disagrees with the other Curmudgeons on the power level of a Lannister card”. We like that this is good fun, strong, and plays exceptionally into Lannister’s pre-existing strategies like shadows and jumpers. There is a little work to get it into play though, so it’s not quite on the auto-include level. The M:tG players among us are getting a “Morph” vibe from these alternate cost cards.
Pyromancer’s Cache (3.25 Average)
scantrell24 – 3 out of 5
Does the versatility make up for the expense? Tough to say. Neither effect by itself is worth 2 gold, but like with Secret Pact you can choose whichever you need most: blank an opponent’s Wall, Dorne, etc. and give him draw, or blank your own Roseroad, FroSo’d Casterly Rock, etc. and get a draw in return. Maybe a Rookery card.
Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5
Finally, tech to deal with those Frostfangs my opponents are giving to me! Desperate as Lannister are for draw, this may still be too expensive unless we get to late game, by which time it probably only nets 1-2 cards anyway. However, this card has the alternative option to act as a more expensive Frozen Solid that also gives your opponent cards, but, and this is an important but, also hits limited locations and cost 4+ locations. Switching off your opponents Wall or Arbor is probably worth the cost. Of course, with Sea of Blood and Nightflyer around, such locations are rarer now than they were.
Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5
Given that it already blanks (and kneels) your location, it probably should’ve been 1 cost (or 2 cards at 2 cost). It’s okay but probably not the draw antidote that Lannister has been looking for.
OKTarg – 3 out of 5
They say that cards which give your opponent a choice are bad; does that mean cards which give YOU a choice are good? It’s a worse Frozen Solid and a worse Pleasure Barge, but mash them up and you might have something in a house that badly needs cards and location control both.
hagarrr – 3 out of 5
Paying two golds seems quite expensive for this effect; however the flexibility of it makes it more palatable. In the early game, you’ll be glad you drew this against Winterfell, NuWall or The Arbor, and in the later game you can just blank a Roseroad and use the location to draw more cards. Seems fine.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5
Part two. This card can’t compare to its first edition version, but what it lacks in raw card advantage efficiency, it makes up for in versatility. Going on any location means Lannister get a valuable tool to shut down thorns in their side (The Wall (either), Winterfell, The Hightower, et al) without having to limit their own strategies. Alternatively you can blank a no-longer-needed economy card to accelerate your own draw, an option the faction badly needed.
Alannys Greyjoy (4.5 Average)
scantrell24 – 4.5 out of 5
Drawing a card practically every round is great. The potential for a 2nd or even 3rd draw with Silence jumping in ships, Nightflyer or Grey Ghost from shadows, We Take Westeros, or even Steel Rain (ok maybe not that one) is even better. The only trouble is that you’ll be hard-pressed to keep her around when Valar Dohaeris hits. At 4 gold and 3 str Alannys would have earned a perfect score, but alas, she’s “only” nearly perfect.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
In non pillage based decks I see her replacing the Reader as a 1 of in any Greyjoy deck, she doesn’t need to be in challenges to get the card and aside from that is very similar to him.
Hybrid92 – 4.5 out of 5
See ya Reader, it was nice knowing you. Queen Alannys will draw you 1 card per round, and perhaps 2 cards per round if you’re playing the full warship suite with Silence. Great ability, with good icons and strength for a mid-range Greyjoy character too.
OKTarg – 5 out of 5
5 cost is non-negligible, but….yeah. Cards are great, and with even the “enters play” stipulation, she can go in all the Warship decks and keep them humming. If this solves draw for GJ, watch out!
hagarrr – 5 out of 5
Alannys is far better than her Core Set counterpart, and can be a real draw engine for Greyjoy Warships decks. With all the advantages Greyjoy have, the one thing that holds them back slightly is access to cards. In decks that run Big Vic and Isles Euron, using Rhymes with Meek is slightly awkward with minimal unopposed tech, but Alannys solves the draw issue here. She won’t make it in all Greyjoy decks, but she will be fantastic in the ones she belongs in, providing that valuable intrigue icon too.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5
Greyjoy got a card that does more than just challenges AND it got an extra icon? Greyjoy as a faction is wonky with regards to draw, struggling for it outside of winning challenges. Alannys offers an easy solution, albeit at the cost of not gelling with the faction’s current gameplans. Unthematic synergy with both Eurons too, so that’s nice!
Nightflyer (4.5 Average)
scantrell24 – 5 out of 5
Too easy. Should be a 1x in almost every Greyjoy deck. Between Sea Bitch and Nightflyer, Greyjoy’s location control makes them a very attractive Banner faction.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
Yes, it’s a short term tempo hit. But in many matchups, discarding a powerful location and then using We Take Westeros to grab it for yourself is going to be a game-winning move. For that reason it becomes even harder to justify running these kind of locations without protection. The fact this hits economy too means you can’t even tech against it by just including limited locations, though at least if they hit economy they probably lost more money themselves.
Hybrid92 – 5 out of 5
No reason to ever not slot this card in your deck as a 1x at least. Spot removal of literally any location in the game, and you get a warship (for your warship-related effects) and +1 initiative for your troubles! Use it in the marshalling phase for 0 gold out of shadows if choke ever becomes a thing.
OKTarg – 4 out of 5
Since Greyjoy likely don’t care about the Shadow trigger, they’re just in it for the removal. It’s sort of like Catspaw, out of Lannister, which is more expensive and bounce rather than discard, but still quite good. This, though, seems like you can just use a WDNS and go on with your day.
hagarrr – 5 out of 5
You will almost always pay 6 gold to remove that Arbor your opponent paid 4 for, leaving you slightly behind on the tempo race. Fortunately, the aftermath of Nightflyers’ entrance allows you to claw back this tempo with added interest. With Core Euron, We Take Westeros!, Tris Botley and Andrik the Unsmiling, in addition to the initiative bonus, the fact that Victarion can use it, and Alannys can draw from it, makes it very potent. Furthermore, Nightflyer is not restricted to discarding non-limited locations. This cannot be prevented by Hand’s Judgment, Vince, or Begging Brothers, making it very scary indeed. The only question is, Greyjoy already have so many ways to discard locations; do they want another more expensive one?
Q&T Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5
The main thing that pushes this above “Newly Made Lord” levels is its ability to hit Limiteds. We don’t quite think it makes choke decks a thing again, and it’s a little more expensive than Greyjoy’s existing location hate cards, but at least people might have to think twice about fetching Gates of the Moon round one now.
Black Market Merchant (2.4 Average)
scantrell24 – 3 out of 5
Janktastic ability, although Gifts for the Widow already serves a similar purpose without the “top 10 cards” RNG gamble. I will definitely try Black Market Merchant in my Night’s Watch Dragon deck with Jon Snow, Sworn to the Watch, Seal of the Hand, Longclaw, and Lord Commander.
Von Wibble – 2 out of 5
Given Targ’s general dislike of 1 strength characters, this only really fits in a voltron type build, whether main house or banner. Searching the top 10 cards of your deck means you have to be running a high amount of attachments that you want on your own characters, ideally costing 2 or more at that. Gifts for the Widow feels stronger, unless we get to the point where a deck would want to run both I’ll pass on this.
Hybrid92 – 1.5 out of 5
Only works for positive attachments, so it’s good for Qohor or Voltron Daenerys decks, but other than that it doesn’t have a place in regular Targ (and especially not burn at 1 strength).
OKTarg – 2 out of 5
“Can I interest you in whiffing trying to find a Queensguard?” I mean, you’ll slot it in Qohor probably but that’s it. Does this mean Targ won’t get the cheat-into-play 4 cost bicon to go with their cheat-into-play suite? (probably a good thing)
hagarrr – 3 out of 5
Assuming a 3 cost attachment is found, this character is essentially a 1 cost bicon, which is very efficient. Assuming you don’t, you’re paying extra for the tutor and surprise effect from the attachment, which isn’t too bad either. Unlike other factions, Targaryen do not have a build-around card for a shadows deck, reducing the impact of providing a generic shadows trigger for other effects. Targ has been receiving recent attachment support in Gifts for the Widow, Dragon Gate and now the Merchant, so perhaps there is even more to come this cycle. Finally, the Merchant is non-loyal, and I’d expect it to see plenty of play in banner Qohor decks to improve consistency.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5
“Hey, you wanna buy a watch?” It’s pricey, but in Qohor (AKA the only deck you’ll actually bother to run the positive attachments this fetches) it fits. Would be surprised to show up elsewhere given the price though.
Shadow of the East (3.2 Average)
scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5
Shadow of the East is versatile in terms of timing and potential targets (ANY attachment), fairly priced, and could return to hand more often than not. Also, a zero cost any phase action could be useful for triggering Dany’s burn effect when needed.
Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5
Finally Targ get some attachment control that lets them run King Viserys instead of core. Summer plots aren’t that rare in Targ so there is a decent chance the effect will be repeatable. This competes mainly with Qarth, I think I like it better as the first use is cheaper and location hate is increasing in prevalence.
Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5
This seems like a really good card. Spot attachment removal any time you want for effectively 2 gold. The fact that it is shadows means you can save it and keep it in shadows in case there aren’t any good targets. It also helps to trigger 5-cost Daenerys and any shadows-related effects you have. The return to hand effect if there’s a summer plot revealed is a lot easier to trigger than the winter plot ones for these events. Great event.
OKTarg – 3 out of 5
The other guys have noted that the card has synergy with other extant Targ themes, and while it’s not quite as efficient as Viserys on the first use, the repeatability can help. Summer plots aren’t exactly hard to find, so I think you’ll see this played.
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
This event is cheaper than Qarth for the one time use, easier to recur than the other “Shadow of the….” events seen so far, and reduces the reliance on Core Viserys as attachment control. This is pretty good! I like that it’s safe from intrigue claim too, and provides a Pyro Dany trigger for 0 cost in any phase. Lovely.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 1 out of 5
An exact reprint, what fun! And of a card that never saw any play in first edition to boot, for the same reason it won’t here – Targaryen have better attachment hate, so why would they ever run this?
As there’s not really much to say on this card, allow us to indulge in a rant. We get that first edition did a lot right, and importing old cards into the new game isn’t bad per se, but to do it so many times in a single pack just looks… lazy? Three champ cards, plus this exact reprint, plus four other reimaginings/updates of first edition cards (Black Cells, Pyromancer’s Cache, Shadow Politics, A City Besieged), plus other first edition mechanics like monocon-support returning all in one pack is just a bit much, even for old-timers such as us.
The Fowler Twins (3.6 Average)
scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5
The Fowler Twins are another piece for the Martell Rose deck that I mentioned in the Arrogant Contender review. I would have loved another point of strength or a better Trait, but as printed they might be the 61st card in some decks, just missing the final cut-down.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
Reckless didn’t see much play, but this has the advantage of choosing a different character every time. However, if your opponent is first player then this will have limited impact, probably at best changing the order in which they do their challenges, so this isn’t for every deck. Also, is it just me or does the twin on the right look like she is wearing a mask of her own face?
Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5
It’s a cute 1x in Martell decks who want a chud that could have a potentially very annoying effect. I’m sure some Jank King will work out a way to combo this card with a bunch of largely unplayed cards for some flashy effect, but by itself it’s a decent enough card.
OKTarg – 4 out of 5
It’s like Harpoon Margaery, but better (?!?) since it doesn’t need to declare as an attacker to get the effect. Very, very cool ability and will be super annoying to work around.
hagarrr – 3 out of 5
I already know I’m going to absolutely hate playing against them. I have visions of them forcing my big guys to defend and attack unnecessarily so the Martell player can trigger all kinds of nasty effects. I expect there will be attempts to combine these with Ellaria Sand and Darkstar, which…. actually sounds like fun, I might try it myself!
Q&T Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5
Despite JC’s reflex to underrate twins again, this has to be a 5. It’s thematically on-point for the faction, feels unique, is a strong effect, and both plays nicely by itself and synergises with other cards such as Maester Caleotte or The Red Viper.
Shadow of the South (1.3 Average)
scantrell24 – 2 out of 5
It’s a good idea, but poorly executed because the cost is too high. Maybe Martell shadows decks could afford this with At the Gates + Trade Routes, but then you’re not playing many Scheme plots to take advantage of the recursion aspect. Shadow City helps some, but not enough.
Von Wibble – 2 out of 5
Would shadows (0) have really hurt? In a non shadows deck there are better icon removal options. In a shadows deck you can get a good number of triggers with the forthcoming Arriane and that might make this worthwhile, even then I’m not too sure.
Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5
Effectively 3 gold to lose just one challenge icon? Schemes aren’t so common that this will *definitely* return to your hand, so you have to set it up which makes this card even worse. Martell have plenty of fantastic events — this isn’t one of them.
OKTarg – 1 out of 5
Hmmmmmm no thanks. I’ll take Starfall instead!
hagarrr – 1 out of 5
Garbage. To pay 3 gold to remove a single icon once only is rubbish and overpriced. Granted, the Shadow City can reduce this, and with the upcoming shadows Arianne, this will remove two icons instead of the one. I still think attachments are generally better unless you plan to run a few Schemes and want the deck space.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 1 out of 5
Thank goodness You Win Or You Die is a scheme, or we wouldn’t be able to return this to hand then bin it for reserve. Why would you ever pay 3 gold for this when you could pay 3 gold for Starfall instead, or even 1 gold for Confinement. It looks like the 4 gold 4 STR bicons are a suite of “good shadows cards”, and the Shadow events are a suite of “bad shadows cards”. What a novel approach.
Ghost of High Heart (3.7 Average)
scantrell24 – 4 out of 5
The cost (kneeling GoHH) and the timing (challenges phase only) hurt, but are reasonable for such a strong effect. Isles Balon decks and new Wall decks will take a copy for sure. It’s like a neutral Gold Mine that can also be used on the opponent.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
This is clearly an auto-include for Brotherhood and Free Folk decks. Outside of that, the hand knowledge makes this a decent shout as a one of, especially if your deck has few loyal characters so the strength boost is enabled.
Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5
Not sure if it will see much play in other factions, but for Bara it’s a fantastic card and I’m going to rate it as such. Even in a stock standard Bara (ie, not Brotherhood), we barely have any loyal characters, so it’s effectively a 3-for-3 intrigue icon that gives all our characters +1 and has a very nifty hand control effect. And if we do have a loyal character in play, it’s probably Robert Baratheon so we’re not going to cry about losing the +1 strength buff.
OKTarg – 4 out of 5
Either filter your opponent or filter yourself, all while getting hand knowledge and a strength boost? Yes, please! Very nice in Brotherhood or probably even Free Folk, and some houses like Bara will be quite happy with it. Fun card that I’m happy to see back!
hagarrr – 3 out of 5
This is a nice card for decks with neutrals, allowing an overall strength buff and some hand control too. I like the flexibility of the hand control, with the option to discard one of your own dead cards for a replacement. The strength buff isn’t insignificant, and will be a good benefit for Brotherhood decks. It probably doesn’t see any play in many other decks though.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5
As far as champ cards in second edition go, this one actually seems pretty balanced. It’s very good and should be considered in any deck – the non-loyal STR boost is a kicker – and our only real criticism is that it no longer counters The First Snow of Winter.
Shadow Politics (2.2 Average)
scantrell24 – 2 out of 5
If you’re not against another shadows deck (option 1) or a Balon, new Wall, or Flea Bottom deck (option 2), then there’s hand knowledge (option 3) for general use. Cool design but not especially powerful on it’s own.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
In shadows decks this is an easy include to trigger other effects that rely on shadows cards, like the Knight of Flowers or Littlefinger, with great versatility to boot. Otherwise, 3 cost is just a bit too high for me.
Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5
As mentioned above, this will probably only see play in Shadows decks as a way to trigger other Shadows-related effects (eg. the Black Cells that we saw earlier in this pack). Outside of Shadows decks, it’s probably too expensive.
OKTarg – 1 out of 5
I think that it’s likely not worth playing, sadly. In fact, I went from a 3 to a 2 to a 1. The versatility doesn’t outweigh the low power level, I think.
hagarrr – 3 out of 5
A flexible shadows card, of which the most applicable option is likely to be “look at an opponents’ hand”, which is definitely not worth 3 gold alone. Situationally, you’ll want to remove 5 cards from the discard pile against a Flea Bottom deck, and if against a shadows deck, you’ll certainly want to discard a shadows card. Those feel like better value, and if you can marry this card up with something that likes the shadows triggers like Cersei or KoF then it may be worth a slot or two.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 1 out of 5
What a lovely amount of versatility. Shame none of the options are very interesting or strong.
Knights of the Hollow Hill (4.0 Average)
scantrell24 – 4 out of 5
Can we still call this agenda 222? Or is it 321 now? One advantage to KotHH is that you can include fewer economy locations in your draw deck, leaving more space for better cards. One downside is that without a setup you’ll see 3-5 fewer cards than your opponent right off the bat. I look forward to exploring this agenda in a very different cardpool than existed in the game’s previous version. Hopefully the modifiers are balanced properly, not too easy or difficult for the long-game grindy decks to take advantage. I think they look about right.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
With Sea of Blood and Stark/Greyjoy in general doing well in the meta, quick decks seem the order of the day, and this agenda doesn’t do so well against those. However, a good control faction, whether the soft control of Bara kneel or Martell icon control, or the hard control of Targ, could ensure that their opponents don’t gain too much out of that set up, and then leverage the boosts of the agenda for a long term win. Good use of resets can also help a lot, though you probably want to run 2 as you may need one to use earlier on. I just hope it doesn’t enable characterless decks…
Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5
It’s hard to judge just how effective this card will be in 2nd Edition. In 1st Edition, it was meta defining, with a whole host of powerful (and sometimes NPE decks) emerging out of the creation of this agenda. Instead of the 2 influence now we get an extra gold and +1 reserve. Time will tell if that will be enough to mitigate the oppressive downside of forgoing a setup.
OKTarg – 5 out of 5
I really, really like this agenda. You can read the definitive take (IMO) from Q&TR below. Let me suggest a few decks to start with:
Bara Shadows. You have In the Name of Your King handy for early MIL claim, and the long-game economy affords you options to get your Black Cells and such going.
Martell Anything. Turn One Last Giants/Varys? Remember those decks? Let’s get ready!
Lannister Ambush. Harrenhall/Tower of the Hand are held back by being slow and therefore needing some low curve for set up, cheap characters for rounding out, and big characters to jump….this whole agenda helps you beat the curve and cheap character drawback and focus on finding the locations and big guys.
This will be fun! And, if a strong long-game agenda gets going will it free us from the chains of games being decided turn one by Sea of Blood? I hope so!
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
This is the equivalent of having an Arbor from the start of the game, with the drawback of not having a setup. The no setup penalty goes further than simply not having 8 gold of resources on the board; it also restricts drawing into those extra cards too. This is quite severe and it’ll be tough for KotHH decks to withstand quick decks. This almost certainly indicates that this agenda will promote resets in order to equalise the board before taking control with strong gold, initiative control, and good reserve. Decks that can create some explosive tempo like Greyjoy with Euron, or Targaryen with Qotho and Aegon will like this, as will location based passive power like Baratheon reset decks with Iron Throne and Chamber of the Painted Table.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5
In first edition, the agenda offered two main selling points. Firstly, it set up your economy for the entire game. This not only eliminated variance of setups, but also allowed you to ditch economy cards in favour of more impactful ones (often events as they were all free in first edition). As a result, topdecks were almost always useful, and it was a lot harder to draw your deck ‘out of order’. Secondly, it provided 2 influence (a secondary, rarer economy in first edition) – allowing to you to use some of the more powerful events. As an example, an event form of core Varys called Westeros Bleeds required 4 influence.
The price you paid was the lack of a setup. In first edition setups were a lot more card-dense, often providing 5 or more (sometimes as high as all 7), and card advantage was significantly harder to come by than in second edition (hence the old first edition mantra of “draw equals win”). KotHH decks often needed to employ a “salt the earth” approach, wiping the board completely (with Westeros Bleeds!) if possible to make up for the lack of setup.
In second edition, both the advantages and drawbacks largely still hold true, but are also lessened. The economic advantage is similar, but as events now cost gold, the old approach of “replace all your economy locations with events instead” simply won’t fly. The impact of setup is also reduced, as decks will routinely only get out 3 or 4 cards, which is not a particularly huge obstacle to overcome. The agenda has certain advantages from the plots available – reliably opening Fallen From Favour, for instance, and being able to run two copies of Counting Coppers.
On balance, we think this means that the agenda will play more ‘normally’ than its first edition counterpart, for better or worse. All that’s then left is more freedom for the deckbuilder, and while finding the right balance in what to turn those limited locations into may prove tricky in the short-term, the undeniable increase in quality-per-card the agenda allows, coupled with it freeing up your faction card kneel, should make it a prominent force in the meta.
A City Besieged (3.7 Average)
scantrell24 – 4 out of 5
Hard to argue with two claim plus location control. Two gold is low enough to keep it balanced. I wonder if any future City plots will scale with how many City plots are in your used pile, or if the bonuses will continue to be binary — yes there’s a City or no there isn’t.
Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5
With claim 2 and the ability to kneel a couple of strong economy locations like Great Hall, this feels like a plot to keep the pressure on your opponent if you have even a slight advantage in board presence. However, the low gold means I don’t want to run it unless I have at least 1 other city plot, (with At the Gates, I probably do though!). Aside from that, having good 1 sided location control in a plot is something that has been missing from the game, and with Breaking Ties restricted and Political Disaster so niche, this has little effective competition.
Hybrid92 – 4.5 out of 5
Crazy plot, especially since everyone is opening At the Gates these days. Literally the only downside is the 2 gold and that stops it from being a 5 out of 5 card for me. This is a huge piece for the City plots.
OKTarg – 3 out of 5
Despite the flash, the two gold holds it down a lot. But, you know what? Knights of the Hollow Hill is likely to love this!
hagarrr – 4 out of 5
The immediate comparison in my mind was Rise of the Kraken due to the similar stats, but instead of a bonus for winning unopposed, there’s some location control which can help to press your two claim advantage. Seeing as many decks are opening At the Gates, this will likely be kneeling two locations, and this isn’t restricted to non-limited! In the short term, you might prefer to stick with You Win or You Die, but when the full complement of City plots are released, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this with more regularity.
Q&T Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5
We’ll let Istaril take this one: “Here’s the problem – and it’s not specific to this plot. Plots are the best aspect of this game, and anything that makes them much more predictable should be implemented very carefully. I’m glad they didn’t just build a whole city plot deck a la first edition, where they ramp up – so you feel you have to go all-in on them. On the other hand, though, these city plots still share some idiotic flaws inherent to the last edition. Here’s an example: There are plots that, by design, are more commonly used as openers – but the card text doesn’t explicitly say that (Except, maybe, Winter Reserves). So you decide to design a whole cycle of City Plots that key off having a City plot in your used pile; Secrets, Besieged, and presumably more – but you then create a City plot that says “You have to use me first” (At the Gates). Why? Wouldn’t it be more interesting if you had to choose which City plot to get less effect out of on the first round? I mean, At the Gates is ubiquitous regardless of city follow ups, but presumably the intent was that it be confined mostly to City plot decks – if so, why aim to force a player to give away their plot deck on turn 1? It’s just so head-scratching – what positive element of game-play are these trying to create? I suspect it’s just 1st edition nostalgia driving lazy design. And I don’t say that often.”
It’s hard for us to disagree with him. The card itself has 2 claim and offers a relatively rare effect, so despite the poor gold and above rant we’ll give it a middle rating.
Total Pack Average: 3.22
Top Cards:
Alannys Greyjoy 4.5
Nightflyer 4.5
Black Cells 4.2
Knights of the Hollow Hill 4.0
Regent’s Guard 3.9
Smalljon Umber 3.75
A City Besieged 3.7
Ghost of High Heart 3.7
Bottom Cards:
Shadow of the Wall 1.0
Shadow of the South
Show of Strength 1.6
Shadow Politics 2.2
If you’re hungry more content, check out the library of podcasts, articles, game video and more in the Community FAQ. Let us know in the comments how you feel about the cards in this box, and we’ll see you again soon to discuss the “Fury of the Storm” deluxe box!
