Getting new cards is lovely time for the community. But who got the best cards and did some factions end up with binder fodder? Our unbiased reviewers are once again telling their outspoken opinions about the new cards. Let us know who had it right and who has absolutely no clue about what’s good and bad in our great game!
Beric Dondarrion (3.8 average)
JCWamma – 3 out of 5
The reaction is roughly equivalent to Intimidate. Better in some ways, worse in others. The comparison I’m then making is to Core Robert, who is also 7 gold, 5 STR Intimidate. Except that Robert also gets +1 STR for each kneeling character, so for regular Bara decks I think Beric is strictly worse. (Being non-loyal makes him an option for Stag and Brotherhood.) The value will be from the fact the reaction can be paired with Intimidate to control two characters, and from being able to lock a saveable character down for the next round before a reset. Overall, I think this goes in some decks but a conventional Baratheon deck probably struggles to make room for Beric, Robert and Stannis.
Johannes 4 out of 5
Beric doesn’t seem as strong as core Robert Baratheon but it’s still reasonably strong card. The usefulness of the ability excels when combined with intimidate. I think that’s quite easily accessible for Baratheon with Warhammer. I guess it’s especially good with combining Trading with Qohor agenda where you can first use the ability and then fetch Warhammer for the intimidate. I can see Beric replacing Stannis in some decks. And of course, a valid option for Banner Stag and The Brotherhood Without Banner decks.
*Oh, and I was just told it’s until end of the round, so you can actually lock some character knelt in a kneel deck.
Hagen – 4.5 out of 5
Black Cells proved to be strong enough even in non shadows builds, as a single well-timed trigger can be crucial for the game. Beric is looking even stronger with his “until of the round” reaction and will be a huge threat even if he doesn’t trigger every round. Pair him with some kneel or intimidate to shut down entire boards.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
An extra kneel effect, pseudo intimidate if you will. However the ability is so much more flexible than that as you can use it together with a kneel effect to ensure the big guy knelt doesn’t stand up in challenges or standing, taking it out of action potentially for a second round – handy if you have ran out of Rh’llor cards for Core Mel for example. Renown on top is a nice bonus. The disadvantage (aside from a fair cost of 7) is that you do have to win a challenge with him on attack to control your opponent’s big, which isn’t as easy to do as with Mel’s simple trigger or Bob’s giant strength.
Bonus points if you can use him together with Hardhome!
Xelcor – 3.5 out of 5
Another powerhouse of a 7 cost character for Baratheon. Good traits and good synergies for AAR and kneel. Overall a good card only held back by Baratheon economy.
Lady Marya (3.4 average)
JCWamma – 3 out of 5
It goes in Smuggler decks for card advantage and that’s about it. I think the Smuggler deck is a bit underrated, but I don’t think this pushes it over the top or anything.
Johannes – 3 out of 5
Lady Maria seems like a good add to Smuggler theme of stealing your opponent’s cards. I don’t think there’s a competitive deck for it yet, but there might be one. Biggest issue is that the cards don’t have much synergy with your own deck. Then again playing opponent’s key unique cards stops your opponent from playing them.
Hagen – 4 out of 5
I don’t like luck-based cards, but this has a solid design compared to others. The difference with Valyrian’s Crew is that location is more likely to stay on the board longer, increasing the chances of hitting something good. Also the cost is fair and provides another trait for Khorane that sometimes struggle with having enough Warships. I see Smugglers on the rise in the next months.
Von Wibble 3 out of 5
Smuggler support is nice to see, and that art is lovely! Whilst it might be a lucky dip as to what you get to steal, even denying your opponent access to a key card could be crucial. This could have a great synergy with return of top of deck tech such as The Bloody Cup, or deck manipulation such as The Bear and The Maiden Fair. This has the potential to be very powerful, but what balances it for me is that it is tied to some very specific decks as you need to win challenges with captains or smugglers, and there aren’t enough challenge powerhouses of those types in Bara alone.
Xelcor – 4 out of 5
Recruting for Baratheon smugglers, it can take your opponent’s wincon or get you 3 limited locations. But with Sellsails you can hit the dice more often.
In the smuggler deck a go-to card for sure, outside of it probably not so much.
Victarion Greyjoy (3.9 average)
JCWamma – 5 out of 5
The one slight on this guy is that he’s competing with two other very good cards with the same name. But an unkillable renown character (I think he’s paired with Drowned God way more than R’hllor) is tough not to give a straight 5 to. Look forward to him being very annoying on the Iron Throne as you have to click past his reaction at the beginning of every single phase.
Johannes – 3.5 out of 5
The new Victarion needs to be built around to get it going. There are already couple of good versions of him, and one especially, since it got re-designed and still restricted. I think early on Victarion will find its place in a Drowned God deck where chuds kneeled for the ability get killed anyway. Protected renown is strong no doubt.
Hagen – 4 out of 5
This card gets two things right: the insane artwork and the fact that makes another Victarion playable. Super versatile in his traits and effect, this guy opens up new archetypes with the R’hllor trait (both in Baratheon and Brotherhood decks) and will be a must in every Drowned God list. The fact he can kneel himself also makes great synergy with Queensguard.
Von Wibble 3.5 out of 5
It feels like he is very much pushed to Drowned God, where you can kneel an Acolyte of the Waves before having him die to Wildfire Assault, whilst Victarion himself (plus 3 other guys) get to live, giving you board superiority on top. The middling rating is because I’m not sure of that deck is quite there competitively (but see below). Having a character with a fair chance to be unkillable does make me think he could be a great voltron though!
Xelcor – 3.5 out of 5
He can kneel himself to get both benefits in challenges so a non-loyal song deck, AAR in Bara banner and ofc QG can make him shine as your voltron card. Overall, only useable for GJ in drowned god decks for a renown char. Can be a very strong card but will not compete for a spot with other 2 Vics.
Cast Me Forth (4.1 average)
JCWamma – 4 out of 5
Fun toy for the Drowned God decks for if you don’t have Tarle out yet. I like how the “play from your dead pile” theme is then undercut by the relatively low gold and reserve to keep it balanced. Thematically it’s weird for it to get Ambush to me – are they leaping out of the water at you??
Johannes – 4 out of 5
This plot will be a staple for Drowned God decks. Getting extra triggers for Drowned Disciples is always welcome and makes Drowned God decks less dependent on Tarle. Especially valuable in challenges if you hit this against The First Snow of Winter.
Hagen – 4.5 out of 5
What can I say? Drowned Gods is probably the most ugly archetype ever, so I just hope to never face this card. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen. I just regret using my copies of Burning the Dead as firewood years ago.
Von Wibble – 4.5 out of 5
I can imagine the pattern being something like Wildfire Cast Wildfire to get a quick rush of power, and therefore I think this card can help make Drowned God much more relevant in terms of power level, though you will need to find some economy to really get the best out of it. Obviously, the rating is only for that deck and not for general play.
Xelcor – 3.5 out of 5
Probably a go-to card for every drowned god deck. I don’t think it will push them over other GJ decks but it adds another way to get DG cards from your dead pile without needing Tarle. You will need some econ to use it effectively tho.
Myrcella Baratheon (4.0 average)
JCWamma – 5 out of 5
Myrcella is very versatile. Great for Crossing decks, for decks pushing intrigue, for sacrificing to Heir to the Iron Throne, cheap for setup, discourages chump challenges (she triggers on attack or defence)… this isn’t a “she’s broken” 5, but she just lots of important things for Lannister very well.
Johannes – 4 out of 5
Myrcella is just a very good chud with a positive trait and probably better than the other Lanni version. A good target for Lionstar and Flea Bottom if Hound is not around as well. I think most Lanni decks will run at least one copy of Myrcella if not two or three. Stark level unique chud efficiency.
Hagen – 4 out of 5
Comparison with her twin is tough, as she’s always been one of the best low cost characters of the game. They are very similar in strengthening the no-kneel concept, but this card gets it right by having a lower cost and boosting Queen Cersei both in Castamere or Crossing. It’s going to be a tough call choosing which one to play, but we can be sure Lannister are always going to have a card named Myrcella in their lists.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
A 2 for 2 bicon with power is not a common thing at all in Lannister, and therefore this cannot be considered a bad card at all. She helps you to get multiple intrigue challenges to reduce opponent’s hands quickly, but of course the problem there is that her namesake is a really strong card at the cost which likes it when…your opponents have fewer cards in hand than you.
Xelcor – 4 out of 5
Giving Lannister a very good character for 2 gold and an easy way to get to 2 Intrigue challenges. Also, a very good card for jumpers (Harrenhal and Lionstar) as well as with Flea Bottom.
Castamere (4.4 average)
JCWamma – 4 out of 5
At first, I thought this was rubbish. Then I realised it’s not military claim instead. It’s as well – like the original version of Free Folk. This is going to be nasty in aggro decks that get to empty your hand and your board with one challenge. Being an on-the-table trick and needing a win-by-5 trigger does weaken it slightly, but this will lead to a lot of blowouts, especially against not-Martell.
Johannes – 5 out of 5
The strongest card of the pack in my book. I think we all learned the hard way from original Free Folk how good extra claim is. I think Lannister has so many possibilities with it. Core Cersei is of course the most obvious one. Getting claim raise on already two claim plot and applying 3 claim on intrigue and military in a same challenge is brutal. It goes well with Big Cersei as well. The Spider’s Web is a good way to empty opponent’s hand and board with a Rains deck. This card is good enough to make Kevan Lannister to see more play.
Hagen – 3.5 out of 5
The mind goes back to the Trial by Combat times when Lannister liked to go aggro because of their gold supremacy. Even if those times are over Clansmen are performing really well now and will love this.
Von Wibble – 5 out of 5
We are well aware of how good bonus military claim is, I promise you. Free military claim, even if your opponent sees it coming, is very strong. Clansmen with Vanquish and this? Ouch!
Xelcor – 4.5 out of 5
1 gold for intrigue and military claim is a very good deal. You have to win by 5 or more but Lannister for sure have the tools to do so. It will make core Cersei shine for sure and also high claim Lannister decks can remove now 4-6 cards in one challenge. Also, with more intrigue challenges per round, you will get more opportunities to trigger it.
Scheming Snake (2.7 average)
JCWamma – 3 out of 5
Personally, I love it for Starfall decks. The combination with shadows Arianne is of course excellent too. Worth noting that, unlike Core Areo, this doesn’t remove the character from the challenge so any effects or keywords they have remain relevant.
Johannes – 2.5 out of 5
This is probably decent card for Martell shadows decks. However, Martell does ha a lot of three cost non-uniques that help with icon removal or remove from the challenge or return to characters in hand. It might be hard to find room the snake but at least it has two good traits for extra synergies.
Hagen – 1.5 out of 5
And the Award for the worst card goes to an expensive shadow monocon that dreams to fit in 3 different archetypes and doesn’t find space in any of them. She is basically a bad Maiden of Poisons, a card that even Martell loyalists struggle to remember. And let me say that the poor trick of getting naked only to bribe us in playing her won’t work (but earns her half point more).
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
My favourite art of the pack, and that’s saying something with Victarion and Lady Marya in the pack. As to the card itself, if you think of the card as cost 2 for the body (Sand Snake trait mainly) and + 2 for the reaction then it looks almost as good as the art.
Xelcor – 2.5 out of 5
It is a okay card and giving Sand Snakes another way to sneak in challenges and give Viper better options to intimidate. It can fit in many different Martell deck themes but don’t think it will be that impactful overall.
A Bed Of Scorpions (3.0 average)
JCWamma – 2 out of 5
This one’s bark is worse than its bite. …Wait, do scorpions bark? [Quick Google] This one’s audible hiss is worse than its bite. …Wait, do scorpions bite? [Quick Google] This one’s audible hiss is worse than its sting.
To be clear on the “why” – because of the “participating” word. I know Martell have some tech to force participation, but it’s mostly not all-that yet. I don’t expect a kill event to be the thing that elevates it to that next level. Players may step on the rake a few times and think the card is strong, but in practice I think it will more be that the threat of this card results in a couple more unopposed. Which, fine. I might bump this score up retroactively though when we inevitably get some spicy House Qorgyle tech!
Johannes – 3.5 out of 5
At first glance, I thought this might be the new “best kill spell in the game”. Then I realized the limitations for the participating character. Martell does have ways to force characters to participate. It works on defense as well, which is nice. Martell has a lot of these kind of tricks that don’t see that much play because they also have so many good stuff events. I’m waiting for someone to build interesting kill deck utilizing this. People have made Taste for Flesh and Like Warm Rain to work for Stark puppies.
Hagen – 3 out of 5
The best kill spell in the game (!) hasn’t seen play in ages, and even if this is slightly better finding spots for events in Martell is always difficult. Probably it won’t see much play but a surprise kill it’s not to be underestimated, especially if paired with STR boost for winning in defence. The only fact that this exists will make a wise opponent play in a more careful way.
Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5
Talking on art, I must admit I always thought this phrase was more of a metaphor…
I do like that this together with Doran’s Game forces quite a nasty choice for your opponent – do they defend to avoid the win by 5, or leave unopposed to avoid this kill effect? On the other hand, as with so many nice event cards, finding space is often the difficulty.
Xelcor – 4 out of 5
Now losing intrigue against Martell will be very scary if you defend, and if you don’t defend you might run into a Doran’s Game. The threat of this card will make your opponent think twice how they will defend the challenge, even if you don’t have it in the deck.
Gared (3.2 average)
JCWamma – 2 out of 5
I mean, the effect is good as a tech against certain things, but realistically you’re not going to be so terrified of Outwit that you need to protect against it, and Night’s Watch have so many efficient chuds I don’t think it makes the cut for generic power level.
Johannes – 3.5 out of 5
I think Gared is chud that is a bit above the curve. The ability isn’t super useful, but faction kneel is still nice. Old Bill Bone has been very common since it was released. I think Gared finds his place at least in Ranger decks, especially Crossing. Having two icons is nice and third one can be gotten from Ser Jaremy Rykker. Ranger decks just prefer cost slots of two, four and six. So at least one of the Naïve Scouts should be replaced with Gared.
Hagen – 3.5 out of 5
I like this guy. He deserved his own card and the effect is quite cool. Like his brother Bill Bone teaches us, a knelt faction card is always better than a standing faction card. Sometimes you will feel like he’s doing nothing, but other times he will save a whole round or even a game.
Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5
A 2 for 2 bicon with a decent trait, good keyword, and a textbox to prevent Greyjoy Outwitting your Valar. What’s not to like? Surely an easy 1 of in any Ranger deck, and a likely 1 of in most other Night’s Watch decks to boot.
Xelcor – 3.5 out of 5
Maybe his effect will not have the most impact, or maybe not even trigger once in some games. But it is a very good body, you like to see the 2 icons on a ranger and it is probably at least a 1 off in most if not all NW going forward (maybe that alone makes him a 4). He lets you play Morgulis even if you think your opponent has outwit, his effect will kneel your opponent’s faction card before they can trigger outwit and he can’t get milked.
Sentinel Stand (3.2 average)
JCWamma – 4 out of 5
It’s not hard for NW to build to have a bajillion monocons, and mass +2 STR for only 3 gold is super-strong. That’s all.
Johannes – 3 out of 5
Not sure how strong this is going to be in the end. Sticking to monocons certainly has an opportunity cost although it’s a strong effect. NW usually has good strength already and maybe the extra icons are more valuable. It will find its place in some decks for sure.
Hagen – 2.5 out of 5
The concept is fresh, and I’m glad designers opened a new path in NW. The potential to do something is there, but it will need some skilled deckbuilder to make this work. Do you defend the Wall with monocons? Do you steal characters but they are not monocon? And how many seconds it will take you to click concede when facing icon removal? It’s nice, but for now it’s just staying in the bin waiting to be exposed.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
Not a card to use with Gared! However, if any card can make core Jon Snow great again, this surely is it! You do have to build around it of course, but even a +1 STR pump does a lot of work. What I don’t know is how good the deck will be that uses this, so I am hedging more on the rating. Really like the fact this pushes the older NW deck themes though.
Xelcor – 3.5 out of 5
Sentinel stand will open a new direction of deck type for NW. If mono icon decks can be strong enough to be meta it will be because of this card. It can get turned off by many cards and then your mono icons will be a little bit sad so only time can tell if.
Karstark Lancer (3.5 average)
JCWamma – 5 out of 5
Melee rating. I don’t think it makes it to Joust, even in Crossing, where Stark have a million things competing for the slots. But in Melee, Stark loves being the first faction to get within a sniff of 15, and extending their win range is supremely potent.
Johannes – 3.5 out of 5
Karstark rush card instead of a Tully card. Feels out of place, although Karstark does have the sacrifice theme. Might be played in Crossing despite having just one icon. Could be a nice melee card like R’hllor Infiltrator, Riverrun Minstrel or Sparrows. Being able to trigger in plot face makes this one better.
Hagen – 2.5 out of 5
I keep calling this guy Cancer Lancer and I wonder if that’s a prediction of what’s going to happen with this card. The beautiful artwork would have fit a Robb Stark so it feels a bit wasted here. As for the effect, I get where this is going but at the moment I don’t see it working. It’s probably a decent addiction for Crossing while we wait for more Karstark cards to enhance the location hate theme.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
You know what they say about dogs looking like their owners? I must admit I didn’t think it applied to horses too. It works nicely with Karhold and is a good piece in general for a sacrifice rush deck, which isn’t that big a thing, hence the middling rating.
Xelcor – 3.5 out of 5
There will be many uses for this card, sacking it over and over again with Skagos and searching more of it, just a small chud in decks to be killed and if you think you will be faster than your opponent in the power race. And of course, with Karhold where you get the power and your opponent’s don’t. Big Cat and Skagos will be able to make you an insane amount of power very fast, but it will cost you some money.
Lonely Hills (1.9 average)
JCWamma – 1 out of 5
This might be the start of more “number of plots in used pile” tech to come, but I’m rating on it as it is now. The point of decks that run the stuff that works best with fewer plot card in your used pile is, they want to go quickly to maximise those turns. You can’t afford to put in a location that doesn’t impact the board in any way, because you will always wish you’d drawn Greatjon, Smalljon, Last Hearth, or one of the powerful cards to help those cards leverage the early win.
Johannes – 2.5 out of 5
It’s nice that Stark is getting support for the fewer plots in used pile tech. It’s probably not super strong with existing tech but it has some uses already. Keeping your Greatjon Umber triggering one extra round is nice. The cost slot allows it to be used and get set up early. The North trait helps with Rickard Karstark as well, but the ability doesn’t have synergy there so it’s bit out of place still.
Hagen – 2 out of 5
Similarly to Cancer Karstark, this fits a deck we don’t have yet. I like the Stark “less used plots” theme opposed to the “more used plots”, but there are only 4 cards that benefit from this and only Greatjon is played regularly. If the idea gets more support this will become the equivalent of Gulltown for Martell, but right now it’s just not worth playing it.
Von Wibble – 2 out of 5
A nice option Wars To Come decks, as well as keeping your Greatjon at maximum potential. But it feels like a flex card, and Stark already have plenty of those. With more Umber tech, this could be strong, but in the current card pool, I am not convinced.
Xelcor – 2 out of 5
I can see this card having a lot of potential if there will be more than 4 cards interacting with it but right now it is more of a gimmick then a card that will see lots of play.
Free Brothers (3.0 average)
JCWamma – 2 out of 5
It’s fine for getting Freedmen if you’re into that sort of thing, but I think Targ will struggle to find space for a relatively niche boost.
Johannes – 4 out of 5
I might have a bias for effective non-unique 2 cost mil-pow chuds since Tyrell doesn’t have any. But this is clearly above the curve. Army trait still is a positive in my book and getting any ally to discard pile is valuable for a faction that loves Flea Bottom. It’s a full deck tutor, so there’s always value (and risks). Currently Targaryen and neutral allies that can be used for this are limited. Future Jalabhar Xho will be excellent with this and Flea Bottom but I’m also looking at Banner Rose with Olenna’s Informants and Shrewd Diplomats that can be fetched for Flea Bottom. Just to get a deck shuffle isn’t without a value for a faction that has Meereenese Markets.
Wow, that’s a lot of text about a chud.
Hagen – 3 out of 5
Between this, Freedmen and Mother’s Men Targaryen’s 2 cost slots are becoming really crowded. Those poor men have the advantage of not having the Ally trait (is that still an advantage?) but they can’t search for themselves, probably because they all look the same. Anyway, a whole deck search is always appreciated, even if it’s not draw. I’m sure Targ players will find the way to make them work.
Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5
A 2 for 2 bicon army is nice enough even with no textbox. There are a lot of characters that fit the requirements to be summoned to the discard pile, with Mother’s Men and Freedmen both very good in faction options. You also can add Flea Bottom to the mix to cheat some nice banner options into play, such as Shrewd Diplomat.
Xelcor – 2.5 out of 5
It will be a nice card for the “low-cost character” Targaryen type decks, and will mostly search for Freedmen, maybe you will have some options to put an ally you want in the discard and get it back with Flea Bottom.
Dance of the Dragons (3.5 average)
JCWamma – 4 out of 5
I took Dragons to Stahleck’s Melee last year and this would’ve been perfect there. I think it’s quite niche, even for dragon decks, but the prospect of getting repeated power claim should never be underestimated – never forget folks, power is how you actually win the game.
Johannes – 4 out of 5
I find this plot really nice design for Targ. Might not suite all the players that play Targ but I like the opportunity to gain more power from non-power challenges, since Targaryen lacks power icons. Can be huge in melee as well. It doesn’t even have a limit and Targ has ways to stand their dragons. Other home for the card could be Rains where you can steal a win from quite far back without needing to actually play this card in plot phase. For Battle of the Trident the timing isn’t the best.
Hagen – 2.5 out of 5
Most difficult card to rate. At first it seemed super strong as any faction plot should be, but then you start thinking you are kneeling dragons, so why not stick to the standard plan of using dragons for your burn stuff and get unopposed and claim anyway? And if you have such a big board to afford to kneel 2 extra characters besides the ones you need for the challenges, aren’t you winning already? Sure it can speed up things, but you also have to wait for late game before playing it. A win more card.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
As a finisher plot, assuming you have 3 dragons to kneel (probably hatchlings) or stand tech to reduce that number, you have the potential to steal 6 power from your opponent, with good initiative on top of that. Realistically it feels more likely you will trigger it once, but even then replacing one of mil or int claim and also taking power claim means a 6 power swing, definitely enough to win a close game. Not for every Targ deck, but if you are running the core dragons or have a Queensguard dragon in a Many Faced God deck then it seems a great choice. It also seems a good option for melee.
Xelcor – 3 out of 5
Very difficult to figure out in which dragon deck you want this. Kneeling a big cost dragon is probably only worth if it puts you on 15 power? With the small ones you will either threaten to burn something or get the effect to move the power.
Looks like a decent finishing plot but sometimes hard to use.
Red-Apple Knight (2.4 average)
JCWamma – 2 out of 5
In some very specific niche decks that aren’t competitive right now, RAK will be a force. I’m looking forward to seeing what people come up with. Most of the time though, it’s binder fodder.
Johannes – 1 out of 5
This is tied for the worst card in the pack. The opportunity cost for this card is huge. You must have appropriate number of unique Tyrell knights. Enough to find them, not too many for being them to be stuck in your hand. And in best case scenario you get a non-unique knight with some strength with no keywords or any other ability like non-kneeling Green-Apple Knight. The cost slot is also very awkward. If you get this running, your opponent can easily just play Valar Morghulis or The First Snow of Winter. The cost slot isn’t great for Dohaeris either. I can’t imagine to actually play this ever unless as a challenge how to make most out of this binder fodder. A real deck would always choose Knight of Summer for conditional 5 str renown that survives First Snow, 4 str power challenge Ser Colen of Greenpools or easily 5 str Ser Talbert Serry from the same cost slot and icons. And from these three only Ser Colen sees regular play as one-off. I think that’s very telling. Oh, and then there’s Former Champion as a neutral option, 5 str unconditional renown.
Hagen – 3.5 out of 5
This guy is super interesting. Sometimes he will be a blanked 3 cost, but in comparison with Lancel Lannister he always has a guaranteed base strenght for challenges. White Books decks don’t rely on many unique knights anyway, and both Loras and Caron give him +5 strenght. Not as good as Green Apple Knight, but it will see a lot of play.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
I like this design, it pushes different style decks. Seems like it could be very nice in a deck based off the events Knight of Flowers for example. Most unique Tyrell knights have at least str 4, so for a bit of deckbuilding this guy is a solid 3 for 5 bicon with the potential for so much more. The rating is at 3 because of the deckbuilding constraints though.
Xelcor – 2.5 out of 5
You can get some ridiculous strength on this char but for sure less useful then GAK. It will see some play with Knight of Flowers, or the attacking alone type of decks, with Lords and ladies.
Highgarden Treasury (2.3 average)
JCWamma – 1 out of 5
The perfect time to get gold, right after you’ve played a remove-from-challenge effect during the challenges phase! I see the application, but Tyrell aren’t generally gold-starved.
Johannes – 3 out of 5
I think you need to go pretty much all in with remove from the challenge decks to make this worthwhile. But as a 1 cost econ location is not that bad. Typical challenge removal events cost one gold to play, so this allows you to save one gold for them and still use multiples. Or have gold for a strength buff. Too bad Assault just killed the core Highgarden with a very unthematic way 🙁 . Other deck can use this is The Reach Armies deck. 1 cost The Reach location is a nice add especially since it doesn’t need kneeling. And the newest Mace Tyrell can remove those armies from challenges. The gold can be used in unfortunate situations when you need to actually pay for your Highgarden Honor Guards. 🙁
Hagen – 3 out of 5
Huge economy boost for a theme that definitely deserved more support, and this seems a good start. It doesn’t save you from Supporting the Faith but with a single gold you can trigger Highgarden, Margaery’s Influence and Offer of the Peach in the same phase and still get the gold back for dominance.
Von Wibble – 1.5 out of 5
If you are removing 1 character from a challenge per round, then this is a 1 cost 1 gold economy location, with that gold being in challenges and not before. That is not good at all, so really this only goes into a deck that can consistently remove 2, ideally 3, characters from challenges per round. There is a decent amount of remove tech in Tyrell for sure, but not enough for that, so this card just isn’t there yet. The rating goes up a lot if a critical mass of removal tech is released though.
Xelcor – 3 out of 5
Now the 5-cost mace has a spot in reach decks with this card also synergising with him. The money will let you play a bit more of shadow and ambush. Overall, a good card for any deck that’s removing cards from challenge.
Bloodraven (3.7 average)
JCWamma – 4 out of 5
I feel weirdly unequipped to rate this card. It’s clearly a strong effect, and as someone who values the plot game very highly, I’m a bit cowed by the thought of playing against it, but with these utility neutral cards I always try to think “what deck needs this effect, specifically” and I’m kinda drawing a blank. Like, every deck would enjoy it, but how many can afford the space for an effect like this? Not a rhetorical question, I genuinely don’t know. I respect the effect too much to go lower than a 4, but this could easily be the “4 out of 5 that barely sees play”. Or it could be restricted for ubiquity, and I have no idea which.
Johannes – 4 out of 5
This card is difficult to rate. It’s one of those cards I’m not a huge fan of. The plot game is such a big part of the game I really don’t like plot cancel or manipulation. Can’t still really rate this card a 5 since it is a high skill card like the Nope Throne and at least it’s not a repeatable effect. I guess many decks will run this at least as one-off. Neutral insight is already enough for the slot.
Hagen – 3.5 out of 4
If you’re a mindgame player don’t underestimate this card. Looking a plot is a crazy benefit when playing decks that disrupt opponent’s plan, and this looks even cheap for what he does. He’s not going to help against rush or goodstuff that only play economy, but he can change the outcome of those games decided by an unexpected reset or a lost initiative. Needless to say, Martell are going to love this.
Von Wibble – 3 out of 5
That ability has so much potential if you run plots that depend on opponent’s choices, such as Riddle, Naval, or Summer Harvest! To be honest, I’d be on the fence as to whether to include this in a deck just for the insight. On the other hand, there will be times where your opponent’s plot choice doesn’t really change your own, and a 3 cost 2 str monocon just doesn’t help you at all.
Xelcor – 4 out of 5
Neutral insight, okay cost for strength and the effect will be quite impactful. The cost to sac him will hurt a bit but if you can force your opponent off a plot or counter your opponent’s plot it might win you the game.
Calm As Still Water (2.4 average)
JCWamma – 1 out of 5
I might be way off, but I feel like for most decks that would want this effect they’d rather have “On A Misty Morn”. Obviously this works on uniques too, and costs 0 making it a strong Valar counter, but…eh. Unless you’re building specifically around a cheap unique character, or an enters/leaves play effect on one, I think most of the time I’d rather use this deckslot on just, y’know, playing another cheap unique character.
Johannes – 1 out of 5
The second of the worst cards of the pack. I think the effect is very conditional to make it worth a slot in any deck. And if you find use for it, not sure the return to hand part has enough value. Most time it’s just going to be an extra cost. Just put in another character instead of this.
Hagen – 2 out of 5
I like weenies, but I don’t see this card making the cut when building a list. If you’re going voltron you lose all the powers and attachments anyway, if you’re going fools you lose the cards, and if you play a standard deck with both low and high cost characters you’re not going to play it.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
A zero cost save can’t be ignored. This could help Maesters to become more relevant, but is also very nice for any 3 cost character with an enters play ability, such as Dorea Sand. If your deck has cheap characters that you really want to keep alive, this seems an easy pick.
Xelcor – 4 out of 5
Some save against burn for all the small chars, and overall, a very good card for low curve decks or if you have low cost high impact chars you want to marshal again (looking at Stark).
I think this card will see a lot of play and will impact how all factions can now play around Morghulis.
At The Tower Of Joy (3.3 average)
JCWamma – 2 out of 5
Now *this* goes well with Bloodraven. But I think most decks aren’t going to be able to utilise this reliably enough to get good value out of it, and stronger Valar counters with a bit more general purpose already exist. (I know this has more purpose too, letting a character survive military claim, burn, etc., but I don’t think you’d include it in your plot deck just for that.)
Johannes – 3.5 out of 5
I think this card is fairly balanced. It doesn’t go in every deck but it’s good for protecting those rushy Voltron decks. It might just buy you enough time to win the game. Unfortunately for those decks, there’s also Pointy End and this plot does nothing against it. And if you’re facing aggro or attrition, it still doesn’t help against Marched to the Wall or stuff like Mutiny at the Craster’s Keep.
Hagen – 4 out of 5
A must have plot for voltron decks that makes you laugh at The Eyrie. Pair it with Bloodraven to be sure not to miss your opponent’s Valar. Yes, opponent can mindtrick the mindtrick and wait, but most of the times he won’t get a second chance of getting rid of that huge Daenerys before she finds a Bodyguard. Get your Pointy End ready, a voltron era is coming.
Von Wibble – 2.5 our of 5
A nice plot to reveal after The Prince Who Came Too Late, and an easy “save” for non lord/lady bigs. However, that is balanced fairly by the fact you only net 1 more gold than the Valar M player so will struggle to build up much of a board in that round – which means it won’t help you so much when the Greyjoy opponent saved all 3 of their bigs. Janky plays involving opponent’s claim soak characters are also possible with this, though I don’t think they will come off all too often.
Xelcor – 4.5 out of 5
Another card that will help you save your most important character. It also buffs the prince that came too late, now you have a save against Morghulis for your key character. It will most likely win initiative against Morghulis (maybe GJ will win it anyway tho).
Open Revolt (3.8 average)
JCWamma – 4 out of 5
The part in brackets is cute, but I think this is mostly going to be gaining 2 power. But as it turns out, that’s still great. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, power is what wins games. Giving Rains decks (and I guess Trident decks too potentially but I’m less sold there) an extra trick in their arsenal for opponents to consider is neat. This would not be rated so highly if it wasn’t for Melee, where obviously sudden power gain effects are always going to be more relevant.
Johannes – 3.5 out of 5
I think it’s pretty close to the Targ plot but with slightly worse stats and you gain power instead of moving it from an opponent. I think it’s a good option for a Rains deck when you can trigger this when you’re sure you get the power. However, the Scheme slots are very tight now days with all the new plots which makes this probably an option only for rushier Rains builds.
Hagen – 4 out of 5
Some decks just don’t have the strenght (or the icons) to stop a Castamere flying at full speed towards the win. This plot kills Baratheon’s and Stark’s hopes to recover from a badly started game with a huge 4 powers swing. I like the flexibility of the War trait, but I don’t think we needed more passive powers plots like this.
Von Wibble – 4 out of 5
Clearly this is intended for Trident or Rains decks in order to more easily get around the mediocre stats, but it will shine in these decks. It’s not easy to pull off the 4 power in Rains, but 2 power often is good enough – Winter Festival sees some play after all even with summer plots being popular.
Xelcor – 3.5 out of 5
Not as gamble as Winter festival or heads on spikes but in Rains it will be easy to get it out. I think the 2 power gain would be enough for every rains deck to have it, the 4 power one is a bit hard to get tho and mostly you should be able to close it with the 2 power. BOTT can maybe rush to 4 power but that is a bit of a stretch, but also you can swap into it when you are sure you get the power even if it is only 2.
Card Averages:
4.4 Castamere
4.1 Cast Me Forth
4.0 Myrcella Baratheon
3.9 Victarion Greyjoy
3.8 Beric Dondarrion
3.8 Open Revolt
3.7 Bloodraven
3.5 Karstark Lancer
3.5 Dance of the Dragons
3.4 Lady Marya
3.3 At The Tower of Joy
3.2 Gared
3.2 Sentinel Stand
3.0 A Bed of Scorpions
3.0 Free Brothers
2.7 Scheming Snake
2.4 Red-Apple Knight
2.4 Calm As Still Water
2.3 Highgarden Treasury
1.9 Lonely Hills
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