Hello Thrones Community,
The Sea of Shadow cycle continues with its second entry, Whispers of War. With a tone of innovation and experimentation set by the previous pack, the upcoming cards compliment that feeling with a sense of anticipation. The calm before the storm.
Depicted here are the many quiet preludes to conflict experienced across our sprawling story; from House Baratheon’s time in power before the War of Five Kings, to more cautious and opportunistic actors like Houses Greyjoy and Tyrell, and those whose patience has kept them on the cusp of conflict like the Dornish and Meereenese. This cycle recalls the tools vital to maintaining a realm’s peace as well as the beasts who rush in once the fighting starts.
While its quarrelsome heirs may have fled to Dragonstone and Highgarden, the Seven Kingdoms once looked to House Baratheon of King’s Landing for guidance. This can chiefly be ascribed to Jon Arryn’s stewardship of the Small Council, but doubtless the Hand had many an Ally at court, such as the Red Keep Servant; by securing King’s Landing locations like The Red Keep and The Iron Throne, they yield a cost-efficient two-icon character with immunity to stealth. Complimenting House Baratheon’s image as a symbol of authority, we have The King’s Justice. This non-loyal Title is attachable to any unique character and turns a successful Power challenge into a death sentence for a kneeling character controlled by the losing side.
Leaving behind those holding the realm together, let’s look to those tearing it apart: House Greyjoy, where the Raider and Warship rule. In Ralf the Limper we have one of Victarion Greyjoy’s closest supporters and a Captain in his seizure of The North. Fittingly, his ability to turn the pillage keyword into shadow recursion compliments Torrhen’s Square, centrepiece of the faction’s Raider shadow decks. Effective for cards like Nightflyer and Grey Ghost, as well as simpler staples like the accompanying Swift Longship whose emergence prevents defenders with STR 4 or lower from contributing to the current challenge. While this may seem an innocuous addition for the naval-focused Greyjoys, we shall see more of its like in other factions as the Sea of Shadows cycle progresses…
Returning to the seat of power we find the noble and predatory lions of Lannister, where those preserving the realm sup side-by-side with those driving it to ruin. In The Imp’s Agent we have a Spy in service to Tyrion Lannister during his time on the Small Council, a versatile fighter who rewards victory by retreating to shadows and draining the opponent’s hand. On the opposite side of subtly we have a new toy for the blunt and vicious Joffrey Baratheon, a Myrish-designed triple-quarreled monstrosity: Joffrey’s Crossbow. Giving him specifically the intimidate keyword while equipped, its more accessible and devious benefit is restricting a losing opponent’s choice for Military claim to unique characters.
In addition to the satisfaction of an enemy’s suffering, this card – like many others in this pack – boasts a gorgeous commissioned illustration. As mentioned in our previous article, artwork is an often underappreciated aspect of the design process, and we’re so grateful to have our work accompanied by such great visuals.
Moving to those as-yet untouched by war, we have House Martell. Famed for their outlasting of the Targaryens through guerilla tactics and joining of the Seven Kingdoms only on their own terms, the Dornish are a dangerous mixture of shrewd and deadly. We see this first with Ghost Hill Elite, an Army that has learned well from Aegon’s failed conquest; elsewhere he burned his foes, but here they melted away before him. This emphasis on denial manifests with entry via ambush stealing an Intrigue or Power icon from an opponent’s character – and, if they then have no icons at all, killing said character too. The height of duplicity, however, comes with A Toast to the King. Depicting Ricasso’s diplomatic deference to young Tommen Baratheon, the event rewards icon removal by leveraging the absence of a particular icon type among an opponent’s characters into a claim application of that same type against said opponent. Inflicting casualties, denying victories, and exacting one’s claim, all without a drop of Dornish blood spilt. Whether honourable or shameful, one cannot deny its effectiveness.
From one act of submission to another, we have the Night’s Watch and its Oathsworn Wildling. Once again looking to the later entries in the series, Castle Black’s occupation by Stannis Baratheon creates unusual alliances and strange bedfellows. While the King at the Wall broke the King Beyond the Wall’s forces, it is Jon Snow who has most effectively rallied the true northerners. This is reflected in this new cheap and weak character, who relies on other Wildling characters or Lord Commander Snow to remain in play. Shifting our focus to Samwell Tarly and – rather unexpectedly – Bran Stark alongside the children of House Reed, we have The Black Gate. Serving as a synthesis of House Stark and Night’s Watch themes, this Old Gods location rewards the sacrifice of an in-faction character with the summoning of a Trait-sharing character from one’s hand or shadow area. Usable in any action window, this depiction of a fortuitous chance meeting can facilitate similarly well-timed changes for Trait-focused players!
Speaking of Traits and friends of House Stark, we come now to two of the family’s strongest and most underestimated supporters: House Umber and House Manderly. Dismissed in our source material as blunt and unreliable, and maligned mechanically by late-game weakness and self-destructive, these new additions demonstrate how dangerous it is to dismiss the forces of Last Hearth and White Harbor. In House Umber Berserker, we have a powerful and lethal Army with an incredibly cheap shadow cost that rises with every used plot card. Fearful STR and the assault keyword make this card’s emergence from shadow a decisive shift to the tides of battle. Accompanying it is White Harbor Galley, the second shadow-bearing Warship added this cycle as part of a faction-wide theme. In addition to the familiar House Stark effect of adding characters to challenges, the ship offers a curious boost in STR for all participants, as befits Wyman Manderly‘s support of both the Baratheon and Bolton causes. Most obviously this allows Stark ice to counter Targaryen’s burn, as well as empowering numerous weak characters so as to overwhelming a lone defender, or boost STR-reliant effects like Ghosts of Harrenhal‘s Roose Bolton.
Remaining with merchant lords and absent monarchs, we have new representatives for the Qartheen and Meereenese portions of the Targaryen narrative. In the Sorrowful Man we have a strange cousin to the Faceless Man: an assassin without a Military icon whose effect focuses on the dead pile rather than actually killing characters in play. Unlike its Braavosi peer, however, this kindest of killers can directly place characters into the dead pile – by swapping them with those in their discard pile. This manipulation may seem niche, but it elegantly raises the danger of Intrigue challenges, reserve checks, and duplicate usage, while dovetailing nicely with a Warlock of Qarth and their House of the Undying. But for those unafraid to discard their hand, we have Queen of Meereen. Secured by Daenerys Targaryen through her marriage to Hizdar zo Lorak, this Title mirrors her husband’s discard-based economy while simultaneously encouraging other Meereen cards like the Brazen Beasts, The Shavepate, and The Great Pyramid.
For another faction whose lands – though not islands – have remained untouched by war, we have The Reach of House Tyrell. First to defend such territories are the Horn Hill Vanguard, who draw their STR from each standing Tyrell character you control. Helped by the likes of Highgarden Courtier, other House Tarly cards like Dickon Tarly, either Randyll Tarly variants, and their event “First in Battle”, this assault-ing, intimidate-ing character is a truly lethal force on the battlefield. But strength can also be found in subtlety, as seen with the faction’s love of shadow. A recent mechanical theme has seen House Tyrell reward its own openness, as seen with Alla Tyrell, A Wall of Roses, and most recent Margaery Tyrell, and now Beneath the Petals. In addition to gifting a shadow character both insight and a challenge icon, revealing this event from one’s deck immediately moves it to shadow. And grants you one gold, to sweeten the deal yet further.
Finally, returning to the duality of preserving or preying upon the realm, we have this pack’s neutral cards. In the character of Biter we have one of the most depraved and animalistic predators seen in A Song of Ice and Fire, an impressive feat hopefully evoked by his deadly effect and terrifying illustration. But the high-minded high lords are just as capable of base brutality; from Rhaegar to Renly we see chivalry embrace savagery when the need arose, and so I imagine Targaryens and Tyrells alike will be horrified to see Striking at Dawn revealed! The new plot is an unprecedented merger of Summer and War, promising to preserve the printed STR of characters and preventing both helpful boosts and harmful burns.
Fortunately, to punish fearsome bandits and caution furious kings, we have The Small Council! This new agenda simulates the balancing act demanded of those entrusted with stewarding the realm. A small circle of advisors must remain vigilant and available despite an opponent’s attacks, doubling the value of dominance and wringing additional cards from the King or Queen at their centre. While most factions have some supply of in-faction councillors to build around, more reliable access is given by the Reinstatement event which can restore a Small Council character from the discard pile; this is especially useful to the discard-loving House Targaryen, who are otherwise lacking in this Trait family – but do boast a plethora of King and Queen options.
With the Sea of Shadow‘s second entry, we hope the cycle’s many interests are beginning to take shape. The emphasis placed on shadows in the previous pack has now been complemented with a focus on Warship locations, thereby justifying the chosen name and equipping even non-shadow decks with useful staples. By this cycle’s final entry, each faction will receive its own shadow-bearing Warship; this dark fleet will boast a range of mechanical effects, expand each faction’s relationship with shadow, and bear original illustrations courtesy of Gergely Nagy. Alongside them will come intriguing scenes from the most recent entries in our source material; from Doran Martell’s realpolitik to Northern conspiracies and a tenuous peace at the Wall. And lastly, while no new faction-spanning mechanical themes were unveiled, elements vital to those later mechanical families have now debuted and await recontextualisation. For example, one faction may soon see a mechanical focus on the Small Council in the packs to come…
But for now, we leave you with an arsenal of new cards and the promise of many more in the months to come. We wish you many great games with them, and we hope to see you soon with this cycle’s third entry!
