Announcing Mountain and Vale

Hello Thrones Community,

We come now to the midpoint of our cycle, the third chapter in the Sea of Shadow. In our continued effort to innovate and expand, we hope Mountain and Vale can bring both new peaks of enjoyment and new depths of complexity.

For the fractious Baratheons, we begin with Stormlord, a non-unique Ally, fair-weather friend, and double-edged sword akin to Royal Entourage and Fickle Bannerman. This non-loyal Lord requires you complement him with a King, lest he demand a character – himself or another – be sacrificed each dominance phase. But with renown and respectable STR, this may be an acceptable price, especially if paired with Robert’s good friends in House Stark! Off the Stormlands’ coast we have the faction’s new Warship, the Narrow Sea Dromond. Not only does its stranglehold on the waterway contribute STR to your dominance, its emergence from shadow furthers the faction’s punishing of low STR by kneeling sufficiently weak characters.

Remaining in the shadows, we find two staples of House Greyjoy: the Drowned God and Raider families. The former comes with the Wandering Disciple, capable of giving new life to others of his family at the cost of placing them in the discard pile should they survive the phase. The latter is both more precise and potentially potent, as Taking the Shield Islands rewards a successful attack with the targeted draining of an opponent’s hand onto the top of their deck for later pillaging. Even without pillage this can deny an opponent the benefits of drawing, an appropriate punishment given what The Shield Islands offer, and even more appropriately this sneak attack becomes twice as powerful when played from shadows.

In House Lannister we have our first connection to this pack’s namesake, the Mountains of the Moon and the Vale of Arryn. The arrogant Arryns themselves will come later, as for now we have Crawn Son of Calor, the first Clansman to show proficiency with shadow. Much like Ser Jacelyn Bywater, Crawn is a guardian appointed by Tyrion Lannister during his time as Hand of the King who facilitates the recursion of characters from the discard pile – specifically himself, into shadows. From Tyrion’s tenure to Cersei’s regency, we have a doubly-innovative event! Not only does The Regent’s Council boast the unprecedented effect of determining dominance during a challenge, it also gives structure to House Lannister’s new-found focus on Small Council characters. This card can prove pivotal when paired with the likes of The Council Consents, A Feast for Crows, and the newly-released agenda The Small Council.

The scheming Martells receive a similar pair of innovations. One card builds on the ever-expanding arsenal of icon removal, while the other introduces an entirely new mechanical theme for the faction. The common factor among both cards is deterrence: in Ser Gulian Qorgyle we have the removal of icons from characters who dare participate against you, while the event Retribution punishes the application of Military claim if you control fewer characters than your opponent. We hope this new theme – controlling fewer characters – fits comfortably into existing deck types while still inviting further additions as this cycle continues…

Remembering our interest in A Song of Ice and Fire’s later entries, we now recall the chaos currently afflicting the Night’s Watch. Unsurprisingly, many take the opportunity to leave – not as a deserter, but as a Wandering Crow or crewman aboard a Warship. The first can be seen with the Northern Envoy, a welcome sight to players interested in recruitment. Upon arrival he scours the top of an opponent’s deck for a non-unique character, placing them in their discard pile. This can fuel The March on Winterfell‘s well-trodden variant of The Wall, or trigger the comparatively new Saved by the Watch. Elsewhere on the Shivering Sea we have the Grey Galley, emerging from freezing mist to contribute STR alongside your defenders – with this effect being especially potent during the phase it emerged from shadow.

Elsewhere the North remains in turmoil, with House Bolton ascendant and loyalty in short supply. Unlike their factionmates, the Dreadfort’s ilk favour out-of-faction alliances and have even incorporated defection into their mechanics. To rein in an errant Bolton Loyalist, call Reek to heel, or even counter attempts at recruitment, we have Steelshanks Walton to restore your control over non-loyal characters you own. Already proving his worth with these preceding additions, the recalling of defectors is especially vital with Dubious Loyalties. This tide-turning attachment provides renown, stealth, and the potentially valuable House Bolton trait at the risk of allowing any sufficiently decisive victory to steal control of the attached character.

On the topic of deceit and ambition, we have Magister Illyrio, cheesemonger and would-be architect of House Targaryen’s return. Boasting a gold modifier, the Pentoshi slaver’s true profits come from cards in shadow, regardless of their controller in a manner reminiscent of Daggers in the Dark’s Varys. This can pair nicely with any number of Targaryen shadow cards, but Illyrios’ chief investment likely rests with Aegon Targaryen and his non-loyal allies. On the other side of Essos and with far fewer allies we have House Targaryen’s departure, specifically Daenerys Targaryen’s literal flight on dragonback from Daznak’s Pit. This climatic moment is now depicted with the event Take to the Sky! and offers a Dragon-reliant save for either one of those rare beasts or their Stormborn mother, returning them to the safety of your hand.

The final faction in a pack already replete with extremes is the typically conciliatory  House Tyrell. The contrasts continue, however, as we receive the bellowing Butterbumps alongside The Whispering Sound. Though both rely on shadows, the flatulent Fool retreats to remove stronger participants from a challenge, while House Hightower’s gateway to the sea rewards the arrival of new locations with fresh cards in hand and control over one’s top deck. Defining one of the most prosperous trade routes in the Known World, this bay naturally welcomes the many Warship locations added with this cycle. Beyond this, however, it can also support the likes of Jade Sea’s Randyll Tarly, and even benefit from the arrival of opponent’s locations!

Closing out Mountain and Vale we have a return to the high and mighty Arryns, beginning first with a new variant of Lysa Arryn who extends faction loyalty to every House Arryn character you control. Already an unprecedented effect which synergises well with Banner of the Falcon, a sufficiently low initiative also provides the Lady Regent with each keyword borne by your loyal characters; the result is a versatile lynchpin capable of amplifying the different preferences of her host faction. Alongside her comes The Warden of the East, a versatile Title claimed varyingly by the likes of Jon Arryn, Jaime Lannister, and young Sweetrobin. Alongside the customary Commander trait, the attachment thrives off the exposure of an opponent’s characters from their hand, deck, or shadow area. While one can support such a goal through As High as Honor’s Littlefinger or The Seed is Strong, it also offers new uses for older cards like Queenscrown and Nighttime Marauders, or even prey upon on the otherwise equitable Exchange of Information.

Last among the neutral cards we have the current woes of Westeros: War and Winter. Looking to the Wildling invasion and the fight for the dawn, we have the Battle Beneath the Wall, a potentially exhausting gambit which demands the participation of each eligible character for a specific challenge type. Elsewhere, even those who can escape the fighting must still grapple with empty bellies and emptied coffers, with Strained Reserves serving as a potential coup de grace. Its high initiative and claim values set its user up for a decisive strike, while its effect denies all players the opportunity to bolster their forces – but those still blessed with Summer will find the noose loosened slightly.

And so concludes the third pack of the Sea of Shadows cycle. Halfway through this ambitious collection, we hope with our intentions – and your imaginations – are each being suitably served. Much and more still awaits, however, with new mechanical themes and as-yet-unexplored areas of the source material coming soon in future packs.

We look forward to revealing more in the months to come!

Print File Download

TIFF Files

LUDOCards File