“There was an old letter from Doran Martell, warning him that Storm’s End had fallen, and a much more intriguing one from Balon Greyjoy on Pyke, who styled himself King of the Isles and the North. He invited King Joffrey to send an envoy to the Iron Islands to fix the borders between their realms and discuss a possible alliance.”

Our staff has put together a first blush analysis of the newly released “Kings of the Isles” deluxe box. 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!

Balon Greyjoy (4.7 Average)

scantrell24 – 4.5 out of 5

I look forward to new Balon vs new Wall matchups where the boards are completely mixed up… Before we consider the effect itself, keep in mind that it requires a faction card kneel (No Greensight), but can be triggered in any phase. Like with Euron, Balon’s ability is great when paired with location control such as We Do Not Sow or Newly Made Lord. It’s also a good counter to Flea Bottom decks, but those are less of an issue now. Balon has the look a fun card that will see play, but mostly in decks specifically built to take advantage. King Balon will remain the best choice for goodstuff Greyjoy, and Core Balon in unopposed builds.

Von Wibble – 4.5 out of 5

John Lithgow looks like a fun opener to the box, with decent stats for the cost and an ability that scales with how good your opponents deck is. Generally you will be taking a character for effectively a free challenge/strength pump, but there is a lot of potential for fun by taking an opponent’s Ghaston Gray or Iron Mines. I can’t give 5 because even in a pillage deck there will be variance to worry about, plus of course the core Balon is so good!

Hybrid92 – 4.5 out of 5

When I first looked at this card, I thought it would be a great centrepiece card for pillage decks, until I realised that he doesn’t even need a dedicated pillage deck to be good. The flexibility of stealing ANY card for the phase is huge: it could be the character you need to push through that challenge or gain that last bit of renown, a powerful location with a one-off effect, or a negative attachment that swings the challenges phase in your favour. Amazing utility. I’m not sure he can outmuscle King Balon because of that card’s King trait and non-kneeling efficiency, but this guy is great.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5

Curmudgeons are down one Istaril for this review, as he’s busy with real life stuff alas. Hopefully we’ll be as cheerful as ever still.

Somewhere between Core Euron, Flea Bottom and the 6 gold Wall, representing card advantage and huge tempo advantage for the price of a faction kneel and no trigger-condition? Obviously great, and the only blot on his record is that some agendas need to keep the faction kneel free, limiting his playability a bit. But hey, at least SOMETHING is.

hagarrr – 5 out of 5

Balon Greyjoy is a tremendous figurehead for this box with a really powerful ability. With renown as standard, and pillage helping to fill that discard pile, his ability will fire regularly and your opponents will hate it. The thing that pushes this for me is the timing of the trigger. As a simple action, there are no prerequisites to meet, just kneel the faction card anytime and take a card. A mid-challenge Ward or Crown of Gold will be ‘fun’, with the latter then becoming recurrable every round too. There are so many different possibilities against so many factions, and this makes Balon interesting to use, enabling those players capable of making good quality decisions.







Euron Crow’s Eye (3.8 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

There’s a ton of synergy to unpack between Euron and Silence. Intimidate is better going first, and Silence conveniently has +2 initiative to help make that happen. Intimidate is also better when the challenge is unopposed, and Silence lets you jump in Raiding Longships / Grey Ghost for free. Of course the combo kinda falls apart if you draw Silence before Euron, because you won’t want to marshal it outright, but it’s pretty strong when it works.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

It is difficult to review this Euron separately of Silence given that the 2 will usually appear together (cancels aside). Accounting for the fact you sort of gain 4 gold and search for a card, I’d say having a 4 strength intimidate tricon is very good value, and we know from Greatjon that intimidate with potential to appear in multiple challenges is very powerful. The warships theme was already gaining traction in the previous cycle, this only cements it further.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

Tricon intimidate is good but he can’t be setup efficiently. I’m also not much of a fan of cards that need specific other cards to be good. Also Core Euron is one of the best characters in the game, so this Euron has to do a lot to usurp his position in Greyjoy decks.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Two strikes against Euron. The first one is the name – Core Euron remains one of Greyjoy’s absolute best cards, a card that can win games single-handedly against several decks. The second we will get to when we get to Silence. However, 6 gold for a 4 STR tricon with Intimidate is a solid deal already, nevermind the free-boat fetch. We look forward to searching our discard pile for Silence then shuffling our deck.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

Euron will be the bane of many players over the coming months. If that reaction is allowed to fire, the Greyjoy player has paid 6g for 10g worth of cards, and as long as they have Warships in hand, a free stand for Euron too. On a tricon with intimidate, that’s very handy, and Greatjon Umber has shown how impactful a standing intimidate character can be. Fetching Silence on command will be the start of a competitive Warships deck, and I for one am looking forward to seeing it.







Asha Greyjoy (2.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

Meh. One or two instances of stealth are usually enough to win whatever challenge you need to push through. There are diminishing returns to third, fourth, or fifth instances of the keyword. Maybe she’ll have place in a Sea of Blood deck that wants to win by 5.

Von Wibble – 3 out of 5

Decent card for sure, and I can see her being very effective in any deck wanting to win by 5 or win unopposed. If her name wasn’t Asha Greyjoy I’d rate her higher, but the fact is that the other Ashas just outshine her. Dull yet efficient doesn’t quite cut it.

Hybrid92 – 2 out of 5

Boring and will never see play over the other two Ashas.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

A whiff of ‘Kingsmoot’ about her – when you have enough unique Ironborn out to get value from her effect, how are you not already winning? Given she’s competing for slots with 2 great Ashas, the nicest thing we can really say about her is that it’s nice to see a GJ characters holding up a mug instead of an axe.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

Asha will lose many marks with others for being perceived as boring, and they’re dead right, she IS boring. But she’s also very efficient, and will have a huge impact on a Greyjoy board that just loves to play strong unique characters. Even just granting stealth to one other Ironborn is great- Balon, Victarion, Euron, Dagmer (!) all benefit from this, and will make it far easier to push through those unopposed challenges. If she doesn’t see play, it’ll be because the other iterations are more popular, not because she’s bad.







The Knight (3.0 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

Good value when attacking alone, but subpar when attacking in a group or defending. I’d say that averages out to a fringe card that will make the cut as a 1x in a decent chunk of Greyjoy decks.

Von Wibble – 3 out of 5

Finally, we can have a Greyjoy Knight deck! To be fair, I can see him being very effective with Tyrell knight tech, but in a general Greyjoy deck I’m not quite sure he will get a place over other characters. Unlike Asha, the efficient but dull tag matters less as you don’t lose out by not taking a different version of The Knight.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

Cute with unopposed tech, probably just a 1x in Greyjoy goodstuff decks unless you want to be a madman and build around him.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

He’s fine, but he doesn’t do anything important or exciting either. Or as Ire puts it, “Yawn, stat stick”.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

The Knight is not a bad card, but I don’t see a regular place for him in Greyjoy decks. Now Greyjoy do have a lot of tech to give a single character plenty of STR, and they certainly like the stealth and renown, but the Knight trait is useless in-faction and Greyjoy have few reasons to include him over other cards. He strikes me as a better card for Tyrell and banner Rose plus he’s probably quite good in melee.







Aeron Damphair (3.8 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

Core Aeron’s primary purpose in Drowned God decks is to revive Tarle if he dies, but that function can be replaced by Close Call or Ghosts of Harrenhal, so I’d say it’s worth trying new Aeron in his place. My main concern is the 5 gold price — Drowned God’s economy is somewhat awkward, relying on Kingsroads to marshal all those 3, 4 and 5 gold characters. Thoughts on double Trade Routes? I do like the extra draw to help find your pieces in what is essentially a combo deck.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

On the one hand, having a character who can consistently draw 3-4 cards per round seems like a no-brainer. On the other hand, taking this Aeron means you lose out on the option of core Aeron, suggesting that Hagrid (aka core Aeron) is better in the Drowned God deck that uses big Ironborn, and this Aeron is better off in a more pure Drowned God deck that isn’t so bothered about its bigs.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

An insane draw engine for dedicated Drowned God decks that have chuds dying left, right, and centre. Core Aeron will see play in more standard goodstuff decks, but this guy will draw you a hell of a lot of cards in DG decks.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

JC being dragged up from the waves by the Finns here, who like seeing a Damphair that offers something different to GJ’s usual strengths and doesn’t rely on being in a dominant position. JC’s too busy staring at a framed picture of Core Aeron to notice.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

One issue in a Drowned God deck is that the game is very slow if you do not find the right pieces. Aeron fixes this by giving draw for doing what happens naturally in Drowned God decks; killing your characters. That’s great, but by playing this, you lose a key cog of resurrection (and thus power gain via Disciple) in Core Aeron that isn’t easy to replace. I think he is good, but I also think the Core version will see more general play in good-stuff and DG decks alike.







The Drumm (2.8 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

A solid 1x (maybe even 2-3x) in unopposed decks, right alongside Core Balon and baby Theon.

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

This one is really matchup dependent. Against Greyjoy, Stark, or Nights Watch he probably does little. But against any other faction, most decent non chuds will have an intrigue icon, making winning challenges that much easier. Throw in a source of stealth for the 1 strong guy who can defend, and he becomes an excellent 1 of in an unopposed deck.

Hybrid92 – 2.5 out of 5

The ability sounds a lot better than it actually is. Mil/Int bicons, Int/Pow bicons, and tricons can’t oppose him, yet Mil/Pow bicons are the most numerous type of character in the game, and there are plenty of Mil monocons and Pow monocons out there. He’s fine, nothing special. Perhaps a 1-of in a dedicated unopposed deck. Sure, he can rack up a bit of power with his sword but that’s a 7-gold, 2-card combo that is fairly easily controllable with kneel, blank, and cancel.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

Competing with The Knight for “mid-range body who’s pretty efficient on attack but not so hot on defence”. Point to Drumm for attack, point to Knight for defence?

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

It looks like someone was terrified of Greyjoy winning an intrigue challenge! This goon is better against some factions than others, and thus becomes something of a meta call depending on what factions you expect to see. Characters with only military and power icons are very popular, so unless you’re running Little Birds as pseudo-Fishing Nets (don’t bother), his play time is likely limited.







Gwynesse Harlaw (3.5 Average)

scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5

How many power monocons can one Greyjoy deck slot? Do you have to choose between Gwynesse and Tris? I was curious so I checked, and Greyjoy has 15 power monocons, Night’s Watch 13, Bara 10, Stark 9, Lanni 6, Tyrell 5, Martell 4, and Targ 3. Anyways, the ability is great, but can you make room for her?

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

Impressively it took a while before Greyjoy got a power monocon in this box! That said, having non limited economy and card draw that also hurts Flea Bottom still seems solid – the challenge or dominance strength is just gravy.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

Good cost slot, Lady trait, loyal, nice art, an excellent ability to counter discard recursion, and no need to kneel for the ability. The 1 gold and 1 card is just gravy. Great card, the only way this could be a 5 is if it also had an intrigue icon. A very handy 1x in just about any Greyjoy deck. Sure, against some factions the effect might be useless, but the factions at the top of the meta either use Flea Bottom or have other ways to recur out of the discard pile, so this card’s ability will often be welcome.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Even if you have her round one, the state of the current meta means she’s pretty much “get a gold and a card every round”, and at that point even if she gets removed the round she’s played she’s still a 3g 3 STR power monocon that cantrips, which isn’t terrible. Once you get the second trigger then you’re firmly in the black. Throw in the ability to disrupt Flea Bottom and she’s a really solid card. Meanwhile we’re torn on one aspect of this effect – on the one hand, it’s really nice to see a card that rewards going for a pillage approach in a way that isn’t as “all-or-nothing” as the zero cards in deck victory condition; on the other hand, we do wish that mill was more of a thing in this game, to introduce some variety into the meta and encourage more decks that make you reconsider your gameplan on a match-by-match basis.

hagarrr – 2.5 out of 5

A nice emergency source of gold and draw if needed, and a way to control the “Flea Bottom pile” of the opponent. This is contrasted by the weak body and the risk of giving back the opponent useful cards which could then be drawn again. Despite the lovely art, I don’t really like this card.







Andrik the Unsmiling (2.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

Seems reasonable. Much like Ser Archibald in Martell, he’s a beatstick who could make your opponent play suboptimally even if his effect never triggers.

Von Wibble – 2 out of 5

Whilst I appreciate it is possible to enable Andrik to trigger by using We do Not Sow or Political Disaster to remove a dupe of Dorne or Hightower first, as a rule it is unlikely to happen in a game, and not likely enough to really want Andrik in a deck. High strength is good, but doesn’t do enough on a monocon.

Hybrid92 – 1.5 out of 5

Since 1 is the minimum score for these reviews, he gets a 0.5 for a cool ability – it’s like The Tickler but without the randomness. Shame it only hits non-limited locations or attachments, requires him to win a challenge, plus he only has 1 keyword and 1 icon. I don’t think this card will see play.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Seems like fun, and the best card in the box so far (with Balon an obvious exception). An evocative ‘viking’-style location removal card, we expect this to see a good amount of play.

hagarrr – 2.5 out of 5

Andrik will be see play in pillage decks, and he might even do some work there. Yet as a monocon, he will only fire in the military challenge he participates and wins in, if there is a non-limited location or attachment in the discard pile that matches one already in play. That’s a couple of hoops to jump through, and even then it’s wholly dependent on the composition of the opponent’s deck. He’ll work once or twice and it’ll be a glorious experience for at least three seconds, but then he’ll be rubbish for the next 2/3 games.







Qarl the Maid (3.2 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

In the right deck, I like Qarl well enough. Maiden’s Bane, Grey Ghost, and Raiding Longship are the main Warship stand targets, so Qarl makes the most sense with unopposed effects.

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

Warships and Asha are both likely to be in most Greyjoy decks, making Qarl a great 1 of at minimum. He’s good.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

A good midrange character that keys off two other cards that will consistently be in Greyjoy decks forever. Yet another stand effect in a game saturated with them, and yet another nail in the coffin of kneel. The Simpsons quote comes to mind, “Stop! Stop! He’s already dead!”

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

With Asha, especially the 7g version, he’s fine; with 7g Victarion and at least one boat, he’s fine; with either Euron, Silence on the table and at least one boat in hand, he’s fine; otherwise he’s pretty awful. Fiddly that he needs to win the challenge while being a bad deal stats-wise, too.

hagarrr – 3.5 out of 5

A free stand for winning a challenge with Qarl seems good, especially as Asha and Warships are likely to be played in Greyjoy decks until the end of time. This reads as; stand Asha, stand Victarion (by standing a Warship), or stand Euron (stand Silence). I think the flexibility of the reaction gives Qarl great value, especially if the opponent overcommits to stop it.







Master Murenmure (4.2 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

Sure, the guy who kneels for his ability gets two icons, but Gwynesse and Andrik are monocons… Greyjoy is quickly returning to their “cancel everything” roots from first edition (see: Alannys Greyjoy).

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

Non loyal location control is sadly lacking in this game so far, and Murenmure provides a nice option, especially given he can be searched for. However, as with many Maesters, that strength and lack of challenge ability for the cost holds him back, especially given he kneels to cancel the location.

Hybrid92 – 5 out of 5

An old favourite returns. Murenmure is as great now as he was in 1st Edition. Two icons, the Maester trait, non-loyal (will be huge for Banner of the Kraken), cheap for a powerful ability that can cancel even Limited economy locations to put that that choke on. He will be a Greyjoy staple in just about every deck forever.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Good annoying repeatable cancel (particularly for limited locations, choke smiles at this), and he has an intrigue icon too? Sweet!

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

There are many, many locations that kneel for their single use trigger, and Maester Murenmure cancelling them round after round will be a sad day for those decks. He makes reliance on a high value location a pretty risky bet if you cannot control him. Even if you don’t have impactful locations, he can choke your Great Halls or Kingsroads and slow down your tempo. Just having Murenmure on the board will give your opponent headaches, and that is fun!







Old Grey Gull (3.9 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

The flexibility of Grey Gull reminds me of Skagos. No single application of his ability is broken, but taken together they’re quite good. Plus, if you don’t need the ability, he’s an intrigue icon in a faction with few of them.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

I’m sure everyone will say it: the key strength of this card is the repeatable Vince (and the mind games accompanying your opponent knowing it is in hand). As with Murenmure, the Gull loses out a bit because he has to kneel for his ability, but in a Drowned God deck you probably weren’t that bothered by his icons anyway!

Hybrid92 – 5 out of 5

Another fantastic 3-cost character in this box. As mentioned, the ability to repeat Vince constantly will mean that Old Grey Gull will see play in goodstuff decks as a 1x. He can also essentially bounce back to hand one of your characters that has a bunch of terminal negative attachments on it. He really shines in Drowned God decks, however, where you have a “free kill” (similar to the one Vince himself offers from the dead pile) in order to trigger whatever reactions you have that key off characters being killed (eg, the new Aeron in this box). I’m thinking Acolyte of the Waves will love Old Grey Gull.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

Goes in only one deck most likely, but he’s pretty good in that one deck. There might be some scope in the future for re-using him with comes into play effects or limit 1/phase effects.

hagarrr – 3.5 out of 5

Salty Gandalf will be at least a 1x in all Drowned God decks, just for the ability to recur Vince on demand for the constant cancel threat. He may even be more valuable for the flexible kill in any phase to trigger cards like Aeron (Isles), Drowned Prophet, or Acolyte of the Waves on demand; the latter of which is great for Tarle the Thrice-Drowned! Sadly though, he kneels for his effect, he is unique, and yet another 3 cost DG character.







Priest of Old Wyk (1.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

The dominance-winning redundancy could be useful if Nagga’s Ribs doesn’t show, or gets Fro-So’d, but there are several better 3 gold DG characters that aren’t so niche.

Von Wibble – 2 out of 5

I see Old Grey Gull has access to a cloning device! Which is far more interesting than this card for sure. Fine if you like that sort of thing, until rotation happens I think Drowned God have better options.

Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5

Lazy art (it just looks like Old Grey Gull again!), only one icon, and a useless ability in Drowned God decks which already have Nagga’s Ribs that allows them to win Dominance by about a million strength. Awful.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

Quite bland and we’re not sure it sees any play, but may have value in the future as a stall-card being a 4 STR body that can pull its weight in the two aspects of the game that involve gaining power. Drowned God Fanatic helps keep the condition on its effect easier to realise than you’d think.

hagarrr – 1 out of 5

This is dull and often unnecessary. DG decks running Isles Aeron don’t care as much about winning Dominance as those running Core Aeron, and in any case, Nagga’s Ribs does the job so much better. I get the argument for redundancy of effects, but put this in your binder until Nagga’s Ribs rotates out, and I bet you won’t miss it.







Drowned Prophet (2.5 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

As I mentioned with new Aeron, Drowned God is essentially a combo deck, and this guy helps find the pieces. The effect is too narrow in scope to be a perfect fit though, as it only searches the top 5 and doesn’t trigger until he dies.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

If you are running resurrection tech then this is clearly a good option, with WIDMaND or Hagrid cheating an expensive card into play for you. However, if you don’t see those cards early, or if any of those abilities are cancelled…It’s a bit combo-ey for me in general, but I can see the appeal.

Hybrid92 – 2 out of 5

Will only ever see play in Drowned God decks – he seems fine for that purpose alone.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

We’re not convinced there’s room in the Drowned God curve to fit this card, and not enough cards that want to be in the dead pile yet. Wish it searched more than the top 5. That said, any effect that lets you search for Drowned Disciple (i.e. the DG chud that actually wins you the game) is worth consideration at least.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

A perfectly serviceable 2 cost chud for the Drowned God deck. Having these chaps die allow you to find another character for the dead pile that you may resurrect with Core Aeron, Old Wyk, Ghosts of Harrenhal, or the new event in this box. I like it just to find Vince or those Drowned Disciples I never ever seem to get.







Eager Deckhand (4.0 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

A free military icon chud is okay, I guess. They’ll be claim soak so the saves can be held onto for Valar M and the incoming barrage of Put to the Swords with Sea of Blood.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

Basically a free chud and a tempo boost in a lot of decks, which is no bad thing at all. Not much to say here as it’s pretty clear which decks she goes into.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

If Targaryen’s time at the top has taught us anything it’s that free cards are always great, especially when there’s little to no cost associated with it. Most Greyjoy decks, especially after this box, would be running warships of various kinds, so this card will make those decks. She’s also low enough in cost so it doesn’t feel so bad when you place her on setup. She kind of reminds me of the old Royal Entourage from 1.0.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5

Free bodies are good. What it lacks in flashiness, it makes up for in sheer value and efficiency.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

If there’s something I’ve learned from Targaryen, it’s that free characters are good. Deckhand is obviously suffering from the infamous (I’ve literally just invented it) “Greyjoy Tax” and is only allowed one icon compared to Missandei’s two though, so I’m only giving a 4 here out of spite.







Orkmont Reaver (3.7 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

Wex, Saltcliffe Sailor, and now Orkmont Reaver are the only Greyjoy 2-gold 2-icon characters. He helps round out the curve nicely and give another option at that cost slot. Great value for Pillage decks.

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

Accounting for events, pillages, reserve, and intrigue claim, it isn’t that difficult to imagine these guys having stealth by round 3, at which point they become very efficient for the price. Ironically for a card with so much fire in the background, you may wish to give these a rest in a Targ heavy meta.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

Hard to rate this guy. Good traits, good cost slot, two icons, and he will have stealth most of the time in mid to late game where it can prove vital. Early game he is pretty mediocre, and 1 strength is kind of sad. He’s a 3.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Cheapest native pillage in the game, and it won’t be too much effort to get the Stealth keyword active, at which point this becomes one of the most efficient chuds around. And not a monocon, to boot!

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

The designers forgot about the Greyjoy Tax already! This is a great bicon chud for Greyjoy, almost always with two keywords in a Pillage deck, and it’s not a bad top deck at any stage in the game to get an affordable character with stealth. This really ups the ante in pillage though, rounding the curve out in that deck nicely.







Silence (3.1 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

See Euron’s review. It’s situationally very good.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

As mentioned above, this is hard to review separately of Euron, and will surely only feature in decks running 3 of him. With that in mind, I don’t think of this as a 4 cost location to compare to the others, I think of it as a free location with the option to pay 4 for it (in the same way as I don’t consider Areo Hotah to be a 5 cost character). I like that it gives Greyjoy genuine challenge tricks, as the Kraken’s Grasp was about the only hidden one before. A good number of Warships cost 2 or more, so Silence provides a significant tempo boost on top of a surprise kill from Golden Storm, or even a simple strength pump from Iron Fleet Scout. The +2 initiative is no triviality either. It just loses out on a point because if Core Euron is used then it is harder to justify the cost.

Hybrid92 – 2 out of 5

Not convinced this is worth 4 gold. When you look at Hightower, Dorne, even the two versions of Harrenhal, this seems a little on the weak side. Free Warships are a great economic boost – and they can help you win challenges too – but you’ll have to run A LOT of Warships to make use of Silence. The second part of the effect requires having Euron already out. I don’t think +2 initiative is enough to justify the steep cost. Yes, the Euron in this box gets it into play for free, but Core Euron is just flat out so much better.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

So, this is our second problem with Euron. If you get this for free, it’s a pretty good deal. If you have to pay 4 for it, it’s a pretty bad one. But you can’t really only run 1 copy to try to increase the chance you see Euron first, because this is built to be an economic centrepiece for an entire deck, so if you’re running boats you’re really going to want this on the table as soon as possible. And if you’re not running so many boats, this is obviously poor because you need to put a boat in play before you get to stand Euron. Now, all that said, the version of events where you see Euron first, get Silence into play for free, then use it round after round to throw out boats and repeatedly stand your Intimidate tricon is an evocative and attractive one. We just think in practice that Core Euron probably wins out over Isles Euron, and at that point Silence gets pushed out. Also, does this mean that for the future we get a ‘Euron tax’ on all future Silences??

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

Silence brings some much needed challenge phase tricks to vary the ways you might get smashed by Greyjoy big dudes. I really like this as an economic engine for locations, and this scales with the value of Warships in your deck. Throwing in Refurbished Hulks and Dromonds help your economy go quicker, and Golden Storm and Maiden’s Bane can swing a round for you. Don’t sleep on that +2 initiative either; with Silence and Hulks, Greyjoy can dominate initiative to their liking. Oh yeah, and this can stand Euron too. Cool. The negatives? You never really want to pay for it, and the Warships deck it promotes is very vulnerable to Political Disaster.







Great Wyk (1.9 Average)

scantrell24 – 1 out of 5

Why? Drowned God decks play solitaire and try to combo out ASAP. I couldn’t care less about my opponent’s hand, so Great Wyk is just a distraction from my win condition.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

Clearly this card is only going to work in a Drowned God deck in general, which then leads to a bit of a contradiction as I’m not seeing where said deck really gains from a couple of discards per round, as Drowned God aren’t that strong at intrigue, and card is chosen by your opponent. It seems like a lot of work, though I’ll acknowledge that the potential ceiling of this card is very high.

Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5

Awful card — too expensive, and it only goes into one deck type that doesn’t even care about hand control. It’s not even a random discard! Pathetic.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

For 3 gold, for a card that can only go in one deck, that does nothing by itself, and that realistically you’ll struggle to trigger more than once a round unless you’re winning the game anyway, we’d at least want the discard to be random. The only thing giving us any semblance of hope for this card is the potential of a future deck that combines this with Coastal Reaver to try to keep the opponent’s hand perpetually empty.

hagarrr – 2.5 out of 5

This is probably only a 1x in Drowned Gods decks. It does nothing to help that deck win the game, but once a Vince has entered the dead pile, it’s essentially a ‘free’ intrigue claim for doing something you already want to do anyway. If the discard was random it would be a better card; disrupting the enemy hand prior to a reset is good, but a chosen discard is much less impactful. I do like that this can open up new lines of attack for Drowned God decks with future releases however, and it might even be fun in melee.







Golden Storm (2.5 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

This looks like my kind of jank. There are a few fun angles worth exploring (hint: Golden Storm is non-loyal), but none of them are in the vicinity of tier 1. In a more Greyjoy-focused unopposed deck, it’s good not great. You might pick up a couple extra power from unopposed and unopposed triggers, but plenty of other cards already accomplish the same.

Von Wibble – 3 out of 5

A repeatable Throwing Axe that is attached to all of your characters? If you have this and the Seastone Chair out then you will thin the opponent’s board very nicely. In practice, as with all other such effects, this is just going to lead to more unopposed challenges, though Silence at least makes it a nice trick to play should your opponent gamble opposing a challenge just to stop your triggers…

Hybrid92 – 1.5 out of 5

All this will do is ensure more challenges go unopposed, and Greyjoy already have plenty of ways to do that.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

The word we all used was “meh”. There’s an old Finnish sea-shanty that, roughly translated, goes “Before men were Iron, and the boats were made of wood… Now men are of Wood and the boats of Iron, Hii-o-hoi!”. Clearly we’re in the “before” part in this Deluxe.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

Golden Storm seems like a very effective way to gain unopposed, and a huge headache for the opponent if you control the Seastone Chair too. With the Silence on the board, the threat of a surprise Golden Shower will ruin your day. This will likely be a stronger threat when running Sea of Blood, but less impactful elsewhere. The extra standing of the Warship is an almost irrelevant extra boon, unless you either have Big Vic or you’re that plucky guy who runs Storm of Swords too!







Maiden’s Bane (2.9 Average)

scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5

Seems good. Greyjoy can use plot resets to keep the board small, making unopposed easier, and then use the same character for multiple challenges via Maiden’s Bane. Kingsmoot Asha, Intimidate Euron, and Pillage Euron are great with multiple uses.

Von Wibble – 3 out of 5

…and this is where the mind games begin, as an opponent who chooses to un-oppose your challenge fearing a Silenced Storm will run into this card instead and have to face down an additional challenge from Balon or the like. Given that Euron, Asha and big Vic already have stand mechanisms in a warship deck this isn’t quite as strong, but it’s still good enough for a 1 of for sure.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

More stand? “Stop! Stop! He’s already dead!”

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

See above? This one a little better, especially in Melee, and we at least get the idea of “you have Silence out, your opponent doesn’t know whether to oppose and risk you dropping in Golden Storm or leave unopposed and risk you dropping in Maiden’s Bane!”, but realistically you just play better cards to begin with.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

Oh cool I can stand a character, ok then. The fact this Warship can potentially stand itself again and be used on another challenge provides some decent efficiency if you have the means to get unopposed. If not, it at least forces the opponent to defend, to which you can use Kraken’s Grasp, Golden Storm, Moqorro…







Scouting Vessel (3.1 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

It’s amazing with Corpse Lake and/or Ser Gregor Clegane. Run 3x in Pillage decks, if not to win by Mill then just to improve all the triggers like Core Euron, Isles Balon, Andrik, King of Salt and Rock, Black Wind, etc.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

In general, outside of setups, this is not good, but in a dedicated pillage deck, most likely a Lannister Kraken deck, you could get some decent mileage from the effect, especially if the Mountain is doing the pillaging.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

A 0-cost Warship for setups, Big Vic, and other Warship-related effects. Seems like the trait is more useful than the effect which will only ever actually get used in pillage decks.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

A zero gold Warship seems good pretty much by default. Greyjoy’s draw is a little precarious and that might sink this Vessel, but in a deck that can afford the potentially-perilous topdeck and wants the trait, why not include this?

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

Meh. The effect isn’t inspiring for me, existing to give a wider array of triggers for Andrik, Core Euron et al. The fact it’s a 0 cost Warship makes it better, both for setups and for Big Vic. Apparently it makes Ser Gregor Clegane just a little more ridiculous too so that’s nice.







Red Rain (3.4 Average)

scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5

Two power is a lot of power, especially when you’re already getting one for an unopposed, probably one for Great Kraken, claim, plus any renown… Your opponent will definitely have to react to Red Rain or lose quickly.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

Even with Qohor in the meta 2 cost positive attachments generally aren’t the best options so have to have good text to be chosen. I’d say 2 power per round in a deck dedicated to unopposed challenges qualifies! The stealth on the Drumm is just a nice extra, honestly Core Balon is generally a better recipient for this attachment.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

2 cost is a lot for a positive attachment, but this has the ability to rack up the power quite quickly especially if on a character with stealth or a character who can participate in multiple challenges (or both). Funnily enough this will probably end up on Asha or Balon more often than The Drumm.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

We wish this wasn’t faction-restrictive. In Melee and/or with Trading with Qohor, the power grab will be frighteningly quick. Otherwise we’re kinda bored by these “gain a power; stand a card”-style cards it feels like we’ve mostly had for deluxe-after-deluxe.

hagarrr – 2.5 out of 5

This is really quick power gain, provided you can get the unopposed. Seeing this, your opponent won’t be inclined to let you do so, and unless this goes on The Drumm (spoiler: it won’t. Also, hi Balon!), it doesn’t actually do anything to help you win the challenge. A more predictable, 2g, win-more Superior Claim type card then. Okay. It’s fairly good, but I don’t like it.







Fleet Captain (2.9 Average)

scantrell24 – 2.5 out of 5

It’s not garbage because +3 strength is a lot of strength, but Fleet Captain is a one-trick pony that will be a dead draw at times.

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

This is another card whose uses are obvious, in a warship deck it’s a solid +3 strength for 1 gold. This looks especially useful for core Balon, but as a way to win challenges or intimidate opponents if given to Euron it’s just as good.

Hybrid92 – 2.5 out of 5

Seems fine in the dedicated Warship deck. Pretty boring otherwise.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

A Fine Kata… Kaptain? In the decks this will actually go in, it’s +3 STR for only 1 gold pretty consistently, which is a good deal – especially with the agenda in this box wanting you to win challenges by 5… The Captain trait will be nice when you get this on Core Balon with your 1x Maiden’s Bane out, but otherwise is completely irrelevant so who cares.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

Big Vic and Euron are two characters I expect to see in a deck with plenty of Warships, and I feel a bit weary just thinking of +3 STR on either of them. The Captain trait is probably only relevant for Balon.







What Is Dead May Never Die (1.8 Average)

scantrell24 – 1.5 out of 5

I want great setups in my DG deck to see my combo pieces ASAP, not events that choke my setups. The theme is on point, but the execution (timing, price, etc.) misses the mark.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

WIDMaND for short. The cost is very high for sure, with you needing to win dominance as well as save 3 gold for the event, though of course the latter helps with the former. However, putting a big character back into play is even bigger as an effect, especially given that you can add this to a deck to provide redundancy with Hagrid, who also requires you to win dominance.

Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5

Terrible card: hugely overcosted and you have to win Dominance. Drowned God decks don’t need another resurrection effect, and if it’s a goodstuff deck you’re playing then just include 1x Core Aeron.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

Cute effect but it’s not pushed enough (too expensive, power level too low, dom events always bad) for us to expect to ever actually see it in the wild.

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

This *sounds* amazing- get back that bomb character straight into play for only 3 gold, yay. But you have to win Dominance. And have saved 3 gold. And have survived intrigue claim. And have a dead character worth reviving. This might be worth it in a Drowned God deck where you’re playing Isles Aeron…..but probably not.







Nighttime Raid (2.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

Pyke is better.

Von Wibble – 3 out of 5

Just looking at this box, Balon and Euron both qualify for this effect as well as some of the chuds. In general, finding enough targets to get 3 stealths in 1 go shouldn’t be too difficult, and there will be times where you only need 1 character to gain stealth to win a challenge you wouldn’t normally be able to. It’s a solid card which looks particularly nice in a pillage Greyjoy deck or a Lanni Kraken deck. In other decks it’s probably a late cut at best though.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

It’s like Ours is the Old Way is from a different game.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

Finding slots won’t always be easy, but mass-stealth sounds pretty strong to us. And in case you were wondering, that sound you could hear is Ours is the Old Way crying into its teacup.

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

A dull but effective effect is never going to be wildly popular, and I just don’t see this card making the grade. It’ll blowout some games if you draw this on your two claim turn, but that’s virtually impossible because you’ve almost definitely not put this in your optimised deck!







Khorane Sathmantes (3.3 Average)

scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5

The character kneel is good, and the location kneel is good, so together they’re great, right? Tapping Meereen, Skagos, Northern Armory, or even economy like Dornish Fiefdom or Underground Vault could really muck with an opponent’s plans. It’s a shame Khorane is stuck in tier 2 Banner builds and won’t see much play at no fault of his own.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

Comparing Khorane to core Mel, you are kneeling the character as well, and you have to have a warship in play (that you don’t mind kneeling). However, once you have that warship, location discard aside, you can trigger Khorane every round, whereas Mel requires you to draw and play R’hllor cards. In short, he might not be quite as good, but he isn’t much worse, and we are talking about a very strong character to compare him to. I like him.

Hybrid92 – 2 out of 5

Terrible cost-strength ratio (yet again indicative of the Bara Tax) and only good when Greyjoy Warships augment your deck because Bara Warships you either want to kneel (Fury and Laughing Lord) or are too awful to include in decks (Black Betha and The Valyrian). He would have been better at 4-STR and if he gave you the option to either kneel him to kneel a character OR kneel him and a Warship to kneel a character and a location. But that would be a good Bara card and we can’t have that, can we?

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

If you don’t have a boat out he’s bad, which pretty much confines him to either Bara Kraken or Greyjoy Stag for the time-being. However, once that boat (that you’re fine with kneeling) is on the table, getting a guaranteed kneel of a character AND a location every round, with the best possible timing, and the potential abuse with stand effects on Khorane to kneel out multiple cards on the opponent’s side of the table, seems really strong.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

Khorane is a strong and repetitive form of soft control that needs no extra investment once you have him and a Warship on the board. Not only can he control the best character and location (providing it kneels for its effect!) your opponent has, but he can do so at any time in any phase, opening the door for clever play prior to plots. The only downside I see is the lack of non-kneeling in-faction Warship support, which means he only goes into a deck allied with Greyjoy, especially with those great traits! As an evergreen card though, the scope is there for him to get even better.







Fury (3.5 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

Is this a precursor to a badass tricon Stannis the Mannis coming in the Bara deluxe? Stark, Tyrell, Lanni, Greyjoy have a good amount of renown characters to poach from, but Targ, Night’s Watch and Martell are relatively light.

Von Wibble – 5 out of 5

If you squint, its +1 claim to your first power challenge – as long as you can find a way to place power on opposing characters. Spoiler, there’s one in this box! Intimidate on Stannis may be just an extra, but it’s a really nice one.

Hybrid92 – 2.5 out of 5

There’s plenty of renown around these days so stealing power won’t be a problem. Intimidate on Stannis is cute if we actually had a good version of Stannis to play — right now we don’t so it’s irrelevant. For 2 gold in a faction with already plenty of decent locations to include in decks, I would have liked something a bit more for this card, maybe to actually help win the power challenge.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

Extra power claim whenever you win a power challenge, as long as you have a source to take the power from? Seems good. Of course, as a 2 gold location that doesn’t actually help you WIN that challenge, it falls prey to one of Bara’s biggest current downsides, of having more sinks than sources for its themes – that is, it’s great that they get their Bastard of Nightsong trigger, their Ser Cortnay Penrose trigger, their Fury trigger, their draw, their event cancel and their Fickle Bannermen when they win power challenges, but if we could get some cards that actually help them do so that’d be swell. Oh and Intimidate for Stannis is whatever.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

Another good Baratheon card; a less reliable Chamber of the Painted Table though with a different triggering condition. Winning the power challenge is trivial for a Bara deck built for it, but ensuring the opponent has power on a character or location is tough. This will probably see some play with The Starry Sept, Consolidation of Power and Desert Raiders, and the added intimidate on Stannis makes it well worth the 2 cost.







Gunther Son of Gurn (3.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

Solid all around. Ambush is plenty useful, especially for a Clansman character, and the discard effect is good enough to warrant a look even outside of Clasman decks. Lanni decks don’t need power icons if the the opponent’s characters are all dead and their hand is empty, right?

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

He is like a cut price core Cersei, with the added bonus that the extra intiruge claim is applied to his military challenges too. The ambush effect is nice and could have applications in a deck running either Tyrion, which should be most decks really!

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

A good all-round card for Clansmen decks. An easy 1x in those decks and nothing more.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Nothing too exciting, but a perfectly reasonable body with a good anti-Insight kicker to winning on attack, seems good to us. Timing of the trigger is nice, trait helps boost a subtheme in need of the help, and an extra (admittedly expensive) ambush for those niche times you’ll need it, solid all-round. Now if someone could explain why all the discard effects in this box aren’t random, that’d be swell.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

As mentioned before with Great Wyk, it’s great to get free “intrigue claim” for just doing what Clansmen want to do anyway- win military challenges. The ambush is fine, but I feel that this deck doesn’t need yet another mil/int bicon character at the mid-range cost slot. He’ll be a good 1x in this deck and not played in any others.







My Mind Is My Weapon (2.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

It’s not completely terrible because it’s non-loyal, and it can be used on any character with an intrigue (not just Lanni characters). I like the potential for voltron decks, maybe giving Gregor an intrigue icon with Little Bird… but No Men Like Me already does something similar. Hmmm….

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

It’s a bit like a strength pump that could also add renown or intimidate to the challenge as a surprise. Using this on Tywin makes challenges very difficult for your opponent to win and speeds your deck up too. The fact it isn’t restricted to Lanni characters only makes it a great banner card too, and it works very well with that other good banner card, the Hand’s Solar.

Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5

This card doesn’t really excite me. Lannister has better events, and military challenges aren’t super important right now to Lannister decks. If you’re that desperate to win a military challenge, you’re probably playing an aggro deck in which case you wouldn’t have many intrigue icons to use this event anyway.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

Finding room for this will be tough, and being limited both on what challenge you can use it in and what characters you can bring into the challenge with it will hurt it. But usually in Lannister you’ll be able to bring in at least 4 STR, and maybe an extra trigger or keyword too, with no tempo loss. Another “maybe better in Melee” card.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

This is a good card that I see as similar to Hear Me Roar but more restrictive in when and how you can use it. Bringing in a surprise participant in a military challenge has a big upside with Sea of Blood released in this box, especially when that character doesn’t need to kneel. Solid.







Desert Raider (4.5 Average)

scantrell24 – 5 out of 5

Why even initiate a military challenge against Martell? They get to trigger Viper Eyes, Vengeance, Dorne, Desert Raider, etc. etc. etc. and in return you get to… kill a come-into-play chud that already did it’s job. This guy kinda forces intrigue or power first, and military last (if at all).

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

Once one of these is in the dead pile, your opponent has to play round this very carefully as the icon control this provides can slow down their other challenges or allow you to get more challenges through yourself if going second. However, giving your opponents power, synergies with Fury aside, is generally a bad idea. You can play around this to an extent with resets, making this a very nicely balanced card.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

This card will be extremely annoying once it hits the dead pile, and that won’t take too long either. Probably a 2x in most if not at all Martell decks for its efficiency, icon strip, and dead pile recursion. In 1.0 it had the Prized keyword, and that has been elegantly re-implemented in his effect here.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5

Really strong for some reas- oh, “Card designed by…”, that’ll be why. Like a cockroach that will stick around for all eternity being vaguely offensive.

hagarrr – 4.5 out of 5

I already know I’m going to hate this with a passion. In Martell decks that love to play the control game, this will be great, and it may raise the profile of banner Sun too, especially in Baratheon decks that want to play Fury more consistently. I’m happy that Istvan can’t take your military icon to punish you further, but I don’t like how this further devalues military claim in general.







The Bloodroyal (3.1 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

Bloodroyal only works on a Martell character, and looking at the potential targets, Core Viper and Sands of Dorne Viper are both much better with renown. The downside is that going 2nd is terrible right now, especially with so much Intimidate around.

Von Wibble – 3 out of 5

If you are going second, stealth is less useful, more acting as a counter to opposing stealth. However, renown for 1 cost is a very useful thing. The attachment is unique, which weakens it somewhat, but as a 1 of in a delayed rush deck I like it.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

Seems like a Melee card. Don’t think Martell has the space for cute positive attachments in Joust.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Again we wish it could go on more than just Martells – preferably unique only instead, as it’s weird to us that some random Orphan of the Greenblood could be The Bloodroyal. The condition to turn this on is pretty easy for Martells to meet (and something they generally want to anyway), and the card is excellent value when it’s working – maybe enough to actually see play, unlike most of the other renown/stealth-granting attachments. It’s main downside would be the faction it’s in as most Martell don’t care about constructive cards like this, but with Lord of the Crossing still hanging around it will definitely have a space.

hagarrr – 2.5 out of 5

A cheap source of stealth and renown provided you are the second player. Luckily, Martell quite like to go second and often play higher initiative plots to leverage that, so two keywords for 1g is a good deal. On the flip side, how often does a Martell player want to play attachments like this and claim renowns?







Vindictive Ranger (2.9 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

Vindictive Ranger would have been good about two years ago. Night’s Watch has better decks than Core Wall defense, and better options within that deck.

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

Whilst the flexibility of icons is good, the stealth is particularly useful as Night’s Watch has a limited amount of this. For Ranger decks or core Wall decks he’s decent, and he looks a good shout in the Commander Jon Snow deck too.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

Seems good for Core Wall decks to further shoehorn you into doing certain challenges in a certain order lest you give the defending NW player too many benefits. NW have a lot of 2 and 3 cost characters that do quite a bit though, so finding room for him might be tough.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

Good in melee, fine in Joust. If you’re going to do a basic cheap body good for nothing but challenges, this is at least one of the more interesting ones?

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

This isn’t bad in a Ranger-traited deck or in a Core Wall defence deck. Gaining both the extra icon and stealth going second is very impactful. If a NW SoB Ranger deck takes off he might even see some play. Decent, but not exciting.







Westwatch by the Bridge (2.7 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

Sure, it “only” stands Queenscrown. But, that’s pretty good. Worth 1x in the “steal your dudes” deck.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

Running through a list of what this stands out of regularly used locations, Queenscrown is about the only option without having a Ranger, Steward, and Builder. However, with all of these out, you get a very flexible card that can stand your economy, or your Haunted Forests, or even your Core Wall. I think the amount of work needed to make this good is enough to balance it though.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

As implied by the other reviewers, this card might as well read “Kneel Westwatch-by-the-Bridge to stand Queenscrown” because that’s all that’s going to be happening.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

It’s fine, and not at all exciting. Good in recruiter decks to stand Queenscrown. The 4 gold bit probably a red herring, as what NW deck with a Ranger, Steward and Builder out isn’t having their Wall remain standing anyway?

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

Snore. Aside from maybe Queenscrown, there aren’t any good 1 cost NW locations worth standing, which means you’re likely playing a Ranger, Steward and a Builder to stand something better with this. I don’t see many competitive decks these days playing those in equal numbers, and I don’t see anyone playing this either.







Maester Vyman (2.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

His grim expression would be fitting with a choke or cancel effect, but it seems out of place paired with a power grab ability.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

In Stark, he gives power to the usual suspects, Fat Cat and Blackfish, and as a 1 of chud in a deck running these cards he’s a decent shout. However, Blackfish doesn’t see so much play these days with Wyman Manderly being so good. In Conclave the targets are a little less obvious as most of them are chuds.

Hybrid92 – 3.5 out of 5

I like him. He boosts the Tully theme to help generate more power for Fat Cat and The Blackfish. He can also help speed up Conclave decks too. Wish he had an intrigue icon.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

We see the “Maesters have no unifying theme” theme is being fervently stuck to! The decks this is good in and bad in are quite obvious, so not really anything to say here.

hagarrr – 1 out of 5

Stop staring at me dude, that’s intimidating and creepy. I know, I know, you’re probably just mad that you have to kneel to do your thing in a lame deck with a crappy little subtheme that see no play. Or maybe you’re just irate that The Conclave is still terrible and shows no sign of improving. Or maybe I’m wrong. Whatever.







Karhold (3.3 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

The Stark “fun police” theme returns. Stark Winter decks (not necessarily the agenda, just lots of Winter plots) are surprisingly good, but Stark has a couple of better options (Crossing and Fealty), so Winter doesn’t get as much love. I’d like Karhold more if it had some kind of minor “backup” ability, because it’s a dead draw in some situations.

Von Wibble – 4.5 out of 5

This card may have the biggest effect on the meta of all! Whilst there will be some decks that simply don’t care about it, whether due to having winter plots, or simply not using renown, there are enough tournament decks around that will hate facing this card. Any deck with renown now has to consider this card. With Winter reserves out it is finally possible to run a decent winter plot deck should one be needed – however I wouldn’t advocate that this is best played in Kings of Winter, a fealty deck is probably a better shout. Seems nice in a Martell Wolf deck as well, it’s not like you are running anything that gains power…

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

A pretty strong effect. The problem is Stark loves to have power on their characters, so that means the Stark player needs to run Winter plots. And nobody likes to run Winter plots.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

What a lovely upsetting card. The problem is the meta has to be on a “power on cards in play” setting for this to be worth it, and right now most of the top decks are using their characters for effects (Drogon, Hizdahr, Wyman, Meera, all the Greyjoy cards in this box except for Balon, etc.) rather than power-sinks. Still not a bad one-of, and could be an important Melee card if nothing else.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

This is a classic meta-call card. If renown or power on locations becomes a thing again, bust out Karhold and your winter plots and make your opponents weep. If the meta is generally as it is now, it’s fairly useless. Stark haven’t been running their suite of renown characters for some time now, so this doesn’t hurt them significantly even if they don’t run Winter plots.

There’s still potential for Karhold to make an impact as and when specific decks rise in the game (Drowned God, Tyrell Knights etc), and I like the idea of this in melee the most- potentially shutting down three player’s decks sounds more appealing than just one! Finally, I really like that there is a card that actively tries to promote the usage of winter plots; the sooner those ridiculous summer plots like Trade Routes get dumped, the better. If a Tyrell renown fest deck has to move away from those safe and easy plots, it’s a good thing right?

Cohollo (3.5 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

With Meereen 5/5. Without Meereen 2/5.

The threat of adding Cohollo into any challenge during any action window is nuts. The entire dynamic of the game will change when he hits the board, especially if Targ plays first. That Bloodrider trait is useful for Raiding Khalasar too.

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

For the cost of 1 card, you have a tricon with intimidate, good traits, and strength 5, which is excellent! However, you do have to have another participating character, and if you don’t spend a card you are paying for 62.5% of an Iron Throne (at twice the price). He’s good but fair.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

I like this card. Targaryen doesn’t care about discarding cards, and being able to “naval in” a 5-STR intimidate at any point in the challenge is very good. Good traits too.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

On the bubble for Targ, as they have so many good bodies they might not need him and they’re also rapidly approaching a tipping point where they have enough discard effects that they don’t want more. We don’t think they’ve quite reached that though, and Cohollo is a pretty versatile card – requires you to have the icon on attack to initiate the challenge but then lets you feint a 5 STR Intimidate on whatever challenge you like; while on defence he’s essentially a tricon with Stealth.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

The way Cohollo is designed makes him more niche than I’d like. He clearly needs to be a part of a discard strategy, which necessitates running him with Meereen, and yet you’d also like to run him as part of a Dothraki deck, being y’know, Dothraki an’ all. It’s difficult to play him outside of a Meereen deck, because he literally has no icons and is useless if you have no cards in hand. This said, he’s functionally a tricon with Intimidate when built for, which is pretty good.







“Dance of the Dragons” (1.7 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

There are a few good-ish uses, but none good enough to warrant the deck space. Maaaaybe if you want an easy Dany trigger but aren’t using Fire and Blood.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

This card has a lot of potential, whether it be fetching core Viserys, Iron Mines, or Summer, to name but a few. As a banner card that can enable additional plays of cheap and efficient cards its good, and Banner of the Dragon is already in vogue thanks to Queensguard (which this can fetch!). It looks strong in Qohor decks too. However, it is a shame that Crown of Gold was ever printed as I’m sure that card is a primary reason for so many conditions to this effect.

Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5

Pretty boring. Targaryen players are usually discarding dead cards, Missandeis, or cards that can be brought back in with Flea Bottom. Don’t think they feel the need to waste a precious event slot to bring back a 3-cost or lower non-event card from discard to hand. It doesn’t even come into play!

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

As basic as a recursion card can possibly get. It’s fine, but nothing to write home about. There’s really not much to say.

hagarrr – 1 out of 5

“Let’s give Targaryen a discard pile recursion card!”

“But what about Dracarys!? We can’t have that!”

“We’ll make it choose a non-event card then”

“But what about Crown of Gold?! We can’t have that!”

“We’ll make them choose a non-event card of cost 3 or lower then”

“LOL, a Targ Tax!”

In all fairness, I get why the restrictions are there, but in doing this, Dance of the Dragons is pretty useless. What card is worth getting back so much?

Ser Talbert Serry (3.8 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

He’ll have a home in decks with win by 5 triggers.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

At worst, he’s a 3 for 3 bicon chud with a decent trait and keyword – as well as a cheap military icon that Tyrell can lack. At best he can get to strength 9 in challenges, though your opponent can of course control when this happens – and this is what limits his potential. If your opponent uses a lot of kneel based economy you can potentially trigger him 3 times in marshalling and use To the Rose Banner for a jackpot if you are that way minded. He is a solid choice with the potential to have some strong rounds.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

Against most decks he is effectively 3-for-5 or even 3-for-7 which makes him very efficient. Against Martell or Night’s Watch with their usual location suite his strength could become astronomical. And if he’s not getting the strength buffs then you’re probably in a decent position anyway.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Tyrell going back to their BEEF roots. (Beef-stick routes? Beefy? Meaty? Comment below with your preferred term!) Realistically most decks want to trigger at least one location in challenges, meaning he’s a 5 STR bicon for 3 gold which is excellent, but even if they don’t then a 3 STR bicon with a good trait for only 3 gold is something Tyrell are in surprisingly short supply of.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

Talbert is actually pretty nice for a Tyrell card. There are plenty of triggers for this, and if your opponent wants to use a Flea Bottom, well you’ve got yourself a 5 STR dude for only 3 gold. That’s value. Realistically, this will make your opponent think more about the order and timing of triggers, and whilst Talbert probably won’t actually change much in practice, giving your opponent another way to trip himself up is always good.







The Shield Islands (1.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 1.5 out of 5

Only in the jankiest of combo/voltron decks that don’t give a sh*t what the opponent is doing.

Von Wibble – 2 out of 5

Mill decks and reserve choke aside I’m not sure why I’d want to use this, and I’m not convinced Tyrell is the best faction for either of those themes. As a banner card I can see the appeal more, as some factions can struggle more for draw and won’t mind if their opponents have the extra cards.

Hybrid92 – 1.5 out of 5

Tyrell already has plenty of draw, they don’t need this card.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

We kinda wish this was in a faction that could attempt to mill, and/or that this was non-unique, to enable those strategies. As it is we’re going to have to actually use it for the draw (or, at a push, the trait). Tyrell decks probably don’t actually want a symmetric draw effect, as they can outdraw everyone anyway. Good for Banner Rose at least?

hagarrr – 1 out of 5

Will I ever be that desperate for cards that I need to give my opponent cards too? I’m stupid enough to play Late Summer Feast so maybe I am. Given that this comes in the Greyjoy deluxe, I wonder if it’s supposed to be a tool for emptying your opponent’s deck. Whatever.







Bronze Yohn Royce (2.1 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

More like Bronze Yawn Royce… He’s not bad, but the card pool is way the past “not bad” being good enough.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

The most obvious candidates for kneel are Gates of the Moon, Great Halls, and Kingsroads, though the latter 2 limit your own economy (no pun intended). That aside, the stats are solid enough and another neutral renown option is a good thing.

Hybrid92 – 2.5 out of 5

If he sees play it’ll be because of his big strength, two icons, Lord trait, and renown, not for his extremely niche stand effect.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

Given that you have to win the challenge to get the stand, and have a 1+ cost neutral location you don’t mind kneeling (which for most decks is a list of cards that begins and ends with Gates of the Moon), did he really need to cost 6 not 5?

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

Bronze Yohn doesn’t really do anything cool, he just keeps standing provided you can trigger him. There are a few locations that will be used; likely Gates of the Moon or The Starry Sept, maybe the Iron Throne and City Gates are the others that see most play? Unimaginative, and I suspect most factions will prefer their in-faction 6 cost counterpart with better synergies.







Rogue Wildling (3.1 Average)

scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5

He gets the job done, and gives Bara kneel a kick in the nuts too.

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

Val and Arianne work very well with this card, making Free Folk and Martell Brotherhood the best places to use him. Other Brotherhood decks could be OK as long as they have the gold to ambush him in. Nice effect if you can get it for sure.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

A great midrange character for Free Folk decks. Maybe now they can stop playing Lem Lemoncloak and start playing this hero: 4 cost, ambush, two icons (including the all-important power icon), and a nifty stand effect. All round a solid card for Free Folk decks.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

Good in Free Folk, simply for being a relatively cheap power icon. It has other Wildling applications, but seeing as it seems they don’t even exist anymore outside of Free Folk let’s just save our time and yours and move along.

hagarrr – 3 out of 5

Rogue Wildling seems like a good addition to Free Folk decks, probably more for the power icon at the 4 gold price point than the effect. He’s really good with Val, a card that sorely needed some better characters to cheat into play.







Citadel Archivist (2.0 Average)

scantrell24 – 2 out of 5

If I had to build a Conclave deck, this guy would certainly be in the running.

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

As a chud for a Conclave deck, or a way to get access to lots of your own events a second time (Sea of Blood, anyone?), he’s a good choice. Anyone who dislikes Flea Bottom also has an answer right here. That said, the strength of 1 and situational ability ensure he won’t see much play outside of these applications.

Hybrid92 – 1.5 out of 5

Put him in the binder, right next to Burning the Dead.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

One of those “acceptable safety valve for the game to have but may never leave the binder” cards. Somewhat amusing that it looks like it should be a tool against Annals-style combo, but due to the specific trigger being tough to force, it can be better FOR combo than AGAINST it.

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

This effect is interesting, even if it’s not easy to activate in some factions. Non Flea Bottom Targaryen don’t mind shuffling their many discarded cards back into their decks, and they certainly have ways of triggering this guy. For everyone else though, it’s likely too niche.







The Starry Sept (4.0 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

Now we’re talking. I don’t know if it’s efficient enough to be good, but Starry Sept is at least interesting and potentially powerful.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

The rating here is mainly based on the synergy with Fury, as a character’s ability will have to be powerful indeed to justify giving them a power. It could happen, for example a fully bestowed Begging Brother who is preventing a key trigger, but is more of a corner-case. Speaking of which, another option is to blank your own character and given them power, for example if your opponent has just played Sea Bitch, or if you want to win the game and have Tycho out. In non Fury joust decks, drop the rating to 3.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

A great card with two solid effects makes this worth the 3-gold cost, potentially netting you an extra power per round plus with an on-demand blank effect!

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Yup, we’ll gladly contribute 3 gold to get a power per round with some added flavour on top, especially in melee. Occasionally, most notably if the opponent puts Core Varys into play, you might even trigger the “something something blank a character” bit!

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

This looks fun! A location that can gain power on attack and defence, complemented with an additional interesting ability that involves strategic decision making? Great! The obvious choice for this is Baratheon, with their ability to dominate the power challenge, and myriad ways of regaining the power spent with Fury and Stormlands Fiefdom/Nightsong/Chamber etc. Just remember that ‘moving’ power isn’t the same thing as ‘gaining’ power!







Reckless (2.3 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

I’ve tried it in a Martell Rose deck with Ellaria and Harpoon Marge, and it’s adequate there. The lack of setupability is a bummer. Also, unfortunately some of the characters who trigger by winning on attack that you could potentially force to defend instead have no attachments (see: Drogon).

Von Wibble – 3 out of 5

I like this card a lot, it can really help a deck that is going first to control opposing characters. Some have suggested its place is in a Targ burn deck, but I think they may struggle to fit it in with the various burn events whilst keeping a decent setup. I think a Greyjoy or Martell deck feels a more natural home for it, and am looking forward to trying the latter with Ellaria Sand to kneel most of the opponent’s board after my first challenge! As a terminal condition I think it’s a fair card though.

Hybrid92 – 1.5 out of 5

The best application for this card is to force a passive power gain character that just sits there like Mace or Fat Cat into a challenge so you can burn them to death. Other than that it sucks.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

As a “but thou must” effect it’s too weak, and the terminal keyword really holds it back from finding a place in a burn or Ghaston-style control deck.

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

Reckless seems best in decks that want to force specific characters to attack/defend so they can then be targeted for removal from the board; Targ Burn, Martell Ghaston/Messenger, Direwolves Taste/Shaggydog. It’s a shame then that this is Terminal, removing the possibility of repeating it, and the likelihood of seeing it in decks. This should probably have just cost 1 without the Terminal keyword. It doesn’t even work with Greyjoy and Raiding Longships. Now I’m just irate.







When I Woke… (4.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 5 out of 5

Versatile and punishing effect for a reasonable price. Also, When I Woke is a total Melee troll card, which is fitting.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

Whilst returning a card to the top of the deck is not the same impact as discarding it or killing it, it’s still a large tempo swing, and this card provides a good amount of control in decks that aren’t so strong in military themselves. It is also good in a Sea of Blood deck, whether used early to punish your opponent from defending and giving you tokens, or later when it costs nothing!

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

Bouncing to deck is a pretty massive tempo hit in terms of both economy and card advantage as it clogs the opponent’s draw. It’s a bit pricey though and you have to use it during a military challenge which, even though it’s probably fair and warranted, stops it from being a 5 out of 5.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5

We’re glad to see this card back, and pretty strong too. It’s especially nice to see this card in the same box as the next card. Granted “bounce to top of deck” is not “kill”, but the effect is very well-priced – in comparison to Put to the Sword it costs the same but has a much easier trigger to meet. Granted, on the “Card designed by” spectrum it’s nothing special.

hagarrr – 5 out of 5

The perfect neutral event for a deluxe box with an aggro agenda in it. Worried about Sea of Blood? Then throw some copies of this in your deck and worry a little bit less. WIW has a really easy trigger and can grant some great tempo, for the cost of losing a military challenge. It’ll feel wonderful when you put your opponents Drogo back on top of the deck, discarding the 4 power on him, whilst you kill an insignificant chud. This seems hilarious in melee too.







Sea of Blood (4.2 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

Cost reduction combined with tutoring is undeniably strong. It’s not the most interesting agenda in terms of strategy, but almost every faction will have a viable build.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

Finally, a good aggro agenda! Cards like Put to the Sword and Put to the Torch seem fairly obvious choices to use, though you can also use this agenda to get events that are just used in the challenges phase, such as Even Handed Justice. I can see this more controlling build working well out of Baratheon and Martell, whilst Stark have very aggressive options in Taste for Flesh and Winter is Coming. However, the fact you can’t play events during intrigue and power challenges means that your opponent knows this, and doesn’t need to play around, say, Dracarys!, or Tears of Lys. Your opponent will also know that you can’t use Hand’s Judgement on their events. Also, if you are choosing an event that you don’t plan to use straight away then your opponent will know about this. I like the agenda, but it does have limits.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

A boost to aggro is needed to save us from this insanely fast Rush meta. Sea of Blood opens up a lot of options and could bring back events that don’t see too much play these days, but is it the godsend that aggro needed? Time will tell.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

THE MEAT GOD DEMANDS BLOOD. A touch one-dimensional, between how heavily it pushes the one challenge and how it uses up your faction kneel, but it sure does use that dimension well. For the most part (and with the odd exception here and there) heavy military decks haven’t shone in second edition since, oh, cycle one? So it will be interesting to see if this agenda gives those decks the boosts it needs. Put to the Torch in particular will be a welcome card to re-enter the meta. We’d go 5, but one of the points is for future potential, and knowing how design tends to play things safe (see: most of the Scheme plots since Rains was released) we’d rather put the onus on future cards to prove us wrong.

hagarrr – 5 out of 5

Sea of Blood will change how everybody builds decks, particularly in the short-term, as the blowout potential of this agenda is huge. One single trigger of this is likely to have a major impact on the game, probably more so than Rains of Castamere did, with the ability to tutor Put to the Sword and use it in the same reaction window. The drawback of not being able to use events during intrigue or power is significant to some decks (burn especially!), and a clever player will use this to their advantage. Unlike Rains of Castamere, this agenda likely has a longer shelf-life, as the likelihood of new events being printed is far higher than new (and usable) Scheme plots!







We Take Westeros! (5.0 Average)

scantrell24 – 5 out of 5

Thronesdb might as well add this automatically when you open a new Greyjoy deck.

Von Wibble – 5 out of 5

Originally I thought this card depended too much on your opponent, then I reread it – turns out you can use your own discard pile. It’s great as an anti Valar M play (fetching your used Iron Mines), and it lets you retrieve Silence if your opponent Torched it. And that’s assuming your opponents have no tasty targets of their own.

Hybrid92 – 5 out of 5

Look at this card compared to The King’s Peace and you start to wonder if the developers have an unbridled hatred of the colour yellow.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 5 out of 5

Uh, yeah, insanely strong. Earns the prize for “most obviously power-creeped Greyjoy card in the box”. With Tyrell getting Wardens of the South, Martell getting At Prince Doran’s Behest and now Greyjoy getting this, Lannister must be looking at their Lions of the Rock and feeling pretty sad right now.

hagarrr – 5 out of 5

I literally cannot ever see this being less than 5/5 in any game. Greyjoy have the ability to put any location into the opponent’s discard pile with pillage, Newly Made Lords, We Do Not Sow, Raiding the Icy Bae, etc and then just take control of it with this plot. Add in an amazing stat-line and I suspect this will be in most Greyjoy decks for a long time. This even allows you to recur your own locations lost to intrigue claim/location control which shows wonderful flexibility. Finally, the comical drawing of the far-left Kraken seems like it was penned by a 3 year old, which is just the cherry on top.







Return to the Fields (2.5 Average)

scantrell24 – 3 out of 5

It competes with Fallen from Favor for a spot in Flea Bottom / come-into-play chud decks, as well as Stark sacrifice.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

This is a great anti-reset plot, saving the characters from dying as well as providing gold and cards for the privilege – having this in the plot deck therefore allows you to play out characters more aggressively to even try to force an early reset. The initiative value of 6 is significant as it beats Valar Dohearis – at least, as long as you aren’t facing Silence! Stark have an added benefit of triggering sacrifice tech, such as Robb Stark if the previous plot was The Withering Cold.

Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5

Yet another abysmal plot effect that has a great statline a la Double Dealing and Ravages of War. It’s like they’re trying to make up for something. Pass.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 1 out of 5

It has value as an anti-Valar plot (either one), turning cards that would leave play anyway into gold and draw, but otherwise we already have plots for if you want cards, or if you want gold, or if you want both, and none of them involve chucking your board away. We’re not seeing it.

hagarrr – 3.5 out of 5

This seems like it’ll be a 5 for Stark, NW, and possibly Drowned God too. Stark have many benefits from sacrificing their own characters, especially after a Withering Cold turn or with Fat Cat out, and Night’s Watch might love to play this after Tricksy Birding a sweet Valar Morghulis. I can see a deck wth Nagga’s Ribs getting value from it too, but as an anti-reset plot (either Valar or FSoW), you need to be very skilled at seeing them coming otherwise you’ve reduced your board needlessly. Other factions probably don’t get enough benefit from this to consider it.







Heir to the Iron Throne (3.9 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

Love it. Sure, this will miss sometimes and be a dud, but when it hits, the potential is huge. Martell could swap up from Edric to the Viper; Lanni trades up from Lancel to Tywin; Stark sacs Meera for Wyman or Fat Cat, then Flea Bottoms Meera back in, then sacs somebody else and returns her to shadows…

Von Wibble – 3.5 out of 5

As long as you have a cheap lord out, ideally one that triggers off leaving play such as Viserys, then most decks that would run Summons should run this instead, after all, most Summoned characters are Lords or Ladies. Of course, if your deck lacks these traits don’t bother! As with Return to the Fields Stark get a bit of a boost from the sacrifice too.

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

Will see play in decks that have very cheap Lords and Ladies that they can sacrifice without a second thought (eg. Rickon, Viserys, Garth, Shireen). It’s a little sad if you don’t find that Lord or Lady in the top 10 search.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

Requires you to build with a good spread of Lords and Ladies to really leverage it, but for those decks that can do so (Fat Cat seems most likely) it’s pretty amazing as a fusion of Summons and an economy plot.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

This is a really strong economy plot that doubles as a pseudo-Summons too. There is risk involved if you cannot find a Lord or Lady, but this plot will generally have more upside in a deck built for it. The ideal place for this is clearly in Stark, who have a plethora of low cost nobles ready to be sacrificed after Robb or Fat Cat have been tutored. Tyrell can also get some good mileage out of this too. I’d expect this to see play.







Coordinated Attack (2.6 Average)

scantrell24 – 2.5 out of 5

Seems kinda win-more, between the low gold (you have to already have a good board) and the extra challenge (you have to already have enough characters to win both). But I like it for the flexibility and potential to manufacture a blowout play. Two power challenges for Penrose? An extra military for Jaime or intrigue for Cersei?

Von Wibble – 2.5 out of 5

Storm of Swords gets an update – this works on all challenges and has more gold at a cost in reserve. The flexibility of challenge type and the high initiative make this a decent option as a finisher, but if you want power as the additional challenge I’d stick to Clash of Kings.

Hybrid92 – 3 out of 5

Good in certain decks, won’t be considered in others. Getting a second power challenge out of this plot makes it feel like a “win more” plot.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 3 out of 5

We’re, uh, not sure here. Good if you’ve got loads of non-kneelers to push something through, probably. Good in melee too. It just seems fiddly and with bad stats though.

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

Unnecessarily intricate, only a strong board will be able to leverage this fully, in which it’s likely to be a bit “win more”. Decks that have multiple stand effects or non-kneeling attackers (Lannister, Stark, Targaryen) will be more favourable toward this plot, but in general, why not just run Storm of Swords or Clash of Kings instead? I predict this will end up as very niche in joust, more acceptable for melee.







Stolen Message (1.0 Average)

scantrell24 – 1 out of 5

A nifty idea for Pillage decks but overpriced.

Von Wibble – 1 out of 5

I don’t see why you’d use a plot on this effect in general, unless draw deck manipulation becomes so strong that it is needed. There are niche applications with pillage Tywin and the Mountain, but generally not worth it.

Hybrid92 – 1 out of 5

Add it to the pile with Return to the Fields and Double-Dealing.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 1 out of 5

Needed one more gold. As it is we see what it’s going for, but cannot imagine ever slotting this in a deck.

hagarrr – 1 out of 5

Cack.







Secrets of the Conclave (2.1 Average)

scantrell24 – 3.5 out of 5

It’s nice to have another option for card advantage, especially one with 4 initiative (better than Coppers, Summons, Time of Plenty, etc.).

Von Wibble – 2 out of 5

If Tyrell didn’t already have a myriad of ways to know what was on top of their deck I might advocate ths plot for them as a way to help Hightower Spies and Mark Mullendore. However, they do, so I won’t. Overall, a 4 gold plot providing me a delayed choice of 5 cards and a deck manipulation effect seems too weak, I think Exchange or Coppers do far more. There could be a niche use in a deck that can guarantee a turn 1 Flea Bottom, for example House of the Red Door.

Hybrid92 – 1.5 out of 5

Good reserve but not sure why you’d play this over Exchange or Counting.

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 2 out of 5

A cute card advantage plot, so it’ll probably see some play, but broadly speaking there are better options. This is less “Exchange of Information” and more “Called to Service”.

hagarrr – 2 out of 5

This is like a worse Summons/Building Orders with clunky timing, but with small informational benefit. Meh. Might be okay in Tyrell, and maybe even Conclave if that agenda was good enough to play. Pass.







Vanquish the Unbelievers (4.0 Average)

scantrell24 – 4 out of 5

You Win or You Die is so far above the curve that I can look at a 5/8/2/5 plot and think “but it doesn’t draw me any cards”. Vanquish won’t see much mainstream play, but it’s an interesting design.

Von Wibble – 4 out of 5

There are plenty of decks that will barely lose a character to the reaction, whether it be Clansmen, Dothraki, Knights, Ladies, or House Tully, and those are great stats. Oh yeah, Wildlings are a thing too!

Hybrid92 – 4 out of 5

A great plot to augment Free Folk decks, and perhaps Dothraki too if that type of deck ever gets there. I don’t really need to go into why it’s strong, do I?

Quill & Tankard Curmudgeons – 4 out of 5

SMASH. There are some decks that lean quite heavily on certain traits, but don’t kid yourself this is almost certainly a Free Folk plot and not much more.

hagarrr – 4 out of 5

Another 2 claim Free Folk plot, yay. The clever brain might even think of Dothraki, Clansmen, Drowned God or Knights. A true galaxy brain though will be found feverishly sleeving up his Fool deck. You heard it here first.







Total Pack Average: 3.1

Top Cards:

We Take Westeros! 5.0

Balon Greyjoy 4.7

When I Woke… 4.6

Desert Raider 4.5

Bottom Cards:

Stolen Message 1.0

Shield Islands 1.6

Priest of Old Wyk 1.6

“Dance of the Dragons” 1.7

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 in… early April?