“A valiant deed unsung is no less valiant.”

–Ser Garlan Tyrell, A Storm of Swords

The north reels in the gory aftermath of the Red Wedding. In a single day and night of misfortune, House Stark is left leaderless—usurped by the treachery of House Frey and House Bolton. Yet the Red Wedding was not the only dire plot that now grows to fruition in Westeros. For fifteen years, House Martell has plotted vengeance for the murder of Elia and her children—and with Oberyn Martell in King’s Landing, their chance for justice may have arrived. Now you have your chance to join these schemes and many others: Oberyn’s Revenge is now available at your local United States retailer for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game!

In keeping with the key themes of the Blood and Gold cycle, Oberyn’s Revenge continues to offer support for the bestow keyword, as well as powerful new economy cards and new ways to spend your gold. You’ve had the chance to read Ryan Jones' writing about his champion card—The Iron Bank Will Have Its Due. Now, prepare to enact your own plots and schemes as you battle to seize the Iron Throne!

A Knight of the Realm

If any single House can lay claim to the ideals of knightly conduct in Westeros, it’s House Tyrell… but the veneer of honor is a perfect way to hide dastardly schemes. Now, in Oberyn’s Revenge, you’ll find two cards that aptly illustrate both sides of House Tyrell—the honorable knights and the power-grabbing intrigues.

Ser Garlan Tyrell (Oberyn’s Revenge, 83), the second son of Mace Tyrell, has a well-earned reputation as a paragon of chivalry and a worthy knight. Such a knight would undoubtedly inspire those around him to deeds of greatness, and in the game, Ser Garlan Tyrell is adept at giving your characters the strength they need to punch through your opponent’s defenses.

First, you’ll notice that Ser Garlan Tyrell possesses the bestow (3) keyword, inviting you to place up to three gold from your gold pool onto this card when you play it. Ser Garlan gets one additional STR for each gold on his card, but that’s not the only way you can use this gold—as an Action, you can discard a gold from Ser Garlan Tyrell to increase the STR of any Tyrell character by two! It’s also noteworthy that Ser Garlan Tyrell has renown, making him a natural fit for any Tyrell deck focused on snatching power and rushing for victory.

Obviously, increasing a character’s STR can offer powerful combos by standing Randyll Tarly (Core Set, 183) or intimidating stronger characters with "Lord Renly's Ride" (Guarding the Realm, 24). It also works well with two of House Tyrell’s preferred agendas—inviting you to negate the downside of The Lord of the Crossing (The King’s Peace, 60) or win intrigue by five STR with "The Rains of Castamere" (Lions of Casterly Rock, 45). Of course, Ser Garlan Tyrell’s triggers are limited to the gold on his card, but even when your gold waits unused on Ser Garlan Tyrell, it’s still increasing his STR and making him more difficult to stop.

In fact, increasing the STR of character in intrigue challenges is a crucial component of the second Tyrell card in Oberyn’s Revenge: Olenna's Machinations (Oberyn’s Revenge, 84). Olenna’s Machinations can be played for two gold, and it offers a unique effect: you may initiate an additional power challenge this phase. A second power challenge and another chance to steal power from your opponent can be game-winning on its own—but this event isn’t limited to the one time you play it. Following in the theme of recurring events established across the Blood and Gold cycle, you can pay one gold to return this event to your hand after you win an intrigue challenge by five or more STR!

With the option to make multiple additional power challenges throughout the game, you have the chance to skyrocket the power that you gain every round. Pairing this event with A Clash of Kings (Core Set, 1) is a natural fit, and you may even use it in conjunction with The Red Wedding (The Red Wedding, 80) and “The Rains of Castamere” to utterly destroy your opponent’s Lords and Ladies. No matter what you use it for, who better to use in your second power challenge than a character with renown like Ser Garlan Tyrell? Then, you can use Ser Garlan’s inspiring ability to win an intrigue challenge and recur Olenna’s Machinations. Though the knightly chivalry and the underhanded intrigues of House Tyrell may seem disconnected, they can still work together, as two edges of the same sword.

Wheels Within Wheels

With the death of Joffrey Baratheon, the Iron Throne is vacant—and every House has its eyes on this inestimable prize.