2 Champs and a Chump- Episode 100

And I would just like to throw out an extra special thanks to all of the great listeners who've stuck with us for 100 episodes. Here's to 100 more!

Congrats!!! Happy 100th

Amen to that!

I thought when Eric Lang said he was going to disappoint with his favourite game he was about to say "Monopoly".

Lol, that's just about what I was thinking too!

Great podcast especially loved the interview, this certainly is one of the best episodes.

As for something I feel like adding. I found that your list on cards that can effect HoD location was short. For plots you can also add At the Palace of Sorrows (VM), I have currently been running a river plot rotation deck and if my HoD opponent has not gotten a big setup I have been able to return his complete board on top of his deck including his HoD location.
Greyjoy can do most against HoD, but for some reason people don't take this into account. Trigger cancel still works perfectly fine against HoD locations like Bear Island (AE) and Aegon's Hill (TTotH) since the ability they make isn't immune. Greyjoy also has one card that sees fairly little play that can completely destroy opposing HoD location, Victarion's Reavers (CD), since it is a claim replacement the immunity doesn't help at all.

Loved the designer interviews. Good work!

Great point on the cancels, Ire.The tricky part with cancels being that you have to draw them and that they only deal with the problem temporarily. That may, however be enough time for you to gain the upper hand. Bounce effects like Search and Detain and At the Palace of Sorrows have the problem of allowing the player to replay the location that round. While you may be getting rid of the immunity, you'll still need other location control quickly to back that up. Victarion's Reavers and At the Palace of Sorrows also have the problem of allowing the opponent to choose which card your effect hits, which means that they'll pretty much never choose their HoD location unless they have no other options.

Of course, on the other hand, you've given me inspiration to try out some kind of GJ Maester plot cycling deck that reveals Valar, saves its maesters, then uses Citadel Law to swap into At the Palace of Sorrows and Flood Waters to bounce whatever they have left, conveniently returning your own Iron Cliffs so that you can reset them for more saves. Sure, it's BCS syndrome, but danged if it wouldn't be cool.

Don't you have to use Citadel Law to reveal Valar first then choose your regular plot after?

Don't you have to use Citadel Law to reveal Valar first then choose your regular plot after?

Not if you save your Maesters, from a card like The Iron Mines or Iron Cliffs. There is an action window both before and after plots are revealed that you can use for such shenanigans.

Awesome, good to know. Thanks

Though if you want to surprise someone and dodge Outwit, you should probably use Citadel Law to reveal Valar before the regular plot reveal, which is something I should have mentioned.

The tricky part with cancels being that you have to draw them and that they only deal with the problem temporarily. That may, however be enough time for you to gain the upper hand. Bounce effects like Search and Detain and At the Palace of Sorrows have the problem of allowing the player to replay the location that round. While you may be getting rid of the immunity, you'll still need other location control quickly to back that up. Victarion's Reavers and At the Palace of Sorrows also have the problem of allowing the opponent to choose which card your effect hits, which means that they'll pretty much never choose their HoD location unless they have no other options.

I'd actually argue that the cancels are more than a temporary solution to HoD, especially Alannys Greyjoy (ODG) and River Blockade (RoR). The first one can easily be kept in play through saves for most of the game, while the second one only requires you to hit their other triggered-effect providing locations... which really isn't all that difficult with the copious amount of location control GJ has available.

And I'm not sure what the issue with having to draw into them is... if the complaint is that there aren't enough non-plot solutions to House of Dreams (ARotD), then wouldn't they all then have to be.... you know... drawn into?

Just like the solutions to most other Agendas, really (except maybe for the story of Maesters, Chains and Seasons). On the flipside, think about it this way: House of Dreams (ARotD) is perhaps the only Agenda where you are actually able to permanently stop your opponent's advantage from it (and with non-drawn effects like A City Besieged (CD) no less).

With most other competitive Agendas, all that your opponent will need to do is draw into another Raven, Wildling or Knight to be back in business.With HoD, once the location/immunity is gone, it's gone. The only thing that really comes close are TMP decks that have all their Chains in their discard pile. And at least TMP players can mitigate this by holding a Bronze Link (FtC) on the Agenda until the very last moment.

A cancel is only a solution to HoD if they are using it for a location with a triggered effect though. Bara Iron Throne is a passive and is looking a popular choice - your only hopes to stop that are plots or an iron throne of your own.

While you can pretty solidly negate the effects of the location itself, the HoD player has still gotten the free search and likely a gold bonus to setup.

The Baratheon Wall and Tunnels of the Red Keep are a couple more popular passive options that are pretty strong.