AGoT Core Set Review: Targaryen!

Our staff has put together a first blush analysis of the newly released Game of Thrones LCG 2nd Edition Core Set. We’ve used a one through five scale; five being the best possible score. The cards are listed in numeric order. Let us know in the comments how you feel about the Targaryen cards from the Core set, and we’ll be back shortly with further reviews.

Here’s a link to the relevant preview article from FFG, where you can read the designer Nate French’s thoughts behind the faction.

With 9 reviewers this time, individual card scores are out of 45 possible points. The Targaryen non-reducer/economy cards combined to earn 75.3% (576 out of 765 possible points). By comparison, in previous reviews the scores were: 69.9% for House Stark, 76.3% for House Lannister, 75.7% for the Night’s Watch, and 72.4% for House Baratheon. .

Now onto the cards!

Daenerys Targaryen (37 Total Points)(82%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Don’t listen to OKTarg, he’ll downplay his favorite Faction whenever possible. Dany is a solid card, and with the global STR debuff, she does quite a bit to make the game go your way without even going into Challenges. The fact that she brings most other 7-costers into Dracarys! range just by being there… is both scary and quite Nedly. A nice bonus is that a large part of her power is tied to the (cost-efficient) Hatchlings, making her much less vulnerable to Milk of the Poppy than most other big hitters.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
By herself she's fine. With the dragons she obviously steps her game up, and I expect a LOT of Dany builds in the early days, especially with all of Targaryen's draw (excluding neutral options) shackled to her. Whether you're using her for Insight, STR-reduction or (through stand effects) both, she's an exceptionally versatile card. 7 is a lot of gold, but with her support cards she does enough to justify it and then some. She doesn't get a 5 from me because of the hoops you have to jump through, even if said hoops are quite spacious.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5 - Being able to greatly weaken your opponent's ability to win challenges while she is standing is key. You're not going to “burn” characters from her ability but the fact that your opponent basically gets minus one strength for every character in the challenge is going to have to make them over commit very often.

OKTarg - 3 out of 5 - I have to give her a three because she is compared to other 7 drops, all of which save the VIper I think are better. That said, she’s still a force to be reckoned with and is a must-answer for your opponent. Being Targ’s only draw in the Core is rough, since her insight works at cross-purposes with her ability (barring standing shenanigans). If you get her out with two or three dragons, she feels broken, but on her own she’s not that great. I am a fan of constructive-synergy decks so we will see how I can put her to good use!

rave - 5 out of 5
I feel like I need to rate Dany a 5 out of necessity because she’s tied directly to at least 4 seperate Targ character slots in the core set. Your deck will suffer to not run her. And though it’s annoying that she’s kind of compulsory, she’s actually not bad at all. She’s in the 5 STR safe zone, she has Fire and Blood as insurance for an early kill effect, and she draws cards. With the greater staying power of characters in general in this version, stacking her with a dragon or two doesn’t seem as unwieldy as it’s been in the past. She also softens up 6 and 7 cost characters for the ‘Dracarys!’ kill.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Ahem. She’s expensive, and rightfully so with that ability. I’m curious to see how future versions will compare.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
1 of those points is for the Insight keyword. She is very effective at weakening your opponent’s challenges just by being there, and if you can stand her mid challenge it really messes up combat maths.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
Very potent character and combined with the dragons and Illyrio she becomes a powerhouse - even while milked. That being said, being Targ’s only in-faction source of draw kind of makes her mandatory unless you run multiple copies of summons or counting coppers. Can’t really say no to a stealth, renown, standing dragon lady who burns everything.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
The insight is crucial here - as the Targ character who is likely to be the target for any stand effects due to her only-when-standing ability it means potentially Dany could draw like crazy qualifying her as a decent deck centrepiece. Not a 5 just yet, but likely to be once the Stormborn effects start piling up.

Drogon (33 Total Points)(73%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
A solid and efficient military pusher, with good support from Fire and Blood and Dracarys!.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Same rating as Daenerys because their power lives and dies with her and Dracarys!. Drogon is least important in Joust and most important in Melee.

mnBroncos - 3 out 5
Gaining renown to Danny is fine but nothing too crazy but paying three gold for four strength in military challenges is fine. Also, Dragon trait is relevant.

OKTarg - 3 out of 5
For a 3 drop, 4 strength is nice, but I can’t help but want a tad more out of him. Renown on Dany will be nice for closing, and you’ll obviously include 2-3 in your Core Targ decks, but he’s not blowing my mind or anything.

rave - 4 out of 5
Not a great character by himself, but he’s a Dragon which means he can trigger Dracarys, come back from the dead pile to play with Fire and Blood, and enable Daenarys in some way. Renown is a nice closer, but not my favorite dragon by itself.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
In an environment where Varys is the only true reset, important characters tend to stick around, so the renown keyword is even better than in first edition. Also, I’d like to note that Targ has perhaps the most well-rounded icon spread of any faction.

VonWibble - 3 out of 5
The strength is good for the cost, and the renown is a little bonus. I don’t feel I can give higher though because any monocon that relies on other characters to be useful is always going to have its limits.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
3 cost for 4 str is not bad, making him good to use with dracarys and drogo. I hear renown is a pretty good keyword for dany as well. Hatchlings also work extremely well with wildfire and fire and blood, as it essentially turns your loss into a 1 cost loyal event.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
Crucially gives Dany the renown she needs (and that a Milk of the Poppy can’t take away) if she’s taking part in multiple challenges. Cost to strength ratio is also good, and triggers Dracarys. Great.

Khal Drogo (41 Total Points)(91%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Check the first edition cardpool for cards that allowed you to make an extra-military Challenge every round. We’ll wait… Ok, done? Now, factor in that Drogo also has a pretty well-muscled body. I guess you now understand why he gets a 5, huh?

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
Once these kids get the whole "Daenerys" fad out of their systems, Big Daddy D will be the reason to run Targaryen. The aggro, oh the aggro...

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Really close to a 5 for me. Adding challenges is always good, also you get renown as well on a solid stat. character. I expect when more Dothraki characters come out will even be better when you're more suited to winning multiple military challenges.

OKTarg - 4 out of 5
Renown is great. Extra challenge is great, but means you really need more support in play than just him, as compared to Jaime Lannister, say, who can multi-challenge on his own. I can’t wait until they print an agenda or epic battles that I can really break with him, but in the Core environment I’d say he’s good but not great.

rave - 5 out of 5
Now THIS is a great 6 cost character. Printed renown, and ability that changes the board when he comes out. Expected STR for a 6 cost character. No complaints, very solid.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Consider that the plot card A Storm of Swords, which also allows an extra military challenge, was deemed so powerful that the designers balanced it with lower-than-average gold... The only downside to Mr. Drogo is the anti-synergy with Sneak Attack. He’s better than Robb and Randyll, and on-par with Balon and Jaime.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
It feels like Khal Drogo is a sleeper character who can only get better as the card pool expands. Already he is very potent with good strength and renown, and he will work well with military effects such as Put to the Sword.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
Quite possibly the best 6 cost character in the game right now. Double military challenge is very strong, although he ironically dissuades the use of put to the sword as you likely won’t win by 5 or more if you’re making 2 challenges a turn. You also want the gold to actually play the characters so you can make said 2 challenges. Still, works great with Illyrio and power behind the throne.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
Yeah, this is pretty excellent. Once the MIL non-kneelers start coming out they had better be loyal (i’m looking at you, Jamie Lannister) because otherwise these will be the centrepiece of aggro decks for the forseeable future. 6 cost feels almost cheap, especially with printed renown.

Magister Illyrio (26 Total Points)(58%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
Ok, here’s one where OKTarg won’t be selling the card short. A stand just isn’t quite worth 2 gold, let’s face it.

JCWamma - 1 out of 5
Harsh? Perhaps, but YOU try putting aside 2 gold a turn while maintaining a 5 cost character. Maybe I should be giving him 2 for future combo potential, but let's live in the moment for a change. The mediocre, unimpressive moment.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5 - 2 gold may seem like a lot, but now that events cost gold it really isn’t a huge deal carrying over two gold into the challenge phase because your opponent has to respect his ability as well as any events you may have. Pair that with good stats and you have a good character.

OKTarg - 2 out of 5 - The ability is really hard to put to good use. I mean, standing Dany seems great and all but are you really going to invest 12 gold in dudes and have 2 left for a stand? Or 11 gold for him and Drogo and have the flexibility to actually push the challenges through?

rave - 4 out of 5
Solid, and fairly costed for what he does. He’s way more resource intensive than the cards you would expect to have this ability, but unlike them, he’s useful in challenges by himself. He’s not loyal which is nice, and not picky about who he stands. Definitely a solid card for utility, in an aggressive deck at least.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Considering that Bara Fealty is the best non-Targ deck in the meta, Illyrio’s stand will come in handy. Also, Illyrio needs 2 gold, and Tyrion provides 2 gold. It’s not hard to see they belong together.

VonWibble - 2 out of 5
Repeatable stand is undoubtedly very useful, especially with Daenerys on the board. However, he takes some time to set up, as you will need 7 gold just to play him out and use him in 1 turn. That means that chances are he will be out for a full turn before doing anything beyond challenges.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Repeatable stand for 2 gold a turn is CHEAP. You are paying 2 gold to stand ANY character, and that often means you are paying 2 gold to get a use out of another 5-7 gold character. Situationally (though not always) the strongest 5 cost character in the game.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
2 gold is expensive, yes, and standing a Drogo or Dany is obviously worth it. However, this will stand *any* character so getting another use out of your other non-Targ Insight characters (or Mags Tyrell, for example) might just be worth hanging on to that gold.

Rhaegal (37 Total Points)(83%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Another efficient Hatchling, this one with a good set of icons and perhaps the key ability for Dany. Crafty for a Dragon too, I bet he somehow always manages to get the juiciest bits?

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Same rating as Daenerys because their power lives and dies with her and Dracarys!. Rhaegal is actually reasonable anyway as a solid intrigue icon (though Ser Jorah out-classes him somewhat) - I have no clue what backroom politics Rhaegal plays, but he does it well enough.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Much better than Drogon. You are getting a better character at three gold and you are giving the ability to Danny for her to stand after winning one challenge.

OKTarg - 4 out of 5 - Great card. Probably the best hatchling. Very good for its cost even on its own, and helps mitigate the cross-purposes of Dany’s ability.

rave -5 out of 5
The best dragon IMO. The bicon and 3 STR means he’s useful by himself, and more importantly, he enables 2x insight for Daenerys. That’s huge, since it’s Targ’s only in-house draw engine.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
In a meta where every deck runs 3x Milk to blank printed text boxes, gained abilities are pretty good… especially ones that stand Daenerys, who conveniently burns only while she’s standing.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
Even with a blank text box those icons are good, and given Daenerys’ ability I’d say stand is stronger than renown.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
If you’re running targ fealty, you’re running Dany, dragons, and dracarys. Rhaegal supercharges Dany and is a respectable 3-3 bicon. Fire and blood, dracarys synergy, and the inability to be milked just make him even better.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
Absolutely key. Unusually strong icon spread and the un-Poppy-able ability to stand Dany back up.

Ser Jorah Mormont (45 Total Points)(100%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Oh Jorah, what big stats you have… Important to note, that he will die to his Forced Response before gaining his third renown power. A really embarrassing way to not quite win a game.

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
3x in every Targ for all eternity, next.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
As messenger raven was as good as you can get for 1 gold this is as good as you can get for 2 gold.

OKTarg - 5 out of 5
Jorah the Explorer is an easy three-of in every Targ deck. Look at that efficiency!

rave - 5 out of 5
Wow, has Jorah ever had a bad card? It’s nice that he doesn’t lose strength before he sacrifices himself. Very efficient. Not much else to say, he’s 2 gold for 4str and 2 icons. Also worth noting he has no bad traits, for what it’s worth.

scantrell24 - 5 out of 5
I don’t typically give perfect marks to cards like Jorah that are “merely” efficient but lack a game-altering ability. However, his renown is sorely needed in a faction without a draw engine.

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
Efficiency in card form.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
4 str for 2 gold is good. His tokens are separate from renown, so no matter what after 3 challenges he’s gone. You can however treachery jorah for what it’s worth or milk him after 2 challenges. Also a prime target for waking the dragon due to his cheap cost and high str, as it also resets all the betrayal tokens on him.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
Upside far outweighs the downside. He will simply always be useful.

Viserion (34 Total Points)(76%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Again an efficient Hatchling with good support, again the same score.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Same rating as Daenerys because their power lives and dies with her and Dracarys!. Viserion gets points for being cheap and triggering the Plaza.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Solid two cost character that again gives Danny a good ability. I really like Viserion and Rhaegal because are still solid characters on their own for their cost, as well as provide the Dragon/Hatchling keyword for some card effects.

OKTarg - 3 out of 5
He’s good, not great on his own. Obviously does his part for the Dany Voltron also, but it’s not often you’ll have Dany and all three Hatchlings out.

rave - 4 out of 5
He’s fine. Good utility for the cost.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Compare to Bastard in Hiding. Same cost and icons. But Viserion can be revived by Fire and Blood. And he gives Daenerys stealth. And he can pay the cost for Dracarys.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
Very similar to Rhaegal, for the cost the icons are good and you get a little bonus too.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Not as great as the other 2 dragons, but he’s cheap and gives dany stealth. 2-2 dupable bicon is respectable and fire and blood and dracarys push him up a little.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
Weakest of the dragons, but not exactly useless. Now if they have given him stealth...

Viserys Targaryen (45 Total Points)(100%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Like Shireen in Baratheon, this one will be a 1x for the foreseeable future. Well, one notch above for the combo potential with bounce.

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
This is not a Jorah-level 5, but make no mistake, he goes in every Targ deck until an even better version comes out. Easy attachment hate is good. Waking him gives extra utility, and if we see further bounce in the future then he could get very abusive.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Targ decks will never not run this guy. You have a cheap one cost body that has a solid ability when leaves play. Key there is leaves play not just specifically killed or discarded. Bounce to your hand even will trigger it which is really nice.

OKTarg - 5 out of 5
Crazy to rate him a five? NO! How many one-drop dudes do you see running around? THat’s what I thought….amazing for setup, claim soak, and with a nice ability that complements the fact that you’ll be killing him lots and lots.

rave - 5 out of 5
Being at 1 cost doing anything at all is pretty nice. This is a kind of a useful niche for Viserys to fill especially since his trigger is leaving play, which you probably intended to happen to him anyway. Very Nedly.

scantrell24 - 5 out of 5
If only there were some way to make Viserys leave play without dying so you could play him again and again and again….

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
A rare 1 coster who provides attachment control in an environment where attachments are going to be more prevalent.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
With summons and x3 of this guy, you won’t need confiscation no more. March him to the wall, wake him up, or just kill him. This guy is cheap, loyal, and very, very good.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
There really aren’t many decent 1 cost characters about, and once the inevitable return-to-hand effects become prevalent Viserys will become even better.

Braided Warrior (25 Total Points)(56%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
A straightforward and solid card for it’s cost-slot.

JCWamma - 3 out of 5
2-for-3 is solid enough that I don't mind this guy at all. If/when Dothraki becomes more of a thing I think he'll reveal himself to be a highly respectable weenie.

mnbroncos - 2 out of 5
Fine character that you will play now just to win multiple military challenge with khal, but in future will only see play in dedicated dothraki decks.

OKTarg - 2 out of 5
Nothing is wrong with him, and he seeds the Dothraki synergy down the road, but I’m not excited about him.

rave - 3 out of 5
He’s fine. His lack of icons is offset by his pseudo-ambush with dothraki sea, which can be deadly when Khal Drogo is out. But yeah.. 1 icon :/

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Braided Warriors look like one of the better 2-gold non-unique characters in the Core. They can’t be killed by Plaza of Punishment or Grey Wind. Their strength is more than halfway to triggering Put to the Torch and Put to the Sword. Not bad at all.

VonWibble - 3 out of 5
I’d rather have 1 less strength and 1 more icon like the 2-costers in other factions, but at least he’s a Dothraki for the long term.

Siroma - 3 out of 5
2 gold for 3 str is a pretty decent trade. As of now, I’d rather have more strength as Targ’s icon diversity in its heavy hitters are pretty good. You want to win challenges when it counts, and this guy helps you do that.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
Unspectacular but necessary. One or two alongside Drogo will always be effective.

Handmaiden (35 Total Points)(78%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Oh, don’t get us wrong, she’s a decent card, but that stat-lineup ain’t all that, and if you just use her as a stand you’re again getting it for 2g. The low STR may end up biting her down the road.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Obviously good with Daenerys, probably best in future banner decks. Extra use from Catelyn, Cersei, Queen of Thorns and the like promises much. Having 2 icons here is what keeps her rating so high, it's actually a fair amount of utility all-in-all.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Nothing wrong with this for 2 cost. You're getting two icons that lets you stand a character after used her in a challenge.

OKTarg - 4 out of 5
Nice. Obviously meant for Dany, don’t overlook hilarious moves with Catelyn Stark or Margaery Tyrell Compare this with Illyrio, she costs the same for one shot of the ability and while he remains a body, I will take the lower overhead.

rave - 4 out of 5
Strong! Nice price point for the sacrifice trigger. Not too bad on her own, and an ability with good utility. I feel like handmaiden is going to shine in treaty decks in the future, but is at least solid for them now. And yes, Dany.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Considering that Bara Fealty is the best non-Targ deck in the meta, that stand will come in handy. Two icons and an ability on a chud is quite good.

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
Comparing this to Illyrio, she is much cheaper to deploy and still gives the benefit as a one shot. Maybe I’m overrating her but I’d find it hard not to include 3 in a deck.

Siroma - 3 out of 5
Decent, but better in banners than in fealty due to Dany being the only lady in the house. Great out of Stark or Tyrell.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
All this stand in Targ! Cheap, and probably better than Illyrio in the long run.

Unsullied (36 Total Points)(80%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
A solid challenge-pusher for it’s cost, and one that enables Burn shenanigans on the side.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
For first edition players, think of this as a 4-for-3 bicon with Melee who enables burn. In other words, a card that is very strong without being truly exceptional.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Just like Danny this makes winning challenges that much easier. I also really hope to see more Unsullied support in 2.0 than what we got in 1.0.

OKTarg - 4 out of 5
Do you guys remember the melee keyword? That’s what this is, except also helping count towards burn totals. Very nice! I’ve always wanted a better Unsullied card and this will do nicely, thankyouverymuch.

rave - 4 out of 5
This early in the game’s life, this is nice. They have what looks like average str at 4 with 2 icons, which is offset nicely by the ability. This does make defending against Targ with big characters more of a risk. A few of the 7 cost characters can be burned down after defending one of these guys, that’s pretty nice to have.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Unsullied’s ability makes challenge defense a scary proposition. Suddenly 3 strength characters are in Plaza range and 5 strength characters are in Dracarys! range. Their own low-ish strength make Unsullied not so great against opposing burn decks though.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
This card is going to enable a lot of burn as the card pool expands, and the strength and icons are very good for the cost, when you bear in mind that in challenges it’s always at least 4.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Definitely one of the more solid 4 cost armies out right now. Works well with dracarys and against masses of weenies, but a little weaker on the defense.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
This, together with Dany, starts to make everything vulnerable to Dracarys, and nullifies the opponents weenies. Very effective.

Drogo’s Arakh (15 Total Points)(33%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
Let’s face it, the second point is just for Drogo. Getting Drogo to rampage as a badass is just *that* cool. A good thing to remember with the “character specific” attachments is that you can set them up on a chud (here, Braided Warrior) and once you find your main character, you just kill the chud for claim, then re-deploy the attachment.

JCWamma - 1 out of 5
2 gold for a +2 STR attachment that only works on a specific trait, and it's unique to boot? The "meh"est of mehs. Sure you can put it on Drogo to make it actually good, but I'd rather pay one more for the far-superior Seal of the Hand that also has strong utility on Daenerys amongst others.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5 - Giving this a 2 because it's really only good when on Khal Drogo. Now it is a 5 while it is on him, however, with it being limited to being good on one character that makes it not as playable as the rest of the attachments are now in 2.0.

OKTarg - 1 out of 5 - even though attachments are better, and even though on Drogo this is super boss, only he and the Braided Warrior are legal targets, and on the Warrior it’s super bad. Since Targ is also very combo-y as a house (wanting Dany, dragons, burn, etc to function) you can’t waste slots on even more niche combo cards. Warning: Do Not Play

rave - 2 out of 5
Not great. Expensive. Holding out to attach this to the Khal seems unreliable.

scantrell24 - 2 out of 5
“Dothraki only” may as well read “Khal Drogo only” in this Core-box-only environment. Sure it’s fantastic on Drogo (especially when you have Jaime as well), but it’s slightly less than good Lightbringer because the trait doesn’t help trigger anything (like LB triggers Mel).

VonWibble - 2 out of 5
2 gold for 2 strength isn’t terrible as long as you have claim soak on the table, and it is one of the strongest attachments in the game if placed on Drogo. Dothraki only? That makes it quite weak in the core set, but long term this will be a very good card and the rating will go to at least 3 if not 4.

Siroma - 1 out of 5
Run another character. Not enough targets in the game quite yet, though as the progresses it might see some more use. Bah who am I kidding, just run another character.

Plaza of Punishment (40 Total Points)(89%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Sufficiently scary, but not too easy (for now) either.

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
A repeated terminal effect. Those words send shivers down your spine or vibrations through your underwear, depending on whether you're a burn player. 3 gold is a fair amount, yes, but this is just too powerful to ignore.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Being able to win a power challenge and then killing an opponent's weak (claim soak) character can be huge to momentum. You add this with two military challenges with Khal Drogo and you can really do a lot of killing in a more traditional way than the standard burn in 1.0.

OKTarg - 3 out of 5
Burn is nice, terminal burn is better, but the STR this hits is just not that amazing. It will get better as more burn enters the environment, but in the Core I can’t give it more than a 3.

rave - 5 out of 5
This is re-usable free targeted kill that has utility even when the character on the board cannot be dropped low enough to kill. It works on defense as well, which is pretty annoying. Great card.

scantrell24 - 5 out of 5
The Plaza’s most direct application is to eat through claim soak so military challenges actually kill something meaningful. It’s easy to trigger, repeatable every turn, and can combo with Dracarys! to kill something larger. The small risk is that it occasionally does nothing when your opponent’s characters are all 3+ strength.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
The “without attachments” clause means a lot more in this edition and is my reason for not giving it 5. However, this card enables you to kill a claim soak character quickly, or to remove a bigger character when combining with any other burn card.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Being unique ironically sets it back a little bit, as you can’t stack it’s effects. Good for removing the weenies so you can get to the juicier meat, but wildfire often does that trick pretty well. That being said, -2 str can still go a long way on characters like Balon, and can dissaude str 3 characters from participating in challenges as long as dany is standing.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
The claim soak killer. Apologies for the v1.0 reference but this is a repeatable Flame Kissed, and winning a POW challenge to trigger it is hardly costly. While attachments are more of a thing now, it doesn’t stop it being fearsome.

Dothraki Sea (15 Total Points)(33%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 1 out of 5
Ok, maybe that OKTarg guy is not all that far off with most of his reviews. *grumbling*

JCWamma - 2 out of 5
I envision this card maybe being good later, possibly. But it's a way off.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
For being that played 1.0 this reminds me a lot of “bouncing khal” downside being needing to run enough Dothraki characters in your deck to trigger this and having to sacrifice it does make it not too exciting.

OKTarg - 1 out of 5
This will be better someday. That day is not today.

scantrell24 - 1 out of 5
Nope. The cases where Dothraki Sea is useful are few and far between. Maybe it improves if/when we see Dothraki with “come into play” abilities. Pretty art though.

rave - 2 out of 5
Probably not going to hit anything right now. The potential is there, but regardless, it’s telegraphed pretty heavy.

VonWibble - 2 out of 5
Not enough targets for it yet, but long term this is a good card.

Siroma - 1 out of 5
Maybe later, much much later. throwing out one gold for the potential to get out 6 is pretty amazing, but there simply aren’t enough targets yet.

cockbongo - 2 out of 5
Good in a pinch, and reusable, but with few “enters play” effects just now it’s effect is limited.

Dracarys! (40 Total Points)(89%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Ha, see! Here OKTarg truly tries selling a card short. Make no mistake, this is pretty much the highest impact event in the whole Core, and the cost is quite bearable… with Fire and Blood, very much so. Any improvement in Targ’s draw will also immediately reduce the “wonkyness” factor, further pushing this into the realm of “scary”.

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
-4 is a lot, enough to remove most obstacles from your path. What makes this truly exceptional is the combination of factors - the mid-challenge removal, the cutting through duplicates and saves, the combination with other burn to eliminate anyone, the cheap cost, the fear factor...it's an amazing, terrifying card.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
This is not as OMG as people were making it seem when was first spoiled. Your biggest characters will be immune, your opponent has to kneel a character, and you can cancel it. Still a strong event and the go-to burn card in the core set. I just really don’t like that you have to kneel a character since you're down a lot of momentum if this gets canceled.

OKTarg - 3 out of 5
When I burn your guy, this card feels broken strong. Tier one and OMG Restrict, even. When Dracarys! sits in my hand because I can’t afford the gold cost or the tempo hit of kneeling my guy to play it, it certainly feels less so.

I’m not sure that balancing burn by wonkiness and lack of draw is a great long-term strategy, but here in the Core it might be working.

Pro Tip for players new to burn: you don’t want to always play Dracarys to kill a major character. You can also use it to force a challenge win, to remove a smaller character making your military claim more valuable, to knock off a key attachment either for its own sake or to affect reserve, and so on. There’s a reason burn is oft-despised-- because it combines challenge control with kill. Just be smart

scantrell24 - 5 out of 5
Easy money. Combined with Dany, Unsullied or Plaza, it can burn just about anybody. The mere threat of Dracarys! makes the challenges phase a nightmare for opponents.

rave - 5 out of 5
BURN THEM ALL!!!11 It doesn’t matter what version of the game this is from or what it’s called at this point in time, point and click burn is always a pain in the ass. Especially when it can be done in any phase you have gold. This card will roast any weak to mid level character, and even the 7 cost characters with a little foresight. And my god. Attachments mean nothing! I don’t even play Targ, and this is exciting to me.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
The effect of this card is huge, and when first spoiled I had it down as an easy 5 out of 5 card. However, when you consider the limitations, it may be a lot easier to just get Put to the Sword to do a similar job. I think it still goes into a lot of decks and it gets a 4 for the fear factor alone!

Siroma - 5 out of 5
The amount of fear and utility this card provides is tremendous. You can ignore any duplicates and bodyguards and put any character str 5 or lower into the threat range as long as dany is out. With all the stand in Targ, kneeling a dragon is not that bad a tradeoff, especially since you can often play it in the middle of a military challenge to kill a character and win the challenge at the same time. Very versatile event that can also be considered, get +4 str to any challenge you want by kneeling a dragon. -5 str (including dany) also just about kills 95% of the characters in the game (only Robert, King’s Hunting Party, Tywin, Old Bear, and Euron reliably survive it). You know. Little things.

cockbongo - 5 out 5
Nothing to see here. Move along.

Fire and Blood (41 Total Points)(91%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
A 2-3x in any Burn (Dracarys!) or Dany-voltron deck, may see some play outside of those as well.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
As a "oh Dany/Drogo died" panic button this is fine but unimpressive; it's only truly amazing when combined with the Hatchlings. Of course the dream scenario is combining this with Dracarys! for -4 STR from seemingly nowhere.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Having insurance when a key character dies is a big deal. If heads on a spike is a popular plot card you are going to want to be able to get your Danny back etc. Also, makes top decking a character that is in your dead pile not as big of a deal.

OKTarg 4 out of 5
Dead recursion is really nice, particularly with so few characters to choose from and the mandatory suite of Dany-and-Dragons that we are playing with. Can be a great tempo play in challenges as well.

rave - 5 out of 5
Good insurance. Nice to not stuck when you draw dupes of a dead Dany, and gives a little pseudo-ambush to the dragons.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Keeping bombs out of the dead pile was incredibly strong in first edition, and might be even more so in second. Fire and Blood is also free with Fealty so it can be unpredictable.

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
Any event that gives a free character is an easy include, and the 3 Hatchlings in the core set mean you will have plenty of targets. Even without them you get a bit of anti Heads on Spikes tech.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
Comboes very well with wildfire and dragons and good for recycling characters that died to heads on pikes. Also useful to recycle viserys if you killed him for his effect and drew another copy.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
the keystone of a resilient Dany & Dragons deck. 1 gold to get Rhaegal back into play to stand Dany up again? Please.

Waking the Dragon (31 Total Points)(69%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
A solid card, especially when you can turn the downside into an upside (see: Jorah Mormont, Viserys Targaryen).

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Surprise character is strong. Having to pay for them again isn't great, but Targaryen already has multiple characters this goes very well with - namely Viserys and Jorah - and it can also be used to remove a troublesome Milk of the Poppy in a pinch. A very versatile card, all-round.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Free cost event that lets you win a challenge you were probably going to otherwise lose is really nice. Bouncing back to hand is a lot better than going into the discard pile. This will see play as it can be used both aggressively or defensively.

OKTarg - 2 out of 5
Maybe I’m underrating this, but I just don’t see it making my decks when I need to stack Tears/Dracarys/Milk/Fire and Blood and any nice Banner events into my decks. I might play this in a jumpy Lannister deck with extra gold and ambush, but I think Targ has better options for the decks I like to play right now.

rave - 4 out of 5
This is the only surprise stand in the game so far, right? (other than Randyll Tarly + in hand STR effects) I like it! Extra challenge presence with the ability to avoid threats by returning to hand. Lots of uses for this one.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Zero gold cost gives Waking the Dragon a fantastic surprise factor, and bouncing your own character to hand can be beneficial to avoid resets, clear negative attachments, and trigger “leaves play” or “comes into play” abilities.

VonWibble - 3 out of 5
Getting a bonus challenge is great, and using this to protect yourself from an incoming Wildfire or Varys seems a decent play. Viserys is a good target for this as he is cheap to replace and lets you discard an attachment - a Nedly touch for sure.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Note that because you can trigger interrupts at the end of the phase, you can save from this effect using duplicates, making it a lot more versatile. Trading a khal drogo duplicate for another potential claim and/or renown? Sign me up. Got nothing better to do and don’t need a dany dupe? draw another card. Stand a dragon for dracarys or dany for that extra -1 str? yes please. Reuse viserys again and again? I’ll take that. Character’s got a tears of lys token? If I’m first player then not anymore. Something’s going to die to claim anyways? I’ll win the challenge and just play him later.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
SO MUCH STAND. Returning your character to your hand to remove negative attachments is perhaps the greatest use here, and this with Viserys will be even more useful, but the other uniques, well, i’m going to want them on the board, aren't I?

Thought you were done reading?

Before we award the top 3 and bottom 3 non-reducer cards based on cumulative points, I'd like to take a second to plug the Community FAQ. It includes useful information about the game and links to a wide variety of resources such as podcasts, streamed games and player maps, which newcomers and veterans alike will find useful. The community FAQ is a work in progress that receives constant updates, so please share it with friends, and check back yourself every now and then. Also please suggest additions! Now without further ado...

Top 3 Non-Reducer Cards:
Ser Jorah Mormont (45)(100%)
Viserys Targaryen (45)(100%)
Khal Drogo (41)(91%)
Fire and Blood (41)(91%)

Bottom 3 Non-Reducer Cards:
Drogo's Arakh (15)(33%)
Dothraki Sea (15)(33%)
Braided Warrior (25)(56%)

Feel free to chime in below. Did we nail it? Make any horrible oversights? Let us hear it, and we'll be back on Friday with the Greyjoy cards from the Core.