AGoT Core Set Review: Tyrell

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 Tyrell 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 Tyrell non-reducer/economy cards combined to earn 71% (542 out of 765 possible points). By comparison, in previous reviews the scores were: 70% for Stark, 76% for Lannister, 76% for the Night’s Watch, 72% for Baratheon, 75% for Targaryen, 79% for Greyjoy, and 70% for Martell.

Now onto the cards!

Left (15 Total Points)(33%)


JCWamma - 1 out of 5
Ok, I had some plans for what I was going to write for Left and Right, as I've made my position that they're awful, awful cards very apparent of late; I considered giving them ironic 5/5s, or writing a short story about their adventures, or some sort of comedy "James couldn't give a rating to these cards as the thought of them made him break his keyboard" comment in lieu of a rating, but I've noticed the worrying trend that some people don't think they completely suck, so we're deep-diving here:

- Firstly, their basic stats, ignoring their text. I've heard some people say that they're good because "they're claim-soak if nothing else". Now, let's not make any mistakes, if the only reason you're including a character in your deck is because you don't mind him dying (and the character isn't designed to actually benefit you in death like Shireen Baratheon), you've...made a questionable decision. A character should go in your deck because you think it's good at what it does, and that way you can get use out of it before you have to choose it for claim as well as when that moment arrives.
- So are they good bodies to use for claimsoak? In short, no. In long, they're unique characters meaning that if you're using them for claimsoak you only want one copy of them each in a deck, because otherwise the odds of drawing a useless dupe of a dead card increase substantially. This makes them unreliable. These two characters combined are worse as claimsoak than one non-unique at the same cost slot. If only Tyrell had some sort of Courtesan of the Rose that could fill that role...
- So what about how good they are BEFORE they die? Nope, still terrible. 2 cost, 2 STR monocon is not good, even in the core. Compare them to Courtesan of the Rose, which has two icons rather one; or, if you feel that the military icon is better than the other two combined, we can look to other factions to see how bad these guys are - look at House Dayne Knight, Knight of the Tumblestone, Braided Warrior, all of whom have either greater STR or an extra icon; additionally, all of those characters have traits that either are expected to be positive (if first edition is anything to go by), already are positive, or both. The Guard trait may prove to be positive, as some have suggested, but there is zero evidence to suggest as much so far, either historical or empirical.
- The above is only comparing them to vanilla non-uniques. If we want to make this truly embarrassing for Left and Right, how about we compare them to Bran Stark, or Shireen Baratheon, or Jorah Mormont, or even less amazing 2-drops like The Tickler, Edric Dayne or Viserion. All of those are clearly several orders of magnitude better in a straight comparison for one reason or another: keywords like Renown or Stealth, powerful triggers, extra icons/STR/both, traits that actually do things - all of those characters have at least 2 of the above over Left and Right.
- Hopefully by now I've established that these characters live and die by their textbox. So is it any good? Big. Fat. No. You will only get this text activated in one of two scenarios: the first, if you get very lucky and find both of your single copies of these characters (that I would not recommend including for all of the reasons above); the second, if you compromise either your deckbuilding (by including several copies of terrible characters) or your play (by playing to get the combo, for example playing Summons to fetch one or using Olenna's Cunning, when you could get actually GOOD characters). The first one is not a common enough occurrence to be a realistic point in their favour; the second one makes me start asking some serious questions. Even in the core set environment, what exactly are you cutting to make room for these copies of Left and Right? Why have you built a deck around two characters very obviously intended to be claimsoak? Who are you killing instead? Unless you've built a deck with an extremely low cost curve - all the characters being cost 4 or below, say - then you're killing better characters than these chumps just to keep your synergy going. And if you're building that deck, then I hope you remembered that Wildfire Assault is a card that exists, because I doubt your three characters are better than your opponents' three characters. In fact, I doubt your three characters are better than ONE of the characters of your opponents'. For starters, two of yours are Left and Right.
- Ok, so let's ignore that. Maybe the text is hard to make meaningful without compromising my deck, but it's at least a powerful effect, right? ...Eh. I mean, I don't have my head in the sand, it's not a terrible effect or anything, but considering how bad they are individually and how bad your deck has to be to actually get the combo, it's just a 6/10 sort of ability. You get a solid defensive wall on military (if the opponent doesn't have stealth or kneel or icon removal), and an okay defensive wall on the other challenges (if [see above]). I'd expect better.
- So in short, if you run them 3x then you're eating up deck-space and forcing yourself not to choose them for claimsoak, if you run them 1x then you'll almost never actually get the combo off, and if you choose them 2x you're hitting some unsatisfactory medium between the two. The only solution is to run them 0x.
- So I'd like to think I've established that they're bad. But why am I expending so much energy, vitriol and hatred for them? Essentially, it annoys me greatly that they are in the core at the expense of other cards. No Renly? No Brienne? No Mace? No Willas? No Garlan? I know not everyone can be in the core, but compare it to Stark, say. Granted they're a bigger part of the books, but I'm not seeing them stuck with Fat Tom in the evergreen core, they're getting the Stark children and rightly so.
- What upsets me more than that however is that we aren't only getting one terrible card for Tyrell in the core, but two. Over 10% of the different cards making up Tyrell's portion of the core are dedicated to this terrible nonbo, featuring terrible characters that I don't care about or want to play. For an evergreen product, that's a disappointingly large chunk to dedicate to cards I'm not sure I even want to sully my binders with.
- There's also a chance I got more steadfastly-entrenched in my views the more people told me it wasn't that bad and to stop complaining.

Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
Don’t mind JC, our resident Tyrell-fanatic has not much sanity Left, he’s just not quite Right in the head anymore.

Istaril - 1 out of 5
Umm. Feeling squeeze out by JC. Running them 1x they’re worse than Burned Men/Braided Warriors etc, 3x that’s a lot of deckspace to cards that risk being worse than Burned Men. Until there’s some cost-limited deck search for a character, these are bad.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
James took all my room to type. But, they aren’t that bad.

rave - 2 out 5
As much as I like these guys, by my own standard, I can’t rate them more than a two. By themselves they really are sub-par 2 cost cards. They claim soak the same as any other 2 cost card though. There’s no point in running more than 1x of each, but it’s worth it when the combo hits. Left and Right together really are very very annoying. It’s amusing.

scantrell24 - 2 out of 5
Yeah, they’re both terrible and a waste of valuable real estate (from the competitive player’s perspective). But FFG has to satisfy their Shagga-minded fan base on occasion. Jaw-dropping effects, no matter how unlikely to work, probably help drive sales among more casual gamers.

VonWibble - 1 out of 5
I wrote a review basically saying they are bad but not terrible, but James has convinced me! It may just see play in a Tyrell Fealty deck out of 1 core set.

Siroma - 2 out of 5
Tyrell is an ideal house to banner out of or into, due to Margaery and Randyll being non-loyal (I just dislike the QoT and KoF) and often times there will be better options for claim soak. During the rare times you get both of them out they can be good but overall they’re lackluster.

cockbongo - 2 out of 5
Unique claim soak is not proper claim soak. I like the fact that it shows new players how some cards can interact and depend on each other, so I credit FFG for including that kind of Shagga tech in the coreset… but right now there’s little reason to run these guys.

Maester Lomys (24 Total Points)(53%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Not a terrible card, albeit not that exciting. Does being a Maester matter in 2.0 as much as it did in 1.0?

Istaril - 3 out of 5
I imagine that Maester trait will matter eventually, but for the moment he discourages chump intrigue challenges, which is decent, and he doesn’t have to be participating.

JCWamma - 2 out of 5
As with Dornish Paramour, 3 cost for a 3 STR monocon is not particularly great when the effect is only okay. The combo with Queen of Thorns (win with the Queen of Thorns on defence, drop Lomys in and trigger him immediately) is nice, but far from top-drawer, and ultimately all he'll do in practice is stop an opponent making chump intrigue challenges. There's a specific challenge-denial deck exploiting Highgarden that he'll be okay in, but even then not essential.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Shuts down chump challenges and allows you to benefit more from winning as defender. When card pool grows this card won’t see a ton of play but could be a common x1.

rave - 2 out 5
More defense abilities :/ On a monocon. He doesn’t have to participate though, which can make him threatening...ish.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Lomys and Caleotte are both 3 gold Maesters with slightly annoying abilities, but I prefer the Martell’s style of annoying (and the extra icon to the extra point of strength), at least until Tyrell gets more “surprise” challenge win cards or additional reasons to care about defending intrigue challenges. He’s not horrible though.

VonWibble - 3 out of 5
He gets a point for the fact he doesn’t have to participate in the challenge, and you may be able to use strength pumps to ensure that win happens unexpectedly. However, I’d rather use the boosts to win my own challenges.

Siroma - 2 out of 5
3 cost 3 str monocon is pretty bad, though with Insight or a keyword it might have been a different story. As it is, he is too conditional to matter. The Maester trait is looking up though.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
I’m looking forward to future Maester tech, and this isn’t a bad ability. One icon is a bit tight mind you. If it causes your opponent to think twice about attacking with an INT weenie then all the better, and lets face it, if the Queen of Thorns is on the table it’s in your opponent’s interest to hit your hand before you can bounce in something useful.

Margaery Tyrell (44 Total Points)(98%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
While we can’t really see the thematic link to Margaery, as she’s usually the one in the political/intrigue spearhead and thus being supported by others, the card itself is a good one.

Istaril - 5 out of 5
A phenomenal 3 coster, with the option of initiating challenges of her own and a threat of activation right up until you do, not to mention the synergy with Randyll or win-by-five-str events. At this ‘low’ 2.0 price point, you can’t possibly ask for better.

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
So strong, and very versatile. A reason to banner to Tyrell.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Tyrell staple for the entire length of the game.

scantrell24 - 5 out of 5
In another faction without the Tyrell “strength pump” theme, she’d earn a solid 4, but considering that Margaery stands Randyll, helps trigger the Mander, etc., she’s essential.

rave - 4 out of 5
She’s very good, and enables Randyll Tarly to do horrible things. The effect is not exactly a surprise or efficient though. All around, a nice toolbox card to have.

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
She is effectively a tricon who can join a challenge at any point. Very efficient.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
Flexible character that also helps against burn. cheap and being non-loyal also makes her an ideal target to banner away.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
The poster child for the Banner agenda. And a pretty one at that. Was going to give it 4 until I remembered she’s a 3 coster and is vital for those win by 5 abilities. So I gave her an extra one. Ahem.

Paxter Redwyne (34 Total Points)(76%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Those gold tokens are good for you, I hear.

Istaril - 3 out of 5
Non-limited economy is good, Lord trait is nice. It can be hard to use that event reduction reliably, and you’re already paying a premium over his icon/str, so I’d call him a worse Littlefinger. Which is by no means damning. He’s fine, and becomes great (⅘) if you ensure an event distribution that can take advantage of his text more often than not.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
4 cost for a monocon isn't great, but giving you 1 or 2 gold (depending on if you play an event that costs gold) every round means he'll pay for himself very quickly. The body he's on isn't too impressive, but the effect does the work here.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Gives you extra gold to use a turn as well as giving you reducer every turn. Events are still real strong in 2.0 but with a gold cost they are harder to play but Paxter really helps you out.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
If you consistently utilize Paxter’s cost reduction for events, then he essentially matches Tywin’s +2 gold modifier. Tears, Torch, and Growing Strong become free, so you can at least bluff that you have one of them in hand even with zero gold in your bank account. Paxter’s single icon and relatively low strength won’t scare anyone though.

rave - 4 out of 5
The Thing about Paxter is that he causes Big Trouble to opponents who leave him out over a few turns. The Fog created by having events cost one less is enough to keep your opponent from predicting your next move.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
As long as you were intending to play an event that turn (costing 1 or more) you can think of him as having cost 3. He then has +1 gold, and lets you have 0 gold stockpiled to play an event? There are lots of good 1 cost events out there, so its tough to say no.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Though the cost to strength isn’t exactly great, he is a pseudo Tyrion. He can help get those Put to the Swords and tears of lys off, which is always nice.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
Another INT monocon? If you’re packed with the right events then he’s vital I, but non-Limited economy is also pretty important. I like being able to bluff that you’re holding playable events even without any gold once he’s on the table, and Supporting The Faith becomes an interesting option, but aside from that I don’t think he’s that strong.

Randyll Tarly (42 Total Points)(93%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Randyll’s a really strong Rush character. Not a stand-alone one precisely, but when supported he can really have a big board impact.

Istaril - 5 out of 5
He’s really a sort of 4.5 - rock solid, and one of the few sources of renown (and very few reusable renown) in the core, and he’s non-loyal, and he’s a pretty decent body to boot. Having to build around him a bit should realistically drag him down to a 4, but the limit “twice” rather than “2 times”, and that stern look on his face convinced me he deserves a 5. Now where is my limit thrice...

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Needs work to be good, but I hear a renown character than can stand is powerful. As a non-loyal card, he'll see a lot of play.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
This is the true “rush” card in the core set. He can gain power real fast and even in just the core set their are a number of ways you can stand him, will only get stronger with more cards in the pool.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Randyll can do work -- this beatstick boasts high strength, renown, and the potential to participate in multiple challenges per round. He’s good in several decks, but only shines when you’ve built around him with multiple copies of Margaery, Heartsbane, and Growing Strong. The downside is that your opponent can see these combos coming from a mile away and will be prepared with Milks, Tears, and Swords on your stud, and cancels for the strength pumps.

rave - 5 out of 5
My god. This guy looked decent on paper, but when playing the actual game, he really shines. He’s a great choice to stack for the late game, because he’s out of the STR range for burn. Probably my choice for one of the worst characters to come up against in the core set.

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
Any character that can be used up to 3 times in challenges is going to make decks. He needs other characters and strength pumps to help him, but Tyrell aren’t lacking such effects.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
Tyrell’s biggest and baddest character, and the fact that he’s non-loyal makes it all the more appealing to banner him away. Lannister can make good use of him by ambushing in Widow’s Wail and since Heartsbane and Growing Strong aren’t loyal either they can also be potentially used. Comboes very nicely with Maegaery.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
Renown and standing - Tarly is a monster. Ambush a Widow’s Wail on to him for extra fun.

Right (15 Total Points)(33%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
Right, we still had the second one Left.

Istaril - 1 out of 5
Umm, now that JC has given us enough space to right* our reviews, there’s nothing left to say.
*sorry.

JCWamma - 1 out of 5
I don’t particularly care for this guy either. In fact I think he’s slightly worse, because I’m left-handed.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
Fine card.

scantrell24 - 2 out of 5
Yeah, they’re both terrible.

rave - 2 out of 5
See Left.

VonWibble - 1 out of 5
Right is just wrong. At least James didn’t copy and paste his review of Left for this.

Siroma - 2 out of 5
Read Left's review.

cockbongo - 2 out of 5
So much better than Left.

The Knight of Flowers (39 Total Points)(87%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
While Randyll is strong when supported, KoF here doesn’t really need any support to be a beast. On top of that, he’s at a really affordable price-point, and sports several likely positive traits. Expecting to see a lot of him.

Istaril - 3 out of 5
His ability is very good to push through challenges against big boards…. but in the core environment, with Wildfire/Beefy characters, not reaching its potential. Don’t ignore the damage potential with margaery/str pumps, but don’t be surprised if you’re often adding him into a challenge with someone else, just trying to maximize renown over the ‘efficiency’ of his ability (especially if Randyll/Jaime is the ‘other’, since not using them would be a waste). Renown alone practically pulls him to a 4, but as he falls just short and I overrated Randyll...

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
In aggro/rush decks, he's great for pushing through renown challenges (especially with his sister); in control decks that handle large boards on the opposing side, being able to push through challenges by himself is a huge deal. As another great non-loyal card, he'll be splashed a lot.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Almost always wins a challenge by himself, not much you can complain about with that.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Knight of Flower synergizes with The Mander (which he can trigger by himself if the challenge is unopposed) but sadly not Highgarden (which can't remove defenders). His renown at a relatively cheap price makes Tyrell a favorite faction for rush builds.

rave - 5 out of 5
Very strong. Late game ready at a low price. Unlike Randyll, KOF is a bargain = 5 for a 5str renown bicon, who doesn’t need help to do anything. The pseudo-joust keyword is actually nice in this version (as opposed to v1), because the card pool is so small he probably isn’t competing with anyone for renown, and strength buffs can help push his challenges through.

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
His ability is a blessing and a curse if used. He prevents you getting multiple renown from the challenge, or using stealth characters to help get unopposed. Any “remove from challenge” effects are all but guaranteed to stop you doing anything with him. On the other hand, he is very likely to win his challenges given you will be boosting his strength if the opponent does use up his best character, and having renown himself means good power grab.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
With support from Margaery, he can be a decent threat. Once again, he is non-loyal but it’s hard to compare him to cards like Asha, Melisandre and Tyrion.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
He doesn’t look particularly strong, but in practice with the relevant buff he’s dynamite. Obviously both he and Tarly are serious Tears of Lys bait, but that’s what Little Birds are for. Sometimes his ability won’t be that useful - you might just need a final renown boost near the end of the game so you’ll throw him into a challenge with others regardless - but it’s a nice option to have.

The Queen of Thorns (38 Total Points)(84%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
The Queen of Thorns is an interesting card. Unlike the other big hitters, she doesn’t really need to stick around the board for a long time to facilitate a win, but rather you want to see her early on, have her help in setting up your other big hitters and afterwards you won’t need to care about losing her as much. Her work should usually be done in 1-2 turns, and in that time she has often paid her whole cost back in other characters.

Istaril - 4 out of 5
Basically, non-limited economy, with everything that entails. If you can keep her fueled with targets (harder than it might sound) and push challenges with her, she’ll win games. Still, you may find that 5 strength just isn’t enough to win those challenges without some backup, and needing both the backup *and* suitable cards in hand constrains her.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Possibly the best 7 cost character? The effect is simply amazing and firmly plants Queenie as the centre-piece of Tyrell decks for a while to come. She still costs 7 and has no keywords, so you're relying on superior draw and a steady stream of big characters for her to be truly, truly sensational.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
I think when the card pool grows this will be the best 7 cost character in the core set. Only thing she needs is more strong targets to put into play.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
7 gold. No keywords. Only triggers from a single challenge type, and if she’s participating. At least the trigger works on defense as well (unlike the Viper).

rave - 5 out of 5
A huge threat. She can play any in-faction character besides herself. That’s never bad. She’s also outside the range of Dracarys!.

VonWibble - 5 out of 5
Its hard to ignore that huge tempo boost she grants, especially in an environment with less reset abilities. Simply put, she is one of the strongest cards in the core set, albeit fairly costed.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
7 for 5 bicon without keywords is honestly actually pretty disappointing. She can net you a lot of cards, but is shut down by Milk and Catelyn. Given Tyrell’s abundance of non-loyal characters and the likelihood of banner raising your cost curve as well as lack of natural attachment control, until further notice I’ll say she’s a bit hyped.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
At the moment there aren’t quite enough characters to use this with, making it a bit unspectacular (and predictable) out of the core set, but she’s going to be the heart of most Tyrell decks for years to come once there are multiple surprise characters that can be brought into play. Not as good as Arianne Martell in the great scheme of things.

Courtesan of the Rose (28 Total Points)(62%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Good and solid cheap characters are important, and she fits the bill nicely.

Istaril - 3 out of 5
Did you know this was the art from the event “Spy in their Midst” from 1st edition? No, you didn’t. Perfectly fine, and, as JC points out, you need to smoothen out that cost curve somehow, right?

JCWamma - 3 out of 5
Closer to 2 than to 4, but given the, ahem, competition Tyrell has at the lower cost slots the Courtesan will be an important card for a while to come just by default.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Solid character that you play in every deck.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Passable for now. 3x in most decks for setup and claim soak purposes until better alternatives are added to the card pool.

rave - 3 out of 5
I can’t decide what to rate these 2 for 2 icon guys. I suppose she is average.. she doesn’t really add anything to the faction except low cost and stats. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with her.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
This card has decent icons and strength for cost, making it a fairly easy include.

Siroma - 3 out of 5
Decent bicon, Tyrell’s still on the weak side of military defense though so expect to be killing them often.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
aaaaaand here’s the sexy claim soak. Low cost INT characters are, in my opinion, the best kind of weenies.

Olenna’s Informant (33 Total Points)(73%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Extra-challenges are nothing to sneeze at. Combine them with a multi-challenge participating character like Asha or Jaime, perhaps even a 2-claim plot, and you’ve got a recipe for victory right there. The combinations with Queen of Thorns and Arianne are also neat.

Istaril - 4 out of 5
The value of additional challenges is easily demonstrated by the prevalence of Khal Drogo in the current core-only environment. Sure, the ambush is pricey - but with the Queen of Thorns or some help from Tyrion, she can add some excellent (and versatile) pressure to a deck.

JCWamma - 3 out of 5
Cool effect, expensive to pull off (though the synergy with Queen of Thorns is nice). Best in Melee probably, for the unexpected power challenge (though any good Melee player will most certainly be wary of it at all times).

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Extra challenges can win the game! Also, there is multiple ways to cheat these cards into play just in the core set, assuming will get even more. I have won games with that extra challenge and will always be a strong play.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Nearly worth 4 stars, but Olenna’s Informant takes some work. Winning a second military challenge after you’ve cut through the opponent’s claim soak can be potent, and a second power challenge in the later rounds could be game-winning. But you need enough bodies with which to initiate the extra challenge, and you want higher claim (Winds) or some bonus for winning the challenge (ex: Asha, Lannisport, Clash of Kings) to maximize the value.

rave - 4 out of 5
Lots of potential here, and that potential isn’t just tied to Tyrell. Asha immediately comes to mind. Not a bargain by any means, but definitely a threatening card.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
4 gold is pricey but the extra challenge on a claim 2 turn is a big effect indeed. The lack of loyalty means I think we will see a lot of this card.

Siroma - 3 out of 5
Potent ability when comboed with QoT or with Tyrion, especially for repeated power challenges. 4 cost is a hefty price to pay though, so she’s really more of a win more card.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
Getting to choose an extra challenge is gold dust, so they’ve correctly made it tricky and expensive to pull off. Seems fair to me. The value of having this in hand during a 2-claim round cannot be underestimated.

Wardens of the Reach (27 Total Points)(60%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Dudes on horses, the Jedruszek art is awesome. The card itself? An ok mid-cost challenge-pusher, but nothing to write home about.

Istaril - 3 out of 5
I compared it to Drowned Men in my review of them, and said they were probably better (and will probably scale better). Still, these guys are fine.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Tyrell's reducer having The Reach as its trait makes this thing strong. It's probably not going to stick around too much in the long-term, but for now? It's one hell of a beatstick in practice, I suspect.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
Just not a fan of these type of characters...Blank text on a four cost character isn’t great (plus strength is virtually blank).

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Better than the Drowned Men because Tyrell cares about winning big, and this guy can do it.

rave - 3 out 5
Good potential, but coming into play underpowered hurts.

VonWibble - 3 out of 5
There aren’t very many reach locations, so how good this card gets long term is going to be very dependant on this Trait.Without any such locations in play this card is reasonable but nothing special.

Siroma - 3 out of 5
The Mander and their reducer help contribute to this thing’s strength, putting them on about the same level as the drowned men. Overall a solid army that helps shore up Tyrell’s weakness in military.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
Same score as the Drowned Men but i’m rating this slightly higher as for Tyrell it’s a more helpful icon spread and helps trigger The Mander.

Hearstbane (33 Total Points)(73%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
A good blade, that.

Istaril - 3 out of 5
It’s no Widow’s Wail (but what is). Synergy with Loras/Randyll aside, the STR alone is good, but some minor things hold it back; the vulnerability to first-player Burn, and that annoying little “Tyrell character only” restriction.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
I want to rank this lower because of the comparison to Widow's Wail, but if we compare every STR-pumping attachment to Widow's Wail it'll get tiresome because that's amazing. +3 STR for 1 gold is not to be sniffed at at all, and +3 STR as a triggered effect is cute for using with Randyll. This won't be a centrepiece of a deck or anything, but as a 1x it will see a lot of play I suspect.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Key card for Randyll in the core set. Also, cheap way to push through challenges on any character.

rave - 4 out of 5
Very very threatening on Randyl, and even KOF, for everyone else it’s pretty good, and cheap.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Heartsbane stands Randyll of course, but he only gets the +3 bonus in one challenge. I’m much more inclined to run positive attachments like this under the new rules (can be setup & bounce to hand).

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Amazing on Randyll, good on everyone else. A nice, cheap source of strength.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
This one is possibly my favourite of the weapon attachments. It is cheap and efficient, with not too much restriction on who can use it.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
Not as, ahem, surprising as Widow’s Wail but cheap and synergises nicely with Randyll.

Highgarden (40 Total Points)(89%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Despite the 5, Highgarden won’t make every Tyrell deck, but rather facilitates the existence of completely different decktypes in Tyrell. Where most of the Tyrell cardpool is aimed at an “old Baratheon Rush/Aggro” feel, Highgarden is a pureblooded Control location. With Jousting Contest also in place, it won’t take many more pieces for a Tyrell Control build to surface, likely through a Martell, Lannister or Baratheon Banner for the missing Control events.

Istaril - 5 out of 5
Not for every deck, but boy do I love this card. The interaction with Game of Thrones or Jousting Contest is already great, and this card is extremely versatile for both neutering opponent’s characters, and using it on your own for a ‘feint’ to draw in attackers. The cost of the location and the trigger means it’s too pricey for a deck that isn’t playing the longer game to milk this repeatedly, but if you are, you want this.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Part of me wants to give this 5 because of the importance it will have to a lot of decks. The combo with Jousting Contest, in particular, is pure evil, and it's also great with A Game of Thrones. However, a lot of decks won't have time for this card, and even in the decks it is fantastic in, it's still a 3 cost unique location that costs further gold (and a kneel) to get any use out of. Hard to play, easy to disrupt, but in the right circumstances it's a game-winner.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
This is a strong card that will only get stronger. Saving a gold for the effect is a little annoying but it doesn’t matter when it can stop your opponent from winning any one challenge you don’t want them to win.

scantrell24 - 4 out of 5
Potent, but it’s hard to make room for both Highgarden and Mander. That’s six gold you’ve spent (7 by the time you’ve triggered HG) on cards that can’t attack, defend, or fulfill military claim. Shame it can only remove attackers, or else rush decks like Tyrell Bannered to Greyjoy would love removing defenders for extra unopposed.

rave - 5 out of 5
Great card in v2 with the tendency for big characters in the late game. Its lack of cost-efficiency is offset by the fact that it can remove anyone without restriction.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
It is expensive but very powerful. Whilst location control isn’t too common this will have a big influence on games.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Works great with jousting contest and game of thrones. An investment of 4 to trigger it the first time however is pretty damn hefty, and the fact that it stands the character is also more often than not a drawback than a boon.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
If you compare it to it’s nearest equal control location, Ghaston Grey, it’s more expensive to marshall and to use, but it’s reusable and combos with other Tyrell effects. The “stand” part of the effect makes it a bit less useful if you’re going second, but this still has the potential of reducing your opponent to 2 useful challenges a turn if you’re able to invest the gold.

The Mander (43 Total Points)(96%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
While Highgarden was a pure-blooded Control location, the Mander is definitely an Aggro/Rush one. It’s at it’s best when your deck is steamrolling and at it’s worst when you’re in a tight spot. The fact that it’s pretty easy for a skilled opponent to deny the triggers, puts it one step below The Red Keep (which also has a secondary effect) and The Great Kraken (which is harder to deny).

Istaril - 5 out of 5
We can split hairs as to which draw location(s) are better/best, but you’re obviously running this 3x in every deck that can, because it’s great. Even when your opponent manages to deprive you of your draw, they typically did so by committing to challenges in a way they wouldn’t have otherwise.

JCWamma - 5 out of 5
If you're behind on the table, this won't help you come back. But if you aren't, it sure as seven hells will keep you rolling along nicely. 2 cards should absolutely not be underestimated, and while this isn't as good as, say, The Red Keep, which gets you the 2 cards with an easier condition and with an extra boost besides, it's still very good.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
x3 in every Tyrell deck ever. Possibly best location in the game right now.

scantrell24 - 5 out of 5
Mander can be harder to trigger than the other engines (Red Keep, Great Kraken, Lannisport) so I like it a touch less, but with draw at a premium it’s still required at 3x. You can use the drawn cards immediately, and you’ve already won by 5 to trigger Superior Claim, Torch or Sword.

rave - 5 out of 5
Repeatable draw with a trigger that isn’t too difficult. Couldn’t be anything less than a 5.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
Whilst drawing 2 cards is a very powerful effect, you are going to have to manage reserve carefully to get the best out of this. 3 cost is also a lot for a location.

Siroma - 5 out of 5
It’ll keep you rolling and rolling, though you will often be forced to overcommit to trigger it. Makes Tyrell a nice house to run put to the sword and tears of lys out of though. Being Tyrell’s only in- house source of draw, it’s mandatory.

cockbongo - 5 out of 5
Like Lannisport, Tyrell’s in-house draw isn’t a guarantee every turn, but for the same 3 cost you get two cards rather than one. Harder to trigger if you’re struggling, but a fantastic location nonetheless.

Growing Strong (35 Total Points)(78%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
A must if you’re running the Mander.

Istaril - 3 out of 5
How often is this better than For the North? I mean, yeah, sometimes - and the ability to stand Randyll, trigger The Mander, or make Loras into a beast shouldn’t be overlooked, so you’ll probably run this - but as I see it, it’s fine - not great.

JCWamma - 4 out of 5
Cheap, wins you challenges from nowhere, helps you fight off burn, helps you trigger The Mander...what's not to like?

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Everything Wamma said. No reason not to play this and gets even better when Banners are less popular.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
Growing Strong is less useful in practice than you’d think, but it will win a surprise challenge or help meet a “Win by X” requirement occasionally.

rave - 5 out of 5
Gonna go out on a limb here and vote this one a perfect score. In a larger card pool, by themselves, strength buffs are usually pretty good, but get cut due to more specialized cards. Growing Strong is technically a specialized card because of the way it interacts with the Tyrell faction. (Randyl, KOF, Mander). So it has the benefit of both being a great challenge phase disruption, and powering some of the factions strong interactions. Growing Strong edges out over Margaery because it’s a surprise, opponent’s can’t factor it into the challenge math.

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
A +6 strength boost net is great efficiency for just 1 gold. Chances are some of this bonus won’t be a surprise, but the opponent still has to deal with it.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
Works great with many of Tyrell’s characters, and it lasts until the end of the phase. Another stand for Randyl.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
Three characters. A surprise +6 STR boost for 1 gold. In practice, outside of a loyal Tyrell deck it can sit in your hand until you can use it to its full potential, but it’s at the heart of what Tyrell do so 3x please.


Olenna’s Cunning (22 Total Points)(49%)



Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
The pieces and timings just don’t quite add up for this, sadly. Can see play later on as a Combo-enabler (if you have alternative engines in different cardtypes), but until then will mostly see the Binder.

Istaril - 2 out of 5
Potential down the road to set up a combo, but just too pricey - and your opponent won’t let you fetch a character on an Olenna trigger. Fun to grab a Tears of Lys then to teach him a lesson, but at that point you needed 3 gold and 2 cards to … you get the point.

JCWamma - 2 out of 5
Harkens back to first edition's To Be A Wolf, but TBAW was far better, standing a character as an any phase rather than costing you 2 gold as a reaction. The old choice was between an important character or a free event, in practice; this time, your opponent will almost always select character as events cost the dollah dollah, and while in the future there may be some strong applications (and even now, if you can save a third gold to fetch Tears of Lys, you're laughing), 2 gold is a lot to pay for a situational event that won't get you what you actually need.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
The 2 cost for the event just really hurts. Compare this to Put to the Sword and you’d almost always rather pay to kill a character. If economy ever gets significantly better than maybe will relook this card. If you're running fealty and x3 Paxter I would run this event.

scantrell24 - 2 out of 5
Too expensive, but Fealty can reduce the cost. This score may improve in a larger card pool.

rave - 3 out of 5
Nice, but my god is it expensive. I almost always want to see something noteworthy happen immediately when I pay 2 gold for an event.

VonWibble - 3 out of 5
I expect in the short term people may name “character”, but this means I can happily find Heartsbane, Growing Strong, or Highgarden, not to mention any useful events from factions I have banners with. This card makes it much easier to execute your deck plan, even in core set, but the cost prevents me from giving a higher score.

Siroma - 3 out of 5
A decent alternative if you decide NOT to run the mander. It’s triggering conditions are slightly easier, and if you just need one card then it can work well. However, 2 gold is still pretty hefty and in the early turns intrigue and power challenges don’t matter as much.

cockbongo - 3 out of 5
Giving Tyrell a search ability reserved for Stark in v1 makes me wonder if we’ll see more of this faction-specific search later in the game. Expensive, but it should be considering the effect, and Tyrell has an inbuilt way to reduce its cost so i’m going to err on the side of 3 out of 5.

The Bear and the Maiden Fair (30 Total Points)(67%)


Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
A good ‘fixer’ card for various Combos, and should see quite a bit of play, especially to round out Banner card counts.

Istaril - 4 out of 5
Ok, the value will diminish quickly as the economy stabilizes, but right now the ability to ‘mana-screw’ your opponent by stacking his deck, or just prioritize your own for ‘free’ (especially where you were going to lose a card to reserve anyway?), or dodge a dead dupe in an environment you’re forced to run 3xs… all combine to make this a pretty easy 3x in Tyrell, and most of the Banner of the Rose decks I’ve built. I love the Tapestry.

JCWamma - 3 out of 5
I'm a big fan of this card, and it has a lot of fun applications. It's also going to be valuable early in the game's life cycle, letting you filter out some of the chaff to fetch the strong cards while people's decks still feel variable. Its value diminishes greatly after the first round or two, when you'd expect to be below your reserve value and the card disadvantage of this will really bite. Fun fact: the acronym this card makes is T.I.C.K.L.E.R.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Sets your hand early game. Makes your opponent draw garbage late game when in top deck mode.

scantrell24 - 3 out of 5
It’s card disadvantage and can’t be setup, so I haven’t been using TBatMF (so close to being The Bad-A** Mother F**ker) but it’s certainly powerful in intrigue-heavy decks that want to control an opponent’s options.

rave - 2 out of 5
Lots of fun, but ultimately not very useful. You’re burning a card for an effect that possibly might maybe affect the next draw. It can be brutal if the opponent is card-less and top-decking, yes, but so can any card with a disruptive nature. Always annoying to see Dany hit the bottom of the deck with this. *sigh*

VonWibble - 4 out of 5
Stacking the odds in your favour or denying your opponent a card that you really don’t want to face makes this well worth it. It may not give card advantage, but the quality of card you get from it will make a difference. Works well with the Tickler.

Siroma - 4 out of 5
With a lack of a lot of draw, playing multiple copies of this card over the course of a few turns can really turn a game in your favor. Funny comboes with The tickler as both of them are non-loyal and it just works well to bury important uniques. It will likely drop out of favor as the game progresses, but against decks that don’t have a way to reshuffle (such as summons) you can really make those intrigue challenges matter.

cockbongo - 4 out of 5
So this, coupled with Oleanna’s Cunning implies that Tyrell are going to get some more interesting effects deck searching effects as we go on. This i like. This card is nice and flexible, as the any phase Action gives many possible ways to screw with your opponent or control your own draw. “Make bad topdecking a thing of the past with The Bear and the Maiden Fair! Only from House Tyrell”.

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 valuable 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 don’t hesitate to suggest additions! Now without further ado...

Top 3 Non-Reducer Cards:
Margaery Tyrell (44)(98%)
The Mander (43)(96%)
Randyll Tarly (42)(93%)

Bottom 3 Non-Reducer Cards:
Left (15)(33%)
Right (15)(33%)
Olenna's Cunning (22)(49%)

Feel free to chime in below. Did we nail it? Make any horrible oversights? Let us hear it! This article concludes our Core Set review series, but we’ll be back when the first chapter pack hits stores, and be sure to check the cardgamedb main page regularly for other article series as well. Cheers!