Beheading Ned - A Nedly Column

Beheading Ned - A Nedly Column
By: Mathias Fricot

For Family, Duty, and Honor

Hello and welcome to the first article of “Beheading Ned” - another column in CardGameDB’s Small Council section! This column will be focusing on what has been dubbed the “Nedly” aspect of the game, giving some fuel for deckbuilding in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (“Thrones”) that emphasizes style and series flavour. Today I am going to be looking at House Tully of Riverrun, but before we go any further, here is a quick introduction for those unfamiliar with the verbal currency into what “Nedly” means.

The Thrones community has developed player mentalities that are reflected by characters from the series, specifically Shagga, Jaime, and Ned. These “psychographics” come out in all of us at different times and we apply them to cards and decks. So a card that is very “Nedly” is one that appeals to the Nedly psychographic (and to the Nedly players). With me so far?

The Shagga identity is about customization, taking the existing parts of the game and making something unique (or grotesque) out of them. After you have managed to mill their deck with We Take Westeros! (DB) it doesn’t matter really if you win or you lose. Because of these “shiny” combinations, it was named after Shagga son of Dolf, a Stone Crow who likes shiny things, feeding goats, and an axe in each hand. “All Things Shagga,” a joint column between Kennon and WolfgangSenff, is dedicated to these card interactions.

The Jaime identity is about winning. We would all rather win than lose when we play, no doubt, but Jaime puts that as the highest priority. Jaime analyzes and breaks down strategies, card strengths and weaknesses, rigorously examines the metagame, and has a ranking order of cost-effect ratios deep in his mind that if not met means you don’t go in the deck. Jaime can be seen as embodying your run of the mill tournament play mentality. That is to say “you win or you die.”

Finally, we have Ned, after whom this column is named. The Ned identity is about the flavorful side of Thrones. It doesn’t have to be the best deck or the best card. It isn’t an abdication of winning, but an appreciation for how the game reflects the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. That is what this column is all about. Because this has a natural host in the casual player we don’t need to worry too much about being the best deck at the table, it will be providing a great experience on its own. Furthermore, casual melee play can compensate for not being the best stack of sixty cards using all the maneuvering melee has to offer.
An example I have created is the reaction of these psychographics to Guardian Wolf (TIoR):

• Shagga “I am going to combine this with Tyrion Lannister (CoS). It will let me add 4 strength, deadly, and renown to my challenge. It will be glorious.”
• Jaime “Will this win me the game? It is situational, one time use, and otherwise vulnerable to Venomous Blade (TBoBB). No.”
• Ned “This is exactly like that chapter in the books. This is going in my Stark Family deck right now. Where are my card sleeves? WHERE ARE MY CARD SLEEVES?!”

It is important to remember we are a mix of these things. You might have thought all of this at the same time. You might show up to a tournament with a deck that embodies your Shagga and Jaime mentalities. Or Jaime and Ned. There is a little bit of it for everybody, just not all the time.











For this first article I am looking at building a deck around House Tully, Lords Paramount of the Riverlands. House Tully is featured prominently in the novels and are a fan (and personal) favourite. They are already supported in the card game by the House Tully trait. However, I am going to stray away from the traditional Tully builds that rely on trait synergy and instead look towards a deck that encompasses the feel of House Tully and their rule over the Riverlands as we see them in the novels. A lot of the named Tully characters are found in the card game, so there is great opportunity to use unique characters and locations to get that feel. Now, because I am basing these decks on the books, I am drawing on plot elements. I am placing this warning before I get into the inspiration for these card choices and any kind of trouble.

[THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS]

We have settled on a deck around House Tully. Thats the first step. Now what do we know about House Tully in the novels? Hoster Tully (LOW) led the Riverlands alongside Robert Baratheon (TGM) and Eddard Stark (Core) during Robert’s Rebellion. The family was present at the turning point in the rebellion, Battle of Ruby Ford (BoRF), where Hoster brought Trident Reinforcements (Core). These battles eventually lead to Robert’s capture of the throne.

In the less distant past of War of Five Kings (RoW) the Riverlandians were critical in The Battle of the Whispering Wood (EB) and Battle of Oxcross (PotS). Here Ser Bryden “The Blackfish (LOW)” Tully, Hoster’s brother, led Robb Stark (LOW)’s Vanguard Scouts (TWot5K). Robb Stark, his King, is his great-nephew through Catelyn Stark (LOW), Robb’s mother. So we have a good place to start.



This is a great moment to look at one card in particular, The Blackfish. One of the things I hope to do with this column - if the readers agree - is look at how individual cards fit with the novels. The Blackfish is a card designed by Eric Butzlaff, a reward for winning a World Championship event in 2009. Its also a perfect example of the kinds of cards I like.



Pros:

• Great picture.
• ​Lord, Knight, House Tully traits. He is a Lord, a Knight, and belongs to House Tully.
• Renown - he became famous during The War of Ninepenny Kings and inspired Jaime Lannister to become a (in)famous knight. He also served as the Knight of the Gate (I believe), the principle knight of the Vale.
• With enough power on him your other clan members don't kneel to attack - he was (and is) quite the leader. He advised Robb Stark (a man after my own heart) who accumulates a nice track record of military battles.
• Noble crest - he was the younger brother to Hoster Tully, about as noble as you can be since its .

Cons:

• There is some other guy's visage in the picture making it decidedly less handsome to look at, and therefore more likely to be used to satisfy military claim.

All together, this is a really Nedly card. I don't see any reason why this should get less than five severed Ned heads out of five.










Its also cost effective, has a great trait independent ability, good traits, renown, is a dicon for challenges Stark excells, and is noble, so on the Jaime scale (as yet undetermined, maybe ill rank Jaime using bloody golden swords...) The Blackfish is really high too.

Now, there have also been moments that House Tully has been less proud of, like Ser Edmure Tully (LOW)’s famous blunder as an aspiring commander, or Rickard Karstark (WLL)’s poor guest behaviour. Another moment of import was when they had a Lannister army At the Gates (GotC) of Riverrun (LOW) and were caught in a little bit of a pickle. I don't want to give away everything for those readers who have not finished the series to date, but I don't think everyone defending the castle at that point was Knight quality - giving us a perfect place for Peasant Defenders (TBoBB) wielding some Northern Steel (TBoBB)!

The Riverlands were one of the most significant territories in the War of Five Kings, ravaged by raiders under Ser Gregor Clegane (WLL) when he cut a bloody path to Harrenhal (ODG), producing what I imagine was a lot of Northern Scavengers (TRS) amongst the small folk who still lived. Harrenhal is the largest castle in Westeros, and within the dominion of the Tullys, and has a habbit of changing hands. Roose Bolton (DB) took it from the Lannisters with the help of Arya Stark (TftH).

I have included Counting Favors (Core) to reflect the deal between Jon Arryn (TTotH) and Hoster Tully that got the Riverlandians into Robert's Rebellion. Summoning Season (Core) can fetch you a powerful unique character, while Building Season (Core) can get you the most powerful castle in Westeros. The Battle of Oxcross (PotS) is a great first turn plot – you need the used Military Battle for To Be A Wolf (SB) to be accessible by the second round, and with 36 characters you shouldn’t have a problem winning at least one military challenge. I put in Retaliation! (ASoSilence) for its stats, but it fits with when Edmure wanted revenge for the raiding done by Gregor and took the fight to the Lannisters. At the Gates is a perfect fit – not only was there an army literally at the gates of Riverrun, but you can use it to fetch up a copy ofRiders of the Red Fork (FTC)!

[NOW YOU ARE SPOILER SAFE]

Now, Riverrun (LoW) is not in this list, and it breaks my heart. But Riverrun tends to get everybody to attack you in melee. That just isn’t fun. Family, Duty, Honor (LOW) is also absent, as we lack sufficient House Tully characters to make it, or
Ser Brynden's Guile (HtS), worthwhile. And so with that I present to you the forces of the Riverlands:


Family, Duty, and Honor

House:
House Stark (Core)Stark
Agenda: No Agenda

Plot Deck:
Summoning Season (Core) x1
Building Season (Core) x1
Counting Favors (Core) x1
Valar Morghulis (Core) x1
Battle of Oxcross (PotS) x1
Retaliation! (ASoSilence) x1
At the Gates (GotC) x1

Characters:
Robb Stark (LoW) x1
The Blackfish (LoW) x3
Rickard Karstark (WLL) x1
Roose Bolton (DB) x1
Ser Edmure Tully (LoW) x1
Trident Reinforcements (Core) x1
Winterfell Reserves (Core) x1
Riders of the Red Fork (FtC) x3
Vanguard Scouts (TWot5K) x2
Guard at Riverrun (LoW) x3
Wolf Herald (SB) x2
House Tully Septon (LoW) x1
Northern Scavengers (TRS) x2
Peasant Defenders (TBoBB) x2
Knight of the Tumblestone (Core) x3
Arya Stark (TftH) x1
Lucas Blackwood (GotC) x1
Winterfell Honor Guard (Core) x3
Bolton Refugee (RoW) x3
Catelyn Stark (LoW) x1

Locations:
Great Keep (Core) x3
Northern Fiefdoms (Core) x3
Godswood (Core) x3
Harrenhal (ODG) x1
Winterfell Rookery (TRS) x2
Frozen Moat (BtW) x1
Frozen Outpost (LoW) x1

Events:
To Be a Wolf (SB) x3
Lethal Counterattack (Core) x3
Narrow Escape (KotStorm) x2
The Battle of the Whispering Wood (EB) x1
Battle of Ruby Ford (BoRF) x1
War of Five Kings (RoW) x1

Attachments:
Northern Steel (TBoBB) x2



That completes my journey through House Tully. But wait! There is more! I need ideas for flavorful decks, so leave a comment with an idea - it could be Gregor's band raiding the Riverlands to give a flavor filled melee matchup, or something completely different. There is always room for more ideas. I'll choose one, build it, and feature it in an upcoming article! Feel free to give me your thoughts on the Nedlyness of this week's deck and the card(s) I evaluated individually. Just make sure you use the appropriate scale!

Good gaming,

-Mathias

Beheading Ned article image by Michael Komarck