Beheading Ned - Storyline

Thanks for tuning back in to another edition of Beheading Ned, the CardGameDB column focusing on Nedly, or story-based, play. Since I've had the pleasure of piloting this column, we've looked at the different playstyles of the houses, a Nedly vs. Jaime deckbuilding debate, and, more recently, finally got down to building some theme decks. Last installment, we took a look at a Direwolf deck, which was a Nedly deck built around a particular theme built right into the trait on the card. This week, we're going to look at a bit of a different Nedly deck--that built around a theme in the storyline.

If you haven't been tipped off yet by the introduction, please bear in mind that Beheading Ned does talk about George R. R. Martin's epic series and that no spoilers are off limits. The best inoculation against spoilers is just to go ahead and read the books, but if you haven't yet.....don't say I didn't warn you.

Also, Cersei kills Snape. [Spoiler Alert]

One of the things that has always fascinated me about fictional series is the author's portrayal of morality within the world of the novel. Most authors do this in such a way that betrays their view of ethics in our own world, whether intentional or not. Martin's tome is really no different, as one of the things that gives it the notoriety that it has is his inclination to pull no punches in describing violence, pillage, and destruction. This is not to imply that Martin condones these behaviors--far from it. Those behaving in this way are firmly in the Bad Guy chair, which is, more often than not, the Iron Throne.

From the time that Joffrey assumed the throne, his hold on it was tenuous. Disenfranchising bannermen, unsettling allies, and making enemies seem to be some of Joff's best talents, and so it fell to his grandfather, Tywin, to keep the realm secure. Fortunately, this is something that Tywin has had experience at, and, just as fortunately, the old man of House Lannister isn't afraid to get his hands a bit dirty or mix with some unsavories to get the job done. To embody this aspect of Tywin and House Lannister, I compiled this deck: Clean up the Plains!

Clean Up the Plains!


Total Cards (61)

House (1)
House Lannister (Core) x1

Agenda (1)
The Power Behind the Throne (LotR) x1

Plot (7)
All the Gold in Casterly Rock (LotR) x1
Breaking and Entering (LotR) x1
Burning Bridges (QoD) x1
Hear Me Roar (Core) x1
Regroup (KotStorm) x1
Twist of Fate (APS) x1
Valar Morghulis (Core) x1

Character (31)
Arrogant Contender (LotR) x2
Brothel Guard (LotR) x2
House Clegane Outlaw (APS) x3
House Payne Enforcer (MotA) x3
Ser Addam Marbrand (LotR) x1
Ser Amory Lorch (LotR) x1
Ser Amory's Poachers (LotR) x3
Ser Gregor Clegane (WLL) x1
Ser Gregor's Band (LotR) x3
The Hound (PotS) x1
Treacherous Watchman (AKitN) x2
Tywin Lannister (LotR) x3
Bronn's Hireling (LotR) x2
Lannisport Weaponsmith (Core) x3
Raff the Sweetling (Core) x1

Location (18)
Coin Mint (LotR) x3
Golden Tooth Mines (Core) x3
Lannisport Treasury (LotR) x2
Queen Cersei's Chambers (Core) x1
Shadowblack Lane (Core) x1
The Goldroad (Core) x3
Increased Levy (LotR) x3
The Iron Throne (LotR) x2

Attachment (0)

Event (12)
A House Divided (WLL) x2
Distraction (Core) x3
Paper Shield (QoD) x2
Narrow Escape (KotStorm) x3
The Only Game that Matters (LotR) x2


One thing I noticed when making a story-themed deck is that doing so is HARD. It's not so much hard in terms of choices that fit your theme, but it is hard to get a set of mechanics that works well together towards the win condition. What I've ended up with is a mix of Allies, Lords with a bit of roughness around the edges, and marginal unique characters--how very Nedly! This crew reminded me so much of the band that Tywin Lannister sent out to hunt down Beric Dondarrion and his band of loyalists. Of course, Ser Gregor and his band ended up pillaging the entire countryside, despite never finding the Brotherhood without Banners. I thought that a deck inspired by this motley crew might have a chance at doing some pillaging and destructifying of their own. Thus, I gathered together an initial list of suspects that Lady Stoneheart might have an eye out for--but the deck was as motley as the characters it represented.

Given this lack of a focal point for the deck, I decided to look back to Tywin himself for inspiration. Alright, ser, I'll stick three of you in and see how that goes. I used the Lions of the Rock version since the Shadows one is pretty niche and the Core one pretty terrible. Tywin Lannister (LotR) is strong, but hard to trigger. One thing you'll need consistently is gold in your pool, and Lannister excels at that. Just as Tywin used his own personal fortune to subsidize the Iron Throne, in this deck he's using Lannisport Treasuries, Goldroads, and Weaponsmiths to fill the coffers. I also find Coin Mint (LotR) to be a nice way to get gold into your pool anytime you need it, such as for Tywin's power grab. Daven Lannister (GotC) is often worthwhile in these types of decks, but, since he's off sieging Riverrun, I left him out.

But there's a few other ways to make gold matter in the only game that matters. Ser Amory Lorch, Ser Addam Marbrand, and Ser Amory's Poachers also fuel the gold machine, gaining benefits during the challenge phase when you can't spend it all during Marshalling. I also threw in All the Gold in Casterly Rock (LotR), to me a criminally under-rated plot, to help give you the boost that you need . All these characters aren't cheap, and having enough left over to make these effects go off when you need them to is quite tricky.

The band in the books wasn't all 4-cost unique characters and well-ordered armies, and this deck likewise needed some low-cost seedy characters to fill out setup and the cost curve. House Clegane Outlaw is a great choice, since his three icons and low cost work well within the theme. The fact that it triggers Ser Gregor's Band is a bonus. I'm also a pretty big fan of House Payne Enforcer (MotA), and his Deadly keyword is always welcome. I also experimented with Lord Tywin's Man (BtW), since his ability to discard Lannister characters seems like exactly the type of thing that Gregor's band was doing throughout the countryside.

For locations, I went with three Golden Tooth Mines for draw (not Nedly, but you still need to draw) and two Iron Thrones. You have to remember who you are working for! The rest was basically income, and so I stuck in Fleeing to the Wall (Core) to help equalize in this location and control heavy meta. Its effect seemed to fit in with Gregor's burning down of everything in sight, so that was a bonus.

The events are a smattering of Nedly ones and ones that might actually work. A House Divided (WLL) is one of my favorite events in the format, and its Clegane reference made it an easy include. I should have used three, but oh well. I kindof have a habit of including Paper Shield (qod) in Ally-heavy decks to try to protect against Dissension, and Distraction just seemed like a ton of fun in this deck--kneel them out and then pounce! Narrow Escape takes the restricted slot since Valar would just hose me otherwise and one of my favorite events found a way to squeeze in: The Only Game that Matters (LotR). In true Lannister fashion, most of their cronies have an Intrigue icon, so this event will win a challenge or two that I shouldn't be winning.

I filled out the plot deck mainly with 2 claim, since the deck should be able to push through some challenges at least. Making them count will be key. Breaking and Entering seemed Nedly as well as a possible way of extra card advantage, while Regroup will help us cycle events if we time it right. Burning Bridges seemed to have a Nedly name and the gold we crave (and most of our effects are passive!), and Hear Me Roar was in like fashion.

Having noticed that I'm Intrigue saturated, The Power Behind the Throne seemed a decent agenda choice. If you can get out a non-kneeling army, you'll rip someone's hand apart for sure. The downside of the choice is that this deck is quite a bit slower than most PbTT builds, but again, we're not shooting for T1 here. We're shooting for fun.

I hope you enjoyed our quick romp through the underbelly of Tywin's band. I'd love to hear your feedback on the deck as well as any ideas that you may have for a future installment of Beheading Ned!