Chasing Dragons Card Reviews

Beyond the Sea - Valar Dohaeris Staff Review
69% 480 out of 700

Our staff has put together a first blush analysis of the newly released chapter pack Chasing Dragons. We’ve used a one through five scale; five being the best. The cards are listed in numeric order. Our reviewers are listed in alphabetical order. Disagree with our assessment? Let us know!

Baratheon gets the top card this month in a pack filled with some very solid cards, new City plots make us glad to leave the River behind, and Stark trails behind with two so-so cards.


Top 3
The Red Queen’s Faithful 35 out of 35
A City Besieged 34 out of 35
Griff 33 out of 35

Worst 3
Watchful Servant 12 out of 35
Thrall 15 out of 35
Selhorys Customs Officer 16 out of 35


[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_follower-of-the-many-faced-god-cd.jpg']Follower of the Many-Faced God 19 out of 35

Darksbane - 3 out of 5
This card I think has potential in the right deck. He is cheap, can be used as claim soak (if poorly), and has stealth. The real potential comes in the response. It can protect somewhat against kneel decks and can combo nicely with cards like Jayne Westerling, Jojen Reed, Rickon Stark, and perhaps most importantly Kings of the Sea Robb Stark. A Stark Army deck could conceivably use this and Robb to really pump out some armies.

doulos2k - 3 out of 5
A cheap way to get a nice effect, except that there just aren’t that many Stalwart characters in the game. Let’s hope this is a signal that more are on the way. It actually makes this keyword have a bit more gusto, IMHO.

FireFox - 3 out of 5
It’s nice to see a bit a stalwart support for a change, but I fear this card won’t be enough to bring this keyword to competitive play. The card itself is solid, two keywords for 1 gold is always good, as well as a decent ability. Furthermore, it has a Holy crest which could be an interesting twist in Stark.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Some long awaited support for the stalwart keyword. What interests us most here is the fact that it’s a cheap holy character, so that crest is getting some more support for Stark as well. Confession gets very reliable to play with this guy. Now if only we could get more playable stalwart characters... Stark should almost be able to wield enough search (especially with Harrenhal), to counter the drawbacks of running a large pile of Stalwart characters.

jimpanda - 2 out of 5
This card is different, and different can be good from a deckbuilding perspective. While I don’t think that he’s all that powerful, he does give you an interesting ability and a consistent Holy icon that never goes away. One icon limits him, but he does have stealth and gives it to others. Stalwart is one of those abilities that always seems better than it actually is. Maybe this guy will help a bit with that. It is important to note that Stalwart is almost a drawback as much as it is a benefit...and a one drop that goes on your deck will deny you a draw in favor of a 1 drop character. That’s not good.

Paladin - 3 out of 5
Kyle Condon is the best use of Stalwart, since he doesn’t mess up your draw. This guy is not as good though, since you don’t get the extra draw, but he is still appealing since he is only one cost and brings stealth with him. He’s like a Stalwart Carrion Bird, which can be useful.

rave - 2 out of 5
The card isn’t bad by any means, stealth power is good late-game for sure, but Stalwart will keep you from drawing into your awesome late game cards by redrawing this guy. If his ability was a little bit better, like Condon’s, I could rate him higher, but standing characters in the marshalling phase has pretty narrow usefulness.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_abels-washerwoman-cd.jpg']Abel’s Washerwoman 17 out of 35

Darksbane - 1 out of 5
She just doesn’t have enough potential outside of a Stark Wildling deck. Even in a Stark Wildling deck I’m not sure she really merits a card slot. Admittedly I’ve never run Wildlings out of Stark so I could be mistaken but it seems as if there would be better choices.

doulos2k - 2 out of 5
I want to like this character, but I just don’t see her Response triggering all that often. First, she has to be attacking and the other player would either not have to have any Intrigue icons (or only 1 with a STR of 1) or be willing to let one go by undefended thereby giving you a power. If there were any Deadly Wildlings with Intrigue icons... she would be suddenly far more interesting. But for now... meh.

FireFox - 4 out of 5
At first glance this card doesn’t look good. It is however, a cheap intrigue wildling. In nearly every case, this will be a 1 Str, Melee and Stealth intrigue icon. Couple that with the Wildlings lack of intrigue and you have a very decent card that will tie up a loose end. The response is very lackluster however, but still a strong card, albeit for a less played archetype.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
What wildlings have always been lacking of has been cheap characters, especially ones with intrigue icons. There is also only one drawback in running wildlings, which is your need for more power. This washerwoman fills everyone of these holes in Stark Wildlings (which has already been ranking high in European tournaments). When you have all of the wildling agendas this card is a beast. Honestly, a 1 cost, 1 str Stealth+Melee character with an intrigue icon and a power-gain ability... in Stark? What’s not to love.

jimpanda - 2 out of 5
Her single icon limits her severely. That said, she is a one cost Wildling with an upside, so she might slide into a Stark Wildling build here and there. I’m not sure she overrides Free Man, but time will have to tell on that one. I like her, and I hope she is better than I am giving her credit for.

Paladin - 2 out of 5
I really want to like this card, since I enjoy effects that place difficult decisions onto your opponents. But her single intrigue icon is going to limit who she brings with her to a fight, and if you don’t have others to bring with her then any chump blocker can stop her even with the melee.

rave - 2 out of 5
Weird for sure. I guess you could declare her by yourself to waste your intrigue challenge on the potential to get a free power, but there are better cards to slot in your deck than this one.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_yezzans-grotesquerie-cd.jpg']Yezzan’s Grotesquerie 27 out of 35

Darksbane - 4 out of 5
Very powerful especially for power challenges where there are alot of bi-con characters sporting Military/Power. The Shagga in me is already considering the possibility of playing Rusted Sword with this character to really mess with your opponents military challenges.

doulos2k - 4 out of 5
Wow - this can wreck a lot of plans. Basically, any tricon or a bi-con that includes a MIL icon will be essentially useless once this character is participating. Crazy good. The only downside is that it affects your characters, as well. So, plan accordingly.

FireFox - 4 out of 5
The best card Lannister has received for a while. Can single-handedly shut down a few archetypes out there. What I like the most however is that it affect both players and that you will need to deckbuild around it, making it a more interesting card. Also, giving it a MIL icon can make it even more annoying for your opponent. Finally, it is not even an ally, which is rare in Lannister. I guess infamy will not come into play that often, but even without this card is solid.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
And the oddest card in the pack prize goes to... infamy, a trait that is usually given to locations and a very strange ability. Oh, and that’s without mentioning the art... The ability here is what makes this abomination shine. Suddenly those M,I or M,P characters don’t seem as good as they used to be. Infamy can help Lannister brotherhood decks be more reliable, while the ability helps support Power Behind the Throne. This might even have some nice uses with the Before the Black Walls plot.

jimpanda - 3 out of 5
He/she/it has a fantastic ability that can really ruin certain decks. Baratheon rush will have a real tough time with this one. That said, the three slot is already overcrowded in Lannister, and I am not convinced that this always makes the cut. The Infamy keyword is pretty random as well and doesn’t really do anything (although I do understand why it’s there). This card, at the very least, merits a serious look.

Paladin - 4 out of 5
A very very nice card. Its ability opens up a lot of options for the challenges phase, and the two icons give you flexibility about when/if to use it. Just having it in play can make your opponent think twice about attacking or lure them into sub-optimal attack/defense configurations.

rave - 4 out of 5
This is a much needed tool vs bara rush, especially in the early rounds where you’re a lot less likely to get him stealthed. Him having no bad traits is huge, and makes him that much harder to be dealt with. He’s also worth mentioning on the offense as well, where he has the chance to skate through on a power challenge by himself. The infamy wont turn too many heads, but him and The Mad Huntsman will quickly become good friends on the early rounds of a PBTT deck, where infamy and the ability both become very useful.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_selhorys-customs-officer-cd.jpg']Selhorys Customs Officer 16 out of 35

Darksbane - 2 out of 5
It was tough for me to judge this one. On the one hand a 2 cost 2 STR bi-con with a learned crest isn’t bad at all, on the other hand it has the ally trait and a pretty situational ability. Lannister isn’t exactly hurting for characters in the 2 cost slot and so I think including this card would be purely a meta choice if you are going to face a lot of Shadows decks.

doulos2k - 3 out of 5
With Shadows actions becoming more and more popular, he’ll get you extra gold in many games, but unless you have your own Shadows actions that require gold, you’re only gaining a greater chance at Dominance. But Lanni may have tricks to keep gold I’m unaware of.

FireFox - 3 out of 5
The ability is not really useful. There might be some gold shenanigans possible, but I don’t see them making the cut in a top-tier deck. This card is however a cheap learned crest. Schemes of the Scholar work well out of Lannister and this card loves them. Can also insure you can play Outwit at the right moment.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
It seems that our house of lions is gaining a lot of learned support these days. Wonder what they will do with all these crests they are now getting? If nothing else, Lannister can now play ill tidings as a better form of attachment control and Schemes of the Scholar should work beautifully with Power Behind the Throne. While the ability on this one is a little bit iffy, it can work as a nice shadow support card.

jimpanda - 2 out of 5
Meh. The Learned icon is cool, and I’m happy that they are doing a little more with it. Unfortunately, this guy is about as generic as they come. 2 Str/ 2 cost/ 2 icons. With the exception of specific decks that may be able to utilize his crest (and even then, he is kind of un-exciting), he is very unspectacular overall.

Paladin - 2 out of 5
The stats are fine, but the ability just doesn’t seem all that useful. Unless you’re playing in a shadows-heavy meta, I don’t really see why he would be included in a deck over other cards.

rave - 1 out of 5
Lanni already has enough learned crests at this point, and this guy doesn’t do anything truly useful. Even if you get gold, it’s after the challenges has begun, and outside of shadows, you aren’t going to be using that gold for much besides dominance. Also the bad trait.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_wildling-bard-cd.jpg']Wildling Bard out 30 of 35

Darksbane 4 out of 5
Stats are solid and the challenge ability can be huge. Sure giving up cards for renown is a pretty steep cost but this is the type of ability that can win you games if timed right. Stark and Baratheon have a number of characters that can do multiple challenges per round one way or another and this allows you to really capitalize on that. This also combos nicely with See Who is Stronger to get some high cost armies in your discard pile quickly.

doulos2k - 4 out of 5
I really like this card a lot. It beefs up the Wildling Intrigue icon. I struggle with discarding cards... for anything (it’s why I rarely run the new Barristan Selmy), but as others have said, when timed right, this could win you the game.

FireFox - 5 out of 5
One of the most solid archetypes of the moment (Bara/Wildlings) gets another solid boost with this card. Good icons, decent ability with nearly no downside. The ability even helps offset the extra power you need from the agendas. It also has good combo potential with non-kneelers and discard pile recursion. Finally, it can even take advantage of in-house reducer.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Solid stats, nice icons and traitor isn’t too risky a negative trait yet. In a Wildling deck this is an almost automatic addition due to the printed intrigue icon (Skinchanger can easily be cancelled with The Iron Throne etc.) and the ability to bridge the power gap from running Wildlings in the first place. Where this card dominates is the Stark and Baratheon nokneel cards that are lacking a printed renown. Those Cavalry Flanks and The Power of Faith just got even more annoying.

jimpanda - 4 out of 5
I like the fact that his application is completely different for Stark and Baratheon, but pretty good in each. In Stark Wildlings, he provides an Intrigue icon on a solid body and for Baratheon Rush his ability can be a game winner. Great design on this one, FFG. The three slot is jam-packed for Wildlings, but he probably makes the cut over Skinshifter in most cases.

Paladin - 4 out of 5
Cool ability, he can really give your Wildling or rush deck a boost. I can also see him being used in other deck types, say a Knights build where you use the extra draw to fuel extra renown.

rave - 4 out of 5
Solid ability, but with heavy cost. The ability is a game-winner for sure. That said, one annoying thing, is that he conflicts with The Laughing Storm. So if you have the Val + TLS engine going, you’re going to have to find a way to kneel TLS before challenges to get use out of the ability (muster perhaps?). Otherwise, solid card all around, a nice way to get rid of dupes of dead characters.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_the-red-queens-faithful-cd.jpg']The Red Queen’s Faithful 35 out of 35

Darksbane - 5 out of 5
I’m in love with this card and I normally don’t like high cost cards but this one has so much potential. It is resurrectable with Many Powers Long Asleep, it will frequently come out at reduced cost, comboed with a Seductive Promise and Power of Faith you can move 6 power to an opponent’s character and then steal it, in melee its response can target anyone, it is Asshai so Shadow Enchantress pumps it, it is an Army so Manning the City Walls plays it for free, so many good combos with this card and no downside. It is finally time to rebuild my delayed rush Asshai deck.

doulos2k - 5 out of 5
Wow! Holy Crested Army... alone, that’s pretty amazing. Add the Asshai trait and an Asshai Shadows deck just becomes stupid strong. What sends it over the top is the response. Take three power and put it on ANY character. On a Power of Faith turn, start with the Intrigue challenge, put the power on the character they would usually pick as claim soak (like a Refugee)... then hit them with Military... and move even more power to another usually expendable character. Could be a game changing move as it causes them to choose... lose power or kill a more important character?

FireFox - 5 out of 5
I’m trying very hard to see the downside to this card and I can’t. Even without the ability this would be brutal. The crest and army trait alone synergise with so many things... The ability makes it simply ridiculous. Moves power from a unkillable character, to a non-unique you will steal later, to something you can discard easily, have fun with Melisandre, etc... There are so many possibilities here. Writing this I have actually found a downside to this card, there aren’t usually that many uniques in a dedicated Asshai deck. But that doesn’t stop it from being very good.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Usually this holy army will cost the player approximately 4 gold to be played, so for a 4 we get a 7 str crested army with a nice response. The amount of cards this army has synergy with is just breathtaking. Play with manning the city walls for free or get back with Many Powers Long Asleep. Power of Faith lets you use the response at least twice. The most common way to use the cards ability will be to declare a military challenge and then move 3 power to the character that was chosen to satisfy the military claim. Finally Baratheon gets back to what it does best... making your power tokens dance in circles in front of your eyes!

jimpanda - 5 out of 5
I don’t want to blow this card out of proportion, but its applications are huge. While the power movement is not quite as exciting in Baratheon due to lack of removal, it will make your opponent think twice about Valar. The military icon is nice in what will most likely be an Asshai deck, and the 7 str almost guarantees a win. As has been said, Many Powers Long Asleep and a host of other plots synergize extremely well with this card. I guess the Uniqueness is a slightly limiting factor, but one of these bad boys should do enough damage to be worth it.

Paladin - 5 out of 5
Simply amazing. The cost is not bad at all with its reduction text and Manning the City Walls, and its ability is awesome. Make that power on your opponent’s House card trickle down to his characters, and then drain the power away: military claim, No Quarter, Valar, etc. Also, it says: “choose a player...” Get ready for some nasty surprises in Melee.

rave - 5 out of 5
This is scary. Since it’s much better at helping your opponent lose then making you win, I don’t think it will find a place in dedicated rush decks as much. But any other Bara, sweet jesus. Seductive Promise is the obvious tool here. But moving 3 power off a player’s house a turn to House Umber Shoeshiner is going to create some serious problems for the opponent.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_follower-of-two-gods-cd.jpg']Follower of Two Gods 23 out of 35

Darksbane - 3 out of 5
It is a good solid card, not spectacular but definitely worth running in a Greyjoy Holy deck. It could possibly warrant a higher rating but Greyjoy has some solid one cost characters that I’d usually choose first.

doulos2k - 4 out of 5
I’m not really seeing a downside to this card. Cheap, and it goes to the bottom of your deck (where any effect that shuffles your deck could bring them back). Greyjoy tends to be able to pull off the Unopposed action pretty easily, so they’re essentially a bi-con. The Holy Crest helps even out the gold curve of the Greyjoy Holy deck (which is typically a more expensive deck for Greyjoy). Also... the Greyjoy/Bara alliance is looking even tastier.

FireFox - 4 out of 5
Another cheap holy crest. Also a cheap Ironborn. Both the trait and the crest are useful in a Greyjoy deck. Insures you can play confession or Finger Dance at the right time. The unopposed support isn’t very relevant as Greyjoy Holy decks don’t usually focus on it, but it will never hurt.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Nice one cost character. Fills a spot for a cheap holy character for the Kraken. This card has so many uses thanks to the trait and crest. You can kneel him for Finger Dance since he is an Ironborn and Confession is finally more playable in Greyjoy holy builds. The unopposed ability is a nice addition, but will rarely make an impact. Very solid and very needed.

jimpanda - 2 out of 5
Yes, he is a nice 1 drop in a Holy Greyjoy deck. He is a 1 Icon character who has a marginal ability at best. The putting on the bottom of your deck when killed part is not really an ability at all. Are you really going to want to draw a 1 str/ 1 icon character later in the game if you shuffle? If Greyjoy Holy becomes a thing, maybe he will see play as the one drop, but Distinguished Boatswain/ Ice Fisherman are tough ceilings to overcome.

Paladin 3 out of 5
Not bad, not great. Greyjoy Holy is a nice theme, and at 1 cost this is a good card for that.

rave - 3 out of 5
A solid 1 drop, but 1 STR isn’t going to turn too many heads in the challenge phase, especially compared to cards like Distinguished Boatswain. In the decks that can make use of Holy, he will be pretty good.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_thrall-cd.jpg']Thrall 15 out of 35

Darksbane - 3 out of 5
Cheap repeatable claim soak is nice. Greyjoy has a lot of saves though so I’m not sure that this will be as useful for them as comparable characters are for other Houses.

doulos2k - 3 out of 5
No real downside, no real upside. Overall, a meh character, but at least he can return to hand and he’s cheap. Having only a Power icon makes him a little less appealing even at 1 cost.

FireFox - 2 out of 5
I am not convinced by this card. Grey don’t really need recursive characters with their saves. Also it’s only a monocon with a not very useful Trait.... meh.

Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
1 cost monocon... Oarsman? Ok. The only thing Greyjoy is getting from this is a recursive claim soak, when you have enough people dead already. I don’t see the need to run this in a GJ deck since saves are usually doing their work better or I already have claim soaks that can do other things than, well, soak claim. The trait also lacks synergy with everything Greyjoy has since it isn’t a Raider or an Ironborn.

jimpanda - 1 out of 5
Yeesh. 1 Str/ 1 Icon/ no relevant trait. Sign me up! Getting garbage back from the dead pile still gets you garbage. Now, if there were more good effects that require you to kill your own characters in a combo-like fashion, this guy would be a great piece of the puzzle. When that happens, I will apologize for the “garbage” comment.

Paladin - 2 out of 5
In any other house this would be a higher rating. But in Greyjoy, with all its saves, who needs a claim soak with not other real purpose?

rave - 2 out of 5
1 STR with just a power Icon and nothing else may be the most boring stats for a card there is. He’s never really going to do anything, unless you waste cards to give him stealth. I guess if you have a dedicated unopposed theme going on, these guys create a buffer for your high cost characters, but still that’s reaching.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_iron-fleet-captain-cd.jpg']Iron Fleet Captain 30 out of 35

Darksbane - 4 out of 5
This is a very solid character for Greyjoy. Greyjoy has so few Renown characters that anything that can accelerate and take advantage of their focus on unopposed challenges is going to be welcome.

doulos2k - 4 out of 5
A great Raider card. Bi-con with Stealth and a power grabber. Not much more to say - just a solid card in my opinion. One thing... why does this not have the Captain trait? FFG has some weird stuff going on with Greyjoy, Raiders that aren’t Raiders and now a Captain that isn’t a Captain.

FireFox - 4 out of 5
This card makes a great addition to the unopposed theme. It has the stealth to acheive unopposed alone and claims you power helping close the game before you can’t manage the opponent defenses anymore. Also has the Raider trait which goes well with the rest of the theme. Nothing exciting with this card I realise, but still decent and potent in the right deck.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
This card is a great example on how to design a really solid good card without it being too powerful. It has the two most important traits for Greyjoy and is the second nonunique 3 cost 3 str character with stealth in the whole game. Now add in the power grabbing ability. This card fits into every greyjoy theme there is, except the by now well doing choke. Just one thing here is really bugging us, why is this not a Captain?

jimpanda - 4 out of 5
Definitely a solid character. Two good traits, 2 icons, Stealth, and a good trigger. Greyjoy unopposed always felt like a lost theme....maybe they will do more with it. This guy is a solid pick for most GJ decks, and pulls his weight in every category with no downside. If Greyjoy leans more towards mid-range with saves and beefy characters, he will be a staple.

Paladin - 4 out of 5
Nice boost to the unopposed theme. Good stats and stealth, and you end up with a cool, well-balanced character.

rave - 5 out of 5
This card is money, and may be the greatest boon to the unopposed theme yet. Anyone else notice how many bi-con ironborn with some sort of powergrab or renown there are now with this guy in the environment? Add in support of harlaw, that 1 cost guy that gives intrigue to ironborn, and some cards like The Only Game that Matters, and you have a pretty decent unopposed theme going on.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_victarions-reavers-cd.jpg']Victarion’s Reavers 21 out of 35

Darksbane - 3 out of 5
If switching the claim effect was optional I’d be much happier with this card. As it is you’re going to have to sit this one on the sidelines when you actually want to kill characters and steal power. I think Greyjoy has enough location destruction that they have more control over that would be better choices.

doulos2k - 4 out of 5
I must be in a high rating mood or I really like these cards. Why 4 out of 5? Location hate. Greyjoy already has one of the best location control cards in the game with Newly Made Lord, but this just adds to the hurt. This can make a Raider deck just crazy good. Enough uniques and they’re cheap, powerful, and they mill locations. At 7 STR it should be easy to get them to win attacking alone in most cases. Use Longship Iron Victory or Longship Black Wind (or both) and they’re tough to deal with. Then add in the next card (Longship Grief) and they can now do it twice!

FireFox - 3 out of 5
When you compare this to the Bara army, you just think Greyjoy got the bad end of the deal. Okay, it’s still a pretty beefy army, for a usually modest price, but the ability kinda ruins it for me. Mainly because it is unconditional. If I could choose when this triggers I would’ve been much happier. As it stands now, you are just going to get rid of a 0-cost location instead of winning a challenge. Not a very good deal it a House that already has plenty of location hate. Also these guys don’t even have a crest!

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
What tipped the scales here to 3 instead of 4 was that the ability is a claim replacement, which can hurt late game a lot more than letting your opponent discard a location by his choice. This will also need more resources to play than the Baratheon counterpart as Greyjoy isn’t as high on unique characters, especially if you make a Raider deck (yay... 3 unique Raiders). At the start of the game the ability is pure gold, but the longer the game goes on, the more the ability will hurt you or just straight out force this army to defending duties.

jimpanda - 2 out of 5
Okay, I might be underrating these guys a little, but I really feel like for every time that their ability can be amazing, there are just as many times where you’ll want the claim. On a claim 2 plot, their ability can be solid, but, then again, so is killing two characters or stealing two power. Greyjoy also has the issue of having less Unique characters that see play than pretty much anyone else. Many of the best Greyjoy decks are built around guys like Distinguished Boatswain, Wintertime Marauders, etc. This guy will most likely cost 5, maybe 4 if you’re lucky. At that price, he is not a bargain.

Paladin - 3 out of 5
The Red Queen’s Faithful can join others in any challenge, and can be on offense or defense, to trigger their effect, but these guys have to attack and have to go it alone, making them far less useful. Oh, and the ability is claim replacement. Maybe I’m just unfairly comparing them to Red Queen’s Faithful, but they just don’t seem that strong. I do like a nice big army that can have its costs reduced.

rave - 3 out of 5
Bara’s offering was much better. Claim replacement makes this pretty mediocre. Greyjoy tends to run less uniques than Bara, and with Newly-Made Lord in the environment, this is kind of a redundant effect. I can see the benefit of slowly destroying their locations, but I don’t know why I would want to do this late game when I can actually play this guy cost effectively. [/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_longship-grief-cd.jpg']Longship Grief 17 out of 35

Darksbane - 2 out of 5
Greyjoy Raiders is just not a theme that I gravitate to, so rating a card like this is hard for me. On the one hand any time you can participate in a challenge without it costing you anything is good, on the other hand Greyjoy has a glut of good locations and I’m just not sure this one does enough to warrant a spot in a deck.

doulos2k - 3 out of 5
I almost give this 4 out of 5, but it’s kind of quirky. Only the first challenge initiated each round. It’s most beneficial if you’re first player obviously. In a Raider deck, this could obviously be a great boon... but there are so many good Warships already, I think you’d have to make this an integral part of your strategy with maybe Bay of Ice to ensure you have Initiative to really capitalize on the non-kneeling Raiders (and Captain).

FireFox - 2 out of 5
Greyjoy has too many other good locations that compete with this one meaning it will probably never see play. Also you have to build around it to make sure you make the most of it, not only packing lots of Captain and Raider characters, but also winning the initiative each round as it affect the first challenge of the round, not your first challenge.

Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
This Warship has a lot of competition in 2 cost location spot. Longship Iron Victory, Longship Blackwind, Scouting Vessel all of which we would choose before this one. Grief seems to only slot into a very dedicated Raider deck that also has the means to make sure they can go first. The value of this Warship might rise as we gain more Raiders and Captains, but currently it isn’t flexible enough and has tough competition for the spot.

jimpanda - 2 out of 5
The two cost slot is chock full of competition, and Raiders are still not nearly good enough to be a full theme yet. The amazing amount of playable Greyjoy locations makes this card dead on arrival.

Paladin - 3 out of 5
Making your raiders not kneel for the first challenge is a useful ability, it’s like getting an extra set of characters for one challenge. Not super powerful, but if you go first you’ll almost always be glad to have this in play.

rave - 3 out of 5
If Raider decks really want to go first, they will. So I’m not worried about the “first challenge of the round” part of this, but there aren’t quite enough good Raiders for this yet. I know this with the Iron Fleet Captain, this is a nice boost for unopposed, but not enough to slot the card at this time. It will get better.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_ser-archibald-yronwood-cd.jpg']Ser Archibald Yronwood 24 out of 35

Darksbane - 3 out of 5
I’m rating this in the context of a agendaless deck. 3 cost 3 STR bi-con with deadly and renown and two good traits is very good, the location control I’m not as thrilled with as it can be situational and given the timing and telegraphing of it your opponent has a good chance to be able to play around it.

doulos2k - 4 out of 5
Well, here we have it. I was wondering if we were going to see specific cards that took advantage of the charagendas. This guy is amazing in a Quentyn Martell deck, obviously, but outside of that... he’s not really any good at all (yes, 3/3/2 - but it’s not like Martell has a sudden need for a BLANK 3/3/2 character). So, to qualify my rating, in a Quentyn Martell deck, he’s a solid 4 out of 5... outside of that, he’s a 1 out of 5 in my book.

FireFox - 3 out of 5
It’s quite sad that this card is the best card Martell has seen in a while. Obviously, its meant to shine in a Quentyn deck. In that context it will be very good, netting you a good ability, two keywords, two icon and decent STR for a reasonable cost. Unfortunately, if you play an agenda, he becomes pretty bad, even losing his traits, even ruling him out of a Knights deck. In the end, 5 and 1 ratings average to 3.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
In a right deck this is and will always be 5 - good keywords, great traits and stats together with a Martell location control ability? If you are not running an Agenda you really cannot pass this card. Outside of agendaless decks though this card is pretty meh, since it even loses its traits... It’s also a good thing to remember that it’s not only limited to Quentyn decks (in which this is very nedly), but also possible Seal of the Crown decks.

jimpanda - 3 out of 5
His stats are undoubtedly decent - two good keywords, 3 str, 2 icons. His ability is very narrow, but could occasionally be OK to kneel things like Bear Island. I hope that one day our children will be able to play a Martell deck that doesn’t use KotHH or The Maester’s Path. That is my hope for the future, and in that future, this guy will be pretty good. Consider him an investment.

Paladin - 3 out of 5
An auto-include if you are running Qunetyn, or not running an agenda at all (in which case, maybe go with the agenda instead of this guy). A terrible card with an agenda, an awesome card with Quentyn, hence the average rating.

rave - 4 out of 5
Wow! This guy is awesome. 3 cost renown AND deadly, Lord AND knight. No bad traits either. The ability is pretty narrow in it’s usefulness, but stat-wise, this guy is a monster. That said, agenda-less Martell loses a lot of its tools that keep it at the high competitive level it is famous for, and Quentyn still isn’t quite up to snuff (though this guy and the next help a LOT). This is another reason to add muster in your Quentyn deck.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_ser-gerris-drinkwater-cd.jpg']Ser Gerris Drinkwater 23 out of 35

Darksbane - 4 out of 5
Rating this in the context of a deck with no agenda. Again solid stats, good traits and keywords. I much prefer effects like this as it gives you more control, a good player should almost always be able to manipulate the gamestate to have at least one eligible target for him. He also indirectly gives some kneel protection in that your opponent is going to have to at least consider targeting him first with their kneel effects each turn.

doulos2k - 3 out of 5
The second card to require a charagenda, he’s not as strong as Yronwood because he’s an expensive effect in my opinion. Stand a character, but only when you kneel Gerris as a defender. Very conditional, but he’s still a good character in general - 3/3/2. As with Yronwood though, I rate him a 1 out of 5 if he’s not in a Quentyn Martell deck.

FireFox - 3 out of 5
See my comments above, they apply to this one as well. I think he is a slightly weaker card though as the ability isn’t so good. Especially if you consider him in a Quentyn deck where most people will be vengeful.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Same as with our other Martell lordly knight. Amazing in a deck without an Agenda, but not much with one. Stealth is important in a Quentyn deck, since it helps in stopping your Vengeful characters from being bypassed.

jimpanda - 3 out of 5
Again, he is pretty good in a deck that doesn’t utilize what Martell is best at. For the record, I like both Yronwood and this guy a lot. Hopefully, Martell turns the corner soon, but I’m not holding my breath.

Paladin - 2 out of 5
I like the idea expanded on in the last CP of punishing opponents for running agendas by boosting your characters. But here are cards that punish you for doing so, and reward you for running chargendas. Which is cool, but man does that limit the utility of these cards to very specific builds.

rave - 4 out of 5
See Yronwood, though I think this guy is a little bit better. [/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_watchful-servant-cd.jpg']Watchful Servant 12 out of 35

Darksbane - 2 out of 5
When a card telegraphs something to the opponent it should be something that makes him adjust how he plays. I like this card because the threat of it is going to cause your opponent more trouble than anything. The problem is the 2 STR and Ally trait make her especally vulnerable so keeping her around to be able to save her for the important challenges could be hard.

doulos2k - 2 out of 5
Okay, this was a tough one for me. At first I think, 2 Gold for character you have to kill to use their effect and the Ally trait to boot. But then I think about the number of Armies we’re getting in the game and I also think about Pentos (the new Army reducer) and I begin to see a solid use for this. Yes, you kill her, but you can completely change the outcome of a challenge that includes a seriously buff character and if that’s the only character your opponent put into the challenge... that might be all you need. Still, she’s cancellable (and would still need to remain killed). I’d rate her higher if she were only 1 gold. Hard to justify for me at 2 gold.

FireFox - 1 out of 5
Yeah! The top two Houses of the moment get the best card in this chapter!.... If I could, I would rank this a 0. Especially when comparing it with the other cards found here. This is bad on all levels. Killed for its effect (no recursion), Ally trait, removes from challenge instead of bouncing back to hand, too expensive anyway...

Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
This card is really meh. A 2 cost Ally that you have to kill for not too great of an effect - not good. It’s a walking one time use Toll Gate. The only reason we would run it would be to kill it for another cards effect, like say, a Nest of Vipers in a Sand Snake deck or just good old Parting Blow.

jimpanda - 1 out of 5
Yuck. For two houses that have the best events for kneeling characters and stopping challenges, this card is downright awful. Luckily it also has generic stats, no crest, and only the Ally trait to complete the circle of bad.

Paladin - 2 out of 5
I don’t really see much appeal to this card. She dies, to remove a character from a single challenge. That can certainly be useful, but at 2 gold?

rave - 2 out of 5
Too expensive of an effect, and it is already out there on the table for your opponent to plan around/mess with.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_archmaester-marwyn-cd.jpg']Archmaester Marwyn 23 out of 35

Darksbane - 3 out of 5
Good stats, nice crest, if I didn’t hate Maesters so much it would make me excited to see Targ get another one. The ability is OK but the choice between 3 cards gives your opponent alot of options. It would likely work best in combination with Street Waif to thin your discard to the point of being able to reliably get back some specific cards.

doulos2k - 4 out of 5
This is what Street Waifs wants to be when it grows up. Seriously. I get to pick my 3 best cards out of my discard pile and then force you to choose which one I keep, which one goes to the bottom of my deck and which remains discarded? Yes, please! And Targ really needed another in-House Maester. The other Marwyn was expensive, this guy is costed just perfectly for his effect. And, bonus, he has the Learned Crest.

FireFox - 3 out of 5
Nicely balanced character. Targ has a need for another in-House maester. That said, the ability might not see play that often as it happens in dominance, but it’s still fits nicely in most Targ decks. Still he is a Maester and has a crest which makes him good. He also survives Illyrio’s burn which will come in handy in a mirror match.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Street Marwyn - the second Maester in Targaryen that can take chains. Now that being said this street Maester will most likely only see play in dedicated Maester deck. The ability is Dominance only so you cannot do challenges with him if you want to use the ability. The recursion ability itself is good, but not worth the cost as your opponent will have the final say on what you are getting back and what you will not see in a while. This ability can be powerful if the deck is built for it, like the old To Be a Dragon combo with Street Waif. What Marwyn really has going for him is that trait and the crest.

jimpanda - 3 out of 5
The new Marwyn is pretty cool. I like his Street Waif on steroids ability a lot, as it gives Targaryen another hope for card advantage. He’s a pretty beefy Maester with a good crest and 2 icons. Overall, he’s good in Maester builds, gives Targ a slight upgrade in card “draw”, but sadly competes with lots of other great Targaryen 3 drops (Jorah and Dario anyone?). Solid overall.

Paladin - 4 out of 5
“Here are the last three burn cards I played. Which two do I get back?”

rave - 3 out of 5
Neat, but your opponent still gets to put a card on the bottom of your deck, and on your discard, which means you have to have 3 amazing cards to choose from and lose 1 of them forever to get something good back with this. If you aren’t running recursion, he seems pretty solid though. [/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_sellsword-deserter-cd.jpg']Sellsword Deserter 21 out of 35

Darksbane - 3 out of 5
Makes burn alittle easier vs the bad traits and he can pop back out of the discard pile after he gets discarded from Threat from the North or Dissension.

doulos2k - 3 out of 5
I love this card... if it weren’t for the automatic -1 STR on himself (and every other Ally or Refugee), he’d be a 5 out of 5 (and probably OP). An easy ambush to automatically reduce all Ally’s and Refugees in play - if your opponent has any non-unique Ally or Refugee characters and the new Magister Illyrio is in play... that’s a -2 for them. My only hesitation is the number of Ally cards Targ already runs ordinarily. It hurts those too. Get more than one of these in play and the effect increases up to -3 (making these guys zero). Threat from the North just got weird.

FireFox - 4 out of 5
This card is combo-liscious in so many ways I can’t list them all here. The first thing he gives you is a 1-cost ambush card. That alone is good. Gives you an easy burn with lots of other Targ stuff. He also has a recursion ability which insures the burn keeps happening. Yes you have to disard an attachement, but with Deanerys’ Chambers and a bit of recursion that shouldn’t be too hard to work around. On a Threat from the North turn this could make things interesting...


Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
This card to us is a pure metacall card. It works as a hard counter for most Targaryen/Lannister/Martell decks, but it does nothing if it faces someone with other house cards. If you can read meta well and you know there will be a lot of Ally depending houses then you should definitely slot this in as the ambushed strength minus can even decide challenges against those decks. Leave this home if you feel Stark/Baratheon/Greyjoy is dominating your metafield. The Refugee hate is a nice plus, since there hasn’t been enough of that lately.

jimpanda - 2 out of 5
This card is very, very cool. I’m not really convinced that it actually does much. He is a 2 icon character for 1 that has a marginally useful ability against Refugees and Allies. Unfortunately, he counts your Allies and Refugees as well (and Targ definitely uses Allies), and his ability to come back from discard requires you to discard an attachment from your hand. How many attachments are played from not The Maester’s Path? Basically, my point is that he’s cute but probably not worth it, although I admit that he has lots of cool interactions with other Targ cards.

Paladin - 3 out of 5
Seems like he can’t hurt your Targ deck as much as your opponent. Still, when he is useful he is likely to be really useful.

rave - 3 out of 5
This is really good against Lannister, and a good choice for any deck that benefits from ambush effects, especially the new Illyrio, since it can make his burn easier to kill with. He isn’t particularly solid though, since he’s just another 1 str character.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_griff-cd.jpg']Griff 33 out of 35

Darksbane - 5 out of 5
His stats alone warrant a high rating, and in a deck built to take advantage he is constant claim soak. He also isn’t House Targaryen only so except for the initial investment other houses not running an agenda could take advantage of this also.

doulos2k - 5 out of 5
Crazy low cost tri-con with a Noble Crest. What is FFG thinking? I’ll take it though! It will be hard to choose this guy over Knights of the Hollow Hill... but his attachment recursion capability is crazy good. You can just go nuts with the Burn attachments with this guy attached as an Agenda. Just think about him during Marshalling... attach Flame-Kissed, kill a character which discards Flame-Kissed, kneel 1 Influence to bring it back... do it again... and again... and again. Ridiculously powerful.

FireFox - 3 out of 5
This guy is good. Even with a blank text box he would be good. Even without any attachments in your deck he is good. He is hard to kill, tri-con and provides recursion if you build around him. The only down-side is that you will need a lot of influence and that you are loosing Knights of the Hollow Hill. I won’t run him as an agenda personally, but he offers so many good options that if I could I would rate him a 6.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Griff just does so many things for so cheap. When you are not running attachments (Flame-kissed doesn’t stay too long on the table) he is just bouncing in and out of play as a repeatable claim soak. Best part about this jumping ability - he comes back standing. Coupled with the new Illyrio you can start burning while Griff is jumping. Sadly, as printed, the Agenda ability cannot do anything as the attachment is already moribund:discard, abilities affecting its destination have to either be saves that also change its moribund destination, or the word instead added to make it a replacement effect. But we’re sure they will fix that part in the next FAQ.

jimpanda - 5 out of 5
Griff is absurd..... mostly. A tricon character that literally can never die, has a noble crest, two positive traits, and a marginally useful ability? C’mon. Griff and Young Griff represent something of a troubling power creep....over the last few sets, Targaryen has gotten Jorah, Dario, Young Griff, and Griff, among others. That is an incredible influx of amazing, quality characters. It is important to note that you can’t be playing an Agenda if you want to maximize Griff, and that is definitely a drawback, as is the fact that his Response and Agenda ability don’t synergize that well.. If you are playing an Agenda, he is still well above average, saving Flame Kissed and anything else that might be roaming around.

Paladin - 5 out of 5
Even without reading his ability, this guy is a 5. Then I read the text and thought “This one goes to 6!” Claim soak, burn recursion, super character stats, just awesome stuff. The one drawback is he only gets that crazy powerful if you are not otherwise running an agenda. Still, a really excellent card.

rave - 5 out of 5
This is such a dumb card. A 3 STR Noble Tri-con that is also claim soak forever. How could this be bad? You can also grab it first turn with Muster if you need to. With the new Illyrio, you can punish your opponent for winning military against you. And if he isn’t doing this, he’s enabling machine-gun use of your flame-kissed. What else is there to say really? Of course, KOHH and Summer are probably better, but this is still really good.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_pentos-cd.jpg']Pentos 29 out of 35

Darksbane - 4 out of 5
Another solid addition to the Free Cities. Targ has some fairly decent army options a few of which could be very useful to other Houses. I think that a Targ army deck will like this card just as much though as they can best use the influence provided.

doulos2k - 5 out of 5
I saw this card and immediately began trembling in fear because of the number of times I now expect to see Pike Phalanx played out of house (especially in Stark... I don’t want to see Siege raise its claim!). Add to that the ability to reduce the first Army card no matter what House each turn - this is just a great card, period.

FireFox - 4 out of 5
Another solid ressource. Pike Phalank anyone? Even in-House armies will benefit since Plaza of Purification is Targ.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Not much to say on this one. Like before it allows Alliance decks to run more smoothly and some light out of house plays. Most obvious card to be played with this will be Pike Phalanx. we are sure there will be many tricks that these locations will help and the influence is never bad.


jimpanda - 4 out of 5
I like this card a lot. Some cross house interactions are great, and these Free City cards can help with that. This one is particularly useful for a few things, and I think Army is an underused trait in the game. This also provides Influence, which is very useful for Targ, the house that takes the most advantage of the Army-lowering ability. Stark crossovers could work well also.

Paladin - 4 out of 5
Pike Phalanx! Armies on the cheap, nice.

rave - 4 out of 5
Great card, obviously for Stark, but also anyone with a subtheme of Army characters in their decks. Just as the Martell version of this was for Lords.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_a-city-besieged-cd.jpg']A City Besieged 34 out of 35

Darksbane - 5 out of 5
The City plots were already pretty strong and this is another one that ranks up there. The best feature is it provides a perfect mid plot cycle city plot to further help the buildup for the later stage ones.

doulos2k - 5 out of 5
What was that other trait that was recently introduced? Stream? Canal? Sewer? I forget. Anyhoo... this is a great card! Finally another playable City plot card to bring some solid location hate down and the stats are awesome. 4 Gold and 4 Init... cycles in perfectly with the other City cards. You’ll now be able to choose late plots... kill a strong character (with City of Soldiers) or discard a solid location?

FireFox - 4 out of 5
This is a finely balanced plot. First it gives a decent alternative opening to City decks with its good income and initiative. Or, you could hold it for a later turn to get rid of a much pricier location. Finally, in the current environment location control is really important and this gives access to it to Houses that usually struggle with it.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Now this is something that was really needed. A reinvigoration to the City plots, with solid point-and-click location removal. You’ll also have to discard one of your own locations, but that just makes this nicely balanced. The City plots have always been a solid choice, but this might tip the scales in their favor, especially in Houses (like Martell and Lanni) that are traditionally light on location control.

jimpanda - 5 out of 5
This is pretty insane. 4 Gold and targeted location control is very strong. This could reinvigorate
Cities a little, which I also like. Reading this makes me cry for River Plots, that’s for sure.

Paladin - 5 out of 5
How do they decide on the stats for these? This card has a fantastic ability, and you get 4 gold and 4 initiative! What’s the drawback, that you shouldn’t play it first turn?

rave - 5 out of 5
Very nice! Good gold, initiative, and an effect that is always useful. At the worst, you can get rid of a 0 cost location with this anytime. You also get the benefit of the city trait for future plots you play.[/CRB]

[CRB='/forums/uploads/got/med_manning-the-city-walls-cd.jpg']Manning the City Walls 31 out of 35

Darksbane - 4 out of 5
This plot will simply be amazing in the right deck. The potential gold advantage is huge and the 2 claim makes it even worse. It really gives Army decks a great way to mitigate their higher than average gold curve.

doulos2k - 5 out of 5
This is a tough one. Solid card in an Army deck, but you have to have the Army in hand for it to work. If you run this on its own, it’s a no-brainer include for a an Army deck. If you’re planning to run the City plots in a Cycle... this is a risky plot. But, all in all, the ability to bring an Army card in for free makes this an amazing plot card in its own right. I wish it were a search plot like At the Gates, then it would synergize perfectly with the City plots. As it is, it’s a tough one to include in a City deck (though I’m gonna try it).

FireFox - 4 out of 5
Another great addition to City plots. You will have to deckbuild accordingly though if you plan on dropping this first turn as it could sting if you have no armies to play. Apart from this I see no problem with this plot. Put down a massive army for free *cough* Viper’s Bannermen
*cough* and use it for a 2 claim.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
And some more love for the Cities... This one works as an alternative ‘seed’ plot for the cycle, similarly to City of Lies and At the Gates. The 2-claim that this is sporting is impressive. The only real drawback to this card is, that it requires either quite a dedicated Army deck (something like Targaryen maybe), or a plot deck with fewer other City plots. Otherwise, you would be relying too much on actually getting a decent Army to play, in your hand. Also, the fact that this doesn’t work at all with At the Gates is a bit of a drawback.

jimpanda - 5 out of 5
This represents one of the strongest starts that a deck can have. Dropping one of the 8 cost army characters with 2 claim on turn one seems really strong. On a side note, I love the 8 drop cycle of Army characters from A Clash of Arms, and this may actually make them decent. Speaking of which, this card is INSANE with King Joffrey’s Guard on turn 1. Maybe instead of two really strong City plots, they could have made something to make Rivers remotely playable......

Paladin - 5 out of 5
Imagine playing one of the armies from this pack with this card, first turn. That’s like 8 gold from 1 plot, and then you get 2 claim to go with it. Sure, you need an army in hand to make this plot be great, but when you do have that army, wow.

rave - 4 out of 5
For all decks that can use this reliably, this is very good. I immediately thought of Viper’s Bannerman, but I’m sure there are some other great options as well. City of Soldiers could also easily find its way in a deck that runs a lot of armies and having this in the used pile will help with that.[/CRB]