First Tilt - Budget Dothraki

Welcome back to First Tilt! Last time, Paladin shared a great set of tips on how to plan what you buy. When you're a new player, getting into a well established card game can be daunting... especially when it's an LCG and there is no such thing as set rotation. That means every card from when the LCG first came out to now are legal cards (even more true now that Jaqen H'ghar and Compelled by the Rock are no longer banned).

I recently did some calculations and discovered that if you wanted to ensure you had a full playset of every card in the game, at retail, it would cost you over $1100 (as of this writing). That's three core sets, each expansion, and 1 each of every chapter pack (including the soon to be back in print Ravens cycle). There are currently about 1700 cards in the environment and that is quite the investment for a newer player.

Now, to be fair, that is considerably less than most competitive card games. The resourceful person might look for a site that sells cool stuff (hint hint) and then they could technically purchase the full set for $760 plus change. But, I'm a fan of supporting your FLGS... so, no names mentioned.

So... a deck type that is near and dear to my heart and one that I've written about in a previous First Tilt article is the Dothraki archetype. There has been an explosion of conversation regarding this deck type and what are the "right" cards to include. What I'm going to lay out for you here is a specific slant to building the best deck you can with the least amount of money.

So, using the standard rules for a budget deck, this decklist assumes two Core Sets, the Queen of Dragons expansion, and 6 chapter packs. This is tough to do, really, due to the way the Dothraki trait and effects have been spread out through the years. But... we're going to do our best to tackle this.

Last time, we barely built a Dothraki deck... we really built a Targaryen War Crest deck with a Dothraki subtheme. This time, we're going to build a Dothraki deck with a little War Crest tech (very little).

The two latest cards that have spurred the new conversations about this decktype are, of course, the Braided Screamers and the latest piece of Dothraki goodness... the Dothraki Vanguard. These two cards fill a big hole that has existed for some time in the Dothraki archetype... card advantage. Even with the errata on the Screamers, they do great work to help refill your hand and while the Vanguard is working to improve your board position instantly, they're fuel for the Screamers.

No matter how you slice it, a good Dothraki deck tends to be expensive and does not draw well. While the Queen of Dragons Khal Drogo helped with this some and, of course, the auto-include Jhogo creates a conditional draw engine... between economy and draw, Dothraki have struggled to find their feet. After all, Meraxes giving you one card a turn and Jhogo requiring a military win... you're not likely drawing very often.

Before we get into the characters, let's talk Plots. Here are my suggestions for this budget deck.

• We'll be putting some potent War Crests into the deck, so 2X The Power of Arms (Core) is a no-brainer.
• Loyalty Money Can Buy (QoD) can "buy" you a turn to breathe (or turn a 2 claim into a 1 claim)
• We'll have enough Army characters in here that Muster the Realm! (QoD) shouldn't ever be a dead plot
• Mutual Cause (Core), while typically a Melee plot, is a way to get in a 2-claim plot with zero downside (and it's in the Core Set)
• Mad King's Legacy (Core) - decent stats and it could eliminate a troublesome attachment at the right moment (and it's tough to cancel).
• Valar Morghulis (Core) - because you must have a reset and this is the best one for today's metagame (plus, you should be able to flood the board again in short order)

So, obviously, due to the "must-includeness" of the Screamers, we're going to be building an agendaless Targ deck. This means we will have all three challenges available (without Heir to the Iron Throne) and we will have a setup to consider (since we're not running Knights of the Hollow Hill). In order to maximize efficiency and potential card advantage, we'll want to load this deck with as many good Dothraki characters as we can.

My opinion is you need to load at least 20+ characters with the Dothraki trait into this type of deck or you're probably looking to build a different kind of deck. The Screamers and the Vanguard together are not inexpensive characters. The Screamers cost 4 and the Vanguard costs 3. If you're paying for those characters, you want them to do stuff. While I'm willing to agree with some that it's okay if the Screamers don't net you a Dothraki every time you trigger their ability... I will say it's a travesty if a single Vanguard goes off without putting a Dothraki into play because those guys are a one-shot and, frankly, their ability is the only reason to include them. Otherwise they're a 3 for 2 with no other benefits (not even a War Crest).

Well, let's break down the crucial Dothraki that we're putting into the deck:

• Dothraki Vanguard (FaI) - reveal the top 5 cards of your deck and put a Dothraki character into play. This card is money every time it works. This is free card advantage. We're gonna use 3 of these.
• Braided Screamers (AToTT) - errata'd to once per round, but searching the top 5 of your deck and putting a Dothraki into your hand is a phenomenal effect... and you can trigger that for EACH copy of the Screamers you have in play. That's a lot of shuffling, but it's oh so beautiful to behold. 3X of these is a no-brainer. Also, note, if you play the Vanguard and one of the five cards you reveal is a Screamers... you can put the Screamers into play and trigger them for... already playing the Vanguard (what!?) yep, it's the same response window, so it's a perfectly legit play.
• Bitter Crone (IG) - some people hate this card, I have never seen it not pay off for me. It completely changes the way your opponent defends and causes them to completely rethink how they're going to work their challenges. It's a 2-cost Intrigue body on top of that (and you need all the Intrigue help you can get with a Dothraki deck). We'll include 2 of these.
• Jhogo (OSaS) - the only auto-include Dothraki in every deck... why? Because he draws you cards. In a Dothraki deck, he can draw you a LOT of cards. We're going to put him in at 2X.
• Dothraki Outrider (AToTT) - 3 for 3 character with Stealth and conditional renown? Yes, please! An easy 3X.
• Khal Drogo (QoD) - another card advantage card. On a Power of Arms turn he can fill your hand with 5 Dothraki. That is a lot of card advantage. A free 5-draw is absolutely incredible. We'll include 2 of him so we get him sooner rather than later, BUT... we are not looking to dupe him for a save effect. We want this Khal to die... but only at the right time.
• Drogo's Horde (IG) - with 20+ Dothraki in the deck, this is an absolute auto-include at 3X. Most of the time, they're coming in for 2 or less gold. Every time I drop one of these in for zero gold... my opponent cries.
• Refugee of the Plains (RoW) - this is the restricted card of choice. And, yes, I know - a single pack for just these zero cost characters? I tell you, every time I've built one of these decks without them... I regret it. A lot of people are talking pretty seriously about Narrow Escape. In my experience, it just doesn't pay off the way you want it to. Yes, you can potentially save your board or leave your opponent with no hand... but you will be hard-pressed to fill your board again if they ditch their hand because you need these zero cost Refugees. They buff Jhogo's draw, they make the Horde cheaper than cheap. There is just no downside to these guys. Obviously, 3X for these bad boys.
• Horseback Archers (QoD) - not a usual include for me, but due to the budget constraints we're putting into the deck, these slot in nicely. Plus, they can get you the surprise military win... once. Once your opponent sees one, they'll start to calculate the possibility of them jumping in. But, we'll include 2X just to mess with the math some more. (Does he have 2... 3... 1? What!?)
• Rakharo (IG) - honestly, he has War Crest synergy and can help you mill your opponent's hand, but Aggo would be the better choice here. Deadly + power grab. Unfortunately, due to the budget limitations... I just couldn't get Aggo into the deck.

So, that's the full Dothraki line up. That adds up to 24 Dothraki characters, so you're odds are VERY good that both the Screamers and the Vanguard are going to pay off for you. But wait, where's Aggo? And why is Rakharo only 1-up? Are you stupid? Those guys are amazing!!

So... the Queensguard. They're good. In fact, they can be very good. But they're three cost bodies that need to remain protected. If I could fit Aggo in, I'd include him at 2X... but Rakharo would remain at 1X because we have enough other War Crests to do what we need and while hand discard can be helpful, it won't propel you towards victory.

Now, I will say, one card I really regret not being there is the Blood-Crazed Screamer (MotM). He's in the Mountains of the Moon chapter pack, and while that's a pack every Targ player should own (due to Knights of the Hollow Hill)... the Blood-Crazed Screamer is the only card in that pack that fits into the deck and he just isn't worth a whole pack on his own. So, I've left him out.

So, we have 24 Dothraki character... what other characters do we need? Well, here are what I'd recommend:

• Pyat Pree (QoD) - an absolutely auto-include in just about every single Targ deck. He's just a solid card. Once he's on the table, your opponent is not going to overcommit to an intrigue challenge if he's on the board. It's a great piece of targeted kill.
• Ser Jorah Mormont (WLL) - another auto-include. Against a (very) few matchups, he will be a dead card, but most of the time, you will find a moment to play this card, remove something from the board and then have a tricon with a War Crest and Joust.
• Daario Naharis (WLL) - this guy might be difficult to put into play at times, but when he removes a key Knight from your opponent (like, say, The Laughing Storm), he's worth every penny. And, once again, we have a tricon War Crest with Melee this time.
• Pike Phalanx (QoD) - the deck is not centered on these guys, but when they're on board, your ability to apply a LOT of pressure goes up significantly. On a Power of Arms turn, they're devastating. Remember, you only have to declare a challenge with them and another War Crest character to raise claim - regardless of whether you win or lose. It is a triggered effect, so there are things that can stop it... but those are few.
• True-Queen's Harbinger (QoD) - this is not a great card, and with an expanded card pool, there are certainly better cards to include, but for this budget deck, it is free (perfect for setup) and helps you with economy.
• Viserys Targaryen (Core) - he's there for one reason... claim soak.

Now that we've discussed the meat of the deck - the characters, let's talk about attachments, locations, and events. First off, I don't include any attachments. Yes, we could include Jhogo's Whip or Rakharo's Arakh, or even move a different direction and include a little burn or Tears of Lys to help with Intrigue. After much testing, I've found that all of these attachments tend to distract the deck from its purpose... kill characters. The deck only gains power through unopposed challenges or power challenge wins. While it's weird to have a Targ deck with no attachments, it allows us better setups and provides us more slots for economy to help recover from resets.

Locations are almost all focused on economy, starting with a standard slate of Targ economy cards and then branching out:

• Eastern Fiefdoms (QoD) - an autoinclude in every Targ deck at either 2X or 3X. Targ CARD reduction plus a single influence, but it is limited, For this deck, we're going with 3X.
• Khal Drogo's Tent (Core) - again, an autoinclude in any non-KotHH deck - 1X
• Summer Sea (QoD) - you MUST include the Seas - whether for cost reduction or Influence, they're free and not Limited - 3X
• Temple of the Graces (Core) - 2X (giving us five Limited cards... just about all you want)
• Myrish Villa (QoD) - yes, this really shines in Summer and we aren't running any Summer tech, but you can pay an Influence with a Summer Sea and STILL use the reduction on the Sea. It's a versatile card that can end up costing you nothing to get that -1. The other benny on this is that it's just like the Fiefdom in that it will reduce any Targ CARD (not just characters) and it costs the same as the Fiefdom without the influence, but you really don't need the influence in this deck.
• Street of Steel (Core) & Street of Sisters (Core) - both Steel and Sisters are no brainers while we don't include Shadowblack because we are very light on the Intrigue side
• River Row (QoD) - free reducer with a one turn delay - easy to include
• The Kingsroad 23 (FaI) - what!? The Winter Kingsroad in a Targ deck!? Yes. The card is basically here for economy and the little initiative bump. But, if someone makes it Winter, we might gain the discard effect. If Summer is more prevalent in your meta, than you can always opt for the other Kingsroad. Or, if you have the room, you could run 2 of 1 and 1 of the other.
• High Ground (QoD) - only 1 of 2 non-economy cards in the bunch. We have 12 in-house Armies. Standing effects can give you double-duty during a critical turn. We'll include 2X.
• Vaes Dothrak (IG) - I know, I know... it's EXPENSIVE. But the deck is sloooowwww. This could potentially give you a two-power swing every turn (provided you win a challenge AND they have power on their House - the math: +1 to you, -1 to them... that's a 2 power NET).

Finally - the events. This was a tough nut to crack because none of the packs we're using have the events I would want at the top of my list. So, we're going with a couple of simple includes:

• Deadly Khalasar (IG) - again, standing effects rule. While it can sometimes be hard to get this to fire in some iterations of this build, we have both the Crone and the Phalanx... either one of those should get characters killed for claim whether it's through the inability to save or just overwhelming claim.
• Paper Shield (QoD) - Targaryen budget decks have it easy for this because it comes in the Queen of Dragons box. This is an easy include to deal with certain troublesome events (that don't have a gold or influence cost).

Now... I know some of you are probably saying... "Okay, Larry, I see you've got some cool cards in here. But, but... WHERE ARE THE ATTACHMENTS!? Dude, you have GOT to include Jhogo's Whip. That thing is amazing!" To you, I say... I disagree. I think the Dothraki attachments, while cool, belong in a different type of deck. They're control attachments and this is an aggro deck. And, I would go so far as to say they're pretty weak all in all when it comes to control. When they're on their namesake character, they can be amazing. But, they're really only good if you can ambush them in... that requires add'l influence and we just didn't build that in here. I've played around with those attachments off and on since I started... and, honestly, they've rarely paid off for me against other competitive decks. But, YMMV. I never run them anymore.

Now, here's the decklist. I'll follow that with a few suggestions on what other cards to get.


Plot: (7)
1x Loyalty Money Can Buy (QoD)
1x Muster the Realm! (QoD)
2x The Power of Arms (Core)
1x Valar Morghulis (Core)
1x Mad King's Legacy (Core)
1x Mutual Cause (Core)

Character: (34)
3x Dothraki Vanguard (FaI)
2x Jhogo (OSaS)
3x Braided Screamers (AToTT)
1x Daario Naharis (WLL)
1x Ser Jorah Mormont (WLL)
2x Khal Drogo (QoD)
2x Bitter Crone (IG)
3x Drogo's Horde (IG)
1x Rakharo (IG)
3x Refugee of the Plains (RoW)
3x Dothraki Outrider (AToTT)
2x Horseback Archers (QoD)
3x Pike Phalanx (QoD)
1x Pyat Pree (QoD)
3x True-Queen's Harbinger (QoD)
1x Viserys Targaryen (Core)

Event: (6)
3x Deadly Khalasar (IG)
3x Paper Shield (QoD)

Location: (20)
1x Vaes Dothrak (IG)
3x Eastern Fiefdoms (QoD)
1x Khal Drogo's Tent (Core)
3x Myrish Villa (QoD)
1x River Row (QoD)
1x Street of Sisters (Core)
1x Street of Steel (Core)
3x Summer Sea (QoD)
2x The Kingsroad 23 (FaI)
2x Temple of the Graces (Core)
2x High Ground (QoD)

So.... if you can spend some more money... what do you buy to round out this deck?

• The aforementioned Blood-Crazed Screamer is a must. In many games, that second MIL challenge will be devastating to your opponent. In all others, the threat alone is enough to get them to adjust their play. Ponder for a moment two 3-claim Military challenges.
• Herald of the East (SB) combo's so well with the Screamer/Vanguard shenanigans, you should slot it in if you have the pack. Have a Vanguard in hand, play a Herald, search out a Screamers, play the Vanguard, put the Screamers into play and then search out another Dothraki to put in hand. Pretty sick.
• GOT=VM]Incinerate[/GOT] - man, it was painful to not include this. This is an absolute money card in a Dothraki build. You will never regret seeing this card. On most turns you should be able to wipe out a 4-6 STR character easily for the measly cost of a single influence. But, this was the ONLY card in the pack that slots into this deck. So, we left it out. I'd honestly pull Paper Shield to slot this in at 3X.
• Ride Them Down (ODG) - not my favorite event, but considering the deck's slowness, it could be a pretty good boon. In this same pack is Called to Court (ODG), which is a great plot choice to actually recycle your Vanguard.
• To Be a Dragon (SB)/King's Landing Coup (AToTT) - the Coup is already in "A Turn of the Tide" (we got the Screamers and the Outider out of this pack). Most of your characters in the deck are printed cost 3 or less. This gives you a stand effect with add'l board presence in one fell swoop. King's Landing Coup is the Power Struggle plot of choice right now in a no-agenda deck. It gives you good gold, high initiative... with a "meh" ability. But, that's not why you're playing it. And it's not restricted.
• Aggo (RoR) - as mentioned above, he really needs to be in this deck because he has deadly with a power icon
• Meraxes (TBC) - yes, I left this out. Yes, it was painful. I just didn't see what I'd pull (chapter pack wise) in order to fit this one in and stay within the budget constraints. This deck does struggle with draw. But if you get this pack, pull High Ground and put this in its place. Standing armies is great, drawing cards is better.

Okay... tell me where I'm wrong!! I dare ya! (Not really dare, so much as wanting to hear how you'd make this better... with fewer packs.) Did I forget cards that tie this whole thing up into an unstoppable force? Tell us about it.