Forging the Chain - Putting on the Apprentice Collar

This entry into the small council will be a bit more personal than the other columns. My intent is to bring you along with me as I attempt to improve at a Game of Thrones. However, I must warn my readers that this column is written from the perspective of someone playing the game for a mere two months. This caveat may have scared you off already, but if you are still reading then enjoy the ride. It is sure to be bumpy at times!

So you may wonder how someone can have the audacity to feel like they are skilled enough to write anything of value after playing the game for only two months, and the answer is the focus of my first foray into this series. The short answer is: playing lots of games with a wide variety of people. However, the real key is not simply playing tons of games, but reflecting on my games, especially the losses. As a newer player to the game, playing in a competitive meta, like the Los Angeles/San Diego meta, it can be disheartening to lose so many games. However, examining why I lose each game helps me avoid repeating the same mistakes. So, when I run into a deck that beats me repeatedly it's quite frustrating. Therefore, this week I will outline my experience learning how to handle a deck that I consistently struggle against.

The deck which owned me the most consistently early on, and frankly still does to a degree, is Targaryen burn. During my first few weeks with the game, I didn't see much of this deck. When someone finally broke it out against me, it resulted in a devastating loss. It felt like every time a character that was even somewhat useful hit the board, it was killed by my opponent's seemingly endless burn cards. Meera Reed hits the table; I smile. My opponent drops Flame-Kissed (Core); I'm not smiling anymore. In another game I had a big advantage with Blackfish, Robb Stark, Syrio in shadows, , and 2 Carrion Birds. I was feeling great. Then my opponent turned over Threat from the North (PotS), which makes all characters -1 strength, and immediately the Carrion Birds are discarded. Hmm, that's not good. Then after I flipped over Syrio during the challenge phase, he played The Hatchlings' Feast (ASitD) and finished obliterating my board by discarding the rest of my characters. To say the least, I was floored. How could one deck be so powerful?? I did a bit of research, but I decided that since I hadn't seen the decktype much, I would focus on learning how to deal with other decks and resort to hoping I would never see Targ burn again. Then the worst case scenario happened. A player in my local meta began bringing the deck to our weekly meetings and running it every game. While I was none too pleased, of course this player provided me a great service. No longer could I stick my head in the sand and hope Targ burn would peacefully pass on by. I was forced to figure out how to handle this monstrosity.

I began by examining decklists online and talking to friends. I isolated the scariest cards and noted that the deck needs extensive resources to run well, noting that influence is especially important. This usually means Targ decks run a number of locations which provide influence such as: Khai Drogo's Tent, Summer Sea, and The Red Keep. Additionally, I noted that ambush allowed cards, such as Flame Kissed, to be played at any time. But most importantly, I realized that cards such as Forever Burning and The Hatchling's Feast don't actually kill or discard on their own. They must be used in conjunction with another card to maximize their usefulness. This was a critical piece of information, as it became clear that in order for Targ Burn to work well a number of pieces have to be coordinated. So, in order to kill one character of strength greater than 2, multiple cards have to be used in coordination. This information prompted the realization that burn cards, used one time, are not as powerful as I had thought. For, while my opponent uses their resources to burn my characters, I can use my resources to bring out multiple characters, and they cannot all be burned.

This information led to more reflection. How is Targ so powerful if they spend all their resources burning my characters, while I use my resources to deploy characters? After further investigation, I realized that what makes a Targ deck so deadly is its potential for recursion, and a few key cards contribute to this aspect of the deck. Lady Daenerys's Chambers (Core) is a powerful location which can be used to repeatedly retrieve Flame Kissed from the discard pile, the Street Waif (AToT) is used to get a card back from the discard pile, and Forever Burning can be brought back into hand from the dead pile by kneeling one influence. It was when I realized that these interactions are what make Targ decks so scary that solutions became more apparent.

So, armed with a bit of knowledge, I began to rethink how I should deal with this deck. The first thought was that any character that I play with strength less than 2 has the potential for instant death without any way for me to stop it. But, while this is frustrating, it's really no different than Venemous Blade and most decks are already built to deal with this card. What is a bit more annoying is the fact that any card strength 3 or less can also easily be killed. However, in order for a strength 3 card to be killed, the Targ player must play two cards, usually a Flame Kissed and a Forever Burning. Since Forever Burning is an event, it can be canceled in a number of ways. So, before playing a crucial 3 strength card in a deck running cancelers, I realized that I have to wait until I have a canceler in hand. Then, if my opponent plays Flame Kissed, I can cancel the Forever Burning before it can kill the character. Now I will admit that quite often the Targ player has another card to finish off the burn, but at that point they are playing three cards to kill one of mine.

So let's take a look at some of the scariest cards in a Targ Burn deck and examine how to deal with them.

1. Flame-Kissed (Core) - It is the most difficult card to deal with, as it comes into play as an attachment with a passive effect. There is no way to counter the card. However, it does not reduce the strength of a character with an attachment. This restriction is critical, as you can make important characters much safer with attachments. Moreover, these characters are then safe from Search and Detain. Be careful, however, Targ has a number of ways to remove attachments, once again making your character vulnerable to Flame Kissed.

2. Forever Burning (Core) - The recursion element of this card is what makes it an effective and efficient burn card. However, it can only come back from the dead pile. So, if you are able to cancel it, and send it to the discard pile, it will take much more to bring it back.

3. The Hatchlings' Feast (ASitD) - This card has the same problems as both Flame Kissed and Forever Burning combined. It cannot be used on a card with an attachment and it can be canceled. So, while it is the most powerful burn card, it is far more difficult to pull off. The turn you see Threat to the North be ready for this card as well.

4. Field of Fire (QoD) - This card may actually be the most powerful of the bunch, but it is the most difficult to pull off. In order to play Field of Fire, it must be summer and your opponent must have 2 influence available. But, if these conditions are met, be very careful unless you are sure your opponent doesn't run the card. If you throw all your characters into the fray they may all come away toasted.

5. Lady Daenerys's Chambers (Core) - I've found this location to be the most annoying and effective card in a Targ Burn deck. While it only gets back attachments, if you let your opponent get a Flame Kissed back every turn, expect a lot of fried characters. However, most decks run some sort of location control, and while it is tempting to eliminate locations which provide influence, this location should probably be handled first.

6. Street Waif (AToT) - Wait, did I say Lady Daenerys's Chambers was the most annoying card in a Targ Burn deck? If it is, the Street Waif is certainly a close second. It allows the Targ player to get back all of the staples of the deck including that Forever Burning you were able to cancel and send to the discard pile! This card is especially annoying, as many decks don't have a lot of direct character removal. However, the Street Waif has to be knelt in order to trigger its any phase action. So, it is vulnerable to a great deal of character control including kneeling, canceling of triggered effects, and removal. All of these tools should be saved for this card. Trust me when I say this card can dominate a game. However, it must be noted that you choose which card comes back. So, if you can keep the discard pile full of less annoying choices, the Street Waif doesn't pose as much of a threat.

7. Threat from the North (PotS) - Since this is a plot, it can be harder to handle. First, if someone is playing Targ Burn you know it's coming. So, don't splash the board with all your 1 strength characters unless you are trying to goad them into playing it. Also, the turn when it is played, you need to remember that every burn card brings discard with it. So be careful about playing cards in your hand. This will be the turn when you are most vulnerable to Forever Burning and The Hatchling's Feast. If you don't have much on the board, you may want to hold back as much as you can this turn. If you have a ton of cards on the board, get that canceler ready, and be very careful about using it on a Forever Burning. You will kick yourself, as I have kicked myself, if you cancel a Forever Burning only to find yourself losing three characters to The Hatchling's Feast.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on my journey in attempting to deal with Targ Burn. More importantly, I hope you learned more than just how to deal with Targ Burn, but, in fact, learned the value of playing games and examining your losses closely. While it may be annoying at times, we learn the most from our losses. I know I've gained nothing from shrugging off losses and blaming them on bad luck on my part, or the good luck of my opponents. The most rapid improvement has always come when I have admitted that my ignorance was the result of my loss. Until next time, have fun improving!

(Article Image by Mike Capprotti)