Reviews for N00bs - A Clash of Arms: Epic Battles

Epic Battles

Overall Theme: 7; Efficiency: 4.5

This pack focuses on events that initiate an “Epic Phase.” The Epic Phase is a special phase
that happens after dominance in which players can initiate another challenge, and each card
determines what kind of challenge it will be. There are also locations for each house that
enhance the core thematic of each house, and that give extra draw during the epic phase, so
there is some synergy for playing the events with these locations in your decks. Unfortunately,
someone thought that it would be good to only have one of each event and three of each unique
location, rather than the other way around.


House Stark – Overall Theme: 7.5; Efficiency: 6

Dacey Mormont (EB) – Theme: 7; Efficiency: 6

• Without her ability, she has very low efficiency, so only consider putting her into your deck if you have a lot of Military Battle plots (Fury of the Wolf (AE), After the Mummer’s Ford (KotS), Siege of Riverrun (KotS), Battle of Oxcross (PotS), Assault on King’s Landing (KotStorm), Unconventional Warfare (ACoS)). If you are playing this many Military Battle plots, you could also play with Kill for Your King! (TWot5K)
• If you go second, you then have free defense in all three challenges, which can be helpful.
• As a Lady, you could put Bodyguard (Core) on her.

The Battle of the Whispering Wood (EB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 6

• Initiates a military challenge in the epic phase. You need to have enough characters left to be able to initiate the challenge and you have to think about defending against your opponent as well.
• Playing this with Siege of Winterfell agenda could give you massive amounts of power quickly. Since it’s not unique, you could play multiple of this event and claim power off each one.

House Lannister – Theme: 6; Efficiency: 5

Highgarden Cavaliers (EB) – Theme: 4; Efficiency: 2

• The intrigue icon on an Army is a plus – there are 10 armies with intrigue icons and Lannister has four of them.
• See the section on Army synergy.
• This is really expensive, and not worth it. 5-cost characters should have some sort of effect that is spectacular. This doesn’t even have keywords. This may win some challenges for you, but isn’t necessarily a game-changer. Two characters that cost a total of 5, instead of one costing 5, is better because it gives more flexibility and you don’t have to overcommit.
• Lannister doesn’t get a big benefit from war crest synergy. There are only four Lannister characters with a war crest, all costing 4 or more.

Hornvale (EB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 6

• Disregarding the draw effect (because Lannister has better reliable draw), this effect is interesting, and potentially useful to force your opponent to overcommit to challenges to ensure winning it.
• Use this in combination with Toll Gate to remove characters then kneel them out.
• Consider playing this in a Kingsguard deck that focuses on winning challenges as the defender. Kingsguard is most viable in Lannister.

The Battle of the Blackwater (EB) – Theme: 6; Efficiency: 6

• Overall additional intrigue challenge isn’t great, since intrigue is arguably the least powerful challenge in the game. However, this effect can be very helpful, just to get characters out for free or get a character out for its ability, like King Joffrey's Guard (TWot5K) or Ser Arys Oakheart (PotS).

House Baratheon – Overall Theme: 7; Efficiency: 6

Salladhor Saan (EB) – Theme: 7; Efficiency: 7

• Without the effect, his efficiency is decent. Stealth tri-con.
• With a lot of standing effects, he could be very powerful. The downside is that your opponent could gain two power, and that often is enough to swing the game at crucial moments.
• Captain trait does nothing.

The Battle at the Wall (EB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 7

• This may be worth more for the extra power challenge than for the bonus for winning. Usually, Baratheon has enough standing characters left after dominance, or enough standing effects, to go in for another.
• When Heir to the Iron Throne agenda comes out, this will combo well, allowing you to have three power challenges – or even four with Robert Baratheon (KotStorm).
• Playing with Arena Knight (RoW) and Ser Cortnay Penrose (KotStorm) will allow you to capitalize on power challenges and still stand them for the epic phase
• The three cards is a good incentive, as Baratheon has trouble with draw.

Claw Isle (EB) – Theme: 7; Efficiency: 3

• 2 cost is really not worth it for only 1 power swing a turn.
• The epic phase bonus also isn’t that great since The Battle at the Wall draws you to the cap.

House Targaryen – Overall Theme: 7; Efficiency: 6

Arstan Whitebeard (EB) – Theme: 6; Efficiency: 5

• This card is absolutely not worth playing without the epic phase.
• If you did choose to play it, you would need a lot of Epic Battle trait events to make it worth it (The Battle of Astapor (EB) x3, Battle of Ruby Ford (BoRF) x1, War of Five Kings (RoW) x3, Battle of the Bay (TBoBB) x3) and you would limit your ability to use him for regular challenges.
• That said, +5 strength is huge, and this may find a place in a deck built around this combo with Summoning Season (Core) to pull it off effectively.
• Synergy with Queensguard (possibly a Dothraki deck since Rakharo (IG), Aggo (RoR), Jhogo (Core), and Jhogo (OSaS) are all Queensguard and Dothraki) and Queen (Daenarys Targaryen (Core)).

The Battle of Astapor (EB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 6

• This is an okay event. It’s clearly not as good as the other house Epic Battle events, unless your opponent is playing a lot of attachments, which most people don’t do.
• This will be more effective against the upcoming maester decks that will have a lot of attachments.

Stormcrows (EB) – Theme: 7; Efficiency: 6

• This card’s efficiency is slightly better than normal because of the war crest, but it is still a bit expensive, especially since it can be easily discarded with Ser Arys Oakheart (PotS). However for 4-cost, the ability is not that great, compared to other 4-cost Targaryen characters (like Khal Drogo (Core) or Rhaegar Targaryen (BoRF)).
• The ability is helpful for decks weak on intrigue, and becomes better if your opponent is playing heavy neutral themed houses (such as Wildlings, Night’s Watch, or Brotherhood). It is one of the few strong discard recursion effects in the game, other than Ser Barristan Selmy.

Pentos (EB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 7

• This can be helpful in attachment heavy decks, but if this is a central focus for saves you’ll want to have Building Season (Core) to pull it out consistently, and pair it with Lady Daenerys’s Chamber (Core) to get your attachments back.
• The epic phase effect is not as helpful, since not all Epic Battle events trigger military challenges.

House Martell – Overall Theme: 6.5; Efficiency: 3.5

The Bastard of Godsgrace (EB) – Theme: 6; Efficiency: 7

• This is a pretty efficient 1 cost character. Yes it only has one icon, but the ability allows him to lend his strength to other challenges.
• The epic phase effect is almost worthless, but even not considering it, this character is good.

The Viper's Revenge (EB) – Theme: 5; Efficiency: 1

• At first glance this is a very powerful effect to have your opponent not be able to stand, but remember that this event effects all players, so whether you win or you lose, your opponent may win out as much as you, so this pretty much amounts to an extra intrigue challenge with a very risky prospect, and that’s just not worth it.
• This card is simply too risky and volatile to be worth putting in the deck, however played in combination with Norvos, the prospect of losing an intrigue challenge becomes a lose-lose situation for your opponent. Your opponent now will lose a card and not stand his characters if he lets you win, and loses 2 cards and probably has to kneel more characters to win. This combo still doesn’t make it worth playing though, in my opinion.

Norvos (EB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 3

• Martell excels at hand control and challenge control. This is an excellent deterrent for an opponent considering doing an intrigue challenge against you.
• Not worth 3 gold, since you still lose a card from your hand, and this effect won’t win you the game.

House Greyjoy – Overall Theme: 6; Efficiency: 4.5

The Battle of Deepwood Motte (EB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 7

• Greyjoy overall has the best location manipulation and control in the game.
• With Epic Battles, you need to make sure you can defend a challenge as well as win it. Greyjoy usually doesn’t have a problem winning challenges, often unopposed, but you want to make sure you can defend, or that you are okay losing a location. First Mate (SB) and Weathered Crew (SA) can get back Warships, but other locations may be lost. Because Greyjoy often rewards overextending more than defending, this downside can be a detriment.

Besieged Shipyard (EB) – Theme: 4; Efficiency: 2

• Compare to Claw Isle (EB) which give a one power swing; this just discards.
• This isn’t worth 2 gold when there are better locations that give you draw and ensure that you win challenges.

Neutral – Overall Efficiency: 1

The Gift (EB) – Efficiency: 1

• This is probably only worth it if you have a pure Night’s Watch themed deck since the odds of using it go up with more characters of that type (obviously). Having 30 characters with the Night’s Watch trait in your deck gives you slightly above a 50% chance of using it on any given turn, and that goes down dramatically if all your characters don’t have that trait.
• Consider Street of Steel (Core), Street of Sisters (Core), or Shadowblack Lane (Core) instead.

The Land Beyond the Wall (EB) – Efficiency: 1

• Same as above except for Wildlings.

The Neck (EB) – Efficiency: 1

• There is only one neutral creature with a cost right now in the game (Ghost Core), and only recently are there Clansmen.
• May be useful in a pure Clansman deck, but you may consider Street of Steel, Street of Sisters, or Shadowblack Lane instead.

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