Reviews for N00bs - A Clash of Arms: Sacred Bonds

Sacred Bonds

Overall Theme: 7.5; Efficiency: 6.5

This chapter pack focuses on further developing each house theme, and plays around with
house keywords a bit introducing multi-house characters with shared keywords. It also comes
with excellent house-specific event cards.

‘To Be…’ events – Overall Theme: 9.5; Efficiency: 9

• Really good events that synergize with house abilities.All have a requirement of a Military Battle, Intrigue Gambit, or Power Struggle traited plot in your used pile, so you could never use them turn 1.
• Leading with the Fury plots are common and a good way to utilize these in your deck.Unfortunately only one of each.

House Heralds – Overall Theme: 5; Efficiency: 5 (These are not rated individually, ex Wolf Herald (SB))

• Toolbox characters (good for claim soak) that allow you to search for other in-house characters.
• Really good to have in a deck that depends on a few characters for combos.
• All only have one icon. In and of themselves not that great.

House Stark – Overall Theme: 7.5; Efficiency: 7.5

Feral Pack (SB) – Theme: 10; Efficiency: 8

• In a pure Stark deck, this can be devastating. Deadly on all direwolves if you have a lot of direwolves is amazing. This is essential in a direwolves deck, and works well with the The Siege of Winterfell (LoW) agenda.
• No attachments so it can’t be burned (or buffed).
• Only one icon, but others aren’t necessary if you are running The Siege of Winterfell agenda.
• Only one in the pack unfortunately.

To Be a Wolf (SB) – Theme: 10; Efficiency: 10

• A very good Stark event. It is superior to the Wolf Herald (SB) because you can search for any card (not just a character) and put it into your hand (not on top of your deck).
• This can answer a lot of problems that arise in the game, whether you need a duplicate, a Frozen Solid (LoW) or Milk of the Poppy (Core) to blank something, or your key location.

House Lannister – Overall Theme: 6.5; Efficiency: 6

To Be a Lion (SB) – Theme: 9; Efficiency: 8

• While this is a decent event, there are easier ways to kneel opponents’ characters. It does let you stand a character, giving your intrigue challenges more weight especially if you have to use a multi-icon character for the intrigue challenge.

House Baratheon – Overall Theme: 7; Efficiency: 6

To Be a Stag (SB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 8

• This event is decent. It can get back cards that were discarded during intrigue challenges, which Baratheon tends to be weak in.
• There are better events for standing characters, but this could be helpful to eke out another power and gain back a necessary duplicate or a reducer location.

Fiery Followers (SB) – Theme: 8; Efficiency: 5

• On its own this character is just okay. 4-cost 2-strength characters have to have amazing abilities to make up for the lower ratio.
• Vigilant and tri-con is good, especially because Asshai tend to be weak in military.
• It obviously can find a place in an Asshai deck, especially with Melisandre (Core) giving it a buff.

House Targaryen – Overall Theme: 8.5; Efficiency: 8

To Be a Dragon (SB) – Theme: 10; Efficiency: 10

• This is a great card. It’s easy to pull off and both effects are good.
• This can easily swing challenges on the defense if you play it after your opponent declares attackers.

House Martell – Overall Theme: 7; Efficiency: 6

To Be a Viper (SB) – Theme: 10; Efficiency: 8

• This is a decent card that brings out a lot of Martell’s strengths: turning losing into winning, standing characters after losing (i.e. vengeful), and icon manipulation.
• The only downside is that you have to have a kneeling character which means that you typically have to have gone first, or have defended a challenge already. So this card may not be useful to blank your opponent’s strongest character for the last challenge, or even that it’s useful on the challenge you need to win.
• It may be better to play it on the offense by initiating a token challenge you know you’ll lose to draw out your opponent.
• Play it in combination with Taste for Blood (PotS) to get even more out of losing a challenge.
• Compare to The Prince's Wrath (PotS) or Orphan of the Greenblood (PotS), which have an easier trigger.

House Greyjoy – Overall Theme: 8; Efficiency: 7

First Mate (SB) – Theme: 7; Efficiency: 5

• Ironborn traits synergize with Salt Wife (AE) and Stowaway (KotS).
• War-crest synergizes with The Power of Arms (Core), The Price of War (KotS), and Die by the Sword (LoW).
• Some warships are expensive, so this can increase its efficiency the more warships you play.

To Be a Kraken (SB) – Theme: 10; Efficiency: 10

• This is a great card. Standing characters is always helpful and this is one of the easiest cancels to pull off in the game.

House Baratheon/Stark

Royal Guard (SB) – Theme: 5; Efficiency: 4

• Ally trait is not that detrimental since it will go back on top of the deck with Stalwart.
• It’s a resilient character that can stand if it wins, but 1strength is not that good. With some attachments or buffs it might be okay, but then you’re wasting space in your deck to make this a viable character.

House Martell/Lannister

Vendor of Venoms (SB) – Theme: 4; Efficiency: 4

• This is a strange house keyword pairing. One requires you lose a challenge to use it, the other requires you to win (power specifically).
• The most obvious combos are with attachments like Devious Intentions (BoRF) and Taste for Blood (PotS).
• The protection from being discarded is decent, but not great because it can still be killed.

House Targaryen/Greyjoy


Dragon Chaser (SB) – Theme: 7; Efficiency: 6

• Requires high-influence decks to utilize Ambush effectively, especially at 4 cost.
• Ironborn trait allows Salt Wife (AE) to save it; probably best also in high-influence decks.
• Probably the most efficient 4-cost non-unique character with Intimidate, and the best overall next to Bloodthirsty Crew (OSaS).

All Houses


Jaqen H'ghar (SB) – Not Rated

• Banned character (and for good reason).
• Win, lose, he keeps coming and getting stronger. This character would totally dominate any game if he weren’t banned.

Neutral


Too Proud to Bow (SB) – Efficiency: 7

• This card can be very effective if you are running a lot of influence.
• Note that it also effects your own neutral characters, and the more characters are out, the harder it is to play.
• A great reset against the infamous Wildling decks, and maybe against Brotherhood decks as well, although it can’t touch Beric Dondarrion (IG).
• Since it’s mostly a toolbox card, it gets a slightly lower rating.

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