The Things I Do For Win- Examining Martell Maesters

It was a toss up this week between Targ burn and Martell Maesters. Our very own cardgamedb author imrahil327 took down Fresno with what I think is the best deck in the current meta. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to plumb the depths of this world beater.

The deck idea was played in its infancy at GenCon a year ago during melee, winning games on turn two or three. Since that time more chains have become available as well as the penultimate of lead off plots, The Art of Seduction (LotR). The origin isn't new from a power rush stand point; garner as much power as you can early and keep flooding the board until your opponent yields. What has been added in the Martell Maester builds is consistent cancel to sidestep Valar. Even if Valar does hit, you can punish them during the reload turn.

Why This Deck Works
In essence this deck is a combo deck, and a really difficult combo to counter because of the amount of redundant effects. See Things I Do For Win - Greyjoy Maester Choke for why the agenda makes for light work. Martell already houses the most Maesters out of anyone clocking in at 12 for this deck including the zero cost refugee. Imrahil327 stacks in another three with The Conclave. There should never be a challenge won that doesn’t glean a chain.

The dominant chains in the last year have permutated towards the challenge control variety. Iron Link (MotA) and Black Iron Link (MotA) can pump your characters towards a win, give The Conclave (CbtC) a third icon, or remove in intrigue icon to bounce a threatening character with A Game of Cyvasse (ACoS). The more challenges you win, the more chains you can pull which creates a more dominant board position.

Establishing a position of power begins with the order of the plots. Due the relative low gold curve of the deck you should begin at an advantage post flop. Playing Art of Seduction turn one allows you to continue to develop your resources and flood the board while your opponent most likely has played a reveal setup plot. Turn two you play either To the Spears! (PotS) or Forgotten Plans (KotStorm) if you pinned a detrimental opposing effect. Turn three Outwit (TIoR) makes an appearance if you have taken a commanding lead to counter Valar, given the amount of opportunities over two turns you should have it. The game should be finished at this point with you taking down a 15-0 win.

Note from imrahil327
I actually never open with Art. I use it second or third plot- either I flood, and stick their valar and they have 2g/0 claim for 2 turns, or I stick them with something the turn BEFORE they need to valar, and I get a free To The Spears, then when they try to valar after TTS, I have Outwit.

15-0 may sound unbelievable but you have to consider the sheer amount of renown at an incredibly low gold cost. The Conclave with Iron Link or Maester of War (TWot5K) alone is fearsome but add on Viper, Darkstar, Oakheart, Leyton Hightower (GotC), Former Champion, and Dondarrion during To the Spears! and you have nine folks that can cram two or three power on themselves.

Cancels For the Win
What makes me stay up nights thinking about how to counter this deck is the amount of control it still manages to run while bashing away with renown characters. Orphan of the Greenblood (PotS), Leyton, Oakheart, Game of Cyvasse, He Calls It Thinking (PotS), the two chains, plus Forgotten Plans, Outwit, and Art of Seduction all disrupt your plays to escape the inevitable.

Controlling the challenge phase comes in many forms. This deck uses almost all of them including icon removal, bounce, and response cancel. Zeroing out a challenge or character gives the Martell deck more options to win attacks and protect their hand from intrigue snipery. See The Things I Do For Win - Phase Cancel Triggers for more about cancels.

Card Draw
Valyrian Steel Link (HtS)does all the heavy lifting. Post turn one you should be kneeling for four cards triggering during Dominance and again pre-plot. House Messenger (PotS) and Informed Acolyte (TIoR) fill in with reveal and draw effects and they are only there to sift though to the rock stars.

Location Control
None. It breaks my heart not to see Condemned by the Council (AToT) here but I understand the basis. Winning on turn two isn’t out of the question so you want everything to go towards the win.

Attachment Control
Tin Link (CbtC) can show up when you want it to handle a problem attachment. It’s the best removal in the game, especially when combined with Copper Link to discard those pesky seasonal ravens. Maester of Lemonwood (BtW) is an auto-include in my book with the amount of Conditions that can ruin your day. Burned and Pillaged (FtC), Bastard (LotR), and Milk of the Poppy (Core) can be a beating early on. Leyton also denies negative attachments on maesters from the word go.


There Are No Men Like Me
The wrinkle that I really like in this rendition is Leyton Hightower (GotC) and Narrow Escape (KotStorm). Leyton appears spendy at four gold and refuses to take attachments himself. During Martell mirror matches cards like Game of Cyvasse become useless. He is also a great foil to Stark murder cards that are surely to come your way. Locking out events and negative attachments on the heavy hitters like The Conclave give them free reign to overextend during games.

Overextending forces your opponent to hit an early reset button. This is nullified with Narrow Escape. You get to keep the board control or wipe out their hand, giving you card advantage. He Calls It Thinking protects the event by hunting out Paper Shield (QoD) and The Hand's Judgement (TTotH) as well. Narrow Escape is almost a no brainer for rush decks.

The Wolf Woods
The only success I’ve had against these builds of terror is with kneel and massive amounts of control. Lanni can stack multiple kneel effects in a turn to stave off the rush early if you get the right draw. Backed by A House Divided (WLL) and trait manipulation Dissension (QoD) you can keep the bleeding to a minimum until more kneel effects arrive. Notice how Leyton ends this hope just by being present, which is why I think his addition is so threatening.


Targ burn is another good option if it weren’t for the Art of Seduction. Turn one Threat from the North (PotS) may keep them in check but then you’ve wasted your best plot. The attachment control inherent in Targ should keep the chains to a minimum but once again Leyton to the rescue and The Conclave at five strength is a force to reckon with early.

General advice to beat this monstrosity is purely a plot decision. Forgotten Plans (KotStorm) counters To the Spears! Outwit counters Art of Seduction, Search and Detain, and Valar. Playing a turn one claim two plot like Retaliation! (ASoSilence)or Dry Season (CbtC) can slow them down a bit for you to hopefully draw into beefy characters.

Choke doesn’t work against these decks. I’ve personally stuck them with two turns of Blockade (Core) only to watch the deck spew four characters. The gold curve and cheap resources are insane.

House (1)
House Martell (Core) x1

Agenda (1)
The Maester's Path (GotC) x1

Plot (7)
At the Gates (GotC) x1
Outwit (TIoR) x1
Search and Detain (HtS) x1
To the Spears! (PotS) x1
Valar Morghulis (Core) x1
The Art of Seduction (LotR) x1
Forgotten Plans (KotStorm) x1

Character (32)
Informed Acolyte (TIoR) x2
Orphan of the Greenblood (PotS) x3
The Conclave (CbtC) x3
Maester of Lemonwood (BtW) x1
Maester of the Sun (ASoS) x3
Maester of War (TWot5K) x3
Refugee of the Citadel (RoW) x3
The Red Viper (PotS) x1
Lost Spearman (MotM) x3
Leyton Hightower (GotC) x2
Darkstar (PotS) x1
Ser Arys Oakheart (PotS) x1
House Messenger (PotS) x3
Arianne Martell (PotS) x1
Beric Dondarrion (IG) x1
Former Champion (PotS) x1

Location (12)
Summer Sea (QoD) x2
Palace Fountains (PotS) x3
Flea Bottom (TGM) x1
Shadowblack Lane (Core) x1
Street of Sisters (Core) x1
Water Garden (PotS) x3
Lord Doran's Chambers (PotS) x1

Event (9)
A Game of Cyvasse (ACoS) x3
He Calls It Thinking (PotS) x3
Narrow Escape (KotStorm) x3

Attachment (7)
Apprentice Collar (GotC) x1
Black Iron Link (MotA) x1
Bronze Link (FtC) x1
Copper Link (GotC) x1
Iron Link (MotA) x1
Tin Link (CbtC) x1
Valyrian Steel Link (HtS) x1

Jerod Leupold started playing AGOT during the release of Flight of Dragons and declared his allegiance to Greyjoy at an early age. He cut his teeth playing in the MN, MO, and WI regionals trying to build dominant characterless or recursion decks. He has placed first in one lowly attended regional, second in four others, and top eighted in two out the four GenCons he has attended. For one year he was the number one ranked limited player. He currently resides in Iowa City and is proud to be a part of the Knights of the Corn meta.

During the years of 2005-2011 he was the owner and tournament organizer for Critical Hit Games that ran magic events on a weekly basis including being asked to host the state of Iowa championships twice. He has been a tournament player for several ccgs including 7th Sea, L5R, Spoils, and is the current King of the Hill champion of the 2011 GenCon Invasion tournament.