Card Analysis Primer

On By SummerIn A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Edition, Strategy

The Standard

In the next few weeks, most likely months, I want to move onto the main reason we started this blog and that is to simply begin analyzing cards from A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Edition. I want to delve deep into each and every card. What makes it good? What makes it bad? What other cards it works well with etc. However, I need to talk about a few ideas and cards before I make the first official post. The first card I need to talk about is The Red Viper.

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I believe The Red Viper is the standard of what you should expect for your gold input. What I mean by this is barring an ability, which The Red Viper has a mediocre one, you should receive an equal amount of Strength to your gold input and all icons (tricon). If you aren’t getting at least this then something substantial is in that text box. As you move down the curve this obviously changes as it would be extremely good if you could play a cheap tricon character, but our old friend Tumblestone Knight will help us out.

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Tumblestone Knight, just like The Red Viper, is the standard of what you should expect with your gold which is matching Strength and two icons (bicon). My initial assumption is that a one through four gold cost character should have matching Strength and two icons if it’s text box is vanilla or mediocre; while a five through seven cost character, the highest currently, should have matching Strength and three icons.

As you move away from characters it becomes a little more difficult. All the remaining cards in the game, besides The Wall, cost between zero and three gold. Fantasy Flight is telling us that a three gold cost non-character is expensive and we should expect something amazing for it.

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As we delve into each and every card I’m also going to use a one through five scoring system as follows;

  1. This card isn’t very good and I need a strong reason to include it in a deck.
  2. This card is below average but it might fill a niche in a deck.
  3. This card is average and might fill out the remaining slots in a deck.
  4. This card is good and I need a good reason not to include it in a deck.
  5. This card is amazing and I need a strong reason not to include it in a deck.

As a final analysis on cards I’m going to be examining the art and flavor as well. This is perhaps even more important but I may need some help. The flavor of Ser Jorah Mormont is easy to distinguish but others may pose a challenge.

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Finally, we’re new players but I’m extremely excited about this game and can’t wait to analyze my favorite characters, places and events. On this note I welcome help. It’s impossible for me to touch on everything. So if I miss something important or obvious leave a comment and I’ll credit your ideas on the cards as I continually update these articles as expansions are released.

Next article; “Ours is the Fury”.  An analysis of loyal Baratheon cards and why you would want to faction them.

10 thoughts on “Card Analysis Primer”

  1. Nick

    I feel like big cost characters with equal strength and three icons will end up being “above standard”, not “standard”. Otherwise, I agree with most points you bring up.

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    1. Summer

      This may be right in the future. However right now I think you have to work for The Red Viper’s ability to be good and because of that the designers bumped his Strength up and gave him an icon.

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  2. ApocalypseZero

    I like the idea here. One problem is the ‘Killer Combo’ that some cards present. I understand looking at each card individually and rating it accordingly, but some cards go from a 2 to a 5 when paired with another card.

    For instance, you’re take on The Red Viper. 7G, 7S, Tri is nice. Easily a match for all the other 7G Characters from the set. However, place Dawn (Attachment: +1 Str per Plot Card in the Used Pile) and Doran Martell (Character Ability: All Martell Lords and Ladies gain +1 Str per Plot Card in the used Pile), and suddenly The Red Viper is amazing the deeper into the turns you go. And The Red Viper’s ability works when challenging with other characters. Ball up a 20+ Str Military Challenge and watch the power flood in. Do it with Intrigue and throw in Doran’s Game, win in one turn, with one challenge.

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