
We Take Westeros
House Greyjoy in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game
"We are the ironborn, and once we were conquerors. Our writ ran everywhere the sound of the waves was heard. My brother would have you be content with the cold and dismal north, my niece with even less… but I shall give you Lannisport. Highgarden. The Arbor. Oldtown. The riverlands and the Reach, the kingswood and the rainwood, Dorne and the marches, the Mountains of the Moon and the Vale of Arryn, Tarth and the Stepstones. I say we take it all! I say, we take Westeros."
–Euron Greyjoy, A Feast for Crows
On the barren and rocky Iron Islands, House Greyjoy broods on their recent defeats and the lost glories of their past. Yet as Westeros destabilizes in the brutal War of the Five Kings, the reavers of House Greyjoy perceive a sudden weakness. Perhaps the time has come to restore the King of Salt and Rock, to spread the worship of the Drowned God like a tide across the Seven Kingdoms.
Today, guest writer Sean Emberley takes a closer look at what it means to belong to House Greyjoy and some of their greatest strengths in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game.
Sean Emberley on House Greyjoy
War is first fought through finance, and the battle for Westeros is no different, even for a House not known for their wealth like the Greyjoys. Hailing from a near-impoverished society isolated on harsh, unforgiving islands, these raiders are uniquely placed to plunder and loot the green lands. As such, in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, they come equipped with other tools to shift the economic playing field: stealing your opponent's locations, returning the faithful of the Drowned God to life, or with hardy and efficient cards born of harsh conditions. When it comes to gold, the Krakens would rather pay the iron price.
The first step to establishing a presence on the field is to muster your coffers, and gold does not come without a price. Limited economy cards such as The Roseroad (Core Set, 40) are seemingly free, but although they are necessary, they actually have an opportunity cost: one could be drawn at an inopportune moment when a more impactful card is needed, you can only play one limited card per round, and most limited cards do not pay off your investment until the next round. Of course, there are some economic shortcuts such as Trading with the Pentoshi (The Road to Winterfell, 39) or Late Summer Feast (All Men Are Fools, 20), but these plots act as a double-edged sword that rewards your opponent as well.
Veterans and newcomers alike will already be wondering why I chose to write about economy for House Greyjoy. The Iron Isles are not well-known for their riches in A Song of Ice and Fire or in the card game, but I’d argue against that predisposition. The belief that the Iron Islanders are an economic disaster could lead your opponents to underestimate you, much like the belief that the Greyjoys have no intrigue icons can be shaken when you place the intrigue-dependent "The Rains of Castamere" (Lions of Casterly Rock, 45) agenda before their bewildered eyes.
What's Yours Is Mine
There is a certain degree of schadenfreude in stealing a powerful gold location such as The Arbor (No Middle Ground, 64) with Euron Crow's Eye (Core Set, 69), or by triggering a pivotal location like Winterfell (Wolves of the North, 17) or The Wall (Core Set, 137) with Sea Bitch (Tyrion’s Chain, 112). (Bonus points if you use the stolen location to clinch the fifteenth power token!) Not only do you gain the economic and strategic value of these locations, but you've actually doubled your spoils by denying this location to your opponent. Throw the admittedly rarely played Dagmer Cleftjaw (True Steel, 111) into the equation and corner your foe with a lose-lose decision. Do they hold back from playing a powerful location, or do they risk giving you something like Renly's Pavilion (Tyrion’s Chain, 104)?
While these cards work perfectly well with timing and luck, they really soar with the help of Newly Made Lord (The King’s Peace, 51), and We Do Not Sow (Core Set, 83). These cards send your opponent's best locations into the discard pile for you to potentially steal. Or you might play Raiding the Bay of Ice (Watchers on the Wall, 28) and place a location like Highgarden (Core Set, 192) atop their deck for an incoming pillage to whisk away. In the age of Valar Morghulis (There Is My Claim, 80), the most stable cards on the field are locations. But with House Greyjoy, you can stay ahead of the tides and ensure your opponent’s locations are never safe.
What Is Dead May Never Die
The Ironborn are exceptionally stubborn, and nothing captures this better than their recursion and death-defying cards. With their strong military presence, Greyjoy characters like Victarion Greyjoy (Lions of Casterly Rock, 27), are already difficult to kill and become more so when aided by Iron Mines (Calm Over Westeros, 92) and Risen from the Sea (Core Set, 81). In the event that an important Ironborn character like Asha Greyjoy (Core Set, 67) dies, Aeron Damphair (Core Set, 65) can simply beseech the Drowned God for their return, giving you a significant economic gain for little effort.
The followers of the Drowned God themselves are also well-costed and efficient characters such as Drowned Men (Core Set, 73) and Priest of the Drowned God (No Middle Ground, 72), who are easily reborn and returned to hand by Old Wyk (Lions of Casterly Rock, 28). Add the Drowned Disciple (All Men Are Fools, 11) into the mix, and the recursion of these faithful characters even pushes your side to victory. Just imagine having two or three Drowned Disciples on the board, each triggering twice in a phase for a Kingsmoot-worth of power tokens!
Hard Places Breed Hard Men
It is said that “the ironmen live their whole lives at sea,” and certain cards well reflect their ability to adapt to harsh climes; Kings of Winter (Called to Arms, 38), Wraiths in Their Midst (No Middle Ground, 80), and The Frostfangs (Ghosts of Harrenhal, 98) decrease your opponent’s reserve value, bringing them down to the same level as House Greyjoy. In fact, these raiders thrive when they harness the power of choke to attack your opponent’s economy. Cards such as Alannys Greyjoy (Core Set, 66) and Moat Cailin (All Men Are Fools, 12) work well together, and may prove a fatal squeeze to your opponent’s hand of cards.
To escape a dwindling reserve value, House Greyjoy may field a boat-load of inexpensive characters such as Maester Wendamyr (Core Set, 70). And as icing on top, they maximize their efficiency with powerful cards that manipulate the board state. In the right moments, a Salt Wife (Watchers on the Wall, 27) or a Raiding Longship (The Road to Winterfell, 32) can power a simple Iron Islands Fishmonger (Core Set, 74) to win challenges alone. Not to mention the trickier characters such as Balon Greyjoy (Core Set, 68) or Fishwhiskers (Wolves of the North, 27), who can finger-dance around their opponent and win against unreasonable odds.
As the stealthiest house in the game, cards such as Pyke (Across the Seven Kingdoms, 13) and Esgred (Tyrion’s Chain, 111) may easily slip past and counter much more expensive, stronger characters. It’s not precisely honorable, but it isn’t always the most honorable man who wins. And as the most down and dirty fighters in Westeros, you’ll want House Greyjoy on your side of the table.
Sean Emberley started playing the first edition of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game in 2014, and has been playing the second edition since launch. He is a host of the Beyond the Wall podcast, and a regular attendee of major tournaments.