Imaginaire (Quebec) SC Feb 2016 - Stark Fealty 2nd

Card draw simulator
Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
Derived from
None. Self-made deck here.
Inspiration for
None yet.

istaril 566

As mentioned on Beyond the Wall , I planned to play Stark at my local SC. I was initially planning to test Fealty and then work my way around to the best banner selection, but didn't have the time to go beyond playing with Fealty. There are a lot of tricks that can, as Stark isn't often played against, catch an opponent unawares; Kennel Master, Lady, Robb, Like Warm Rain, Fortified Position + Direwolves. In the end, the MVP in testing was Catelyn, the MVP in the tournament was Ice. In this deck, Building Orders is one of my favourites for smoothening out economic variance, fetching Ice or a Little Bird. Love the plot here.

  1. I won vs Targ Fealty (3 Dracarys and a Crown of Gold, yikes, tough match)
  2. I won vs Lanni Sun (Like Warm Rain ate a Tyrion, Catelyn prevented HJ)
  3. I lost vs GJ Fealty (He had the gall to play Grasp of the Kraken on me!)
  4. I won vs Tyrell Lion (Catelyn stops Olenna very nicely)

In the cut, I beat Lanni/Rose on a high-pressure turn with Ice. I then lost to the Lanni Sun match in a well played game where I was never able to muster any intrigue presence vs a setup Casterly Rock. A turn 4 Varys sealed the deal.

7 comments

Barnie25 227

Hi Alex, how did the Shadowblack Lane function? The card seems interesting but I would probably rather have some copies of Syrio's Training in the deck to make Catelyn more potent

How were the For The North? Do they add enough? Did you miss not running Seal of the Hand?

istaril 566

For the North at worst cycles itself, and it increased event density for Shadowblack Lane and Stark Density for Gates. While it won me a few challenges, it's not exceptional - however, I'd still say it fits nicely.

Shadowblack was... fine. It's just shy of great, as it's tough to forgo the Fealty bonuses against so many Brothel Madames. It never failed to replace itself in a game, but then again, I had games where I got intrigue slaughtered (the Final) due to lack of even a single icon. Despite digging for them.

As for the Syrio's Training, it's an option - but Lady + a Kennel Master is more fun. I do think we'll see more attachments as those nasty Raiding Longships are on the rise. Seal wasn't a consideration - my gold curve couldn't bear it for non-stark cards (note I only have one economy plot), and I didn't expect much Bara.

istaril 566

I should add that a lot of this deck is about the threat of activation. The threat of the Lady switch, the Threat of the Kennel Master jump, the Threat of the Shadowblack Lane trigger - they're all things that help force my opponent to overcommit.

Also, as a follow up - Seal also wasn't on the list because Fortified is a pretty solid anti-Bara plot, and Eddard/Robb have other ways to counter them.

CameronD 719

I think Grey Wind warrants a third copy, it's just too good to pass up when Robb is in play. At worst, you draw an extra copy or two to protect him from tears/targeted kill. Speaking of, how come you decided against running PttS in such a military-oriented deck?

But good to see another Stark deck doing well! I've been having pretty good luck with mine too. At the most recent SC I went to, I took out a Lanny/Rose deck, and two Greyjoy fealty decks before being taken out by a third one. Yes, 3/4 of my games were against Greyjoy fealty decks.

Barnie25 227

I checked the curve and this deck sets up like crazy according to the calculator, quite interesting.

mrmychal 1

Would you add any Wolf Dreams or Ser Rodrik?

I have had a lot of difficulty against Lanni/x builds. Just Lannister Fealty keeps getting many efficient characters on the board ... Hound, Mountain, Tywin. They often marshal way more Strength and many more icons that I seem to get for the same gold. I have struggled a lot against them.

istaril 566

@mrmychalI actually haven't had a chance to play with either. I suspect Rodrik would make his way in as at least 1x (I'd start by replacing Eddard), and Wolf Dreams would definitely get tried (but at the cost of the Shadowblack Module, and probably the For the Norths - only so much kneeling one faction card can do).

Against Lannister, I find that the key play is frequently to get rid of Tywin. Whether that's a Like Warm Rain, Grey Wind+Winter is coming eating up all the chumps so Marched can dispose of him, or Ice (frequently on a fortified position turn, where he can't hide behind his infinite strength).

The Mountain doesn't inherently worry me a lot offensively - Catelyn takes most of the fear he generates (PttS or pillage tricks) out of the equation. I might consider a Syrio's training to add to the deck, I suppose. Defensively, I suppose you sort of have to count on some stealth.