new.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp

sounds like he will be scary and have renown. I wonder if he is going to be neutral....................

Why not? All these powerful neutral characters makes Men With No King a threat, and in some ways a balance as well.

I also managed to learn a few more things about the new cycle from an ad in Game Trade Magazine #110:

1) Cersie Lannister will appear in the second chapter pack (a Time fo Trials). Since the add was focused on this expansion, I am guessing the next two cards will also be from that set. She has an effect that deals with the INTrigue icon and characters in some way (over ahlf the text is obscured by other images in the ad). She is a Queen.

2) Balon Greyjoy is in this set. He is a Lord and Ironborn, with a cost of 4 and STR of 3. The art is amazing, and he might actually have the House Greyjoy Only keyword (at least, it is a keyword with the word "only" in it). I do not believe he is a King.

3) Tears of Lys is a Targaryen attachment with a cost of 1. That is all I know, but I hope that it is the first Ambush attachment without the House Targ restriction.

Sounds great, and thanks for sharing!

Everything JJ said = I'm psyched.

I also noticed that I side-tracked the Jon Arryn discussion. As spoiled in the article, he has some sort of powerful "put into play" ability, and considering that this is followed by "clamoring for his death," this makes me think he has a repeatable p-i-p ability (possibly at the cost of kneeling, or at least once/phase (or turn). Being Hand of the King (possibly a new trait? who knows), what would this allow? Free attachment play, discard pile recursion, turning the top card of your deck into a face-down character? Lots of possibilities. And we have to wait until July to find out.

Very exciting stuff. Sounds like between Kings of he sea and the KL expansion, we;will have all teh royalty we cna handle in a little while - which is a veyr good thing.

With Rhaegar seeing print last summer, jon arryn is probably the final iconic, pre GoT character I was really looking forward too (I'm nto carzy about expanding the CCG back to the time of dunk and Egg and before). he will have to be neutral, and he will have to be impactful - and it sure sounds like R&D capture both of these. i am very excited.

I just hope they print some more of the characters we ahvn't seen yet that actually appeared in the books - Ser Lyn Cordray, Ser Marq Piper etc.

Ambush better never be printed without the Targaryen restriction (I'm not even crazy about those dual Hosue cards from epic Battles). The House keywords should be kept specific to that House and not available to everyone. Otherwise you dilute and ruin the whole mechanic.

JerusalemJones said:

Some kind of innate ability or constant effect perhaps?

Stag Lord said:

I strongly agree with this sentiment.

Well, then I guess you guys are saying that Tears of Lys only belongs in a Targ deck (or played for 3 gold out of house). Which isn't even close to Nedly. Although, it could also be an attachment that has a "If you win X challenge (by Y STR), attach ToL to..." Demon's Dance was very much a poison that is played as an attachment (like Milk), but being Targ seems to make this poison restricted in its play. And none of the people who have used or have access to Tears are Targaryen at this point.

Lars said:

I'm hoping that instead of being neutral, he has all of the house affiliations, and has each house-specific keyword (infamy, ambush, etc.). Wouldn't that be great?

Yeah, and he should get +1 strength for each power on him, and have the learned crest... and be banned a few months after his release

No, no, how about "After Jon Arryn has power placed on him, put into play a card from your discard pile." That wouldn't be overpowered at all.

OMG! I think I may have figured something out (for once). What if his "Put into play" ability triggers off him being killed? That would be cool. But what would it be? Deck search, discard pile, dead pile? But I bet it has something to do with all of us wanting him dead. Then, if we used Retreat, we could get to use his ability twice (or more...).

JerusalemJones said:

Interesting thought. Let me take it in a slightly different direction.

What if his "put into play" ability was instead a massive drawback to using Jon Arryn? Imagine an undercosted Jon Arryn with renown and some other cool ability. Now what if he had a mandatory gametext (like Walder Frey's) that says that when he is killed, all opponents may put into play a card from hand for free, or something like that?

I'd be clamoring for his death...

Don't forget that, in the article, it is "all the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms clamoring for his death", so I think the "put into play" effect will have an impact on the Noble crested characters, in play or who will come into play while Jon Arryn is in play.

Maybe something like "When Jon Arryn is put into play from your hand, kneel all Noble characters." This would reflect the fact that, being Hand of the King, all Noble should bow before him.

And a permanent effect like "While Jon Arryn is standing, Noble characters cannot claim power for renown." Well, this is not very Nedly.

Then Robert Baratheon would bow before Jon Arryn. I don't like it hehe

Reading all spoilers related to nest cycle I found a "White book" agenda card. In your opinion How it will work?

Here's my thinking:

"All Kingsguard characther you play are considered as if they were with your house card affiliation. No other neutral charachters (or others house char) can be played from your hand."

What do you think?

I guess I was kinda taking his come into play ability meaning like "Response: After Jon Arryn comes into play...." So I figured that the opposite of whatever that is happening when he dies. So like claim 5 power when he comes into play and lose 5 power when he dies. I'm fairly certain it wouldn't be claiming 5 power, it'd be super strong with Infamy, but something like that. Who knows, either way I'm just excited to see what he does. Also, I'll be really sad if he is a tricon. He had better just have Mil and Pow. Also, I think it'd be kinda cool if he had the "Traitor" trait. I mean he WAS rebelling against the Iron Throne.

I agree with Stags on the not printing too many prebook characters, and DEFINATELY nothing before Robert's Rebellion. Although I have to say that I like having a few cards that mix and match the house specific keywords. I think the ones from Ancient Enemies? were awesome! I don't think it'd be good to have that many more, but just having some of those is pretty cool. I'm sad I'll never get to play with Dragon Chasers though.

And in closing, I'm really dissapointed that there's no Hot Pie card. I'm really hoping for a GenCon Promo version of him.

Staton said:

why will you never get to play them?

Oh, I don't play either of those houses.

Yeah - those were Ok though becuase at least they were dual hosue cards and it wasn't like you could play them out of a Lannister deck or somehting. I think they still had the House X and Y only restriction.

Great to see that Jon Arryn will finally get a card. An ability such as...when Jon Arryn is put into play, take control of a noble character.... could resemble the whole fostering/taking a ward thing....

Boy, I really, really hate Come into Play effects though. Just despise them. I long for the days of challenge responses which were nuetral events so that losing any challenge (or dominance, though we never quite got there) had to be feared. I'm a firm believer the game is better when you have to DO/Achieve something to get off you effect, other than just marshall (which only encourages/raises importance of search and card draw even more).