By Nate French

In the next couple weeks, the third Chapter Pack in the A Time of Ravens cycle, A Change of Seasons, will be shipped to stores near you. In anticipation of its release, we’ll

be spending the next few weeks taking a look at some of the cards you can find in the set.

The main idea behind the Change of Seasons chapter pack was to flesh out the Summer and Winter mechanics that were introduced in the “ A Song of Summer ” and “ The Winds of Winter ” Chapter Packs. For those who may not be familiar, the Summer and Winter mechanic is built around the concept of the long seasons that occur in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga. Powerful Raven cards allow the game to be played during either Summer or Winter, and some cards “prefer” (which is to say they are more powerful) one season over the other. So controlling the season of play can become something of a game within a game, especially in a match-up in which one player is playing a Summer deck and the other player is running Winter mechanics.

In the A Change of Seasons chapter pack, you will find a number of cards that support both Summer and Winter, and some, like Demon’s Dance, that focus more on the act of change itself than any particular seasonal condition. A card like this can be used offensively, in anticipation of a change you are planning on instigating, or defensively, if you’re happy with the current season and want to dissuade an opponent from changing it to something else.

Another new card that helps facilitate the seasonal mechanic is the aptly titled plot card, A Time For Ravens. This plot card will help any deck built around the Summer or Winter mechanic run a little more consistently, but beware! It also provides your opponents the opportunity to counter any seasonal move you might make.

Winter is coming, but Summer will not give up its grasp without a fight. Next week, we’ll take a look at one of those characters we all love to hate, the Late Lord himself, Walder Frey

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