Hello Everybody,

Long time listener, first time caller, yadda yadda yadda. Anyway, I started out by creating a Summer Targ deck and it did pretty well, so I created some other decks to beat it with and made a Summer Bara deck and then a Stark deck. I think I was too successful with the Stark deck because now it beats the other decks like some sort of playground bully. The closest I've come to beating this Stark deck is with a Lannister deck, and even that was incredibly hard fought. Anyway, just for the sake of fun and replayability, I want to know that this Stark deck can be beaten and beaten soundly.

Bad Bwoy Stark
All cards Core Set unless otherwise noted

Plots
Summoning Season
Siege of Riverrun (KotS F49)
Mutual Cause
The Winds of Winter (AToR F40)
Herding the Masses
The Power of Arms x2

Locations
* Bear Island x3 (CoA F31)
* Winterfell Castle
Narrow Sea x3
Great Keep x3
Northern Fiefdoms x3
Godswood x3

Characters
Bolton Refugee x3 (AToR F83)
Hungry Mob x3 (KL F2)
House Tully Recruiter x3
Direwolf Pup x3
* Hodor x1
* Jeyne Westerling x1 (AToR F6)
Knight of the Tumblestone x3
* Sansa Stark x1
* Arya Stark x1 (KL F1)
* Catelyn Stark x1
Northern Cavalry Flank x3 (AToR F103)
Northern Infantry x3 (AToR F104)
* Eddard Stark x1
* Greatjohn Umber x1
* Robb Stark x1
* Robb Stark x1 (KotS F33)
* King Robb's Host (CoA F1)

Attachments
Icy Catapult x3 (CoA F12)
* Ice x1

Events
Winter is Coming x3
Lethal Counterattack x3
Distinct Mastery x3
Guilty x1
Kill for Your King x1 (CoA F10)
The Battle of Whispering Wood (CoA F65)

This deck is really, really obvious: it focuses heavily on what Stark does, which is killing stuff. Summoning Season is pretty much in there just to pull out Jeyne Westerling, who pulls out Robb Stark, who drops Stark armies for free. After that, it's all about the claim 2 Military and Power challenges. If this deck has a weakness, it's that it usually goes second and can't really win Intrigue challenges. Therefore, this deck can't hold on to the event cards very well, but the Any Phase event cards work pretty well. In any case, it hardly seems to matter as the other decks that I've thrown at this Stark deck have all died screaming.

So, any thoughts? What should my other decks be doing to put this one in its place?

ffgjaffer said:

Hi, man!

I've a Stark deck too and it's pretty the same.

It's VERY aggressive and difficult to beat, I admit it and say it without any doubt...The only thing is that it relies a lot on chars and I would like to see it against some "future" decks with lot of control or saves (greyjoy, i.e.).

BEAR ISLAND/STARK KILL DECK is DESTRUCTIVE in a meta-concept, were you're the only one who plays stark...Otherwise, it's a big risk...No neutrals is the smallest problem...The thing is that against a Stark deck it's a 3 slots waste and less possibilities.

I won lots of games with this Stark in my meta and right now, aside some Lannister or Targaryen stuff, it's pretty unbeatable, but, I repeat, I think it's a matter of meta.

Anyway (THOSE ARE JUST MY THOUGHTS), there's something I'd modify (JUST SUGGESTIONS!!!);

- 12 events are too much, for me...I play 3x Winter is coming and 3x To be a wolf;

- I'd put in 1x Winterfell Castle (to get it quickly or at least to have a chance to save it from location control that's coming);

- pull out some limited cards (at least a couple of Goodswood).

- Mutual Cause (if in Joust) it's not really needed and Winds of Winter for a 2 clam but without winter is pointless. Put in some more creative/useful plots to surprise the oppo (like Blockade to cover up a quick start, Ruled by decree to control Lannister/Targ card advantage, After the mummer's ford for more destruction, etc.)

- Try out some House Umber Berserkers (maybe for a couple of Northern infantry) and Midnight sentry, they work fine together, especially when you have an Icy Catapult on the Sentries ;-)

- Even if it seems destructive by itself, King's Robb Host it's not needed if you flood more chars and try to get more consistancy. Maybe it helped you sometimes, but you'll se that the deck works fine without it and an 8 gold cost char (even if it's 4) it's not worth the deal...There's something better at four cost (an Umber Berserker kills a char at the same cost and with some "good timing" you'll never lose an imporant char for it).

Try to get more "OPENING" options and more "incisive" plots...and remember to pull out some limited locations.

IMHO, obviously. ;-)

One small suggestion for the moment, if you're going to run all those War crest characters... Definitely pull some event slots for The Price of War.

Whoops, and I just realized you're actually more interested in suggestions on decks to beat this deck. I'll get back to you. :-)

Beat this deck?

Baratheon rush loaded with Noble characters and running the two copies of Power of Blood?

Or GJ winter with power of arms and Cancels.

Good suggestions... now do it.

Oh no! The last thing I want to do is make this deck even harder to beat... Even so, in the interest of making all decks as good as they can possibly be, I will probably be making some changes to it. Thanks for the advice.

ffgjaffer said:

- A good Targ deck (no summer, just some Targ evilness ;-)) is a good oppo (proved).

For the Stark deck...I think it can be done better and there's no end for fine tuning a deck...So, if able, let's do it MORE unbeatable than now! ;-)