Hello and Welcome Back, Loyal A Game of Thrones Fans!

We continue our previews of the upcoming Secrets of Oldtown cycle of expansions through the first Chapter Pack in the series, Gates of the Citadel. Last week we got a look at a new version of an old favorite. This week, we take a look at a new boost for your Maester deck.

Doran's Game

Technically, Doran's Game isn't specifically made for Maesters. It could just as easily work with Littlefinger or Tom Sevenstrings*. In fact, most of the Maesters currently in the card pool do not have Learned crests. On the other hand, over the course of Secrets of Oldtown, a great deal of Learned crest characters will be entering the metagame, the majority of which are Maesters. Given the Secrets of Oldtown's developing synergy for the Maester trait, whole decks could be built around it and the presence of Learned crests in such decks would make Doran's Game that much nicer of a boost. At least for House Martell decks.

Working Together

Of course, you could just spend 3 influence and Doran's Game to cancel an event card, but this would make Doran's Game a mere variation on The Hand's Judgement. Where Doran's Game really shines is in its second effect, that is, what happens after the event is cancelled. If you spend 3 influence to cancel an event, the event is cancelled and discarded, done and done. If, however, you cancel the event by kneeling a Learned character, you can then grab the cancelled event card and attach it to your House card by kneeling a second Learned character. An event like Routing the Charge or Die by the Sword**, not only gets cancelled, its owner then loses possession of it to his opponent. Once attached, it looms dangerously, waiting to be turned back on its original player, protected from the assaults of intrigue challenges. Doran's Game introduces a new weapon into an already heavy arsenal of House Martell event cards. Let Dorne's enemies beware!

So that's it for this week's Card of the Week. Hopefully you've got plenty to discuss here in the comments and on the A Game of Thrones forums.

Next week: We will be taking a short break from upcoming card spoilers for a contest... Stay tuned!

* Core Set, F141 and Rituals of R'hllor, F38
** Lords of Winter, F33 and F47, respectively. It should also be noted that Routing the Charge's "House Stark Only" designation is only a deckbuilding limitation. Once taken, it can be replayed by the player whose House card it is attached to.