“We are fond of spears in Dorne. Besides, it is the only way to counter his reach. Have a look, Lord Imp, but see you do not touch.” The spear was turned ash eight feet long, the shaft smooth, thick, and heavy. The last two feet of that was steel: a slender leaf-shaped spearhead narrowing to a wicked spike. The edges looked sharp enough to shave with. When Oberyn spun the haft between the palms of his hands, they glistened black. Oil? Or poison? Tyrion decided that he would sooner not know.
–A Storm of Swords

Throughout the A Tale of Champions cycle for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game , unique Knights , Lords , and Ladies have assembled to observe the spectacles of battle and to use such assemblies to further their hidden agendas. Now Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the exciting final Chapter Pack in the A Tale of Champions cycle, A Poisoned Spear !

The new cards in A Poisoned Spear continue to support the melee format’s layered alliances and enmities, as well as the new Melee and Joust keywords. It introduces new unique characters, Conditions that support decks that run no agendas, and Warhorse attachments for each house that provide dynamic bonuses when the attached characters win challenges while attacking alone. With all of these, and a fantastic new location that’s certain to promote the appearance of the most notable and unique characters from George R.R. Martin’s fiction, A Poisoned Spear serves as a fantastic summary of A Tale of Champions .

The Red Viper’s bite

Note: The rest of this announcement contains spoilers for George R.R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords .

In A Storm of Swords , Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper, fights Ser Gregor Clegane in single combat. He seizes the opportunity to represent Tyrion Lannister in a trial by combat in order to sate his family’s longstanding thirst for vengeance against the man who defiled and murdered his sister. To ensure that the wounds he gives Clegane prove fatal, he coats his spear in a potent poison.

The battle between Oberyn Martell and Gregor Clegane is one of the most powerful and popular moments in A Song of Ice and Fire , so how could we release A Poisoned Spear without a new copy of The Red Viper ( A Poisoned Spear , 113) and a copy of the Poisoned Spear ( A Poisoned Spear , 115) that he used to slay the Mountain That Rides? We couldn’t. So here they are.

The existing versions of The Red Viper are amazing cards in the right decks, and the new version in A Poisoned Spear does not disappoint. He has Stealth and Renown as well as an ability that, at first glance, works something like the Martell’s Vengeful keyword. Upon further inspection, though, the Viper’s ability is much better than Vengeful. Or you could say that it’s the ultimate in vengeance.

Each challenge you lose simply fuels the Viper’s hatred, and you place a gold token on him each time you lose a challenge. You can use these gold tokens to stand him, so that they work exactly like Vengeful, or you can save them and wait until you gain a moment’s advantage, then spend the tokens to ready the Viper and press your advantage, driving his challenge home, and removing an additional gold token to increase your claim.

Meanwhile, House Martell excels at removing characters’ challenge icons via cards like Orphan of the Greenblood ( Princes of the Sun , 15) and The Viper’s Rage ( Tales from the Red Keep , 76). Given his Poisoned Spear, The Red Viper gains Joust, which when paired with Stealth grants you powerful control over the challenges you make, and then after you win a challenge, you can kneel the Poisoned Spear to choose and kill any character stripped of its icons.

Unleash your vengeance

Look for The Red Viper to unleash his vengeance in A Poisoned Spear . This final Chapter Pack in the A Tale of Champions cycle for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game arrives in the first quarter of 2012!