www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/GoTCards.html/_/defenders-of-the-north/return-of-the-others/Old-Bear-Mormont-RotO

Hi all,

So I understand Old Bear Mormont's response. What i'm not too sure of is how that might affect duplicates on him?

Now, his response has 'cannot be saved' in its text so I am thinking that the duplicates are redundant and are removed along side Old Bear.

Is this correct?

Thanks for your help in advance!

~Pope

Correct, if you kill him using his text, you could not use his duplicate to save him. They'd still be useful to soak a military challenge to keep him around long enough to use his text, I suppose.

If he didn't have the "Cannot be saved" text, it wouldn't make a difference anyway.

Let's assume Mormont's text didn't have the Cannot be saved restricttion. You have him in play with a dupe attached. You initiate his response, then save him with the dupe.

What happens? Does the Response's effect resolve?

No, it doesn't, because the resolution of the Response depends upon successful and complete payment of the cost of the effect. The cost in this case is killing Mormont. If you save Mormont from being killed, you haven't killed him obviously. The cost hasn't been paid, the effect doesn't resolve. All you've accomplished is that you're burned away a dupe.

In short, even if you could save him from his Response's kill effect, you wouldn't, because if you didn't want him dead, you wouldn't trigger the Response in the first place.

EDIT: I just realized that the Cannot be saved does have a use after all. If it wasn't there, your opponent could save Mormont (e.g. via Iron Mines) in order to prevent the effect from happening.

Not to mention there is no opportunity to save in the middle of initiating his response. Since killing him is a cost, it happens in step 1 (initiation). When step 2 comes (save/cancel), he is already moribund and it is already too late to save him.

Totally. Next time I'll think before posting. Promise.

Thanks very much chaps.

I've nearly finished building my Stannis At The Wall themed Night's Watch deck. I want to include the Old Bear hence the question. It shall not be a completely Nedly deck, but enough so!

I've gone with only the Rangers & Stewards Adgendas. Stewards will help me alot in my groups metagame as there is not too much intrique.

~Pope