So, for the Tulsa, OK event that myself and some of the other MO crew went to, I threw together a fun melee deck that used some cards that I've never played with before, and I thought it might be good to generate a little more post Worlds discussion here.

First and foremost was Core Set Varys. Aside from him completely screwing me over in the finals game the year I made the final table at Worlds (wasn't that the Silver Fox that screwed me with it and then wound up winning?) I've not seen anyone actually play him in a game. But I managed to get him out in the first turn two different games, and bit the bullet to use him on the first plot in one of them. Boy howdy, does he make a game fun. The sheer craziness that ensues as you trade plots with one player after another (or possibly the same one over and over) is fantastic. The deal making capabilities when you're using someone else's Summoning Season or what not is a blast. The majority of my plot deck happened to be passive abilities that would be just as solid for me if someone else revealed them as when I did, so I didn't even feel penalized there. I am, however, thinking of tailoring a plot deck with the intention of giving it away to someone else every round. Any suggestions on what that plot deck should use?

Snowed Under doesn't really combine well with Varys as you're giving the choice on what to return away to someone else, but boy does it change the challenge phase for a round of melee. Since it's a plot effect, it can hit darn near anything, and with control locations like Toll Gate and Pentoshi Manor dictating the flow of characters in challenges, people can be pretty wary of making challenges and getting stuck with one of their renown guys knelt and thus returned to hand. I wasn't playing the deck as a kneel heavy deck with Queen's Guard, but I'm thinking that if I was, this plot would be totally brutal in melee. A particularly solid use would possibly be using You Killed the Wrong Dwarf in Dominance with Queen's Guards on the table in order to kneel out characters at the last moment before Standing so that shenanigans like Vengeful and Vigilant aren't going to stand those characters up at the last moment.

I wasn't ever able to draw a Field Spikes to use in either game, but the potential there with Pentoshi Manor if anyone ever takes the STR reduction from the Manor is pretty solid. I'd say that once a Field Spikes is on the table, it almost ensures that an opponent will never choose to keep their attacker in a challenge, which is a pretty useful thing.

Is anyone else out there experimenting with some things in Melee that they haven't before?

Forums seem screwed up again, reply button is stuck…

Never played Core Varys myself, but a friend played him 3x at GenCon last year just for the mischief factor; it got so bad in one game that all 3 players ganged up on him and eventually killed him off with Condemned by the Realm after 5 plots
For maximum chaos factor with him you could try using Distinct Mastery and such to really screw with plots.
I've always had this idea of using plot cycling cards and Varys combined with a bunch of reset plots somehow to lock down a melee game. Use Wildfire, both Valars, Marched to the Wall, maybe Threat from the North and any others you can find (I don't really like Pale Mare but you could try it) to just crush the board over and over. Assuming at least two opponents also have a reset plot, preferably a Valar, and you could be looking at a very long mess of a melee. The plot cycling gives even more control: Valar into MttW to help ensure the board is clear, or use the neutral Rookery to flip Valar Dohaeris and toss all the standing Characters.
Never really figured out what kind of deck this could build into unless you play it out of GJ and try to mill everyone out, but I'd love to see the look on my opponents faces when I trigger Varys, switch decks with player A (who gets a deck full of resets), then stand Varys and switch decks with player B.

"Kingdoms" Mance with Copper Link? Not only does it screw with opponents by grabbing Scouting Vessels or Scourges, it gives you unassailable power…

For melee I had strange experience with Lannister Kingsguard defence deck using Hornvale very effectively it led into people being too afraid to make challenges towards me or people who I supported. Also in same deck I was using such oddities as Deep Den to make sure that I was never chosen to be the first player…

Skowza said:

Well you get power as long as those locations keep the kingdom trait so probably not much extra power from there. Since power only counts on cards that are characters unless specifically meantioned or infamy.

Kennon said:

If you don't mind giving people gold:

Focused Offense or Twist of Fate. Then watch somebody get trained.

Across the Summer Sea. You can lock down someone's challenger ability for a turn.

Alternatively:

The Pale Mare or any of the lower gold River Cards. You get the effect, they get the terrible gold.

Ire said:

Yea, but there may be enough Kingdoms now that see play that you could count on seeing one or two without the trait manipulation. The winter part is the major problem… not really something you could build a deck around but maybe 1x in something thats already a Winter build.

You know, I'm thinking that something could be done with Varys out of Baratheon for Marya Seaworth to stand him. The thought of taking plots from one player, then trading them away to another is amazing.

Kennon said:

He might be an interesting use if you reveal Bungled Orders and THEN switch plot decks. If you lose, you get to pick from their plots. If they lose, they get to pick from yours(which I presume will some how benefit you).

Kennon said:

i thought about doing a deck just like this and also throwing in Margery Terrell for some additional plot mayhem. The thought of using House of Dreams as the platform actually had me back kicking this notion around.