Hello Westeros!
Fun game this week, Stark vs Stark!
My list was built to try the new Mormont Bruisers/Syrio Forrel combo, which did turn out pretty good. On the opposite side, Eric tried a full-cavalry list with Brynden Tully commander, which seemed a bit harder to pull off.
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The lists
Rodrik Cassel in Stark Sworn Swords, Syrio in Mormont Bruisers, Mormont Veteran in Umber Berzerkers, Rickon and Osha in Mormont She-Bears, Shaggydog, NCUs Ned and Catelyn
VS
Brynden Tully in Tully Cavaliers, Bolton Flayed Men, Stark Outriders, Winterfell Guardian in Stark Outriders, NCUs Catelyn and Varys
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The game
First round started quite brutally, with Eric using 2 “Ride them down” cards.
Unfortunately for him, I had “Press the Advantage” in my hand on round 2, and let’s just say that Mormont Bruisers had a good roll, with only Brynden left in his whole unit after 1 attack.
He then used “Ride-by-attack” to escape them, which was a pretty good move. On the left flank, the She-Bears charged the Outriders, who then retreated, hunting for Rodrik’s unit instead (this was the only notable action of the She-Bears for the whole game, they then sat on the objective hearing Rickon and Osha crazy stories about Hodor I guess…).
The Outriders attack is not that good however, and the combined attacks of the Sworn Swords and Shaggydog (on the rear) were too much to handle.
Back on the other flank, the Mormont Bruisers and Syrio, helped by Ned’s healing, managed to keep both Flayed Men and Outriders at bay, a feat which turned them into a new favorite of mine.
The last round was probably one of the craziest round I ever played, and deserves a step by step:
– I put Catelyn on the Swords for a free attack, which makes my Mormont Veteran kill Brynden Tully.
– Varys uses one little bird, killing my Mormont Veteran (I did manage 2 saves out of 3,that was a pretty impressive vet!)
– He makes an attack with his Outriders on my Mormont Bruisers. Result: he dies thanks to Counterstrike, leaving me with only Syrio left.
– I make an attack with Syrio on the Flayed Men, he takes some wounds, passes his Panic test, “Stubborn Tenacity”: Syrio dies.
In 3 turns, 4 units dead.
Insert “Boy, that escalated quickly” gif.
We ended the game there, with all units being too far away from each other to have any influence on the ending.
Result: 12-4 for Rodrik!
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Thoughts
My list worked pretty well against Eric’s, but I think it was also due to his lack of activations. Full cavalry is expensive, and it basically let me score on the other side of the table while my tougher units were taking care of the rest.
Mormont Bruisers and Syrio work fantastically well together, you will always have Critical Blow and Precision, and can even pick to reroll from 2 ranks left on, while defensively, you help bringing out the best of “Counterstrike”, all the while reducing potential damage. It makes for an expensive unit, but for a first time use, it did well!
Regarding Eric’s list, it did show that 6 activations is quite hard to manage, although Varys helps to regulate that a bit. Stark Outriders, although thematic, are not great, I would probably replace at least 1 unit of them by Hedge Knights, which are more offensive, or even Bloody Mummers Zorse Riders, which can be flimsy but allied with Tullys could be a pain for the opponent.
That’s it for today, hope you enjoyed this small battle report, for a short but fun clash of Starks!
Grob’
Chez Grob 