Hello Westeros!
This is a recurring topic many new players have when building lists. Should I pick 2 or 3? And to do what? After all, Non-Combat Units only have minor effects, it is surely better to have as many units on the field as possible instead?
WRONG!
Or at least, partially wrong.
NCUs have a tremendous amount of power, which if used well, often turns the game around.
Here are some advice for selecting your duos or trios of players of THE GAME OF THRONES, the ones sipping wine in King’s Landing while the rest of your units are tearing each other apart a bit less figuratively.
Why NCUs?
As a beginner, NCUs often seem useless compared to having big nasty units on the field. But NCUs have multiple advantages: they don’t die, they are cheap, and they help A LOT.
Their main power comes from the zones on the Tactics Board itself. There are 5 zones, each with a very distinct effect and providing different advantages. While the Swords (1 free attack action) or the Bags (healing 3 wounds and removing 1 condition token) might initially seem like the only useful ones in combat, the others shouldn’t be underestimated. A well-timed retreat or the perfect card drawn at the right time can be the difference between win and loss!
Their secondary power, and sometimes their strongest one, comes from their own card. Each NCU has an ability, which brings very specific advantages to your list and often plays well within your faction, giving your combat units special boosts to prevail on the battlefield.
NCUs per faction
Each faction has different preferences regarding NCUs.
Generally, the ones with Tactics cards requiring controlling the Crown and Letters zones will be more comfortable with 3 NCUs, while the ones with Swords, Bags and Horses are usually more flexible with 2 NCUs.
This is mostly due to the 3 latter zones being the most popular during combats, meaning that they will be claimed faster and will require less presence on the Tactics board, focusing on units’ performances instead.
Note: Greyjoys are an exception, due to the “We do not sow” zone replacement card and to Wendamyr being their best NCU also having zone replacement ability.
2 or 3 NCUs?
This is the most common interrogation for players with a few games below their belt (after playing a lot you usually know which one you prefer).
One good example of this conundrum is Starks. They are usually happy with either, wanting to control the Swords and Horse zones, so the choice will depend on your play style and game mode being played. However, one of the best attachments in Starks is Rickon Stark, who comes with Osha for 1pt, and gives you the opportunity to bring Shaggydog, the most brutal of the 3 wolves in the faction, for 3pts.
This means that for many players, the choice will often be: do I bring Rickon/Osha/Shaggydog for 4pts, or a third NCU for the same price?
Well below are some pointers for each option…
2 NCUs
Pros:
2 NCUs allows you to have sufficient presence on the Tactics board without giving too much control to your opponent (which is why you will very rarely see a 1 NCU list). With 2 NCUs, you are guaranteed to activate every unit you brought, and not waste any activation by getting blocked with a full board.
It also allows you to field more combat units, leaving enough space for a good mix of expensive and cheap ones, such as wolves or other solo units, which you may lack the points to field in a 3 NCUs list without sacrificing too many wounds/points ratio.
Finally, if your opponent also plays a 2 NCU list, you do not sacrifice anything by only having 2 as well. None of you will be advantaged on the Tactics Board, but you will not be at a disadvantage either. So if you know that you will fight a 2 NCU list, it opens more possibilities for you list-wise.
for good flexibility in a 2 NCUs list.
Cons:
You may not waste any activation, but neither will your opponent. By only having 2 NCUs, you will always give him 3 zones to control on the board, meaning both of you will activate all your units and he will have Tactics board dominion.
Moreover, NCUs are unkillable activations (with some exceptions such as Tyene Sand), which means that your opponent won’t lose them, but you might lose your field units.
3 NCUs
Pros:
Whether you fight against a 2 or 3 NCUs list, you will either control or contest the Tactics board. Against a 2 NCUs list, you will have full control of 3 zones, whereas if you fight against a 3 NCUs list, you will be able to fight for them. This prevents leaving full control to your opponent, while giving you some extra Tactic punch.
As I touched upon earlier, NCUs are unkillable* units, which means they guarantee you to have a minimum of activations on the long run, while the combat units might get destroyed. This is important because these NCUs will always be there to give you some advantage and options, while losing your field units will just diminish these options.
Having 3 NCUs also opens the way to more options: for example, many NCUs have a zone replacement effect. However, having only 2 NCUs might be limited to use the zone replacement, as you will probably need at least the swords or bags in the middle of the fights, while the letters and horse zones always bring some great tactical options. Having 3 NCUs often allows you to use the crown zone as the best option for replacement, being quite limited in terms of effectiveness, while still using 2 other zones.
Cons:
You may lose some activation during the game with your 3rd NCU, if you did not activate it before the Tactics Board gets full. Still, this forced your opponent to activate his 3rd NCU first to prevent losing his own activation, which may not have been the most urgent move to make depending on the field situation.
You also have less presence on the field, meaning fewer* units to control objectives, and fewer* opportunities to surround or outnumber your opponent (*fun fact, originally wrote “less”, thank you Stannis…). Of course, if you play Free Folks, you probably still outnumber them…
How to select your NCUs?
Whether you ultimately decide for 2 or 3 NCUs in your list, there are a few differences between NCUs abilities you need to consider.
The first category of NCUs is the most common: the “claim a zone, get a bonus” ones. Think Pycelle, Catelyn, Aemon for example. These are simple, straight-forward and usually good value, since you will gain something when activating them. They are more often than not the ones you want to play first, to get an early advantage during the round. These include the NCUs with “Influence”, which grant a round-long bonus to a particular unit.
The second category of NCUs is the “claim a zone, replace zone’s effect” ones. Think Wendamyr, Illyrio, Lady Val. These bring some flexibility to your game, as you may not need some zones but can still get a good effect while claiming them.
The third category of NCUs is the “game long effect” ones. Think Tyrion, Varys, Samwell. These do not care whether you claim zones or not, so are a perfect fit for a 3 NCUs list, where you might not manage to claim 3 zones but still get some permanent effect, such as bigger Tactics Hand.
The last category is the “limited use” ones. Think Tywin Lannister, Balon Greyjoy, Cortnay Penrose. These usually have a once-per-game ability or a limited number of tokens. Similarly to the previous category, they are ideal for 3 NCUs lists, having a strong impact at a decisive moment but otherwise only serving as additional activation.
Usually playing 3 NCUs, I personally like to have 3 of different categories in my list. This gives me:
- 1 immediate bonus when claiming my first zone
- 1 replacement zone effect in case I get stuck with zones I do not need
- 1 flexible or game-long effect per game.
Here are some examples. My favorite trio of NCUs in Greyjoys is:
- Erik Ironmaker or Beron Blacktyde = effect when claiming zones
- Wendamyr = zone replacement
- Rodrik Harlaw = twice per game strong effect
A great group of NCUs in Starks follows the same rules:
- Catelyn = effect when claiming zones
- Sansa = zone replacement
- Arya = twice per game strong effect
This rule is easier to follow for 3 NCUs list, which gives you more flexibility in choices. If you are intent on a 2 NCUs one, I would focus more on the NCUs which help your list the most.
For instance, Joffrey Baratheon may not be the best NCU in the Lannister faction, but having him guarantees you will control the crown, which is very important for many of the lions’ cards and abilities. In a 2 NCUs list, having to send one of them specifically on the crown zone may be counter-productive, therefore making Joffrey a good choice to get both the zone control and another zone’s effect.
As another example, going with 2 NCUs in Baratheons may be a challenge, but choosing Cortnay Penrose as one of them gives you some control over the zones you do not want your opponent to claim.
There you have it, a small analysis of NCUs and how to select them!
I hope this can be of use to you, old or new player, and stay tuned for the next article, with a relentlessly fun topic…
Grob’
Chez Grob 