Let's build a Dark Sails Dark Rows!

Hi guys!

Last Sunday, with the amazing OldShrimpEyes, we were discussing of how to build a good Dark Dark Words in Greyjoy. Well for anyone who wants jump in, why not try to build one ourselves?

A quick summary of the direction I propose at first. And for that a bit of history...

18 months ago, the field was balanced, a lot of archetypes could compete at the highest level bringing a lot of diversity in the game. Everyone was pleased, when players revealed their plots: birds started to sing; when they played a character: the sun started to shine brighter; when they won an unopposed challenge: trumpets were rising to celebrate their triumph. Everyone was pleased, the number of players was reaching a stage everybody would enjoy.

That's when the designers chose to throw in a new idea of agenda, something very little, by tweaking the building of the deck you would be allowed to draw more cards in draw phase. Nothing much. Everybody was more focusing on the more shiny black sails that would let you get any card you want after winning a challenge. That maybe why nobody saw it coming.

Like a hurricane it destroyed everything in its way. The house didn't matter, it would always make it more powerful. Taking everybody to a Long Voyage through the depth of despair a too aggro meta can engender. And it wasn't alone, supported by the great negociaters of the Great Sept, and a whole lot of new powerfukl yet cheap armies on their boat, they simply ruled the meta. That is, until the designers, realising what their creation was doing, applied the ultimate -and till this day: unique- solution. The Long Voyage would now be "House Neutral Only", Negocitation would now be restricted and the armies would now wander quite alone in a field that could now take them head to head.

That's in the period in which the fellow that will interest emerged. In July this year, in Switzerland, a deck would tremple over around 40 players, nearly without blinking. That's what I'll be trying to match with my propositions in this topic.

It was running raiders as much as possible, Negociations, some 2 claims and Naval Escort. That's the (now) restricted card I'll start with. I'll try to match as much as possible the proportions of card I can remember, trying to put sense in the build along the way.

As it is a DWDW deck I propose we start with the event. Given the recent success of the agenda, we can observe that around 17-20 events in the deck seems a good number to make it work. So let's try to go for it.

I'll start with the neutral event that could make their way in:
- Much and More
- Papershield
- Nightmares
- Parting Blow
- Distraction
- The Only Game that matters
- hand's Judgement
- Confession
- Die by the Sword
- Price of War
- Battle for the Shield Islands
- Seductive Promise
- Support of the Kingdom
This is list is extensive, but well the idea is to have them all under your eyes to form groups afterwards.

So now the GJ events:
- Thuggish Tactics
- Risen from the sea
- Seasick
- Assault of the Kraken
- Drinking the Sea
- Ours for the Taking
- Iron Lore
- Finger Dance
- Nighttime raid
- We do not Sow
- Storm the gate
- Plunder
- Storming the Shore
- Set Sail

Well well that's already a lot. Let's try to group some of them in order to cut down to 17-20 events

Cancel events
- Seasick
- Papershield
- Finger Dance
I'm not a huge fan of the Hand's Judgement to be honest, and if we play Alannys and Murenmure, it could be enough.

Location Management
- Price of War
- Battle for the Shield Islands
- Storming the Shore
- Condemned by the council
Seems important to me, but maybe it's already too much if we play 3 NML and 1 Great Wyk...

Messing with the Challenge phase events
- Parting Blow
- Ours for the Taking
- Nighttime Raid
- We do not sow
- Thuggish Tactics
- Distraction

Aggro events
- Price of War
- Die by the sword
- Seductive Promise

Toolbox/CA events
- Much and More
- Nightmares
- Set Sail
- Iron Lore

Well it makes 19 events, that's a bit too much for my taste, but we'll see with that first.

Now an alternative draw module:
- LIV1*2
- Reader*2
- Tycho*1
- Lonship Blacn Wind*1
That's not a lot but that's a base, why not add the Bay of Ice in the end.

We will need a gold module:
- Sunset Sea*3
- Goldroad*2
- Ten Sea Tower*3 (it's an opportunity to test these for me)
- Street of Sisters
- Street of Steel
- Street of Silk
- River Row
- Aeron's Chambers
It makes 13 gold location so far. It should enough, we may even lighten it a bit if we go for the Ambitious Oarsman

Now now now, we already have roughly 38 cards in the deck. I realise it's already too much. I'll cut a bit in the gold and event module:
- River Row -1
- Aeron's Chambers -1
- Finger Dance -1
- Battle for the shield island -1
I'd like to cut more but well... It makes 34 cards, leaving 41 of them aside, I guess around 35-36 characters could be ok as we can save them, and we already have 3 of them. 9 cards aside, let's first go for:
- Naval Escort*3
- Iron mines*3
- River blockade*1
- Great Wyk*1
- maybe Longship Black Wind? in order to get more draw?

Now for the characters, we already have:
- Reader*2
- Tycho*1

I think we should definitely add:
- Iron Fleet Scout *3
- Iron Island Marines *3
And then:
- Refugees *3
- Wendamyr*2
- Murenmure
- Kerwin
- Victarion-claim
- Baelor*2
- Asha not kneeling
- Drumm to test?
- Distinguished Boatswain*3
- Raider from okwood *2
- Enraged Crewman
- Hammerhorn raiders*2
- Moqorro
- Qarl the Maid
- Coldhands
- Zollo
- New Made Lord*3

And that's 36 characters. We shouldn't be too far from it... This is only a rough build, based on the choice of Naval Escort, but you may want to choose Negociation or Fear.

Now regarding the plots, well one is obious, the second I really like:
- Valar
- Forgotten

As we have the Transformers, we could also add Aftermath, to have a second reset and benefit for the raising claim effects
- Aftermath

A real 2 claim
- Retaliation

Now... Maybe At the gates? or not... if not, why not symply 2 claims plots
- Fallen from Favor
- Men of Pride

And the last one could be a meta plot, maybe Rule by decree or Red Wedding at first.

In the end I think we have here a rough build of a Greyjoy Dark Wings Dark Words. It of course needs testing (a lot), but the base should be there. It may be a biut rough around the edge... Maybe we could lower the number of events and add a Red Rain at least.

Well, sorry for this long post, I hope I didn't bother you too much with it. What do you think of it? Do you have any suggestions? Would you rather go for another Restricted Card?

Thanks again for reading that .

Vince, you are too kind.

Iv had a look at the proposed list and thrown this together based off your suggestions with a few little mods of my own.

Deck Created with CardGameDB.com Game of Thrones Deckbuilder


Total Cards: (75)

House:
House Greyjoy


Agenda: (1)
1x Dark Wings, Dark Words (Ancestral Home)

Plot: (7)
1x Valar Morghulis (Core Set)
1x Retaliation! (A Song of Silence)
1x Fallen From Favor (A Deadly Game)
1x Rise of the Kraken (Kings of the Sea)
1x The Aftermath (The Prize of the North)
1x Victarion's Scheme (The Pirates of Lys)
1x At the Gates (Gates of the Citadel)

Character: (29)
3x Island Refugee (Refugees of War)
2x Maester Wendamyr (Kings of the Sea)
1x Maester Murenmure (Called by the Conclave)
1x Maester Kerwin (Valar Morghulis)
1x Victarion Greyjoy (Reach of the Kraken)
2x Baelor Blacktyde (The Isle of Ravens)
1x Asha Greyjoy (Where Loyalty Lies)
3x Hammerhorn Raiders (The Horn That Wakes)
3x Distinguished Boatswain (Tales from the Red Keep)
2x Raider from Orkwood (A Dire Message)
1x Enraged Crewman (Spoils of War)
1x Moqorro (Valar Dohaeris)
1x Qarl the Maid (A Journey's End)
1x Coldhands (The Horn That Wakes)
3x Newly Made Lord (Tourney for the Hand)
2x The Reader (The Great Fleet)
1x Tycho Nestoris (Spoils of War)

Attachment: (1)
1x Red Rain (Secrets and Schemes)

Event: (19)
1x Finger Dance (Where Loyalty Lies)
1x Paper Shield (Queen of Dragons)
1x Seasick (Kings of the Sea)
1x Storming the Shore (Forgotten Fellowship)
1x Condemned by the Council (A Time of Trials)
1x Distraction (Core Set)
1x Ours for the Taking (Illyrio's Gift)
1x Nighttime Raid (Trial by Combat)
1x Drinking The Sea (The Battle of Blackwater Bay)
1x Thuggish Tactics (A Change of Seasons)
1x Seductive Promise (Core Set)
1x Risen from the Sea (Kings of the Sea)
1x Plunder (The Horn That Wakes)
1x Nightmares (Lords of Winter)
1x Much and More (A Harsh Mistress)
1x Iron Lore (Mask of the Archmaester)
1x Dissension (Queen of Dragons)
1x Distinct Mastery (Core Set)
1x Assault of the Kraken (Kings of the Sea)

Location: (26)
3x Iron Fleet Scout (The Captain's Command)
3x Iron Islands Marines (Fire Made Flesh)
3x Gatehouse (Kings of the Sea)
1x Great Wyk (Ancestral Home)
1x River Blockade (Rituals of R'hllor)
3x The Iron Mines (Kings of the Sea)
3x The Sea Tower (Secrets and Schemes)
3x Naval Escort (A Sword in the Darkness)
2x Longship Iron Victory (Kings of the Sea)
1x Street of Silk (Lions of the Rock)
1x Street of Sisters (Core Set)
1x Street of Steel (Core Set)
1x Longship Black Wind (Called by the Conclave)

I have removed some of the events that require the prescence of crests or enhancements to trigger. Given the high number of cards in the deck the risk of them being dead cards is too high. I haven't given much thought to the plot line other than 'be as aggressive as possible'. Decided to drop The Drumm and go for another Hammerhorn Raiders, no attachments and ups the aggro of the deck.

It's a bit rough around the edges for sure but this is my first take on it.

Great, thanks OldShrimp . I'll build it and try it as soons as I can.

After a few more thoughts, I'm not sure about the Naval Escort, that owuld require testing, maybe Nego would be a better choice, to be even more aggro...

After that I must say you were right, this is challenging. The deck I was referring to could be based on GJ locations, which are one of the strongest point of the House, here we need to base our deck on events, which are not our strongest point, that's the less we can say. But well, we'll see ^^.

I think Negotiations would be a good call.

-1 Victarions Scheme +1 Negotiations at the Great Sept
-3 Naval Escort +3 Damphairs Drowned/Greenseers Raven