ASOIAF Miniatures Game: For The Love of R’Hllor Nerf Mance!
Last week saw the biggest ASOIAF Grand Tournament take place, Mance Rayder lessons were learned.
Last week saw the ASOIAF Grand Tournament take place, with the biggest turnout for any ASOIAF Event to date with 116 players at the Main Tournament. The event took place in London with ASOIAF-Stats, the community legend Chris, and Northern Realms Gaming for organizing the experience.
There was a total of 10 different countries represented at the event from Italy to the US, who played in the ELO, Main, and Invitational. The 2-day 7-game Main Tournament saw many factions fight for the win but only one player went on to be undefeated. Thank you to ASOIAF-Stats.com for providing all the stats for the tournament so we can peek into the lists and games and subscribe to them on Tourney Ground. Please do check out northernrealmsgaming on Twitch and YouTube. Let’s dive in!
The Event was REALLY Big!
I cannot understate how big the event was. The largest to date for the game tripling the attendance of last year’s event. Even the Friday side event beat last year’s numbers and incidentally became one of the top five largest ELO events. The countries represented were the UK, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Greece, and the US. So many people from across the community attended too, like Northern Realms, Dead Meta Gaming, Chelmsford Bunker, Tabletop Kingdom, Wardens of the North-West, Microwave Express Train, House Siege, teampiwnica, and La Tana degli Orchi just to name a few. One of the best parts of the event was putting faces to names and meeting these incredibly people working to expand the community.
The Standings
The Top 10 players of the Main Tournament are broken down into 1 Neutral Ramsay Player, 3 Targaryen Players and 6 Free Folk Players. The Targaryen players brought Khal Drogo except one who played with Daenerys Queen of Meereen and was the highest ranking Targaryen Player too, we will have a look at his list soon. As expected however, out of all Free Folk players in the Top Ten, Mance was chosen for both lists. Let’s not beat a dead horse, Mance and the Free Folk faction as a whole need re-tunning, CMON must be willingly blind like Viserys to ignore it.
The Winner
Suavek of teampiwnica with his Double Mance Rayder Lists
List 1
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Mance Rayder – King Beyond the Wall
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 10
Combat Units
• Thenn Warriors ( 5 )
Mance Rayder – King Beyond the Wall ( 0 )
• Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Tormund Giantsbane – Tall-Talker, Horn-Blower, Breaker of Ice ( 2 )
• Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Raid Leader ( 1 )
• Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Raid Leader ( 1 )
• Varamyr Sixskins – Master Skinchanger ( 3 )
• Wolf Pack ( 3 )
• Frozen Shore Chariots ( 4 )
Non Combat Units
• Lady Val ( 4 )
• Craster ( 4 )
• Jon Snow ( 4 )
List 2
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Mance Rayder – King Beyond the Wall
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 8
Combat Units
• Free Folk Trappers ( 4 )
Mance Rayder – King Beyond the Wall ( 0 )
• Thenn Warriors ( 5 )
Tormund Giantsbane – Tall-Talker, Horn-Blower, Breaker of Ice ( 2 )
• Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Raid Leader ( 1 )
• Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Raid Leader ( 1 )
• Mag the Mighty ( 9 )
Non Combat Units
• Lady Val ( 4 )
• Craster ( 4 )
• Jon Snow ( 4 )
Built on asoiaf-stats.com/builder
It is the first time I have seen the new Jon Snow NCU used in a Free Folk list. After seeing first and the usefulness of Regroup and Reform it is no wonder why he is implemented into the best players forces. Thankfully Northern Realms will be releasing the final game that they filmed live for us all to watch soon, which apparently had some intriguing moments that have sparked conversations from all corners of the community. I can’t wait to see how much better the pros are than myself! Well done to Suavek for taking the title for the second year in a row.
Of Crows and Dragons
I was very fortunate (was I?) to finally come face to face with a Drogo Veterans List and Jon Snow Ranger Hunters List, and I can’t even be mad about it. I played against two awesome people and had a blast even though I was thrashed, thanks Jimbo (House Siege) and thanks Grant (Yecastminis)I have mentioned before how powerful these two forces are believing a nerf to Drogo to be a enough and nerf to the Watch Captain to be enough. I was so wrong. Drogo was not actually an issue, himself in Bloodriders is a huge problem, you can’t kill them because you can’t catch them, but you can grab them easier than Veterans.
Whichever donut thought Quickfire was a good idea clearly is more deluded than Stannis was towards Melisandre. It is the exact same reason Ranger Hunters are outrageous too, CMON specifically changed the stats of several units so that they could not one shot a unit off the board in one activation. Not only can Vets and Rangers do this reliably but due to the retreats they do to pull this off they gain a positioning and mobility advantage. Drogo may actually be fine; Jon Snow may actually be fine. But Dothraki Veterans and Ranger Hunters need to change along with the Quickfire rule.
Thankfully, someone brought the Mother’s Mercy with the Mhysa of Meereen.
Sjonco 7th place with Drogo and Queen of Meereen
List 1
Faction: Targaryen
Commander: Daenerys Targaryen – Queen of Meereen
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
• House Bolton Blackguards ( 6 )
Daenerys Targaryen – Queen of Meereen ( 0 )
• Drogon ( 8 )
• Unsullied Pikemen ( 7 )
• Dothraki Outriders ( 6 )
Fortune Seeker ( 1 )
Non Combat Units
• Roose Bolton ( 4 )
• Xaro Xhoan Daxos ( 4 )
• Illyrio Mopatis ( 4 )
List 2
Faction: Targaryen
Commander: Khal Drogo – The Great Khal
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
• Drogo’s Bloodriders ( 8 )
Khal Drogo – The Great Khal ( 0 )
• Dothraki Screamers ( 6 )
Glory Seeker ( 1 )
• Dothraki Screamers ( 6 )
Glory Seeker ( 1 )
• Dothraki Outriders ( 6 )
Non Combat Units
• Pyat Pree ( 4 )
• Daenerys Targaryen ( 4 )
• Walder Frey ( 4 )
Built on asoiaf-stats.com/builder
If Sjonco wasn’t facing Free Folk, then the Breaker of Chains would come out to play. Sjonco faced three different Lannister Lists over the course of the event and did very well with the Queen of Meereen. Most of her cards are based around morale damage which resulted in her being in the Bolton Blackguard unit resulting in me using pages from A Feast for Crows as napkins for the tears of lore breaking pouring from my eyes. With her pet, cough I mean child, Drogon beside her, Unsullied backing her up, and a contingent of Dothraki this list was the most fun from the Top 10. I congratulate you Sjonco on positioning so high with a Commander never expected by others. Speaking of never expected…
Tom Tyler the best Neutral Player in the World
There is only one person in the world mad enough to bring Neutrals to the biggest event in the game and crush it. Placing 4th out of 116 players is incredible, do it with Neutrals and you’re cheating. I joke please to hurt me, Tom! How in the Seven Hells did you do this Tom? Double Flayed Men with Ramsay Commander against a ungodly horde of Mance Rayders Must have been the hardest fight of your life. He lost one game against a Greatjon Umber but beat not only a Jon Snow list, but a Drogo list and three Mances. This is truly a miracle. A testament to the skills Tom Tyler has when it comes to Neutrals. Congratulations Tom on this placement, you didn’t win the Battle, but you won the War.
There is plenty more to talk about in regard to the LGT over the next few weeks, but this was a quick summary of the event and it’s top performers. If you are interested in attending a ASOIAF Event, the LVO is not too far away, and tickets are on sale now!
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