8

Martell

Martell
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
 

777 games

49.68% win

2575 points

0.01 QR

 

South of the stormlands lies the realm of Dorne, set apart from the rest of Westeros by geography, culture, and custom. There, vast deserts of red and white sand stretch as far as the eye can see.

Forbidding mountain ranges divide Dorne from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. The heat is sweltering, water is more precious than life, and the people are known for their indomitable spirit and passion for vengeance.

The Martells are patient and strategic, preferring to play the long game rather than making an immediate rush for victory. They often avoid being the first player, waiting to see what their opponents do before making their move.

The Martells are also vengeful, always looking for the chance to mete out retribution for past wrongs. House Martell is also prone to sweeping, dramatic gestures: with the Martells, it’s not just about winning, it's about making a show of winning.

The concept of the delayed rush – building up slowly and plotting behind the scenes to set up “one big turn” – is strongest with the Martells.

martell

 

Themes and Strength

Intrigue, Icons Removal, Going Second, Ambush, Long Game

Cards like Doran Martell (Core), Dawn (Core) and Doran’s Game (R) (Core) grow stronger or more effective in the later stages of the game (ie: used plot pile and Ricasso principle). To survive that long, the Martell faction relies on “icon manipulation” to help them win key challenges. Cards like Nymeria Sand, Maester Caleote (Core), Condemned and A Game of Thrones (Core) limit the opponent’s options. The Martell faction is naturally weak to decks that can either win or establish a dominating board position early.

The Martells like to play second and react to an opponent’s attacks. Cards like Quentyn Martell, Palace Spearman (Core), and Sunspear (Core) demonstrate this tendency. The player who wins initiative during the Plot phase chooses which player will act first during the round, so a crafty Martell strategist will often run high initiative plots in order to control this decision.

Finally, the Martells are able to win even when they lose. Cards like Ghaston Grey (Core), the Boneway and the Long Plan activate after a challenge defeat, and make the opponent regret ever engaging you in battle.

† References above provided by scantrell24

 

Deckbuilding Series

The Friendly Council is a deckbuilding series for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (Second Edition). This is a new Friendly Open project, aimed at helping beginner and intermediate-level players build their own decks.

 

 

 

Decklists (beginners)

- Martell / Long Voyage by kantzsot

- Martell / Wars (Lords & Ladies) by kantzsot

- Martell / Alliance + Qohor + Banner of the Rose by kantzsot

Those decks are made by kantzsot which is a very good thrones player who plays several agenda's at a very high level. kantzsot (JP Profile) is a super deck builder, and is one of very few people who manage to build a highly competitive The Long Voyage deck.

 

- Martell / Wars by Marcel Arias

This deck is made by Marcel Arias, who is a real beast with orange cards (Martell), and a good deck builder with several factions. Marcel (JP Profile), is a real stand-up guy who helps new players, and is one of the reason Friendly Open became a thing (he helped Zinnie - host of FO, build his first deck ever).

 

Decklists (intermediate)

- Martell / Valyrian Steel by Deathlysteve and The Friendly Council

- Martell / Mummer's Farce by Lemming and The Friendly Council