The Greatest Kraken (9-2) 1st FFG Event Center SC, 3rd Mead 1.0

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A special credit goes out to Mark M, who helped fine tune this decklist over the last month.

This is a straight forward unopposed power rush deck that has been cleaning up at Store Champs in the Minnesota area for the last two months. Its really a two card combo of Balon and The Great Kraken. Balon is an unopposed challenge machine and in Fealty, he is pretty easy to get out early. With his warship, Balon with stealth can win an opposed power challenge for 4 power (assuming claim of 1). Everything else is icing on the cake. Theon, claim 2 plots, A Clash of Kings, Renown from Euron can all swing you up 5-7 power on a power challenge! That's a third of the game in a single challenge. Your opponent can maybe survive 2 rounds of that.

When Balon hits the board, your opponent must immediately answer that or every marshal phase cements Balon's presence on the board with dupes and claim soak. Countering Balon is possible but it usually involves multiple cards to adequately lock him down (High Strength character with attachments and stealth). If your opponent can't find these answers, it is typically over in about 2 plots. This deck is filled with redundancy on winning challenges unopposed to ensure all your tricks still trigger even if Balon catches all hell (3x raiding longships, 2x kraken grasp, three other characters with stealth, and scouts to buff Balon's Strength).

The remainder of the deck is econ or protection. also there are "1 of's" of some powerful cards that alters you opponents strategy (aeron damphair, seastone chair). I don't rely on them but if they hit the board my opponent is usually over-committing on defense or saving characters to win Dominance. Protection is 3x risen of the seas for the tears of lys or heavy kill decks. 2x of hand's judgement to disrupt your opponent's event (the real MVP). I usually float a gold after the marshal phase anyways. at the 0 and 1 cost event range, hand's judgement hits about everything you'd want to cancel. Confiscation and We do not sow are for the milk of the poppies. Shipwrights for Ghaston and Highgarden. I cut the third Great Kraken for a single Support of the People. This way that one event can grab whatever location I don't have. If I'm winning power challenges unopposed its usually by 5 strength anyways. Plus, if you grab Great Kraken, you can still trigger it once it is in play.

With King's Peace, I subbed out a black winds crew for a newly made lord. and i will test finishing nets over kraken's grasp (i do like a surprise of grasp but you rarely maintain a hand with the intrigue icons of this deck)

Setups are important. you are looking for a 4 card setup with econ and any two characters. Plots are selected with going first in mind. Summons and Noble Cause are typically played first against slower decks to get your pieces in play. Summons helps you dig for Balon. If your opponent has a weak setup and you got military icons, Sneak Attack works as an opener, too.

While this is a relatively easy deck to pilot (play Balon, win power challenges unopposed), using the deck as a battering ram every turn will not win you games. The key is to know when to strike and know what your opponent's challenge phase looks like after you strike. There are times I have passed on challenges on a Sneak Attack plot because the counter attack was way worse than the power grab or military challenge. you don't have to win every challenge every phase, just the right ones.