Lady Arianne's Desert Rose - First British Regional Winner, 1.0

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• 1.0

Hi,

This is the deck I piloted to victory at the first British regionals, Woo! I headed down to the tourny to get some good games in, have a great day and my aim was to be in the Top 8; the fact I won the day with Martell was fantastic. It was a blast and it makes me really happy that I got to play with so many great people. Turns out there is a really great community around this game and I’m really happy to have found it. I really look forward to getting to play more great games with people at future tournaments!

The deck is slightly modified from ‘teamjimby’s Flo Ridas - Portland Spring Tournament Winner (26 people)’ deck. For more information on the choices that have gone into the deck design I suggest looking there. Teamjimby has an excellent write-up (but feel free to ask me questions; I expect out playstyle and experiences are somewhat different).

I’m indebted to teamjimby for making such an innovative and interesting deck that is so awesomely fun to play – the deck has many ways to ‘control’ your opponents characters, agro them away and hopefully be able to control the pace of the game. Arianne Martell is amasing – so so good! She is the glue that hold everything together and give a plethora of options each turn as to how best declaw your opponent. She is a reducer, a Mance Rayder and a Seal of the Hand all in one, how could that not be completely fantastic! She's almost as awesome as Liam Hall - our Amazing TO. Thanks so much for a great tourny!

Ahem! Enough with the gushing, on with the report...

---The Swiss---

Round 1 - Harry Harvey: Lannister, Lords of the Crossing

I had an unusual six card setup, with a ton of 1 & 2 cost characters. I was really happy for this, but my opponent punished me heavily with a brilliantly played The First Snow of Winter. The deck seeming so resilient to first snow in principle, combined with my relative inexperience left me not expecting it: Jumping in Areo Hotah over Nymeria Sand round 1, playing A Song of Summer (when a winter plot was imminent) and forgetting to save duped Right(… or was it Left?..)… all left me a lot further behind than I needed to be. And playing against such a well driven Lord of the Crossing deck I really needed not to fall behind. Could not stop the power racking up – and Harry took the game.

Loss - 0 points

Round 2 - Andrew Light: Stark/No Agenda

Andrew’s deck looked very much like a stark agro rush. Osha began on the table wielding Ice… However thigs went heavily my way: House Florent Knight began chipping away at him, Nymeria Sand or Areo Hotah said No to Ice until I could confiscate it, and then I got to live the dream: Demanding Vengeance for Elia after discovering Winter Is Coming. My only game in the day to finish before I had heard “fifteen minutes left”.

Win - 5 points

Round 3 - Stephan Fortheringham: Martell, Banner of the Lion

Woo! I got to play Stephan. I was excited for this game as Stephan holds the double honour of being the first player I had ever played in real life (outside friends I’d taught the game to) at the “Big Orbit Games” Store championship… and being the winner of that store championship. And He’s a really nice person whom I enjoy chatting about Thrones with so it promised to be a good game. He opened with The Long Plan and marshalled nothing. I strongly suspected he held two Vengeance for Elia’s in his hand. I decided I would like to face them sooner rather than later. I was right! My first turn was painful, but Right, Left and The Knight of Flowers meant his deck was never quite able to push through enough: Tyrion Lannister was a problem, but eventually was killed when Quentyn Martell copped it. I slowly moved forward on forward on the power race each turn with victory coming just before time was called.

Win - 10 points

We had a lunch break here – which was 90% taken up by me moving my car…. No rest for the wicked it seems.

Round 4 - Ben Davie: Targarian, Banner of the Lion

Sadly I can’t remember a lot of the details of this game. I believe I opened with Marched to the Wall: losing Margaery Tyrell and using Arianne Martell to drop in a House Florent Knight in the plot phase, Leaving me with one character and Ben with none... but that might have been a differnt game >.>. Mirri Maz Duurarrives and is Attainted turn one… Nymeria Sand, two turns of Vengeance for Elia and an Olenna's Informant on a The Winds of Winter turn to pull me far enough ahead to eventually win. I enjoyed the game.

Win - 15

Round 5 - James Waumsley: Martell, Banner of the Dragon

My second Martell off, and a James-off for the cut! This game felt important! Well things swung back and forth with lots of denial thought the game, and I was slightly ahead, but James had a lot more cards in hand. Then he kept 2 gold back on my The Winds of Winter turn… eek! I intrigued to see what would happen: Vengeance for Elia knocked out Syrio Forel and a House Dayne Knight leaving me with one card in hand: The Knight of Flowers – James' Nymeria Sand stole power thinking he remembered my hand, but after Arianne Martell jumped him in I killed Nymeria Sand and Mirri Maz Duur, leaving just Aggo to attempt to oppose me. I think this turn around shocked him a lot, because he slowed down in his thinking massively and the game then inexplicably went to time.

Modified Win - 19

----The Cut---

Quarter Finals Joel Pearson: Lannister, Banner of the Kracken

This game was so close – Theon Greyjoy was Discarded by a House Florent Knight (twice!), as was Tyrion Lannister, and, due to a misplay (we were both completely shattered) Tywin Lannister visited Ghaston Grey. Right and Left help stem the tide of unopposed challenges looking to come my way. I had to use Vengeance for Elia to stop Joel pulling ahead on power just before the game hit time. We end up tied on 11 power after the extra round… Questions are raised! What do we do? America is called… we have to play another extra round! Exhausted shock, but we do. This my board state is slightly stronger, and I win. Few! It was a great game and I really enjoyed it - but It was very close and very long!

Win

Semi Finals Tagore Nakornchai: Stark, Fealty

The deck worked beautifully. Despite being shattered and facing a large board Vengeance for Elia and House Florent Knights whittle away at his board, then Wildfire Assault hits: leaving me with Left & Right and The Knight of Flowers. This kept me safe for a while, slowly chipping away further till The Winds of Winter and Olenna's Informant could do it's thing. I pull back from Tagore's inisal power lead and win in turn 8. This game was a big thumbs up for the Tyrell elements of my deck!

Win

I genuinely did not realise I had made it to the finals at this point, and was very very glad of an opportunity for a rest before the final game!

Finals Tomasz Zawadzki: Targaryen, Banner of the Lion

Wow! This game was so close and everything happens in it! Turn one Nymeria Sand arranges for Mirri Maz Duur to be Put to the Sword, and I then Crown of Gold from Tomasz’s Hand! I feel like an unstoppable God. However despite the great opening I just can’t seem to keep the pressure up – Tomasz seems to have a million 1 costs, and attrition is not working – plus his power keeps creeping up and up.

After about 45 min of play I find I really need something to turn my way – my hand is six costs and a dupes, so Arianne Martell is not feeling he usual awesome self. Then I realise it’s Varys' time to try and claw things back! Drawing into a total of three dupes (!) I dupe up Nymeria Sand, The Knight of Flowers and Arianne Martell and drop Varys. Nymeria Sand steals Daenerys Targaryen's Icon and I get a Tears of Lys on her, killing her dupe! When the Dominance phase comes around Tomasz wins it to go up to 14 power to my 4 before the Varys reset – Daenerys Targaryen's 3 power is lost and it’s Rhaegal and Viserion vs my three.

Then Trading with the Pentoshi is played, and Thomaz top decks The SMASH BROS! 11 – 4 to him when Khal Drogo and Ser Jaime Lannister hit the table! Eek! Somehow Nymeria Sand, Arianne Martell, and Areo Hotah hold off the renown and death. Attainted & Nymeria Sand eventually completely shut down Ser Jaime Lannister, and I get a turn of Unnopposed challenges (including Olenna's Informant for power) to claw back: 11-10 to Tomasz… The combined efforts of House Martell and House Tyrell are eventually enough! From 11-4 down to 15-10 up; and House Martell wins the first British regionals in the Dominance phase! Woo! Ellia is avenged!

This game was truly excellent, and Tomasz was a great opponent to face in a game, let alone the finals! I really hope we get to play again!

Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken!