Fire at the Wall - Pure Defense 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

I’ve been tinkering with this deck for a few weeks and I’ve gone around 10-2 so far, including 3-0 at a small local tournament. So I figured it was worth posting. This is as pure of a defensive deck as you can get. You can potentially win the game without ever initiating a challenge, and every card is chosen with that focus. It’s all about surviving with Aemon and Castle Black, and accumulating power with your other locations. My only losses have been to Greyjoy (stealth owns you without Benjen) and Lannister (his setup was better).

Select Card Discussion:

• Banner of the Stag - The Baratheon kneeling package is pretty straightforward with the goal of controlling your biggest threat and providing some and dominance support. Ser Davos Seaworth is nice for stealth defense and for winning you easy challenges. You hope to go second, so if they only have 1 or 2 defenders left standing for or , he can get unopposed for you.
• Benjen Stark is clutch for stealth defense. His resilience and 2 power are nice, and I have more than once won the game with a Wildfire Assault by killing Benjen. Worthy of 3x.
• Some people might not use 3x Samwell Tarly, but I really like him. Having 3x improves your setup consistency and allows you to play free dupes, which are nice in a deck with limited economy but strong card draw. With Castle Black you can even get 2 cards per turn with Samwell. Also don’t undersell the +1 Reserve. Messenger Ravens effectively add 2 cards to your hand when you use them, so the reserve is nice.
• Maester Aemon, Steward at the Wall, Messenger Raven, A Meager Contribution are great and should be 3x in every NW deck.
• Ranging Party is amazing in this deck. Cannot be stealthed with Benjen, anywhere from 5-8 STR with the Wall and Castle Black, and they only cost 4. Ser Waymar Royce is also decent, but not quite as good of a deal, so only 1 copy of him. I included 1x Wildling Horde for similar efficient stats, with a little bit of Nedliness.
• Old Bear Mormont vs Jon Snow - I feel like NW decks should either run Old Bear or Jon Snow, depending on if you are going for a defensive or aggressive strategy. This deck is all defense, so Old Bear fits while Jon is just too expensive. 6 STR gets the Old Bear out of the Dany + Dracarys! range and with The Wall he is a beast. His ability to play a NW card is rarely useful. The deck doesn’t rely on the Bear, but it’s nice when he shows up. Accordingly, I only included 1x Longclaw.
• 3x Milk of the Poppy because you have limited targeted kill, so you need the milks.
• Castle Black because defending is everything. +2 STR and a free stand is so good that I included 3x.
• The Iron Throne and Chamber of the Painted Table are almost luxury items that you don’t count on, but getting both of them out puts a huge amount of pressure on your opponent.
• Tears of Lys is good because people rarely expect it from a deck that is so and heavy. Often Samwell Tarly or a Steward at the Wall can sneak in for an intrigue challenge and drop in some Tears.
• The Sword in the Darkness is a really niche card, but it definitely won me a game so I’m keeping 1x. I don’t think it’s common enough for people to anticipate it and they might set you up by sending over a weak first challenge.

Plots:

• Filthy Accusations, Wildfire Assault, and Confiscation are pretty standard, although I may replace Confiscation with the new Maester plot since you can grab Maester Cressen to remove Milk.
• A Feast for Crows is great in this deck in round 4-6. Ideally you will have The Iron Throne out and it will be far enough into the game that the 4 reserve won’t hurt you. 6 gold is also really nice for a deck with limited economy.
• Heads on Spikes is my default first turn plot. The gold is decent and the high initiative lets you go 2nd, and you may even get lucky and spike someone important. I’ve only played this deck against once, but I was lucky enough to spike Robert Baratheon when my opponent had 3 copies in hand.
• Building Orders is great for fetching one of your important locations or Milk. I wouldn’t fault someone for including 2x in a deck like this.
• I like Calling the Banners as an economy plot. A Noble Cause only has 3 targets so it doesn’t make much sense. You aren’t going to be making many military challenges, so your opponent is likely to have many characters to make Calling the Banners worth 6-10 gold. The initiative is also really nice for allowing you to go 2nd.
• A common plot that I left out is Marched to the Wall, which would be highly Nedly but isn’t great in this deck. The lack of military attacks means you’re unlikely to March anyone important unless it’s the first turn. Some people also like Fortified Position with NW, but I don’t like giving my opponent a chance to milk Maester Aemon.

Closing Thoughts:

I enjoyed making this deck because it is a totally different play style. Maester Aemon is a beast and makes you not worry so much about , so you can focus purely on accumulating power. However, I’ve found myself not having as much fun playing the deck. It reminds me a lot of playing Bara Fealty, where you just control your opponent enough so they can’t win any challenges. Your own challenges are much less important other than for the purpose of controlling your opponent. While these decks might be effective, they’re not a lot of fun to play or play against. So, I might retire this one for a while.