King of the Sea - GJ rains Fracas 2017 king of swiss

Card draw simulator
Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
Derived from
Embrace The Baldy (14-3 Bristol/Cardiff Regionals) 26 15 9 1.0
Inspiration for
How Does This Deck Even Work? : GJ Rains GenCon 2017 Top 16 5 3 4 1.0
The Cursed (King of Swiss, Greek Nationals 2017) 14 8 4 1.0
King of the sea - 8/2 - 22nd at Stahleck 16 10 17 1.0

Isian.H 706

Using this deck i have been able to go 29-3 only counting swiss games and 37-7(+ cut games) over 5 major tournaments, three Regionals which i placed well in.

3rd in Bristol (59p), 2nd in Cardiff (28p) and 1st in London (52p). I came 6th place at Blackwater (82p) and 9th place after being crowned King of swiss at Fleabottom fracas (197p) which was also FFG Polish Nationals. Fracas tourney report below.

GAME 1 vs MENNO - Greyjoy Banner Dragon

GAME 2 vs RAFAL - Greyjoy Fealty

GAME 3 vs MICHAL - Lannister Rains

GAME 4 vs MATTHEW HERDMAN - Lanni Kraken

GAME 5 vs FEDERICO FASULLO - Stark Fealty

  • I saw everything I needed and he didn't see much. Saw all my big guys and dupes for them but he only drew single copies of characters and it was too late by turn 3 or so I already had Duped Balon, duped Euron and a duped Victarion Greyjoy on the board gaining power (except euron) he was married off to one of the starks.

Game 6 vs FRANKE RODERS - Lanni Rains

GAME 7 vs PIOTR - Nights Watch Summer (builders)

GAME 8 vs RAKOVSZKY MARTON - Lannister Crossing

  • We both open with 3 small guys and economy. He opens Heads on Spikes into my Summer Harvest which is weird but my opponent wouldn't be 7-0 if he was bad. He chooses to go first and spikes my Newly-Made Lord. Was shitting myself at this point because I had two Victarion's in hand. He plays duped Jaime I play duped Victarion. He gets quite high up on power, about 5-6 after his 4 challenges with Casterly Rock rock out. I get some of it back on my turn. Turn two I really want to win initiative because #Victarion vs Jaime is good. So I play Rise of the Kraken and he plays a SECOND Heads on Spikes. I go first. I have Asha Greyjoy and Littlefinger as good characters in hand but he misses spikes and hits a little bird. I go first. for 5 which he would have to block with 2 characters including jaime to win so he unopposes, claim hits Cersei Lannister and a Nightmares or something. He fully blocks my military which I could have won if I really wanted to, but him defending it opens up for an unopposed challenge claiming two off his house card which slowed him down. Turn 3 i'm thinking this is probably a rush deck since he's on nearly 10 power and hasn't done much. I know he will probably try and win initiative and I can't stop him if he plays A Clash of Kings so I play gold plot and play safe that turn. He flips A Clash of Kings and goes first. I Marshall Balon. I Try and Defend any challenges I can. But I am focused on defending the power challenge, which he initiates for his crossing. He doesn't have enough to win it, missing a lordling trigger didn't help but i have to block with Vic, Balon and Maester Wendamyr which is everyone who is left standing to win it. End of turn 3 he is on 10 power and I'm on 11. I march for initiative and win. Go first. Get two renowns off of mil, do a power for claim and an unopposed for the win.

8-0 King of swiss

TOP 32 vs DUCKBRINGER - Greyjoy Rains

Top 16 vs KAMIL PAKOWSKI - Lannister Rains (Clansmen)

  • Game going In his favour I didn't get a good setup and didn't draw into much better either. He keeps applying military pressure like crazy but I get a two good nightmares in to stop his tower of the hand. I'm on 0 power to his 9 on plot 3. I have only Balon out at this point. He has a decent board so I play duped Varys but this is where I made my mistake and took off the Varys dupe to mil claim which let him rains into The Red Wedding for the kill and ultimately the game. Bad draw and my play mistake cost me that game. I could have had a fighting chance and swung it back in my favor with Varys going off but nope.

Can't win em all. Was a great tournament. Shoutout to Don Skaven and Don Jemiollo and all those amazing people who organised the the biggest tournament of the year so far (I think). You guys are amazing and will definitely be back next year!

12 comments

nikotinlaus 616

Gratz for your great results! One question: Why no Great Kraken? When playing against Greyjoy I usually just hate it when its out.

Atanas Keranov 410

No mention of Dagmer throughout the report. Would you consider cutting him and for what?

Isian.H 706

@nikotinlaus it's expensive and it's hard finding the space. Also The deck doesn't revolve around unopposed challenges so who knows how many times I'm going to trigger it.

@at.keranovI only saw Dagmer once on the day and it was on a turn 3 rise of the kraken turn when I was already winning on that turn. For the london regional I had two copies of him and he did really well when he was out stealing econ with nightmares.

Isian.H 706

Changes I would make to the deck would be

  • try and fit in one more nightmares. They were clutch in some games.
  • maybe swap roseroads for Sea Tower because roseroads are just so slow and the only thing I can't reduce using sea towers are varys and littlefinger but I use great halls for varys anyway
  • Dagmer will probably be removed for iron victory

Isian.H 706

Also worth mentioning I didn't need to use varys all day during the Swiss. But he was always welcome to see in case things go wrong. Also he singlehandedly won me a game by having stealth and an icon.

Reader 292

Tears for a third NM?

blueeyedbanditt 1

Thanks for posting, been playing GJ/Rains for awhile and loving it, congrats on the results - two questions: 1) Thoughts on Silence's Crew? 2) Thoughts on throwing in a Dirk? 3) How often did you hit with Red Wedding?

blueeyedbanditt 1

^ Sorry that was 3 questions :)

Isian.H 706

@Echoes of Ice & FireTears has won me two games that started out to be very difficult. Also not always a target for newly made lord.

@blueeyedbanditt

  • silence crew were in the deck originally but they've been cut because they aren't reliable unless you bestow them. Then they cost 6 or 7 and I'd rather be paying for balon Euron or vic.
  • dirk can be good but I've never felt that I needed 2 more strength and the iron fleet scout provide can provide more strength and are free and setup friendly.
  • red wedding is there just in case. I didn't flip into it once at fracas but it has won me games. Best to do it when you're second player and opponent can't do any challenges back at you. Can devastate an opponents board or take off dupes wherever you want them so you can valar or march. It's very situational but the other option is forgotten plans which is decent but doesn't have as much impact. And on a small board asha could potentially just do all 3 and keep standing.

Most of the time I rains for the stand or kneel, sometimes for the riddle into good plots. And occasionally for the wildfire into mil claim. Red wedding is used the least bit it is a game winner if you can get it off

adam_geek 462

Why Little Bird rather than Appointed

Atanas Keranov 410

@adam_geek you can attach Little Bird on NML or on a reducer on setup (for extra card draw), which you can claim later on and get the Little Bird back in hand. Also, Baratheon (Cressen) is not that popular at the moment.

Isian.H 706

@adam_geek the only reason it was ever appointed is becuase of Baratheon Maester Cressen but nobody plays them, I made a meta call for the tournament and put little bird instead of appointed and i didn't play a single bara player all day. Little birds are much more flexible