Which Storm King has your loyalty? ASOIAF 2023 update is here for the Baratheons. This article goes over the changes to the forces of the Stormlands/Reach and speculates over the future of the game for them. I want to give an early warning. This update had few changes to the Baratheon roster. They need some reworks to change certain units and characters from being dominant, however I do think that there are some big changes here.
Pre Update
Baratheon’s are in a strong position as a faction right now. Perhaps a few things need to be dialled back and a few others brought forward. Stannis loyalty needs more tuning down whereas Renly loyalty needs tuning up. I do believe this is the strongest faction with the nerf to Relentless setting back Night’s Watch and Mance being reduced. We will have to wait and see what the stats will say.
Davos Seaworth
Davos Commander had Outflank and thus is affected by the general change to the rule. I can see Davos in a powerhouse unit like the Stag Knights and utilising the outflank with his Tactics Card Flea Bottom Tricks to cause some real trouble. Davos has a pretty good NCU and Attachment which holds back the Commander from being taken, perhaps this change to outflank will result in Davos leading some forces in future.
The Result: Davos Commander has a neat trick that will result in him being picked for games. However, with how valuable of a character he is outside of the Commander, we won’t see Outflank in Baratheon’s much. This is not to say he needs changing at all though, as Davos in the lore has never been much of a fighter.
Eldon Estermont
I am unsure if many people could tell me who Eldon is due to him being such a minor character in the books. He supported Renly until he died then switched to Stannis, once Stannis lost in the Blackwater he swore fealty to Joffrey, and then was used as a marriage punishment to one of the Dornish conspirators by Doran Martell. Oh and his island was one of the first to fall to the landing of the Golden Company.
Eldon has been very strong and only suffers from the Hardened general rule change. You got very lucky here Eldon. His cards are super good defensively and most people bring the Champions of the Stag with him to utilise the Battle Endurance card on the unit that just will not die. Combine this with the mass healing Renly loyalists can do and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Hardened does affect the survivability of Eldon, who is often brought in Stag Knights, Wardens, or Rose Knights, all of which are pretty difficult to shift on their own and will continue to be difficult to shift due to the Baratheon playstyle. At least a bone is thrown to the opponent with this change, but you will still need to think about anti-armour when facing the aged lord.
The Result: Eldon will still be taking very often and will likely retain the 3rd best performing Commander over on asoiaf-stats.com for a while if he doesn’t progress higher. The hardened shell of the Baratheon units, mixed with healing of Renly loyalty, and then enhanced by the Tactics Cards of Eldon, result in one army that is too tough to crack for most forces.
Loras Tyrell
Both of Loras Tyrell’s Attachment and Commander cards were affected by the change to Expert Duellist. Whilst this ability was oppressive when losing a Commander or important attachment early in the game, it is always better to take the extra wound instead. Changing the success chance means people will only use the attachment killing roll as a hail Mary when it could amount to a huge result, but only if the attack with an additional wound wouldn’t achieve the same outcome.
I don’t think this change was well thought out. Instead, I think it should have been “Select an enemy Attachment, that Attachment loses all abilities for the Turn”, this is to represent that the Attachment is too busy duelling to give their effects to the unit. It would also subject Khal Drogo to opposing Expert Duellists as he remains safe from that ability.
The Result: I don’t think much will change with Loras going forward, he might do better since he will be guaranteeing a wound now rather than going for the 3+.
Champions of the Stag
Champions saw a nerf to their Morale stat reducing them to a 6+ and to their rank dice bringing them to a 6/4.
The heavy cavalry for the Baratheons was only strong due to everything else buffing them. Their morale is not keeping them alive; it is the healing from the likes of Cortnay Penrose. They aren’t doing massive amounts of damage that one less dice will change, the damage comes from the quality of their attacks from Eldon’s Battle Endurance.
These are just a few examples, but the point is this change will do very little and there is nothing explaining why this was done. Flayed Men received a similar change in attack dice so maybe this was to make heavy cavalry without lance all the same? CMON says that “Their over-the-top stats were pushing the unit into a much more aggressive role than intended.” I don’t see how this is the case with the unit on its own and further to this how losing one dice on full ranks will prevent this statement from being the case.
The Result: These changes are minor, and you will not see a huge effect from them.
Queen’s Men
Arguably the biggest change for the Baratheons is the nerf to the Queen’s Men not being able to pull Baratheon Conviction from their Queen’s Blade Order anymore. Most of the time this unit is paired with Stannis Baratheon, the One True King, turning them into a 4+ morale that with Conviction would heal for 3 wounds due to Stannis’ Dauntless ability. Now being unable to pull this card will result in the healing being limited and the unit less survivable overall.
No longer will it feel like bashing your head against an immovable object, but they will still pass morale a lot, and with Stannis still healing, just not as demoralising to the opponent when this happens. It does make One True King worse and perhaps made Rightful Heir the best Stannis, but it will be hard to tell at this stage.
The Result: Queen’s Men will be taken less and may have affected the pick rate of One true King. Stannis forces will likely branch out to other units and Commanders however the Queen’s Men are still very good to warrant their inclusion in Stannis forces.
Post Update
Not much has changed for Baratheon players in what they bring, the real win for the force is the changes to other factions. Targaryen and Night’s Watch players losing Relentless does not give them the activation advantage so easily. Greyjoy and Free Folk players losing their Rally Points will make them easier to destroy with Mance and the Frozen Shore Chariots being nerfed a little. War Cry tokens reduced, Hardened reduced, Expert Duellist practically gone, all these buffs that harm the defensive capabilities of the Baratheon faction are becoming less effective.
With few nerfs and a level playing field, Baratheon forces might become the hardest to conquer in the game. It may result in a meta of anti-armour like Mag the Mighty who got buffed with a points reduction, heavier cavalry, or even unique units like the Pyromancers or Umber Greataxes.
Why not pick up one of the awesome mats made by Frontline Gaming for ASOIAF? Check them out on the Frontline Gaming Store.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
