Breakdown of the New Heroes for Martells

Martell Heroes 2 has had its rules hit the community pages and servers dedicated to A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures Game. I will be going in depth into all the new Commanders, NCUs and Attachments to see how the new release will impact the Martell Faction and the game itself. 

Contents 

Commanders – Daemon Sand and Gerold Dayne

NCUs – Arianne Martell and Arys Oakheart 

Attachments – Daemon Sand, Gerold Dayne, Edric Dayne, Arys Oakheart, and Quentyn Martell

Daemon Sand – Vengeful Knight – Commander 

Daemon is the heir of House Allyrion and their seat Godsgrace. Daemon squired for Oberyn Martell which resulted in a knighthood. He accompanied the Red Viper to King’s Landing for the Purple Wedding, and when Oberyn was slain, he immediately sent a message to Nymeria Sand informing her of the outcome. Daemon returned to Dorne and was thrown in prison for demanding the release of the Sand Snakes who were imprisoned for stoking the flames of war. Daemon has a rocky past with Arianne Martell and easily defeats in games of strategy and tactics. 

Commander Attachment Rules. Intimidation of the Crown is an ability previously only featured on Meryn Trant and gives yet another way for Martells to generate tokens. Weakened tokens are not in short supply for Martells, and with NCUs like Ellaria, you can produce the tokens you need efficiently. This rule is more of the same and adds little value. Rally Cry is a massive addition to the Martell arsenal as there are very few ways to heal in the faction. Mickey from ASOIAF-Stats has spoken about the strength of having Rally Cry on Daemon and adding in Starfall Outriders for more Rally Cry. He also goes into detail on the releases alongside Martell expert Obyiscus, do check them out on Tourney Ground 147. 

The abilities fit quite well for who Daemon is as a character in the books, but I was kind of hoping for something else. Daemon was imprisoned, not because he wanted to see the Sand Snakes free, but because just like the Sand Snakes he can stir up the Dornish people into war. Doran needed Dorne to look docile to the crown, because he was building a Targaryen-Martell restoration which he believed was a far better way to revenge. Daemon wasn’t intimidating anyone with the backing of the crown, rather he himself is a problem by being an intimidating problem. 

I actually think Daemon should have had Intimidating Presence instead of Intimidation of the Crown. Doran knows that Daemon’s presence to the masses of Dorne would result in a significant problem. He knows that his relationship with Oberyn and the lords that accompanied him would taint highborn’s decisions about war with Daemon’s presence alone. He witnesses his defiance at ceremonies like toasting to Tommen’s rule confirming that he isn’t subtle about his intentions and thus his presence might intimidate the opposition into an unfavourable play. He is proven to still be a concern on Arianne’s mind and can best her in strategy. Doran knows his presence alone can be detrimental to those opposing him. 

Intimidating Presence as a rule allows interesting synergies that other Martell Units and Characters do not. It works well with the Unbowen, Unbent, Unbroken card or Dune Tactics card, as both have some form of benefit to Morale/Panic. It works with NCUs such as Ellaria who can put out panic tokens, or Nymeria and Darkstar who can give Vicious, or even the Dervish Captain with Sow Discord. There is plenty to synergise with. With this rule Daemon becomes a potential threat that is impactful to principal players just like the books. Whereas with Intimidation of the Crown he generates the same tokens Martells have no issue generating. 

Tactics Cards. Daemon’s cards (at face value) don’t push him into the realm of being considered against Harmen Uller or Obara Sand, although when you look at them closely, you can see some interesting plays that might make him one of the biggest threats Martells have. 

A Need For Vengeance. A card previously found on Rickard Karstark has made its way onto Daemon Sand, likely due to him siding with the other members of the coup for a need to take revenge for the death of Oberyn. This card can be very useful if played correctly due to its timing. Imagine if Daemon was in the Sunspear Dervishes and you used this card on them? They would gain their Critical Blow as well as +1 to hit, to hit on 3s. I think this could give the unit the much-needed buff to push into reliability, and it synergises perfectly with another card Daemon brings. 

Coordinated Plotting. Straight after your free attack you can have another unit take a free Maneuver or retreat action. I think this can be a fantastic play and becomes even more potent on a turn where you are the first player. This card can be used in many other situations and combining it with Cunning Ploy from the base deck makes your faction extremely proficient at the mobility game. I certainly did not realise how strong the plays with Daemon could be until listening to some content creators like Brett and Grant from Yecats Miniatures. Give their video a listen on YouTube. 

Pathetic Attempt. A card not featured too often on Commanders but does show up with Balon Greyjoy and Alliser Thorne. It isn’t a bad card to have and almost works as a pseudo final strike with an added token on the end. Not too much to say other than it can play havoc with solos, I wouldn’t want Joarah or a Direwolf to take a hit from this card. 

I do believe Daemon has potential to be an interesting Commander. A good draw of cards and you could have a potent combo that will be devastating to the opponent. Whilst a lot of people are not considering him to be strong as he doesn’t look better than Uller, I think he is very good and wanting something to beat the current meta is wishful thinking. 

Gerold Dayne – Darkstar – Commander 

Gerold Dayne, or more famously known as Darkstar, is in my opinion the most misunderstood character in the community. Everywhere I look someone is referring to him as a “loner edge lord” but I only see this as an interpretation of his line “I am of the night” but when you look into the details, he is far more capable than what people give him credit for. Plus, a lot of theories out there place Gerold as a scapegoat for Doran built up to be something different for the sake of Dorne. 

Despite Gerold’s beauty and valor, he is also cruel with anger in his eyes. He is well known to be jealous of his cousin Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. He does something like Roose Bolton where he drinks lemonwater instead of wine so that he is always ready for a fight. 

Gerold is a part of the plot to crown Myrcella and undermine Tommen. Arianne confirms he is only brought along for his prowess in combat and his keep. Gerold is skeptical of Arianne’s plot by questioning the plan of crowning Myrcella to provoke Cersei. Darkstar is saying that to start a war, you should kill the king, not proclaim someone else king/queen. He never says that he wants to kill Myrcella, that is how Arianne interprets it. It does show that Darkstar has a very grey moral character. 

He then says that Daynes have been killing Oakhearts for thousands of years. Here he is suggesting that killing Arys would also start a war. Cersei would be livid to hear that the Dornish killed one of the Kingsguard but more importantly the one that is guarding her child. Darkstar doesn’t want to hurt Myrcella. He, like Doran, wants war with the Lannisters. Arys is a suitable sacrifice to start that war. Doran and Darkstar think that Dorne is not ready for an all-out war yet. Doran will not declare war on anyone until he has everything, and everyone prepared perfectly.

He is present at the confrontation at the Greenblood where Arys is killed by Aero Hotah. We get this from Arianne’s perspective which blacks out during the important parts, and we are only told what had happened by others with agendas. Arys is slain by Aero, Myrcells’s horse Shieds which saves her from Darkstars lunger to kill her, but cuts off her ear, and then Darkstar flees. People consider this to mean Darkstar wasn’t going to get what he wants, so he will recklessly take a strike to achieve his goal. However, I believe that Arys’ death would cause a war, but Dorn isn’t ready. So Darkstar, after seeing the death of Arys, quickly determines a way for Doran to keep the peace. Myrcella’s horse did not shied, instead she was only supposed to be injured to convince Cersei the assassin got close and is now a fugitive. Darkstar becomes a scapegoat. 

What seals this deal is that our only POV characters in Dorne are Arianne who is being sent away to the Stormlands, and Aero, whose POV was important to understand Doran’s plots, but is on his way to High Herritage with Obara Sand to deal with Darkstar. Whatever happens, there is a mystery to Darkstar and it is very important. 

Commander Attachment Rules. Boldness and Courage, and Martial Training. Wow. What a combination of free rules for a unit. No matter what unit Darkstar is in, they will be benefiting from these rules. The Royal Guard seems like a bad choice as you lose out on Martial Training with it doubling up. Combine these rules with Reckless Strikes, other keywords from Objectives or Nymeria, or even Dune Vipers, and you are creating the ultimate stacked unit. 

Tactics Cards. The Tactics Cards are a lie! Reckless Strikes, Coup Attempt, Lone Knight, this is a fabrication, a story told to manipulate the Lannisters. Darkstar is the most dangerous man in Dorne, he took a reckless strike at Myrcella that maimed her, but thankfully her life was spared due to Arys Oakheart taking the full blow. This coup attempt has been condemned by Dorne and has led to him being branded as a fugitive. He is now nothing but a lone knight that we will bring to justice. 

Fan theories aside, Darkstar did join Arianne and her party in the coup attempt of the crown, and when this went south, he took a reckless strike at Myrcella that resulted in him becoming a lone knight. But Darkstar even suggested alternative ways to cause a war in the coup attempt, it is not just Arianne’s plot that defines him. Lone Knight plays well into him being the odd one out, he doesn’t drink wine generally being the only one not drinking, he is frequently taking care of his sword instead of engaging with the group, or his anger drives him away from people such as his attitude towards his cousin. Reckless strikes are a great card for a combat character as it turns a unit into a combat beast but does bring risk, Doran wants to be perfectly ready, but Darkstar is ready to strike with the risk. 

Reckless Strikes. Featured on Obara (and I guess Daario too), this card is useful with some units. This card would be perfect for Starfall Knights, but it would be semi-pointless on Sunspear Dervishes or Starfall Outriders. For some reason, I have a feeling this card will be good on Darkstar and his Retinue. I am not expecting the unit to have Precision or Critical Blow, so matching it with Darkstars Attachment rules and this card should be brutal. 

Coup Attempt. Tactics Board control is something Martells excel in. Align this card with Water Gardens or Arys Oakheart NCU and you could see great value from the card. The least you will get from this card is to force the opponent to skip an activation without any benefit. It does focus on one unit which reduces the value of Gerold. 

Lone Knight. I don’t see this card coming into play that often since it is rare to be out of the way of every single unit. I am glad that it has the draw card effect so you can cycle it out easily. You could force this card to work, such as putting Darkstar in Sand Skirmishers and having them out of the way then Marching into range or triggering a hail mary Quick Fire. 

I think Gerold is very interesting with most of his power coming from his Attachment rules, and what many are predicting to be a great combination with the Retinue. I don’t see him beating Uller, Obara, or Daemon into a competitive player, however. 

Arianne Martell – Heiress of Dorne – NCU 

Arianne is a 5pts NCU. She is an incredibly powerful NCU with some very potent flexibility with her options. Switching off Attachments is a hard buff to come across, but the power of this depends on the match up she faces. Kevan Lannisters players will cry at her presence, and Khal Drogo falls flat to her power. However, outside of this is the ability to turn off quite a lot of Orders. I believe Arianne has a lot of potential to be a huge thorn in every player’s side, and she is amongst some of the best NCUs in the game within her faction. Martell NCUs are crazy. 

Arys Oakheart – Crown’s Ambassador – NCU 

Arys is a 4pts NCU. Arys is not a phenomenal politician or player in the Game of Thrones. But he can be manipulated into a crucial play for someone else playing the game. It’s like how Littlefinger describes people, some are pieces to the game, others are players. Arys is a piece, used by Arianne. In game his rules relay this, he does very little, but that one moment, that one play, can send ripples through the game. People are speaking of him in a way to boost the base deck preventing the opponent from taking the Swords to remove debuff cards. This is an annoying ploy to face for sure. As mentioned, he can be fantastic with Daemon Sand, as well as Doran or specific match ups that one a certain zone like Free Folk or Lannisters. Arys will be featured a lot in lists. 

Daemon Sand – Bastard of Godsgrae – Attachment 

Daemon is a 1pt Attachment. Unsuspecting Charge is a brand-new order to the game. It could prevent a final strike from Baratheons or Spread Fear from Boltons. It could stop Lannister Supremacy on various Lannister units or even Scout Openings from Targaryens, Starks, and other Martells. Shieldwall is another Order that would be affected by this ability, as well as Hidden Traps. There are a lot of popular and frequently played antics that this Attachment can disrupt which aligns with the Martells power. 

Gerold Dayne – Knight of High Hermitage – Attachment 

Gerold Dayne is a 1pt Attachment. Incite and Furious Charge doesn’t excite me. There isn’t much to capitalise on the Vicious keyword other than Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. Highest attack dice value can be useful but those that do care about rank are normally supplemented with a Spearlord negating that issue. Extra token in furious charge is not needed since Martells have tokens fallen out of their pockets.

Take Daario Attachment, that is incredibly useful and features a lot across many factions and lists. Whilst Reckless Strikes would be strong on an attachment in Martells, is Darkstar not worthy of boosting combat for Martells that also synergises with the rest of the faction? I think the best place for him is Dune Vipers, but it hardly boosts them. I think this attachment will be picked the least from the entire rules from the box. It is a shame for a character well anticipated. 

Edric Dayne – Lord of Starfall – Attachment 

Edric Dayen ignores attachment limits and is 1pt. He is a decent Attachment, and I see him most played alongside Commander Uller as his Dauntless rule aligns nicely with Uller’s Iron Resolve. The combos from it are healing from a +2-morale test which would counteract the damage from Supply Aid. Then, I see Uller in Martell Spearmen or Royal Guard, who would remain at a nice 7 dice in combat after losing a rank. You could probably achieve this with Supply Aid alone, however if someone does charge you with a missing rank and you have Edric in there, you can have a Set For Charge with rerolls due to True Conviction. Spearmen have set For Charge innately, but Uller brings it in the form of a card. With him in Royal Guard or Sand Skirmishes you can see a lot of value from Edric coming along for the ride also. 

Martells don’t have a lot of ways to heal in the game, so the addition of Dauntless can be very valuable. Edric is fantastic, it is just a shame Darkstar is not designed around Affiliation which has resulted in Dayne not having this either. 

Quentyn Martell – Prince of Dorne – Attachment 

Quentyn ignores Attachment limits and is 1pts. Outflank has had a recent improvement seeing the likes of Jarl for the Free Folk and the Ranger Vanguard being used more and more. There are other Outflankers that are still rarely considered such as Commander Davos and the Reaver Captain. Will Quentyn’s Outflank make a difference? 

I am going to wager that it won’t make much of a difference unless the new Darkstar Retinue is revealed.

Arys Oakheart – The White Knight – Attachment

Arys is a 1pts Attachment. Arys is the same as his Kingsguard Attachment in the Lannister Heroes 2 box. Protection of the Crown is a great ability that only features on a handful of characters; however I rarely see the Attachments utilised perhaps due to there being little points left to spare and if you are going to grab something there are other options. 

Arys would want to be in one of the 4+ armour units like Skirmishers and Dervishes, however I think he is best suited for the Dune Vipers since they already have some defensive abilities. 

Will Arys be used? Unlikely since his NCU is much better and has a lot of potential for denial on the Tactics Board which is far more rewarding than the Attachment. 

Final Thoughts 

Nothing released in this box was going to outshine Harmen Uller, and if it did, we would have a serious balance problem on our hands. What this box does succeed in, is providing the players with some creative choices that add a new flavour to Martells whilst also featuring some brand-new rules to the game does not feature on anything else. It adds some big names to the forces and some interesting competitive choices for the future. The models are fantastic and are always getting better with time. 

This is a great pick for Martell players, whether you are using them competitively or casually. I don’t remember the last Heroes box that has so many fun new characters and rules across the whole box.

And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!