ASOIAF Miniatures/Tactics/Baratheon

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"Robert was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends. And Renly, that one, he's copper, bright and shiny, pretty to look at but not worth all that much at the end of the day."

– Donal Noye, steward of the Night's Watch

Why Play Baratheon

"Ours is the Fury"

In the wake of the death of King Robert Baratheon, the king’s house quickly divides between Robert’s two brothers: the stoic, dedicated middle brother Stannis and the charismatic, handsome youngest brother Renly. As the sixth faction to join the roster of the A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures game, House Baratheon features a slow, heavily armored play style that thrives in multi-turn combats with cards that benefit from being stuck in.

As House Baratheon is divided between those loyal to Stannis and those to Renly, the Baratheon faction in game is similarly divided. The Baratheon core set features units that can be fielded by both commanders, but later releases feature units that have the “Loyalty” keyword, marking them as units available only to Stannis or Renly commanders. These include the fanatical R’hllor Faithful of the Lord of Light, sworn to Stannis, and the regal Rose Knights of Highgarden, sworn to Renly.

Pros

• Most units feature strong armor, especially Wardens
• Two armies for the price of one starter box: Stannis and Renly feature different playstyles
• In a game with high attrition, Baratheon units thrive as many of their basic tactics deck activate upon taking damage or being engaged
• Those helmets have antlers
• Those swords are on fire
• Stannis is the actual rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms

Cons

• Sundering is rare and hard to come by
• Two armies split from one faction, so you have less units to pick from at any point in time compared to other factions
• High damage potential is limited, can struggle against tough, single model units (Giants, Dragons, etc.)
• Less NCUs available on a whole by virtue of the fact that many of their units are only available to Stannis or Renly
• You are the slowest army in the game
• The zones you want to use during game don't often line up with those you want for card bonuses
• Renly has the worst claim to the throne out of every other choice.
• Stannis burns children

Playstyle

High defense, both on morale and armour. They struggle to get on objectives but are very hard to shift once they do. Their tactics deck features multiple cards to reflect condition tokens, hits, and panic tests yet subsequently relies a lot on being engaged to shine. Where many armies struggle once they get bogged down in multi-turn melee battles, Baratheon units shine.

Renly doubles down on their theme, giving healing and simple melee upgrades (duellist, precision, extra attacks).

Stannis trades survivability for damage, taking Panic tests to throw out tokens, do damage, and inherits a lot of Vicious.

Units and Attachments

Commander

Robert Baratheon got gored by a boar which is why we’re in this mess to begin with. The Baratheon faction has no commanders that can use units with the “Loyalty” keyword for both Stannis and Renly. However, there are a number of units without the “Loyalty” keyword, making them available to both.

Basic Units

The starter box features units available to both commanders.

• Baratheon Wardens (5 pts):

The basic, line troop of the Baratheon faction are the Wardens and are they ever a tough nut to crack. Sporting a 3+ armor and a solid 6+ morale, Wardens are top notch at grabbing and holding objectives and protecting flanks, just don’t expect them to wipe any units. One shining light: defensive save rolls of 1 against Wardens gives that unit a “Weakened” token, and each miss rolled when attacking them hits the attacker back with a hit. With an underwhelming attack profile and a sluggish 4” move, Wardens are a defensive unit through and through. Always bring one, as one of the best 5 point units they can sit and survive to score objectives.

• Baratheon Sentinels (6 pts):

The Baratheons' glass cannon unit, the Sentinels are running around the battlefield dual wielding warhammers. Featuring the rare Sundering ability in the army as well as added mobility in the form of the "Sentinel" Order, yet an average 4+ save and 6+ morale, Sentinels are an excellent first strike option a terrible first strike option but designed to be a powerful counterpunch. Getting a Sentinel charge is very rare, but being able to position an extra 5 inch is invaluable. Going first next turn? When the last attack hits your guys, use Sentinel to move towards those pesky archers, even if you've activated. Or move on an objective. Or position in a flank or rear. Don’t expect them to survive many games to the end. Still, at 6 points they more than pay for themselves in many matches if used carefully and in the absence of enemy Disrupt. A competitive choice that used to shine with Commanders attached to them, the new Commander scoring and Sentinel squishiness doesn't pair perfectly. Works wonders with Andrew Estemont to keep their attack dice high and give them Vicious, but what doesn't.

• Stag Knights (8 pts):

Reworked for the latest edition of the game, retaining their previous basic profile on attacks per rank, movement, save and morale (which is better now that the offensive power and morale of units in general has been toned down), they now gain abilities as the game progresses and get "Order: Resilience" to cut the enemies hits IN HALF, they are much more valuable now. Consider them as an anvil that powers up as turns go on; they'll eventually win the flank they're put on but are a lot weaker if attacked twice a turn (due to 4+ armour and Resilience being an order) so can fold quickly in the middle. Forget attachments, except maybe Commanders, and tie up whatever you want.

• Champions of the Stag (10 pts):

Here come the biggest, beefiest boys. Riding in at a 8 points, the Champions of the Stag are the heaviest cavalry in Westeros. With a 2+ armor save and a 6+ morale, good luck shifting this tray. These monsters are designed to get stuck in and shrug off most attacks, throwing out Weakened in case their armour wasn't already strong enough. They struggle to kill most average armour units unsupported with only Critical Blow, but their 3+ to hit works wonders with Ours is the Fury if you throw a Sundering or Vicious on there. Another anvil type unit, use their extra movement to get on further out objectives early before bunkering down. At speed 4, don't expect them to be flanking before clearing out their side of the board though.

Non-Combat Units

• Shyra Errol - Lady of Haystack Hall (4 pts): The Lady of Haystack Hall is a bizarre choice to include as a universal NCU as the character in the books, only briefly seen, is sworn to Renly only. A relatively poor choice as Baratheons get little from the Letters or Crown in later rounds and the Stannis/Renly exclusive NCUs have many replacement or influences which are stronger than her bonuses (not to mention not tied to a specific zone). With the new 4 point NCU standard, and no longer being able to place any token when taking bags anymore, she's not seen as much. Potentially viable in a Melisandre build where you want to mitigate the wound cost and take crown to double down on panic tests.

• Alester Florent - Lord of Brightwater (4 pts): Before being sacrificed to the Lord of Light, Alester is another strong option available to both commanders. His thrice per game ability to shove someone off an already claimed zone on the Tactics Board to take for himself is a nightmare for many armies, most notably Lannisters, as well as folks who like to rely on Walder Frey. Combined with Petyr you can guarantee that zone you want every single round, making Stormcrow Lieutenant / Hedge Knight forces ridiculously powerful in Baratheon.

Attachments

• Master Warden (1 pt): Makes a flank unit a lot harder to shift. Most Baratheon bunkers don't need him though, with Wardens and Champions being able to take a hit from the side relatively well. Allows you to wiggle your ass at the enemy to position better for supporting charges, but there's probably better choices for that (Sentinel for free pivots, taking the Horse) that either don't cost or allow other options.

• Stag Knight Noble (2 pts): The Stag Knight Noble is the epitome of the Non-loyalty Baratheon range, they give both resilience and the ability to bite back when you get hit, if you have 2 points laying around and a unit without an attachment, you'd probably not go wrong getting one of these guys. How often you have 2 points free is a different question, but if you have something that you know will get attacked it can be a fun middle finger to the attacker.

Loyalty: Stannis Baratheon

The rightful king.

The rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms leans heavily on the play style of sacrificing models to punish the enemy team, primarily via panic/morale. To that end, Stannis enjoys the patronage of R’hllor, the Lord of Light. You can expect to lose many of your trays by the end of the battle, but that’s what Stannis Commanders are designed to do, as their units and NCU’s abilities rely on sacrifice to pull off their strongest effects.

Commander

• Stannis Baratheon - The Rightful Heir: The version of Stannis included in the Baratheon Starter Box, the Rightful Heir is an all-rounder Commander with the ability to distribute Vulnerable tokens and also swap token types. He's got some great damage with Tactical Approach, allowing even Wardens to be very dangerous (and making him great in them as a cheap, defensive unit that scores +1 for having the Commander). Harsh Conditions is one of the few cards that can strip abilities, stopping abilities like Night's Watch crossbow shenanigans or Set For Charge hits. Finally, Will of the One True King turns a zone you often want to have but not use into one that synergises well with Stannis himself. Don't risk losing him by putting him in a weak unit, as his Orders are very strong and Commander scoring is very important.

• Stannis Baratheon - The One True King: The version of Stannis included in the Baratheon Heroes I box, this version has converted to the faith of the Lord of Light. Providing the “R’hllor” keyword to the unit he’s embedded in. Trading his condition token shenanigans for boosted morale for his unit, the One True King version of Stannis synergizes directly with his own cards, going all in on the R'hllor side of the army of sacrifice and panic test your own units for additional Oomph, he is decidedly more offensive than Rightful Heir and benefits a more balls to the wall purge the heretics approach to list building.

• Andrew Estermont - First of the King's Men: Andrew is a Commander with an offensive leaning, giving guaranteed charges, free attacks, and an ability similar to his attachment. The guaranteed 6 on charges is extra useful on the slower Baratheon units and can cause some hard to predict Sentinel charges. Unfortunately Reckless Fury is another "when making a Melee attack" trigger and, unlike Ours is the Fury, comes with a downside of taking a Panic Test making it outmatched in the Basic deck (OitF is also a card you can scry with King's Men). You always count as holding the Crown and Letters for tactics cards that target him, allowing Baratheon to relax on taking those zones and focus on other areas (for Bag-focused armies potentially, or low NCU armies).

• Davos Seaworth - Hero of Blackwater: Davos is an exciting and explosive commander for Stannis players as he can mitigate the army’s biggest weakness: its speed. Davos' unit can Outflank, allowing your Commander Warden unit to turn up practically on top of those mid-board objectives Turn 1. His cards feature Stannis' only real healing, as well a very strong card; Parley, allowing you to give up your activation to force an enemy to do the same (something going to kill your Wardens? Turn off their ability to attack. 8+ point unit of the enemy about to charge? Sentinel your Dragonstone Noble close and trade it's turn for your 4 point Solo tray). Flea Bottom Tricks, while nice for movement (acting as a pseudo Sentinel on any close units) doesn't work great with Davos if he's outflanking so the really strong Pivot+March is somewhat wasted.

• Axell Florent - First of the Queen's Men: Axell Florent has amazing attachment abilities, with Intimidating Presence stacking with Vicious if you can get it and Stalwart making anything Baratheon indestructible to Morale (4+ King's Men that never fail To The Last are a good combo). Use your ranged units to shoot into Axell's enemy, trigger the panic on Axell's unit, then throw back wounds with his Fiery Resolve (and an extra one if using the S&S NCU). Fiery Resolve also works with Melisandre, if you want to cause 3 wounds on top of the -2 +2 Panic test (which is -3 +3 due to Intimidating Presence) so you can see how wonderfully he combines with the rest of Stannis' options. He also has a guaranteed charge card, allowing the previously mentioned movement fun. R'hllor's Wrath, while a zone replace (which Stannis' card is good for) relies also on your units being both in Short Range and R'hllor to have full effect making it relatively bad if drawn in Turns 2 and 3. Turn 1 it can be used to convert Bags or Swords if they're not needed for a try-your-luck panic shot. Overall has the most synergy and doesn't even require a R'hllor army (but he gives it his unit anyway).

Units

• R'hllor Faithful (6 pts): What a diversive unit. The first that was available only to Stannis players and, at first glance, seem a bit expensive at 6 pts. Much like their point-brothers the Sentinels, getting the most out of them requires a lot more thought than most units. Far better than on release now R'hllor is an easily accessible keyword, they act as sacrificial bombs in melee. Get down to one rank and an enemy is taking 6 hits before attacking, which for some units can really hurt. They're probably the only remaining Baratheon unit that you might willingly want to lose wounds on, so consider Devan for rerolls and 11" guaranteed charge, Red Priestess for tokens, and Meli if you're using her. Just remember you need to have your R'hllor units already charged/in range before they die or you'll lose their biggest order. Pairs hilariously, albeit expensively, with the Stag Noble and S&S influence if you use Stannis OTK to trigger multiple panics on them and throw 2 wounds out for each pass. If you're facing Free Folk of Greyjoy these guys might be functionally invincible at 1 rank. Against NW, Lannister, or mirror matches they could just disappear.

• R'hllor Lightbringers (7 pts): Good god, these guys, designed to fully exploit the strengths of R’hllor based army lists their bows fire at long range with a strong 7/6/4 profile and “Vicious” for good measure. Panic tests failed against their attack cause another enemy within short range to also take a panic test at -2 (so Vicious). They also have 4+ armour which is unheard for ranged units (3+ if you get that One True King card off for some reason) allowing them to safely trade with non-Sundering units, making them a great Stormcrow counter if the Bags aren't yet claimed. Add Davos to them, please. You now have a back-line unit that heals your anvils and hammers, and as soon as they drop a rank they lose 1 dice to gain re-rolls which is a very valuable trade.

• Dragonstone Noble (4 pts): Included in Baratheon Attachments 1 box, the Dragonstone Noble is a stand-alone cavalry model adding some activation assistance and flank harassment with a 2+ armour and 3+ morale. A very controversial piece, he's used by some as a Solo counter, by others to tie up ranged units, to flank charge, to objective sit, etc. Yet people still disagree if he's worth it due to his low wounds dying surprisingly fast and unwounded profile not hitting that hard (and his speed doesn't get him into rears much). He has Sentinel, allowing similar options as discussed in the Sentinels (end of round movement towards archers, positioning into flank to lock units from retreating (if sandwiched) or from pivoting (if you're about to retreat)). If you want to play risky, take 2 wounds with Melisandre and hope he passes the panic to give him his full attack profile on demand. Consider using him in a Davos list, where he can move into Short easily to trigger Parlay, trading your 4 point activation for a 7+ one of your opponent (remember that as of 1.7 you don't get the cavalry move prior to Parley though). Also has the new Solo Rider free action, meaning you can retreat for free! If you're in combat move from Front to Flank, or Flank to Rear, each turn to hit harder.

• King's Men (7 pts): Stannis' personal agents within his army, they have an average profile when it comes to movement, morale and armour, but their offense is solid with +3 to hit and sundering standard and they feature some unique orders. One allows you to fish OitF out your deck or discard, your strongest card, so long as they're attacked (not always easy). The other allows them to survive death if they pass a panic, not great alone with the various minuses around, but with someone like Axell can be very strong. Unfortunately they're quite squishy, have a bad last rank attack (so surviving with one wound isn't super amazing), and are quite expensive. If not using Axell or another source of Stalwart, try Andrew Estemont for Sundering Vicious with full rank attack (so if you do survive, you're guaranteed rerolls as well).

• R'hllor's Queen's Men (7 pts): The defensive stats of Wardens for 2 points more. They can pull out one of two cards from your deck or discard if a R'hollr unit is attacked, unfortunately those aren't your best cards (but you can pull them out then immediately use them). At 6 points they could be a decent trade for Wardens, but for 7 it's a big ask unless you're all in on R'hllor with your army, and if you are you're better giving that keyword with Stannis/Axell/S&S/Meli than buying it raw on these guys.

Non-Combat Units

• Axell Florent - Hand of the Queen (4 pts): A control guy, his influence ability slaps an enemy unit with +1 wounds on panic tests and "Can't be targeted by friendly Tactics Cards" depending on whether you hold the Crown and/or Letters respectively. He's decent in a control orientated list, but his zone requirements ask a lot unless you've got replace cards, which rely on different NCUs claiming (meaning he might miss the point in the game when you want him active).

• Davos Seaworth - Hand of the True King (4 pts): The NCU version of Davos is quite versatile, 3 times per game he can give rerolls to charges (After rolling the dice, sweet) or giving an enemy "Cant use Orders or be targeted by friendly Tactics cards", so he allows you to more reliably get stuck in on your own terms and/or nerf a unit so you can fuck them up without tactics cards intervening. A solid choice to give two different strong abilities.

• Selyse & Shireen - Queen and Princess (5 pts): Stannis’ wife and child bring some more resilience to the table, by having their influence ability give +1 to morale and dealing a wound to enemies when the unit passes a morale test (not just panic tests, which means this can proc a bunch of times). Put it on Axell's unit and shoot into it to cause wounds everywhere as Axell passes everything. Also has the ability to destroy this NCU to prevent a combat unit from getting wiped, leaving it with d3 wounds a making it R'hllor. The latter can win games, but is very hard to know when to play. Sometimes using it on your 4 point Dragonstone Noble will be worth it if it keeps a unit locked up and stopped from scoring. In general keep her alive until turn 4 so you don't lose that guaranteed activation.

• Melisandre - The Red Woman (6 pts): Weep, you filthy scoundrels, for the wrath of the Red Woman is terrible to behold. Melisandre is a terror, both for you and your enemy. Gives a unit both the R'hollor Keyword and Vicious for their melee attacks, the interesting part is you may have the unit take 2 wounds and a panic test, you then get to pick an enemy and have them take a panic test on -2 morale and +2 wounds. Have a Dragonstone Noble take the wounds and panic test (with +3 morale hes set to pass) on the turn you want him to charge something and have him THRASH the poor sod who has to face 4-7 hits with both sundering and vicious, noble's wrath indeed.

Unit Attachments

• Andrew Estermont - True Loyalist (1 pts): With "Incite" order and True Conviction he will keep a unit fighting at top efficiency to their final moments. As the First of the King's men he obviously pair very well with them, but re-rolls, Vicious, and full rank attacks make anything good. Can mitigate Sentinel's 4+ to hit.

• Davos Seaworth - Onion Knight (1 pts): Like his Commander version, this Davos offers something that the army struggles with: healing potential. With the addition of granting low-rank re-rolls, he makes ranged units a beat (see Lightbringer entry) but can also just sit in a back-line Wardens unit throwing out wounds. Don't forget he can suffer 0 wounds to heal 1, giving him up to 6 free wounds on top of whatever you sacrifice.

• Devan Seaworth - King’s Squire (1 pts): Davos’ senior surviving son is designed to help a unit alleviate some of the army’s movement problems with his order of “Reckless Heroism”. After declaring a charge, that unit can take d3 wounds to automatically assume a roll of a 6. In an army that is already self-sacrifice heavy, this can be costly but if you’re finding yourself up against an opponent who excels at cat and mouse tactics, Devan can come in handy. Not advised in an Axell/Andrew list as they already have guaranteed charges, nor if you're using Davos NCU as his order is probably better.

• Red Priestess (1 pt): Oh, you. Coming in the R’hllor Faithful unit box, the Red Priestess is was an auto-include on your high morale units though now costs more to activate. When attacking, her unit may take a wound and a *panic* test, the enemy becomes vulnerable and panicked. Unlike War Cry (which doesn't cause wounds either directly or through panic), it triggers even if you fail, but losing 4 models can be game-changing. Consider her with Axell commander to throw 3 wounds at an enemy if you're in a R'hllor unit, or on Bastard Girls as they can trigger her twice (ranged and melee), not that the Girls really need her now their ranged attack causes Vulnerable.

• Dragonstone Noble(1 pt): Sentinel. Give Hedge Knights counter charge? Definitely. Give Zhorse riders even more speed to hit flanks? Sure. Give Champions more speed? Probably not, but for 1 point it's a thought. Allows Neutral cavalry to really shine, even before you consider getting the counter charge off (which mobile cav have a better chance of).

Loyalty: Renly Baratheon

Commander

Fancy lad.

• Renly Baratheon - The Charismatic Heir: The Baratheon Starter Box version of Renly is a very strong offensive/buff commander. Renly himself lends his unit +1 attack dice at full ranks or being treated as one higher rank in terms of attack dice than your actual ranks. Further, units within Short Range of Renly’s unit get a +1 to morale, very strong for Baratheon units. Where Charismatic Heir really shines, however, is his set of tactics cards. Each features a way to heal wounds for both his and other units, sometimes simultaneously. With the release of Rose Knights, bunkering Renly in their unit is all but guaranteed to make your opponent tear their hair out trying to wipe the tray. This is particularly vital as this version of Renly’s cards, unlike many other commanders, requires him to be alive to get their full effect. Very strong choice.

• Renly Baratheon - Lord Paramount of the Stormlands: The version of Renly included in the Baratheon Heroes II box forgoes the healing and buffing role for a more defensive/control set of abilities and cards. Placing the Lord Paramount in a unit prevents it from being targets by tactics cards, orders and influences. His cards, on the other hand, are geared around a counter-offensive focused playstyle. Like the basic tactics deck, these abilities tend to require a triggering action by the enemy to come into effect. This can make it much harder to pull off some of the tricks these cards afford, though they are strong. You should usually bring the free Brienne attachment when playing Renly in general, but for this version she should be an auto-include.

• Loras Tyrell - The Knight of Flowers: The knight beloved by the smallfolk is a monster. Loras is a full on defensive choice with strong healing options and some additional punch in combat. Loras’ unit benefits from either dealing an additional wound every attack or, on a 3+ roll, killing the enemy unit’s attachment and getting a wound back each time they pass a morale test. All three of his tactics cards contribute to an defensive playstyle with two getting extra benefits from keeping close to Loras’ unit. Of all of the commanders available to Renly, Loras is the most straightforward, you can be aggressive or defensive with him and he'll allow you to weather the storm each time.

• Eldon Estermont: Lord of Greenstone A very interesting, set of cards and abilities sets Eldon apart from the other commanders. With a strong defensive profile to Baratheon players Eldon’s ability to dump a Vulnerable token at long range can patch up your lackluster offensive power, and with Hardened whatever unit he gets into will be incredibly hard to shift. Unfortunately, his “Battle Endurance” tactics card wont do anything until at least turn 3 but since it attaches you can just put it on something aerly on and get the draws for next turn. His “Hefty Ransom” is a fun card that will very, very rarely be worth it, but if you can pull it off early on (Loras, Vargo, whether your or your opponent's) it can change the whole match. Considered the strongest version of this character and a very solid commander.

• Cortnay Penrose: Castellan of Storm’s End Bonkers. Mental. Insane. Bananas. Cortnay Penrose, pre-shadow murder, is a doozy. Without any combat buffs you want him far from the fight, Issue Commands means he can pass off his activation to let other units use it and with Orders of the cronw he won't need it to reposition out of danger, getting cards out of the discard pile also nets you greater tactical flexibility and finally Counterplot the quintessential control tactics card cements him as a backfield commander, either Stormcrow Archers if you want him actively contributing when not passing activations or Wardens and the upcoming Pikemen to get more out of said activations.

Units

• Rose Knights (7pt): 4” move and a 3+ save, Rose Knights have the same issue as Queen's Men; Warden stats without 2pts of improvements. Now more expensive and lacking native Dauntless they're a slow unit, albeit do have some Renly synergy. Unlike Queens Men though Renly's decks don't have as much access to attack buffs (Sundering, Vicious, CB) so it's harder to take advantage of the 3+ attack value. Consider as a Commander bunker for Loras or Renly if you're keen, they will hold the line and chip away at the enemy while theyre at it. Eldon makes them a serious threat with battle endurance, also Loras Attachement makes them something to worry about albeit at 9pts.

• Thorn Watch (6pt): Oh no, no range to melee synergy (retreat and shoot, or vice versa), 4+ in melee, terrible defence so their heal ability isn't that valuable. A very badly balanced unit that is generally agreed to be useless, they need serious support to be actually good and you can get more out of other units without having to jump through hoops for it.

• Highgarden Pikemen (Leaked)(5pt): Pike basic infantry, not too much to say about their basic profile since they are 5 points after all, but their improved charges (potential 10 hits before buffs) and little regen lets them fill a more offensive oriented role that Wardens don't. Master Wardens make them excellent line grinders while Brienne Maid of Tarth can make them effective hunters. Personally a much more interesting choice than Wardens for basic infantry but they maybe need one better point of morale to really compete at the role.

Non-Combat Units

• Eldon Estermont - Venerable Knight (4 pts): Eldon allows you to replace a tactics zone’s effect with the ability to draw three cards from the top of your deck, shuffling one back from your hand (aka, not necesarily one you just drew). Very good and flexible, but a zone replace so not always what you want besides the fact that his commander version is stronger.

• Margaery Tyrell - Little Rose (4 pts): Not enough heals? Bring along the queen-to-be. Margaery synchronizes well with Rose Knights as her ability to heal whenever claiming a tactics board zone lets the Rose Knights’ ability proc. Considering you may not suffer wounds until Turn 3, and most games end at or before Turn 5, the value of her ability is probably only around 3 wounds (and 1 vulnerable) so is outmatched massively by Tycho's on-demand heals. She also needs to claim a zone rather than having tokens or effects that can activate at any time.

• Olenna Tyrell - Queen of Thorns (5 pts): The matriarch of House Tyrell is tired of your bullshit. Dealing with nonsense from Walder Frey? Mance Rayder? Melisandre? Whatever NCU is vexing you gets to take a seat with Olenna in play as her ability shuts down an NCU’s ability when she claims a tactics zone. Make sure you play her early enough to not get shut out as she is five points. Expensive, powerful, annoying. Her secondary effect can be good to get early tokens down and poke at those 5+ armour enemies if there's no scary NCUs.

• Cortnay Penrose (4 pts): His old Commander form, now as an NCU. Token play (always the best form of NCU) to give very good healing if NCUs take a zone you specify. Make invincible Champion's of the Stag lists, annoying Rose Knight lists, or generally just revive something from the brink of death. Flexible and highly advised as basically a better Tycho.

Attachment

• Loras Tyrell - King’s Squire (2 pts): 2pt attachements are hard to justify in general. Loras brings Duellist and Precision, giving you a way to break through strong armour, debatably pairing best with Vicious (Bolton Blackguard maybe). Suffers mainly from having few units with multiple attacks at the 6pt bracket where you'd normally put a 2pt attachment. Consider in Renly Paramount Commander so if he dies you can reuse his expensive ass.

• Cortnay Penrose - Reliable Castellan (2 pts): Extra shifts for your slow army are very good, especially at 3" as that's more than Swift Advance. Replacing the Crown, a zone you dislike, with more movement is also good. Unfortunately both these abilities become far less useful when units get in combat as they don't allow retreats. Potentially worth the points, depending on Renly's upcoming units and Thorn Watch changes. Otherwise can probably pull off some fun with Dervishes, Bastard Girls, and Zhorse Riders (preventing the pivot means they could retreat from a front charge then be in the rear when they activate). An attachment that buffs other units, and thus stacks that the units attachments, can be very valuable but his NCU version can have more overall value and cements you more on the healing defensive playstyle.

• Brienne - The Blue (1 pts): Brienne in her Rainbow Guard (good luck painting the cape) attire serves as the bodyguard to King Renly Baratheon. Free actions, and not an order! Position right and if your beloved Renly is attacked you can repeatedly bash the assailant. Consider in Neutrals such as Stormcrow Archers, as not many Baratheon units really take full advantage of her (Sentinels already have counter charge, Stag Knights should be taking charges not waiting to punish, etc).

• Thorn Guard Sentinel (1 pts) Dauntless and Pathfinder. The former is nice to have on your high morale units, although you don't have any ways to manually trigger tests unlike Stannis. The latter can be game-changing, allowing you to lay terrain aggressively and your alpha strike unit to ignore it. As Thorn Watch can't afford to be any more expensive, probably better attached to Sentinels or Bastard Girls. They can be added to Rose Knights/Wardens for that extra wound potential and to prevent a bog making your march into a horrific 7" but it may be better to just deploy that unit better in regard to terrain. A solid attachment that doesn't necessarily shine in non-Neutral units but is all round useful.

• Pikeman Captain (1 pts) Boldness and Courage is essentially the Renly version of True Conviction. While you don't need less ranks, it isn't as powerful (normally only adding 1 dice unless you're at 1 rank) and all the True Conviction units have a secondary ability. Also has a lot of overlap with two Baratheon tactics cards where his +1 attack die doesn't trigger. This unit at least isn't unique, so you could take lots of them, and they also pair better on the charge or when you're fully healed. Makes Pikemen into a strong 8/7/7 (as of leaked Renly Pikemen stats). Can make Bastard Girls into a horrific 7+5 attacks which is enough to one shot 5+ and maybe 4+ units with a failed panic, so long as you can keep them on full ranks (shouldn't be hard with their 6 speed).

Tactics Deck

• Baratheon Conviction: With strong morale faction wide this card won't stay on your hand too long once you clash with your enemy, getting a bit of healing, potential panic damage and token generation out of a passed morale test is great, use it first chance you get, but don't be scared to throw it if you don't think its gonna get used for the turn.

• Sustained Assault: Keeps your units effective when beating back something. Best used on offensive units like Sentinels, Rose Knights, or Faithful. Sadly it's rare to get both effects off, but once again we see Boldness and Courage overlap (doesn't allow the +1 hit sadly). Useful, but not a stellar card.

• Oath of Duty: A Buff that comes up when you lose a unit, but you can just play this card at the start of any turn so just use it as soon as you can, put it on something you expect to take lots of panic tests or intends to get mixed up the grinder Baratheons are so fond of. Can have a surprising effect, especially combined with Stannis' Tactical Approach, or Iron Resolve making you almost immune to panic, a solid card.

• Final Strike: On weaker opponents this is brutal, whenever a cheap enemy unit gets lucky you just pop this and make him suffer the consequences. If your Neutrals/R'hllor/whatever take a lot of wounds throw some back, no reason not to use it first chance you get either.

• Ours is the Fury!: Best card in the deck, so much that King's Men's main ability is to fish it. Giving 3 of the best, and hardest to get for Baratheon, melee abilities. Good even without board control, amazing with it.

• Baratheon Justice: Stannis Righful Heir players love this card. Requires control of the letters for full effect, but you should be going for the letters early in most rounds. Use it first chance you get to saddle your opponent with EVERY token available for daring to attack your units (remember this works on melee and ranged attack actions).

• Stag's Wit: Bounce those tokens back at the enemy, in an edition with so many tokens being able to use you enemy's own token generation and making it work in your favor is great since it keep you units at peak efficiency and makes your enemies abilities work for you. Turn 1 use them to stop Letter tokens as they're not worth saving however.

Tactics

•Build your army with a view on the Tactics Board. Want to ignore it, use Andrew C or a general commander. Want to bonuses, look for zone replacements like Eldon and Petyr. Want to dominate it, use Alester Florent and Petyr (again, but it's hard not to include that NCU in a list). Keep in mind that mid-game you want bags, horse, and swords and all your bonuses come from letters and crown.

•Trust your defence. You have above average armour and morale across the board, and your anvils can take a few hits without too much sweat.

•You will be outmaneuvered by most armies, so choosing to hold a specific side of the board can help mitigate your slow speed. Use Sentinel to reposition, even changing flanks, as it's unexpected for your faction and can throw the opponent completely off.

•R’hllor lists thrive in situations where enemies suffer from morale penalties, so look to place Corpse Piles during set-up. Renly lists, on the other hand, often enjoy additional bonuses from their tactics cards when they pass morale tests, so look to place Weirwood Trees. Palisades can be helpful to slow the advance of a cavalry heavy enemy, but don't count on it doing a lot of work.

•Prioritise the horse early on. You want to be first on objectives, as you're hard to shift off. Wardens and Rose Knights especially, with their great defense and speed 4.

Army Building

Two anvils and two hammers is a base that many factions use. As Baratheon, you have some very powerful anvils and taking less than two normally means a bit of a meme list. Almost always start with a Warden unit, especially for any commander which can add a bit of damage or support. The only exception would be commanders which give survivability, which can afford to go in 'squishy' (see, 4+ armour) units. If they don't have a commander, make sure your Wardens can contribute some other way such as wounds for Meli or heals via Davos. They're not fast enough to claim objectives and they won't kill anything so having a backup function besides contesting is important.

Your other anvil can be more Wardens if you want it cheap, Stag Knights if you want to win their engagement but can make sure they only fight one-on-one, Champions if you want to grab the centre objective, or Rose Knights if you're just looking for something more elite.

In regards to hammers, there's normally two types. The straight forward "deploy against what you want to kill" (slow move), and the more flexible "choose your engagements" (fast move). Sentinel allows more of your units to fit into the latter, though your tactics deck can reward the former if you pass morale. Try them all, but in particular look at the fast Neutral units as they bring a lot to Baratheon and often synergise with panic lists (Bastard Girls and Sentinel cavalry especially).

Moneybags List

Petyr and Florent guarantee you a zone of your choice every round, making bags lists very strong. Petyr's once per game can trigger before your opponent takes first go, preventing tempo plays. Hedge Knights and Stormcrow Lieutenants both become very cost efficient, the latter bringing that rare Sundering to your faction. Take 3 units at least that use the zone, forget about Crown/Letters if you're not holding cards which you know you'll play which need them, and add in those cheap cheap Warden anvils.

Panic Pass Wounds

Stannis has some ridiculous synergy in his deck. Many pieces are rewarded from passing panic (faith tokens, S&S, Stag Nobles), and you have many ways to trigger panic (OTK cards, Meli, Red Priestess). Picture this, Axell is in combat with an enemy unit, giving his unit a 4+ morale. Meli targets him for her influence, and you play Fiery Resolve and pass. The opponent takes 3 wounds, a panic test at -3 +3, and then you resolve the tactics board. This is an extreme example, but Axell NCU and your many sources of Vicious allow variations of these combos across the board. And the units causing this don't even need to be offensive, they just needed to pass panic.

Multi-Warden Drifting

Somewhere between a joke list and a serious one, but an evolution of the only viable option Baratheon had back during their release. Flood the board with 3+ Wardens to play the objective game. Davos commander allows you to outflank one, alternatively Davos attachment allows you to use a backline unit (Wardens or Stormcrows) to heal up your beefy boys. Consider auto 6 charge role options (Commanders or Devan) to give bursts of speed to your units, and always take Tycho.

Champions Immovable

2 Champions of the Stag. Move as fast as possible on the middle objectives. Renly version has extra healing and uses Penrose to shutdown enemy offensive cards and fish for Ours is the Fury (which you'll need), or can take Loras in Rose Knights to have 3 immovable anvils with some bite. Stannis version uses Davos commander to just deny enemy activations, and has access to Lightbringer and Noble support. The issue is that Cavalry are two ranks, so you'll need to strip a rank off the opponent. Since you'll be moving on the objective early that can be hard as you might not have the charge, and Renly especially struggles with finding supplementary units which can shift the enemy anvils most likely to bog your Champions down.