ASOIAF Miniatures/Tactics/Baratheon

Back to the list

"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
• 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
• Average to poor morale across basic units
• You are the slowest army in the game
• Renly is a punk ass bitch

Playstyle

The basic units in the Baratheon army are not the most intimidating combat monsters on the table by any stretch, but what they lack in punch they more than make up for in plate mail. Baratheon units are well suited to mitigate losses in the attack phase with strong initial armor. Further, their tactics deck features a wealth of cards that activate only once a unit has been attacked, charged, or engaged. Where many armies struggle once they get bogged down in multi-turn melee battles, Baratheon units shine.

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. Wardens can also spend “Weakened” tokens as if they were a “Vulnerable” token. Situational, but not terrible. With an underwhelming attack profile and a sluggish 4” move, Wardens are a defensive unit through and through. Bring two.

• 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, Sentinels are an excellent first strike option, but with an average 4+ save and a poor morale at 7”, don’t expect them to survive many games to the end. Still, at 6 points they more than pay for themselves in many matches. A competitive choice that often shines with Commanders attached to them.

• Stag Knights (8 pts): Folks, they’re not good! This one hurts, as the Stag Knights are some of the coolest models in any army, but these ones really need to be re-examined by CMON. Built around a mechanic of gaining abilities when they lose ranks (your choice of “Sundering”, “Critical Blow”, or “Vicious” at each lost rank), Stag Knights are clearly meant to be a threat that either must be wiped quickly or left alone. Throwing 7 dice on attacks regardless of ranks is a nice idea, but just not scary enough with an 8 point cost, which is what sinks this unit. With a 4+ save, 4” move and a 6+ morale, dedicated offensive units/deathstars will mulch these guys. Their point cost is just way, way too steep. Avoid.

• Champions of the Stag (announced and previewed) (10 pts): Here come the biggest, beefiest boys. Riding in at a staggering 10 points, the Champions of the Stag are the heaviest cavalry in Westeros. With a 2+ armor save and a 5+ morale, good luck shifting this tray. These monsters are designed to get stuck in and finish off units in short order while shrugging off most attacks. Featuring “Critical Blow” and the Wardens ability to place “Weakened” tokens on enemy units who roll a 1 on their defense saves, the Champions all feature “Parry”, where attack rolls of a 1 against the Champions return a wound on the attacking unit. While incredibly slow and expensive, expect the Champions of the Stag to run roughshod over most other enemy deathstars.

Non-Combat Units

• Shyra Errol (3 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, but she’s a solid choice in game. A bargain at 3 pts, Shyra’s ability to place or remove tokens synchronizes well with both Stannis and Axell Florent’s cards, abilities, and in Axell’s case, influence.

• Alester Florent (4 pts): Before being sacrificed to the Lord of Light, Alester is another strong option available to both commanders. His twice per game ability to claim an already claimed zone on the Tactics Board is a nightmare for many armies, most notably Lannisters, as well as folks who like to rely on Walder Frey.

Attachments

• Master Warden (1 pt): An absolute steal at a single point, Master Wardens are what turn a strong defensive unit like Wardens into a nigh impenetrable bunker. Once per round, they may issue an order cancelling an attacking unit’s charge, flank, and/or rear bonuses. Paired with the Wardens 3+ save, your line troops are tougher than nails. Worth considering taking on just about any unit, Master Wardens are an auto-include.

• Stag Knight Noble (2 pts): The Stag Knight Noble is in a tough spot right now. Clearly designed to synergize with the “lose ranks, gain abilities” approach of the Stag Knights, the ability to take 2 wounds to attack again takes an already overcosted unit like Stag Knights up to 10 points. Absolutely not worth it. With the release of the Rose Knights and their ability to heal when attacking, the Noble becomes an interesting choice again, but outside of attaching him to those two units, leave him home.

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. With R’hllor Faithful, you receive flaming sword wielding zealots that can punish enemies with morale tests multiple times a round. With the upcoming R’hllor Lightbringers, the panic tests can spread from one unit to another. 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 a perfect attachment for Baratheon Sentinels, and a strong choice if you decide to run Stag Knights, as he provides them not only with “Critical Blow” but the ability to refuse any tokens on that unit. However, his Tactics Cards are decidedly the weakest amongst all the Stannis aligned commanders with most relying on specific tactics zone control to proc.

• 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, this version of Stannis is also best placed in a unit of Sentinels. Trading his “Critical Blow” for a refusal of morale penalties for the unit he’s in, the One True King version of Stannis shines more in his deck than in his attachment abilities. With cards dealing auto hits even before attacks and synergizing well with the “R’hllor” keyword, lean in with other “R’hllor” units if you want to run this version.

• Andrew Estermont - First of the King's Men: A solid commander with strong cards, Andrew Estermont is an ideal attachment for Stag Knights or Sentinels as he adds “Critical Blow” along with the “Meticulous Planning” order, allowing you the opportunity to search your deck for the right card. Where Andrew’s power really lies is his deck, however, as he features some of the strongest control cards available to Stannis players. “At Any Cost” and “Attrition Tactics” have the potential to swing turns if not whole rounds.

• 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. Attaching Davos to a unit improves their speed by 1” and allows them to ignore the penalties of “Dangerous”, “Hindering”, and “Rough” in terrain. Positioning Davos’ units with these abilities in mind can force enemy players into some tough decisions when it comes to positioning and charging. Further, Davos features a very strong deck with “For the True King” and the frankly bonkers potential of “Flea Bottom Tricks”, which allows a unit to make a free maneuver or march before taking their action. If those two cards combo with Davos attached to a unit of Sentinels, you can theoretically perform a 30” charge(!!!). Further, Davos’ “Parlay” card can seriously disrupt an enemy’s plan by shutting down a unit for a turn. The coolest guy in the books AND the show also rules in the game. Nice.

• Axell Florent - First of the Queen's Men: The only NCU Commander available to Stannis armies, Axell Florent features a strong deck designed entirely around the “R’hllor” keyword. His influence removes a condition token from a target unit, but the real effect is adding the “R’hllor” keyword for a round. “R’hllor’s Wrath” in his deck is particularly of note as it can add “Sundering” to an attack, but only after being engaged which can harm its effectiveness.

Units

• R'hllor Faithful (7 pts): Zealots wielding flaming swords sounds pretty cool right? The R’hllor Faithful are the first combat unit available only to Stannis players and, at first glance, seem a bit expensive at 7 pts. You’ll find no shortage of players claiming they’re not worth the cost, but those players are wrong and dumb because the Faithful are very, very scary. While their armor is a joke at 5+, they bring a strong attack profile hitting on a 3+, all but guaranteeing a wound or two which is all they need for their “Vicious” ability to kick in. When they’re struck back, they can spend a “faith token”, earned by passing morale tests, to force a panic test back on the attacker with a -1 for each rank the Faithful have left. Further, when they are destroyed, another faith token can be expended to give a R’hllor unit within long range a free charge at the attacker. As you can see, these guys are built entirely around forcing panic tests and passing morale tests, thankfully they’re sporting a 4+ morale, so that comes easy even with Cersei lurking about. So, are they worth it? If you’re building a dedicated “R’hllor” army or are looking to exploit an opposing enemy’s poor morale, these units are truly terrifying. Against armies with the ability to mitigate morale losses, notably Lannisters and Night’s Watch, they can struggle. If you do decide to bring them, bring two, then choose your commander and build your list around their strengths.

• R'hllor Lightbringers (announced and previewed) (6 pts): Good god, these guys. There’s a running bet on the ASOIAF discord about their previewed unit card and whether or not it will go unchanged before release because right now these archers are bananas, designed to fully exploit the strengths of R’hllor based army lists. Their bows fire at long range with a strong 8/7/4 profile and “Vicious” for good measure. Panic tests failed against their attack cause an additional wound and another enemy within short range must also take a panic test. While their armor is weak, their morale and mobility is above average for Baratheons. If they release as previewed, expect to see these guys in every list. Terrifying.

Non-Combat Units

• Axell Florent - Hand of the Queen (3 pts): The slayer of wolves, the bane of mountains, Axell Florent is uniquely suited to dealing with individual model units. His influence ability allows both players to deal two wounds to a unit in exchange for using up a condition token on them. Playing him early in a round in conjunction with the letters can set-up instakills on wolf models with ease. A steal at 3 points.

• Davos Seaworth - Hand of the True King (4 pts): Sadly, the NCU version of Davos is a big swing and a miss for his points. Twice per game he allows a unit to re-roll their charge dice which can be useful, but unless we see him dropped to 2 points, don’t expect him to hit the tactics board any time soon.

• Selyse & Shireen - Queen and Princess (4 pts): Stannis’ wife and child bring a much needed ability to the faction that tends to struggle against single model units like the Mountain That Rides or the Savage Giants. When influencing a unit, that unit gains the “R’hllor” keyword and allows that unit to, each time it attacks, take d3 wounds to deal d3 wounds to the attacker. Ideal if you’re trying to crack a tough model or tray but debatable as a strong choice as this is yet another tactic based around losing models and bodies tend to stack up fast when playing Stannis armies. Might be stronger at 3 pts.

• Melisandre - The Red Woman (5 pts): Weep, you filthy scoundrels, for the wrath of the Red Woman is terrible to behold. Melisandre is a terror. Essentially Cersei Lannister on steroids, Melisandre’s ability allows the player to sacrifice 1, 2, or 3 of their own models from a unit to force a panic test on an enemy unit at a minus to their roll equal to the models sacrificed. Further, if that panic test is failed, they lose additional models equal to the models sacrificed. This gives her the potential to cause 7(!!!) wounds with her ability every round. Units with 6 or worse morale must live in constant fear of her and avoid any negative modifiers or Panicked tokens at all costs. If you really want to go for broke, place her on the Crown and go for double panic tests. The safer option is to claim the Bag, nullifying your own losses while still opting for maximum damage potential on her test. At 5 points, she is expensive for an NCU...and worth every point.

Unit Attachments

• Andrew Estermont - True Loyalist (2 pts): As an attachment, Andrew is in a bit of a strange place as his “loyalty” ability is only available to a single unit, R’hllor Faithful, for the moment. His other ability, adding “Critical Blow” is better served in the units that have some added melee punch potential, like Sentinels or even Stag Knights. If you’ve got the points spare, “Critical Blow” isn’t a bad thing to add to a unit.

• Davos Seaworth - Onion Knight (2 pts): The attachment version of Davos is, like Andrew Estermont, in a strange place as well. Like his Commander version, this Davos offers something that the army struggles with: healing potential, but it’s very situational and hard to proc. Being able to add wounds to a unit near death can be good, but at the expense of wounds to another unit is a tough decision to justify, even at 2 points. Further Davos’ “loyalty” ability, like Andrew Estermont’s, is currently only active in R’hllor Faithful.

• Devan Seaworth - King’s Squire (2 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.

• Red Priestess (1 pt): Oh, you. Coming in the R’hllor Faithful unit box, the Red Priestess is an auto-include on your high morale units. When attacking, her unit may make a morale test. If they fail, the unit may take a wound to re-roll. If they pass, the enemy becomes vulnerable and panicked. Extremely strong and pairs well with the R’hllor Faithful looking to pass morale tests to gain Faith Tokens. Never leave home without her.

• Lord of Dragonstone (1 pt): Bizarrely, the attachment for the Champions of the Stag is a Stannis only option. The Lord allows your cavalry to make a free charge or maneuver when a friendly unit within Long Range is attacked. If you choose to charge, it must be the enemy that attacked the friendly unit. Helpful with the slow movement of the Champions, the only question is do you really want to spend even more points on the Champions?

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 +2 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 Renly shines is his cards as 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 offensive set of abilities and cards. Placing the Lord Paramount in a unit prevents it from being targets by tactics cards or influences. His cards, on the other hand, are geared around various combat effects. 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. Interesting, but not terribly 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 offensive 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. All three of his tactics cards contribute to an aggressive playstyle and one benefits from keeping close to Loras’ unit. Of all of the commanders available to Renly, Loras’ is the most straightforward...and arguably the strongest.

• Eldon Estermont: Lord of Greenstone A very interesting, if bizarre, set of cards and abilities sets Eldon apart from the other commanders. With a strong deck available to Baratheon players, Eldon’s ability to dump a card to place a condition token on an enemy in short range can be powerful but it requires Eldon to keep close to an enemy. Unfortunately, his “Battle Endurance” tactics card wants to keep you out of combat until at least turn 3. His “Hefty Ransom” is a fun card that will very, very rarely be worth it, but if you can pull it out for a last round victory, that’s a story to tell for months. Your weakest option, overall.

• Cortnay Penrose: Castellan of Storm’s End Bonkers. Mental. Insane. Bananas. Cortnay Penrose, pre-shadow murder, is a terror. As the sole NCU commander available to Renly players, Penrose fills out the three NCU builds popular across the factions nicely, but it only gets better from there. When activated, Penrose may influence an enemy unit. Whenever the influenced unit is targeted on the tactics board by either player, a friendly unit within long range may heal d3 wounds. Penrose should be played as soon as possible every round to maximize the healing potential and you can force your opponent to seriously reconsider their own moves on the tactics board with that amount of healing going off. His tactics cards are equally brutal. Not only does he feature more healing potential, he also has the chance to turn off enemy abilities when they attack, and he’s holding two “Counterplots” in the deck. If you like manipulation and control of the table through abilities, Penrose is a fantastic commander. Top tier.

Units

• Rose Knights (7pt): The first unit available exclusive to Renly players, the Rose Knights of House Tyrell are, quite possibly, the best combat unit in the game. With a 4” move and a 3+ save, Rose Knights hold to the slow and sturdy play style that defines both Baratheon commanders, but the Rose Knights feature robust abilities to keep themselves healed up and dealing regular additional wounds. Each time this unit attacks in melee or passes a moral test, they restore 1 wound. Every time the unit restores wounds, a unit its engaged with takes 1 wound. You can see where this is going. Rose Knights are a “death by a thousand cuts” style unit, capable of whittling down even the toughest units through their own healing.

Non-Combat Units

• Eldon Estermont - Venerable Knight (3 pts): Extremely strong at 3 points, this version of Eldon allows you to replace a tactics zone’s effect with the ability to draw three cards from the top of your deck, placing one on the bottom of the deck and keeping the other two. With some of the strongest commander tactics cards in the game, Eldon is an auto-include unless he’s your commander.

• Margaery Tyrell - Little Rose (4 pts): Not enough heals? Bring along the queen-to-be. Margaery synchronizes especially well with Rose Knights as her ability to heal whenever claiming a tactics board zone gives the Rose Knights’ ability to proc yet again. Also useful to scare up one final wound on a stubborn enemy tray. A bit steep, but works very well with the Renly playstyle.

• 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? Cersei? 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. Very expensive, very powerful, very annoying for opponents.

Attachment

• Cortnay Penrose - Reliable Castellan (2 pts): When attached, Penrose increases your hand size by 1. Simple and effective, but it’s really up to you. Do you find yourself often short on cards? Mixing this attachment with Eldon Estermont as an NCU can solve that problem. As Rose Knights can excel even without a dedicated attachment, that’s a good place for him to go if you have the points.

• Loras Tyrell - King’s Squire (2 pts): Attachment Loras provides “Precision”, allowing no saves on attack rolls of a 6. Unless you find yourself going up against a heavily armored opponent, this is a bit expensive. Still, if you have the points this makes Rose Knights even scarier.

• Brienne - The Blue (0 pts): Brienne in her Rainbow Guard (good luck painting the cape) attire serves as the bodyguard to King Renly Baratheon. Brienne is a free attachment for any unit not including Renly with a bodyguard ability that activates once Renly’s unit has been attached. The unit Brienne The Blue is attached to gets a free attack or charge against the attacker, and that unit rolls +2 dice. Absent Renly she has no place in a list, but placing both Renly and Brienne in two units of Rose Knights is a deadly combination. Keep her close and dare your opponent to charge.

Tactics Deck

• Baratheon Conviction: It’s...okay. Many cards that must be played at the beginning of the round tend to be stronger than cards that can be played during a turn, but Conviction has no latent abilities unless you control certain zones. A shrewd opponent will look to control the zones where those abilities proc. Like many cards of similar framing, this requires forethought on controlling the right zones on the tactics board at the right time to get the effects, but both can really buff up a unit’s survivability. Remember: this must be played at the start of a round, so pay attention!

• Counter Charge: Brutal and effective, this card is what keeps your opponents at bay which, paradoxically, is the last thing you want as a Baratheon player. Best used on offensive units like Sentinels, Rose Knights, or Faithful. Try to bait the charge with Wardens, negate their charge bonus with the Master Warden, then flank with this.

• Hold the Line!: A straight up damage buff, it does suffer from needing to be engaged before being played, but it does allow you to punch above your rank in prolonged fights. Solid.

• Last Stand: Nothing gets your opponent down like “Last Stand”. Once they finally manage to wipe one of your units, you get to swing back one last time with full ranks. The sort of thing “Counterplot” was born for.

• Ours is the Fury!: Another free attack once you’ve been attacked, although this one allows you to swing back at full rank strength if you hold the Crown tactics zone. Situational, but nothing to sneeze at.

• Stag's Resilience: Very powerful as it’s a rare healing option in the main tactics deck, so especially valuable to Stannis players. Requires control of the letters for full effect, but you should be going for the letters early in most rounds.

• Stag's Wit: Your worst card as it requires you to be engaged (like most of your cards). Being able to dump tokens is strong, but any player wouldn’t wait for you to already be engaged before spending tokens after a charge. Dump whenever possible.

Tactics

•Look to take the Letters from Turn 2 onward as many of your cards proc once you’re actually engaged.

•Control of the Crown is also vital as many of your units have average to poor morale. Shrewd opponents will use panic to get around your solid armor saves.

•Wardens are best placed on the flanks of your army where their Master Warden bonus can prevent the full effectiveness of charges from faster armies.

•You will be outmaneuvered by most armies, so choosing to hold a specific side of the board can help mitigate your slow speed. Layering your forces so that units charging put themselves in danger of countercharges is a sound strategy.

•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.

•Stag Knights are not good. They look very cool, but don’t do it. They’re too expensive for what they do. Hopefully this changes.