So having just got back from my first A Game of Thrones lcg tournament, I thought I’d do a quick blog post about my experience of the day. Generally, the atmosphere was great, the players all very friendly and the organisers we’re passionate, entertaining and resourceful. I was, needlessly, apprehensive about my inexperience in the game, but actually turned out to have a great time. Here’s a breakdown of my games and how I thought they went.
Melee 1: As a new player, this was essentially my first proper game (discounting a few confused jousts and one I’ll advised attempt to play all four hands in a Melee), this was tough. Just keeping track on who I was supporting/opposing was difficult enough without even thinking of a long term game plan. It didn’t help that two of the players on the table were playing a near identical Bara army deck that seemed to treat the discard pile as an extension of the hand. However, everyone on the table was very patient and helpful when I was confused. I even managed to luck into somehow finishing third!
Melee 2: Another game where I was out of my depth (a recurring theme), but I did my best against a triple duped Red Viper and managed to cripple a heavily direwolfed Sansa stark with that bastard attachment. Still, I finished the game in last place with a meagre four power tokens.
Joust 1 My Baratheon opponent made light work of my slow moving Lannister deck, beating me twice in about twenty minutes. Still I got a lot from this game, as my opponent was very helpful in explaining how and why I was getting beaten, without being condescending or patronising.
Joust 2 My least favourite game of the day. I was outmanoeuvred against a Greyjoy black sails deck, and for the first time my newness seemed to be a source of annoyance and a waste of time to my opponent. Which i probably was.
Joust 3: Easily the best game I played today. It was nice to be paired with someone, who I hope won’t be offended when I say, had a similar skill level to me. I think it helped that we were both playing fairly basic lannister decks, but we got through seven rounds and it really could have gone either way. Except it didn’t and I lost.
Still, I had a great time at the event, and joint second last will do for me. I learnt a lot about the game and will definitely be coming back for more in the future. Special thanks to everyone I played against, for being patient with me during games and making me feel welcome!
Just as a final note, if there are any aGoT players knocking about in Manchester, I’d love to get involved with a meta, or starting one, so get in touch!