War of the North, the first big ASOIAF: TMG event, took place in Hamburg on February 10th-11th and was hosted by Hits and Crits. We sat down with Chris and Dennis from the Hits and Crits Team and discussed their first big event, as well as the top lists and the impact Season 4 has had on the event space.
Audience Perception
From the reactions of the attendees on the Hits and Crits discord, the event was well received by the players. It is incredibly hard to run any event, let alone one of this scale that gives so much to the community that takes their time to be a part of this occasion.
Dennis – Between the end of the first day and the beginning of the second, we already had some people saying that the event was great, and the atmosphere was nice and welcoming. This was partly our doing but equally the players’ doing; we pointed the way with always trying to make a friendly atmosphere. It was exactly what we were aiming for. We did have some people ask, “Why five games?” and this was to not scare new players who can feel overwhelmed. We are doing a lot of this for them as we need local players to help with events — some can’t commit for two days, as an example — but we did get a few beginners attending.
Chris – A relaxed event. Five rounds, an inviting place to go, with no interest in being the biggest competitive event; we just wanted to build it in a way to be a helping hand into the hobby and the average ELO shows this with the good players and new players coming along to be a part of the day. As soon as you push too far into a competitive sector, you push people away. There is a side to the community that does not desire a competitive event but wants something chilled out. We had people saying, “I would bring my family to your event,” as an example of its friendliness. The biggest praise we got was for the announcement trailer on stage with the lights and music, an entertaining weekend. We are a close family and this feeling told through the feedback is what we are building.
Here is the video showing the trailer for the event.
Organisers’ Reactions
Chris – I was overwhelmed with how much positive feedback there was. People would come up to me about 4-5 times saying, “We are building something special,” or, “This has blown my mind.” At this point, I was confident we were building something good with just how often people came up to us saying, “This is the shit!” or how, “It has become a new bar in Germany.” One of the best moments from the event that gave me chills was when we were crowning Larks the winner as King in the North; everyone started screaming like crazy “KING IN THE NORTH!” It gave us goosebumps with how out of the blue it was.
Dennis – The main things we set out for worked so well, beyond what we imagined. When we do an event like that, we aren’t shy; we had huge prize support and a huge huge trailer. There was so much boasting going on, and the atmosphere really fit the brand.
Chris – When building this brand, I was lying next to the pool thinking, “What should be the name what should it look like?” and my wife next me says “You know when you build your own brand, don’t make it gothic or dark; make it fresh, make it hit, make it pop.” The whole brand influence came to me there and was set in stone; it needs to be more relaxed or cooler than what is around.
Dennis – The best moment for me was the trailer; seeing everyone’s reaction to it was special. The whole weekend was stressful, which is to be expected for organisers; there were technical difficulties trying to get it to work, but we adapted and it worked out. Everyone was really hyped, with enthusiastic clapping and a feeling of getting ready for war, and this build up went straight into going to your tables; it was a special moment for the event.
Top 5 Breakdown
5th Place – Free Folk (Styr and Mance) – OlTTK Olivier (IkbeneenBearghh)
List 1
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Styr – Magnar Of Thenn
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 10
Combat Units
- Followers of Bone ( 5 )
Styr – Magnar Of Thenn ( 0 )
- Spearwives ( 5 )
- Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Borroq – Boar Skinchanger ( 2 )
- Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Skinchanger ( 1 )
- Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Skinchanger ( 1 )
- Frozen Shore Chariots ( 5 )
- Borroq’s Boar ( 0 )
Non Combat Units
- Lady Val ( 4 )
- Jon Snow ( 4 )
- Ygritte ( 4 )
List 2
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Mance Rayder – King Beyond the Wall
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 9
Combat Units
- Free Folk Trappers ( 4 )
Mance Rayder – King Beyond the Wall ( 0 )
- Varamyr Sixskins – Master Skinchanger ( 3 )
- Giant Spear Thrower ( 7 )
- Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Walrus Clan Chieftain ( 2 )
- Frozen Shore Hunters ( 5 )
Skinchanger ( 1 )
- Wolf Pack ( 3 )
Non Combat Units
- Craster ( 4 )
- Lady Val ( 4 )
- Ygritte ( 4 )
Olivier won all his games except for his fourth, which was A Feast for Crows against Larks’ Free Folk. It was a Styr-off that ended with a tie on victory points, but with nothing of Larks’ side destroyed he took the win. I am sure this was a close game, especially if it came down to a tie, and I wonder if there are ways to improve each list further.
Most Free Folk lists vying for the top spot in the Faction are based around chipping damage. Olivier taps into panic damage and healing with the Followers of Bone and the Skinchangers. Skinchangers are big deal now that they are 1pt or free inside Raiders; I do believe this was an oversight by CMON as they nerfed Mance due to him patching up the Free Folk’s poor Morale. Now Stalwart is everywhere and is quite good, but if you look at it in detail, the Skinchanger summons the Bear for multiple attacks for multiple panics. The chip damage is the most important part here.
The difference between Olivier and Larks’s lists is small but noticeable. Olivier brings Borroq’s Boar, which is very good but can cause issues with Activations when used against another Free Folk player. Frozen Shore Chariots are threatening due to their mobility, but they are a finisher unit and not good on the initial damage. Most important, though, is no Thenn Warriors. Their Hold the Line Order is quite strong and plays into the chip damage, and their Taunt is very powerful and can cause a lot of issues for the opponent as you don’t want to face the most defensible Unit in the Free Folk roster or gain those tokens.
There are some elements to the Free Folk that are over the top such as Skinchangers; small changes here and there would make them a little less obnoxious to play against, but at least the Activation problem has sort of been solved. Now it is death by a thousand cuts with a lot of control in positioning and the board coming into play.
4th Place – Baratheons (Roose and Stannis 1) – Günter Oelfke (Champ)
List 1
Faction: Baratheon
Commander: Roose Bolton – The Leech Lord
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- R’hllor Faithful ( 6 )
Roose Bolton – The Leech Lord ( 0 )
- R’hllor Faithful ( 6 )
Ramsay Snow – Sadist ( 2 )
Theon Greyjoy – Reek ( 0 )
- R’hllor Lightbringers ( 6 )
Davos Seaworth – Onion Knight ( 1 )
- Baratheon Wardens ( 5 )
Master Warden ( 1 )
Non Combat Units
- Melisandre ( 5 )
- Axell Florent ( 4 )
- Jaqen H’ghar ( 4 )
List 2
Faction: Baratheon
Commander: Stannis Baratheon – The Rightful Heir
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- Stag Knights ( 7 )
Stannis Baratheon – The Rightful Heir ( 0 )
- Stag Knights ( 7 )
Master Warden ( 1 )
- Baratheon Wardens ( 5 )
Davos Seaworth – Onion Knight ( 1 )
- Baratheon Wardens ( 5 )
Justin Massey – Cunning Follower ( 2 )
Non Combat Units
- Shyra Errol ( 4 )
- Lord Varys ( 4 )
- Axell Florent ( 4 )
Günter won all of his games except for his last, which was A Clash of Kings against Larks’s Free Folk. It was a crushing win for Larks; however, the total points destroyed were very close. I assume this might have been one of those moments in Clash of Kings where a player was able to gain a massive number of points off one unit that had gained a lot of silver and then was taken out by the Commander.
On Season 4’s release I was very critical of the Baratheon Faction, believing that the changes were lackluster and did very little for the Stormlanders. But over time I have come to change my mind on this, having seen some interesting changes for the Stannis side of the roster. Axell Florent, for example, is one of these which I thought was worse than Shyra, but after seeing him in play he is a no-brainer especially in the Mel/Jaqen trio. The Mel bomb is still very good in the game and at feeding faith tokens, and Jaqen can either increase the damage or increase the tokens from Axell, whichever is needed to improve the Morale damage list that Günter designed.
Günter never used his second list, but it would have been a tough force to fight against, with strong units sporting Resilience or high defensive stats — and they don’t trade this strength for damage output as the Stag Knights can throw out a lot of damage at the same time. We will talk more about Baratheons later with some interesting lists that explore more of the roster.
3rd Place – Starks (Greatjon and Maege) – Hans H (z3us1911)
List 1
Faction: Stark
Commander: Greatjon Umber – Lord of Last Hearth
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 9
Combat Units
- House Karstark Loyalists ( 5 )
Greatjon Umber – Lord of Last Hearth ( 0 )
- Stormcrow Mercenaries ( 5 )
Rickon Stark – Prince of Winterfell ( 1 )
Osha – Spearwife Guardian ( 0 )
- Shaggydog ( 3 )
- Crannogman Trackers ( 5 )
- House Karstark Spearmen ( 5 )
- House Karstark Spearmen ( 5 )
Non Combat Units
- Arya Stark ( 4 )
- Sansa Stark ( 4 )
- Catelyn Stark ( 4 )
List 2
Faction: Stark
Commander: Maege Mormont – Lady of Bear Island
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- House Umber Berserkers ( 6 )
Maege Mormont – Lady of Bear Island ( 0 )
- House Tully Cavaliers ( 8 )
Glory Seeker ( 1 )
- Umber Ravagers ( 7 )
Glory Seeker ( 1 )
- Crannogman Trackers ( 5 )
Non Combat Units
- Sansa Stark ( 4 )
- Catelyn Stark ( 4 )
- Lord Varys ( 4 )
Hans won all of his games bar the third, which was Honed and Ready against Larks’ Free Folk led by Styr. However, the score was 11-12 with tied points destroyed so it must have been a nail-biting close game between them. I wish I could have seen them play this game. It would have been incredibly entertaining to watch. It is interesting to see a few changes to the Stark roster result in them being to compete for the top place with the rest of the game, and sometimes doing it comfortably.
The Greatjon list is focused on chip damage with 9 Activations. The days of high Activation Starks are far in the past, but they have returned with multiple five-point units that are pretty substantial. In this list, Hold the Line and Hidden Traps are able to dish out some free hits, but also you are able to out maneuver your opponent due to Activation play or with Arya. The Stormcrows sit back whilst Greatjon gets into combat with Loyalists for his card play.
The Maege Mormont Commander is starting to show up often inside of the Umber Berserkers unit, which plays well with the newly improved Battle Scars, giving the unit a keyword but allowing them re-rolls or accessing the high attack dice early on. But the true power comes in the form of the Here We Stand Tactics Card used on Umber Berserkers or on Umber Ravagers to keep the units in for longer and at their most powered up state. This makes the Sansa NCU invaluable to bring this card back when you lose it.
Whilst these lists are incredibly strong, there are ways around them. There are quite a few methods to stop Tactics Cards being played for Maege Mormont, or to beat the Greatjon list at its own game with resilient units or matching Activations. The Starks are very good right now, and with some slight tweaking some of those a little over the top units will be brought to an appropriate level.
2nd Place – Baratheons (Stannis 1 and Loras) – Jeroen Felix (Flixieflixer)
List 1
Faction: Baratheon
Commander: Stannis Baratheon – The Rightful Heir
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- Baratheon Halberdiers ( 6 )
Stannis Baratheon – The Rightful Heir ( 0 )
- Baratheon Wardens ( 5 )
Justin Massey – Cunning Follower ( 2 )
- R’hllor Lightbringers ( 6 )
Davos Seaworth – Onion Knight ( 1 )
- Champions of The Stag ( 8 )
Non Combat Units
- Lord Varys ( 4 )
- Petyr Baelish ( 4 )
- Alester Florent ( 4 )
List 2
Faction: Baratheon
Commander: Loras Tyrell – The Knight of Flowers
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- Rose Knights ( 7 )
Loras Tyrell – The Knight of Flowers ( 0 )
- Rose Knights ( 7 )
Thorn Watch Sentinel ( 1 )
- Thorn Watch ( 6 )
Parmen Crane – Parmen the Purple ( 1 )
- Riders of Highgarden ( 6 )
Non Combat Units
- Lord Varys ( 4 )
- Petyr Baelish ( 4 )
- Cortnay Penrose ( 4 )
Jeroen won all of his games but just missed out on the top spot due to some intense nail-biting moments throughout the event. Chris has even reiterated how intense it was for Jeroen making some of his games the best to watch, which you can do over on their channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RotterdamWhiteScars
Jeroen used his Stannis 1 list three times and his Loras list twice. The Loras list is a chipping list, but it also is an anti-chipping list due to all the healing. The healing can really offset the massive amounts of damage some units are now wielding in the game. Thus, Jeroen brought the list against Greyjoys which are well-known for their lethality, and also Martells with their double Sand Skirmisher lists that are brutal to go up against which was a very close game for Jeroen which also went down to points destroyed.
However, there were two very close games with Jeroen’s Stannis 1 list. He brought the brand-new Baratheon Halberdiers that I believed were significantly overrated in comparison to the Lannister Halberdiers, but Taunt is an incredible Order now, and the token generation feeds Stannis 1 perfectly. Alester Florent, Petyr Baelish, and Justin Massey are taken to get the most out of the Baratheon Tactics Deck, and the list is designed to be a tough force that can put out damage with the backing of Stannis.
Whilst there is still no sign of the King’s Men or Queen’s Men in the top Baratheon players, I do think they have a place in the Faction especially with how strong To The Last can be. King’s Men will likely see more play due to their damage output, but Queen’s Men could be left behind due to their slow mobility. I am curious to see what comes from the Baratheons in the next few months and whether they will need further updates.
1st Place – Free Folk (Styr and Varamyr) – Daniel Loeffelmann (LArks)
List 1
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Styr – Magnar Of Thenn
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 9
Combat Units
- Thenn Warriors ( 5 )
Styr – Magnar Of Thenn ( 0 )
- Free Folk Trappers ( 4 )
- Free Folk Trappers ( 4 )
- Cave Dweller Savages ( 5 )
- Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Chosen of Styr ( 1 )
- Free Folk Raiders ( 4 )
Borroq – Boar Skinchanger ( 2 )
Non Combat Units
- Mance Rayder ( 5 )
- Craster ( 4 )
- Lady Dalla ( 4 )
List 2
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Varamyr Sixskins – Master Skinchanger
Points: 45 / 40
Activations: 10
Combat Units
- Varamyr Sixskins – Master Skinchanger ( 7 )
- Shadowcat ( 2 )
- Wolf Pack ( 3 )
- Free Folk Trappers ( 4 )
- Cave Dweller Savages ( 5 )
Borroq – Boar Skinchanger ( 2 )
- Borroq’s Boar ( 0 )
- Mag the Mighty ( 9 )
Non Combat Units
- Mance Rayder ( 5 )
- Lady Val ( 4 )
- Ygritte ( 4 )
Larks has brought a chipping damage design to the Free Folk list at its best, whilst also bringing a high Activation Varamyr list with a Mag the Mighty ace up his sleeve. Styr is a fantastic choice, and it leans into passive damage from his own cards and all the Hidden Traps he has brought, as well as the Thenn stuff. There are also a lot of wounds to chew through with six units, and the Thenns’ Taunt can prevent some of the nastiest attacks coming in. Larks also brings a new possibility to the game with the recently changed NCUs in Mance and Dalla, but did not bring Val in his Styr list which would limit his mobility options.
Free Folk seems to be an unstoppable force now but not as dominant as they were with Mance. A lot of renowned players with a substantial reputation and backlog of games are switching to Free Folk in this Season due to their strengths but have not yet fully cracked the perfect list. Larks has done well utilising their strengths of delaying the opponent with Taunt and bodies, whilst slowly whittling them down with passive damage. As the Season develops more Free Folk lists will follow this as they hone the perfect passive-delaying Free Folk list.
With Larks being the top performer of the event there was only one thing left to do and crown him. Watch from 2:44.
Important Moments
Dennis – For me it was Jeroen’s intense matches; two very intense close matches back-to-back, and the last round was to determine if he would be up there at the top. There was 1pts worth of units left on the battlefield that won him that game, and the relief that came over him knowing it had worked and got his spirits so high, it was an emotional moment.
Chris – For me it was seeing people join our Patreon straight after the presentation with the trailer; it was a big moment for me, seeing all that build up and work come to a payoff was a lot. Showed us that what we were doing was seen and recognised.
Any Standouts
Chris – One of the standouts for me was DeathbyFire Deathbyfire (Deathbyfire) and his Greatjon Umber list with double Umber Cavalry. The Greatjon list is designed to be a mind-game list. It is so quick, so fast, and shoves itself down the opponents’ throats. The list just moves so quickly across the table, and when he won it was quick.
Dennis – My standout was for Günter Oelfke (Champ) and his Roose Bolton list. He was on the top table for rounds 3, 4, and 5. It was a morale-themed force post-nerf, dealing out a lot of panic tokens and capitalising on them with Faithful and Lightbringers. The NCU trio was interesting, if he needed more tokens Jaqen would copy Axell, or more damage than he would copy Mel. It was a very exciting army when the combinations worked.
Carly – Looking over the event, my standout had to be Randall M (Imperial Minis) with his Steelshanks list featuring the Golden Company Elephant. Imperial Minis has great insight into the new Boltons you should checkout over on their channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@imperialminis857. With him bringing Boltons I was very excited and shocked to see the Golden Company Elephant make an appearance, but it does have some great resilience stats and can be quite strong especially with Vicious to help synergise with the Bolton deck. Whilst it burns the lore nerd within me to see this, it is a great Neutral choice for Bolton players.
Thank You and Summary
Chris – I just want to thank the community for their trust and support. A big shout out to the loyal Hits and Crits community, and a massive thank you to all the patreons who came on to support.
Dennis – The only fair thing to do is to shout the community out, so many people helped in small and different ways you can’t pick out one person, it was the coming together of the community that made this happen.
A fantastic event that is not going anywhere with the next one already underway in the planning stages for 2025. Until then Hits and Crits will be looking to do some smaller events as a build up throughout the year, but if you cannot wait for some more Hits and Crits content then check out their YouTube Channel which is filled with breakdowns and reviews with more exciting diverse content on the way. Check them out here – https://www.youtube.com/@HitsAndCrits
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.
