While many try to make it alone on Game of Thrones, Sansa reminded us in the season seven trailer, “the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.” In the midst of so much weird magic, shifting alliances, and outright murder, it’s best to have a team of ride-or-dies at your back if you’re going to survive in Westeros.
While Jon Snow (Kit Harington) may have assembled the most badass team of your faves to ever grace the small screen in “Eastwatch,” this suicide squad is hardly the first team to scheme their way to the top of the wheel. Many of these groups have long since splintered (or most of their members have ended up dead), but for a while they held their own in the great game.
12. The Night’s Watch Murder Dudes
Honestly, f*ck these guys. Did Jon Snow have some kinks that needed to be worked out in his leadership style? Sure. Jon was raised with that pesky Stark mix of nobility and pride. But the rest of the Night’s Watch certainly shouldn’t have gone all Make Westeros Great Again with the arrival of wildlings. Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale), Olly (Brenock O’Connor), and the rest of angry mob were only united in their hatred of Jon Snow, but they certainly were effective in their methods. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t make that death stick.
11. The Women of Dorne
So much potential, such poor execution. Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) and her Sand Snakes could have been real power players in Westeros, but their lack of discipline and hot-headed strikes kept them firmly in the disappointment phase. The arrival of the Red Viper (Pedro Pascal) in Westeros was like a shot of adrenaline to the arm of the show, but unfortunately by the time the last Sand Snake was dispatched, they were just running on fumes.
10. Team Stannis
Stannis (Stephen Dillane) started out with good intentions. Following the demise of his brother Robert (Mark Addy), Stannis threw his name into the ring to be the next to sit on the Iron Throne after the reveal that Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) may have been slightly less than legitimate. Stannis gets major points for being the first to believe in the potential of Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), who has since become the best character on the show, but loses all of that goodwill due to all of the actions of Melisandre (Carice van Houten). Murdering your own brother with a demonic shadow baby and burning your daughter at the stake is way, way over the line. Ultimately, this team didn’t have what it took to go the distance, but a couple of major players have gone on to bigger and better things.
9. The White Walkers
For most of the series, these guys have only sporadically popped up to remind viewers that they still exist. However, every time they show their terrifying faces, people are immediately reminded of who the real threat is. The generals of this ghastly army are a constant specter of death over everything else occurring on Game of Thrones, and we got a taste of what they were really capable of during the battle of Hardhome, but in the final stretch to the end, we’re certain to see the true extent of their insatiable hunger. Yikes.
8. Bran’s Cadre
The fact that this group survived as long as they did in the wild is a real testament to their mettle. Bran (Isaac Hampstead Wright) and Rickon (Art Parkinson) needed all the help that they could get after they were forced to flee their ancestral home in Winterfell, and Hodor (Kristian Nairn) and Osha (Natalie Tena) did their damnedest to keep those boys alive. The arrival of Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) added a new, mystical dimension to the group dynamics, sending Bran down his path to being the Three Eyed Raven. This motley crew may have had an extremely rough go of things (they are almost all dead at this point), but their devotion to Bran was admirable.
7. Tormund and the Wildings
The wildlings may be a brutal group, but there are certainly worse people to have on your side. Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) is a charismatic guy who can command his band with a simple arch of his ginger brow, and Jon, Ygritte (Rose Leslie), Orell (McKenzie Crook), and the rest of the wildlings certainly knew that they should follow his lead if they wanted to survive. Plus, they were all united in their hatred of Thenns.
6. Team Lannister
Cersei (Lena Heady) has managed to accumulate a veritable murderer’s row of creeps to have in her inner circle, but you can’t argue against their effectiveness. Qyburn (Anton Lesser) is easily one of the slimiest dudes in Westeros, climbing through the ranks through his unorthodox methods, and his monster formerly known as Gregor Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) is the unstoppable muscle that has helped Cersei enact her rein of terror. While Jaime is less of monster than the other two, he’s still an incestuous attempted murderer who is too weak to stand up to his wicked sister. There isn’t much in this group that’s redeemable, but no one expected Cersei to get this far.
5. The Remaining Stark Kids
Sansa (Sophie Turner), Arya (Maisie Williams), and Bran would honestly be ranked higher if they were a little better at putting aside their differences. While Sansa is trying to remain diplomatic while dealing with the Northern lords, Arya prefers to antagonize her sister while insinuating that they should just start chopping off heads. All the while, Bran is leaning into his Three-Eyed Raven persona at the expense of his humanity. The Starks could essentially become Westeros’s version of the X-Men if they can somehow learn how to trust each other again. C’mon, kids. Make your parents proud.
4. Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie
After fleeing King’s Landing to head to the Wall, these three managed to form an affectionate alliance on the road. Although they were fundamentally different, Arya, Gendry (Joe Dempsie), and Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) were able to survive and escape the horror of Harrenhal in one piece. While they may have gone their separate ways due to wolf shaped bread and the machinations of Melisandre, these misfits certainly haven’t seen the last of each other. Arya always had a brief but heartwarming reunion with Hot Pie, and with Gendry joining up with Jon, a second meeting could be just around the corner.
3. The OG Night’s Watch Brothers
Life in the Night’s Watch certainly wasn’t what Jon was expecting when he headed North to try and shed the bastard cloud that long hung over his head, and making allies wasn’t as easy as he expected either. However, once he stopped behaving like he was better than the other men there, he managed to make some genuine friends that would have his back to the very end. While we may have lost Pyp (Josef Altin) and Grenn (Mark Stanley), Sam (John Bradley) is hard at work solving the mysteries of Westeros’ history and Dolorous Edd (Ben Compton) is one of the last men standing between the White Walkers and the kingdom south of the wall. They may not be all together anymore, but they’re still doing their best to save the world.
2. Team Targaryen
While Dany (Emilia Clarke) has cycled through her fair share of advisors — miss you, Barristan (Ian McElhinney) and Olenna (Diana Rigg) — the ones who are left are certainly Westeros’s (and Esso’s) finest. As Dany learns the less fun parts of being Queen (unfortunately you can’t just light stuff on fire and call it a day), having major players like Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Varys (Conleth Hill) on her side will be essential to her evolution into a real ruler. Also, when in doubt, listen to Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel).
1. Westeros’ Avengers
Could anyone else be number one? Sure, their assembly does stretch the bounds of credulity a liiiiiittle thin and their quest may dance awfully close to the harebrained variety, but the awesomeness of this crack team overcomes any and all questioning. We’ll get to see these guys in action on Sunday (unless you watched the leaked episode, in which case shame), and they’re almost guaranteed to go down as Westeros’s Greatest. All the same, you might want to light a prayer candle for your faves’ survival.
