Game of Thrones Predictions Part IV: Daenerys’ Superteam
In the lead up to the premiere of Season 7 of Thrones, I will be writing about 7 predictions for the upcoming season. We’re looking deep here and reflecting on past seasons to refresh. And remember, Winter is Coming.
Did someone say Super Team!? At DefinePrint, we love ourselves some NBA action. Super Teams are all the rage in the NBA whether it be the Warriors, Cavaliers, maybe Houston, and others attempting to lure as many superstars as possible to their respective ball clubs.
In Westeros, the smartest players in the Game of Thrones know that in order to win, you need to have the best players possible on your side. No one understood this concept more than the late Tywin Lannister. Even if he hated the people he was aligning with (the Targaryens, the Tyrells) he knew that he had to make the team as strong as possible to stay in the game. It’s also no coincidence that Charles Dance looks a little bit like Pat Riley.
There’s a new super team in town, though, led by Daenerys Targaryen. In this edition of the prediction series, we’ll take a look her alliance to overtake Westeros and decide whether or not this team can stick together to form a dynasty.
Again, this prediction will also be assigned a percentage of it’s likelihood to happen. Whether the percentage is high or low, we do have to talk about the possibility because it’s important to know how the question could even be conceivable. We’ll dive into a little backstory, rehash old plot points, and ultimately come to a conclusion.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
So in honor of the Seven Kingdoms, the Faith of the Seven and Seven episodes of Season Seven; here are 7 predictions for the upcoming season of the critically acclaimed drama. Let’s look at the fourth prediction and the Westerosi Superteam:
Will Daenerys’ Super Team become a dynasty?
Daenrys has built herself quite the unit in order to position herself to take the Iron Throne. There are so many names here that it’s hard to tell who is who and who might contribute what to the team. So I’m going to do it for you. The Dragon Alliance, as I will begin calling them, bare most resemblance to the ‘16-’17 Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have an unprecedented amount of talent on one team and so far as we’ve seen in the Game of Thrones, the Dragon Alliance has an unprecedented amount of talent on it as well. They have the allegiance of the Tyrells of Highgarden, Martells/Sands of Dorne, (partial) Greyjoys of the Iron Islands (that wasn’t a eunuch joke, but it works), Lords Tyrion Lannister and Varys, and oh yeah 3 monstrous dragons. Let’s look at the roster and how they compare to the Warriors:
Daenrys Targaryen: easily the Kevin Durant of this unit. She’s got a varied skill set, in some circles probably the 2nd overall pick during earlier seasons (definitely makes Robb Stark the Greg Oden) and she’s the Mother of Dragons so that trumps everything.
Olenna Tyrell: Olenna would be the Steph Curry of this group. She’s been shooting her shot since season 3 and her sharp tongue is like Steph from 3. Just when you think she may eat her witty words, the shots go in and she’s back-peddling down the court with her tongue out.
Ellaria Sand: OH MY LORD OF LIGHT SHE IS DEFINITELY DRAYMOND. Draymond Green is the player on the court who’s throwing elbows, talking the most trash and has no fear of his consequences. Ellaria Sand does not fear her consequences and she’ll do whatever it takes to win.
Tyrion Lannister: this one was a little bit difficult because it’s easy to make height comparisons with Steph Curry. But I think Tyrion is the Klay Thompson. He can definitely lead his own team if he wanted and they both have dope facial hair. Tyrion can also take over and drop 50 in any given episode, much like Klay.
Role Players: They have an unbelievably deep bench. There’s Varys the seasoned veteran (Andre Iguadola), Yara Greyjoy the scrappy leader of the second unit (Shaun Livingston), Theon Greyjoy hoping to redeem himself (JaVale McGee), Missandei and Grey Worm as 2 young players who put in solid minutes (Patrick McCaw and James Michael McAdoo) and the Sand Snakes who basically are there to come in and commit fouls (David West, Zaza Pachulia, and Matt Barnes). Honorable mention to Daario Naharis who is staying back in Essos, but is definitely Swaggy P because he is not afraid to shoot his shot.
The question that plagues the Dragon Alliance is whether or not they can stay together or if there are too many egos in the locker room. Much like the current Warriors, the Dragon Alliance has put the goal of winning the Iron Throne above all else. But just like how NBA players may think they’re worth more than their fellow teammates, we know that Westerosi royal houses always think that their own house is the superior house. Would they challenge Daenerys and her rule? Probably not, but they might be jockeying for a better position by her side.
For many on this team, revenge on the Lannisters is the goal, but if the Lannisters are defeated then what’s next? How likely will this team become a dynasty?
Prediction: 15% likely
Reasoning: Just like in the NBA, history suggests that Super Teams can’t stay together for very long. Whether it’s cap reasons, ego reasons, or personal reasons; things fall apart.
I see the same future befalling this unit. In order to make this work, the Superstar had to make a lot of concessions. Whether that’s ceding control, opinions or decision making. Despite Daenerys being in charge, it may start to feel like she’s not. This is also war and death happens during war. We could lose a member of this Super Team and a chain reaction could occur that throws off the game plan.
The Warriors were unstoppable this past season so guess what teams did this off-season? They turned up the arms race to a full 12. That’s what the Lannisters are bound to do. The Frey’s are leaderless, but they may turn to the Lannisters for protection. They could also attempt to align with Euron Greyjoy and the rest of the Iron Born. The rest of the Northern Houses including the Knights of the Vale and Night’s Watch are kinda doing their own things, but are bound to get in the mix at some point. Littlefinger could really point the Vale in a direction to align with any team because of his skilled manipulation.
It’s not likely that the Dragon Alliance stays together throughout the seventh season and that likelihood drops even more going into the final season.
We’ll find out in the coming weeks what this team is capable of and how long they’ll stay united.
Until then, we all know one thing for certain: Valar Morghulis.
Thanks for checking out Parts I-III of the Predictions Series check out the previous prediction below along with Part V and more!
