With Game of Thrones' final season premiering on Sunday, the guessing game is in high gear regarding who's next to be killed and who will eventually it on the Iron Throne. As much as alliances are forged, we know this world. Betrayal comes as easy as breathing for some folks, and it may well boil down to every man or woman for themselves.
That said, let's break down all the players on the chessboard and size up where they are as the final battles loom to see who'll reign supreme over the Seven Kingdoms.
TEAM TARGARYEN
Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are officially a power couple, coming to Winterfell to command the massive army of the North. Their biggest asset will be Daenerys' two remaining dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal.
With the likes of Lyanna Mormont, Davos Seaworth, Missandei, Grey Worm and the Unsullied, as well as all the other banners of the North who believed in Ned Stark, all at their disposal, hopefully this legion is enough to repel the White Walkers. When all's said and done, it'll be interesting to see if Jon does end up wanting the throne as much as Dany does, should both survive.
TEAM NIGHT KING
The Night King ended up killing Viserion, Daenerys' other dragon, and resurrecting it as a White Walker. He mounted the creature and destroyed the Wall, which allowed the ice zombies to finally begin their final march on Westerosi land. Fans are waiting to see his rematch with Jon Snow, as well as who the king's generals will be taking on in the world of man.
Interestingly enough, we're yet to see the baby they reanimated a few seasons ago, so we're not sure if that will play a key role in the plot this year. Also, we don't know if any more magic will come into play after we found out they were created by the Children of the Forest.
TEAM STARK
After ordering Littlefinger's execution, we've witnessed Sansa evolve into a cutthroat figure along the lines of Cersei, and it doesn't seem she'll take too nicely to Daenerys being Jon's leading lady. She's never been a fan of Targaryens, after all, and could well be using the alliance and Dany's dragons to carve her own path to steal the throne.
As for Arya, she's hellbent on completing her kill list, simply looking to stealthily get her hands on Cersei for ordering Ned's beheading. It remains to be seen what role Bran (the Three-Eyed Raven) will play, though. He doesn't appear emotionally connected to his siblings anymore, but he too established a link to the Night King, possibly hinting at a showdown between them in the present.
TEAM LANNISTER
Well, Tyrion's sided with Jon and Dany, but given his unrequited love for the latter, there could be a bit of double-crossing left in him yet. It may well be a matter of time before he follows the advice of Varys (the eunuch who sought refuge with Dany's camp too) and tries to sneak his own way to the throne. However, with Jaime Lannister finally realizing Cersei may doom Westeros, Tyrion may find his brother and Bronn coming over to partner with them under Jon's banner.
As for Cersei, after her kids died, she became obsessed with the throne, deeming anyone expendable, even her own blood. With Maester Qyburn also cooking up secretive potions for her, no one knows what else she's hidden up her regal sleeves.
TEAM GREYJOY
Euron (Theon's uncle) has taken over the Iron Fleet after killing Theon's dad, and he's going to make it clear he wants to be Cersei's king. He pledged fealty to her and ended up going to Essos to get the Golden Company to join her army. With these sellswords and his own fleet, Euron and Cersei are planning to let the Night King and the North take each other out so they can finish off the scraps.
It's as selfish a plan as any, but could be scuppered by Theon finally rallying the last supporters of his sister, Yara, to attack Euron and take back his kidnapped sister. Apart from being a revenge mission, it may severely deplete Euron's legion by the time he reaches Cersei.
THE NORTH'S SECRET WEAPONS
Brienne's allied with Jon now that she's fulfilled her promise of helping keep Arya alive, not to mention she's lost faith seeing Jaime still loyal to Cersei. After seeing Bronn also allied with Jaime, Podrick returned with Brienne to Winterfell, although he's back with his former mentor, Tyrion.
They'll be joined by Tormund and the Wildlings, Jon's other friends from the Night Watch, as well as the blacksmith Gendry who's making special weapons thanks to Sam and Gilly discovering the secret of obsidian (or "dragonglass") for them to kill the White Walkers.
Another wildcard could be Melisandra (the Red Woman), the exiled witch who brought Jon back to life, but who's also fated to die in Westeros. Perhaps she'll help him once again with some some more dark magic, acting as Jon's trump card.
THE CLEGANES
Sandor (the Hound) picked Jon's side, hoping to exact revenge on his brother, the Mountain, for burning him in their youth. Of course, it's all in the interest of self-preservation, as the Hound doesn't see Westeros surviving the Night King's assault under Cersei's rule.
It'll be intriguing to see how he and Arya finish their rivalry, but that aside, what fans are waiting for most is to see him and his zombified brother finally engage in a battle to the death. The Hound's seeking atonement, while the Mountain simply wants to bask in blood and gore, amplified by the fact Qyburn turned him into an undead bodyguard.
Season 8 of Game of Thrones premieres April 14. The HBO drama stars Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.