Dragons Are Coming: Our Preseason Picks for Season 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ MVPs

Sparrows! Game of Thrones returns on Sunday night! It is known! The Ringer crew is more excited than a brothel trio set to spend the afternoon with Sex God Pod, and since we can’t channel that energy in a battle against the Night’s King, we’re putting quill to parchment to nominate our Season 6 MVPs.

Arya Stark: Keep your dragons. Get outta here with your slowly approaching anthropomorphic winter. A real MVP has to offer more than “being really hot” or “being really cold.” So: Eyes like the lead guitarist of Limp Bizkit? Streetwear inspired by an arid Lenny Kravitz? Knife skills reminiscent of my man Jim Bowie’s? Arya’s a triple threat.—Ryan O'Hanlon

Bronn: It’s SER Bronn to you! With winter rising, tensions climbing, and battles looming, it’s time to invest in a swordsman — especially one with “work” experience beyond the Wall. — Tate Frazier

Daario Naharis:

Come on. — Amanda Dobbins

Daenerys Targaryen: I pick Khaleesi, a.k.a. Daenerys, a.k.a. Dany, a.k.a. Mother of Dragons — she has dragons, she has Dinklage, she has troops, she has a kingdom, and best of all, she has the nudity card and the attentive boners of awkward teenage boys holed up in basements all over the world. I’m predicting a career year, à la Shaq in 2000. — Bill Simmons

Davos Seaworth: Davey Onions! He’s never been much of a fighter, but that’s OK. This season, Ser Davos Seaworth has a more important job: serving as the audience’s proxy. With all the talk of death, rebirth, kings, and winters, this well-traveled, loyal, humble man is the most relatable character on Game of Thrones. Now he’s in the room where it happens. We know from the trailer: Davos is standing over the boy who would be king (but is now dead). What happens next? — Chris Ryan

Euron Greyjoy: Show watchers may not be familiar with this name, but that will change this season. Let’s see, how to put it? He’s like the finger resting on the trigger of Chekhov’s gun. I can’t really say more without sailing past Lonely Light into possible spoiler territory. — Jason Concepcion

Ghost: Lords and ladies worldwide have spent the long night between Seasons 5 and 6 obsessing over Jon Snow’s fate. Though we’re still awaiting clarity, we know one beautiful thing: GHOST BACK! Jon’s direwolf is alive, snarling, and ready to kick (or, more likely, savagely rip) some mutineer ass. And in a world of wargs, there’s no reason to think that his impact will stop there. When the war rages, Ghost’s WAR is going to be off the charts. — Mallory Rubin

Gilly: Gilly is the low-key savviest character on Game of Thrones. No one else has figured out how to move to increasingly safer locales while developing positive interpersonal relationships. Initially trapped by her father-husband as an incest slave in a frigid land, Gilly upgraded to Castle Black and is off to a much warmer destination with her kid and lover. I hope she becomes a sage lady-maester. — Kate Knibbs

Jaqen H’ghar: This is the real resurrection I’m hoping for — mostly because I don’t know if it even counts as one. Keep me guessing, Jake. — Juliet Litman

Jorah Mormont: Body count: What more important metric in determining a Game of Thrones MVP could there be? Sure, Ramsay is going to come strong this season, but nobody is going to have the deleterious effect of the devoted, strong-jawed Ser Jorah. He might infect everybody between Meereen and the Dothraki Sea with greyscale, longing wistfully for Daenerys with each psoriatic step. — David Shoemaker

Rhaegal and Viserion: This season, I’m all in on Rhaegal and Viserion, better known as the two dragons that aren’t Drogon. They’ve been locked up, chained down, and generally forgotten about while Drogon has flown around and roasted things. Well, not anymore. These two are primed for a big return, and the world better be ready for some dragon-style vengeance. — Megan Schuster

The Shame Bell: Those crazy kids down in King’s Landing have plenty to be ashamed of. The bell’s in for a good workout this year. —Sam Schube

Theon Greyjoy: Theon desperately needs someone to root for him. Not only is he castrated and nearly mentally gone, but he ended last season by jumping off what seems to be a very high wall. He’s on Team Sansa now, though, so I feel good about this guy. — Molly McHugh

Tyrion Lannister: The abuse and rejection that Tyrion’s family inflicted on him has only primed him for greatness, with his perceived flaw making him a cunning champion. — Caitlin Blosser

White Walkers: Nothing in Game of Thrones looms over the story like the storm brewing north of the Wall — not the War of the Five Kings, not R+L=J, not even the Iron Throne itself. While the highest families squabble over a metal chair in King’s Landing, a pack of zombie-raising, weather-controlling icemen is ready to sweep away a human race left depleted by years of war. Westeros must unite (and recruit some dragons!) or die, for winter is no longer coming — it’s here. — Riley McAtee

This piece originally appeared on the Ringer Facebook page on April 22, 2016.