When it comes to the most intelligent characters on Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister is an interesting one to consider. For much of the series, he seemed like the smartest man in all of Westeros, but as the show went on, he kept making more and more mistakes and seemed foolish at times.
Though he had a very bumpy journey throughout the series, things ultimately worked out well for Tyrion as he was made Hand of the King. But in order to get there, Tyrion had a mix of very smart decisions and a number of occasions in which his survival was pure luck.
Brilliant Plan: Recruiting The Hill Tribes
Though he has plenty of enemies within his own family, Tyrion has a talent for making friends it seems. Even when meeting someone who is a potential enemy, he is able to use his charm and wit to win them over. In one instance, Tyrion not only made friends but formed an army with his friendliness.
As he and Bronn are making their way back home, they are set upon by the Hill Tribes. While the ruthless warriors initially want to take Tyrion as a prisoner, he is able to convince them to join the Lannister army and be given land as a reward for fighting for him.
Got Lucky: Choosing Trial By Combat
Tyrion often finds himself taken captive by hostile forces, including when he was made a prisoner in the Eyrie and charged with murdering Jon Arryn. After being kept locked up, Tyrion demands a trial by combat to decide his fate.
This ends up working in his favor as Bronn decides to represent him in the fight and emerges victorious. However, Tyrion did not know Bronn at this time and was surrounded by enemies. He could very well have been forced to fight for himself which likely would have ended badly.
Brilliant Plan: Blackmailing Lancel Lannister
It is quite obvious that the Lannister family is dysfunctional to say the least and Tyrion has no issue with using some dirty tactics against his family members. This is especially true of his cousin Lancel Lannister who is a pathetic and weaselly servant of Cersei.
But while Lancel initially talks down to Tyrion when he arrives in King's Landing, Tyrion quickly turns the tables on him by revealing he knows he is having an affair with Cersei. After Tyrion threatens to expose this secret to Tywin Lannister, he turns Lancel into his own personal informant inside Cersei's inner circle.
Got Lucky: Freeing Daenerys's Dragons
Though the dragons are Daenerys's greatest weapon, she finds that they become too dangerous in Meereen and decides to lock two of them in the dungeon. However, when Tyrion arrives in Meereen to join her cause, he feels the dragons should not be caged.
Without Daenerys around to attend to the creatures, Tyrion himself goes down into the dungeon to free them. Despite his own admiration for dragons, he was a stranger to these monsters and they could very easily have turned him into a quick meal. Even Tyrion admits afterward that it was a foolish gamble.
Brilliant Plan: Killing Daenerys To Save Westeros
Tyrion frustrated many fans during the final season of the show as he seemed to ignore the signs of Daenerys becoming a villain. By the time he finally saw her for the danger she really was, she had burned King's Landing to the ground and had Tyrion arrested for treason.
However, when Jon Snow comes to visit Tyrion, he is able to convince him to kill Daenerys and thus save Westeros from another deadly ruler. Not only does Daenerys's death result in Bran being named king, which is a more reasonable choice, but it also saves Tyrion from being executed.
Got Lucky: Becoming A Gladiator
Following the trend of Tyrion being held captive, he is taken against his will by Jorah Mormont only for them to both be captured by slavers. After Jorah is sold as a gladiator, Tyrion sees that as his only path to survival as well.
When the slave owner doubts Tyrion's abilities as a gladiator, Tyrion proves himself by beating one of the slavers into submission. However, Tyrion is no great fighter and for him to win a fight like this is quite a fluke. He could just have easily been beaten or killed.
Brilliant Plan: Finding The Informant In King's Landing
When he arrives in King's Landing, Tyrion proves himself a brilliant political player. Even when surrounded by scheming characters like Littlefinger and Varys, Tyrion is able to remain one step ahead of his enemies.
Tyrion knows that some members of the small council are undoubtedly providing information to Cersei behind his back. In order to weed out the informant, Tyrion tells Pycelle, Littlefinger, and Varys each a different fake deal and waits to see which of them Cersei finds out about.
Got Lucky: Daenerys Returns To Save Meereen
Though he excelled at political strategy in King's Landing, Tyrion starts to make one mistake after another when he joins Daenerys's team. His first big mistake is to make a deal with the slavers in order to ensure peace in the region.
While Tyrion saw it as a clever way to buy them time, the slavers see it as a sign of weakness and attack Meereen. The only way Tyrion is able to avoid losing the entire city with his ill-advised deal is because Daenerys returns to the city to defend it at the last moment.
Brilliant Plan: Using Wildfire On Stannis's Fleet
Tyrion might not be a great fighter, but he does prove himself to be fairly effective as a military strategist. When Stannis Baratheon sails his fleet to King's Landing, it appears as though he will easily take the city with Tyrion as the only real obstacle standing in his way.
However, Tyrion begins the battle with a literal bang as he sends out a single ship filled with wildfire which sails in the middle of the enemy fleet and explodes. Stannis loses a good portion of his army right away and Tyrion helps to ensure their victory.
Got Lucky: Jaime Saving Him From Execution
Sometimes, just because a plan works out well the first time doesn't mean it will have the same outcome when tried again. Such was the case when Tyrion again demanded trial by combat when accused of murdering Joffrey.
Tyrion saw this as a way to escape execution while still being able to defy his father. However, things don't go as planned and Tyrion is sentenced to death. It is one of the rare times in which it seems like Tyrion has fully given up only for his brother Jaime to come to his rescue and free Tyrion from his prison cell.