After each season of Game of Thrones, I try and take stock of the 7 major Houses and where they fall within the power structure of Westeros. After Season 5’s depressing finale, it certainly doesn’t feel like there’s much hope for nearly any House. But before the new season begins, let’s take a closer look at where “Mother’s Mercy” left things regarding the game of thrones itself, ranking from the least to the most powerful (and then let us know how you would rank the Houses in the comments). And of course, thar be spoilers; since this deals with all of the events of Season 5, if you are not caught up, get thee to a DV-R! Valar morghulis.
(To compare with Season 4's Power Rankings, go here)
House Baratheon
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Unless for some reason Brienne didn’t actually execute Stannis, everyone of note from House Baratheon is dead. Ok, technically, Robert’s bastard, Gendry, is still out there somwhere (one guesses), but we’re talking power here, and Gendry definitely doesn’t have any (if he survived that rowboat back to the mainland in the first place, given that he can’t swim and has never been on a boat before). So, since your house is essentially wiped out at this point (Edit: and I am counting Tommen fully as a Lannister, since most people in Westeros believe it's true -- and it is!), House Baratheon, congratulations! You have the absolute least amount of power among the major Houses of Westeros. (Yes, even lower than those trailer-trash Freys, the flop fish Tullys, and House Arryn).
As for Davos ... may the Seven guide you, good man.
House Greyjoy
Honestly, where have you even been, House Greyjoy? Your only remaining male heir had his identity and his genitals stripped from him by Ramsay Bolton, and your storyline from the books has been almost completely cut from the show so far (although it may get its moment in Season 6). But Yara is still out there somewhere, so there may be some hope for your relevance at some point. Currently, you ruling anything in Westerns feels as far away as the Summer Isles.
House Martell
Has any house had a more disappointing entry into the world of Game of Thrones than House Martell? They like to get naked and poison people, but so far, that’s not doing much for them (and the Sand Snakes proved to be entirely useless). Since Robert’s Rebellion, the rest of Westeros has just left them alone to play in the sand, because they don’t seem poised to ever make any kind of a meaningful move towards power (although they do enjoy the peace and quiet in order to stew over the past). They also just sent their only male heir off with their most hated rivals, the Lannisters, after poisoning their only female heir. Great planning, guys.
House Targaryen
Because dragons. (Specifically at the moment: Drogon). Daenerys has not handled her time in power very well, and culminated her reign in Mereen (so far) by taking off on her dragon. It’s a mic drop moment, but then Drogon dropped her on what looks like the set of Outlander, where she was then left alone and powerless among a Dothraki horde. Though she’ll probably get them on her side in her eventual march towards the Seven Kingdoms (or Drogon will fry them), for now, she has nothing. Back in Mereen, Tyrion has taken over as interim ruler, and who knows what’s going on with the other two dragons still chained up in the basement. You are supposed to be the line that produces Azor Ahai reborn, Dany — get it together!
House Stark
Game of Thrones loves tearing down heroes, and House Stark was the perfect place to start. First we lost Ned (and his head), then The Young Wolf Robb (and his head …), his mother Catelyn (who kept her head, but clawed it open out of grief before she died), while the other Starks have been scattered to the wind. But unlike the Baratheons, some of them are still alive! And unlike the Martells, there are people in Westeros who actually care about them. Arya has become an assassin (or is training to, at least), while Sansa is aligned (more or less maybe) with Westeros’ true kingmaker, Petyr Baelish -- despite the fact that he's been largely MIA this season. Plus, she’s still alive. Bran is up in the far, far North, plugged into the Weirwood Net, while Rickon and his direwolf Shaggy Dog are … somewhere. Probably raising hell.
And, even though Jon Snow may appear dead, I think he’ll probably be reborn, giving the Stark kids some potential power plays in the future. The Starks are doing fairly well given their continual setbacks just by being resilient. I don't know that they're headed for the Iron Throne, but they have a lot of potential brewing for power to manifest itself in other ways. They also don’t have a home at the moment, but most of them are at least in Westeros, which is more than Dany can say for herself. Watch the throne (or at least, Winterfell).
House Tyrell
After Season 4, House Tyrell held my #1 spot in the Power Rankings. But, the Tyrells are currently in limbo. Queen Margaery has been imprisoned by the High Sparrow, along with her brother Loras. The Queen of Thorns doesn’t seem to be able to make much of a move one way or the other, but on the bright side, Arya may have inadvertently saved her son Mace Tyrell’s life by killing Meryn Trant (who was probably going to kill him on Cersei’s orders). House Tyrell’s home base is Highgarden, which is apparently the bread basket of Westeros. So, even though they are not exactly in a position to make a move at this very moment, they still hold a lot of power and sway. Plus, the Tyrells are too closely tied to the Lannisters for them to fall too far out of power. Yet.
House Lannister
Despite suffering a number of recent setbacks (the death of Joffrey, the death of Tywin, Jamie’s hand loss, the death of Myrcella, Cersei’s walk of shame), the Lannisters are still in control of King’s Landing, and Tommen still sits on the Iron Throne (although probably not literally — he’s likely off somewhere playing with Ser Pounce). The Lannisters are rich (though they aren’t as rich as they were) and powerful. Despite the fact that they have been laid low recently, they are still situated in the literal seat of power (and have discovered how to control zombie-ism!) Tyrion running Mereen, though, is actually a strike against House Lannister in the Power Rankings, because he’s ultimately working against his family, and hoping to unseat them from power. Revenge is a dish best served from a dragon’s back.
House Bolton
Things could not be going better for House Bolton, last year's third ranked house that has risen to great heights. Not being one of the 7 Great Houses of Westeros doesn’t mean you can’t still do a lot of damage and make a name for yourself. Roose Bolton became Warden of the North, took over the Stark ancestral home of Winterfell, legitimized his bastard, and is having another son who will be fully legitimate (should he decide he doesn’t want Ramsay around anymore). Ramsay has married and abused Sansa, which is his favorite thing to do, and the Boltons also just won a major battle against Stannis’ ragtag army, finishing him off for good (probably). The North is an unruly seat of power in Westeros, and unlike Dorne, whoever is on the throne in King’s Landing is usually a little afraid that they might try and leave the kingdom. No one seems close to messing with the Boltons right now, and while they may not have a claim to the Iron Throne, they’re really doing just fine in their own sadistic fiefdom for now.
The Night’s King
“For now.” Which brings us to The Night’s King. He’s not in a House, no, but his impact as his marches south cannot be overstated. He’s also not looking to take over the Iron Throne as such — he’s looking to annihilate everyone. As evil as so many Game of Thrones characters are or can be, no one can reach the heights of The Night’s King’s fearful power. In “Hardhome,” his army of the dead swarmed over the Wildling encampment like zombie fireants, pulling the greatest war coup of all time by not just killing with exceptional efficiency, but then making the dead part of his army. Holy hell, y’all. Winter has come, and no one is ready.