<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Game of Thrones (season 6) List of Game of Thrones episodes </Td> </Tr> <P> "Battle of the Bastards" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones and its 59th episode overall . It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by Miguel Sapochnik . </P> <P> In the North, the armies of the eponymous bastards, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), face off in a battle for control of Winterfell . The Bolton army defeats most of Jon's force, mostly composed of Wildlings . Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) arrives with Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen) and the Knights of the Vale who defeat the remaining Bolton army . Ramsay retreats to Winterfell, where Jon beats him into the mud, locks him in the kennels and Sansa feeds him to his hounds . In Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) refuses to surrender to the Masters, mounts Drogon and begins burning the Masters' fleet; this forces them to surrender . Yara (Gemma Whelan) and Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) arrive in Meereen and offer their ships to Daenerys, swearing to help her take the Seven Kingdoms . </P> <P> "Battle of the Bastards" was praised as one of the series' best episodes, with several reviewers calling it a "masterpiece". Critics described the battle in the North as "terrifying, gripping and exhilarating" and Daenerys's reunion with her dragons at the beginning of the episode as "thrilling". Its eponymous battle took 25 days to film and required 500 extras, 600 crew members and 70 horses . In the United States, the episode had a viewership of 7.66 million in its initial broadcast . It earned Game of Thrones several Primetime Emmy Awards (including Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing); the episode was Harington's choice to support his nomination for the Outstanding Supporting Actor . Sapochnik also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for the episode . </P>

Who fights in the battle of the bastards