Naga

Using the Shinomen Forest stronghold of the Naga this bad boy goes after the big numbers. I have seen other decks that play in a simular fashion. The Warlords come out and start stacking followers on top and then the shugenja come out to help. Things can get so gross that at the deck's peak it is bringing out at least 21 force in followers every turn. Gust think about it) Naga Warlords and Dameshes make for a quick start to this bad boy. The strategy is simple, when your numbers are plentiful - attack and hold nothing back.

The Heart of the Shinomen Forest

4 Naga Warlord
4 Naga Shugenja
4 Damesh
3 Isha
2 Radakast
1 Shahadet
1 Shashakar
1 Isha exp.
2 Merchant Caravan
3 Small Farm
3 Jade Works
3 Forest
3 Black Markets
1 Kirin's Shrine
3 River Delta
1 Kisadas Funeral
I Inheritance
1 Imperial Gift
I Proposal of Peace
1 Tao of the Naga
3 Sneak Attack
3 Deadly Ground
4 Naga Bushi
2 Naga Spearmen
3 Charge
2 Destiny Has No Secrets
2 Block Supplies
2 Wedge
3 Rally Cry
3 Test of Courage
3 Superior Tactics
1 Naga Spearman
1 Naga Standard
1 Armor of the Earth
3 Stand Against the Waves
2 Ambush
2 Poison Weapons
3 Avoid Fate
1 Ring of Void

Scorpion

The way this deck works is through incredible speed. There are only 6 cards in the entire Dynasty deck that require a gold expenditure to bring into play, and all 6 can be payed for with just the stronghold. The Fate deck is a little more costly, but not much. And, between the Ring of the Void, and Enlistment you'll fly through your fate deck at a phenomenal rate. I've gotten 2nd turn kills before (more than once) and a 4th or 5th turn kill is actually about average. With a province strength 11, you can pretty much attack fearlessly for 3 or 4 turns before you even have to consider defense, and by that time, most games are over. It really doesn't look like much, but it'll surprise you.

The Scorpion's Hammer
By Mitch Teasve

3 Geisha House
2 Merchant Caravan
3 Small Farm
2 Corrupted Geisha House
5 Bayushi Tangen
3 Yogo Shidachi
3 Toku
1 Oni no Akuma
1 Oni no Ogon
1 Are You With Me?
1 Enlistment
1 Peasant Revolt
1 Winter Warfare
1 Imperial Quest
1 Shadow of the Dark God
1 Desperate Measures
2 Farmlands
3 Avoid Fate
3 Stand Against the Waves
3 Charge
3 Destiny Has No Secrets
1 Toturi is Drugged
2 Wedge
1 Sneak Attack
1 Ring of the Void
3 Ashigaru
3 Berserker
3 Light Infantry
3 Swamp Spirits
2 Peasant Levies
2 Skeletal Troops
1 Ruby of Iuchiban
1 Broken Sword of the Scorpion

Dragon

This deck takes a nice pace to the honor victory, through the duel. Paths of Wisdom keep focus cards in your hand and The People's Champion prevents someone from beating you to the honor victory. This is a Dragon version of the robot Crane deck, but when this deck faces a Crane it stands a good chance of coming out on top, due to the fact that it is prepared to run in second place. Agasha Gennai is included to provide you with cards to focus. And unlike most dueling decks this deck has a good number of in play duels to work with should the challenges not come up.

Stronghold - Mountain Keep of the Dragon
By Chris Bergstrom

3 Bend Like a Reed
3 Breach of Etiquette
3 Fires of Retribution
3 Focus
1 His Most Favored
2 Iaijutsu Art
3 Iaijutsu Challenge
3 Iaijutsu Duel
3 Path of Wisdom
3 People's Champion
1 Ring of Earth
1 Ring of Fire
1 Ring of Void
3 Strike of Flowing Water
2 Superior Tactics
3 Walking the Way
1 Ancestral Sword of the Dragon
2 Tetsubo
1 Chrysanthemum Festival
1 Emperor's Peace
1 Imperial Gift
1 Inheritance
3 Gold Mine
2 Hiruma Dojo
3 Jade Works
3 Merchant Caravan
3 Sanctified Temple
3 Shinsei's Shrine
3 Agasha Gennai
3 Hitorni exp3
3 Kitsuki Uasu
3 Matsu Seijuro
3 Mirumoto Daini
3 Togashi Sukune
3 Togashi Yoshi

Junzo

The mainstay of this deck is the Forgotten Tomb/Essence of Air combination to speed the deployment of personalities and holdings critical to an enlightenment victory. With the 0 gold cost of many Shadowlands Holdings and the Forgotten Tomb bringing out many others for free. It also allows for a somewhat larger Dynasty deck. If the Personality or Follower is Force 0 (like the numerous Goblins and the War Machine) they arrive that turn! Essence of Air will let you rapidly move through your Dynasty Deck. Almost all the shugenja have special abilities which makes playing the Ring of Air relatively easy. Coward's Way and Test of Might bring the Ring of Fire up and Merchant Caravans assist in bring the Ring of the Void out. With the wide array of denial terrain in the deck, the Ring of Earth (traditionally the easiest Ring) is a snap. The Dark Oracle of Earth and Go Master are essential as no Shadowlands personalities are capable of manipulating terrain, and since most of the Rokugani are just too honorable to work with your fetid horde. As always, the Ring of Water is the most difficult to play.

As with any enlightenment deck, Monks are required to play Enlightenment. Combined with Lost Moment and Walking the Way these are essential for manipulating lost, discarded or just not appearing Rings. Walking The Way can be used to bring out other components of combos needed for Rings if necessary.

Other elements, such as Oni no Shikibu and Oni no Tsuburu are just too useful to be discarded from the fold. Shikibu, infamous as the amazing indestructible Ernie, is more useful than even Toku as a reusable sacrifice. The Necromancer, easily brought out through the Forgotten Tomb, combines very well with Fu Leng tokens, especially when defending the Corrupted Region. If one brings in a Corrupted Ground, the Shadowland tokens are 4F each.

Traditional cards such as Evil Portents and Wedge have not been included as they tend to slay the Monks necessary to the concept and, since this is not a "power" deck, finesse is more important. A Confusion at Court or Test of Courage would probably work well in the deck as would an Avoid Fates but I wanted to avoid bulking up the Fate Deck too much (but bringing in Ring of Void nips this problem in the bud nicely) The Ogre Outlaw provides a much needed bit of weight in the Force department and acts as Duel bait.

Junzo's Army by Jeff Kyer and Lee Horrocks

2 Exalted Ugu
2 Goblin Wizard
1 Goblin Shaman
2 Iuchiban
1 Kuni Yori (exp)
2 Kyojin
1 Matsu Hiroyu
2 Moto Tsume
2 necromancer
1 Necromancer (exp)
1 Ogre Outlaw
2 Oni no Shikibu
1 Oni no Tsuberu
2 Sunabev 3 Black Markets
3 Corr. Iron Mines
2 Corr. Geisha Houses
2 Merchant Caravan
1 War mach. of Fu Leng
3 Forgotten Tomb
1 Dark Oracle of Water
1 Dark Oracle of Earth
1 Skull of Fu Leng
1 Corr Region
1 Plains of Otusan Uchi
1 There is No Hope
1 In time of War
1 Sev from the Emp
2 Avoid Fate
1 bend like a Reed
2 Block Supply Lines
2 Brash Hero
3 Corr Ground
2 Coward's Way
3 Enlightenment
2 Enough Talk
3 Entrapping Terrain
2 Iajitsu Challenge
2 Iajitsu Duel
2 Lost Moment
2 Rallying Cry
2 Superior Tactics
2 Test of Might
2 Path of Wisdom
1 Utter Defeat
2 Ikoryo
2 Skeletal Archers
1 Animate Dead
1 Blood of Midnight
2 Essense of Air
2 Horde of Fu Leng
2 Walking the Way
1 Ring of Air
1 Ring of Fire
1 Ring of Water
1 Ring of Void

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com