We get a lot of requests for killer decks Well, this issue, we're giving you three! 'The Good" is a Phoenix deck Dave Williams saw at a convention. He put his own spin on it and we've included it here. "The Bad" is a big, mean dishonoring Crab deck that won the National Championships at GenCon 96. It was designed by Ken Carpenter, our resident miniatures guru (who is also going to be heading up the writing of our player's guide, The Tao of Shinsei). Lastly, but far from leastly, is a Lion deck that Steve Swarner won the West Coast Finals with. He brought it to GenCon and placed second with it (right behind Ken). Because of its high maneuverability, the guys who were playing against it dubbed the deck "Muhammad Ali."

The Good

Dave bumped into this deck at Origins. He was pretty impressed with its simplicity, exemplified by the name the designer gave to it: "You're Evil, You're Dead" Essentially, gives all of your enemy's Personalities the Shadowlands Trait, then kills them off one by one. It also knocks down their Personal Honor to zero so you can utilize cards like Test of Honor and Force of Will. In no time flat, they're dropping like flies.

It's a neat deck that seems like it would work well with a Scorpion stronghold, but this is one style of subterfuge that only the Phoenix can get away with.

Personalities

2x Asahina Tamako
1x The Hooded Ronin
1x Exp. Isawa Tadaka
1x Isawa Tsuke
3x Isawa Uona
1x Kitsu Toju
1x Mamoru
2x Morito Tokei
2x Moshi Wakiza
1x The Nameless One
2x Shiba Tetsu
1x Shiba Tsukune
1x Togashi Yoshi
3x Toku
1x Water Dragon

Events

Bloom of the White Orchid
Celestial Alignment
Emperor's Peace
Inheritance
Not This Day!
Peasant Revolt

Holdings

3x Gambling House
3x Jade Works
3x Sanctified Temple
3x Silver Mine
3x Small Farm
2x Temples of Bishamon

Regions

1x Isawa Woodlands

Items

1x Ancestral Sword of the Phoenix Clan
1x Bloodsword
1x Jade Hand
1x Mempo of Void

Spells

2x Force of Will
3x Secrets on the Wind
1x Stale Wind
1x Sympathetic Energies
3x Tomb of Jade
1x Touch of Despair
1x Walking the Way
1x The Wasting Disease

Followers

1x Scribe
1x Shiba House Guard
1x Spirit Guide

Actions

3x Defend Your Honor
1x Entrapping Terrain
1x Marries a Barbarian
1x Oath of Fealty
3x Shame
3x Test of Honor
1x Ring of Air
1x Ring of Fire
1x Ring of Void

The Bad

Ken Carpenter's Crab deck that won the GenCon Nationals was a brutal monster that utilizes some of the strategies of "You're Evil, You,re Dead," but Ken's deck is much more straightforward. It's got a lot of the classic Crab cards: Crab Clan Onis, Berserkers, and Breaches of Etiquette, but it also has a whole mess of cards that really hurt a deck that relies on a fast Honor gain. It's got a touch of sabotage and a whole lot of muscle. The sabotage allows you to keep your opponent down for just a couple of turns while you bring out the big boys. And even if he does get a couple samurai out you've go plenty of Kolat Masters and Geisha Assassins to keep him on the ropes while you prepare your attack. It's the deck that won the National Championship, folks. Get used to seeing it.

Personalities

2x Ogre Bushi
1x Kyoso No Oni
1x Mamoru
2x Hida Amoro
2x Hida Sukune
1x Hida Yakamo (Hero)
3N Hida Yakamo (Oni)
2x Kuni Yori

Events

The Farther You Fall
The Falling Darkness
Imperial Gift
Inheritance

Holdings

3X Iron Mine
2x Small Farm
3x Jade Works
3X Biacksmiths
1x Oracle of Fire
1x Master Smith
1x Forest

Spells

1x Secrets on the Wind

Items

2x Tetsubo
2x Warhorses
1x Ancestral Sword of the Crab Clan

Actions

3x Feign Death
3x Breach of Etiquette
1x Egg of P'an Ku
3x Shame
1x Kolat Master
2x Test of Honor
1x Confusion at Court
2x Charge
3x Marries a Barbarian
2x Superior Tactics
2x Frenzy
3x Iaijutsu Duels
1x Oath of Fealty
2x Rallying Cry
1x Geisha Assassin
1x Ring of Earth

Muhammad Ali

Yes, it's a Lion deck, but it's not the Lion you'd expect to see. In fact, you'll be lucky to see any Lions when your opponent plays Steve Swarner's Muhammad Ali deck. Steve plays a lot of Chess and Go, and you can see it when you play against his deck. He uses a lot of Terrain cards, maneuvering his armies into places where you aren't ready to defend. That's why folks were so impressed with it: He always hits you on your blind side. Using the Oracle of Fire (from the Imperial Edition, or the Oracle of Water from Emerald), Superior Tactics, and Traversable Terrain, Steve's Lions are all over the board. You don,t know where they're going to be next.

All of these decks are great examples of players who have embraced Sun Tzu's philosophy of warfare: 'Fight no battle you do not want to fight, and force your opponent to stand on ground he cannot defend."

Great work, guys!

Personalities

3x Matsu Agetoki
3x Matsu Turi
3x Ikoma Kaoku
3x Matsu Gohei
2x Matsu Yojo
1x Matsu Chokoku
1x Kitsu Motso
1x Akodo Kage
1x Mamoru

Events

Imperial Gift
Inheritance

Holdings

3x Copper Mine
2x Sanctified Temple
3x Jade Works
3x Small Farm
2x Go Master
1x Oracle of Fire (Imp. Ed)
1x Ancestral Armor of the Lion Clan
1x Ancestral Sword of the Lion Clan

Followers

1x Matsu House Guard
1x Ring of Water
2x Test of Might
3x Superior Tactics
3x Strength of Purity
1x Ambush
3x Careful Planning
3x Charge
3x Defend Your Honor
3x Traversable Terrain
2x Contentious Terrain
1x Brilliant Victory
1x Countcrattack
1x Deadly Ground
1x Forced March
1x His Most Favored
1x Sneak Attack

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