Unicorn with new cycle

[Unicorn with new cycle]

Shinjo Scout is pretty much a Meishodo Wielder - a 2-cost that sometimes costs 1.  The main difference is Cavalry on the Scout, which more than makes up for less POL.  WotU and a good suite of Conflict characters (to pass first in Dynasty more often) both give Scout more consistency.

Now is a good time to pick Unicorn up as they're starting to get a fighting chance in the competitive scene.  I doubt we'll see any Unicorn Kotei wins this year but at least we should see some Pony players making the cut by performance instead of just being the best of a weak Clan.

[O5R characters you really want to see back]

Horiuchi Meimei.  Bad Touch Grandma needs to ride again!

[Future of the Core 12]

As basic building blocks of decks I don't expect to see these cards fall by the wayside anytime soon.  IMO they're designed to be simple effects that are easy to understand and cheap enough to be obviously useful for new/casual players - every game needs some of those.  As a result they're going to be cornerstones until the card pool is large enough to make at least a couple good decks that want to do things besides add stats, and even then those decks might still be playing a couple copies of some/all of these cards.  

Having 12 cards common to the vast majority of decks is a fair percentage.  If the neutral cards were so good and Clan cards so underwhelming in comparison that it was 30ish neutral cards that were in every deck then we'd have a big problem on our hands.

Like Danwarr says, most similar cards will be run alongside and not instead of their generic counterparts.

[Satoshi and empty dynasty deck]

Listen to Ishi and do the opposite.  

[Conspiracy Time]

I was the turkey all along!

[Disciples of the Void - New Clan Pack]

9 minutes ago, Mangod said:

I dunno, some guy who was Yogo family daimyo, opened a black scroll, became an undead sorcerer, raised a demonic army, wrought untold destruction upon Rokugan and ushered in the return of the dark god Fu Leng.

Y'know, nobody important.

Yogo Junzo?  Oh yeah, the big bad guy destroyed on the Day of Thunder by our most powerful horse.  

[Next Expansion]

Leaks from disreputable sources and unwavering devotion to "that's how they've done it before."

[Disciples of the Void - New Clan Pack]

1 hour ago, shosuko said:

While blocking a spell could be nice this is basically only good against Phoenix, against every other match up its just a 3 cost for 2/2...  horrible. 

Friggin' non-Unicorn players are spoiled.    Or Unicorn is in bad enough shape when I'd seriously consider playing a Conflict character that's 2/2 for 3.

[New Crab Player splash question]

9 hours ago, twinstarbmc said:

Friends don't let friends play Unicorn.

Not as the primary faction.  They're great to influence in - almost all of Unicorn's good cards are in the Conflict Deck.

[Sleeving]

Just decks for me.  I like having decks with different color combinations.

[Dishonor is not inherently NPE - The sour grapes need to stop]

Dishonor isn't inherently NPE but it being a viable win condition while honor is not certainly doesn't win it many friends. 

[Enlightenment Victory]

If Enlightenment victory is going to be a thing, I'd rather see it based off claiming all five Rings as opposed to using five ring effects.  Otherwise it's limited to a  Phoenix victory condition powered by Tsukune.

[Who to ally with...]

Above Question is a great reason to add Crane to a Dragon deck.  It's searchable by Agasha Swordsmith, counts towards using your stronghold pump, and provides supreme protection from most surprises.  Admit Defeat, Duelist Training, and Steward of Law are also really nice for Dragon.  Voice of Honor is good too but hard to play against Crane, Phoenix, and Scorpion.

Go Crane if you want more protection for your battleship, Crab if you want to keep it around longer and maybe get more use on defense, or Lion if you want more use in Military conflicts and protection against bowing.

[Taking All Bets - Next Clan Roles]

7 hours ago, kiramode said:

- Unicorn can't win here. They suck right now and if they get cards in the upcoming cycle to make them competitive we don't know whether that playstyle would prefer keeper or seeker. Whoever picks is 50/50 to guess wrong. Guy who picks is also almost certain to be picking 7th. How many options are even going to be there?

Talisman of the Sun is brilliant while Chasing the Sun is pure garbage.  That's enough to decide it for Unicorn.

[Clan Loyalty...]

4 hours ago, Ide Yoshiya said:

I would never do something to "stick it to" someone. That kind of behavior only breeds conflict.

I love conflict in the story - it's what makes things interesting!  Also, are you going to let some silly Scorpion tell you what to do?

[L5R Designer leaves game]

5 hours ago, SlackerHacker said:

Just an update, in case people haven't heard:

Eric Dahlman is no longer with FFG, according to source within FFG.

That's a bummer.  He was the only one of the three designers with real experience in the old game.

[Crab Questions]

Funeral Pyre loves Keeper Initiates!

[Crab Questions]

Funeral Pyre is still quite good.  Losing a character with no Fate on them at the end of the turn?  Sacrifice them ahead of time for an extra card, preferably after using their stats and/or ability in a conflict.

[[Ruling wanted] hand limits?]

Conflict deck size is 40-45 cards so 45 is the actual maximum.  There is no rulebook maximum but if your opponent keeps bidding 5 every turn, you may want to bid 1 for a couple turns to make them worry about their honor.

[Clan card count]

Those Unicorns are busy exploring outside the Empire and may return in a few hundred more years.  

[A Noble Sacrifice]

There are a few splash-able non-Crane cards that honor characters but none which dishonor.  To that end, if you really want to prioritize this card then you need to pay attention to the Ring of Fire.

[Shosuro Actress]

You retain that character under your control for that turn but you will not be able to add Fate when it enters play.  The reason for not being able to add Fate is the phrase 'put into play' instead of just 'play' - 'put into play' doesn't let you add Fate but 'playing' a character does.  I wish they had found a different term for 'put into play' since it uses 'play' in it.  

[A Noble Sacrifice]

Crane would be crazy good if this card were easier to play.  As is, it's worth playing 1-2 copies in Crane and borrowing for other Clans that manipulate honor/dishonor status well.

[Stronghold Balance Design Question(s)]

6 minutes ago, Ishi Tonu said:

 I think the ability is just that good that it dictates Unicorn having no additional PS. 

It's a good ability - I disagree about it being so good that we should be awful at defending ourselves.  

[Stronghold Balance Design Question(s)]

12 hours ago, Zesu Shadaban said:

That may be part of it, but I think it's more likely due to the aggressive mechanics intended for the Unicorn strategy. Whereas Crab is high defense and low offense, Unicorn seems to be geared more towards high offense, low defense. Thus they have +0PS for their stronghold, no holdings to increase province strength, and their clan province has a self-breaking action to attempt character removal. A happy Unicorn is, I think, one who is beating down the enemy stronghold before their opponent gets a chance to swing at theirs. 

Totally with you on Unicorn being directed towards aggression and less defense, have to disagree that Crab are low offense / high defense - absolutely high defense but definitely good at aggression as well.  I am indeed happy when I'm engaging at my opponent's stronghold before they're coming to mine because it could take me 2-3 tries to break theirs whereas I'm only likely to mount one successful defense of mine (Rally to the Cause, Ancestral Lands, Entrenched Position) before I lose.  Considering most Champions can easily solo the Golden Plains in their favorable stat despite a 5PS province, you can see why I'm not keen on 0PS.