Dragon/Crab Imperial Cycle FLGS Tournament Winner

[Chron73 61]

 

Mountain's Anvil Castle

Seeker of Fire

Public Forum Earth

Feast or Famine Fire

Restoration of Balance Fire

Pilgrimage Void

Rally to the Cause Water

Influence: 10/10

Dynasty Deck (40)

 Character (33)

3x  Agasha Sumiko

3x  Agasha Swordsmith

3x  Doomed Shugenja

3x  Kitsuki Investigator

3x  Kitsuki Yaruma

3x  Mirumoto Raitsugu

3x  Niten Adept

3x  Niten Master

3x  Togashi Initiate

3x  Togashi Mendicant

3x  Togashi Yokuni

 Holding (7)

3x  Imperial Storehouse

1x  Miwaku Kabe

3x  Mountaintop Statuary

Conflict Deck (40)

 Event (15)

3x  Banzai!

2x  Charge!

3x  Court Games

2x  Indomitable Will

3x  Let Go

2x  Mirumoto's Fury

 Attachment (20)

3x  Ancestral Daishō

2x  Daimyō's Favor

3x  Fine Katana

3x  Kitsuki's Method

3x  Ornate Fan

3x  Pathfinder's Blade ///

3x  Reprieve ///

 Character (5)

2x  Hiruma Skirmisher ////

3x  Tattooed Wanderer

 

My version of Dragon/Crab

The provinces are meant to slow down and punish your opponent to give you the edge. Mirumoto's Fury is great too. Between Fury and the provinces, I've been able to take two provinces and not lose any in return consistently. I usually put Rally under the stronghold, but it can be switched with Pilgrimage depending on the matchup. I put Kabe in just to test it out and it's been a great card any time it's come out.

As far as characters go, you ideally want to grab a big character with fate and a 1 or 2 cost with no fate each turn. Since adding Sumiko and Yaruma I haven't had any problems with Crane or other political decks, and Yaruma's ability is great with Restoration and Public Forum. Use Charge on any big character as long as it flips tempo and gets you a province break. Always try to use the Wanderer for Covert, him and the Hiruma Ambusher have been fantastic for finishing out games.

Try to finish games quickly, this deck is built to break provinces fast while stalling the opponent with Mirumoto's Fury and the provinces. Not sure how the deck plays in a longer game as I've finished all of my games quickly with province breaks. The biggest weakness I've noticed is honor. You have to bid aggressively early so manage your honor carefully after the first couple turns.

If you try out the deck, please let me know how it worked for you. So far I'm 6-0 overall with it and went 3-0 At my FLGS tournament.

[Tabris2k 1,106]

I think this is the only deck I’ve seen lately that’s not running at least 2 Policy Debate. 

[Chron73 61]

1 hour ago, Tabris2k said:

I think this is the only deck I’ve seen lately that’s not running at least 2 Policy Debate. 

Since the one weakness of this deck is running low on honor from bidding high for card draw...every time my opponent has played policy debate, I've just bid 1, took the card loss and gained some honor back. When you're usually sitting with 7+ cards in hand, 1 card and knowledge of your hand doesn't usually do much to stop you.

[Waywardpaladin 419]

On ‎1‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 5:41 AM, Chron73 said:

Since the one weakness of this deck is running low on honor from bidding high for card draw...every time my opponent has played policy debate, I've just bid 1, took the card loss and gained some honor back. When you're usually sitting with 7+ cards in hand, 1 card and knowledge of your hand doesn't usually do much to stop you.

I find knowledge of my hand to be one of the most damaging parts of that card. When they know you don't have a Let Go or Fury their planning becomes much easier...

[Ishi Tonu 2,855]

In a Scorpion heavy meta game I prefer Crane splash.  Above Question does serious work.  Just make sure you can bait out a little attachment removal and get AQ to stick, or win the favor and have Censure back up, or Policy Debate out their attachment hate.......

Can make for some really easy wins when your opponent cannot interact with you.

 

[Nitenman 422]

I'm running the same kind for Dragon, and do not play PD in it either. I already explained my views on flavor and deckbuild somewhere and PD is a political flavoured card so I don't use outside of crane or scorp bully decks. 

In a Dragon, it could be added to a heavy discard strategy, with kitsuki investigator and spies at court for opponent hand disruption.  Otherwise, no reason to have it as a once off IMHO.  

Let them play PD, they will remove one of your card, see your hand, and tremble in fear knowing what's coming down the mountain. 

[Chron73 61]

21 hours ago, Ishi Tonu said:

In a Scorpion heavy meta game I prefer Crane splash.  Above Question does serious work.  Just make sure you can bait out a little attachment removal and get AQ to stick, or win the favor and have Censure back up, or Policy Debate out their attachment hate.......

Can make for some really easy wins when your opponent cannot interact with you.

 

I've been fine locally because no one is running Scorpion. Anywhere else I'll use the Crane splash because I agree it's our best chance against the Scorpion heavy meta and can still fare well in other match-ups.