The Emerald and Jade Champions special set first introduced the keyword Kensai to L5R. More Kensai have since appeared in Honor's Veil, and Words and Deeds will bring in even more. Kensai may be familiar to those who play the L5R RPG as a special Lion Clan school known as the "sword-saints", those so proficient with the katana that it almost seems magical what they can make the weapon do.
However, in the CCG the term is used in more general terms, implying a character who is a true master of a weapon, be it a katana, yari, or any number of other implements.
Kensai is also used to distinguish a master of weapon combat vs Duelist, which represents a master of single duels.
So what strategies will the Kensai bring? Clearly Item cards, and weapons in particular will be a strong part of the decks that use Kensai. Several cards already play up the theme, such as Mirumoto Narumi exp who draws additional cards when she attaches weapons, Yarijutsu which uses your weapons to outright kill other characters, and Brisk Economy which reduces the cost of items and gives additional card draw if attaching to Kensai.
Of all the Clans currently in the game, the Dragon Clan has the closest shot at a Kensai-themed deck as of now. While it wouldn't be the entire deck due to the lack of cards, it has nowhere to go but up from here.
There are many ways to approach it. One could use the weapons as Chi bonuses to win more duels, or attempt a faster military approach. The deck can use the weapons for sheer force bonus or try to apply additional cards for more mileage out of the weapons.
Below is a selections of cards of a deck that could be built now focusing on the Kensai. While it may not be quite optimal for massive tournament beatdowns, it does have feet to stand on. Cards in the list are links so you can see the ability and what it can contribute to the deck.
Stronghold:
Morning Frost Castle (Dragon Clan) - With the force pump of your weapons, the ability of the stronghold can threaten enemy provinces quickly.
Dynasty Deck
Mirumoto Narumi exp - Kensai, and draws cards when attaching weapons. Attach a weapon, transfer it to someone else, draw, and repeat next turn.
Mirumoto Satobe - Kensai, and provides a lot of force for your stronghold ability, even more when paired with a massive weapon like an Iron Tetsubo.
Mirumoto Jairuzu - Not a Kensai, but his ability works well with the stronghold, and can power through provinces when accepting a force bonus from a Kensai with a weapon.
Supply Outpost - Excellent holding for quickly equipping your Samurai for battle.
Seikitsu Mountains - This region allows you to pull your samurai out of harms way. With your stronghold ability allowing you to pump several samurai up to province-crushing force, you can threaten at multiple provinces. If the opponent chooses to defend against one of your samurai, you can use this region to pull him out to safety, while your other samurai take the undefended provinces.
Fate Deck
Yarijustu - One of the most powerful weapon based actions in the game, this allows you to kill even the largest of enemies with a single action.
Tsi Blade - Easily one of the best weapons in the game, a low cost and card draw built in.
Rapid Deployment - Remember the trick with Seikitsu Mountains earlier? This allows for much the same thing, but rather than sending home your threatened attackers, you pull them into another battle. This can also be used to crush an enemy army with overwhelming force should they choose to defend at a single province after you assign your spread of attackers.
Skilled Quartermaster - With the many weapons and items used in a Kensai deck, this card can take out a lot of enemies. Using expensive and strong items like Ceremonial Armor make it even more effective.
Brisk Economy - Characters like Mirumoto Satobe can use this action to attach Tsi Blade for free, and gain card draw in the process. Best of all this is an Open action which means it can be played on the opponent's turn, possibly causing them to rethink an attack.
So as you can see there is definitely a lot building for the Kensai in L5R. The Dragon Clan won't be the only Clan to have Kensai, though currently they are showing the most. To build a full deck you'd need several non-Kensai samurai, and non-item related actions. However, there is plenty of synergy in general out there for item-related military decks, and some battle actions are useful enough to be in any deck, thus allowing for completion of this deck without much difficulty.
We think players are going to enjoy the new "sword-saint" decks, and we expect to see more of them in the summer tournaments.
Tags: Legend Of The Five Rings L5R Kensai
Related to:
Legend of the Five Rings
