The Swift Sword

This is a deck list that I have been working on for some time now and I would just like some opinions on whether it is going in the right direction for a competitive deck. Thanks!

Eternal Victory Dojo
Bamboo Harvesters
Border Keep

Dynasty

Holdings

3x Copper Mine
3x Remote Village
3x Small Farm
2x Prosperous Village
3x Tranquil Garden (unbowing, ring recursion)
2x Traveling Peddler (card draw)
1x The Seekers' Temple (ring search)

Personalities
3x Kitsu Akai
3x Kitsu Tamasine
3x Kitsu Kagako
3x Kitsu Fukui
3x Kitsu Sorano
3x Komori Taruko
3x Mahatsu
1x Takasho

Celestials

1x Jurojin's Blessing (efficiency, recursion)

Fate

Rings

1x Ring of the Void
1x Ring of Water
1x Ring of Air
1x Ring of Fire
1x Ring of Earth

Spells

3x Walking the Way (air, search)
2x Intervening Spirit (air, water)
2x Scouring Flood (air, water, earth, fire?)
1x Unnatural Flood (air, water, earth)
1x Strength of the Tsunami (air, water, earth, fire?)
1x Mastering the Elements (air, )

Strategies

4x Deception Revealed (void, water)
4x String of Victories (void, water)
3x Sneak Attack (earth, fire)
2x Ambush (earth, fire)
3x Steel on Steel (fire, earth, water)
2x Wrathful Ancestor (earth, water)
3x Ancestral Protection (protection)
2x Meeting the Keepers (void, card draw)
1x Introspection (void, search)
1x A Game of Dice (void, card draw)

Again, any helpful critizism is welcome.

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Lion Clan * Water * Shugenja * Artisan * Unique

needs more Introspection. For enlightenment you NEED Three Introspections.

also I would take out some of the shugenja's and add some Tacticians, you need tactical actions to fully utilize the EVD Stronghold. Plus..

no champ?
no kobi?
no kano?
no tsudoken?

MADNESS! You need more key unique's, you also need a fall back plan, if you can't enlighten you should be able to go on the offensive. the key shugenja that can do both enlighten and military are...

Kitsu Tamasine
Kitsu Kagako
Komori Taruko
Takasho

Also take out Ambush, it's awful; I can see why you put it in but there's so much straighten in the eviorment that they'll just straighten and run away, or Yojimbo's Duty to take another action and kill you. Ambush is too risky, plus 5 honor hit is hard to recover from if your a Lion.

Also Strength of the Tsunami is Far too expensive for a Lion Player, 8 gold that's our clan champion for cheap. Go for Capturing a Soul, Clearing the Path, A Dragon's Favor. Also try going for Summon Swamp Spirits, and The Kami's Promise.

I too am going to try and build an Enlightenment Deck out of EVD. But if this works please report back to me your findings.

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Lion Clan • Historian • Courtier • Spy • Paragon of Shourido • Loyal

Thanks for the suggestions, I had a build that had tacticians but it was hard for me to find a balance. This is where the build has led thus far. I may try to rebalance again but at the moment I am going to try to do minor tweaking to get the deck running better.

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Lion Clan * Water * Shugenja * Artisan * Unique

I would suggest retaining the Ambushes. There is a lot of straighten, but there are always chances of them not having it, and one ambush can easily drop three rings.

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Swift Sword Forum Rules

the "dream" is ambush, sneak attack, steel on steel or send home. drop earth (and fire if steel on steel works) and then a combination of movements to put water into play ie:strength of the tsunami send my guy home, pitch water to move my guy back, string of victories, play ring. magical christmas land you know, or sculpting a fate hand to accomplish this. I know that there are improvements that need to be made.

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Lion Clan * Water * Shugenja * Artisan * Unique

Ambush/Sneak/Unnatural Flood

With our Water shugenja, they can't stop the move home, and unless they bother wasting an Effortless Counterattack, they can't move back in. Then all you need to worry about is Heavily Engaged, but you have Ring of Air etc for that.

Alex

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L5R Rules Team

Btw, you need to read the new Ring of Fire, Steel on Steel doesn't help you:
After the resolution of a battle at a province, if you destroyed one or more provinces or enemy cards in that resolution: You may put this card into play from your hand.

Alex

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L5R Rules Team

I'd take out the steel on steels for 2 more introspection and an additional ambush. What is your plan for fire? I would put some paragons in for a military threat as your gonna have to either crush an army or province at some point.

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My deck had tacticians with Open or Limited Tactical abilities (Kamina and Makotai) to fuel the box and for Banish all Doubt, and Yuuto and Anshiko for sleazing unopposed provinces, but this is too many working parts.

My current thinking is to drop the cavalry for more Tacticians and to play 2x Dislodge the Foe, which should let you take one province fairly easily, but I've not tried this yet.

Alex

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L5R Rules Team

I have been testing with tacticians, put in: Makotai, Kamina, Kano, Dairuko, and Kobi. I am having a hard time balancing the fate but the dynasty works very well with this set-up.

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Lion Clan * Water * Shugenja * Artisan * Unique

updated list:
EVD TAC SHG ENL

Eternal Victory Dojo
Border Keep (should i try xp?)
Bamboo Harvesters (same question^)

Dynasty
Personalities
3 Akodo Kamina
3 Akodo Makotai
1 Akodo Dairuko
1 Akodo Kobi
1 Akodo Kano
3 Kitsu Akai
3 Kitsu Kagako
1 Takasho
3 Mahatsu
3 Komori Taruko

Holdings
3 Copper Mine
3 Tranquil Garden
1 Prosperous Village
2 Traveling Peddler
2 Small Farm (possible sub 2nd city dojo)
2 Remote Village
1 Temples of Gisei Toshi
1 The Seekers' Temple
1 The Imperial Treasury (testing this in place of a prosperous village)

Celestials
1 Jurojin's Blessing

Fate
Strategies
4 Deception Revealed
4 String of Victories
3 Introspection
3 Sneak Attack
3 Banish All Doubt
2 Ambush
2 Brothers in Battle
2 Wrathful Ancestor
2 Meeting the Keepers
1 A Game of Dice

Spells
3 Walking the Way
2 Bo of Water
2 Scouring Flood
1 Unnatural Flood
1 Mastering the Elements

Rings
1 Ring of the Void
1 Ring of Air
1 Ring of Water
1 Ring of Earth
1 Ring of Fire

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Lion Clan * Water * Shugenja * Artisan * Unique