"This is what you came here for, so form rank and do not ask stupid questions. In the Hida War College we teach you to become TACTICIANS!" ---- Hida Chiesada
Welcome to the War Room. Here you'll be taught to do battle like the Crab. All your unanswered questions regarding the military might of our clan will be answered here. I remind you that though you are encouraged to ask questions while in training but it is imperative that one goes through the proper channels in the chain of command. Send a written missive to me and the answers will be shed to you in time.
Today I share with you would-be military legends a letter from Paul Schlondrop. He's new to L5R and seeks advice on building a competitive deck on a budget. He writes...
I was wondering if you could help me.
My friends recently started playing L5R and have told me that I need to go out and buy some cardsright away. My problem is that, while they all have jobs and money, I'm still in school and am quite short on cash. All I can budget for cards right now is about $200. After that I won't be buying any more cards for a very long time. Here's my question: What should I buy? I found a place where I can order boxes of L5R for $65 to $105 a box, depending an the expansion. My friends and I are fairly competitive so I'd be playing to win, not just to collect the cards. If you were in my position, knowing what you know about the game, how would you spend your money?
Thanks in advance for your help.
First up its good to know Paul, that your interested in this very worthy CCG called L5R, and its also good to know that you are in it for the kill(winning).
Anyway to answer your question on what packs to buy for a competitive deck on a budget.
Firstly, since you're just starting up and is very serious about
winning, I suggest you choose one of the 6 major clans(Crab, Crane, Dragon, Lion, Phoenix, & Unicorn). I've yet to see any of the "newer" clans win the big tournaments. Choose wisely all the clans have their strengths and weaknesses, select the one that fits your style. I assume you already have an idea what the Clans are about.
Secondly, if you plan to buy a booster box I'd suggest you stick with the basic set, namely Imperial(scarce nowadays), Emerald, Obsidian and Jade(still to come) Edition. Here is where you get your staple cards, the cards that everybody places in their deck at some point.
The Rare Action Cards from these sets are really very useful, like Inheritance, Test of Honor, Feign Death, Kolat Master, etc. and have a high trading value. The uncommons and commons are not bad, regardless of what clan you play you're going to need those common but useful cards that only the basic set can provide. Note that the basic set commons get reprinted in expansion decks.
Ofcourse the other expansion sets have great cards but I seriously doubt if more than ten of these (per expansion) ever get to be "staples" in a competitive deck, clan preference and card rarity not withstanding. If you can wait for Jade Ed. to come out then get it instead of the others, a lot of cards have already been "updated" either for rules clarification, or simply because they've got "stronger" in the L5R story line (ie., Experienced Personalities, Kolat Assassin).
Thirdly, try to get at least one of the existing starter decks of your clan from every edition or expansion. Not all the clans have "splinter" factions but if your chosen clan has one, get that also because you may well need those "starter deck only" rare cards, like the Ancestral Items (Sword, Armor, Standard, etc.) and Exp2 personalites, these are very useful.
Here's a list of the starter decks for each clan, though IE is quite rare now.
Crab
Crane
Dragon
Lion
Mantis
Naga
Phoenix
Scorpion
Shinsei
Toturi
Unicorn
Junzo
IE, EE, OE, ToV
IE, EE, OE
IE, EE, OE
IE, EE, OE, SCC3
C&J
SL
IE, EE, OE, ToV
SL, SCC1
C&J
AoD
IE, EE, OE
AoD
(IE=Imperial Ed.; EE=Emerald Ed.; OE=Obsidian Ed.; SL=Shadowlands; AoD=Anvil of Despair; C&J=Crimson and Jade; ToV=Time of the Void; SCC1=Scorpion Clan Coup scroll 1; SCC3=Scorpion Clan Coup scroll 3)
Now if I were your shoes I'd probably Get 1 booster box and two or three starter decks, since I play Crab I'd probably get these:
1 EE booster box (Or JE):
this gives you the staple cards.
1 OE Crab Starter Deck:
gives you the Ancestral Standard, an FK booster, cool bead counters and nice rule book.
1 ToV Crab Starter Deck:
gives you the new stronghold, and Yakamo exp2
And if I still have some cash left I'd also get:
1 EE Crab Starter Deck:
gives you the Ancestral Armor and more staples.
Trust me you'd probably get all you need for a kickass deck with these, but if for some reason you don't, then just trade away the cards you dont need for the ones that are really useful to you. Spells and other clan personalities are the first to go in the Crab's case.
I hope this helps you. And by the way, welcome to the land of Rokugan where "Honor is a force more powerful than Steel...".
"...time for you to apply what you've learned young samurai, neh?"
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