GenCon 2014 – L5R BigDeck Champion

We posted the winning Arc and Strict decks from GenCon last week, but while three (or 102, as the case may be) normal Legend of the Five Rings decks may be able to fit all together in one update, that cannot be said for today’s deck. For how could any other deck dare to horn in on the space allotted to the massive towers of power that are the GenCon 2014 BigDeck Champion? For those who are not familiar, BigDeck requires 100-card decks with no more than one copy of any card, so the decklists are even taller than the decks!

For those who don’t want to spend too terribly long looking over every single component of the deck just to get an idea of how it works, it’s my understanding that the core combo of this deck is the interaction between The Governor’s Estate and Divining Pool. Governor’s Estate, one of the Strongholds originally intended only for draft play, has a trait that lets you buy random Dynasty cards face down as 2G Holdings (thus helping you not lose horribly in your draft due to not having enough Holdings). Divining Pool is itself a 2G Holding that, as an Open, turns a face down card (in a province or in play) face up. So you use Governor’s Estate to bring some giant monster of a Personality into place face-down, where it briefly exists as a Holding before you turn it face-up with Divining Pool and smash face. Cards that will help fetch the lone Divining Pool A New Wall, Kakita Osei, Peace, and then secondary search like Walking the Way or Heart of Fudo xp2 (search for Peace, use Peace to get Divining Pool).

We’ll hopefully have winner Chris Justice on in the not too distant future to talk in more detail about the deck, and BigDeck in general.

BigMorph – Chris “Qaylar” Justice – GenCon 2014 BigDeck Champion

The Governor’s Estate
Kaede Sensei
Akodo Kaneka
Border Keep XP
Bamboo Harvesters XP

Dynasty:

A New Wall
A Time for Vengeance
Agasha Gennai
Agasha Gennai XP
Agasha Miyoshi
Agasha Ryo
Agasha Seruma
Agasha Shaku
Air Dragon
Air Dragon XP2
Akodo
Akodo Uehara
Akuma no Oni XP2
Asahina Ekei
Asahina Hira
Asako Bairei XP
Asako Chukage
Asako Moeru
Bayushi
Boundless Sight
Celestial Dragon
Daigotsu Gyoken XP2
Daigotsu XP3
Divining Pool
Earth Dragon
Enomoto
Fields of Pyrrhic Victory
Fire Dragon
Fire Dragon XP2
Fu Leng
Fukuzo XP
Grove of the Five Masters
Hantei
Hantei Genji
Hida
Hida Kisada Inexperienced
Hida Kisada XP
Hida Kisada (EE)
Hida Kuon XP4
Hidekazu
Hyobuko
Imperial Gift
Isawa Kouka
Isawa Kumai XP
Isawa Kyoko XP
Isawa Sawao XP2
Isawa Sezaru
Iuchi Wattu
Jinako
Jurojin’s Blessing
Kakita Osei
Kitsune Aiko
Kolat Duplicate
Komori Junsaku
Komori Taruko
Mahatsu
Master’s Dojo
Minting House
Moto Chagatai XP3
Moto Chagatai XP4
Moto Chagatai XP5
Naka Mahatsu XP
Naka Tokei XP2
Obsidian Dragon
Oracle of the Void XP
P’an Ku
Refuge of the Three Sisters
Rokkaku, Master of Scrolls
Ryoshun’s Guidance
School of Wizardry
Sentei no Oni
Seppun Kiharu
Seppun Ritisharu
Seppun Teshan
Seppun Toshiaki
Shiba
Shiba Ningen
Shiba Ningen XP
Shinjo
Shinsei
Tamori Wotan XP
Tanemono
Tess’kss
The Last Prophecy
The Mystic XP
The Ronin XP
The Wall is Breached
Thunder Dragon
Tik’tek
Togashi
Togashi Satsu XP3
Tonbo Inuyama, the Eye of Tomorrow
Void Dragon
Void Dragon XP2
Wanderers Revealed
Water Dragon
Water Dragon XP2
Yoritomo Hiromi
Yotsu Seiki
Yotsu Shinzai

Fate:

A Game of Dice
Balance in Nothingness
Bane of the Bastard
Benevolent Protection of Shinsei
Bishamon’s Fury
Black Wind From the Soul
Brawl
Broad Front
Broken Alliance
Charge Into Danger
Clan Conflict
Claw and Shell
Closing the Gap
Consumed by Five Fires
Contemplation of Destiny
Control Your Destiny
Counterattack
Creating Order
Crushing Attack
Dark Divination
Deadly Ground
Deep Roots
Defining Your Essence
Deflection
Delving into History
Dissension
Doomed Intentions
Eclipse
Exchange of Hostages
Face of Ninube
Fall on Your Knees
Fallen Thunder
False Ring of the Void
Flame Lash
Flee the Darkness
Forewarning
Forged Documents
Forging Destiny
Govern the Land
Guerrilla Tactics
Heart of Fudo XP2
Hired Killer
I Know That Trick
Imbue Chi
Imperial Command
In Aikune’s Name
Inexorable Defeat
Influenced from Afar
Inspired Strategy
Into the Darkness
Isawa’s Scrolls
Judgment of the Kami
Kitsuki Kaagi’s Journal
Legendary Rivalry
Loyal Yojimbo
Mark of Oblivion
Master of Destiny
Meeting the Keepers
Mysteries of Kawaru
Night Battle
Overwhelmed
Overwhelming Chaos
Peace
Planned Adversity
Rallying Cry
Rampage
Ring of Air
Ring of Earth
Ring of Fire
Ring of Flame
Ring of the Void
Ring of Water
Rite of Travel
Scouting Far Afield
Seeking the Question
Serenity in Air
Shuten Doji’s Fury
Spirit Made Flesh
Strength of Will
Sudden Movement
Sundering Strike
Superior Tactics
Surprising Resistance
The 12th Black Scroll
The Crystal Tears
The Egg of P’an Ku
The Egg of P’an Ku XP
The Future is Unwritten
The Great Silence
The Heir’s Wrath
The Price of Loyalty
The Thriving Light
The Wasting Disease
To Seek the Truth
Torrential Rain
Ultimate Sacrifice
Unauthorized Duel
Unwanted Mediation
Walking the Way
Whispered Rumors

2 thoughts on “GenCon 2014 – L5R BigDeck Champion

  1. I look forward to getting a chance to share more of my thoughts about this deck, the BigDeck meta-environment, and the format in general. In the meantime, I’ve got to correct one small factual error: “Divining Pool is itself a 2G Holding that bows to turn a face down card (in a province or in play) face up.”

    As my mirror-match opponent at GenCon didn’t initially realize himself, Divining Pool doesn’t bow to flip cards. Like Shrine to Hachiman in the current (normal) environment, you’re free to do the shenanigans on each player’s turn.

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