Lion have been losing steam as Kotei season wears on, but they still show up a lot, and you still need to be able to beat them. Here’s what’s been making the cut:
Good Stuff Mish-Mash Top Lion, T8 – Feeding Hills Kotei (discuss here):
Central Castle?
Dynasty:
1x Farmlands
1x Akodo’s Guidance
1x Alter History
3x Copper Mine
3x Dockside Market
3x Smuggler’s Port
2x Famous Bazaar
1x Chugo Seido
1x Public Records
1x Traveling Peddler
3x Matsu Kinihara
2x Akodo Senzo
2x Akodo Raemon
2x Akodo Kusamoto
3x Ikoma Satoru
3x Matsu Kasei
1x Akodo Tsudoken
1x Akodo Shunori
1x Akodo Ryozo
1x Kitsu Marimi
1x Pokku
1x Akodo Shigetoshi
1x Akodo Kurogane
1x Ikoma Igawa
Fate:
3x Thorough Preperations
3x The Cost of Pride
3x Superior Mobility
3x Cowed by Wisdom
3x Shameful and Cowardly
3x My Life Is Yours
3x Will
3x Shatter the Line
2x Scouting Far Afield
2x Caught Unawares
2x Unwavering Assault
2x Only Actions Speak
2x Perfect Aim
1x Relentless Conviction
1x Preparedness
1x Ultimate Sacrifice
1x Ring of the Void
1x Ring of Water
1x De Bellis Yoditorum
Double Dip – T16 Feeding Hills, T8 Brentwood (discuss it here):
Central Castle
Dynasty:
1x Mountain Storehouse
1x Akodo’s Guidance
1x Alter History
1x Imperial Census
3x Copper Mine
3x Dockside Market
3x Fortified Dock
2x Smuggler’s Port
2x Famous Bazaar
1x Chugo Seido
1x Traveling Peddler
2x Matsu Kinihara
2x Matsu Youko
2x Akodo Senzo
2x Akodo Raemon
3x Akodo Kusamoto
3x Matsu Satoru
3x Matsu Kasei
1x Akodo Shigitoshi
1x Akodo Tsudoken
1x Akodo Shunori
1x Akodo Ryozo
1x Ikoma Igawa
Fate:
3x The Cost of Pride
3x Shameful and Cowardly
3x Outer Walls
3x Claw and Shell
2x Will
2x My Life Is Yours
2x Unfamiliar ground
2x Final Duty
2x Unexpected Arrival
2x Shatter the Line
2x Thorough Preperations
2x Superior Mobility
2x Cowed by Wisdom
2x Scouting Far Afield
2x Justly Earned Victory
2x Beloved of the Clan
1x Relentless Conviction
1x Preparedness
1x Ultimate Sacrifice
1x Ring of Water
1x Hiroshi’s Legion
1x De Bellis Yoditorum
Lion Hero – 5th Place Cincinnati Kotei (discuss it here):
Great Hall of Records
Dynasty:
Copper Mine x3
Seiden Sanzo x3
War Encampment x3
Permanent Encampment x2
Wooden Barricade x2
Traveling Peddler
Tetsu Kama Mine
Kaiu Smithy
Bishamon’s Guidance
Dark Oracle of Fire
Akodo Ebiro x3
Matsu Haruya x3
Akodo Shigo x3
Matsu Kasei x3
Matsu Kita x2
Matsu Amuro x2
Matsu Benika xp2
Akodo Seiichi xp
Akodo Kurogane
Akodo Tsudoken
Hida Kosho
Fate:
De Bellis Yoditorum
Chagatai’s Armor
Yagamaki’s Fist
Rising Sun Blade x3
Tsuruchi Daikyu x3
Modifications x3
Ring of Water
Incredible Resilience
Relentless Conviction
Sneak Attack x2
Perfect Aim x2
Fearless Defense x3
Only Actions Speak x2
Kami Unleashed x2
Scouting Far Afield x2
Shameful and Cowardly x3
Strength of the Bamboo x3
Superior Mobility x3
Muscle and Steel x3
Rout x2
VeloClone – T8 Tampa/Sarasota (discuss it here):
Central Castle
# Dynasty (40)
# Celestials (1)
1 Akodo’s Guidance
# Regions (1)
1 Mountain Storehouse
# Holdings (15)
1 Chugo Seido
3 Copper Mine
1 Head of Fudo
1 Belly of Fudo
1 Traveling Peddler
2 Barley Farm
3 Famous Bazaar
1 Limbs of Fudo
2 Revered Sensei
# Personalities (23)
1 Akodo Ryozo
2 Akodo Senzo
1 Akodo Tsudoken
3 Matsu Kasei
3 Ikoma Satoru
1 Akodo Shigetoshi – exp2
2 Akodo Kusamoto
1 Ikoma Igawa
1 Ikoma Hagio – exp
3 Matsu Youko
3 Akodo Raemon
1 Akodo Shunori – exp
1 Akodo Kurogane
# Fate (40)
# Strategies (37)
2 Perfect Aim
2 Scouting Far Afield
3 Will
3 The Cost of Pride
2 Shatter the Line
3 Rout
3 Outer Walls
1 Ultimate Sacrifice
3 Final Duty
3 Thorough Preparations
2 Unfamiliar Ground
2 Only Actions Speak
1 Preparedness
2 Beloved of the Clan
3 Superior Mobility
2 Cowed by Wisdom
# Followers (1)
1 Hiroshi’s Legion
# Items (1)
1 De Bellis Yoditorum
# Rings (1)
1 Ring of Water
Because Not Just Trevor Plays Great Halls T2 and T4 at the Polish Kotei:
Great Hall of Records
Dynasty (40):
Regions/Events/Celestials (3):
Akodo’s Guidance x 1
I Am Ready x 1
Mountain Storehouse x 1
Holdings (15)
Chugo Seido x 1
Clan Estate x 3
Copper Mine x 3
Tetsu Kama Mine x 1
Traveling Peddler x 1
War Encampment x 3
Wooden barricade x 3
Personalities (22)
Akodo Shigo x 3
Akodo Tetsuru x 3
Ikoma Tobikuma x 3
Ikoma Tomoi x 1
Ikoma Toruken x 3
Akodo Raemon x 3
Akodo Ryozo x 1
Akodo Seichi x 3
Akodo Tsudoken x 1
Matsu Mikura exp x 1
Fate (40):
Strategies (26)
Deathly Aura x 3
Fearless Defence x 3
Justly Earned Victory x 2
Shameful and Cowardly x 2
Kami Unleashed x 2
Countermove x 3
The Cost of Pride x 2
Muscle and steel x 3
Shatter the line x 1
Superior Mobility x 2
Ultimate Sacrifice x 1
Preparedness x 1
Obfuscation x 1
Items (11)
Rising Sun Blade x 3
Hand of the Obsidian Dragon x 1
Modifications x 2
Armor of the ryu x 1
De Bellis Yoditorum x 1
Heavenly Jumonji-yari of the Lion x 1
Chagatai’s Armor x 1
Yagimaki’s Fist x 1
Followers (2)
Moto Hunters x 2
Rings (1)
Ring of Water x 1
I have to say, it’s sort of weird looking at all these Lion decks and seeing how dramatically different they are from one another. Am I wrong in thinking they’re really different?
The Hero/Item decks are certainly different from the Central Castle decks.
I mean even the Central Castle decks. Normally you’d expect to see a couple of cards different, but we’re talking entirely different gold schemes, personality bases and/or actions. And meta. I dunno.
I’ve always found there was some room to toy with the fate-side, so it doesn’t surprise me when those are different. However, the gold schemes this week were hugely varied because of the different types of decks. (Some playing the item suite of holdings, one had heroes/Seiden Sanzo, another actually had enough cavalry to justify Clan Estate, etc.)
But it does stand out as a little odd when compared to some of the decklists we’ve put out earlier on in the season. After week one we did one of these and the decks had a whole lot in common between them. (I think 50 or so cards out of 80 in the top Lion decks on the first week were identical if you threw out Trevor’s Great Halls stuff.) I don’t know what caused the shift. Maybe now that we’ve seen the decks to beat this season (Breeder and Crane Embassy honor/dishonor blends), some people are meta-ing heavily while others are just playing the best cards and hoping for the best. Or maybe week one was the odd one. Don’t know what exactly to make of it.