Legend of the Five Rings Review: Scorpion Clan

Only one more clan to go after this! As always, stronghold ratings are for the stronghold card itself, not the entire faction, and provinces will come in another article.

nyxnyxnyx: nyxnyxnyx is a competitive player from Singapore who has played Netrunner, Conquest, and AGOT 2.0.

Kingsley: Kingsley once played Conquest and Netrunner competitively and is excited for a new and intriguing LCG.

benjoewoo: Old5r player, coming back and excited to see this game revive.

I Fight Dragons: I am an avid card game player who has played Magic, Netrunner, and Conquest competitively and L5R casually in the past. For the L5R LCG, I went 5-0 in the 704 person Kiku Matsuri and became one of the first Phoenix Hatamoto, then placed in the top 8 for the following 256 person inaugural tournament at Gencon 2017. I host a podcast focused on competitive play and being a better player called The Winter Court Podcast.

Grendel: I have around twenty years of card game experience. At one time I was the worst rated player on DCI in the state of Tennessee. I have played several games to varying degrees of competitive success locally. For FFG’s LCG line I have only played Conquest competitively in which I have achieved second place in a 50+ OCTGN league, second and fifth place in two regional events, second in a store championship, and took home several game night kits. Beyond just playing a game. I enjoy discussing theory, strategy, and tactics for said game.


City of the Open Hand (average score: 4.6)

nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
10 honor is pretty sad, but is kind-of okay due to the restriction of the ability. Taking 1 honor is roughly the equivalent of being able to bid 1 more on honor every turn (which is +1 conflict card). I’d say the value of a card is roughly ahead of the other stronghold abilities, making this pretty good. The restriction is kind of tricky to handle, but in actual play probably just means you bid 5 early on most of the time.

Kingsley - 5/5
CIty of the Open Hand greatly helps Scorpion sustain heavy bidding without honoring themselves out. The main downside of this stronghold is that if you do end up bidding lower than the opponent you may make your ability irrelevant and then suffer from your weak stats, but this ability is absolutely great for letting you sustain heavy card draw (and enable I Can Swim), even against an opponent trying to choke you with low bids. A key part of the Scorpion puzzle and one of the best strongholds out there, albeit along quite a different axis from most.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
Drawing cards for free has historically been good in card games. Drawing cards for free as a result of an ability that actively moves you to one of three victory conditions is better. That victory condition being viable out of the gate is great. Activates against every clan except Unicorn and Crab out of core, and can really upset certain match ups.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
City of the Open Hand is certainly in the running for the best Stronghold in the core set. It allows Scorpion to bid high and play the cards that are powerful at the cost of honor with much less of a risk of losing to dishonor. Against most other clans, this stronghold is practically a guaranteed air ring turn 1. What City of the Open Hand really does well is allow Scorpion to switch into a dishonor win as the game goes on, as they likely are dragging both players’ honor totals down with it throughout the game.

Grendel - 4/5
I think it’s easy to overvalue this effect and easier to undervalue it. While it provides no immediate advantage compared to some of the other ones, its incremental value is very strong.

Bayushi Liar (consensus score: 5/5)


nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
If LPB is the premier 3-cost, then Bayushi Liar is the premier 1-cost. 1 for 3 POL skill, 0 Glory for maximum synergy with Spies at Court/Forged Edict, relevant Courtier trait, draws you a card on the way out with Sincerity, even has a - in MIL for immunity to harpoons and swaps. Pretty nutty.

Kingsley - 5/5
One of the best one-fate characters in the game, Bayushi Liar has the Courtier trait, good stats (zero glory is an upside here), and draws you a card when he leaves. Altogether great.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
The slightly less flexible version of Doji Whisperer, but probably generically more useful as he is a courtier, activating a lot of in clan tricks, and draws a card on leaving. With an above average political stat, he is usually not something you’re upset to see.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
This is a crazy good one drop. Bayushi Liar has 3 in a stat, the courtier trait, 0 glory (which is relevant in Scorpion), and also draws a card as it leaves play. It’s a lot of what Scorpion wants for cheap. There’s not much else to really say about it.

Grendel - 5/5
Independently the best one drop in the game with great stats, a super relevant trait, and a very strong keyword.

Bayushi Manipulator (average score: 2.8)

nyxnyxnyx - 2/5
The rules state that modifying the value of the bid doesn’t actually impact the number you reveal on your dial, so this doesn’t help you trigger I Can Swim or other similar effects. Best case I can think of for the card is helping you get 1 lower honor in case of a tie, draw 1 more card, then let you trigger your SH. Would have been a lot better if it let you lower the value of your bid instead.

Kingsley - 3/5
This card looks very strong, but its effect does not cause you to have a higher number on your dial for the purposes of I Can Swim, making it less powerful than one would like. While this might grow stronger with more duels, at present it’s a 1/1 that gives you a little more flexiblity in your draw (including the potential to draw six cards). Decent but by no means a powerhouse.

Benjoewoo – 3/5
Out of the core set, this guy is pretty useful because he can really maximize the SH’s ability for taking 1 to even out or actually take while drawing/bidding higher for “free.” His stats are balanced, but at 1/1, he’s unlikely doing a whole lot beyond being a chump attacker/defender. Being courtier makes him auto-include right now, and unlikely to leave super quickly, but should be phased out as different decks are fleshed out.

I Fight Dragons – 3/5
Bayushi Manipulator is an okay 1 drop with relatively weak stats. The main use for this card right now is to up your draw bid by 1 if so you can just take the honor back with your stronghold; but the courtier trait for cheap certainly isn’t bad so for the moment, I expect he’ll stick around.

Grendel - 3/5
Stats are very weak but the ability is quite strong when used. Unfortunately, I see this character played yet not triggered.

Sinister Soshi (average score: 4.8)


nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
It’s a ‘1 for 2/2’ that you can add to any conflict, with the catch being that it’s never at the conflict itself, which could be a problem if it would be the difference between an opposed and unopposed conflict. One upside is on a 2-skill challenge, reducing to 0 makes the conflict ‘fizzle’ with no winner or loser, it’s even better than if you were to defend with 2-skill, since the attacker would win the tie in that case. It’s also a Shugenja, which is relevant for Scorpions trying to run Cloud the Mind.

Kingsley - 5/5
Another of the strongest 1/1 cards in the game! Keep in mind that this ability does not require you to bow, so the Water ring or similar effects don’t actually shut it down. Dishonor-focused players may want to put more than one fate on her to bait out enemy Assassinates - she’s that good.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
When a character with -/- stats at 2 fate cost is a high priority target for Cloud the Mind, the card is good. She doesn’t require presence, and can single handedly stop chump attacks. Right up there with the champion for utility, and probably won’t leave play for some time given the ability’s strength.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
Effectively a 1 cost 2/2 with the added utility of being able to nullify conflicts entirely sometimes because you brought your opponent’s character to zero skill. She has amazing synergy with the dishonoring effects in Scorpion and Shoju on top of just being a solid stat swing character. Are you running Cloud the Mind yet?

Grendel - 5/5
Very strong card that sit backs and waits for your opponent to invest so you can invest.

Blackmail Artist (average score: 3.4)


nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
Stats leave something to be desired, though they’re not terrible. Scorpion shouldn’t have a hard time triggering the effect in most games, and taking 1 honor is again worth roughly a card, likely even better. (since you reserve the option to cash in the honor to a card or keep the honor difference when it’s relevant).

Kingsley - 3/5
This card has weak stats and a strong ability, but like Asako Diplomat the fact that you have to win with those weak stats makes it a little difficult to actually pull off. Still, helps give you that extra push towards a dishonor victory.

Benjoewoo – 4/5
The rating is based on the idea this card will see much more use in a deck that doesn’t exist, namely one that is dedicated dishonor. Taking 1 honor in a politically oriented military deck is fine, and he’s likely in your deck, but he’ll really shine and be worth putting duplicates in play despite roughly average stats in a dedicated dishonor deck.

I Fight Dragons – 3/5
Blackmail Artist trades stats that are more on the weak end for the potential ability to get an air ring when winning a political conflict. Certainly not a bad card by any means, but not very flexible. Blackmail Artist lets you push that dishonor win a little harder and usually acts as an additional finisher for that win condition.

Grendel - 3/5
The ability definitely helps build to the inevitable conclusion of dishonoring your opponent or better yet allowing you to leverage your honor more aggressively. However his ability to impact the game now leaves something to be desired.

Soshi Illusionist (average score: 4)


nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
2 for 3 skill is almost worth it by itself, especially with a decent ability. At the cost of 1 fate, you can set someone honored/dishonored back to neutral, which is great for board control with/against high glory characters. Another Shugenja in Scorpion’s arsenal, for your shugenjaing needs.

Kingsley - 3/5
In some board states this can be very strong, but in others it just provides three political for two fate - not at all a bad deal, but not an exceptional one in a faction full of political strength.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
This guy has a great ability to re-activate in clan tricks or manipulate force in surprising ways, e.g. take away the honorable status from a Serene Warrior. In the event additional status tokens come out, this guy will see increased utility.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
This card may not seem like much but I’ve grown quite fond of it as I’ve played with and against Scorpion. Due to the Seeker of Air role, Scorpion can usually find extra fate to use this ability and what the ability does is usually create a 2 stat swing for one fate by removing a dishonor off one of Scorpion’s 2 glory guys or removing an honor off one of their relevant guy. This guy single handedly neuters the Phoenix Stronghold, and that makes me a sad Phoenix player.

Grendel - 4/5
A very relevant ability protecting your key characters from being dishonored and keeping an honor token off your opponents high glory character. Beyond that 3 pol on a 2 drop is nothing to scoff at.

Yogo Outcast (average score: 3.6)


nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
Almost always a 2 for 3/3, given Scorpion’s SH requirement, which is great. Scorpion is really deficient in MIL, so this helps relieve that a little. Also a Shugenja.

Kingsley - 4/5
This card will usually be a two cost 3/3 with “standard” Scorpion play, and that’s a strong though not amazing deal. Three military is rare and valuable in Scorpion though, and even though dedicated dishonor decks probably want to cut this I suspect it’ll still see a good deal of play.

Benjoewoo – 3/5
Fairly average to slightly above average stated infantry. You run her because she’s not terribly inefficient without the ability, and a bit more efficient with the ability turned on.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
Yogo Outcast is a very blunt card. There’s not much to say about it except that if you are consistently less honorable, and you can easily be, then this is a 2 cost 3/3 which is very solid and flexible for the cost. If you don’t manage to be less honorable, then he’s still alright as a 2/2 that packs the Shugenja trait, but you probably spend that fate elsewhere instead.

Grendel - 3/5
While I rate him at a 3, the amount of beef he presents at a condition that is quite easy to maintain, especially in the mil spectrum is something that Scorpion finds very desireable.

Young Rumormonger (average score: 4)

nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
Extremely annoying for any honor/dishonor effects going on and very, very, relevant to the board state whenever any glory is involved (be it on intended recipient or final recipient). Conveniently denies some abilities like Savvy Politician, which is fun. Also one of the many, many, good Scorpion Courtiers.

Kingsley - 3/5
In the right board state, this guy can be a huge pain for the opponent; in the wrong one, he’s a two cost 2/2 with no real ability. The wrong state seems more common than the right one to me, so I think he’s overall pretty average.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
An improvement for this art, as his original card wasn’t very good. This guy can really mess with your opponent in addition to making certain actions for you “costless” in battle or mitigate the costs.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
This is a very flexible 2 cost courtier that allows you to essentially control who gets honored and dishonored one a turn. That can be quite a big ability which can deny big characters like Tsukune and Hotaru from being honored or bounce one of your own dishonor effects to any character you want. There’s a lot of subtle use for this card, and almost all of it is nicely impacting for just 2 cost.

Grendel - 3/5
The stats are flexible, the ability is decent in the right circumstances but those circumstances are not frequent in the field so it leaves much to be desired with this character.

Favored Niece (average score: 3.4)


nyxnyxnyx - 3/5
3 for 2/2 is wholly unexciting, statswise. A cycling ability you can do twice per turn is pretty good, though it would have been nice to draw before the discard. Has extremely high value in specific matchups where cards are dead/worse, like Way of the Scorpion in the Scorpion mirror, or for example, Let Go without any attachments. Could also be a fixture in some kind of combo deck of the future, but for now it’s just alright.

Kingsley - 4/5
While the stats are bad, they’re compensated for with an incredible ability. I wish this were a two cost character who could only use the ability once per turn, as that would be both easier to remember and less swingy.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
I think card cycling is very powerful. What makes this card unlikely a 5/5 for everyone is that you discard first, so you don’t know if you’ll draw better, but as more options come out to build toolbox decks, this card will get better because she’ll discard the relatively not useful tools for two chances to draw those game winning cards. Her cost to stats aren’t great, but she can’t be assassinated, so that’ll count for something depending on future releases and meta changes.
I Fight Dragons – 2/5
Favored Niece allows you to fix your hand somewhat in exchange for very, very poor stats for 3 cost. While I appreciate the ability a lot, 2/2 with 2 glory leaves you one dishonor status away from a character that does nothing but cycle 2 cards twice a turn. Scorpion has a lot of cards that dishonor their own characters, so sometimes you won’t have a choice other than the actress. Because of these draw backs and my tendency to bid high with Scorpion, making the card cycling less useful, she usually sits out for right now.

Grendel - 3/5
Probably going to catch a lot of flack for rating this one so low but the stats leave something to be desired and the ability not being what you want from a 3 drop leave this character wanting to be more in my experience. That being said, the ability is very strong in and of itself.

Shosuro Actress (average score: 4.8)

nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
One of the 3 3-fate super-strong ‘Red Ladies’ out of the core set. 3 for 1/3 is alright stats. Basic idea is to play her without fate most of the time, then use her in a POL conflict before sacrificing her and coming back as another character (preferably one of the other Red Ladies), letting you get 2 characters’ worth of impact for the price of 1 that turn. Also a Courtier and a Shinobi, a more relevant trait in the future (also relevant now since this says non-Shinobi).

Kingsley - 5/5
Similar to Kitsu Spiritcaller except stealing from the opponent, Shosuro Actress doesn’t want fate on her but does make a big splash on the one turn she’s active, usually fighting in one challenge and then sacrificing to bring a character into another.

Benjoewoo – 4/5
This is the only recursion ability outside of Lion, which seems very strong. Thematically shinobi are unlikely to release in great numbers outside of scorpion, so outside the mirror match she should always have targets. However, your opponent may not always have good targets, or none at all, so she’s not a 5/5. She’s a 4/5 because as the game continues, she’ll more likely have more game changing plays, especially if the meta focuses around 3 fate cost and below characters.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
Shosuro Actress is a very weak card early game but an immensely powerful one later in the game. Once your opponent has a single good character of cost 3 or less in their discard pile, then Shosuro Actress essentially becomes two bodies in two different conflicts which is quite powerful. Couple that with just about every clan have a very impactful 2 or 3 cost character that also brings great stats or an awesome ability and you have a recipe for an upper level 3 cost character overall.

Grendel - 5/5
Pretty unique for 3 drops as it is one of the few that you do not want to play fate on but essentially performs double time on its turn, not to mention its ability targets some of the best characters in the game.

Shosuro Miyako (average score: 3.8)


nyxnyxnyx - 3/5
Scorpion’s conflict characters are just alright, so you kind of have to splash for more conflict characters to really get her ability active often enough, and even then, it’s only just a single random discard or an opponent-chooses dishonor, once per turn. In a game like AGoT with default-unlimited abilities, this would have been a build-around card, but alas L5R’s default once-per-turn rule makes her just alright. Is a Bushi/Shinobi, which could be relevant in the future.

Kingsley - 4/5
This character has mediocre stats but a very impactful ability, at least if you have enough conflict characters to keep that trigger firing. Further, while three military strength might be bad by most standards, by Scorpion standards it’s quite relevant.

Benjoewoo – 4/5
She isn’t stated well to win the game for you by herself, but she’s one of scorpion’s few military oriented people. Her ability also combos particularly well with one of the most powerful conflict characters: adept of shadows.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
Miyako is a great card if you play even a single conflict character. Fortunately for Scorpion, both of their conflict characters are quite playable and Adept of Shadows in particular is considered one of the best in the game. Miyako’s ability puts a tough choice on your opponent as dishonoring a character usually has an impact but a random card discard can ruin a lot of plans and is very risky. She also packs some decent military skill, which is welcome in the politically leaning Scorpion deck right now.

Grendel - 4/5
I usually dislike opponents choice effects, but both tend to lead to the same conclusion in the long run and it being at random can occasionally grabs an opponent’s best card.

Bayushi Yunako (average score: 4.2)

nyxnyxnyx - 3/5
4 for 4/2/2 is not amazing, stats-wise, though it is high MIL which Scorpion lacks. Her swap ability punishes any lopsided-stats character participating in the same conflict, or lets you use your own lopsided-stats characters in that conflict effectively. Not being able to use this on - characters hurts its effectiveness quite a bit.

Kingsley - 4/5
While stats here look a bit low, Yunako provides military strength and an ability that will often represent a substantial swing in a conflict. At worst, she can be considered a 4/4 thanks to her ability being relevant on herself, at least assuming she doesn’t get blanked. Keep in mind, though, that this ability does not work on characters with dashes on one of their stats.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
You’ll run her because it’s fairly easy to read her as a 4/4, making her a great military addition to scorpion and considerable political contender. Being unique for potentially staying around longer than predicted is good, and can turn Shoju into a 7/7.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
Yunako has decent stats on the surface but bring with it an ability that will usually equate to more stats in whatever conflict she’s in. She’s effectively a 4/4 at minimum because if she’s in a political conflict, she can always just swap her own base stats if there’s nothing better to do. Like Miyako, her 4 military is also a welcome sight in a clan that is severely lacking in it.

Grendel - 5/5
I love this character. On her own she is a 4/4 which is great beef. She also represents 4 mil in a mil light clan and can help turn some of their high pol/low mil characters into a valid way to break another province. She can also punish an opponent with greater then 2 stat swings as well.

Yogo Hiroue (average score: 4.4)

nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
Between Hiroue and Yunako, I think Hiroue’s harpoon effect is a lot better. Unlike Yunako’s swap which you mostly want to use on participating characters, Hiroue’s harpoon effect lets you control who you want to punish, with a dishonor on top as gravy. His 0/4/2 stats leave a lot to be desired, however, and leave him vulnerable to the same aforementioned effects. (swap and harpoon) Has relevant Courtier trait.

Kingsley - 4/5
Hiroue suffers a bit from his high glory (not what a Scorpion courtier wants) and weak stats, but his ability is very versatile and annoying, allowing you to pull in and punish enemy characters, force an overcommit, or even pull your own guys into conflicts if need be.

Benjoewoo - 5/5
Scorpion’s uniques are generally very good, and this guy is no exception. He can drag people in from either side on attack or defense with the option to dishonor as needed. It’s a may option as well, so bringing in your own people and wining doesn’t have a drawback mechanically. A 4 political skill also makes this guy a relative powerhouse.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
I consider Hiroue the best 4 cost character in the core set environment. This guy is centered around his ability which is extremely flexible and gives a lot of control to the Scorpion player in how the turn plays out by either forcing your opponent to over-commit, target dishonoring, pulling an impactful character of your opponent’s into a bad conflict for them, or reinforcing your side in a conflict to push through a win or break. These uses often overlap as well which simply gives Hiroue a great way to use his ability every turn, on attack or defense. The fact that he’s Unique and also packs the courtier trait is the icing on an already sweet cake.

Grendel - 4/5
I think it’s easy to compare this to Doji Challenger and it’s almost quite there but lacks the tactical flexibility of being able to win military conflicts by bringing a high pol character into it. That being said, the ability is still quite strong.

Bayushi Shoju (consensus score: 5/5)

nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
At 3/7/2 with a POL-skill-reducing ability, Shoju threatens provinces all by himself. Each activation is essentially a mini-Dracarys, albeit in a game where characters ‘dying’ is no big deal at all. You’re not likely to get many kills with his ability, but you’ll see your opponents playing around it and letting you take provinces with Shoju on POL pretty often.

Kingsley - 5/5
Shoju is probably the most powerful clan champion in the game - his ability is so strong and has so many synergies with Scorpion’s other control tricks that it is often correct to simply let him break provinces single-handedly rather than trying to defend. The fact that he’s also a Courtier and has 3 military strength is just icing on the cake.

Benjoewoo - 5/5
You play him. He kills people and will often simply read as “take 1 province a turn.” The real tricks are forcing your opponent to defend him for 1 reason or another or bringing him into political conflicts to utilize his ability.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
I like to call Shoju a political Mack Truck; you cannot stand in front of him without expecting to get run over. Shoju’s ability is so amazing strong and scary that it often is the best play to just let him break a province unopposed rather than risk defending, having the character die to Shoju plus a dishonor or stat minus, and be unopposed anyways. Shoju is the centerpiece of any Scorpion board and can bring together the scorpion tricks into a true winning strategy for as long as he’s around.

Grendel - 5/5
While I said Yokuni is the best champion, his ability to generate value besides breaking a province every turn is very high. This champ runs the board harder then any other champ and perhaps any other character(Maybe LPB?). Every turn he is on the board he is breaking a province as he essentially forces your opponent to declare no blockers. A big pile of stats, a great ability, and great traits. Just wow.

City of Lies (average score: 3)


nyxnyxnyx - 2/5
Being an action you have to pre-trigger, lasting only one phase, and high-cost events not being ideal in an environment with counters that don’t scale with fate cost, all combine to make City of Lies not attractive at all.

Kingsley - 3/5
While fate economy is usually quite a bottleneck, most decks may not have enough events that cost fate for this to be a strong include, and it actively works against the other big bottleneck - dynasty draws. However, decks that run several events with fate costs may want to consider this option.

Benjoewoo – 4/5
Scorpion tends to be fairly conflict reliant, even with Shoju on board, to control the game state. Making those events cheaper is pretty good. It’s not a 5/5 though because scorpion tend not to be the most efficient stat wise, and getting bodies on board is more difficult with a holding taking up a dynasty slot.

I Fight Dragons – 3/5
City of Lies could be a powerful holding if utilized every turn, essentially trading one province slot for 1 fate per turn which is a solid trade to make. I don’t feel as though I can reliable trigger that condition every turn, unfortunately, due to a lot of 0 cost events currently making the bulk of my event slots. When more Scorpion events are released that do a lot for 1 fate, I imagine this card will be a staple for the deck utilizing them.

Grendel - 3/5
Kind of mediocre with so many great free events. But if good events come around that cost fate and are worth playing for their unmitigated fate cost this becomes quite good.

Adept of Shadows


nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
It’s a 2 for 2/2 that you can always have, at ‘half-price’ (1 honor instead of giving 1 honor in bidding). Has good synergy with Shosuro Miyako, but it’s nothing game-breaking. Is a Bushi/Shinobi, which could be relevant in the future.

Kingsley - 3/5
I think this is one of the more overrated cards in the game, all things considered. Two for a 2/2 isn’t a good deal, and paying an honor so you can take that bad deal again is worse. On the other hand, the versatility that this provides will often let you sneak in a challenge or avoid getting hit by unopposed attacks after your other characters are bowed out. Still, think carefully about whether playing this repeatedly is generating as much advantage as it might appear.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
You run this. She’s not OP because she’s only average stated, but having hand recursion for people is very good, and she allows you to do so much.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
This card is one of the best conflict characters in the game, allowing you to through an extra body that has solid stats for its cost into multiple conflicts a turn at a fair cost of 2 fate and 1 honor per use. Adept of Shadows gives scorpion a large amount of flexibility to play out the conflict phase, often sneaking in an extra conflict unopposed at the end of the phase or adding 2 skill to a conflict that needs it.

Grendel - 3/5
Being able to have a character that is okay in all conflicts is pretty decent, his slight inefficiency for his flexibility and recursion.

Unassuming Yojimbo


nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
3 for 3/1/0, with the glory being extremely relevant considering he has Covert. Technically ‘weaker’ than Political Rival, but gives up the additional defensive boost for the option to do a Covert Political challenge when needed.

Kingsley - 2/5
A much weaker military-centric version of Political Rival, Unassuming Yojimbo is nice for clans with weak military characters but otherwise doesn’t have too much to offer.

Benjoewoo – 3/5
This person exists for a deck that doesn’t exist just yet. She is a military oriented character and has covert, which are individually good. Being 3 fate cost though, makes her hard to consider too much beyond average right now, and it’s not guaranteed she’ll get better.

I Fight Dragons – 3/5
Unassuming Yojimbo is a solid conflict character that you want to play typically right before declaring your military conflict to catch your opponent off guard with a surprise military break. 3 cost can be quite prohibitive, however, so she can sometimes really feel like hand clutter as you sometimes need the fate for your other cards in hand. Not to be underestimated.

Grendel - 3/5
Covert is very strong and 3 mil is a nice value in Scorpion.

Court Mask (average score: 3.6)


nyxnyxnyx - 2/5
Not a big fan of 1-fate for 2-skill attachments. This one is kind of an alternative Kitsuki’s Method, being able to come in for multiple conflicts per round but costing a dishonor every single time. Has great synergy with characters who are already dishonored (the dishonor is not a cost), steal effects like Blackmail (you can Dishonor their guy!), but ultimately the 1-fate cost means it’s not going to break the game any time soon.

Kingsley - 3/5
Like Adept of Shadows, this is a bad deal that you can take multiple times. However, the lack of many ways to boost political skill means this can still be a contender, though Scorpion themselves probably doesn’t need that boost as much as others might. Further, this ability works even on a character who’s already dishonored, and doing this lets you avoid some of the negative aspects.

Benjoewoo -- 5/5
This is one of the few attachments that gives a +2 political bonus, and it can both give a +1 military bonus and recur itself with minimal cost .

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
Like the Adept of Shadows, Court Mask gives you a re-usable skill boost to a conflict without a body but for just 1 fate. The attachment stats are very solid for 1 fate and it is not restricted, meaning you can use it alongside fans and katanas as an additional stat boost. As a nice bonus, dishonoring the character is not a cost to returning the card to your hand. So if the character that has the mask is already dishonored, then you can essentially return this card to hand for free.

Grendel - 4/5
Card Advantage is nice but with the long-term price of costing you a card; however, the stronghold can easily mitigate this effect.

Fiery Madness (average score: 4.2)


nyxnyxnyx - 4/5
1 for -2/-2, which I surmise is better than +2/+2, since reducing to 0 fizzles conflicts. One of the best solutions to LPB available in the core set, and is almost worth playing for that reason alone. Has decent synergy with Bayushi Shoju and Sinister Soshi.

Kingsley - 4/5
Fiery Madness is a great counter to the strong midrange characters that everyone seems to be playing, and it can enable a surprise kill with Shoju’s ability as well - just watch out for Let Go.

Benjoewoo – 4/5
This is one of the few attachments that negs the opponent’s characters, and it negs equally at a good number for both stats. Disadvantage is let go stops this.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
One fate for a flexible 2 stat swing is just fine in the core set environment, if a little vanilla. Fiery Madness gets extra use with Shoju, giving him the reach to kill almost any character that isn’t a clan champion if needed.

Grendel - 5/5
I think this card is awesome and can punish an opponent greatly while possessing very strong flexibility in its ability to punish targets.

Forged Edict (consensus score: 5)


nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
One of the two event-cancelling events in the core set, with a greater cost (dishonor a Courtier) but a more flexible restriction (just requires a Courtier, which are plentiful). Has additional synergy with steal effects, letting you dishonor their Courtier to cancel an event, though I don’t think the situation will come up that often. Play 3 of these and smile every time you cancel something with 2+ fate or Assassination

Kingsley - 5/5
Like Voice of Honor, this cancels events; unlike Voice of Honor, this is easy to run in many decks and doesn’t require much setup. The downside of that easier setup is that you have to dishonor a guy to activate this, making it weaker when both are resolvable, but there are a lot of situations where you can’t play VoH and you can play this. Autoinclude for Scorpions and a strong option for other factions as well.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
Counterspells are good, and scorpion have a number of tricks to mitigate or make this card “costless”.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
Forged Edict is an event cancel that has a cost that the Scorpion can almost always pay if they want to. Every deck is packing a large number of impactful events due to the limited card pool, so this card will almost always find a target worth cancelling. If you happen to cancel a high cost event, like Display of Power or Cavalry Reserves, then this card is very swingy. I expect Forged Edict to be a Scorpion staple for the foreseeable future.

Grendel - 5/5
Way more splashable then Voice of Honor and almost always easier to cast.


Way of the Scorpion (consensus score: 5)

nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
Simple conflict-only point-and-click dishonor for anyone who isn’t a Scorpion character. The non-Scorpion restriction makes it a little less relevant in the Scorpion matchup, but that can be solved with Favored Niece and Young Rumormonger. Extremely strong in every other matchup, and will probably be a 3-of for the duration of the game’s lifetime.

Kingsley - 5/5
While this is laughably bad in mirror (at least you can dishonor your opponent’s Seppun Guardsmen?) and not amazing against Crab, it’s very strong in almost all other matchups, giving a permanent stat debuff and enabling a strong one-two punch with I Can Swim.

Benjoewoo -- 5/5
Probably one of the scariest philosophy cards because it activates I Can Swim and isn’t limited to once per conflict/round. Solid all around card except for the Scorpion match up, where it’s pretty much a dead card.

I Fight Dragons – 5/5
Way of the Scorpion is often a nice stat swing alongside a delayed honor loss. Any 0 cost event is worth consideration, and this often does a fair amount of work for 0 and like most of the other “Way of” events, is a staple to the Scorpion theme. This and I Can Swim can remove any character in the game for 2 fate, given you have a higher honor dial showing and that is a scary, scary prospect.

Grendel - 5/5
Just a good card.


Calling in Favors (average score: 4.4)

nyxnyxnyx - 5/5
Dragon has Let Go, Scorpion has Calling in Favors. Unlike Let Go, this one hurts when it gets cancelled (costs 1 fate and a dishonor), and is awkward for dealing with negative attachments, so Let Go is still better in that regard. It does, however, present a larger swing in combat and is a bigger punish for big attachments, while still being playable attachment control.
Kingsley - 4/5
Let Go is still the premier word in answering attachments, but Calling in Favors is a respectable second place, and is actually better than Let Go against big attachments like Sashimono or Togashi Kazue - unfortunately, those cards aren’t precisely in the meta right now, making this certainly powerful but not amazing. If bigger attachments are printed in the future, this will be even stronger, but at the same time it and Let Go suppress those attachments from being widely played anyway.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
This is the only card that lets you steal other character’s attachments. Fiery Madness your own Sinister Soshi, steal a Sashimono, etc.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
Just like event cancels, attachment hate will go a long way in the current environment. While not as universally good as Let Go, Calling in Favors has potentially higher highs and lower lows. Stealing a Sashimono or a Kazue is a phenomenally huge swing. Still, at worst this is usually paying 1 fate for a 2-3 stat swing and that’s not bad at all.

Grendel - 4/5
Not as generically good as Let go, but in the right deck on the right cards can create very big swings.


I Can Swim (average score: 3.6)

nyxnyxnyx - 2/5
Might be controversial, but I don’t think Scorpion currently has enough dishonor tools to discourage the opponent bidding 5. As it is, any time the opponent bids 5 he is immune to ICS for the entire turn. Also costs 2, requires participation, and can only target a dishonored character, which is very telegraphed most of the time.

Kingsley - 4/5
I Can Swim is a devastating blow, but suffers from difficulty in activating it against knowledgeable opponents. Still, not many effects in this game straight up kill an opponent’s character! Even in the games where this doesn’t work, its presence can loom over the matchup.

Benjoewoo – 5/5
A polarizing card, this is one of Scorpion’s character removal cards, and it’s easy to execute provided your opponent doesn’t bid 5. Note this refers to honor dials specifically, so Bayushi Manipulator and Contingency Plan do not affect dial numbers.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
Targeted removal is at a premium in this game and I Can Swim is no exception to the rule. There are 3 criteria to this card, but the most relevant one most of the time is having a dial higher than your opponent. Luckily, the Scorpion stronghold really helps Scorpion commit to high bids where their opponent usually cannot do so as easily. If your are against Scorpion and they have a higher bid than you, then this should always be on your mind and that is another reason to consider it a powerful card.

Grendel - 3/5
It feels strange to rate this card at a 3 as it effectively forces you to account for it and expect to be able to play around it the entire game. If you find yourself unable to play around it expect to go deep in the hole CA wise. That being said starting from turn 1 recognizing that you will have to play around this card can significantly decrease its potency.

Ambush (average score: 2.4)

nyxnyxnyx - 1/5
3-cost events have a great, great, barrier to overcome before being playable, due to cancels being absolutely backbreaking against them. Ambush’s effect itself is pretty laughable, requiring the use of resources from your hand or provinces. 3 for 6 might seem like a ‘steal’, but without any way to add Fate or keep them around an extra turn, it’s a poor investment in the long run. Arguably an ‘econ’ card, but has a chance to backfire horribly when cancelled.

Kingsley - 2/5
While expensive and vulnerable to cancels, Ambush can be very impactful in the right situation. Still, you have to wonder whether this will reliably be hitting hard enough to be better than high-end conflict characters.

Benjoewoo – 2/5
At 3 cost, putting in 6 fate of characters seems very efficient. However, note you can only put up to 2 people, so you can’t ambush four 1 fate cost characters or 3x Adept of Shadows. Additionally, it’s an event that can be cancelled, and stocking a ton of fate for this card seems like a poor choice compared to buying your actual board or top decking into enough conflict characters to make it worth it.

I Fight Dragons – 4/5
Ambush is a not a great card in the core set, and yet I still give it a 4 simply because it is obvious there is a Scorpion deck in the making that will make excellent use of this card. It’s hard to argue with paying 3 for 6 fate of value. Ambushing in a Shosuro Actress nets you 3 characters for 3 fate, which is an awesome play.

Grendel - 3/5
A very expensive event that can have a very profound effect in the right circumstances. If city of lies becomes more playable this is something to keep an eye on. Currently though, I think the situations where it can be sweeping are quite limited.

Blackmail (average score:

nyxnyxnyx - 2/5
A lot more playable than Ambush at 3-cost, though it’s still a hard sell due to its cost. There are a plethora of impactful 2-cost characters across every clan that would be amazing to steal with this, and it synergizes well with plenty of dishonor-cost effects like Court Mask, Forged Edict, Spies at Court. If I had to play a 3-cost event, it would probably be this. My advice, however, is to not play any.

Kingsley - 2/5
Like Ambush, this can provide an amazing swing under the right circumstances but will be hard to pull off. Unfortunately, the existence of Assassination greatly weakens Blackmail, as savvy players are already avoiding loading one or two fate characters too heavily. However, stealing an opponent’s character and then dishonoring or sacrificing them as the cost for something else will be a dream play… in those few games where you can actually pull it off.

Benjoewoo – 2/5
This is for the control deck we all wish scorpion to have. Maybe one day, but for now it’s like a more restricted assassinate that doesn’t actually get rid of the target.

I Fight Dragons – 3/5
Blackmail suffers for the existence of Assassination. For Scorpion honor tends to come cheaper than fate and Assassination permanently removes a problem 2 drop while blackmail doesn’t in exchange for a higher temporary swing. Right now, Assassination sort of takes the wind out of this cards sails but it’s still a very powerful card regardless and could still see play in the future.

Grendel - 3/5
Similar to Ambush in a lot of ways, with cost and effect. City of lies can make this extremely cost effective and swingy as well. However, I feel like assassination prevents people from overly investing in their 2 and lower drops preventing this card from ever reaching its full potential.