We released our core set via a soft launch already last week. We had to implement a bunch of cards in Jigoku and wanted to use the first week to fix as many bugs as possible. But now we’re pretty stable, and it’s time to officially talk about the set!
Gimme the Cards!
Sure, of course that’s what you want to have. And rightly so. You can download the cards via our products page, or just click here. If you head over there, you’ll find eight PDF files, one for each clan and one for the neutral cards. Each clan file contains a play set of each dynasty card and each conflict card as well as the clan stronghold and the clan province. The file for the neutral cards is a bit different. It’s built for two players and decks. You will most likely download the clans you want to play with your friend (and maybe also splash clans), but then you’d need to download the neutral one twice. That’s why we added each neutral province three times (bring more friends!) and two play sets of each neutral card. If you like, you can also download the single cards for digital use or to print single cards, as always.
This Wasn’t There Before?
If you look closely at the new cards (and also the updated cards for Through the Mists, Restoration of Balance, and Ancient Secrets), you’ll find two new symbols on attachments: an asterisk and a small card.
Both of them are supposed to act as reminders that there are certain conditions that apply when playing the card. We observed several times that players were relying on playing an attachment to win the conflict or even the match, yet when played, they realised their error. Even worse, sometimes they played it wrong and no one noticed the error.
The asterisk is a reminder that shall remind you “Be careful, there is an on play restriction”. In our example, Writ of Survey can only be attached to an honored character. The character can become ordinary or dishonored later on, but the card doesn’t care anymore.
The little card is supposed to remind you that there is a constant restriction for this card, that has to be satisfied / dealt with all the time. In the example above, The Lion’s Shadow constantly checks whether the character it is attached to is a Courtier or Scout. Should the character at any point lose the Courtier trait (for example via Seiji’s Fate) and not be a Scout either, the title will fall off immediately.
We hope to prevent at least some of the situations that we mentioned at the beginning. Let us know what you think about it!
I’m a New Player, Where Can I Start?
I am glad you asked. Whilst it is a tad difficult to provide separate starter decks in a living card game (if you are a company, at least), we decided that they can be a valuable and lighter entry to the game. We asked our play testers to come up with starter decks that only use cards of the Emerald Legacy. Many of them from the Core Set, of course, but also cards from Through the Mists or Ancient Secrets, for instance.
In addition to just the deck, each of them contains a short description how the deck is supposed to be played. This should give you a better understanding of the clan and the particular deck(s). Each deck is supposed to highlight the different styles of each clan.
We will offer the decks in three different flavours:
- EmeraldDB: Whether you already have all the cards or want to play on Jigoku, you can check out the deck lists on EmeraldDB. You can copy them, modify them later on, and import them straight to Jigoku.
- print@home: We will offer each deck as a single PDF file. You will be able to download them and print the complete deck! No need to download all our sets, search the cards you need, and cut them. They are all in one place, one file to print for a complete deck! Please give us a week or two to assemble the PDF files.
- Physical Copies: This might take a while, as we will only offer them once we have all the art we need. However, it is super important to us to offer those decks as physical copies via DriveThruCards and Azao Games. You have a friend who would like to learn the game? They can order the clan they like, and are ready to play for only a few bucks.
Alright, let’s start with the deck lists!
Crab Clan
The Crab Clan is a fierce and persistent adversary, mainly focussing on defense, control, and sometimes dishonour. The deck we have for you today is a Shugenja-focussed deck, aiming to dishonour your opponent, created by JeremiahBlitz.
Crane Clan
The Crane Clan is a clan that strives for perfection, in art as well as in battle. They are honorable, masters of the sword, and talented artisans. As there are two Crane Strongholds in Emerald Legacy, we have two different decks for you, both created by Zarzuckett.
Dragon Clan
The Dragon clan is renowned for its Niten duel style, a very deadly and effective one. In addition, the clan is known for its Monks, the Ise Zumi that contemplate the Eternal. WorkerBee created two decks for you, one with a focus on duelling, the other being centered around monks
Lion Clan
The Lion are known as master tacticians and are well versed on the battlefield. Our first deck focuses a bit on the darker side, known as the Red Lion. It’s a Lion Dishonour deck, that uses tools of the Scorpion to achieve success, created by Ikoma Tomoya. The second deck, also by Ikoma Tomoya, is a pure military deck, trying to win via conquest and using their second stronghold, Pride.
Phoenix Clan
The Phoenix master the Elements and have the most Shugenja compared to all the other clans. They are able to do all kinds of stuff with elemental spells. Our deck will win its matches with board presence and is created by Rock Rackus.
Board Presence Phoenix on EmeraldDB
Scorpion Clan
The Scorpion clan, also known as the Underhand of the Emperor, is a clan that focuses on the stability of the empire, no matter the cost. Masters of political drama, poison, or even Shinobi (Ninjas don’t exist, of course), they always find ways to achieve what they aim for. Our starter deck by Jester4198 is a dishonour deck – one of the many things Scorpion does well.
Dishonour Scorpion on EmeraldDB
Unicorn Clan
The Unicorn clan once journeyed outside the empire to uncover threats beyond its borders, and returned bolstered by the allies they made and new ideas. They are epitomised on the battlefield by their cavalry, whether the fierce steppe-born Moto riders, the spirited and virtuous Utaku battle maidens, or the swift Shinjo, natural scouts and explorers. They remain the great clan most open to foreign customs, including the unorthodox Meishōdō naming-magic of the Iuchi shugenja, and are often represented in diplomacy and trade by the peace-loving Ide family. We’ve got two decks for you, one for each of our strongholds. They were both created by lifeingodmode with the help of Oskar Bladh and Siri.
Merchants and Honor Unicorn on EmeraldDB
And that’s all for today! Enjoy the game and let us know what you (don’t) like!
