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The theoretical Seven Swords Deck
By Nick Zube
Stronghold: The Yoritomo Alliance
Personalities
Doji Chomei x3
Hasagawa x3
Mukami (Exp)
Tsuruchi x2
Yoritomo
Yoritomo (Exp)
Yoritomo (Exp. 2)
Yoritomo Kamoto x2
Yoritomo Kanbe x3
Holdings
Artificer x2
Island Wharf x3
Pearl Divers x3
Small Farm x3
The Hiruma Dojo x2
Trading Port x3
Regions
Mountain Pass x2
Events
Imperial Gift
Inheritance
In Time of War
Kisada's Funeral
Suspicions
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Dynasty Total: 40
Followers
Elite Spearmen x3
Imperial Legion x3
Mantis Samurai x3
Items
Ancestral Armor of the Crab
Ancestral Armor of the Lion
Ancestral Sword of the Crab
Ancestral Sword of the Crane
Ancestral Sword of the Dragon
Ancestral Sword of the Lion
Ancestral Sword of the Phoenix
Ancestral Sword of the Scorpion
Ancestral Sword of the Unicorn
Ancestral Weapons of the Mantis
Armor of Earth
The Jade Hand
Yoritomo's Armor
Actions
Block Supply Lines x3
Entrapping Terrain x3
One Koku x3
Rallying Cry x3
Refugees x3
Superior Tactics x3
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Dynasty Total: 40
Yes, friends and neighbors, this is as close as you will ever come to a Mantis honor-runner deck. But, in this case, it's more of a dishonor deck.
One of the great advantages of all the other Clans are the dreaded Ancestral Swords. A recent tactic used against the top Clans in tournaments has been to use a Clan's own Sword against them, since, if one brings out, say, the Crane Sword first, then one's Crane opponent will lose a whopping 6 honor. This deck takes that concept one step further, by using all seven Ancestral Swords to gain lots of honor, and then spend that honor to bring out a strong attacking force.
Of paramount importance is getting your Swords early, so that a honor-runner or LSD won't get the drop on the vulnerable Yoritomo Alliance provinces. This is where Inheritance and Trading Ports come in. Inheritance should get you your first Sword, but this deck is loaded with items which cost exactly eight gold. Attatching any one of these to a Personality, then Trading it to get one of the Swords into your hand starts you on the road to achieving this deck's odd little goal. Repeat the Trading Port process to bring out each Sword in record time. Artificers help immensely in bringing out these somewhat expensive items, and remember that each Sword gives you 4 honor, honor that you can spend to get more Swords, or stockpile to splurge for Chomei, Kamoto, or Da Man, hisself. After the initial 6 honor hit, Suspicions can keep your opponent locked down, as you continue to build up your honor totals to immense levels. Kanbe can work on either defense or offense, with the aid of the Crab and Lion Armor. And Kamoto, Chomei, or Yoritomo should always get a Mantis Samurai, which enables you to have a huge amount of potential defensive or offensive power.
Not that you'll really need to defend. If this deck works as it should, you'll be keeping your opponent on the mat for much of the game, racking up the honor, and taking his Provinces like clockwork. But be warned: it doesn't work as well against a number of factions, especially Toturi's Army, the Naga, and the Shadowlands Horde, none of which have Swords.
Of course, the reason this is titled the theoretical Seven Swords deck is because, hey, Swords are hard to get. If anyone out there has all seven and gives this baby a try at a tournament, the results would be extremely interesting.