Many people wonder why the hell the Naga can’t win any major tournaments. Nearly every set, they get something really brilliant and yet they just aren’t showing in the top 16. Why?
I think, that it is because there are 2 straightforward routes to victory in this game. Military and Honour. I am not saying these are the easiest ways to win, I am just saying that decks of this nature (i.e. defensive or aggressive) are easier to conceptualise for most.
Naga have excellent cards for both of these strategies. They have low cost, high force personalities (that the Lion would kill for) and amazing defensive personalities like Purusha and Isha. They also have access to cards like Pearl Magic, which many, many people consider trying to find ways to squeeze naga shugenja into their deck to play. But, even with these cards (and free gold to boot) they just aren’t as fast or maneuverable as the Lion or as anal as the Crane/Dragon.
What Naga need essentially is a force booster like charge that would give them +3F. This may give them that little bit of extra speed they need.
Additionally they don’t have people like Daidoji Rekkai, a cheap high force personality with an excellent defensive ability.
So what do they have and what can you expect to see at GenCon US?
Personalities:
Naga Warlord: 3 / 2 for 5g (off the box). Gives all of his Naga followers +1F. Damn good. Obvious choice for any naga deck.
Oseuth: 1 / 2 once off tactician & double chi for 4g. I think this guy is lightning. Great for Naga enlightenment decks as well.
Issut: 3 / 2 for 5g. Another, very strong personality. Has a very nifty anti-manoeuvre ability.
Damesh: 2 / 3 for 5g. God how I hate this guy. Against many, many decks these days he is just abominable. His ability to reduce your province strength to 5 is vicious. (Of course he is even more horrendous in a Ninja deck where he reduces your province strength to zero!) With Nio sensei he’s even nastier!
Ghedai: 1 / 2 Shugenja for 5g. His ability is outrageous! Bow him to move one of your units from one defenders province to another. I have seen the damage he can do!
Qatol: 5 / 7 for 13g. Looks pretty poor, doesn’t he? Now remember that your forests are free, Nori Farms can explode for 6g to bring out a Naga card and that he is in actual fact 8 / 8 most of the time. Wow!
Isha: 0 / 3 for 5g. (They have a lot of off the box/deep forest/Jade Works personalities don’t they?). Bow to destroy a terrain. Brilliant! No terrain? Then suck down this Ranged 3 boy. Not at this battle, then suck down this ranged 4 that I just did with concealed archers! Die Kamoko!!!
Add in other good personalities like Balash xp, Isha xp and Shahadet, and you have an excellent personality base.
Naga Followers are generally, in my humble opinion, overcosted. However, they have 1 really excellent one.
Shahadets Legion. Amazing. Two ranged 3s or One Ranged 3 and 3+ force.
Then you also have cards like Tao of the Naga, Severed from the Emperor (dangerous, but it allows you to ignore the favor until your Tao comes up. Don’t forget you can ignore honor requirements until you reach –20!), the aforementioned Concealed Archers & Pearl Magic and the Ancient Spear, the Ancient Armor and the Battle Standard.
Naga also get the benefit of being able to use At’tok’tuk Sensei (your ratling conjuror can cast pearl magic and your rats can gain the benefit of Fortress of the Dragonfly!), Nio Sensei (not many people have gold production as low as yours), Yokuni Sensei (When you absolutely, positively have to slow that Robo-Crane deck down to a crawl and get out an 8/8 monster), and Hiruma Sensei (When you absolutely, positively have to shoot that m#*&^%$^&*£r in the head!).
All in all they look damn fine as a deck type.
Here is one I made earlier!
Dynasty (40):
Naga Warlord x4That’s all folks!
If you think that this is a pile of crock and want to submit a real Naga article by an actual Naga player send it to yoritomo@yoritomo.com.