Monday 6 June 2016

UK Masters Wind Watchers Rundown

Bushido UK Masters Warband:

Hokibo - 14 rice
Kotenbo - 9 rice
Tarobo - 7 rice
Zephyr Guard - 5 rice
Zephyr Guard - 5 rice
Kami of the Strong Western Wind - 4 rice
Kami of the Strong Western Wind - 4 rice

Special Cards:
Wind Watchers (theme)
Deflection (event) - 1 rice
Spiritual Harmony (event) - 1 rice

This is the warband I'm taking with me to the Bushido UK Masters tournament at the UK Games Expo. I've previously written a little about it in a previous blog post but I did leave a few things out as I'd like to surprise a few people at the tournament.

How It Works
The warband completely revolves around Hokibo and the use of the "Dominate" Ki feat.


I use Dominate to dictate my opponent's activation order so that I can accomplish my objectives unimpeded. Normally Hokibo could only use Dominate once a turn - twice on turn two - but with Spiritual Harmony I can flood him with Ki on turn two from the Zephyr Guards.  This, in turn, gives me enough Ki to use Dominate four times on turn two if I feel I need to use it that much. Imagine your four worst models having Impetuous, that's what it feels like.

The main scenarios that give me pause are zone scenarios that use models that are either faster or tougher than mine to seizure the zones early, which is why nearly every model in the warband brings a Push special.

Another defining trait of the warband is the sheer number of placement effects it brings.  Both Zephyr Guards have their own, the Kami of the Strong Western Wind both have ranged attack placements, and the Wind Watchers theme brings an incredible 2" placement effect.  I can effectively move a Zephyr Guard about 17" every turn if I wanted to. These placement effects really come into their own during VIM scenarios as I can often just zip across the board to score near the end of a turn.

Overall, basic scenario play is covered but there are vulnerable points in the warband. If Hokibo dies, the warband falls to pieces in a hurry. Certain special cards can disrupt me for a turn or two, as can profiles with large distances on Disturb Flow.  I'm also concerned about how the warband performs against a warband with no specific points of weakness. Righteous Warriors warbands from the Temple of Ro-kan gives me pause, and it is certainly an incredibly popular theme.  We'll just have to see what I end up against on the day.

No comments:

Post a Comment