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Superior Tactics #4:Overconfidence/Treachery and Deceit

Though many people have volunteered to write for Superior Tactics, most of them haven't finished yet. Submit an article today and it'll have a low turnaround time. This week, Scott Hebert, like any good Scorpion, presents a sneaky twist on a few recent cards.

Greetings from the Scorpion Clan! This is of course Bayushi Tasogare, the Scorpion Clan Sword. What's on the agenda this week? Well, the kindly people here at Superior Tactics wish to take a, well, different look at tactics. Are you tired of the same old military force buildup? Well, tighten your obi, because we're going to look at a couple of actions that will revolutionize your Force fights...


Overconfidence - Common Action (AmD) - 0G - 2Fo
Reaction: When a Personality has received from an action a force bonus more than or equal to his or her printed chi, bow the Personality. The Personality cannot straighten during his or her controller's next straighten phase.
Treachery and Deceit - Rare Action (HB) - 0G - 4Fo
Battle: Target a unit in this battle with Force greater than 6. Send the unit home without bowing.

So, first, why not a comparison of Treachery and Deceit to the other two prevalent 'send that unit home' actions (besides the Imperial Favor):

As people have pointed out to me, T&D is best used in 6+ Province Strength SHs, and in the early game, when you face a CTB's [Corrupt Toturi Blitz deck] second turn Akuma + Follower, or a METH [Mantis Empty the Hand] attack. It's less useful against [Otaku] Kamoko, unless you have your own Cavalry that can reliably come out first turn.

That is, of course, the _conventional_ wisdom for using T&D. After I look at Overconfidence, I will suggest certain synergistic combinations that in my opinion make best use of this card.

Overconfidence seems like a killer card, and almost designed to stop LSD/PCP-type decks [Lion Speed Deck and Province Crushing Ponies, respectively]. You may think that it isn't that playable, but how many times have you faced the Kamoko Charge/Strength of Purity attack 2nd turn, or Gohei Charging you into the turf? Or have you ever faced a Tactician deck? The only Tacticians that can safely Focus a 4 in the game are without exception Unique, and except for Kage exp4 and Kitsu Motso exp, Clan Champion level.

Now, are there any other ways, maybe easier, to bow people in battles? Well, probably the easiest way is with various Spell effects (Earthquake, Stifling Wind, Fist of the Earth, Flood), and they are all proactive. That's Overconfidence's problem, it's entirely reactive. Overconfidence requires your opponent to do something, right? Right?

Not in the slightest. When I first read Treachery and Deceit, I wondered why it was called that. Then it hit me like a flash, no one ever precluded me from helping my opponent's Force out. Then I took another look at Overconfidence, and I almost choked. I then sat down and looked at every Force booster I could think of, and looked at them. Most were 2F, with bonuses to certain Clans; notable were the following: