Masters of the Court

Updated 27 September, 2020.

By Erik#2965

Trained in etiquette and courtesy, the noble Crane ensure that the courts of Rokugan exude elegance and refinement. Not to be outdone in the field of battle, the Crane are also capable of fielding small-but-well trained armies, and their duelists are among the most deadly in the empire.

Crane players like to control a game of Legend of the Five Rings by frustrating their opponent's plans. They achieve this by cancelling key events, returning attachments to their owners hands, and discarding important characters. Crane also have access to a vast bureaucracy of Courtier, and they excel at honouring characters to capitalise on their high glory. Their powerful duelists can control the flow of battle, and even prevent attacks from being declared. Success (or even just participation) in duels can also lead to significant benefits.

When playing Crane expect to have your plans unravel at every opportunity. The key to success, however, lies in recognising what plays your opponent has access to based on their current board state, and knowing when to wait, and when to push through.

This guide covers the most commonly-encountered Crane cards in competitive play, and ends with a rundown of the current competitive deck archetypes.

Strongholds

The most commonly-played Crane stronghold, Kyuden Kakita synergises well with the Crane duelling archetype. The reaction should be used each turn to achieve maximum value, and it is worth noting that the participating character does not need to win the duel to become honoured. If the outcome of the duel is not significant, a Crane player can simply bid low to potentially draw honour for an opponent, whilst also gaining future value from having an honoured character.

Provinces

The much-maligned (or loved) Magistrate Station is now on the restricted list, but is still seeing regular play. If revealed early it can become a significant thorn in the side of its opponent as it provides a repeatable ready each turn for an honoured character.

There are two ways to deal with Magistrate Station: attempt to break the province, or prevent powerful Crane characters from being honoured. Your choice of strategy should be dictated by the strength of your clan or deck, but note that it is worth investing heavily to achieve either objective if you think you are able, as the province's value increases the longer it is in play.

Tsuma provides a reliable way to have an honoured character on the table, albeit from a highly vulnerable 3-strength Eminent province. On a good day it can put a powerful character into play with an honoured status token and a number of fate. On a bad day it reveals a Holding and is immediately destroyed by the first enemy attack.

Fortunately, Tsuma need only take the generally-undesirable Air or Fire province slot, and its is currently seeing semi-regular play in the current meta.

Holdings

Kakita Dojo allows Crane players to regularly initiate duels in conflicts. The participating Crane character will almost inevitably be a Duelist—likely honoured and loaded with attachments—leading to a bowed opposing character as well. Alternatively, it can be used to simply bid low honour a character with Kyuden Kakita (the opposing character is probably not a Duelist, and thus there is little risk of the Crane character becoming bowed).

In all of this, it is easy to forget the Kakita Dojo also causes the losing character's text box to be blanked until the end of the conflict.

There is a lot going on with Esteemed Tea House. Essentially, it means that if a Crane player has a Courtier character in a conflict they can return an attachment on a participating character to its owner's hand. Copies of this attachment cannot played again this phase.

The action can be used at conflicts at any province, not just the one to which Esteemed Tea House is attached (the Courtier, however, does need to be present). As a holding it does telegraph its ability clearly, but with +2 province strength it is quite resilient.

When playing against Tea House it is worth playing duplicates of key attachments before important conflicts. While two copies of Finger of Jade may seem excessive, it is better than playing one and keeping another in reserve, as the use of Tea House's ability will result in both becoming unplayable.

Proving Ground deserves an honourable mention in Crane holdings as it is often included in dueling decks. While it takes up a slot in the row while providing no bonus to province strength, it can draw up to two cards a turn for as long as it stays in play.

Note that unlike Kyuden Kakita, the character must win the duel to receive a benefit.

Characters

Callow Delegate, Doji Whisperer, Steward of Law, and Savvy Politician represent Crane's entry-level courtier characters. Their participation in a conflict enables the use of For Shame! (which is an automatic bow for the recently-unrestricted Steward of Law, a conflict character), and Esteemed Tea House. Callow Delegate and Savvy Politician can also use their abilities to fuel Voice of Honor.

Brash Samurai represents outstanding value for just 2 fate. His ability easily allows him to become a 4/3 (and thus a threat to most provinces), and also helps to enable Voice of Honor. Like all 2 costers he is vulnerable to Assassination, so keep an eye on the board state to see which cancels are available.

Daidoji Netsu is interesting. At first glance his text appears innocuous, but it can shut down a number of opposing archetypes. He completely negates Hisu Mori Toride, preventing Unicorn (or occasionally Lion) players from enabling their second military conflict. He also stops Crab players from utilising Way of the Crab, at least during the Conflict Phase, along with their myriad of sacrifice effects. Finally he prevents Scorpion players from using I Can Swim, and the more widely used neutral discard cards such as Assassination and Abandoning Honor.

An honourable mention, Niten Pupil has recently found a home in a variant of the Crane dueling deck (look for the Water role when the game begins). Niten pupil becomes a 4/4 after honour dials are revealed for her first duel of the phase, and the Kyuden Kakita increases this to a 5/5 once a duel is complete. Not bad for 2 fate. Like Brash Samurai she is vulnerable to Assassination so keep an eye on the available cancels given the board state.

Doji Challenger has a number of things going for her. She has strong stats (especially when honoured), and carries the Duelist trait. She can also harpoon opposing characters to a conflict while attacking, a powerful ability which requires very little set up (in comparison with other characters with such an ability).

Harpoon abilities can be used to pull a strong character to a conflict they are not suited to. For example, Utaku Tetsuko must be attacking to use her passive ability, but Challenger can force her to defend and then bow. It can also be used to deny Display of Power. At 3 fate cost she is outside of Assassination range, although as a non-unique she cannot be duped in the dynasty phase.

Kakita Kaezin is a common Duelist for the Crane. He is particularly effective against swarm decks, but less so against towers.

There is a cat-and-mouse game that can play out with Kaezin's ability. Unlike most duels, Kaezin's does not bow the loser, but rather, sends characters home. These characters can, however, be used for later conflicts. In some cases, one or both players may be hoping to intentionally lose the duel. For the Crane, this honours Kaezin with Kyuden Kakita and leaves him ready for a subsequent conflict. For the opponent, a weak character can accept and lose the duel, resulting in all other characters being sent home, and thus still available for later conflicts.

When facing Kaezin, think carefully about what you and the opponent want from the duel. If victory is necessary, tower up a character before the conflict (Finger of Jade will also cancel his ability, as will Stay Your Hand). If the conflict is not critical, a tactical feint can be used to draw Kakita Kaezin in, only to send home most of one's own characters.

Daidoji Kageyu features the useful Disguised keyword which effectively offers a free stand during the Conflict Phase. His ability is powerful, especially when an opponent forgets about it, which is more likely while he is still sitting in the province row waiting to use his Disguised keyword. This will mean losing the ready effect to use in a counterattack after the current conflict, so measure carefully where he can be used to gain the most value.

If a Crane player passes early in the dynasty phase to retain fate there is a good chance they are planning to play Political Rival later in the turn. This character can be used to evade a tower character when attacking in a political conflict, or to shore up a political defence. He is also another Courtier, but cannot be duped in the fate phase.

Note that Political Rival's (—) military means he cannot be military dueled, but he will be sent home bowed if the conflict is switched to military.

Asahina Takamori is an interesting card. On a good day, when honoured, he offers decent stats and the ability to lock a key character out of conflicts for an entire turn. On a bad day, he offers no stats and, in the face of a swarm opponent, or one with plenty of movement tech, little-to-no influence on the game. He is a rare case of a character with both Courtier and Shugenja traits, and his awesome potential means he sometimes sees competitive play.

Doji Kuzunobu survived the culling of cards which prevent opponents from playing cards during a conflict (vale Guest of Honor). His ability prevents either player from triggering reaction abilities, and his text cannot be conveniently ignored during a conflict he is participating in. His ability is, however, easy to forget about, so be sure to remember that cards such as Hisu Mori Toride and Earth Becomes Sky will not work if Kuzunobu is present in the conflict.

Sometimes loved, sometimes hated, always respected. Kakita Toshimoko's ability to lock down a game saw him added to the restricted list. He still sees play, however, and with the recent banning of Policy Debate he will likely return to many competitive decks.

Kakita Toshimoko can stare down a vastly-superior force (either military or political) and bring them to a halt by initiating a single duel (even if bowed). If Kakita Toshimoko wins the duel the conflict is drawn and no winner is declared (and no ring claimed). Toshimoko has decent—if not outstanding—stats, and will generally need to be honoured with a number of attachments to ensure victory. The opponent can choose who accepts the duel, and once again Finger of Jade and Stay Your Hand will cancel this. Note also that if the duel is drawn the opponent wins the conflict as normal.

Kakita Yoshi, despite belonging to a famous Duelist family, must face his opponents in court due to a family curse which leaves him unable to lay his hand upon bare steel.

His earlier iteration requires the Imperial Favour to make use of, but the effect is a powerful one⁠—a 2-fate discount on events is helpful, and a 3-card draw is spectacular. While the more-recent version of Bayushi Shoju did crimp his style, the recent restriction of this card may see him played in more competitive decks.

His more recent version, which is indicative of way too many late nights (or worse), provides a powerful late-game ability which allows him to dishonour up to 4 opposing characters as payback for encroachments upon Crane lands. This is wonderfully thematic given recent fictions which have seen Crane territory and influence wane, although there are some signs of a reversal of fortune in Courtly Nets and Hidden Snares.

While the art for their most recent cards mirror each other beautifully, the relationship between Doji Hotaru and her brother Doji Kuwanan is anything but harmonious, as documented in the many fiction devoted to their sibling rivalry.

Doji Hotaru is the official Champion of the Crane clan and both versions of her card see play. The earlier version is (oddly) not a Courtier, although this was changed in the more recent edition. Complementing the Core Set version of Akodo Toturi, Doji Hotaru can double the effects of the contested ring when attacking in a political conflict, and it has now been ruled that she can also resolve the contested ring upon a successful political defence.

The more recent version of her card can be used to gain significant honour in a hotly-contested conflict, although her high stats and Courtier trait are her usually her most desirable features.

The new self-proclaimed Champion of the Crane can, Doji Kuwanan offers little immediate synergy with Crane Duelist or Courtier archetypes, but his ability is a powerful one (particularly when he is honoured). He sees play, but is relatively easy to play around if protection or straighten effects are available.

Attachments

A New Name provides a nice +1/+1 for 0 and also allows the attached character to benefit from cards that require the Bushi or Courtier traits. While A Perfect Cut could be a target for the former, it is the latter that usually provides more benefit from synergy with For Shame! and Esteemed Tea House. A New Name is not restricted, so multiples can be added to a key tower platform to provide extra stat boost for duels and conflicts. It is Void role locked, however.

Most Crane decks rely on control tactics to win their games. Formal Invitation allows a key character to be moved to a political conflict and, even while bowed, initiate duels and benefit from the Courtier trait. It is free, and provides a nice +1 political bonus.

Duelist Training offers a consistent way for Crane to bow opposing characters, and also synergises with Kyuden Kakita and Proving Ground. Note that its controller can choose who accepts the duels (unlike many powerful duels which give the opponent this option). Cards can also be used in place of honour to pay for higher bids, although this should only be done as a last resort.

Events

Gossip is an interesting card that generally requires a strong understanding of the meta, or at least the more common lines of play from each of the clans. If a Crane player correctly identifies what an opponent is planning to do, Gossip can be used to prevent a key card from being played that phase. If the Crane player misreads the board, or their opponent did not have the chosen card in hand, Gossip may be a dead play, but at least it does not cost fate (although no other Limited cards can be played that round).

Voice of Honor is Crane's go-to cancel and should be expected as a 3x in all competitive decks. Way of the Crane ensures that Crane can usually stay ahead in the honoured characters race (especially with Callow Delegate and Savvy Politician).

If you do decide to compete with Crane for honoured characters, it is better to try and honour your own characters, rather than dishonour theirs. While Crane have plenty of ways to honour their own characters, they have no in-clan cards to dishonour opposing characters. This tactic is generally inadvisable, though, and it is preferable to either have one's own cancels to interrupt Voice of Honor, or play with the expectation that one's key events will regularly be cancelled.

Way of the Crane, like Way of the Scorpion, offers one of the few ways to change a character's status outside of conflicts. It is best used in the first action window of the conflict phase to ensure that Crane have more honoured characters before conflicts begin, thus enabling Voice of Honour.

Way of the Crane represents excellent value over multiple turns when played on characters with high glory, and synergises well with Savvy Politician.

Duel to the Death is one of the few character removal effects in Legend of the Five Rings, but it is not easy to pull off.

It is one of the few duels to cost a fate, and the opponent can choose to dishonour their character to refuse it. This generally means that Crane players only initiate duels against dishonoured characters, or pre-play Steward of Law in the conflict to negate the dishonour option. The Crane player will also generally bid whatever is required to secure the win, meaning the opponent should probably just bid one. Finger of Jade and Stay Your Hand can both be used to cancel the duel.

Return the Offense and Kakita's Last Stance are the two primary Crane ready effect cards since the restriction of Magistrates Station.

Return the Offense is a powerful swing card for key conflicts. If the political duel is won the winning character will not bow at the end of the conflict and the loser cannot be readied during the conflict. This turns off the popular Fan of Command and In Service to my Lord (at least for the current conflict). It does cost one fate, but the potential benefit is significant.

Kakita's Final Stance is less-commonly played, but it does provide two powerful effects. For one fate it prevents a character from bowing from the likes of For Shame!, Kirei-ko, or the many duels that bow the loser. It also prevents the character who participated in a duel from bowing at the end of the conflict (note that they do not need to have won the duel). It is only playable in military conflicts, however.

Noble Sacrifice is Crane's second discard option. It is also more at home in an Air role, although less so now that Mark of Shame is on the restricted list.

Noble Sacrifice telegraphs its intention quite clearly. When a Crane players honours a cheap character of their own, and goes out of their way to dishonour a powerful character belonging to their opponent, a 'bridge throw' is probably in the works. If this is the case, look to quickly attach a Finger of Jade, enable another discard save option (such as Reprieve), or find a way to honour the potential target character.

Note also the Noble Sacrifice can be used outside of conflicts and during any action window.

The quasi-sister card to Mark of Shame, Soul Beyond Reproach allows a dishonoured character to immediately become honoured, and thus stay ahead in the honoured/dishonoured race.

It costs one fate, and is Air-role locked, but still occasionally sees play.

Highlight the Flaws gives Crane some protection against their opponent's province row by canceling a triggered ability. The card is well balanced: while it costs one fate and is Fire-locked it will protect against both action and reaction abilities.

If a Crane opponent has a Fire role then Highlight the Flaws is almost certainly in their deck, but if not it can be safely forgotten about.

Archetypes

Dueling Tower

The most commonly-encountered Crane deck in competitive play, Dueling Tower decks will generally play a powerful Duelist character with a large amount of fate in turn 1 or 2, and then and attempt to include this character in as many conflicts as possible throughout the game. This is achieved through Return the Offense and Kakita's Final Stance and (and sometimes, Magistrate Station).

An entire bureaucracy of cheap Courtier are also used to ensure that the Crane player has more honoured characters to enable Voice of Honour, and to gain value from Esteemed Tea House and For Shame!

Defend Your Honor also provides additional cancels.

When faced with a Crane dueling deck the key to winning is in knowing what to expect. Duels will come from characters, attachments, and events, and these will provide additional benefit through Kyuden Kakita and possibly Proving Ground. Expect to bid 1 a lot, but don't be afraid to throw in a cheeky 5 bid occasionally to gain an unexpected swing. Also consider towering up your own characters before key conflicts, and running Finger of Jade (and/or Stay Your Hand, depending on the current meta).

Keep one's own key characters honoured (or at least, neutral) to avoid kill effects, and use movement tech such as Favorable Ground to avoid dueling towers. Commit to taking out Esteemed Tea House if attachments are a key component of your deck, but ready for a tough fight to take down this +2 holding. Also expect to be cancelled a lot, but remember to push through regardless.

Niten Pupil

By Poogin#4183

Nitten pupil is a Crane variation that takes advantage of the large amount of cancels that the Crane conflict deck contains, to ensure that your low cost fate characters don’t get assassinated. It is unique in the sense that you prefer to be the second player instead of the first player because in the first round you won’t purchase a character from your dynasty and will only play the Niten Pupil or Ancient Master from your fate hand with 2-3 fate! Put attachments on this character and utilize Defend your Honor, Policy Debate, and Voice of Honor to make sure that this character does not get assassinated.

Your dynasty contains a large amount of holdings to help give Crane more card draw then traditional crane decks receive, and fills the rest of the cards with large Crane characters such as Doji Hotaru, Kakita Yoshi, Tengu Sensei, and Asahina Takamori. After turn one you will purchase one of these characters a turn to use on the offense and utilize small characters from your hand as you see fit.

The deck has got a reputation as a blitz deck but that’s just because your stats become so strong so early, that they overwhelm your opponent and tend to win earlier then you expected but this deck can still hang mid-late game if you balance your fate and hand properly. Use Tengu Sensei and Asahina Takamori on any towers and save your attachment removal for any favored mounts they would want to use to enter the conflict.

The Crane Clan

Beneath their immaculate presentation and silver-tongued language lies a clan capable of turning its fortunes with the stroke of a pen or the slash of a katana.

Crane decks may appear delicate, but their characters are powerful and their events impactful. They cannot prevent everything, however, so look to draw out their cancels early by making threatening plays, and lull their duelists into a false sense of security before throwing in a surprising high bid.

Expect to be frustrated when playing Crane, but this only increases the satisfaction the comes with a well-earned victory.