Monday, June 3, 2013

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Yoshimitsu Card Analysis

As mentioned in my introduction post. I play a Yoshimitsu deck. I know not everyone plays Yoshimitsu, but I felt if I gave an analysis of other characters, it wouldn't offer as much because I don't actually play that character. Hopefully after I have collected all his cards and fully played around with them, I can move on to another character, probably Law or one of the newer characters that will be released within this month, rumor has it, it's Heihachi.

So regarding this analysis, I will post the picture of the card (the artwork only, there are some cards that are so terrible I won't even buy the bronze versions), their gold version stats and abilities, followed by a commentary and my rating. If you don't see the artwork picture, you can assume I do not own that card and I am just theorizing. I am sure others will disagree with my rating and commentary, if that's you, don't be scared to leave a comment stating why, I will be happy to review your justification and perhaps it will improve my game.

Seiken Douharai
Seiken Douharai

Seiken Douharai

Damage: 15
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: P cards conceal, All cards +13 Hit
Synergies: Nozuchi Fumi, Fubuki, Omega Hosen, Tsurubebi, Thunder Blade, Shibakari, Doushi Kri
Remark: Card gives 13 hit to all cards every turn after it appears after the attack. Best case scenario is you instantly kill your opponent because after that, they will have all the benefits from this card. This card can become quite suicidal. I just encountered a scenario where I was facing off against another Yoshimitsu, they had this card in their hand of 5 cards, Omega Hosen, Nozuchi Fumi, and Fubuki and, I knew the block shinanigans was coming, so I focused twice, had 4 cards, then I began blocking. They caught me with Omega Hosen and that was the end, dead no matter what button I press but since all cards were concealed, I didn't realize I could have struck back to draw the game. I believe this card will make the playing field quite terror. Most of the time I see it, both players end up focusing till 5, then everyone just blocks till all 5 cards are discarded. If you come across this card, in-order to counter it you must correctly block the attack (easier said than done) then from there you can get card advantage or unleash with the +13 hit per card for yourself. Some Tsurubebi's in the hand will negate the opponent's benefits from this card, if Tsururbebi didn't proc, both players will be down a lot of health, or just your opponent, in the later case he will be down 1 card as well (maybe even dead). I suggest don't risk focusing when the opposition has 4 cards in some cases (at least for 160 HP Yoshimitsu) it could mean death. If you face a Xiao Yu, you might consider ditching this card as soon as possible as Xiao Yu will take more advantage of this than yourself.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Oni Kick Combo
Oni Kick Combo

Oni Kick Combo

Damage: 20
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: This card appears: 1st card +40 hit
Synergies: Nozuchi Fumi, Spirited Away, SR Power Card,
Remark: In my opinion the greatest card that exists. Shines in any position (except maybe 5th) and strikes fear into your opponent. Solid 20 damage. My favourite card. Unfortunately, it doesn't synergize particularly well with anything (except maybe the SR Power Card). Countering this card simply involves guessing correctly. Most people would rather block then risk taking the 60+ damage that comes from incorrectly guessing. But if you think about it, if they just drew this and you don't mind trading, by all means strike. I think blocking is the last thing they would do but don't quote me on that.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Dragonfly Blade
Dragonfly Blade

Dragonfly Blade

Damage: 14
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: P cards conceal, P cards +4 Hit
Synergies: Other punch cards
Remark: A nice little buff card for all the punch cards in hand. Unfortunately this is a unique card and the 4 hit isn't amazing, nor is the 14 damage from the card. There are much better cards out there especially ones that don’t limit you to punches only. I haven't actually tried but this card may work really well with a punch card deck. When I have made a punching deck, I will come back and make an edit but looking at it from the stats and abilities, this card does not impress. Countering this card: just remember what cards were concealed, you have the opportunity to memorize 1 turn after this card appears, this card isn't very threatening
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Mumyo Juji Ken
Mumyo Juji Ken

Mumyo Juji Ken

Damage: 22
Type: Punch
Ability: Before the attack: Opp HP ≤ 70: Card + 20 hit
Synergies: Poison Breath, Iwatsubute SR.
Remark: Great damage, situational ability. Until the enemies HP is lower then 70 it is just a nice 22 damage which is the 2nd highest damage for Yoshimitsu. On ability proc, it becomes a scary 42 damage which will make any opponent rethink hitting that focus button. Considering most of Yoshimitsu's cards are all quite low damage, I would recommend this card especially for punch decks as most punch cards are lacking serious fire power. I imagine the way to use this is to chip at your opponent with 1-3 cards till they are below 70 HP, then you can make your opponent hurt real bad. This card is particularly good against Kazuya. This is because Kazuya wants to be just under 60 HP (sometimes 40 HP) so his abilities unleash. If you bring Kazuya between 61 and 70 HP, you can finish him before his cards make him an animal. Poison Breath and Iwatsubute work well with Mumyo Juji Ken because their appearance means you don't need to use Mumyo Juji Ken without its ability (sometimes). Countering: stay above 70 HP. You should get a good feel of your opponent's cards before you go below 70 HP so you will know whether this card is in their deck or not.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Nade Kujaku
Nade Kujaku

Nade Kujaku

Damage: 16
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Card Head-on: Head-on card nul. & 3rd card +14 Hit
Synergies: Situational
Remark: Head on card becomes nul is always good thing to have. Unfortunately there is another card that is literally better than this in every way possible, Utusemi. Don’t worry about countering this card, you will only come into contact with it if the other player already has 3 Utusemi.
I have a feeling this card will be buffed in the near future, when that happens I will come back to edit this remark and rating, in the mean time, it is just an inferior version of Utusemi. So they added an effect that increases the 3rd card by 10 14 damage. This isn't great is pretty good, almost on par with Tsuka Splitter but at least it is no longer an inferior version of Utusuemi. Wish it was "Before the attack" as Utusuemi covers after the attack. Yoshi still has no answer to Parry decks such as Lili's.
Rating: 1 2.5 out of 5 stars

Tsuka Splitter
Tsuka Splitter

Tsuka Splitter

Damage: 20
Type: Punch
Ability: Before the attack: Strike K&P cards owned: 3rd card +15 Hit
Synergies: Nozuchi Fumi, other kick cards.
Remark: A very strong card when holding 3 cards and at least one of the cards are a kick. Easy 15 damage and the 20 damage on the card is pretty decent. Before drawing 3 cards, you could always strike with 2 or 1 card since the base damage is a solid 20 also, the opponent will never see it coming. I prefer this card over the Prison Gate and Omega Hosen because, it is easier to fulfill the condition required for the ability to trigger and the base damage is higher. Omega Hosen requires both players to block which might not always happen. To counter Tsuka Splitter, don't let the enemy get 3 or more cards. You can count that they wont attack you till they have those 3 cards, but that just adds to the mind game.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Nebular Blast
Nebular Burst

Nebular Burst

Damage: 22
Type: Punch
Ability: Before the attack: Strike: +30 Protection
Synergies: Can't think of any.
Remark: I feel this card has a somewhat useless ability and guessing when your opponent strikes isn't the easiest thing to do. This card makes trades favorable. If you are really good at predicting your opponents, by all means use this card but I feel blocking will land you a further lead then striking with this card (sometimes). The damage is the 2nd highest, but for the ability, I would rather pick another card.

Edit: I feel the developers are trying to give an answer to Xiaoyu decks through this card. The 30 Protection is enough to diminish the damage of a 5 card Xiaoyu strike. I feel this may be one of the only cases where striking versus a 5 card strike would be better than blocking.

Countering this card: If you really are scared, just strike when opponent doesn't have this card.
Rating: 2 2.5 out of 5 stars

Sakanobori
Sakanobori

Sakanobori

Damage: 12
Type: Kick
Ability: Before the attack: Block: +1 Parry
Synergies: Perilous Spirit, Kurama Itto, Tobi Ushiwaka, Kimon Matagi, Soul Stealer, Magatama SR
Remark: Awesome defense card, unfortunately the damage is so terrible that when you want to sneak in a 2 card attack you, you feel like you wasted a turn. Hopefully they buff the gold version as upgrading from silver to gold turns the punch parry to a normal parry. In my opinion the silver version will suffice against everyone except maybe a kicking Lili deck. I feel the best way to use these cards is when the opponent has 3 or more cards and card advantage, then you just start blocking (aka playing it safe) your opponent will only get 2 cards in if you play like this, if they decide to guess a strike they will lose. Hopefully those 2 cards that went through were weak and detrimental for the opponent in the next couple turns. This card has a lot of synergy with Perilous Spirit, when holding both cards it is quite safe to just block all day, especially if you have HP gains per turn cards or Tobi Ushiwaka. Countering: let the opponent get card advantage so they have the incentive to attack first and you can get that extra card worth of damage in. Strike with 2 or less cards. If you find yourself in a 5 card stand off, let the opponent strike first. You will most likely end up discarding all 5 cards.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Tsurubebi
Tsurubebi

Tsurubebi

Damage: 20
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Strike & Opp Block: +20 Protection
Synergies: Seiken Douharai, Nozuchi Fumi, Thunder Blade, Shibakari, Iwatsubute SR
Remark: Another odd ability. I think the best way to use this is when you have 5 cards and the opponent is anticipating an attack so they block. To get the ability, you want to strike when the opponent blocks, so which is basically saying "I want you to play Rock when I play Scissors". You get a nifty 20 protection that helps you overcome your fear to focus in the next turn. This card synergizes pretty well with Seiken Douharai, Nozuchi Fumi, Thunder Blade (in the right position), Shibakari (in the right position), and Iwatsubute SR. I feel if you don't use this card in conjunction with the mentioned, it really loses its edge. The key to this card lies in its synergies with the others. The damage is good (not great), but I would rather much have other 20 damage cards. Countering: I suppose you could attack him when he has the 20 protection up, they'll never see it coming, depends on your cards really. I would allow this ability to proc (in most cases) as losing a card is not worth it.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Prison Gate
Prison Gate

Prison Gate

Damage: 15
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Dual Focus: Cards concealed & 1st card +20 Hit
Synergies: Thunder Blade, Nozuchi Fumi.
Remark:A card that shines when both players have only 1-2 cards and don’t see the opponents hand as a big enough threat to block. This card gives that boost for when you decide to sneak in that 2-3 card combo. The base damage is not good so if you don’t get the ability proc then you would probably wish you had another card. I feel this card works well with Thunder Blade, and Nozuchi Fumi because Prison Gate gives the incentive for the opponent to block. May also work well with Omega Hosen, but it will always be one or the other. Between Omega Hosen, Tsuka Splitter and Prison Gate and Oni Kick Combo, I feel this card falls in the weaker of the 4. Countering: before and after the ability procs, it is a guessing game not much to be said. Fortunately it is not like the proc means the damage is definitely making its way to your life points.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Oni Thrust
Oni Thrust

Oni Thrust

Damage: 10
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Focus: +6 +10 HP
Synergies: Can't think of any.
Remark: Heals a full 6 hp per turn if you focus. Damage is very low and for the ability, not worth it at all. If this card appears in 1st position and your opponent does not decide to get rid of it, you heal a total of 24 10 HP before focusing yields nothing but procing this ability. Out of all the HP per turn cards, Oni Thrust has got to be the worst. This card offers nothing, no utility, no defense, no damage. Countering: if your opponent wants that precious 6 10 HP, they will have to focus. The 10 damage is not intimidating enough to force you to block and the healing isn't significant enough for you to constantly strike. If it appears in 2nd position, it heals for 30 HP tops. If the card is in 1st position, attacking the opponent to get rid of the card may be a good idea, but they will just be anticipating that now won't they.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Omega Hosen
Omega Hosen

Omega Hosen

Damage: 15
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Dual Block: Cards concealed 3rd card +25 Hit
Synergies: Seiken Douharai, Fubuki, Aratama
Remark: Said to be one of the harder cards to set up. Damage is weak compared to the other hit boosting cards. Works quite well with Fubuki, block once, if opponent blocked then you are good, if they focused, then you can try blocking again as the opponent will think you've caught on. When you have 2 in a hand of 5, you can probably count that the opponent wont block unless you have Double Fubuki in the front 2 slots, or Seiken Douharai(s). I feel this card really loses its luster if you don't have Fubuki, and Seiken Douharai in the deck. Countering: focus through, dont be intimidated and block. This card is kind of like panda's dual block trap (Trout Sweep) but much less over powered especially since Yoshimitsu cannot One-Hit-KO without a specific set of 5 cards.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Perilous Spirit
Perilous Spirit

Perilous Spirit

Damage: 23
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Block won: +1 card
Synergies: Sakanobori, Fubuki, Kurama Itto, Tobi Ushiwaka
Remark: Strongest base hit out of all Yoshimitsu's cards (not including SR). Ability requires you to successfully guess. This card works pretty well when opponent has more cards then you and their first 2 cards are high. Blocking till they strike doesn’t sound so bad as you will inevitably get that ability off and you will be blocking 2 cards in the process. I feel this card goes particularly well with Sakanobori (12 damage from Sakanobori and 23 damage from Perilous Spirit is 35 damage if all things normal, enemy should have HP that ends with 5 or 0  ^^) especially when you are tied for cards or at a disadvantage. Sadly, this card is just 23 raw damage if you never win that block and something tells me if you opponent sees this card, they have no intentions of focusing till 5 cards to strike you. Countering: guess correctly, try to get a strike in with 2-4 cards, If the card is in 1st position you could always opt to get rid of it by striking.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Kurama Itto
Kurama Itto

Kurama Itto

Damage: 15
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Block missed: +4 +7 HP
Synergies: Sakanobori, Fubuki, Kurama Itto, Perilous Spirit, Tobi Ushiwaka, Aratama
Remark: Weak damage, decent ability. Four HP is quite small for a missed block. Expect a lot of characters to out damage 4 HP per turn even if you block for the entire match. Works great in those situations where both players realize whoever attacks first will lose, you will eventually get 100% hp back and then 5 card discard. If you have Sakanobori, you can increase the likelihood of this happening. Countering: if your opponent decides to have a blocking patience contest, You'll have to take risks and focus till 5 and attack or just let them have it. Depends on your deck and what you've drawn, you may consider letting them go to 100% hp. Four HP per turn is not much but your opponent wants you to risk and focus when they have 5 cards so they have a chance to land all 5 cards.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Toita Daisho
Toita Daisho

Toita Daisho

Damage: 17
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: This card appears: P cards concealed, P cards + 4 Hit
Synergies: Punch cards.
Remark: One of the more horrible cards. This card isn't even a punch card itself so it won't get the boost. Average damage, but since the boost is so horrible, and there are much better alternatives (namely Dragonfly Blade), I would recommend avoiding this card. Countering: block after it appears to avoid a potential 0-16 additional damage or just totally ignore this card as it is not that threatening and you can count on anyone using this card to not really know what they are doing.
Rating: 0.5 out of 5 stars

Dragonfly Twister
Dragonfly Twister

Dragonfly Twister

Damage: 10
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: This card appears: Opp 3th card dis. & Opp 4th card -45 Hit"
Synergies: Dragonfly Fist
Remark: Great ability, unfortunately 3rd card isn't 1st or 2nd card. So sometimes this card might be useless. Since Balance Update 03, the 4th card has it's damage reduced by 45. So this card is optimal when the opponent has 4 or more cards. Damage is horrible and since the ability may not always occur this could end up as a useless 10 damage. I would recommend not putting more then 2 in a deck if you do decide to put this in. This is 1 of 3 cards that put card count to your favor. Since, Yoshimitsu doesn't draw particularly fast, this card can be irreplaceable. Countering: strike with 1-2 cards and you will forever avoid the effects of this card. The damage isn't very threatening either.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Dragonfly Fist
Dragonfly Fist

Dragonfly Fist

Damage: 14
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Opp Focus & Cards ≤ 2: +1 card
Synergies: Tobi Ushiwaka, Dragonfly Twister, Poison Breath, Shisetsu Genman, Spirited Away, Kamikaze, Iwatsubute SR, SR Power Card
Remark: Awesome ability. The second card that hurls card advantage over to Yoshimitsu. Damage is pretty weak, but the ability can lead to a very quick 3-4 card hand.  Works best in position 2 where it will almost guarantee a free card unless nullified. Unfortunately this card becomes a useless 14 damage at position 3 or higher. In position 1, play block and let the opponent focus, in position 2, you can try focusing for 2 cards or blocking. This is the only card enabling Yoshimitsu can get 2 cards in 1 turn. Countering: if it is in position 1, block twice than guess with strike or block, this forces the opponent to risk losing the card through 5 card discard, or from a strike. If the card is in position 2 then you must face the fact that the ability is going to proc for your opponent. 
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Agonbaku
Agonbaku

Agonbaku

Damage: 10
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Every turn: Card concealed & Card +15 Hit
Synergies: Can't think of any.
Remark: Rather useless ability, and because it occurs after the attack, even worse. I would rather much have Perlious spirit which is 23 damage base and an ability that may never happen but the opponent doesn’t know that. Countering: you can almost guarantee that the opponent won't attack with this card unless it has it's ability. The 10 damage pre-ability is not very threatening, so focus when it appears and continue the guessing after. On the other hand, the opponent may be using the fact the ability procs after the attack to bait you to focus.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Gehosen
Gehosen

Gehosen

Damage: 20
Type: Punch
Ability: Before the attack: Focus, HP ≤ 35: +200 Protection, Both -5 cards
Synergies: Can't think of any.
Remark: Very weird card, good damage. Doesn't seem like a useful ability at first. Ability is more of a hindrance if you have a strong card advantage. If the ability will proc, it seems like this is a high stakes rock paper scissors as you gamble with your life (dual striking I am assuming might kill you). Beware Paul users as they can actually hit for 235 damage if they have lucky cards. Personally, never tried this card before, but am willing to give it a shot after I get other decks rolling. Since Yoshimitsu has so many healing cards, I am not sure how this card fits in a deck. I can understand it helps buy some time but, I can't see where this card would be very viable. Maybe in a deck full of Dragonfly Twisters and Dragonfly fists, Poison Breath, but even then, still sounds kind of shady. Countering: when striking, do some math and make sure the opponent ends off with 0 life or 36 and above. That way the ability will never proc. Prevention is always better than cure. If the ability will proc, and you have card advantage and you can withstand a strike, play focus. Playing focus will either end the turn with both of you 1 card each, or your opponent with zero cards and you with the same amount of cards, or the opponent with the same amount of cards and you with 1 more card.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Soul Stealer
Soul Stealer

Soul Stealer

Damage: 17
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Head-on card: +4 +7 HP
Synergies: Sakanobori, Aratama
Remark: OK damage. Decent ability. Just like the other healing cards, this will get you to 100% HP in those stalemates. I would choose this card over Kurama Itto or Oni Thrust, because of the damage. Out Damaging the heal if your opponent decides to stalemate is not difficult so don't be surprised if your opponent attempts to break you. Countering: If you think the opponent has a lot to gain from this card , you may consider striking to get rid of it if it is in positions 1 and 2, otherwise, you may want to not give this card the head-on card ability.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Thunder Blade
Thunder Blade

Thunder Blade

Damage: 18
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: This card blocked: Keep card
Synergies: Seiken Douharai, Tsurubebi, Prison Gate.
Remark: Average card. Works best in position 2. Currently if blocked, the animation will show that is has 0 hit next turn but actually it still retrains 18 hit, you can use this to your guessing game advantage until it is fixed. You can guarantee that the 18 damage is going to happen. I have never had this card stalemate (strike and block for 3 turns) but I am sure it can. Countering: the damage is coming whether you like it or not. If it is in position 1, you may consider striking to get rid of it, if it is in 2nd position there isn't much you can do till it becomes first from the opponent striking and you blocking it. If the card is in 3rd, try not let it go into 2nd.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Karakuri Uzumaki
Karakuri Uzumaki

Karakuri Uzumaki

Damage: 20
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Every turn: Card concealed & 3rd Card concealed
Synergies: Can't think of any.
Remark: Good damage, terrible ability. Almost next to useless against most players. Loses half its value in 3rd position. Highly suggest other 20 damage cards with a decent ability even Nebular Blast. Countering: learn Yoshimitsu's cards so that the conceal is useless. You get a full turn to memorize the cards before it actually becomes concealed. After that, it is just a 20 damage card.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Shibakari
Shibakari

Shibakari

Damage: 10
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: This card hits: Keep card
Synergies: Seiken Douharai, Tsurubei, Doushi Kiri
Remark: Horrible damage, OK ability. Paul has a card that is 20 damage and same ability. This card does alright in any position except for 1st and 2nd if you have max cards. After the ability procs, you may consider striking if it puts your opponent at that slightly above optimal threshold (example for Kazuya, I think that number is 61 so you would slap him at 71) followed by focusing. This card isn't that great and should be reconsidered in your deck. Countering: guess correctly. I wouldn't suggest blocking when this is the only card the opponent has depending on how much a card is if you use HP as a currency but the damage is not very threatening.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Poison Breath
Poison Breath

Poison Breath

Damage: 5
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: This card appears: Opp -30 HP
Synergies: Dragonfly Fist, Mumyo Juji Ken, Kamikaze, Shisetsu Genman, Spirited Away
Remark: Instant 30 damage, and potentially an additional 5. This card is great! Especially if in the first 14 turns you bring the enemy down to below 30. You can always count that the 15th card is definitely poison breath if you haven't drawn it yet. Works best in position 1 so if you get focus broken, you lose the crummy 5 damage card. Works well with cards that help you draw fast unfortunately there is only 1 card, Dragonfly Fist. Can't be countered, only by cards that grant protection after turn. Careful when shuffling through cards against a Kazuya as Poison Breath might help him trigger many of his card's abilities. Countering: there is no counter (except the protection after the attack cards).
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Fubuki
Fubuki

Fubuki

Damage: 10
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Block missed: Card + 30 Hit
Synergies: Seiken Douharai, Omega Hosen, Perilous Spirit, Kurama Itto, Tobi Ushiwaka
Remark: Bad base damage, ok ability. Damage gets boosted to 40 when block is missed. If you throw a block here and there in your game, this card is pretty good. Most players will block against this card when the ability has gone off, others will focus, and those who don't mind a trade will strike. Unfortunately when at 5 cards, if the opponent strikes you, you must block then attack in order to get that full damage out. Works well with other blocking cards which Yoshimitsu has a lot of. Countering: you can guess more often that opponent won't strike without the ability if this card is in position 3 or higher. After the ability goes off, it is just a guessing game. If this is in position 3, you may consider bringing it down to 2 to avoid the 30 hit.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Kimon Matagi
Kimon Matagi

Kimon Matagi

Damage: 20
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Opp HP ≥ 75: +10 HP
Synergies: Sakanobori
Remark: Good damage, great ability. The second best healer in Yoshimitsu's arsenal (IMO). Unfortunately, it requires the opponent to be at 75 or more HP. So if you run this card in your deck try your best to drop opponent's health to just above 75. Countering: not many characters can  deal 10 damage per turn on average. You may have to let opponent heal to 100% but if they do, try cycling your cards around to heal yourself as well.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Nozuchi Fumi
Nozuchi Fumi

Nozuchi Fumi

Damage: 15
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Opp Block: Card +35 Hit
Synergies: Seiken Douharai, Oni Kick Combo, Tsuka Splitter, Tsurubebi, Prison Gate
Remark: Average base damage. Great ability if it procs. Obviously works best in position 3 or higher. Synergizes well with a lot of other cards. Consider running no more than 2 because if you have 2 in position 3 and 4 (or 5), your opponent will most likely focus your attack. Countering: move it from position 3 to 2, do some quick math and consider if you want to take that 35 damage or not. A lot of parries really shut this card down.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Tobi Ushiwaka
Tobi Ushiwaka

Tobi Ushiwaka

Damage: 15
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Block & Opp Focus: +1 card
Synergies: Sakanobori, Dragonfly Fist, Kurama Itto, Fubuki, Perilous Spirit
Remark: Average damage. Really shines in position 1 and 2.  Allows you to play defiensivly and gain cards. Synergizes very well with a lot of Yoshimitsu's cards. Unfortunately, the counter is very easy. Countering: block 2 times in a row versus this and commence the guessing game. This card isn't really a big deal when you think about it. But most players would rather not all discard against this card.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Utusemi
Utusemi

Utusemi

Damage: 18
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Every turn: Card Concealed & Head-on card nul.
Synergies: Situational
Remark: Nade Kujaku 2.0. This card is better then Nade Kujaku literally in every way. It even adds a nice concealing to top it off. The ability occurs after the attack it won't help against Parry's or Before the attack Protection. Damage is above average but nothing too special. Still, it is the only nullifying card in Yoshimitsu's arsenal (Nade Kujaku doesn't count). Countering: this card only needs to be feared if it nullifies an ability. If it has, the ability cannot be salvaged unless you have an all ability nullifier card to counter this one.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Tenshu Kuzushi
Tenshu Kuzushi

Tenshu Kuzushi

Damage: 15
Type: Punch
Ability: Before the attack: Only Punch: +7 +10 HP
Synergies: Other punch cards
Remark: OK damage. OK Pretty good ability. Looks rather useful in an all punch healing deck but I have not tried it myself. Useless outside of a punch deck. Countering: If opponent has an all punch healing deck, you have to out damage the healing inorder to win. Characters such as Paul, Panda are very good at this. Otherwise, you will just have to take some risks and focus when the opponent is blocking and holding on to this card and their other healers. 
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Heshikirigari
Heshikirigari

Heshikirigari

Damage: 20
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Opp Focus: +6 HP
Synergies: Can't think of any.
Remark: Good damage. OK ability.  Third best healing card in my opinion. Most opponents will try to strike this card if it is in position 1 in an attempt to lower the HP healed from this card.  Countering: Strike more often, The opponent will reach 5 cards faster then you, and if they don't, you will already have negated the effects of this card.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Aratama
Aratama

Aratama

Damage: 5
Type: Punch
Ability: After the attack: Opp Focus: Card +50 Hit
Synergies: Omega Hosen, Soul Stealer, Kurama Itto, Tenshu Kuzushi, Kamikaze, Doushi Kiri
Remark: Terrible damage. Amazing ability. This card puts the fear of God into your opponent. It really shows who's a risk taker. In position 1, the enemy may try to strike you so this card will disappear. In 2nd the damage is not guaranteed, but they will think twice before focusing a second time. In 3rd position, opponent will either block till you have 5 cards or strike whilst you get there. Helps to set up Omega Hosen or abuse Healer cards. Countering: Guess correctly at high stakes. Think of it as fighting a Paul or Panda
Rating: 4 out of 5 star

Kamikaze
Kamikaze

Kamikaze

Damage: 21
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Focus & Cards = 5: Both -5 cards & Opp -45 HP
Synergies: Dragonfly Fist, Shisetsu Genman, Spirited Away, Poison Breath, Aratama, Low Damage Cards
Remark: Good damage, Situational Ability. Eliminates the opponent's card advantage if you were to strike, but requires to play a little risky in-order to activate it. Forty-Five damage may be less than what you could get from actually striking but the main feature is to eliminate the opponent's card advantage or to force the scenario where Card = Opp Cards. Countering: Guess correctly or focus break as often as you can. Striking when you anticipate they will focus is not such a bad idea, really depends on your cards.
Rating: 3 out of 5 star


Shisetsu Genman
Shisetsu Genman

Shisetsu Genman

Damage: 16
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Card = Opp cards: +1 card & Opp -1 card
Synergies: Dragonfly Fist, Kamikaze, Poison Breath, Spirited Away, SR Power Card
Remark: Average damage. Great Ability. The only problem is, without the help of cards such as Spirited Away or Dragonfly Fist, it is difficult to meet the requirements. Due to this problem it is essential that a deck is built towards forcing Card = Opp Cards to reap the great benefits from Shisetsu Genman. When Cards = opp Cards = 1, I suggest striking so that you can force the exact same scenario. When When Cards = opp Cards = 2, scoring a focus break will set up Card = opp Cards = 1 scenario once again, blocking will result in a 1-3 card advantage, depending on the opponents cards, you may really want to get rid of a certain card they have in their position and hence block to set it up again. Don't be afraid to block so the opponent catches up in cards. Sometimes doing this may backfire from cards that produce more cards (Law's Rainbow Kick; Nina's Jab to Mid Kick, Crab Hold SR; Xiaoyu's Clouded Peak; Heihachi's Left Splits Kick). Countering: If you really don't want this ability to occur you may consider keeping a 2 card disadvantage from the opposing Yoshimitsu. Unfortunately, if they block 3x to force a all card discard, there is a chance that Card = Opp cards again. When the ability will trigger, you have to guess correctly, a friendly tip: don't be cocky and not block because the damage eventually adds up.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 star

Spirited Away
Spirited Away

Spirited Away

Damage: 18
Type: Kick
Ability: After the attack: Card ≤ 1: +1 card & Opp -1 card
Synergies: Dragonfly Fist, Shisetsu Genman, Oni Kick Combo, Kamikaze, Poison Breath, 165 HP Power Card
Remark: Ability is just like Shisetsu Genman, but, (in my opinion) the requirements are very restrictive. If you have 3x Spirited Away, you will be striking often in an attempt to trigger the effects of Spirited Away. Similar to Rainbow Kick that restricts Laws to strike with 1-2 cards, Spirited away restricts Yoshimitsu to strike with 1 card. Countering: more than ever, Spirited Away will be an 18 damage kick card than anything else. If the Yoshimitsu opponent happens to draw this in first position, you can always strike to avoid the effects. You still have to guess correctly. If you sense your opponent as a "Spirited Away" fisher, they will strike with 1 card always.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 star

Doushi Kiri
Doushi Kiri

Doushi Kiri

Damage: 19
Type: Punch
Ability: Before the attack: Every turn: Both -1 Parry
Synergies: Seiken Douharai, Shibakari, Aratama
Remark: Another suicidal card. This card can be extremely risky to have in your deck. An example would be when you've just played strike and your opponent now has card advantage. If you draw this card pre-opponent-strike, you will take a lot of damage. Doushi Kiri does however come with benefits for Yoshimitsu. Aratama can be useful in positions outside of position 3 and above. Seiken Douharai can sink another 13 damage. I have not tried this card yet, but from the looks of it, it is a blessing as well as a curse. Countering: If the opponent draws this card and you have card advantage, you must guess, but I would recommend striking if you have 4 or more cards or if this is the opponent's first card. If you are at a card disadvantage, you can attempt to focus break or focus and strike immediately after. I would imagine the opponent will try to maximize the effects of this card by 4 or 5 card striking.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 star

3 comments:

  1. Very nice post, could you post a deck build strategy for Yoshimitsu?

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    Replies
    1. Sure thing! I'll make a 3 decks for Yoshimitsu when I get some time to make another post. I will try to do it before Balance Update 03

      Delete
  2. hi I love ur posts as does my gf
    she wants to know if u ever think that heihachi will ever dominate the rankings. and why do paul panda lili and nina dominate and not Yoshi law and ling.

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