M2E+Yasunori


 * Yasunori, Ten Thunders Enforcer**

=__Overview__= Finally, the Thunders have a **Rider**! It doesn't have the Rider tag (he is an Oni, though), but make no mistake - Yasunori has all the hallmarks of a Rider. Damage reduction, Stubborn, incredibly fast, amazing attack triggers, and very interesting and powerful 0 actions. There are differences between the true Riders and Yasu, of course, but he will be as much a keystone of a crew as any of them. toc

=__Mobility__= Yasunori is walk 6 with a charge of 10; pretty standard for a mounted model. As fast as that is, the speed is aided by Yasu having **Flight** as well, making him able to get all over the table with great speed, with very little able to stop him.

However, Yasunori has no other movement tricks. If he needs help pushing out of an engagement, for instance, none of his abilities will help. Fortunately for him, the Thunders can find many ways to speed or reposition him as needed.

=__Offense__= Yasunori has two attacks, both of which can be devastating. The first is **(1) Vengeful Katanas**, can deal an incredible amount of damage. It has a range of 2", making Yasu's effective threat range 12" even without outside tricks. Being Ht3 and Flying means that it can be hard or even impossible to hide from him. The attack is Ml6 with a built in positive twist on the attack. The katanas have two unique triggers; the first trigger is called **Wind and Water** and needs either a Mask or Ram to trigger, the second is **Earth and Fire** and requires a Crow or Tome. Both triggers grant an additional Vengeful Katanas attack and may only be declared once per activation. The Katanas have a damage track of 3/4/5, making it possible to deal 12 damage in a single activation, even if you deal weak damage on every hit.

The second attack on his card is **(0) Kodoku** and is a bit of an **Obey**. It is Ca7 with a TN13, 8" range, can only target Minions and allows them to take a 1ap attack action, controlled by Yasunori's controller. The attack action then gains a Rams trigger to deal additional damage equal to the number of VP that the target's crew has, to a maximum of 3.

=__Resilience__= Yasunori does have some credible resistance, but nothing more than a 12ss model should expect. Df5 is not great, and Wp6 is good but not exceptional, and 12 wounds is a lot, but can be eaten through quickly enough. Like his Rider cousins he is **Stubborn**, making him fairly resilient to Wp attacks and he has **Armor +1**. There is also the ability **Scales of Heaven** which allows you to draw a card once per turn when Yasunori takes damage. Due to the immense threat Yasunori represents, this card draw will probably not put most opponents off of attacking him, but it at least provides a benefit to you when it happens.

=__Upgrades__= Yasunori can benefit from several upgrades, many of them from Ripples of Fate. Equality can heal Yasunori a little bit every turn, and even sticking around for 1 turn longer than he otherwise would have can represent a huge swing in damage output. Along those lines, Smoke Grenades can be helpful to protect from ranged attacks, negating to an extent the low Df stat to make sure Yasu can at least get stuck in to his targets. Recalled Training is, of course, always a welcome addition to a 10 Thunders model, although for Yasunori the positives to attack and damage might not be as useful as they are on somebody like The Lone Swordsman; the help for his defense, again, can easily mean an additional 4 or more attacks from the big guy.

Peaceful Waters could also be a consideration for Yasunori, but due to his speed he will often be too far away for a Monk to heal him. As well, because he is such a large target, he will often be focussed on by the opposing crew, and once he dies the Monks would be unable to heal anybody else, either. If you go with this, make sure to position Yasu and the Monks so that they can still benefit one another.

=__Tactics and Tips__= Yasunori is, first and foremost, an offensive powerhouse. His attack is very consistent, both in terms of connecting and for damage output. Even his one non-offensive ability [**(0) Great Sage**] is best used to augment his attacks, since it can help to set up his triggers. While it will not always be advisable to do so, Yasunori will frequently be capable of charging much of the enemy crew on turn 1. With the aid of the Shadow Emissary (**Rite of Strength** gives a 4" push and **Fast**), Shenlong (**Wandering River Style** gives a 5" push and **Fast**), Sensei Yu (**Wandering River Style** again, or **Airburst** for the push alone), Lucas McCabe (**Take This** gives a 4" push, and the
 * Badge of Speed** gives him **Nimble** to get 6" closer and set up a charge), and Asami (**Grasping Strands** can push up to 8", and **Wrath of the Oni** allows Yasunori to charge as a 1ap action). Given any of this aid, Yasunori can reliably charge 20" or more from where he started the turn and can attack 3 or 4 times once he gets there. This can allow you to seriously threaten even back line Masters such as Dreamer or Nicodem, or take on heavy hitters such as Teddy or the Peacekeeper. However, since the attacks generated by the triggers don't need to be against the original target, Yasu is also extremely efficient at bullying scheme runners and other utility models as well.

Target priority is therefore absolutely key with Yasunori. Be assured, absent some incredible luck, Yasu will be killed if you stick him directly in enemy lines, or leave him alone with a Peacekeeper, Nekima, or Howard. If you charge somebody like this, you should be reasonably certain that you can kill the largest threat to Yasunori surviving to the next turn. It is very easy to overextend with such a strong and fast model, but you will be better served by Yasunori living long enough to activate 3 or 4 times.

Yasunori is also aided by anything that lets him take out-of-activation actions. His triggers are once per **activation**, so any **Obey** effect that can let him strike again can add up to a great deal of extra damage.

=__Playing Against Yasunori__= Yasunori's key strength is momentum. Since the Yasunori player will try to add AP to him the best way to counter this will be to reduce his AP and attempt to nullify his efficiency. Handing out slow will severely hamper his effectiveness, allowing you prevent his initial from hitting and therefore his triggers from happening. Another method is pinning him down with a survivable unit a unit with **Armor +2** or **Armor +1** and **Hard to Kill** will be able to survive a turn even against all his triggers. Be mindful of timing for this tactic. Wait for the opponent to use his push trick to get Yasu into position and ambush him with your tank unit.

Yasunori can be brought down. With a Df of only 5, and only armor +1 to protect him, those 12 wounds can be chewed through. This can be with an armor ignoring attack, or just from something with high damage output. Attacking his Wp will be very inefficient, since you'll need to Focus in order to reliably hit, though. The only goal when playing against Yasunori, then, should be in making sure he can't do too much damage before he dies. If you have a key model, make sure they are protected. Something like **Brace Yari** or **Snares** can protect against charges, which Yasu relies on, and careful positioning will have to protect you the rest of the time. Getting your Master charged at the end of turn 1, then having Yasunori activate in their face again at the beginning of turn 2 will likely force you to burn a lot of soul stones, or face the real possibility of losing you most powerful piece. Therefore, denying Yasu the option of charging your most important models is the key. Then you can focus him down with relatively little problem.

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