"History is fixed, but the future flows."

–Asako Tsuki

Great Clans teeter on the brink of war, a new Emerald Champion holds the weight of Rokugan on his shoulders, a dashing pirate sets a daring plan in motion, and your journey into Otosan Uchi is coming to an end… but the unfolding story of Legend of the Five Rings is just beginning.

Meditations on the Ephemeral, the final Dynasty Pack in the Imperial Cycle for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game, is available now from your local retailer or our website! Meditations on the Ephemeral ties together the Imperial Cycle with the final card to complete the set of Magistrates, additional characters and holdings with the Imperial trait, and cards that expand on the themes initially established in the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Core Set.

The Beauty of Law

The Imperial Cycle has introduced a variety of Magistrates to the world of Rokugan. These three-cost characters keep order in Rokugan by restricting the kinds of characters who can contribute their skills to conflicts, and the Silver Tongued Magistrate (Meditations on the Ephemeral, 104) of the Crane is no different. When this Magistrate is attacking, any other characters that have no fate on them cannot count their skill. This, of course, pairs particularly well with Mono No Aware (Meditations on the Ephemeral, 120), another new card in Meditations on the Ephemeral. By playing Mono No Aware during a conflict with the Silver-Tongues Magistrate, you not only reduce the time your opponent’s characters are on the field, but can neutralize their contribution entirely if you remove their last fate. If set up properly, the Silver-Tongued Magistrate can be a powerful ally.

Power Expanded

The Phoenix in the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Core Set excel with their high glory characters, though they often have to rely on the the Fire ring’s effect to take full advantage of that glory. The Imperial Cycle has introduced new ways for the Phoenix to honor their characters, like Benten's Touch (Into the Forbidden City, 55). Now, Meditations on the Ephemeral adds an additional method with Asako Tsuki (Meditations on the Ephemeral, 107). A Scholar and Shugenja, Asako Tsuki allows you to choose and honor a Scholar character after the Water ring is claimed. Naturally, as a Scholar herself, Asako Tsuki can receive this honored status, and the Seal of the Phoenix (The Chrysanthemum Throne, 77) can give any character the Scholar trait. You don’t even have to be the player who claims the Water ring. Even in defeat, Asako Tsuki’s Reaction triggers if your opponent claims the ring.

The Crab, on the other hand, are introduced in the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Core Set as legendary defenders, gaining advantages when they win conflicts on defense with cards like Defend the Wall (Core Set, 8). Meditations on the Ephemeral expands this theme with Kuni Ritsuko (Meditations on the Ephemeral, 102), a new four-cost Shugenja. Whenever this character wins a conflict as a defender, you choose an attacking character and remove one fate from them, shortening the time your opponent's characters will stay on the field against you. With characters like Kuni Ritsuko, the Crab can be just as dangerous on defense as they are on offense.

The Next Steps

With Meditations on the Ephemeral, your journey into Otosan Uchi has come to an end, but the Legend of the Five Rings is just beginning. What awaits the Great Clans of Rokugan, and whose side will you take in the conflicts to come?