“I will be your villain, Hantei.”

–Bayushi

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In dark alleys and shadowy corners of the Emerald Empire, the Scorpion Clan lurks. There is no secret that Bayushi’s whisperers do not hear, and across Rokugan, the Scorpion influence the path of history… not with steel and battle plans, but with words that can cut deeper than any sword.

Join us today as we preview new themes found in Underhand of the Emperor, the Scorpion Clan Pack for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game!

Within Underhand of the Emperor, you'll find 78 new cards (three copies each of 25 different cards and one copy each of three different cards), each designed to augment the powers of the Scorpion Clan. Like Disciples of the Void before it, Underhand of the Emperor also explores new themes for its marquee clan. From dishonoring themselves to acheive victory, to an army of Shinobi waiting for the perfect time to strike, plenty of new tricks await those who pledge themselves to the Scorpion.

In the Shadows

Officially in Rokugan, there are no Shinobi. Their existence was outlawed some time ago. However, as with everything about Rokugani society, this is more a matter of societal definitions than actual reality. The Shinobi of the Scorpion Clan wait in the darkness and give no thought to personal honor in the face of their duty.

Throughout the Imperial and Elemental Cycle, the Scorpion have added support for Shinobi to their ranks. Characters like Shosuro Sadako (All and Nothing, 96) carry out their duty with little regard for personal honor, disappearing in the night through cards like Smoke and Mirrors (Tears of Amaterasu, 18). Now, Underhand of the Emperor introduces even more Shinobi for the Scorpion to command.

Like many of his counterparts, Shosuro Takao (Underhand of the Emperor, 5) is drawn to dishonorable tactics: while a dishonored character is participating in a conflict, Takao is free to slip in or out of that conflict. With three military skill, Takao can easily sway the results of a conflict and provide much-needed support in what would otherwise be a losing battle. Conversely, when a conflict becomes overwhelming, Takao can live to fight another day, disappearing into the shadows, only to appear during another battle, when he holds the advantage. With zero glory, there is little to lose by dishonoring Takao through cards like Calling in Favors (Core Set, 186), granting you powerful effects while activating his own ability.

Underhand of the Emperor also offers the perfect way to play your Shinobi to the field while triggering their abilities. From the Shadows (Underhand of the Emperor, 23) lets you deploy a Shinobi from your hand or provinces into a conflict for free. Though you must be less honorable than your opponent to play the card, From the Shadows can provide great value. The card works perfectly well with Shosuro Sadako, giving you a four military skill, four political skill Shinobi for free, which can shift the momentum of the entire game while preserving your fate.

A Thin Line

The Shinobi are masters of manipulating the world around them, changing the face of politics by eliminating obstacles. The Alibi Artist (Underhand of the Emperor, 4) ensures the continued prosperity of the Scorpion Clan by manipulating your conflict deck. When you have six or fewer honor, you may use the Alibi Artist to look at the top two cards of your conflict deck, putting one in your hand. The Scorpion's most valuable tools come from the conflict deck, and the Alibi Artist joins the ranks of Secret Cache (Core Set, 13) and Favored Niece (Core Set, 102) as a way to ensure you have the proper answers in your hand at just the right time.

Still, the Alibi Artist requires you to stay at or below six honor, and this same threshold can be found on many of the cards in Underhand of the Emperor, encouraging the Scorpion to walk dangerously close to defeat. Liar's Mask (Underhand of the Emperor, 20) is a powerful attachment that can also help you manipulate status tokens on the field. Though you can only play the card when you have six or less honor, it offers a small boost to military and political skill, and more importantly, lets you remove a status token from the attached character. Ultimately, this allows you to manipulate the definition of honor in Rokugan with impunity, dishonoring your characters for events like Forged Edict (Core Set, 184), and then quickly erasing the penalty. Or, in the case of Shinobi who prefer the dishonorable route, wiping away their dishonor shortly before they leave the field. While floating under six honor may seem like a dangerous undertaking, the Scorpion are master manipulators.

Beware the Sting

The Scorpion play an important role in Rokugan. Forgoing honor for duty, they play the role of the villain, serving Rokugan in their own way from the shadows. Few clans are prepared for these underhanded tactics. Will you join the chorus of their whisperers?