# Faction Overview

Written by Tun Kai Poh.

## Single Factions

This is an overview of the seven factions and their strengths and weaknesses.

### Dragons

Dragons have some of the best hitters (big nasty characters) in the game, and their Guts and Toughness (even on their foundation characters), plus cards like Back For Seconds and Golden Comeback, allow them to get more use out of a single hitter than any other faction. They also have a handful of Tech, Magic and Chi providers, allowing them to interlock with the Monarchs, Lotus, Jammers, Hand and Architects with a small measure of resource overlap. Plus there's an inherent coolness factor in playing the good guys. However, the Dragons lack for Event and State countering ability.

### Guiding Hand

By far the most defensive faction, loaded with healing, defensive Edges, interception cards (Mysterious Return and Iron and Silk) and Chi. Commons like Confucian Stability and Return To Center are a powerful defence against Events and States. The Hand doesn't have much anti-character power, apart from the flexible but expensive Blade Palm. It also lacks for cost-effective Uncommon hitters, with the exception of Shaolin Master. Superleap, which the Hand uses to push attacks through, ought to be on more Cpmmon and Uncommon characters, in my opinion. Shaolin Warriors just don't cut it, and Orange Monks are too expensive. Also: no way to remove offending Edges.

### Architects

In the words of the inimitable (thank God) Dennis Hefferman, this faction can literally kill on demand. Nerve Gas is the most efficient anti-character Event there is, although Demons and Cyborgs are usually immune to it. Then there's Neutron Bomb for mass carnage, and Imprison to take out a character temporarily. Helix Chewers, Helix Retreads and Expendable Units are all terribly common and all zero-cost, not to mention really annoying if played right. CHAR is not only the best midrange Architect hitter, it is arguably the best midrange hitter in the game, period. Vivisectors and Arcanotechnicians make the Architects even nastier. Truth be told, the Buro hardly needs Magic and Tech on top of all that, but they do have it, so you might as well abuse it! Not much Event, Edge or State countering ability, though. Expendable Unit and Arcanowave Reinforcer make this the only faction which can field a truly competitive weenie horde deck.

### Ascended

They have more zero-cost cards than any other faction: Operation Killdeer, Covert Operation and Mole Network are the nicest of the lot. What the Ascended lack in heavy hitters they make up for in speed (Family Estates to pump out the Pledged cheaply), Power acquisition (Mole Network, Swiss Banker, Triumvirate Dealmaker, Paper Trail, Bite Of The Jellyfish and so on), Edge/State defense and the most powerful common State in the game, Shadowy Mentor. No Event defense, and many of their important characters are 1 or 2 Fighting, so Toughness and Final Brawls hurt the Ascended.

### Eaters of the Lotus

Ugly, nasty monsters. Magic galore. Corruption and damage all around. That's what you get when you combine Eunuchs and bad mojo. Tortured Memories is arguably more versatile than Shadowy Mentor, being an Event, and those Walking Corpses make very cost-effective suicide troops. The Eaters of the Lotus seem to have an obsession with harmful States, because that's what most of the faction's non-character cards are. From Inexorable Corruption to The Demon Within to Deathtraps, States are a major part of this faction's arsenal. Inauspicious Reburial hoses resources and reanimator cards. No defence from Events (apart from Gao Zhang) and virtually none from States (although it's usually worth it to put Poison Needles on, say, a Fox Outfoxed).

### Monarchs of the Four Pagodas

A self-sufficient faction, in some ways, but not quite the best in any field. They have highly efficient Event defense (Brain Fire), a bit of healing, a bit of direct damage, a fair bit of attack enhancement...you get the idea: Jacks of all trades, masters of none. However, the Monarchs can team up with just about any faction and make up for whatever weaknesses the other faction may have. Fire Martyr and Butterfly Knights are devastating cheap hitters, too. The Monarchs can't take out Edges, and have difficulty dealing with States, except for Pi Tui. The Monarchs lack a resource site but make up for it with hordes of resource characters (3 in the Ice suit alone), and their heavy hitters require very few resources.

### Jammers

Pretty offensive; this is the faction to play with if you just want to blow things up. I've had trouble making it work as a combat faction, though. The Jammers have few big hitters (so you should collect lots of $10,000 Men) but their subversive weenie characters have neat abilities. The Jammers lack for resources, especially resource sites and cheap Tech, and they have no counters against Edges, States or Events.

## Faction Combinations

Here's a list of faction combinations that I can wot of. I've played most of these combinations, so I can attest to their capabilities.

### Dragons and Architects

Jose Garcia's Stitches takes this to a bit of an extreme. Vivisectors and Golden Comebacks get obscene amounts of use out of each hitter, especially when used in tandem. Between the Buro's ability to kill characters and the Dragons' Final Brawls, this kind of deck has enormous killing power. Both factions have a lot of other neat tricks on the side, like the Arcanotechnician and the Chinese Doctor. The overlap in hitters with Guts helps, too. This faction combo gets damage prevention in the form of Toughness from some Dragon cards and Expendable Unit from the Architects. And let's not forget Magic and Hi-Tech, supported by Old Hermits and Gadgeteers from the Dragons.

Comeback Abilities: Pocket Demon and Kiii-Yahh!! are the most effective comeback cards for this kind of deck.

Weaknesses: Lack of defense against Events and States.

### Architects and Lotus

The 3 Horsemen of the Apocalypse - War, Pestilence and Death. This faction pairing inflicts damage and corruption on just about everything (Helix Chewer, Inexorable Corruption, Infernal Plague, Killing Rain), and has a lot of anti-character potential with White Disciples and Architect Events. Magic Events and States are a must in this kind of deck, and a wide selection of hitters is also available. And The Demon Within always guarantees that the Monster Hunter will have something to capture.

Comeback Abilities: Pocket Demon, mostly.

Weaknesses: Lack of defense against Events and States, no healing.

### Jammers and Ascended

Now here's a strange pairing, but at least it's consistent with the Netherworld storyline. The Ascended provide dirty tricks, intelligence gathering, and Power acquisition, while the Jammers do the fighting. Operation Killdeer+Death-O-Rama is a neat combo, especially when your three Edge Warriors attack a Shaolin Master. Bull Markets also help those Tunnel Gangers get through (armed with Explosives and Grenade Launchers, of course) and give you plenty of Power.

Comeback Abilities: The Ascended always have a way of generating Power, and New Manifesto isn't that bad.

Weaknesses: Still not much stiff combat ability. No healing. Vulnerable to weenie hosers (Toughness, Final Brawl, Mark of Fire) because of low Fighting on average Ascended or Jammer characters.

### Dragons and Guiding Hand

The best of defensive abilities combined with good fighting characters. Flying Kick and the rarer Hand warriors provide plenty of Superleap to get to those heavily-guarded targets, while Iron and Silk and Confucian Stability keeps you protected. Gardeners, Chinese Doctors and Chi provide healing galore, while Into The Light, Wind On Heaven and Golden Comeback bring back what you need for a second time around. However, this alliance has some trouble dealing out damage on demand.

Comeback Abilities: Kiii-Yahh!!, Violet Meditation, Heat Of Battle (the latter two if you use Proving Grounds and Monkey Houses to stay behind on Power-generation sites), Storm Of The Just.

Weaknesses: Okay, so we can stop Events, States, Edges and we can heal - now if we could only inflict a bit more hurt on our attacks...

### Monarchs and Lotus

Plenty of Magic, and you can get a nasty attack going with those Walking Corpses and Fire Martyrs (which I have used often enough to see that they're a little too powerful for their cost) early on. Toss on an Ice Diadem on your attacker after interception to add insult to your opponent's injury. Mark of Fire takes out weenie hordes more selectively than Final Brawl, and Demons and Spirits make good hitters, especially the ones who can't be Nerve Gassed.

Comeback Abilities: Pocket Demon, Avenging Thunder

Weaknesses: No defense against offensive States.

### Lotus and Hand

Healing and Damage-dealing. Get out your Magic and Chi, play big butch sites and toss down the Inexorable Corruptions followed by Killing Rains. Then heal your own sites with Healing Earths, Dawns of the Righteous and Beneficial Realignments, while your opponents' rot away. Finish off your opponents' weakened sites with Superleaping Shaolin Warriors and Orange Monks. Now, you might need Dance Of The Centipede to turn the bigger blockers...

- Strategy

Last modified: June 18, 1997.
Send server comments to durrell@innocence.com.

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