PREVIEWS 
The time of judgement is at hand. After the chaos of the recent months the Celestial Heavens have undergone massive upheaval, and the Emerald Empire will never be the same. As the grand celestial rebalance occurs, the new Emperor prepares to claim the throne, and this Emperor’s rule will be glorious, bringing Celestial Order back to the Emerald Empire, and the Clans who have fought so hard to attain the throne.

The Heaven’s Will releases September 2008, and will be legal for the Samurai Championships Global Events this year.

Watch this site and all of our Clan fan sites for more previews in the coming weeks!

Peaceful Interlude – The Mantis magistrates discover the secret of… mountain tuna?!?!

Yasuki Takai – This guy has thing against the Crane… wonder where that came from? Still, he denies the higher honor players the favor as a defensive mechanism, and that is one less issue for your Crab armies to worry about in battle.

Hida Kaoru – No, she’s not a zombie, she just has incredible resilience, enough to come back from what enemies may feel are deadly blows.

Stalemate – A unique way of gaining tempo, if a little dangerous. Not as useful against characters that naturally bow for actions, but a good way to keep large units from doing too much.

Chuda Mishime – A simple and powerful engine for zombie breeding decks, the daimyo of the Chuda. “They’re coming to get you, Beniha…”

Utaku Kohana – Boxable, with built in honor gain and two abilities that both tie directly into the Utaku Plains stronghold will make Kohana a natural addition to Battle Maiden decks.

Dojo Applicants – Card search and item cost reduction makes this follower extremely useful for Kensai.

Due to our usual Unicorn fan site experiencing issues, we’re posting the Unicorn Previews here today. Enjoy! Iuchi Konyo – Moto Soonshin – Shinjo Aniji – Shinjo Joyung – Shinjo Kirita – Utaku Jisao – Chagatais Legion – Fortune’s Favor – Entangling Terrain – Strength of my Father

Katana of Twilight – Clearly having the reaction due to equipping the Katana of Twilight is best, as it is reusable, but the focus effect provides a one-shot version which can be helpful, given the four focus value.

Isawa Ochiai – The Master of Fire is back with a powerful dueling effect to keep your enemies at bay. It can buy you time while bowing out massive units, and gaining honor to boot. And she’s even nice enough to keep her bodyguard around, despite being a powerful shugenja all on her own.

Pack Tactics – Yay swarm! Not a lot else to say here.

Bayushi Kurumi – Kurumi has her own unique take on “control” but it is very effective. She has learned a lot since her debut in Samurai Edition.

Small Estate and Estate Halls – This weekend’s two previews take us back down the old farm. Many samurai are landholders for their daimyo, possessing a modest estate and overseeing the local farmers, even if they rarely visit their estate due to war or assignments. Often these estates are left to the capable management of the samurai’s wife. These are two such holdings, each providing unique new effects to your Farm cards.

Kakita Hideo – Hideo returns with a strong measure of duel control. Not a clear “I win” by any means, but a definite roadblock to your opponents strategies. Many of the cards meant to save non-duelers may not be able to get around Hideo’s skills. Of course, he is just that good… he’d tell you so.

Hand of Osano-Wo – More Kung Fu action, and a bonus for fighting your way through the masses. Tattooed monks benefit even more.

Great Falls Castle – Great Falls Castle gives the Kensai a deck to call home. Along with cards such as Sword Saint Shrine, the ability of Kensai to have their weapons attached quickly while also gaining card advantage is moved to the forefront with Great Falls Castle.

Kitsuki Rai – Dragon Magistrates really, really love to bow people. As he’s a Kensai as well as a Magistrate, Rai gets even better if he has a Weapon attached. With 5 Chi, he’s also a good Duelist in his own right, making him a nice addition to several different decktypes.

Keeping Enemies Close – One more Mantis-themed preview before we move onto the next Clan. Really need those guys with Ranged Attacks to shoot first, here’s a way.

Broken Reef Keep – Broken Reef Keep opens up a whole new range of actions for Mantis, including powerhouses such as Superior Strategist. Combined with various magistrate control actions and the non-naval archers, this can result in a surprisingly versatile deck in battle.

Yoritomo Tadame – Few Personalities are as beloved by their Clan base as Yoritomo Tadame, and Mantis players shouldn’t be disappointed by this new version. Just like his younger self, he will truly shine in an EHP deck, where he will no doubt end up laden with attachments. With enough of them, he can even bow Hida Kuon, and ensure that the Crab Clan Champion won’t straighten.

Let Them Run – This simple action is useful on both offense and defense. No reason to allow your troops to be slaughtered if the battle goes south, and it also allows for more ease of use of effective bowing-as-cost actions to harass larger armies.

Fortified Fields – Naval or Sneak Attack got you down? Try fortifying your lands. These non-singular regions can go on multiple provinces, guaranteeing you the first action against attackers every battle.

Venerable Plains of the Ikoma – The Lion stronghold this set was the result of the first Level 10 Dojo Days event, won by Aaron Barto. As a result he was able to take part in the design of this stronghold, which shows the power of the Lion’s honor. Note the Wolf Legion banners in the art, just a touch Aaron wanted.

Akodo Shinichi – Shinichi returns. He lets you straighten a Personality who moves to the current battlefield, so he excels in combination with Ikoma Yasuko, or even The Khan! Any Lion army built around movement tricks will value the options he opens up during a game.

Claiming the Throne – Previews for The Heaven’s Will start off with an alternative victory condition! Yes, it’s hard to pull off, but no one ever said taking the Imperial Throne was easy. Clearly a fun card for tricky decks, it is our homage to the outstanding efforts the players have made to keep their Clans in contention during the Race for the Throne.

PRE-RELEASE EVENTS! 

Pre-Release Events are your chance to try out a whole new L5R expansion before it even goes on sale! Our next pre-release event will be for The Heaven’s Will, our all new 150+ card expansion that continues the epic storyline of Legend of the Five Rings!

Retail stores that participate in our Pre-Release Events receive a special event kit that contains an all-new promo card for people who take part in the event! The Heaven’s Will pre-release events will feature the new item card, Guardian’s Blade.

When Is It?
The Heaven’s Will Prerelease Events run September 12-21. Check with your local retailer for when they plan to run their events.

North American Stores
Download the list of North American Stores running the Pre-Release Events.

Have your local store owner contact AEG at 909-390-5444 or retailsupport@alderac.com to sign up today!

Don’t miss this chance to take part in The Heaven’s Will Pre-Release Events!