The Phoenix

by Bryan Reese
Player Design Team

Contrary to popular belief, I am not, in fact, a Phoenix player. I do not call any Clan my home. I play whatever decks are the most fun for me. This philosophy of playing what I enjoy the most has brought me to the Phoenix Clan time and time again.

So why do I keep coming back to Phoenix? To me, they are the most interesting Clan to play. For others, they enjoy the mysticism of magical shugenja casting spells at the enemy army and the stories which go with them. These are the main two factors in Phoenix’s popularity over the years, so let us study these for a minute.

Like myself, many players often find themselves intrigued and engrossed by all of the capabilities Phoenix have at their disposal. Through the power of spells and kihos, you can wreck opposing armies, create personalities, gain honor, take provinces, play rings, and sometimes even stop (Rokugani) time itself. This leads to many options and many different deck types. Throughout Phoenix history, they have had the largest variety of successful decks. Honor, military, enlightenment, Master of Five, and even dishonor have all found their homes in a successful Phoenix deck at one time or another. They can be one of the most pure Clans or the most tainted Clan this side of the Kaiu Wall. The possibilities are limited only by your time, skill, and devotion. That will often times attract players such as myself to the Phoenix Clan.

But there is also a great story to go with the Phoenix. They have a mysterious council of Elemental Masters who run the Clan. A council made up of men and women who are in touch with the elements in a way most Rokugani cannot even imagine. For the Phoenix, knowledge is everything. Even if that knowledge brings them to the brink of destruction, they will pursue it and use it to defeat their enemies, then they will recover to learn another day. After all, the Phoenix are still, at heart, pacifists. They wield immeasurable power, arguably more than any other of the Clans, but yet they show restraint. The Phoenix would rather study and learn about the world’s greatest mysteries than wage war and conquer other Clans. This can frequently lead to a misunderstanding about the Phoenix and the strength they hold. Often times they get mocked by the other Clans for their pacifism. The Mantis mocked the Phoenix once. Once.

It is for these and other reasons that the Phoenix are one of the greatest Clans in Rokugan. Their stories often times mirror great stories throughout history in our own world, from King Arthur and his council of Knights of the Round Table to Spiderman. With great power comes great responsibility. The Phoenix know this better than any Clan in Rokugan. And that, is why the Phoenix are the Clan I always come home to.