Asami Tanaka Guide Pt. 1

Asami Tanaka, Ten Thunders Master

Asami Tanaka is the Ten Thunders’ Wave 4 master who brings something to the faction that they have never had – a dedicated summoning master. Built around her synergy with the Oni, Asami provides a brilliant blend between summoning minions for any occasion, supporting those minions and her crew hires, and supporting her crew to squeeze out every last piece of AP potential available to them.

In this section, I am really going to look at Asami as a whole, plus her ability to do strats and schemes. In a later piece, I will cover her crew options, but you will notice a few names keep popping up throughout this piece.

Mobility

Having only an average Wk of 5 and a Cg of 6 Asami's AP is best spent doing something else. Fortunately she has several methods of not only moving herself around the board but also you and your opponent's crew in the form of Grasping Strands which can pull another model 8" away into base contact with Asami and push away 6" on a Ram trigger. This allows her to move her crew around while re-positioning herself. It can also allow Asami to pull a key opposing model out of position and into the waiting arms of your beaters.

A key component to Asami’s movement is the 2ss upgrade A Heavenly Design. You might as well staple this onto her card and learn to love it. A 0 action 6” PLACE is phenomenal – it will save Asami’s life more than you will ever be able to count. Likewise, it is super effective at helping her get into position for a summon or to help get her crews 1AP charges off.

Offense

While filling the roll of a support/summoner master generally means you won’t want Asami up close and personal with the enemy (especially when we consider her resilience in a minute), she is more than capable of putting up a good fight if the time calls for it.

She has one attack action on her card – (1) Another Mouth To Feed (and that mouth looks might hungry) – MI6, Rst DF, Rg 1 with a 2/4/6 damage track (the same damage track as Misaki!). MI 6 means you will hit more than enough against most models and the damage track is reliable enough.
Two triggers are available to her:

·         built in (Mask) Hide In Shadow – after succeeding, move this model up to 3” to help with her movement in and out of danger.

·         (Crow) Devoured Whole – after damaging, the target must take a TN 11 Ht duel. If it fails, it is sacrificed unless it discards 2 cards – the potential for this is twofold – stripping cards from your opponents hand and if you happen to get your timing right and they have no cards, swallow the model whole. Most models are flipping a 9 to avoid this, while gremlins have it a little harder. I must say, swallowing Some’r whole after he fluffed to attempts at this was most glorious!

Her Grasping Strands upgrade provides her Reaching Tendrils attack action with a Mask/Ram trigger to allow her to take Another Mouth To Feed action after succeeding - brilliant for pulling a model out of position and then getting the bonus to do some damage or swallow fools whole.

Resilience

10 wounds is obviously on the low side of the scale for a Master, especially when you consider that she is self-flagellating for the benefit of the crew. It hurts to see that she has ‘only’ been given a Cache 3, when the rest of the Wave 4 Masters are toting 4 cache…even Parker, who does not need a cache of 4.

Defense: Df 7 is amazing and can be a surprise to your opponent on a summoner. Hard To Kill is always a welcomed bonus and with upgrades, she can be given a handy little Df trigger (more on that below).
Willpower: This is where the real danger comes into play. Any model that can target her Wp 5 is more than likely starting ahead before flipping (Reva and Pandora, I’m looking at you!) and you are counting on bad flips, low damage and soul stone prevention to save her at this point.

So, how do we keep her alive? I tend to focus on a combination of four things:

·         A Heavenly Design 6” place (ability given by taking the A Heavenly Design upgrade) – this will save her many times over if you are able to read the field early and sense where the danger is coming, but by being able to move anywhere within 6 (top a building, behind hard cover, behind a wall of Jorogumo, etc.) is so very useful!

·         Misdirection – 2ss general 10T upgrade. The ability to pass off attacks targeting Df is insanely good. She will generally be close to a model from your own crew to safely pass it off to and the opponent can do nothing about it. While it does use Masks, you very rarely have another need for low Masks in her crew. For extra points, if the opponent is out of cards, feel free to throw the damage onto one of their models for kicks!

·         misdirection – Asami is the lynch pin of her crew (not surprising given she is the master!) – a lot of her crew are only as effective as they are because she is providing some level of support to them. However, on the board she has the presence of an ant in comparison to some of her friends. The Yasunori, Shadow Emissary and Jorogumo are all heavy hitters that can get into the scrum and cause real pain for your opponent – use this to your advantage. Once they see the murder death potential of the Yasunori or the tanking ability of a Jorogumo, they may just forget about that little lady at the back and her terrifying second mouth.

·         An Insatiable Hunger – 0AP action which goes off on a 6. Discard all scheme markers within 2 pulse to heal 2 damage per marker. With the abundance of scheme marker related schemes in GG17, it is not hard to heal her up. Bonus points for using the Shadow Effigy to give minions Remember the Mission turn 1 to provide her with a little healing bunker to fall back on.

Bonus mentions must go out to the Shadow Effigy’s 0AP action to allow Asami to put an attack action on – flips when she needs it most.

Servant of the 5 Dragons upgrade could be worth considering for the boost to WP, but it is then fighting with her other upgrades, which I would argue are more useful in the slots available.

Abilities

In this section, I will cover her front of card ability and her tactical actions that haven’t already been covered.

Wrath Of The Oni: This one is a doozie! Other friendly Oni within Aura 4 may deal 1 damage to Asami and charge for 1AP. This is bonkers good! The immediate uses are clear in terms of models charging for 1AP. Where it gets really good is coupling it with her summoning (will discuss next). Asami’s summons come into play on full wounds, but with slow, summoning sickness (no interacting) and limited life span with Flicker. By being able to charge for 1AP, they get around being slow and if they have come in on Flicker +1, they disappear at the end of the turn. This is brilliant because they are sacrificed for the purposes of schemes and strats – no head placed for headhunter or bounty points to be claimed here.

Oni’s Strength (1) – On a 6 of anything, target Oni or Minion gains Focused +2. Range 8 is super handy when handing this out like candy! I use the regularly early on in the game. The Yasunori in particular loves to be focused. Jorogumo are also a great target for this considering the MI is 5.

From The Maw, The Come (1) – Here it is. The summon. Functions in the same way other summons do in terms of the TN plus soul stone cost – it is important to note that she doesn’t require any form of resource to summon (no scrap or corpse markers – only if you want to increase the Flicker value). Making her and Dreamer the only two summoners in the game to do this.
She needs the double Mask for it to go off (one built in) and all her summons are Oni Minions. When you summon the model, it gains the condition Flicker +1. When the condition ticks down to zero/or is removed, the model is sacrificed.
All of her summons, with the exception Yokai (who can choose to start on Flicker +2), come in on a natural Flicker +1, meaning that they will hang around for one turn and then fade into the ether. Luckily, you can discard all Corpse and Scrap markers within 1” pulse to increase the Flicker to a max of 3. What you need to recognise is that with the exception of Asami and the Yasunori, no Oni models drop Corpse/Scrap markers when they die. So you will need to generate them via slaying your enemies hard and leaving their bloody corpses for you to pilfer or get your models to use their abilities to place them (more on this later).

Upgrades

Not sure how many other masters have the same situation, but Asami has zero limited upgrades, which allows you to be super flexible with her upgrades (even more so now that Terracotta Warriors are a thing.

Feigned Weakness – 1ss upgrade that allows Asami to summon an Oni minion, whose SS cost is based on the difference between your opponents VP and yours plus three ( Opponent VP – Your VP + 3 = SS value of minion you can summon). Basically, this gives you a leg up if you happen to be behind on VP. There is a real danger in taking this upgrade and playing to be behind on VP. However, as an insurance policy in case you do fall behind (especially when early game Frame For Murder is a thing), it isn’t bad as far as they go. Worth trying.

A Heavenly Design – 2ss upgrade for a 6” place (virtues of which have already be extolled). What hasn’t been mentioned is that it comes with a second ability: An Oni’s Spirit: When a friendly model is sacrificed within 10” aura, place a scheme marker in base contact before removing it. Given all of Asami’s summons will eventually Flicker out and be sacrificed, this is a fantastic little bonus. I would call this upgrade an auto include.

Grasping Strands – 1ss upgrade that provides Asami with the Grasping Strands ability – Enemy models that end the movement portion of a charge attack within 4” Aura reduces the number attacks generated by 1. Can be super handy in the right situation (i.e Asami is the target of the charge), but given that I generally have her hiding behind other models, the aura is negated.

This also provides the aforementioned MI trigger on her Reaching Tendrils attack action.

Nefarious Pact – 2ss upgrade that allows Asami to draw a card at the end of her activation. Good for replenishing the hand after summoning or such, but at the start of her activation would be much more useful.

More so, I see people taking this upgrade for the second Ability, Otherworldly Protection – Friendly models with in 10” Aura may choose not to end or remove a condition if it would be ended or removed due to an enemy Attack or Ability. The obvious use of this is stop people stripping Flicker from her summons. In the beginning I took this, but as I started to realise that I wasn’t coming up against a lot of condition removal, I swapped it out of the crew and have never found myself missing it.

The Fate of Mortals 2ss upgrade, restricted to Oni models (currently Asami, Bettari, Yasunori and Ama No Zako) – The Power Beneath: Once per turn, after the opponent scores 1VP or more, friendly oni within 6” may gain Flicker +1 (handy for boost a model that is about to flicker out). Also, The Fate Of Mortals (ability) means that friendly Oni minions within 10” aura may draw a card after killing or sacrificing an enemy model. I can see the appeal in this upgrade, but 2ss is a steep price and her upgrade carrying friends need those slots for other things.

Tactics and Tips

The biggest recommendation I can give with Asami is to not get drawn in by the power of the summon. If you are using all/the vast majority of her AP to summon, burning stones to do so, etc. then I don’t think you are getting the most out of your master. My view on Asami is that she is a support master first, summoner second. She loves to hand out that Focused +2, she wants to be pulling models all over the board (mostly into the 1AP charge range of your wrecking crews). Summoning definitely plays a role, but summoning for the sake of summoning is a quick way to lose the overall effectiveness of the crew.

Do not be afraid to throw her in against a model if need be. Against models that target Df, she is fairly safe with Misdirection and Df7 for protection. You also owe it to yourself to swallow a master whole. DO IT!

Strategies and Schemes

Strategies

Extraction – I love Asami for this strategy. A combination of her heavy hitting models, plus her ability to move the opponent’s models out of position makes this a really attractive Strat to take her with. The required clumping also means that a lot of her potential auras come into much greater effect (7/10)

Interference – Standard summoner love for this one. The fact that she can also make her crew much more AP effective via 1 AP charges means that thinning the herd on the other side of the board, or getting into scoring position after killing something on the charge is super easy. That said, the downside to her summoning means that her scoring models could potentially flicker away before you get the points due to contested quarters. (8/10)

Headhunter – Asami has the potential to run really killy crews, so creating heads won’t really be an issue. Picking them up is the harder aspect. My crews tend to run around the 7-8 model count, meaning that I am relying on some clever movement to pick up heads early game. Her 6” place comes into great effect here. The Yasunori with flight is excellent for getting to those hard to reach head markers. Likewise, Jorogumo are really effective at denying heads given they have a great tanking potential, 50mm base and a 3” engagement, meaning they can effectively create an 8” area of denial. (7/10)

Guard The Stash – Early game, spreading out can lead to disaster for Asami as it makes it harder for her to support her crew with great effect. Summoning models can obviously help to tip this balance back in her favour, while her more beefy models hold the points. Again, Jorogumo are excellent pieces for bullying a stash marker, while the Yasunori’s movement and ability to delete a model a turn helps to turn the tide. Special mention to Bettari here and her ability to charge through terrain, ignoring LoS. Really helpful in deleting those models hiding on the other side that would be harder to get to. (6/10)

Collect The Bounty – 1AP charges and a scheme based around murdering peeps for fun, yes please. Once you start throwing in models like the Yasunori (only an enforcer and more than able to punch above his own weight), Jorogumo (who are only minions!) and Bettari, you have yourself a sweet murder crew. As with any summoner, you are providing them with extra bodies to kill as well, but remember, if they flicker out, it doesn’t count. (8/10)

Schemes

Claim Jump – Asami has potential on both sides of this occasion – many of her Oni friends have ways of placing scheme markers as a trigger, while Asami can bounce around sucking up scheme markers for healing and denying the claim. Solid but not sold on this scheme as a whole (6/10)

Eliminate the Leadership – Depends upon the master that you see across the board. Your usual killable masters will be fine for Asami to take this scheme…also, swallowing someone whole is a straight 3VP ;) (6/10)

Accusation! – Yet to play this scheme with her, but I can see the potential for her crew to do it well. Asami pulling enemy models out of position, allowing others to mob them with the Accused condition, is super helpful. Jorogumo are fantastic for tarpiting and holding models in place. With a 3” engagement and 50mm base, they can lock down a large area of models while other models accuse the shit out of them. (7/10)

Dig Their Graves – Not a bad option for Asami due to some models in her crew having the ability to place a scheme marker as part of a trigger. There is a lot of work that has to go into this scheme, but I think Asami can do this well for 2VP. (6/10)

Leave Your Mark – You have the potential to summon some excellent scheme runners (Yokai and Tengu), while the Yasunori or Bettari can get to wherever they need to be if the situation calls for it. Doable (6/10)

Frame For Murder – If you take the Yasunori and it manages to live past turn three then either your opponent’s crew is dead or you have flipped like a champ to save it. She does this scheme as well as anyone can.

Covert Breakthrough – Does this as well as any other crew who can get their models out the back of the enemy. Again, end of game scoring is something I am leery of, due to the number of chances the enemy has to deny it. (7/10)

Undercover Entourage – I love this for a Turn 5 run from Asami. 6” place to clear the field, walk, walk, walk for another 15” and you’re sitting pretty for 3VP. Love it. Hard. (8/10)

Show of Force – Little harder to pull off due to the squishiness of Bettari and the fact that the Yasunori will/must die. However, if you can cull their card carrying models quickly (Yasunori and Bettari excel here), then you are in with a shot. (5/10)

Hunting Party – the smaller number of Hench/Enforcers that I take in this crew generally makes this a little harder to score. The Yasunori will kill things, but generally only one or two a turn. The minions that come in with Asami aren’t that survivable (exceptions being Jorogumo and Obsidian Oni), so it is easy for the opponent to score of you. (6/10)

Hidden Trap – In general, I am not a fan of schemes scored at the end of the game requiring models to be within markers. This goes double for Asami and her crew, who really need to thin the field as quickly as possible. Denying it isn’t so bad, with Asami swallowing markers and pulls available to get people away from danger (2/10)

Recover Evidence – I love this scheme and I think it adds some great flavour to the pool. Generally declaring at the end of Turn2/3, Asami’s ability to pull models away from marker, or place to them makes this an attractive prospect. Coupled with the killing potential of the crew, it makes for a solid choice (7/10)

Set Up – Asami’s ability to move a model where she needs it gives her a leg up with this scheme, but creating that little triangle of scheme markers without the opponent getting wise is always the issue. I will give her a better than even chance at doing this scheme for 3VP (7/10)

Search the Ruins – I like this one for Asami and her crew because the only stipulation is that the markers cannot be within 2” of other friendly markers. Again, with the Obsidian Oni being able to place scheme markers as a trigger, it is easier for her to get them out there for scoring.

Mark for Death – I really like this scheme due to the killing potential of the crew and the quickness of a lot of her models in terms of getting in and marking enemies for death. Again, a Jorogumo is golden here due to the large engagement zone he can have and the ability to tarpit the area while you wait for the chance to kill things. (8/10)

Tail ‘em – Being a summoner, Asami has a step up with this scheme due to the ability to produce more condition giving models, while also increase the number of eyes she has on the board to see the enemy model. You really need to be careful when picking this scheme though, because if you can’t afford to let the model live, you may find yourself unable to score the full 3VP (6/10)

Inspection – Least favourite scheme in the game. Anything you are going to bother sending out the corners is likely to be killed swiftly and denied easily. (1/10)

A Quick Murder – With the amount of killing power available to you, this is easily doable. It also provides you with a great potential to bluff. Once opponents know what the Yasunori does, they will expect you to take this, which can mess with the way they play their own high ss model. (9/10)

Last Stand – For my typical Asami crew, this is a no go. The typical henchmen/enforcer within the faction is 8ss, so you are spending around half your points for 3 models and if one of them dies early it is game over. The other issue is that due to being a summoner, Asami wants to have models on the board towards the end of the game, so having less than your opponent is a difficult balancing act. It is doable, but I think you are sacrificing crew efficiency to do so.

Hopefully you have all managed to stay with me through all of this! As I mentioned, this is Part 1 of the series. In the next piece, I will be covering the general crew that I run with Asami and why, plus a discuss of the other models that are worth a look with Asami.
Please feel free to post all comments/feedback/bitter disagreements/cursing :)