Heroes are up! Phew!!!

Yesss!! The Heroes 群雄 characters are up. Next in line are the Woods Expansion Pack characters (Cao Pi comes first as requested by Ryan :)). After which comes the DEMI-GODS!! I can't wait to write those!

I will be running through every single post i have done so far to put up disambiguations... which is another big project on its own.

I also have on hand some very very strange character cards called DEMON characters 鬼牌 such as DEMON Guan Yu 鬼关羽 etc and even the SPIRIT card 魂牌.

Lots more to come. Keep up the support!! Thanks very much!

Yú Jí 于吉

Translated description:
"Priest of Supreme Peace 太平道人 (tài píng dào rén)"

Wikipedia link: Yu Ji Wiki

Who is he:
This Daoist priest had only half a chapter's air-time, but his impact on the story was enormous. If not for Yu Ji, Sun Quan 孙权 would not have become ruler of the Wu Kingdom. While Sun Ce 孙策 was still alive, the officers of Wu Kingdom gathered around an old Daoist priest  one day. Sun Ce was very averse to superstition and became extremely upset that his people were listening to hocus-pocus nonsense. That Daoist priest, Yu Ji, was thus thrown into prison, which greatly alarmed many officers and citizens. Till then, Yu Ji has constantly been healing the sick with magic for free and has done a lot of social good. Sun Ce refused to pardon Yu Ji and ordered him executed. Alas, the magic of Yu Ji cursed Sun Ce and Sun Ce began seeing apparitions of Yu Ji everywhere he went. It was thus that Sun Ce went mad and died from a ruptured wound.


Character ability: "Bewilder 盅惑 (zhōng huò)"
Whenever you use a Basic Card (like ATTACK 杀, PEACH 桃 etc.) or Non-Time-Delay Tool cards (such as DISMANTLE 过河拆桥, NEGATE 无懈可击 etc.), you can verbalize the intended card but play the card faced down on the table. If nobody doubts the authenticity of the card, the card takes the effect as verbalized. If there is (are) any player(s) that doubt the authenticity of the card, the card must be flipped over to expose the true identity of the card.

- If the card is real, every player that expressed doubted will lose 1 unit of health.
- If the card is a fake, every player that expressed doubt gets to draw 1 card from the deck.

Regardless whether the card is real or fake, the card is rendered useless as long as it has been flipped over UNLESS the card is both real and has a suit of "hearts", in which case the card still is effective.

Ability's relation to the story:
Yu Ji never actually spread any stories or propaganda in his time alive, but Sun Ce simply refused to believe it. Thus the basis of the ability "Bewilder" comes from Sun Ce's accusation that Yu Ji was bewildering his citizens.

Additional info based on story:
1. Most famous achievement - Controlling the weather. Yu Ji was asked by Sun Ce to prove that he was no trickster by summoning the rain amidst a drought. Yu Ji successfully brought the rain, which came in torrents and flooded the city, but still Sun Ce was not appeased.

2. Cause of death - Executed in public by Sun Ce. After bringing the rain, Sun Ce ordered Yu Ji beheaded. His officers pleaded on behalf of Yu Ji, which enraged Sun Ce further. He questioned all within earshot if they were revolting because of this priest, and no one dare speak up after that. After Yu Ji was executed, Sun Ce had his body displayed in public for all to see, but the corpse mysteriously vanished the following day. Thereafter, Yu Ji haunted Sun Ce till he became mad and died.

FAQ and Disambiguation

1. Will a card be rendered useless or effective if it's true identity is ''heart'' peach but is verbalised as Attack Card?

Ans: The will be rendered useless because it was a bluff.

The sequence follows the following order of steps:

Step 1 : Authentic or bluff?? Bluff=card rendered useless(regardless of suit),Authentic=Go to step 2

Step 2: Is the authentic card of a heart suit?No=card rendered useless, Yes= card still effective.


2. If i used an attack card that was'nt heart, and I said it was an attack, but people doubt it, they will get hit once,but the attack I used will not work anymore?

Ans: Yes that is correct.


3. If I use an attack card, and no one guessed it was a bluff, it gets used as an attack card even if it is'nt a heart?

Ans: Yes that is also correct.


4. If no one doubted the card, do you have to flip it over after the effect is used?

Ans: This is arguable. A friend of mine plays the online version, and in that version the bluff card is exposed after conclusion of effect. However in our ''real-life'' version, our house rules are a card that was never doubted will never be exposed. his prevents other players from counting probability. I'm calling this one as dependent on house-rules.


5. Do we need to specify our ATTACK element if the enemy has Rattan Armor?

Ans: Yes. if the enemy has Rattan Armor, you will need to specify your ATTACK element. If you verbalise a FIRE ATTACK but in reality is a normal attack, it is considered that you lied.


6. If he plays a card face down and it is the actual card and Cao Cao is on the field. Cao Cao declared it as a bluff, but since it was wrong would Cao cao take the card since Cao Cao is damaged?

Ans: No Cao Cao cannot take the card that is a fake. The reason is due to Cao Cao's ability description . He can only pick up the card that caused him damage. In Yu Ji's case, it is Yu Ji's ability that caused the damage, and not the fake card. This is identical to 貂蝉 Diao Chan using ''Seed of Animosity 离间'' against Cao Cao , where if Cao Cao suffers damage, he cannot pick up the card that Diao Chan used.


7. If the bluff card was fake and suit of heart, and people called it, it is rendered ineffective and the players who called the bluff draw a card or they don't? Because it is a heart card?''

Ans: As long as it is a fake, the card will be rendered useless once the bluff is called. It does not matter even if it is heart-suit. The players who call your bluff get to draw 1 card each. The heart-suited card ONY works when the card is real.


8. If Yu Ji plays Dodge facedown, even though it is real, and it gets doubted, does Yu Ji lose 1 life since his 'dodge' becomes useless, which is unable to dodge the attack?''

Ans: This is correct ONLY IF that dodge is not heart suit.

Once any card is under doubt and flipped over, it becomes useless(which in your scenario, the dodge is wasted and Yu Ji needs to use another dodge card to evade the attack) unless the suit of the card is heart, in which case the card is still effective(which in your scenario, if the dodge card flipped over is heart suit, Yu Ji does not need another dodge.)


9. If SiMa Yi called his bluff , and it was a real card, and he gets hit, does he still get to take a card from Yu Ji, and is he able to take the bluff card?

Ans: Sima Yi cannot take any card from Yu Ji . The reasin is Yu Ji's ability causes the victim to ''lose a unit health''. It is akin to the victim being stupid enough to guess wrongly, and therefore the damage is due ti his own fault.


10. Can Yu Ji bluff time delay cards such as Bing Liang Cun Duan , Le Be Si Shu, lightning etc?

Ans: Nope . Those are the only cards he cannot bluff.


11. How does expression of doubt work? One after the other by turn order, or must everyone give an answer at the same time?

Ans: The official way that doubt is expressed is by turn order. The official way goes like this:

1. Yuji plays a card upside down.
2. Player using Yuji asks the player on his right, '' do you doubt this card?''
3. Reply must be obtained before going to the next player.
4. All players must be asked.


12. Can the player that plays Yu Ji doubt his own card?

Ans: No he cannot.


13. If Yu Ji 于吉 plays a hearts ''PEACH 桃'' and Cao Cao曹操 doubts it, so the card is revealed. Since the card is true and hearts , Yu Ji gains 1 life. Since the card is true, Cao Cao 曹操 loses 1 life and takes the peach. In this case Cao Cao 曹操 is in a sure win situation? Coz if Yu Ji 于吉 lies, Cao Cao 曹操 still gain one card.

Ans: Cao Cao CANNOT take the Peach card?

The reason is Cao Cao loses a unit of health due to Yu Ji's ability. It is not the Peach card that causes him to lose health.

Therefore when Cao cao loses health whenever he guesses Yu Ji's cards wrongly he will never pick up any of the cards.

.

Yán Liáng & Wén Chǒu 颜良文丑

Translated description:
"Tiger & Wolf Brothers 虎狼兄弟 (hǔ láng xiōng dì)"

Wikipedia link: Yan Liang & Wen Chou Wiki

Who are they:
The top 2 military generals under Yuan Shao 袁绍, Yan Liang and Wen Chou were good friends and were said to be equal in combat skills. The story did not give them much air time, but enough mention was made to highlight their ability. Under the early coalition led by Yuan Shao, a formidable opponent called Hua Xiong 华雄 challenged the coalition and killed many generals. Yuan Shao lamented that both Yan Liang and Wen Chou were not around, else they would surely destroy Hua Xiong easily. Later parts of the story did not mention both Yan Liang and Wen Chou together in combat, but these two are typically associated. It does seem like their capabilities were over-promised as both fell victim to Guan Yu 关羽.


Character ability: "Dual Heroes 双雄 (shuāng xióng)"
During the drawing phase, you can choose to forfeit the drawing phase and opt for a judgement card to be flipped. Unlike usual judgement cards, this particular judgement card can be kept into your hand. Note the colour of the suit (black or red) of this judgement card. For the rest of your action phase, you can choose to use any on-hand card with a different colour from this judgement card as DUEL 决斗.

Ability's relation to story:
Very little relation can be drawn from the story linking DUEL to these two characters. All that is known is that both of them are commonly referred together as a pair, thus the name "Dual Heroes".

Additional info based on story:
1. Most famous achievement - Neither of them had much notable achievement, except their leader Yuan Shao's praise for them.

2. Cause of death - Both were killed by Guan Yu in battle. Yan Liang had his head severed by Guan Yu and brought back to Cao Cao 曹操 during the battle at Bai Ma 白马之战. Guan Yu was virtually unopposed as he charged straight towards Yan Liang. With one blow he struck down Yan Liang, then severed his head and brought it back by tying it around his horses neck. Wen Chou was killed in a subsequent battle. His troops fell into disorder after Cao Cao cunningly left numerous horses for Wen Chou's troops to plunder. Cao Cao's generals attacked in the midst of the disorder and Wen Chou was forced to flee. However, Guan Yu was waiting at his retreat route and they fought a few bouts. Wen Chou retreatedly hastily, but Guan Yu was riding the Red Hare 赤兔 of Lu Bu 吕布, whose speed allowed him to catch up to Wen Chou and slay him from behind.

FAQ and Disambiguation

1.Will Duel(black card) work on Jia Xu?

Ans:No.Once Duel heroes is used,YL&WC can choose to use on-hand cards as DUEL is a tool card,regardless of what the actual is.(For example:You use a black ATTACK card as DUEL.It is no longer seen as a basic card, but instead is now a tool card.) Therefore Jia Xu will still not be affected.


2.Does the player gets to literally keep the judgement card or he just keeps it to create duels, then after it's discarded?

Ans: The player literally gets to keep the card.
        For instance, if the judgement card was a PEACH, he gets to keep the PEACH card, and he can 
        choose to use that PEACH card in his turn.
        In short, his card intake for that round will be 1(instead of the usual 2), and that 1 card is the judgement
        card.

Cáo Pī 曹丕

Translated description:
"The Dominating Successor 霸业的继承者 (bà yè dè jì chéng zhě)"

Wikipedia link: Cao Pi Wiki

Who is he:
The successor to Cao Cao 曹操, Cao Pi's ascension to the throne of Cao Wei 曹魏 is fraught with controversy. Cao Cao literally had a litter of male children, all of which were eligible to succession. The most promising among them were Cao Ang 曹昂, Cao Zhang 曹彰, Cao Zhi 曹植, Cao Chong 曹冲 and Cao Pi. Cao Ang was killed in action early on at the battle at Wan Cheng 宛城之战. Cao Chong was a child prodigy and reportedly Cao Cao's favorite son. This was where the controversy starts.Cao Chong died mysteriously of an illness at age 13 and it is believed that Cao Pi had something to do with it. After Cao Cao's death, Cao Zhang appeared to be planning to seize power from Cao Pi. Cao Pi promptly sent Cao Zhang back to the frontlines, far from the capital. Cao Pi then crushed many talented staff of Cao Zhi to cripple his power. He even wanted Cao Zhi executed, which led to Cao Zhi's famous "7 step poem". Ultimately, Cao Pi was two extremes of achievements: he dissolved the Han Dynasty 汉朝 became the first Emperor of Wei, yet was quite a failure both domestically and in war.

Páng Dé 庞德

Translated description:

"Ride and Rider as One 人马一体 (rén mǎ yì tǐ)"

Wikipedia link: Pang De Wiki

Who is he:

The rider on a white horse, Pang De is a very capable military general that served under Ma Chao 马超 and his father, Ma Teng 马腾. After the death of Ma Teng, Pang De and Ma Chao resisted the attacks of Cao Cao 曹操 but were unable to hold on to their city of Han Zhong 汉中. Ma Chao fled to join Liu Bei 刘备 in Shu Han 蜀汉 while Pang De surrendered to Cao Wei 曹魏. Cao Cao thought highly of Pang De and gave him a high position in the military. However at the battle of Fan Cheng 樊城之战, Pang De's loyalty came into question. This was because his old partner Ma Chao and his elder brother were aiding the enemy in that very siege. To prove his loyalty, Pang De kow-towed to Cao Cao till his head bled and brought along his own coffin into battle to prove that he would rather die than return defeated. Pang De did not succeed and was executed by Guan Yu 关羽.

Character ability 1: [Enforced ability] "Horsemanship 马术 (mǎ shù)"

You will always have a -1 distance advantage (default "-1 horse" equipped).

Character ability 2: "Fearsome Advance 猛进 (měng jìn)"

Whenever your ATTACK 杀 is evaded by DODGE 闪, you can discard one of your opponent's cards (on-hand or equipped).

Note that Pang De selects the card for discarding and not the opponent.

Ability's relation to story:

Pang De has always been known for his superb horsemanship and is even nicknamed the White Horse General for his white steed. Therefore "Horsemanship" is no surprise. "Fearsome Advance" on the other hand, does not seem to have any appreciable link to the story.

Additional info based on story:

1. Most famous achievement - Carrying his coffin into battle. The coffin is intended to send a message to Cao Cao that either Guan Yu or himself will be in the coffin by the end of the battle. This establishes his determination and loyalty to Cao Wei. It is also awesome fodder for a dramatized story.

2. Cause of death - Pang De was eventually caught by Guan Yu when Fan Cheng became flooded due to the torrential rains. Pang De refused to kneel to Guan Yu or surrender. Guan Yu had no alternative but to execute him.

FAQ and Disambiguation

1. If Pang De attacks Zhao Yun and an "attack" is used to "dodge", does his ability still activate?

Ans:Yes it does.


2.Does Pang De gets to pick up a card from the deck if the target Pang De attacks has only one dodge on his hand?

Ans: No.Pang De cannot draw a card from the deck using his ability. It should never happen.

If the victim has no more cards onhand but have cards equipped,the equipped cards can be dismantled too. If the victim has no cards left whatsoever, then Pang De will not get to use his ability.


3.If Pang De attacks a character that has Eight Trigrams armor equipped, and the character successfully judges an auto-dodge,can Pang De then use his ability to destroy that armor?

Ans:Yes, he can.

Lǚ Bù 吕布

Translated description:

"Ultimate Combat Skills - Personified 武的化身 (wǔ dè huà shēn)"

Wikipedia link: Lu Bu Wiki

Who is he:

Quite possibly the best fighter in all of China in that era, Lu Bu was a formidable general that struck fear in his opponents. Yet for all his military prowess and combat ability, Lu Bu was not the smartest of people. Throw in a tinge of greed, a sprinkle of lust, and you have a riding, fighting disaster atop four hooves. Dong Zhuo 董卓 found that out the hard way. To win Lu Bu's favour, Dong Zhuo showered Lu Bu with expensive gifts such as the Red Hare 赤兔 horse and an assortment of jewels. Lu Bu came under Dong Zhuo's wing after all receiving all those goodies, then ended up murdering Dong Zhuo victim over a woman. After Dong Zhuo's death, Lu Bu became a minor warlord and led a series of battles in an effort to expand his territory. However his poor use of strategy and refusal to listen to advice ultimately caused his downfall.

Character ability: [Enforced ability] "Without Equal 无双 (wú shuāng)"

Whenever you use ATTACK 杀, your target has to use 2 DODGE 闪 cards to successfully evade the attack. During a DUEL 决斗, your opponent needs to use 2 ATTACK cards for every one ATTACK card that you use.

Ability's relation to story:

The link can actually be found in the subscript line written under his ability description. It is a phrase said by Chen Gong 陈宫, his advisor when Lu Bu became warlord, that reads:

"His courage and bravery, unsurmountable. His eagerness for battle, unprecedented. Yet brave but without cunning. Violent but without benevolence. 骁勇无敌, 善战无前. 然勇而无谋, 暴而少仁."

无双 literal translates to "Without Equal" and refers to his incredibly combat skills. Thankfully, it does not seem to be sarcastic referring to his intellect as well.

Additional info based on story:

1. Most famous achievement - Killing Dong Zhuo. Ok so maybe it's not a very glamorous view of Lu Bu to say it was his "most famous achievement" when he was merely a pawn of Wang Yun 王允's scheme, but the fellow did kill the tyrant and the world celebrated Dong Zhuo's death. Coming in second would be his securing a truce between Yuan Shu 袁术 and Liu Bei 刘备's forces by showing off his archery skills, but that seemed somewhat less spectacular in comparison, doesn't it?

[Addendum] By popular demand, I have added the 1 VS 3 fight between Lu Bu VS Liu Bei 刘备 and company. In the days of Yuan Shao 袁绍's coalition against Dong Zhuo, many generals challenged Lu Bu, not none were his match. One of these generals was Gong Sun Zan 公孙瓒, who could hardly hold up a dozen bouts against the mighty Lu Bu. Out came Zhang Fei 张飞 who raced out to meet Lu Bu, thus saving Gong Sun Zan. The two were evenly matched when Guan Yu 关羽 joined in. 1 VS 2 and still Lu Bu held up strong. Liu Bei joined in the fray and it became 3 of the legendary heroes (all highly capable fighters) against 1 single Lu Bu. Though Lu Bu could match them 1 VS 3, alas he became fatigued and he retreated. Still, the entire coalition of thousands was watching the duel and everyone had little doubt of the fighting prowess of Lu Bu.

2. Cause of death - Betrayed by his own men to Cao Cao 曹操 and executed. For all his fighting valour, Lu Bu became a coward in the face of death. When Lu Bu was under siege, he chose to stay by the side of his wives and not listen to his advisor, Chen Gong. He was also ill-tempered to his men, their low-morale fueling resentment for their leader. While Lu Bu was asleep, they stole the Heaven Scorcher Halberd 方天画戟 and bundled Lu Bu over to Cao Cao. Lu Bu asked Cao Cao to allow him to surrender and he would be at Cao Cao's service. However Liu Bei quickly reminded Cao Cao of the fate of Lu Bu's previous masters, and Cao Cao ordered Lu Bu executed without hesitation. Lu Bu pleaded for his life to no avail. In sharp contrast, Lu Bu's general Zhang Liao 张辽 cursed Cao Cao despite being bound for certain death. Cao Cao unbound Zhang Liao, and Zhang Liao then became one of Cao Cao's most able general in the years to come.

FAQ and Disambiguation

1.If Lu Bu uses the duel card,would the opponent have to use 2 attack cards to begin with?

Ans:Yes.Therefore the Duel would go something like this:

       1.Lu Bu starts with Duel Card

       2.Victim responds with 2 attacks

       3.Lu Bu responds with 1 attack card

       4.Victim responds with another 2 attack cards...etc.

Huà Tuó 华佗

Translated description:

"Miracle Physician 神医 (shén yī)"

Wikipedia link: Hua Tuo Wiki

Who is he:

His name has become synonymous with "Miracle Doctor" as he cured many strange sicknesses. Studies by historians said his medical techniques were hundreds of years ahead of his time. The Romance of Three Kingdoms story, however, deviates from history slightly and almost turns him into Super Doctor. Two prominent scenes showcase Hua Tuo's incredible healing powers: the first is his surgery on Guan Yu 关羽's arm and the second is his proposal to cure Cao Cao 曹操 of his migraine. Both of these scenarios will be described later in the "Additional info" section. Though his appearance in the story is brief, he carries significant impact. This effect is felt when Cao Cao regrets the death of Hua Tuo as his own son, Cao Chong 曹冲, becomes gravely ill. Without Hua Tuo's medical expertise, Cao Chong did not survive the illness.

Character ability 1: "Emergency Rescue 急救 (jí jiù)"

Outside of your turn, you can use any of your cards (on-hand or equipped) with the suit of "hearts" or "diamonds" as PEACH 桃.

Character ability 2: "Green Salve 青囊 (qīng náng)"

During your action phase, you can discard one on-hand card and allow any player to regain 1 unit of health. Limited to one use per turn.

Ability's relation to story:

"Emergency Rescue" could have some connection with him saving Guan Yu from the poison arrow. Though Guan Yu wasn't exactly on his deathbed yet, the wound was life-threatening and Hua Tuo did save him. "Green Salve", on the other hand, is very much linked to the story. Hua Tuo had with him a book of his works known as the "Book of the Green Salve 青囊书". This book contained numerous medical techniques of saving lives, but was destroyed when he died. Though not told in the story, the historical accounts mention that this book was burnt by Hua Tuo himself when the prison guard refused to accept it.

Additional info based on story:

1. Most famous achievement - Removing the poison from Guan Yu's arm. Guan Yu suffered a poison arrow wound on his arm in the battle at Fan Cheng 樊城之战. When Guan Yu returned to camp, Hua Tuo was sought to heal him. In order to do so, Hua Tuo had to operate on Guan Yu and scrape the poison from the bone. Guan Yu refused to take any anaesthesia and took the operation without flinching. In fact, he was playing chess throughout the operation. Hua Tuo successfully removed the poison and Guan Yu was cured.

2. Cause of death - Dying in the prisons of the Wei Kingdom. Cao Cao suffered from severe migraine and Hua Tuo was sought for a cure. Hua Tuo did propose a cure: cut open Cao Cao's head for an operation. Cao Cao was freaked out from a previous assassination attempt by another physician Ji Ben 吉本 and, therefore, thought Hua Tuo was blatantly out to kill him. Cao Cao sent Hua Tuo to the prisons where the old man in captivity soon after.

FAQ and Disambiguation


1. If Hua Tuo is hit with Lightning, does that mean he can't heal himself with a red card?

Ans: Yes that is right. Because a judgement is conducted within that turn, his 1st ability cannot activate. Therefore he can only use that actual PEACH card or WINE to save himself.


2. Can Hua Tuo revive himself when he is killled?

Ans: In his turn, he can only revive himself with a PEACH or WINE card
Note that when he is at brink-of-death, he CANNOT use his Green Slave ability  to revive. He can only use a PEACH or WINE. His Emergency Rescue ability also does not work in his turn. Outside of his turn , he can use Emergency Rescue. Hence an PEACH, WINE or red-suited cards will revive him.

Diāo Chán 貂蝉

Translated description:

"The Dancer with Unrivaled Beauty 绝世的舞姬 (jué shì dè wǔ jì)"

Wikipedia link: Diao Chan Wiki

Who is she:

Regarded as one of the 4 great beauties of ancient China, Diao Chan is one of the classic examples of the "Beautiful Maiden Ploy 美人计". The willing pawn of Wang Yun 王允 in his grand scheme to destroy the tyrannical Dong Zhuo 董卓, Diao Chan flirted with Lu Bu 吕布 while submitting herself to Dong Zhuo as his concubine. In doing so, she pitted godfather against godson, causing severe dissension and distrust amongst them. Dong Zhuo relents that he needs the incredible combat skills of Lu Bu to maintain his power, but the mercenarial Lu Bu had little to lose. Wang Yun further convinces Lu Bu to murder Dong Zhuo and take Diao Chan for himself, which he eventually does. In some versions of the story, Diao Chan is said to have truly loved Lu Bu but became distraught on knowing Wang Yun's scheme. The original version, however, seems to state that Diao Chan knowingly wanted to kill Dong Zhuo and participated actively in Wang Yun's ploy.

Character ability 1: "Seed of Animosity 离间 (lí jiān)"

During your action phase, you can discard one card (either on-hand or equipped) and select two male characters to undergo DUEL 决斗 with each other. This ability cannot be neutralized using NEGATE 无懈可击. Limited to one use per turn.

Note that Diao Chan must select one of the male characters to be the first to use ATTACK 杀 on the other male character. If this first character does not or is unable to use ATTACK, he will suffer 1 unit of damage and the ability ends (the other male character need not use ATTACK).

Character ability 2: "Envious Moon 闭月 (bì yuè)"

In the end of your turn, you can draw one additional card from the deck.

Ability's relation to story:

"Seed of Animosity" is one of the best matched ability to the story in the entire game. This ability completely embodies Diao Chan's persona in the story, which is simply using her beauty to cause two men to fight each other. "Envious Moon" comes from a longer proverb used to describe the 4 great beauties of ancient China.

"沉鱼落雁, 闭月羞花" which means the fish stare at them till they forget to swim and sink to the bottom, the geese forget to flap their wings and fall to earth, the moon hides behind the clouds in envy, and the flowers slink low and bow the petals in shame. Why does Diao Chan get to take one extra card for being beautiful? The same reason Zhou Yu 周瑜 gets one more card for being handsome!

Additional info based on story:

1. Most famous achievement - Causing Lu Bu to kill Dong Zhuo and, thus, ridding the world of a super tyrant. To be blunt, Diao Chan is hardly known for anything else other than this achievement and her beauty.

2. Cause of death - Unknown!! Many versions abound with regards to the fate of Diao Chan after Dong Zhuo's death. Some say she was killed while Lu Bu escaped, some said she died with Lu Bu after he was executed by Cao Cao 曹操. More extreme versions claim she was presented as a gift to Guan Yu 关羽 from Cao Cao for his temporary allegiance to the Wei Kingdom.

FAQ and Disambiguation

1. Would Diao Chan be a source of attack or is the player whom Diao Chan appointed to Duel with another player, the source?

Ans: The other player whom she appoints will become the source. Therefore it is very useful for pitting Ruler against Loyalist. Hopefully Loyalist die and Ruler discards everything.


2. Can Diao Chan make Zhu Ge Liang and somebody else Duel when Zhuge has no cards on hand?

Ans: Nope. Elder Zhu Ge Liang cannot become the target of Duel even if it is her ability.


3. If Diao Chan uses Seed of Animosity on Cao Cao and Cao Cao has no 'sha' (he is selected to attack first), then does Cao Cao takes the discard card as a source of damage?

Ans: The discard is simply to trigger the ability.It is not the source of damage so Cao Cao does not get the card.

Zhāng Jiǎo 张角

Translated description:

"General of Heaven 天公将军 (tiān gōng jiāng jūn)"

Wikipedia link: Zhang Jiao Wiki

Who is he:

The leader and inciter of the yellow turban rebellion, Zhang Jiao became a hero to the those suffering under the corrupt and decaying Han Dynasty 汉朝. Due to a terrible famine that hit China at around 180 AD, the people suffered terribly and yet were further tormented by corrupt and greedy officials. It was then that Zhang Jiao met a strange old man in a cave which gave him 3 books, said to contain the ways of a mysterious art. After mastering the books, Zhang Jiao could control the wind, rain, and lightning and became a sorcerer. Despite having these powers, Zhang Jiao won the hearts of the people by providing aid and supplies to those in need. It was thus that tens of thousands rallied behind Zhang Jiao in his bid to overthrow the Han Dynasty. He never succeeded however, and was defeated by those who were loyal to dynasty, namely Liu Bei 刘备 and Cao Cao 曹操.

Character ability 1: "Lightning Strike 雷击 (léi jī)"

Whenever you use a DODGE 闪 card, you can target any player to make a judgement. If the judgement card is of the "spades" suit, the target player suffers 2 units of lightning attribute damage.

Character ability 2: "Dark Sorcery 鬼道 (gǔi dào)"

You can exchange the judgement card of any player before it takes effect with any of his "spades" or "clubs" suit cards (on-hand or equipped).

(Note that the cards are exchanged, meaning Zhang Jiao can retrieve the original judgement card back into his hand.)

Character ability 3: [Ruler ability] "Amber Sky 黄天 (huáng tiān)"

All Heroes 群雄 characters can give you one DODGE or LIGHTNING 闪电 card during their individual turns.

Ability's relation to story:

In the story, there wasn't much mention of Zhang Jiao himself. From what is written, it is known that can he control the weather (like Storm from X-Men). Therefore "Lightning Strike" is a direct link. There is no mention of any form of deception or intervention such as "Dark Sorcery", however.

"Amber Sky" actually has a link to the story. Part of the slogan of the Yellow Turban Rebels goes something like this:

"The Dynasty is dead, arise the Amber Sky 苍天已死, 黄天当立"

where Amber Sky is a celebratory designation that Zhang Jiao gave himself, akin to calling himself the Amber Emperor.

Additional info based on story:

1. Most famous achievement - Inciting the Yellow Turban Rebellion and opening the epic Three Kingdoms story. Zhang Jiao appears in Chapter 1 of the story and his valiant efforts in galvanizing the people led to the rebellion. This rebellion is critically important as it marked the beginning of the end of the Han Dynasty, though the rebellion itself fizzled away quickly.

2. Cause of death - Unknown! It was only written in a passing statement that Zhang Jiao had died, and no reference was made as to who killed him and how. The story then put the focus on Zhang Jiao's brother Zhang Bao 张包 and his battle with Liu Bei 刘备.

FAQ and Disambiguation

1. How do we arrange the judgement card exchange ability between Zhang Jiao and Si Ma Yi when they are in play?

Ans: The sequence  in which judgement tinkering works is as follow (according to SGS online game)

-Imagine the players turns go anticlockwise from player A to B to C etc..Up to H. Now imagine player B is Si Ma Yi and player H is Zhang Jiao.

-Say player A draws a judgement card ,the 1st tinkerer allowed to change the card is player B(Si Ma Yi) ie. following direction of gameplay. After that player H (Zhang Jiao) can change the judgement card that Si Ma Yi  laid down.

-Once the ''cycle'' goes back to player A, the tinkering ends. Which means both tinkerers only have ONE CHANCE to change the judgement card , and who changes first is determined by their sequence  in the gameplay.


2. Whose ability comes first when Zhang Jiao use Dodge against Pang De's attack?

Ans: Zhang Jiao performs lightning strike BEFORE Pang De gets to discard Zhang Jiao's cards . The reason for this is as follows (based on the chinese instruction on the cards):

Zhang Jiao's lightning strike  takes place before the conclusion of the DODGE 闪结算前 whereas Pang De's ability states when an Attack has been DODGED(杀被闪抵消时). Thus it appears that Zhang Jiao's lightning strike take precedence.


3.Will Zhang Jiao's ability come into play twice if he uses a dodge card?

Ans: Yes, he can use Lightning Strike TWICE if he uses 2 dodge cards.


4. If Zhang Jiao has the Eight Trigrams armor equipped , does that count as a dodge?

Ans: Yes it does. If Ba Gua Zhen judgement is Red, it is equivalent to having used a dodge, and Zhang Jiao can use Lightning Strike with it.


5. I know that Zhang Jiao can use his ability to exchange judgement cards, but say he is a victim of Acedia and Rations depleted, since its equipped to him, can he use his ability to use those cardsto exchange the judgement cards?

Ans: Yes he can. For Ration's Depleted 兵粮寸断, the user of judgement needs to open a Clubs to dodge the effects so ''Zhang Jiao 张角'' an use his ability to ''cheat'' the effect. However , for ''Acedia 乐不思蜀 '' the user requires a Hearts to escape the penalties and ''Dark Sorcery  鬼道'' ONLY allows you to change the judgement card into black(Spades or clubs) which makes Zhang Jiao 张角 100% to fail judgement if he changes it.


6. If Zhang Jiao is in a state of Rations Depleted ( which means the tool card is equipped to him) and if somebody attacks him, zhang jiao dodges, forces judgement. NOW since Rations Depleted is a dark suit card , and is equipped to him , can he use THAT card to exchange the judgement?

Ans: Time-Delay Tool cards such as ''Acedia 乐不思蜀'' and Lightning 闪电 belongs to no one regardless of its user and position. Reason being Time-Delay  Tool cards are still tool cards just that they stay in play until they take effect (eg. Guan Yu can't possibly use his Red Duel 决斗 card in the middle of a duel as an ''ATTACK 杀'' in the middle of duel if he runs out of ATTACK 杀)

However , i may be wrong , so feel free to dispute my claim

Yuán Shào 袁绍

Translated description:

"Aristocratic Ancestry 高贵的名门 (gāo guì dè míng mén)"

Wikipedia link: Yuan Shao Wiki

Who is he:

At one point of time he became the most powerful warlord in all of China, thanks to a coalition of numerous warlords in an effort to overthrow the tyrannical Dong Zhuo 董卓. He was the most powerful because he was nominated to lead the entire coalition, akin to the modern day Secretary-General of the United Nations, thanks to his noble ancestry. His great-grandfather was an interior minister that served directly under the Emperor. However Yuan Shao's power was short-lived, as he very quickly lost the respect of the other warlords in the coalition. He became known as an incompetent leader that made poor use of his resources and was too indecisive to be effective. The coalition fell apart and Yuan Shao turned back to being warlord of the northern territories. He did not last very long as Cao Cao 曹操 sought to eliminate him and bring the entire northern China under his rule.

Character ability 1: "Chaos Strike 乱击 (luàn jī)"

During your action phase, you can choose to discard any 2 on-hand cards with the same suit as RAINING ARROWS 万箭齐发.

Character ability 2: [Ruler ability] [Enforced ability] "Bloodline 血裔 (xuè yì)"

Your limit for on-hand cards at the end of your turn increases by 2 for every one Heroes 群雄 character (other than yourself) still in play.

Ability's relation to story:

Yuan Shao's use of arrows is already mentioned in my post on RAINING ARROWS 万箭齐发. As for "Bloodline", it has already been mentioned that Yuan Shao is descended from a high-ranking official. The game makers are simply borrowing that link to label this ability.

Additional info based on story:

1. Most famous achievement - Leading the coalition of forces against Dong Zhuo. There were at least 10 different warlords in the coalition with troops numbering half a million or more. Even before Dong Zhuo took the Emperor hostage, Yuan Shao was adamant in killing off the corrupt officials that caused the decay of the dynasty. In a way, Yuan Shao is not a bad guy: he just does not make a very effective leader.

2. Cause of death - Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao at the battle of Guan Du 官渡之战, which became highlighted as a prime show of Cao Cao's superior strategy and tactics. Yuan Shao had a force many times larger than Cao Cao, but yet he suffered a terrible loss. Cao Cao analyzed Yuan Shao as being unwilling to listen to his advisors, stubborn, and tolerating general disunity under his rule. Yuan Shao did not die in battle, but he did not live long after either. As a show of respect for his former friend, Cao Cao paid his respects at Yuan Shao's tomb later on.

FAQ and Disambiguation

1.Can the ruler character card(i.e.yuan shao,liu bei,cao cao etc)use their ruler ability in game even though their role is not ruler?(i.e.they are rebel/loyalist/villian)

Ans:No they cannot.Ruler ability only applies when their role is Ruler.

New Pages for Characters

The Wu Characters are complete!! That leaves me to start on the Heroes 群雄 tomorrow and before you know it, the first phase of this immense project (putting up all the current cards) is complete!!

I have rearranged the pages under Shu, Wei, and Wu characters so that it is easier to browse for a card you want. I have also added in the Heroes and Demi-Gods page in advance and they will be added as the posts come up!

Keep supporting this blog and do ask your friends to visit as well! Happy reading!!

Speed of posts

Thanks for all the support and questions. I really appreciate all the comments that have been coming. Feel free to shoot any questions my way and i'll do my best to research the answers for you.

Here's a new poll for you to tell me what you think about my posting speed (On the right column).

I typically make 2 posts a day, which takes me about 45mins to an hour for each post. Do let me know what you think of that speed!

Thanks for reading!

Back to the posts

Thanks for your patience. I'm finally back from the jungle, but its's not over yet. I will only be free from my obligations from thursday night onwards. I'm using whatever free time i have to continue the posts.

Also, thanks very much for participating in the poll. Looks like disambiguation of abilities and cards are very high in popularity. This means i'll have to add on to each post bit by bit.

By the way, have not got any replies for people who can do video editing. Anyone out there wanna be part of my San Guo Sha English video series? Please drop me an email at sg.rockstar@gmail.com

Have fun!

Absence: My country needs me

Dear readers,

My country needs me for these next few days, thus i shall be away on a remote island somewhere off the northeast of Singapore. Singaporean readers will know exactly what i'm talking about. My posts would come a little slower than usual.

In the meantime, do feedback to me what you like to see more of on this blog by participating in the poll on your right. I am already planning to write about all of those things polled but i prefer to prioritize according to whichever is more popular.

Thanks for reading!

Battle Expansion Pack

Expansion name: BATTLE 军争

Expansion type: Playable cards with no characters. Gameplay expansion.

Complexity of new cards: Average

New mechanisms introduced: "Shackling", "Elemental Damage", "Damage Transmission", "Wine Attack 酒杀", "Self-revival"


Basic Cards 基本牌:

Tool Cards 锦囊牌:

Equipment Cards 装备牌:

Woods Expansion Pack

Expansion name: WOODS 林

Characters type: Strategic play. Disruptive and high-level of turbulence.

Complexity of characters: Difficult

New mechanisms introduced: "Flip Character Card 翻武将牌"

Shu Characters 蜀将:

Wei Characters 魏将:

Wu Characters 吴将:

Heroes 群雄:

Demi-Gods 神牌:

Fire Expansion Pack

Expansion name: FIRE 火

Characters type: Mostly brutal attacking. Arguably overpowered.

Complexity of characters: Difficult

New mechanisms introduced: "Points Duel 拼点"

Shu Characters 蜀将:

Wei Characters 魏将:

Wu Characters 吴将:

Heroes 群雄:

Demi-Gods 神牌:

Wind Expansion Pack

Expansion name: WIND 风

Character type: Tactical Play, edging on bizarre.

Complexity of characters: Difficult to Insane

New mechanisms introduced: NIL


Shu Characters 蜀将:

Wei Characters 魏将:

Wu Characters 吴将:

Heroes 群雄:

Demi-Gods 神牌: