SERPENT HALBERD 丈八蛇矛 (zhàng bā shé máo)

Description:
A funny-looking weapon that is most likely romanticized by the story-teller. The SERPENT HALBERD is Zhang Fei 张飞's weapon and it supposedly has a wavey lance-like shaft. Whether it is a spear or a halberd remains debatable. The direct translation for 矛 is "spear" and not halberd, but the very extensive translation of the story by C.H. Brewitt-Taylor calls it a "halberd". It is unlikely that Brewitt-Taylor would get "spear" and "halberd" mixed up as there are thousands more insanely difficult chinese characters which was precisely translated. In the card game, this weapon is mildly popular for its special ability and range. It probably is not as heavily desired because it is not lethal enough (unlike the ZHU GE CROSSBOW 诸葛连弩). Nonetheless, the above average attacking range helps, whether or not you use its ability.

Attacking range: 3

Special ability:
You can use or play two on-hand cards as an ATTACK杀.

Characters that match this weapon best:
Those who need ATTACKs to activate their abilities, e.g. Zhang Fei张飞 (the original owner), Huang Zhong黄忠 and Ma Chao马超. This weapon allows them to use ATTACK even if they cannot draw an ATTACK from the deck.

…also, Zhang Liao favours this weapon. This is because his “Sudden Strike” allows him to steal cards from the hand of others instead of drawing from the deck. It is not likely that Zhang Liao can steal an ATTACK, thus the SERPENT HALBERD saves the day for him!

"Colour" of the ATTACK produced:
The colour of the ATTACK matters when used against DIVINE GUARDIAN SHIELD 仁王盾. "Red" cards here refer to cards with heart or diamond suit. "Black" cards refer to spades or clubs.
- If 2 red-suited cards are used - The ATTACK is red-suited.
- If 2 black-suited cards are used - The ATTACK is black-suited.
- If 1 red-suited and 1 black-suited card are used - The ATTACK is "colourless".