The Kotei was held at Conquest, a local gaming convention, just up the road from where I work. Although the convention ran over the 4 day Easter long Weekend, the Kotei was only on the Saturday, with side events on the Sunday.

1. George Blake (Scorpion) Kyuden Wasuremono (ninjas)

George was a regular instore local player, who had been out of the game pretty much since the previous year. He was playing a borrowed deck, so he wasn’t even familiar with it himself. I get a good start while George misses gold on turn one. By turn 3 I have a Masijuro and a Ring out, the rings and honour continue to flow. I cross with 49 and no provinces losses. George makes an attack, more to try his deck out, which fails. win 1 - 0 losses

My eldest son Jason is playing a Spider honour runner. The deck is middle road competative. win 0 - 1 losses

2. Jon Meertens (Lion) Venerable Plains of the Ikoma (Pseudo-Rat)

Jon is another player from our local group. He recently returned to the game, skipping most of the Samurai arc. He was a top Rattling player, before they neutered the rats. I played against his deck before. Oddly enough, it’s the closest thing Jon could make to duplicate Rattling. It is full of weenies and breeds very fast, without much need of gold. If desperate, it can honour run from peeps alone at 5 per turn. I rarely beat Jon, so the odds are against me.

We both have a similar start. By turn 3 he has 4 peeps while I have a Masijuro and Binya. He gets his Lion region, Hitsu Taeruko, to pump 3 of his peeps and begins to take provinces. 3 left.. By turn 6 I have only seen one more personality (now sitting on 3) with 26 honour. He has six, I loose another province. Turn 7, no peeps again for me, he has 8. I am now sitting on 37 honour with 2 provinces. Jon has a long think (literally 5 minutes), debating whether he should attack one or two provinces. He finally decides to go for both. I defend both, one at one and the most at the other. He attack first at the lone defender. I wrist lock and then lose the peep. Masijuo (who was at home) comes in by discarding the ring of water from hand. Manages to get a wrist lock off to save the province. win 2 - 0 losses

Jason’s Spider deck looses. win 0 - 2 losses

3. Adam Fry (Crane) Mountain’s Shadow Dojo

Adam is from Bundaberg in Queensland. He is playing a deck I haven’t seen in action before. We both have an average start. By turn 4 I have 1 peep, scoring successive holdings. He has 3. He attacks 2 provinces with 1 each. I save one. I then get 3 peeps which slows him down. I get my first Masijuo on turn 7 and finally hit the honour lead. In the next wave of battles I loose 2 peeps and 1 province. I am at 32 honour, when he Unfortunate Incidents. Even without that, my fate hand of five is currently useless. He take both provinces. win 2 - 1 losses

Jason’s Spider deck wins. win 1 - 2 losses

4. Charles (Chuckie-no-Oni) (Spider) Spider’s Lair

Chuck is from the Brisbane group. We start oddly. He gets 2 holdings, I get peeps. He brings Muketsu on turn 3 (doh!). I get a Masijuro (yay). He immediately Hired Killer’s him. He then Tales of Tsukero on Muketsu and hired killer’s Binya. He attacks with Muketsu. I sacrifice Miyoko at that battle with a Three Stone River to kill Muketsu. He unfortunates me back to 17. He has 7 peeps to my 3. (Yes, even when I get peeps, ...). I begin to draw lotsa gold again. He has 9 peeps to my 4. He Hired Killer’s another (playing all 3 now). The game progresses slowly. I hold my own but don’t draw into peeps. He has 12 to my 4 at 31 honour. My last 3 turns were all gold. He swarms my last province when I am on 33 honour. It’s too much, I go down. win 2 - 2 losses

Jason’s Spider deck wins. win 2 - 2 losses

5. Lee Hughes (Mantis) Eastern Hub Port

Lee is from Queensland. Although I haven’t played his deck, I am familiar with it from Richard Chan’s version. I hope my run of bad luck in Dynasty ends. I open with 3 holdings and Muketsu. He gets 3 peeps and 1 gold, ditching the peeps. After buying gold, peeps inc. Muketsu I am sitting on 16 honour. I loose a province. Still slow in peeps. I am down to 1 province on 34 honour. He attacks with everything. I actually win the battle gaining 6 honour in the process, crossing for the win. Didn’t see a Masijuro for the entire game. win 3 - 2 losses

Jason’s Spider deck looses. win 2 - 3 losses

(Anyone noticing a trend here)

6. Jamie Lawerence (Crab) 7th Tower

Jamie is a friend from Sydney who I haven’t seen in while. This is the last round of Swiss, before we cut to the top four. He is currently running 4th and will almost certainly make the cut if he wins. I am currently running 9th, which I figure gives me a minimal chance even if I win.

I am getting exhausted now, so the details (even with notes) are sketchy. (I was working at the convention, so I had been having 18 hour days since Thursday). I get one Masijuro during the game. During the build up, I loose 2 provinces and am sitting on 38 honour. He has 5 peeps, 4 with followers. I likewise have 5 peeps, no followers. He literally can’t decide whether to attack one or two, so he flips a coin. He attacks both provinces. He split 2-3 and I reciprocate with 3-2 defense. He begins with my 2 unit battle. Tsuri steals Kuons force (we both forget about seat of power, that he still has unbowed). Tsuri wrist lock’s for 2 honour to cross and then uses the ring of air to straighten. He brings in Otoya with Brothers/Arms and Armour of Ryu with the armour. Tsuri shoots he follower with Ring/Harmonious Temple (not very harmonious!). I then move Tsuri to the other battle with Ring of Water. (I have the strike chain in hand, but was hesitant to use it.) He take that province but doesn’t have enough for the other. Jamie was waiting for the strike chain to pump his peep and delay the death with Courage in Death. win 4 - 2 losses

Jason’s Spider deck looses. win 2 - 4 losses

When I won in a round, Jason lost and when I lost in a round Jason won. (weird!)

I end up finishing 8th, but since the cut is top 4 I am out. I score top Dragon. The field was 24, with Spider having the most representation with 5 and then Scorpion and Crab with 4 each. Everone one else had 2 except Lion with 1.

The final 4 was Crab, Spider and 2 Scorpion. The Scorpion dishonour decks faced each other in the semi’s, with Crab and Scorpion in the final. Wayne Duyvestyn’s Scorpion dishonour deck won.