I built this on a whim. Could use some help, so bring it on.

Character:
1 6/6 Xianghua. +0M

Actions:
4 2/5 Acrobatic +1L

Assets:
4 2/5 Path of the Master +2M - Unique *
3 2/5 Sword of No Name +2M - Unique - Weapon *

Attacks:
4 4/2 3M5 Playful Slice +2L - Weapon - Combo (Weapon, Action) *
4 5/3 4M4 Mark of the Beast +2M - Weapon
4 4/3 3H4 Assassin's Secret +2H - Kick - Combo (Weapon) *
4 5/3 4H4 Pointing Thrust +2H - Weapon - Combo (Action)
4 5/3 5M4 Dragon's Flame +1M - Ranged - Combo (Mid Weapon, High Attack) *

Foundations:
4 1/5 Carefree +1M *
4 1/5 Quick Exit *
4 2/5 Just Kidding +3L
4 2/5 Keeper of the Watchers
4 2/5 Deceptively Quick
4 2/5 Playful +3H
4 3/4 Lost Partner

Total: 60 cards

-o-o-o-o-o-

Turn 2 death by means of spam + Path or Dragon's Flame or Dragon's Flame w/ Path.

This is how a turn 1 goes.

Path, maybe a foundation, maybe another one, end turn.

Turn 2, Xianghua F if Playful Slice is in the discard, play Playful Slices from hand, any high attack, Dragon's Flame for ****.

There's a 4 diff mid weapon, and a 4 diff high attack. Xianghua's F can help set up whichever one is needed for the combo.

Imagine having a Pointing Thrust, an Assassin's Secret and a Dragon's Flame (or Path out). Play Pointing Thrust for 5, form to put Playful Slice in the card pool, play Assassin's Secret for 4, play Dragon's Flame for 6. Thus, turn 2 possibilities ahoy.

It gets really retarded when there are two Playful Slices in the discard and you have Sword of No Name out.

Record damage? Well, F to put Playful Slice, Sword F to put another Playful Slice, play a third Playful Slice (for 2) , play an Assassin's Secret (for 1) + Combo E, Mark of the Beast (for 3) + its E, Pointing Thrust (for 4) + Path, Quick Exit to ready Path, Dragon's Flame (for 5) + its E + Combo E + Path E + speed up = 44 damage Dragon's Flame turn 2 for a total of a possible 75 damage.

I swear, Air gets NO love lol

Turn 2 kill shenanigans and still no one says anything. Well, boo, I say.

I can't find the asset you've put in the deck "Path of the Master" anywhere on the internet. Seems really strong though, but does the combo work fine every game? Or was it playtested once, only?

Kerhex said:

As for how the combo works, it works when I'm able to draw into the Dragon's Flame. The set up is made incredibly easy because of her ability. If you have a mid weapon in hand, fetch Assassin's Secret from the discard pile. If what you have is the high attack, fetch Playful Slice. Then combo your happy butt off.

With a 7HS, it really does work very frequently, especially by turn 3.

Yeah, it sure does. I'm gonna make one like this one, but i think i'm gonna chnage one or two set of foundations, and see if it works better. ^^

Kerhex said:

thats the problem with air...it doesnt have foundations that help out a deck just by being there....they are usually exspensive or restrictive in what they can do for you....

in my yun-seoung build i find myself just using cheap easy foundations to spam so i can play as many attacks as possible and it seems to work ok

Tested this one as it is (except Path of the Master wich I don't have any and i won't buy any, cuz what happened with Olcadan's and Lord of the Makai was enough for me...) and it really works fine. I'm just gonna add a set of Trained Far and Wide, or maybe a Ruthless, athough I don't think it will work properly this way. I checked and i think it works better the way guitalex2008 conceived the deck, but you must have Path, and i can't afford that, it's too risky.

EDIT: Try Flexible Body if you have any.

Kerhex said:

At the risk of spoiling secret tech: Check out ebay...you can find Path of the Masters for $5 a copy.

I have a set of Flexible Body, but there's a small set of issues I have with the card being in this deck.

1) The deck plans on killing in one turn. Rarely does it take 2, and as a result, the only momentum gen in the deck is Assassin's Secret. And as it stands, there's only one card in the entire deck needing momentum for anything, and that is Mark of the Beast for its +4 damage, which is nice but can also do without. Adding another card to require momentum, having only one way to generate it, can't be good. Before anyone suggests it, I fail to see the use in Mishima Zaibatsu Leader when the opponent will not willingly add momentum knowing this will just help you.

2) For a 2 diff with a +3M block, I might as well go add a 5 control one and call it Stand Off. I just can't find my copies.

3) Having Lost Partner and Quick Exit, I don't want another foundation that blows itself up for its cost, especially when Lost Partner and Quick Exit more often than not prove being worthy of their spots in the deck. Flexible Body has only ever been used by me ONCE; in every other situation I didn't draw/play it or had no momentum.

guitalex2008 said:

Guess ur right, cuz when I playtested, it worked fine. =)

About Path of the Masters, i paid not 5 dollars, but 5€ (I'm from Portugal, that's a small country in Europe) for each 4 of the Olcadan's Mentoring and 15€ for each one of Lord of the Makai and both were banned. I don't think i will risk my money the same way for a long time...

Kerhex said:

Ouch.

I can't really see Path of the Master being banned any time soon because it was only given out in an event where people had to fly out to the FFG offices. Banning it would be a huge middle finger to everyone who went there, and a biger middle finger to the person who won the remaining copies. Sad to say, I'd argue the card is safe from banning for the time being.

No Waterfall makes me sad, though it is just a personal preference really. I would love to see Playful Slice, Xianghua's F -> Playful Slice, Waterfall for 4. With only a little bit of speed boost water fall is sick. +5 speed = 9L15. And you still have the multiple 1.

I agree. Waterfall makes me smile. Can you say Deceptive Look 4.0?

I didn't go with Waterfall because it's an Air build. Air, other than Xianghua Hangs to the Left (Deceptively Quick), Trained Far and Wide and From the Horse, Endurance, lacks surefire speed pump in foundation form. You'd need to run Eisserne Drossel and Gay Vampires to make that last hit deal remotely close to the damage of a single Dragon's Flame.

You can sit there and argue that Just Kidding and Keeper of the Watchers have Air, and I would respond by saying I said SUREFIRE speed pump. Just Kidding has to guess to reveal the same card type, and is immediately killed by actions and assets being revealed. Keeper of the Watchers can add anything from nothing to +3 for a commit. Not worth the risk for a kill card. From the Horse, Endurance would add +3 speed, but is a 3/5 with no block. Running Playful Slice is already telling me I should keep 3 diffs to a minimum since more than once I've checked that 2 first turn trying to play Lost Partner. Trained Far and Wide has a +4H block, so it might as well not have one, and is a 3/4 as well. Not worth the turn 1 fail.

Dragon's Flame will come at the opponent as the third or later attack in the turn, and is a base 5 speed, commit 1 for +2 damage.

Off of Air, there's imply no reason to run Waterfall in Xianghua. If anything, Twisting Lotus Flow is a much better combo, since combined with her form she can replay the Playful Slices she put in the card pool.

In LIFE, however... Eisserne Drossel, Robes, Gay Vampires, The Strength Within, Looking for a Thrill, in addition to Deceptively Quick, and the not-so-surefire Keeper and Just Kidding... THERE'S PLENTY of reason there to run Waterfall.

What about Path and a Playful/Acrobatic?

playful slice -> playful slice -> Waterfall

Use Path, Use Playful/Acrobatic = 15L19 and Multiple 1

Phlip45 said:

Too much setup for the equivalent of what a Dragon's Flame can do.

Playful Slice -> either high attack -> Dragon's Flame (needs a 5) for 5M13 +2 damage if you use its E.

For less difficulty and less setup, I deal... 4 less damage turn 2?

We're talking here that she can, if she so desires, do this turn 1 by checking a 4, 3 (or 4) and 5.

guitalex2008 said:

I completely agree with you, man. Dragon's Flame is THE kill card for Air, esp in an Air Xianghua deck. For all the reason's you mentioned, it's just a better finisher than Waterfall.

I still LOVE the fact that Deceptive Look got its reprint for our current Standard, and that it's on an attack makes it even better, imo!