First I want to say that really like how FFG interprets the rings and what the have done with them for this game. Still with the slight adjustments that come with the new system, I think there might be some need for re-evaluating what Clan, Family and school gets which rings assigned. So, lets have a look!

Clans

Most Air approaches seem to be more about deception then anything else, so feels almost wrong that the Crane still have that ring. I mean sure, I associate my favorite clan with that ring too, but the ring descriptions now feels off. But well, maybe I have too understand the Crane now more as smart than as charming.

I wonder if the rings for dragon and Phoenix should be switched, since dragon usually make the more mystical impresion and well I just say that a phoenix is a fire-bird so it has that element already in the symbol.

Water seems mostly still fitting for the Lion. But looking as the social appraoch of Air and Water and the Lion and Crane, I wonder if the Trick maybe should be the Water appraoch and Charm the Air approach. But well, maybe the Trick approach is in Air since the Scorpion also have that. Anyway, this is just to start a conversation, would like how others here think about that.

Families

I wonder if the Hiruma and Yasuki should switch their rings, since the Hiruma seem to be the more adaptable family and hence would fit better with Water, while the Yasuki as cunning traders seem to be more fitting with the Air ring.

Regarding the Soshi I would suggest to give them Void. Sure, it might make sense from a certain story point that they have the same ring as the shosuro, but well, in that case the Asahina also should have the same ring as the Isawa. Having more different rings within the scorpion makes the decision of family more intersting, and well the Soshi deal with quite some exotic magic too, some that seems fitting that they also have a deeper understanding of Void I would say... But should that not be convinving, then how about giving them Water instead?

And another switch I would suggest, namely that of the rings the Moto and the Utaku have. Sure, I know that for some reason the Utaku got Stamina in the forth edition of L5R, a decision I hated back then and which seem to inform the decision that they now got Earth, but I would like to see that changed back to a more aggressive ring, while the Moto, even though also rather agressive feel at least to me better suited with the Earth ring. But maybe I am just crazy.

Schools

If the Dragon get Void in general as a clan, then it might be worth consideration to give the Tattooed Monks a different ring then void again, maybe water to show their out of the box thinking and there serinity that helps them to reduce strife?

I think the Ikoma need different rings! Both of them! Earth with the recall appraoch that seems to fit a school of historians, and Air that is useful for attention to detail, those are the rings that seem to me much more fitting there.

Opinions?

I agree that revisiting is valuable...

But disagree that the crane should switch off of air. Air has many crane-suited uses: Refine, Analyze, Feint. Now, Trick & Con have a strong precedent - Sincerity is vital to the Crane; in a way different from the Scorpion, but overall, just as much deceit happening as any scorpion. Just different ones. Con - the flattery of the Daimyō's favorite artisan (especially oneself) is Con... making him feel good about his patronage thereof. . Trick is a good way to socially snipe others - lead them into self-attacks, rather than verbal self attack.

I can see crane-appropriate uses for all 5 Air based approaches.

In the Unicorn... 3E was Moto Stamina (Earth), Utaku Agility (Fire)... ISTR that the switch for 4E reflected a change in the dynamics of the clan in the 4E timeline... So rolling back to that makes sense, especially since the last I saw was that both the RPG and Card Game roll back the timeline.