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The Book of Kato Katsuro

spiteofthedice

spiteofthedice

no baby bump - false alarm!
The Book of Kato Katsuro
Defenders of Kinsland - Collection 8 - "Heroes of the Molten Sea"

sew8_kato_katsuro_original.jpg
If you cannot see the Army Card graphic, check Hasbro's Unit Page for stats and special powers, plus "character biography" and other non-game unit info.

Character Bio: The battle rages all around. Metal clangs against metal, harquebus howl in deafening explosions, men cry the agony of their mortal wounds.
Kato Katsuro's heart beats in his eyes. His senses grow painfully sharp. The bright red blood of fallen warriors screams out at him. The smell of sweat and gun powder fills his nose and mouth. This is what he lives for. The action swarming about him is a symphony of his composition.
Suddenly an enemy breaks through Katsuro's elite samurai guard, a note he did not compose. The screaming warrior bears down with his sword. Kato quickly blocks and kicks the man backwards.
A flash burns across Katsuro's peripheral. His heart jumps into his throat. In the split of an instant he feels death falling upon him.
In that same instant the sun blinks out of the sky. The thrumming sound of constant battle goes silent. Everything is suddenly still.
Kato turns his head slowly to his right. A sword hovers, frozen, inches from his face. He steps away from the blade's edge, bewildered as he scans the horizon.
Time itself has come to a halt. Everything, everyone, ever face, perfectly still in the dim light of the overcast sun.
Looking upward Kato Katsuro sees that, unlike everything under it, the sky does not stand still. A swirling tempest of black clouds churns violently above.
At the whirling center of the storm the sky suddenly breaks open and a blindingly bright light streams down, engulfing Kato in its glow.
Out of the break descends a bronze-skinned man with wings like a great hawk.
The man touches a hand to his temple and Kato feels the earth fall out from beneath his feet. He is being pulled upward, but the feeling does not frighten him, instead his heart is filled with an overwhelming peace.
Kato removes hi s helmet and mask, revealing his young and rugged face. He reaches out and takes hold of the winged-man's outstretched hand.
Together they fly upward, into the light, and into another world.(Hasbro)
kato_original.jpg


(photos courtesy of Truth :truth:)
_________________________________________________________________
-Rulings and Clarifications-
- KATO KATSURO'S COMMAND : Activating Ashigaru Squads
On Kato Katsuro's Order Marker, may I take a turn with two squads of Ashigaru Yari,
or two squads of Ashigaru Harquebus, rather than one of each?
No. A turn with the Ashigaru on Kato Katsuro's Order Marker must consist either of
a turn with one of each squad OR a turn with only one of the two. (Hasbro FAQ)

- KATO KATSURO'S COMMAND : Adjusting Figures Before Activation
Before taking a turn on Kato Katsuro's Order Marker, may I reposition figures
so that they are within line of sight of Kato, and then take a turn with them?
Yes. Hasbro's Advanced FAQ article states that on a player's turn, s/he may adjust
the positions of friendly figures. (Hasbro FAQ)

​
_________________________________________________________________
-Combinations and Synergies-

Synergy Benefits Received
- N/A
​
Synergy Benefits Offered
KATO KATSURO'S COMMAND : Samurai and Ashigaru Units
Any Samurai or Ashigaru units may benefit from Kato Katsuro's,
KATO KATSURO'S COMMAND activation synergy.
​
- SACRED BAND : Disciplined Army Defense Bonus
Having a Disciplined personality, Kato Katsuro may aid the Sacred Band with
their DISCIPLINED ARMY DEFENSE BONUS
*NOTE: See The Book of Sacred Band for proper application.
​
C3V and SoV Custom Synergies
Spoiler Alert!
________________________________________________________________
-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-
TBA
​
_________________________________________________________________
-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

General Discussion:
http://www.heroscapers.com/community...highlight=Kato
Strategy:
http://www.heroscapers.com/community...highlight=Kato
Criticism:
http://www.heroscapers.com/community...highlight=Kato
Army Ideas:
http://www.heroscapers.com/community...highlight=Kato
Counters to Kato Katsuro:
http://www.heroscapers.com/community...highlight=Kato
Overpriced?
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=19091

Power Ranking

Jexik: Kato Katsuro- Although extremely expensive, he does allow you to make an army that can get 8 attacks in one order marker. He seems more appropriate in gigantic games. B-

OEAO: B-

Cleon: Tier 5 (128/208)

dok (VC inclusive): B-

Unit Strategy Review
TBA​
 
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By no means is this guy bad, but in 500 poin or less armies, seems very expensive, in high point armies, he could be very cheap considering the versatility he brings. Don't expect to see him in many tournaments though...
 
I have just been having incredible success with this guy, 3x Yari, 2x Harquebus, and the Izumi Samurai. I don't know if it's just the armies I have been playing against or what, but it has been very effective. Use the Izumi to tie up your opponents figures early on and then race in with 8 attacks a turn and it doesn't take long to do some serious damage. And it feels pretty great to win a game with having Kato being your only figure on the board
 
500 points is all you really need to see him shine with 3x each ashigaru. His ability to make a swarm army is ridiculous with more attacks per turn then any combination I can think of.
 
I tried him out for the first time today in a 500pt battle... WOW! I underestimated the power behind moving and attacking with 8 figures every turn!

With 2X of each Yari and Harq, it was incredibly effective. And for my last 100pts, I had the Kozuke in reserve with Kato as his personal guard. They really seem perfect as his rear guard as they can rush out with their move 8 Charging Assault to engage any unit that breaks past the Ashigaru hordes, protecting Kato.

I was skeptical of his 200pt cost, but no longer!! He is worth every point for what he does.

And better yet, he's a blast to play! I can't wait to try him in larger army builds. But was pleasantly surprised at how good he can be even in 500pt battles.

SW8K
 
Snotwalker 8000 said:
I tried him out for the first time today in a 500pt battle... WOW! I underestimated the power behind moving and attacking with 8 figures every turn!

With 2X of each Yari and Harq, it was incredibly effective. And for my last 100pts, I had the Kozuke in reserve with Kato as his personal guard. They really seem perfect as his rear guard as they can rush out with their move 8 Charging Assault to engage any unit that breaks past the Ashigaru hordes, protecting Kato.

I was skeptical of his 200pt cost, but no longer!! He is worth every point for what he does.

And better yet, he's a blast to play! I can't wait to try him in larger army builds. But was pleasantly surprised at how good he can be even in 500pt battles.

SW8K
Click to expand...
Totally agree. This is one of my absolute favorite units now. :rock:

It like that they gave him a Move of 6. His clear sight on all other figures is crucial. That nice move helps him get around to where he needs to be in order to see everything.
 
I'm going to be using him soon(my friends and I picked armys so we are ready). I was wondering; does he need to see all the figures in the squad that are going to move? From the way they say it, it sounds as though he does.
 
Trav11111 said:
I was wondering; does he need to see all the figures in the squad that are going to move?
Click to expand...

Yes, but "clear sight" means he does not need to see a portion of the fig that can be targeted, any part will do - like the spears of the Yari. Also, on your turn you can adjust any of your figures, so it is possible to spin a Yari around until Kato could see his spear (for example) - this would make him eligible to be Commanded.

~Aldin, doing the Ashigaru Shuffle
 
Trav11111 said:
... I was wondering; does he need to see all the figures in the squad that are going to move? From the way they say it, it sounds as though he does.
Click to expand...

To keep it clear, as long as he can see the figure you want to move, that particular figure can move... So if he can only see 2 out of the 3 Kozuke Samurai, for example, then 2 of them can still move, but the 3rd one he can't see is unable to be activated. He doesn't need to be able to see all of a squad for at least some of the squad to be activated.

And I learned the hard way that it's very important to double check your final placements after moving to ensure Kato can still see them... I inadvertently moved 2 of my Yari into a river crossing to charge the enemy the next turn, only to realize that next turn that they were no longer in Kato's sight. Oops.... ;) In the heat of battle, they were essentially lost to me as I didn't want to take a turn to reposition Kato. And when moving/attacking with 8 figures, it can be easy to forget to check.
 
I always seem to get this backwards, and the more I read the card, the more I am aggrevating myself.

Do the units Kato moves need to be able to see any part of Kato, or does Kato need to be able to see any part of the units he is moving?

-TMM
 
TheMainMan said:
I always seem to get this backwards, and the more I read the card, the more I am aggrevating myself.

Do the units Kato moves need to be able to see any part of Kato, or does Kato need to be able to see any part of the units he is moving?

-TMM
Click to expand...
Kato must be able to see the units. He is, after all, the one being activated.

EDIT: Activation has nothing to do with it, i.e. Raelin, Taelord, etc.
 
The phrase "clear sight spaces" is used (particularly with auras) to define the condition where the unit on the receiving end of a power must be able to see the unit bestowing that power.

~Aldin, invisibly
 
Aldin said:
The phrase "clear sight spaces" is used (particularly with auras) to define the condition where the unit on the receiving end of a power must be able to see the unit bestowing that power.

~Aldin, invisibly
Click to expand...
Are you sure that's true? I know it's not true with unfriendly units, i.e. Sharpshooter...
 
Aldin said:
The phrase "clear sight spaces" is used (particularly with auras) to define the condition where the unit on the receiving end of a power must be able to see the unit bestowing that power.

~Aldin, invisibly
Click to expand...

So you are saying if Kato chooses to move a squad of samurai, they must be able to see a part of Kato?
 
TheMainMan said:
Aldin said:
The phrase "clear sight spaces" is used (particularly with auras) to define the condition where the unit on the receiving end of a power must be able to see the unit bestowing that power.

~Aldin, invisibly
Click to expand...

So you are saying if Kato chooses to move a squad of samurai, they must be able to see a part of Kato?
Click to expand...
I love Aldin (in a Forumish way), but I believe the figure that the power is "coming from" must have the clear sight on the affected figures.
 
Kato's power says that the units must be within "clear sight" of Kato, so he must see them. With Raelin's aura (for example) it says the unit must be "within 4 clear sight spaces" which means they must be able to see her. It is possible that I am wrong about Kato and that his troops must see him, but I believe the different language allows for the commonly understood meaning that he must see them.

~Aldin, now wondering if he remembers how auras work correctly
 
Hah! I had understood incorrectly. I just went back and reviewed the rules and you are both correct - all references to clear sight are from the unit with the power.

~Aldin, mea culpa-ingly
 
As a frequent "Sam's Club" player, I like Kato, but I don't think he's a must-have for smaller games. 200 pts is a lot for a single figure who's not often in the front ranks, and he doesn't solve the army's major problem of getting hosed by ranged Special Attacks. Kato and his men are also slow with him needing to centralize as advanced Ashigarus die and they just have 5 Move (and Sam's Club can't fly). The 2 turns with Ashigaru is nice but many opponents can just kill them in droves as they get anywhere near the fight. Playing 3x Yari and 3x Harquebus can be fun, but is a pretty narrow strat and is easily drafted against or otherwise countered. If he had Counterstrike I'd trust him more.

That said, he lets you have so much fun at will with your few specialist squads, Awa, etc, and what a great sculpt. I'm happy with Kato but in many ways he doesn't help his theme army really play for blood in games under 1000 pts.

*edit: I didn't know you could swivel your figures (esp. Yari spears) so he can see them, so thanks for the tip, as it were!
 
I built a 500 point army around him and old Raelin. Looked a lot like this:

Kato Katsuro
Raelin
Tagawa Samurai
Ashiguru Harbiquis (or whatever)
Ashiduru Yari



I beat my wife, who was using a vampire army, in two rounds. All I lost was one Harbiquious figure. And i wasn't rolling that well.

All thanks to Kato Katsuro, who is definitely worth all 200 points, and will definitely see more game time than Kaemon Awa.
 
I played a fun battle with Lil' Barkypants this week. He used 3 squads of Badu Wolves, werewolves, 3 Dumatef Guards (because he thinks they look like giant werewolves) and the Dork Lord himself. That was a 615 pt army.

For 620 I used 2 Harbuquis, 3 Yari, Kato, KA and the Izumi squad. I love armies where I have total freedom of who to activate on every turn.

Activating 8 figs per turn is handy. It seemed like Kate I tried the Yari surround attack I only rolled one skull, but with Kato, you can move them around pretty quickly.

When I was down to my last 2 Yari and last 2 Harbuquis, it didn't seem to be a waste of order marker to be able to get 4 attacks, even though both squads were decimated.

I also learned how annoying those Badu wolves are. They alone took out 1/2 of my army. 4 points on Kato with one kamikaze attack! The end game came down to and undamaged KA vs the Dorklord. Needless to say. There were no wolves howling after that battle.

That said, I don't think I would use him with anything less than a 620 pt. army. W/o KA, I had no heavy hitters.
 
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