I'll Make a Man Out of You: Strategy Guide

Ruby/Steel Battle-Wound midrange. Self-damage is the resource, not the cost. Two characters enter play already wounded (BATTLE WOUND on Mulan - Injured Soldier and Fa Zhou - Honorable Warrior), and that damage is the on-switch for a second wave of payoffs — Li Shang - Newly Promoted swings as a 4 ¤ ready-challenger, Mulan - Ready for Battle costs 2 ⬡ instead of 4. You break the curve by hurting yourself on purpose.

The cost-reduction chain is the spine of the deck. Imperial Proclamation discounts the next character by 1 ⬡ each time one of yours challenges. Mulan - Ready for Battle has NOBLE SPIRIT (-1 ⬡ if any damaged character is in play) AND FIGHTING SPIRIT (-1 ⬡ if any 5+ ¤ character is in play). Stack all three and a 4-cost body costs 2 ⬡. That's the play pattern.

The Mushu turn ends games. Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare (Shift 4 onto Mushu - Fast-Talking Dragon) makes every character you play that turn gain Rush + Reckless + Evasive. Drop her, then drop a Khan or a Fa Zhou — the next character swings the same turn, dodges blockers, and forces challenges through Bodyguards.

Matchup role: beatdown with grind insurance. The 4 WP on Fa Zhou - Honorable Warrior (2-lore) and 5 WP on Yao - Imperial Soldier mean you don't fold to challenger removal — you absorb a turn of trades and keep questing.

Lore math: four 2-lore bodies (Fa Zhou, Grandmother Fa, Mulan-Ready, Li Shang-Imperial-Captain) plus 1-lore Mulans and Li Shangs. By T5 with a damaged board, you're at 5-6 lore/turn AND threatening the Mushu swing.

Two-option keep — pick your engine, then build around it.

• Option 1 — Battle-Wound curve (default): Mulan - Injured Soldier (1c, enters with 2 dmg) + Fa Zhou - Honorable Warrior OR Khan - Beloved Steed (2c) + a 3-cost (Li Shang - Newly Promoted ideal) + an ink-able card. You curve out 1 → 2 → 3 with a damaged board enabling Layer 2 by T3.
• Option 2 — Cost-chain keep: Imperial Proclamation (1c item) + Mulan - Injured Soldier + Mulan - Ready for Battle in hand. Set up the discount chain so the 4c Mulan lands T3 for 2 ⬡ after Li Shang challenges.

Always keep if drawn:

• Mulan - Injured Soldier — the foundational 1-drop. Self-damages on entry, quests for 1.
• Imperial Proclamation — the cost-reducer. Inf-only, 4-of redundancy because the chain depends on it.
• Li Shang - Newly Promoted — your T3 anchor. Challenges ready characters AND +2 ¤ while damaged. The single highest-impact 3-drop in the deck.

OTP vs OTD:

• OTP: prefer Option 1. You curve harder; Mulan - Injured Soldier quests T2 for 1 lore before the opponent has stabilized.
• OTD: prefer Option 2 + keep Light the Fuse (1-ink action) for cheap interaction. The draw-step extra card papers over a slower opener.

Never keep blind: Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare (6c, dead until T5+), Li Shang - Valiant Leader (7c), Mulan - Imperial General (7c). Two 7-drops in hand = no T1-T3 plays.

Ideal T1-T3 line: Ink → Mulan - Injured Soldier + Imperial Proclamation T1. Ink → Khan - Beloved Steed + quest Mulan T2 (1 lore). Ink → Li Shang - Newly Promoted + quest Khan + Mulan T3 (3 lore). Board: 3 chars, 1 item, ready for the T4 cost-chain swing.

Battle Wound enablers (wound yourself on purpose):

• Mulan - Injured Soldier (1c Ruby, 2/3 1L): "BATTLE WOUND — This character enters play with 2 damage." T1 anchor. Damage immediately enables Li Shang's +2 ¤ AND Mulan-Ready's NOBLE SPIRIT.
• Fa Zhou - Honorable Warrior (2c Ruby, 1/4 2L): "BATTLE WOUND — This character enters play with 2 damage." Best lore rate in the deck. 4 WP survives 1-2 STR challenges even wounded.
• Mulan - Disguised Soldier (1c Steel, 2/1 1L): "WHERE DO I SIGN IN? — When you play this character, you may draw a card, then choose and discard a card." Filters dead 7-drops out of openers.

Damaged-character payoffs:

• Li Shang - Newly Promoted (3c Ruby-Steel, 2/3 1L): "I WON'T LET YOU DOWN — This character can challenge ready characters. ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY — While this character has damage, he gets +2 ¤." Take any damage → 4 ¤ READY-target challenger. The single most important 3-drop.
• Mulan - Ready for Battle (4c Ruby, 4/3 2L): "NOBLE SPIRIT — If you have a character in play with damage, you pay 1 ⬡ less. FIGHTING SPIRIT — If you have a character in play with 5 ¤ or more, you pay 1 ⬡ less." Costs 2 ⬡ when both fire — any damaged body plus any 5 ¤ body (Mushu-Majestic, Li Shang-Imperial-Captain, damaged Li Shang-Newly-Promoted).
• Imperial Proclamation (1c Ruby item, Inf-only): "CALL TO THE FRONT — Whenever one of your characters challenges another character, you pay 1 ⬡ less for the next character you play this turn." Load-bearing 4-of. Discount stacks cumulatively with NOBLE SPIRIT and FIGHTING SPIRIT.

Curve bodies:

• Khan - Beloved Steed (2c Ruby, 3/2 1L, Inf-only, vanilla): 3 ¤ at 2 ink challenges most 2-drops profitably.
• Grandmother Fa - Spirited Elder (2c Ruby, 1/1 2L): "I'VE GOT ALL THE LUCK WE'LL NEED — Whenever this character quests, you may give chosen character of yours +2 ¤ this turn." 1 WP target — ink her in challenger-heavy hands.
• Mulan - Standing Her Ground (3c Ruby, 4/2 1L): "FLOWING BLADE — During your turn, if you've put a card under one of your characters or locations this turn, this character takes no damage from challenges." Pairs with Training Grounds for damageless 5 ¤ swings.
• Mushu - Fast-Talking Dragon (3c Ruby, 2/3 1L): "LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD ⟳ — Chosen character gains Rush this turn." Activated, not ETB — must dry overnight. Primary value: Shift target for Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare.
• Li Shang - Solemn Son (3c Steel, 2/5 1L): Challenger +2. Named-Shift target.
• Cri-Kee - Part of the Team (4c Ruby, 4/3 1L, 1-of): "AT HER SIDE — While you have 2 or more other exerted characters in play, this character gets +2 ◊." Quests for 3 lore on wide turns.
• The Matchmaker - Unforgiving Expert (4c Ruby, 4/3 1L, 1-of): "YOU ARE A DISGRACE! — Whenever this character challenges another character, each opponent loses 1 lore." Two-for-one trades.
• Yao - Imperial Soldier (4c Steel, 2/5 1L, Inf-only, 1-of): Challenger +2 wall.

Mid-curve closers:

• Mushu - Majestic Dragon (5c Ruby-Steel, 4/4 1L): "INTIMIDATING AND AWE-INSPIRING — Whenever one of your characters challenges, they gain Resist +2 during that challenge. GUARDIAN OF LOST SOULS — During your turn, whenever one of your characters banishes another character in a challenge, gain 2 lore." Resist +2 on every challenge AND +2 lore per banish — two engines.
• Li Shang - Imperial Captain (5c Steel, 5/5 2L, vanilla, 1-of): 5 ¤ self-enables Mulan-Ready's FIGHTING SPIRIT.

Finishers:

• Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare (6c Ruby-Steel, 4/6 2L, Shift 4): "ALL FIRED UP — Whenever you play another character, they gain Rush, Reckless, and Evasive this turn." Shift onto Mushu - Fast-Talking Dragon for 4 ⬡. Sequence Mushu FIRST, then drop the swing character — Rush through Bodyguards, dodge blockers. Reckless blocks questing — only fire with a kill target.
• Mulan - Imperial General (7c Ruby-Steel, 5/6 2L, Shift 5, Evasive): "EXCEPTIONAL LEADER — Whenever this character challenges another character, your other characters gain 'This character can challenge ready characters' this turn." Whole board becomes ready-challengers — combos with Li Shang-Newly-Promoted's identical ability.
• Li Shang - Valiant Leader (7c Steel, 9/5 2L, Shift 4, vanilla Shift, 1-of): 9 ¤ ends games via challenge. 1 copy enough given 9 named-Shift targets.

Songs and actions:

• Force of a Great Typhoon (2c Ruby song, 2+ sings free): +5 ¤ this turn. Pushes a 4 ¤ Mulan to 9 ¤ for one-shot kills.
• Strength of a Raging Fire (3c Steel song, 3+ sings free): damage = your character count. T5+ removes 4-WP threats.
• Marching Off to Battle (4c Ruby song, 4+ sings free): draw 2 if a character was banished this turn. Refill after Mushu combo turn.
• Light the Fuse (1c Ruby-Steel action): 1 damage per exerted character. T3+ pings for 2-3 at 1 ink; can self-target to top up a healed BATTLE WOUND body.

Items / locations:

• Mushu's Rocket (1c Ruby): ETB Rush + reusable Rush mode (2 ⬡, banish).
• The Sword of Shan-Yu (1c Ruby): ready a character for a second challenge.
• Training Grounds - Impossible Pillar (1c Ruby location, Inf-only, 5 WP 0L): "STRENGTH OF MIND — 1 ⬡: Chosen character here gets +1 ¤ this turn." Mulan-Standing's home; the card-under-location triggers FLOWING BLADE.

vs. Amethyst/Sapphire Evasive (Unfavorable): Watch for: Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe, Hades - Looking for a Deal The format's biggest archetype (~22% metashare). Their Evasive quests right past your damaged-board engine — BATTLE WOUND doesn't matter if they're not challenging. Your two outs: Mulan - Imperial General is Evasive herself and trades through Dumbo cleanly, and Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare ALL FIRED UP gives the next character Evasive for a single combat turn. Race plan: land Mulan - Imperial General Shift by T6, then close before Hades - Looking for a Deal snowballs past your reach. Strength of a Raging Fire at T5+ with 4+ bodies removes Dumbo.

vs. Amber/Emerald Aggro (Even): Watch for: Tramp - Street-Smart Dog, Under the Sea Mirror-shape race — they're wider but lower per-card. Your 4 WP Fa Zhou - Honorable Warrior walls their 1-2 ¤ Dogs while questing for 2 lore. Strength of a Raging Fire at T4-T5 sweeps their 2-3 WP flood. Watch for Under the Sea as a one-sided board-strength debuff around T5 — don't commit a Mushu-combo turn into an open ink-pool where they can sing it.

vs. Amethyst/Steel Challengers (Even): Watch for: Beast - Snowfield Troublemaker, Strength of a Raging Fire Mirror-shape — both decks weaponize challenges. Their advantage: removal scaling. Your advantage: BATTLE WOUND immunity (you WANT damage on your board). Li Shang - Newly Promoted trades up cleanly into Beast at +2 ¤ once damaged. Keep Imperial Proclamation chains alive — every challenge they force you into discounts your next play.

vs. Amber/Steel Steelsong (Favorable): Watch for: Angel - Experiment 624, He Hurled His Thunderbolt Songs are slower than your direct-damage tempo. Rhino - Power Hamster Resist +2 doesn't matter to Light the Fuse or Strength of a Raging Fire (both deal damage based on board state, not single-strike). Your Fa Zhou - Honorable Warrior at 2 lore matches their 2-lore song-singers turn-for-turn while you're also damaging their board.

vs. Ruby/Sapphire Control (Favorable): Watch for: Maui - Hero to All, A Pirate's Life Their plan starts at 4-5 ink; yours is already pushing lore at T3. Imperial Proclamation discount chains mean your 4-drops land for 2 ⬡ before Sapphire's draw stabilizes. Maui - Hero to All is their single-target answer to your Shift finishers — bait it on Mulan - Imperial General or Li Shang - Valiant Leader with a backup Shift in hand. Don't commit both 7-drops same-turn.

vs. Mirror (Ruby/Steel Battle-Wound) (Even): Watch for: Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare, Imperial Proclamation Whoever lands Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare with two follow-up characters wins. Sequence so you have 2+ playable bodies AFTER Mushu — ALL FIRED UP only buffs characters played the same turn. Mulan - Imperial General's EXCEPTIONAL LEADER trigger lets your whole board challenge their ready characters — devastating in the mirror where both sides over-commit damaged Li Shangs.

Against Evasive-heavy meta (Amethyst/Sapphire decks running Dumbo, Hades-Looking-for-a-Deal): -1 Cri-Kee - Part of the Team / -1 The Matchmaker - Unforgiving Expert / +1 extra Mulan - Imperial General / +1 extra Strength of a Raging Fire. Problem: 1-of toolbox characters don't draw consistently AND don't dodge Evasive. The Mulan Shift line is the cleanest Evasive answer; Raging Fire at T5+ removes their key Evasive piece.

Against challenger-heavy meta (Amethyst/Steel, mirror): -2 Light the Fuse / +2 Marching Off to Battle. Problem: in challenger matchups, banishes happen organically — you want the card-draw refill more than the extra cheap damage source. Light the Fuse is best when YOU need to force damage; in challenger-heavy matchups they're already giving you damage triggers for free.

Against control-heavy meta (Ruby/Sapphire Maui-removal): -1 Li Shang - Valiant Leader / +1 extra Mushu - Your Worst Nightmare. Problem: single high-cost finisher dies clean to single-target removal. A second Mushu spreads finisher density across the Shift line; ALL FIRED UP also wins faster than the vanilla 9 ¤ swing.

Core-Only Variant (drops Inf-only cards): -4 Khan - Beloved Steed (S4 Inf) / +4 Mulan - Charging Ahead (S8, Ruby-Steel 4c, Reckless), -4 Imperial Proclamation (S4 Inf) / +4 Medallion Weights (S4 Core 2c, Challenger +2 enabler), -2 Training Grounds - Impossible Pillar (S4 Inf) / +2 more songs or items, -1 Yao - Imperial Soldier (S4 Inf) / +1 additional Li Shang or Cri-Kee. Engine runs at ~85% efficiency without Imperial Proclamation; the Mushu/Mulan/Li Shang Shift lines stay intact.

Outlook: Inf-format-locked by Imperial Proclamation, Khan, Yao, and Training Grounds — all S4. A Set 5+ reprint of CALL TO THE FRONT on a different item would unlock Core-format play. Watch S12 Wilds Unknown reveals for damaged-character payoffs that scale with BATTLE WOUND density — any new 2-3-cost "while you have a damaged character" effect directly upgrades this list.