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Samurai

Playstyle: Offensive · Complexity: 3/6 · Season 2

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Who is this character?

A disciplined duelist: shame shrinks enemy attacks, honor pumps your own.

How to play Samurai

If after roll 1 5× Sun for Shogun! are reachable. Keep 5× Sun and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Shogun! (5 dice). If fewer than 5 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Masamune. Shogun! deals a documented 13 damage and applies shame, so the 5 committed dice stay on the table.

Mid game: Combine Solemnity / Budo to keep Shame up consistently and build Honor.

Late game: Use Masamune / Shogun! with a stacked Honor bonus for burst damage.

If after roll 1 a large straight for Masamune are reachable. Keep a large straight and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Masamune (5 dice). If fewer than 5 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Shogun!. Masamune deals a documented 11 damage and applies shame, so the 5 committed dice stay on the table.

If Solemnity (2× katana + 3× kabuto) is reachable after roll 2, take it over Katana Slice: 7 damage plus Shame beats the safe 5.

Honor stacks to 2: spend it only on a hit of 7 base damage or more (Solemnity, Masamune) so the +3 bonus is not wasted on a small route.

Take Wakizashi (2× katana + 2× rising sun) when the opponent prevents damage reliably: 3 undefendable damage lands while Katana Slice gets blocked.

Spending three roll attempts on a marginally better Katana Slice and losing the Bushido honor.

Dripping honor out singly instead of building +3 packages.

Strengths

  • Katana Slice is recorded as 5–7 normal damage over 3/4/5 katana.
  • Honor is documented as a positive resource with stack limit 2 and +3 damage when spending 2 Honor.
  • Shogun! is recorded as an ultimate with 13 ultimate damage and 5 rising sun.

Weaknesses

  • Hagakure and Shogun! each require multiple rising-sun faces.

Key attacks

  • Katana Slice
    Standard route

    Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.

    Take it as soon as 3× 🗡 Katana is mostly on the table after roll 1 (98% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.

    3× 🗡 Katana · 5 damage

  • Wakizashi
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of 2× 🗡 Katana + 2× ☀ Rising Sun is missing after roll 1 (49% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    2× 🗡 Katana + 2× ☀ Rising Sun · 3 damage

  • Solemnity
    Control

    Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.

    Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (49% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    2× 🗡 Katana + 3× 👹 Kabuto · 7 damage · shame

  • Budo
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of Small straight (4 in a row) is missing after roll 1 (59% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    Small straight (4 in a row) · 6 damage

  • Hagakure
    Control

    Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.

    Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (10% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    4× ☀ Rising Sun · 5 damage · shame

  • Masamune
    Control

    Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.

    Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (25% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    Large straight (5 in a row) · 7 + 1 per 🗡 Katana (roll 4 dice) · shame

  • Shogun!
    Finisher

    Ultimate: the board's highest damage value with the hardest requirement.

    Do not force 5× ☀ Rising Sun (1% across all three rolls): only when the requirement is reachable after roll 1 is giving up the safe route worth it.

    5× ☀ Rising Sun · 13 damage · shame

Key statuses & resources

  • Cash in Honor at 2 units for +3 damage on an ongoing attack rather than hoarding it longer.

Abilities & board

Health: 50 · Starting CP: 2

Dice symbols

🗡 Katana · 3/6 (faces 1, 2, 3)👹 Kabuto · 2/6 (faces 4, 5)☀ Rising Sun · 1/6 (faces 6)

Level I abilities

  • Katana Slice
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    3× 🗡 Katana
    Damage/healing:
    5 damage
  • Wakizashi
    Undefendable
    Dice requirement:
    2× 🗡 Katana + 2× ☀ Rising Sun
    Damage/healing:
    3 damage
  • Solemnity
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    2× 🗡 Katana + 3× 👹 Kabuto
    Damage/healing:
    7 damage
    Key effects:
    shame
  • Budo
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    Small straight (4 in a row)
    Damage/healing:
    6 damage
  • Hagakure
    Undefendable
    Dice requirement:
    4× ☀ Rising Sun
    Damage/healing:
    5 damage
    Key effects:
    shame
  • Masamune
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    Large straight (5 in a row)
    Damage/healing:
    7 + 1 per 🗡 Katana (roll 4 dice)
    Key effects:
    shame

Ultimate

  • Shogun!
    Ultimate
    Dice requirement:
    5× ☀ Rising Sun
    Damage/healing:
    13 damage
    Key effects:
    shame

Defense

Stand Tall The defense roll is made whenever you are attacked. On average it prevents about 2 damage. The prevention is reliable. Stand Tall: expected prevention 2 per the gameplay dataset; the complete die resolution and further retaliation details are not evidenced here.

Resources

  • HonorHonor is recorded as a positive resource with stack limit 2; the burst note states +3 when spending 2 Honor. · Honor sources are not fully attributed to individual abilities in the structured gameplay dataset. · The burst note records 2 Honor for +3 damage; no further spend logic is added.
  • Back StrikePositive resource; its concrete trigger and effect are not recorded as a separate field in the structured dataset. · No reliable ability-level assignment is recorded in the dataset. · Concrete spend rule not stated.

Upgrades & cards

What changes?

  • Katana Slice
    Level II
    • Damage: 6 damage instead of 5 damage
    • Dice requirement: 4× 🗡 Katana instead of 3× 🗡 Katana
  • Katana Slice
    Level III
    • Damage: 7 damage instead of 5 damage
    • Dice requirement: 5× 🗡 Katana instead of 3× 🗡 Katana

Hero-specific cards

Not sufficiently verified

Works well with

  • Seraph

    Seraph adds the healing that Samurai lacks.

  • Gambit

    Gambit adds the healing that Samurai lacks.

  • Wolverine

    Wolverine adds the healing that Samurai lacks.

Good matchups

  • Gunslinger

    Samurai keeps Gunslinger tied up with Shame, and Gunslinger already needs tight rolls.

  • Cursed Pirate

    Samurai pushes damage through that Cursed Pirate barely stops with Ahoy Matey.

  • Psylocke

    Samurai keeps Psylocke tied up with Shame, and Psylocke already needs tight rolls.

Tough matchups

  • Druid

    Druid pushes damage through that Samurai barely stops with Stand Tall.

  • Storm

    Storm pushes damage through that Samurai barely stops with Stand Tall.

  • Huntress

    Huntress keeps Samurai tied up with Bleed, and Samurai already needs tight rolls.

Buy now

Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest

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