Before we begin this trip down memory lane, I'd like to point out the time frame: after Dark Journey Home. These comments, in bold, were written between Strike at Midnight and Fire and Shadow.
If you think I'm crazy, just remember that I won a tournament with a deck like this.
Tip the First: Use the Shiba Stronghold.
Why? Well, the 'Shugenja are aligned' gives you access to lots of cool personalities, especially cheap shugenja, such as Kuni Utagu, Hida Roheteki, Seppun Kossori, and Agasha Gennai for the early game. I would also like to add Kuni Yashashi to this list, and say that Seppun Kossori is one of the best cards for Shiba Phoenix you can use. Later, you can buy big shugenjas of your choice for honor, such as Iuchi Karasu, which also stops an attacker everyturn, giving you time to gain honor. The seven starting honor almost guarentees a first turn, and the four gp lets you buy sanctified temples off the stronghold. This was written after I was a Sacred Temple player. In retrospect, most strongholds have four gold. Generally, Shiba Phoenix is stronger than Isawa Phoenix or Temple Phoenix, but a finely tuned million dollar Temple Phoenix will be better. But if your on a budget, and most players are, Shiba is the way to go! I still stand on this opinion.
Tip the Seccond: Use spells. As long as we've got shugenja, lets use spells and kiho. Walk the way, touch of death, and banish all shadows are all jade legal and go well in any deck. Some battle kiho are pretty cool, and kiho can be kept- for a price. If you're open, use wasting disease to stop the attackers. I don't suggest using Rise from the Ashes, as it stops honor, which is what we're trying to do. I would now say use Rise. There are turns where you don't gain honor.
3. Use fate honor. Dynasty honor won't be enough. Use shines if you can. Use Ijiatsu Duels, Challenges or Arts, Ancestreal Swords (if you got 'em), the Imperial Standard, or The Isawa Naganita. Some of these are harder to get, and there's more fate honor out there. These are good midgame honor sources, and are solid cards in and of themselves. This is still true, allthough I consider dueling too card intensive.
4. Never give up. Here are two "impossible situations" that really happened that I got out of:
Lion player has two Lion historians, Akodo Toturi, and a Kitsu Okura with the Sword(!). After crunching two provinces, these guys were pretty big. I brought out Isawa Hociu (inate battle duel, loser bows) and put Ambition (copy force or chi) on him. The Lion player attacked, so I blocked with Hociu, innate dueled and copied chi the sword boy and smoke & mirrored a few times. That bowed his guy and drained his hand. Then I Ijaitsu Dueled away the historians. That put me up 10 honor. Then I Fisted of the Earth Toturi and Hociu. I gained 5 honor in the tie, and that essentially won me the game.
Another incident occured where my opponent (also Phoenix) plopped the Sword down on a Samauri and went to town. The little bugger got touched of death after killing three of my provinces. Then I plopped down my Sword and honor hurt him badly.
So, there you have it. These alone won't win you games, but they're a start.
I would like to add that you focus on speed personality honor. Any four or three gold personality works. Samauri are sometimes preferred to shugenja.Back.
