The next character to join the game is Kahhori, a young Mohawk woman who encounters the Tesseract, which combines with a forbidden lake to create a cosmic gateway to the Sky World. If you’re feeling a bit confused, that’s understandable! This is part of a “what if” season, where the premise explores what might have happened if the Tesseract had fallen into the Haudenosaunee Confederacy before the colonization of America. This intriguing concept brings us Kahhori!
What does she do?
Kahhori is a straightforward card that joins a range of other four-cost cards designed to buff either the cards in your hand or on the board. Her ability states, "On Reveal: Each card in your hand gives one of your cards in play +1 Power." Essentially, she adds one power randomly to one of your cards on the board for each card you have in your hand. So, if you possess seven cards in hand, you will receive a total of seven power distributed among your cards in play.
Is she good?
This is always a challenging question because we can’t know for sure until we actually play her in the game. However, I believe she will generally add value to certain deck archetypes. That said, it’s possible that Gwenpool or Galacta might be better options. Regardless, we can compare the four different 4-cost cards that achieve similar goals but in different ways.
Galacta is an impressive card that generates a significant amount of power. Similar to Kahhori, she enhances the power of cards under specific conditions and is a 4-cost card. However, Galacta typically benefits from being played early in the game, while Kahhori tends to shine as a late-game card.
For example, if we play Galacta on turn 4, she will contribute an additional 6 power to the board over the following two turns. Playing her earlier will add an extra 3 power for each preceding turn.
Similar to Galacta and Kahhori, Gwenpool is a four-cost card that enhances the power of other cards. In this case, the math is straightforward: she adds a total of 6 power to a random assortment of cards in your hand. To benefit from this power boost, you need to play those cards. Ideally, Gwenpool should be played on turn 4 or turn 5, though playing her earlier is generally better, as it allows more time to utilize the buffed cards. However, it's worth noting that sometimes she can boost the same card by the full 6 power, which makes getting her full benefit easier.
How does this relate?
Kahhori is another four-cost card that increases the power of other cards on the board. Similar to Galactic, she boosts the power of cards in play, and like Gwenpool, she does this through an on-reveal ability. However, the way power is distributed is fundamentally different. Unlike Galacta, where the player can choose where to allocate the power, Kahhori distributes it randomly among the cards already on the board. She can provide a total of 7 power but as low as 0.
What to use her with?
While Kahhori is probably a late game card, lowering her cost to 3 will make her that much easier to play.
Several other card generator cards also fit into this category, but these are probably the most commonly used ones at the moment. Each additional card added to your deck is another source of power, so low-cost cards like Kate and Snowguard, which can add multiple cards to your hand, are highly beneficial.
Once, a Devil Dinosaur was a popular choice as a formidable 5-cost threat. However, it has fallen out of favor at higher competitive levels. But with Devil Dino exceling when you have a large hand size, its synergy with Kahhori is quite evident.
While not a card generator herself, if you are generating cards, then Victoria Hand is a great resource to help boost those cards.
As a 2-cost card that enables another card to be used twice, this serves as a valuable tool to consider when using Kahhori. For example, if you have 5 cards in hand on the last turn and play both Kahhori and Grandmaster, you can create a total of 19 power distributed across the entire board. This results in a significant amount of unaccountable power across various lanes.
Counters
While there aren't many direct counters, having a large hand size does make Ronan more powerful. However, that advantage may not be sufficient to overcome the power you are putting on the board. Typically, Ronan decks increase your hand size, which also benefits Kahhori. It's a delicate balance.
Shadow King serves as a versatile card that can negate the additional power of cards on the board. While it may not be a direct counter, it's something to consider, especially if you have priority in the later turns.
JF's First Week Decks
That's enough talking; let's get to a few decks that should be good to try out on release.
The Dino Lives
This deck focuses on maximizing your hand size while allowing you to play your unknown threats on the board and finish with a powerful Kahhori. Devil Dinosaur serves as a fantastic turn 5 threat, capable of boosting a lane for victory. On turn 6, you can gain even more power through Kahhori and a 2-cost card that adds cards to your hand. Additionally, Victoria Hand is included to give all your created cards a little extra power. It's a simple but effective strategy.
Less Cards, More Power
This is a slightly different approach, but I believe it's worthwhile. Since we don't know where the power from Kahhori will go, we try to limit our board to just a few options that can benefit from a buff. Additionally, we can use Wong, Kahhori, and Odin to create significant power swings on the last turn of the game, spreading that power across multiple lanes rather than concentrating it in just one. Iron Heart is likely a good addition to this deck instead of Phastos, but considering our high curve, any cost reduction would be beneficial.
Threes Company
Lastly, we aim to utilize all three of the ladies I mentioned at the beginning of the article. If you're unsure which 4-cost buff card is the best, why not include all three? This deck looks like a lot of fun, especially if you get an early Zabu. While Kahhori might not grant you a plus 7 power, you can achieve significant power swings by combining the strengths of Galacta, Gwenpool, and Kahhori. This is probably the deck I’m most excited to try out.
Spotlight and Conclusion
Kahhori is currently in the spotlight alongside Hydra Bob and Cull Obsidian. While both of these cards have historically been valuable—Hydra Bob, in particular, used to be included in nearly every deck—their popularity has waned recently. I still believe they remain quite useful.
However, with upcoming changes to the acquisition system, it's challenging to recommend using your keys to obtain these cards, including Kahhori. Both Cull and Hydra Bob have decent replacement cards that can fit into the decks that typically use them, making them less essential.
If you have a surplus of keys or want the spotlight variants, I would suggest going for it. Otherwise, it may be wiser to acquire Kahhori using tokens, assuming you plan to add her to your collection. While she appears fun and can lead to impressive wins due to her power spread, she isn't particularly unique and could often be substituted by Galacta in many decks that would consider using her.
Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you already have Gwenpool and Galacta, as well as Cull and Hydra Bob, it might be best to either wait until the end of the week or hold off until the new acquisition system is implemented. What are your plans with Kahhori?