Hajime Saito strategy

Purple Hajime Saito in Rurouni Kenshin is the raid face this page is about. TCG Contender files it as an aggro list, Standard tier 2. This site is hosting 74 public 50-card lists, including 18 recent top 8s. The tier list has Hajime Saito in A.

How the raid face works

UE11BT/RNK-1-040 · cost 6 · 4000 BP · Purple

The printed trigger on Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-040) is: [Raid] Add this card to your hand, or if you have the required energy, perform Raid with it. Raid printings in the current 50: Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-040) and Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-039). In Union Arena, [Raid] lets you add the card to your hand or perform Raid if the energy is there. The expensive copy is the ceiling. The cheaper copies with the same name are the steps. Contender's snapshot calls out that highest tempo (85) and power ceiling (83) of the Tier 1 aggro decks. The same snapshot flags that no true Impact/Damage-2 finisher despite otherwise top-tier stats.

The current 50-card core

From 74 lists on this site

Four-ofs: Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-036), Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-037), Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-038), Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-039), Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-040), Kenshin Himura (UE11BT/RNK-1-045), Kenshin Himura (UE11BT/RNK-1-046), Evil-Immediate-Slaughter (UE11BT/RNK-1-063), Gatotsu (UE11BT/RNK-1-064), and Hajime Saito (UEPR/RNK-1-035). Three-ofs: Kenshin Himura (UE11BT/RNK-1-048). Common two-ofs: Kenshin Himura (UE11BT/RNK-1-047), Ironclad Rengoku (UE11BT/RNK-1-062), and Hajime Saito (113) (R*) (UE11ST/RNK-1-113). That average is taken from the featured list on Rurouni Kenshin - Hajime Saito, then checked against the 74 hosted files.

The curve

Energy line · hosted 50

Energy 0-2. Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-036) and Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-038) keep the early turns honest. Energy 3-4. Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-039), Sanosuke Sagara (UE11BT/RNK-1-042), Kenshin Himura (UE11BT/RNK-1-048), and Hajime Saito (113) (R*) (UE11ST/RNK-1-113) are the mid-curve bodies. Energy 5-6. Hajime Saito (UE11BT/RNK-1-040). This is read off the hosted 50, not a hidden playbook. If your locals file plays a different 3-of, trust that file.

Mulligan

What the 50 implies

Keep a Raid Hajime Saito, at least one 0-2 cost setup card, and one Hajime Saito (039) if the cheap card missed. Ship a hand of only 7+ cost finishers. That is inferred from costs in the hosted list, not a coach sheet from a hidden room.

Tech and flex

First cards to argue about

Kenshin Himura (UE11BT/RNK-1-047), Ironclad Rengoku (UE11BT/RNK-1-062), and Hajime Saito (113) (R*) (UE11ST/RNK-1-113) are the first slots to shave if your room is all one matchup.