Chen Gong

Chen Gong 陈宫 Upright and Heroic 刚直壮烈 Brilliant Scheme 明策 Once per turn, Chen Gong can give another player an Attack or equipment card.  The player then chooses to draw one card or allow Chen Gong to choose one character in their attack range. This character is attacked by the player who received the card.   Delayed Wisdom 智迟 When Chen Gong is damaged outside of his turn, he is then immune to all Attacks and non-delay tool cards for the rest of that turn. (Enforced)

Clarification:

• When option two of "Brilliant Scheme" is selected, the recipient of the ability need not discard the card that they received from Chen Gong. For example, if Chen Gong gives another character an Attack card, they can choose to let him select someone for them to Attack. The Attack happens automatically and the recipient of the card keeps the Attack card that was given to them in their hand.

• When Chen Gong activates "Brilliant Scheme" in QSanGuoSha, the target of the ability must choose option one or two before Chen Gong tells them who they would be attacking if option two is selected. On web.sanguosha.com, the target of the ability knows who Chen Gong chooses for them to attack before choosing an option.

• If option two of "Brilliant Scheme" is selected by the recipient of the card, the resulting Attack is colorless and non-elemental. The recipient can choose to activate the ability of their equipped weapon and/or applicable character abilities that activate when they Attack another character. 

• Chen Gong can give away equipment that he already has equipped via "Brilliant Scheme."

• "Delayed Wisdom" gives Chen Gong immunity to all tool cards after the first unit of damage he receives during another character's turn, whether the tool cards are beneficial or detrimental. For example, if a character that damages him plays Barbarians afterwards, Chen Gong does not need to play an Attack card. However, if they play Harvest in the same situation, Chen Gong cannot draw a card from it.  

• "Delayed Wisdom" is enforced. If Chen Gong is damaged outside of his turn, he cannot choose to be affected by Attacks or non-delay tool cards.

Strengths

Weaknesses

"Brilliant Scheme" can be very effective if the recipient chooses to cooperate with Chen Gong. Not only does the recipient of the card get a free Attack card, they can attack instantly. The first option of the power (draw an additional card) is not bad, but usually as good as the free attack. "Brilliant Scheme" can also help Chen Gong attack a character who is outside of his attacking range, so long as he has a cooperative teammate. "Brilliant Scheme" can be brutal because one target can be attacked twice during one turn (once from Chen Gong and once from the recipient of "Brilliant Scheme"). It is even worse for the poor victim if the recipient of "Brilliant Scheme" has a powerful attacking ability. "Delayed Wisdom" is useful against characters who can Attack multiple times (Zhang Fei, Tai Shi Ci, Cao Zhang, etc.) or characters with the Crossbow.

The effectiveness of "Brilliant Scheme" depends on the competency of the recipient. If the recipient of the card does not trust you, they waste the offensive power of this ability. "Delayed Wisdom" is pretty weak relative to other defensive abilities. While it is often better than not having a defensive ability, there are ways to get around it. Opponents will play non-delay tool cards like Steal and Break before attacking Chen Gong. Additionally, the power does not prevent damage from character abilities. For example, Dian Wei can damage Chen Gong with an Attack then damage him again with "Assault."   Experienced players can use "Delayed Wisdom" against Chen Gong. Note that this ability is enforced. If a character damages Chen Gong then plays Peach Garden or Harvest, Chen Gong cannot benefit from the tool card. Chen Gong is very useful on a team, but he is very weak on his own, especially in a one-on-one situation.

Notable Combinations:

• Lu Bu/Xu Sheng/Ma Chao/Zhu Rong/Ma Dai/Pan Zhang & Ma Zhong - These characters have abilities that make their Attacks more powerful than the those of the average character. These are great candidates for "Brilliant Scheme." Note that Huang Zhong is not in this list. His "Strong Bow" only works with Attacks played during his action phase, so he cannot activate this ability with "Brilliant Scheme."

• Sun Shang Xiang/Ling Tong - These characters have abilities that benefit them when the lose equipment from their equipment area. Chen Gong can help them by giving them equipment cards. 

• Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong - Chen Gong and Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong can start an infinite cycle. Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong can place equipment in Chen Gong's equipment area via "Direct Instruction." During Chen Gong's turn, he can use "Brilliant Scheme" and give the piece of equipment back to Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong. Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong can either choose to draw a card or instantly attack via "Brilliant Scheme," and they draw one card each time they use "Direct Instruction."

• Zhang Chun Hua - Zhang Chun Hua's "Unfeeling" bypasses "Delayed Wisdom." With the right cards, she may be able to kill Chen Gong quickly.

• Dian Wei/Xun Yu/Zhou Yu/Ling Tong/Zhang Jiao - These characters have abilities that can damage Chen Gong. If these abilities are activated on Chen Gong after he is damaged by a tool card or an Attack, they can 'bypass' "Delayed Wisdom."

King	Chen Gong is a mediocre king. "Delayed Wisdom" can be useful against those pesky over-zealous rebels, but it is still pretty weak. One advantage of choosing Chen Gong as the king is that the loyalists can  pick characters who can benefit greatly from "Brilliant Scheme."
Loyalist	Chen Gong is a good loyalist pick. He can help strengthen the king by giving him/her Attacks and equipment cards. However, he may be a target of the rebels. If they each damage him once per turn, he can die quickly.
Rebel	Chen Gong is a good rebel pick. He can ensure that the king is attacked on a regular basis if there is another cooperative rebel that is near the king.
Spy	Chen Gong is not a good spy pick. While it may be possible to manipulate the king into attacking a loyalist with "Brilliant Scheme," one must realize that this trick will only work once. Afterwards, nobody will trust Chen Gong and "Brilliant Scheme" will become significantly weaker. While he can keep both sides balanced, he will have a difficult time taking down the king in a one-on-one battle unless they are very weak when the last rebel dies.

Final Remarks:

Chen Gong may seem weak on paper, but "Brilliant Scheme" is very powerful, especially when the recipient chooses to Attack instead of drawing a card. Of course, there are situations in which it is better to draw a card than to attack, but this mainly happens when the recipient is low on cards or health. Although "Delayed Wisdom" is a relatively weak defensive power, it can be helpful against aggressive characters like Zhang Fei, Huang Yue Ying, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu. Against these powerful characters, it is sometimes better to take the first hit so you can relax for the rest of their turn. Otherwise, they may make you waste cards then still find a way to hurt you with an Attack or tool card. The end effect on your health will be the same, but you will have fewer hand cards to prevent further damage from other enemies.

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