Xu Huang

Xu Huang 徐晃 Zhou Yafu of Old 周亚夫之风 Blockade 断粮 Xu Huang can use any black-suited basic or equipment card as Starvation. Furthermore, Xu Huang's range with respect to the use of Starvation is increased by one.

Clarification:

• The only black-suited cards that cannot be used as Starvation via "Blockade" are black-suited tool cards. 

• Xu Huang can use equipped cards to activate "Blockade."

• Xu Huang's "Blockade" extends Xu Huang's Starvation range from a distance of one to a distance of two. If Xu Huang has a -1 Horse equipped, his Starvation range is increased further to a distance of three. 

• If Xu Huang discards an equipped -1 Horse to activate "Blockade," his Starvation range for the -1 Horse is only two, as Xu Huang immediately forfeits the range bonus of the -1 Horse when using it in this capacity. 

• Note that Xu Huang's "Blockade" does not increase his physical range. As such, Xu Huang does not have an increased range for the use of the Attacks or Steals by virtue of this power. 

Strengths

Weaknesses

"Blockade" gives Xu Huang many options for cards that he can use when targeting another character with Starvation. Because Xu Huang can use any black-suited non-tool card can be used to activate this ability, Xu Huang will likely be able to use this ability on every turn. Xu Huang can use "Blockade" to target a single player with Starvation for several consecutive turns. This can be devastating for the targeted character, as they will be worn out by their enemies and they will have no source of cards. The Starvation range increase that Xu Huang enjoys via "Blockade" is quite useful. It increases the number of players that Xu Huang can target with this ability and helps him circumvent +1 Horses.

The effectiveness of "Blockade" is hampered by Negates and passing judgement flips by the victims. Xu Huang effectively wastes a black-suited card each time one of his victims circumvents this ability. A player that uses Xu Huang often finds that their main purpose is to simply prevent another player from drawing cards. Because it costs Xu Huang a card to activate "Blockade," his 'net draw' is decreased from two cards to one card. As such, he cannot always participate as actively in the battle as other characters can. The end result of this is that Xu Huang is dependent upon his teammates to provide an offensive assault while he is relegated to keeping another character 'bound.' Xu Huang is a high-profile character. If he uses most his drawn cards as Starvation, he will be open to his opponents' assaults.

Notable Combinations:

• Liu Bei/Xun Yu/Guo Jia/Xu Shu - These characters can give Xu Huang cards that he can use to activate "Blockade."

• Zhang Jiao/Sima Yi/Wang Yi - These characters are judgement tinkerers and have a better chance of passing the judgement for Starvation than other characters do.

• Jia Xu - Jia Xu's "Curtain" gives him complete protection against Xu Huang's "Blockade." This robs Xu Huang of his only advantage.

• Zhuge Liang - Zhuge Liang's "Empty City" activates when he has no hand cards. As a result, "Blockade" is not as effective against him. Furthermore, Zhuge Liang's "Astrology" gives him the choice to pass the judgement flip.

• Zhang He - Zhang He's "Clever Change" allows him to move pending judgement cards. Zhang He can place Xu Huang's Starvation cards on one of his allies or even on Xu Huang himself.

• Lu Xun/Zhang Chun Hua - These characters have abilities that dictate a certain number of hand cards at all times. As such, Xu Huang's "Blockade" is not very effective against these characters. 

King	Xu Huang is not a good king selection. "Blockade" is a useful power, but it will not be enough to hold all of the rebels at bay.
Loyalist	Xu Huang is a decent loyalist. He can exhaust the rebels by continuously targeting them with Starvation and allow the king and the other loyalists to fight them.
Rebel	Xu Huang is a great rebel. He can consistently target the king and possibly the loyalists with Starvation while the other rebels deal damage.
Spy	Xu Huang can be a decent spy, but he must keep a low profile until one side seems to get a significant advantage. If he can somehow last until he is in a one-on-one battle with the king, his chances of success will increase as he can target the king multiple times consecutively with Starvation.

Final Remarks:

Xu Huang is a great support character. He may seem overpowered, but in practice, he seems to be well-balanced with the rest of the San Guo Sha cast. He can perform well in one-on-one situations as well as team situations. When using him on a team, it is necessary to communicate with your team members. Your teammates should work with you to kill one target at a time. While Xu Huang uses "Blockade" to target a character with Starvation, the teammates must attack and damage this character in any way possible to kill them quickly.