Unlike the other Mandates, Betray only benefits the current player, as they sway their opponents’ figures to their cause, causing irreparable rifts in any Alliance. This is a powerful and dangerous Mandate that should not be played lightly.

If the player is in an Alliance, this Alliance is immediately broken and the Betraying player loses Honor. If the Betraying player was not in an Alliance, they do not lose Honor.

EXAMPLE: The KOI player plays Betray. Their Alliance with DRAGONFLY is immediately undone, and they lose Honor.

When playing Betray, the player chooses up to 2 figures on the Map, belonging to 2 different players, and immediately replaces them with figures of the same type that they have in their own Reserve. You cannot replace 2 figures belonging to the same player, replace an opponent’s figure with one of yours that is already on the board, or replace an opponent’s figure with one from your Reserve that’s a different type. Note that a Monster in Reserve can be used to replace another Monster. Even though they have different names, they are the same type of figure. The replaced figures are returned to their owners’ Reserves (though they are not considered to have been killed). Note that if the player just broke their Alliance, they don’t necessarily have to replace one of the figures of their former Ally.

Daimyo figures cannot be affected by Betrayal.

Shinto figures on the Shrines are not affected by Betrayal (unlike any on the Map).

The player cannot replace a figure if they don’t have a figure in reserve of the same type.

Replacing a figure is not considered a Summon (Shinto cannot be sent to worship).

Negotiation Tip

Even when Betraying, there is an opportunity for forceful negotiation. You have the power of removing almost any figure from the Map. How about making some requests in exchange for sparing an opponent’s valuable asset?

EXAMPLE: After playing Betray, the KOI player replaces the TURTLE’s Oni of Skulls Monster with the Komainu Monster they had in their Reserve, and replaces the DRAGONFLY Bushi with one of the Bushi from their Reserve.