Hei Lian and Rainworn Gate: how the Water starter deck plays

A displaced entity goes from the Garden to its owner’s Alley, and its effects don’t trigger on the way. They can only portal one entity a turn through their Gate, so every displace costs them time. Puddle Abduction (cost 4 or less), Back Alley Abductor, Gabu (cost 2 or less) and Lowtide Jack (cost 3 or less, when portaled) do it cheap.

Every displace you do also turns on Hei Lian: once a turn, 1 IKZ for +1 attack. And Back Alley Punk gets +1 attack, once a turn too.

Rainworn Gate lowers an opposing entity’s cost by the portaled entity’s Gate Power. Portal a Gate Power 2 entity and their 6-cost entity counts as 4, so Puddle Abduction can take it. Do it the same turn: the cut is gone before your next turn comes.

Once they have 2 or more entities in their Alley, Relic Runner Shao has 4 attack, Gathering Tide, Rowan costs 1 less, and Blue Haze, Kai can bounce a 2-cost. Flow of Fortune draws one per entity there (up to 3), and Ninpō: Healing Stream heals one per entity (up to 4).

Qingyue is a 4/5 that costs 10, minus 1 for Hei Lian and minus 1 for each Whirlpool entity in your Garden. Kappa Kappa, Sentinel of Passage, Usui and Gabu are all Whirlpool, so it can get really cheap. Let him cook.