The Crab are the Clan of resistance in battle. They don't go down without a fight, and these new cards show it. First off, there is a new mechanic, demonstrated in the cards Astonishing Resilience, Hida Kozan, and Hida Tsuburu. The heroes and berserkers who show "astonishing resilience" continue to fight when a lesser man would die; they stand until the end of the battle. This effect lets Personalities contribute Force to their army even after they've been destroyed. It can serve as a deterent, in the case of Kozan and Tsuburu, or as a surprise with the action card. Note that this creates an exception to a rule; the Reaction is not creating any Force, it just let's your Personality contribute from a state that normally wouldn't (specifically, multiple copies of this Reaction don't have any additional effect).
The two Crab Personalities that feature "astonishing resilience" also have another point in common. They are members of the Damned. You can expect them to have very short lifespans. Being Damned inspired Kozan's resistance trait; shamed by his taint, Kozan lives only to attack the enemies of the Crab. Therefore, until he becomes active by going to battle, there is very little your opponent can do about him because he stays in the barracks all the time. He can only be targeted by your opponent's Limited actions if he's already bowed. Together, Kozan and Tsuburu provide some support for Tomorrow's Barracks of the Damned going into Samurai edition.
Where most Clans would be worn down by a long, drawn out war, the Crab only become stronger. With Kuni Ochiyo's help, you'll have no problem withstanding a war of attrition. He makes your armies more powerful whether you are the agressor, the defender, or trading Provinces with another military deck. Combine him with Valley of Heroes from Khan's Defiance, and you should have no trouble fielding massive armies to overwhelm your opponent.
When you field armies that your opponent dreads facing, you'll want to make sure he has to. That's where Crab's new Scout comes in. Although his action affects your attacking army, it is really a defensive ability. If your opponent doesn't face you when you attack, as a Crab you can effortlessly crush his Provinces and still have your full force to defend yourself with. To complement this Scout, you can use Hida Masatori; even if your opponent faces you with a small portion of his forces, you'll be able to use Masatori to defend against the counterattack.
Finally, there is a new weapon that ensures your Crab will be at full strength, the Iron Tetsubo. In the Samurai Edition environment, Force reduction may become a little more prevelent, especially against the Crab who are so difficult to kill. If it does, the Crab will be able to arm themselves against such cowardly tactics.
These new Personalities let you play your game without leaving your opponent many options to interfere with it. For a slightly more aggressive and flexible strategy, you'll want to make use of Crab's new Advisor, Hida Otoya, featured on the preview 30 day countdown.
