On Standby! Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu (Budget Remix Rurouni Kenshin Series: 3)

Let's hop into a third budget build of this May 2025 set with another list. This deck has the potential to wall up like any standby deck and to beginning pushing for the end game at Level 2. Let's dive in!

Check out the Philosophy of the Budget Deck Remix Series here if interested!

Deck Code: 21318

https://decklog-en.bushiroad.com/view/21318

Quick Pilot Guide:

With all the focus on 8 Comeback (Gate) in red it’s easy to forget that Kenshin actually has an interesting 8 Standby build as well! Complete with a Level 0 Standby combo Kaoru that returns to hand to leave a standby slot, puts the climax she combos with back in waiting room early to guarantee it’s there for refresh, top checks 3 for a “Meiji Romantic Story” trait character, and gives something an additional +500 and +1 soul. The Level 3 Kenshin can be brought out early by a 2/1 Kaoru assist for a combo that forces your opponent to refresh with refresh damage on attack (before counters!), and sets up his own attack trigger. With no on play, he’s also a solid standby target himself. Pair it with some set up tech, relight both climax combos more than once, and the Level 2 burn event to play out a finisher game that’s available from Level 2. While the deck is nowhere as near explosive as the other red Kenshin decks, it’s incredibly playable with some interesting standby targets that can challenge typical 1/0 plus combo games.

Budget Swap-Ins:

Note: More are included here for this deck as its early game lacks some set up. Feel free to adjust especially the Level 0 game to better fit your player needs.

Probably only a tech 1 in this deck, if there’s room at all, to deal with other troublesome early plays that you can’t just power over with traditional standby options. Also a nice handfilter tech in a pinch as well.

Another option for some early game mill, especially if you need to get out of a sticky deck situation or if you need standby targets in the waiting room. The memory blink ability can sometimes come in handy for certain play situations.

Decent power, and also allows for some clock swap filter options. Good for getting things out of clock and into hand.

Due to the budget nature of this build as well as balancing the deck for other standby variables, I opted to rely on the mill of the 0/0 combo for hand filter. Some players may prefer a traditional brainstormer. While this doesn’t come out until Level 1, it could be a standby target and open up that option.

This was also let go for deck space issues and more soul triggers/standby targets, but having a 1/0 2000 power Backup Counter is nice in standby decks sometimes to deny on reverse abilities. At worst, this just becomes the card in hand you ditch for the encore ability.

Let go for deckspace as well as the fact that the backrow is probably best left available for standby targets. This can be a useful extra power and encore ability to the 1/1 can’t be reversed by cost 0 Kenshin’s if you’re in a standby mirror match or they get over it another way.

On color with our Level 1 game and a decent costless Level 1 game where you’re having issues getting off standby and are short on resources. Also can make a few limited decks play around his other ability.

Another option for dealing with early play Level 3’s. The hand encore is a secondary nice option to have if you have 2 turns at Level 2, and the on attack power means it’s okay to standby it in.

This honestly should be a tech 1 or 2 in this deck. With more playtesting, I would probably tailor the Level 0 game to include it. The damage could help with Leveling up in a limited way, and the ability to deny a reverse during attack phase is a gamble they’ll have to possibly take or play around.

Standby decks are inherently greedy by nature. I opted to go for the 2/1 event counter over this anti-damage counter due to the stock cost differential. Some players will prefer this instead, so feel free to swap it in to meet your playstyle.

Another brainstormer option if you would prefer one in the deck. This one technically fits the series “enemy” deck better, but it’s a search brainstormer with a secondary useful Level 0 attacker ability combo.

Having trouble cycling Standby Climaxes to hand to relight a combo? This may be the tech answer. Also a viable front row standby target that you don’t mind early game if they get over if you’re missing a climax in hand.

This is a borderline budget card. Given its powerful ability and the fact it’s a resonance target for the TD+ Level 3 (which is a different finisher option from the set 3/2 RR for the 8 Comeback (Gate) deck) could make this hard to get a hold of. However, if there are some hanging around in your bulk swapping this for some other 0’s could help deck consistency, as well as ditching standby targets stuck in your hand.

This is another card that should probably be in this build. Feel free to adjust the 0 counts if you find you need more set up. This allows you to ditch standby targets for viable playables. I went with the on play 0 search Yahiko so that I didn’t need to wait until the attack phase to get playables in hand. On the flip side, lighting on attack means you can use his ability to pay out standby triggers.

If for some reason you decide to forego the 2/1 Kaoru change assist and go for a strategy to just standby in the 3/2 Kenshin finisher, this Level assist may be a good option. Not a good standby in assist, but she is solid for hand filtering on play for something else you’d like to retrieve and play.

Upgrades for when there’s some extra change in the wallet after payday:

A strong on play power Yahiko that helps with filtering hand and milling the deck for early game hand/deck issues.

An early play healer that helps to heal and hand filter. Allows a better Level 2 game and trying to buy time to build resources for Level 3. Also aids in increasing soul trigger counts in the deck over the 0/0 play.

While this will sadly be an investment due to being a Resonance target for the set’s RR 3/2 in red as well as all of its other useful abilities, this card is a great three for one special for this deck. Set up hand, prevent you from getting stuck at Level 0 when you’re ready to move on and standby in Level 2s.

A brainstormer for when you need something back in hand to play from the waiting room, standby targets in the waiting room, and an on play ability for a possibility of digging out the climax combo from the deck. (Be careful! Check there’s already a copy in the waiting room first before paying costs!) If I was to upgrade this deck with anything, this would be the top priority, even if nothing else got added.

This shop PR was the shop PR for the month of June I believe, but I could be off by a month. This is a +2500 Backup that also allows you to pay an additional stock, discard a “Meiji Romantic Story” trait character from hand to waiting room, and put a character from your stage in the waiting room to anti-change an Opponent’s Character who is higher than your Opponent’s Level to the bottom of their deck. This counter has several possible plays including getting rid of early play Level 3s or getting rid of a character who’s an on reverse combo target.