Ino-Shika-Cho (Naruto Card Game): The First Combo Bandai Showed Us

The first card Bandai published with full rules text for the Naruto Card Game is a combo piece. Ino Yamanaka (N-011) reads: if you have Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi on the field, all three gain Rush and +5 power/+1 damage for the turn. That is the classic Ino-Shika-Cho formation turned into a game mechanic, and the Gen Con demo decks revealed the other two thirds of it. This line assembles the trio using only printed text: Shikamaru invites himself in on your opponent's turn by interrupting their attack, Choji crashes in with Expansion Jutsu and doubles Shikamaru's power on the way, the Summon Card brings Ino down, and she fires the formation the moment she lands because Rush lets everyone swing immediately. Seven damage against a 15 Life Leader, two Chakra spent, one main phase. Texts are transcribed from the sample and demo prints, so anything Bandai changes at release gets corrected here.

Cards · 4

Turns · 3

Chakra spent0

◎Get all three of Team 10 on the field

You start herethe position turn 1 starts from · 3 turns ahead

Opening values

Chakra spent0

Shikamaru NaraHand

Choji AkimichiHand

Ino YamanakaHand

Summon CardSummon

GoalGet all three of Team 10 on the field at once

This picks up on their turn, not yours, and you have the chakra to summon. All three of Team 10 start in your hand — Shikamaru's Support is exactly what lets him ambush in from there mid-attack. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation only pays out when all three are out together, so the whole line is about surviving one attack and then landing the third member.

Setup