Ling Tong

Bold Passion and Strong Courage 豪情烈胆

**Whirlwind** 旋风
For each instance in which Ling Tong discard equipment cards in his equipment area or for each instance in which Ling Tong discards two or more hand cards during his discard phase, Ling Tong can select up to two cards owned by other characters and discard them.

**Clarification:**

* Ling Tong cannot simply discard equipped cards in order to activate "Whirlwind." He must either have another character forcibly remove his equipment or he must replaced his equipped cards with another equipment card of the same type.
* "Whirlwind" activates on a 'per-instance' basis. If Ling Tong loses multiple pieces of equipment in one instance (such as when Wu Guo Tai targets him with "Exposure"), this ability can only be activated once. Likewise, if Ling Tong discards more than two cards in his discard phase, this ability is only activated once.
* When Ling Tong activates "Whirlwind," he can discard any two cards owned by other characters. He can choose to discard two cards from the same character or choose two characters and discard one of each of their cards.
* Ling Tong cannot discard pending delay tool cards when he activates "Whirlwind."

* Ling Tong's "Whirlwind" is improved over the original Ling Tong's analogous power because it can now be activated when he discards two or more cards in his discard phase. This is useful when New Ling Tong can do nothing else during his turn.
* "Whirlwind" is useful to Ling Tong when he is targeted by *Capture* and when there is nothing that he can do during his turn, as he draws two cards in his drawing phase then must discard two cards in his discard phase to activate this ability.
* If Ling Tong has few hand cards during his turn, it become difficult for him to lose two cards in his discard phase to activate "Whirlwind."

**Notable Combinations:**

* Xun Yu/Guo Jia/Liu Bei/Xu Shu - These characters can give Ling Tong cards with their abilities. This helps him find pieces of equipment that can be used to activate "Whirlwind." Guo Jia and Liu Bei are better than the other two when paired with Ling Tong since they know what cards they are giving him and the can ensure that they are giving him equipment, but Xun Yu and Xu Shu are still very helpful.

* Wu Guo Tai - Wu Guo Tai can use "Exposure" to force Ling Tong to swap his equipment with another character. Realize that Ling Tong can only activate "Whirlwind" once per use of "Exposure" no matter how many pieces of equipment are swapped, but the fact that he can use this power on a consistent basis with the help of Wu Guo Tai is not something to be overlooked.

* Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong/Chen Gong/Zhang He - These characters have abilities that allow them to give other characters equipment. This can be very helpful for Ling Tong. Additionally, Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong's "Stabilization" can be used to keep Ling Tong's hand full after his discard phases, making it easier to activate "Whirlwind" in subsequent turns by discarding excess hand cards.

* Sun Jian/Sun Ce/Gan Ning/Jiang Wei - These characters have abilities that can force characters to discard cards. Sun Jian and Sun Ce's "Brave Spirit" allow Ling Tong to choose which cards he discards, and he can choose to discard equipment to activate "Whirlwind." Gan Ning's "Surprise" and Jiang Wei's "Instigate" can be used by them to forcibly discard Ling Tong's weapons to also activate "Whirlwind."

* Zhang Chun Hua/Zhuge Liang/Lu Xun - These characters have abilities that activate when they run out of hand cards. This gives them a defense against Ling Tong's "Whirlwind."

 Loyalist
 Rebel
 Spy

**Final Remarks:**

New Ling Tong is an improvement over the original Ling Tong. Unlike several of the 2012 SP characters, this improved version seems to be better-balanced. When using him, try to acquire equipment cards at every possible chance. Additionally, weigh out your options during your turn. If there is not much that you can do during your turn, consider doing nothing and discarding two cards in your discard phase. Remember, New Ling Tong can discard any two hand cards (including those that are not useful to him) to discard two important cards from enemies. This is a very useful way to get rid of an enemy's equipment.