• "Embarrass" activates during your turn if your current hand size is less than or equal to your attack range at the moment you play a hand card. Upon activation, you choose one target within your attack range, and that target must discard one card from their hand.

• "Little Talent" triggers when you discard at least two cards with the same suit in a single instance. This ability does not occur immediately; instead, if the condition is met, you draw one card at the end of the phase.

• The card discards required for "Little Talent" can come from any effect that causes you to discard cards. Usually this will happen during his discard phase, but it could happen outside of his turn from the Ice Sword, or a similar ability.

• "Refusal" is not an optional ability. Ma Su cannot use Negates in any way.

• "Embarrass" pressures opponents by forcing them to discard cards, potentially depleting their hand and reducing their tactical options.

• "Little Talent" provides a means to regain card advantage when you discard multiple cards of the same suit, ensuring you remain resourceful.

• Both abilities reward strategic card discarding; by managing your hand effectively, you can maximize both disruption against opponents and your own resource generation.

• "Embarrass" only activates if your hand size is low relative to your attack range, limiting its opportunities in a well-stocked hand.

• "Little Talent" depends on discarding two or more cards of the same suit, which may not always be feasible, particularly if your deck lacks suit diversity.

• Ma Su’s abilities focus on resource manipulation and disruption rather than dealing direct damage, making him less effective in aggressive, damage-focused strategies.

• Card Generators:
  Allies such as Guo Jia or Xun Yu, who help maintain a robust hand, can provide you with the extra cards needed to trigger "Little Talent" consistently.

• Disruption Synergy:
  Pairing with characters that force opponents to discard, like Gan Ning or Zhang Liao, can amplify the disruptive effect of "Embarrass" on enemy strategies.

• Flexible Deck Management:
  Teaming up with players who manipulate or recycle cards, like Xiao Qiao, can help you meet the conditions required for "Little Talent," ensuring you draw additional cards when needed.

King

• • Ma Su is generally less effective as King due to his focus on hand manipulation rather than direct protection or sustained offense. His abilities can disrupt opponents, but he does not offer strong self-defense.

Loyalist

• • As a Loyalist, Ma Su excels by weakening enemy hands with "Embarrass" and maintaining his own card advantage through "Little Talent," supporting the King by reducing opponents’ resources.

Rebel

• • In the Rebel role, his abilities can be used to disrupt the King's supporters by forcing them to discard critical cards, though his overall impact is more indirect.

Spy

• • Ma Su is effective as a Spy, where his focus on resource manipulation and subtle disruption can shift the balance of power without drawing too much attention.

Ma Su is a strategic, support-oriented character whose strengths lie in resource manipulation and disruption. His "Embarrass" ability forces opponents within his reach to discard cards when his own hand is low, creating pressure and potentially weakening enemy tactics. Meanwhile, "Little Talent" helps him replenish his resources by rewarding him for discarding multiple cards of the same suit. However, his effectiveness depends on careful hand management and timing, as his abilities are conditional and do not directly contribute to damage output. Players who enjoy a cerebral, control-focused playstyle will find Ma Su to be a challenging yet rewarding choice.

Ma Su was a prominent strategist and general under Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period. Despite his reputation as a brilliant tactician on paper—earning him the epithet "Paper Strategy"—he is historically remembered for his critical failures in the field. Most notably, at the Battle of Jieting, Ma Su's miscalculations led to the disastrous defeat of Shu forces, a loss that contributed significantly to the eventual downfall of Shu. His reliance on theory over practical military experience serves as a cautionary tale about the limits of academic brilliance in the face of real-world combat.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ma Su’s character is often depicted as intellectually gifted but tragically flawed, a man whose high-minded strategies ultimately could not compensate for his lack of battlefield acumen. The abilities in his Sanguosha card mirror this legacy: "Embarrass" reflects his theoretical approach to warfare—forcing opponents to discard resources, while "Little Talent" symbolizes his potential to draw on deep reserves of strategic insight, albeit inconsistently. Together, these abilities encapsulate the dichotomy of Ma Su's historical image: a brilliant mind whose failures on the battlefield left an indelible mark on the annals of Chinese history.