• "Marriage" cannot be activated on a male character who is at full health, but Sun Shangxiang can be at full health when she activates this ability.

• Sun Shangxiang cannot discard equipment cards of her own volition just to activate "Armed Consorts." She must either replace this equipment with another piece of equipment of the same type (weapon, armor, etc.) or this equipment must be the target of another character's Break or Steal.

• Sun Shangxiang's abilities work well with many characters, making her highly versatile in team play.

• "Armed Consorts" can become a self-sustaining process, allowing her to draw more cards, which fuels her abilities.

• Sun Shangxiang is very fragile, with limited defenses. Her "Marriage" ability is expensive, requiring two hand cards, and relies on the presence of another injured male character, which can leave her vulnerable.

• Team Synergy with Card Distribution:
  Sun Shangxiang works well with characters who can provide her with equipment or extra cards. Liu Bei and Guo Jia both excel in this regard. Liu Bei can give her cards to fuel "Marriage," healing them both, while Guo Jia can use his damage-based abilities to give her extra cards. This synergy allows both characters to keep healing and drawing, making them hard to defeat when played together.

• Exploiting Equipment Removal:
  Characters who can remove or manipulate equipment make excellent partners for Sun Shangxiang, as they help trigger her "Armed Consorts" ability. Fa Zheng's "Dazzle" and Gan Ning's ability to Break equipment both allow Sun Shangxiang to draw extra cards by removing her equipment. In these setups, she gains significant advantage by constantly cycling cards through equipment manipulation.

• Abilities that Enhance Equipment Exchange:
  Sun Shangxiang thrives with characters who can enhance her equipment exchange potential. Wu Gou Tai's "Exposure" allows Sun Shangxiang to swap her equipment with other characters, triggering "Armed Consorts" and drawing more cards. Characters like Sun Jian, who can manipulate card draw and discard through "Brave Spirit," also complement Sun Shangxiang's playstyle, allowing her to accumulate even more equipment and cards during the game.

• Characters Providing Consistent Equipment Supply:
  Sun Shangxiang benefits from having a steady stream of equipment, which is enabled by characters like Chen Gong, Zhang Zhao & Zhang Hong, and Zhang He. These characters can support her by ensuring she always has enough equipment to utilize "Armed Consorts" effectively, keeping her card advantage high throughout the game.

King

• • Despite her fragility, Sun Shangxiang can be a good king under the right circumstances. If supported by strong loyalists, especially male characters she can heal with "Marriage," her survival and influence can be extended.

Loyalist

• • Sun Shangxiang is a strong loyalist, particularly if the king is a male character. Her ability to heal him each turn is a useful tool in maintaining the king’s health.

Rebel

• • Sun Shangxiang’s ability to draw many cards with "Armed Consorts" makes her a powerful rebel, allowing her to put pressure on the king and allies.

Spy

• • Sun Shangxiang is a viable spy, but her fragility requires careful play to avoid becoming a target too early.

Sun Shangxiang is an excellent team-based character, thriving in synergy with others who can provide equipment or benefit from her healing ability. "Armed Consorts" allows her to amass cards quickly, which makes her very potent in the right circumstances. However, her lack of defensive abilities and the expensive nature of her "Marriage" ability makes her vulnerable to aggressive attacks. If left unchecked, she can become one of the most powerful characters on the field, but players will often target her early because of her fragility.

Historically, Sun Shangxiang was the sister of Sun Quan, and she is most famously remembered for her marriage to Liu Bei. This marriage was arranged as part of an alliance between Liu Bei and Sun Quan. However, Sun Shangxiang was known for her martial prowess and independent spirit, traits that often conflicted with her role as a noblewoman.

According to the stories, on the night of her wedding to Liu Bei, when he entered her chambers, he found the walls adorned with weapons—swords, bows, and other arms. Startled by the display, Liu Bei asked for the weapons to be removed, symbolizing a shift in Sun Shangxiang's life from her warrior-like nature to her new role as a noble lady of a great state.

After Liu Bei's return to Jing Zhou, Sun Shangxiang's role in the political landscape diminished. While Liu Bei was on campaign in Yi Zhou, she was deceived into returning to Wu, from where she would never return or see her husband again.

Sun Shangxiang's historical persona as a strong-willed woman and her symbolic role in the alliance between Shu and Wu reflect the martial and supportive abilities she exhibits in Sanguosha. Her "Marriage" ability and "Armed Consorts" reflect her historical transition from a warrior to a figure of support and alliance, while also maintaining her strength as a member of Wu’s royal family.