Analysing the EB03 Spike Brothers Cards

Introduction
In conjunction with my previous article on the Spike Brothers Stand Trigger, I decided to extend my coverage to all the new support cards being released for Spike Brothers in EB03. They get some really nice cards, including 7k boosters which they severely lacked. Their new boss card in Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor will definitely boost them in competitiveness as it starts to overtake Dudley Dan. Without further ado, here we go.


Grade 0's

Dark Bringer, Chisho

AUTO: When a 《Spike Brothers》 rides on this unit, you may call this card to a rear-guard circle.

AUTO 【R】: [Put this unit into your soul] When this unit's attack hits, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose up to 1 《Spike Brothers》 from your hand and call it to a rear-guard circle.

God-awful card. If we read closely, its not the unit that it boosts hits, its Dark Bringer, Chisho itself that has to hit. Atrocity that should have never been made. It will never outrank Mecha Trainer. Kill it with fire.

Grade 1's

Medical Manager

AUTO: When this unit is called to a vanguard or rear-guard circle and you have a 《Spike Brothers》 vanguard, you may soul charge(1).

An okay card. 7k booster sure, but we get two more in this set that in my opinion outrank this card in usefulness. Generally the balance between our soulblasting needs and soulcharging is well-kept, but splashing a couple copies of this card may give you more breathing room in terms of soulblasting.


UPDATE: After further testing this card has been preferred over Dudley Daisy. It's soulcharge gives you much needed wiggle room in terms of soulblasting, especially with now 4 cards that can soulblast. Using a Zachary would generally mess up your soul balance, but this card fixes that easily.

Reckless Express

[AUTO](RC): [Soul-Blast 1] When this unit attacks, you may pay the cost. If you do, this unit gets [Power] +5000 until end of that battle, and at the beginning of the close step of that battle, return this unit to your deck, and shuffle your deck.

Sick card. Has an effect similar to Highspeed Brakki and Juggernaut Maximum, but can also reach 20k if boosted by Wonder Boy. Can be really useful in the early game and in pinch situations where a versatile Grade 1 is just what you need. I don't think it should be a RR in the set, but it's 7k power and solid skill will make it a definite mainstay in future Spike Brothers decks.

Dudley Daisy

AUTO: [Counterblast (1)] If this unit is placed on a rear-guard circle during battle phase and you have a 《Spike Brothers》 vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, this unit gets Power +5000 during this turn.

This and Dudley Douglas I think are two of the most underrated cards in this set. True, you can only Counterblast 1 to gain that extra 5k when you superior call her during the Battle Phase, but that's when Demonic Lord, Emperor Dudley calls units. Calling this behind a 9k rearguard and Counterblasting 1 allows the column to swing for 21k, which can work in a pinch when you were forced to call boosters using Dudley Emperor (because you didn't have any) while still being able to hit for high, offensive numbers. The downside is that it can't really be "splashed in" as to use her effect, she must be called from the deck - meaning you would need to run as many as possible in case of drawing/damage checking her. But in reality, that's not so bad as her 7k power still makes her a really good booster.


Update: After further testing I have concluded that the times that you are forced to call boosters with Dudley Emperor are few and far in between. For this reason, I have taken out all copies from my test deck on BYOND and have replaced her with Medical Managers.

Grade 2's (PLEASE READ GRADE 2 UPDATE BELOW)

Dudley Douglas

AUTO: [Counterblast(1)] If this unit is placed onto a rear-guard circle during battle phase and you have a 《Spike Brothers》 vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, this unit gets Power +5000 during this turn.

Similar to Dudley Daisy, this card gains +5k by Counterblasting 1 when called out in the battle phase, which would be through Dudley Emperor. This in front of any 7k booster and using it's skill allows to hit for 21k - meaning it can hit for high amounts while being able to keep field presence and being able to intercept with it next turn.

Field Driller

AUTO 【V/R】： When this unit's attack hits a vanguard, if you have at least 4 other 《Spike Brothers》 rear-guards, draw a card. 

Read update below.

Brave General, Zachary

AUTO 【R】: [Soulblast (1)] When this unit's attack hits a vanguard and you have a 《Spike Brothers》 vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw a card, and at the start of this battle's close step, return this unit to your deck and shuffle it. 

Decent card. Although it does have an "on-hit" effect, it doesn't have a shitty power base. It's effect itself is nifty if you do get it off - a "break even" which also frees up space for other units to be called using Dudley Emperor's ability. I would probably not run more than 3; personally in my deck it's mostly a filler Grade 2 that is more versatile than a 10k vanilla. It's art is also pretty awesome.


UPDATE: After some more testing I've concluded that Douglas, while still a decent card could be left out, it's reason being that not only is it a vanilla once outside the deck, but it's counterblast messes up your ability to use Emperor twice unless you heal. Fierce General Zachary has been testing better, especially in the early game. I've figured that the deck can really benefit from an aggressive early (before they ride to Grade 3) due to our slow mid game before we get to 4 damage to use Emperor's limit break. The top Spike decks that have just been revealed last week or so baffled me at first. They ran no Douglas, and ran Field Driller. It didn't make sense to me until I realized that in order to make up for the slow mid game, Spikes had to go aggro in the early game. That's why cards such as Zachary and Field Driller were used. Field Driller although they may be low power, thanks to Mecha Trainer it's easy to get good boosters for these cards to hit good numbers, especially against Grade 1 and Grade 2 opposing Vanguards. These cards force your opponent to either guard, or you gain an advantage, either drawing straight up with Field Driller, or drawing and freeing up a spot in front with Zachary's tagging out effect. In short, Douglas meh, everything else good.

Grade 3's

Jelly Beans

ACT 【hand】: (Show this card to your opponent, place it at the bottom of your deck) If you have a 《Spike Brothers》 vanguard, search your deck for up to one 《Spike Brothers》 unit with 「Dudley」 in its name which is grade 2 or below, show it to your opponent and add it to your hand, shuffle your deck.

Sounds decent at first, but the only card that you actually want to search to get to your hand is Dudley Dan, but that's overtaken by Demonic Lord, Emperor Dudley in this set. It can help with consistency, as it's able to search for Dudley Daisy/Douglas so you don't miss a ride. However it's usefulness outside of that aspect coupled with the already cramped Grade 3 line-up makes it not worth the deck space in future top decks.

Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor

Auto 【V】: Limit Break 4 (This ability is active if you have four or more damage): [Counter Blast (2), choose two 《Spike Brothers》 from your hand, and move it to Soul] When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, search for up to two 《Spike Brothers》 from your deck and call them to separate open R, then shuffle your deck.

Auto 【V】: When this unit is boosted by a《Spike Brothers》, this unit gets POWER +3000 for that battle.

Our prayers have been answered. Finally, the big, bad Limit Break boss for Spike Brothers. It's ability outranks Dudley Dan completely, allowing us to superior call two units from our deck. With an ideal field, two Juggernauts can attack with their soulblast ability, tag out and be recalled out with this card - allowing us to attack a total of 5 times in one turn. Not only that, but with Dudley Emperor's second ability, with an 8k booster can hit fro 21k, an awesome number to hit with a Vanguard. With this card's arrival comes General Seifried's departure as you will want to ride this every time. It's 10k power may make it a little harder to guard but it's all worth it as it allows Spike Brothers to hit harder and faster than ever.

Conclusion

EB03 treats Spike Brothers extremely well. With 7k boosters and a much faster and effective version of Dudley Dan, we can hit high numbers more often while not losing advantage too much. I can see Spike Brothers becoming a much more competitive deck, and hope to see more of them in the future.

HerO

Don't forget to check out KS Games for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard needs!

Tournament Report #1

So today Chan (from DifferenceinSkill) hosted a single elimination tournament at our locals. Entry fee was $10, but we also got 3 entry packs of Japanese Booster Set 6. My pulls were not too bad, a Beast Deity Azure Dragon, Death Seeker Thanatos and some Rare.


Using my friend's Tsukuyomi deck that I usually play, my first match was against Why who was using Narukami. HERE WE GO:


Round 1 (vs. Narukami)
Game 1; in my first turn I check the top 5 for the Grade 1 Tsukuyomi to reveal three Grade 2 Tsukuyomis. Scoop.
Game 2; in my first turn I check the top 5 for the Grade 1 Tsukuyomi to reveal two Grade 3 Tsukuyomis. I keep playing as I had the Grade 1 in my hand. Second turn I check the top 5 for the Grade 2 Tsukuyomi to reveal one more Grade 3 Tsukuyomi, but it's okay there are four in the deck. I ride the Grade 2 from my hand and call Oracle Guardian, Red-Eye. I swing with Red-Eye to soulcharge. Why let's it hit and I soulcharge the last Grade 3 Tsukuyomi that's not in the bottom 10 cards of my deck. Scoop.

Result: 0-2 LOSS


So yeah, best tournament evar. I wasn't mad at all as I still played casually with friends, watched the rest of the matches and I broke even with my pack pulls. Why ended up winning the whole tournament and winning more packs, from which he didn't pull anything exciting from.


I promise for a better tournament report next time.


HerO

EB03: Analysing the Spike Brothers Stand Trigger

Introduction
With the release of EB03 has come further support for many clans. Gold Paladin get the Spectral Duke Dragon ride chain, Royal Paladin get their Limit Break unit in Pendragon. Even Kagero and Shadow Paladin get some support as well. But what I will be focussing on is the Spike Brothers support, specifically the Stand Trigger, Kung Fu Kicker. With the whole point of Spike Brothers being rushing your opponent with multiple, hard-hitting attacks, a Stand trigger seems like a really good fit. But does testing agree or disagree with the Theoryfight? Let's find out.


Stand in Action
I have come across a lot of "potential plays" around forums and the Cardfight!! Vanguard wikia. While some statements such as "Stands are awesome, they let me Stand my boosters" or "Sky Diver will become so good" may hold some worth, it is best to take comments from people that haven't actually tested it with a grain of salt. Which is where I come in, reporting my findings after having tested in order to allow people to create their own opinions. 


The number one "play" that people have been boasting about is that the stand trigger allows them to "stand their boosters". If anyone is not familiar with Spike Brothers, the deck revolves around hitting for relatively high numbers (16k in the form of Juggernaut Maximum) with no boosters then returning them to the deck through their own effects. Other cards such as Dudley Dan and Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor then call the units back, standing and ready for another attack with the still standing booster behind them. What these people want is to be able to attack with their initial unit, boosted, so the stand trigger then stands the booster behind the newly-called unit. The main problem I see with this logic, is that to be able to benefit from the stand trigger, you would need to commit beforehand by resting your booster and then hoping you get the stand trigger. Not only are the odds of that slim, but if you don't check one, the prior commitment to the Stand makes your second attack weaker and easier to guard, which is not what you want, since your opponent, unless at 5 damage, will generally take the first attack in hopes of getting a trigger to make the rest of the attacks easier to guard. You want your opponent to use up their hand to guard your relentless attacks, and committing to the stand trigger makes it so your opponent uses up less cards to guard your now weaker attacks.


Second play that people have been talking about involves Sky Diver. Sky Diver, for those who don't know adds itself to Soul when it hits and allows you to call something in its place in order to attack again. Generally, players will want to guard it's attack for the fear of calling a Juggernaut in its place, as Juggernaut can hit for 16k for the cost of a soulblast. The play is obvious, when you attack with the Sky Diver and your opponent guards it, you get a Stand trigger in your drive checks and you stand and add the power so it swings for 16k. Although not necessarily a bad play, it would only be useful in situational circumstances, ie. when your opponent is at 5 damage and has nothing to guard with. This is where Stands are best, as your opponent has already calculated that they need an X amount of shield to guard and then a Stand appears, messing everything up. Unfortunately this scenario is extremely situational, meaning that it rarely actually happens. Let's say your opponent is at anything but 5 damage and they decide to not guard the Sky Diver that just stood with the trigger. Then what? Unless you're calling a Juggernaut over it that can swing for 16k by itself, it's going to be an easy 5k block for your opponent. In my opinion, an 11k rearguard for an extra 5k shield is not worth it at all. A similar play has been suggested using Brave General, Zachary. This card, when it hits allows you to SB1 to draw a card and then Zachary returns to the deck. Naturally, people have stated that standing Zachary will give you another shot to get the effect off. Unfortunately, Zachary is 9k, meaning with the power of a Stand it reaches 14k which will still only require a 5k shield to block.


So let's say you're still not convinced and have been waiting for ages for Bushiroad to give your absolute favourite clan a Stand trigger and nothing some n00b blogger says will change your mind. Then the question becomes what trigger to take out? Critical triggers? Well you're supposed to be rushing your opponent to 6 damage with fast attacks, Criticals kind of help you in that matter so why would you take those out? Heal triggers? If you want to have no hope when you're at 5 damage and can't guard an attack, then sure. Draw triggers? They allow you to keep up in hand size and become easy perfect guard fodder or easy 5k shields to guard small attacks. Once again, all the other triggers give you an essentially free advantage in some way, be it an extra damage, extra card drawn, that a stand trigger does not.


Inner Conflict
Okay so standing the boosters doesn't appear to be very effective, what about standing the attacking rearguards? Well if we may recall, Spike Brothers involves attacking with cards such as Juggernaut Maximum or Highspeed Brakki that can tag back into the deck and then Dudley Emperor or Dudley Dan can call them back. The problem is, Dudley Emperor can call two units back, and ideally it would be two attacking units that would be called over attacking units that just tagged back into the deck. This means that during your drive checks, ideally everything should already be standing, making stand triggers completely pointless. It appears Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor's own effect conflicts with the use of a stand trigger, which makes it even harder to justify making room for the stand.


Conclusion
To conclude, the stand trigger for Spike Brothers may not be as cracked up as people make it out to be. My testing, albeit somewhat limited, has proved to me at least that the stand trigger, while it sounds effective on paper, has not been testing nearly as well in reality. To me, it's hard to justify fitting them in due to it's necessary commitment to be useful, and otherwise lack of benefit compared to other triggers. These are simply my own findings and opinions, and I hope because of this, others are pushed to test it themselves and create their own opinions.


HerO


Don't forget to check out KS Games for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard needs!

[Vancouver, BC] Team Tournament Report

With the Team Tournament hosted by DifferenceinSkill now in the history books, it's time for my personal tournament report. The format was Swiss with 5 rounds (one being a Bye). The first player of each team would play each other and regardless of the outcome, both would switch out for the next two players, like in the anime. Without further ado, here we go:

My Team

Calling ourselves the Three Sackateers, my team consisted of (in this order):

Mochachiiiino - Nova Grapplers

HerO - Tsukuyomi OTT

FuzzyApple - Dimensional Police

Round 1

Our first opponents were Chan's team. Chan played Dragonic Overlord The End while his teammates played Shadow Paladin and Gold Paladin. To say the least, our work was cut out for us.

Mochachiiiino (Nova Grappler) vs. Ben (Phantom Blaster Overlord)

With Ben missing his Blaster Javelin ride, things were looking good. Mochachiiiino slowly gained advantage by checking Grade 3's to stand his units and triggers while having plenty to guard with. Eventually Ben did get to a 13k Phantom Blaster Overlord, but with 11k Divine Beast Azure Dragons and Asura Kaisers and 7k boosters, Mochachiiiino kept hitting for 18k, forcing 10k shields from Ben's hand. Eventually it was too much to handle and Mochachiiiino took the first game.

HerO (Tsukuyomi OTT) vs. Chan (Overlord The End)

I start off getting all the Tsukuyomi rides, but I took 4 damage a little too early in the game thanks to a critical trigger and having nothing to guard with. When I get to the Grade 3 Tsukuyomi, I boost it with Blue-Eye but without a 6th soul I don't get either of their effects off that turn. He rides Dragonic Overlord and I know The End is right around the corner, meaning I had to take advantage of his 11k Vanguard right there. Unfortunately, my field set-up was far from ideal due to the available cards in my hand, even after topping a Psychic Bird to use Tsukuyomi's effect. I knew there and then that I was not going to be able to last until I got to my trigger stack. At only 4 damage he rides Dragonic Overlord The End, and I know it's all going to be downhill from here. I have to guard his attacks because of it's Persona Blast and my hand starts to deplete. In my last turn I have to call over Blue-Eye (hitting for bad numbers against 13k) and Silent Tom (as it's useless with a 13k Vanguard) for Evil-eye Princess, Euryale and a Gemini behind my Full Moon Tsukuyomi knowing that either I win this turn or I will lose the game. Unfortunately I get no triggers and lose the following turn. 13k Vanguards are stupid. Moving on.

FuzzyApples (Dimensional Police) vs. Joel (Gold Paladin)

The only thing I remember about this game is that FuzzyApples hits for 2 Crit and Joel takes it to reveal two Draw Triggers as damage checks. The game was pretty much over by then as Joel never let go of his advantage. We end up with a 1-2 loss first round but that was 1 win more than I thought we were gonna get. 

Result: 1-2 LOSS

Round 2

Due to our amazing luck we got to play the two most top-tier teams first. Why and his teammates all played Shadow Paladin, Majesty Lord Blaster and Dragonic Overlord the End. Fun.

Mochachiiiino (Nova Grappler) vs. Johnny (Majesty Lord Blaster)

Don't remember much about this game other than Mochachiiino characteristically drew 4 Grade 3's in the first 3 turns, forcing him to take damage early. Even though Johnny did not get Majesty Lord Blaster's effect until later in the game it was too little too late for Mochachiiino and with a depleted hand and not drive checking anything, loses the game.

HerO (Tsukuyomi OTT) vs. Willie (Overlord the End)

Another The End deck, what fun. I get a poor start this game, missing my Grade 2 Tsukuyomi, the most important ride. I ride a Oracle Guardian Red-Eye in hopes of soul charging the Grade 2 but no such luck. The following turn I do top the Grade 2 so I ride it over Red-Eye. While I'm just trying to keep afloat Willie's hand gets to about 13-15 cards, which didn't even matter as I only had 1 double trigger stack available, which I miss because I can't count apparently. Knowing that I have nothing left and he has 15 cards in his hand, I lose shortly after.

Result: 0-2 LOSS

Round 3

We get a bye. Yay.

Round 4

Now that the top 2 teams are over with, we should have an easier time with the other teams right? RIGHT?!?!

Mochachiiiino (Nova Grappler) vs. ONImuzik (Majesty Lord Blaster)

I don't remember much about this game except for the end where ONImuzik misplays and guards for 10k with two 5k's but leaves a perfect guard and Blaster Dark in his hand, which he can't discard for Isolde's effect. Had he ditched the Blaster Dark and kept anything else he would've been fine. Mochachiiiino takes the win!

HerO (Tsukuyomi OTT) vs. Andrew (Granblue)

Before the match Andrew and I joked around that I would lose to a double critical as he runs 12 critical triggers. But what are the chances of that happening? I get all the rides off with Tsukuyomi and he rides his Limit Break Grade 3. He attacks while I'm at 3 damage and I no guard. What could possibly go wrong? First check, critical trigger. Second check, critical trigger. Well fuck. First damage check, nothing. Second damage check, nothing. Last damage check, GET HEAL TRIGGER. Thanks to good old Lozenge Magus I stay alive. I play passively, attacking and guarding until I get to my first trigger stack. He perfect guards my Vanguard's attack so I put the power of the triggers on my rearguards, which he also guards, but I've depleted his hand. Next turn with Blue-Eye I get to my next stack, which he doesn't guard as he didn't have enough cards, to reveal a heal trigger and a critical trigger, netting me the win. Thank God for heal triggers.

Result: 2-0 WIN WOooOOOoOOOOOO

Final Round

Going into this last round there was a small chance of us coming in second as long as Chan's team won against Why's team and we won this round. So here we go.

Mochachiiiino (Nova Grappler) vs. Hyoma (Angel Feather)

Nothing special this game, back and forth guarding until Mochachiiiino guards for 10k for a total of 21k power against a 19k Vanguard, but tells Hyoma he needs two triggers. Hyoma first checks a Critical trigger, which he puts on a rearguard thinking he needs two. Had Hyoma put the power and critical on the Vanguard, the attack would've gone through. Everyone noticed except for the players playing, which turned out to cost Hyoma the win. Mochachiiiino ends up checking well to deplete Hyoma's hand and eventually win the game. Mochachiiiino was told afterwards about what happened and it was determined that since Hyoma did not oppose what Mochahiiiino said during the game, the win was good. An unfortunate incident that could've been avoided had they not skipped that addition class in the 4th grade.

HerO (Tsukuyomi OTT) vs. Stanley (Granblue)

Another Granblue, great! I'm glad I got to play a variety of decks in this tournament. Sarcasm aside, I thought I was going to lose this game. I missed my Grade 2 ride (again) and rode a Red-Eye (again) to try and soul-charge the Grade 2, which didn't happen. So I ride my Grade 3 Tsukuyomi (at 9k power) and managed to get the 6 soul with Red-Eyes to use her effect. Fortunately for me, I draw into the Grade 2 Tsukuyomi using Full Moon's effect, allowing me to put her into my soul which made my Grade 3 Tsukuyomi 11k. Crisis averted. After this, not a lot happened; I played passively until I reached my trigger stack, which he managed to guard the first time, but with a depleted hand, lost to my second stack of triggers.

Result: 2-0 WIN

In the end, Chan's team ended up losing the last round, meaning that we finished in third place and that there was a tie between Why's and Chan's teams, forcing a last round to determine the winner. Eventually, Chan's team won and since it was Chan that organized the tournament, like the awesome guy he is, split his team's prize with ALL the participants. All in all, the tournament was fun for spectators and players alike. I'm satisfied with the turnout but hope for more players and spectators for the next one.

Also don't forget that ALL rounds were recorded and will be uploaded to ONImuzik's channel along with DifferenceinSkill's channel. Subscribe to both to make sure to catch all the action!

HerO

Don't forget to check out KS Games for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard needs!

[Vancouver, BC] Cardfight!! Vanguard Team Tournament

Hey guys,
Today DifferenceinSkill is hosting a Cardfight!! Vanguard team tournament with an anime-style format; that is, best of 1 between two players and they both switch out after the game. Teams consist of three people and we estimate there will be 6-8 teams present today.
If you're in the area in the afternoon, come check it out and spectate:

8136 Cambie St.

Vancouver, BC V6P 3J5

Canada

If you take the Canada Line and get off at Marine Dr. station, it's a 3 minute walk away. You walk to the Marine Dr. and Cambie intersection, cross the street in the same direction and the shop is the far corner unit of the blue building.

I will be playing in it myself with a Tsukuyomi deck and will be posting a tournament report later on today, if not tomorrow.

-HerO

Argh

12k and 13k Vanguards are broken.


That is all.

The Impact of Booster Set 6: Breaker of Limits

Introduction
Now that I've had some time to experience and witness first-hand most, if not all the cards from the new set, I will be re-analysing which cards lived up to the hype, and which ones crashed and burned. Did Limit Break really recreate the meta, or did the new kids on the block not create enough of a splash? Let's find out.


Gold Paladin
With the release of Booster Set 6 came one of the most hyped clans to date: Gold Paladin. With cards similar in style to Royal Paladin and multiple Limit Break cards, the clan immediately became one of the most sought after. Cards such as Incadescent Lion, Blonde Ezel reached high prices and demand as many players wanted to create this deck. In my opinion, Gold Paladin have created a significant impact in the meta, not only because of their Limit Break cards, but also through the various cards that allow them to create field and hand advantage. Cards that reminded one of Royal Paladin such as Great Silver Wolf, Garmore increased the demand as the thought process became, "If Royal Paladin is a top tier clan, Gold Paladin must also be"; which in general has proven to be true, especially through their Limit Break cards. The Gold Paladin Limit Break cards are especially good as not only do they constantly create field advantage, they can also attack for high amounts of power, which without a perfect guard can prove to drain the opponent's hand quickly. It is this fearful combination that has boosted Gold Paladin to an extremely high tier and in my opinion will stay there for a while to come.


Verdict (Hit or Flop?): Hit


Narukami

The second-most hyped up clan from Booster Set 6 was definitely Narukami, or more specifically Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion. Some though the card would break the meta, others in between and other didn't think much of it. To be honest, Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion is a good card yes, but not nearly as good as some (including myself) thought it would be. If we think about it, if Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion didn't require each attack target through it's Limit Break ability to be guarded separately, the card would be trash. In reality, the card is not that powerful, unless used at an appropriate time. Most players I see just use it's Limit Break ability the moment they have 3 counterblast and 4 damage, which in my opinion is the wrong way to use it. If we're in the midgame and I have plenty of cards in my hand, losing two rearguards is not the biggest deal to me, I can easily replace them next turn. Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion's effect is best used in the late game, where a) the opponent is low on cards and will likely depend on interceptors to survive or b) the opponent has good rearguards out (ie. Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes) that you want to get rid of quickly, and even then, in my own personal experience, wasn't as game-changing as I thought it was going to be. The biggest current flaw of this card is not with the card itself, but with the players that misuse it paired with the high expectations most had about the impact this card would have, which unfortunately is what is making the card not as effective as most people thought it was going to be.

Secondly, the other biggest flaw with the clan is a decent starting Vanguard. Neither Lizard Soldier Saishin or Spark Kid, Dragoon are particularly good, especially when you compare it to Lizard Soldier, Conroe. Lizard Soldier Saishin by counterblasting 1 and moving it to soul allows you to retire one of your opponent's Grade 0 rearguards, which is only particularly useful against Royal Paladin (Barcgal), Gold Paladin (Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph and Incadescent Lion, Blonde Ezel's superior ride) and Kagero (Lizard Soldier, Conroe). Spark Kid, Dragoon on the other hand is even worse, counterblasting 1 and putting it to the soul for a chance of breaking even with a Grade 3. With neither particularly good or even contributing to the deck in general, Narukami still has a bit to go before I would call it a tier 1 deck.


Verdict: Flop




Angel Feather
The last new clan introduced in Set 6, Angel Feather are a little harder to judge. Even before they were released, no one really thought that they were going to be a top tier clan, simply a gimmicky clan that seemed really fun to play; which turned out to be exactly the case. It's a little hard to judge this clan as expectations were not really that high to begin with. I think the two most hyped-up cards were the two main Grade 3's: Circular Saw, Kiriel and Cosmo Healer, Egodiel and her ride chain. 


Circular Saw, Kiriel became popular due to her Limit Break ability of increasing her power by 5000 power. Her other effect is also good, albeit situational of counterblasting 1 when called to the Vanguard circle to superior call something from the damage zone and then retaking the damage from the top card of your deck. While her generic Limit Break ability may give opponents a hard time, it remains a 10k Vangaurd on your opponent's turn, making Circular Saw, Kiriel susceptible to 20k attacks and other Limit Break cards.


Cosmo Healer, Egodiel, while it pressures your opponent into guarding due to her Persona Blast, creates little to no direct advantage through her ride chain compared to others. In short, there is nothing special about the ride chain, for that matter the whole clan. It's whole theme becomes a simple gimmick that may or may not be useful during an actual match. That being said, I still think the clan is loads of fun to play which in my opinion was what people expected it to be, therefore is successful.


Verdict: Hit


Conclusion
It seems that while the meta wasn't completely recreated, some clans more than others have impacted the meta and players will have to adapt in order to continue to be successful at this game. Limit Break abilities while powerful at times can usually be handled by the opposing player relatively well, either with more perfect guards, or playing conservative so you can replenish your field when the big, bad Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion uses it's ability. I think what Limit Break has successfully done is refresh the game, with new cards, clans and abilities. With new trial decks as well, new players will be wanting to try them out. I mean, who can resist a clan called "Gold Paladin"? All in all I can confidently call Booster Set 6: Breaker of Limits a successful set.


HerO


Don't forget to check out KS Games for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard needs!

[Video]: Oracle Think Tank 101 Episode 2 with HerO

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of written articles lately, been caught up in some stuff but hopefully will be getting articles out soon. For now here's the next episode of Oracle Think Tank 101 on the YouTube channel DifferenceinSkill which focusses on Tsukuyomi, the deck in general and what cards are involved.

Enjoy and don't forget to comment, like and sub!


Thanks,
HerO

[Video]: Nationality Challenge with DifferenceinSkill

Challenge with DifferenceinSkill
As you all know I am part of a Cardfight!! Vanguard YouTube channel called DifferenceinSkill. My friend and I have created a video to clarify some things, including the fact that I don't print mats, I just design them. At the end of the video we have included a little challenge where the winner will get a shoutout and a pack of BT06. Here are some clues to my nationality as no one is even close:


1. I'm not mixed.
2. I'm not from anywhere in Asia.


Those should be enough to get a winner soon. Once the correct nationalities have been guessed, comments will be disabled and the winner notified in a follow-up video. Winner must also be subscribed to our channel in order to be eligible!

Thank, HerO

[Video]: Deck Check with HerO - Oracle Think Tank

Hey guys,
Here's my deck check and some explanations of my Oracle Think Tank deck. For more in depth explanations, check out my Oracle Think Tank 101 video below the deck check.

Deck Check Video:

Deck List:
Grade 0: 16
x4 Lozenge Magus
x4 Psychic Bird
x2 Oracle Guardian, Nike
x4 Dream Eater
x2 Miracle Kid

Grade 1: 15
x4 Battle Sister Chocolat
x3 Battle Sister Cocoa
x4 Oracle Guardian Gemini
x2 Weather Girl Milk
x2 Luck Bird

Grade 2: 12
x3 Silent Tom
x3 Battle Sister, Mocha
x4 Oracle Guardian, Wiseman
x2 Security Guardian

Grade 3: 7
x4 CEO Amaterasu
x3 Oracle Guardian, Apollon

Oracle Think Tank 101 Video:

-HerO

Don't forget to check out KS Games for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard needs!

Extra Booster 3 Preview: Spectral Duke Dragon

UPDATE 08/05/12: When I first wrote this article I knew the superior ride chain existed, but was unaware of the cards' superior calling abilities. As such I have updated the article to reflect this new knowledge. I am sorry for my ignorance and inconvenience and will make sure it doesn't happen again.


Introduction
With many cards from Extra Booster 3 (EB03) being revealed, the one that has received the most attention is Spectral Duke Dragon. With the card art and effect somewhat appearing Shadow Paladin-like, it seems that this card (and ride chain) will be what Ren will be using in the anime. Some debate has broken out however, about the usefulness and general competitiveness of the card itself, due to it's effect. I will analyse the card in order to give people a better understanding of what to expect from this card in the competitive scene.


Spectral Duke Dragon
I can't go on without introducing the card itself, so here it is:

AUTO 【V】 [Limit Break(4) (when you have at least 4 damages)]: [CounterBlast(2) & retire 3 of your 《Gold Paladin》 rear-guards) When the close step involving this card attacking the vanguard begins, you can pay the cost. If you do, Stand this unit, and during this turn, this card loses "Twin Drive!!".

CONT 【V】: If 「Knight of Black Dragon, Vortimer」 is in your soul, this unit get Power +1000.

At first glance, we can see that the effect has a steep price: counterblasting 2 cards and retiring three of our rearguards. And for what? Standing JUST itself with no Twin Drive. I can sort of see why some people may think this card is good, especially newer players; "It's similar to Dragonic Overlord the End, it must be good!". The usefulness of the card however, depends on the meta you are playing, either English or Japanese. For Japanese, the card in the highest tiers of play, ie. against Dragonic Overlord the End or Majesty Lord Blaster is subpar. The reason being is that even with the power of a trigger, a 12k Majesty Lord Blaster and 13k Dragonic Overlord the End can guard the attack for 5k for no triggers and 10k for sure as Spectral Duke Dragon can only get one trigger when it stands as it loses Twin Drive. The only time I would ever pay it's cost is if my opponent is at 5 damage, has no hand, has no interceptors, and/or Spectral Duke Dragon has the power of two triggers on it. For English on the other hand, the card is a little better due to the fact that all Vanguards in the English format are 10k/11k meaning Spectral Duke will force out at least a 10k guard from the other player. Once again, a little better but still a little situational.


The Ride Chain
However, what makes this card more viable is it's ride chain. Both the Grade 1 and Grade 2 units in the ride chain allow you to Retire one of your own rearguards in order to call onto the field the top two cards from your deck, netting you a +1 overall, but only if you ride them over their respective parts of the ride chain. Not only that, but when you ride the Grade 1, you can check the top seven cards of your deck for either the Grade 2 or Spectral Duke Dragon himself. In the end, before you ride Spectral Duke Dragon, you can plus up to three times, in some way balancing out the minus you will experience when you use Spectral Duke Dragon's effect. The 3 rearguards that you will sacrifice for it's effect will have been essentially "free" therefore will not cause you to lose hand advantage the turn after when you try to replenish your field. But is it still worth it? Standing Spectral Duke Dragon with the power of one trigger will force a 10k-15k guard from your opponent in the English meta, for reasons stated earlier. As so, the whole deck's central focus becomes simply forcing your opponent to drop 1-2 more cards once, and more rarely, twice per game, keeping in mind that the second time you do it, it will cost you cards from your hand as the ride chain simply sets you up to be able to use it once without costing you additional cards. There also exists the problem of missing  a ride on one of the parts of the chain. If this were to happen, your whole set-up will be nullified making Spectral Duke Dragon's effect more costly to you. The way I see it, the deck commitment required along with consistency issues will give this deck a hard time to reach the highest tiers of play, especially with non-Spectral Duke Dragon Gold Paladin builds being more consistent and harder hitting.

Verdict

In my opinion, Spectral Duke Dragon, in the current state of Gold Paladin, will have a hard time seeing the light of high competitive play, but will remain a popular choice for Gold Paladin players due to it's art and ride chain. With a steep albeit supplied cost and an okay effect, some players will find it easier than others to justify the deck space required to run and to ignore the consistency issues. Once again, only time will tell if our assumptions in the card and ride chain are true.

-HerO

Don't forget to go to KS Games for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard needs!