Locals Report 28/08/12

Hey guys,

So I went to Sakura Media at Metrotown today for their tournament. Entry is $2, you get a promo pack and can win store credit. It's my first time competing there and only my second one actually being in the shop, so I wasn't sure what skill level to expect. From a quick scout I saw a lot of Gold Paladin players, so I couldn't think it'd be that high ;) Format was best of 3 single elimination, and I was playing my gradestuck cursed Lawkeeper deck since my Royal Paladin deck wasn't complete yet. Let's see how I faired:

Round 1
Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Narukami

Game 1
He got gradestuck at Grade 2 for a few turns, and I had enough rearguards that I could pressure since the start. I quickly gained hand advantage while he was struggling to guard. He rode to Grade 3 a few turns later, but it was too little too late and I took the game.

Game 2
I don't quite recall what happened here. Clearly nothing special, but I won.

1-0

Round 2
Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Spectral DUNK Dragon

Game 1
He gets grade stuck on a Halo Shield, Mark. Enough said, I win.

Game 2
He gets grade stuck on a Beaumain. I get grade stuck on a Nehalem. I draw into a Grade 3 before him. Enough said, I win.

2-0

Round 3
So at this point I've been getting by because my opponent's have been grade stuck. Let's see how far my luck takes me.
Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Spectral DUNK Dragon AGAIN

Game 1
I get gradestuck at 1 for 1 turn, meanwhile he heals all four possible times while I get less triggers than that all game. Fuck life.

Game 2
He misses the Grade 1 Vortimer ride, so I'm kind of happy. My happiness was not to last as I got gradestuck on a Nehalem for a few turns. I do however have rearguards, so I'm pressuring the whole time. I eventually manage to get a Grade 3, and due to some clutch triggers actually manage to take the game, exploiting his 10k Vanguard.

Game 3
And, you guessed it. I get gradestuck for the third game in a row, on a Nehalem. He missed his Grade 1 Vortimer ride, but that doesn't matter - I don't get a Grade 3 ALL game. My last damage check? Lawkeeper. I was about to flip the fucking table.

2-1 scrub out

I would've won the first game if he hadn't healed 4 friggin times, and would've had a better stab at the last game if my deck hadn't shit on me AGAIN. I'm never playing this deck outside of casual matches anymore, I'm glad all the stuff I needed for my Royal Paladin deck arrived today. Lawkeeper hates me. But on the upside I got a Palamedes for $10! Woo! Anyway, that's it for this report, thanks for reading!

HerO


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[Vancouver] Team Tournament Report 25/08/12

Hey guys,

This past Saturday, Chan held one last Team Tournament before school starts for us all. The turnout was a little lower than last time, with only 6 teams registering, which is still a solid 18 players. For those of you that aren't familiar with the format, you register as a team of 3 and play a best of 1 vs another player of another team, then after that both players switch out for two new players to play creating a best of 3. Since we only had 6 teams this time around, we played round-robin style playing each team once then top 2 playing for the top prize - a whole box of BT07 in Japanese. My team was arranged kind of last minute, as both of my friend's regular teammates bailed on him, so my friend and I ended up joining his team. Our team composition consisted of Narukami, Pale Moon and Lawkeeper Kagero played by yours truly. I was the starter, Narukami second, and Pale Moon was our anchor. I was supposed to have the best deck, but let's see how that panned out shall we?

Round 1
Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Royal Paladin
Well to be honest there's not much to say about this game. His starter was Wingal Brave, but due to the point system (decks are worth a certain amount of points and a team must be at or under 20 points) I didn't think it was Majesty Lord Blaster since it was worth a whopping 11 points. He rode Marron and put Wingal Brave behind his Vanguard, tipping me off that he probably had a Blaster Blade in his hand. I only swung with my Vanguard and dealt the 1 damage. He rode Blaster Blade (as expected) and boosted with Wingal Brave. I gave him minimum guard, and he checked another Blaster Blade so now he's stuck with the Wingal Brave boosting his Vanguard. I ride Nehalem, call another Nehalem, get a Bahr with Conroe and dealt two more damage. He rides Holy Disaster Dragon (lol) and calls a few more rearguards. I guard the easy rearguard attacks, and while I'm at 2 damage he uses Holy Disaster Dragon's skill of ditching a card from his hand to gain 5k power to swing for 20k!!!11one. While I'm at 2 damage. Yeah... no guard. He actually does this again next turn while I'm at 3 damage so he essentially just gave me two cards from his hand for free. Because of this he can't guard my 20k columns with Lawkeeper/Dual Axe and I take the game pretty easily.

Use this thing wisely kids

Narukami (Why) vs. Gold Paladin
I didn't actually watch most of this game, but Why took the game pretty easily.

1-0

Round 2
Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Narukami
He starts with Lizard Soldier Saishin which is REALLY ANNOYING. He ends up going first which means that my Conroe has a pretty high chance of getting picked off. I look at my hand and see that I have 1 Grade 1 which means I will have no boosters, increasing the usefulness of Conroe by a lot. He rides his 8k vanilla and ends. I have to ride my lone Grade 1 - Kimnara and put the Conroe behind my Vanguard. I attack with Kimnara unboosted. Why? As to not give him the 1 damage he needs to snipe off my Conroe while still getting to do a drive check. If I get a trigger, I simply give the effects to Conroe. I don't check a trigger, and I end. He attacks me on his next turn, giving me the counterblast I need to use Conroe, so I dodge that bullet. Game goes on, he rides to Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion and I misplay by playing both my Dual Axes when he has 3 open damage to Vermillion Thunderbolt me, which he does in his following turn. Luckily for me I had the hand advantage for most of the game, even after he got off some clutch heals to get in a better position, but my 21k columns started becoming harder and harder to guard and I eventually win the game. This player wasn't too bad, I don't think he made any play that I would consider questionable, so props to him.

Oh god why

Narukami (Why) vs. Gold Paladin
Why checked triggers well and played a solid game, but nearly threw the game when at 3 damage he decided to guard a 28k Blonde Ezel. He gave up 25k Shield for it which was not worth it at all in my opinion. During his opponent's last turn, had his opponent simply called the Ezel in his hand as a Rearguard instead of using Ezel's Limit Break and calling a trigger, Why wouldn't have been able to guard everything, but instead he does and takes the game the following turn. Quite the close game.

2-0

Round 3
Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Gold Paladin
I open with no Grade 3 in my hand, so I hoped I draw into it before Turn 3. My opponent rides Gareth, then Beaumain and during his third turn, he says he's gradestuck yet calls another Gareth and has Kyrph on the field. He attacks with his Vanguard, but then his teammate points out that he can superior ride into Ezel. He then stands his Vanguard and does so, which is the most blatant case of backseat playing I've ever seen. I tell Chan what he did, but he didn't do anything about it but give the team a warning. Meanwhile I'm gradestuck at 2, so I fall behind and end up losing the game. I was pretty fucking salty losing because the guy was told how to play, but at least he seemed like a nice guy. Wish I could say the same about his teammate.

Grade stuck with Kyrph lolwut

Narukami (Why) vs. Tsukuyomi
Why starts off being Grade stuck at 2, which is not good. Luckily for him, Tsukuyomi is a slow deck in the early to mid game, and the Tsukuyomi player missed the Grade 1 Tsukuyomi, so it wasn't the worst of happenings - although he did have the Grade 2 in hand. Tsukuyomi player gained hand advantage through Full Moon's effect, which also allowed him to put the missing Grade 1 Tsukuyomi into the soul, but Why's ability to check triggers was pretty good, so he kept that in check. Both players had decently sized hands throughout the game, but the Tsukuyomi player was nearing his stack. Why however was aware of this and started to overguard/perfect guard the Vanguard, and dealt with the stack perfectly, although his opponent did miscount by 1 card. The Tsukuyomi player was running out of cards in his deck, so all Why had to do was stall him out until he decked out - which is exactly what happened. The Tsukuyomi player was also the player that told my opponent to ride Ezel, so I'm glad Why got revenge.

Pale Moon (Godtin) vs. Narukami
Now Godtin here joined our team because we needed a third player, or else he would've just played Weiss Schwarz. He expected Why and I to take everything 2-0 so he could play Weiss and get a $10 box but clearly that wasn't to be the case. I only watched the last past of the game, where Godtin is looking in a bad position, but the opponent no guards Godtin's Vanguard attacks at 4 damage. Godtin rips the Critical Trigger and takes the game and the match! Justice is served.

3-0

Round 4
Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Narukami
We are all friends with the opposing team, so we thought it was going to be a good match. Until I got gradestuck. Again. Luckily for me my opponent also got Grade stuck at 2, but he drew into a Grade 3 before me. I ended up losing the game before I could even draw into a Grade 3. FML.

Narukami (Why) vs. JI ENDO

With Narukami being 6 points, and Angel Feather (the team's third player) being 3 points, they had the 11 point availability to fit a Dragonic Overlord The End player on their team. We thought it was going to be a tough match... until the The End player got Grade stuck at Grade 1. Why didn't miss a single ride and just completely crushed The End. WHAT A GREAT SERIES SO FAR EH.

Godtin (Pale Moon) vs. Angel Feather
Not much to say about this match other than the Angel Feather player ripped some critical (see what I did there) Critical triggers which skewed the game into his favour. Godtin was low on hand, and checked a solid 1 trigger I think all game, falling behind. Eventually there was nothing he could do about the power boosts the Pegasus and Calamity Flame gained due to the damage swapping occurring due to Shamshel's Limit Break and dropped the game. Our first loss, while the other team was undefeated.

3-1

Round 5
We could still get to the finals if we beat the next team, regardless of the results of the undefeated team. Let's DO THIS.

Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Gold Paladin
This kid. THIS KID. He was the absolute most annoying and hate-able kid I have ever had the misfortune to meet. He was loud. He was annoying. He was arrogant. He was cocky. He was telling me HOW TO PLAY MY OWN DECK. "What Kagero deck are you playing? OH LAWNMOWER EH? ARE YOU GOING TO LAWNMOW MY CARDS?" He was the very embodiment of the kids you think of that are bad at this game (he called a Vivianne behind his Beaumain), play Gold Paladins and think they are good players. And what could possibly make things worse? I GOT GRADESTUCK. AGAIN. FOR THE THIRD GAME IN A ROW. ON GRADE 2. I was actually giving him a run for his money even after him superior riding Ezel but I fell too far behind even after managing to draw into Lawkeeper and checked a whopping 1 trigger all game while he checked like 5-6 (I guess the extra drive checks help). I hope I never have to be in the same room as this kid ever again.

I'M GONNA LAWNMOW YOUR CARDS

Narukami (Why) vs. Tsukuyomi?
This was a weird match. The Tsukuyomi player's deck was extremely strange. He rode the Grade 1 Tsukuyomi, but only ran 1 Grade 2. Instead of riding another Grade 2, he purposely kept himself on the Grade 1 Tsukuyomi to "super-stack" his deck, then rode up to Grade 3 to use his stack. Why unfortunately had a subpar hand and couldn't quite exploit the fact that his opponent's Vanguard was 7k for most of the game, leading to the Tsukuyomi player actually having hand advantage. Eventually the Tsukuyomi player rode up to Grade 3 and actually reached his stack, which Why managed to stave off. With some solid trigger checking, Why started depleting the hand of the Tsukuyomi player, and eventually poked for the 6th damage and took the game. Quite the strange game.

Pale Moon (Godtin) vs. Spike Brothers
I actually missed this game completely for some reason, but later got the gist of it. The Spike Brothers player was playing a Seifried/Sky Diver build apparently. The opponent did some Sky Diver plays, killing Godtin's rearguards, and then next turn he rides Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Lequier and Limit Breaks and pushes with a huge Lequier to win the game. We make it to the finals!

4-1

Finals
So we made it to the finals to play the only team we lost against - the team that we're friends with. I'm hoping I have a better showing. Here we go!

Lawkeeper Kagero (HerO) vs. Narukami
Aw yeah, here we go. First game for the Finals. Fair amount of pressure, but I thrive on it. Narukami isn't too bad, I should be able to handle it and do well. I'm so hyped, alright here we go, and...

What.

No Grade 2? No, I'll draw into a Grade 2, what are the chances I get gradestuck 4 games in a row?

That's not a Grade 2. Or this. Oh god, oh no.

I'M GRADESTUUUUUUUUUUUCK. FOR THE FOURTH. GAME. IN. A. ROW.

Grade 3's and Grade 1's were apparently all that I ran in this deck, and I died before I could ride to Grade 3. MAD SALTY. But I hoped my teammates would carry me once again!

Narukami (Why) vs. JI ENDO
Well last round Why had an easy time because the JI ENDO player got gradestuck on Grade 1, so we were hoping something similar happened. Why started off with no Grade 3 in hand, and was gradestuck at 2 for one turn, but it didn't seem to hurt him too much since The End player's hand was full of triggers and couldn't really abuse Why's 9k Vanguard. Why rode Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion and since he actually had rearguards poking the opponent, he took hand advantage early on. This, coupled with the fact that the opponent didn't have a JI ENDO in hand meant that Why was dealing simply with an 11k Vanguard with no silly Persona Blast. The lack of rearguards for the JI ENDO player carried on throughout the game, giving Why a huge hand advantage. Eventually it was just too much and Why took the game! There were misplays from the JI ENDO player's end though, guarding with potential rearguard units instead of triggers namely. But it's all tied up and we go to the ace match!

Pale Moon (Godtin) vs. Angel Feather
The game started off slowly, but just like the first time around, the Angel Feather player got some clutch Critical Triggers putting Godtin in a really bad spot. At 5 damage and with low amount of cards in hand, there wasn't a lot he could do. With the Angel Feather at 3 damage, he just dumps his hand on the field to pressure as much as he can. He attacks with a rearguard first, and it gets blocked. He attacks with his Vanguard (Sword Magician, Sarah) and his opponent doesn't guard. And...

... this is what happens.

First damage check, nothing.
Second damage check, nothing.
Third damage check...
..
..
..
..
..
..
NOTHING.

GODTIN WINS IT FOR OUR TEAM WITH A CLUTCH DOUBLE CRITICAL TRIGGER WOO!

So yeah, I got carried 'cas I'm bad and can't shuffle and we won the box of BT07. We opened the box and shuffled them on a table, and each picked 10 at a time. Why pulled 1 RR and the rest R's, I pulled a RRR Lequier and RR Cable Sheep (Great Nature perfect guard) which I then sold for $20 and $12 respectively, and Godtin of course pulled the other two RRR's and 3 other RR's. 

And that was the last team tournament that will be held at our locals, since it's being torn down for new and fancy apartment buildings.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this huge post, and thank you if you did,

HerO


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

Don't forget to check out DifferenceInSkill on YouTube for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard content!

[Part 3] What Will You See At Qualifiers? (Spike Brothers and Narukami)

The third part of this segment takes is to Spike Brothers and Narukami. Spike Brothers have become quite the deck with the boost they've received in Extra Booster 3. Cards such as Reckless Express, Medical Manager and of course, Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor have pushed the deck to places it had never ventured before. With it's powerful Limit Break, you better have 65k shield in your hand if you're at 5 damage - because if you don't, you've probably lost against the Spike Brothers onslaught. Spike Brothers do have some weaknesses, and if you manage to exploit them, it could turn out to be a much easier game for you. Narukami on the other hand have never made too much of a splash in the competitive scene. To me, it feels like the deck is incomplete. They can definitely go head-to-head against top decks quite easily, but sometimes one can't help but feel that they fall just short of becoming a much more formidable force. They're ability for on-spot removal is only second to Kagero's. The removal can start extremely early in the game, with Spark Kid Dragoon. Dragonic Deathscythe is their Berserk Dragon clone, and lastly Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion can wipe out an entire front row with a swift Limit Break. This makes Narukami quite disruptive, and for some decks can spell disaster. Once again, being able to predict your opponent's moves while cutting your losses against the deck is the best way to emerge victorious.

Spike Brothers
With the release of Extra Booster 3, Spike Brothers have been fighting for a top spot for a while. With success at the Anaheim Kick-Off event, I expect Spike Brothers to make a good showing at Continental Qualifiers. Known as the most aggressive clan in the game, their ability to create an attack onslaught is nearly unmatchable - being capable of creating 5 attacks in a single turn, forcing around 65k shield from your hand if you must guard all the attacks. Of course, if the opposing player survives the onslaught through damage triggers, etc. the Spike Brothers deck is left at a huge disadvantage due to the amount of cards from the field and hand they've expended to make the onslaught possible. So what do you do about them? Well there's a couple of things. Disrupt their rearguards as much as you can. For their onslaught to be most effective, they need their Brakki's, Reckless Express and Juggernaut Maximums in order to tag out for the maximum amount of attacks as possible. If you see that your opponent is able to Limit Break and you don't think you can guard, snipe out their rearguards that tag out. Spike Brothers are not able to create any advantage at all, so the later games go against decks that can, such as Paladins or say Lawkeeper Kagero the scales start tipping in your favour. Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion is this deck's worst nightmare, able to kill both front rearguards (hopefully a card that can tag out) messing up their field set-up completely. Disrupting their field and delaying their attack as long as possible is the best way to deal with the deck. Also try to never leave yourself at 5 damage on your opponent's turn. If you need to drop 15k to leave yourself at 4 damage, it's completely worth it - better than dropping 20k to guard an Emperor attack or triggered up Juggernaut/Brakki. Leaving yourself at 4 damage will also hopefully get you a damage check trigger on your opponent's turn as he gets ready to Limit Break, either delaying it further or making it much easier to guard the other attacks, leaving you at a huge advantage. If you find yourself at 5 damage with less than 65k shield in your hand, then there's not a lot you can do. The best way to deal with this deck is to guard early, snipe important rearguards and control the pace of the game. If you do this successfully, you'll be able to survive what I call, the Spike Brothers Rape Train.

Pros:

• Most aggressive clan in the game
• Ability to create a maximum of 5 attacks in a single turn
• Strong rearguards

Cons:

• Weak defensively
• Cannot create advantage other than by constant aggression
• If Limit Break doesn't kill opponent, the player is at a significant disadvantage
• If they cannot rush early due to bad hands, damage triggers - can fall behind

Narukami

The cousins of Kagero, they haven't had much of a splash in the tournament scene. In Japan, the deck has only topped once in a Junior division, never in a Senior Division. To be fair, most of the clan's hype was behind Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion, which isn't quite as good as some people, including myself, made it out to be. Narukami however can still be extremely disruptive - sometimes even straight from the start due to Lizard Soldier, Saishin and it's ability to snipe out your starting Vanguard if it's in a rearguard circle. Dragonic Deathscythe and Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion's Limit Break pack a fair amount of removal that can definitely disrupt your play both in the back row and front row. They even have a easy 10k booster for the Vanguard, so chances are you will have a 21k Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion swinging at you for most of the game. So how do you handle the deck? Similar to Kagero, you just have to cut your losses. If I'm playing against Narukami, chances are that I'm not going to call both Palamedes that I have in my hand as Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion's Limit Break will gladly take them both simultaneously. Keeping a couple backup boosters in your hand is also a good idea to deal with that pesky Deathscythe. Cutting your losses and not playing all your good rearguards at the same time will allow you to bypass some degree of disruptiveness and allow you to play your game.

Pros:

• 11k Vanguard
• Easy removal ability
• 10k Vanguard booster

Cons:

• No good rearguards
• Counterblast heavy
• Starting Vanguard leaves something to be desired

And that's it! The final Part will be of clans that YOU the readers will choose! Top 2 clans that have the most votes I will cover in the final Part.

Thanks for reading!

HerO

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

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[Part 2] What Will You See At Qualifiers? (Kagero and Gold Paladin)

Continuing this segment, I'll talk about Kagero and Gold Paladin. 

Kagero has been around since the game was released, and has always been a top tier deck. Whether it's Goku or Lawkeeper, their ability to control the opponent's field while still being able to put ample pressure on the opponent has allowed them to stay at the front of the pack. With the release of Dual Axe Archdragon in Booster Set 3, Lawkeeper-oriented decks have received a boost in consistency when it comes to swinging for 20k+ numbers in the rearguard columns, making them even more fearsome. In terms of what Kagero build is best, it's nearly impossible to say, although Goku has definitely stood against the sands of time, not being replaced until Set 5, where Dragonic Overlord The End took over in Japan. 

Then we have Gold Paladin, the newer clan that has been topping in Japan as well - although one can argue that their tops are credited due to the high number of players that bandwagon'd over to them. Sure they can hit for high numbers, and sure they can create some advantage, but if we compare their tutoring ability to Royal Paladin, they appear to be a nerfed version of their Royal counterparts. 

So what do you need to know about these decks in order to be prepared? Let's find out.

Kagero

Whenever you see the clan's name, you immediately associate it to a true and tested deck. Kagero has two competitive builds at the moment - Goku and Lawkeeper. Goku is just... really good. Check a Grade 3? Retire an opponent's Grade 1 or lower rearguard. Goku essentially makes all your grade 3's "kill triggers" increasing the advantage you can create while drive checking. No boosters means you need less to guard their attacks, means you keep more cards in your hand and means your opponent slowly whittles away. 

Lawkeeper on the other hand is more of a beatdown deck, revolving around creating 21k columns with Dual Axe Archdragon with the help of Lawkeeper's Limit Break. Kimnara and Berserk Dragon are used more sparingly than compared to a Goku build since Lawkeeper requires counterblast. If you manage to bind a full field, your opponent must retire a unit - netting you the easiest +1 of your life. This may scare your opponent into playing another unit in fear of having to -1 again next turn, but once again - no boosters, less guard, more cards for you!

So what can you do about them? Well against Goku... not much. There's nothing you can do to prevent your opponent from checking a Grade 3, and when it does go off it is quite disruptive for most decks. If you see that you're playing against Goku, I would recommend not guarding with your good Grade 1 units (ie. for those easy 5k attacks just intercept or use a Grade 2 from your hand to guard) in order to be able to easily replace a booster that was sniped off last turn. Also exploit the fact that Goku is 10k as much as you can, with either easier 20k columns or 15k columns. Although Goku may not allow you to do what your deck does best (which is why Goku is so good) taking some preventive measures and cutting your losses will hopefully soften the impact and allow you to recover and take the game.

Pros:

• Free advantage engine
• Control the field well with Berserk Dragon, Kimnara
• Goku costs no counterblast
• Aermo allows you to ditch those Grade 3's and cycle through your deck well
• Extremely disruptive

Cons:

• 10k Vanguard
• Unable to hit numbers higher than 19k
• Highly dependent on drive checks

Lawkeeper on the other hand is a little easier to deal with. Although you cannot do much against your opponent binding your units, you can definitely try and take out the Dual Axe Archdragons to prevent being hit hard when Lawkeeper does activate it's Limit Break. Secondly, you can also exploit the bind mechanic, by keeping "on call" effect units such as Blaster Blade, Berserk Dragon, etc. in hopes of scaring your opponent into not breaking the limits for a turn until they deal with the threat. The bind mechanic also gives you a chance to rearrange your field, so if you had bad columns set up or misplayed in placing a booster and attacker pair, Lawkeeper gives you a second chance at it. The deck is less disruptive as well, since it focusses more on beatdown, giving you an easier time to do your thing. In the end, simply dealing with the high beaters and playing smart to use Lawkeeper to your advantage should be enough to give you the edge against the deck.

Pros:

• Able to hit high numbers
• Takes away interceptors with Lawkeeper Limit Break
• May force a unit to retire after Limit Break
• Consistent 20k+ rows thanks to Conroe

Cons:

• Not as disruptive as Goku
• Also 10k Vanguard
• Dependent on counterblast

Gold Paladin
Now a clan that, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of. To me, Gold Paladin are an overhyped, watered down version of Royal Paladin. They have no clear advantage engine other than random calling from the top of the deck, which rewards sack even more than the game already naturally does. Garmore can tutor sure, but if I wanted a deck that could tutor well then I'd play Royal Paladin. Garmore's Limit Break will rarely let it break the 25k mark, unless it's being boosted by Tron - an already conditional booster - or Charjgal and even then you'll most likely smash into a perfect guard, as will Ezel most of the time. The reason why the deck has been topping in Japan is because everyone and their mother plays it. If a deck is much more played than others, then probability dictates that it will top - especially in a game such as this one.

In terms of different builds, in my eyes there is only one competitive build - Garmore/Ezel. Spectral Duke Dragon is much too reliant on it's ride chain in order to be consistent at a competitive level, especially in a best of 1 format. Garmore is simply more consistent, harder-hitting and with targeted tutoring, can actually be useful when it comes to field set-up.

So what do you do against them? Play your game. Gold Paladin do nothing to disrupt your play, have no real good rearguards other than the "when this unit attacks the Vanguard +2k" clones and isn't even that good at creating advantage outside of the "oh I sacked a card that's not a trigger with Ezel or Vivian". Do what your deck does best and you should have no problem against this deck.

Pros:

• Some ability in targeted tutoring
• Potential high powered Vanguard attacks
• Rewards sacking (is this even a pro?)

Cons:

• Not disruptive
• Random tutoring
• 10k Vanguards
• No sack = no good

And this brings Part 2 to a close. Next part shall focus on Spike Brothers and Narukami. Until then!

HerO

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

Don't forget to check out DifferenceInSkill on YouTube for all your Cardfight!! Vanguard content!

[Part 1] What Will You See At Qualifiers? (Royal Paladins and Oracle Think Tank)

Introduction
With Qualifiers coming up, I am sure that many of you have been preparing in some way or another. The best way to prepare, other than by having a solid deck that you know through and through, is knowing your opponent's deck through and through. If you can become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of popular decks, you'll be much better off against them - and in the best of 1 format - it can make all the difference. I will cover some of the more popular decks that you'll most likely see at your Qualifiers, including their strengths, weaknesses and any game-changing cards you should watch out for. This part will cover Royal Paladin and Oracle Think Tank. Enjoy!

Royal Paladin
I will start with the OP (original Paladins), the Royal Paladins. With Set 3 just released, there are really two different builds for Royal Paladin - Galahad and non-Galahad. To be frank, I see absolutely no reason to not run the Galahad line from the Grade 0 to the Grade 2. I would much rather have a potential +2 than a guaranteed -1 from my rides. But anywho, Royal Paladin - after Alfred Paladin's success in Japan - are definitely going to be popular, especially with the release of Palamedes in Booster Set 3. 

The deck's ability to tutor (to retrieve a unit from the deck to the field or hand) is unparalleled due to units such as Alfred, Pongal and Akane. The ride chain also provides a safety net in terms of not becoming grade stuck, as does Pongal - providing some of the best consistency in the game. Their ability to tutor units such as Toypugal and attackers such as Gallatin, nearly at will if counterblast allows, also makes for some amazing field scability and much quicker set-up. 

With the newly released Palamedes, who single-handedly can make any column amazing, swinging for at least 20k in the rearguard circle (unless you're boosting with an Iseult) you can continously force cards out of your opponent's hand if he goes unchecked. Topping this Royal Paladin sundae is Soul Savior Dragon, who has the ability to finish off opponents like no other. Essentially free, you can potentially have all 3 columns swinging for 26k+, creating a  nearly unstoppable onslaught. 

So what can you possibly do against this monstrosity of consistency and advantage? Well, outside of out-sacking the Royal Paladin player, simply play your game. The thing about Royal Paladins is that they aren't disruptive to your own deck, outside of Palamedes taking 15k shield from your hand for no reason. Assuming you have a winning image with your deck and know it well, just work towards that while dealing with pesky cards such as Toypugal and Palamedes along the way if you can - although that's highly dependant on the deck you're playing. Don't let their advantage and consistency get into your head - just do your own thing and hopefully it's enough to take the game. Triggers of course play a significant role in outcomes of matches, so having that in your favour would always be nice. In the end, there isn't much you can actually do to "counter" the deck, you just have to do whatever your deck does best in terms of winning image which will hopefully be enough to counteract all the advantage that the deck can create.

 
Pros:

• Great at tutoring cards to the hand and field
• Grade consistency high with Pongal and ride chain
• Not dependent on ride chain for winning image; no consequence to missing a Galahad ride
• Can easily create 20k+ columns
• Great finisher

Cons:

• Not disruptive
• All Vanguards are 10k; can be exploited
• Relies on Counterblast for tutoring

Oracle Think Tank
Tsukuyomi. We can expect many people to be playing this deck due to their popularity in playstyle, gimmick and of course, the character in the anime that plays them. The deck revolves around stalling by creating hand advantage until a trigger stack, created by cards returned to the bottom of the deck by the ride chain's ability, is reached in order to overwhelm the opponent with multiple triggers per turn. The deck is extremely reliant on the ride chain, not only to get the 11k Full Moon Tsukuyomi, but also to be able to cycle as many cards to the bottom of the deck as possible in order to create a reachable trigger stack. Missing even one of these rides can not only screw you over due to a 9k Vanguard, but make the stack of triggers you created much harder to reach. 

However, if Tsukuyomi gets comfy, gets hand advantage and just draws you into the late-game  (see what I did there), it's going to be an uphill battle dealing with all the triggers coming your way. So what do you do against them? Take them out early. Play as aggressive as possible in the early to mid game to push them to 4-5 damage as soon as possible. This will force them to guard, using up cards from their hand and hopefully dry them up before they reach their stack. If you don't think you'll be able to do that then plan B is keeping track of their stack. This is extremely important, as knowing when the trigger onslaught is coming will allow you to prepare and get ready to deal with it. I would try to save my perfect guards for the late game as well, as to not have to overguard with 20k-25k in shield when you know they've reached their stack. Also keep count of their triggers in their damage zone, drop zone and if your memory allows, in their hand. Knowing what triggers they have left in their deck will allow you to take a calculated risk (ie. Guarding for 2 triggers to pass, or not guarding at all) depending on the triggers the Tsukuyomi player has left in their deck. 

Also be aware of Oracle Guardian, Red-Eye and Silent Tom. Red-Eye, when it hits will allow you the Tsukuyomi player to soulcharge. Why is this important? Full Moon Goddess Tsukuyomi requires 6 soul in order to be able to use her counterblast 2, draw 2, add 1 card to soul ability. That means that the longer you keep your opponent at 5 soul, the slower they can reach their stack and the less cards they'll have in their hand overall. If you see your opponent playing a Red-Eye Turn 2 or 3, they most likely do not have a Psychic Bird for that easy 6th soul. Preventing that Red-Eye from hitting prevents them from getting that 6th soul, so it's recommended that you do not let it hit. Silent Tom can also be problematic but for different reasons. A good Tsukuyomi player will most likely keep at least one Silent Tom in their hand until they reach their trigger stack, in order to force out at least 3 cards or a perfect guard due to the power of their trigger(s). Picking off Silent Toms before they reach their stack can prove to be game-winning as outside of Silent Tom, there are no rearguards you have to worry about in the late game.

The key to handling Tsukuyomi is to not let the player get in a comfortable position. If they do, then your best bet is to prepare ahead of time, by saving your perfect guards and picking off annoying rearguards so that you won't have to deal with them once the trigger stack hits.

Pros:

• Create raw hand advantage
• Potential 11k Vanguard
• Ride chain can create early advantage

Cons:

• Requires impeccable attention and memory
• Potential 9k Vanguard
• Too dependent on the ride chain

And that's the end of Part 1! Next two clans that I will look at will be Gold Paladin and Kagero in Part 2.

HerO

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[Japanese] Booster Set 7: Rampage of the Beast King Review

Introduction
In my last post, I asked for suggestions as to what you guys wanted me to write about. One of these things was to cover cards that are coming out in the Japanese version of the game - which is what I will start with! Booster Set 7: Rampage of the Beast King was recently released in Japan. Clans that receive support include Great Nature, Oracle Think Tank, Dark Irregulars and Pale Moon! I will be going through each clan's support briefly, and determine if the support will significantly change the competitiveness of the clan. Here we go!


Great Nature

Great Nature isn't technically a new clan. As a matter of fact, their 8k vanilla booster was released in Set 2! Set 7 finally brings them the rest of the cards you need to make a deck. The clan revolves around boosting their rearguards power through new cards such as School Hunter, Leo-pald and Binoculars Tiger. The boosted rearguards then retire through the boosting effect, but cards such as Pencil Knight, Hammsuke and Pencil Squire, Hammsuke allow you to Counterblast 1 to get another copy of the card to your hand after they are retired - giving you an essentially free power boost as you break even. School Hunter, Leo-pald takes it to another level with it's Limit Break, as after you use a retiring effect, it's Limit Break allows you to call the unit that was retired back to the field - netting you an overall power boost and a +1.



The Lox ride chain was also introduced, an alternate build for Great Nature. The ride chain works like Spectral Duke's (save for the retiring 1 and calling 2 effects). Eventually, the Grade 3, Guardian of Truth Lox gains 1k for having the Grade 2 Lox in your soul and it's effect is a 2-counterblast Persona Blast that gives a rearguard +4k/1 Critical until the end phase, when the chosen unit retires. Sounds like a whole lot of trouble when Binoculars Tiger and School Hunter, Leo-pald give the same effect (save for the +1 Crit) when the units simply attack. It's steep cost and inconsistency due to it's ride chain is what makes Lox a really subpar build for Great Nature.


Other clones of common rearguards were also made for Great Nature, such as Lamp Camel and Magnet Crocodile, giving Great Nature some extra beefiness in their card choices. All in all, Great Nature look to be a pretty competitive deck due to their ability to easily create high power columns do to their own power boosts while still being able to maintain hand advantage through Leo-pald's Limit Break and Hammsukes.


Pale Moon
Before Set 7, Pale Moon has been considered one of the least supported clans in the game. With no real advantage engine and inconsistency due to uncontrolled soulcharging, Pale Moon are finally getting some solid support. First of all, Pale Moon finally get a decent starter. The previous starter, Underworld Manager, did not move to a rearguard circle and it's lone effect was allowing you to soulcharge 1 when you rode a Grade 1. Girl Who Crossed the Gap, is a great, versatile starter. Not only does she move back to a rearguard circle when you ride over her, but for the cost of 1 Counterblast allows you to switch her with anything you have in the Soul. Not only that, but Purple Trapezist, a card previously only available as a Promo, yet a necessity in the deck, was reprinted in Booster Set 7, making Pale Moon much more accessible. Consistency was also boosted with Dancing Princess of the Night Sky, thanks to her ability to add any card from our deck into the soul. This allows for much easier set-up for Trapezist plays, along with being the easiest way to add Crimson Beast Tamer in the soul in order to use Turquoise Beast Tamer and Barking Manticore to their fullest. Because of this increase in consistency, Pale Moon has evolved to two different kinds of builds: soul-swapping focussed or beatdown focussed, the latter more commonly using Turquoise Beast Tamers and Midnight Invaders for easy 21k columns.


Pale Moon also had the most hyped card in the set - Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Lequier. When it was first revealed, it was considered really, really good - some even going as far as saying it was broken. It's Limit Break allows you to call 4 units - 1 from each grade - from your soul to the field. While it seems really good on paper, in practice it's a little awkward to work with due to it's high, 3 counterblast cost. Considering that other cards such as Magician of Quantum Mechanics (a new card, counterblast 1, but this unit to soul and call another one from the soul until the end phase of the turn where they switch back out again), Midnight Bunny, Nightmare Doll Alice, Dancing Princess of the Night Sky and Girl Who Crossed the Gap all use counterblast, it really limits what you are able to run.


In terms of upping the competitiveness of the clan, I think the card that has single-handedly done that is Dancing Princess of the Night Sky. She has basically solved most of the consistency issues the deck had. Oh I need a Crimson Beast Tamer in the soul? Done. I need a certain card to set-up a Purple Trapezist or Lequier play? Done. Before this set Pale Moon were forced to rely on random soulcharging from the top of their deck in order to get the cards they needed. With a solid boost in consistency, decent Limit Break and increased availability of Purple Trapezist, the deck has definitely improved to the point of being able to go toe-to-toe with some of the highly competitive decks in the meta. Will we see them top in a Japanese regional any time soon? I still think they have a little ways to go before they can be considered that competitive.


Dark Irregulars
Dark Irregulars weren't as bad as Pale Moon before this set. Their starting Vanguard was equally as bad, mostly because they didn't suffer from the same consistency issues as Pale Moon as Dark Irregulars really only care about the number of cards in the soul, not about specific cards being in there. Even so, Dark Irregulars still got a boost in terms of a late game Vanguard, starting Vanguard and boosting options.

Firstly, their new starting Vanguard: Greedy Hand. It moves to a rearguard circle when you ride over him, and for the cost of 1 Counterblast allows you to move it and something else from your deck to the soul. This makes it really easy to set up Demon Bike of the Witching Hour, which as a 6k Grade 1 gains 2k power for every other copy of it in the soul. Add two to the soul and you have a 10k booster. Put it behind Dark Lord of the Abyss and you have your Vanguard swinging for 21k. Other new cards such as Emblem Master allow you to soulcharge at high numbers, possibly increasing the power of your Demon Bike of the Witching Hour, or set-up a nice, healthy soul for Dark Lord of the Abyss for the late game.


Dark Lord of the Abyss is very similar to Demon World Marquis, Amon. It's Limit Break grants it the ability to soulcharge 2 cards and for that turn it gains power equal to the number of Dark Irregular cards in the soul. The main difference between the two cards is that Amon is a 10k Vanguard, while Dark Lord is 11k. In a meta where +2k Grade 3 rearguard attackers and 8k boosters to set up 20k columns are commonly used, it is worth in my opinion to consider Dark Lord over Amon, even though you need Limit Break in order to activate it's skill. Counterblast isn't even a problem since barely any cards in this clan actually use Counterblast often. That 11k Vanguard can more often be the difference more than an early power boost on your Vanguard.

Similarly to Pale Moon, the new cards in this set have allowed for two builds to evolve. You can go the more standard Dark Lord of the Abyss build, along with high boosters such as Jet Black Poet, Amon or the Blade Wing Reijy build, which with it's effect (when called to Vanguard circle, choose a rearguard and add from deck to soul up to 3 copies of the chosen card), allows for easier use of Demon Bike of the Witching Hour and likewise Grade 2 clones. It's Critical 3 ability (when you have 15 or more cards in soul, gains 2 Critical) actually makes it to some extent viable to keep your opponent at 3 damage (denying them any Limit Break) while swinging with your nicely boosted Crit 3 Vanguard. If the attack doesn't go through, then your rearguards can take care of his rearguards - although this has not been personally tested. Overall, some very nice support gives me high hopes for this clan in the near future.


Oracle Think Tank
This set carries all the hyped soulless OTT support. From Little Witch, LuLu (what actually makes them a viable choice) to new Battle Sister cards, this set finally brings a competitive alternative to Tsukuyomi.

Little Witch, LuLu sets up CoCo perfectly. When you ride a Grade 3 while she's in your soul, you can soulblast 2 to draw a card. In turn, CoCo then has less than 1 soul to use her counterblast 2, draw 2 ability. In essence, when you ride to Grade 3, you can Counterblast 2 to draw 3 cards - but that's essentially where the raw advantage ends. Battle Sister Glaze and Sky Witch NaNa simply gain power on your turn when you have no soul and Battle Sister Souffle is a Grade 3 that gains 2k when it is boosted by an OTT - so nothing too amazing there. 

Emerald Witch LaLa was really hyped before it's effect was revealed, and then it was revealed and all the hype died. When you have no soul, and this card is called, you can ditch one card to draw one. Why this card is an RRR is beyond me, and wasn't even run in the two soulless OTT decks that have recently topped.


Overall, while the only noteworthy card released this set was Little Witch, LuLu, it has single-handedly allowed for a new variation of Oracle Think Tank to be played, which for some players is a welcome change from playing Tsukuyomi since Set 3.


Gold Paladin
Gold Paladin got a few new cards as well - most of which reward sacking even more (because they aren't already a sacky deck as it is). Firstly they got a new starting Vanguard - Spring Breeze Messenger. By counterblasting 1 and putting him in the soul, you are able to look at the top 3 cards of your deck and call any one of them to a rearguard circle. Doesn't sound particularly consistent, but let me get to the part where I said these cards reward sacking. Let's say you call one of these - Listener of Truth, Disdraine. When it's called from the deck you can Soulblast 1 to draw a card. An easy +1 right? Sack rewarded.

Let's say you didn't get it with Spring Breeze Messenger, then maybe you can get something with Lop Ear Shooter. When it's called you can discard 1 card to look at the top 3 cards of your deck and call one of those units. Didn't get a Listener of Truth, Disdraine? Maybe you got a White Hare in the Moon's Shadow, Pellinore. When this card is called from the deck and your opponent has a Grade 2 or higher Vanguard, you can discard 1 card and place this card on your Vanguard circle. If your Vanguard was already rested, your Vanguard stands. Yes, the ultimate sack reward - more drive checks. 


Although I'm making these cards sounds really powerful, note they are really inconsistent. Most of these cards revolve around you sacking into other cards, which will obviously not happen on a consistent basis. Although these cards certainly add a fun aspect to the deck, I do not see these cards being used (except for Spring Breeze Messenger as a starting Vanguard and Listener of Truth, Disdraine since Garmore calling her is a +2) in the highest levels of play. Ezel/Garmore still seems to be the more consistent and harder-hitting deck.


Angel Feather

Angel Feather got 4 cards in this set. 2 self-damage dealers (you counterblast 1 and add the top card of your deck to your damage zone and in the end of the turn you shuffle a card from your damage zone into your deck), a new starting Vanguard, Hope Child Turiel, that allows you to damage swap cards, and a new Limit Break unit Chief Nurse Shamsel whose Limit Break allows you to damage swap every time it attacks and secondary ability allows it to gain 2k every time damage is placed on your damage zone on both turns. Overall not bad; I can see Hope Child Turiel becoming the starting Vanguard of choice and Chief Nurse Shamsel becoming a staple in more and more Angel Feather decks, especially along Thousand Ray Pegasus and Million Ray Pegasus. Overall, with their ability to create high power columns consistently due to constant damage swapping, a competitive Angel Feather deck has become more realistic and we could see some surprise tops in the near future.


Conclusion
Overall, Set 7 provided some long overdue support for some clans while touching up others. As a new Pale Moon fan I am really enjoying what this set has to offer, and I can't wait until English players are also able to enjoy the new support.


HerO


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


Be sure to check out DifferenceInSkill on YouTube!