[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


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