Set Review: Rampage of The Beast King

Today we are going to have a more thorough peek at BT07. Most of the set has already been released, and as far as I can say, the next “Era” that awaits us is going to be very interesting, competitive and enjoyable.

 Firstly, a new power clan is introduced in the fighting pool. Of course I am talking about the great university of Cray, Great Nature. The main characteristic this clan features is the skill of boosting rear guard usually giving them plus 4k and at the end phase retires them.  But it doesn’t stop here. Utilizing recycling mechanisms such as Pencil’s squire counteblast, Leopard’s and Bison’s Limit Break abilities you can minimize any draw-backs of boosting mechanism and even obtain advantage.  Great things are expected from Great Nature and for sure it will affect the future metagame.

Next a blast from the past. The return of one of the classic “Big 3” that set the foundation of Vanguard has come. Oracle think Tank has many fans and their time to make an impact might have come. A new engine is introduced focusing around spending the soul instead of “packing” it essentially boosting the Scarlet-Witch Coco style. OTT needed a boost for quite some time and I think its supporters will be pleased with the new units.

Dark zone clans were always popular. With their tricks, the big attackers and being played by AL4 they sure have gained a huge fan-group. Being at the top requires some strong cards except from some tremendous skill. So let’s see the new tricks of Pale Moon and Dark Irregulars.

Pale Moon 

Pale moon circus is open again and its new recruits are amazing, tricky and fun.First, a new starting vanguard, Girl Who Crossed the Gap, an amazing unit that can really give you the edge by substituting herself with another more “dangerous” unit. A new juggler is also added to the circus crew, giving you an additional critical and pumping a unit by boosting your soul essentially giving a much more aggressive note to Pale Moon making it even more threatening. Also the circus is given its own “painter”, Mad Cup Marionette and some “substitutes”, Pee-Ka-Boo and Quantum Magician. Last we have the star-performers. A new doll, Amy a megablaster is introduced but that’s the least problem you will face when Pale Moon hit the Grade 3 pool.  Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Lequier and Sword Magician Sara, are your biggest foes. Dragon Tamer is an extremely powerful Limit Breaker, bringing 3 units out of your soul. Combining this skill with your “substitutes”, Girl Who Crossed the Gap and Quantum Magician, Purple Trapezist, Bunny and Alice, a Final Turn is not a long way from there. Next Sara, tremendous skill , utilizing full your Alices by essentially re-using them and the only requirement is getting a grade 3 at your drive check which making drive-checking grade 3 not a hideous thing anymore. Pale Moon Circus has returned with more tricks up to their sleeves. Be ready for them!

Dark Irregulars

Dark Irregulars up until now was considered by many an underdog and the main reason was not that it has weak units but its predictable trigger configuration. In a format that’s too fast running the standard lineup of 4-4-4-4 is not much of a deal. But that is changed now. A whole new quartet is added to the pool giving you a variety of choices making you more unpredictable and faster. In addition 2 new starting vanguards have entered the “Scene”, one Tutor and one Soul-boosting. Both decent additions.  Also new boosters have been recruited. Demon Bike can easily get to 10k by having 2 more in soul, something that’s being done easily in a deck like Dark Irregulars. Yellow Bolt and Succubus helping on the soul-boosting while an extremely useful unit is introduced. Bloody Calf, a cb 2, grade 1 unit that can blast an enemy grade 1 or lesser unit, practically slowing down opponent depriving them of some key-boosters.Last but not least, the “Demons” that will haunt you down.Mad Eye Bassilisk and Devil Tank can break easily the 20k powerline , making them good rear guards. As for the Vanguard part we have Dark Lord of Abyss  that is somewhat like a replica of Amon and Reggie, a fierce Limit Breaker that can be really annoyed having to guard against him every time because of the Critical 2. Dark Irregulars will certainly justify their position on the AL4 and will stomp many other Tier Decks using their huge attackers and their new lineup.

Gold Paladins 

We can’t simply get enough of them! Some new recruits have arrived on the Gold Paladin’s army. A new starting vanguard that can “replace” itself with a stronger paladin combing with the new boss unit, Pellinore.White Hare is a terrific unit, Limit Breaker and when it comes from the deck by some other unit’s ability can give you an extra attack and an extra twin drive. Quite a formidable unit. Next we have Dindoran , a better version of Silver Witch,  making your deck faster and Griflet the Gold Paladin version of Lion Heat. Last but not least, Lop Ear shooter is another great unit which combos with Pellinore but it can find its place in Black Knights Horde too.

Rampage of the Beast King will set new “game rules” and the battle that will come will be fierce, so pick a side, chose your clan and be prepared for a ferocious Clash at Planet Cray!

Let’s Imagine! Let’s Vanguard!

Lion vs Dragon

 

Today, we will review Gold Paladins, we will compare both versions and analyze their pros and cons.

Grade 3:  2x Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel 2x Gigantech Destroyer 4x Great Silver Wolf, Garmore Grade 2: 2x Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemea Lion 4xKnight of Superior Skills, Beaumains 4x Mage of Calamity, Tripp 1x Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane Grade1: 4x Sleygal Dagger 4x Halo Shield, Mark 4x Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth 1xPrecipice Whirlwind, Sagramore 2x Charjgal Grade0: 1x Little Fighter Cron 4x Elixir Sommelier 4x Flame of Victory 4x Weapons Dealer, Gwydion 2x Silent Punisher 2x Falcon Knight of Azure

Grade 3: 7 4x Spectral Duke Dragon 2x Battlefield Storm, Sagramore 1x Great Silver Wolf, Garmore Grade 2: 11 4x Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer 3x Flash-Edge Valyrie 2x Mage of Calamity, Tripp 2x Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemea Lion Grade 1: 15 4x Jet Black Vanguard Vortimer 4x Gareth Knight of Elegant Skills 4x Halo Shield, Mark 2x War Horse, Raging Storm 1x Player of the Holy Axe Nimue Grade 0: 17 1x Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer 4x Flame of Victory 4x Elixir Sommelier 4x Silent Punisher 4x Falcon Knight of the Azure

                         Let's review the foundation of both Lion and Dragon.

Lion In the list I chose (Nagoya 1st place) the player opted to go for Cron, disregarding the availability of Superior Ride, preferring the tutoring ability and the stability of Garmore instead of chasing the superior ride and focusing around Ezel. Also trigger lineup is “confessing” the need for advantage and the control nature that’s being imbued on this deck. Pros                                                  Cons Stability                                    Lack of speed Card Advantage                         (Power can be considered a Con , but it’s not a huge gap , cause 6 triggers can certainly give you power to push, however less power than Dragon version, and slower “cornering” into the “danger” zone.)

Dragon Now, on the other side, we have the “standard” starting vanguard, which enables the ride-chain. And then we spot a lineup focused around pushing your opponent with force, thus the 8 crits while the 4 draws balance out the aggressive lineup and the “expenses” of Spectral Duke Dragon’s Limit Break. Pros                                                Cons Speed                                         Unstable Rush-Power (I don’t consider card advantage in Cons because when you push opponent faster you make him use more guards, thus exhaust their hand faster. Also Rush-power isn’t the same as speed. A deck has speed when it swarms fast in this particular case, but rush-power is a term referring to pushing force when it comes to attacking the vanguard)

Next, Grade 1.

Gareth and Halo Shield are pretty much standard. But here we spot a quartet of Sleygals that are there to give a boost to the aggressive side of the deck. Also Charjgal is not a surprise with 4 Garmore and Precipice Whirlwind guarantee some card change ,in order to stabilize more your early game and get your pieces for your final setup as the game moves on Pros                                               Cons Power                                               - Stability

Also here Gareth and Halo are self explainable just as much as Jet Black Vanguard. We spot though 3 cards those are unusual enough. First 2 War-Horses. Due to the instability of the deck, those fellows guarantee you a late game “fix” pumping your vanguard at 11k and saving you some cards. Then we have Nimue. Being a 7k boost is certainly adding a more aggressive note to the deck, while making your early game very annoying and pressuring. It could be substituted for a Viviane but the deck needs more grade 1 than grade 2. Pros                                                 Cons Early Pressure                                   - Late game Fixing

Grade 2

An interesting mix-up of pressure (Viviane), sheer power (Beaumains), recycling (Tripp) and defense (Nemea Lion). Pros                                                   Cons Stability                   Lack of much pressure Defense Recycling (Lack of pressure is noted cause of the presence of only 1 viviane.Something that really follows the whole concept and style of the deck/player which chose more defensive attitude instead of mid-game pressure)

Here we have a more straight forwarded lineup. The standard ride-chain backed up by a nice addition to the swarming engine (Valkyrie). Also there are present both defense and recycling engines (Nemea Lion and Tripp) Pros                                           Cons Recycling                              Unstable Swarm-mechanism Pressure (Instability refers to potential lack of Dragon Knight that will lead into a “weak” late game. Also Valkyrie in hand isn’t the best pick.)

Finally the late game and the “meeting “of the Bosses.

We meet, Ezel , Gigantech Destroyer and Garmore.  It becomes clear that Garmore is the leading star of the deck, giving you a stable +1 advantage and a “late” pushing power that’s needed for the final push. Ezel is like the co-star, functioning as a Finisher, a potential swarm-mechanism. Last Destroyer a nice addition to a final push-through attack. Economical and powerful. Pros                                                Cons Stability                                   Predictable Swarming  Power

On the other side of the ring, we have the mighty Spectral Duke Dragon. Final piece of the ride-chain, 11k vanguard essentially saving you some cards when comes to guarding while also having a Limit Break Ability that can be what you need to break through. Next Garmore. He is a unit that can’t be missing from any Gold Paladin Deck. Here he is a back-up plan. And last but not least Dragon’s wingman, the pusher-finisher of this Deck, Sagramore. Combined with 8 crits, Gareth behind him and a 4th attack a final push is guaranteed. Pros                                                 Cons Speed                       Expensive Limit Break Power        High-risk-->Lack of Card Adva. Swarming

So to sum it up, the Ezel/Garmore deck is a more tempo-control based army which balances out its weakness (power, speed) with its Limit Break units. Certainly Tier 1 deck material.

Black Knights are still a controversial deck. Mainly because of its weakness to capitalize on a stable rhythm/rate due to its stability problems. But one thing is undeniable that its Limit Break is a fierce skill that can end a game and also that’s its power is no joke.

 I am emphasizing on the power part because recently I read a post about Spectral Duke Dragon being powerless. I assure you that are not the case at all. In the post I’ve read it was mentioned that the main disadvantage of the deck is Spectral Duke being an 11k vanguard. That’s a terrible misconception. Ezel can power up to 30+ sure, but it’s preventable and readable, also when your turn is over its still a 10k vanguard, an easy target due to the many combinations that break the 20k powerline simple enough.

 Also SDD Limit Break it might be costly but when used right in combination with 8 crits, and Sagramore/Gareth platoon, it gives you a huge finisher setup, especially when you have cornered your opponent at 4-5 damage zone. You have access to 4 attacks. Even if he let one pass, he will need at least 4-5 cards to guard, 2 for vanguard, 2 for sagramore and 1 more for vanguard again. So essentially you sacrifice 3 used up cards to sap away 4-5 cards and gain a potential guard with the extra drive check. The most important thing is to use it on the right time and don’t overextend if it’s not needed.

Vanguard is a game with multiple variables that at least for now doesn’t depend that much on the cards and their power capacity as on the skill of the player. Every deck can beat every deck. Some do it more easily, some harder, but nothing is impossible and nothing is out of reach. Every aspect of it can be controlled and that’s the magic of it, playing against the Player and not the cards. So don’t chase after Phantoms of other games, Tier decks , imbalanced cards. Just find your deck, a clan that fits you , your style and I assure you will be amazed of your potential and the fun you will have.

Cavalry Of Black Steel

Last time we took a peek at Fighter's Road 2012' Japan Regionals and we spotted the “birth” of a new Tier deck that proved its strength successfully at its first crash test. I am talking of course about Gold Paladin. We have already review the winning deck lists but today I would like to analyze the “Dark Side” of the Paladins, the fearsome Black Knights a.k.a Suzugamori Ren’s Gold Paladins.

As soon as the cards were announced I took an immediate liking to this deck. Essentially it incorporates the control-swarming abilities of the Ezel Gold Paladins but in a more aggressive-rush way. Before I realized I have started playing and experimenting with them and soon Black Knights become my “second” main deck.

 

 I will now present you my list and justify my card selections.

Grade 0: 17

1x Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer

4x Flame of Victory

4x Elixir Sommelier

4x Silent Punisher

4x Falcon Knight of the Azure

Grade 1: 15

4x Jet Black Vanguard Vortimer

4x Gareth Knight of Elegant Skills

4x Halo Shield, Mark

2x War Horse, Raging Storm

1x Player of the Holy Axe Nimue

Grade 2: 11

4x Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer

3x Flash-Edge Valyrie

2x Mage of Calamity, Tripp

2x Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemea Lion

Grade 3: 7

4x Spectral Duke Dragon

2x Battlefield Storm, Sagramore

1x Great Silver Wolf, Garmore

First things first. The trigger lineup is focused around pushing power that’s why the 8 criticals. I found it really effective “cornering” your opponent early at the “danger zone” (4-5 damage). Also there is potential for double crit which can lead in OTK because opponents don’t tend to guard when being at 3 damage well most of them, instead they prefer saving up their guards for the “right” time. Draw triggers are there as little “help” regarding hand advantage while at the same time covering some of the “expense” needed for Spectral Duke Dragons Limit Break ability. Heal trigger is self explanatory. Last a lot of players seem to ignore flame of victory skill but it’s rather a very useful ability that lets you pump one of your monsters, really helpful when it comes to setting up your “Final Turn”.

Next we have grade 1, Jet Black Vanguard is there for the ride chain, and couldn’t be less than 4, pulling this chain off is nearly guarantee you a +3 advantage. Gareth is a beatstick booster and Halo is a much needed defense especially when you are facing 30k+ attacks from Ezel, or MLB , DOTE and PBO, so “running” 4 of them is essential for a good performance and a safe “trip”. Nimue is a 7k booster which can grant you a plus 1 when you successfully activate its ability. A rather annoying fellow. It could be substituted for a Viviane but while I was playtesting the deck I found that I needed more boosters than attackers.In addition don’t forget the war-horse. It might seem a little “off” but this guy can really “fix” your late game, giving a much needed +1k to your Spectral Duke Dragon that will practically save you some cards, and place you in a much favorable spot.

Grade 2. Dragon Knight’s presence is for the same reason as Jet Black Vanguard. Mage of Calamity, Tripp is a “recycler” of flipped damage, mainly letting you re-use your counterblasts. Flash-Edge Valkyrie is a nice addition to your swarming engine, adding another +1 to your advantage pool. Last my hybrid agro-control “safety-measure”. Nemea lion is a great defense while it can get easily to 15-16k powerline when combined with Jet Black/Gareth. It could be substituted by some more Tripps or Vivian or even Beaumains but since it doesn’t make a difference when it comes to powerlines (15/16 is essentially equal to 18/19 when it comes to vanguard pushing) being a little “careful” do no harm.

And here we have the star-leading units of this deck, Grade 3s. The pinnacle of Black Knights, Spectral Duke Dragon. The final unit of the ride chain, a potential 11k vanguard with an incredible Limit Break ability which allows you to “sacrifice” 3 units of yours and gain 1 more attack.

Garmore, a very stable unit. Strong limit break, and a counterblast that can fetch a valuable unit from deck to field. A really must-card in any Gold Paladin deck. If I I found an opening I would really consider play 2 of them. He is a really good back-up plan.

Last, Sagramore, our key-pushing unit. The Battlefield Storm can easily break the 20/21k powerline with its counterblast ability. A fearsome combination with Spectral Duke’s Limit Break, especially when you further combine it with 8 criticals and having your opponent at the “Danger Zone”.

This deck is really up to its game. It has many tricks up to its sleeve, and has nothing to be jealous off of other Tier Decks. Its main weakness though is its stability. Playing units such as valkyries and war-horse while your main engine depends on a ride-chain, things can get ugly. Also sometimes you may “get” more triggers than you want, mainly with your Black Knights’ skills, a rather discouraging fact to happen. But great power requires great skill and risk, so if you want to tame the Black Dragon and its Cavalry you need to struggle your way to it.

This was a general introduction to Black Knights and Spectral Duke Dragon, in order to get a first idea of the “trunk” of the deck. Next post we will put side-to-side the two versions of Gold Paladins, review their pros and cons and their main differences. Until then, Let’s Imagine! Let’s Vanguard!