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!