Cards of the Week! 4th Edition

New Card:

Flashing Ripple, Odysseus

All Hail Odysseus, our lord and savior!

[ACT][RC][1/Turn] Choose one of your other rearguards, and put it into your soul] Search your deck for up to one card with "Ripple" in it's card name with the same grade as your vanguard, ride it as [stand], and shuffle your deck. If you rode, choose a card from your soul with the same grade as your vanguard not named "Flashing Ripple, Odysseus", call it to [RC], and that unit gains [power]+2000 until end of turn.

This. Card. Is. So. Good. This card does so much for free. It allows Tidal Assault to hit 11k base vanguards on grade 2, it can allow the deck to plus quickly using Sea Turtle Soldier and Miltiades, it makes the deck near immune to Megacolony in general, and it makes Infinite legion easier to achieve.

And this is all before it's intended purpose of fixing the Ripple ride chain, which is notorious for it's very powerful early game.

This card single-handedly fixed all of Ripple's problems, and simultaneously make it a deck that you shouldn't mess with.

Verdict: An outstanding card.

Old Card:

Tidal Rescue Sea Turtle Soldier

As the Ripple surges forth, I shall be there
to support them!

[Auto] When this unit is placed on [VC] or [RC], reveal the top card of your deck. If that card is a grade 1 or grade 2 <Aqua Force>, call it to [RC], and if it's not, shuffle your deck.

Aqua Force's Conjurer of Mithril clone. Such a card could never be good in Aqua Force, right?

Thanks to Odysseus, not only is this card now viable, but it's amazing in Ripple.

Odysseus allows us to use this cards skill several times without actually having to call it from hand, which is fantastic. Free superior calls are always nice!

You'd think the fact that it can't call Grade 0's or Grade 3's would hinder the deck, but it actually helps the deck by keeping the cards we want in the deck (grade 0's and 3's) in the deck while calling grade 1's and grade 2's which help our rush.

The reason we want Grade 3's in the deck is so we have targets for Odysseus if Megacolony paralyze the vanguard or if we want to ride Miltiades several times.

Verdict:  Really good. An instant Playset in Ripple.

Cards of the Week 3rd Edition.

New Card:

Salvation Sage, Benon.

[Auto] [CB1] When this unit is placed on RC, you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one card with [power] 6000, call it to RG in the same column as this unit, and shuffle your deck.

Royal Paladin's new "Swordmy", this card has some advantages and some disadvantages compared to Swordmy

Advantages: This card can call Hidden Sage, Miron, which allows this card to +2 for CB1 SB3, This card call call all 6K cards, not only jewel knights, this card also does not need you to tech Jewel Knights.

Disadvantages: Can only call into the same column, making where you can call it it more restrictive them Swordmy. you also cannot call limit break enablers or 10k attackers to rush very quickly. Columns it creates does not hit magic numbers against 11k vanguard without help from strides like Soul Saver and Altmile.

However, it's worth noting that any card like is extremely powerful, and these cards haveridiculous amount of Synergy with Regalie, one of the best strides in the game.

Verdict: Extremely good.

Old Card:

Battle Siren, Melania.

[Auto] [RC] [GB1] [Wave 3 or more] [CB1] When this unit attacks a vanguard, if you have a grade 3 or greater vanguard with "Thavas" in it's card name, you may pay the cost. If you do, Draw a card, and this unit gains [power] + 5000 until end of that battle.

[Cont] [VC/RC/RC] Resist

One of the first two cards revealed for the Aqua Force clan booster, I only started testing her a few days ago and it's a shame I did, because Melania is simply amazing. The main reason I have come to really like her so much is simple: She is extremely flexible.

She generates advantage (which is always nice in Aqua Force.)

She does not require a booster to hit an 11k vanguard, allowing me to save cards in my hand for later.

She is a great target for Tidal Bores superior call, allowing you to pressure your opponent further while maintaining your hand.

She combos with Lambros extremely well. So well in fact I have started using Lambros as a first stride.

And being a grade 1, Melania doesn't need to be squeezed into the extremely tight Grade 2 lineup.

Having resist however is a double edged sword. While Melania is immune to every form of specific control in the game bar Brawlers, Shadow Paladins can turn Resist into a liability. Still, Resist is a very powerful defensive effect.

Verdict: If you play Thavas, play this card. You will not regret it!

The Lovecraftian Horror: Original Deletor, Eigorg!

"Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."

Original Deletor, Eigorg

[Act] [VC] [GB2] [CB1] & Choose a rearguard with "Deletor" in it's card name, and retire it] If you have a heart with "Deletor" in it's card name, delete all your opponent's vanguard, choose up to one of your opponent's backrow rearguards, and lock it and your opponent chooses a card from his or her drop-zone, and banish deletes it. Then, if the number of cards in your opponent's damage zone is 4 or more and the amount face down cards in your opponent's bind-zone is 13 or more, you win the game.

Deletors to me have always seemed Lovecraftian in nature. They are alien, mysterious beings who have the power to exterminate us and want to exterminate us but we don't know why.

This card's skill feels like the embodiment of that idea. There is no way to combat it, there is no way to fight against it. The clock slowly ticks, and when it strikes 13, the end shall come.

But is it possible? The scary part is that it is, but it largely depends on your opponent. It is very easy to use enough card skills to bind 13 cards, but the issue is whether your opponent has the cards in their drop-zone to bind.

Of course, this is just the icing on the cake. The extremely cheap cost for a Delete and a lock is really good.

Verdict: This card is exactly what Deletors needed: A way to delete extremely cheaply and a Stride they can use very well.

Cards of the Week! 2nd Edition

New Card:

Liedown Deletor, Givun

The only Deletor that likes Mondays...

[Auto] [CB1]Card with "Deletor" in it's card name] & Retire this unit & choose 4 other rearguards with "Deletor" in it's card name, and retire them.] After the battle that this unit attacked a Vanguard, if you have a grade 3 vanguard with "Grei" in in it's card name, you may pay the cost. If you do, [Stand] all your vanguard.

Another Deletor again? Yes. Personally, the Alfred support released in the last week has been extremely lackluster and uninteresting to me.

So Deletors now have a rearguard based Vanguard restanding skill. These cards in the past have shown to be extremely powerful and heavily restricting on the clans these cards are in can be given, as the two cards that could restand a vanguard as a rearguard in the past, Cat Butler and Commander Laurel had no counterblast cost and gained advantage.

Givun on the other hand has a counterblast cost and is a -3 in advantage, while being extremely easy for other Link Joker archetypes to disrupt and "Diablo" being un-guardable because of it's skill. Seems to be a rather unreasonable restriction for this card, don't you think? Personally, I think it implies that Deletors are going to get a good advantage engine to help support Deletor's near constant self minusing. (They do however have an amazing filtering engine now thanks to Illfate Deletor, Dorohn)

As of right now? This card is only viable as a finisher, and even then it is extremely risky, if you don't kill them that turn, you've probably lost because Givuns huge advantage lost is extremely hard to mitigate right now in Deletors.

Verdict: Has potential, but right now is risky.

Old Card:

Blue Storm Marshal Dragon, Admiral Maelstrom.

Best. Centaur. Ever.

[Stride]

[Auto] [Wave 4 or more] [CB1] & Choose a face down card in your G-Zone, and turn it face up.] When this unit's attack hits a vanguard, if you have a heart with "Maelstrom" in it's card name, you may pay the cost, if you do, draw a card. choose 3 of your opponent's rearguard, your opponent chooses a rearguard among them for each face up card named "Blue Storm Marshal Dragon, Admiral Maelstrom" in your G-Zone and retires them.

A card that I have seem very often criticized by the vanguard community for being bad. I disagree with this sentiment.

First of, thanks to Blue Storm Marine General, Despina, Admiral Maelstrom can block grade 0'Ss for attacking 4 times and a -1, and while that is a huge commitment to the board, it is a great way to capitalize on your opponent's lack of P-Guards, force P-guards out and be used as a first stride finisher. Using Admiral this way can be done both in Maelstrom and Thavas decks. What harm comes from toolboxing a single copy of what can become a Psuedo-Ragnaclock?

Secondly, Admiral's skill is a great way to grind your opponent down while gaining advantage yourself in Maelstrom decks, especially against more aggressive decks. They either guard (+2 soft advantage at least) or take the hit (+2 hard advantage,). However, Admiral's more demanding conditions make it less of an option against control decks that specifically focus on the rearguard (pretty much all of them.) So if a Maelstrom player is running this, I'd also highly recommend that you run this with Tidal Bore Dragon, Who is a staple in any Aqua Force player's G-Zone.

Thirdly, Admiral Maelstrom, just like Stun Spear, only persona flips when it hits. This makes it a lot easier to fit Admiral into the G-Zone. Unlike Stun Spear however, Admiral is even easier to compress into the G-Zone, and only has to be run at 2 to use it's skill.

Verdict: A very flexible G-Unit, who can be used in several different ways.

Cards of the Week! 1st Edition

First of, I have to apologize for not doing Card of the Week! for the last two weeks. I took a small Hiatus from the blog, mainly because I was playing Terraria's Expert Mode. (which is a blast BTW! :D)

While on this Hiatus, I also decided to make a change to the Card of the Week series. Rather then just analyzing a newly released card every Wednesday, I'll also review an older card in which may or may not have become more relevant because of a newly announced card or may just be a card I am very interested in.

With that out of the way, let's get to the 1st edition of Cards of the Week!

The New Card:

Docking Deletor, Greion

"We are the pinnacle of Evolution and
Existence."

[Act] [CB2] Cards with "Deletor" in it's card name & choose a rearguard with "Deletor" in it's card name, and retire it.] Delete all your opponent's vanguard, your opponent chooses a card from his or her drop zone, and Banish Deletes it. (The Deleted card is turned face down, has 0 power and loses all it's text. It turns face up at the end of your opponent's turn. The Banish Deleted card is placed in the Bind Zone face down.)

[Auto] When this unit is placed on [VC], your opponent chooses 2 cards from his or her drop-zone, and Banish Deletes them. (Banish Deleted cards are placed in the bind zone face down.)

The newest weapon in the Deletor's arsenal, Greion is probably one of the best Deletor bosses we have had yet.

First off, his Delete is the cheapest out of all Deletors, so we can keep Deleting the opponent's vanguard with relative consistency now, and like Oksizz he can Delete regardless of what the opponent is doing. Which makes Deletors much more consistent and MUCH faster.

Banish Delete is kind of interesting. It's really strong in the early game against Legion decks or Musketeers in general, but I am not sure how effective it is other then in those two cases. We also don't know what Bushiroad will do with this mechanic. It could turn out to be an Amazing mechanic with a lot of control and flexibility (And maybe even a Win Condition!?)

Verdict: A great help to Deletors, but more help is needed to make Deletors Relevant.

The Old Card

Mixed Deletor, Keios

Hey guys! Mind if I hang around with you
 today? No? Why not!? I can delete like all you
 guys as well! See! All I want is to be
your friends... MOTHER! OKSIZZ
IS BULLYING ME AGAIN! HE WON'T
LET ME BE HIS FRIEND!

[Auto] [CB2] two cards with "Deletor in it's card name] and choose two cards in your hand and discard it] When this unit is placed on [VC] you may pay the cost, if you do, Delete all your opponent's vanguard, choose 2 of your opponent's rearguard, and lock them.

[Auto] [VC] When this unit attack's a vanguard, this unit gains [Power] +2000 until end of that battle.

Keios is like that child who trys so hard to impress you, to show you how cool he is, but fails miserably.

Keios is one of the clunkiest cards I have ever seen. He only triggers when you ride him, unlike the rest of the deletors who trigger during the main phase, his skill is ridiculously expensive advantage wise, and he relies on your opponent having called rearguards before riding him to make park of his skill even useful!

Because of this, Keios is barely useable.

Verdict: Why does this card even exist?!