Card's of the week! 16th & 17th Editions

New Card #1:

Rikudo Stealth Rogue, Atagolord.

Dishonourable? Honour is but a path to an
 early demise!

(Stride)

(Auto) (VC) (GB2) [:(CB1) & Choose a face down card named "Rikudo Stealth Rogue, Atagolord" from your G-Zone, and turn it face up]: When this unit attack's a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, your opponent chooses a card from his or her hand, and binds it face up. Then if the amount of cards in your opponent's hand is three or less, this unit gets (critical) +1 until end of turn. The cards bound with this effect return to the opponent's hand at the end of the turn.

Nubatama's G-Persona from The RECKLESS RAMPAGE, This card's skill appears to be weak... But like a true ninja, this is deliberate deception.

This card is actually pretty powerful, and I'll tell you why.

Atagolord requires the opponent to have four or less cards in hand when he attacks to get his critical skill.

So, how hard is it to get your opponent to 4 cards in hand by the time Atagolord attacks? First lets start of by assuming a very likely scenario: Atagolord has strode over Shiranui. Assuming you can use both skills, that increases the maximum hand size to five cards. Next, let's assume that we're break-riding over Kujikiricongo, then striding into Atagolord. That further increases the maximum hand size to six. Lastly, let's assume thatyou break-ride Shiranui over Kujikiricongo, then stride into Atagolord, and are able to use both skills, that increases even futher to seven cards.

Note that none of these examples require any rearguards to work.

Admittedly, the latter situation is not the consistent combo in the world, so we can assume that seven cards is the upper limits of Atagolord's viability, as it is very hard to get higher then this number consistently.

This is around the size of the average hand at this stage in the game.

Any higher then this and Tsukumorikan becomes more viable.

So what does this prove? It proves that Atagolord is the main finisher for Nubatama, that Atagolord is relatively consistent and that it's "heavy condition" is not really a heavy condition at all.

Verdict: Very Powerful. Do not underestimate this card.

Old card #1

World's worst care bear.

Stealth Beast, Tamahagane.

(Auto) ]: When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC), Choose up to one of your opponent's rearguards, and your opponent binds that card face up and at the end of that turn, your opponent puts the card bound by this effect into his or her hand.

Tamahagane is an card that was once useful mainly for binding rearguard during the early and mid game so that Kuroko can snipe, he is now a all-round useful card, mainly thanks to Nubatama's new keyword, afterimage.

This card now has one or two uses, depending on whether you run Kuroko or Kamojiqusha as your starter. It can either be used to snipe rearguards early game using Kuroko, or it can be used to activate afterimage. Both of these are viable and reasonable ways of using this effect in my opinion.

In the late game, Tamahagane is a great backup bind in case you are in a situation where you simply cannot bind, or you need to bind a new card, but otherwise he can be a bit of a deadweight.

Nonetheless, he is a vital card to Nubatama's strategy, no matter what style you play.

Verdict: Pretty good.

New card #2:

Devildam Chemist

It was me, Dio!

(Auto) (RC) :[(SB)1]: When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, increase this units (power) by this unit's current (power) until the end of the battle. At the end of that battle, put this unit to the bottom of your deck.

Highspeed, Brakki is a card that has always been a staple of Spike Brothers since it's inception.

This card is an interesting version of that card. Whilst it's base power is abysmal, it increases it's power by whatever power it was when it attacked. That includes triggers, effects and boosted power.

This allows it's power to increase exponentially with it's skill. For example, say you broke-rode Bloody Ogle over Bad End Dragger, and then Legioned. When this unit attacked, if you used it's skill, it would actually attack for 42k unboosted, and 56k if boosted by a 7K,

These are some really scary numbers, especially for a deck that can call out the same card several times a turn. 

It's just a card that you'll never want to ride. Ever.

Verdict: I really don't want to be on the receiving end of this...

Old card #2:

Great Villain, Dirty Picaro.

About as dirty as most pro Football
(Soccer if you're American) players.

(Stride)

(Auto) (VC) (GB3) :[(CB)1 & choose a face down card in your G-Zone, and turn it face up and choose a card from your hand, and put it into your soul]: When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one card from your deck for every face up card in your G-Zone. Call the cards that were searched to separate open (RC), and shuffle your deck.

Spike Brother's G-Rare from the RECKLESS RAMPAGE, Dirty Picaro is pretty much Dudley Emperor retrained as a G-Unit.

Spikes are known for their heavy consumption of resources, mainly counterblasts and rearguards. A card that can quickly trade one of them for others is pretty good, especially since you are not restricted in what you search.

Spikes have plenty of good targets to call. Axe Diver and Misery are some of the new ones, with Devildam, Reckless and Mason being some other useful cards.

It's GB3 condition might seem harsh at first, but Miracle Ace and Dudley Geronimo can both persona on the first turn, allowing you to use Picaro from the second stride onwards.

Verdict: Very useful. Gives the clan a quick way to replenish resources.

About Japan's restriction list, and my thoughts.

For those of you who haven't heard yet, probably because you live on Mars, there are 2 changes to Japan's restriction list, and a new rule to Clan-Fight which will begin from the 22nd January:

Flash Ripple,Odysseus may only be run at 2 copies or less.

Commander Laurel is now unrestricted.

Clan-Fight rule: if you have a card named "Jewel Knight, Swordmy" in your deck, all grade 3 cards in your deck must have "Jewel Knight" in it's card name.

Flash Ripple, Odysseus

To be honest, as soon as this card was announced, I knew this card was destined to completely warp the metagame. If any card in Vanguard was going to be restricted in the near future, it was going to be this card.

I'm not surprised that it did happen. Instead I'm curious about how the Ripple deck functions with only 2 Odysseus. All the restricted Odysseus means is we cannot be as reliant on the ride chain as we once were, Alecs is now the mandatory starter of the deck and Sea Turtle Soldier is no longer even remotely viable in normal Ripple. (By that I mean the 4 Miltiadis 4-3 Genovious version of the deck)

Because of this, I think that Tidal Assault will replace Turtle Soldier in most people's Ripple decks, but with Tidal Assault now on the watchlist, I think some people might try to use Ianis or Twin-Strike out of fear.

I also think that Ripple Rush will start to be used much more often, to try and use Turtle Soldier more effectively. I'm not sure how good the deck will play with only 2 Odysseus, mainly because the deck is more reliant on having Odysseus as early as possible then normal Ripple IMO, but only time will tell.

Commander Laurel

Commander Laurel is a card that shouldn't be allowed at 4 anymore. It shouldn't be allowed to even be played in my opinion. Not because the Japanese metagame is now extremely unhealthy because of Laurel, but because Dimension Police's development will be stunted because of Laurel. It's like Cat Butler in this regard, but unlike Cat Butler, who only affects Legion decks, Commander Laurel affects all of Dimension Police.

It's a crutch that D-Police has been using for far too long. It needs to learn how to stand on two legs. Allowing D-police to use this card is only facilitating the problem.

Jewel Knight, Swordmy

This is the definition of a slap on the wrist. No ban, and a very small restriction, that only effects two decks. The deck they were targeting, Sanctuary Guard is barely effected by this at all. I can literally only think of one match-up that the removal of swordmy drastically affects, and that match-up was Ripple!

I guess I should elaborate more.

There's a card printed in Vanguard and Deletor, Sage of Salvation, Benon, who is almost as good as Swordmy.

His main problems are that the column he creates are only 14k, and his lack of flexibility.

Benon can only call a rearguard into the same column as him, That just means that you have to be a bit more careful with your rearguard placement, but in certain situations Swordmy's flexibility can be much more useful.

The 14k column are only detrimental in Sanctuary Guard if the opponent has a 10k or higher base vanguard. In other words, a 10k vanilla grade 2's or a grade 3

If your opponent is at grade 3, you can stride into Regalie, who completely nullifies the low power columns, and creates similar if not slightly weaker columns.

In exchange for these pretty minor problem, Benon can call Mirron/Richard, soulblast a single card and draw a card.

At the same time, they've kept Jewel-Knights, a sub-clan with the best early game ever (tied with Ripple) exactly the same, Bushiroad completely removed Swordmy it from the watch-list, and then they printed Evangeline, a slightly weaker Regalie/

All they've done is shift the problem from Regalie to Jewel Knights in a cash-grab, and I can't really look at it any other way.

Or am I overreacting?

Top 10 best cards of 2015!

2015 was a very interesting year for Cardfight! Vanguard and to celebrate, I've decided to talk about the cards that shaped 2015, cards whose impact we still feel today:

The Top 10 BEST cards of 2015!

I haven't done one of these in quite a long while (half a year to be exact) and I'm very excited to continue doing what I started this blog doing! There is only one rule for this list. Only cards that where printed in English in 2015, so any card from BT-17: Blazing Perdition all the way to G-TD-7: Illusionist of the Crescent Moon is allowed, promos included.

Let's kick of this list with some honourable mentions!

Honourable Mention #1

Dragonic Overlord "The X"

It's the end for you!

(Act) (VC): Legion 22000 "Dragonic Overlord the End"

(Auto) (VC): When this unit (Legion), search your deck for up to one card with the same name as a unit on your (VC), reveal it to your opponent, add it to hand and shuffle your deck.

(Auto) (VC) [CB1] & Choose a card named "Dragonic Overlord "The X" from your hand and discard it.]: At the end of the battle that this unit attacked, if the attack did not hit you may pay the cost. If you do, choose two of your opponent's rearguards, and retire them.

Dragonic Overlord the End was infamous during the late Megablast era and the Limit Break era. It was pretty much a unbeatable card. It wasn't until BT-09 when DOtE has any contest in the metagame. DOtE remained relevant until the Legion Era.

Fast Foward to the beginning of the Stride Era, and DOtE got a revival legion, Dragonic Overlord "The X"

DOtX gave DOtE three things: The ability to search for a copy for either DOtE or DOtX, a larger power base and a way of punishing your opponent when the attack did not hit.

In other words, it made the opponent "pick their poison".

The deck could also recycle grade 3's using Dragonic Burnout and Calamity Tower Wyvern, which makes the grade 3 search even more dangerous.

Honourable Mention #2

Black Shiver, Gavrail

Her favourite song is Mc Hammer's
"U Can't Touch This"

(Auto) (VC) (GB2): When a card is put into the damage zone, until end of turn this unit gets "(Cont) All units in your front row get [power] +2000"

(Auto) (VC) [CB1]: When your G-Unit (Stride), you may pay the cost. If you do, look at the top 3 cards of your deck, search for one card among them, put it into your damage zone face up and put the rest on the bottom of your deck in any order, choose a face up card in your damage zone, call it to (RC) and until end of turn, that unit gets (Power) +2000.

The card whose deck topped US nationals, Gavrail is best described as "Incredibly annoying"

Gavrail's GB2 gives the deck some of the best defenses in the game, protecting from columns both large and small. You can combine this with Nurse of Broken Heart to help make Gavrail's power pretty high... during your opponent's turn.

Gavrail's onstride skill puts one of the top 3 cards of your deck into the damage, then calls a face up card from the damage, so you can conserve more cards in your hand to make even better use of that defensive power increase.

Now onto the actual list!

Number 10:

True Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Turbo

Defeats anything in one punch! 

(Stride)

(Act) (VC) (1/Turn) [CB1] & [SB1] & Choose a face down card in your G-Zone, and turn it face up]: If you have a heart with "Big Bang" in it's card name, until end of turn, this unit gets "(Cont) (VC): When this unit would choose a unit to attack, for each of your heart cards, choose up to three of your opponent's units, and this unit battles all of the chosen units in one attack" and (Power) +3000 for each face up card named "True Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Turbo" in your G-Zone

Vanguard is a game where your field is extremely important, and not having a field can sometimes be crippling.

Turbo is a card that likes fields, or more specifically, punching fields. For the low cost of a counterblast, a soulblast and a persona flip, Turbo can annihilate the opponents field by simply attacking the field.

Combine this with Brawler's ability to power up rearguards with every single successful hit, and you have an very powerful Midrange/Control deck at your disposal, and it's a shame this deck isn't used as much as it should be, meta wise.

Number 9:

Conquering Supreme Dragon, Conquest Dragon

Grease Lightning! ...Yeah, that was
shockingly bad.

(Stride)

(Act) (VC) (1/TURN) (GB2) Choose a face down card named "Conquering Supreme Dragon, Conquest Dragon" in your G-Zone, and turn it face up]: Choose one of your opponent's rearguards, retire it, and until end of turn, all units in your front row get (Power) +5000 for each of your opponent's open rearguard circles in the front row until end of turn.

Conquest is a card that can create absolutely HUGE columns, regardless of what position your opponent is in... as long as you can retire a rearguard.

In Narukami, this is quite easy. You retire rearguards all the time, using cards like Zorras Turbo, Kaiser Vermillion or Kaiser Warning (which comes out tomorrow as of writing.)

More importantly, this card allows you to punish the opponent for not calling rearguards, and thus can act as an effective finisher.

Number 8:

Chronodragon Nextage.

Forget Dragonic Overlord, Dragonic
Timelord is all the rage!

(Stride)

(Auto) (VC) (GB2) [CB1] & Choose a face down card named "Chronodragon, Nextage" from your G-zone and turn it face up & choose 3 cards from your hand, and discard them]: After the battle that this unit attacked a vanguard, If you have a heart with "Chronojet Dragon" in it's card name, you may pay the cost. If you do, put this card into your G-Zone face up, choose one of your vanguard, and stand it.

Nextage is an interesting take on a Psuedo-Restander. In exchange for the fact that it cannot carry critical triggers, it instead returns to the G-Zone and restands it's heart, Chronojet Dragon.

This is interesting because Chronojet's GB2 skill has glory, making this the first "Restander" to have glory. In other words, the opponent can guard with anything on the first attack, but only grade 0's on the second.

Considering that for this cost the Gear Chronicle player only loses a single card, whilst the opponent must at least lose 4 on guarding the vanguard alone. This of course is if your opponent is at 4 or 5 damage.

Number 7:

Blue Wave Marshal Dragon, Tetra Boil Dragon

Look! It's a brontosaurus!

(Stride)

(Auto) (VC) (GB2) [CB1] & Choose a face down card named "Blue Wave Marshal Dragon, Tetra Boil Dragon" from your G-Zone, and turn it face up]: When this unit attacks a vanguard, if you have a heart with "Blue Wave" in it's card name, you may pay the cost. If you do, until end of turn, this unit gets drive check -1 and "(Auto) (VC) Wave 4th Time only:[Choose a card in your hand, and discard it] At the end of the battle that your rearguard attacked a vanguard, you may pay the cost. if you do, (Stand) this unit."

Tetra-Boil is not really much stronger then any other restanding G-unit  on it's own. What defines it is the support around the card.

The Blue Wave deck is designed to gain advantage every time the vanguard attacks. From the Blaster Diablo clone, Anger Boil which can restand two rearguards on the second attack, to the Blue Wave starter, which gives the vanguard the skill to draw every time the vanguard attacks and a critical on the fifth attack, to the trigger which does the same as the starter, but without the crit.

This allows Tetra Boil to filter, generate advantage and pressure the opponent, whilst forcing the opponent to guard several attack just like most other restanders do. 

Number 6:

Carapace Mutant Deity, Machining Destroyer

A bug chooses, a slave obeys...

(Stride)

(Act) (VC) (1/Turn) [CB1-Card with "Machining" in it's card name]: If you have a heart with "Machining" in it's card name, choose one of your opponent's rearguards, and that unit cannot (Stand) during your opponent's next stand phase. Then, if you have 4 or more rearguards with "Machining" in their card name, choose one of your opponent's vanguard, and that unit cannot (Stand) during your opponent's next stand phase.

You best hope you're packing some serious heat against this guy, otherwise you're screwed!

If your opponent's vanguard is at rest, the opponent must ride to attack with their vanguard or their stride. If you cannot attack, you cannot drive check.

That's not all. This card is capable of doing this turn one, and can keep on doing this through the next 3 turns.

Machining Destroyer is a card that can completely shut down decks very quickly, like a fly caught on a spider's web. It's honestly a shame that Machining (and Destroyer with it) have been kicked out of the metagame by a certain card...

Number 5:

Marine General of Heavenly Silk, Lambros

My Lord and Savoir

(Stride)

(Auto) (VC) (Wave 4th time or more) Choose a face down card named "Marine General of Heavenly Silk, Lambros" from your G-zone and turn it face up]: When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose two of your reaguards, and (stand) them. Then, if the number of  face up cards in your G-Zone is two or more, the units that (Stand) by this effect get (Power) +10000 until end of turn.

Lambros, sometimes affectionately referred to as "Lambroke" is one of the most powerful finishers in the game. 

Two extra 21k+ attacks for free is already insane, but the fact that you can combine this with cards like Magnum Assault, Tidal Assault and High Tide Sniper means that the pain train is only beginning.

Number 4:

Dark Dragon, Phantom Blaster "Diablo"

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

(Stride)

(Act) (VC) (GB2) (1/TURN) :[CB1] & Choose a face down card named "Dark Dragon, Phantom Blaster "Diablo" from your G-Zone, and turn it face up]: Until end of turn, this unit gets (Power) +10000/(Critical) +1 and "(Auto) (VC) :[Choose 3 of your rearguards, and retire them]: When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, your opponent may choose two of his or her rearguards, and retire them. If he or she does not, they cannot normal call units to (GC) until end of battle."

Diablo is a piece of work, to be honest. This card has the uncanny ability to cheese wins from anywhere, just because you couldn't guard or you didn't have the rearguards to retire.

It doesn't help that Shadows are pretty good at playing defensively, whilst having this powerful offensive card.

This is as well as the fact that this card pretty much countered Murakumo, Resist and forces the opponent to call cards to rearguard just so they can use more cards to guard, as well as retiring those rearguards.

When playing against Shadow Paladins, This card is something that is always at the back of your mind. 

Number 3:

Jewel Knight, Swordmy

Keyboard Kitty on steroids.

(Auto) [CB1-Card with "Jewel Knight" in it's card name]: When this unit is placed on (RC), you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one grade 1 or less card with "Jewel Knight" in its card name, call it to (RC), and shuffle your deck.

The enabler of Royal Paladin's rushing potential, Swordmy makes any deck it is in so much stronger. The fact that it doesn't require a Jewel Knight vanguard means it can easily be splashed into decks such as Sanctuary Guard and Thing Saver, as long as you run Jewel Knight triggers and some Jewel Knight grade ones.

The general rule of advantage in vanguard is that full deck superior calling is one of the most powerful types of advantage in the game, as it allows you to create larger columns extremely consistently and always get what you need for the job.

These two things combined together make a card that couldn't have been omitted from the list.

Number 2:

Flash Ripple, Odysseus

Would you like some salt with your Hamon?

(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 its card name with the same grade as your vanguard, ride it at (Stand), and shuffle your deck. If you rode, choose up to one card not named "Flash Ripple, Odysseus" with the same grade as your vanguard from your soul, call it to (RC) and that unit gets (Power) +2000 until end of turn

Widely considered the most broken grade 1 card in the game as of writing, it is no surprise that this card is so high on the list.

Whilst this card's skill did not seem particularly powerful or strong at first to most people, those who understood how the Ripple deck worked knew the true potential of this monstrosity.

Essentially, Odysseus grants the Ripple player full control of their field. The vanguard can be what we want, the rearguards can be what we want, we can abuse on call and on ride skills very easily, power up our rearguards and can be abused to stand units paralyzed by Megacolony... All for free.

Combine that with Ripple, a ride chain with an extremely aggressive early game, and Aqua Force, a clan with great early game and late game options and it's no wonder why Ripple is dominating the metagame right now.

Number 1:

Holy Dragon, Sanctuary Guard Regalie

Run! but there's nowhere to hide, no
sanctuary to save you!

(Stride)

(Cont) If you have a heart with "Sanctuary Guard" in it's card name, all your units in your front row get (power) +3000 for each of your grade 1 or less rearguard.

A card that nobody expected to define the meta as much as it has, Regalie is a card that in tandem with Swordmy has changed the metagame forever.

It's effect is simple, but brutally powerful. Gigantic columns on the first stride is nothing to scoff at, but that combined with Twin Sword pretty much makes Regalie Lambros on the first stride. Whilst Aqua Force could do many more attacks in a single turn using Lambros, Regalie could do this over several turns, starting on the first stride turn.

This card is confirmed to get a Blaster Dark Diablo clone in GBT-06 as well, so keep an eye out for Regalie, as it's coming to get you, and mercy is something it does not understand.