Defining the Metagame: Neo Nectar

Good day and welcome to another edition of Defining the Metagame. BT-08 is sure to bring us a lot of love for the older clans. Most returning clans are getting a decent number of support, and of course their new aces - Limit Breakers. And since I'm at it, let's talk about a clan that is returning in BT-08 - Neo Nectar

Neo Nectar debuted in BT-05 where Persona Blasters were introduced. After the release of the said booster, NN instantly became a very popular sub-clan for existing players, or main decks for newer players. The playstyle of NN wasn't that hard to learn, as they focuses more on beatdown and a slight bit of swarming.

Of course, with the availability of Persona Blasters, most NN decks will stick to the same build, where they'll main Maiden of Trailing Rose, and supported by Forerunner Battle Maiden, Laurel as a secondary beatdown element. Of course there're other decks like the Embodiment of Nature, Behemoth-centered and the Gene line, but Trailing Rose still gives the most important element of the deck - stability. Without further explanation, let's have a look at the clan at it's entirety, and some featured cards of NN.

Maiden of Trailing Rose
The Persona Blaster of the clan, and the first choice Vanguard as well. Trailing Rose sports a decent 11k base power, which is very good for defense and offence as well, being able to create magic numbers of 17k and 18k easily.

Of course, like other 11k Vanguards, she gets a penalty if she's played alongside different clans, making her into a 9k unit. That aside, her Persona Blast is the best she can offer. Upon a successful hit on the Vanguard, by paying CB1 and Persona Blasting, you can search the top 5 cards from your deck and Superior Call 2 Neo Nectar units to the field. Besides creating presence, her Persona Blast also acts like a pseudo Stand Trigger, whereby you can attack with one column, then with Trailing Rose. If you successfully activated her Persona Blast, you can just replace the units that have just attacked with fresh ones, and launch another full-powered attack.

Forerunner Battle Maiden, Laurel
The second choice of the G3s available for NN. Basically Laurel is a clone of Dragonic Executioner and friends, where she gets a +2k power boost when attacking the Vanguard. She gives NN slightly a bit more power, being able to hit 20k when boosted by Carolla Dragon (vanilla 8k), or 21k or more (after the cost is paid) when boosted by Caramel Popcorn (Iron Tail Dragon clone).

The only thing to be vary about is just that Laurel is 10k, and never ever Ride here unless you have no choice, as Trailing Rose must be your main Vanguard.

Hey Yo Pineapple

Hey Yo Pineapple is definitely the main G2 beater for NN. While only being 8k in terms of base power, Hey Yo can whack for an additional 3k just by having a total of 4 NN units on your field, including your Vanguard. Having another similar unit that got errata-ed in Bermuda Triangle proves further how string is Hey Yo in a NN deck. Definitely an easy 3-4 off in the deck.

The Gene Series

This is a set of units that benefits each other as a set. Shield Seed Squire is the ideal starter for all NN decks. Having a base power of 5k, Shield Seed is good as a booster itself, however his true potential shines when he's on the offensive. Upon landing a successful hit on the Vanguard, you can send Shield Seed to the top of your deck, and Superior Call a Blade Seed Squire from your deck to a Rear Guard circle in rest position. By doing that, you not only conserve hand cards, but gaining a better unit in the process.

Blade Seed Squire is the G1 of the Gene series. Like I said previously, Blade Seed can be brought out through Shield Seed Squire's skill. Similarly, Blade Seed also has this skill, whereby you can perform the same requirements of Shield Seed to superior call a specific unit into your Rear Guard. The target of Blade Seed is Knight of Young Leaves, Gene. This time, you are replacing a booster unit to spawn out a G2. Skill aside, Blade Seed is a 7k unit, which is decent enough to pair with any NN unit to hit 16k or more.

The next evolution of this chain is Knight of Young Leaves, Gene. This Gene can be brought out through Blade Seed Squire's skill, thus maintaining your board presence with possibly a better unit that you need. Gene has 9k power, which is very decent, and as a Grade 2, Gene also can Intercept. Plus, being in the same line in the series, Gene can also evolve. By fulfilling the same conditions again, you may Superior Call the final form of this line, which is this:

Yes, meet Knight of Harvest, Gene. This Gene is the pinnacle of the evolution chain, and is a 10k Grade 3. While 10k is not very impressive, this Gene also has a very impressive skill to back him up. Unlike the previous forms which can 'evolve' into the more advanced form, Knight of Harvests, Gene can 'devolve' into  his G2 form. When Gene successfully hits the Vanguard as a Rear Guard, you can send him back to the deck, and Superior Call up to 2 Knight of Young Leaves, Gene to your field in Rest position. Not only this Gene is able to improvise the liability of all G3s (can't do anything in Rear Guard), he also can set up a better field position for you, providing Interceptors when you need it, or just plain giving you 2 9k attackers.

The Triggers
As for the trigger lineup of NN, I would say it's okay. As of now, NN has a 4-4-4-4 trigger lineup. In my opinion, the Stands are there to actually compliment with both Trailing Rose and Gene, where you can stand back the newer units that you've spawned out by Gene, or maintain pressure of your attacks in case Trailing Rose didn't got her Persona Blast running.

All in all, I think NN is still a tough nut to crack, and has been showing good results in tournaments despite Limit Breakers stealing the spotlights. Well, I hope that the new support given to NN will be on par with those that are existing now, as NN really has the chance to pose as a challenge for the meta clans out there. So until then, hope you guys liked my analysis of Neo Nectar, and see you again soon!