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!

Defining the Metagame: Dark Irregulars

Hello from Homura, and today it is a good day to feel evil, mwahahahahaha!!!!

Ahem, pardon me for that. Alright, as the title says it, I'll be discussing about the forever Soul-hungry clan of Vanguard, Dark Irregulars. DI hasn't been getting much love since its debut in BT-03, with only a few cards from BT-05 available for them (nobody even use those cards, maybe except the Draw Trigger or Devil Child).

In BT-07, DI gets a massive boost, with Limit Breaker now available for them, and certain units that brings their thirst for power to the next level. I would say with the additional cards from BT-07, DI can have more variety when it comes to deckbuilding, compared to the last time where only Hell Marquis, Amon and Stil Vampir are the main choices to build decks. Not forget to mention the forever hated 8 Stand Triggers build. So before I delve into more details, let's have a recap of Dark Irregulars in their entirety.

Dark Irregulars, when they first came out, is designed to have 'quantity of Soul' in mind, where they will unlock a lot of skills which require you to have a certain number of Soul. Also, because of that, the majority of their units are also geared for that purpose, which is to fill up your Soul. They also have 2 different Megablast units, which emphasizes more in the 'number of Soul matters' theme. After almost a year, they're finally back with an even bigger appetite for Souls. Let's have a look at what the new DI have installed for us (Warning: Long Post Ahead!!!)

The Dark Lord of Abyss

This is the first Limit Breaker of Dark Irregulars. Boasting a printed 11k power (the drawback is negligible if you're playing a pure clan), he is the successor of Hell Marquis Amon. The only difference about him and Amon is Amon consistently gets the +1k per Soul when you're at the offensive, whereas Dark Lord only get it as a LB skill. Comparing this with Amon, Dark Lord tends to gain the upper hand because he has 11k power when you're defending. No doubt that Amon can hit super high numbers like 30k++, but his awful stats makes him a easy target for 20k line rape.

Usually, when you're hitting for more that 20k, your opponent will usually say 'No Guard' or just null guard it. When boosted by Devil Child (6k unit that becomes a 10k booster when you have 6 or more soul), Dark Lord will achieve the same desired effect with his 21k attack. Whether you want to be more aggro with Amon, or have a bit of breathing space when defending with Dark Lord, it's really up to your preferences.

Bladewing Reggie

Now this is something interesting. Bladewing Reggie is a 10k G3 with a pair of very interesting skills. The first skill is when you have 15 or more Dark Irregulars in your Soul, Reggie gains +2 Critical permanently. This brings him to the rank of the highest damage unit in the game on its own (without any outside support), with a grand total of 3 Critical when you attack. This is another 'No Guard' or Null Guard attack to your opponent.

Reggie's second skill is when he CIP as the Vanguard, you can target one of your Dark Irregular unit, then search your deck for up to 3 of the same card and Soulcharge them. This skill presents 3 different situations to you, where each of them is some sort of advantage for your side. Firstly, you can thin your deck by removing up to three non-trigger cards, which is very good to increase your chances to hit a trigger. Secondly, it speeds up the clock for hitting 15 soul by three turns. And finally, this skill powers up a cycle of cards known as the 'Demonic Hour' units, which I'll be mentioning next. The only concern on using this skill is the potential danger to deckout even faster, so use with care. Reggie embodies the extreme of the offence of DI, so power-hungry players can give him a shot.

The 'Demonic Hour' Cycle

Actually 'Demonic Hour' is my own translation because the Kanji of the names written on the cards actually means 'the time where demons roam', hence I called them the 'Demonic Hour' cycle. This cycle consists of a G1, G2 and a G3 that shares the same skill:

CONT [V / R]: During your turn, for each (Card Name) in your Soul, this unit gets +2000 power.

If you see, they combo perfectly with Reggie, because Reggie can perform a targeted Soulcharge. You might not use the Devil Tank of the Demonic Hour (G3) or the Underworld Carriage of the Demonic Hour (G2) because they are just vanillas that can hit hard. Let's save some slots for better cards here shall we? But the case is different when it comes to the G1, Demon Bike of the Demonic Hour. It's a 6k unit, but when you have at least 2 of them in Soul, the bike instantly transforms into a 10k monstrosity. Things are even better when you have 3, where you can boost for 12k every turn. Just beware of Kagero (everybody hates Kagero).

Besides those stated above, BT-07 also gives us a few very good Soulchargers, which is better than the inital ones given to us. Some of the notable ones are stated below.

Free Traveler

For a mere cost of CB1, you can perform a targeted SC on a G2 or below DI unit when he comes into play. Best used with the 'Demonic Hour' cycle. Though his downside is his 8k power (not a good number).

Emblem Master

He is the upgraded version of Blue Dust. As a trade off for losing a Personal Booster (Nightmare Baby), Emblem Master can SC3 instead of SC1 when his attack hits the Vanguard, just by paying CB1. Generally a good unit that is compatible with all DI cards out there.

Yellow Bolt

This is the SC version of Dragon Monk Gojo and friends. By resting this unit, you can SC1. Though not good in the later stages of the game, where you're trading off a booster for an extra Soul, he's quite good when you're going first. Personally I would not play more than 2 of him in any deck (or maybe exclude him at all).

Succubus of Courtship

IMO, this is a better version of Alluring Succubus. Alluring Succubus' SC skill is when she CIP, which means if you miss it, you can't do it anymore. This new Succubus improves this ability by changing the SC timing into 'when a attack boosted by her hits the Vanguard', while retaining the same stats as Alluring Succubus. Definitely an auto include for me.

Greedy Hand

The new starter for DI. Greedy Hand has a Superior Call skill, which gives you a +1 upon riding to G1. And he also can perform a G2 or lower targeted SC by paying CB1 and sending him to Soul. I think from now onward he'll definitely replace Vermilion Gatekeeper because of his targeted SC. Even if you don't use the skill, he's still a free booster for you.

Trigger Units

I'm definitely excited when the new Triggers for DI are revealed. In BT-07, DI gets a new cycle of Triggers (one of each type). Seeing that DI now has 12 Stand Triggers doesn't make me happy, but with DI having access to 8 Criticals and 8 Draws is definitely making me very happy! As we all know, DI have a big problem when it comes to hand card management, because you're throwing a lot of cards to maintain your offense, leaving you with nothing much to guard with. This is remedied by having more Draw Triggers available. 

Another thing is DI can make power lines so easily, they should have more Criticals because most of the time, your opponent won't guard a super high power attack. With another Critical Trigger available for them, DI finally can achieve a setup of 6 Criticals and 6 Draws, speeding up the clock to hit 6 damage and having more cards to defend.

Usually I'll post up a decklist during the end of this column, but I seriously don't want to make this post any longer. If time allows me to do so, you'll be able to see a decklist for DI tomorrow (still thinking whether I should post the Dark Lord build or the Reggie build).

Anyway, with the new cards coming in soon, DI can be a tourney-worthy deck if you build it properly. Why? Because from what I can see, Dark Zone decks are spoiled with choices, so choosing the correct card can be a little bit tricky. Compared with the other clans in BT-07, I would say DI is the closest behind Great Nature in the ranking chart of the booster's clans (Great Nature is just too versatile and their synergy is just that good). If compared to the other established clans out there? DI definitely stand a chance, except when facing 13k Vanguards where they might have a slight problem when defending (I wouldn't say attacking because DI's offense is just that good). 

So, it's time to start brainstorming! Until next time, I'm also off for my own brainstorming session, wheeee~~!!

Defining the Metagame: Spike Brothers

Yesterday was a very sad day for me... I think is because I haven't been playing in tourneys for the past a month or two, I only managed to get 6th in yesterday's tourney. Also, during a casual practice session with my friend (the best player in the shop I would say), my DOTE literally got thrashed by a Spike Brothers deck. Spike Brothers. SPIKE BROTHERS. That's just sad... But it's okay, it's a very fun experience though to see him using his favorite Dark Zone deck again after so long.

So, back to the main point. Since the release of BT-02, Spike Brothers became quite a popular secondary deck for players out there. However, they have been stuck with the same old build because no support was released for the next few sets, until EB-03 which gave them loads of reinforcements and their first ever Limit Breaker - Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor. Basically the newer builds of SB decks will eschew General Seyfried for Dudley Emperor because of the consistency issue. Also, Dudley's LB skill can pose a higher threat than Seyfried himself because you can Superior Call 2 units at once.

Your time is over old man...

Let's take a look of my friend's build for a Dudley Emperor based Spike Brothers deck (deck list is from my memory of yesterday, so it might have some slight differences compared with the actual thing)



Grade 0
Mecha Trainer x1 (FV)
Silence Joker x4 (Critical)
Sonic Breaker x4 (Critical)
Cheerful Lynx x4 (Draw)
Cheer Girl Tiara x4 (Heal)

Grade 1
Wonder Boy x4
Reckless Express x4
Gyro Slinger x3
Cheer Girl Marilyn x4

Grade 2
Devil Summoner x1
Treasured Black Panther x4
Panzer Gale x3
High Speed Brakki x3

Grade 3
Juggernaut Maximum x4
Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor x3

This deck looks totally different from previous SB build as you can notice the absence of a few units that were once staples of the deck: Dudley Dan, Sky Diver, General Seyfried. Replacing them were units that were geared to more offensiveness, such as the new card Reckless Express. Basically Reckless Express is a clone of Juggernaut Maximum at Grade 1. If you paid the cost of Soulblast 1, he can single-handedly attack any unit in the game except for 13k Vanguards. and If you don't pay the cost, he's still a 7k booster, which is quite decent.

Bascially the decks still works the same like the original Spike Brothers deck, where you'll attack in waves based on the situation of the field. The only downside of this deck compared to the older ones was the absence of Dudley Dan. Last time, your wave attacks can already start as early as turn 2 or turn 3 with Dudley Dan on field, as Dan is a G1 that can be tutored by Mecha Trainer. Now, by playing Dudley Emperor instead of Dan, the deck became slightly slower to initiate your wave attacks, because Emperor is a G3 which you have no way to tutor it out.

Then you might ask, if you really need Emperor in your hand and as your Vanguard, why not play 3? The reason was simple, he doesn't do anything at the RG circle. Let's say you don't have Emperor in your hand when you ride to G3, and you really don;t want to ride Juggernaut on because that's one less unit to call out with Emperor's skill. If you think like that, you're doing it wrongly. The deck has a total of 11 units that can be returned to the deck. So does one less unit makes any difference? Plus, Juggernaut has a base power of 11k, which also makes your defense easier as 21k power lines are not easy to make.

We run away, and we come back with a bigger punch!

The spotlight here is Dudley Emperor himself, as well as his new sidekick Reckless Express. Compared to Dan, which nets you extra attacks on the go, Emperor is more like a 'Final Turn' card. Let's say your field has 2 of either Brakki/Juggernaut and enough soul to for their Soulblast, you can net your self 5 attacks on that turn by using Emperor's LB. By fueling up your soul again for the Soulblasters, you opponent will definitely have a hard time dealing with 20+k attacks for multiple times.

My turn to shine!

On the other hand, Reckless Express gives you an option to make him a booster in early game, and an attacker late game. also, by using his soulblast, and if you decide to call him out from the deck via Emperor's LB, you can technically 'reform' your battlefield to create magic lines based on the opponent's Vanguard. Not to forget that he can be tutored using Mecha Trainer as well.

The new kid in town!

Well, in short, I would say that although Spike Brothers might still not get much love from players due to the upcoming release of BT-07, I can somewhat foresee Spikes being a competitive deck soon in the hands of a very skillful player (like my friend, lol). Just bear in mind that Spikes is not really a beginner-friendly deck, and its learning curve is quite high, especially when it comes to the timing of your wave attacks. Once you mastered it, you won;t have any problems when you play similar decks like Pale Moon and Great Nature, which requires good sense of timing. Until then, have fun, and this is Homura signing out for now!

Defining the Metagame: Dimension Police

Hey there, and so sorry that I haven't been posting for such a long time. I was seriously busy with work these few days, running back and forth between the project site and my office. Today will be another installment of 'Defining the Metagame', but I won't be doing analysis of those usual 'mainstream' clans, but instead I'll be checking out on other sub-clans.

Yesterday, Bushiroad announced the release date of Vanguard's newest expansion, BT-08 'Blue Storm Armada', which will be on September. In this expansion, there will be new cards for a new clan-Aqua Force, Great Nature, and the long awaited Narukami. Besides, Bushiroad also decides to revisit some of the older clans, namely Tachikaze, Neo Nectar and Dimension Police. This announcement was indeed really surprising for me, especially I play Narukami, Tachikaze and Dimension Police decks. Well, enough talk, today's article will be about Dimension Police, how you build them, how you play them, and how will they fare in this current metagame.

Dimension Police (DP) is the second Stargate clan that was briefly introduced in BT-03, and became fully playable in BT-04. This clan puts a lot of emphasis in the Vanguard, as their Vanguards, especially the Grade 3 Vanguards, where they gain extra skills when they hit a certain number in power before they attack. Just imagine DP is like Ultraman, where you have the Defense Force as backup, while Ultraman handles the biggest threat himself. Now, let's take a look at how to build a DP deck that suits your play style.

The Heroes
Now, the moment you choose your main Vanguard, you have already limiting yourself into playing that particular build. DP is not a clan that really tolerates diversity in the same deck. Let's look at the different cards that will determine your direction in building your DP deck:

Super Dimensional Robo, Daiyusha

The first G3 released to us in BT-03, he was a staple member of the Critical-based builds of DP. If Daiyusha's power hits 14k before he attacks, he gets a +1 Critical. However, it only has 10k power, means he can be very weak when it comes to defense, that's why he was not a favorite anymore the moment DP gets newer cards in BT-04 and BT-05.

Enigman Storm

The other Critical-based Vanguard released in BT-04. Storm was way better than Daiyusha because storm has a ride chain that allow's you to tutor out your cards. When you ride Enigman Ripple (G1) on top of Enigman Flow (G0) you may search your deck for a Enigman Wave (G2). Engiman Ripple also helps to thin down the deck by searching out Enigman Storm for a cost of discarding a G3 from your hand.The most important thing is that Storm is a 11k unit, when you rode Enigman Wave previously. And if Storm hits 15k power before he attacks, he also gets a +1 to Critical like Daiyusha.

Enigman Rain

This unit was used in Stand-based DP builds. Her effect allows you to stand a Rear Guard when her attack hits the Vanguard, given that her power was above 12k before she attacks. Comboing this with Miracle Beauty and Commander Laurel, she can actually unleash an infinity attack combo (which I would describe some other day). But sadly, she wasn't that popular because she also suffers the curse for being a 10k Vanguard and nothing else but a vanilla as a Rear Guard.


The Supports
In order to unlock all the Vanguards' additional skills, their power must reach a certain amount, usually an increment of +2k or +4k during the beginning of their Attack Step. To achieve this DP has a lot of units that can provide Main Phase power boosts. Here are a few of them which can be considered the most popular choices:

Cosmo Beak

This 8k G2 has a CIP skill that gives a +4k boost to one of your DP units for a cost of CB2. The best support card for DP, it instantly unlocks all the 'Ultimate' skills for your Vanguard when it appears on the field.

Cosmo Roar

Also a main phase power booster, one of your DP gains +2k when you rest this unit. Although you'll lose one boosted attack by doing this, but if you're using Enigman Rain as your main Vanguard, you get a chance to stand it back again.

Masked Police Grander

Another power booster, but he boosts when he attacks. When this card declares an attack, if your Vanguard is a DP unit, it gets +2k power. Kind of a bonus in a sense that you can attack and also boost your Vanguard at the same time. One tip: even if his attack doesn't hit, the boost still works.

Commander Laurel

The commander of the Dimension Police, he was quite special as he does not provide a power boost by himself. Instead he was the thing that makes DP a scary deck. If your Vanguard's attack hits, by resting 4 Rear Guards, you can stand your Vanguard back up again. This not only allows you to gain a +1 board presence, but will nail you at least a +4 hand size advantage. The only thing is he's only 4k power.

Except the Vanguards, DP units all suffer from  the lack of base power. What they excel the most is to disrupt your opponent's Rear Guards, and to support your Vanguard. Not many DP units can hit the magic lines of 16k and 18k, so placements of those units must be planned really carefully to generate the maximum advantage.

Here's a sample decklist for DP:

Grade 0
Enigman Flow x1 (FV)
Justice Rose x4 (Heal)
Guide Dolphin x4 (Stand)
Cosmo Fang x4 (Stand)
Army Penguin x4 (Draw)

Grade 1
Enigman Ripple x4
Diamond Ace x3
Commander Laurel x3
Glory Maker x2
Karenloid Daisy x2

Grade 2
Enigman Wave x3
Cosmo Beak x3
Enigroid Comrade x3
Twin Order x2

Grade 3
Enigman Storm x4
Miracle Beauty x4

This deck is one of the most stable builds available for DP up to the current meta. It is played as a normal DP Stand-based deck, but preferring Enigman Storm over Rain for his 11k defense. If you're worried about not enough Critical output, that's why Storm is there. Miracle Beauty is what makes the deck slightly more playable.

If you hit a Stand Trigger during your Drive Check and you have a rested Miracle Beauty, you can stand her, and through her skill, the unit behind her stands as well. This provides a little bit more punch for DP which is already severely lacking in power.Also, by careful planning and a bit of luck, you can even trigger Laurel's ability more than once! How? That's for you to find out ^_^

Anyway, the key of playing DP is you need to know when to use the main phase power boosts from Cosmo Beak. Be sure to time them properly to ensure that you can reap the maximum profit out of the CB that you've spend.

For now, when 13k Vanguards are still running rampant, it's not a very good choice to bring DP to tourneys, unless you really have the guts to. Even the newly released Limit Breaker will give DP a very hard time. But fear not, BT-08 will bring new reinforcements for DP in a few months time, so we shall wait for what's installed for DP (I'm guessing either a Persona Blast of Limit Break, or both). In conclusion, DP now is more geared towards friendly casual games instead of tournaments. So take your time, and wait for the new cards available to make the deck better and more stable. Until then, This is Homura, signing out!

Defining the Metagame: Majesty Blasters

Hey guys, and welcome to another installment of 'Defining the Metagame'. For some reasons (mostly because of too exhausted the previous day before), I haven't been joining my local tourneys recently. The same thing happened to most of my teammates, thus our local meta is now full of various decks like Megacolony, Gold Paladins, Lawkeeper Kagero, Narukami and other clans. For once, mainstream decks like DOTE, Royal Paladins, Phantom Blaster Overlord Shadow Paladins were kind of missing in the party. So does it means that the metagame is reforming again, and the new cards are slowly taking over the older builds?

Not so fast. Finally after weeks of hiatus, one of my teammate made his return to the local tourney scene again, hence we're able to witness the domination of pre-Limit Break decks again. Today, I'll be talking about the deck that he used to top yesterday's shop tourney - the ever-reliable deck that you'll definitely see in major tourneys, Majesty Blasters.

Recapping the history of this deck, this deck was made available to use during the release of BT-05 (the set that caused such a big impact to the worldwide metagame), and was also the first ever 'official' cross-clan deck. As its namesake, this deck focuses on the interaction of cards with 'Blaster' in its name, providing a multitude of effects that made the deck, as a whole, a tournament staple instantly after its release in Japan. Now, let's have a look at a sample decklist:

Grade 0
Wingal Brave x1 (FV)
Bring of Good Luck., Epona x3 (Critical)
Alabaster Owl x3 (Critical)
Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine x4 (Heal)
Margal x4 (Draw)
Weapons Dealer, Govannon x2 (Draw)

Grade 1
Little Sage, Marron x4
Pongal x2
Knight of Friendship, Kay x2
Toypoogal x3
Flash Shield, Isolde x3

Grade 2
Blaster Blade x3
Blaster Dark x3
Starcall Trumpeter x1
Knight of Loyalty, Bedivere x2
High-Dog Breeder, Akane x2

Grade 3
Majesty Lord Blaster x3
Swordsman of Exploding Flames, Baromedes x3
Soul Savior Dragon x2

The decklist above serves as a template for most common builds of the Majesty Lord Blaster deck. From what we can see, Royal Paladins has evolved from it's swarming beatdown tactics (King of Knights, Alfred) of the past, becoming a more focused beatdown in the form of Majesty Lord Blaster. So what's so good about this deck? Let's start from the cover card itself, Majesty Lord Blaster.

MLB might look very complicated to play with at the first glance, due to him needing both Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark in soul to achieve maximum potential, and being just a normal 10k vanilla if you did not fulfill his requirements. But his complicated effect seems no trouble when you have good support cards available at your disposal. Wingal Brave helps you tutor for your missing pieces when you successfully boosted an attack from a 'Blaster' unit that hits. Starcall Trumpeter gathers the missing G2 'Blaster' to ensure that you can activate MLB's +10k skill without much problem.

Specially tailored, just for Majesty Lord Blaster

And not forgetting to mention about was MLB's passive skill will make sure that your opponent thinks a lot when deciding how to guard with his 2-Critical attack. The beatdown aspect of this deck doesn't end here, as the deck also sports various cards that definitely define the 'thirst for power' theme of this deck.

First up are the new Knights, Kay and Bedivere. These two knights are specially tailored to have synergy with 'Blaster' units.

As long your Vanguard is a 'Blaster' they automatically gets a +3k to power when they attack, meaning even Kay, as a G1 can solo hit a 10k Vanguard. Even though you might have times when you don't have a 'Blaster' Vanguard, they're still 7k and 9k beatsticks.

Up next, the secondary damage powerhouses for the deck. In case MLB doesn't want to show up, You still have 2 cards that can deal high power attacks to your opponent. Soul Savior Dragon is the alternative Vanguard in this deck. Being able to hit 20k++ easily, and topped up with a devastating Soulblast skill, she's an auto include in the deck without a reason.

Swordsman of Exploding Flames, Baromedes follows next. As long as you have 2 or more G3 RP units on the field (which includes itself), Baromedes gets a +3k power when you attack. The requirement is so easy to fulfill, and adding on the fact that he can solo 13k Vanguards, there's no reason not to recruit him in the deck, unless you have something else in mind.

From the looks of it, your front row beaters are already awesome enough. So what about your back row? Besides your standard 8k boosts, RP has the access to the best 9k booster in the game - Toypoogal. Same as Baromedes, if you have 2 or more G3 Royal Paladin units on the field, Toypoogal becomes a 9k booster. 21k and 22k with MLB or Baromedes? Count me in! And this cute little poodle can be tutored by Akane thanks to it being a High-Beast. Pongal also helps out in searching SSD in case you really grade stuck.

After all the analyses that I've made, it seems like MLB will still stay strong in this format for a long time more. Together with DOTE and PBO, this triangle of tournament quality decks will be quite impossible to penetrate, as I think that Bushiroad has either made a mistake by printing out these cards, or they made Limit Breakers not powerful enough to pose as a threat against these 3 decks. So the verdict is? MLB is still strong, and will still be defining the metagame in the near future.

Defining the Metagame: Oracle Think Tank

First up, I should apologize for not catering more to readers that don't play the 'mainstream' clans (SP , RP, GP, Kagero). Because there's nothing new came up so far, hence the lack of posts. But since Oracle Think Tank has some boost during next set, I think it's about time for me to do a brief analysis on the clan that once used to be a dominating clan, and how will it fare in the new metagame.

Prior to BT-07, Oracles did receive much boost due to the emergence of Shadow Paladins, and Persona Blast units. Hence, they can only use whatever that is provided to them up to the current moment. In other words, the only (or mainly) Oracle deck that you can see in tourneys is the Tsukuyomi-Amaterasu build. And frankly speaking, that's the only stable build for Oracles that can at least provide some results in tournaments.

The only tournament-quality deck since BT-03...

Close to a year after, Oracles finally get some love again. People might think that they can finally upgrade their Tsukuyomi-Amaterasu decks to a better level, but the truth is despite being the best deck that Oracles can offer, they don't get much stuff that will improve the deck. Instead, BT-07's Oracle cards focuses more on an archetype that we've long forgotten since the release of Tsukuyomi. Behold our long forgotten heroine: Scarlet Witch Coco.

Yes. This time, Bushiroad decides to make the return of Oracles a special one. People do play Coco based decks during the old days, but since the Goddess of the Moon arrives, Coco was just being put aside to collect dust, and even being on the verge of being sold off. But now, It's time for you Oracle players to dig out your Coco, and start coming out with a new deck cos' she's back, better than before!

In BT-07, there'll be a few cards that specialize in supporting Coco builds. Those cards may seem normal in other decks, but when put into a Coco deck, their potential instantly shines. Why? Because they need the Vanguard to be 'Soulless' for their skills to work, and there's none other than Coco to do it!

Since we're at it, let's do some recap. Scarlet Witch Coco is a 10k G3 that has a CIP skill. If your soul is 1 or less, by paying a CB of 2, you get to draw 2 cards. And also, if you don't have any Soul, she get's a +3k boost when attacking. Older players should know how to utilize Coco to its full potential by pairing her with cards like Truth Watcher (SB1, +3k when attacking) and Luck Bird (CIP, SB2 and draw a card). With the boost of Oracle Guardian Gemini, she can force loads of shields even when attacking a 11k Vanguard.

With the addition of the new cards, Coco builds are becoming an even better deck that focuses on beatdown with a slight boost in hand advantage. The first card that I'm gonna show here is Sky Witch, Nana. Nana is a G3 with 10k base power and 2 very interesting skills that compliment nobody else except Coco.

As long as you have no Soul, Nana gets +1k when she's in a Rear Guard circle, or +3k if she's the Vanguard, only during your turn. No matter what is her position, the cost-free power up that she gains is very good, since you now will have more ways to remove Soul. Verdict? An absolute beatstick.

The second card that I'll be talking about is Little Witch, Lulu. Lulu is the new starter for Coco based decks. With a base power of 5k, she's quite a standard booster. but the interesting thing is, she can be Superior Called from the soul when a G3 Oracle unit appears at the Vanguard Circle. She also has another skill, whereby you can drop 2 Oracle units from your Soul, and draw one when she CIP as a Rear Guard.

If the rulings are correct, you ride Coco, activate Lulu's skill due to player priority,  Superior Call Lulu, then activate her 2nd skill, drop 2 soul and draw 1. Then, Coco's check timing activates. Since you have less than 1 Soul, you can CB 2 and draw 2. Which means you drew 3 and get a free unit just by CB2! Instant profit!

These are the only new cards released so far, I wonder whether there's more or not. But regardless, Oracle beatdown decks are finally coming back (maybe I should play it with 12 Criticals just for the lols!). We'll see how will Coco decks perform again in the new meta with the given cards. I can't guarantee it'll surpass Tsukuyomi-Amaterasu builds for sure, but at least I think Coco can really become a competitor for being the mainstay deck of Oracle Think Tank in the near future. I can't provide you a decklist at the moment because I scare there might be more cards coming out for them. Once the set is released, or the full spoilers out, I'll try to come up with one in the Deck Dissection column.

That's all for today, and start brainstorming!

Defining the Metagame: Angel Feather

Good day to all of you out there, this is Homura with my daily (only sometimes...) post in Cardfighters Unite! Today, I'll be attempting to analyze one of the clans that I seldom play in the game - Angel Feather. In this post, I'll be giving a rough idea on how AF is played, it's state at the current metagame, and hopefully a decklist as I write till the end (fingers crossed!).


AF is getting lots of hype when it is first previewed. Besides having nice shoujo illustrations, this specialty of the clan - Damage Zone Manipulation also cause AF to gain popularity as this kind of skill is never seen anywhere before this.


Unlike other clans, AF does not have an 'autopilot' version of the deck. Instead, AF appeals more towards players that like to play skill-based decks, whereby you need to think a lot before applying your move. This is reflected in AF's ability to swap cards from the Damage Zone, where you really need to think carefully which card to swap out to maximize the profit made from the swap. For those players that has been playing non skill-based decks (like me for an example, heh!), AF might be hard for you to pilot.


There are 3 different types of decks that you can make in AF, as they have 2 distinct units that need to have a deck specially tailored for them, and another unit that can have a deck of her own or be splashed into the other decks. Here are the 3 cards that I'm mentioning:

First card that I'll be talking about is Cosmo Healer, Ergodiel. This is a Persona Blast unit from AF that can heal damage outside of Heal Triggers. Upon hitting the Vanguard, Ergodiel can Persona Blast to recover one damage. She comes together with a Chain Ride system, where the G0 shares the same skill as Bermuda Cadet, Rivere; the G1 and G2 shares the passive power-up when the previous grade is in the soul, as well as a damage swapping skill. This skill ensures that you will always have the card you need at that point of time while continuously ride to G3 without much problem. And backed with Ergodiel's 11k power, this is the most defensive deck AF offers.

The second card is Mobile Ward, Feather Palace. This one displays the Damage Zone Manipulation of AF through a Megablast skill. This 10k Golem (why a Golem?) has a auto SC1 that buffs it up to 12k, making a 20k line boosted by Besnel (the 8k vanilla). its Megablast allows you to heal 1 damage from your Damage Zone for each AF Rear Guard you have on the field, to a maximum of 5 (duh!). Imagine that you have 5 RGs on the field, essentially you just used a Megablast for free and you can take another 5 more damage before you lose the game! However, the downside of this card is there's not many ways to effectively SC at the moment, and the 10k base power will get raped for sure during defense. Verdict? Not so viable ATM.

The last card is a very utility-based G3. Enter the Limit Breaker for AF - Circular Saw Kiriel. Among the 3 different types of G3s I mentioned here, Kiriel can be considered as the best one here. Nonetheless she's just a 10k base, but she has a very good LB effect that can help her to form 20k, 21k, 22k, 23k, and 25k lines which are very impressive IMO. Also, she also has a very good CIP skill. For a cost of CB1, you may Superior Call a face-up AF unit from your Damage Zone, and put back a card from the top of your deck face-down. Technically you're paying CB2, but for that cost to call a unit that may change the tide of the battle to your favor, why not? And it also help to trigger skills of units that has 'when a card is put into your Damage Zone' abilities. The most important thing is she's splashable in every AF deck you make, making her the most versatile card in the entire AF arsenal.


Besides the main 'stars' of your decks, AF also feature a 'sub-star' which are very important units for AF's strategies. Please welcome Nociel!

The 3 Nociels plays a very crucial part in an AF deck due to their skills to swap cards from your Damage Zone and Hand. The G0 Nociel is a Stand Trigger that allows a swap by Soulcharging her. The G2 Nociel swaps through a CIP skill. The G1 Nociel is the highlight here. You can see the other 2 Nociels has a ACTIVATE ability, while this one is an AUTO ability. Yes, Battle Cupid, Nociel's skill can be used during your opponent's attack phase to surprise your opponent when they thought that you won't have enough guard by suddenly swap out a 10k shield from your Damage Zone. Sweet~

Thinking of just stop here, but still feel like continuing. DECKLIST TIME!!

Grade 0
Miracle Feather Nurse x1 (FV)
Critical Hit Angel x4 (Critical, duh!)
Rocket Dash Unicorn x2 (Critical)
Happy Bell, Nociel x2 (Stand)
Bouquet Toss Messenger x4 (Draw)
Sunny Smile Angel x4 (Heal)

Grade 1
Heavenly Injector x4
Pure Keeper Requiel x3
Burst Shot, Besnel x4
Battle Cupid, Nociel x3

Grade 2
Fate Healer, Ergodiel x4
Love Machine Gun, Nociel x2
Gatling Shot, Barbiel x3
Core Memory, Armaros x3

Grade 3
Cosmo Healer, Ergodiel x4
Circular Saw, Kiriel x3

The deck here is a Ergodiel-main with a splash of 3 Kiriels in it. Basically this deck gives you a basic roundup of AF's damage swapping skills with Nociels and the Ergodiel chain allowing you to swap whatever you want (swapping Heal Triggers sounds tasty...). Maintain the early to mid game with Ergodiel (hopefully Persona Blasting a few times), then reride into Kiriel for the finishing blow.

So far I would say that AF is at tier 1.5 now, but given the first wave of cards in BT-06, AF already has a strong base of cards. Whatever that's left to make AF a good deck that can compete with the other metagame decks out there is the pilot's skills. Have fun!