Deck Dissection: Vermilion Rumble

Hello there. Homura here again with another deck to be dissected today. Today we'll be looking at Narukami (again...). Everybody thought that Narukami will remain as a tier 2 deck until the release of BT-08 three months later, where the set will give them additional cards to bolster their playability. However, things might change for now because we finally have a new archetype for Narukami, which will slightly bring up their power level once Promo Pack No.7 is released soon.

Guys, say hi to the big guy holding the big gun - Rumblegun Dragon

DORAGON KIIITTTAAAA~~~~~!!!

Rumblegun Dragon is a 10k-power Grade 3 from Narukami. It is one of the PRs that can be obtained in the newest PR pack. So what about him that makes me so hyped up? Take a look at its skill:

"[V]: When you Drive Check a Grade 3 <<Narukami>>, you may retire one of your opponent's Grade 1 or lower Rear Guard."

Does this effect sound familiar to you? Yes, Rumblegun is Narukami's Dragon Monk Goku. During the days where Kagero Goku-Blade decks were winning almost all the tournaments in Japan, we can see how devastating it is when you're retiring your opponent's boosters non-stop. Does this strategy work when it is applied to Narukami? Yes it might defer from Narukami's core strategy, which is focused attacks on the Vanguard; but with better board control, it definitely provides a new style of playing for a such straightforward deck. Personally, I really liked this card because I'm the pioneer of Goku-Blade back here in my local community, and I wish that Goku-Blade can shine again with the new elements provided by Narukami cards. Without further ado, let's have a look at a sample decklist which will serve as my prototype:

Grade 0
Spark Kid Dragoon x1 (FV)
Malvolent Djinn x4 (Critical)
Yellow Gem Carbuncle x4 (Critical)
Old Dragon Mage x4 (Draw)
Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seioubo x4 (Heal)

Grade 1
Red River Dragoon x4
Wyvern Guard, Guld x4
Photon Bomber Wyvern x3
Lightning of Hope, Helena x3

Grade 2
Thunderstorm Dragoon x4
Dragonic Deathscythe x3
Demonic Dragon Berserker, Carla x2
Hex Cannon Wyvern x2

Grade 3
Rumblegun Dragon x4
Dragonic Kaiser Vermilion x4

From the looks of it, this deck doesn't differ much from Kaiser-based Narukami decks, except for the inclusion and exclusion of certain units. Now, let's have a look at my reasoning for this build shall we?

Grade 0
As usual Spark Kid Dragoon is the preferred starter for this deck. Without a useful starter like Lizard Soldier Conroe available for Narukami, they are on the lower end when it comes to utility, and Lizard Soldier Saishin just doesn't make the cut for me. Spark Kid serves as one of the most important cards for this deck as he allows you to possibly fish out a Grade 3 from the top 5 cards of your deck. Without Conroe to search out your card cyclers fast enough, you need to make sure that Rumblegun Dragon is in your hand as early as possible. As for the trigger setup, it'll still remain the same unless there are new Draw Triggers available for Narukami.

Grade 1
With so many 6k cards for your G1 lineup, Red River Dragoon's role as the main supporter becomes more important. 8k is a number too hard to be wasted, so do not simply send him out unless you're sure that your opponent has no way to get rid of him from your field. With so many G3s we're playing in the deck, Wyvern Guard, Guld is maxed out so that you won't need to discard useful shields as the cost. As usual, Photon Bomber Wyvern is our main Vanguard booster here. As long as your opponent has 3 or more damage, 20k lines with Rumblegun and 21k lines with Kaiser can be easily obtained.

Finally back in after such a long absence...

Another star of the deck is Helena. her function in the deck is to help you to cycle out extra G3s after you Drive Checked them with Rumblegun. Additionally, she can also be used alongside Spark Kid to fish out Runblegun faster. Because Photon Bomber Wyvern is already occupying the slot below the Vanguard, hence you need to pair Helena with a high-power Rear Guard to make sure the attack hits.

Grade 2
Without further explanation needed, Thunderstorm Dragoon is at maximum for its 10k power. Dragonic Deathscythe is at 3 compared to my usual 2-off because your deck seldom uses Counterblasts when you have Rumblegun doing his job for you, and Deathscythe is also a good board controller. The rest of my lineup is both Carla and Hex Cannon Wyvern at 2 each. Carla is there to give your opponent some pressure for its unflipping ability, and Hex Cannon is there for some extra punch. I'll be testing these two out before I decide whether should I increase the count of Hex Cannon and reducing Carla.

Grade 3
Similar to Goku-Blade, to use this deck in it's full potential, you need a decent amount of G3s in your deck. Without further saying Rumblegun Dragon is at maximum because this deck is build around it (duh!). You only need to ride one, and then the rest will either become your RG attackers, get cycled away for better cards, or as a cost for Guld. During the old days, I manage to freak my opponent out from putting down boosters because whenever Goku triggers a G3, he just wasted a card and I broke his magic power line. Hopefully I can do the same with Rumblegun. And because Rumblegun is a 10k, be really careful when you're in the defensive side.

Kaiser Vermilion functions like Dragonic Overlord, which is becoming the alternative Vanguard if you cannot Ride into Rumblegun. Even without Rumblegun, Kaiser still poses as a big threat with its 11k power and Limit Break skill. Though he's a vanilla in RG, but I still choose him over the other G3s because of his defensive capabilities.

Still a staple, regardless of being a vanilla as a Rear Guard

As a conclusion, by playing this deck you're now sacrificing Narukami's specialty of hitting with high power for more board control. Hence, your pace of playing will be slightly slower because you now lack the power to punch through as quick as lightning. But in return, this deck gives you more chances to break your opponent's magic numbers and generating better board advantage. It's really up to you to choose your build, but frankly speaking Narukami should have something else besides whacking-the-Vanguard-only tactics. I'm in love with Goku-Blade last time, and I think I will too for Vermilion Rumble. Well, only test results can determine whether this deck is competent enough against other decks out there.

And here you go, a different take on Narukami. If you liked Goku-Blade last time, I can definitely guarantee that you'll like this build. But I should tell you first, this deck, although similar, is not on par with the original Goku-Blade because we're lacking a few more types of cards, among them are a Kinnala-esque G1 (for more board control), a Gojo clone (for better cycling and 7k power), and a useful Rear Guard like Overlord.

I know it might be asking too much for this, but in Goku-Blade, they are the core cards in the decks. Just hope that for now Vermilion Rumble can work out as I expected, and will get better when BT-08 comes out. That's all for now, Have fun testing out this deck, and let me know how was it so I can update the build into a better one (time to hunt for my Rumbleguns).