Achievement Unlocked! - Slayer of Immortals
Defeat a player who has healed 4 times during the course of the game
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
VANGUARD! Anime Lore
Imagine a world like ours.
There is a love triangle.
Only, instead of two high school guys fighting over a girl, they are fighting over a middle school boy. He has blue hair and is the protagonist.
Oh, and in between, there are also card games, psychic powers, and scantily dressed supporting characters.
And now, you can understand Vanguard le Anime.
There is a love triangle.
Only, instead of two high school guys fighting over a girl, they are fighting over a middle school boy. He has blue hair and is the protagonist.
Oh, and in between, there are also card games, psychic powers, and scantily dressed supporting characters.
And now, you can understand Vanguard le Anime.
Monday, February 27, 2012
ENCORE!
Hello everyone, and welcome to SO IMBA!,
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am Rauzes, and today, we discuss BERMUDA TRIANGLE!
So, I hear you like Mermaids.
Before I start going on about how ridiculously stupid liking anime mermaids and idols is, lets jump over how weird going mad over them combined are, and jump right into playing them as a clan, shall we?
First off, Bermuda Triangle, despite only having 35 Cards, has a surprisingly large number of builds... already!
They were designed very well as a clan from the beginning, showing a grand total of FIVE different possible builds!
Today, we will go over generally each of these builds, and what they can and cannot use, and what trigger balance they should use.
The first off is your most basic of basic builds, the power beatdown rush.
This uses the most basic of cards, simply aiming for high power in the early game, and criticals to gain advantage over the opponent as soon as possible.
4 Top Idol Pacifica, 4 Super Idol Seram
3 Top Idol Aqua, 3 Mermaid Idol Flyut, 2 Izumi the Passing Sea's Songstress, 2 Clare the Coral's Snow White
4 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 2 Navy Dolphin Amurl, 2 Turquoise Blue Telenia, 4 Water Surface Prism Miltoa
8 Critical, 4 Draw, 4 Heal(or 6 Draw/2 Heal)
Bermuda Triangle Recruit, Shizuku (FV)
Absolutely nothing special here.
In fact, there is a grand total of THREE unique cards in the deck.
In other words: Your deck money is better spent elsewhere.
NEXT!
Grade 3 Refresh Bermuda
4 Velvet Voice Reindeer, 3 Top Idol Flores, 2 Rainbow Light Kyarin
3 Girls Rock Rio, 4 Top Idol Aqua, 3 Interior Idol Merbil
3 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Blazer Pleasures, 4 Mermaid Idol Faluka, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 2 Navy Dolphin Amrul
8 Stand, 4 Critical, 4 Heal
Bermuda Triangle Recruit Weddel(FV)
Something unique, this deck uses the power effect of Velvet Voice Reindeer and Merbil to bounce and superior call during the battle to refresh a CIP effect, stand a unit, or to outright change up the formation.
Similar to Goku Blade of Kagerou.
NEXT!
Rivael
4 Top Idol Rivael, 4 Super Idol Seram
2 Mermaid Idol Flyut, 4 Top Idol Aqua, 4 Super Idol Rivael
4 Memaid Idol Rivael, 4 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 4 Water Surface's Prism, Miltoa
8 Critical, 4 Draw, 4 Heal
Bermuda Triangle Recruit Rivael(FV)
For people with Psyqualia and like to spam perfect ride
This deck utilizes Rivael's persona blast in conjunction with the high critical rate in order to force a high guard, and outright forcing the opponent to go into the defensive.
Using Rivael's perfect ride ability, maintaining fighting force is absolutely no problem.
NEXT!
Bermuda Princess Lena CIP Build
4 Bermuda Princess Lena, 4 Top Idol Flores
3 Super Idol Flyut, 3 Girls Rock Rio, 4 Pearl Sisters Perula
3 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 2 Pearl Sisters Perulu, 3 Mermaid Idol Faluka, 2 Turquoise Blue Telenia, 2 Blazer Pleasures
6 Draw, 6 Critical, 4 Heal
Bermuda Triangle Recruit Weddel (FV)
A simple build that focuses on bouncing your own units for effects, or to re-use their CIP effects.
FINAL!
Pacifica Self Bounce Style
To utilize the free soul charge from Pacifica, save counter blast for Pacifica Megablast, but use the soul freely by having many soul charge engines.
4 Top Idol Pacifica, 4 Top Idol Flores
4 Pearl Sisters Perula, 4 Top Idol Aqua, 2 Snow White of the Corals Clare
4 Mermaid Idol Faluka, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 3 Pearl Sisters Peruru, 3 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 2 Blazer Pleasures
4 Stand, 4 Draw, 4 Crit, 4 Heal
1 Bermuda Triangle Recruit Weddel(FV)
And these, ladies and gentlemen, are your five builds for Bermuda Triangle.
Lots of useless cards in the EB?
Yes, yes there are.
Rauzes out. Imma get some sleep.
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am Rauzes, and today, we discuss BERMUDA TRIANGLE!
So, I hear you like Mermaids.
Before I start going on about how ridiculously stupid liking anime mermaids and idols is, lets jump over how weird going mad over them combined are, and jump right into playing them as a clan, shall we?
First off, Bermuda Triangle, despite only having 35 Cards, has a surprisingly large number of builds... already!
They were designed very well as a clan from the beginning, showing a grand total of FIVE different possible builds!
Today, we will go over generally each of these builds, and what they can and cannot use, and what trigger balance they should use.
The first off is your most basic of basic builds, the power beatdown rush.
This uses the most basic of cards, simply aiming for high power in the early game, and criticals to gain advantage over the opponent as soon as possible.
4 Top Idol Pacifica, 4 Super Idol Seram
3 Top Idol Aqua, 3 Mermaid Idol Flyut, 2 Izumi the Passing Sea's Songstress, 2 Clare the Coral's Snow White
4 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 2 Navy Dolphin Amurl, 2 Turquoise Blue Telenia, 4 Water Surface Prism Miltoa
8 Critical, 4 Draw, 4 Heal(or 6 Draw/2 Heal)
Bermuda Triangle Recruit, Shizuku (FV)
Absolutely nothing special here.
In fact, there is a grand total of THREE unique cards in the deck.
In other words: Your deck money is better spent elsewhere.
NEXT!
Grade 3 Refresh Bermuda
4 Velvet Voice Reindeer, 3 Top Idol Flores, 2 Rainbow Light Kyarin
3 Girls Rock Rio, 4 Top Idol Aqua, 3 Interior Idol Merbil
3 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Blazer Pleasures, 4 Mermaid Idol Faluka, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 2 Navy Dolphin Amrul
8 Stand, 4 Critical, 4 Heal
Bermuda Triangle Recruit Weddel(FV)
Something unique, this deck uses the power effect of Velvet Voice Reindeer and Merbil to bounce and superior call during the battle to refresh a CIP effect, stand a unit, or to outright change up the formation.
Similar to Goku Blade of Kagerou.
NEXT!
Rivael
4 Top Idol Rivael, 4 Super Idol Seram
2 Mermaid Idol Flyut, 4 Top Idol Aqua, 4 Super Idol Rivael
4 Memaid Idol Rivael, 4 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 4 Water Surface's Prism, Miltoa
8 Critical, 4 Draw, 4 Heal
Bermuda Triangle Recruit Rivael(FV)
For people with Psyqualia and like to spam perfect ride
This deck utilizes Rivael's persona blast in conjunction with the high critical rate in order to force a high guard, and outright forcing the opponent to go into the defensive.
Using Rivael's perfect ride ability, maintaining fighting force is absolutely no problem.
NEXT!
Bermuda Princess Lena CIP Build
4 Bermuda Princess Lena, 4 Top Idol Flores
3 Super Idol Flyut, 3 Girls Rock Rio, 4 Pearl Sisters Perula
3 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 2 Pearl Sisters Perulu, 3 Mermaid Idol Faluka, 2 Turquoise Blue Telenia, 2 Blazer Pleasures
6 Draw, 6 Critical, 4 Heal
Bermuda Triangle Recruit Weddel (FV)
A simple build that focuses on bouncing your own units for effects, or to re-use their CIP effects.
FINAL!
Pacifica Self Bounce Style
To utilize the free soul charge from Pacifica, save counter blast for Pacifica Megablast, but use the soul freely by having many soul charge engines.
4 Top Idol Pacifica, 4 Top Idol Flores
4 Pearl Sisters Perula, 4 Top Idol Aqua, 2 Snow White of the Corals Clare
4 Mermaid Idol Faluka, 3 Mermaid Idol Ellie, 3 Pearl Sisters Peruru, 3 Mermaid Idol Sedona, 2 Blazer Pleasures
4 Stand, 4 Draw, 4 Crit, 4 Heal
1 Bermuda Triangle Recruit Weddel(FV)
And these, ladies and gentlemen, are your five builds for Bermuda Triangle.
Lots of useless cards in the EB?
Yes, yes there are.
Rauzes out. Imma get some sleep.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Call to battle..
Some more interesting variants
Stand Up! Vanguard!
- Normal People
STANDO APPU! VANGAADO!!!
- Anime Aficionados
Stand up! THE! Vanguard!
- Kai Wannabes
Imagine, you are being defeated by an overwhelming force... STAND UP THE VANGUARD!
- Ren Wannabes
Sand up, Vanguard!
- People who dont read properly
STAND UP!!!!!! VANGUARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- People with no indoors voice
Stand up! LE! Vanguard!
- 9Gaggers
Stardust Trumpeter! Stand Up!
- Newbies
oh yay Slam Dunk! oh wait VANGUARD!!!
- Asians
Sit down. Vanguard!
- Americans
Stand Up! Vanguard!
- Normal People
STANDO APPU! VANGAADO!!!
- Anime Aficionados
Stand up! THE! Vanguard!
- Kai Wannabes
Imagine, you are being defeated by an overwhelming force... STAND UP THE VANGUARD!
- Ren Wannabes
Sand up, Vanguard!
- People who dont read properly
STAND UP!!!!!! VANGUARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- People with no indoors voice
Stand up! LE! Vanguard!
- 9Gaggers
Stardust Trumpeter! Stand Up!
- Newbies
oh yay Slam Dunk! oh wait VANGUARD!!!
- Asians
Sit down. Vanguard!
- Americans
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Murakumo FTW
So today I top 4'd with Murakumo.
Shows how little card power matters compared to ability.
Just some thoughts:
Murakumo's true strength lies their strong attackers, despite weak boost.
Much like Kagerou and Tachikaze.
After playing Murakumo, I dont really see the use of counter blast Kagebunshin so much, but Midnight crow is still handy.
I have to say I've taken a different perspective at MUSASHI and the Arresters.
the Arresters, if you have both, become 11k in both your turn as well as the opponents.
IE: a free 11k attacker!
Although Murakumo cant build high power lines, their high power of units in the front row is what carries the deck through control.
Hence, Zanbaku, Bloody Mist, etc are extremely important.
Million Rat, as always, an awesome draw.
MUSASHI is a card I'd like to bring up to people.
Its condition is incredibly easy to meet, with shadow images helping you fulfil the condition
But also that its the only rear guard that can reach 20k.
With a control-esque rear guard whacking deck like Murakumo, reducing the number of rear guards is no problem.
Shows how little card power matters compared to ability.
Just some thoughts:
Murakumo's true strength lies their strong attackers, despite weak boost.
Much like Kagerou and Tachikaze.
After playing Murakumo, I dont really see the use of counter blast Kagebunshin so much, but Midnight crow is still handy.
I have to say I've taken a different perspective at MUSASHI and the Arresters.
the Arresters, if you have both, become 11k in both your turn as well as the opponents.
IE: a free 11k attacker!
Although Murakumo cant build high power lines, their high power of units in the front row is what carries the deck through control.
Hence, Zanbaku, Bloody Mist, etc are extremely important.
Million Rat, as always, an awesome draw.
MUSASHI is a card I'd like to bring up to people.
Its condition is incredibly easy to meet, with shadow images helping you fulfil the condition
But also that its the only rear guard that can reach 20k.
With a control-esque rear guard whacking deck like Murakumo, reducing the number of rear guards is no problem.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
All Forces, Follow my lead! I AM THE VANGUARD!
Imagine...
We are two spirits on the planet Cray.
To us weak, defenseless spirits, are given but two abilities to protect us:
The first is CALL, to summon to our aid the denizens and monsters from around the planet.
Only the units whom have bound to us in a contract can be called.
These are the units in our decks.
The second ability is RIDE, to possess one unit, and control it, making us one with that unit.
You, as this unit, will lead our forces.
We call this unit the "one whom leads us forwards"...
"The Vanguard"!
Could you imagine?
If so, lets go!
As long as you have cards, you are a card fighter!
STAND UP! VANGUARD!!!
All Forces, Follow my lead! I AM THE VANGUARD!
全軍、我に続け！我はヴァンガード！！！
Hello everyone, and welcome to SO IMBA!,
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am Rauzes, and today, we discuss clans.
Which one truly is for you?
Today's post is for people who are considering starting Vanguard, but aren't quite sure where to come in...
Usually, I would recommend Kagerou or Royal Paladins to starting players, but with the inflating price of Isolde/Barri... this isn't quite an option any more.
Today's post will explain the motifs each clan has, and the play style, their strong points, but also their weaknesses.
Vanguard is a game in which there is no right, and no wrong(only epic fails and FINAL FAIL!!!)
Most decks can fight on a competitive level... so long as you can lead them well.
Only you will know which clan is best for you, but heres an article that will hopefully help you start your quest.
Its not uncommon for people be lost as to which clan calls to them best, even if they have been playing for a while...
Royal Paladin. - CALL MY FRIENDS
Royal Paladins are designed from Arthurian legend: Excalibur, King Arthur, and the knights of the round table. If you like arthurian legend, Royal Paladins are for you.
Royal Paladins have a very strong ability to call their allies to the field, and power them up.
Royal Paladins require a full field to fight well, and have an extremely good speed and offense.
However, they lack defensive measures, and have the smallest rear guards on the defense of almost all clans.
This clan is for you if:
You really, really, really like BLUE
You like to be able to bring forth your allies to the fight as soon as you can
You like to fill your field as soon as you can
You are Sendou Aichi
You like playing autopilot decks.(Required skill level is rather low)
You are poor
Kagerou - BURN IN FIRE
Kagerou are dragons, the elite flame dragons of the dragon empire.
Their motif are western dragons, dragons who breath fire, etc.
They are a very aggressive, and have overpowering strength.
They specialize in two abilities:
Burning, to target and destroy the opponents units through effect.
Superior Ride, to special ride from grade 2 to grade 3, effectively jumping a grade up, at a steep cost.
They also have a good variety of high power units, to make defending easier.
This clan is for you if:
You are a pyromaniac
you are Kai Toshiki
You love ZA word ZA
You like to, in other games, play destruction of the opponent more than building your own forces
You have an extremely aggressive playstyle
You like playing autopilot decks.(Required skill level is rather low)
This clan is not for you if:
You want an extremely stable deck
You want speed
You are poor
Nova Grapplers - STAND AGAIN
Nova Grapplers: The World Famous Pro Gladiator League of the Star Gate.
Anyone can join the legaue, and hence, nova grapplers have a large variety of members, from dragons to aliens to battle robots.
Of course, the gladiator league is a harsh place, so most of the units have a bunch of mechanical upgrades.
They have a very combat and show type motif, and are very "mechy"
Their two specialities are:
Counter Cost Recovery: Unlike other clans, Nova Grapplers can unflip damage, allowing it to be used as cost once again. This means your skills are considerably "less costly".
Stand: Nova Grapplers have 4 different stand triggers, a bunch of stand by effects, etc. This means repeated attacks in one turn, with ease.
This clan is for you if:
You like GLADIATOR
You like to have an aggressive fight style
You like absolutely spamming skills left and right
You like to attack repeatedly each turn
This clan is not for you if:
You like stability. Nova Grapplers are not the most stable of decks.
You do not like luck. Nova Grapplers is a very "If I get this I will win" deck. VERY.
Oracle Think Tanks: DRAW POWER
A Mega Corporation, the largest in the world.
Oracle think tank is a giant company which uses science, magic, and divination in order to provide counseling and advice.
Oracle Think Tanks units are mainly based on the Japanese Mythology, but also of other mythologies(mainly greek)
Their two specialties are:
Drawing - Oracle Think Tank have many draw triggers, as well as a lot of "draw" effects. This allows them to get what they want, when they want. They do not, however, have many "search" effects
Seeing the Future - Oracle Think Tank have several effects that allow them to check the top card of their deck, the future, and react accordingly.
This deck is for you if:
You like cute pretty anime girls(you freak)
You like Japanese mythology
You like to draw cards
You like to draw even more cards(BAHA THIS IS YOU YOU DRAW WHORE)
You enjoy a controlled and precise game which is very think and skill based.
You have eidetic memory.
This deck is not for you if:
You are not against gambling for the win
You like taking chances
You are poor
Tachikaze: Survival of the Fittest
Dinosaurs, with technology and metal projectile weapons, any zoids fans dream come true.
Tachikaze are a clan of high attacking power, but only at the cost of devouring the weak.
After all, only the strongest of the strong are allowed to live!
Based off mainly Dino dragons, Tachikaze will destroy the weak, even if its on your field.
But dont worry, because they can and will benefit from that by gaining power!
This deck is for you if:
You like Dinosaurs, or Zoids
You like high power and high functionality, even at a cost
You believe in survival of the fittest
You are poor(actually true. This deck's total cost of construction can be less than 1000 yen to maximum 2500 yen.)
This deck is NOT for you if:
You say thank you to every unit that dies in battle. Go find a crappier clan, pussy.
You absolutely do not want anyone to die without true meaning
You are rich
You like a complex play style, more than a straightforwards deck.(its vaguely autopilot...)
Dark Irregulars: EAT YOUR SOUL
Dark Magic, Dark Science, and Dark Technology.
These were the ingredients chosen to create the most evil army of them all...
But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction...
Chemical X...
Of course he didnt. He didnt make them. Darkness did.
Dark Irregulars are the fusion of Magic, Science, and Mechanical Technology.
Denizens of the night, they are super beings, and live with the darkness, around them and in them...
Most of dark irregulars have a very dark motif, and are a mix of technology, magic, and science...
Demons, Succubi, Incubus, Vampires, Werewolves, Dark Elves, lords of the underworld.
If these are your liking, Dark Irregulars are for you.
Dark Irregulars have two specialities:
Soul Charge, to charge up soul for various abilities, and abilities that gain power when you soul charge.
And to use this massive soul for massive power.(We're talking game changing, unimaginable amounts of power, etc)
Soul are cards under your vanguard, mostly cards you ride on previous turns, but more can be added from your deck or other places through effects.
Dark Irregulars have cards that either use Soul Blast for power effects, such as Stil Vampir, or use the soul already there to power themselves up, such as Amon.
And this increase in power isnt small. It. Is. Gigantic.
However, Dark Irregulars lack cards that either give draw or searching or superior calls. That means that while they have a massive amount of power, they dont have very good deck stabilizing cards. What you draw you have to deal with.
It is not uncommon for Dark Irregulars to lose due to having not enough hand...
This clan is for you if:
You like Van Helsing.
You like Lord of the Rings
You like any other form of Dark Fantasy
You are emo
You like DAT POWER!
SCREW THAT LAST SHIT YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE EXTREME POWER!!!
Youre a girl.(Surprising, no? It seems only girls can handle Dark Irregulars. Every male DI player seems to suck with it)
This clan is not for you if:
You like twilight
You like stable decks that run smoothly every game
You dont like the art
You need a clan with flowers and rainbow unicorns because you're a pussy.
Spike Brothers: ONE! TWO! TOUCHDOWN!
Bloodball. On Cray, Bloodball is everything.
Every team has its fans, and every game has millions of screaming fans.
But no team, no team anywhere else, is as strong as, or has as many fans as the team of Darkzone: the Spike Brothers
Consisting of demons, ogres, war beasts, or robots, Spike Brothers is a clan which forces many high power attacks in one turn
Their two specialties are:
Superior Call During the Battle phase, allowing you more and more attacks
Very high power attacks, at the cost of returning to the deck at the end of the attack.
Their drawback:
Although they can force multiple high power attacks in one turn, SB can burn out extremely fast.
Meaning if you dont time your attack correctly, you will lose a lot of advantage in terms of both counter blast cost as well as cards on field or in hand.
This clan is for you if:
You like SPORTS
You enjoy a deadly combo for the finish... and the slow set up
You like a burst or combo to do your winning, rather than a slow push
You are poor(one of the cheaper decks to build)
You like a deck that is tricky to handle
This clan is NOT for you if:
You do not like tough comboes
You prefer an autopilot deck
Granblue: FOR WE ARE IMMORTAL
At the bottom of the ocean, lies an undying army... an army of Pirates, who shall rise up, no matter how many times they are struck down.
Granblue are a group of Zombie Pirates. Some are Zombies, others are Zombie Pirates.
Their strongest point is their revival effects.
As of now, they are the only clan whoes drop zone matters.
Using counter blast, they can sacrifice one unit to revive a unit of equal or higher grade from the drop zone.
This allows them a fluid arrangement of units, changing their feild to get what they need, at that moment.
Their special traits include:
Reviving from the Drop Zone
Superior Ride from the Drop Zone
Their weakness:
High defense power opponent units... and rather low power output on their end.
This clan is for you if:
You love pirates of the Caribbean!!
You enjoy a constantly evolving field
You have an adaptive playstyle.
You know how to manage both your hand, deck, and graveyard at the same time
This clan is not for you if:
you need the latest and greatest
you cannot handle the low power output of the deck.
Megacolony: OH NO YOU DONT
Megacolony is a clan of insects, the greatest colony of the best insects in the land, joining together to fight all who oppose them
Their speciality is to stop stand during the stand phase...
Meaning effectively, you can stop one unit from participating in battle the next turn, or even stop a whole attack!
This might not seem like much, but in Vanguard, it is a huge boost.
They have a variety of draw and superior call, and search, and are actually a suprisingly balanced and well put together clan.
This clan is for you if:
You like bugs and collecting them
You want a deck that can both hinder the opponent as well as lay on an offensive well
You like a controlling type deck
This clan is not for you if:
You dont like bugs
You prefer to manage your own forces, rather than the opponents.
Palemoon: Circus MAGIC
Palemoon are a circus troupe whom have a variety of tricky moves they can use on you
Their units are either circus people, or the beasts they tame.
Their special ability is to superior call from the soul... after they hit.
This allows their attacks to come many times at one turn, so long as you cannot hit.
They are a tricky clan for higher leveled players, as timing is very important, as well as what to call.
This clan is for you if:
You like a tricky play style, and a technical game.
You like the circus
This clan is not for you if:
You dont like the circus
You like autopilot decks
Dimension Police: JUSTICE
Your childhood heroes. Policing space, making sure giant monsters dont invade.
You may have stopped believing in them, but they will never give up the fight for your safety.
They are the intergalactic defense force: DIMENSION POLICE!
Dimension Police is a very heroic clan. Their abilities include powering up the vanguard for his ultimate ability, and standing their rear guards very well.
However, they do lack rushing power, as it is a deck that will end the game slowly, before activating the ultimate and going for the win.
It is currently the only clan with an "Infinite Attack" loop.
This clan is for you if:
You like ULTRAMAN
You enjoy a very Vanguard/You centric game
You can play a long game and time your finish correctly.
You like it if your Vanguard can solo everything.
This clan is not for you if:
You prefer a quick win.
You need powerful rear guards to help you to victory
Shadow Paladin: FOOD
Much like the Royal Paladins, they are based off of medival knights and their relations, but Shadow Paladins also have witches and dark powered castles.
They are led by Phantom Blaster Dragon, whom devours his friends for absolute power.
While they have the same ability to deploy as Royal Paladins, Shadow Paladins are not against sacrificing their friends for power.
This clan is for you if:
You are not against sacrificing your friends for power
You like a deck that can defend better than attack
You have fallen to the darkness
This clan is not for you if:
Your friends cannot be food.(fish are friends, not food)
You are poor.
Murakumo: KAGEBUNSHIN
Murakumo are a clan which are new, but EXTREMELY technical.
Their special abilities include an ability to superior call... temporarily.
This gives them a full field quickly, but it will only last one turn.
Their motif is ninjas.
This clan is for you if:
You like to swarm quick
You can play a technical clan
You are not afraid of losing... because it is an illusion.
You can control the game perfectly into your favor.
This clan is not for you if:
You want an autopilot deck
You are new to the game.
You are otherwise bad at vanguard.
Neo Nectar: GROW
Neo Nectar: The flowers and the plants of Zu.
Neo Nectar have very flowery and nature-y motifs, and are a clan of swarming.
Their special abilities are:
Growing up their rear guards if their attacks hit the vanguard
Superior call from the deck
This clan is for you if:
You can adapt your field well
You are a beginner(quite beginner friendly)
You like flowers and plants
You like an agressive play style.
You want a deck that rewards skill, but can still be played without it
This clan is not for you if:
You are a pyromanic
You want a deck that rewards more skill than blind attacking
Well, thats about all the clans around at the moment.
I hope this has been a good introduction to the game of Vanguard and their clans, even if it did get a little boring and washy towards the end(im tired, k?)
Good night for now, and keep searching for that one clan!
We are two spirits on the planet Cray.
To us weak, defenseless spirits, are given but two abilities to protect us:
The first is CALL, to summon to our aid the denizens and monsters from around the planet.
Only the units whom have bound to us in a contract can be called.
These are the units in our decks.
The second ability is RIDE, to possess one unit, and control it, making us one with that unit.
You, as this unit, will lead our forces.
We call this unit the "one whom leads us forwards"...
"The Vanguard"!
Could you imagine?
If so, lets go!
As long as you have cards, you are a card fighter!
STAND UP! VANGUARD!!!
All Forces, Follow my lead! I AM THE VANGUARD!
全軍、我に続け！我はヴァンガード！！！
Hello everyone, and welcome to SO IMBA!,
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am Rauzes, and today, we discuss clans.
Which one truly is for you?
Today's post is for people who are considering starting Vanguard, but aren't quite sure where to come in...
Usually, I would recommend Kagerou or Royal Paladins to starting players, but with the inflating price of Isolde/Barri... this isn't quite an option any more.
Today's post will explain the motifs each clan has, and the play style, their strong points, but also their weaknesses.
Vanguard is a game in which there is no right, and no wrong(only epic fails and FINAL FAIL!!!)
Most decks can fight on a competitive level... so long as you can lead them well.
Only you will know which clan is best for you, but heres an article that will hopefully help you start your quest.
Its not uncommon for people be lost as to which clan calls to them best, even if they have been playing for a while...
Royal Paladin. - CALL MY FRIENDS
Royal Paladins are designed from Arthurian legend: Excalibur, King Arthur, and the knights of the round table. If you like arthurian legend, Royal Paladins are for you.
Royal Paladins have a very strong ability to call their allies to the field, and power them up.
Royal Paladins require a full field to fight well, and have an extremely good speed and offense.
However, they lack defensive measures, and have the smallest rear guards on the defense of almost all clans.
This clan is for you if:
You really, really, really like BLUE
You like to be able to bring forth your allies to the fight as soon as you can
You like to fill your field as soon as you can
You are Sendou Aichi
You like playing autopilot decks.(Required skill level is rather low)
You are poor
Kagerou - BURN IN FIRE
Kagerou are dragons, the elite flame dragons of the dragon empire.
Their motif are western dragons, dragons who breath fire, etc.
They are a very aggressive, and have overpowering strength.
They specialize in two abilities:
Burning, to target and destroy the opponents units through effect.
Superior Ride, to special ride from grade 2 to grade 3, effectively jumping a grade up, at a steep cost.
They also have a good variety of high power units, to make defending easier.
This clan is for you if:
You are a pyromaniac
you are Kai Toshiki
You love ZA word ZA
You like to, in other games, play destruction of the opponent more than building your own forces
You have an extremely aggressive playstyle
You like playing autopilot decks.(Required skill level is rather low)
This clan is not for you if:
You want an extremely stable deck
You want speed
You are poor
Nova Grapplers - STAND AGAIN
Nova Grapplers: The World Famous Pro Gladiator League of the Star Gate.
Anyone can join the legaue, and hence, nova grapplers have a large variety of members, from dragons to aliens to battle robots.
Of course, the gladiator league is a harsh place, so most of the units have a bunch of mechanical upgrades.
They have a very combat and show type motif, and are very "mechy"
Their two specialities are:
Counter Cost Recovery: Unlike other clans, Nova Grapplers can unflip damage, allowing it to be used as cost once again. This means your skills are considerably "less costly".
Stand: Nova Grapplers have 4 different stand triggers, a bunch of stand by effects, etc. This means repeated attacks in one turn, with ease.
This clan is for you if:
You like GLADIATOR
You like to have an aggressive fight style
You like absolutely spamming skills left and right
You like to attack repeatedly each turn
This clan is not for you if:
You like stability. Nova Grapplers are not the most stable of decks.
You do not like luck. Nova Grapplers is a very "If I get this I will win" deck. VERY.
Oracle Think Tanks: DRAW POWER
A Mega Corporation, the largest in the world.
Oracle think tank is a giant company which uses science, magic, and divination in order to provide counseling and advice.
Oracle Think Tanks units are mainly based on the Japanese Mythology, but also of other mythologies(mainly greek)
Their two specialties are:
Drawing - Oracle Think Tank have many draw triggers, as well as a lot of "draw" effects. This allows them to get what they want, when they want. They do not, however, have many "search" effects
Seeing the Future - Oracle Think Tank have several effects that allow them to check the top card of their deck, the future, and react accordingly.
This deck is for you if:
You like cute pretty anime girls(you freak)
You like Japanese mythology
You like to draw cards
You like to draw even more cards(BAHA THIS IS YOU YOU DRAW WHORE)
You enjoy a controlled and precise game which is very think and skill based.
You have eidetic memory.
This deck is not for you if:
You are not against gambling for the win
You like taking chances
You are poor
Tachikaze: Survival of the Fittest
Dinosaurs, with technology and metal projectile weapons, any zoids fans dream come true.
Tachikaze are a clan of high attacking power, but only at the cost of devouring the weak.
After all, only the strongest of the strong are allowed to live!
Based off mainly Dino dragons, Tachikaze will destroy the weak, even if its on your field.
But dont worry, because they can and will benefit from that by gaining power!
This deck is for you if:
You like Dinosaurs, or Zoids
You like high power and high functionality, even at a cost
You believe in survival of the fittest
You are poor(actually true. This deck's total cost of construction can be less than 1000 yen to maximum 2500 yen.)
This deck is NOT for you if:
You say thank you to every unit that dies in battle. Go find a crappier clan, pussy.
You absolutely do not want anyone to die without true meaning
You are rich
You like a complex play style, more than a straightforwards deck.(its vaguely autopilot...)
Dark Irregulars: EAT YOUR SOUL
Dark Magic, Dark Science, and Dark Technology.
These were the ingredients chosen to create the most evil army of them all...
But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction...
Chemical X...
Of course he didnt. He didnt make them. Darkness did.
Dark Irregulars are the fusion of Magic, Science, and Mechanical Technology.
Denizens of the night, they are super beings, and live with the darkness, around them and in them...
Most of dark irregulars have a very dark motif, and are a mix of technology, magic, and science...
Demons, Succubi, Incubus, Vampires, Werewolves, Dark Elves, lords of the underworld.
If these are your liking, Dark Irregulars are for you.
Dark Irregulars have two specialities:
Soul Charge, to charge up soul for various abilities, and abilities that gain power when you soul charge.
And to use this massive soul for massive power.(We're talking game changing, unimaginable amounts of power, etc)
Soul are cards under your vanguard, mostly cards you ride on previous turns, but more can be added from your deck or other places through effects.
Dark Irregulars have cards that either use Soul Blast for power effects, such as Stil Vampir, or use the soul already there to power themselves up, such as Amon.
And this increase in power isnt small. It. Is. Gigantic.
However, Dark Irregulars lack cards that either give draw or searching or superior calls. That means that while they have a massive amount of power, they dont have very good deck stabilizing cards. What you draw you have to deal with.
It is not uncommon for Dark Irregulars to lose due to having not enough hand...
This clan is for you if:
You like Van Helsing.
You like Lord of the Rings
You like any other form of Dark Fantasy
You are emo
You like DAT POWER!
SCREW THAT LAST SHIT YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE EXTREME POWER!!!
Youre a girl.(Surprising, no? It seems only girls can handle Dark Irregulars. Every male DI player seems to suck with it)
This clan is not for you if:
You like twilight
You like stable decks that run smoothly every game
You dont like the art
You need a clan with flowers and rainbow unicorns because you're a pussy.
Spike Brothers: ONE! TWO! TOUCHDOWN!
Bloodball. On Cray, Bloodball is everything.
Every team has its fans, and every game has millions of screaming fans.
But no team, no team anywhere else, is as strong as, or has as many fans as the team of Darkzone: the Spike Brothers
Consisting of demons, ogres, war beasts, or robots, Spike Brothers is a clan which forces many high power attacks in one turn
Their two specialties are:
Superior Call During the Battle phase, allowing you more and more attacks
Very high power attacks, at the cost of returning to the deck at the end of the attack.
Their drawback:
Although they can force multiple high power attacks in one turn, SB can burn out extremely fast.
Meaning if you dont time your attack correctly, you will lose a lot of advantage in terms of both counter blast cost as well as cards on field or in hand.
This clan is for you if:
You like SPORTS
You enjoy a deadly combo for the finish... and the slow set up
You like a burst or combo to do your winning, rather than a slow push
You are poor(one of the cheaper decks to build)
You like a deck that is tricky to handle
This clan is NOT for you if:
You do not like tough comboes
You prefer an autopilot deck
Granblue: FOR WE ARE IMMORTAL
At the bottom of the ocean, lies an undying army... an army of Pirates, who shall rise up, no matter how many times they are struck down.
Granblue are a group of Zombie Pirates. Some are Zombies, others are Zombie Pirates.
Their strongest point is their revival effects.
As of now, they are the only clan whoes drop zone matters.
Using counter blast, they can sacrifice one unit to revive a unit of equal or higher grade from the drop zone.
This allows them a fluid arrangement of units, changing their feild to get what they need, at that moment.
Their special traits include:
Reviving from the Drop Zone
Superior Ride from the Drop Zone
Their weakness:
High defense power opponent units... and rather low power output on their end.
This clan is for you if:
You love pirates of the Caribbean!!
You enjoy a constantly evolving field
You have an adaptive playstyle.
You know how to manage both your hand, deck, and graveyard at the same time
This clan is not for you if:
you need the latest and greatest
you cannot handle the low power output of the deck.
Megacolony: OH NO YOU DONT
Megacolony is a clan of insects, the greatest colony of the best insects in the land, joining together to fight all who oppose them
Their speciality is to stop stand during the stand phase...
Meaning effectively, you can stop one unit from participating in battle the next turn, or even stop a whole attack!
This might not seem like much, but in Vanguard, it is a huge boost.
They have a variety of draw and superior call, and search, and are actually a suprisingly balanced and well put together clan.
This clan is for you if:
You like bugs and collecting them
You want a deck that can both hinder the opponent as well as lay on an offensive well
You like a controlling type deck
This clan is not for you if:
You dont like bugs
You prefer to manage your own forces, rather than the opponents.
Palemoon: Circus MAGIC
Palemoon are a circus troupe whom have a variety of tricky moves they can use on you
Their units are either circus people, or the beasts they tame.
Their special ability is to superior call from the soul... after they hit.
This allows their attacks to come many times at one turn, so long as you cannot hit.
They are a tricky clan for higher leveled players, as timing is very important, as well as what to call.
This clan is for you if:
You like a tricky play style, and a technical game.
You like the circus
This clan is not for you if:
You dont like the circus
You like autopilot decks
Dimension Police: JUSTICE
Your childhood heroes. Policing space, making sure giant monsters dont invade.
You may have stopped believing in them, but they will never give up the fight for your safety.
They are the intergalactic defense force: DIMENSION POLICE!
Dimension Police is a very heroic clan. Their abilities include powering up the vanguard for his ultimate ability, and standing their rear guards very well.
However, they do lack rushing power, as it is a deck that will end the game slowly, before activating the ultimate and going for the win.
It is currently the only clan with an "Infinite Attack" loop.
This clan is for you if:
You like ULTRAMAN
You enjoy a very Vanguard/You centric game
You can play a long game and time your finish correctly.
You like it if your Vanguard can solo everything.
This clan is not for you if:
You prefer a quick win.
You need powerful rear guards to help you to victory
Shadow Paladin: FOOD
Much like the Royal Paladins, they are based off of medival knights and their relations, but Shadow Paladins also have witches and dark powered castles.
They are led by Phantom Blaster Dragon, whom devours his friends for absolute power.
While they have the same ability to deploy as Royal Paladins, Shadow Paladins are not against sacrificing their friends for power.
This clan is for you if:
You are not against sacrificing your friends for power
You like a deck that can defend better than attack
You have fallen to the darkness
This clan is not for you if:
Your friends cannot be food.(fish are friends, not food)
You are poor.
Murakumo: KAGEBUNSHIN
Murakumo are a clan which are new, but EXTREMELY technical.
Their special abilities include an ability to superior call... temporarily.
This gives them a full field quickly, but it will only last one turn.
Their motif is ninjas.
This clan is for you if:
You like to swarm quick
You can play a technical clan
You are not afraid of losing... because it is an illusion.
You can control the game perfectly into your favor.
This clan is not for you if:
You want an autopilot deck
You are new to the game.
You are otherwise bad at vanguard.
Neo Nectar: GROW
Neo Nectar: The flowers and the plants of Zu.
Neo Nectar have very flowery and nature-y motifs, and are a clan of swarming.
Their special abilities are:
Growing up their rear guards if their attacks hit the vanguard
Superior call from the deck
This clan is for you if:
You can adapt your field well
You are a beginner(quite beginner friendly)
You like flowers and plants
You like an agressive play style.
You want a deck that rewards skill, but can still be played without it
This clan is not for you if:
You are a pyromanic
You want a deck that rewards more skill than blind attacking
Well, thats about all the clans around at the moment.
I hope this has been a good introduction to the game of Vanguard and their clans, even if it did get a little boring and washy towards the end(im tired, k?)
Good night for now, and keep searching for that one clan!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Courage and Resolve
Hello, hello, and welcome to SO IMBA!
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
Today, we learn how to play Majesty Lord Blaster... without being manhandled every round.
So, I hear people like to play Majesty Lord Blaster.
Let me guess. Your deck, as well as everyone else around you who likes to play this style looks something like this:
2 Soul Saviour Dragon(OMGZ FINUL TURNZZZ!! I M SO EPICZ)
3 Majesty Lord Blaster (DURRR)
4 Blaster Blade
4 Blaster Dark
3 Starcall Trumpeter(lyk OMG)
4 Marron, the little Sage
4 Borgal(SO MANNY SOULZ!)
4 Pongal
2 Kei
3 Isolde
1 Wingal Brave(SV)
4 Margal
4 Govanon
4 Elaine
4 Epona/Llew/Alabaster Owl
This is your deck, more or less, right?
No, its not wrong.
Nothing in Vanguard is wrong. the game was designed extremely well, and hence there is no wrong in deck building and no wrong in play.
There is only epic fail.
Majesty Lord Blaster isn't a type of Royal Paladin deck. Its a special type of Mixed Clan deck, so you cannot use the same concepts that used to run a Royal Paladin deck any more.
There are a few glaring errors in deck building here:
Borgal.
Just wtf. The only deck to get 6 or more ROYAL PALADIN in soul is Galahad/Lohengrin...
Lets count:
Wingal Brave, G1, G2 into Soul. MLB activate effect, suck in 1 Blaster Blade, 1 Blaster Dark. Use Pongal to search out Soul Saviour Dragon.
Its still 5 Soul, By the way.
Blaster Dark is NOT a Royal Paladin, and hence does not count towards Borgal.
Majesty Lord Blaster + Soul Saviour Dragon
Majesty Lord Blaster, unlike most other Royal Paladin units, is not someone who gives strength to his allies, or brings them to the fray.
He does the exact opposite: sacrificing them to gain power for himself!
Therefore, if you try to play both these Vanguard specific G3 units together, you end up with a clash of interests, you either have no soul to play Soul Saviour's soul blast, but plenty of allies to pump up, or plenty of power with Majesty lord, but no friends to support.
Majesty Lord Blaster represents a huge loss of fighting force by activating his effect.
While the end result of this power pump is a permanent +2k and extra damage, something not to be looked down upon, it comes at a very steep cost: TWO fighting units... capable of intercept.
So, the deck needs to be constructed with ways to RECOVER this fighting force.
Starcall Trumpter is supposed to be this...
It doesnt really do its job.
When setting up MLB's twin blast, it eats up one rear guard circle, preventing a full force attack on one side.
Either its Star Call being supported, and the two blasters on one side unable to boost one another, or one is behind Star call, preventing star call from being supported...
And, in this build, it cant seem to search out boosts...
By packing 8 Draw, one hopes to set up the combos fast and recover quickly from the twin blast, but at what cost?
12k defense is no Phantom Blaster Overlord. It is very easy to construct 17k lines, as well as 22k. Putting 8 Draw without extra guard support is a death wish.
So, what would be best?
There are two main styles of playing Majesty Lord Blaster: The Royal Paladin Base, and the Shadow Paladin based.
The Royal Paladin base is the most straightforwards.
3 Majesty Lord Blaster
3 Baromedes
4 Blaster Blade
4 Blaster Dark
2 Bedivere
3 Isolde
4 Kei
3 Toypugal
4 Maron
3 Wingal Brave
4 Sharon
2 Flogal
2 Epona
4 Margal
4 Elaine
(6 Stand, 2 Critical, 4 Draw, 4 Heal)
Now, the first thing to notice is the combination of Baromedes and Stand.
Baromedes is currently the only unit that can still burn out a 10k shield from a 13k Vanguard after its been awakened by a stand trigger.
This, and the fact that its just plain overpowered is why its used.
The Trigger balance is rather self explanatory, putting more emphasis on baromedes to deal damage and Majesty Lord to burn their guards more than deal damage.
The most important thing to notice is the two Wingal Brave.
Wingal brave allows fast setting up of Majesty Lord Blaster's Twin Blast, by giving search power to the deck. if you ride Blaster Dark/Blade in the 2nd turn, you can easily search out Majesty Lord or the other side.
If you start the game with a Blaster Blade/Dark in your hand, and a Wingal Brave, one interesting thing you can do is re-ride.
If you play either Royal or Shadow Paladin, players wont put out two units to attack you in the early game. Losing one of them to an effect in the second turn is far too painful.
So, they will wait until you ride Blaster Dark, cannot use effect, before attacking full force.
If you attack and search out blaster blade, the opponent will think that you already have Majesty Lord, whom you will ride next turn.
Instead, take another damage, and ride blaster blade. Use his effect to burn some boost support, and throw down another wingal brave. Use this one to search out Majesty Lord, and ride.
Even though the twin blast never went off, Majesty Lord Blaster will actually activate his continuous effect, due to BOTH Blaster Dark and Blaster Blade in the soul.
A sneaky measure, but worth it if your hand demands you conserve your grade twos.
Obviously, you cannot do this in several situations(you go second, the opponent superior rides to Blazing Flare on his first attack, etc), but it is an option you must keep in mind, especially if you are on the losing side of damage(ie: must increase your critical output asap).
Kei is another card that is very nice.
When you have Majesty Lord blaster as your Vanguard, Kei can become a 10k attacker, a nice size for harassing rear guards.
Once a grade 2 or 3 comes around, you can send it to the back to be support.
This solves partially one of the biggest problems Majesty Lord Blaster decks have: Losing their grade 2s.
After losing two of them, move Kei up, and have him fight for a while.
The next way to properly play Majesty Lord Blaster is the Shadow Paladin Base.
This is the more "true" to the mixed clan concept, and is without a doubt the more devastating.
5
3 Phantom Blaster Dragon
2 Majesty Lord Blaster
11
4 Blaster Blade
4 Blaster Dark
3 Starcall Trumpeter
13
4 Blaster Javelin
4 Karon
3 Kei
2 Isolde
21
1 Fullbau
4 Wingal Brave
3 Death Feather Eagle
3 Alabaster Owl
2 Margal
4 Abyss Freezer
2 Abyss Healer
2 Elaine
Alternative: -2 Abyss Freezer, +2 more Critical(max Alabaster and Death Feather Eagle(
Once again, there are added Wingal Brave.
This time around, however, the search effect can search out almost ANYTHING from your deck.
On top of this, you can pull out your blaster units after one another very quickly, as Starcall trumpter can also call out Blaster Javelin, both to boost and to use the effect.
Blaster Javelin, with superior call from Star Call, Searching Blaster Dark, and thinning the deck of Phantom Blaster Dragon, is definately one of the star players in the deck.
The deck does suffer from a lack of boost power.
This is where play comes in.
The deck utilizes rear guard harassment to mitigate the low power attack, and only waiting for when the opponent cannot guard well to attack.
Both Phantom Blaster Dragon AND Majesty lord have explosive effect, that gain power as well as added critical.
Stall and reduce the opponents power through play, and explode in their face when the time is right.
Between critical triggers and the critical up effect, it only takes two attacks to bring the opponent to their knees.
Phantom Blaster Dragon can also devour the Blaster javelins that were called, some Draw triggers, and other weaker boosts to make way for more powerful rear guards.
Never forget you can call a Majesty Lord to be boosted by Wingal brave for the search effect that attacks at 15k power.
On top of that, your Vanguard unit will always be a Blaster, so just keep abusing Wingal Brave, and search out your power cards.
With this set up, your Vanguard will almost always be 11k or 12k power. Very good for defense.
Note that with your increased G0 count, and decreased G1,2,3 count, your deck WILL burn out faster than your opponent, so make sure to defend your rear guards as well.
This also means your G0/1 Rush will also be a viable and effective strategy, which is why higher raw power units were chosen.
Those who fight with courage! Those who fight with resolve!
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
Today, we learn how to play Majesty Lord Blaster... without being manhandled every round.
So, I hear people like to play Majesty Lord Blaster.
Let me guess. Your deck, as well as everyone else around you who likes to play this style looks something like this:
2 Soul Saviour Dragon(OMGZ FINUL TURNZZZ!! I M SO EPICZ)
3 Majesty Lord Blaster (DURRR)
4 Blaster Blade
4 Blaster Dark
3 Starcall Trumpeter(lyk OMG)
4 Marron, the little Sage
4 Borgal(SO MANNY SOULZ!)
4 Pongal
2 Kei
3 Isolde
1 Wingal Brave(SV)
4 Margal
4 Govanon
4 Elaine
4 Epona/Llew/Alabaster Owl
This is your deck, more or less, right?
No, its not wrong.
Nothing in Vanguard is wrong. the game was designed extremely well, and hence there is no wrong in deck building and no wrong in play.
There is only epic fail.
Majesty Lord Blaster isn't a type of Royal Paladin deck. Its a special type of Mixed Clan deck, so you cannot use the same concepts that used to run a Royal Paladin deck any more.
There are a few glaring errors in deck building here:
Borgal.
Just wtf. The only deck to get 6 or more ROYAL PALADIN in soul is Galahad/Lohengrin...
Lets count:
Wingal Brave, G1, G2 into Soul. MLB activate effect, suck in 1 Blaster Blade, 1 Blaster Dark. Use Pongal to search out Soul Saviour Dragon.
Its still 5 Soul, By the way.
Blaster Dark is NOT a Royal Paladin, and hence does not count towards Borgal.
Majesty Lord Blaster + Soul Saviour Dragon
Majesty Lord Blaster, unlike most other Royal Paladin units, is not someone who gives strength to his allies, or brings them to the fray.
He does the exact opposite: sacrificing them to gain power for himself!
Therefore, if you try to play both these Vanguard specific G3 units together, you end up with a clash of interests, you either have no soul to play Soul Saviour's soul blast, but plenty of allies to pump up, or plenty of power with Majesty lord, but no friends to support.
Majesty Lord Blaster represents a huge loss of fighting force by activating his effect.
While the end result of this power pump is a permanent +2k and extra damage, something not to be looked down upon, it comes at a very steep cost: TWO fighting units... capable of intercept.
So, the deck needs to be constructed with ways to RECOVER this fighting force.
Starcall Trumpter is supposed to be this...
It doesnt really do its job.
When setting up MLB's twin blast, it eats up one rear guard circle, preventing a full force attack on one side.
Either its Star Call being supported, and the two blasters on one side unable to boost one another, or one is behind Star call, preventing star call from being supported...
And, in this build, it cant seem to search out boosts...
By packing 8 Draw, one hopes to set up the combos fast and recover quickly from the twin blast, but at what cost?
12k defense is no Phantom Blaster Overlord. It is very easy to construct 17k lines, as well as 22k. Putting 8 Draw without extra guard support is a death wish.
So, what would be best?
There are two main styles of playing Majesty Lord Blaster: The Royal Paladin Base, and the Shadow Paladin based.
The Royal Paladin base is the most straightforwards.
3 Majesty Lord Blaster
3 Baromedes
4 Blaster Blade
4 Blaster Dark
2 Bedivere
3 Isolde
4 Kei
3 Toypugal
4 Maron
3 Wingal Brave
4 Sharon
2 Flogal
2 Epona
4 Margal
4 Elaine
(6 Stand, 2 Critical, 4 Draw, 4 Heal)
Now, the first thing to notice is the combination of Baromedes and Stand.
Baromedes is currently the only unit that can still burn out a 10k shield from a 13k Vanguard after its been awakened by a stand trigger.
This, and the fact that its just plain overpowered is why its used.
The Trigger balance is rather self explanatory, putting more emphasis on baromedes to deal damage and Majesty Lord to burn their guards more than deal damage.
The most important thing to notice is the two Wingal Brave.
Wingal brave allows fast setting up of Majesty Lord Blaster's Twin Blast, by giving search power to the deck. if you ride Blaster Dark/Blade in the 2nd turn, you can easily search out Majesty Lord or the other side.
If you start the game with a Blaster Blade/Dark in your hand, and a Wingal Brave, one interesting thing you can do is re-ride.
If you play either Royal or Shadow Paladin, players wont put out two units to attack you in the early game. Losing one of them to an effect in the second turn is far too painful.
So, they will wait until you ride Blaster Dark, cannot use effect, before attacking full force.
If you attack and search out blaster blade, the opponent will think that you already have Majesty Lord, whom you will ride next turn.
Instead, take another damage, and ride blaster blade. Use his effect to burn some boost support, and throw down another wingal brave. Use this one to search out Majesty Lord, and ride.
Even though the twin blast never went off, Majesty Lord Blaster will actually activate his continuous effect, due to BOTH Blaster Dark and Blaster Blade in the soul.
A sneaky measure, but worth it if your hand demands you conserve your grade twos.
Obviously, you cannot do this in several situations(you go second, the opponent superior rides to Blazing Flare on his first attack, etc), but it is an option you must keep in mind, especially if you are on the losing side of damage(ie: must increase your critical output asap).
Kei is another card that is very nice.
When you have Majesty Lord blaster as your Vanguard, Kei can become a 10k attacker, a nice size for harassing rear guards.
Once a grade 2 or 3 comes around, you can send it to the back to be support.
This solves partially one of the biggest problems Majesty Lord Blaster decks have: Losing their grade 2s.
After losing two of them, move Kei up, and have him fight for a while.
The next way to properly play Majesty Lord Blaster is the Shadow Paladin Base.
This is the more "true" to the mixed clan concept, and is without a doubt the more devastating.
5
3 Phantom Blaster Dragon
2 Majesty Lord Blaster
11
4 Blaster Blade
4 Blaster Dark
3 Starcall Trumpeter
13
4 Blaster Javelin
4 Karon
3 Kei
2 Isolde
21
1 Fullbau
4 Wingal Brave
3 Death Feather Eagle
3 Alabaster Owl
2 Margal
4 Abyss Freezer
2 Abyss Healer
2 Elaine
Alternative: -2 Abyss Freezer, +2 more Critical(max Alabaster and Death Feather Eagle(
Once again, there are added Wingal Brave.
This time around, however, the search effect can search out almost ANYTHING from your deck.
On top of this, you can pull out your blaster units after one another very quickly, as Starcall trumpter can also call out Blaster Javelin, both to boost and to use the effect.
Blaster Javelin, with superior call from Star Call, Searching Blaster Dark, and thinning the deck of Phantom Blaster Dragon, is definately one of the star players in the deck.
The deck does suffer from a lack of boost power.
This is where play comes in.
The deck utilizes rear guard harassment to mitigate the low power attack, and only waiting for when the opponent cannot guard well to attack.
Both Phantom Blaster Dragon AND Majesty lord have explosive effect, that gain power as well as added critical.
Stall and reduce the opponents power through play, and explode in their face when the time is right.
Between critical triggers and the critical up effect, it only takes two attacks to bring the opponent to their knees.
Phantom Blaster Dragon can also devour the Blaster javelins that were called, some Draw triggers, and other weaker boosts to make way for more powerful rear guards.
Never forget you can call a Majesty Lord to be boosted by Wingal brave for the search effect that attacks at 15k power.
On top of that, your Vanguard unit will always be a Blaster, so just keep abusing Wingal Brave, and search out your power cards.
With this set up, your Vanguard will almost always be 11k or 12k power. Very good for defense.
Note that with your increased G0 count, and decreased G1,2,3 count, your deck WILL burn out faster than your opponent, so make sure to defend your rear guards as well.
This also means your G0/1 Rush will also be a viable and effective strategy, which is why higher raw power units were chosen.
Those who fight with courage! Those who fight with resolve!
You shall all fight by my side!
Light and Shadow! Follow after me!
Now is the time to turn despair to hope!
RIDE! MAJESTY LORD BLASTER!!!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Upcoming posts
For my own note mainly.
Properly playing majesty lord blaster, and why your build sucks.
Which clan is for me? To stop the ridiculous number of kagerou players jumping from yugioh
Anyhows, today, my tourney was really bad.
Although I lost one game to horrible grade 0 stuck ride, I couldn't seem to play properly or draw properly...
2 out of 5 wins..
I think I left my imba in Japan! Lol
Achievement Unlocked!
Achievement unlocked!
Ten thousand years too early!
Declare a final turn!, and lose the next game.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
VANGUARD TEAM FIGHT! READY!? GO!!!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to SO IMBA!,
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am your host, Rauzes, and I'm here to teach you all about Team Fight.
Apparently the anime has made team fights ridiculously popular... without explaining how to organize one...
So thats where I come in.
In organizing Vanguard Team fights, things get a bit more complex than just throwing people into pits to have fights.
First, each team functions as a single player. Regardless if they won 2-1, or 2-0, or lost, they will only score points based on their win/loss. Each player does not have a score, only the team. These points decide who goes up against who and in which table number, so winning 2-1 doesnt really help.
Second, only one fight is going on per table number at once. That means that the first fight finishes before the second player on each team goes up. This puts pressure on the second and third pressure and affects their risk taking. The team that is one loss away from dropping out cannot take many risks, where the team that is one win up can take a bunch of risks and hopefully score a win through double critical triggering, etc.
The order in which players go up are pre determined. This means, before the tournament, each team must submit the team members, and which order they will be playing in in each round.
There are a few ways of approaching this. I'll just share the ones I know.
The I'm-Too-Lazy
Every round 3 players play in the same order. 1st seat 2nd seat 3rd seat same players all rounds.
This has the advantage of being easiest, but the disadvantage of telling your opponents exactly what kind of deck they are up against before the fight. Not something you want to do so often.
The I-AM-THE-SENDOUSHA!
Strongest player goes 1st, followed by the second strongest. 3rd person go warm bench.
2-0's every round. Fastest, most brutal, and most effective in getting easiest wins.
Most rewarding to the strong players. Needs 2 Very good players(Kai, Kamui) and 2 less so players.(Misaki, Aichi).
This is what Q4 used at their 1st regionals.
The Let-There-Be-A-Sacrificial-Lamb
Send the weakest player first. Then the strongest will be 2nd, followed by the second best.
This way you seal your win for 2nd round, and a possible win in the first round. If your first person loses, you lose nothing.
The 2nd and 3rd seat can also swap if they are of equal strength. This disallows the opponent to know what deck they are going up against 2nd/3rd.
The disadvantage is that the 2nd place CANNOT LOSE. AT ALL. Pick someone beyond strong. Someone like Kai, Ren, Tetsu, or Rauzes.(LOL Dont pick me plz)
This allows team building out of 4 people: 2 good, 2 less so. The weaker 2 would rotate each round to allow both equal time in the fights.
The I-Roll-Dice
Each of the players rolls dice to determine the place they go for each round.
Most random of orders, and hence has the least disadvantages, but also least advantages.
This is also allows for 4 people teams.
The I'm-With-Stupid-And-Also-With-Stupider
One good player and two bad ones.
Bad players are seat 1 and 2. If only one of them wins, the 3rd player gets to fight. The 3rd player is very strong, and hence will secure game(especially if against tactics that hide the weakest player for last).
Good for training people in the tournament scene. Bad because prone to losing 0-2 in the first two fights. Therefore, good people who arent so keen on winning will be the ones who benefit truly from this style of team.
Once you get the people fighting, one from each team fight at the same time, until one team wins.
The final and most important point is teams deck pool.
There again, a few choice as to what is permitted. I will share with you the ones used by official Vanguard tournaments in Japan.
Your friendly tournament organizer will notify you in advance which rules the tournament is running.
The first and most common is the "All players Different Clan" Rule.
In this rule, ALL players must use ONLY ONE clan in their deck. No mixing in cards from other clans at all. Also, Each team can only have ONE of each clan. IE: No 2 Kagerou decks in the same team.
One spin-off of this rule is the same, with ONE exception: A Royal Paladin deck which runs a Royal Paladin starter MAY use up to 5(FIVE, and only five), Shadow Paladin cards. This rules allows Majesty Lord Blaster decks that use a Royal Paladin base.
There are two variants of this rule: The "Everyone Under the same clan", and the "Each team has one cardpool"
The "Everyone under the same clan" is a exception that WILL BE SPECIFIED BY THE TOURNAMENT. If this is allowed, the team may form and join with all players playing the SAME CLAN. However, this is not recommended, mainly because it gives away what you are playing before you actually play.
The "Each Team has one card pool" is again an exception that will be specified. The only rule in deck building is that each team, in total, may only have FOUR of the same card amongst them. i.e., if there are 2 Royal Paladin players, They only have 4 Baromedes, 4 Epona, etc, between them. If one chooses to run one, the other cannot run 4. Even worse is that Heal Triggers and other triggers are included. If one player runs 4 heal, the other players cannot.
Though this does allow your team to play more than one of the same clan, it isnt really recommended to do so, because of the SEVERELY limited cardpool it results in.
Thus far, no tournament using this rules has seen players take advantage of this.(err, other than it being a RIDICULOUSLY STUPID IDEA, its a REALLY STUPID IDEA TO DO SO)
Another rule that was newly introduced is the "Starter Must Be Different" Rule.
Now, this allows the teams to play more than one of each clan, with the rule that each starter vanguard must be different.
This means only one player can play Conroe(meaning only one Kagerou player), but if you choose to, you can also play Amber Dragon starter, a 2nd Kagerou(why, I'd love to know. Its stupid to do.)
This limits the deck styles, as each team will have a different deck style each game.
The "All Players Different Clan" and "Each Player Different Starter" are the most common styles. Usually tournaments will be one of these two.
Do ask your tournament organizer to read this post, and give you the specifics as to the team fights.
And finally, team members.
The team can be of two to four members.
Two isnt recommended because one loss results in a drop out.
Four isnt recommended but is possible, because not everyone plays every round.
Remember, each team fight is only 3 games.
One team member is the "Leader". He/She will handle the teams sign up, prize giving, and distribution. Just pick the only person with common sense to do this.
Pick a cool name for your team, and lets Vanguard Fight!
力を合わせて勝利へと勝ち抜け!
Join forces and fight to victory!
アー・ユー・レディー！？
ARE! YOU! READY!?
ヴァンガード・ファイト！
VANGUARD FIGHT!
レディー！
READY!
ゴー！
GO!!!
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am your host, Rauzes, and I'm here to teach you all about Team Fight.
Apparently the anime has made team fights ridiculously popular... without explaining how to organize one...
So thats where I come in.
In organizing Vanguard Team fights, things get a bit more complex than just throwing people into pits to have fights.
First, each team functions as a single player. Regardless if they won 2-1, or 2-0, or lost, they will only score points based on their win/loss. Each player does not have a score, only the team. These points decide who goes up against who and in which table number, so winning 2-1 doesnt really help.
Second, only one fight is going on per table number at once. That means that the first fight finishes before the second player on each team goes up. This puts pressure on the second and third pressure and affects their risk taking. The team that is one loss away from dropping out cannot take many risks, where the team that is one win up can take a bunch of risks and hopefully score a win through double critical triggering, etc.
The order in which players go up are pre determined. This means, before the tournament, each team must submit the team members, and which order they will be playing in in each round.
There are a few ways of approaching this. I'll just share the ones I know.
The I'm-Too-Lazy
Every round 3 players play in the same order. 1st seat 2nd seat 3rd seat same players all rounds.
This has the advantage of being easiest, but the disadvantage of telling your opponents exactly what kind of deck they are up against before the fight. Not something you want to do so often.
The I-AM-THE-SENDOUSHA!
Strongest player goes 1st, followed by the second strongest. 3rd person go warm bench.
2-0's every round. Fastest, most brutal, and most effective in getting easiest wins.
Most rewarding to the strong players. Needs 2 Very good players(Kai, Kamui) and 2 less so players.(Misaki, Aichi).
This is what Q4 used at their 1st regionals.
The Let-There-Be-A-Sacrificial-Lamb
Send the weakest player first. Then the strongest will be 2nd, followed by the second best.
This way you seal your win for 2nd round, and a possible win in the first round. If your first person loses, you lose nothing.
The 2nd and 3rd seat can also swap if they are of equal strength. This disallows the opponent to know what deck they are going up against 2nd/3rd.
The disadvantage is that the 2nd place CANNOT LOSE. AT ALL. Pick someone beyond strong. Someone like Kai, Ren, Tetsu, or Rauzes.(LOL Dont pick me plz)
This allows team building out of 4 people: 2 good, 2 less so. The weaker 2 would rotate each round to allow both equal time in the fights.
The I-Roll-Dice
Each of the players rolls dice to determine the place they go for each round.
Most random of orders, and hence has the least disadvantages, but also least advantages.
This is also allows for 4 people teams.
The I'm-With-Stupid-And-Also-With-Stupider
One good player and two bad ones.
Bad players are seat 1 and 2. If only one of them wins, the 3rd player gets to fight. The 3rd player is very strong, and hence will secure game(especially if against tactics that hide the weakest player for last).
Good for training people in the tournament scene. Bad because prone to losing 0-2 in the first two fights. Therefore, good people who arent so keen on winning will be the ones who benefit truly from this style of team.
Once you get the people fighting, one from each team fight at the same time, until one team wins.
The final and most important point is teams deck pool.
There again, a few choice as to what is permitted. I will share with you the ones used by official Vanguard tournaments in Japan.
Your friendly tournament organizer will notify you in advance which rules the tournament is running.
The first and most common is the "All players Different Clan" Rule.
In this rule, ALL players must use ONLY ONE clan in their deck. No mixing in cards from other clans at all. Also, Each team can only have ONE of each clan. IE: No 2 Kagerou decks in the same team.
One spin-off of this rule is the same, with ONE exception: A Royal Paladin deck which runs a Royal Paladin starter MAY use up to 5(FIVE, and only five), Shadow Paladin cards. This rules allows Majesty Lord Blaster decks that use a Royal Paladin base.
There are two variants of this rule: The "Everyone Under the same clan", and the "Each team has one cardpool"
The "Everyone under the same clan" is a exception that WILL BE SPECIFIED BY THE TOURNAMENT. If this is allowed, the team may form and join with all players playing the SAME CLAN. However, this is not recommended, mainly because it gives away what you are playing before you actually play.
The "Each Team has one card pool" is again an exception that will be specified. The only rule in deck building is that each team, in total, may only have FOUR of the same card amongst them. i.e., if there are 2 Royal Paladin players, They only have 4 Baromedes, 4 Epona, etc, between them. If one chooses to run one, the other cannot run 4. Even worse is that Heal Triggers and other triggers are included. If one player runs 4 heal, the other players cannot.
Though this does allow your team to play more than one of the same clan, it isnt really recommended to do so, because of the SEVERELY limited cardpool it results in.
Thus far, no tournament using this rules has seen players take advantage of this.(err, other than it being a RIDICULOUSLY STUPID IDEA, its a REALLY STUPID IDEA TO DO SO)
Another rule that was newly introduced is the "Starter Must Be Different" Rule.
Now, this allows the teams to play more than one of each clan, with the rule that each starter vanguard must be different.
This means only one player can play Conroe(meaning only one Kagerou player), but if you choose to, you can also play Amber Dragon starter, a 2nd Kagerou(why, I'd love to know. Its stupid to do.)
This limits the deck styles, as each team will have a different deck style each game.
The "All Players Different Clan" and "Each Player Different Starter" are the most common styles. Usually tournaments will be one of these two.
Do ask your tournament organizer to read this post, and give you the specifics as to the team fights.
And finally, team members.
The team can be of two to four members.
Two isnt recommended because one loss results in a drop out.
Four isnt recommended but is possible, because not everyone plays every round.
Remember, each team fight is only 3 games.
One team member is the "Leader". He/She will handle the teams sign up, prize giving, and distribution. Just pick the only person with common sense to do this.
Pick a cool name for your team, and lets Vanguard Fight!
力を合わせて勝利へと勝ち抜け!
Join forces and fight to victory!
アー・ユー・レディー！？
ARE! YOU! READY!?
ヴァンガード・ファイト！
VANGUARD FIGHT!
レディー！
READY!
ゴー！
GO!!!
Break-Down Death Breath!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to SO IMBA!,
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am your host, Rauzes, and today, we learn how to use No Life King Death Anchor!
So No Life King Death Anchor has one main effect:
By moving five units from the damage zone to the soul, it can gain 10000 Power and 1 Critical for one attack.
Followed by this, it will send the top 5 cards of your deck to the damage zone.
The activation is very similar to a Megablast: to use 5 open damage as cost... meaning that you cannot use any other counterblast mechanisms in the deck.(other than megablast)
This also helps Amon's effect by adding a whole 5 more cards to the soul... rather large!
Therefore, the deck will try to utilize these both, so the grade 3 units will be No Life King, Amon, and Steil Vampir
However, the deck still lacks soul Charge acceleration. Just using No Life King's one soul per turn... just isnt enough!
Like all dark Irregulars, the deck needs more and more soul, as soon as possible. You will want the 11k Defense, 8 or more soul, as soon as you can.
So most of the grade 2 units will be for attacking, but also for soul charging, cards like Blue Dust and Darksoul Conductor.
The Grade 1 Lineup should utilize powerful units, as well as soul charge acceleration in the form of Alluring Succubus.
So this is what our deck will look like:
G3 8
3 No Life King Death Anchor
3 Amon
2 Steil Vampir
G2 10
3 Dark Soul Conductor
4 Amon
3 Blue Dust
G1 15
3 March Rabbit (Null Guard)
4 Alluring Succubus
3 Amon
3 Doreen The Thruster
2 Devil Child
Now, we reach the triggers.
You have two builds for this deck: The Doreen Burst, which will use Draw Triggers and have alternative win condition of Amon, or the Super Stand, which will use Stand Triggers, and pull a No Life King Death Anchor's 13k + Boost attack against a very weak Vanguard thanks to Stil Vampir as the win condition.
Now, pushing damage to 5 with No Life King should be no problem thanks to BOTH Death King and Amon, but critical triggers are always a happy sight to see.
For the doreen Burst, for people who like Doreen or Amon, use 4 Draw, 4 Crit, 4 Heal and 4 Stand. But for players who like Stil Vampir, play 8 Stand, 4 Crit, 2 Heal, and 2 Draw.
While playing less Heals might seem a bit dangerous, Dark Irregulars has high attacking power, and your aim is to punish your opponent as much as possible in early game, so your late game attacking power being high will serve to the best purpose.
And last, but not least, start the game with Vermillion Gatekeeper.
主の夜が長き、敵の日が暗く事を誓おう!
May our lord's nights be long, and our opponent's days be short!
我らを勝利へと先導せよ!
ノーライフキング ・ デスアンカー!!
Lead us Dark Irregulars to Victory, No Life King Death Anchor!!
Where we learn how to be a better card fighter.
I am your host, Rauzes, and today, we learn how to use No Life King Death Anchor!
So No Life King Death Anchor has one main effect:
By moving five units from the damage zone to the soul, it can gain 10000 Power and 1 Critical for one attack.
Followed by this, it will send the top 5 cards of your deck to the damage zone.
The activation is very similar to a Megablast: to use 5 open damage as cost... meaning that you cannot use any other counterblast mechanisms in the deck.(other than megablast)
This also helps Amon's effect by adding a whole 5 more cards to the soul... rather large!
Therefore, the deck will try to utilize these both, so the grade 3 units will be No Life King, Amon, and Steil Vampir
However, the deck still lacks soul Charge acceleration. Just using No Life King's one soul per turn... just isnt enough!
Like all dark Irregulars, the deck needs more and more soul, as soon as possible. You will want the 11k Defense, 8 or more soul, as soon as you can.
So most of the grade 2 units will be for attacking, but also for soul charging, cards like Blue Dust and Darksoul Conductor.
The Grade 1 Lineup should utilize powerful units, as well as soul charge acceleration in the form of Alluring Succubus.
So this is what our deck will look like:
G3 8
3 No Life King Death Anchor
3 Amon
2 Steil Vampir
G2 10
3 Dark Soul Conductor
4 Amon
3 Blue Dust
G1 15
3 March Rabbit (Null Guard)
4 Alluring Succubus
3 Amon
3 Doreen The Thruster
2 Devil Child
Now, we reach the triggers.
You have two builds for this deck: The Doreen Burst, which will use Draw Triggers and have alternative win condition of Amon, or the Super Stand, which will use Stand Triggers, and pull a No Life King Death Anchor's 13k + Boost attack against a very weak Vanguard thanks to Stil Vampir as the win condition.
Now, pushing damage to 5 with No Life King should be no problem thanks to BOTH Death King and Amon, but critical triggers are always a happy sight to see.
For the doreen Burst, for people who like Doreen or Amon, use 4 Draw, 4 Crit, 4 Heal and 4 Stand. But for players who like Stil Vampir, play 8 Stand, 4 Crit, 2 Heal, and 2 Draw.
While playing less Heals might seem a bit dangerous, Dark Irregulars has high attacking power, and your aim is to punish your opponent as much as possible in early game, so your late game attacking power being high will serve to the best purpose.
And last, but not least, start the game with Vermillion Gatekeeper.
主の夜が長き、敵の日が暗く事を誓おう!
May our lord's nights be long, and our opponent's days be short!
我らを勝利へと先導せよ!
ノーライフキング ・ デスアンカー!!
Lead us Dark Irregulars to Victory, No Life King Death Anchor!!
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