Hello everybody and welcome to SO IMBA! Where we learn how to be a better cardfighter.
Today, we will be conducting analysis of the GBT02 Meta.
Which decks are good? Any advice for beating them? What are their strong points?
We will mainly be focusing on the primary decks that will make up the big chunk of what you will go against, and what their most competitive builds are.
So, CLASS IS IN SESSION.
The first big beast we will tackle is the monster around the block since GBT01: Kagero.
Kagerou decks have mostly been overlord the X builds nowadays, with Dauntless-Vortex-Nouvelle popping up very occasionally.
Dauntless-Vortex-Nouvelle win off a Dauntless breakride into Nouvelle or Vortex, fueling stride until then with its 7 g3s and 4 G4s, a whooping 11 + 3(G1 Lava Flow) cards to single card stride. Their killer move involves Dauntless Drive break ride, hence it is a bit difficult to manage. However, the deck is really slow, often losing due to packing a lower number of G1 and G2 to fight with.
Watch out for the stride into calling Nouvelle as RG trick. Since your V is G4 when you stride, you may call Nouvelles out as RG.
This build has fallen out or popularity compared to Overlord the X Builds.
The recent builds of Overlord the X have been 3 The Great, 4 The X, and 2 The End only, almost entirely forgoing utilising The End to restand, focusing more on pressure and advantage fighting as the deck always has. Be less afraid of the restand, since unless they searched out the End, chances are that they wont have a second copy in their hand.
The decks ability to combat decks that try to deny stride/legion is unbeatable, since they have both The End as well as Dragonic Burnout to force the opponent to move to G3, followed by them striding and legion-ing you to victory.
All other kagerou builds are not powerful enough to be deemed meta relevant.
Royal Paladin.
Ah. Royal Paladin, almost entirely 4 Sing Saviour based decks nowadays.
Royal Paladin utilizes their combination of Stride/Saint Blow and Sing Saviour to win games. All of the other G3s are to supplement this. With Swordmi, they can easily pull out boost units, the issue that Royal paladin had previous to this advent.
There are several main builds that center around sing saviour:
The Sacred Wingal X Sing Saviour build: Classic Legion style. Fills frontrow better and can progress into the double restand play. Suffers against the builds that can deny legion/stride. Usually plays sacred beast seeker claude to get a G3 in hand to stride with the turn they ride.
Altomaile x Sing Saviour build. Capitalise off of stride + Legion together. Not much to say about this other than its ability to fill graveyard and search G3 easily. Expect them to play Pongal and Soul Saviour for discarding.
Sing Saviour x4 build.
The Royal paladin variant that stays at G2 until they want to win. A Legion/Stride Denial Strategy.
Shadow Paladin:
All of them play 4x Phantom Blaster Abyss for Legion. It just depends on what else they play.
The 3 Builds are:
4 Morded Phantom x 4 Phantom Abyss
2 Mordred Phantom x 4 Phantom Abyss
4 Phantom Abyss.
Although all 3 builds try to Legion-kill you with restanding, the 8G3 build, the most common, will be riding its break ride first and stride repeatedly to Atmos/blizzard and then try to kill you with the break ride-legion combo, while the 4G3 build will try to win off of board control via Blaster Dark Abyss +Blaster Dark Revenger, with a Legion for the win, all while denying Legion/Stride by not going to G3.
Watch out for both these builds, are they are considered top meta.
GREAT NATURE
Great Nature is a powerful force thats come into the meta now with GBT02 support.
They are a very common build to see. The most considered powerful is the break ride X Tester Fox build, utilizing break ride together with the legion to draw into and set up the infinite loop, killing 2 researcher fox a turn to draw 2 and unflip 2, which are used to get the tester fox back, drawing 2 additional cards per turn, leading up to 5 cards gained per turn.
They can use the pheonix stride to power up tester fox, and as stride returns before the tester foxes die, the combo can still trigger.
4 Honorary Professor, Chatnoir
4 Magic Scientist, Tester Fox
4 Illusion Scientist, Researcher Fox
4 Pencil Knight, Hammsuke
4 Crayon Tiger
4 Cable Sheep (PG)
4 Coiling Duckbill
4 Single-minded Assistant, Mini Belly
1 Taping Cat
FV: Pencil Koala
9 Crit (4 Ruler Chameleon)
3 Draw (3 Castanet Donkey)
4 Heal
4 Eternity Professor, Phoenicialux
2 Omniscience Dragon, Managarmr
1 Snow Element, Blizza
1 Miracle Element, Atmos
This is the only relevant top meta build.
Aquaforce.
We arrive at the biggest new arrival to the scene, with Savas and Magnum Assault kicking up a storm in the meta.
One of the most powerful cards in Aquaforce is Tidal Assault, as its early game prescence and pressure and ability to deal damage as early as turn 3 means Aquaforce can play the G3 denial game very effectively, staying at G2 and beating down with Tidal Assault.
Builds:
Maelstorm build
The new crit trigger for Malestorm means the deck is back in action! Advantage farm with Maelstorm reverse followed by Glory Maelstorm + Crit trigger for the win. Very straightforwards build. Example deckbuild:
4 Blue Storm Karma Dragon, Maelstrom "Яeverse"
3 Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom
1 Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom
4 Blue Storm Soldier, Rascal Sweeper
4 Tidal Assault
3 Magnum Assault
1 Couple Dagger Sailor
4 Guardian of the Seas, Platon (PGG)
4 Kelpie Rider, Nicky
3 Mako Shark Soldier of the Blue Storm Fleet
2 Battle Siren, Sutashia
FV: Blue Storm Cadet, Marios
7 Crit (4 Despina, 3 Supersonic Sailor)
5 Draw (4 Battle Siren, Mallika)
4 Heal
4 Marine General of the Heavenly Silk, Lambros
2 Marine General of the Heavenly Scales, Tidal-bore Dragon
1 Snow Element, Blizza
1 Miracle Element, Atmos
Savas based builds.
Savas based builds utilize Savas's stride bonus to push victory, winning off of the fact that Lambros is busted as high hell.
Common builds:
4 Savas
3 Mihael (Legion)
1 Glory Maelstorm
2 Milos (Legion Mate)
2 Couple Dagger Sailor
4 Magnum Assault
4 Tidal Assault
3 Penguin Soldier
2 Battle Siren Ortia
4 Null -G
4 Savas Stride Fodder/Searcher
1 G3 Searcher
4 Heal/4Draw/8 Crit
4 Lambros 2 Tidal Bore 1 Atmos 1 Blizzard
Both these builds represent powerful fields prior to Stride/Legion, and once Stride happens, Lambros takes over the game. Very prevalent in meta.
Narukami
The two builds that are "new" are Vanquisher X Vermillion/Crimison, and Sweep Command x Descendant.
Vanquisher and Vermillion/Crimison deck is 3 Crimison 2 Vermillion 3 Vanquisher, which uses stride and their legion/beatdown abilities to win. Straightforwards. Doesnt win.
Sweep Command Combo X Descendant is usually played:
4 Sweep Command
2 Descendant
2 Vanquisher
4 Chatura
4 Voltage Horn
3 Chou-ou
4 Mighty Bolt Dragoon
4 Null - G
3 Rising Pheonix
1 Castor
3 First Thunder Dracokid
7 Crit/5 Draw/4 Heal Eradicator Triggers
The combo you are aiming for is to stride to Zoras, the unit that forces the opponent to retire a unit when the stride attack hits. After twin driving, you use First Thunder Dracokid to search the top 10 cards to re-ride Sweep Command, getting an effective restand.
If that wasnt enough, use Voltage Horn to trigger First Thunder dracokid, granting a restand, and use Dragonic Descendant to finish off the opponent.
Keep this combo in mind when you go up against a Narukami
From this point onwards is less prevalent in meta, but still highly present.
Oracle Think Tanks:
Oracle Think tank is exaclty the same as GBT01 builds so expect nothing new from them, just that they are reliable and can legion and draw draw draw to high hell and back, keeping them super defensive and maintaining field super easily.
Neo Nectar:
Maiden Builds centered around Ayesha will be present but not as powerful. the real powerful build you want to be looking out for is Musketeer Vera builds, which can stride and dish out beatdown before getting to G3. This is the most prevalent G3 denial strategy, and it important you recognize how to beat it (beat RG and win off the fact you have twin drive).
Gear Chronicle
despite being main character clan and having all the support in the world they are slow. Not top meta, but will be present in the meta. beat them by being fast.
Thats mostly the low down for GBT02 meta. These are the decks you expect to face.
Join in tomorrow for an analysis of what is the best positioned to win.
