Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Mathematical! The Numbers that Matter

On the surface, Vanguard seems to be an extremely luck-based game where it doesn't matter how you play or think so long as you keep hitting your opponent's vanguard and sack a double crit. And I'm totally not saying that's wrong. This game has a heavy luck aspect to it, but there's also a whole other layer of skill and thought that goes into setting your field up to plan for that eventual final push. And, hey, if you don't sack that double crit, it's always nice to have a backup plan.

What Exactly Are Magic Numbers?

On the most basic level, Magic Numbers are the attack values you want from your columns in order to force the biggest shields from your opponent's hand. Magic numbers are ordinarily calculated based on the power of the Vanguards you expect to face, and can be adjusted on the fly in order to fit the deck you're playing against.

Guard your Anus
Pictured: The number one cause of
table-flipping incidents in Japan.
More than any other game, Vanguard is big on making the power of a unit matter. A difference as small as 1000 power can be the difference between guarding with 10000 and 15000 worth of shield, and it's important to understand that distinction. This theory, which I will call "The 1000 Idea" is why cards like Dragonic Overlord the End seem to dominate the meta in Japan, or why Dark Lord of the Abyss is actually a smarter choice to run over Amon, despite having a less powerful skill.

This, more than anything else, is the aspect of the game that took me the longest to get a grip on in Vanguard, but it's something important to know. For example, a Great Silver Wolf, Garmore is attacking you with its Limit Break, boosted by Little Battler, Tron for a total power of 25000. You've got a Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor on your Vanguard circle, with a measly 10000 Power. You need to drop 20000 points worth of shield to guard the attack, and that's assuming he doesn't check any triggers! However, if you were riding the Mighty Juggernaut Maximum, with his beefy 11000 base power, you would only need to drop 15000 for a Single Trigger pass, which saves a card in your hand for later use. That measly 1000 power doesn't seem as insignificant now, does it?

This is something that you come to realize the more you play Vanguard. Power matters. However, that doesn't mean your 8000 boosters automatically earn 4 slots in your deck. Rather, you need to compare the magic numbers you need to the units you run in your deck to see what the optimal use of space is for your deck.

Setting Up for Success: Picking the right Units for the Job

The first thing you need to do when considering which magic numbers to hit is consider which units you expect to go up against. For example, at the moment, the most powerful unit you can expect to see in a match is 15000. However, considering that 15000 is caused by a rarely-used unit performing a megablast, we can ignore it. Realistically, the biggest units you'll see will have 11000 power, while most common units will have 10000. Thus, when constructing your deck, you want to be able to hit at least 16000 on any given boosted rear guard attack. (We'll cover unboosted attacks in a second.)

The most important units to consider when looking at magic numbers are your Grade 2s. Why Grade 2, specifically? Because of 2 very important reasons.
            1. They have the very useful Intercept skill, so you'll usually want at least one on the field.
            2. You should be running more of them than you do Grade 3s. Thus, you should see more Grade 2s 
            over the course of a game.

Let's say, for a moment, that you're making a Nova Grappler deck. At the moment, your list looks like this:

Grade 0 (17)
Beast Deity, White Tiger
4 Shining Lady (CRIT)
4 Red Lightning (CRIT)
4 Three Minutes (DRAW)
4 Ring Girl, Clara (HEAL)

Grade 1 (14)
4x Death Army Guy
4x Twin Blader
4x Tough Boy
2x Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout!

Grade 2 (11)
4x Death Army Lady
3x Magician Girl, Kirara
2x King of Sword
2x Brutal Jack

Grade 3 (8)
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Beast Deity, Azure Dragon

Using the Guidelines I laid out, let's take a look at our Grade 2 units. Death Army Lady and Kirara both have 9000 Power, King of Sword has 10000, and Brutal Jack has 11000. Since we have no 8000 Power Grade 2 units, is it really necessary to run 4 copies of Tough Boy, our 8000 Booster? Even when he boosts the lowest power Grade 2, it comes out to 17000 power, which is 1000 over what we need, especially considering there are no odd 12000 power defensive units (outside of Angel Feather.) Ergo, I don't really need to run 4 copies of Tough Boy, considering that a 7k Unit can do his job boosting just as well, but also provide extra utility.

However, what if Angel Feather are still a problem? That's not a big deal, you can still leave a couple of him in to deal with those odd 12000 units, but we don't need him at 4. To that end, Let's take 2 Tough Boy out and replace them with a pair of Clay Doll Mechanics. Not only do they provide a 7000 boost, but they also unflip a damage when called, which synergizes nicely with our Kiraras and Brutal Jacks. Plus, the 7000 power still allows our King of Swords to hit those odd Angel Feather units if reqired. All we really did was increase the number of tricks our deck can do while doing nothing to the consistency of our grades or columns. We can throw any unit behind our 11k Grade 3 units to hit opposing vanguards, and we have good synergy between our grade 2s and Grade 1s combining to hit that 16000 magic number.

Do note, however, that once BT05 hits stateside in February, 13000 is gonna be the standard for defense, which makes 18000 a good magic number to hit. This will (theoretically) make your Vanilla Grade 2 and Grade 1 units more important, as a Column of those 2 hits 18000 perfectly.

Grade 3s: Why Gigantech Destroyer kicks Manawydan's Ass

This, of course, brings us to the next question. The major difference between units that gain 2000 power when attacking a Vanguard versus units that gain 2000 when boosted. For starters, let's take a look at the rarities of the cards before we even look at the gameplay aspect. Units that gain 2000 when they attack a Vanguard are R, while those that gain it when boosted are C. For having such similar skills, there sure is a discrepancy in rarity across the board. I wonder why that could be?

Consider the following: You will not always have a booster to spare when you call these units to the field. Thus, in those situations, units that boost themselves without a booster will be useful in hitting those pesky 11000 Vanguards, even if it only amounts to a single card (5000 shield) loss for your opponent. In the long run, it's still one more card than they would have lost had you called the unit that requires a booster. Furthermore, calling these self-boosting units allows you to keep more cards in your hand to use to guard your own units, rather than using up another card to allow the Grade 3 you just called to deal some damage.

Additionally, in the long run, it won't matter too much as most of those units' attacks would be directed to the Vanguard, anyway, and an 11000 power rearguard isn't all that common. Usually, players will hold onto extra copies of their "main" 11k Vanguards (do note I said "usually," not "always.") to use as food for Perfect Guards and cycling skills such as Lien and Aermo's.

In short, units that gain the 2000 without need for a booster tend to have more overall value in the early and mid game when it counts, and maintain similar value going into late game. Ergo, it is usually in your best interest to run cards like Gigantech Destroyer over cards like Manawydan.

The Important Numbers, Broken Down by Clan

Even after you build your deck, the way you set up your columns doesn't need to be static. By and large, the boosters you drop will stay on the back rear-guard circles unless you get rid of them yourself (unless you're playing against decks that love retiring units, but that's neither here nor there), so it's important to plan how you want your columns to look from the moment you see your opponent's starting Vanguard. Listed below are every damn clan in the game with the Magic Numbers you need to plan to hit against them. The general rule is to take the base power of the Vanguard, then use increments of 5000 for the numbers. (For example, a 10000 Power Vanguard needs to use 5000 shield to guard an attack of 10000-14000, 10000 Shield to guard from 15000-19000, etc.)

Royal Paladin:

Stardust Trumpeter: 
            A Trumpeter in the Starting Position usually means that the deck is going to be an Alfred Toolbox, meaning that every Grade 3 he'll be running. (Alfred, Palomedes, Soul Saver, Holy Disaster Dragon, etc.) Is 10000 base power. Shoot for 20000 columns if possible.

Drangal:
            Drangal is the start of the oft-overlooked Galahad Ride Chain, one of the only Royal Paladins with 11000 base Power. Against him, you'll need to set up 16000 or 21000 columns. But, really, once set 5 comes out, you won't be seeing much of him anyway.

Bluegal: 
            Bluegal is the biggest indication of a Fang of Light, Garmore deck. Garmore tends to run himself and Palomedes, both of whom are 10k. Prepare columns as you would against Alfred Toolbox.

Wingal Brave: 
            As of set 5, you'll be seeing this little guy a lot. He can mean the deck is either an Alfred Toolbox or a Majesty Lord Blaster deck. MLB clocks in at 12000 base power, so start prepping those 17k columns as soon as you see any Blaster Darks, Star Call Trumpeters, or Majesty Lords.

Oracle Think Tank:

Lozenge Magus: 
            A Lozenge Magus on the starting circle means one of two things: Mocha Beat and Pre-BT07 Soulless. Either way, expect to see a 10000 power unit on the Vanguard Circle. Also bear in mind that some OTT players like running as many as 8 Draw triggers, so try and capitalize on their lack of 10000 power shields.

Godhawk, Ichibiyoshi: 
            This is the only time you should worry about an 11000 power Think Tank Vanguard. A Godhawk at the start of the game means your opponent is running a Tsukuyomi deck. Tsuk has the potential to hit 11000, and you should plan on it happening even if they don't hit the full ride chain. It'll only take a single lucky red-eye soulcharge or the fixing ability of Tsukuyomi's own skill to pump her up from 9 to 11k and completely ruin your field. Always assume she will be at 11000.

Little Witch, Lulu: 
            After BT07, this will be THE starting Vanguard of choice for the soulless build. Just like Lozenge Magus, this should be an indicator that the max the Vanguard will be at is 10000. Bear in mind that Soulless Think Tank loves running as many crits as they can, so bear in mind that they'll have a lot of 10k shields at their disposal.

Battle Sister, Elcair: 
            Indicates the same thing as Lozenge Magus. 10000 Vangaurds.

Shadow Paladin:

Fullbau:
            Probably the only SV for Shadow Paladins you will ever see, considering the other one is the Vanilla Zapbau. When set 4 is out, the highest power units you need to worry about playing against Shadow Paladins are Origin Mage, Ildona and Phantom Blaster Dragon, both of whom only have 10000 power. However, once set 5 is out, most Shadow Paladin players will probably switch to Phantom Blaster Overlord, who is an 11000 at best and a 13000 in the worst case. Hold on to your 8k boosters, mate. You'll need em.

Zapbau:
            Same as Fullbau, but don't expect to see this guy as much because Fullbau's potential advantage is better than a Vanilla anyday.


Angel Feather:

Thermometer Angel, Sunny Smile Angel, and Hope Child, Turiel: 
            Any of these 3 starters will mean you will probably end up facing down Circular Saw, Kiriel or Chief Nurse, Shamshiel at some point during the fight. Both of these lovely ladies are 10000 power, so plan accordingly. (Important to note: Both Shamshiel and The Phoenix, Calamity Flame will become 12000 power as soon as a card is placed in the damage zone through any means, including guarding with Battle Cupid, Nociel. Make SURE to keep this in mind if you are going against either of those two cards,)

Miracle Feather Nurse:
            The first link in Angel Feather's ride chain is a dead giveaway that you'll be seeing Cosmo Healer, Ergodiel at some point down the line. Ergodiel has the potential to be 11000, so long as her grade 2 link is in the soul. Don't take a chance and shoot for 16k columns asap.

Gold Paladin:

Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph and Spring Breeze Messenger: 
            Kryph and Spring Breeze Messenger usually signal that they are playing Garmore/Pellinore/Ezel. All of these vanguards are 10k, so 15k-20k columns are your target numbers.
Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer:
            This guy signals yet another one of those annoying 11k ride chains. Plan to set up 16k-21k columns in the early game. This can change back to 15k-20k columns if they miss their grade 2 Vortimer, since SDD will lose the +1000 power and GP has no way to soul fix themselves.


Kagero:

Lizard Soldier, Conroe: 
            This guy can be the herald for either Lawkeeper or Dragonic Overlord the End. If this is any time after set 5 is out, assume DOTE is coming and prepare 18k lines, otherwise, plan for Lawkeeper, who is only a measly 10000 power unit.

Amber Dragon "Dawn": 
            If you see this guy, it means that your opponent will probably be running Amber Dragon "Eclipse" as their main Grade 3. Like many ride chain units, he has the potential to be 11000, so be sure to plan your lines accordingly.

Lizard Runner, Undeux: 
            While I wouldn't normally go out of my way to mention the Vanilla, Undeux is a near-perfect way of telling if your opponent is playing a Kagero trial deck. In this case, they will probably ride Dragonic Overlord as their main vanguard, so prep your lines for 11k.


Tachikaze:

Dragon Egg: 
            The main units you'll be seeing when Dragon Egg is the starting Vanguard; Tyrant Deathrex, Ravenous Dragon Gigarex, and Chaos Dragon Dinochaos, are all 10000 power. You could also see people running Destruction Dragon, Dark Rex after BT08 is out, but he's only 10k as well.

Military Dragon, Raptor Soldier: 
            This guy indicates that Military Dragon, Raptor Colonel is coming, and that guy can hit 11000 easy. However, unlike Tsukuyomi, Raptor colonel has no way of getting his Grade 2 into the soul in case of a missed ride, so feel free to make columns to hit 10k if they don't get Raptor Captain on that VG circle.

Baby Ptera: 
            While this unit indicates nothing about the Grade 3s that Dragon Egg does not, it should also be a signal that your opponent probably doesn't know the optimal way to run Tachikaze. Teach them that Dragon Egg is the best Generic Vanguard by pounding their 10000 power units in.


Murakumo:

Stealth Beast, Evil Ferret: 
            Currently the only First Vanguard available to Murakumo, seeing this guy tells you jackall about what Grade 3 your opponent favors. Assume they're running Mandala Lord/ZANBAKU like any good Murakumo player would and line up those 11k columns.


Narukami:

Spark Kid Dragoon and Lizard Soldier, Saishin: 
            Both of these guys are decent choices for a Narukami build, so expect to see Dragonic Kaiser, Vermillion when either of these guys show their ugly mugs on that Vangaurd Circle. Make 11k columns and never look back.

Seal Priest, Koukou: 
            This guy means that your opponent is probably running the new BT08 Narukami, as that's the only deck where his skill would be even REMOTELY useful. Expect to see Divine Seal Dragon, Dungaree on that Vanguard circle. Plan for 11k, just like with any other Narukami build.


Nubatama:

Stealth Beast, Hagakure: 
            If your opponent leads with this, they are an idiot. The second you see a Nubatama unit, plan for whatever Vanguard you are likely to see based on the clan they hybridize with (Usually an 11k line). Voidmaster himself is only 9k defensively, so you can steamroll him without much thought.


Nova Grappler:

Battleraizer: 
            After EB04 comes out, this'll be the vanguard of choice for the Perfect Raizer deck. Like many Nova Grappler units, he's got a 11000 defensive power. But, bear in mind that he'll only be 9000 if his user controls no other Raizer units.

Turboraizer: 
            Honestly, I don't know why anyone would lead with Turboraizer, but he's an option. Just plan for 11k like you would with most Grappler decks.

Beast Deity, White Tiger: 
            This means your opponent probable has a Kaiser/Azure dragon build. Both of them are 11k, and both work well on the Vanguard circle.

Blaujunger: 
            The first link in the Stern Blaukruger line who can have a power of...you guessed it, 11000! Nova Grapplers have fantastic defenses, so it's always best to just line up 11k against them no matter what.


Dimension Police:

Enigman Flow: 
            Flow, Ripple, Wave, Storm. A Ride chain that adds up to a potential 11000 power. Line up those 16k columns and hit them until they break.

Dimensional Robo, Goyusha: 
            You'll be seeing this guy a lot after BT08 comes out. He provides the fuel needed for the Great Daiyusha deck to run the way it needs to. Great Daiyusha is like Dragonic Overlord the End in that he can be either 11k or 13k. Still, prepare for a 13k power defense, especially because they can always just use Goyusha to shove a Super Daiyusha into the soul to make up for any missed rides.

Soldier of Destiny, Dai: 
            This guy tells you that your opponent probably isn't running Zeal, Great Daiyusha, or Enigman Storm. Any unit not named Zeal, Storm, or Great Daiyusha has 10000 power or less. Aim for that number.

Larva Beast, Zeal: 
            Like Enigman Storm, Zeal gains 1000 power if his previous grade is in the soul, putting him at 11000. If you see a Zeal on the VC, plan to hit dem 11k columns.


Dark Irregulars:

Devil in Shadow, Greedy Hand, and Vermillion Gatekeeper: 
            Unlike most clans, the starting Vanguard for a Dark Irregulars deck is based on preference. Aim for 11k due to Dark Lord of the Abyss existing.


Pale Moon:

Hades Ringmaster, Innocent Magician, and Girl Who Crossed the Gap: 
            Like Dark Irregulars, Pale Moon don't need a specific starting Vanguard for any of their main Grade 3's. For the most part, you want to set up basic 15-20k lines against a Pale Moon player, though take note if they start soulcharging a crapton of cards. That's a big indicator that the 11k Mistress Hurricane will be making an appearance.


Spike Brothers:

Mecha Trainer and Smart Leader, Dark Bringer: 
            Dark Zone clans seem to have some kind of theme going on here, huh? Both of the main Spike Brothers units (Seifried and Dudley Emperor) are both 10000 power, and they will want to ride those at some point during the game. Bear in mind, some Spike Brothers players (myself included) will ride 11k Grade 3's like Juggernaut Maximum or Sky Diver to take advantage of their 11k power while they bide their time for a big push. Play it safe and set up 16/21k columns if you can.


Megacolony:

Madame Mirage and Megacolony Battler C:
          These guys can indicate any number of Megacolony Grade 3's. Usually, though, if people play Megacolony, they'll probably have a Martial Arts Mutant, Master Beetle (I assume), who is an 11000 Vanguard. Madame Mirage gets a mention here because she's my Starting Vanguard of choice for my Megacolony deck.

Machining Worker Ant:  
            This guy tells you that Machining Stag Beetle is coming, and that guy's only got 10000 power. Line up those 15k columns and take some swings, kid.

Larva Phantom, Giraffa:
            Hey, look, a ride chain! You know what that means! He's got the potential to be 11000! You know the drill by now, I'm sure.


Neo Nectar:

Shield Seed Squire:
            Shield Seed Squire tells you jack shit about their main vanguard, since it offers support to the Gene Series, which function better as support units. More than likely, though, they'll be using Maiden of Trailing Rose, who has 11000 base power.

Arboros Dragon, Ratoon:
            As with most chains, there's the potential for 11000 here.

Turnip Musketeer, Kira:
            Kira can be used as the Starter for a Trailing Rose deck, as well. However, if you see an abundance of other Musketeer units, you can safely assume the main Vanguard will be White Lily Musketeer, Cecelia, who only has 10000 power.


Great Nature:

Acorn Master, Blackboard Ohm, and Flask Marmoset:
            Great Nature has one 11000 power unit, and it won't use any of these guys as a starter. Shoot for 10000.

Schoolyard Prodigy, Locks:
            Ride Chain. 11000. Can we tell that I'm running out of creative ways to say the same shit over and over again?



Granblue:

Guiding Zombie, Captain Night Kid, and Skeleton Assault Troops Captain:
            Like the Dark Zone clans, Granblue can run any starter for any G3, despite Night Kid being the obvious choice for the starter. Most players will run the 10000 power Cocytus, but if you see Deadly Nightmare or Deadly Spirit, brace yourself to face down a potential deadly Swordmaster, who boasts a base 11000.


Bermuda Triangle:

Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Wedell and Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Shizuka:
            You'll be seeing Wedell most often, but both of these units can be used for Pacifica, Raindear, or Lena builds. All 3 of those units have 10000 power.

Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Riviere:
            Say it with me now!
RIDE CHAIN!
11000!
            Thank you and good night.


Aqua Force:

Officer Cadet, Erik and Aqua Breath Dracokid:
            Either of these two can mean any Aqua Force G3 is coming. Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom is a big threat, obviously, so aim to hit 11k with your columns.

In closing:

Knowing your magic numbers and which ones you can easily hit are a cornerstone of playing Vanguard effectively and should always be something you should consider during every stage of the game.

If there was anything you didn't get or want clarification on, feel free to post in the comments below or contact myself or Wallace on reddit. (MoaiTheGreat and DaRootBear, respectively.)

As always, this is Stephen Stills of Team Sex Bob-Omb wishing you happy fighting and hoping that the odds will be ever in your favor!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Straw Hat's Deck Profile

Since some were asking, here is my deck.

Having the Tom of Your Life



The deck

Grade 0: 17
Godhawk ichibiyoshi-1
Lozenge magus-4
Psychic bird-4
Oracle guardian nike-4
Victory maker-2
Dream eater-1
Miracle kid-1

Grade 1: 15
Battle Sister Chocolat-4
Crescent moon -4
Battle Sister cocoa-3
Circle magus-2
oracle Guardian gemini-2

grade 2: 12
Half moon-4
Silent Tom-3
Red eye-3
Battle Sister Mocha-2

Grade 3:6
Full moon-4
CEO-2


Now, one thing that jumps out , as my friend Stills says, is my screwed up ratios.

Which, even for me is a bit odd. 

Now, I am a huge advocate of the idea "If you need it max it to make the highest chance of getting it" except Vanguard is interesting in that it thins you down to make your chances of getting cards substantially easier. Even more so with a deck like mine. I found through testing I could get away with 2-ofs and 3-ofs and have it work much more consistently than 4-ofs. It was a weird thing that I found. 

The first big change for this was my Grade 3, between it all I found I would hit my grade 3 consistently with 6, even if I got stuck on a 9k Full Moon.

I also increased the grade 1 line up because consistently that was my most important ride, if I got grade one I could set up the next grades easy, I could set up most anything.

The Mind Games

The reason is because I base this deck off of a few major ideas, revolving around mind games:
-Provide consistency through utility
-Lie with your playstyle
-Put your opponent on the tilt through previously mentioned utility
-Let your words ring true, but your actions speak differently
-Let your appearance win games alone

Now, I will admit, this all sounds kinda like a crazy guy trying too hard to be deep, but I will try to explain best I can, since according to Stills I play completely opposite of how I should.

The first thing that I think set me up for an advantage is that I set myself to seem a lot more serious than I should have, I was really nicely dressed, I had a button up shirt, I had dress pants, and then Straw hat, a Core drill, and a necklace with a D20, I packed light, but I looked in control, prepared, and confident, I appeared completely and utterly confident, and that is a powerful thing. 

Now my first point is easy to understand, Cocoa for example provided me with amazing details and options, Circle let me know how to play with the knowledge of the top card, and Gemini provided a boost for Tom, and Chocolat is the key ass saver (and best art ever, just saying). 

Now the next three all go hand in hand. Mind games is what the deck is truly all about, deception and perfection are wonderful traits.To play this deck you have to create illusions, you have to firmly lie to yourself and your opponent through what you play. You must make them think one card is the key monster, your boss unit, then drop out a unit that should be a support as a boss.

For example, Silent Tom (Which, if my deck name doesn't make it obvious, is my favorite unit) is one of the most devastating units in the deck (and arguably the game) , yet over half the time his best use is bait and confusion. Through my plays I make it so that my opponent fears Tom as a game ender, I establish firmly that he will destroy them, I make them focus and fear Tom completely and lead them to go after him, and when they do, when they waste time on him, I let him die happily , and drop out anything else to take his place. Sometimes I will play Tom, making the focus be on him, every trigger going towards him, yet the Red Eye on my field is actually the game changer of my side, the one setting up every condition, setting up my victory, the simple little utility creature is actually the most fearful card on my field, yet it never seems that way until the game finishes from it. 

The deck plays a long mind game, this strategy can instantly put an opponent on the tilt, your opponent will doubt themselves the instant the unit you let the unit you made seem so important die so easily, and it starts to force your opponent to doubt what they are doing, they begin to think differently, you force them to abruptly change. Then after you convince them of the changed tempo you abruptly reestablish the old order, and make it so that the original order comes back.

Stills described it rather well after a night of playtesting, " If he calls Tom, dont kill it because it is probably bait. But then when you think it is bait, you need to kill it because it is really his Game ender, except at that point it is secretly bait" 

Every single part of every play is careful subterfuge, you have to convince your opponent one thing, while doing another. All while you read your opponent and learn how they act, you have to control the games tempo, and more than that, dictate it in a way that throws off the opponent. The most efficient way to do this is by radically altering your game play. 

For example, my natural state is playing the long game, I will drop cards intermittently, but usually conserve resources, make small pushes, but overall just take small shots while racking up advantage. I make that the set tempo, I establish it as a fact to my opponent that I am defensive and will make small exchanges. I focus on the vanguard exclusively. Then out of nowhere I will go and change to full columns and wild attacks, take out rearguard, go incredibly offensive, establish an urgency in my opponent, and suddenly switch back to my original style. I force my opponent to reevaluate everything I do consistently, keeping it so there is almost no way to read me.

Even when I check top card with Cocoa or CEO, I make it more than it is. I set it up so I convince them it is a trigger, I let it be known there is one so they change their guarding for it. Then sometimes I leave a card that is not one on top to mess with them. The effect on how someone plays when they over or underguard because of a trigger and you reveal Chocolat or Tom is overwhelmingly powerful. To that end I also use Circle Magus, not only to let me know if I should attack with Full Moon or use her skill, but to convince my opponent of the top card. A well place sigh, or smile, or anything of the sort with a look at the top can completely change how your opponent acts.

If any of you play poker, a common thing is a "tell" which lets people know if you have a good hand or bad, I use the idea of it to establish tells, and then I let my "tell" happen when it is a lie, so my opponent thinks they have caught me off guard, and find the tables suddenly turned.

The MVPs

Now, the deck itself plays rather straight forward (well, as much as any Full Moon build can) , however there are three units that shined above all else.

Battle Sister Cocoa is the card, that as hard as it is to say, won me the most games. She did too much, and was probably consistently the biggest game changer. Early game cocoa rides (if I missed Crescent moon) allowed me to set up draw triggers for Damage checks, or on my turn they helped me set up turn 1/2 Criticals multiple times. They let me know exactly what units to place and when to max out their efficiency, based on drive checks I would get. they let me know whether I should play more defense, or go offensive. Multiple late game cocoas let me sift through those last 5-8 cards to make it so I could hit the 1-3 triggers I usually had left, or to force my way down to the stacks double trigger. Every time I scryed a card with her and left it on top my opponent instantly would play different, and that change would always put the game in  my favor. The 6k of cocoa hurt bad, but aside from Tom, every other unit she would normally back would hit at least 15k with her. And in the end she made the perfect vanguard booster. 

Silent Tom was the second best, and obviously my favorite. Honestly, I would argue Tom is a perfect card design and the best card in the game. This card has the power of its name going for it, it is widely known, widely feared. Which this deck plays right off of, it changes the game even if it is not game changing. People, even good players, start to target it instantly even if they dont need to. This card is perfect, its effect can either end the game (I cant count the amount of games in my life I have held a tom, dropped it as a final turn card, and won from it) , it forces your opponent to use G0 on the vanguard, and perfect guards on your rear guard. Your opponent has to play to get rid of him, but it can be just as bad to play against Tom, he is terrifying beyond all measure. He is also the most difficult to play. This guy is so good he makes me break one of my own rules (Dont put a card in deck specifically because of another) and put gemini in just to let Tom hit 16. He is especially good against decks that blow up rear guards with effects, because they always target Tom instead of boosters, I could go on and on about why Tom is so amazing, in every way he fits the decks playstyle, artistically he is amazing and fits the themes, he looks brilliant, and he is built in such a way to balance him out, yet still be great.  If I chose an Avatar, it is definitely him, and he is by far my favorite unit and deserved to have the deck named after him. 

Battle Sister Mocha, this one surprised me how much effect she had. Going to the hotel I knew I was lacking in single unit column power, but I couldnt figure out what to use, wiseman never cut it, and 3 seemed the best for both Tom and Red eye. Mocha ended up perfect, she hit those pesky 11k vanguards solo, she could handle most rear guard with ease, and most importantly she had the wonderful side effect of instilling fear in my opponents that I did not expect. She made them act like I drop Tom, and would almost always attack her, even if it was a situation that they would leave a 10k vanilla around, they viciously attacked mocha, and would not stop. She put people on a tilt and made them change how they play, and it worked wonderfully.  Despite the fact that she did nothing special, and she has no stories of game winning like Tom, she ended up just adding a perfect amount of pressure, giving me some extra confidence, and putting in for the right amount of mind games to solidly turn the tides of many games, and help me out all day.

Closing notes


Now, I know I didnt exactly go into too much depth, but the card choices itself are pretty obvious, it is more how I played them that truly affected the game. Due to the raw draw adn cycling power of the deck I was able to forgo maxxing out cards and still consistently have them. I rarely suffered any consistency issues, only messed up my ride 2 or 3 times, and fixed it withing turns (Check out the Tournament report for details) , I think I missed only a single ride, and over all I had maybe two times I had to play desperate and make bad, weak, non-magic columns.

The deck is really hard to play, you have to keep track of everything, but it is really damn fun, and I am glad I played it through the tournament.

For now, that is all I have, and since I know I left a lot out, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Straw Hat, signing off!

Chicago Regionals: Having the Tom of my Life

Hello everyone, I am Brandon, known here as Wallace Wells, and as some people from Chicago know me, "Straw Hat", and its a pleasure to be here with my team mate Still's.

God, introductions are awkward?

This weekend was probably one of the best times I have ever had, and I have only a few complaints, but overall I had fun, and I somehow got top 8! (I apologize in advance, my ego is on over drive a bit from this)

But my awkward intro aside, lets get to the tournament report.

Day One: The Battle For the Beds


So after doing my only class for the day on Friday i get home quickly, I pack up the last of my belongings that I did not the night before, such as my decks (I never am content with my deck, I am always changing things up to the last second, thursday night I was still trying to figure out what to do) , I got some snacks, and I grabbed my two good luck charms: my core drill (if you know of this, you rule) and my (now) signature Straw Hat.

My teammate and his friend soon arrived, about an hour earlier than I expected, so I scrambled to get fully ready so we could leave.

After telling my dad goodbye, and saying good bye to my two dogs we got on our way to Chicago from Ohio, it went pretty well until we actually got to Chicago.

There we learned fresh air was just a story, and that the ability to go 30 miles in less than 2 hours was a fairy tale. (No Still's, I still am not forgiving you)

About 7 or 8 we finally arrived at the hotel, and god was it wonderful to be out of a car. We went in and instantly saw people playtesting, and ran into one of Scott's friends.

After we disappointingly learned that wifi was 10 dollars a night (rip off!) we were forced to skip Skyping with Scott's girlfriend, and I wanted to skype with the girl I had a crush on, but I guess that wasnt gonna happen. So after a quick unpacking we all grabbed our decks and went down to the lobby to play everyone, tonight was the night to playtest. On the line was the rights to get a bed for the night, and I was determined to win.

I had played one round against Scott, and I managed to beat him over all, which was damn amazing because he is a sacky sacker and always destroys us. So i was feeling good, except for the fact I felt a confirmation of what I had been suspecting all along: I didnt have enough power in the deck.

My Full Moon deck was one built around utility, it searched, sifted, set up combos, and allowed me to know essentially where almost every card in the deck was, but it was weak. I could not hit well without boosters.

So I made a change that I think was one of the reasons I top 8'ed. I switched in a pair of Battle Sister, Mocha.

As the night went on I won against everyone, except Scott took a win against me, and I managed to deck out against Young Neil by not thinking to start using the recycling effect of Lozenge Magus to add enough deck space to survive.

In the end Scott and I won our places on the bed, and after and hour or two of heated debates over cartoons we all hit the hay, we had a big day tomorrow.

The Tournament


As Still's described we got down to the line, which was rather large, at 8:30ish , however by 9 we got to the main room, and by about 9:10 I would say we ended up with our amazing goody bags and we were registered.

I was in block C, Scott and Young Neil were in block A (it was them Stills, not me and Scott) , and Stills was in block D.

After the horrible task of writing out our decklist (My deck gave me carpal tunnel) we were soon set up and put at our tables, ready to begin round 1.
I was paired with a younger kid, obviously new to this game, and he was obviously out of it already, talking himself down, and this led to a situation that I think helped me get so far: A good attitude. Going into this I didnt expect to go far, but I was just ready to have fun, see my weaknesses, and meet some cool people, maybe get in some trades (Though this last part never happened) , and when this kid started talking so seriously about how it was going to go bad, god help me, I could only laugh and point out, "Who cared?" because I didnt expect to go far, I was not even focused on winning (dont get me wrong, I always try my best, but I would be fine losing) I just wanted to enjoy myself. This whole situation in the first few minutes put me in a great mood and made me ready for the whole day. 

Soon the head judge gave us the announcement, "To keep with the anime, we ask you bear with us and just this once join us in saying 'stand up the vanguard!' on three, you dont have to do it any other time", and so at the end of the count we had a roaring cry from everyone there, "STAND UP, THE VANGUARD!" (and little did the Head Judge know, everyone would do this each round, which was fantastic for the spirit)

After the cry my opponent and I look at each other's vanguards, he gets demoralized seeing Godhawk, claiming it to be a bad match up for him, and I sympathize and agree seeing Lizard Runner Conroe as his. Field control is less powerful against a deck that is all about resource control like mine. I win the die roll, and I managed to get off the superior ride and set up a nice stack, and ended my turn. He rode Iron Tail dragon, and from his nervousness forgot to move Conroe back. In the end I dont remember much of this game, but from him being obviously new and very nervous I made short work of him, I got off the full ride line with no issues and played otherwise perfectly, and even if he hadnt been on a tilt, I think I would have won.

Round 1 Kagero: victory
1-0

Soon after the Team and I all checked in, and we went forward to our next round. I was up again against Kagero, and still in a great mood from my first victory, some of my confidence was starting to become real confidence, I was thinking I may be able ot get somewhere. On this time I won the die roll again, and I got Crescent Moon Ride (I can't remember if I got the superior or from hand, I apologize) and stuck psychic bird to the soul, drawing into my Half moon , while having Full moon in hand too. With this knowledge I knew against him almost any backer would set my Full Moon to magic numbers, so I dropped Cocoa, scryed a draw trigger and left it. He only got a ride, and had no other helpful units, so I took the damage and drew, I could tell he was getting worried. I got my Half moon ride, soul charged, and I had my six soul. I then got a full field of Silent Tom backed by Gemini (for the magic 16) and Red Eye with Circle Magus (Magic 16 is best) and Half moon with Cocoa. This let me apply more early game pressure than usual, and I had the ulterior motive of drawing the attention of his retire abilities to my Tom, who I could afford to lose, and not to my boosters which I didnt want to lose. The strategy worked, on his turn he dropped out beserk dragon and retired tom, and he dropped a few other Grade 2, and this is when I realized why he seemed so worried. He had no boosters. He retired conroe to get a Barri, fearing my ascent to Grade 3, and then put a draw trigger out to add a bit of power for one of his units. He focused on my vanguard, which I happily let through, even with a critical, so I could hit 4 damage. Come my turn, I dropped out to grade three, set up a replacement for Tom, and I replaced cocoa with cocoa to scry a Critical trigger, that was all I needed to go on the offensive. In the end he barely survived at 5 damage. On his turn I saw the final piece of his bad luck, no grade 3. However even if he had gotten grade 3 I would have won it, between the superior rides saving my hand, and the use of Full Moons skills, I had over 40k shield in hand and I had 2 perfect guards to save myself to next turn, and I had systematically wiped away all his resources with major offensive pushes since turn two (which threw him off farther, especially seeing a OTT deck go offensive)

Round 2 Kagero: Victory
2-0

So after the usual team meeting we quickly got to our next rounds, and this started one of my favorite rounds of the tournament. Upon standing I see Dorangal, and I am pretty certain that I will lose due to the fact that paladins are a rough match up for me. Especially since I prefer the long game.

I miss the grade one, which proves rough for me, and he gets his superior, we start trading blows and it looks bad for me, he has damage advantage and I have a pretty bad field. So I start taking out every unit I possibly can, which helps a lot. However on his third turn he miss rides, leaving him at grade two, giving me some hope. However I am stuck sitting on a 9k Full Moon with only 3 soul. I get off a single red eye attack, and continue to destroy his field, while hitting a little bit at a time.

Fast forward a bit, we have been trading blows, he has gotten out a field of Palomedes vnaguard, and Palomedes rear, both with Toypugal backings, he was applying lots of pressure to my weakened vanguard and weakened rear guard Tsukuyomi. The battle starts looking really bad, as I am stuck with 4 damage. It gets to my turn and I play very risky, riding over my tsukuyomi with another, and calling psychic bird, hitting six soul. I have only one column with a booster, so I am not in a good position. I do the counterblast...and reveal the grade 1, fixing my soul. Then I do it again, sticking CEO into my soul. calling out 2 7k boosters I start up again with a new offense, I have 3 full columns, I can push well. He barely survives, going to 5, and to make it worse, I got a heal.

He makes a last stand, calls alfred, uses its ability to get Marron backing, he attacks rough, but I fend it off taking one damage, however he drive checked double Alfred. Then comes my turn, I use the ability of Full moon to get another card, and then I replace a unit with cocoa, realizing that he has only 2 or 3 potential shields, so I need to finish it this turn, and I scry a critical trigger. With that knowledge I know I can get farther, I call out a tom over Half moon to make that column a perfect game ender, and I attack with Full moon, he decides to let it pass, but I get double critical, and that ends it.

He was a good sport, the battle was back and forth, and I barely made it during the whole game, he was one of my favorite people to play, and god if it wasnt almost his game.

Round 3: Royal Paladin Toolbox - Victory
3-0

And we soon hit round 4, where I learned the full effects of my mood. I go up against Spike Brothers, and make the mistake my first opponent did and start to think badly on myself, since Spike Bros are my worst match up. This small nervousness shows when I lose the die roll, then accidently pick up 6 cards with Tsukuyomi, which he points out and excuses, but I still go even more nervous from that. Combined with a bad hand on my part, and being unable to effectively run over his field and his 11k Juggs, I end up misplaying, bad lucking, and losing that round badly.

Round 4: Spike Bros- Loss
3-1

So I am pretty sure at this point both Scott and I were 3-1, and Stills and Neil were out. So with my mood deflated a bit I head in and I believe this is the point I hit one of my other favorite games, Spectral Duke.

This guy was a riot, he was fun to talk to, and we both had fun. We traded blows, and his grade 2 ride was killer as he brought out Giganatech destroyeer and 7k booster, setting up a good field. Eventually we both missed our grade 2 rides, and were trading destruction of units and damage consistently. On our 4th turns we got off our ride chains, and he started applying lots of pressure with SDD standing effect, while I took out as many units and avoided giving damage were I could to see as little of his effect as possible.

I believe we each got our respective units effect off 3 times, however because I took away all his rear guards, his effects became less powerful , and I saved perfect guards until the last two or three turns I was able to stop all his attacks, sit at 5 damage, and comfortably win.

It was neck and neck the whole time, a total mirror, and the guy I played was pretty cool. Definitely memorable, and beating SDD , the big contender, bumped my mood back up, and I started thinking again, "Whoa...maybe I can do this?"

Round 5: Spectral Duke Dragon-Victory
4-1

So on round 6 I played a royal paladin player, nothing special there. He used teh full galahad line, and I played like I did in round 3, but this kid didnt play near as well as round 3 opponent, and I eventually scryed a crit and did double critical to really secure it. Not very memorable, he misplayed decent amount too. 

Round 6: Royal paladin-Victory
5-1

At this point me and Scott are both really excited, im running solely on Arizona Green tea from Stills, and adreniline, we go in realizing we will probably be at top 8 if we win. 

 I got put up against an obvious Full Moon player, and I was pretty worried, my own deck is a bad match up, but through the fact that the kids near us had played each other, they switch the OTT player (Who was one of the top 4 OTT players, and gave a few ideas that sound really good and I have to try out) and the kid, who ends up being Royal Paladin again. Once again, not near as good as my round 3, he misses ride for g3 (not that it changed much) and eventually rides Cardoc, but the whole time I outplayed and controlled him, and I win in about 7 minutes.

Round 7: Royal Paladin- victory
6-1

(At risk of sounding horrible, I may have reversed last two, but neither were too memorable, and I was insanely exhausted)

Now I start prematurely celebrating , not realizing how the double elimination works, and thinking just winning got me to Top 8. and I was overwhelmingly excited.

After realizing I may not get in, I wait and soon they begin announcing. Moment of truth time.

"C215, Brandon Chmiel"

Holy. Shit. I did it, I didnt expect to get past round 4, and I was there, 8th seed, top 8.

Now, at this point I somehow thought maybe there were not final matches and ranks were just from score, giving seed 1 tournament win from being undefeated (I didnt get double elimination, so I was confused) but part of it was that I was so exhausted and hungry I kinda wanted it to be done. I hadnt eaten from 8-3ish, and dinner had been about 8 the night before, so only some snacks at hotel over 12 hours ago.

But soon the match up begins, and hoo boy was I in trouble.

Quarter Finals: Spectral Duke

Here I am, mentally done, dying of hunger, mood shot (I was too content to be super caring) and then I face down the top seed, and the resulting winner, Brandon B.

And I have to say, he damn well deserves it. He outplayed me bad. He ended up getting stuck on a Gigantech Destroyer Vanguard, and I missrode so I am sitting on a 9k Full moon.

Eventually I get to six soul, and I fix the soul, but it ends up too late, and the fact that in first turn I lost 2 heal triggers, 2 perfect guard, and by next turn was down to one of each, left me pretty bad shape. And with how well he played I succumbed to his constant pressure and huge columns, and was left throughly beaten.

And I loved it. The battle was fun, he played great, and he was an amazing guy. He definitely deserved the win, and if you read this Brandon, it was a blast and congrats!


End results:

After the tournament we all celebrated that I somehow got to the end, nad we went out to get some food before I died. The rest of the time we all hung out, goofed around, watched Cowboy bebop, and it was a damn blast hanging out with two of my best friends and a new friend. It was amazing and besides the horrible traffic, I would not change a single thing.

Pros-
I got top 8. Seriously. Top 8.
I learned a lot about my deck, and became pretty comfortable with it...So I need to change it up some.
I got to meet Stills, see Scott again, and made friends with Young Neil
I met awesome people and had awesome games
I learned a lot of my weaknesses as a player
I had a blast first and foremost
I was known as Straw Hat, that is pretty awesome
The Judge staff was one of the best I have ever seen, and deserve mad respect.
Only once or twice did I gag on smell of the tournament, overall people seemed to believe in hygiene
I unlocked this awesome ship in FTL: Faster than light. It is like a giant crystal war ship. 

Cons-
I need to make time for snacking next time, I almost killed myself.
I didnt get to trade at all, which was a shame
There was one asshole who was just horrible to the judges
Mariott was expensive and couldnt give me free internet or a mini fridge? Bitches
Also, 2.78 for two milk cartoons like you get at school for 50 cents? They are damn lucky Oreos need  milk. 
Bushiroad didnt include deodorant in the goody bags, that would have been great.
Traffic
Chicago's hatred of fresh air
Traffic

Last words


To everyone there, it was a blast, this weekend was insanely memorable, and I want to thank Stills and Scott because they did so much for me just over the weekend, and even more they have been there for me over the last few years, and are two of the best friends I could ever have. Seriously, this was mind blowing, and you guys made it all the better, I dont know if I will ever be able to tell you guys how much you mean to me. 

I want to thank the judge team, seriously, they made it run smooth, were awesome people, and really cool.

To Brandon, you were a great player and deserved the win, and even more when your opponent of round 7 didnt make top 8, you arguing for him was cool of you , and you were incredibly polite and kind about it. That all in all earned every ounce of my respect for you, I hope one day we play again, seriously.

To his opponent? You were reprehensible. I know I should not name call or do things like this, but just because you didnt agree with or understand how the Double Elimination works (not many of us did, myself included) gave you no right to instantly start yelling, insulting, degrading, and treating the Judges (who just did their job) like trash, you were a horrible person during that, and you didnt deserve the top 8. Even if I think you probably should have been in, definitely over me, you didnt deserve it in the least. 

To Bushiroad, for somehow making a best-of-one tournament work well, for running it so well, and for making such a damn fun game.

But for now, that is all, and that is my first report, I apologize how crappy this was, I will try and do better next time. Soon I will also write up a deck report for anyone curious of the deck.
This is Wallace Wells, the Straw Hat OTT player signing off!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Sexy in Chicago: Team Sex Bob-Omb's First WCQ Event

Now that the weekend is over and I'm back home, nestled in my couch with a steaming hot cup of tea, I can look back fondly on the first World Championship Qualifier. The weekend was hectic, but I met all kinds of great people and had a blast hanging out with my friends and playing Vanguard. Though I didn't get very far in the main event, I can definitely count this as one of the best card game events I have ever been to, and I can't wait for the next one.

Day One: Dear Lord, Fuck Traffic

The plan was for the rest of the team to pick me up around 4 PM so that we could hit the hotel (we were staying in the Mariott where the event took place) around 5. Unfortunately, as anyone can tell you, Chicago traffic is a bitch and a half. They showed up around 6, and we didn't hit the hotel until 8. I got all kinds of shit for causing what amounted to a 4-hour detour on the trip, but at least we made it. After getting our room keys and meeting up with some of Scott's friends from Cinci, we broke out our decks and did a few rounds of playtesting. It was during this time that Wallace Wells made a change that would go on to help him top 8 the next day, but more on that later.

The day culminated with a quick trip to target. There would be no breaks during the tournament, so we needed to get snacks and drinks for the next day to ensure that we didn't die of starvation. A couple more rounds of playtesting followed that, just to figure out our nightly records. Scott and Wallace ended up with the best records, so they scored a bed for the night, leaving myself and Young Neil on the ground. Oddly enough, it wasn't THAT uncomfortable, but maybe it was because I was dead tired.

Day Two: In Which Strawhat Luffy Makes Top 8

We woke up around 8 in the morning or so and had a quick breakfast composed of our purchases from the previous night. Around 9, we made our way downstairs to join the gigantic and still growing pre-registration line. However, the staff knew what they were doing and, as soon as the doors opened, we were moving through the line at a pretty steady clip. I gotta hand it to Bushiroad, they really know how to make an event run smoothly.

The goodie bags we got contained a sample DVD with the first 4 dubbed episodes of the series, as well as a manga that contained the first 4 chapters. In addition, we received the WCQ Deckbox and a cardboard box that can fit 3 deckboxes inside of it. It looks freaking sweet, by the way. There was also a purple pen inside mine, which I was told to keep on me at all times. It proved to be a fair warning, as no other pens would be provided during the event, and they were VERY important.

We all sat down and began to write out our decklists. I was relieved to see that both Wells and Scott were in A Block while I was in B. That meant that they might end up knocking each other out before we even played, a prospect that pleased me greatly. Filling out decklists was a chore, as you needed to write the full name of the Unit as well as the full set number and rarity of the card, and there was very limited space to do so. Especially since my handwriting looks god awful on a good day and is illegible on most. There was also a slot for you to name your deck, and we all tried to have some fun with that. Really, though, Wells was the only one with a good name. ("Tom of your Life" still gets a chuckle from me.)

We got our lists done early, and we checked out the vendors after that. They had a nice selection of sleeves and singles, and I spent my cash on more than a few items there. Scott bought a single BT01 pack and, in his usual show of sackiness, ripped a Wyvern Guard, Barri. I chose to spend my cash on sleeves, grabbing a set of Kiriel and MLB sleeves for myself and Little Witch, Lulu for Wells as an early Christmas gift.

Round 1 began shortly after that, so I bid my friends adieu and walked over to the end of the room where B Block was to take place. We all waited as the judges called out names and numbers that determined where you would be sitting, and I took my place when I was called.

My first opponent for the round had a very familiar name, and a pit formed in my stomach when I saw his face and confirmed my suspicions. Right off the bat, I was paired up against Brandon Smith, the guy who had taken it all at WCQ Toronto. I felt an odd mixture of rage and fear as they went over the rules for the event. How dare he come to another event after getting his invite? Especially because that's the only prize for the event. But, rage would not help me now, especially because matches were best of one. I needed to focus. Anger could fester forever, but round 1 was about to start.

The cry of "Stand up the Vanguard!" rang out through the hall as round 1 began, and I confirmed my suspicions that Brandon was still running the Spectral Duke deck that he'd used to dominate Toronto. Unfortunately, I had gotten in 0 Practice against good Spectral Duke decks prior to the tournament, so I didn't know how to react to the full ride chain. Brandon handed me my can swiftly, and round 1 ended with me having my first loss.

Brandon was a nice guy, though, and complimented me on my deck as well as thanking me for giving him "a fair shot" against Dudley Emperor. Much as I want to, I really can't fault the guy for playing again. And, honestly, it was nice to play against the closest thing to a living celebrity we have in the Vanguard Community right now. Still, I felt dejected at my loss, especially because Scott and Wells both won their first rounds. (On a side note, to the guy next to me who was running Tachikaze/Megacolony, I salute you for having brass balls the size of Texas.)

Young Neil had also lost round 1, so we were both one round away from calling it quits for the day, and there was no way in hell I was losing in Round 2. As I reached my seat, I was determined to win this next round, if only for my pride. My opponent was running Lawkeeper Kagero, but unfortunately saw next to no 10000 shields that game. I peppered him with attacks until he was forced to give in, and my Spike Brothers walked away with a win.

Round 3 was against a Royal Paladin deck, and was probably the least fun match I had that day. The guy was extremely unfriendly, and would often spend time reading my cards multiple times to make sure "I wasn't screwing him." In addition, he shuffled cards in his hand annoyingly during the entirety of my turn, and I needed to force him to say things like "No guard" when I declared my attacks, otherwise he'd just stare at me with a half-interested glazed-over look. When his 6th Damage was revealed, he quickly packed up his stuff, ripped off his ID badge, and stormed off. Dude didn't even wait for the judge or accept my handshake. Frankly, I'm glad that was the only dickcheese I ran into that day. 

Scott suffered his first loss in Round 3, and Young Neil finally got knocked out during a mirror match by deck out. So at least I wouldn't be the first one to lose it all today. Unfortunately, I did not know that the next round would be my last...

Round 4 was against Ergodiel Angel Feather, and it told me a lot about the weaknesses of my deck and myself as a player. Ultimately, I misplayed at a crucial moment. We were both at 5 damage, and I had the choice to grab either 2 Juggernauts or a Juggs and an Intercept with my Emperor's skill. I grabbed the 2 juggs and lost because of it. Had I grabbed a Fierce Leader, Zachary, I would have been able to survive the turn and hit him for game. It caused me to really think about how I was playing Spike Brothers, and I decided to tweak my deck after the fact.

Either way, I was out. Scott made it to top 16, while Wells made it to top 8 (barely). Unfortunately, his deck was the only OTT that didn't make it to top 4, but we still celebrated. I had a lot of fun doing the free play event and wrecking face with my Nubatama/Kagero, as well as just chatting it up with others. I also managed to get some stuff for my as-of-yet incomplete Pale Moons. After Wells got knocked out and I got my Sphere Magus, we all headed out to get some Pizza, since Mini-Wheats and Townhouse crackers can only fill you up so far.

After loading up on food, we returned to our hotel room and rounded out the day by watching Cowboy Bebop until we passed out. It was a fantastic weekend spent with some of my best friends, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Props:
-Wallace Wells/Brandon Chimel/Luffy: Not only did he have an epic hat, but he was the only one of us to top 8, and he did it with one of the most fusterclucked decks I have ever seen. Kudos to you, bro. You earned it.
- The Judge Staff: There were, like, 12 of you guys and 200 of us, and the event still ran smooth as silk. No one ever appreciates the work you guys put in, but we did, and we love you for volunteering.
- That Guy Sitting Next To Me in Round 1: Dude, you ran a Megacolony/Tachikaze hybrid. You deserved to win based on the sheer percentage of your body mass that was pure testosterone.
- Brandon Basienelli: For winning the whole thing and kicking Wells' ass despite sitting on Gigantech Charger most of the game.
- The Mariott: For Hosting the Event.

Slops:
-That guy who was a total dick to the Judges: You know who you are. You lost to Brandon Bastienelli in Top 16 and didn't make the cut. But instead of talking it over calmly, you started bitching at the judges and being utterly disrespectful. Frankly, you don't deserve top cut.
- My round 3 Opponent: Way to discard common courtesy over a loss, dickbag. Is returning a simple handshake really too much effort for you?
- The Mariott: For not having free internet or a minifridge in our room. Fuck you.

Thanks for reading, guys. As always, this is Stephen Stills from Team Sex Bob-Omb, reminding you to stay in school and stay away from drugs!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

All for One and One for All: Neo Nectar as of BT08

If you're anything like myself and my teammate, whom we shall be calling "Wallace Wells" for the purposes of this article, you love plants. You played em in YGO back in their heyday, and still stuck with the engine until it finally got neutered. When I first got into Vanguard, Neo-Nectar was on my watch list from day one. I put in hours with it on BYOND so I knew exactly how I wanted to make the deck when the cards finally came out in America. So, as you can imagine, when I saw they were getting new support in BT08: Blue Storm Armada, I flipped my shit. I got even more excited when they started revealing the new cards. Follow along with me as I go over the new units from the set and tell you exactly why you should be just as excited as me.

Cecelia, You're Breaking my Heart~

You're breaking my confidence daily
For starters, let me say something. I fucking LOVE the art in the past few sets. Bushiroad is really stepping their game up in that department.

Anyway, the lovely lady to your left there is White Lily Musketeer, Cecelia, the boss unit of the first new decktype Neo Nectar has in BT08.

Fitting in with the One for All ideology found in Dumas' classic, the Musketeer units are all about playing off of each other to become more than just the sum of their parts. For example, let's take a look at Cecilia's skill to get a feel for what I mean.

ACT【V】: Limit Break 4 (This ability is active if you have four or more damage): [Counter Blast (1) & Choose five normal units with "Musketeer" in its card name from your drop zone, and put them on the bottom of your deck in any order] Search your deck for up to two cards named " White Lily Musketeer, Cecilia", call them to separate Rear-guard Circles, and shuffle your deck. This ability can only be used once per turn.
ACT【V】: [Choose one of your rear-guards with "Musketeer" in its card name, and retire it] Look at up to five cards from the top of your deck, search for up to one card with "Musketeer" in its card name from among them, call it to Rear-guard Circle, and shuffle your deck. This ability can only be used once per turn. 

That's a lot of information to take in, so I'll go over it bit by bit.

First off, we have her Limit Break ability, which is the standard LB4 (It activates when you have at least 4 damage in your damage zone.) For the cost of one Counterblast, you can send 5 normal "Musketeer" units from your drop zone and sen them to your deck in order to recruit 2 more copies of Cecelia from your deck. This has 2 major functions. First of all, it lets you throw some units onto your front lines without using up cards in your hand. Second, and probably more importantly, it allows Cecelia's second skill to go live.

For this lovely lady's other skill, you just need to sacrifice a "Musketeer" unit. Then, you get to play a quick game of Go Fish with your deck, as you check the top 5 cards for a Musketeer Unit. Then, you can choose up to (Note: This can include 0) one "Musketeer" unit and call it to a Rear-Guard circle. While the merits of this ability may not be immediately apparent, I'll explain to you why and how this skill could be useful. But first, let's take a look at other cards you have the potential to grab with her skill.

Black Lily Musketeer, Hermann is a generic clone card that gains 2000 Power when he's boosted by a Neo-Nectar unit. While he isn't too spectacular, he makes a decent choice for a Grade 3 to run alongside Cecelia, as you should have no trouble filling up your field using the Musketeer Units' skills.


Also worth noting, Neo Nectar got 2 Trigger Units that are also Musketeers this set. (Which is most likely why Cecelia only lets you return normal units with her Limit Break skill) Queen of Night Musketeer, Daniel is a critical trigger while Hibiscus Muketeer, Hannah is a heal trigger. (And SO much better looking than Sweet Honey, I might add.)



It is of my personal opinion that the above cards should be maxed out (Hermann should be run at 3, though 4 isn't bad.) Daniel and Hannah for obvious reasons (Being able to do 8 Crit, 4 draw, 4 Heal in this deck helps it apply a lot of pressure), and Hermann because he's the recipient of the sweet abilities of the other Musketeers and makes a fine backup Vangaurd if you have yet to draw Cecelia by the time you ride to Grade 3. But while these three units are fairly self-explanitory, I feel like the next few require a bit more detail.

Tulip Musketeer, Mina (Grade 1) and Tulip Musketeer, Almira (Grade 2) are generic shock units. (Units that have the skill:

AUTO: [Counter Blast (1)] When this unit is placed on Vanguard Circle or Rear-guard Circle, if you have a «CLAN» vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, put the top card of your deck into your damage zone, and at the beginning of your end phase, choose a card from your damage zone, return it to your deck, and shuffle your deck. 

Will be referred to as "Shock" or "Pain" units from here on out, so get used to it.)

I've never been a big fain of shock units in decks other than Angel Feather. They always seem like wastes whose space can be used for cards that help the deck run better. Sure, they let you hit Limit Break earlier, but after you hit LB, their usefulness depreciates quickly.


Cherry Blossom Musketeer, August and his Grade 1 Counterpart Musketeer of Water Lily, Ruth both share many similarities. (Both are RR, both have 1000 Less power than the Vanillas for their grade)

Both of these units also have this skill:

AUTO【R】: When this unit attacks, if you have a vanguard with "Musketeer" in its card name, this unit gets Power +3000 until end of that battle. 

So, as long as you have a Musketeer Vanguard (Which you should), August swings for 12000 unboosted during your turn. Not too shabby, considering he's also Grade 2 and, as such, can intercept if need be. I'd suggest 4 August and 3 Ruth as Ruth, while not as valuable late game, still provides a solid 7000 boost, and can help provide early pressure with her 10000 power unboosted swings.
All of the previous units have had one thing in common. They're all Musketeers. At this point in the article you might be saying. "But wait, Stills. You said that Musketeers worked together at the very start, but I don't see anything that really sets them apart as an archetype other than the names." Well, settle down, random imaginary voice, because I'm about to show you the main cards that make the engine run.

Lily of the Valley Musketeer, Rebecca and Lily of the valley Musketeer, Guyvant are a pair of units with the following skill:

AUTO: [Counter Blast (1) & Choose another of your rear-guards with "Musketeer" in its card name, and retire it] When this unit is placed on Vanguard Circle or Rear-guard Circle, if you have a «Neo Nectar» vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, look at up to four cards from the top of your deck, search for up to one card with "Musketeer" in its card name from among them, call it to Rear-guard Circle, and shuffle your deck. 

I'll give you a second to read that. Got it?
There. Now do you see what the Musketeers do? When you call either Rebecca or Guyvant (who, like August and Ruth are solid units with 7000 and 9000 Base Powers, respectively) you can counterblast 1 and get rid of a musketeer to search the top 4 cards of your deck for a replacement, just like Cecelia. This lets you potentially trade units out early game for higher-grade units like Hermann, or to upgrade Ruth to August, even if he isn't in your hand. Did you happen to catch how these guys set up for Cecelia, as well? Not only that, but you can even get rid of your starting Vanguard with these guys if you need to. What's that? I never told you about the Starting Vanguard for this deck? Well, that's probably because...

Turnip Musketeer, Kira will be your Starting Vanguard of choice, but only because of her name. She's a generic tutoring Starter. That is to say, she has the following skill.

AUTO: When another «CLAN» rides this unit, you may call this card to Rear-guard Circle.
ACT【R】: [Counter Blast (1) & Put this unit into your soul] Look at up to five cards from the top of your deck, search for up to one grade 3 or greater «CLAN» from among them, reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck. 

Every clan has (or will have) one of these. Frankly, unless you NEED that Grade 3 because there isn't one in your hand, Kira is better served as food for Rebecca or Guyvant's skills because not only is she a free card, anyway, you can put her in the drop zone for Cecelia's skill later on in the game.

As you can see, the Musketeers have a lot of potential. However, they still fall short compared to the other new decktype released in this set...

Tree of Life

I'll be the first to admit, when I saw the initial BT08 Spoilers, I thought for sure I was going to be running Musketeers. However, one card totally changed my mind. But before I can get to him, I gotta show you these:

This adorable little guy is Arboros Dragon, Sprout (or Ratoon, but I think that sounds idiotic as hell). Not only is he cuter than anything, he's the first link in a very potent ride chain.

[AUTO]: When a card named "Arboros Dragon, Branch" rides this unit, look at up to seven cards from the top of your deck, search for up to one card named "Arboros Dragon, Sephirot" or "Arboros Dragon, Timber" from among them, reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.
[AUTO]: When a «Neo Nectar» other than a card named "Arboros Dragon, Branch" rides this unit, you may call this card to Rear-guard Circle.

So, we have a basic first link skill, rewarding you for getting the second link down, while also searching either the third or fourth link to ensure that the ride goes smoothly. In addition, if you miss your ride, he'll retreat to be an impromptu early-game booster. Pretty basic stuff. But the next link is where things start getting good.

 Arboros Dragon, Branch is your second link. He's got a respectable 7000 power as a booster, and can be an 8000 power Vanguard if ridden over Sprout.


[CONT](VC): If you have a card named "Arboros Dragon, Ratoon" in your soul, this unit gets [Power]+1000.
[AUTO]: When a card named "Arboros Dragon, Timber" rides this unit, if you have a card named "Arboros Dragon, Sprout" in your soul, choose one of your «Neo Nectar» rear-guards, search your deck for up to one card with the same name as that unit, call it to Rear-guard Circle, and shuffle your deck. 

Did you read that second skill? I sure hope you did, because it's a doozy. If you get the third link on top of Branch, you get to choose a rearguard you control and get ANOTHER COPY FROM YOUR DECK FOR NO COST. Obviously, the best option is Carolla Dragon, the clan's 8k booster. But any other Grade 1 is fine. That's why it's ultra important to call a Grade 1 unit after you ride Branch. Otherwise, you won't get the full power of his skill when you ride Timber.


 Speaking of, Arboros Dragon, Timber doesn't really add much in the way of new skills. In fact, all he really does is change the names in the text. Super Easy.

[CONT](VC): If you have a card named "Arboros Dragon, Branch" in your soul, this unit gets [Power]+1000.
[AUTO]: When a card named "Arboros Dragon, Sephirot" rides this unit, if you have a card named "Arboros Dragon, Branch" in your soul, choose one of your «Neo Nectar» rear-guards, search your deck for up to one card with the same name as that unit, call it to (RC), and shuffle your deck. 

Same thing as Branch, just in Grade 2 form. No more explanation needed here. But next up is the one unit that caused me to shift allegiances entirely to the Arboros Dragon Chain...


Arboros Dragon, Sephirot. The big daddy. The guy in charge. The-well, here, look at his skill.

[CONT](VC): Limit Break 4 (This ability is active if you have four or more damage): All your «Neo Nectar» have: "[CONT](VC/RC): During your turn, if there is a unit with the same name as this unit in your (VC) or (RC), this unit gets [Power]+3000".
[CONT](VC): If you have a card named "Arboros Dragon, Timber" in your soul, this unit gets [Power]+1000. 

Woah, wait. Hold up. When your damage is at 4 or more and this guy is chilling on your Vanguard circle, any Neo Nectar Unit you control gets 3000 Extra Power if you have another unit with the same name? That's...really damn good. Combine this that Neo Nectar has the following 2 units and, well, you have one hell of a lineup.

Maiden of Rainbow Wood and Glass Beads Dragon are two Neo Nectar Units with the same skill.

AUTO【V/R】: [Counter Blast (2)] When this unit's attack hits, if you have a «Neo Nectar» vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw a card. 

So, aside from having a respectable 9000 Power, these units also allow you to draw more cards if their attacks hit. Let me remind you that Neo-Nectar, this build especially, are very CB-Light, so you can afford to run 4 each of Maiden and Glass Beads. And, also, don't forget Sephirot's skill. If you have 2 of these pretties out on the field, they will both have 12000 power on your turn. Let's run some calcs, shall we?
Assume you have a Sephirot on the Vangaurd circle with Limit Break active. On either side of your Vanguard is a Maiden of Rainbow Wood, and both have a Carolla Dragon backing them. Each of those Rearguard columns will be swinging for 9000 (Wood) + 8000 (Carolla) + 6000 (From Sephirot's skill affecting both units). You have a total of 23000 BEFORE any trigger boosts you might have. Not only that, but these columns can potentially draw cards if they hit AND can intercept on top of forcing 15000 worth of guard from Dragonic Overlord the End. Given the correct field setup, a Sephirot deck can tear through your opponent's hand while simultaneously bolstering your own.

Unfortunately, the deck is much weaker if you do not draw similarly named units, but that can easily be fixed as you play more into the game. I expect to see the Arboros Dragons causing problems for fighters as soon as BT08 and BT05 hit stateside, so be prepared for plants all over the place!

As always, this is Stephen Stills of Team Sex Bob-Omb signing off and wishing you happy fighting!