So this weekend was a special one, my personal favorite of each year, the weekend i get to see my family, my team mates, my best friends, and take to the state of the Chicago Regional qualifiers. I was woefully unprepared for them, due to craziness in life, and I had a shitty vanguard and shitty buddyfight deck, and I just wanted to see friends.
I don't scrubbed out of vanguard, then had a crazy fun night watching everyone i know getting unhealthily drunk, but that is all another story, im gonna skip to the fun part for me, Buddyfight.
Fast forward to sunday morning, we arrive at the venue after coralling our hungover and staggered friends, figuring out where to store the car, and leaving the hotel room. I realize i never did figure out my deck fully, and do some edits, realizing i forgot some commons for a side deck, and jack Tim's side deck pretty much. I make some changes, then start filling out the decklist, making a prediction that would later bite me in the ass "Man, I hope I dont top 8, I care so little filling this out ill get in trouble for sure"
alas, the tournament begins, and I roll with it.
Round 1: Dungeon world (Or was it magic world) - Win
I honestly dont even remember what happened this game, he played pretty bad, and I used this time to get a better feel of my deck. I won 2-0 easily, with second game giving me a win via Mimic With a Prize being my center while he had 1 life.
Round 2: Danger Danger! - Win
This guy was crazy fun, but I knew when he flipped the flag with Cerberus I had it. His deck was basically a trial deck, and Danger has a terrible match up, especially with how I play. We had tons of fun, but in game two (while i was one game ahead) I Dangerous Fused into two Form a Party...which is good game.
Round 3: Dungeon World- Loss
This was when I first met Bryan, he was wearing a kickin hat, and he had a subtle confidence. I knew from the way he held himself, that I was in a lot of trouble. One of my strengths, that led me to victory, is that I can read people well. Bryan I could tell knew what he was doing, but he didnt let it turn to arrogance. We traded off game 1 and 2, and went to game 3, but a few misplays and bad draws led to him whupping my ass. He had more practice, and didnt mess up nearly as much as r1 and r2 players, so I had no chance to capitalize on that. It was a blast, we talked for 5 min after, and I made a great friend there.
I also made an amazing play of swing Drum+ Addrick to his center, while he was at one, activating his glory seeker, then when it succeeded the battle damage happened and ended it
round 4: KATANA WURLD- Win
As round 4 started, I knew i would have fun, it was my BFF Timmy Tim. At the start of Game 1, I honestly was considering scrubbing on purpose, and played badly for that reason. I knew my deck was inherently at an advantage, and I knew tim wanted the win more than me. I decided to gamble on him making a single misplay, based on knowing he likes to punish me. I called Tasuku while he had some Explosion thing that I knew would destroy size 1s, he used it and then realized what he did.
Game 2 I opened nuts, I had brave drum, Meteor rain, gummi slime, pillars, divine protections. So I of course did the smart thing. I charged Brave drum, and the one i drew next turn, I played Meteor to the center, and I stopped myself from being able to defend, then went triple offensive gummy slime. I lost that one badly, due to telling an amazing hand to go to hell, and playing fun.
Game 3: Tim and I cat fighted about rulings and sharking each other, and the judge kinda stared at us, and got annoyed. I eventulaly won with the ultimate formation: Him at 2, call Tetsuya to the left, Gummy to center, Sheila to the right. TRIPLE LINK ATTACK. GUMMY SLIME DOUBLE ATTACK. GUMMY SLIME OVER KILL.
I won, Tim got salty.
Round 5: Dungeon World - win
Here I met the second guy I made great friends with, Colyn. This dude was chill, we had tons of fun,and nuts games. Upon our introductions and small talk pre-game he said something beautiful "So are you 4-0 too?" And I knew I was in top 8 for sure if I won. I got Paired up, a great great feeling. The games where pretty rough, but I took it 2-0, and we laughed, shook hands, and said we would meet again in the finals. He then gave me a super cool sleeve for my flag, and a foil Gummy Slime. Did I mention how awesome of a guy he is?
ROUND SUSPENSE: Will and i were both 4-1, and we waited. and waited. and waited. Sadly will got screwed out by 1 place, and I outdid him solely because I was paired up, making my tie breakers insane (and 2 of hte people i faced were top 8 too) . During this time I get called up twice, now because I am actually half blind I messed up serial numbers, and got in trouble there. They let me off due to the blindness. I also forgot to put in Tetsuya on my decklist, giving me a game loss. My prediction from the start came true. We all laughed, I truly was a dumbass.
TOP 8 BEGIN
Quarter Finals: Seiger World- Win
Now, because of my game loss I went in slightly worried, I did 2-0 most opponents. But no safety net hurt. Then I saw my opponent, wearing a fedora, and truly exemplifying it. I knew already he played Ancient world, and heard him mention it. He then found his flag and life counter were missing, adn started being rude as hell to judges. Cue anger rising. He then refused to use scratch pad for life, because " My life changes so much its too much effort" I responded " so does mine, its not big deal..." and he got pissed as his friend said how much his life changed, and as a judge set flag down " Ugh so much for surprise of what i play. No one knows how to shut up" he groans, and complains. I tell him i didnt see his flag, which is true, but I already knew what he played.
I knew that the match would be mine, if I could win game one. Luckily I open strong, and can tell he doesnt know what he was doing. He asked instantly " Do I draw and charge, or charge then draw? what order do I do my opening hand and gauge, hand first or gauge?" which was all I needed to know. He doesnt open seiger, so I go aggressive instead of my usual baiting-control play style. He plays a random Size 3 out, and I ask what it does, and he snaps at me that it does nothing, getting ruder and ruder. I refuse to lose this one. Due to his deck not giving him seiger, and me going out quick with Tetsuya-Sheila-Dungeon enemy, i win quick.
Now that I can side, I know I have it. My side deck was built for this. I stick in about 7 cards. Game 2 begins. He throws out seiger round 3 i believe, and he gets Arrgogant, I can tell he thinks he has me badly. He continues to clear my field for a few turns, and I wait. I can tell he has the next form in hand, and my chance comes when he pays one gauge for 2 life or something. Putting him to two gauge, when he thinks I cant clear both soul and kill seiger. I then play the Rolling Stone I had saved since turn 2, killing it. He gets pissed. I then declare " I have you at 7 to my 10" for life totals, and he either takes that as "My end" or just is in too big a hurry, and tries to take his turn. This causes a Fiasco, and I could let him get game loss there. But I know what he drew, and I want to make this hurt him worse. we fix the game state, he gets a warning, I continue my turn.
I call out Tets, Sheila, and Doge. I proceed to drop him to nothing, seeing the anger well up in him. Good, the guy was a dick. He acts saltier , i feel better. Tim gets more angry and so does Will, I have an invite.
Semi Finals: Dungeon world rematch!
I sit down and see my next opponent...Colyn. I am ecstatic. We chat, and laugh that we made it this far. Luckily, I had gotten his playstyle down. I knew he prefered a slow paced style, where he controlled field and he had a tendency to play out his Brit Bird turn 1 if no other creatures in hand. This all proved true, so when he dropped blade wing turn 1 I dropped 3 creatures I normally wouldnt, knowing he had no other creatures, and that he had a single protection spell. I was right on my bet, and took out Brit Bird. I kept up an aggressive play, and 2-0'ed
Tim and will still were salty, but at least I got us all a hotel room.
Finals: Dungeon World Rematch!
This time I met Bryan again in the finals. Time to take back the game. Game one I managed to take after a tough time, game two he took. Game 3 was where it went crazy intense. He sided in dungeon enemies, which was a great call, their high defense would have been hard but luckily my deck was based around high stats, and i sided in fate skeletons to help. At the apex of the match he had a soulguard in center, and I bet he had a divine protection, I attacked once, then had Sheila and Soma up, if I attacked with a link and was wrong, i would win off penetrate. I instead attacked with sheila, and he had to defend. I then attacked with soma, no penetrate, but I destroyed his monster. I left my center open, knowing he had a tendency to attack the center whenever he could, and he swung 7 damage, putting me to one. I managed to tetsuya-shiela-fate skeleton to win the next turn, taking the match, adn the tournament.
After words we exchanged a handshake, laughs, and we talked about how crazy fun that was, and promised to play again.
Overall it was an insane tournament, and I learned a lot about my deck. I lucked out in that I was really good at reading people, it made up for the fact that my deck had many issues, and it was an event i would happily do again. I cant wait to see everyone at nationals, and it will be a blast.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Scarlet Witch mini guide
Okay, first up is your G0:
The lulu and 4 heal is the obvious given.
Now, since Coco inherently can and will draw more than many other styles of think tank, and do much more defensive plays early on, you dont need as much draw pressure. Instead you want to presure for game ending and hand depletion with criticals. For that reason you either do:
10 crit 2 draw
if you want to still have some drawing power through trigger checks, and also to throw people off a tiny bit when htey expect 12 crit standard, while also giving yourself a bit of defensive trigger checks.
otherwise use 12 critical to maximize offensive pressure and to get the most bang-for-your-buck
The lulu and 4 heal is the obvious given.
Now, since Coco inherently can and will draw more than many other styles of think tank, and do much more defensive plays early on, you dont need as much draw pressure. Instead you want to presure for game ending and hand depletion with criticals. For that reason you either do:
10 crit 2 draw
if you want to still have some drawing power through trigger checks, and also to throw people off a tiny bit when htey expect 12 crit standard, while also giving yourself a bit of defensive trigger checks.
otherwise use 12 critical to maximize offensive pressure and to get the most bang-for-your-buck
Now g1 you have a lot
more leeway. For starting I would use what I have considered the "learning"
build, I have suggested this to a lotta people, and while it aint the best it
has helped as a way to find your playstyle and too figure out what direction
you want to go:
G1: 16
4 chocolat
4 gemini
3 Cocoa
3 Dark Cat
2 luck bird.
Now chocolat and Gemini you typically want to have as maximized because they are invaluable.
For the rest of choices:
Cocoa allows you to set up early game trigger hunting, which allows you to hurt them bad early when they are more often going to let attacks pass. While also searching missing grades
Dark cat allows you easier field filling, while also providing awesome boosts. It is used to avoid misgrading. But you have to play it right, you cant play it willy nilly or your opponent will benefit more. Both work with Sakuya
Luck bird is used to fix up soul, and allow free plusses, replacing Lulu after you get her to hand.
Other great choices:
Milk is great, I personally dont care for her, but she is good for more ofensive style play, only use at 2.
Omellete is fantastic for more offensive decks too she works for great replacements and front row users. She is not bad at all, while also giving you great booster.
Circle magus is for a utility build, you combine wiht other draw effects to avoid drawing triggers and reuse it with Sakuya.
Truth gazer is fine for soul fixing too, and perfectly fine.
G1: 16
4 chocolat
4 gemini
3 Cocoa
3 Dark Cat
2 luck bird.
Now chocolat and Gemini you typically want to have as maximized because they are invaluable.
For the rest of choices:
Cocoa allows you to set up early game trigger hunting, which allows you to hurt them bad early when they are more often going to let attacks pass. While also searching missing grades
Dark cat allows you easier field filling, while also providing awesome boosts. It is used to avoid misgrading. But you have to play it right, you cant play it willy nilly or your opponent will benefit more. Both work with Sakuya
Luck bird is used to fix up soul, and allow free plusses, replacing Lulu after you get her to hand.
Other great choices:
Milk is great, I personally dont care for her, but she is good for more ofensive style play, only use at 2.
Omellete is fantastic for more offensive decks too she works for great replacements and front row users. She is not bad at all, while also giving you great booster.
Circle magus is for a utility build, you combine wiht other draw effects to avoid drawing triggers and reuse it with Sakuya.
Truth gazer is fine for soul fixing too, and perfectly fine.
Grade 2:
Now for the learning style I use here
g2:10
Mocha -4
Wiseman-3
Tom-3
Now Mocha is your lead offensive unit, I max her out almost always, she is a turn 2 11k usually, and helps to hit vanguards and hit rearguards.
Wiseman I honestly rarely use as a rearguard, it is best for turn 2 defensive ride, but if you do need a rear, 10k is never bad.
Tom is basically God, we all know that. You dont play him early, you want to hold him for when you know you can turn tides the best. Three lets you get him early, but not get him too early when he is dead ( such as turn 1-4)
Other great choices:
Maiden of Libra is a personal favorite of mine, she gives up some counterblasts, but acts as an immense pressure with the fact that she can plus, and she works great for rearguard killing. You use her mostly when you cant get a reride off to abuse coco again.
High Speed Brakki is a soul fixing offensive tech, used mostly for big offensive plays. It is not bad, bhowever if you have to ride it then you are severly hurt, because you need 2 OTT for lulu. Only run 2.
Glace is okay, she can hit 11k too, but is inconsistent because you wont always have 0 soul, mocha does it better.
Now for the learning style I use here
g2:10
Mocha -4
Wiseman-3
Tom-3
Now Mocha is your lead offensive unit, I max her out almost always, she is a turn 2 11k usually, and helps to hit vanguards and hit rearguards.
Wiseman I honestly rarely use as a rearguard, it is best for turn 2 defensive ride, but if you do need a rear, 10k is never bad.
Tom is basically God, we all know that. You dont play him early, you want to hold him for when you know you can turn tides the best. Three lets you get him early, but not get him too early when he is dead ( such as turn 1-4)
Other great choices:
Maiden of Libra is a personal favorite of mine, she gives up some counterblasts, but acts as an immense pressure with the fact that she can plus, and she works great for rearguard killing. You use her mostly when you cant get a reride off to abuse coco again.
High Speed Brakki is a soul fixing offensive tech, used mostly for big offensive plays. It is not bad, bhowever if you have to ride it then you are severly hurt, because you need 2 OTT for lulu. Only run 2.
Glace is okay, she can hit 11k too, but is inconsistent because you wont always have 0 soul, mocha does it better.
Imperial daughter is also
fantastic, but I would pair her with libra since you lose cards to abuse her
effect. She is if you don’t like Brakki but still want pure puncing power in
the deck.
g3:
These are simple, the g3 line up is really steadfast
4 coco
3 sakuya
With this you do the Coco Combo on turn 3 to net the plusses from it.
Now you want to do one of two things in the next few turns:
Turn 4 ride coco again, counterblast 2 again, get 2 more cards.
Turn 5 ride sakuya (preferably having played Cocoa the turn before) and return everything to hand. Then call luck bird, soul blast 2 coco, draw 1.
That combo is +6 cards in a few turns.
Turn 4 Coco + psychic bird then calling luck bird also is an immediate soul fix+ draw.
In this deck reriding is key, Using coco many times is powerful, and use sakuya to fix up field and set up power plays.
An important note is that Sakuya is the best late game vanguard.
Having 4 cards is more common, and she hits much harder. Sakuya and Gemini hits MLB for magic numbers
These are simple, the g3 line up is really steadfast
4 coco
3 sakuya
With this you do the Coco Combo on turn 3 to net the plusses from it.
Now you want to do one of two things in the next few turns:
Turn 4 ride coco again, counterblast 2 again, get 2 more cards.
Turn 5 ride sakuya (preferably having played Cocoa the turn before) and return everything to hand. Then call luck bird, soul blast 2 coco, draw 1.
That combo is +6 cards in a few turns.
Turn 4 Coco + psychic bird then calling luck bird also is an immediate soul fix+ draw.
In this deck reriding is key, Using coco many times is powerful, and use sakuya to fix up field and set up power plays.
An important note is that Sakuya is the best late game vanguard.
Having 4 cards is more common, and she hits much harder. Sakuya and Gemini hits MLB for magic numbers
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
In depth look on Genesis
When Vanguard was first announced
to be coming to the states, I will admit, I was not too excited about it. My
friends were importing the two Trial decks and trying them, and I did play a
few games myself. It was fun, but didn’t suit my fancy, and the states were not
getting them for a long time so why should I have been interested? After all I
had my newly built Gladiator Beast deck in Yu-Gi-Oh, and my Blue Control deck
for Magic, I didn’t have money or time for such an overly luck based game with
so little strategy that was only an average game. My pessimism didn’t dissuade
my friend, and of course I really couldn’t resist a challenge or a new game, so
I looked at him, “What were they? Clans? Fine, what is the least manly, most
emasculating clan in the game?” I told him flat out, wanting to make this
something completely and hilariously casual, because I will admit I honestly
didn’t expect much from this game at all. My friend didn’t miss a beat, he told
me about Oracle Think Tank, showed me Goddess of Divination Sakuya (Ironically,
despite being one of the cards to entice me, it took over a year to be
released) which was downright girly, and then added in that the play-style of
the deck was very based on mind games and control, I will admit it, he sold me
then and there by calling me.
Sadly, Vanguard still wasn’t really
coming to the states for another two months at least, and it took even longer
for my local game stores to stock the cards. I had all but forgotten until I
went to an anime convention, and someone was holding a teaching session for the
game. With that session I had a chance to really play, and I caught on fast, I
enjoyed it well enough, but still was not that into it. It was not until two
weeks later when I won the first Vanguard Giveaway here on Alter Reality Games
to get a free Kagero Trial Deck that I started to get more interested. I split
it in half and played with my brother a lot, until we both were quite into the
game. My brother just played simply, and while I still saw it really simple of
a game I started to notice a lot of complexities in it, and started to get more
and more into the game. Yet sadly, my LGS still didn’t have any vanguard, and
either way I was pretty broke at the time.
I decided to get my fix with the
anime, I had finished the series I was currently watching, it was break time
from school, and I had nothing but free time. I admit, the anime was nothing
spectacular, especially at the beginning, but the simple beginning that was the
journey of a new player to become better was simply intriguing, especially
compared to other card game shows that jump straight to the magical aspects of
the show (Mind crush!) , and the characters were highly entertaining. Not only
was it genuinely fun, but it taught the game phenomenally well, and displayed
how the decks played very convincingly. As I got farther into the anime I got
two of my best friends, and my team mates, into the anime, which drew them into
the game too. Soon we had all been taken in by the strange allure of this game,
and we started buying cards and planning all these different decks.
We each planned many decks, and I
admit my team mates built multiple decks, but I could only find myself loving
Oracle Think Tank. I played it nonstop, and I personally thought I was really
good with it. It fit my very control oriented play-style perfectly, I loved the
mind games it played about, and all the different tricks the deck had. Unlike
most decks, Oracle Think Tank were incredibly detailed for how they played,
they required you to play much differently than most other decks, and with that deck you could not afford to
make mistakes. It was all about attrition and small rewards.
Soon came regional season, and I
honestly was not very confident. I thought I was good, but I saw how devastating
the Paladins had been during the English tournaments, and how little Oracles
had done (maybe 2 or 3 got top 8 in 4 or 5 tournaments), and I thought I was
good, but not that good. None of that got me down though, here I was in
Chicago, with my best friends and team mates, I was ecstatic. So I donned my
Straw Hat (that I will admit, is just for a Monkey D Luffy Cosplay) as my own
good luck charm, and it must have worked, because not only was I very popular
from it, but as the tournament went on I somehow made it into the top 8 of the
tournament. I then promptly was
destroyed by the one who won the tournament.
In the end I was totally satisfied,
and became completely and utterly confident in my deck and skills, not that it
stopped me from changing it up continuously to try and get better. Even more so
I became absolutely certain that Oracles were the clan for me, and I was trying
every kind I could, and even proxying up future cards to test with. I was
consistently cheering for Misaki in the anime, who was my favorite
character. I had even become pretty well
known and respected in the vanguard community, and did (and still do) deck
doctor a lot of different Oracle decks here and there.
Okay, now you are all wondering
what my point is in this overly drawn out rambling, and it was a bit longer
than I meant, but I wanted to make It as evident as I could how much I love
Oracles, I have put more time into it than I probably do with school, it has my
personal Avatar (Silent Tom all the way), and fits me incredibly perfectly. So
when I found out that they are reskinning the clan, much like Gold Paladin for
Royals, in the guise of Genesis…well I actually couldn’t be more excited. The
art is fantastic and the effects are great. It is such an interesting clan, how
could I be mad?
The one thing I have been noticing
all over the internet though is that people are highly overestimating the clan,
and giving it far too much credit with what we have seen revealed. Now, don’t take this as I think they are weak,
because I think they have an incredible amount of potential, and they will be a
threat in the future. At the current time, with what we know of the clan,
Genesis is a rather divided and lackluster clan, with big effects that don’t combine
well, especially because it has no powerful plays early on, and very little
plays outside the vanguard.
Genesis decided to focus on the
soul charging aspect of Oracle Think Tank, and boy does it soul charge well.
Out of 3 starting options, one can soul charge 3 cards when an attack it boosts
hits. Out of 6 grade 1’s we have an on-hit Soul charge 3, and an on call soul charge
1. Out of 6 grade 2 units, we have 2 that have on-hit soul charges that are
between 2 to 4 cards. The other starters are a draw effect when an attack hits
that it boosted, and ride line thinning (when the grade 1 rides on it, search
the grade 2 out). To fill out the grade 1 and 2’s we have pretty uniform cards;
we have the 8k and 10k vanillas, the sentinel, grade 1 and 2 units that gain
power if the vanguard has Limit Break 4, we have a grade 2 Maiden of Libra
clone that draws one card on hit for counter blasting 2, and of course we have
grade 1 and 2 ride lines.
A very solid support, except that
is all it can do for its early grades, it sets up but cannot work off of it
very efficiently. Not until the grade 3 units come into play, in which we get
the star of the deck that everyone has been talking about, one of my personal
favorites, and one of the most contradictory cards for the entire deck: Battle
Deity of the Night, Artemis. This is the culmination of the ride chain, it has the
usual effects, if grade 2 Artemis is in the soul (and let’s face it, in this
clan it will be) you get +1000 making it an 11k base. Ride lines are nothing
special though, let’s look at that effect: [AUTO](VC) Limit Break 4 (This ability is
active if you have four or more damage):[Soul Blast (3)] When this unit attacks
a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw two cards, choose a card from
your hand, put it into your soul, and this unit gets [Power]+5000 until end of
that battle.
Wow, that
effect is insane. Not only is it basically guaranteed to be available (you
should have 3 soul upon ride), in this clan fueling it is incredibly simple. It
also has a resemblance to Tsukuyomi, in that it fixes itself by replacing one
card into your soul (which can be the grade 2 if you are missing it). This
effect is an inherent +1 that gives you insane strength with a possible 16k
base unboosted (making magic 23k numbers against crossrides very easy), and
fixes 1/3 of the cards to do it again on its own. That sounds wonderful, it
allows you access to the offensive power that was sorely lacking in Think Tank,
all while giving you insane thinning and draw powers that the clan had.
Except
therein is the issue, Genesis is not built for a game around drawing cards as
its aid. When you have a deck like Oracles who gain those small plusses and
draw constantly, it is because you are playing a long haul, you are playing for
attrition, you make small tradeoffs that lead to you having more advantage and
your opponent losing their advantage, so that over time the gap becomes more
evident, and you are in a stronger position. With a deck like Genesis though,
you can’t play a long haul, on average you will have easily soul charged
anywhere from 6-12 cards by turn 3, you can have thinned down the deck a few
more via the ride line, and Artemis herself leads to 4 cards thinning (2 from
her effect, 2 from twin drive). Unlike Tsukuyomi who would typically get off
her effect only 2-3 times, and whose thinning led to the Stack which was
typically an end game, Artemis is built to add in a constant stream of drawing
advantage, but lacks the ability to work off of it. The drawing that usually
can help lead to a long standoff becomes a huge liability that can lead to an imminent
threat of decking out. Between the draw, the effect, and twin drive you are
using up 5 cards a turn, which is 10% of the deck, but given that you start out
with 6 cards and your Starting Vanguard your deck begins at 43, and you also
will have at least 2 more draws by the time of grade 3, usually 2 drive checks,
and a few damage checked, putting you at about 35 cards on average when you
ride to grade 3 making the number more accurately about 14%, not factoring in
soul charging/draw triggers/other thinning, which could make the numbers even
closer to 16-20% of your deck being thinned a turn.
Artemis hits
hard, and hits strong, but she drains your deck, and her effect is an
incredible double edged sword, it puts you into one of the scariest and most
repeatable offensive powers, and it gives you a free plus constantly, however
its effect is built to support a long game, while also putting you into a race
against time by depleting your deck incredibly fast. Not only that, but it has
no way to deal with this risk, unlike Oracles which had heal triggers that
could recycle themselves into the deck, and a few units (such as Apollon, even
if he wasn’t used much) that could return a unit to the deck. Nor does it have
a way to add in a focus or power to what it is doing, unlike CEO Amaterasu,
Battle Sister Cocoa, or even Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi, to prepare
for triggers and capitalize on the thinning. Artemis hits blindly and hard, but
can hurt you just as quickly.
We get a
change of pace and idea by getting a card that works for a much slower game, to
act as a destructive and deadly force that sets up one or two big plays in the
form of Eternal Goddess, Iwagahime. She comes in at a wonderful 11k, letting
genesis have the great defensive numbers that eluded Oracles, and packs a very
strong effect too “[ACT](VC) Limit Break 4 (This ability is active if you have
four or more damage):[Soul Blast (6)] Retire all rear-guards in your opponent's
front row.” That is insane; we now get to delve out from the territory of hand
advantage and sheer numbers into the field control that is typically reserved
for cards from the Dragon Empire. It is a scary effect, that can be bolstered
even further by her second effect that lets her soul blast 3 to gain +5000,
combining both of those you can have a powerful push that obliterates all
interceptors while letting your vanguard make a strong push forward with
boosted attack. This card honestly is
the one I wouldn’t be surprised if it became the main card for the clan,
however the downside is that it doesn’t work as well for consistent pressure as
Artemis. Almost every soul charge effect
in the clan can instantly set up another use of Artemis, to lead to that
constant offensive pressure, after one use of Iwagahime’s first effect you will
usually find yourself slowed down on being able to boost her with her second
effect, or attempt another use of her first effect, she requires more of a set
up and will more often be a vanilla 11k than anything else, which is not as
bad, since her effect will often need to only go off one time to completely
change the course of the game. Yet she could still use something to give her a
bit more help, work it all a bit better so that her push doesn’t require 9
cards to be soul blasted for peak efficiency, especially given that her and
Artemis are not made to work well together.
That is
where the genesis Ride Break comes into play, with one of the most beautiful
cards in the entire game (whoever created this cards art definitely deserves a
raise), Prophetic Queen Himiko. Like all ride breaks so far, she has the usual
ability to give the vanguard +10k and +5k to two rearguards, then she gives
your vanguard a nice secondary ability until the end of the turn, "[AUTO](VC):[Soul Blast (3)] When this
unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw a card.", this ability is insanely helpful, especially
for Iwagahime. With Artemis it is more of the same old same old, giving you
that one extra card to work even better, and more easily set up; however with
Iwagahime it gives her a lasting pressure. If you have the 9 soul to get off
both of her effects, you no longer have to worry about using her second effect
for +5000, you get a +10000 boost from the ride, going with that you can soul
blast 6 to rid your opponent of possibly (and very likely) 10,000 shield and
two attackers, putting the difference for this battle at 20,000 just for the
vanguard, and another 10,000 difference for your rearguards. Topping it all
off, if you have that last three counterblast, you have the ability to turn the
attack that might be shrugged off with the thought “I can take some more damage”
to one that the opponent feels a need to guard to prevent you from getting that
free draw, especially since Iwagahime is much less likely to deck you out, and
much more likely to play a game of attrition, and win if she can use her first
effect multiple times.
That sounds
wonderful right? There can’t be much more to her, besides that effect that all
other ride breaks have where they get +2000 when they attack, right? Well, not
exactly. If you kept up with Oracles, you would know they loved to give their
clones slight changes and be a bit special, well Genesis is no exception with
its ride break. When Himiko attacks it gets +1000, and it soul charges one
card, which may not sound too special, but can change a lot, and makes her even
more valuable. Normally when you would ride your grade 3 you have 3 soul, 0-2,
however the ride break adds a 4th, and her effect adds a fifth. For
Artemis that means that you can soul blast 3 for her effect, not have to get
rid of the Grade 2 Artemis at all, and the card you put in soul will conveniently
put you right back to 3 soul without any other effects having to be used. Then
for Iwagahime, that sets you up to only be 1 soul away from being able to use
her first effect, and only 4 away from being able to use her first effect and
then soul blast 3 to draw a card, which is as easy as one on-hit soul charge 3
effect and one on-call soul charge 1 effect. This small change makes the card
absolutely cohesive for the clan, and adds some needed consistency to both of
the main vanguards, while being a great addition in general.
Now while
the two main Vanguards are incredibly powerful, and the ride break works to fix
their weaknesses very efficiently, the deck still suffers from an incredible
lack of pressuring support in the rearguards. With Oracles we had multiple
cards that would set you up to draw a card if they could hit (apollon, Blue
Scale Deer, and Libra to name a few), we had many cards that were particularly
strong when they were called to manipulate the soul and give some pressure
(such as Cocoa, Dark Cat, Little Witch Lulu, Luck Bird) , and we had the
ultimate pressure in the form of Silent Tom. Genesis however have little to
work with outside their vanguard to apply much pressure or worry, there is a
single on-hit draw, which is the only immediate threat to the opponent, and
on-hit counterblasts to soul charge, which are great set ups, but late game are
underwhelming. Not only that, but because of the lack of recycling heal
trigger, and the lack of damage unflipper currently genesis can and will burn
through their counterblasts fast, and when that is done they will be left
slowed down, and most with vanilla units, only two or three of which make good
offensive rearguards, and in general pale to many other clans.
The deck
will be able to set up explosive plays between the ability for Artemis to
constantly hit high and feed the hand and Iwagahime’s constant advantage
creation, Genesis is very frightening already, and many of the units are
jaw-dropping powerhouses, all while taking some of the best clones from
multiple clans, yet even with all that Genesis are very strict in linear with
their possibilities currently, more so than Oracles ever where, and they are
giving up the incredible variety of options that Oracles had from the get go.
This is not to say they are not a great clan, I personally think given time
they will rise to become much more powerful, but currently the praise singing
Genesis to high heaven based on how overwhelming the three boss cards are is
ignoring the negative aspects of the clan, and how it still has not found a
footing.
In the end
though, Genesis will prove itself to be just as interesting as Oracles to
watch, it is obvious that Bushiroad is
dipping its feet in the water first, after consistently having trouble to
balance Oracles (as shown by the fact that each new deck type was nearly
incompatible with the last) it is obvious that Bushiroad does not want to make
the same mistakes as it did with Oracle Think Tank, and it does want to give a
more cemented idea for how Genesis works, instead of jumping around with
different ideas then ditching them soon after like its predecessors did.
They are
obviously not going to repeat the same mistake they made with Silent Tom, and
obviously want to phase that effect out of existence, and I believe they have
the same with for all effects that look at the top card and put it to the top
or bottom, but many other aspects of Oracles will work perfectly well for
Genesis. I personally believe we will see a recycling heal trigger soon, to
attempt to alleviate some of the trigger loss, and clones of Blue Scale Deer
and Luck Bird to let rearguards use the soul more would not surprise me in the
least. I can only hope we get some more grade 3’s that make good rearguards,
such as apollon, to act in a good compliment to the powerful vanguards. A way
to unflip damage would not be unsurprising either, or a more consistent way to
do small soul charges, such as a Red Eye clone would also be great and likely
additions to the clan. I also could see them adding in some way to add some
cards back to the deck, especially if the deck thinning is too prevalent and
destructive to the player with more than just Artemis builds.
No matter
what though, Genesis is a clan that should definitely be watched out for, it is
taking over for one of the most devastating clans to have been made, and we
know that it will get consistent support since Misaki is a main character. It
remains to be seen if as many risks will be taken for this clan as were taken
for Oracle Think Tank, or if Bushiroad will attempt to be as safe as possible
following how many times Oracles got near a deadly line for power creeping, and
how many ideas from Oracles had to be abandoned after one set. Only time will
tell, but one thing is for certain, watch out for Genesis, because you can be
sure you will see a lot of it.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Design Theory: Game Formats
This is a topic that I've been thinking about writing for a long time, but I hadn't quite figured out how I wanted to approach it, yet. However, with the advent of the BT09 Crossride units, I feel that now is as good a time as any to discuss something that won't happen for a while, but will most definitely come up at some point and will affect everyone who plays this game. As Vanguard evolves, what type of format will the game take on? Currently, with only 8 sets and a few extra boosters under our belt, the game is functioning on an "Eternal Format" where every card printed is available for play, barring rulings from Bushiroad to the contrary (Barcgal's being banned as a Starting Vanguard, for example.) But, I'm sure we all hope, Vanguard is going to continue to grow. As more sets are released and more cards are added to the prospective construction pool, Bushiroad is going to need to make a decision whether to rotate out older cards or keep everything as is. In this article, I'm going to go over the pros and cons of Block and Eternal formats before, finally, sharing my own conclusion with you.
Eternal Formats: We are the 1%
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| You're starting to show your age there, pal. |
As I stated previously, an Eternal Format is one where every card (with a few exceptions) are able to be used in a deck. Yu-gi-oh is a prime example of a TCG with such a design. Those cards from the first few sets are just as playable as cards from the past few expansions. You can even go as far as to mix them together. If a card has been printed in an official YGO expansion, it's free to use. However, just because a card is playable, that doesn't mean it's relevant, and that's where a huge problem in eternal formats begins to show. In a given pool of cards, only a small percentage will be relevant to the metagame, as only a small percentage of all cards are powerful enough to be of use to you in a competitive environment. As an example, how many of you past Yu-Gi-Oh players remember when Blue-Eyes White Dragon was one of the best cards in the game? Compare that same card to any of the current boss monsters in the metagame right now. I guarantee you that Blue-Eyes will be completely outclassed either in raw power, playability, or utility. In fact, I challenge you to find a "professional" (and I use the term loosely) YGO player who would even consider using BEWD in the deck they take with them to a qualifier or championship. The card is simply not relevant in the game anymore.
Another thing about eternal formats that makes people like them is that sometimes older, overlooked cards can become the perfect counter to a new strategy, or becomes phenomenal in combination with a new support card that was recently released. For example, back after the Storm of Ragnarok expansion was released, Six Samurai decks were running around everywhere. People needed an answer to the deck, and it was eventually found in the form of Puppet Plant, a card that was released 4 years earlier. Had YGO operated on a block system, that card would have most likely not been legal to use, and another counter would have needed to be found, and it probably wouldn't have been as effective. I'm sure there are other examples, but I was never one for uber-hardcore YGO in the first place, so I can't really confirm any other examples.
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| Pictured: Something almost as sexy as me. |
Another plus for eternal formats is that, barring a massive ban, your old decks can still be played. For example, I have a few YGO decks made and sitting in my desk. I know they're all still legal, so I can grab one and head to a tourney should the mood strike me, despite some of the cards in them being 6+ years old. I think I'm a pretty humble guy, so don't take it as bragging when I say that I can sure play my way around my Morphtronic deck. I've worn through so many sets of sleeves on that thing, a lot of the combos are second nature. Still, despite that, it doesn't hold a candle to the newer strategies, and there's no way in Hades I'd actually run it at any event higher than a locals. Sure, I can use my sexy, sexy Ghost Rare Power Tool Dragons, but they probably won't do much work for me with crap like Laggia and the like running around.
Which brings me to one of the major problems with eternal formats: Power Creep. I feel like Mark Rosewater said it best when addressing the concept of Power Creep:
"Each set raises the bar on what cards can do until you get to the point where the game collapses under the weight of the power level. ("I win turn one before you can even play.")" -MaRo
"Each set raises the bar on what cards can do until you get to the point where the game collapses under the weight of the power level. ("I win turn one before you can even play.")" -MaRo
This is fairly apparent in games like Yu-Gi-Oh. Look back on the initial release, when BEWD was still considered good. Fast forward to 2012, and you need a full-ass 15 card Extra deck to even stand a chance in this game, as the focus has shifted entirely to who can drop their big boss Synchro or Xyz monster, or who can control the board most effectively through the use of their Synchro or Xyz monsters. Power creep is also evident in Vanguard, though less so. I'm sure you all know about the "OMG CROSSRIDES QQ" bullshit already, so I won't go into much detail. However, I'm fairly safe in saying that for many people, these Crossrides represent an unfavorable power creep in the game. (Whether or not their claims are valid are a tale for another day.) Because any card can be played, the companies need to find a way to continue to sell new sets. Eventually, the quick and easy fix is to just make a few cards in that set absolutely game-defining. This process repeats with each set, as more powerful tiers of cards are introduced until, eventually, all other cards are effectively unplayable due to the nature of the format.
Those are my thoughts on Eternal Formats, but before I show you my conclusion, I need to go over the other major type I mentioned earlier, the Block or Staggered Format.
Block Format: Every Day I'm Shufflin'
Back when I was introduced to Standard (or Type 2, as it's also called) Magic: The Gathering, I was absolutely pissed off that they had a rotating block format. I was used to Yu-Gi-Oh at the time, and it was a foreign concept to me that the cards I have would become illegal based on the rules set down by the company, rather than the environment derived from the cards themselves. Yeah, I was too young and stupid to realize that they were basically the same thing. Now that I am both older and (slightly) wiser, I have a newfound respect for the Block format after playing both MTG, Legend of the 5 Rings, and the Pokemon TCG.
On the surface, Block formats seem like a quick and easy way to grab money by the company that makes the game. What better way to keep you buying their product than to make some of it illegal, forcing you to change up your deck? I'll admit, the idea turned me off a bit and still does in certain respects, especially because I'm a dirt-poor college student. However, from a design standpoint, Block formats are the best way to ensure that a TCG lasts for a long time, as evidenced by both Magic and L5R. But why is that?
For starters, block formats allow for changes in the meta without huge-ass power creeps. In a block format, it is inevitable that a card or cards will be rotated out. I bet you wouldn't be complaining about the game as much if you recognized that cards like Spectral Duke Dragon and DOTE had a limited timeframe in the format. Blocks allow for the proper rotations that shift the meta. Additionally, block formats encourage dynamic deckbuilding. You might have a great idea made now, but what are you going to do when cards X, Y, and Z rotate out of your deck? You might give up then and there, but someone else might look at the newest set and figure out that cards P, Q, and R actually work well in the deck as well. This type of interaction that forces players to change up their deck all the time promotes better deckbuilding skill, as it allows players to notice value in cards they may have overlooked earlier because their deck was "perfect" with cards that had been rotated out.
Block formats also make new sets relevant. Players who have completed their "pet decks" in eternal formats will often ignore new sets unless something completely awesome catches their eye and makes them want to make something else. In a block format, players need to look at every card in the set and assess both current and potential future value. You never know when something can make it big when some of the big threats are no longer a factor in the metagame...
In larger games, blocks can also help to focus new players on where to begin. In a large game with a huge card pool, it becomes intimidating for newer players to have to deal with 12000+ card pools. Blocks shrink that size down to 1000 or so cards, which is a much more manageable size to work with.
On the surface, Block formats seem like a quick and easy way to grab money by the company that makes the game. What better way to keep you buying their product than to make some of it illegal, forcing you to change up your deck? I'll admit, the idea turned me off a bit and still does in certain respects, especially because I'm a dirt-poor college student. However, from a design standpoint, Block formats are the best way to ensure that a TCG lasts for a long time, as evidenced by both Magic and L5R. But why is that?
For starters, block formats allow for changes in the meta without huge-ass power creeps. In a block format, it is inevitable that a card or cards will be rotated out. I bet you wouldn't be complaining about the game as much if you recognized that cards like Spectral Duke Dragon and DOTE had a limited timeframe in the format. Blocks allow for the proper rotations that shift the meta. Additionally, block formats encourage dynamic deckbuilding. You might have a great idea made now, but what are you going to do when cards X, Y, and Z rotate out of your deck? You might give up then and there, but someone else might look at the newest set and figure out that cards P, Q, and R actually work well in the deck as well. This type of interaction that forces players to change up their deck all the time promotes better deckbuilding skill, as it allows players to notice value in cards they may have overlooked earlier because their deck was "perfect" with cards that had been rotated out.
Block formats also make new sets relevant. Players who have completed their "pet decks" in eternal formats will often ignore new sets unless something completely awesome catches their eye and makes them want to make something else. In a block format, players need to look at every card in the set and assess both current and potential future value. You never know when something can make it big when some of the big threats are no longer a factor in the metagame...
In larger games, blocks can also help to focus new players on where to begin. In a large game with a huge card pool, it becomes intimidating for newer players to have to deal with 12000+ card pools. Blocks shrink that size down to 1000 or so cards, which is a much more manageable size to work with.
In Closing:
As you may have guessed by this point, I'm a huge fan of block formats. If I were to design my own TCG, that's the route I would go. However, I feel like Vanguard is not a game that would benefit from a block format. The major reasons for this are the Clan and Avatar effects.
Vanguard is a game that is heavily focused on playing a deck that you as a player like, be it for gameplay, art, or theme. Unlike Magic, which has what boils down to 5 "clans," or L5R which has roughly 10 or so, Vanguard has many more, and not all clans are present in all the sets. A block format would be too restrictive based on which clans would exist in which block and would, I feel, do more harm to the game than good. On top of that, a huge part of Vanguard is making a deck around your "Avatar" card, the card that you like the most. If that card were to suddenly be rotated out with no reprint in sight, then where does that leave you? While I wish that vanguard could support blocks, the way it is set up now leads me to believe that that is not a feasable option for the game.
Let me know what you think, though! Send me a message on reddit, PM me on facebook, respond to wherever I post this and give me your two cents!
As usual, this is Stephen Stills of Team Sex Bob-Omb reminding you that you're all beautiful. I just happen to be more beautiful than any of you.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Why Crossrides aren't as Broken as they Seem.
As some of you may know, the spoilers for BT09: Clash of the Knights and Dragons have been released and, as expected, we have even more Crossride units being introduced to the game.Naturally, there has been a fair amount of QQ-ing from some players who shall remain nameless, with some going as far as to announce their intent to boycott the game because these units are "too broken."
Myself? I don't see a problem.
Sure, Crossrides are phenomenal, seeing as they have a juicy 13000 defensive power if the previous incarnation is in the soul. In addition, most of them have pretty neat skills that fit the flavor of such powerful units. There are arguments that crossrides overcentralize the meta, and that clans with non-crossride units just can't compete.
Bullshit.
I'll concede that American players, by and large, tend to stick with decks they know will win. Especially if these past WCQs are any indication. Many people played Gold Paladins, and they represented the majority of decks played at every regional event. People assume that when set 5 is released, the same will happen to Kagero (Dragonic Overlord the End) decks. No matter where I go, I have seen arguments of "DOTE is broken. Pls fix QQ." Except for one thing: it really isn't. When I play against DOTE decks, I'm not afraid of that specific unit. In fact, I'd rather my opponent get that persona blast off 3 times in a game rather than nuke my boosters with Kimnara or scorch my intercepts with Berserk Dragon. DOTE is only a part of what makes the deck so good. The support units play a big role in how well the deck performs and allow you to cripple your opponent's field at little to no cost to yourself.
"But, Stills. 13000 Power is op. How can I magic number against that?"
18000 power columns allow you to force 10k worth of guard from a crossride. Do you know what can make 18k columns easily? Every single clan in the game. Every clan has at least 1 10000 power Grade 2 unit and an 8000 power booster. Not to mention, many clans run 10000 power Grade 3 units, as well. Stop crying about the game and do your part to prepare for those 13000 targets.
Bear in mind, units have costs to use their skills, too. Playing against the new Ezel? Do your best to keep them out of that Limit Break 5 Range. Playing against DOTE? Make sure they don't have 2 damage to flip and block their damn Bellicosity Dragons. Play smart, build smart, and make the most of the resources in your hand and field. I know you can do it.
I apologize for this, but it's something I really need to get off my chest. I'll have an actual article up later in the week.
Thanks for reading, and may you always pull SPs from your boxes.
-Stills
Myself? I don't see a problem.
Sure, Crossrides are phenomenal, seeing as they have a juicy 13000 defensive power if the previous incarnation is in the soul. In addition, most of them have pretty neat skills that fit the flavor of such powerful units. There are arguments that crossrides overcentralize the meta, and that clans with non-crossride units just can't compete.
Bullshit.
I'll concede that American players, by and large, tend to stick with decks they know will win. Especially if these past WCQs are any indication. Many people played Gold Paladins, and they represented the majority of decks played at every regional event. People assume that when set 5 is released, the same will happen to Kagero (Dragonic Overlord the End) decks. No matter where I go, I have seen arguments of "DOTE is broken. Pls fix QQ." Except for one thing: it really isn't. When I play against DOTE decks, I'm not afraid of that specific unit. In fact, I'd rather my opponent get that persona blast off 3 times in a game rather than nuke my boosters with Kimnara or scorch my intercepts with Berserk Dragon. DOTE is only a part of what makes the deck so good. The support units play a big role in how well the deck performs and allow you to cripple your opponent's field at little to no cost to yourself.
"But, Stills. 13000 Power is op. How can I magic number against that?"
18000 power columns allow you to force 10k worth of guard from a crossride. Do you know what can make 18k columns easily? Every single clan in the game. Every clan has at least 1 10000 power Grade 2 unit and an 8000 power booster. Not to mention, many clans run 10000 power Grade 3 units, as well. Stop crying about the game and do your part to prepare for those 13000 targets.
Bear in mind, units have costs to use their skills, too. Playing against the new Ezel? Do your best to keep them out of that Limit Break 5 Range. Playing against DOTE? Make sure they don't have 2 damage to flip and block their damn Bellicosity Dragons. Play smart, build smart, and make the most of the resources in your hand and field. I know you can do it.
I apologize for this, but it's something I really need to get off my chest. I'll have an actual article up later in the week.
Thanks for reading, and may you always pull SPs from your boxes.
-Stills
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
A Players Guide to Surviving Regionals
Now I have been going to tournaments for years, and I always loved the experience, however over the years I have learned that regionals are nothing like normal tournaments, and I have been astounded by how easy it is to get messed up (and if you read my tournament report, you can see I still have not gotten the hang of regionals myself) and make stupid mistakes. Not only that, but because Bushiroad runs tournaments differently, and because of the relative newness, I have seen players saying many cruel and downright wrong things towards the company. And I have seen many sad and unfortunate incidents that result in game losses or DQ's that could have been easily avoided, so it is my hope to help make the tournaments easier for each player, because I sure wish I had a guide before I went to Chicago regionals.
Now you are going to be sitting down to write out your decklist. This is one of the most annoying, important, difficult things you can possibly imagine, because you have to be incredibly specific for Bushiroad, you can't half ass anything or use shortcuts like in MtG or Yugioh. The deck list in this game have lots of quirks.
List all 50 cards (This seems obvious, but I saw a DQ because of this, count, count , count. Check three times, if you have friends, have them check your count, it is always painful to see a DQ because of this, and it happens too often)
List in order of the Grades, leave a blank line when you move to a new grade (This is not mandatory, but it is incredibly helpful for the judges, and for yourself on double checking)
Give starting Vanguard (if not recycling trigger) its own line (It just helps a lot) (and seriously, dont forget this, so many people do)
Go from the cards with the highest quantity to lowest (If you have 4 copies make it first listed, then 3 copies, then 2. Helps you double check and helps the judges check)
Make sure to list each card by its different rarity ( This is the most obnoxious of the rules, but it is their decision. For instance I had to list my Lozenge magus as BT01-En## and my SP one as BT01-SP-## on two different lines, it was annoying, but you can get in trouble, so make sure to do it)
Make sure to write out the whole name of a card (In Yugioh (and I think MtG) you just have to write so there can be no doubt about what it is, in this game every part is important, you cant have any doubt, the judges want everything from name to ID on it. )
After that the top 8 players are moved to one table where 1st faces 8th, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 , in an enclosed area with a judge for every game to watch and maintain the game. There will be a table width distance for spectators to watch, so they can't actively affect too much. Unlike during the main round where they can be within a few feet of players.
If you do get here, don't psych yourself out, be prepared, keep calm, keep simple, and don't freak out. Also, don't get too content. At the point I hit the top 8 I was content (I had been told they finished after round 7, and was too tired and hungry to realize that was wrong) and honestly too hungry and tired to be focused. I played bad the whole game, didn't think through stuff, and got trounced badly.
Finishing up
The Night Before
Assuming you get there a night before at the hotel, this is an important time. Usually the lobby will have a bunch of players around, take advantage of that, playtest against them. It will widen your experience, and give you an idea of what to expect, learn other decks and other playstyles.
Also make sure to eat well the night before, and get lots of sleep. Many people forget these two (ourselve included) and it can be a deciding factor.
Also make sure to eat well the night before, and get lots of sleep. Many people forget these two (ourselve included) and it can be a deciding factor.
The Tournament and Preparation
First lets start with how the tournament actually is run, because Bushiroad does it differently than most, it is a:
Single match
Single match
Double elimination
Now, the single match is obvious, you play a single game, which is different than most games that do best 2-out-of-3, it has its fault and makes the risk of grade locking a little more terrifying, however it also allows rounds to be consistently put at 20 minutes, which is extremely nice to move things along in a timely fashion. However, an important thing to note is that whether or not you agree with it, complaining loud and proud for all to hear does not do anything (although, if you sing loud and proud for all to hear, it does spread christmas cheer).
Now, the single match is obvious, you play a single game, which is different than most games that do best 2-out-of-3, it has its fault and makes the risk of grade locking a little more terrifying, however it also allows rounds to be consistently put at 20 minutes, which is extremely nice to move things along in a timely fashion. However, an important thing to note is that whether or not you agree with it, complaining loud and proud for all to hear does not do anything (although, if you sing loud and proud for all to hear, it does spread christmas cheer).
The second important part is that it is double elimination. This means you play up to 7 rounds, however, if you lose twice then you are knocked out. This is very different from the traditional Swiss in which you play every round. With this system the tournament grows smaller and smaller. The biggest difference though, that many players do not understand, is that when cutting to top 8 your tie breakers are not based on who you lost to, but to who you beat.
To explain, normally in swiss if you go 6-0, and lose the final round, you are usually guaranteed a spot because you only lost to an undefeated, however that doesn't matter in DE.
If you go 6-0, but every single person you beat loses their next game and is immediately booted from the tournament, they offer poor tiebreakers.
On the flip side, someone else could lose round 1 , and make it to round 7 winning it, and if all of the people he beat also made it to round 7, that offers him great tie breakers.
To explain, normally in swiss if you go 6-0, and lose the final round, you are usually guaranteed a spot because you only lost to an undefeated, however that doesn't matter in DE.
If you go 6-0, but every single person you beat loses their next game and is immediately booted from the tournament, they offer poor tiebreakers.
On the flip side, someone else could lose round 1 , and make it to round 7 winning it, and if all of the people he beat also made it to round 7, that offers him great tie breakers.
I have seen many confused on this, because they are use to other games, and it is important to note. Just because you win your last game round 7 does not guarantee you top 8.
Before the Tournament (On the day of)
Now you have a lot to do before the tournament, which many people just don't anticipate. The first thing is to prepare fully, and safely. First things first, before anything else, take a shower or at least use deodorant and brush your teeth, among any other necessary hygienics. You will be in a room with a bunch of people packed close together, and the not-showered-for-three-days thing won't cut it. Many people skip this, and it is noticeable all the time.
Next, you need to pack your supplies First you want you deck (obviously) , the best thing to do is put your deck (and only your deck, no other cards) in its own deck box that can easily be kept on your person, and extra sleeves in the deck box. Then have your wallet, and any other personal belongings securely on you in your pockets.
In a bag (or however you want to carry if) you want to have snacks, you wont have much free time, and you will get hungry ( take it from me, going hours not eating is a bad plan), and you will love the snacks. Also keep your trade binder if you want to do trades in between rounds. Keep in mind that during the tournament your best bet is to keep as little on you as possible, people are dirty rotten thieves so the more you have the more they will try and steal. Keep as little with you as possible, never leave it out of your sight, and keep vigilant and cautious about the whereabouts of your possessions at all times. Checking every two or three minutes to make sure all your possessions are accounted for is the best way to avoid theft. And if you have a way to attach them to your person, all the better. (If you have a backpack, and set it down during the match, put your ankle through one of the straps, if it is moved then you will feel it, inconvenient at times, but helpful. )
In a bag (or however you want to carry if) you want to have snacks, you wont have much free time, and you will get hungry ( take it from me, going hours not eating is a bad plan), and you will love the snacks. Also keep your trade binder if you want to do trades in between rounds. Keep in mind that during the tournament your best bet is to keep as little on you as possible, people are dirty rotten thieves so the more you have the more they will try and steal. Keep as little with you as possible, never leave it out of your sight, and keep vigilant and cautious about the whereabouts of your possessions at all times. Checking every two or three minutes to make sure all your possessions are accounted for is the best way to avoid theft. And if you have a way to attach them to your person, all the better. (If you have a backpack, and set it down during the match, put your ankle through one of the straps, if it is moved then you will feel it, inconvenient at times, but helpful. )
Important notes-
You are given paper mats to use, which work well, however you can bring your own mat and use it if given permission, but it can be a bit of a hassle, your choice to bring it. I personally chose to skip, because I like to travel super light, but Scott brought his and had no trouble.
You are given paper mats to use, which work well, however you can bring your own mat and use it if given permission, but it can be a bit of a hassle, your choice to bring it. I personally chose to skip, because I like to travel super light, but Scott brought his and had no trouble.
While being a little paranoid concerning your possessions is smart, being an asshole and rude and treating every person like a thief is not, be smart, be suspicious, but do not be rude.
I couldn't fit this into the above segments, but if you can print out the comprehensive rules and floor rules
and keep them on you during the tournament. Read and memorize them too. If any issues come up, or you think a ruling you are getting is wrong, point them out with them.
I couldn't fit this into the above segments, but if you can print out the comprehensive rules and floor rules
and keep them on you during the tournament. Read and memorize them too. If any issues come up, or you think a ruling you are getting is wrong, point them out with them.
Arriving and Signing up
Now, I will preface this part with the fact that I don't know for sure if this is how every regional is working like this, but it is fully based on my experiences.
Assuming the tournament starts at 10, you really really want to arrive as close to 8 as possible (9 is absolute latest, if you arrive even 2 minutes late to sign up at 10:02 you cannot sign up) . My team arrived at 8:40 (a result of staying awake too late the night before, seriously, 11-12, get to bed asap, sleep is important) and the line was probably 100+ people long. It stretched through the entire edge of the room, out to the hall. You want to get there early as possible, to get to the front as soon as possible. Either way you will go through the line until you get to the pre-reg line (Always pre-reg, always) and at the front desk they will give you a goody bag, and then you show them your Id to prove you are who you say, and get your block and player number (I was c-215), and a decklist paper and round paper.
Also, while in the line, or before you get in line, or any time before reaching the front deck I highly suggest you sort your deck fully by grade or by each card so that writing your deck list can be easier. It helps a lot, let me write mine and get it done much faster than other members of my team.
Now the goody bag has a few awesome things. At Chicago we got the usual free deck box we got a manga, DVD, a card box that can hold up to 3 deck boxes and a few more singles, but most importantly you get a pen. This pen will be your lifeline, they tell you that you only get one and to take care of it, and that is incredibly true. I lost mine, and regretted it the entire night.
Now the goody bag has a few awesome things. At Chicago we got the usual free deck box we got a manga, DVD, a card box that can hold up to 3 deck boxes and a few more singles, but most importantly you get a pen. This pen will be your lifeline, they tell you that you only get one and to take care of it, and that is incredibly true. I lost mine, and regretted it the entire night.
Now you are going to be sitting down to write out your decklist. This is one of the most annoying, important, difficult things you can possibly imagine, because you have to be incredibly specific for Bushiroad, you can't half ass anything or use shortcuts like in MtG or Yugioh. The deck list in this game have lots of quirks.
Your Decklist and Pairing sheet
List all 50 cards (This seems obvious, but I saw a DQ because of this, count, count , count. Check three times, if you have friends, have them check your count, it is always painful to see a DQ because of this, and it happens too often)
List in order of the Grades, leave a blank line when you move to a new grade (This is not mandatory, but it is incredibly helpful for the judges, and for yourself on double checking)
Give starting Vanguard (if not recycling trigger) its own line (It just helps a lot) (and seriously, dont forget this, so many people do)
Go from the cards with the highest quantity to lowest (If you have 4 copies make it first listed, then 3 copies, then 2. Helps you double check and helps the judges check)
Make sure to list each card by its different rarity ( This is the most obnoxious of the rules, but it is their decision. For instance I had to list my Lozenge magus as BT01-En## and my SP one as BT01-SP-## on two different lines, it was annoying, but you can get in trouble, so make sure to do it)
Make sure to write out the whole name of a card (In Yugioh (and I think MtG) you just have to write so there can be no doubt about what it is, in this game every part is important, you cant have any doubt, the judges want everything from name to ID on it. )
Write out your name, your block ID, and other important information on there (I forgot these, and it led to me taking an extra three minutes, which had the line grow 3fold, it was not fun)
Give your deck a fun name (This is least important, but trust me, it is fun. It is something so few games do, and really nice. Plus a nice deck name helps your mood, and a good mood does wonders. "Having the Tom of Your Life" was mine, and just the hilariously fun times of that name made my mood great for the whole tournament)
After that you will have your Round Pairing Sheet, you just need to fill it out with your name, your block number and ID, and mostly the same info you have on the deck list sheet.
Give your deck a fun name (This is least important, but trust me, it is fun. It is something so few games do, and really nice. Plus a nice deck name helps your mood, and a good mood does wonders. "Having the Tom of Your Life" was mine, and just the hilariously fun times of that name made my mood great for the whole tournament)
After that you will have your Round Pairing Sheet, you just need to fill it out with your name, your block number and ID, and mostly the same info you have on the deck list sheet.
Finally, you get in a line, head up to the Judge table, they double check that you wrote down all the important info, and ask you "Did you count 50? Are you sure? Everything is correct?" and make you aware that you can get in big trouble, including a DQ. After that you are ready for...
Last Minute Preparations
Now this is one of the most important parts, because there are quite a few important things that people don't even consider that cause a lot of trouble, and with these simple guidelines can help prevent 90% of all issues I have read about.
At this point you should have anywhere from an hour (if you were super smart and got there really early at about 8) or 20-30 minutes (if you got there around 9 like I did) to damn-near-none (if you were going last minute) you need to do a few important things. The first thing is change your sleeves if you haven't.
At this point you should have anywhere from an hour (if you were super smart and got there really early at about 8) or 20-30 minutes (if you got there around 9 like I did) to damn-near-none (if you were going last minute) you need to do a few important things. The first thing is change your sleeves if you haven't.
Sleeves (Yes, they are so important they get a whole section)
Sleeves are the biggest reason of DQ's I see in any tournament. Sleeves cannot be distinguishable in any way, they cant have dirt on them, they cant have corners messed up, broken sleeves, etc. If any thing is messed up like that they are considered marked (and this is for any tournament scene) and that can get you warnings (and be told to buy new sleeves to replace the illegal sleeves) up to DQ's. It seems harsh, but the Judges have no way to determine if your sleeves were just naturally messed up, or you used it to cheat.
This is easily remedied. Before the tournament (be it at the vendors there, or at your LGS before you come) I suggest buying at least a 60 pack of sleeves. I personally used Player's choice, which had almost no issues at all. But have 60-100 sleeves. Before the first round (earlier in the day works too, but don't open and then play a dozen games with the new sleeves) completely switch into completely new sleeves you just (or previously bought) that have never been opened. While doing this check your sleeves, it can be a hassle, but it is better to make sure you don't have a sleeve with a factory defect (rare but it can happen) that can get you in trouble. When all your sleeves are in good condition and your deck is resleeved, then take at least 10 extra sleeves and put them in your deck box (if you have more and space, put more in) with your deck (and nothing else, your deck and spare sleeves, nothing else in your deck box) .
This is easily remedied. Before the tournament (be it at the vendors there, or at your LGS before you come) I suggest buying at least a 60 pack of sleeves. I personally used Player's choice, which had almost no issues at all. But have 60-100 sleeves. Before the first round (earlier in the day works too, but don't open and then play a dozen games with the new sleeves) completely switch into completely new sleeves you just (or previously bought) that have never been opened. While doing this check your sleeves, it can be a hassle, but it is better to make sure you don't have a sleeve with a factory defect (rare but it can happen) that can get you in trouble. When all your sleeves are in good condition and your deck is resleeved, then take at least 10 extra sleeves and put them in your deck box (if you have more and space, put more in) with your deck (and nothing else, your deck and spare sleeves, nothing else in your deck box) .
Now, sleeves can still get hurt through playing. Shuffle carefully and don't be rough, and if your opponent starts to be rough with their shuffling, ask them to shuffle a little kinder or call a judge to do it for you (it may seem annoying, and is a bit annoying, but you are in a professional environment, take no chances) so that your sleeves remain in good condition. If you notice that a sleeve is broken, suddenly has a distinguishable mark, or any other issues you should set all cards but that one down, tell your opponent that it has an issue, and ask them to wait so you can change it to maintain a fair game state (and I never had to do this mid game, but I would also ask if they would like to have a judge there to be safe, because it is always better safe than sorry.) after that set the card to the side in a spot that both of you can tell it is the distinguishable card, get out a spare sleeve, take the card out in plain view for both to see, and replace the sleeve. Never try to change a sleeve mid game without making sure that your opponent knows what is going on, and that they can see it.
Between rounds check the sleeves, it takes two minutes or so to do a decent check of your sleeves to make sure they are fine, and to replace any busted ones. Two minutes of maintenance each round drops the chances of getting in trouble for marked cards and sleeves down to almost nothing.
One other good idea is to have a second set of spare sleeves (if you didn't opt to buy 2 to begin with, and only had about 10 spares) and if you finish round 7 is to switch into the new sleeves like you did before round 1. That way if you do get into the top 8 you can eliminate any risk of getting in trouble for your sleeves. I didn't do that myself, and I almost got in trouble because my sleeves had a slight bubble that was noticeable (Yes, I need to pay more attention myself, like I said, it is not easy but it is worth it) and I only got off because I was polite (seriously, if you ever have any possible issue arise keep polite and talk to the judges like they are humans, and don't get mad for them doing their jobs, it never helps to treat them like crap because you disagree. This happens too much, and just makes you look terrible, and makes your chances of resolving the issue plummet) and I talked to them, explained I switched sleeves right before round 1, showed them my extras, and they could see that the cards that could possibly be distinguished were of every grade and different units that would not be helpful to know.
Between rounds check the sleeves, it takes two minutes or so to do a decent check of your sleeves to make sure they are fine, and to replace any busted ones. Two minutes of maintenance each round drops the chances of getting in trouble for marked cards and sleeves down to almost nothing.
One other good idea is to have a second set of spare sleeves (if you didn't opt to buy 2 to begin with, and only had about 10 spares) and if you finish round 7 is to switch into the new sleeves like you did before round 1. That way if you do get into the top 8 you can eliminate any risk of getting in trouble for your sleeves. I didn't do that myself, and I almost got in trouble because my sleeves had a slight bubble that was noticeable (Yes, I need to pay more attention myself, like I said, it is not easy but it is worth it) and I only got off because I was polite (seriously, if you ever have any possible issue arise keep polite and talk to the judges like they are humans, and don't get mad for them doing their jobs, it never helps to treat them like crap because you disagree. This happens too much, and just makes you look terrible, and makes your chances of resolving the issue plummet) and I talked to them, explained I switched sleeves right before round 1, showed them my extras, and they could see that the cards that could possibly be distinguished were of every grade and different units that would not be helpful to know.
I want to also address a common complaint about having to take care of sleeves, and that is the argument "But they cost so much" or "Bushiroad just wants you to have to buy from vendors there" And point out that you do not have to do any of this, but also the Judges don't have to give you any leniency when the sleeves are obviously marked (even if not intentional). The rules are there for a reason, and meant to be enforced. They can't make exceptions, or they have no grounds to uphold it when actual cheaters are found. You are going to a professional event, this is not some local tournament, this is a big and professional thing, you need to be on the top of it. Just like you would not go to a professional business meeting in a tank top and jeans, and would wear nice clothes, you should not go to the regional in your casual sleeves. If you get to the regional 8 dollars for a set of 60 Players Choice should serve you fine (They did me at least, and came in good colors) , if you are really broke 5 dollars will get your Ultra pro (which are worse made, have less extra meaning you have to buy a second set of 50 if anything happens, and you have to put them on upside due to the watermark) sleeves there. If you want to truly be prepared, pony up 20 dollars for either 2 players choice to avoid any trouble, or you can buy 1 set of bushiroad official sleeves (53 sleeves, have a random unit on it, and look and feel fantastic) with Bushiroads official second layer sleeves (Clear sleeves that go over your official sleeves, 50 of them, keep the sleeves in great condition) and you will have next to no issues for the entire tournament.
Important notes and summary-
New sleeves are great sleeves
Don't skimp on sleeves, spend that cash
Check check check your sleeves , over and over
Have friends check your sleeves
Be careful with your sleeves
Pay attention
Communication with your friends
Now this is something I realized after that my Team and I needed to do, and that is to come up with a plan of action in between rounds. When it ended we did not fully elaborate on what we were doing. For my issues, Stills and Scott both finished round 1 early (I took a while because my opponent, while new and pretty easy of a game, I helped teach him how to play it better and some rules) and went up to our room to get snacks, however we all settled on getting our own snacks. We should have had it so that the first ones to finish grabbed everyone their snacks, and I may not have starved myself (Look, OTT play long games when you play like me, you never get time to get food, and I forgot to ask for some.) (Seriously , don't starve yourself, ask friends to get you food) . Come up with set places to meet up after each round to discuss what happened in your games, trade out tricks and tips you learn for facing certain match ups (my team never got practice against SDD, so we traded tricks the whole time, and Young Neil and I traded tricks to playing OTT we found during the tournament), establish what is going on, who has what records, where to meet up between the next round. Set up agreements on trading and other stuff (For instance, since I was doing well I let Stills take my trade binder and do trades for me). Communicate for all of this, and keep phones on you the entire time, make sure everyone has everyone elses number, and check your phone constantly (not during the game though) especially if you are in an unfamiliar area. Anything could happen, and you need to be careful and safe, even if it is just a card tournament.
The action starts
Right about now the action should be starting. This is a part that is annoying, because of obvious limits in funds. Since Bushiroad is hosting this free, and this is their first time in states (which many times you can tell they are setting up and still getting their footing on running it here) they put out pairings much differently than most companies. They will take your pairing sheets that you filled out earlier, they put them in order of match standings (which at this point are all 0-0, but later will be x-0, then x-1) and randomly put them down at each seat of whichever block you are in. They will call out "Number c-215 (or other number) as they place it out, going down by each two seats. One Judge laying it out, another calling it. This has an advantage of being much quicker since they are not having to enter everything into a computer to prepare for the next round (usually they could set up next round within 10 minutes of the end of a round, instead of most tournaments half hour), however this is also a bit haphazard and can get awkward fast with 4 judges (or more) yelling out names and numbers. At first this takes about 10-15 minutes, but the further the tournament goes on, the quicker it goes.
Soon you will be sat down, and the Head Judge will explain the procedure. First, during each round you decide who starts (I kept a 20 sided die on me at all times, using a nice necklace that held it) , then each player shuffles their deck, they offer their deck to the opponent to cut. After first cuts, both players draw 5 cards. Clearly communicate how many cards you wish to return, shuffle them back in the deck, and repeat the other steps. After both players have cut again you draw back up to 5, and wait.
Now the judge will make sure everyone has their 5 cards and have done their mulligan, the head judge will ask "Is A block ready?" and if every player has their final 5, the A block judge will give a thumbs up. This continues until every block is set. At this point the HJ explains the last few things, basic stuff to know during the tournament, and then says "To keep in spirit of the anime, for this first round when we start, I want everyone to flip up their vanguard and go 'stand up, the vanguard' like they do. You don't have to do this later, but I would like it for this first time to start the tournament. " although, through the rest of the tournament this happened each round, and it was a pretty fun and wonderful thing to do.
At this point you will actually play your opponent, you have 20 minutes for the round, at 10 minutes, 5 minutes, and I believe 1 minute they will announce how long is left in the round.
Now the judge will make sure everyone has their 5 cards and have done their mulligan, the head judge will ask "Is A block ready?" and if every player has their final 5, the A block judge will give a thumbs up. This continues until every block is set. At this point the HJ explains the last few things, basic stuff to know during the tournament, and then says "To keep in spirit of the anime, for this first round when we start, I want everyone to flip up their vanguard and go 'stand up, the vanguard' like they do. You don't have to do this later, but I would like it for this first time to start the tournament. " although, through the rest of the tournament this happened each round, and it was a pretty fun and wonderful thing to do.
At this point you will actually play your opponent, you have 20 minutes for the round, at 10 minutes, 5 minutes, and I believe 1 minute they will announce how long is left in the round.
This is the basic way that each round will go. It is important to remember multiple things during each round. First is be polite and have fun, don't go into it too stressed, the stress will throw you off badly. Introduce yourself before anything, even if both names have been said, and wish your opponent good luck and to have fun, that small politeness makes the game much better. Also, you can save time by each of you trading your Player Standing sheets, writing your name and block number on it.
During the games communicate everything "I will block this much, that puts my VG at 25000, to your vanguards 18000, making it a x trigger pass, do you agree?" makes it so their are no miscommunications, if you say things like this they need to correct you if there is a trigger or effect forgotten (like say a Shamsiel, or CEO that is currently at 14000) both players can be reminded of it, and if they agree it is at 10000 power when it is 14000 they can't suddenly trick you by hoping you forgot (which is a fair strategy, they don't have to tell you of the boosts, even if it polite to) , when you talk and state each units power they need to correct you, or they can get in trouble for lying about their units power. Communicating will eliminate many issues, and prevents your opponent from gaining any advantages they can.
If you do end up noticing that someone forgot a power up, both need to talk it over, and if it is easily fixable ("I forgot that this unit was actually 15000, not 10000, you need an extra 5k to guard" ) and you can both fix it, then resolve the issue. Otherwise call a judge to try and fix the gamestate best as possible.
If you do end up noticing that someone forgot a power up, both need to talk it over, and if it is easily fixable ("I forgot that this unit was actually 15000, not 10000, you need an extra 5k to guard" ) and you can both fix it, then resolve the issue. Otherwise call a judge to try and fix the gamestate best as possible.
During the game, also be polite, don't rub wins in the opponents face, don't complain and insult them if you lose ("You should have lost, you have no skill , you just got lucky") , don't get angry because of bad luck. Just have fun and enjoy the game, even if you are losing, this may be a competitive and professional scene, but that does not mean that you can't have fun and make friends.
After you finish the game, you will call a judge, they will make sure on each players sheet has their opponents name, their player ID, and if you won or lost. They will then ask "Do you agree Player 1 lost, do you agree player 2 lost" to both people, sign the papers, collect them, and send you on your way until next round.
At this point you can look at the main judge table, it will have a sign saying "Next round starts at <time> " to give you an idea of how long you have free time. With this free time you should check your sleeves over (This is so important it needs repeating), you should pile shuffle your deck once or twice to prepare for next round (To have it as shuffled as possible) and then you can do whatever you have time to do. You can check out vendors, you can trade with other players, you can just walk around, or get some food so you don't starve yourself (If you haven't caught on, this is really bad too).
Important notes-
Pile shuffle your opponents deck is a good strategy, especially because it allows you to psych them out, make sure they have 50 card decks, and to fully make sure they couldn't have stacked in any way.
Seriously, be polite and have fun, the worst players are those who are rude, have fun and dont be a jerk.
Round 7 Ends
Okay, because this is also a little different to some people, and if you're like me you never have been to a top 8, this will help. After round 7 there will be about 20 minutes break as they figure out who made the top 8. Now, just because you won round 7 does not mean you got top 8 (unless you have a perfect record) so don't get too excited (like I did) . If you did win, prepare your deck with new sleeves if you have them, just in case.
They will then announce top 8, starting with the 8th seed, going to 1st seed. You will hand in your deck to a judge, who will sort through it, check it to your decklist (which is where the writing everything legibly and every card well comes into place) to make sure you have 50 cards, and all the different ones you said. They will then check your sleeves too.
They will then announce top 8, starting with the 8th seed, going to 1st seed. You will hand in your deck to a judge, who will sort through it, check it to your decklist (which is where the writing everything legibly and every card well comes into place) to make sure you have 50 cards, and all the different ones you said. They will then check your sleeves too.
After that the top 8 players are moved to one table where 1st faces 8th, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 , in an enclosed area with a judge for every game to watch and maintain the game. There will be a table width distance for spectators to watch, so they can't actively affect too much. Unlike during the main round where they can be within a few feet of players.
If you do get here, don't psych yourself out, be prepared, keep calm, keep simple, and don't freak out. Also, don't get too content. At the point I hit the top 8 I was content (I had been told they finished after round 7, and was too tired and hungry to realize that was wrong) and honestly too hungry and tired to be focused. I played bad the whole game, didn't think through stuff, and got trounced badly.
Free Play
Hey guys, Stills here taking over for this section, since that sacky motherfucker made top 8 and couldn't actually participate in the free play event. Meanwhile, I scrubbed out in Round 4 and had plenty of time to grab myself some sexy promo cards.
So after, you lose twice, you have the option of sticking around and doing free play. This event started at an unspecified time during the tournament (I didn't catch when, but they should have it on the info page for the tournament.) and lets you play to get some more promos in addition to the Knight of Steel Blade, Caradoc you got for entering. Play 2 games, and you get a Dragonic Vanisher. Play 4, and you get Sphere Magus. Everyone wants Sphere Magus. People will jump you as soon as you get out of the promo line to try and get yours. Use this to your advantage and try and get 20-25 worth of trades for it if you aren't gonna use it in a deck.
To register for free play, you just get in the proper line for it. Once you reach the front, the judges will give you a score sheet and pair you up with someone. The two of you will go off and play a game, then you'll both get back in line together. I can't stress how important it is to get back in line with your opponent, as the judges will not initial your score sheet if both players are not present. After getting your sheet signed, the judges will pair you up with another person. You will do this 4 times. Around 4PM, they rolled out the promos and another line started to claim those. After that, feel free to derp around, play more games (Nubatama 3-1, bitches!), or go check out the Vendors. If your friends are in Top 8, I recommend going over to cheer them on.
So after, you lose twice, you have the option of sticking around and doing free play. This event started at an unspecified time during the tournament (I didn't catch when, but they should have it on the info page for the tournament.) and lets you play to get some more promos in addition to the Knight of Steel Blade, Caradoc you got for entering. Play 2 games, and you get a Dragonic Vanisher. Play 4, and you get Sphere Magus. Everyone wants Sphere Magus. People will jump you as soon as you get out of the promo line to try and get yours. Use this to your advantage and try and get 20-25 worth of trades for it if you aren't gonna use it in a deck.
To register for free play, you just get in the proper line for it. Once you reach the front, the judges will give you a score sheet and pair you up with someone. The two of you will go off and play a game, then you'll both get back in line together. I can't stress how important it is to get back in line with your opponent, as the judges will not initial your score sheet if both players are not present. After getting your sheet signed, the judges will pair you up with another person. You will do this 4 times. Around 4PM, they rolled out the promos and another line started to claim those. After that, feel free to derp around, play more games (Nubatama 3-1, bitches!), or go check out the Vendors. If your friends are in Top 8, I recommend going over to cheer them on.
Finishing up
After about 2 or so more hours, the whole tournament will be over. They do closing ceremonies and everyone talks and celebrates. After that you are free to goof around, talk to people, this is usually the best time to do trades and fun games.
At this point, just enjoy the fact that you have finished your regional, and I hope you had a blast. From here go and hang out with friends, or head home, do whatever, and I hope you had some awesome times and got some awesome memories.
I hope this helped, and I am sorry for some random issues here, I will be editing it, and so will Stills, if anyone has any good ideas or important parts they believe I missed that can help at these, feel free to tell me, any and all help is appreciated. But for now, this Straw Hat, signing off!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Deckbuilding 101 With Stills
So, you just decided to pick up Vanguard and bought yourself a trial deck. Or perhaps you netdecked a list off the internet and built that. You didn't put much thought into it, mainly because the source you got it from assured you that it was a good build. Over time, though, you will undoubtedly want to build a deck on your own, maybe for a Clan you've never played with before. At first you might think that deckbuilding is easy. After all, this is Vanguard. It's not like there's any amount of complex thought that goes into making a deck. You just load up with all the shiny cards and go to town, just like in Yu-gi-oh!
Of course, as any experienced Vanguard Fighter can tell you, this just isn't the case. Vanguard is surprisingly deep, despite the gigantic luck factor involved with it. There are some things you really need to think about when building a deck, and some of these are things you might overlook the first time you do so. This article is designed to give a set of guidelines for both newcomers and experienced players alike to help build better decks.
Before we begin, I do want to say that this is by no means the definitive way to make decks and, indeed, your method might be different. If it is, let me know! I'd love to hear about the things you do when you try to make a deck, maybe you'll give me some kind of awesome advice to make my process a lot more streamlined and smooth.
As you may have guessed by this point, the final part of the deckbuilding process is to finish out your list with the Grade 1 units. Grade 1s don't hit very hard on their own, but they're invaluable due to their boost ability, which allows your Grade 2 and Grade 3 units on the front lines to hit harder. Of special note among the Grade 1s are the Perfect Guard units. All of these possess the ability to completely negate an attack against an ally of the same clan for the simple cost of a discard from your hand. Most fighters will run 3-4 of these, and those slots are hardly ever considered wasted. Grade 1s should be chosen as much for their power as for their skills, as they will be the deciding factor in letting your other units hit those juicy magic numbers that all fighters love so much.
Of course, as any experienced Vanguard Fighter can tell you, this just isn't the case. Vanguard is surprisingly deep, despite the gigantic luck factor involved with it. There are some things you really need to think about when building a deck, and some of these are things you might overlook the first time you do so. This article is designed to give a set of guidelines for both newcomers and experienced players alike to help build better decks.
Before we begin, I do want to say that this is by no means the definitive way to make decks and, indeed, your method might be different. If it is, let me know! I'd love to hear about the things you do when you try to make a deck, maybe you'll give me some kind of awesome advice to make my process a lot more streamlined and smooth.
Part 1: Picking a Focus
This might seem like a "well, duh" kind of step, since many experienced players will always have a pretty good idea about what they want to make before they even set foot into the proverbial deck garage, but it's always good to make sure that you have a focus or a "winning image" in mind before you even make the deck. In most cases, it'll be either a playstyle (A Pale Moon deck that focuses on swapping units from the field to soul) or a specific card (a Nova Grappler deck that focuses on Beast Deity, Azure Dragon). Before you go any further, it's good to figure out exactly what you want to do so that you don't deviate from that focus later on down the line. For the purposes of this article, let's make ourselves a Nova Grappler deck.
After looking at the clan page on the Vanguard Wiki, I decided that I want to make a Nova Grappler deck that applies good pressure via Asura Kaiser's skill in order to get more attacks in one turn.
Now that we have picked our focus, it's time to move onto...
Step 2: Your Grade 3 Lineup
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| FINISH HOLD! |
Rather than starting at the bottom, I prefer to start building my deck from the top, with my Grade 3s. Usually, you're gonna want about 7 or 8 Grade 3's in a deck. More than that really starts to mess with your ratios, and I don't recommend that for a beginner. Generally, you're going to want one (or two) units in your deck to be your "main" Vanguard, the card that will be on your Vanguard circle for most of the game. The other Grade 3's should be used as "backup" Vanguards that work just as well (or better) on the Rearguard circle. This is important for 2 reasons. First, having more than half your Grade 3 units with vanguard-only effects mitigates their usefulness. Obviously, you can only have one Vanguard at a time, so having units that work only on the Vanguard circle will reduce the overall effectiveness of your deck, as they basically become Vanilla units when you call them to the Rearguard. There are some exceptions to this rule, but we'll cover those in a later portion.
Back to our Nova Grapplers. Since we want to have a high chance of drawing Asura Kaiser, we're going to max him out and run 4 copies. Also, since his skill relies on checking a Grade 3, we're gonna run 4 more Grade 3 units. After consulting the page, I also decide to run 4 copies of Moai the Great, as he works well as a rear guard and is also my favorite unit in the game. At this stage in the game, our decklist looks like this:
Grade 3 (8)
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Moai the Great
Grade 2
Grade 1
Triggers (16)
Grade 0
Step 3: Check the Drive Trigger
After figuring out your Grade 3s, we'll skip down to the bottom of the list and take care of our triggers and our starting Vanguard. First of all, check out the triggers your clan has available to them. Some clans will have a vast array of options they can run, like Kagero, while some others, like Tachikaze, will only have a few to choose from. Generally, you will be running 4 Heals and at least 4 Criticals, with the other 8 slots taken up by whatever other triggers you decide to use. This is by no means a rule, however, as you can run any trigger spread you want to, so long as your clan has it available. So, you could run a standard 8 Crit/4 Draw/4 Heal or the basic 4 Crit/4 Draw/4 Stand/ 4 Heal. Maybe you'd prefer to play offensively? See if your clan lets you run 10 Crit/2 Draw/4 Heal or even 8 Crit/6 Draw/2 Heal. Trigger spreads can help make your deck unique and can really screw up opponents if they're outside the usual norms.
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| Talk to the hand! |
While you pick your triggers, it's also a good idea to pick your starting Vanguard. This will be the first unit you play on the field, so you should make sure to pick one whose skill you're most comfortable with. Bear in mind that some triggers also have skills that allow them to be used as SVGs, so don't just look at Normal Units when trying to figure this out.
Looking at my Nova Grappler deck, I think back to my original idea for a winning image. In order to constantly build pressure when I attack, I decide to run 6 Critical Triggers (4 Red Lightning and 2 Shining Lady) and 6 Stand triggers (3 Battleraizer and 3 Turboraizer). I also run 4 Heal Triggers because I want to max out my chances of healing when I need it most.
Because I run Battleraizer as one of my triggers, I don't need to pick a starting Vangaurd. Battleraizer's skill is a perfect fit for the SVG position, so I don't need to run another Grade 0. This frees up my deck space a bit for more units when I put in my Grade 1 and 2 Units, meaning I have more options later on down the line. For those of you keeping track at home, the decklist now looks like:
Grade 3 (8)
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Moai the Great
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Moai the Great
Grade 2
Grade 1
Triggers (16)
3x Battleraizer (STAND)
3x Turboraizer (STAND)
3x Turboraizer (STAND)
4x Red Lightning (CRIT)
2x Shining Lady (CRIT)
4x Ring Girl, Clara (HEAL)
4x Ring Girl, Clara (HEAL)
Part 4: Your Utility Units, Grade 2
Grade 2 units are the bread and butter of the deck. Their skills will often be the ones you use the most over the course of the game, and you will find yourself calling them often to your front rearguard circles thanks to their handy intercept ability. Your grade 2 choices will often dictate the way you play the deck as much as if not moreso than your choice of a main vanguard. Morikawa might think that Grade 3s are the strongest units, but Grade 2s are the most versatile.
When choosing Grade 2 units, you're gonna want about 10-12 in your deck. If possible, your Grade 2s should fill the gaps that your triggers fill. For example, if you don't run very many draw triggers, consider running Grade 2 units that allow you to draw cards. In addition, choose units that synergize well with your winning image. If you're playing Spike Brothers, for example, you should probably be running at least a few Highspeed Brakkis so that you can squeeze more attacks into a turn via his soulblast, which returns him to the deck, allowing your Vanguard skills to call more units to the now vacant rearguard circle. Also worth considering are the Especial Intercept units. They have 8000 power, but count for 10000 shield when they intercept. Often, putting one of these on the field is enough to force your opponent to focus his attacks on it, lest he allow you to have a floating 10k shield that you could use at any time.
Back to our Nova Grapplers. With 26 slots left in the deck, I decide to devote 12 spots to my Grade 2 units, leaving 14 for my Grade 1s. Among the Grade 2s I choose are Death Army Lady, who synergizes well with my winning image, Magician Girl Kirara, who covers my weaknesses by letting me draw more cards, and King of Sword, who is my generic 10000 Vanilla Beater. Now, my list looks a bit like:
Grade 3 (8)
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Moai the Great
Grade 2 (12)
4x Death Army Lady
4x King of Sword
4x Magician Girl, Kirara
Grade 1 (14)
Triggers (16)
3x Battleraizer (STAND)
3x Turboraizer (STAND)
4x Red Lightning (CRIT)
2x Shining Lady (CRIT)
4x Ring Girl, Clara (HEAL)
Part 5: Boosting Your Way to Victory
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| Perfect Guard! |
As a basic rule, whenever I first build a deck, I will usually throw in 4 Perfect Guards and 4 8k boosters as a baseline, and fill in the cracks later. I'll do the same for my Grappler deck here. That leaves me with 6 slots I can use for my other Grade 1s, and I eventually decide on a 3/3 Split between my Claydoll Mechanics and Death Army Guys.
Finally, the deck is done. Let's take a look at what we have now.
Grade 3 (8)
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Moai the Great
Grade 2 (12)
4x Death Army Lady
4x King of Sword
4x Magician Girl, Kirara
Grade 1 (14)
3x Claydoll Mechanic
3x Death Army Guy
4x Tough Boy
4x Twin Blader
Triggers (16)
3x Battleraizer (STAND)
3x Turboraizer (STAND)
4x Red Lightning (CRIT)
2x Shining Lady (CRIT)
4x Ring Girl, Clara (HEAL)
Now that we have our deck made, the only thing left to do is...
Part 6: Playtest Like Hell
The only way to know if your deck runs smoothly and to see what runs well and what doesn't is to play games using your deck. Don't just play a few games and feel complacent with the build, really grind the shit out of your deck. Play until you're sick of looking at the cards, take cards out, put new ones in. Remember, there is no such thing as a universally "best" build for a deck, and what works for some people may not work for others. Take the time to really see how well the deck fits your playstyle and don't be afraid to change things up if you need to. When playtesting, it's important to take a look at 3 important factors, all of which should help in determining your final build.
Columns:
As I outlined in my previous article, the numbers your columns can hit is an important consideration to consider when playtesting and even in the early stages of building. You need to be sure that your deck is well-equipped to handle the common threats you will come across. In addition, analyzing your magic numbers will help in determining if you really need to run 4 copies of that 8k booster over other Grade 1 units that might provide more utility. Generally, if you're hitting 1000 or 2000 over those Magics, you should drop some of the 8ks in favor of other Grade 1 units that could help add some much-needed versatility to your deck.
Damage Levels:
As you play, you should begin to notice a comfort zone you prefer when it comes to the amount of damage you let through before you begin to really guard. This comfort zone is something most people think about on a basic level during gameplay as "how much damage I can comfortably take to make my deck run properly." Unlike other games, Vangaurd uses the damage you take as a major resource to make your deck run, so you should find out what level of damage you want to sit on during early, mid, and late game. with the advent of limit breaks, many decks enjoy sitting at 4 damage, while decks without a Limit break tend to prefer 3 to more easily prevent losses due to lucky critical triggers. Generally, you can determine your comfort level based on the number of counterblasts (or Limit Breaks) you have versus your ability to unflip damage. For example, Nova Grapplers tend to not use very many counterblasts and have ways to unflip their damage via Claydoll Mechanic, Red Lightning, and others. Novas can comfortably sit at 2 or even 3 damage while still making judicious use of their Counterblast effects due to this. Other clans, like Kagero, are more counterblast-heavy, and so those players will usually like taking a bit more damage to run well. Identifying your damage range is a good way to understand when to guard and when to let an attack through, and it'll help your game in the long run to learn the general comfort ranges of other clans, as well as the Counterblast costs of some of their most common skills.
Consistency:
Put simply, can your deck do what you want it to 9 times out of 10? If not, you could have a consistency issue. One of the major bonuses playtesting gives you is the ability to identify what works well all the time and what almost never works well. This knowledge allows you to change up your build in order to make it more refined. Need to draw more cards? Change your trigger lineup to include some Draw Triggers. Having trouble hitting vanguards with X power? Alter your boosters to hit those lines easier. Like anything worth doing, finding the right deck build takes time and effort, but it feels great to know that you've won using a deck forged from your own blood, sweat, and tears.
After playtesting the Nova Grapplers, I found that the Stand triggers were really Superflous in a deck that ran Death Army units and Asura Kaiser both, so I took them out in favor of a 8 Crit/4 Draw/4 Heal Lineup. In addition, now that Battleraizer was out as my starting Vanguard, I was forced to use Beast Deity, White Tiger as its replacement. This, in turn, caused me to drop Moai the Great to put in Azure Dragons to allow Tiger's skill to go live. I also futzed around with my G1 and G2 lineup a bit before I found a build that I was happy with, which can be found below.
Stills' Awesome Novas.dek
Grade 3 (8)
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Asura Kaiser
4x Beast Deity, Azure Dragon
Grade 2 (11)
4x Death Army Lady
3x Magician Girl, Kirara
2x King of Sword
2x Brutal Jack
4x Death Army Lady
3x Magician Girl, Kirara
2x King of Sword
2x Brutal Jack
Grade 1 (14)
4x Death Army Guy
4x Twin Blader
4x Claydoll Mechanic
2x Tough Boy
4x Claydoll Mechanic
2x Tough Boy
Triggers (16)
4x Red Lightning (CRIT)
4x Shining Lady (CRIT)
4x Red Lightning (CRIT)
4x Shining Lady (CRIT)
4x Three Minutes (DRAW)
4x Ring Girl, Clara (HEAL)
4x Ring Girl, Clara (HEAL)
Starting Vanguard (1)
Beast Deity, White Tiger
Beast Deity, White Tiger
That's all I have on my thought process here. For those of you who stuck with me to the end, thanks a lot! I hope you enjoyed this read. As always, feel free to message me on either Facebook or Reddit if you want to discuss Vanguard, swap tips, talk about deck builds, or even tell me that I'm a worthless excuse for a human being!
As always, this is Stephen Stills of Team Sex Bob-Omb wishing you happy deckbuilding! And may all your dreams come true!
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