Techfight Theoryguard:Nitpicking Techs for 

OTT & Pale Moon

This short post is just going to point out some cards I've been using lately. The tech cards will benefit Oracle Think Tank and Pale Moon.

- Subclan Crits -

Battle Sister, Muffin, and also Silver Thorn Assistant, Dixie, have a different effect ruling to the usual "If you have X, you may pay the cost". These cards instead let you return the card outright, then check for the required Vanguard. if they do not find that vanguard, they activate as much of the effect as possible; i.e., in this instance, they shuffle the deck. Handy for Silver Thorn and Battle Sister, right?

Well, how about considering using them in other builds across the clans? Magus, Susanoo, Harri and more can benefit in interesting and minute ways from critical stacking in this way.

Naturally, calling Muffin or Dixie straight from hand just to send them back to deck is a pure minus, but there are situations you can work around this, and turn matches in your favour- this wouldn't be the nitpicky-est of tech cards if it wasnt applicable in 95% of your games.

In most OTT builds (RIP OTT, I'll wait for you to get the attention you deserve), you will bully through your deck, drawing and drive checking. With very little deck replenishment available, Muffin may actually be a solution for that last turn when you have a few cards left in deck, and its all or nothing- send back a few Muffin, and you've literally stacked your deck with crits- you've a good chance of seeing them, and you won't deck out. 

Muffin is also nice because her effect might also let OTT decks tech in one of the Battle Sister stride when she's available- sure, the stride herself will be vanilla, but the critical's deck stacking, mass countercharging and slight power gain are nothing to sneeze at, especially considering there is room in the Oracle stride deck. Boy, is there room.

Dixie works in a similar way in Harri or Pure Magia builds, only you're not going to be dropping her often from hand. Instead, you can filter her through the random soulcharges, and turn those unnecessary Cat in High Boots later game calls (not as fun when there's no 5k sweetener) into a crit back to deck, before you activate Milward or Mephisto. 

It's all too easy to be a little overzealous with the Peryton and Cutie Paratroopers in the early to mid game, and deck out is a very real problem if you're not paying complete attention (it happens.) Dixie is forgiving of that.

-Personal Tech-

I might just have not seen many Nightmare Doll decks, so I'm unsure how creative or original this tech is, but Madcap Marionette is an interesting and useful card for Dolls, I find. On call it adds a card from hand to soul. This kind of minus for a specific soulcharge is mostly terrible in most other Pale Moon builds, but in Dolls, it has some nice synergy.

Firstly, he's a Workeroid, making him a friend of Beatrix. Secondly, he's completely optional. Thirdly, 6k isn't terrible in Dolls because he can be placed behind an active Jumping Jill or an Alice and hit for normal numbers.

In Dolls, I find that random soulcharging is never what you want. You want a Ginny in Soul, and Alice in soul, Catherine on VG, and an Alice in Hand or on RG. That's all. Catherine on Ride will give you one of those soulcharges, and Ginny is best ridden or even if you call her she'll swap with an Alice or Soulcharge herself. Beatrix herself can stack your soul if they're on RG, but by the time you stride, it's a little late for set up in Dolls.

Sometimes, things can go wrong. Consistency is shaky in Dolls, and sometimes, you're grateful for Madcap. He's a friend. Also, the drop from hand is fine because you shouldn't really be guarding early game anyway. You want the damage to counterstrike.

That concludes my little list of techs. What cards do you like to use?

- mawile

Sugar, Spice, & Everything Nice:

 Genesis Witches

A decklist and theory guide

*J-Pop Intensifies* 

Grade 0 - 17

Fetter of Leather, Leyding x1

Witch's Familiar, Shiroma (Crit) x4

Lemon Witch, Limonccino (Crit) x4

Dreaming Dragon (Stand) x4

Witch of Big Pots, Laurier (Heal) x4

Grade 1 - 14

Witch of Quill Pen, Onion x4

Witch of Melons, Thyme x4

Witch of Strawberries, Framboise x4

Mythic Beast, Skoll x2

Grade 2 - 11

Black Snake Witch, Chicory x3

Witch of Golden Eagles, Jasmine x4

Witch of White Rabbits, Cardamom x4

Grade 3 - 8

Witch of Eagles, Fennel

White Snake Witch, Mint x4

Grade 4 - 8

Rain Element, Madew x1

Great Angel, Doombrace x3

Witch Queen of Holy Water, Clove x4

Grade 0 Overview

Fairly standard spread, crits help us to end games faster, and with the restacking capabilities of our Legion Vanguard, makes our drive checks likely to show something nasty. 

You might not find me so cute when you see me as often as you're likely to see me.

Shiroma works well, allowing us to selectively soulcharge something from top three- Cardomom/Onion/Camomile/Melissa all excellent choices - then drop the other two to drop, letting us legion faster with no need for any of THOSE turns where we over extend simply to kick our deck off. In tandem with Thyme, who has a largely similar effect, the deck thinning allows us to reach our dangerous state of "I'm all crits and PGs, baby."

Dreaming Dragon is a recent addition for me, it's currently in testing. Stands wouldn't usually work- but with Black Snake Witch being an inherently good target, and with Clove making all witches extra powerful, you can really stand to extend those pressure turns. It is Dreaming Dragon's effect you'll want, however. 

Decking out in Genesis is a very real threat, and a misplay or fighting a stalling deck can spell disaster. Dreaming will remedy this- he'll stop your deck from being the wonderland of crits it should be, but he'll also keep you in the game. So far, he's testing well, doing excellently against decks that can and will stall you out until you have nothing left.

Leyding, our starter, offers a rearguard to field, and then we can re-legion him back for recycled use. Testing will show if Prayer Angel is required for Clove plays, but out of the two, I prefer Leyding.

Grade 1 Summary

Onion is Melissa with clogs on. +2k on call if Witch Vanguard, a la Cardomom. She's a grey wollen jumper of sorts- practical, but fairly vanilla- worth running, naturally, as she's the literal upgrade to poor Melissa, and her +2k makes her a 21k column naturally on call with a Black Snake Witch or with an active Jasmine. Her "9k for a turn" also means she could be called front row if RG are reaaaally tight. Just something to think about.

I don't think Thyme herself even knows what is going on here. Very Melon indeed.

Thyme works like Shiroma, although she doesn't restack herself and replace herself with a card. She functions similarly- stack that soul, deck thin like crazy, so you can make the deck a manipulated pile of crits.

Stride fodder is fairly standard- you'll use Mint often too- Fennel is golddust and must be rode often to loop the deck, but having more opportunity to go into Clove is a good idea.

Grade 2 Summary

Jasmine can be 12k if you want, and she can give +3 soul for 1CB if you're super desperate. She's handy. Black Snake Witch is Mint's legion mate, and her 12k attacking status makes her good for rushing, not much else to say here, besides her easy 19k/21k with your G1s makes her real nice for RG sniping.

Finding it hard to be funny about this card. Think she's got rabies THERE I DID IT

Cardie is your friend. When you soulblast, she'll make herself appear for a counterblast.The population is super handy for our propensity for beating on down, and being 11k for a turn doesn't hurt. She's also handy because if your opponent is targeting your front row rearguards (and they should, because Genesis Witch will beat them down if they don't start to get rid of the powerhouses) she'll replace those with a wiggle of her bunny ears.

There's also the opportunity of getting off extra attacks- Mint, Fennel and Clove activate on/after their attack, so if you really need to push, and don't mind calling over your other rearguards- get yourself an extra lane- Onion and Cardamon are 20k altogether before triggers. Not to be sneezed at.

Grade 3 Summary

Fairly standard line-up. Fennel is the ideal ride, and should be looped endlessly to get that crazy deck you crave. Mint is less optimal now with the arrival of Clove, but if you cannot stride for whatever reason, and you've had to ride Mint- she still keeps up the pressure if you have to use her effect, and she can get you those extra soul charges if you need them.

Fennel Forever. You'll see her over and over again.

Grade 4 Summary

Doom Brace is fun, for starters- if you can't afford the 6 soul cost of Clove, are not using an active Fennel, and want to keep up the tempo while digging for that next Fennel ride, Doom Brace is your guy. His effect can work out as effectively costless, and he can even work as an interesting first stride, to call a few Cardamon and Onion from soul if you've accrued a few and your hand is less than stellar. In short, he's consistent and good.

Madew is a tech option I'm trying, as an emergency precaution. Want to ride Fennel again? Are all your Fennels either in drop, soul or damage? Is at least one in drop? Stride Madew over your current Jasmine Legion Mate, get that Fennel back, and carry on looping- and dig for one extra trigger check, too. Might as well get some crits going on, too. So far, I've not needed Madew, but with the options for our Extra Deck so limited (although still explosive) she can make a cameo appearance quite easily.

Clove hitting the town after getting her highlights done.

Clove, our new ace, is  powerhouse. For 6 soul, she hands out 5k boosts like candy and throws a crit at the opponent, attacking for 31 unboosted. And 43 boosted. 45 if it's a recently called Onion. Her pressure is amazing, and highly affordable. I'm going to test her at 4,but I'm sure that I'm being a little over-eager there. It's unlikely that I'll be able to stride her 4 times in one game, even with Dreaming Dragon replenishing my deck.

- - - 

In short, the Genesis Witch deck may not have been heralded as loudly as Mimi and Sinclair, but they are far from bad- they're a highly consistent, hard hitting crit advantage machine, hiding under the guise of beautifully adorable witches. 

They're going to be fun.

mawile  x

Scarlet Starlets: The Red Witches of Oracle Think Tank

A decklist and theory guide

When it comes to aging well, CoCo could school Loreal. 

Grade 0 - 17

Little Witch, LuLu x1

Nebula Witch, NoNo (Stand) x4

Psychic Bird (Critical) x4

Vanilla Critical x4

Lozenge Magus (Heal) x4

Grade 1 - 14

Emerald Witch, LaLa x2

Divne Sword, Ame-No-Murakumo (Stride Fodder) x4

Arbitrator, Ame-No-Sagiri (PGG) x4

8k Vanilla x4

Grade 2 - 11

Silent Tom x4

Promise Daughter x4

10k Vanilla x3

Grade 3 - 8

Scarlet Witch, CoCo x4

Rose Red Witch, CuCu x4

Grade 4 - 8

Floral Witch Master, MiMi x4

Rain Elemental, Madew x1

Soaring Auspicious Beast, Kirin x1

Sword Deity of the Thunderbreak, Takemikazuchi x2

Let's dive in.

Grade 0 Summary

Everything here is fairly orthodox- crits, LuLu for a draw upon hitting Grade 3, but one card will stand out.

NoNo apparently said "no no" to school, with those spelling errors in her flavor text.

A STAND trigger? In MY Oracle Think Tank?

Call me a heathen, but as we all know, cards with the Witch name help our super handy new stride, and while ideally,you're NOT going to want to send a 10k guard, it can be worth it for the pressure it puts your opponent under. 

Also, her effect is handy for loosing stray cards in soul- want to send more triggers back to deck? Want to make that soul lower so you can reride more Rose and Scarlet Witches to draw more? Want to do all this WHILE also drawing? NoNo's your gal! Hitting her as a trigger works, too, since with the lower handcount your opponent should have, restanding will chip away at that hand- plus, once you get them to 5 damage, Crits will become sadly moot.

Grade 1 Summary

8k Vanillas for Tom, check. PGG to unflip for near constant Scarlet and Rose abuse, check. Ame-no-Murakumo for reliable stride fodder, check. Emerald Witch, LuLu....uh.

That awkward moment when you pick up the fugly-ass wand and style it out because all the cool witches are watching.

Emerald Witch, LaLa. RRR for reasons unknown to anybody. If you can get her, she's a nice addition for MiMi fodder. You'll never use her effect, though. You just don't need to. Ever. Call her only in desperation.

Grade 2 Summary

Yep, four Silent Toms. Unoriginal, I know, but he's still as good as ever, and with Mimi's potential for hand eating, he makes your opponent dance even more to the tune of his....gun. Also, he'll attract all the Rearguard hate, so be sure to stockpile him.

Finger-blasting fun with Tom. Say that 5 times fast. Congratulations, you're now my friend.

Promise Daughter is a test unit for now- she's vastly superior to Tankman Mode Beamcannon, her G-Protege, in terms of effect, viability, and even art - sorry, I'm not into mechas.

But, testing will show how likely this deck is to deck-out, even with Lozenges. If it draws too easy, then Tankman will be the way to go. If not, Promise Daughter will turn that extra hand into easy 21k columns aimed wherever you damn well please. Personally, I like to make my opponent pay extra guard to keep those key Rearguards, and with MiMi and Tom keeping their hand low, Promise may well be a retire unit.

10k vanillas offer early guard against rush, simple. Also, not many other options.

Grade 3 Summary

Scarlet Witch, CoCo is handy as always- the 3 card draw on turn three in tandem with Little Witch, LuLu is extremely handy, and challenges those hoping to Grade 2 stall to out draw her. Then, she's eligible for Madew, which is a handy first stride if you don't have enough witches in hand/want your fodder back immediately.

This whole event is really fun until one of those bunnies lands on your head. Then it's all "lawsuits this" and "lawsuits that".

" [AUTO]:[Counter Blast (1)] When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC), if you have a vanguard with "Witch" in its card name, and the number of cards in your soul is one or less, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw two cards, choose a card from your hand, and discard it. "

Handy, huh? 11k to sit on for lategame, and easy selective draw for 1CB. Calling extra copies of her can be problematic, since you may want to discard her for MiMi, but honestly, she's great support. Super handy, and in tandem with CoCo, gives you that hand you crave, digging for the fodder you want and the Toms you want to crush with.

Grade 4 Summary

Soaring may find itself out of a place soon, depending on how well Madew performs. MiMi at 4 is near staple- you may not pull her off that many times, but she DOES drive the deck, and striding her as often as possible is a definite plus. If in desperation, Thunder Deity makes a nice addition to your hand, should you need it.

We've all had that day where we forget to put on pants and levitate in midair. Let's all just not look, okay?

MiMi drives the deck. Her effect is potent pressure, forcing damage early game, and forcing a loss in advantage late game. Nobody likes to discard cards. Ever. Not without them doing something first, or the process being worthwhile. It gives your opponent a painful dilemma- ditch the Grade 3s without guarding potential, and give up stride fodder/PG fodder/future game options, or discard Grade 1s and 2s, future Rearguard options?

Add Tom into the mix and things get worse. Will they ditch grade 0's, needing the other units for Tom's attack, losing a potential 20k guard from hand?

Worst case scenario here, you're down 1 card, and they're down their previous turn's drive check.

When dealing damage, MiMi thankfully ignores trigger effects, pushing the opponent closer to defeat, heightening Tom and Promise's pressuring capabilities. They either discard those cards to avoid the damage, or take the damage and spend cards to guard further damage.

In short, the deck looks to be pretty fun. Testing will show how well it works, but for now, let's just admire the Red Witches.

mawile x

101 Things to do with Masked Magician, Harry

A Pale Moon article in-progress- Edition No. 1

[AUTO](VC) Generation Break 2 (This ability is active if you have two or more face up G units in total on your (VC) or G zone):When this unit attacks a vanguard, choose up to one card from your soul, call it to (RC), that unit and this unit get [Power]+3000 until end of turn.Magia-[AUTO](VC):[Counter Blast (1)] During your turn, when your G unit Stride, you may pay the cost. If you do, Soul Charge (1), choose up to one card from your soul, call it to (RC), that unit gets [Power]+5000 until end of turn, and at the end of that turn, put the unit called with this effect into your soul.

Now that we're familiar with Harry's nice art and straightforward skill, we can start. The point of this article- and the further articles to come once we've seen more support- will be to discuss all of the most potent combos that Harry can instigate- because, despite the fact that Harry himself does not generate +1 advantage with his on-stride, he does instead offer immediate population, and at GB2, allows you to +1 for free.

Combo 1: Simple Call

Call ANY 9k G2 or 7k G1, into a column with the other. At his most basic, Harry can give you a SC1 and a 21k column, and this is assuming that you've called something which cannot use it's effect- calling something like Daydream Tone, Arnie or Midnight Bunny will up the pressure, allowing that 21k on-hit to either give you what you want, or cost a lot to guard.

On hit Countercharge 2? Sure, I'll just pay 15k guard from hand to stop THAT.

Combo 2: Purple Trapesist Redux

At GB2, On attack, Harry will call a RG permanently from soul, and give it and himself +3k. With this skill, you can populate and add a little pressure power for free, and it's a cute +1. With Purple Trapesist in soul (or GB1 Equivalent, depending on support given), this on attack call can guarantee a fourth attack (yeah, we do it too, Aqua Force) and potentially a nice one at that, making Purple Trapesist hit 9k, and if you run a 12k attacker, that's a 21k column, or if you're running a standard 9k, that's a respectable 18k extra attack- enough for late game pressure units like Arny, to guarantee you even MORE population.

Combo 3: Card Juggler

Using Happiness Collector as a starter is an interesting choice. It remains to be seen how much we'll need the current stand-out Forerunners, Starting Presenter and Girl Who Crossed the Gap, but with this combo at least, Happiness Collector pays her rent and then hints at offering you more in the future.

Thanks for the tickets! Wait, why does she keep coming back-

[AUTO]:Forerunner (When a unit of the same clan rides this unit, you may call this unit to (RC))[AUTO](RC) Generation Break 1 (This ability is active if you have one or more face up G units in total on your (VC) or G zone):[Put this unit into your soul] When your other unit is placed on (RC) from your soul, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw a card, and Soul Charge (1).

So, this combo is a little less straight forward as the others so far, but it's still easy to pull off, and hints at ways that Pale Moon can grab hand advantage.

So, ride/get Egg Juggler to soul. On stride, call Egg Juggler, SC1 for Harry, SB1 for Egg, Send Happiness Collector to soul, SC1, and draw 2 cards, one for Egg, and one for Happiness.

Follow that? Good. The result of such, is a net +1 Soul Charge (since these soulcharges are random, chances are you'll be fine soulblasting for Egg Juggler), 2 cards drawn to hand, and an 11k Egg Juggler (can hit a vanguard by herself if she's alone, or makes a workable column if not), who will return to soul at the end of the turn to be comboed with later. And all this cost 1CB. Bear in mind, this is all before even taking into account what your Stride can do.

Summary

Combos like these are to be expected from the new Pale Moon support, and adding cards like Betty to the equation only serve to push a little harder. We're waiting on Magia support, as at the time of writing  Betty can only call copies of Harry himself from soul, but we know that currently, she can at least push for a 4th attack for CB1. Despite not knowing the vast majority of the support we're due to get, we'd best hope for a way to filter soul, and get the cards we WANT in there.

mawile x

Lore Post:

The Real Outlaw Witches of United Sanctuary

Cue cheesy reality TV opening title sequence

"I love what you've done with this room, Fianna. You use Pinterest or something?"

I swear after this post, I'll never mention Witches again for like a few days - in this post, I'm going to be discussing the Lore and backstory of the Shadow Paladin Witch subclan, a clan made up of a strong sisterhood, and a strong desire to really dabble in magic that others steer well clear of. SP Witches are pioneers of new magic, researching, experimenting- and some committing crimes so heinous they needed to turn to Shadow Paladin to conceal them from the rest of the United Sanctuary.

As a whole, the witches are described as those lucky few who have access to dabble and excel in the art of magic- a long time ago, the witches of the United Sanctuary were almost one- but those Witches who developed magic for the good of all, focusing on healing and nature, joined Genesis, while other Witches, who were intelligent, curious, but also savage and egotistical, joined Shadow Paladin. Some, like Goewin and Nemain, join sub factions and troops, while others, like Fianna and Femme, are reclusive, staying in their homes. But don't mistake them for docile magi.

Fianna and Femme are an interesting duo- Fianna is the elder sister, and she's a pioneer of experimental magic. The duo are also incredibly old- Fianna herself is a friend of Luquier, and they go back years. Fianna's magical prowess is so advanced that legend states that she can take on a dragon using only body modification magic. She also seems to be quite the mischievous soul- she speaks in a way to misguide others intentionally.

While Femme, looking at her artwork, her demure appearance (when compared to her sister) and lower stance may indicate that she is meek, or coy- this is not the case. Femme is an expert in research, in her own right, and is described as someone who likes to stay in her home, hidden away from the rest of society. The reason for this, is that Femme is a criminal- once, years past, she enveloped an entire city in a hallucinogenic fog, altering the recognition ability of the public for some time after. This was simply one of her experiments. She is considered highly wanted, and is considered dangerous- and rightly so.

Another witch of age and stature is the Witch of Cultus, Rias, a magi with a love for different rituals and cult phenomena. She actively practices these forbidden spells, while her colleague, Deirdre, records the results for posterity. While there is no evidence that Rias is wanted- it's highly likely that this witch who gleefully practices summoning all manner of evil for an experiment is an enemy of the state.

"Uh, Rias, I really don't think we should be doing this- I mean, I've seen this demon before."

Finally, we reach the topic of familiars. For an animal to become a Witches' familiar, to help her channel mana and assist her with her magical duties, the animal must be blessed by a deity. In Genesis, and Oracle Think Tank, the Witches actions are sanctioned, and blessings are granted. As no deity will bless an animal for the Shadow Paladin outlaw witches, instead, they make do with objects and dolls, animated by magic.

Think Five Nights at Freddy's, only they're there to help. 

Kuroma is one example, but he's been described as a capable helper, but also a little annoying, with it's sharp tongue and cruel laughter.

And there we go! We've met a few more of the witches. Wasn't that nice? The game feels so much richer when you take the lore into account, doesn't it? What's that? It doesn't? Stick to card reviews and deck builds? Well, okay then. 

You're the boss!

mawile   x

Character Assessment (SPOILERS OF UP TO END OF LINK JOKER SEASON)

"You Remind Me of a Caged Bird"

I think we can all agree that when we were first introduced to Toshiki Kai, we were almost constantly glaring at him (even if we did have an appreciation for the appearance of what we were staring at). Your immediate response to him is most likely, at best, a reflection of how he would probably treat you - cold and disdainful indifference. At worst, a Kamui-esque explosive confrontation. Especially compared to Aichi's usual unconditional acceptance, Kai is far from being warm. Even I, a very hearty Kai fan from early in season 1, was wary and wearied by his rude distance.

But then we learned about his past. We were presented with a list of all the things no human being should have to endure, and all of them directed at a little boy with a tendency for self-deprecation. I will fully admit now that I bawled myself silly in that episode. All this time, Kai had been tearing into himself in anger and frustration and hate, and all everyone else was doing is giving their own dose of the same. No wonder he keeps most people at arm's length; he's only protecting himself. 

Both the episode of Kai's past and my own (very recent) experience of depression have helped me understand him on a more personal level. My overactive imagination means that not only do I find it easy to connect with characters, but they become my imaginary friends, living out my life alongside me, and giving and receiving commentary just like any friendship group would do. My earliest heartfelt "interactions" with Kai included me throwing myself at his feet and soaking his school shirt with my tears as I wail out my apologies and sympathies and that I think he's the strongest person I've ever met.

But if there is anyone who is still confused about why he is as he is, let me try to explain, using examples from the own life, too. 

By his own admission, he was very close to his parents - "Losing them didn't just hurt; it shattered my entire life to pieces." When two people who had been so supportive of him before were gone, he was alone, made even worse by the fact that he moved away. I've no doubt that his uncle and whatever family he had there did their absolute best to support him, but when you're in a dark place, you need familiarity and closeness and people who would just be there for you (like Miwa). When Tetsu and Ren came along, that was what was offered, and eventually received, which was wonderful. But did you notice that Ren and Tetsu were the ones to approach him? I can almost guarantee you that if they hadn't taken initiative, Kai would have remained alone. When you feel alone and feel like that's all you'll ever achieve again, you will just lie on the floor, taking naps to avoid the world. Even when you intellectually know that company is probably the best thing for you at that moment, it can be nearly impossible - and sometimes completely impossible - to motivate yourself to look for it. 

But he got friends. And he got happier. And then he lost them again. When Kai first witnessed Ren losing himself to Psyqualia, he immediately became wary of him. However, even when Psy-Ren threatened him, that didn't stop him from trying to reach out to his friend. He fought him to try and save him, and immediately reached out to him when he fell. He saved Aichi when he was walking down the same path. His morals wouldn't be moved. Some of you may argue that that isn't true, as demonstrated when he accepted the Reverse of his own volition. But this about his situation; everything in his identity up to that point had been destabilised, and one thing remained: that he was a legendary fighter. Seeing Ren and Aichi in front of him at a similar/higher level than him was destabilising that, too. So Takuto played on that insecurity. When Aichi saved him, it was through convincing him that he wasn't deplorable, that the others didn't hate him but were worried about him. Having people so close to you and so relentless, especially as unconditionally accepting as Aichi and Miwa, can help to pull you out of a pit.

Let me leave you with an image which was true of me in my dark moments and is often true of other people who suffer from depression-like conditions. Kai is a hedgehog. A cute and adorable, harmless little creature. But any sign of danger, and he curls up into an impenetrable ball of spikes. His parents' deaths threatened him because he was alone, so he shut himself off from everyone. Then he slowly began to uncurl under the encouragement of Tetsu and Ren. Then, when Psy-Ren threatened him again, he curled up again. Too many arrows have pierced his soft belly that he's given up on ever uncurling. So he remains a ball of spikes, painful to anyone who approaches him indelicately. But approach him/them unafraid and lovingly, and they uncurl into something beautiful.

So, when Jun compared him to a caged bird, this analogy was wrong...unless Kai himself was holding the key. Aichi, Miwa, Ren, everyone, had walked up to the bars of the cage, and talked to him and smiled at him until he moved closer to them. Eventually he trusted them with the key, and let them let him out into their welcoming arms. 

One Card Spoiler Review; Adored by the Ocean Blue.

From Lord to Legend, A Pirate's Tale

FC2015W Spoiled Card; One Who is Loved by the Seven Seas, Nightmist

It's been rough sailing, being a supporter of Granblue all these years.

I find it difficult not to get sentimental over this clan. We go a long way back, the pirates and I. When I first joined the game of Vanguard it was my desire to play Megacolony. But since they were not fully supported at the time (and indeed, still struggle for it now) my eyes turned to the rest of the assembled clans. The moment Granblue were brought to my attention, not only as seafaring pirates but necromancers and spirits, I immediately found myself enamored with their aesthetic.

Their playstyle proved even more to my liking. The units worked together. Everything in the deck could combo with something else. The drop zone became my secondary hand, and having my units retired was a matter I could simply laugh away with glee. No two games were ever quite the same. There was such a wealth of different options and ways everything could play out that I knew I would never be short of something to do with my turn. In a way, we bonded, the clan and I.

Regrettably, it was with a heavy heart that I was forced to watch them fade into obscurity. 

I tried to hold on for as long as I could. But suffering repeated defeats, with what support they did receive being miles behind many other clans in power, my enthusiasm was deflated slowly. What was the point in creating creative and elaborate combinations, investing so much time and tactics in planning them out, when in the end it would lose out to raw power and advantage? I grew disillusioned with the game itself. Hanging up my deck, and going so far as to quit Vanguard entirely.

It wasn't until another ocean-based clan was released that I got back into the game. Aqua Force were the kind of clan that, had they existed in the very beginning, they would have been my first choice. Joining their ranks let me enjoy the kind of intricate combo play I thrive upon the most while still allowing me to play aggressively and maintain a competitive threat. I was happy playing Vanguard again... however, I did not abandon the happy memories I had created with Granblue. Though they were no longer my main clan following my wholehearted defection to Aqua Force, you never truly forget the first deck you play with. So I watched them. And I waited patiently.

Within the deep dark places of the ocean, Granblue bode their time. Gradually rebuilding. 

They received little pockets of support, here and there. Never enough to make them a metagame threat in the eyes of players, but enough to give them the resources to make their necromantic art pay off the effort required to master it. Sea Strolling Banshee - Dragon Corrode, Corrupt Dragon - Boatswain Arman. All units that were useful individually, but could combine together fluidly to achieve different results depending on what you needed for a specific turn.

With G support on the horizon, Granblue still has a long way to go before they receive the fame and glory they are due. But for now, a fleeting glimpse of their future potential has been gifted to them.

Let me introduce you to an old friend wearing a new face.

[Stride]-Stride Step-[Choose one or more cards with the sum of their grades being 3 or greater from your hand, and discard them] Stride this card on your (VC) from face down.

[ACT](VC)1/Turn:[Counter Blast (1)] If you have a heart card with "Seven Seas" in its card name, choose up to two cards from your drop zone, call them to separate (RC), and at the end of that turn, retire the units called with this effect.

Nightmist has been with Granblue since the very beginning, just like myself. And was the first unit I oh-so-naively declared my Avatar. He started as a Grade 2 captain, then ascended to the title of Lord at Grade 3 in order to combat the emergence of Link Joker. Now, he has risen higher yet again, becoming a Grade 4 stride at the advent of a new era. His ability being very similar to his breakride self's power, and also bearing some resemblance to the secondary stride we received in the previous Fighter's Collection 2015 release.

[Stride] (Released when both players' vanguards are grade 3 or greater!)-Stride Step-[Choose one or more cards with the sum of their grades being 3 or greater from your hand, and discard them] Stride this card on your (VC) from face down.

[ACT](VC)1/Turn:[Counter Blast (1)] Choose up to two cards from your drop zone, call them to separate (RC) with a unit.

On the surface, they seem like similar cards. Both have the overall effect of pulling two units out of the drop zone for a measly cost of 1CB. The difference being that Blueheart must call them over existing units while Nightmist retires the units he calls at the end of the turn. It may not seem like much of a difference but in fact it's a dramatic one. Nightmist retiring the units he calls can actually work out to be in his advantage, while Blueheart can be considered extremely situational at best.

The symmetry in their skills even extends to their art. See, how they adopt the same pose, but facing in opposite directions? Blueheart is from the dusty, cobweb-ridden past; while Nightmist looks towards the shining future.

Nightmist is not inhibited by a generation break limitation. Nor does he require a copy of himself to be flipped in order to activate his skill. His sole prerequisite is that the Heart card have 'Seven Seas' in the name, which only one card currently does - that being his former self. Since you want to be riding Lord Nightmist anyway as your G3 in most cases, with him being quite possibly the best unit Granblue currently has going for it, this is no terrible price to pay to enable his ability. Which, in turn, can serve to enable your entire deck for a very affordable cost.

As I mentioned earlier, Granblue is a deck all about combos. Your drop zone is as much your hand as the one you hold at all times. It is a toolbox from which you accumulate resources, just as the Pale Moon clan use their soul. Like their talented performers, you want specific units to be in there, so that you have a catalog of effects to choose from as your needs demand. You can build the drop zone through random milling cards that Granblue has, but I strongly discourage such cards. With the amount you draw coupled with so much milling, it inevitably results in a quick deckout. Units like Chappie the Ghostie and Performing Zombie allow you to choose specific targets. Making them much more effective at getting what you need into the drop zone instead of milling away your own triggers by freak accident.

Several of these that spring to mind include, but are not limited to;

 + /

Sea Strolling Banshee + Any 10k or higher attacker.

Forms at least a 16k column for the turn and allows you to SB1 to draw a card on entry.

 +

Boatswain, Arman + Dragon Corrode, Corrupt Dragon.

A 10k booster and a 12k attacker create a 22k column for the turn at almost no cost.

Due to the transient nature of these units, the advantage gained from their calling is only temporary. But this brings it's own set of benefits too. For one thing, save for the likes of Cold Death Dragon, Link Joker cannot target a column empty of units. Kagero's retiring prowess is all but wasted when presented with a lack of targets. And Megacolony are unable to gigaparalyze you either. Despite evading the majority of these control playstyles, your ability to attack and pressure your opponent each turn is unhindered. In many ways it actually plays a lot like Murakumo. Only instead of requiring your rear guards to be on the field in order to summon copies, you are plucking them rotting and decayed out of the same zone you use as a dump for anything you guard with from hand. If an attack only requires a 5k shield to block, don't hesitate to lay down a Banshee to take the hit. You'll only be setting things up for her eventual return later.

While Nightmist is no Excelics Messiah or Lambros class finisher card for Granblue, he is instead a very valuable first stride and the enabler of multiple formations. A possible glimpse into a future where temporarily reviving units and retiring them at the end of the turn may be the direction Granblue takes. He gives us our first look at 'Seven Seas' support, and with the cards the clan will be getting in G-BT06, which will include a PGG to make his cost even easier to manage, he could be just the start of true resurrection for the clan I started with. 

For now, as I have always done, I will watch, and I will wait. Patiently with baited breath.