Author: Niko

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From Nightmares – Howling Winds

19-035R – Alexander

Free for a limited time only. The Wind Forward you played this turn has paid for the Summon.

If you think about it you can actually play 3 in a row, if you have them in your hand.

The choice is yours on what Alexander will do. Break a high cost Forward, or Break a Monster and draw 1 card.

Doesn’t a Hope search for Alexander? Can’t remember which one, but there’s your free play right there.

19-036L – Vayne

A what now?

Your warp speed has just gotten faster.

Prepare Ship for Ludicrous Speed!!!

Cause that’s how fast we’ll be traveling with Vayne.

When he enters the field or at the beginning of each of your turns, Vayne will be removing Warp counters from Characters that are Warping.

Have the Characters will get Warp in by the next turn or 2, and before you know it, they’ll be on the board and have all their abilities going off, you won’t know which way anything is heading.

I’ll take 3, thank you very much.

19-037R – Wol

Wol is now acting a Furr …. I mean Cosplayer.

Wearing the Moogle Suit, and depending on how many Elements are in your field. Wol will allow you to search for a Multi-Element Forward.

I don’t really see much going for this card other than the fact that he can pay for the other Wol’s S-ability.

 

 

19-038R – Evrae

I remember playing this card at Pre-Release.

Evrae allows you to activate a Backup you control, and with Zu that will turn into a Forward when one of your Characters Activates, this is a good play. As activating Backups is always a good thing.

 

 

 

19-039R – Emerald Weapon

Emerald Weapon was much easier to beat than Ruby Weapon. If you had Knights of the Round Maxed out with W-Summon, you didn’t even need to have the Underwater Materia.

This 5CP Wind Forward with 9000 power will be a nightmare as your opponent won’t be able to keep him off the field, as he’ll be able to keep coming back for 1CP. Only way to break him is by blocking his attack.

Emerald Big Bang, is a high cost S-ability that can deal up to 10,000 damage to all of your opponents Forwards.
I think I like it. I’ll have to try it out though, see how well it works.

19-040C – Thief

Just your Common Thief, but a pretty good one.

Won’t take damage from your opponents abilities. This 4 cost has an 8K body, which is pretty high for a thief, but we’re not complaining.

The reason you’ll want to play this card is because, if you pay for Thief with at least 3 elements, your opponent will put the top 3 cards of their deck into the Break Zone.

Do that 3 times, and you might be able to make your opponent run out of cards.

19-041H – Cid Highwind

I mean this is very interesting. I haven’t checked yet, but I’m sure it’ll be in plenty of FFVII decks.

Cid Highwind, allows you to return an FFVII Character to your hand, and let’s you choose 2 Characters to Activate.

I’m sure there are plenty of Category FFVII entry abilities that you’d like to use at least once per turn. Like the Ice Sephiroth in this set. If you can send him to your hand once per turn, and you’re at 6 points of damage, you’ll be able to play Sephiroth at no cost, while activating 2 of your Characters.

I mean, it could work. It could work perfectly.

I like it.

19-042C – White Mage

Although the art has been reused, I’m pretty sure some other art has been reused as well in previous Opuses? Opera? Opi?
Well at 3 points of Damage, White Mage is a free play. And once he’s in you can use his ability to bring back a Multi-Element Forward from the Break Zone.

White Mage has one job and he does it well.

Cast Revive on a broken Character.

 

19-043C – Zu

Well, this monster does seem to fit well with Wind.

Considering that Wind usually has a way to reactivate Character’s with Summons and abilities.

Zu is a monster that will most likely become a Forward whenever a Character reactivates. Zu is more of a Backup Forward, than a Monster as he can come out in a pinch and either attack or block. Whichever one is needed at the moment.

Maybe it’ll see play, maybe it won’t.

I’m caught somewhere in the middle here.

19-044R – Sarah (MOBIUS)

Another Sarah, but this one is a Backup and not a Legend.

The Raven Peeress gives all your Category MOBIUS Forward +1000 power.

I always like these cards as they give your whole front line a boost.

 

 

 

19-045H – Sophie

Sophie has no use for Vayne, she is a Freelancer she works independently regardless of Faction. I don’t know where I’m going with this.

But, for 4 CP and 3 other Forwards on the field, Sophie can well become a danger to your opponent. If only for a turn.
Break a Monster, activate all your Backups, and give Sophie +2K power and Haste.

She can also come in with Warp, in which you will only pay 1CP for her, and you will wait for only 1 turn.

Maybe we do need Vayne. She’ll come in during your opponents turn and cause some damage. She will also Activate all your Backups, so you will be able to cast Summons and abilities as well, in order to protect yourself.

Yes, I’ll take it. 3 please and 3 Vaynes just to be on the safe side.

19-046C – Buddy

A searcher for FFX Backups. Why search for Backups? Cause you always need more Backups.

One thing is for sure. If you’re playing a FFX deck you’ll be playing Buddy. If only to search for Brother, to search for Opus XVI Tidus. Cause who isn’t playing that card.

 

 

 

19-047C – Gramps EX

This is the card you’ll want to hold on to the end. Or to your end. And when you do have those 5 points of Damage, you probably aren’t going to have this card on hand. You’ll have 3 copies in your Break Zone.

If you do manage to grab a copy when the time is right, Gramps will Break a Forward of 4CP or more.

 

 

19-048C – Bartz

Don’t know what to play, just play Bartz. That way on your next turn, you can put him at the bottom of your deck, and hopefully draw the cards you really need. If not, play Buddy to search for a FFX Backup that will find Tidus.

 

 

 

 

19-049R – Makki-Chebukki

This is actually very interesting.

Makki-Chebukki will cause your opponent to discard the top card of their deck. Once per turn.

Think about it. If you have Makki-Chebukki on the field from turn 1, every turn that goes by, your opponent will be putting their top card in the Break Zone.

That means they might be losing all the cards that they’ll need in order to make their game plan work. That and they’ll have less cards to play with, and will run out of cards faster.

19-050C – Matoya

If you have the extra CP Matoya might be a good play.

You’ll be able to Break a Forward when she enters the field. It’ll turn a pesky big body into a smaller body, that likely will not be able to block a big body of your own. If that makes any sense.

She might be a good addition to a Dancer deck. Are there enough Dancer’s to make one?

There are 12 Job Dancers and 6 of them are Penelo, 2 are Matoya and another 2 are Lilisette. After that there are 8 generic Dancers which can round up your deck. If any one makes one let me know so I can check it out.

19-051C – Rikku

So, many Rikkus, but only one on the field.

Depending on what you’re playing this one isn’t bad. It’s not great, but for what she does, she does it good.

Rikku can produce any element when paying for a Category X card. Which is always a good thing. This cards biggest problem is that it’s Rikku. You could have named this card Generic NPC from FFX and it would have been 10 times better. Simply for the fact that you can play a Rikku and this card at the same time.

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From Nightmares – Winter is Coming

19-018R – Waltril

A 2 cost Forward with 5000 power. I mean, cheap to play. Can block a Forward, might deal damage to your opponent.
And, at the end of each of your turns, you gain a Crystal.

 

 

 

 

19-019R – Vincent

I was writing a whole paragraph, and then I realized I read the card wrong.

Vincent Freezes Backups when he enters the field. I was reading Forwards for some reason.

This is actually a great card, in my opinion. Vincent comes in Freezes 3 Backups, blocks a Forward and gets broken.
After that replay Vincent for some more Frozen Backups.

Find a way to keep getting Vincent back, and you’ll be giving your opponent a hard time.

Might be a good fit for that Shinra deck.

19-020H – Umaro

The Abdominal Snow Man, or just plain Yeti.

Umaro has Brave and he just wants to attack your opponents Forwards, he doesn’t even want to come onto the field, just straight to the Break Zone and deal a Forward 8000 damage.

Once he’s in the Break Zone, you can discard 2 FFVI cards and play him onto the field.

This will work in any FFVI deck. You don’t even need to have the right elements to play Umaro.

Just Throw Umaro into the Break Zone, and then pay the cost with 2 Category VI Characters and you are set.

19-021C – Cloud of Darkness

Pesky Monsters bothering you?

Take them out with this Cloud of Darkness. For only 5CP, you get to choose one of your opponents Monsters and break it.

While she already has the fire power. At 3 points of Darkness … I mean damage. Cloud of Darkness gains Brave. Giving you an extra blocker.

 

 

19-022R – Shiva

FREE SUMMON!!!

Yes, we’ll take 3 please.

When Shiva is cast, select 1 Forward. Dull and Freeze.

And, if you already played an Ice Forward, she’s free.

Simple as that.

Oh, and you get to draw 1 card.

19-023C – Snow

Discard and gain more power.

Snow can fit into any Discard deck.

If your opponent has 1 card or less in their hand, Snow gains+2K power.

And, when Snow blocks your opponent discards a card.

“With more discard comes more power.”

 

19-024L – Sarah (MOBIUS)

“Sarah can’t attack,
Sarah can’t block,
the only thing about her is the way that she stops”

Auto-abilities that is.

Well, not necessarily, but she might.

If one of your opponents Auto-abilities goes off, they’ll have to pay 2CP or else it will cancel.

Other than that, Sarah’s other abilities are, dulling 2 Forwards, and giving a Forward +2000 power.

19-025R – Sephiroth

Technically, you can play Sephiroth for free, but I don’t think you’ll want to wait until you have received 6 points of damage to do so.

Either way, his entry ability is pretty good, but at what cost?

Would you pay 6CP to Break a dull Forward at the beginning of your game, or would you wait until the cost is more reasonable.

Personally, I think there are better choices for this ability.

Oh, and he does have Back Attack

19-026H – Curlax

Here’s a card that will help Snow out. All you have to do is … oh, wait. It’s any Dream Stooge. If a Dream Stooge is sent to the Break Zone, your opponent discards 1 card. And, once there sent, they can be brought back by Laragorn.

Other than that, once per turn, if you control all 3 Dream Stooges, you can Dull and Freeze 1 Forward.

I really like the Dream Stooges. I’m going to give them a go.

 

19-027R – Chocobo Eater

Simple Monster that does some damage in the form of removal.

Once he enters the field, Chocobo Eater will remove a low cost Forward from the game, for as long as he is on the field.

If nothing else, Chocobo Eater will just stall your opponent for a bit. Unless that’s the only copy of the Forward that they’re playing. Even then, it probably isn’t that important to their deck.

It’s still a cheap play, with a good ability.

19-028C – Terra EX

Did you just cast Shiva, and now need to bring her back to cast her again for free?

Well Terra here, can dig through the Break Zone and find her. Not just Shiva, but any Summon you need to look for.

4 cost Backup, and if you don’t need to grab a Summon you can deal 8K damage to a dull Forward.

Is there a way to bounce Backups?

 

19-029C – Tohno

You can use a little Tohno in your deck.

Tohno comes in with an enter the field ability which lets you Freeze a Forward. Doesn’t have to be your opponents Forward either. But, why would you want to Freeze your own Forward.

What I like about this card is that you can send Tohno to the Break Zone. That way your opponent will discard a card, and you can play another Backup.

It’s called Backup Management.

If you have any complaints, don’t tell me about them.

19-030R – Norschtalen

If you have Waltrill in the set, you know that Norschtalen isn’t too far behind.

A nice little combo, as Norschtalen allows you to play Waltril straight from the Break Zone. And, if Waltril is not in the Break Zone, you can just grab a Crystal Chronicles Character instead.

For 2CP, Norschtalen is also a decent blocker.

 

 

19-031C – Flan

Cheap card to play.

1CP Monster that can become a Forward for an additional 0CP. Quick blocker if you need it, or just an attacker when your opponent runs out of Forwards.

Plus, Flan recycles itself, as when he is sent to the Break Zone you can search for another Flan and add it to your hand.

 

 

19-032C – Yuke

Yuke and the Multi Element Payment. MEP. I’m going to claim that term. Let’s see if it catches on. Probably not.

When Yuke enters, if you used 3 different Elements for your MEP, you get to dull 1 Forward.

Other than that he has First Strike.

 

 

19-033C – Lean

Discard = no cards in your opponents hand.

And that’s where Lean comes in. IF you decide to play him. For when he enters the field, and your opponent has no cards in their hand, you can search for a card and add it to your hand.

The good thing is that you can search for any card. be it Character or Summon. Forward or Backup, or even a Monster.
What card you search for is up to you.

 

19-034C – Nu Mou

Like Nu Mou here. If you already read Lean, you know that Nu Mou can help you achieve the goal of your opponent having no cards in their hand. Sure, you need to have received 3 points of damage for your opponent to discard a card when he enters the field, but if you’re playing Discard, you’re going to surely have more cards that will make your opponent discard all their cards.

And, if they know you’re playing Discard, your opponent will most likely be trying to get rid of all their cards so you won’t be forcing them to discard any cards.

Makes sense?

I hope so.

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From Nightmares : Twisted Fire Starters

19-001R – Ifrit

What a way to start off the set. Coming in at number 1 is a Free Summon.

And everyone likes Free Summons. I know I do.

Once you play a Fire Forward onto the field, Ifrit comes in for free and deals 7000 damage to 1 Forward. Pretty simple. And, it’s even better because it’s free. Add Ifrita to the mix and things can get hot very quickly.

 

19-002L – Ace

Cadets getting back into it with this “Ace”

Ace comes in for 1CP, sure you’ll remove 5 fire cards from your Break Zone when he enters the field, but half the time you’re not going into your Break Zone to grab something.

When Ace attacks you deal 1 Forward 10K damage.

And, with Spiral Gambit, Ace can attack twice and deal 2 Forwards 10K damage. Plus he’ll probably be able to Break another 1 or 2 as well.

Talk about an “Ace” up your sleeve.

OK, I’ll stop now

19-003R – Edgar

Cheap Backup to play. For 2CP Edgar will come in bring his Auto Crossbow, if you need to deal damage to a few of your opponents Forwards.

Edgar is also carrying a Phoenix Down just for Sabin. If by any chance Sabin is sent to the Break Zone, Edgar will just bring him on back, and it’ll be like he never left.

Always good to have a “backup” plan.

 

19-004R – Kukki-Chebukki

Other than the art, this card seems like it’s just a basic card. 3 cost Forward with a 6K body.

Ability is just dealing 2000 points of damage to a Forward.

If it’s broken in the same turn, you can remove it from the game instead.

 

19-005C – Sazh

Haven’t seen Sazh in a while now.

But he comes in, searches for Dajh and has a 5k body.

Cheap searcher, even though Dajh usually only protects Sazh. But, do you really want to play Sazh if you’re now counting Category XIII cards for other abilities?

 

 

19-006C – Tifa

Tifa costs 5CP, but can Warp for 2CP. You just have to wait 3 turns.

And when she finally comes in, Tifa has 9000 power, Brave and can attack twice in the same turn.

Looks like we’re getting more and more cards with the ability to attack twice. Fire is getting most of them.

 

19-007C – Dajh EX

Discard a card draw a card.

Cheap Backup, that buffs Sazh.

Just like we mentioned earlier. Probably not worth playing.

 

 

19-008R – Buffasaur

This monster is waiting to pull the trigger on one of your opponents Forwards. You can deal damage to a Forward that just enters the field, but it comes at a cost.

All you need to do is figure out, if that 8000 damage that you’re going to deal to your opponents Forward, is worth a point of damage for you?

 

 

19-009C – Bomb

Bomb, acting more like a Bomb.

When he takes enough damage, instead of going peacefully, Bomb will Explode and deal damage to 1 Forward. It should have been “all Forwards”, but what do I know.

Any how, When Bomb enters the field you can dull 2 Fire Backups and search for another Bomb (2CP or less) and play it onto the field.

Technically, you can swarm the field with Bombs in no time.

Is there a Bomb deck out there? How many Bomb cards do we already have?

19-010H – Sabin

I mean, this could have been more than just a Hero.

Sabin comes in and if you’re playing a VI themed deck, he will do some Damage. Yes, capitol D. Depending on how many VI characters are in the Break Zone, Sabin will deal that many Forwards, 8000 damage. if there’s 4, then 4 of your opponents Forwards will be dealt damage.

It’s Suplex City here.

Let’s not forget about Sabin’s twin brother. This whole time we didn’t know how strong Sabin’s Enter the Field ability is. But, now that we know. We know that the 2 brothers will be a staple.

19-011C – Miyu

A backup that searches for an Agito Cadet.

Searchers are always welcome, as they allow you to search for a card. IF you don’t want to search for a card then, this isn’t the card for you.

During Pre-Release, I noticed 2 other Agito cadets in Ice and Lightning, all of which are Backups.

Might be useful if you want to run the FFXIII Custom Starter Set with all 3 colors.

19-012C – Monk

Cheap Backup to play.

I also like the fact that you can get rid of him by using his ability. Even if you are just using it to get rid of Monk in order to play the Backup you really need to play.

And that really isn’t a problem, unless you already have 5 Backups on the field.

Who cant use a +4K buff, when your Attacking Forward is Blocked.

19-013C – Lilty

I’ve seen a couple of these types of Forwards in this set. Where if the cost is paid with more than 3 elements, the Forward gains an enter the field ability.

Lilty’s ability is to deal 8000 damage to a Forward.

Lilty also comes in with Brave.

 

 

19-014C – Luneth

A simple 4 cost Backup that deals 5000 damage to all of your opponents Forwards.

I believe with the new Warrior of Light, and all the Warrior of Light Jobs we have this set we’ll see some synergy between all of them.

By itself it’s a decent Backup that can break down your opponents defenses.

 

19-015R – Ruby Weapon

If you remember anything about Final Fantasy VII, it’s that 99% of the people that played it, haven’t beaten Ruby Weapon. Including me.

Ruby Weapon was a pain to deal with because he would remove 2 of the party members and you would have to fight him with 1 Character. Hopefully that Character had Knights of the Round and Phoenix Materia equipped. After that you might have had a chance.

Why am I bringing this up?

Ruby Weapon will remove one of your opponents Forwards with his ability. But, only if they have 2 or more Forwards on the field.

Other than that Ruby Weapon is a 6 cost Forward that has high defense. Considering that any damage dealt to Ruby Weapon is only 1000.

Might be worth a shot, if you need an extra Fire card in your deck.

19-016H – Laragorn

One of the three Dream Stooges. Taking his name from one of the original Stooges Larry. And that’s why I like this card before I even read it. Plus, the Amano art is great as always.

When Laragorn enters the field you can search for a Dream Stooge. Either one of the two, and play it straight to the field. You’re pretty much getting a Buy One Get One Free here.

Laragorn can also grab a Dream Stooge from the Break Zone, and the best part is you don’t have to send Laragorn to the Break Zone to do it.

Maybe, just Maybe the Dream Stooges can become a thing.

19-017R – Leon

I’ve seen plenty of Rebel cards this set.

Leon searches for his sister, Maria, and depending on how many Rebels are on the field, Leon does gain some buffs.
If you have 4 or more Rebels, Leon gains +4000 power and Haste.

You’ll most likely be caught between the choice of playing Leon early to find Maria, or waiting until you have 4 Rebels on the field to play him.

Sure you can also play Leon early on, and then allow him to get broken to play him again, but if he’s already on the field, I don’t see a reason to sacrifice him, unless you need to.

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From Nightmares – Starter Opinions

19-129S – Vanille EX

Search for Lightning. Or Fang. Or Hope, But who wants to search for Hope. Yes, I am still biased on Hope from his character in the first game. He was a child, but he was a spoiled brat. I won’t get in to it here.

3 cost 7K body, with Imperilga which will double the damage dealt to a Forward your opponent controls. And 2000 damage to all of your opponents Forwards, which is technically 4K.

I’m losing track of this card.

19-130S – Bahamut

There are ways to cast Bahamut for Free, and everyone loves free Summons. I know I do. All you need is 3 XIII characters and one of them being Fang.

When Bahamut is cast, deal a Forward 10,000 damage, and if it is broken, remove it from the game instead.

Nuff’ said.

19-131S – Fang

Plenty of things to go through to have Fang deal 2 points of Damage.

Is it worth to go through all of this for that? I believe so.

Fang comes in with Haste, and although you won’t be able to attack twice in a turn. Meaning that Fang won’t attack after she casts Bahamut for free.

But, if your opponent blocks Fang, then you cast Bahamut on that Forward, which in turn will most likely break it, Fang’s attack will go through for 2 point of Damage.

I’ll take 3.

19-132S – Snow

Snow comes in and if Lightning is on the field, Snow grants protection from Summons. to himself and to Lightning.

Now, when Snow enters the field you can either have your opponent discard a card, or if you have his fiance on the field you can dull and Freeze 3 of your opponents Characters.

Freeze those Backups, so they can’t reproduce.

 

19-133S – Serah EX

Let’s search for Mog (XIII-2).

Just the new one that costs 1CP.

And, if you play that Mog, or any moogle, you get to activate or dull 2 Characters.

And with Froststrike, you get to deal a Forward 8000 damage. And, if you play a Moogle after that, and have an extra Serah in your hand. You get to recast Froststrike.

 

19-134S – Mog (XIII-2)

Look at the grin on his face. And, those teeth. Razor Sharp.

But, he’s just a Moogle, and he does grant Serah protection from Summons and abilities. For the low cost of 1CP you have a terrible blocker, but that’s OK. You don’t need much power to block an attack.

Plus, Mog also gives a XIII Forward +2K power.

 

 

19-135S – Cid Raines

High cost Forward, but has same bite to it.

Considering Cid Raines is a L’Cie, that isn’t much of a surprise.

Cid Raines shall come in and break one of your opponents Forwards.

And the more points of damage you receive, Cid becomes even more powerful. At 3 points Cid gains +1000 power and First Strike.

His true power comes out, when you have your back against the wall. Every time Cid Raines attacks, you get to choose a Forward your opponent controls, and send it broken down to the Break Zone.

19-136S – Noel

This is a nice card. 2CP comes in with Haste, and depending on how many XIII Characters you have on the field, Noel gains that much power, X 1000.

Just a simple Forward, but every time one of your opponents Forward’s leaves the field, you get to dull another one of their Forwards. Which is good, in that you will either slow down their attacks, or leave them open for yours.

 

19-137S – Hope

Well, this Hope is pretty decent. Especially if you’re playing a XIII themed deck, and if you aren’t, you wouldn’t be playing this.

Hope comes in and either searches for a XIII Forward or deals damage to one of your opponents Forwards. How much damage? Depends on how many XIII Characters you control.

I do see this XIII deck coming out strong. And, this might be the first Hope card I like.

 

19-138S – Lightning

Such a great card. comes in with Haste, and all these abilities that come into play when Category XIII Forwards attack.
If 1 attacks, all your Forwards gain +1000 power.

If 2 attack, you draw 1 card.

And, if 3 attack, you deal your opponent 1 point of damage.

Plus Lightning comes in with Haste, so you can use these abilities right away.

It’s a good addition to any deck, if you ask me. And, if you don’t, it still is.

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Midnight Pre-Release

With the Final Fantasy XIII Custom Starter Set coming out this week, that means we have the From Nightmares Midnight Pre-Release closer than we thought. Less than a month away. March, 18th 2023.

If you ask us we believe this set will be one for the record books. We’re already sold out of Booster Boxes, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to try and get more. That Cloud Signature card is a collector’s dream, especially if you look at what Yuffie has been doing. But, back to the Midnight Pre-Release.

March 18th @ 12AM we will be handing out the kits for the tournament.

You’ll be able to come in early to play some casuals and hang out as we count down to 12AM. It’ll be like New Year’s Eve, but better.

It’ll be $45 to enter the tournament. Which will get you your first kit. After that the Kits will be $40 each.

Everyone will walk away with something. So, make your plans and come try and pull a Cloud Signature before everyone else.
Details on prizing will be up soon.