Tag: backup

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Hidden Legends of Wind

24-037R – Ashe EX

High cost Forward troubling you?

Ashe will take care of that for you, but not for long. You’ll be able to put that Forward on top of it’s owner’s deck. That means Ashe can also choose one of your Forwards, if you want to get the effect of it’s enter the field ability.

Which can be useful.

Now, if you put your opponent’s Forward on top of their deck, just make sure you deal a point of damage this turn. That way you’ll be able to send that Forward to the Damage Zone and then you won’t have to worry about it again.

This also comes off of an EX Burst.

You can also put Ashe into the Break Zone to activate a Forward while giving it +1K power.

24-038H – Valefor

Valefor makes a comeback, after being on hiatus since Opus I.

At 1CP it looks promising, let’s take a look.

Pay X, reveal the top 7 cards and play a Character of X or less.

…

I don’t know if I like it.

It’s almost a search and play to the field, but it is limited. And, that’s probably why it only costs 1CP.

It might work here or there, but either Opus I Valefor will work better for me.

24-039C – Vaan

Vaan and his trumpet.

At 5CP, Vaan can become a Activating Machine.

When Vaan enters the field Activate 2 Backups.

When Vaan attacks, Activate 2 Backups.

That’s 4CP right there. You paid 5CP.

One more attack and Vaan will be paying you to be on the field.

Vaan comes with a 9K body, and Aeroga Blade which deals a Forward 9000 damage.

I would play this card. I might even play it at Pre-Release. Midnight Pre-Release to be exact.

24-040C – Viera

Pay 2CP to activate 2 Backups later on.

Viera is more like a bank.

She’ll keep your CP and give them back to you when you need them later on.

In the mean time, Viera will produce 1CP per turn as any Backup will do.

And, when the moment is right, and you would like to use your Backup’s abilities you can use Viera to activate them.

I’d say a definite maybe.

24-041C – Onion Knight

Warp 1 for 1CP instead of paying 3CP! You’re already ahead.

Onion Knight is a recycling machine, ready to be removed and warped back in. This will be perfect if there is ever a threat to Onion Knight.

And at 3 points of Damage Onion Knight gains +1000 power.

That’s a 9K body, that can be recycled back into the game for 1CP.

Let me give this a try.

24-042R – Garuda (XVI)

5CP to activate all of your Backups.

Or, you can just Prime into Garuda with Benedikta. I haven’t seen Benedikta yet, but she’s coming up.

Activating your Backups already seems popular this set. Add in Bismarck, Lord of the Mists. And then you have a way of drawing cards, returning cards to your opponent’s hand. And when you have returned cards to their hand, you hit them with some Ice, and have them discard cards from their hand.

Ice/Wind for 2025

24-043C – Thief

Here’s another way to draw a card. Making Thief a 1 cost Backup

After that, once thief enters the field and if you already have 4 Wind Backups on the field, you can choose 1 of your Forwards, and it cannot be blocked for this turn.

Is it worth it? Having thief take up a spot in your deck for the chance that you might come across the perfect situation in order to use him?

I don’t know, probably better to leave this one out.

 

24-044H – Zidane

Zidane doing Zidane things.

He’s stealing cards from your opponent.

For 3 CP you can grab and Character from your opponent’s Break Zone. Yeah, you do remove it from the game, but you can cast it at any time you would cast it. Makes Sense?

Why is this one better than the other 2 Zidane’s that allow you to grab a card from your opponent?

Simple, you get to choose which one you grab.

And, at 5 points of damage, your Backups produce CP of any color.

I’ll be adding at least one to my deck that plays your deck.

24-045C – Jeume

Jeume, your Wind Warrior of the Crystal.

I was hoping for something better, after seeing Fire and Ice, but we have Jeume.

She’s not bad, she still allows here comrades abilities to go off when she enters the field.

She just doesn’t have any abilities that go off.

Nothing wrong with that, just because she can’t be chosen by your opponent’s abilities.

And, you have an 8K body.

24-046R – Leech Bat

I’m seeing a pattern here. I almost forgot about the Elemental Monsters that are all the same, but different.

Leech Bat hangs around, and when one of your Forwards attack, you can toss it into the Break Zone, making your opponent reveal there hand.

You’ll then pick the card you like, and toss that one to the Break Zone.

Your opponent will then draw a card.

That’s the only thing I don’t like about it.

After that, you’ll play Zidane, remove that card you selected from the game, and now it’s yours to cast whenever you’d like.

24-047R – Sophia (SOPFFO)

Sophia’s Choice.

Was that a band, or a movie?

But, you do need a Crystal in order to choose.

Sophia can either Break a high cost Forward, or she can break a monster.

The choice is yours.

Not Sophie’s. I mean Sophia’s

After that you have a 8K body that’ll hang out on the field.

24-048L – Tidus

“It’s Warping Time”

Coming in like a substitution right when you need him.

You can actually just play Tidus right away from the get go. At 0CP there is no reason not to.

Yes, Tidus has 5 Warp counters, but every time a Warp Counter is removed from a any card that is Warped, Tidus will have a Warp Counter removed from him, making his wait a little bit shorter.

When Tidus finally enters the field, all of your Forwards with Warp will have Haste, and they will not be able to be chosen by your opponent’s Summons.

All this for a grand total of 0CP, because you won’t be paying 5CP. You could, but what’s the fun in that?

24-049C – Nono

I’m just trying to figure out what Nono is doing here.

Nono isn’t bad at all, especially for a Common.

Nono enters the field and deals your opponent 2000 damage. Yes, that’s not a lot, but remember you’re playing Wind. And, what does wind do?

If you’ve been reading this, you already know Wind has been activating Backups this set, and drawing you cards.

And, if Nono is the 3rd card that you have cast this turn, Nono deals your opponent damage equal to his power. 3 points of Damage, gives Nono +2K power.

Add in Opus I Maria, and you’ll be dealing a Forward 8K damage.

All this for 2CP.

24-050C – Bartz

I read this once, and thought it was bad.

Reread it, and realized it’s not that bad.

the first time I understood that you had to have 2 cards removed from the game this turn, then I realized it doesn’t say this turn.

If you have 2 Cards removed from the game, Bartz can come in and Activate 2 Backups.

Like the Backups that you used to play Bartz.

Personally, I think there are better ways to Activate your Backups, but this still might be useful.

24-051R – Benedikta

With 3CP you get a Forward with 8000 power, First Strike and at 3 points of Damage Benedikta gains Haste.

That by itself would make it a decent Common.

Meat and Potatoes, nothing to fancy just a good body, or as I’d like to call it, a Meat Shield.

Benedikta can also Prime into Garuda (XVI) and will then Activate all of your Backups. And, return 2 Forwards to their Owner’s hand.

Benedikta will bring the cost of Garuda down by 1CP.

For a body, you can probably just play Benedikta by herself, usually a card with this much power costs 4CP.

24-052L – Belgemine

Automatic protection from Summons, and the more Summons you cast the better Belgemine is.

Cast 2 Summons, deal 2 Forwards 4000 damage each.

Cast 3 Summons, send 3 of your opponent’s Forwards to the bottom of their deck.

And, once you do that, there’s a good chance that you wiped your opponent’s front lines.

Now it’s time to go all out, and know that this was 1 Crystal Point that was very well spent.

Something tells me that YRP will be making a comeback. Add in that Opus I, Legend, Tidus, and I can see it now.

24-053H – Minwu

The Rebels are about to get a deck. Maybe not this set, but when they do Minwu and Opus XVII Maria will be a part of it. I haven’t really looked into it, but I can see the pieces slowly falling into place. IT just needs that one card the Rebels can all rally behind.

Minwu is a 4 cost Forward with 7000 power.

And, yes it is worth paying 4CP for Minwu, as you will grab a Final Fantasy II Character from the Break Zone and play it onto the field. Their cost just need to be equal or lower than the number of Backups you control, and it can’t be Minwu.

All of your FFII Forwards also cannot be chosen by your opponent’s abilities.

I’m going to be looking into a Final Fantasy II deck.

24-054C – Wing Wraith EX

Although Wing Wraith isn’t that powerful as a Summon, you will still be able to hit your opponent with a quick triple succession of 3000 damage to one of their Forwards.

At only 1CP and an EX Burst.

Wing Wraith deals 3000 damage and searches for another Wing Wraith.

Summon again fellow Summoners.

It’s worth a shot.

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Hidden Legends of Ice

24-019R – Umaro

I don’t see why anyone would play Umaro on to the field, when his ability goes into play when Umaro is in your hand.
For 3CP you can discard Umaro from your hand a break a dull Forward.

That’s it. Plain and Simple.

I mean you can play Umaro on to the field for 2CP, but that’s about it. He’ll just stay on the field producing 1CP per turn.

I’d say Umaro is more like a 3 cost Summon, and he should be treated as such.

24-020C – Ulmia

Can you here the Harps playing your song?

Ulmia is ready to Freeze one of your opponent’s Characters.

And if you got another Final Fantasy XI Forward on the field, Ulmia will make your opponent discard a card.

Ulmia will make Anselmo proud.

“Walk on home, boy!”

Maybe she can take Dime’s spot. Put some Distortion on that Harp.

24-021H – Kurasame

Deja vu?

I think we’ve seen this one before.

This time Kurasame is a Hero though, instead of a Legend.

Kurasame comes in and Freezes your opponent’s Characters. How Many? Depends on how many Backups you have on the field.

And depending on if your opponent has at least 4 dull Characters on the field, Kurasame will draw you a card every time he attacks.

You can run this one and the Hidden Hope Kurasame, and you’ll have 6 Kurasames that will Freeze your opponent’s Characters.

24-022H – Gogo

Gogo is back!

And s/he is better than ever.

Whatever FFVI Deck you’re playing, just throw Gogo into your deck. 3 copies will be perfect.

First line of attack, play Gogo, and protect Gogo at all costs.

Why?

Gogo casts Reraise on one FFVI Forward once per turn.

If a Final Fantasy VI Forward is put into the Break Zone, once per turn Gogo will bring them back!

If that’s not a great card, I don’t know what is.

24-023C – G Deleter

A backup that causes a splash.

Why a splash?

Because G Deleter is Ice splashing in Water.

G Deleter comes in and you draw a card, and if you have 4 Ice Backups, you can dull and Freeze one of your opponent’s Characters.

Not bad for 3CP, and you get 2CP back once he enters the field.

24-024R – Shiva (XVI)

Shiva comes in and you can Break 2 dull Forwards.

And at the end of each of your turns if 2 or more of your opponent’s Forwards are sent to the Break Zone, your opponent discards a card.

You get all of this and a Forward with 9000 power.

You’ll probably just want to Prime into Shiva instead of paying the 7CP.

 

24-025L – Genesis

First off the card is awesome. The art, the abilities and that we’ll finally have a great card to start off a SOLDIER deck.

Genesis comes right in for 5CP. Yeah, it’s your standard 5CP for a 9k body, but you get to choose from 1 of 3 abilities.

Have your opponent discard a card, choose 2 Characters to Dull and Freeze, or have your next SOLDIER’s cost be 3CP less.

The best part is that, you can choose more than once. Every time a SOLDIER enters the field one of Genesis’s abilities will
trigger, allowing you to choose which one you would like to do.

You should keep a playset of Genesis until Tears of the Planet comes out, that way you can use it in a Ice/Lightning deck with that Zack card that was spoiled for the next set.

24-026H – Zalera, the Death Seraph

4CP to break a Forward.

Not bad, when you consider that Summons that break Forwards come in at a high cost.

Zalera does hit a little different. You just choose the cost of the Forward. 4 or less, or 5 or more. After that your opponent will choose which Forward to break.

I wouldn’t say that this is a great card, it is good card, it’s just the chance of using it and getting what you want out of this Summon is slim.

Unless they only have 1 Forward that is 5CP or more, then you’ll know that you’ll hit your target.

24-027C – Shantotto

Shantotto coming in with a trombone, and I’m ready to crack a joke about rust. But, I’ll keep my mouth shut this time.

Shantotto reduces the cost of casting your Summons by 1, add Opus I Yuna to the mix, and all of your Summons cost will be reduced by 2.

And, that’s not all. Shantotto has the ability to Dull/Freeze a Forward if you have already cast a Summon this turn.

If I was a heavy Summon player, I would be playing a Yuna/Shantotto Combo.

24-028R – Jill

Lots of cost reducing in this set.

Jill is no different.

Jill’s cost is reduced by 2 if Clive or Torgal is on the field.

That means for 1CP you can Dull/Freeze one of your opponent’s Forwards, and you’re still left with a 7K body.

After that, you can Prime into Shiva (XVI) and break 2 dull Forwards.

I think we’ll have to see Priming in action before I get excited about it.

24-029C – Squall

Squall acting like he’s Opus IV Viking.

Getting things done when he enters the field and when he leaves the field.

Squall won’t draw you a card, but he will deal a dull Forward 5000 damage. Which can be more than enough to Break it.

And, let’s not forget Rough Divide, which gives Squall +1000 power and First Strike.

And it’s only 3CP!

Given Squall’s 8000 power, it would normally have been 4CP.

This is a decent Common to have.

24-030C – Terra

Theatrhythm is going strong in this set.

Terra comes in and grabs a Summon from the Break Zone.

This also comes off of an EX Burst.

You can then cast that Summon for one less Crystal Point with Shantotto.

After that Terra sticks around as a 5K body, ready to block. Or, attack.

 

24-031R – Torgal

Well here is the main card of your Final Fantasy XVI engine.

Torgal, the Wolf.

I don’t know much about Torgal, except for the fact that most of your FFXVI Forwards can be paid with CP from any element. This includes Priming costs as well.

Being a Backup, it is a little harder to have Torgal sent to the Break Zone, but, there are a couple of cards that can break Backups, but I think Torgal will be just fine.

This will be played.

And, it’s only 2CP.

24-032R – Piscodaemon

Why do I always go to write Psycho Demon when I’m trying to write Piscodaemon?

2 cost Monster that can be sent to the Break Zone when one of your Forwards attack.

And when Piscodaemon is put in the Break Zone, you can choose 2 Characters and Dull/Freeze them.

After that in your Main Phase 2, you can bring in Shiva (XVI) and break those 2 dull Characters. If they’re Forwards. Not Backups.

“Psycho Demon, Qu’est-ce que c’est?”

24-033L – Bhunivelze

Bhunivelze is back. It’s been a long wait since Crystal Radiance to get a new Bhunivelze card.

I can see this card being played in a Monster deck, especially if all those Monsters have effects that go off when the Monsters are sent into the Break Zone.

And, for every Monster or Forward that you’ll put in the Break Zone, your opponent will choose 1 Forward they control and send it to the Break Zone.

Mass Extinction going on here.

This could be Game Over for your opponent.

After all is said and done, you’ll still have a body with 10,000 power.

Just in case your opponent survives the onslaught.

24-034C – Velis EX

Well, this confirms it.

Warriors of the Crystal will be a thing here.

At least for a month or 2, just so everybody can try it out.

All you need is some Crystals to be able to bring in all the Warriors of the Crystal into play without worrying about color fixing.

Let’s talk about Velis now.

Whenever Velis or a WotC (imagine that) comes indull and Freeze one of your opponent’s Forwards.

It will be a bunch of abilities going off at the same time.

I believe it’ll be fun.

24-035C – Mateus (XII RW) EX

2 cost Summon.

2 choices.

Which one will you pick.

Break a dull Forward that costs 3CP or less.

Or.

Dull a Forward, Draw a Card.

Choice is yours.

Ex Burst as well.

24-036C – Nu Mou

Nu Mou, just chilling in your back line until an Ice Forward enters your field.

After that you can put Nu Mou into the Break Zone, and you can Dull and Freeze one of your opponent’s Forwards.

It seems like all the Ice cards were Dull and Freeze and dull and Freeze some more.

But that’s what Ice does.

Now you have more cards to choose from.

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Hidden Legends of Fire

24-001L – Ifrit (XVI)

Coming in with Haste, Ifrit is ready to deal plenty of damage. You can play Ifrit straight to the field for 7CP or you can Prime Clive into Ifrit for 2CP. But, you’d have to have Clive on the field to do that.

And, we’re not talking about Clive, we’re talking about Ifrit.

And when he does come in, you’re dealing 10K to one of your opponent’s Forwards. If Ifrit deals damage to your opponent, Ifrit will deal another 10K to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

Spitflare?

Deals 10K damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

Whatever happens Ifrit will be dealing 10K damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

24-002C – Warrior of Light EX

At 3CP Warrior of Light comes in with an EX Burst. And, when it goes off Warrior of Light deals a Forward 5000 damage.

But, where are you at in the game?

Have you seen Bahamut?

Did you find the Rat Tail?

Do you have the power of the Crystals?

If you do, then Warrior of Light deals a Forward 8000 damage.

And, that’s about it. Simple and gives you a reason to produce Crystals.

Well, not really.

24-003H – Cyan

Am I reading this correct?

Cyan enters the field, and you can play a Final Fantasy VI character from your hand onto the field?

Sure it has to be 3CP or less, but you’re getting 2 cards on the field for 4CP. and if you play Gestahlian Empire Cid, you’ll also grab a FFVI Character from your deck, making Cyan’s total cost a whopping +1CP. That’s what it comes out to if you do the math.

Not only that, but Cyan also acts as protection from your opponent’s abilities. Yes, it only works for FFVI Characters, but if you’re playing Cyan you’re playing a VI deck. If you’re not, then you’re not playing Cyan.

Bushido Tempest?

How many cards can you fir into your Break Zone? That’s how much damage Cyan will deal to a Forward.

We also get a beautiful Full Art here.

24-004R – Deadly Nightshade

Looks more like a tomato.

1CP and you got your finger on the trigger. Ready to shoot, whenever one of your Forwards attack.

If you decide to pull that trigger, you’ll put Deadly nightshade into the Break Zone, and deal one of your opponent’s Forwards 7000 damage.

Might be a good way to get rid of a blocker that has more power than your attacking Forward. If not, you can always deal damage to one of your opponent’s other Forwards. 2 birds with 1 tomato.

And, now I’m hungry.

24-005L – Clive

Coming in with Haste, Clive is set to Prime.

As, we don’t know exactly what Priming is yet, we will wait until we write about it. But, I might forget to change this when the set comes out.

Clive gives all the Eikons and Dominants +1000 power, this includes himself.

And, when he deals damage to your opponent, you’ll discard your hand and draw 2 cards.

This is great for when you don’t have any cards in your hand.

24-006C – Clive

Coming in at 2CP with 5000 power, Clive becomes a powerhouse, if another Dominant or an Eikon is removed from the game. Making Clive a 9K Forward with Brave.

You can also use Clive’s ability to deal 5000 damage to a Forward.

That’s about it.

You can do far worse for 2CP.

 

24-007C – Black Mage

2CP and the ability isn’t that bad.

Black Mage can deal 5K damage to one a Forward but, you can only use his ability when a Fire Forward enters the field.
Not the best ability, but low cost and being able to remove Black Mage from the field, all while dealing damage to your opponent, making way for a better Backup to enter your field.

Might be worth playing if you can get Black Mage in early.

 

 

24-008C – Salamander (XII RW) EX

This Salamander looks more like a flying pig. That’s on Fire! Why are all these cards looking like food today. Add some Bacon to that tomato from earlier and now all we need is Lettuce.

But, that’s a conversation for a different time.

Salamander is Summoned and it deals 7000 damage to one Forward, and if you have 5 Backups on the field, 5000 damage to another Forward.

Not bad for 3CP, and an EX Burst on top of that.

Now where are we going to find that Lettuce?

24-009R – Joshua

Now that we’ve seen Joshua, it does not matter if you prime into Phoenix or just play Phoenix outright, if we’re just talking about cost.

(Yes, we wrote about Phoenix first, and we’re not going to edit it, because these are all first impressions.)

With that being said, Joshua is still a good card to play, as you can grab an Eikon or a Dominant from the Break Zone and put it back into your deck.

For 1CP this is a good play. Only downside would be the 3000 power that Joshua has, but, you’ll be Priming into Phoenix as soon as you can, because the only reason you’d be playing Joshua would be to grab that Eikon or Dominant from your Break Zone.

24-010C – Cetia

New Job? I can’t remember Cetia from War of the Visions, but then again, I haven’t played it in over a year. Did the story get better?

Cetia is your 4CP/8K body that is in every set.

If the cost is too high for you, you can always pay 2CP of any element and a Crystal.

You already know that there are going to be more Warriors of the Crystal, by Cetia’s ability to deal a Forward 4000 damage for each Warrior of the Crystal that you have on the field.

What I like is that if you’re paying using a Crystal, you can splash Cetia into any color deck that you’d like.

24-011H – Takatsugu

9CP?

He even looks mad, because his cost is so high.

Well, when Takatsugu enters the field you can search for 2, 2 cost Fire Forwards and you can play them straight to the field.
This might be a decent way to get bodies on the field.

Let’s take a look at his second ability. Which reads when another Forward enters your field, deal 2K damage to a Forward.
And those 2 Forwards come in to play, when Takatsugu enters the field.

So, you get 2 Fire Forwards and deal 2000 damage to 2 Forwards when Takatsugu comes in.

That might be worth 9CP.

It might not be worth 9CP.

It all depends on if you think it’s worth 9CP.

24-012C – Human

Do you have a way to get rid of Backups?

Do you have 4 Fire Backups on the field?

If so, then Human is the right card for you.

Human comes in and allows you to draw a card. And, if you have 4 Fire Backups on the field, Human deals a Forward 7000 damage.

And, that’s about it.

Standard Human Soldier.

Not even a Universal Soldier.

24-013R – Neon

Neon comes in and deals 5K damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

5CP is a little bit high, but you get a Crystal.

And, you can use that Crystal right away and deal a Forward 5Kdamage as well.

If you choose the same Forward you’re more than likely to break it.

If not, you can choose another Forward and maybe, you’ll break 2 Forwards in one turn.

Is that the best way to spend 6CP and a Crystal?

Probably not, but it has it’s uses.

And, let’s not get started on the art.

24-014H – Bahamut

2 options.

One is more powerful than the other, but that power comes in at a high cost. And, we’re not just talking about the 5CP you’ll pay to cast Bahamut.

Option A, choose a Forward deal it 20,000 damage. I’m pretty sure nothing will survive that. Unless you’re able to buff one of your Forwards pass the 20K mark, you will have a broken Forward on your hands.

And, Option B, deal 10,000 damage to all of your opponent’s Forwards. This will more than likely break all of your opponent’s Forwards. And it better, because you will be left with just 3 cards in your deck.

Bahamut would be a great end game play.

24-015C – Bahamut EX

A Bahamut Forward?

Of course it’s going to have a high cost. You think they would have let you play Bahamut for cheap. Nope and never.

Bahamut comes in and basically casts Mega Flare on one of your opponent’s Forwards. And, when that Forward is sent to the Break Zone, you will deal your opponent 1 point of damage.

And that is how you you will gain an easy advantage.

Why easy?

Bahamut will be able to attack freely, without worrying about a Forward blocking him, because when they do block and are sent to the Break Zone, you will still deal a point of damage to your opponent.

How can we give Bahamut Brave?

24-016R – Phoenix (XVI)

How is this a Rare?

Every time Phoenix attacks you can grab a Fire Forward of 2CP or less from the Break Zone, and play it onto the field
You don’t even need Joshua to say that you’ll be playing this card. I haven’t seen the Joshua card yet, but I can say you don’t need it. Sure, you can play it, and Prime into Phoenix, but Phoenix is playable all by itself.

I’m already thinking Fire Warriors, and a whole bunch of 2 cost Standard Units alongside Maria (17-128L).

We’ll call it Mono-Fire Standard Unit Warrior and Co.

24-017C – Firion

Firion the Tambourine man is here.

I’m liking these new Theatrhythm cards, each Character is carrying an instrument … Maybe we can get a band going. We’ll start off with covers … I’m getting ahead of myself.

3CP, Firion can gain either First Strike or Brave during every Attack Phase.

Either way, Firion will have 8000 power to attack and block.

Maybe, just maybe we’ll get a Theatrhythm deck going.

24-018R – Josef

Search and Play.

Perfect way to get a 2 cost Rebel on the field. And, I’m thinking of Maria 17-128L, which is a very under rated card if you ask me. But, you’re not and we’re talking about Josef.

Josef is a Backup, costs 5CP, and when you have no more use for him or you need to free up space, you can use his ability and send him to the Break Zone, while you’re also giving a Rebel Forward +2000 power.

Not too shabby.

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Hidden Trial – By Water

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23-096C – Akpallu

Pay 1CP to draw a card.

Not bad, at all. If you don’t have anything going on in your hand, might as well play Akpallu to draw another card.

And after Akpallu is on the field, not doing anything, just sitting there, you can then use Akpallu to pay the cost for Fencer (XIII)’s ability and Break one of your opponent’s Forwards.

There are more cards that need another Monster to pay for the cost to use their ability.

I’d say Akpallu is a decent card.

23-097C – Altennia

A simple add-on to your Knight deck.

When a Knight attacks, Altennia gives a Forward +2000 power. Now what will happen when all of your Knights attack? You’ll be handing out +2000 power like candy on Halloween.

It’s like adding 200 horse power to your Knight engine.

 

 

 

23-098C – Alphinaud

Alphinaud is Alisae’s Backup, who will save her from the Break Zone in order to do whatever Alisaie has to do.

If we take Alisaie from Hidden Trials, it’s a pretty decent combo.

Once you have an Alisaie in your Break Zone, you’ll use Alphianaud’s ability and play Alisaie onto the field. Once Alisaie is on the field you can search for a card that has the same name as one of the cards in your Break Zone, and add it to your hand.

Yeah, that’s pretty much it.

Not bad.

23-099C – Urianger

Urianger is already flipping the cards to see what Scions he can find.

I mean yes, .. maybe . . not really.

Depends on what you’re playing.

You can pull this out if you’re drafting Hidden Trials and you’re trying to run Scions.

Other than that, there are far better Uriangers out there.

 

 

23-100L – Young Excenmille

Coming in with 5000 power, Young Excenmille surely loves his Crystals.

You’ll need a constant supply of Crystals to keep Young Excenmille well fed.

Feed him once and he cannot be chosen by your opponents abilities, and his Power will become 9000 until he is sent to the Break Zone.

Feed him once more along with a Water CP, and you can search for a Water Forward of cost 3 or less, and play them straight to the field.

I like it.

23-101C – Dancer

Last Chance to Dance.

Dancer, just like the rest of the Elemental, Class Action, 5 Backup plan, Backups is better played when Dancer is the 5th Backup that enters your field.

When he does, as the 5th Backup on your field, all of your opponent’s Forwards lose 4000 power.

You might break a couple if you’re lucky.

If not, Dancer just chooses one of your opponent’s Forwards, and they lose 2000 power.

23-102R – Gizamaluke

A Monster, the sort of searches for a Monster.

Gizamaluke, comes in and you reveal the top 3 cards of your deck, and grab a Monster, if you find one there. If you do, you just got a Gizamaluke for Free.

Gizamaluke also turns into a Forward if you have another Monster on the field. Technically you can get a 0CP Forward with an 8K body.

 

 

 

23-103C – Quina

My Bombs will get that much stronger.

Because once per turn, whenever a Monster enters the field, I get to draw a card. Doesn’t matter whose turn it is. If a Monster enters the field you get to draw 1 card.

And let’s not forget about the Frog Drop. (Just don’t catch them all, cause then they can’t reproduce and you won’t be able to get 99 frogs.) Once Frog Drop goes off, 1 Forward will lose 3000 power for each Monster that is on the board.

How many Quina’s can you fit in your deck?

23-104H – Witch of the Fens

Here’s a decent card for your Monster deck.

Witch of the Fens comes in, and if you already have a Monster on the field, you can draw a card.

And, let’s not forget about that ability.

Put a Monster in the Break Zone, and one of your opponent’s Forwards will lose 7000 power until the end of the turn.

How many Monsters do you have in that hand of yours?

23-105C – Defender

What there’s no Water SOLDIER Candidate? All we get is a cheap knockoff? And, I was looking forward to making a 6 elemental SOLDIER Candidate deck. Guess I can’t do that now.

*shrugs

Defender can probably be played on his own. No need for the other SOLDIER Candidates. (But, the other ones could be played in their respective element as well.) As before, if you have at least 2 Standard Units in your Break Zone, SOLDI.. . I mean Defender gains +3000 power.

2CP/8K, the true definition of a cheap Meat Shield. And, we mean that in a good way.

Meat Shield here, also does not receive any damage that is less than it’s power. He’ll take a beating and you still won’t be able to get rid of him.

23-106H – Tataru

Tataru pays for Tataru during your next turn.

As long as you have another 3 Scions of the Seventh Dawn on the field, you’ll be able to dull Tataru for an extra card.

And, that is pretty much it. Don’t like your hand? Dull Tataru and hope for the best.

 

 

 

 

23-107L – Frimelda

Frimelda should just get thrown in your Warrior of Light deck.

It’s as simple as that, and if I needed to tell you that, well … You’re Welcome.

This card is pretty straight “Forward”. (No, that just came out, i didn’t think of that.)

You’ll need at least 4 different elements on the field in order to make use of Frimelda. Water can be the 4th element you play when she comes in, and her ability will go off as soon as you enter your Attack Phase. It will also trigger when your opponent goes into their Attack Phase as well.

Double Trouble.

You can either play a Forward that costs 4CP or less onto the field, or you can have one of your opponent’s Forwards lose 2000 power for each element that is on your board.

Choice is yours, bulk up your defenses, or get rid of theirs.

23-108R – Fourchenault

Who would have thunk that Fourchenault would cost Four CP? And, if you have Alisaie and Alphinaud on the field Fourchenault is a Free Play!

Fourchenault’s Enter the Field abilities are great and decent. One is better than the other, but the other has it’s use as well.

First one, return one of your opponent’s Forwards to their hand. Which is good, getting rid of a Forward, even if temporarily is always good. As long as they don’t have an enter the field ability.

The other is Activate a Scion of the Seventh Dawn.

And, when all is said and done, you’ll have an 8K body on the board.

23-109C – Portia

The more I see new Dancers the more I ponder the idea of making a deck. Yes, let’s add one more to the list of decks that I will never make.

For a Common, Portia is a great card. First of all she pays for herself, as if you already have a couple Dancers on the field, you will draw a card. You’ll have a no cost 5K body on the field ready to go to work.

And if you have 4 Dancers on the field, You’ll be able to send one of your opponent’s Forward to the bottom of their deck.

Let’s make Mayakov proud.

23-110R – Porom

Porom, the other half of the twin mages.

Same thing here, Porom is a free play if you have Palom already on the field.

And, just like Porom she comes in with 5000 power.

When Porom comes in you can place 2 EXP Counters on a Forward, and that Forward gains a shield of sorts. Damage dealt to that Forward will be reduced by 2000.

You’ll be able to splash one or the other of these twins, as there is no cost to pay, if the other is on the field.

2-111C/15-123C – Oracle

It’s straight from the (Re)printers!

And, a Copy/Paste from Dawn of Heroes.

“Didn’t we say recycling center earlier? Maybe we meant the Printers, reprinting cards and such.

Not that I have anything against reprints, I just would rather have a new card that does something similar instead of having reprints.

Anyways, Oracle gives you a Crystal when she comes in, and reduces the next damage dealt to a Forward by 1000.”

2-112H – Young Rahal

Rahal! Where are those Crystals!? Young Excenmille is hungry for those Crystals.

And, that is his job. Feed Yound Excenmille to bring out more Water Forwards onto the field.

How is Younf Rahal going to feed Young Exenmille? You gain 2 Crystals when he enters the field.

And that’s not all. When Young Rahal enters the field or attacks, all your Water Forwards gain +2000 power.

Combine this with Palom and Porom, and you have a decent front line, for almost half the cost.

23-113R – Leviathan

Finally, there is a way to get the one card you needed that ended up in the Damage Zone.

Not only that, but Leviathan let’s you draw a card as well. Only downside would be that you have to return another card back to the Damage Zone, but you probably have a card you don’t need in your hand.

This is one of the better cards in this set.

Leviathan is your insurance policy.

 

23-114R – Lilisette

“A live wire, barely a beginner
But just watch that lady go
She’s on fire, ’cause dancin’ gets her higher
Than anything else she knows”

David Lee Roth, might have been singing about Lilisette, and I wouldn’t blame him.

Lilisette comes in and searches for a Dancer, cause well, it takes 2 to Tango. And, that also comes off as an EX Burst.

Other than that, you have Rousing Samba. An ability that gives all of your Forwards +2000 power, and all of your opponent’s Forwards lose 2000 power, tilting the dance floor in your favor. At least until the end of the turn.

But, that turn can be a Break or Make moment.

The only thing that I would change with this card is the art.

Cool Singles?

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Hidden Trials – By Lightning

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23-077H – Azul

The Tsivets are coming strong, and Azul is about to kick some butts.

Azul has Counter, he will Counter any damage dealt to him to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

For the cost of 1 Crystal, Azul can also cast Berserk on a Forward. And, when he does, Azul gains +2000 power.

I’d say that’s a Crystal well spent.

 

23-078C – Alisae

Alisae is like a bloodhound. She’ll help you find the card you need, but only if you can show her what you’re looking for. And, the only way to do that is to already have a card with the same name in your Break Zone.

The only thing Alisae can’t search for will be Standard Units and Summons, everything else is fair game.

I’m sure she has some use, but there are plenty of other cards that’ll search better then she does.

 

23-079R – Estinien

I mean he’s no Opus VI Estinien, or Dawn of Heroes either, but Estinien is still a decent card to play.

Coming in with Haste, Estinien has the ability to attack from the get go, but you already knew that. So, why would we mention that?

It’s simple. Every time Estinien attacks, you get to grab a Scion Forward from your Break Zone. Making Estinien a great play, right away.

And, that’s not all!

At 3 points of Damage Estinien gains +1000 power. Add in Opus I Lulu and Hidden Trials Krile, and you’ll have a Forward that attacks for 11,000.

And this is just a Rare card.

23-080R – Odin EX

If this comes off of an EX Burst it’s great.

If it doesn’t it’s too expensive, and the Opus I Odin, along with the Opus I reprint from Opus VIII. is a couple of CP less.

Why would you play this one? Because you can cast it for 3CP if you remove 6 Lightning cards from your Break Zone. If you have no way of getting them back, then go right ahead.

Breaking a Forward still is a broken Forward your opponent can’t use.

23-081C – Puppetmaster

2 Cost Elemental Lightning Backup.

Puppetmaster is ready for action with his Puppet right behind him ready for orders.

Puppetmaster comes in and dulls a Forward. As with some of the other Backups of this set, he has greater power when you have a full line of Backups on the field. And, when that happens, Puppetmaster dulls all of your opponent’s Forwards.

I’m noticing a lot of great plays being brought in towards the mid-end game.

 

 

23-082H – King

Is this a new thing, where we remove cards to reduce the cost of casting a card?

Because King turns into a 1 cost Hero, if you remove 4 cards from your Break Zone.

And, whenever King attacks, you can discard 2 cards and Break a Forward of your choosing.

King’s cost evens out as the 4CP you save from removing the 4 Characters from your Break Zone.

There’s plenty of ways to get rid of cards, Lightning might become even more fast paced.

23-083H – Queen

Your Savior, Your Queen.

This is a great card. Cadets will be one the rise solely based off of this card.

At the small cost of removing 3 cards from your Break Zone. Queen will give a Class Zero Cadet a 2000 power buff, plus damage dealt to that Forward by your opponent’s abilities will become 0.

This card kinda makes me want to remake that Cadets deck I had made back during Opus XIII.

23-084C – G’raha Tia

At 5CP and 9000 power, G’raha Tia is just a regular Common card.

When he enters the field, and you have another G’raha Tia in the Break Zone, you can remove it from the game and deal 4000 damage to 2 of your opponent’s Forwards. You will also dull them as well.

If this card cost a little bit less, I would say that it’s better.

 

 

23-085R – Krile (XIV)

Look at the new card you’ll be putting in your Scions deck.

Nothing beats a 1K buff across your board. Especially when it comes to the Scions and they already work well together.

And if you still need a little bit of extra power, Krile can give a Scion another 1000 power when it deals damage to a Forward.

Can’t go wrong with that.

 

 

23-086H – Thancred

Thancred, reporting for duty!

Thancred is ready to go from the get go. (If you already have some Scions on the field.) He’ll break one of your opponent’s Forwards as he enters, and he’ll bring back a Forward from the dead as he enters the Break Zone.

Almost like a Viking, but different.

Scions being Scions.

 

 

23-087C – Jack

Yeah, you’re not going to play this card.

Unless there is another card that stated “this and this” if there are so many cards in your Break Zone.

I’m also pretty sure that the other Jacks are much better, I can say that without even looking for them.

Even at 2CP, I wouldn’t play this card.

At least the art is nice.

23-088L – Serah

Mono-Lightning XIII deck Incoming.

Your opponent will be using all their resources to get rid of Serah here.

Once she comes in all of your opponents Forwards will lose 2000 power, and if you have at least another 2 FFXIII Forwards their power will go down by 5000. And, this does not end at the end of the turn. As of my understanding, they lose that power until Serah is removed from the field.

That means that most of your opponent’s Forwards will be unusable. Sure, there will be ways that your opponent can raise the power of their Forwards, but Serah also has Dispel. Dispel removes any power gains that your opponent has given their Forwards until the end of the turn.

I’ll take 3 with all the bells and whistles.

23-089C – SOLDIER Candidate

Now, this is a Candidate I have a use for.

2CP/5K body, with Haste.

If you remember, I have built an all Haste deck, and this one fits perfectly into it.

2CP is perfect for it because you’ll only need to discard 1 card, since I don’t play any Backups. 5000 power isn’t bad, because you’re hoping to win in 2 rounds. And, half the time your opponent will not have any Forwards on the field.

And, most of the low cost Haste cards are Standard Units, SOLDIER Candidate will gain +3000 power, giving her an 8K body, the perfect “Candidate” for a Meat Shield.

23-090C/15-095C – Ninja

You know the drill.

“You’d think they’d at least try and get the serial numbers to match.

Would’ve looked a lot better reading 20-099C/15-099C.

Not that big of a deal but, at least you gain a Crystal when Ninja comes in.

After that you can send Ninja to the Break Zone, and deal a Forward 1000 damage.

*yawn

Maybe if it wasn’t a reprint I’d be more excited.”

23-091C – Fencer (XIII)

There’s a lot of good Monsters in this set.

Fencer is ready to Break a Forward on command, as long as you have an extra Monster on the field, because that extra Monster will be part of the cost you pay for Fencer’s ability to go off.

It’s a cheap play, and as long as the Monster you send to the Break Zone has done it’s job, you’ll be good to go.

 

23-092R – Black Widow

This Monster is interesting.

You’ll need 2 or more Monsters for Black Widow to become a Forward. And when Black Widow does become a Forward, when it attacks, you may put another Monster into the Break Zone, and that will allow Black Widow to deal 9000 damage to a Forward of your choosing.

You can splash Black Widow into your Monster deck with Relm, and after that Black Widow will slowly get rid of your Monsters to play more Monsters.

 

 

23-093C – Mog (XIII-2)

This Moogle makes that XIII Mono-Lightning deck easier to make.

Always good to have a couple of searchers, and this one is better, because you can get rid of Mog once he finds what you’re looking for.

Mog comes in for 2CP, and just hangs out until it’s time for you to use his ability.

After that, you can play Mog once more, and he’ll do the same thing once more.

Yes, this card is needed.

23-094C – Y’shtola

How is this a Common?

If you’re playing a Scions deck, you will be dulling your opponent’s whole front line.

And, this only costs 3CP.

All I see is, you play Y’shtola, and block with her as soon as possible, in order to play her again.

Find a way to grab her from the Break Zone as well, and you’ll be golden. Just like the S(ci)un of the Seventh Dawn … Ok, maybe that wasn’t that great.

23-095R – Rosso

Rosso, the Crimson.

Vincent is in trouble here.

The Tsivets are coming for him and all of his allies, and Rosso is coming hard. For every time she attacks, she deals 4000 damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

And, if you have a stash of Crystals, you can use them to give one of your Tsivets Haste, allowing them to go from the get go.
Tsivets might finally have some decent cards to get a fun deck going.

Singles?