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Lumina

“I have a name. It’s Lumina. And, I know a lot about you.”

SPOILER ALERT

If you haven’t played Lightning Returns and don’t want anything ruined, move along.

If you have, continue on.

Datalog Entry

-Lumina

This mysterious young girl appears to be able to control the power of Chaos, and likes to get in Lightning’s way at every turn.

It seems that she has met Snow before, and the two have more than just a passing acquaintance. but Lightning has spent the last five centuries in crystal, and she has no way of knowing what could have happened between the two.

Still, she cannot deny that the girl bears a striking similarity to Serah. But Serah is dead, and this Lumina seems to have her own goals.

 

So, just who is Lumina?

Lumina, is a vessel that was created when Lightning went into Crystal Stasis, in order to protect Serah’s heart to protect her from Chaos.. And, while Lightning was in Crystal Stasis, Lumina kept in contact with everyone that was a part of Lightning’s story.

From being there when Fang and Vanille woke up from their Crystal Stasis, to keeping Vanille company when she was lonely as the High Priestess. Showing Noel the oracle drive where he defeats Lightning, Giving Sazh a coffer of souls to collect Dajh’s Soul Fragments in order for him to wake up. Lumina also came in contact with Caius and Snow, but not Hope. Nothing to do with Hope, because Hope is dead. He’s just a puppet now. Bhunivelze’s puppet.

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Resurgence of Power – Mixing Elements

18-107L – Akstar

A is for Akstar, and he learned the 3-step. I was surprised myself but it’s true. Akstar can dance the Waltz. Just look at all those 3s.

First off Akstar comes in and Dull/Freezes all the Forwards, including your own, that don’t cost 3CP.

When he comes in you can also play a 3 cost Ice or Fire Forward onto the field.

And when he attacks or enters the field you deal 1 Forward 3000 damage for all the 3 cost Forwards that you control.
That’s a whole lot of 3s. Even Akstar himself costs 3CP.

Are we getting new deck ideas, where every card in your hand costs 3CP? Can it work? Someone make this happen.

18-108H – Caius

It seems like Caius cards always have a drawback to them.

Sure, you can get a 2 cost 9K body, but you’ll have to discard your hand when he enters the field.

What can we do then?

Just play your whole hand, and then play Caius last.

Let’s look at his abilities. Whenever Caius attacks, you can either have your opponent discard a card, or double the damage Caius deals either to a Forward or your opponent.

He also comes in with Brave. I might have to try this card out and see how it works.

18-109C – Snow

Snow allows you to possibly cast an extra XIII card, when he enters the field and each time he attacks. Though, you’re not drawing the card, you’re actually removing it from the game, and if you don’t cast it this turn, you will lose it.

You basically have a 50/50 chance of casting or removing.

And, at 3 points of damage, Snow gains Haste and +3000 power.

 

 

18-110H – Xande

Ok, so, we’ll be playing Xande towards the end of our turn. Trying to get as many cards in the Break Zone so we can deal 9000 damage to as many Forwards as we possibly can. 4CP will already be 2 Characters. And if you play any other cards before hand, count those Characters as well.

You can also play Xande from the Break Zone, for the cost of 2CP and 5 Backups. Is it worth it? or are you better off just playing Xande from your hand?

Those 5 Backups are 5 Forwards that you can deal damage to.

 

18-111L – Basch

The question is, Is it worth 1 point of damage to search for a Fire or Earth Character?

I’m sure there are plenty of other cards that will search for the card that you’re looking for, without getting a point of damage.

3 points of damage, Basch gains +1000 power and Brave.

5 points of damage, when Basch attacks you deal 8000 damage to 1 Forward.

You do have an incentive to receive that 1 point of damage. Early on it might be a good idea to use it, but later on I would pass.

Or you can just not pay the extra cost, and play Basch as is.

18-112C – Leon

It looks like more and more cards are dealing you a point of damage.

Just how backed up to the wall do you want to be?

Sure, some cards excel when you’re fighting everything off at 6 points of damage, but why would you need to get there in order to hope that you win.

Anyways, Leon here comes in with Brave.

 

18-113H – Cid Haze

Cid comes in and gives you the ammunition to use his ability on the same turn that he comes in. Reducing the cost of casting your next card by 2. It doesn’t say it cannot become 0, so your next card could be free. After that you play 1 more card.

Once you’ve played your third card, and enter your Attack Phase, you choose 2 of your opponents Characters and you dull and Freeze them.

Farewell to the Blockers that your opponent has set up. At least for this turn.

 

18-114C – Maria

I would be trying to get Maria onto the field as soon as possible. And then just trying to find a way to send her to the Break Zone.

Worst thing that could happen is you block a Forward and your opponent discards a card.

Or, you block a Forward and activate all your Characters. Win/Win

 

 

18-115L – Melvien

I would put Melvien in the same category as Opus XVI Tidus. Even if she is put in the Break Zone, your opponent will never really be able to truly get rid of her.

Every time Melvien is put into the Break Zone, you can simply remove her from the game and put 2 Warp Counters on her. 2 turns later she comes back into the field.

And, every time she enters the field, you can Activate 2 of your Backups and Freeze up to 2 of your opponents Backups.
Not much else to say, but I like this card.

 

18-116L – Sephiroth

Kingdom Hearts Sephiroth is back. And, once again with Back Attack.

No, I didn’t plan that.

Sephiroth is coming, and he has entered Attack Mode. One Winged Angel, Demi-God, and whatever else you’d like to add.
When Sephiroth enters the field he Breaks 1 dull Forward.

And every time he attacks, your opponent will either discard 1 card, or you can Break a Forward of cost 2 or less.
Sephiroth will be leaving bodies left and right.

18-117H – Lightning

The Savior is here. For your deck, not your opponents.

Lightning comes in with Haste and starts attacking left and right, dulling, Breaking and dealing damage across the board leaving no Forward unscathed.

Well, that’s what we’re hoping for.

Every time Lightning attacks, you can pay 1CP to dull a Forward, and then pay 2CP to Break a dull Forward. Which in itself is a good reason to play this card.

I shall be trying out this card. At some point.

And if you don’t want to attack, you can use Lightning’s 3rd ability and have your opponent discard a card.

18-118C – Laguna

High cost to play Laguna, but he might be worth it.

When Laguna enters the field or attacks you can a) Deal an active Forward 5000 damage. or b) Dull a Forward.

I’m thinking there are plenty of cards that can chip away at multiple Forwards, chip damage is making a comeback. Or, maybe I’m just beginning to notice it. I can see FFVIII decks becoming stronger. Ever since Opus XVI. And now with Seifer, Fujin and Raijin, there should be plenty to play with.

Let’s not forget Satellite Laser. Well nothing to crazy, but you can deal 9000 damage to a Forward.

18-119C – Chelinka

Need to break some of these new Monsters that came out this set? Look no further than Chelinka. Chelinka Breaks a Monster when she enters the field.

You can throw her in the new Noctis deck and you’re set.

 

 

 

18-120H – Tifa

Tifa comes in a has Protect already cast on her, reducing the damage dealt to her by 2000. And, that’s a good thing. For when Tifa enters the field she goes 1-on-1 with another Forward. You can choose any Forward you would like.

Meteor Strike, is also pretty good in itself. You are able to deal 8000 damage to 3 Forwards. Cost might be a little high, but it can be worth it.

 

 

18-121L – Fran

I think I said earlier that Sky Pirates will be making a comeback. (Not in this post, probably in Wind.) And, Fran here proves it. Whenever Fran attacks, or enters the field, you can play a FF XII Character of cost 4 or less from your hand onto the field. And, Fran only costs 3CP!

Think about it, you’ll be able to build your offense faster than what you would have. A free card once per turn.

And if Balthier is on the field, Fran gains +1000 power and Brave.

Yes, I shall try out a Sky Pirate deck, all thanks to Fran.

Thank you, Fran.

18-122H – Vanille

2 cost Forward that can cancel an auto-ability. We can never have to many cards like this. Vanille is more of an insurance card. I don’t think you’d be attacking with Vanille unless you knew the attack will go through. But, you’re better off just keeping her active, in order to dull her, when an auto-ability goes off.

Sure, it won’t out right cancel it, your opponent will need to pay an extra 2CP for it to go through.

And when you’re done with Vanille, you can just chuck her to the Break Zone to grab a Backup.

18-123L – Sonon EX

Getting rid of your own Backups is always a plus. Especially when they come in do their on entry ability and then do nothing, but sit around.

Sonon comes in and allows you to remove 2 Backups instead of paying the cost. After that you can replay 2 new Backups and hopefully get another on entry ability.

He can also come in with Back Attack, although I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody actually use Back Attack, but you can. You can even remove the 2 Backups during your opponents turn.

Sonon also comes in with an EX Burst, hopefully helping your Forward that is blocking or attacking overcome the other Forward.

I can see some use with Sonon.

18-124C – Billy Bob

Billy Bob comes in and let’s you grab a Forward from the Break Zone. Any Forward. Doesn’t have to be a certain Job, Element, or Category. A little different than Search your deck, but will still see plenty of use.

Best part is that Billy Bob is a Common.

After that Billy Bob just hangs out on the field with an 8K body.

 

 

18-125H – Onion Knight

Onion Knight has a lot going on for him.

First off he enters the field and either Breaks a damaged Forward, or return’s a Forward to your opponents hand. Either way your getting rid of one of your opponent’s Forwards.

The best thing though, when Onion Knight is put into the Break Zone, you can pay 1CP and search for another Onion Knight and play it onto the field.

Very Ultros if you ask me.

 

18-126L – Lightning

Another card that doesn’t want to go away.

After Lightning is sent to the Break Zone, you can pay the 2CP, remove a Lightning and an Odin from the Break Zone and then you can play Lightning onto the field.

Sure, it’s the same cost as paying Lightning on to the field, but what if you don’t have a Lightning in your hand. This way you can just simply play her, straight from the Break Zone.

She also comes in with Haste, dulls a Forward when she enters and you draw 1 card.

What’s not to like?

18-127C – Lilisette

Some of these Commons are actually really good.

Take Lilisette her, she Breaks a low cost Forward when she enters the field.

After that she can dance. And, boy does she dance. Once she’s done with her Sensual Dance, your opponents Forwards will all be week at the knees, and will have lost some of there power. Some will have lost it all.

 

 

18-128H – Arciela

How many of your cards do you want to show your opponent?

Depending on the answer, you can either deal 7000 damage to a Forward, draw a card, or both.

But do you really want to show your opponent your hand just to cast the abilities?

I think I’ll take a pass on this one.

 

18-129C – Jecht

Jecht is just a Common, but we already said we have some good Commons this set. This is another one. Once he enters the field you can pay the extra cost and give Jecht Haste, Brave and First Strike. With the 9000 body he can lay waste to a Forward, or deal your opponent a point of damage.

We also have Jecht Beam, that deals a Forward 8000 damage.

Decent card.

 

18-130L – Firion

Low cost, low power. But, if you have at least 5 Characters on the field Firion, gains Haste and whenever he attacks you draw a card.

I don’t know if you’ll be attacking much with Firion, but you can discard a card and give him +2000 power. Depending on what element the card is you can either give Firion First Strike, or activate him.

Not the greatest Legend, but could see some use.

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Opus XIV – Fire Review

14-001C – Amalj’aa

Amal’jaa, number 001. start off the set with a Backup. Who in turn gets activated when a Fire Primal enters the field.
All you do is use Amalj’aa to pay for the Primal, and once the Primal is in, Activate Amalj’aa and dull Amalj’aa to deal 1000 damage to a Forward.

 

 

 

14-002R : Ifrita EX

Everyone loves Ifrita, and by that, I mean I love Ifrita. Just by looking at the text you know you are going to add this one to your deck if you are already playing Ifrita (9-002H). You’ll be heading towards 5 Ifrits/Ifritas in your Break Zone before you know it. You’ll be dealing 7K damage to a Forward while also searching for another Ifrita to add to your hand.

 

 

 

14-003R – Illua

Haste? Check. Illua comes in attacks, right away and you can dull up to 5 Backups. Then you get to choose a Forward deal it up to 15K damage. Should be enough Damage to break it. Illua’s power will also increase 3K for each Backup you dulled, for power reaching up to 18K. Not a bad card if I do say so myself

 

 

 

14-004C : Warrior of Light

Your Standard 4CP/8K body. Gives all your Standard Units +1K. +3K if you received 3 points of Damage. I say this card will see plenty of play.

 

 

 

 

14-005C : Oelde Leonis

Strong card power wise, and when he is broken you choose one Standard Unit from your Break Zone add it to your hand. Could be a useful blocker, but at the 5CP cost is it worth the Standard Unit you’ll pull from the Break Zone. I’m sure someone will say that he is..

 

 

 

14-006R : Ifrit, Lord of the Inferno EX

For a second there, I thought it was a Summon, and decided that he is too expensive to deal a couple of Forwards 4K Damage.

Then I saw that he is a Forward. I was wondering why he had a Job. After that my opinion changed. He counts as an Ifrit for Ifrita. Which all Summons and character abilities deal 1K more Damage. I like it.

Don’t forget Fritt (7-004C) searches for him.

 

14-007L : Garland

As we talked about this card in one of our Box openings on YouTube. Garland is practicly unbeatable. He can still receive a beat down and be broken. But, it’s his abilities that make this a great card. Whenever a Backup, is put in the Break Zone, you get to draw a card. Could be any Backup not just your own.

And let’s not forget about Flare, Break a Forwards and then your opponent puts a Backup in the Break Zone. This as well could be one of your own Forwards. Maybe Break Oelde Leonis to grab a Standard Unit from the Break Zone, and draw a card.

Hmm … What Standard Unit are we looking for?

14-008C – Caius

Cheap Forward to play, and gets an 8K body whenever one of your Forwards is put into the Break Zone. Add, Brave and Caius just might be as good as Caius (5-004R). Now some of you might say that Opus V Caius isn’t that good, but I like him. He does good at what I want him to do.

 

 

 

14-009R – Gabranth

Your Basic 2CP Backup, that doesn’t do anything until you received 5 points of Damage.

After that, you can just Protect a Forward.

 

 

 

14-010H – Gutsco

I like it.

Keep removing cards till Gutsco gets broken, or removed from the game.

After that all the cards removed come back to your hand. And, you can have a lot of cards that you can storm the field with. I will be trying this one out.

 

 

14-011 – Susano, Lord of the Revel

Six Crystal Points to wipe the board, and get a free hit. This is the second board wipe Fire and XIV receives in 2 sets. And all you need to do is get rid of one Backup. You can even get rid of Ranperre. But, I don’t know how that would work out on the stack.

 

 

 

14-012 – Kojin

Don’t like the cards you just drew? Just play Kojin with those 2 cards and hopefully get something better. And if that doesn’t work, Dull and Break and hopefully you’ll get something better once again.

 

 

 

14-013C : Koboloid Yang

I’d call this a ticking time bomb. Everytime it ticks it gets more power. But this time bomb, you can have it go off whenever you choose to.

I’ll take it!

 

 

 

14-014C : Samurai

3CP/7K +2K if you’re playing Samurais.

And Brave.

And, you better fill up your Break Zone with Samurais to get the his on entry ability.

Samurai’s look like they have been getting great support.

 

 

14-015R – Zenos

Personally, I would have thought that this card was at least a Hero. But, it’s just a rare, throw this one in with the Shadowbringers Starter Deck, add Susano and you got yourself a good deck. Could it be that easy? Sometimes, but that’s just a quick tip. You’re welcome.

You can actually call this card Fat Chocobo in red. Or, Fired up Fat Chocobo.

Also gives Haste to all XIV forwards you control.

 

14-016C – Geomancer

Geomancer’s only job is to remove the ability of your opponents Forwards to block … well … you get what I’m trying to say.
Hey, do you see that Bhunivelze with 10K Power?

He’s the only one in between me and victory and all I got on the field is a measly Palom from Opus II with a 1000 Power. What shall I do?

 

 

14-017H – Mom Bomb

I had seen this card early on. And, loved it. Mostly because it’s Amano art.

But, this Monster becomes a 2 cost 8K Forward if you control 3 or more Fire Backups. your opponent will think twice about blocking this one due to the fact that it’ll deal 5K damage to all Forwards, including your own. I like when the cards mimic the games.

 

 

14-018C – Maliris (IX)

Discard one card Job Chaos and deal one forward 8000 damage. Is it worth it? I’m sure there are Summons that can do this more efficiently. But, for a common I’ll take it.

 

 

 

 

14-019R – Red XIII

2CP to play Red XIII, then when he enters the field you can play 1 Fire CP to play Susano? That can’t be right. And it’s just a Rare??? Sure the Forward you play will be removed from the game after the end of the turn, but if you’re wiping the board and getting a point of Damage does it really matter?

You can also Discard Red XIII to get Susano’s ability off.