Posted on Leave a comment

Lightning of Discovery

27-073R – Ardyn EX

The Chief Minister is here to do Chief Minister things.

The more you break your opponent’s Forwards the better Ardyn will be, and the less he’ll cost in the long run.
Let’s start from the beginning.

When Ardyn enters the field he will break one of your opponent’s Forwards. Or one of your own Forwards if your opponent doesn’t have any.

Now whenever your opponent’s Forwards are sent to the Break Zone, Ardyn will reveal the top card of your deck, and if it’s a Lightning card you can add it to your hand. This one also comes off of an EX Burst.

Mono-Lightning anyone?

27-074H – Adel (VIII)

Adel costs 4CP, but you can pay an extra cost to grant her +1000 power and some protection in not being able to be chosen by some of your opponent’s abilities. And this is a lasting effect.

What’s the cost? Another Witch you will remove her from the Break Zone and you’re good to go.

But, what does Adel actually do?

Well, every time she attacks, you choose one of your opponent’s Forwards and you will send it to the Break Zone.

And what happens when we send one of your opponent’s Forwards to the Break Zone? That’s when Ardyn comes in and well you can just read Ardyn again.

I do like it. Mono-Lightning is coming for you!

27-075L – Edea

I took a look, and there aren’t that many Final Fantasy VIII cards of 2CP or less worth playing. I was trying to see if there were any to play Edea Turn 1. The only one that looked decent was Squall (27-060H). When Squall enters the field, you’ll reveal the top 3 cards of your deck and add a Final Fantasy VIII character to your hand.

If this works. You’ll have 2 Characters on the field, and you would only have paid 1CP for it.

And at the end of your turns, you’ll draw a card if you have at least 4 Final Fantasy VIII Characters on the field.

That’s about it.
.

27-076C -Kain

No need for introductions. Even as a Common, Kain is still a great card to play.

If you already have cast a Dragoon this turn, Kain’s cost goes down to 2CP.

And, if you saved CP this way, you might as well pay the extra cost of 1 Lightning CP to give Kain Haste and First Strike. Allowing him to attack as soon as he enters the field.

And with Kain’s power at 9000, you’ll be doing plenty of damage to your opponent. Especially with First Strike.

.

27-077C – Machinist

Your one cost Standard Unit, Machinist.

Some of these Standard Units are good, and some just fall a little flat.

Take Machinist here, while the ability of dealing a Forward 8000 damage is good, the cost is not so much.

It’s a total of 5CP, to use Machinist’s ability. Which isn’t too bad, it’s just that you can get a similar effect by using less CP.

And yes, you’ll say, but Machinist stays as a Backup and will produce CP per turn.

That’s fair enough, but I will pass. You don’t have to, you can use Machinist and if you beat me using him, I’ll say well he’s not that bad, I guess.

27-078R – Kylma

A 2 cost Backup that Break a Forward. But at what price?

An arm and a leg, that’s the price. 2 cards from the top of your deck, for every CP needed to cast that Forward.

What happens when you’re trying to get rid of Opus XVI Chaos at 11CP? You’re going to remove 22 cards from your deck? That’s just Insane if you ask me. Yes, you don’t have to worry about paying the cost from your hand, but you’re getting rid of cards, that you will probably need later on.

Unless you’re sure you’re going to win the game, by using her ability, I would suggest you stay away from it.

This is a big fat no for me.

27-079H -Gilgamesh

Do you see what I am seeing?

Warriors were already turning up the heat, and now we add Gilgamesh into the mix.

And, I have to say that Gilgamesh is worth every Crystal Point you need to pay to play him.

Gilgamesh gives all of your Warriors, Brave and the ability to attack twice in the same turn.

And, that’s not all, when he enters the field, you will dull 2 of your opponent’s Forwards. Leaving them more suspectable to an attack.

And if that’s not all, Missile Barrage will Break one of your opponent’s Forwards, and give him Haste.

Meaning, that When Gilgamesh enters the field, and you use Missile Barrage, you will dull 2 of your opponent’s Forwards, Break one of their Forwards, and attack twice, and since you have Brave, Gilgamesh will be able to block, just in case you whiffed on the attacks.

This should have been a Legend, with some original artwork.

27-080C – Coeurl

Coeurl is one of the better Monsters that I’ve seen in a while.

Coeurl comes in breaks a Forward.

Coeurl goes to the Break ZOne, breaks a Forward.

That’s all you need to know.

And that is more than enough information to add it to your deck.

I might even add it to my bomb deck.

27-081C – Gladiator

Your best bet is breaking 2 low cost Forwards. One that costs 1CP, and if you have a Multi-Element Forward on the field, you’ll break a 2 cost Forward as well.

There are currently 99 Forwards that cost 1CP, and only a handful of them see any use.

So, I really don’t see Gladiator getting much play.

 

.

 

27-082R – Koana

Just like Edea, Koana comes in and searches for a 2 cost Final Fantasy XIV Character and plays it to the field.

There’s are plenty of cards to choose from.

Koana also has the ability to dull a Forward on command. The best thing about his ability is that you don’t have to send him to the Break Zone, a simple dull will do.

And from what I remember seeing, there are a couple of cards that need Koana on the field, in order to get the full effect.

27-083R – Seifer

Look at Seifer, he’s telling you to “Bring it!” Cause he’s ready, even though he only has 4000 power, he’s ready to do some damage.

When he enters the field, he will Break one of your opponent’s Forwards. 2CP or less. But, if you have a witch on the field, it’ll go up to 5CP.

And let’s not forget his Special ability, where he will Break a Forward. Seifer won’t dull with this ability, so if you have plenty of Seifers in your hand and the CP to pay for it, you can Break as many Forwards as you please.

.

27-084R – Thancred

Like we just mentioned earlier some cards need Koana on the field in order to get their full effect.

Thancred here is one such example.

When he enters the field, he will deal 4000 damage to a Forward, if Koana is on the field that damage becomes 7000.
We also have the ability to activate one FFXIV Forward that we control.

Meaning you can use Koana’s ability twice in the same turn. 2 dulls for the price of one.

.

27-085L – Zoraal Ja

Now this is a card. Add this to your The Twelve deck, and you will be set to go.

Coming in at 3CP and 7000 power, Zoraal Ja gains +2000 power and Haste if you have at least 4 FFXIV Characters on the field.
And every time he attacks, you will Break one of your opponent’s Forwards.

And when you have received 5 points of damage, Zoraal Ja will break an additional Forward when he attacks.

Breaking 2 Forwards per attack is enough to slowly take down your opponent’s offenses.

Let’s not forget to add Hein in here as well, allowing Zoraal Ja to attack twice in one turn. Is that 4 broken Forwards if you have received 5 points of damage?

27-086H – Nine

We’ve been getting plenty of Cadets in recent sets, and Nine is top notch as always.

From the looks of it Cadets are tri-color, Fire/Wind/Lightning. And Nine is here to show you why.

When he enters the field, if you have a Fire Character, Nine will deal 9000 damage to a Forward, and if you have a Wind Character, Nine will activate all of your Backups.

Either one of these is great, but both together makes putting Nine in your deck, worth every CP you’ll pay for him.

What’s even better, is that if you have 5 Backups and use them to pay for Nine, Nine will become a free play.

And, that is something we here at Kardboard Korner love playing.

Full Arts please.

27-087C – Fujin

It always seems like Seifer, Fujin and Raijin are always on the verge of becoming a force to be, but they always seem to fall flat.

Fujin here, is a great Backup to Seifer and Raijin as she grants them +1000 power.

Is it enough to make them a top tier line up?

Not yet, But, they will one day.

.

27-088C – Raijin

And, here is Raijin back to back.

Raijin comes in for 3 CP with 8000 power, plus the 1000 from Fujin we have 9000.

That’s all right so far.

When Raijin enters the field, he will deal 3000 damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

And, if you want more.

You can dull Fujin, and deal 5000 damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

Does this man that Raijin is using Fujin as a projectile?

27-089H – Ramuh

Well we did get one more Final Fantasy III Summon, I just thought that all six would have been FFIII.

Here we are, The Lord of Thunder is ready to deal 6000 damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

After that you will reveal the top 3 cards of your deck, and if you find another Ramuh there, you will add it to your hand, making Ramuh a free play.

Are there enough Ramuhs to make this something that we should build a deck around.

Yes, but is it worth making?

Everything is worth making. At least for one game.

27-090C – Dragoon

If you’re playing Dragoons, Dragoon is worth playing.

For it’s a Dragoon.

It will also let you reveal the top 2 cards of your deck, and if there is a Dragoon there you will add it to your hand.

Yes, this Dragoon will be sent to the Break Zone, but you will get another Dragoon that will take it’s place. Probably.

 

 

Electrifying Singles!

Posted on Leave a comment

Gunslinger in the Electric Playground

Shop for these Singles and more at our TCG Player Store!

26-081C – Aphmau

The Puppetmaster pulls plenty of strings. Even when Aphmau is in the Break Zone, she still can pull strings.

For 2CP you get a tiny body that can block an attack. And, that is about it. Everything else happens in the Break Zone.

You can put Aphmau into the Break Zone to draw a card, and dull one of your opponent’s Forwards.

And, once Aphmau is in the Break Zone, you can remove her from the game and dull another one of your opponent’s Forwards.

And, that is pretty much it.

26-082H – Angeal

SOLDIER, Shinra, The Turks, AVALANCHE.

We’re getting cards for all of these, and all of these themed decks will become that much stronger.

Angeal here, enters the field and grabs 2 SOLDIERs from the Break Zone. Then you can play them without actually paying their cost. Angeal’s ability allows you to play them for 2CP.

And, if that’s not all Angeal has a 9k body, that will keep him around long enough to keep playing all of your SOLDIERs.

26-083H – Elena

One more for the Turks.

Elena is a free play if you have 2 Members of the Turks on the field.

Elena comes in with Haste, making her useful from the get go, allowing her to attack.

She’s not a threat until you receive 3 points of damage. Once you do reach those 3 points of damage, Elena will deal 5000 damage to the Forward that deals damage to her. Making her a superior blocker.

Your opponent will be thinking twice before hitting her with an ability, or blocking her.
Shinra is back and ready to go once again.

26-084H – Vivian

And, here you thought that Final Fantasy XVI and Priming couldn’t get any easier.
Vivian is here to change all that.

For 5CP you get a Backup that does all the work behind the scenes. Namely, Vivian allows you to pay the Priming cost with CP of any element. That right there is worth the price of admission, but, we’re not even close to done.

When Vivian comes in, you can grab a FFXVI Forward from your Break Zone and add it to your hand. You’ll pick one that can Prime. And, once that Forward Primes into an Eikon, you will draw a card.

And, you will draw a card every time you Prime.

Logan Paul ain’t got nothing on Vivian. Much better Prime here, than in the stores.

26-085L – Vrtra

Vrtra is here to cause your opponent suffering.

We’ll start from the top.

Vrtra cannot be chosen by your opponent’s Summons.

Check.

When Vrtra enters the field, Vrtra cannot be chosen by your opponent’s abilites, until the end of their turn.

Check.

That’s all good and all, but that’s not where Vrtra shines.

When a Lightning Forward attacks, you will dull one of your opponent’s Forwards and deal it 7000 damage.

All you have to do is find a way to bounce Vrtra in and out. Maybe something along the lines of Rinoa (6-041L). You’re welcome.

26-086C – Exdeath EX
Of of course Exdeath has an EXburst. Get it? Yeah that was terrible.

The 5 cost Backup that will break a 5 cost Forward.

What else do you need?

Anything?

Nope, that’s enough for me.

The Ex Burst is just the cherry on top.

26-087R – Odin

Odin is here to reclaim his throne from Althyk.

Period.

When Odin is summoned, you can choose one of two options.

The first, break a Forward of cost 4 or less.

The second break an LB of cost 6 or less.

Althyk is 2CP, and that means Odin will break Althyk any day of the week.

Your Summon in shiny armor has arrived once again.

26-088R – Gav

As if Final Fantasy XVI needed some extra help. It’s already doing great with Prime, and now a Character that will search for a Final Fantasy XVI Character. Add in Elwin that will search for either Clive or Joshua, and you have Prime going off left and right.

Needless to say, this is a card that will see plenty of play.

In fact every deck that runs Clive will have at least 3 copies in it.

And 3 more just to be safe. You don’t want to lose these ones.

 

26-089C – Gilgamesh

4CP can mean 4 different elements. But that Warrior of Light does not have Lightning, So, we’ll have to get back to the drawing board. But, if we look at this set, we can settle on “The Twelve”. All elements are in there. I’m thinking that might be a good fit.

You’ll ask what am I even going on about?

It’s simple. Greg here gets better the more you use different elements to pay for him. And with 4CP, like we mentioned you can use up to 4 different elements to pay for him. Each element is a multiplier on the damage Greg will deal to one of your opponent’s Forwards. Meaning, you can deal up to 12K damage when you cast Greg.

Who’s Greg?

26-090C – Xiphos

This was a thorn in my side during Prerelease.

All these Opus XXVI Monsters were.

All you have to do is bring Xiphos in and go to town. Attack as soon as possible. Cause when Xiphos is blocked, your opponent’s Forwards, all of them, will lose 3000 power.

And when Xiphos deals damage, he breaks a 4 cost Forward on it’s way to the Break Zone.
That’s the only downside to this card, it heads to the Break Zone whenever it deals your opponent a point of damage.

Don’t forget, you can have 3 of these on the field at the same time.

And, I suggest you do.

26-091C – Sleipnir

Sleipner is a bit of a sleeper. He’ll only work good if you already have a Dark card in your hand.

If you don’t, then it’s not worth playing Sleipnir. Let him stay in bed and use him for CP.
If you do have a Dark card in your hand, you will draw a card, and if you play that Dark Forward, Sleipnir will gain Haste and 3000 power. Making him an 8K Forward.

After that Sleipnir is just a Meat Shield, staying on the field long enough for you to block an attack.

It’s an ok play if you’re playing Final Fantasy XVI.

26-092H – Serah

How is Serah just a Hero?

Remember that Final Fantasy XIII deck we got a while back? Time to dust it off.

You’ll be wanting to play Serah once you have a couple of Final Fantasy XIII Characters on the field. If you have 2 FFXIII Characters, Serah will break one of your opponent’s Forwards that cost 4CP or less.

And at 3 FFXIII Characters. That’s 2 plus Serah, you’ll be able to deal a point of damage to your opponent. You can use this ability once per turn. And, when Serah deal damage to your opponent, you guessed it, Serah will break one of your opponent’s Forward once again.

You can probably build a whole deck around Serah, and we haven’t even gotten to Lightning yet.

26-093C-15-095C – Ninja

Here’s a reprint, of a reprint, of a reprint.

So, we’re just going to, you guessed it, Copy/Paste from Opus XX – Dawn of Heroes.

“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.”

26-094C – Byregot

More of “The Twelve”, and Byrgot ain’t playing.

Once per turn Byregot can dull a Forward on command. And, that is all you need. Everything else is extra.

And, I do mean extra.

How would you feel with an extra card in your hand? How would you feel if that card was an extra member of “The Twelve”?

Well, you should be able to grab one from the top 5 cards of your deck, considering you are playing “The Twelve”. That’s 36 cards out of 50. And your chances of pulling a card that isn’t “The Twelve” are close to 0. And, if my calculations are correct you have a 92.47% chance of finding a member of “The Twelve”, leaving a 7.53 chance of not finding one.

26-095R – Freya

This card better be a Full Art. Kind of reminds me of the Emissaries of Light Black Waltz trio.

Freya comes in with Haste, and you better have your Dragoons ready, because every time she attacks, you will deal 2000 points of damage x the number of Dragoons you have on the field. And, if you’re playing Dragoons, you’re going to have a lot of Dragoons on the field.

And, if that’s not enough, Freya’s Dragon’s Crest does the same thing. Dealing 2000 damage x the number of Dragoon’s you control. You’ll be using Freya like she’s going out of style. But, she’ll never go out of style.

All you need to do is pair Freya, with Esitinien (6-088L) and you’ll be half way to victory.

26-096C – Mini Fighter

Mini Fighter wielding a Mega Sword. For his size that is the equivalent of Sephiroth’s Masamune. But, Mini Fighter is not Sephiroth, just a miniature version, that can disrupt an ability. Hopefully.

Mini Fighter can dull a Forward and depending on what card you discard to pay for the ability, Freeze it as well.

And, that’s about it. Mini Fighter will also give you 1CP per turn, as Mini Fighter is a Mini Backup.

Ok, I’ll stop now.

26-097R – Rhalgr

If you have 8 of The Twelve out on the field, Rhalgr is a free play. And, what a free play he is!

Coming in at 9K and Haste, Rhalgr is a god in his own right.

But, you’ll ask, why would I pay 8CP for a card even if it does break a Forward, and you get to keep a body on the field that can attack right away?

You should, and you won’t. Rhalgr’s cost is reduced by one for each of The Twelve that is on the field.

I mean, you’re already paying 7CP to play Opus I Odin just to break a Forward. What’s one more CP to have an extra body on the field as well?

26-098L – Lightning
Do you see what’s going on here?

The Farron Sisters is where it’s at!

Lightning comes in for 3CP with 6000 power, and Haste. So far so good. But why is this a Legend?

Let’s take a look. When Lightning form a party and attacks, and deals damage to your opponent, that damage becomes 2 points instead.

Still there? Yeah, Lightning is not done.

When Lightning attacks, you can play a Final Fantasy XIII Forward onto the field, and that Forward will form a party with Lightning to attack.

Where’s Serah? We just mentioned the Farron Sisters. So, naturally you’ll grab Serah. And when Serah enters the field and you control 2 or more Final Fantasy XIII Forwards, Serah will break a Forward of 4CP or less. Lightning and Serah make 2.

And when Serah deals damage to your opponent, Serah will once again break a Forward.

Nuff said.

26-099C – Dragoon

Dragoons are adding a piece to the perfect puzzle.

Faris here, I mean Standard Unit Dragoon that looks like Faris, will grab a Standard Unit from your Break Zone, and depending on how many Dragoons you have on the field, you will be able to play it straight to the field.

If you don’t then you will just add it to your hand.

The good thing is that it does not have to be a card named Dragoon, and since you can play it straight ti the field without paying the cost, you can play a Standard Unit from any element. Including Lanista (26-020C), who will give all of your Forwards +1000 power when they attack.

Keep Dragooning!

26-100R -Llyud

A Lightning card for Warriors? There’s actually a lot more than I thought. I thought Llyud was the first one. (It’s called old age.)

Llyud is ready to go, and so should all of your Warriors.

Whenever any Warrior you control attacks, you get to dull one of your opponent’s Forwards. And this can keep on going on and on. As long as you have Warriors to attack. And if you need more, there’s always a couple of cards that will dull on command.

We’re starting the Dull Warriors, and only Full Fledged members are allowed entrance.

Cleon would be proud. Oh wait, Cleon’s not around. Swan would be proud.

Electrifying Singles!

Posted on Leave a comment

Gunslinger in the Sky (Wind)

Shop for these Singles and more at our TCG Player Store!

26-041 – Ashe

Ashe looks like she just came out of Revenant Wings. And, on closer inspection, it says Revenant Wings right on the bottom.

First look shows us that if you have 3 Final Fantasy XII Characters on the field, Ashe’s cost will become 2CP. And, with that 2CP you get a 9K body. Who would have thought that the Queen would be a Meat Shield?

And, that is not the reason that you will play this Legend. All of your Forwards, except for Ashe will gain +2000 power. Pair that with Maria (1-083H) and all of your other Forwards will have +3000 power.

And if you need to reduce the damage dealt to one of your Forwards, all you need to do is dull one of your Final Fantasy XII Characters, and that damage will be reduced by 2000. This along with Ashe and Maria, gives your Forwards a 5K buffer zone. I’ll take it. Might even decide on some Sky Pirates one day.

26-042R – Alexander

That’s it? 3CP to break a High Cost Character?

And, if you don’t have the CP you can just dull 2 Wind Forwards?

This is great!

I’ll take 3 of these, even if I don’t have a Wind deck at the moment.

This card will see plenty of use.

 

26-043R – Vaan EX

Did we already say that Sky Pirates are making a comeback?

They might be, and Vaan is here to help with that.

We won’t even talk about his enter the field ability, where you can add a Sky Pirate to your hand from the top 3 cards of your deck. Or the fact that, this ability comes off of an EX Burst as well.

Nope, we’re going to talk about his second ability, which states that every time a Sky Pirate enters your field, you will activate 2 of your Backups. Vaan pays for himself right away. 2CP from the Sky Pirate you grab when he enters the field, and 2CP every time a Sky Pirate enters your field.

Vaan will give you positive CP, which is always good for Wind.

After that Vaan is just a Meat Shield.

26-044C – Sky Samurai

“Samurai of the Skyyyy,
Attack and Activate Myyy,
Backups, we can do it thriiiice”

I’ll leave that to the professionals.

Imagine having a Forward that can activate a couple of Backups every time they attack. Now think if you can have 3 of those Forwards on the field at the same time.

And, that Forward gains +2000 power when they attack!

I think we have something here. All decks playing Wind should have 3 of these.

It’s called Free CP. It’s even better if those Backups have abilities that you can use again.

And again.

And, again.

26-045C – Aerith

What can we say about this card? All you need is right there. On the card.

Aerith will activate all of your Final Fantasy VII Characters other than herself.

All you need to know is that Aerith should be usually played during your Main Phase 2. That way you can go all out and Attack with all of your Forwards. Play Aerith and have all of your Forwards ready to block.

And, that is that.

 

26-046C – Echo EX

Wol needs your help.

First off he needs help finding himself. Luckily Echo is here to help with that. Echo will search for Wol when she enters the field. This ability also comes off from an EX Burst.

Wol also needs some protection, and Echo can also help with that. If Wol is ever targeted by Summons or abilities, Echo will grant him protection in the form that Wol cannot be chosen by your opponent’s Summons or abilites.

Opus V Wol, I’m looking at you! You’re going to make a comeback!

26-047H – Oschon

I lost count of which of “The Twelve” I’ve seen. I’m thinking by the time I’ve seen Oschon it’s probably close to the end.

Oschon gains 1000 power for every other member of “The Twelve” That you have on the field. Giving Oschon a max of 16,000 from “The Other Eleven” And, there still are more ways to increase Oschon’s power. You might be able to get him into the 20s.

And once, Oschon has more than 10,000 power, Oschon will not be able to be chosen by your opponent’s abilities, and if he is dealt damage by any ability, that damage becomes 0.

Oschon might just be the main attacker of “The Twelve”

26-048C – Cloud

A Wind Cloud? Haven’t seen one of these yet.

5CP, or you can Warp Cloud for 2CP. Do you want to wait a turn? Or did you want Cloud in right this instance. Either way, if you can keep Cloud alive through out the match, Cloud will most likely be giving you a card every turn. Especially if you’re playing a Mono-Wind deck. Which is now possible with all the Final Fantasy VII Wind cards we have now.

You don’t even need to play Cloud in a FFVII deck, he’ll fit right in any Mono-Wind deck.
Focused Thrust? Yes, a special ability that will allow you to break a high cost Forward. 5CP or more.

26-049R – Cactuar Conductor

A 2 cost Backup, that can save your World of Final Fantasy Characters.

Let’s say Reynn, or Lann is about to be broken by one of your opponent’s abilities, Cactuar Conductor will come in and save the day. He’ll remove the Forward from the game and bring them back to the field at the end of the turn.

Or, does that World of Final Fantasy Forward have a great enter the field ability that you want to use once again, Cactuar Conductor is here to help with that as well.

Extra bonus points for Tonberry being featured on the card.

26-050R – Cissnei

I thought I already wrote this one.

Cissnei enters the field and you have 2 options. Either send a Monster to the Break Zone, or you can activate 3 Backups.

If you choose to activate the Backups, Cissnei becomes a free play. And, we here at Kardboard Korner like free.

Cissnei also has an ability that will deal 2000 damage to a Forward of your choosing.
That’s about it simple, effective and great art.

26-051C – White Mage

Are you looking for Break Zone removal?

White Mage is here for that. Why would a White Mage be removing cards from the Break Zone is not something I thought I would see. I would have given that to maybe a Time Mage, or a Necromancer.

Once you use White Mage’s ability, you will take 3 cards from your opponent’s Break Zone and remove them from the game. If one was a Water card, you’ll also draw a card. And then you will discard a card.

White Mage can be useful in a pinch.

26-052H – Sonon

Sonon is back, and I’ll say that this Sonon is the best Sonon so far, son(on).

You will play Sonon on the same turn that you play Yuffie, that way they both will have Haste, an they both will be able to form a party and attack.

And, once that happens, you will activate all of your Backups, and you will draw a card. Leaving you with plenty of options for your Main Phase 2.

Now the only question left is what Yuffie do we use? I’m sure there’s one in this set, although I haven’t seen it yet. (This was written a month before Gunslinger in the Abyss is released. No Yuffie yet.) I would say either Resurgence of Power Yuffie, where she activates all of your Forwards when she attacks, or Hidden Trials Yuffie, where you draw a card when she deal damage to your opponent. 2 Wind CP will make that Yuffie unblockable.

The Choice is yours, would you like to draw 1 cards, or would you like to activate all of your Forwards?

26-053L – Bartz

Warriors of Light get ready to use those Crystals!

Bartz is here, and ready to be put into any deck that has Crystal Generators. You don’t even need any Wind Elements in your deck, as long as you have Crystals ready to go. 3 to be exact. You can pay for Bartz with those 3 Crystals, and when he enters the field, you can look at the top 2 cards of your deck, and play a Character that costs 3CP or less straight to the field. The other card goes to your hand.

And if you don’t want to use Crystals, you can always just pay 8CP. Because at the end of the day, You will get at least half of the CP you used back.

After all is said and done, Bartz becomes a Meat Shield with 9000 power.

26-054C – Penelo

If you’re playing Sky Pirates, you might as well throw Penelo in, even if you’re playing with another Penelo.

Why?

Well, first off Penelo is a Free Play if you already have Vaan on the field.

Second, Penelo will show you the top card of your deck, and if it’s a Final Fantasy XII card you can add it to your hand. If it’s not you just put it back. This way, you’ll at least know what the next card is.

And lastly, Penelo will block an attack, just so you can use this card again.

It’s not the best Penelo, but what she does is great for a turn.

26-055H – Fina

Now this is interesting. Fina the Warp Mage!

Warping has now become that much easier. Warp any element that you’d like without worrying about what elements you have in your hand or on the board, because Fina will allow you to pay with any element that you have on hand.

And, when Fina enters the field she will search for a Character that can Warp. Allowing you to use her ability from the get go.

Fina also has another ability that will remove a Warp counter from one of your cards that are currently Warping.

This is a great card all around. 3 of these will always be good to have. Even if you don’t need them in your current deck, you might need them in a future deck.

26-056C – Gorger

It’s the Elemental Wind Monster in the Abyss.

Gorger becomes a Forward during your turn, and Gorger can not be blocked by a Forward that costs 3CP or more.

Pay attention.

When Gorger deals damage to your opponent, you will put Gorger into the Break Zone, Activate 3 Backups, and draw a card. After that you can play that card that you just drew, because you’ll have 3 extra CP that you didn’t have before.

Gorger would have been better if he wasn’t sent to the Break Zone, after it deals damage, but then Gorger would have been over powered.

26-057C – Millefeui

A one cost Backup that will allow you to draw 2 cards down the line.

Millefeui isn’t a bad card to have, as you’ll be getting 1CP per turn, and you pay a whopping 1CP to get Millefeui on the field.

Only drawback, which isn’t really a drawback, is that you need at least 15 Wind cards in your Break Zone.

Other than that it’s a decent card. I don’t see me using it though.

 

26-058H -Larsa

This card is hard to read. The way the Full Art blends with the words is just off putting.
Let’s see what Larsa does.

Larsa is made for a Final Fantasy XII deck, but that deck will not be Sky Pirates.

When Larsa comes in you will either grab Ashe, Basch or a Judge from your deck and add it to your hand. I’m guessing we’re going to see more Judges here, or a Final Fantasy XII Royal Family deck, where Rasler will finally have a deck to be in.

Larsa will also sacrifice himself when a Final Fantasy XII Forward is sent into the Break Zone. And you will then add that Forward back to your hand.

I’d just change the art, make it a bit more readable.

26-059R – Llymlaen

Here is the first card that you will want to play when playing “The Twelve”. Llymalaen will allow you to cast “The Twelve” with CP of any element. No need to worry about how you’re going to pay for each member, when Llymlaen is on the field.

And, Llymlaen’s cost of 2CP makes her even better.

Is that all?

Nope.

Llymlaen will also protect one member of The Twelve when they are chosen by your opponent’s Summons.

26-060C/15-058C – Dragoon

Here’s a reprint, of a reprint, of a reprint.

So, we’re just going to, you guessed it, Copy/Paste from Opus XV Crystal Dominion.

“You’ll need Dragoon to keep Kain on your side.

Other than that he enters the field. Gives you a Crystal. And finally you put him in the Break Zone and he gives 1 Forward First Strike.”

And, there’s no Kain here, so that was useless.

Windy Singles? 

Posted on Leave a comment

Tears of the Limit Break

Shop for these cards and more at our TCG Player Store!

25-106R – Machina LB

How much you like this card depends on when you can play it.

Machina is a 2 cost Forward, who’s power will range from 4K – 10K, as every point of damage that you have received gives Machina +1000 power.

This is not bad at all. The only problem I see is that you can’t play Machina if you already have a Forward on the field.

And, that might be the reason Machina is a Limit Break.

.
25-107H – Red XIII LB

This is what a Limit Break should be.

Red XIII comes in and he gives all of your Forwards +2000 power until the end of the turn. With all the Final Fantasy VII Characters in this set, I see Red XIII being a great Limit Break to play.

And, since we’re talking about Final Fantasy VII, if you have another 2 FFVII Characters on the field, Red XIII will also gain Haste, First Strike, and Brave.

This will be a great play after a couple of turns. You’ll have a Forward that will be tough to beat.

I do like this one.

25-108R – Kam’lanaut LB

I’m not sure if Kam’lanaut looks more like a Transformer or a Super Hero.

Either way Kam’lanaut will do the same thing once he enters the field. He will break a Forward.

Why am I so sure, that Kam’lanaut will break one of your opponent’s Forwards? Because you wouldn’t be playing it if you didn’t control a Dark Forward.

After that you’ll have a Meat Shield on the field.

Hey, that rhymes.

25-109H – Shuyin LB

Shuyin! What’cha doin?

Looking for Vegnagun, that’s what Shuying is doing!

Shuyin will come in and search for a Dark Forward. If you don’t want Vegnagun, you can always look for Emissaries of Light Chaos, and go that route.

And, hey if you get Vegnagun in your starting hand, you won’t need Shuyin, but it’s always good to have him.

Yeah, I can’t think of anything else.

25-110R – Aerith LB

Here’s a way to make sure you can start your FFVII deck off right.

If your hand isn’t good, and you need to just find Zack or Cloud, Aerith knows where to find them.

You can then play them on to the field, and go along with your plan.

Aerith can also cancel an auto-ability targeting a FFVII Character.

It’s almost as if she’s sacrificing herself to protect the rest.

I’d call Aerith the perfect Meat Shield, but that feels wrong.

25-111H – The Emperor LB

Do you want to draw more card?

The Emperor her will help you out with that.

Every time your opponent searches for a card, or brings a card back from the Break Zone, you get to draw a card. And, there’s no limit on how many cards you can grab.

Since we already know that every deck has a card that searches for cards, and most decks have a way of bringing cards back from the Break Zone, you will draw enough cards to make The Emperor a free play in the long run.

You also get a body on the field with 5000 power.

You’ll want to keep The Emperor on board for as long as you can.

25-112H – Sarah (MOBIUS) LB

We were just talking about MOBIUS, somewhere during this set, and it is getting some love here.

Sarah will come in and if you find a MOBIUS card in the top 4 cards of your deck, you can add it to your hand, if not then all the cards go to the Break Zone.

It can work in your favor, it can also work against you.

But, the real reason you’ll be playing Sarah, is her second ability, in which she reduces the cost of playing your MOBIUS Forwards by 2CP.

And, you get a body, but you’ll probably just be dulling Sarah to help pay for your Forwards.

125-113R – Yang LB

Bring on the Monks!

This is just a way to get an extra Monk on the field.

What am I saying? I gotta read a little better here.

This is a way to get a Forward on the field, any Forward, any Element, any Category, any Job.

As long as you have enough Monks on the field you can even play Mont Leonis (14-075H) and Chaos (16-129L)

Just find a way to break Yang, and play him again, and then play him once again. Since Yangs LB cost is only 1 point, you can play all 3 Yangs if you have them in your Limit Break deck.

25-114R Kain LB

Kain might cost 9CP, but you can bring that cost all the way down to 2CP.

How?

Its simple really.

If you have 3 Dragoons on the field, Kain’s cost comes down to 4CP. And, once Kain enters the field you’ll grab a Forward from your Break Zone. Bringing it down to 2CP, just like we mentioned.

You can grab the Forward you just used to pay for Kain’s cost, or you can grab another one.

Most likely, you’ll be grabbing another one. Probably that Dragoon that was just broken last turn.

Did we mention Kain has First Strike?

If you’re playing Dragoons, you should throw at least one in your Limit Break Deck.

25-115H – Sephiroth LB

This is a fun card to play. I managed to pull it on Prerelease along with a couple of FFVII Legends, but that’s a story for another day.

The high cost of Sephiroth is worth it.

Whenever Sephiroth attacks or when he enters the field, Sephiroth will dull all the Forwards except for himself.

And, at the end of your turn you will break a dull Forward. At the end of your opponent’s turn, you will break another dull Forward. And so on, and so forth.

You will slowly break down your opponent’s front line, but be careful. Once your opponent loses all their Forwards, you’re going to start breaking your own Forwards.

But, then again, if your opponent doesn’t have any Forwards on the field, you’re probably winning the game.

25-116H – Graff LB

The Grand General. Graff looks like he could be a captain, and when I saw it the first thing I thought about is Vikings.

Why Vikings?

Well, when Graff enters the field, choose a Forward you control remove it from the game. If you remove a Viking, you will draw a card.

Which should be a good enough reason to play Graff in your Pirate deck.

And also, whenever Graff attacks, you’ll choose one of your opponent’s Forwards and they lose 4000 power until the end of the turn.

Let’s not forget about Graff’s 9000 power either.

25-117R – Leonora LB

One more card that can search for another card.

A Forward to be exact, A Final Fantasy IV Forward.

Which Forward? Well, that’s up to you.

Leonora can also help protect your Final Fantasy IV Forwards, with her second ability which turns the next damage dealt to them to 0.

Final Fantasy IV now has 2 cards that will search for a FFIV Forward.

We might be on to something here.

25-118H – Golbez LB

We’ve seen all the Archfiends, now let’s take a look at their leader, Golbez.

5CP plus 2LB to play a 9K Golbez.

So far this is meh. Just your regular High Powered Forward.

Now let’s take a look at the ability. Once per turn, you can search for an Archfiend and play it onto the field. Just like that.

Imagine, looking for Cagnazzo, right when you need to get rid of a Forward that you don’t want on the field. Or playing Scarmiglione when one of your Forwards gets attacked and needs to be saved.

And, that was just a couple of Archfiends from this set. Imagine what you can do if you go through all of the Archfiends.

That Golbez VS Cecil deck is looking pretty good right now.

d

Posted on Leave a comment

Kain Highwind

Shop for Singles at our TCG Player Store!

The prideful Dragoon, unable to show his true feelings.

Commander of Baron’s Dragoons, he is Cecil’s childhood friend and occasional rival. Kain’s secret feelings for his childhood friend Rosa allow Golbez to seize control of his mind and force him to become Cecil’s enemy. Once released from the brainwashing, Kain feels remorse and seeks to atone for his actions by joining the fight against the true mastermind, Zemus.

-Taken from the Ultimania

Commander of the Dragoons, Kain is no stranger to mind tricks, especially when they work against him.

Let’s take a look at all of Kain’s cards.

1-127H – Kain EX

At 6CP, this card is expensive for today’s decks. There are plenty of cards that will do what Kain does, and they will do it better.

But, this is still Kain.

Kain comes in and you choose a Forward and they lose 5000 power. That can be enough to break most Forwards. Especially the low cost ones.

We also have Dragoon’s Pride, which looks more like a Reverse Jump.

Kain will break a Forward, but Kain will not activate during the next Active Phase. Meaning that Kain attacks and then he jumps out of harm’s way.

2-103H – Kain

How did I never really read this card?

This is actually pretty good.

Kain comes in with Haste. You can then use his ability and your opponent will not be able to choose him with their Summons and abilities.

After that, during your next turn, Kain’s power will double. Which turns Kain into a 10K body. 12K if you have Lulu on the field. I’m sure there are also plenty of other ways to increase Kain’s power as well.

2-104R – Kain

How is this Rare, better than the Hero card of the same set?

If Rosa is on the field Kain gains Haste, First Strike and +2000 power. But, that is not the reason you’ll be playing Kain.

As Commander of the Dragoons, all Dragoons gain +2000 power.

You probably don’t even need Rosa to play Kain.

This makes a huge difference in how I see Dragoons.

I might even build a Dragoon deck for myself now.

Just to try it out.

6-090H – Kain

Golbez? There’s no Dark Golbez.

No wait actually there is. But, I doubt your opponent will be playing it. They’ll more than likely be playing Chaos.

For 3CP, you get a 9K body, which is good if your opponent isn’t playing any Dark cards. Cause if they are as soon as that Dark Forward enters the field, Kain gets his brain washed and your opponent takes control of him.

The only way to get him back is to send your opponent’s Dark Forward to the Break Zone.

I like it that it plays into the story, but I’ll pass on this one.

9-084H – Kain

It was something about Kain and Ranperre.

Discard Ranperre before paying the cost to cast Kain to make him 3CP, and then Ranperre plays a Final Fantasy XI Forward from your hand onto the field. Which would turn the tides a bit in your favor.

Other than that, for 3CP you get an 8k body, and when Kain enters the field, one of your opponent’s Forward loses 8000 damage until the end of the turn.

We already know that you will not be paying 8CP to cast Kain. So, is there any other Lightning Backup to toss and get a better effect?

10-134S – Kain

Coming in with Haste, this Kain does not receive damage unless he blocks an attack, or his attack gets blocked.

That means that in order to keep Kain safe, he should not attack or block.

And, we know that’s not going to happen.

Gungnir? Yes, Kain gains +5K power and First Strike until the end of the turn. This gives you another way to keep Kain alive.
Here’s an idea. Fill you deck with 50 Kains. and just keep using Gungnir over and over again.

Hey, it might work.

11-054R – Hooded Man EX

There’s a reason why you can’t play Hooded Man and Kain at the same time. I won’t tell you but, you probably already know.
When Hooded Man comes into play you can grab a Final Fantasy IV Forward from your Break Zone. Which by itself is a great reason to play Hooded Man. Let’s not forget that this comes off as an EX Burst as well.

And, that’s not all. Hooded Man has one more ability that will make him a mainstay in any Final Fantasy IV deck. At the end of every turn, yours and your opponent’s Hooded Man wil activate all of your Final Fantasy IV Forwards.

What’s not to like?

13-073H – Kain

Kain is a great card if you can play him straight from the Break Zone. Cause once he gets broken, he’ll be under your opponents control.

Thancred (12-124L) and Y’shtola (13-134S) can play him straight out of the Break Zone.

15-048L – Kain EX

Attack and choose. Draw a card or Activate all the Characters other than Kain?

All the Characters? Characters?

Every time Kain attacks you can Activate your whole board?

Screw the extra card. Get me some blockers, and Edge, Opus I Maria, and anyone else that can help protect Kain.

Oh. And, some characters that will give me Crystals. Don’t want to lose Kain at the end of my turn.

17-102L – Hooded Man

This time Hooded Man comes in with Haste, and when he enters the field you can remove either a Kain or a Hooded Man from your Break Zone, if you do so, you can activate all of your Backups, and you can draw a card as well. Bringing Hooded Man’s cost down to 2CP.

How is this a Legend?

What am I missing?

You’re just paying to activate your Backups and have a Meat shield on the field.

17-131S – Kain

Haste? Check

Way to reduce the CP cost? Check

Buffs self when attacking? Check

All in all Kain here is a decent card. You might end up only paying 1CP for Kain, and if you do he’s an attacking Forward with 9K power.

 

17-136S – Kain

Kain allows you to grab a FFIV Water Character from the Break Zone.Plenty of Characters that you can choose from.

Other than that he can come in with Haste depending on the field situation.

3CP, 7000 power.

How badly do you need that Water Character in your Break Zone?

 

 

19-073C – Kain

Have we had a Kain as a Backup before?

Either way, this one isn’t half bad. Actually pretty useful with Back Attack.

If you have a Forward that is blocking another Forward, and your opponent buffs it to match the your Forwards power, you can play Kain and give your Forward First Strike. That way your attack will go through first. Breaking your opponents Forward.

Other than that, there really isn’t much use for it.

22-041C – Kain

Haste, and First Strike for a Common?

Activate 2 Characters when Kain Attacks?

+1000 power at 3 points of Damage?

How is this a common?

Whatever Rarity Kain has, this card is great. Actually it’s GRRRRREAT!

And, don’t get me started on the artwork, because we’re not here to talk about the artwork.

Just throw Kain into any Wind deck and you’ll do fine.

23-003C – Kain

Haste, and First Strike?

Kain is ready to strike!

Remember when we were talking about an all Haste deck? Well, Kain here is the perfect fir for it. Cause, every time he attacks, all of the Forwards with Haste or First Strike gain +2000 power.

Your opponent won’t know what to block, when to block, who to block, where to block, and most importantly, how to block.

Double Jump, is just a regular Jump attack, if it was double, Kain would be dealing damage to 2 Forwards.

Looking for Kain?