ex – Page 3

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Niko — Leave a comment

Hidden Trials – By Fire

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3-001C – Garland

What a way to start off the set.

A 2 cost Backup that when Garland enters the field, you gain control of one of your opponents Forwards.

Sure, you’ll only have control of that Forward until the end of the turn, but, it is a good way to spoil your opponent’s plans and attack with that Forward, where they’ll either block it and send it to the Break Zone, or you’ll break the blocking Forward, or you’ll deal them a point of Damage.

I’ll take 3 of these.

Now, where did I put that card that recycles Backups? I can’t even remember which one it was.

23-002L – Caius

Caius is making a comeback, and he’s forming a Tag Team with Bahamut. Any Bahamut will do, as Caius will enter the field, you’ll search for Bahamut, and cast Bahamut right away. Most Likely that Bahamut will be a Free Play. As all Bahamuts cost 5CP or less with the exception of the Opus I Bahamut which costs 9CP.

You can play that one for 2CP, if you have Fang on the field, 19-131S or 19-020R, as both of these reduce the cost to cast Bahamut by 2.

Other than that you can cast Raise on Caius as he enters the Break Zone, for the small price of discarding 3 cards from your hand, Caius can came back to the field.

Even Yeul couldn’t see that one coming.

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.

23-004R – Kefka

First off, this is a great looking card. Almost reminds you of some Amano art.

Second off, Kefka is here to wreak Havoc on your opponent. Every time he attacks, Kefka deals 4000 damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

But, you’ll want to wait until you have 5 points of damage to play Kefka. Cause when you do, Kefka comes in with Haste, +2000 power, and whenever Kefka deals damage to your opponent, or to a Forward they control, you will double the damage Kefka deals to them.

That means 2 cards in the Damage Zone. And, when he attacks, it’s 8000 damage to that Forward that you choose and at least 14,000 damage to the Forward that will block Kefka.

When your back is against the wall, Kefka will do what Kefka does best.

I’ll take 3 Full Arts, Por Favor.

23-005R – Golbez

I don’t know how Golbez is just a Rare.

Golbez has 3 abilities to choose from, each one is better than the other.

Deal 5000 damage to all of your opponent’s Forwards. Break a Forward. And, the one I like the most, Grab a Forward from your Break Zone.

You can start building decks with all different cards, EDH style, and if a Forward ends up in the Break Zone, just use Golbez to grab it back.

All you need to do is protect Golbez, and you’ll never miss a card. Unless it ends up in the Damage Zone, but we have a way to grab cards from there as well.

23-006R – Soulcage

For 2CP you get a Forward with 9000 power. Is there a sale on Soulcage, cause that is dirt cheap. You can’t even get a deal like that at the Goodwill anymore!

Yes, Soulcage is a Monster, and yes, you need another Monster on the field for Soulcage to become a Forward, but that’s not a hard thing to do. Especially with all of these Monster decks that are going around.

And, when you put Soulcage into the Break Zone, you can remove it from the game, and grab a Monster from your Break Zone and add that one to your hand. It’s a win-win.

23-007C/15-007C – Samurai

Just Copy/Paste from what we wrote for Dawn of Heroes.

“What? A reprint? I wasn’t expecting that. Let’s see what we wrote when Crystal Dominion came out.

“Exchanging 2CP for a Crystal.

Seems like an even trade. Now to find what we’re going to use these Crystals for?

Samurai has no abilities, that consume Crystals, but there are plenty other cards that do. Samurai’s job is to give you a Crystal and then hopefully you’ll find a way to Break Samurai so you can play your real Backups. ”

Huh? What was I even writing, I had to edit it to make sense. In my defense, we didn’t know what Crystals would be doing back then. … Half the time I still don’t know.

Because apparently, if you actually read the card Samurai can put itself in the Break Zone.”

23-008H – Zidane

Free Zidane!

You play Zidane, and once he enters the field you get to search for 2 FFIX Forwards and, add them to your hand. And, that’s great, you can get rid of him right after, because he only has 5000 power, but that’s still enough to block one of your opponents attacks.

If we get some decent FFIX cards, Zidane would be one of the first cards you would throw into a IX deck.

23-009H – Zorn & Thorn

Zorn & Thorn, we have a Tag Team right here, going for the World Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Belts.

And how are they going to do that?

It’s simple, they pick their own opponents. Zorn & Thorn attack and they get to pick the Forward that will block them. Over and over. All you need is to give them a buff, and they’ll be that much better.

And, if they are finally sent to the Break Zone, they turn into a Monster. Not a giant monster, just a Monster that costs 2CP or less.

I like it.

It’s kind of like Zorn & Thorn transform into Meltigemini.

Who would have thought?

23-010C – SOLDIER Candidate

First Strike.

I know I’ve seen a SOLDIER Candidates in another element, now I’m wondering if there is one in every element, and if they are all the same. Only one way to find out.

If you have a couple of Standard Unit Forwards in your Break Zone, SOLDIER Candidate gains +3000 power.

Now, the real question is, if it’s only for this SOLDIER Candidate, or all of the SOLDIER Candidates.

I wonder if they met Zack?

23-011L – Terra EX

One of my playmats has the same artwork. If you haven’t seen it, it is a beautiful sight. Terra riding the Magitek Armor ready to … well you should know. I won’t spoil it.

Terra comes in and you can grab a Summon from your Break Zone. then you can cast this Summon for 2CP less than what it costs to normally cast it. You also grab a Summon from your Break Zone when Terra is put into the Break Zone. Making Terra’s final cost a whopping 1CP.

Terra only has 5000 power, but the reason you’ll play her is solely for the reason that, when she is on the field, your opponent cannot remove the Summons in your Break Zone from the game.

And, that is it.

Protect the Summons! Protect the Espers!

23-012C – Tifa

What are those? Maracas?

3CP, 7Kpower and the ability to deal 2000 damage to a Forward every time Tifa attacks.

Let’s not forget about the Crystal you gain whenever Tifa damages a Forward that is sent to the Break Zone.

And, with that Crystal, Tifa gains +2000 power and Haste, giving her a total of 9000 power.

For 3CP, that’s not bad at all. Sure there are better Tifas, but this one also has it’s uses.

23-013C – Morrow

Morrow is a Backup now?

You won’t be playing Morrow, if you have received anything less than 5 points of Damage.

This is a card that you’ll most likely play alongside Kefka (23-004R) As they both shine once you have received 5 points of Damage.

Morrow comes in and deals a Forward 9000 damage.

He’s like a Mini-Summon. Plus, Morrow only costs 1CP.

If this would have been a Forward it would have been twice as better.

23-014H – Nelapa

What?

This is your Summon control.

Your opponent will think twice about casting a Summon, when Nelapa is on the field.

Cause if they do, Nelapa will deal 10,000 damage to a Forward of your choosing, and also deal your opponent 1 point of damage.

With that being said, I can see Nelapa thrown into any deck that deals with Fire. I mean why wouldn’t you. There should be a card that hardly sees any play in that deck anyway.

I’ll take 3 Foil copies.

23-015C – Notsugo

Is it Not-sugo or No-tsugo?

A 1 cost Monster that sacrifices itself and another Monster to deal 9000 damage to one of your opponents Forwards.

Simple and straight to the point.

It might be worth playing in certain situations.

23-016R – Bahamut

This is the Bahamut you’re supposed to play with Caius.

You can play this Bahamut, and many other Bahamuts free of charge if you grab him when Caius enters the field.
Removal at it’s finest.

Not just 1 but 2 Forwards are to be removed from the game.

The first one just needs to have 9000 power or less, and the second one should already be in your opponent’s Break Zone.

For a Free card this is great.

23-017C – Parai

Parai searches for a Final Fantasy Legends Character. And, he only costs 2CP.

But, there’s always a but, Parai will deal you one point of damage.

Is it worth it?

Depends on if you have Kefka and Morrow ready to go once you reach 5 points of Damage.

Maybe yes, Maybe no.

23-018R – Palom

Palom, one half of the twin mages.

Palom is a free play, if Porom is already on the field.

If not he’ll only cost 2CP. Palom comes in with 5000 power and allows you to place 2 EXP Counters on a Forward. That Forward will gain +2000 power.

And, if the twins work together, I think Porom will be something like this as well.

23-019C – Monk

A one hit wonder.

How big is that one hit?

Depends on how many Backups you control one Monk enters the field.

If you have 5 Backups, that hit will be a whopping 8000 damage dealt to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

If not then it’ll be a measly 4000.

That’s not that bad. There are plenty of Forwards that will go down with a 4K shot.

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Posted on May 17, 2024 by Niko — Leave a comment

Hidden Hope – Flooding Hope

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22-091C – Blue Mage

2 cost Backup that let’s you switch out a Monster for the top card of your deck.

And, if you don’t like that card that you drew, you can always, pay a CP, discard that card, and put Blue Mage in the Break Zone, to play that Monster that you discard earlier onto the field.

Yes, the card that you discard, needs to be a Water card.

Or, you can just use that ability to grab a Monster, that you ran out of.

more, like a Backup, Backup plan.

22-092C – Agrias

You can’t go wrong with 1CP.

Not this time. Agrias comes on in and if you have a Couple of Knights on the field you get to send one of your opponent’s Forwards that cost 3CP or less back to their hand. Making them pay the CP once again to get that card out.

And when you have received 3 points of damage, Agrias gains 4000 power, making her a 7k body that you paid for with 1 whole Crystal Point.

I’d say the only thing wrong with this card is that the cards name is Agrias.

22-093R – Anima (X)

Easy way to get rid of one of your opponent’s Forwards, Anima comes in and you remove the Forward from the game. No certain cost, no active, no dull it doesn’t matter. Any forward will do. And for 3CP that is a steal.

But, you’ll also have your opponent draw a card.

And if you only paid with Backups, you’ll also get to draw a card.

I think I’m on the fence with this one.

Some might like this one, some might not. Let’s see what happens.

22-094C – Vaan

Pirates and Vikings just keep getting stronger.

Vaan here, is just a Common, but adds quite a punch, or should we say blast. A Shotgun Blast.

For 2CP, and a couple more Pirates that are already on the field, you get to choose one of your opponent’s Forwards and reduce their power by 8000. Usually that is more than enough to break a Forward.

If it’s not enough, well it’ll be close to enough.

Can’t go wrong with this one. 2CP with 5000 power.

I have yet to play with the Pirates, but it is on my to-do list.

I just need to find the time to do it.

22-095H – Warrior of Light

Warrior of Light, 4 cost Hero that allows you to search for a Standard Unit.

And, then you will play that Standard Unit, and another 3 Standard Units, and you shall find that all of your Forwards gain +2000 power, except Warrior of Light. Add in a bunch of Backups and Forwards that will buff up your Standard Units, and you’ll be running an army of Standard Forwards that will take out anybody and anyone out. Send them straight to the Break Zone.

And, Shield of Light. If all else fails, you can give +5000 power to Warrior of Light giving him a 13,000 body.

Bring in the Drones!

22-096C – Clavat

Last of the 1 0f 6 Backups that are in every element.

Top card, take a look, leave or put it at the bottom of your deck.

They should have renamed these cards Fortune Teller. Or have had Cait Sith. Or Yuna, Rikku and Paine in their Psychic dress-sphere.

I don’t know just trying to take up space here.

22-097L – Curilla

This is the card that everybody wanted to try out. Hidden Hope came out and well let’s take a look at it. It’s only been a month or two before we got to it.

Well as you can see from the first line, there is a good reason that Knights are becoming a force to be reckoned with. I just took a look at a recent Qualifier, and Curilla was in 3 of the top 8 decks.

Curilla come in and you can take a look at the top 5 cards of your deck and play 2 Knights onto the field as long as their combined cost is 4CP or less.

And as long as Curilla is on the field, she also gives protection to all Knights from damage that is less than their power. Making Ping damage worthless against your Knights.

But, then again you can always just play Minwu (1-171H) and get the same effect, but for all of your Forwards, not just the Knights.

Imagine that?

22-098H – Siren (V)

“Are you a Gamblin’ man, Sandy?”

If so, you can save your Forwards, if they are chosen by your opponent’s Summons or abilities. Simply Wager the top card of your deck, if it’s not a Forward your Forwards are saved. If it is, you lose that top card.

Clavat, is a good way to determine if you should use the ability.

And, at 3 points of damage, whenever Siren is dealt damage,you can reduce that damage by 1000.

I’d say this is worth a shot.

22-099R – Severo

A 3 cost Backup that will return one of your opponent’s Forwards back to their hand, and Severo will also give you a Crystal for your troubles.

After that Severo just hangs out on the field, producing 1CP per turn as a Backup.

And, if needed you can pay the cost of 3 Water CP, 2CP of any color, dull Severo and put him in the Break Zone to place a Forward of your choosing back at the bottom of it’s owner’s deck.

Seems like a high cost for this, but it might be helpful.

22-100R – Chime

If you got the Backups for this, Chime is a great play.

Draw a card at the end of each of your turns, will help your turns become that much better.

Chime should be the 5th Backup you play as to get a better return with her.

No need to have Chime on the field if you don’t have 5 Backups, as the only reason to play Chime will be to draw that extra card at the end of the turn.

Your board should get bigger than your opponent’s and faster than your opponent’s board.

I’ll take it, I’ll take 3 actually and play it in a Ultros/Pirates deck with a handful of Vikings.

22-101C – Paladin

Now that’s a Standard Unit I can stand behind. The Paladin, a great meat shield if you ask me. And, this meat shield also has a shield.

For 5CP, you get a Forward with Brave and a 7K body, that grabs a 2 cost Forward from the Break Zone and plays it onto the field.

It’s 2 for the price of one.

Yes, you need a couple of Standard Unit Backups on the field for you to be able to use this ability, but that shouldn’t be that hard to do.

22-102C – Piranha

For the price of a Piranha, I shall grant you a card.

Sure, you’ll need 3 points of damage.

Sure, you’ll also need to put Piranha in to the Break Zone.

But, at the end of the day, Piranha shall double the CP used to pay for it.

And, when Piranha enters the field, you will choose a Forward and have it lose 2000 power.

It’s 1CP, it’s worth a shot.

22-103C – Faris

I don’t know if you’d play this Faris over the other Faris, but you can easily break one of your opponent’s Forwards, while drawing a card at the same time.

How do you do that?

It’s quite simple really.

You’ll play Faris, and you’ll choose to remove a Viking, either Viking (2-132C) or Viking (4-133C). Once that Viking is removed, your opponent will choose one of their Forwards and put them in the Break Zone, while you get to draw a card once your Viking leaves the field.

22-104R – Folka

We’re looking at 3 points of damage. Anything less and I’d say it wouldn’t be worth it to play Folka.

Well you could, or you can just remove Folka from the game, and your opponent will only be able to attack once this turn.
Now at 3 points of damage, like we said earlier, Folka becomes nearly unstoppable, when you are on the attacking side. In other words, during your turn.

Folka can’t be chosen by Summons or abilities, and if she is dealt damage, it becomes 0.

All this for 3CP.

You can try throwing a couple into your deck, if you got room for it.

22-105H – Miwa

Coming in with the Back Attack, Miwa is a safety net when you have Summons and abilities that will attack your whole front line.

And, at 5 points of Damage, Miwa will also give all of your Forwards a +2000 power buff.

And at only 2CP, you can not go wrong with that. Just throw in Miwa into any Water deck. If you have no room in your deck, well then you better make some room.

She’ll stick around as a 5k body, where you can just have her block to break herself, and then play another Miwa during your opponents next turn.

22-106R – Yuna

This card is actually called the Tidus Best Bang for your CP special.

We’ll go with the Tidus (16-116L), popular card, and a lot of people should still be playing it, because I don’t see why you wouldn’t.

Let’s start out by playing Yuna onto the field for 2CP, produced by a Water Summon. Then we’ll play Tidus for 1CP, and grab that Water Summon from the Break Zone.

For 1CP, you have 2 Forwards on the field, one of which can not be blocked and extremely hard to break.

I’m sure there are better Yunas to play, but if you’re just looking for a cheaper Tidus, look no further.

22-107C – Yuni

Sap!

Cast Sap! or Attack Down or both.

Yuni can do that for you. And the effects will last just until the end of the turn. It’s 4000 power when Yuni comes in, and 2000 power every time Yuni dulls to cast her ability.

3CP/7k body, Not much else is going on here.

22-108H – Lenna

Warrior of Lights … Warriors of Light Unite!

If you ever needed a reason to play Warrior of Light (19-128L), well this isn’t it, but Lenna will help. A little.

If you have to elements already on the field, Lenna will allow you to draw a card when she enters.

And, if you have 4 different elements, Lenna will cause your opponent to place one of his Forwards into the Break Zone.

I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom.

There is no reason to play Lenna in a Mono-Water deck.

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Posted on May 7, 2024 by Niko — Leave a comment

Hidden Hope – Electricity, Hopefully?

22-073L – Ultimecia

Lightning is starting off with a wonderful card.

Ultimecia protects all the cards in your Break Zone, not allowing your opponent to remove them from the game, which is good, because if you have at least 15 cards in your Break Zone, you will be able to choose 1 of your opponent’s Forwards and take control of it.

Any Forward that you like.

You might also want to stock up an a couple of different variations of Ultimecia as well for Maelstrom. Ultimecia’s ability is great as you don’t need to dull Ultimecia as part of the cost. That means you can keep casting Maelstrom as long as you have an extra Ultimecia on hand. That’s a Forward that loses 10k power everytime you cast Maelstrom.

Ultimecia will do plenty of damage.

22-074R – Alba EX

Here’s another card for that Warrior of Darkness deck.

Alba, coming in at 3CP with a 7K body. When Alba enters the field due to an ability, namely Nacht (22-067L) you get to choose one of your opponent’s Forwards with a cost of 4 or less, and send it to the Break Zone.

Also, when she enters the field, she gives one of your Warriors of Darkness, Haste.

Pretty decent if you ask me, and plays well with the other Warriors of Darkness.

22-075H – Edea

The Witch, the Sorceress, Edea.

Edea comes into the field, and let’s you search for a Final Fantasy VIII Forward. Searchers are always good, and when it comes from a Forward it makes it even better, because that card will still have some use even after you searched for the Forward.

Edea comes with an 8k body. Which is great.

And another ability that causes one of your opponent’s Forwards to lose 4000 power. 8000 if you have 10 cards in your Break Zone.

Only downside is that you have to discard the top 2 cards of your deck to use this ability, and you don’t know which cards those will be.

22-076R – Odin

3 cost Summon, that breaks a 3, or a 4 cost, Forward or Monster.

Well that is what Odin is known for. Coming down riding his horse from the sky, whipping out Excalibur, and slicing the enemy in half, for an instant K.O.

Plus, if you only paid the cost with Backups you draw a card, making Odin cost just 1CP.

It wouldn’t hurt to have 1 or 2 of these in your deck.

22-077H – Garuda (III)

Garuda comes in, and you get to pick a number. And after that you’ll get to deal 8000 damage to all of the Forwards that their CP cost is the same as the number you’ve chosen. So, don’t go picking a random number, make sure there are Forwards on the field that have that number as their CP cost.

This is actually a good way to get rid of a bunch of Forwards that came in due to an ability by let’s say Golbez (1-135L). You’ll be able to get rid of all the 2 cost Forwards that just came in. Plus the other 2 cost Forwards that were already on the field.

And the Crystal ability. For the cost of 2 Crystals, you can deal 8000 damage to a Forward of your choosing.

You can’t go wrong with Garuda.

22-078C – Sice

1CP or 3CP or 3CPO?

Either way Sice is a great card. Especially if you can get her in for 1CP. Which you probably will, because the Class Zero Cadets usually come out all together.

Sice enters the field, and depending on how many Class Zero Cadets you have on the field, Sice will sen that Forward to the Break Zone.

And after that, she’ll stick around as an extra body.

I’ll take 3. Simple and effective. Let’s just find a way to bounce Sice a couple of times per turn. I’m sure there must be a way.

22-079L – Seifer

The other Gunblade Wielder.

When Seifer comes in, you can put the top 2 cards of your deck in the Break Zone and, you’ll be able to grab a Final Fantasy VIII Forward from your Break Zone. It’s like paying 4CP to grab that card that you just lost, and you don’t even need to have the extra 4CP in your hand.

Seifer starts to shine when you have at least 10 cards in your Break Zone. Because when you do, every time Seifer attacks, you get to send one of your opponent’s Forwards to the Break Zone. Slowly thinning the enemies front lines, to make it easier for your attacks to go through.

This might be the best Seifer yet.

22-080C – Selkie

The card that let’s you look at the top card of your deck.

If you like it, you can keep it there.

If you don’t send it to the bottom of your deck.

Selkie is part of this set’s Common Card for all elements. Meaning that each Element has this card.

If you need more information. We’ll just Copy/Paste once again.

“Simple, basic and straight to the point.

Selkie comes in for 1CP and allows you to look at the top card of your deck. If you like it you can keep it there. If not send it to the bottom of your deck.

It does have plenty of benefits.

Depending on what you see there, your game plan will change for this turn.

Do you see an EX Burst that will cause plenty of damage to your opponent. Leave it there and take a point of Damage. Do you see the card you need to put your plan into motion, play that card that allows you to draw a card.

Worst case is that you don’t like the card, and you can just recycle it to the bottom.”

22-081R – Diana

“Dirty Dianaaaaa, Nah”

Is it just me or is Diana actually doing one of Michael Jacksons moves?

Woo!

3CP for a 7K body, but you won’t be paying 3CP, because if you do, Diana won’t do much.

Instead you shall play Nacht, look for Diana and another 2 Warriors of Darkness. And, once Nacht attacks, you will play Diana from your hand, and draw a card at the same time. Giving you +2CP when she enters the field due to Nacht’s ability.

After that, you can dull a Warrior of Darkness, and dull a Forward. Any Forward, including yours, which can be like a cancel effect, if your opponent plays a card that says something along the lines of Break an active Forward.

I must say, I like it.

“I know your every move
So won’t you just let me be”

22-082C – Drace

Did you ever find yourself looking for a searcher, the searches for a low cost Forward?

Well if you did, Drace is the right card for you.

Because Drace let’s you search for a Forward that costs 2CP or less.

It’s a great Backup to have.

Only thing that would make Drace better is his cost was 2CP, but then he wouldn’t be a Common.

I’ll take it.

22-083C – Ninja

A ninja with Haste.

For 2CP you can have yourself a great Forward.

Sure, Ninja only has 4000 power, but if you have a couple Standard Unit Backups on the field, Ninja also gains 4000 power, making her total power 8000.

2CP for an 8k body is great in my book.

Now all we have to do is find a couple of Backups that will compliment her.

22-084R – Fujin

If you’re playing Seifer, then Fujin is a must have.

Once you have 10 cards in your Break Zone,which is where you will want to be if you are playing Seifer. Fujin gives Seifer and Raijin, and herself +2000 power and First Strike. Which is great combined with Seifer’s ability to Break a Forward whenever he attacks.

And when Fujin is put from the deck into the Break Zone, you can play Fujin onto the field. So, those abilities that require you to put the top 2 cards of your deck into the Break Zone, have a little upside to them.

The only thing I don’t like with Fujin is the extra cost required when she enters the field, which is the top 2 cards of your deck.

22-085C – Moth Slasher

For 2CP this is a great card.

A Monster that turns into a Forward that searches for itself when it is sent to the Break Zone, and plays itself for free.

What’s not to like.

And, at 3 points of damage Moth Slasher has an 8k body.

Of course you’re putting this in your deck, why wouldn’t you.

22-086C – Yaag Rosch

Yaag Rosch is the protector of Backups, excluding himself.

And, that’s pretty much it. There aren’t even that many cards that can break a Backup.

So, we’ll just talk about the artwork. It’s gorgeous, simple yet it portrays Yaag Rosch perfectly.

We just have to ask him one question.

“Why So Serious?”

Yeah, I’m just trying to take up space here.

22-087R – Raijin

And, finally the last Disciplinary Committee Member.

Now that we have the trio out, we can see what these cards all do together as a team, the Disciplinary Committee.

Same as before you need 10 cards in the Break Zone for everything to work.

Raijin gives the other 2 and himself +2000 power and Haste.

That gives Seifer 11,000 power and Fujin and Raijin 9000 power. Making these 3 a force to be reckoned with. (No wonder Squall and Co. always had trouble with the Disciplinary Committee.)

And, same as before again, If Raijin is put from your deck into the Break Zone, you can play him straight onto the field. But, you’ll have to pay the cost of putting the top 2 cards of your deck into the Break Zone.

Now I do see why these cards are like this. If you’re lucky enough you can have all three members on the field, in one play. And then you’ll be taking everyone on a a little ride as you’ll be breaking Forwards when Seifer attacks, and Fujin and Raijin will just stand around as your blockers, while Seifer gets the job done.

22-088C -Rygdea

I always thought Rygdea was part of the Cavalry.

Rygdea comes in and you get to choose one of 2 abilities. Either break a Forward, 2CP or less, or grab a Lightning character from the Break Zone.

Both are pretty good abilities, I do prefer the second one, but there shall be times you will want to break that pesky Forward that is sitting on the front lines.

This might be a good addition to the FFXIII Custom Starter Set.

22-089C – Dragoon

Add another Dragoon to the Back line. This one isn’t half bad.

Dragoon enters the field and gives a Forward +3000 power and First Strike.

After that you can pay the cost, discard a Lightning card, put dragoon into the Break Zone, break a 5CP Forward, Play Rygdea, grab Dragoon from the Break Zone, and start all over again.

I mean it could work, but there are better ways than this to Break a Forward.

With Dragoons though, I’d say the second ability is just a bonus.

22-090H – Lulu

How many Summons do you need in your deck in order for Lulu to be effective?

Because if your take away that ability you really don’t have much going on here.

Just a 2 cost Forward with 5000 power.

Maybe I’m missing something, because the cards I don’t think are good, end up becoming great.

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Posted on April 29, 2024 by Niko — Leave a comment

Hidden Hope – Earth Has Hope

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22-055H – Vossler EX

Did you ever need a card that searches for a King?

Well Vossler here can give you a hand. The Captain comes in a searches for a King, making the 4 cost Vossler a total of 2CP.
And, that is not all.

Every time Vossler attacks, you can then play a Forward and reduce the cost of that Forward by 2CP.

Vossler is a great card to have on the field, making the Forwards you play during Main Phase 2 a lot cheaper.

At the end of the day, you’ll still have an 8k body on the field.

This is a great card if you’re playing a deck that has some royalty in it. You can probably just throw Vossler in the Noctis starter deck, and you’ll be good to go.

22-056R – Exdeath EX

Exdeath with an Ex Burst, makes him EX-Exdeath.

When Exdeath enters the field, Exdeath will take a dull Forward and remove it from the game. Just like -“Spoiler Alert”- Exdeath removed Galuf from Final Fantasy V. End Spoiler

Good thing is that this also comes off as an EX Burst, as Exdeath will be able to get rid of that Forward that just attacked. Combine this with Lilty (22-072C) just to see if Exdeath is coming up next. And, if he is you can choose to let the next damage come through just so you can use his Ex Burst.

22-057R – Carbuncle

This Summon is your backup plan.

Carbuncle dulls one of your Characters and grants it protection.

That Character cannot be broken, and cannot be chosen by your opponent’s Summon or abilities. Making that Character Unbreakable.

When you get this card in your hand tell your opponent to do their worst, because it will just fall flat.

At least for one of their plays.

And if you only paid the cost with Backups, you get to draw a card.

Now if you find a way to activate that Character you can still use it as if it was never dull, and still have that protection on it.

22-058H – Qator Bashtar

Now this is interesting.

When Qator Bashtar enters the field, you get to grab a low powered Forward from the Break Zone and play it onto the field. Although that Forwards Auto-Ability won’t trigger, it still is a free card, making Qator Bashtar’s cost, technically less.

And, anytime you’d like you can put a Backup into the Break Zone, and give one of your Forwards +2000 power.

After that Qator Bashtar will hang out on the field as a body with 8000 power.

We always said that we wanted a way to get rid of our Backups, so that we can play more Backups.

22-059C – Gabranth

Gabranth here is almost like Qator Bashtar, but he will allow you to grab a Backup from the Break Zone, and add it to your hand.

And. what does that mean?

It means that Gabranth is a Free Play. You can pay the cost of 2CP with a Backup, and once Gabranth enters the field, you can grab that same Backup from the Break Zone. It’ll be like it was always in your hand.

But, there’s always a but, It will only work if you have more points of damage than your opponent.

22-060H – Ghido

Here’s a 2 cost Forward with a 10k body, that can’t attack or block.

Ghido will let you draw 2 cards, if you remove 3 Knowledge Counters. You gain 1 Knowledge Counter at the end of each of your turns. Or you can gain 3 Knowledge Counters when a Character you control enters the Break Zone.

You could be drawing an extra 2 cards every turn, sometimes even 4.

Now, I believe that there is a card that removes abilities, and for the life of me, I can’t remember which card it is. But, if you play that card, you can remove Ghido’s ability that doesn’t allow him to Attack or Block.

If you remember which card that is let me know, so I can update this.

22-061L – Gilgamesh

The Praetorian is back! What is a Praetorian anyway?

Gilgamesh, weighing in at 7000 power, but if you have 5 Backups on the field, it goes up 2K to 9000 power. And, the ability to be unbreakable from your opponent’s Summons and abilities that don’t deal damage.

That’s not even all of it.

Every time Gilgamesh attacks, or when he enters the field, you can pay an extra 3CP and break a Forward or a Monster.

This might be one of the better Gilgamesh cards.

22-062R – Glaive EX

The Forward that gives you change.

Glaive comes in and gives all of your Warriors of Darkness a 1k buff, along with Brave. Which in itself is a good reason to play Glaive. If you’re playing a Warrior of Darkness deck, because off the top of my head, I can’t think of the other Warriors of Darkness. All I remember is that they were mentioned in Final Fantasy III. And Glaive is from Final Fantasy Legends, which I believe is Dimension.

Coming in with a 9000 body, Glaive will be hard to get rid of, but when he does, you will be able to grab a Warrior of Darkness from your Break Zone, and add it to your hand.

This second ability also comes off from an EX Burst.

I mean, maybe.

22-063C – Sand Worm

It’s a high cost Monster, And I believe it’s worth all 5CP.

Sand Worm becomes a Forward during your turn, and you’ll usually just pay 5CP for a Forward with 9000 power. That makes the cost just about right. Along with the ability to put Sand Worm into the Break Zone, which allows you to send one of your opponent’s Forwards and send it to the Break Zone.

Is that all?

Nope.

At 3 points of damage, Sand Worm starts to shine. You’ll be able to pick off your opponent’s Forwards one by one. Sand Worm attacks, and you get to pick a Forward, and that Forward must block. And, with 9000 power, there aren’t that many Forwards that will be able to survive Sand Worm’s attack.

I like this one.

22-064C – G Assassin

Assassin with a capital G.

What does the G stand for? I forget.

G Assassin comes in and breaks a dull Forward, as long as you have another Standard Unit on the field. If you’re playing Earth, which you probably are, you can play G Assassin alongside the 2 WRO Members and the WRO Commander from Opus III. Or not. There are plenty of Earth Standard Units that can play well with G Assassin.

3CP with 7000 power.

Not too shabby.

Not at all.

22-065R – Sieghard

Yes, pay the extra cost of dulling 4 Backups.

Sieghard will cost you a total of 7CP, but you’ll get to grab a Forward from the Break Zone and play it straight to the field.

Sure, you’ll dull 4 Backups, but you can search for any Forward. That Forward doesn’t even have to be an Earth Forward either. Any Forward will do as long as it is 6CP or less. And if you grab the Forward that Activates your Backups. Sieghard costs even less.

This is a great deal.

And if you pay a Crystal, Sieghard gains +3000 power and Brave.

22-066C – Summoner

Summoner, summons your Summons from the Break Zone.

Which isn’t that bad, because you’ll pay 2CP for Summoner, and an extra 2CP for the Summon. Which is basically an exchange of CP since that card will be 2CP in your hand, unless you decide to cast it. Makes sense?

After that, you can pay a Crystal Point, dull Summoner, discard an Earth card, and put Summoner in the Break Zone to choose a Summon which you can cast this turn. And that Summons cost will be 3 Crystal Points less.

How many times did we say Summon?

22-067L – Nacht

Warriors of Darkness Unite!!!

Nacht will be making a Warrior of Darkness themed deck pretty good, depending on what the other cards are, and with Glaive that we just saw earlier, it’ll be even better.

Nacht might cost 9CP, but you’ll be grabbing 3 Warriors of Darkness as soon as he enters the field, making Nacht’s total cost be 3CP.

And, during every Attack Phase, right at the beginning, you’ll be able to play a Warrior of Darkness from your hand onto the field. These Forwards will cost 5CP or less, but still, each time you play one, the Nacht’s total cost reduces, and you will be gaining Positive CP in the long run.

And, let’s not forget about Final Thrust. Choose 1 Forward. Break It. ‘Nuff said.

This is a card that keeps on giving.

Why didn’t this card get a Full Art?

22-068R – Prishe

Coming in for 2CP with 5000 power, Prishe is interesting.

She gains a buff, +2000 power every time she is chosen by Summons or abilities. It does not say your opponent’s Summons ot abilities. That means that you can use your own Summons or abilities, that grant Prishe buffs or protection, and she will still receive that +2000 power until the end of the turn.

Plus, if she deals damage to your opponent, you can grab a Character from your Break Zone.

For 2CP this is not a bad card. If it will see play is a different story.

22-069C – Baelo

Baelo is the same as Opus V Miner, but different.

When Baelo enters the field you can grab an Earth Character from your Break Zone. Making his 3CP come down to 1CP. And, during your next turn, Baelo will have paid for himself. Which is what you want your Backups to do.

And, when you’re done with Baelo, you can just send him to the Break Zone, and give one of your Forwards +2000 power until the end of the turn.

After that, you can just play Baelo once again.

22-070C – Ramza

Ramza is a simple card, that doesn’t do much except take up space on the field as an 8000 powered Meat Shield, that can also attack.

That doesn’t mean it’s not worth playing Ramza, because Ramza can be played as a Free card.

Ramza costs 4CP, but if you already have a Job Knight on the field, you can reduce that by 2CP. And if have a Forward that attacked this turn, you can reduce that by another 2CP, making Ramza’s total cost 0CP.

That might be the only reason to play Ramza.

22-071C- Lich

Two abilities for Lich, and they are both pretty decent.

Lich is a Common Forward that will grab a Backup from the Break Zone.

Meaning that Lich’s cost comes down to 2CP.

Lich also gains +1000 power for each Earth Backup that you have on the field.

It’s simple.

Play Lich, discard an Earth Backup from your hand to pay for the cost. Grab that Backup add it back to your hand, and play that Backup to give Lich an extra 1000 power.

That’s pretty much it.

22-072C – Lilty

Didn’t we just write about this?

Sure it was a couple of weeks ago, but let’s just Copy/Paste.

“Simple, basic and straight to the point.

Lilty comes in for 1CP and allows you to look at the top card of your deck. If you like it you can keep it there. If not send it to the bottom of your deck.

It does have plenty of benefits.

Depending on what you see there, your game plan will change for this turn.

Worst case is that you don’t like the card, and you can just recycle it to the bottom.”

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Niko — Leave a comment

Hidden Hope – Breathing Hope?

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22-037R – Alexander

Oh?
I read this card wrong the first time I read it.

Now that I’m looking at it, this is a great card. Alexander comes in and casts reflect on one of your Forwards, sending that damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards instead. The best thing is that you get to choose the Forward, rather than have it randomly chosen when the damage hits.

And, if you only paid with Backups to cast Alexander, you will also draw a Card, making Alexander a 1 cost Summon.

I’ll gladly add this Alexander to a Wind deck. Probably the best Alexander yet.

22-038C – Wol

Wol has 2 abilities, one which is good, and the other is ok.

The first one will allow you to choose a High cost Forward and send it to the Break Zone. The other allows you to look at the top 5 cards of your deck and add a Wind Character to your hand.

You’ll most likely be playing this card to get rid of that High cost Forward.

I don’t got much else for this.

22-039C – Epiornis

This is a Common?

I have to say this is a great card, and at 2 CP it is the perfect monster to have on the field, once you get 3 points of damage.

Why is that?

Well, Epiornis becomes a Forward during your turn. And, Epiornis cannot be bloced by a Forward with a cost of 4CP. That in itself is great. But, if you already have received 3 points of damage, Epiornis cannot be blocked by a Forward of 3CP or less. Thus, making Epiornis unstoppable.

The only way that you can stop Epiornis’s attack, is by a Summon or ability that will deal it damage, or by sending it straight to the Break Zone.

Now, imagine if you have 3 of these on the field.

22-040H – Enkidu

A 3 cost Warrior that will activate 3 of your Backups when he enters the field. Thus making Enkidu a free play.

After that he’ll stick around as a 7K power body, attacking and blocking like he normally would.

This card also sticks to the story, allowing Gilgamesh to call on him when he enters the field. Enkidu must be in the Break Zone when Gilgamesh enters the field. Then you’ll pay 2CP and bring Enkidu in, while activating 3 Backups.

Gilgamesh (7-088L) would be a great choice. You’ll end up only paying 1CP for both Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

You don’t even need to play Wind/Lightning, you can just throw in Enkidu since you won’t need to pay by color if Enkidu is in the Break Zone.

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.

22-042C – Ranger

Your Standard 2 cost Backup.

Ranger is straight to the point, just like his arrows fly straight towards their target.

Or something like that.

Ranger has 2 abilities. One deals a 2CP Forward 5000 damage, possibly breaking it, and the other breaks a Monster.

Both of these are useful.

And, there aren’t that many ways to get rid of Monsters and Ranger here provides you with a way.

22-043C – Clavat

Simple, basic and straight to the point.

Clavat comes in for 1CP and allows you to look at the top card of your deck. If you like it you can keep it there. If not send it to the bottom of your deck.

It does have plenty of benefits.

Depending on what you see there, your game plan will change for this turn.

Worst case is that you don’t like the card, and you can just recycle it to the bottom.

22-044R – Cid (FFBE)

Cid has an ability that activates during very Attack Phase, which is something that makes Cid even more valuable as the game goes on.

You can either Activate 2 Characters, or you can grant all of your Forwards protection from all Summons that choose them.
4CP isn’t alot to pay to Activate a couple of Characters once per turn. Plus you get an 8k body that will be hard to get rid of. Because, once Cid is put into the Break Zone, you can pay 3CP and return Cid to the field. That’s cheaper than playing Cid from your hand.

I like this one.

22-045C – Sosha

4 cost Dragoon that turns into a 2CP Forward if you have a Dragoon already on the field.

2CP for an 8k body isn’t bad at all.

Sosha can also throw her spear onto a Forward of your choosing, dealing it 4000 damage. Best thing is that you don’t need to send her to the Break Zone in order to do it. Just dull Sosha and you’ll be dealing 4000 damage.

This is a decent card. Simple, effective and straight to the point.

If you’re playing Dragoons, you should try adding Sosha.

22-046R – Chelinka

Chelinka here to give Yuri some support, granting him Haste. You’ll just need another Crystal Chronicles Character on the field when you play Yuri, so you’ll have a total of 3 FFCC Characters on the field.

Other than that, that is it.

2CP, 5000 power.

22-047L – Dorgann

The Art of Removal.

Dorgann, has three different abilities that activate when he enters the field, and yes, you guessed it, they all are removal abilities.

Remove a Forward, Remove a Monster, Remove 2 cards from the Break Zone.

You’ll get to choose one of those abilities to activate. But, if you already played another 2 cards before you play Dorgann, you’ll get to use 2 of these abilities instead.

Meaning that you will probably end up paying only 2CP for Dorgann to come into play.

22-048H – Nanaa Mihgo

Yes, Yes, Yes.

I’ll take 3. I’d take more if I would be able to add more to my deck.

Nanaa Mihgo is a Robber, and she’s here to rob some of your cards and use those same cards against you.

That 2 cost Forward in their Break Zone? Check.

The 3 cost Summon in their Break Zone? Check as well.

You won’t even need to pay for the cost either, they just come into play as soon as Nanna Mihgo comes into the field.

Actually, no you don’t want this card. I’ll give you a dollar for your Full Arts. No? It was worth a try.

22-049H – Bartz

Well, Bartz if you’re not in a Warrior of Light deck, you shall be useless. The only thing you’ll have going for you would be a 5000 power body on the field just hanging around with nothing to do.

But, if you are playing a Warrior of Light deck, he becomes a little bit better.

Bartz has the ability to not be chosen by your opponents abilities, if you remove 3 Warrior of Light Characters from your Break Zone, and it lasts until the end of the turn.

The other ability, is the S ability, where you can pay the cost of a card, then you can search for it and play it onto the field. Which is pretty good. You’ll be able to play any Warrior of Light card in your deck straight to the field.

22-050C – Geomancer

Here we are, a decent Standard Unit Forward.

I like this one.

Geomancer has auto protection from your opponent’s abilities. Not all of them just the ones that can choose Geomancer.
And, if you already have a couple of Standard Unit Backups on the field, you get to Activate 3 of your Backups. Which in turn will make Geomancer a 1 cost Forward with an 8k body.

Can’t get much better than that.

22-051R – Hope

Hope is hidden in Hidden Hope.

You would have thought that he would have been on the box art.

Hope comes in and you get to reveal the top 4 cards of your deck, and grabbing a FFXIII Forward from there. If you don’t find one, they all go to the bottom of your deck.

At 2CP that isn’t bad at all. You might get a free play, if you do find a FFXIII Forward there.

And, if you ever needed a way to get rid of a high powered Forward, Hope here is your answer. With Aeroga, you can Break a Forward with at least 9000 power. And, we do have a more than enough targets for Aeroga.

22-052H – Helena Leonis

Helena Leonis was turning into a great Character, and then I stopped playing War of the Visions.

As we can see she is a Green Mage as well. Although she doesn’t have any attacking spells or abilities, she does allow you to look at the top 2 cards of your deck. One is put at the bottom of your deck, the other is removed from the game.

Now, why would you want to pay a Crystal to look at the top 2 cards of your deck, remove 1 and place the other at the bottom of your deck?

Well, the card you removed, you can cast it this turn for it’s cost minus 2 CP.

You might get a free play, which is always good in my book.

22-053C – Lilisette EX

“Put on your red shoes and dance the blues,
To the song they’re playing on the radio”

And, while we’re dancing Lilisette will come into the field, and deal one of your opponent’s Forwards 1000 damage for each Character you control. Forwards, Backups, and Monsters. Anything goes, Tonight.

You’ll most likely break something with Lilisette.

And, if you find a way to bounce her. You can do even more damage.

Let’s not forget this also comes off as an EX Burst.

22-054R – Reddas

Are Sky Pirates making a comeback? Yes, I’m basing this off of this one card, because Reddas is pretty good, and he’s not even a Legend, or a Hero.

If you have 5 Sky Pirates already on the field, Reddas is a free 9k Body, that will grant all of your other Sky Pirates some protection from Summons.

Your opponent will sure have some trouble trying to get rid of this one.

And, that’s all I need to say here, If you’re playing Sky Pirates, you better be playing Reddas.

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