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Resurgence of Power : Quick as Lightning

18-069C – Red Mage

Discard Red Mae, draw a card. And, that’s about it.

Cheap Backup to play.

 

 

 

18-070C – Aphmau

This one looks interesting. The Puppetmaster is grabbing puppets left and right.

What do I mean?

At the end of the day, Aphmau should cost you 0CP. Simply because, if you grab the first card from the top of your deck, She’ll cost 1CP. After that at 3 points of Damage you can pay 1CP and grab a card from the Break Zone and play it straight to the field.

Plus she’ll produce CP while you wait to get to 3 points of damage.

Let’s see some decks that will make use of this card.

18-071R – August

A King that comes forth when his Knights fail.

August comes in for 0CP if 3 of your Forwards leave the field. Leaving could be Removed from the game, sent to the Break Zone, Broken, or returned to hand. Even if you lose 3 Forwards during your attack phase, you can play August during your Main Phase 2 for 0 cost.

That alone will give you a 10K body for your opponents turn. They will think twice before attacking when he is on the field.
After that when he attacks, August activates himself and August can attack once more, which after that attack he will activate once more.

It’s almost like August has Brave.

18-072C – Kam’lanaut

For a Common this is a pretty good card.

From Kam’lanaut’s 3 abilities, there is only one that would give you a reason to play him. When he attacks, you choose one of your opponents Forwards and you can Dull that Forward.

Now remember, this is just a Common.

The other 2 abilities are, that he cannot be chosen by a Multi-Element Forward’s abilities, and at 2 points of Damage he gains +1000 power.

18-073H – Garuda (III)

I’m caught in the middle with Garuda.

I can see both sides of the card, while it can be a good play if your opponent doesn’t see it coming 5 turns away. That also means your paying 10CP for this play. While it does give you a chance to clear the board if you need to, but there is a card that does this for cheaper. Shantotto, who just removes all the Forwards, for 7CP.

But, if you can get Garuda to come in off of a Warp, and actually work without your opponent preparing for it, well, you’re in luck.

18-074L -Gilgamesh

Coming in with Haste, Gilgamesh is ready to attack. And if he comes in after you have received 3 points of Damage, Gilgamesh also gains Brave, and can attack twice in a turn.

That alone would make me want to play Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh also has an entry ability in which you remove a number of cards from different elements, allowing you to Break a Forward that has the same cost as the elements you choose.

18-075R – Seifer

How much does a card from the Break Zone, +2000 power and Haste cost? Is it worth a point of damage?

If it’s the beginning of the game, and you don’t have your back against the wall. It might be worth it.

If not, Seifer is just a 3 cost Forward with a 7K body.

And the card you can grab is a Category VIII Forward.

18-076C – Cid Kramer

VIII Themed Decks could become easier to play. Cid comes in and can produce CP of any element for FFVIII cards.

That means you can splash any element you’d like, without worrying about needing certain elements on the board or in your hand to play them.

 

 

18-077R – Cid Sophiar EX

Raise your hat to Cid Sophiar.

Cheap card to play and is technically 0CP as you’ll just grab a Character from the Break Zone.

Sure, you’ll need to be at 3 points of Damage to be able to grab that card, but you can also grab that card off of an EX Burst.
I’d keep 3 of Cid in a deck.

 

18-078R – Cindy

Let’s see. Cindy is moonlighting as a Dark Knight.

We’re starting to see more abilities that deal you a point of damage to use them.

Cindy allows you to dull an opponents Forward for the cost of one point of damage. But, that cost goes away when you have already received 4 points of damage. Simply put, if you’re about to lose a Forward or be dealt a point of damage, it doesn’t make much sense.

If you’re using that ability to dull a Forward using an ability that will wipe out your board or something to that effect, it would be very wise to do so. I’m just rambling here.

Cindy does come in with Haste, and that is always a plus.

18-079R – Fujin

The Disciplinary Committee is here, although they really don’t discipline anyone, they’re just Seifer’s lackeys. And that is perfectly fine. Unless you’re Squall and Co.

Fujin Comes in and gives Seifer and herself +2000 power. And at 3 points of damage she grants another +2000 power and protection from your opponents Summons.

Only drawback is that Seifer has to be on the field to get these effects.

 

18-080C – Hurkan

A bit expensive, but Hurkan can break a Forward when he enters the field.

It also has an ability with a high cost that allows you to break another Forward.

I probably won’t be using it.

 

 

18-081H – Melusine

For 2CP you get to use one of your opponents Forwards until the end of the turn. Cost 4 or less.
Think about it.

Melusine comes in. You gain control of one of your opponents Forwards. You attack. Worst case, you break one of their Forwards. You might even deal them a point of Damage.

After that, just turn Melusine into a Forward and keep attacking until she breaks. After that rinse and repeat.

I’ll take 3.

18-082C – Imitation Despot

If you’re playing Manikins you’re playing this card.

Imitation Despot allows you to grab another Manikin from the Break Zone. And depending how many Manikins are on the field Imitation Despot can cost you 2CP.

Add in an 8K body, and that’s hard to beat.

 

 

18-083R – Raijin

The other member of the Disciplinary Committee, same as Fujin, he gives Seifer and himself +2000 power.

And, at 3 points of Damage, he and Seifer also get another +2000 power and they both can’t be chosen by your opponent’s abilities.

At the end of the day, if Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin are all on the field and you have 3 points of Damage, Seifer will have 15,000 power.

If you ask me, I’d rather play Opus II Seifer (2-110R) instead. Add an Edea to the mix and he’ll be a Monster to deal with.

18-084C – Ramuh

Ramuh is a decent Summon to play, even if you don’t pay the extra cost. Dealing 7000 damage to a Forward will break most Forwards. If you need some extra Zap in your Judgement Bolt, I suggest you remove 10 Lightning cards from your Break Zone and turn that 7000 into 150000.

 

 

 

18-085C – Dragoon

Cheap Backup to play that comes with an extra cost, if you want to use it.

The extra cost is a total of 5CP in which 2 need to be Lightning CP. If you decide to pay it, you can Break a Forward. Any Forward.

Dragoon is like Hurkan, but better. In that Hurkan will only break a Forward up to 5CP, where Dragoon can break any Forward. Good to be played in a pinch, if you have the CP.

Other than that, at 3 points of damage, dragoon gains +3000 power and Haste.

Making him a 2CP/8K body.

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Resurgence of Power : Break Like the Wind

18-035R – Arc EX

Play Arc, hopefully grab a card from the top 5 cards of your deck.

One thing is for certain though. Arc needs at least 4 different elements on the field to become useful. But, he should play well into a Warrior of Light deck. Faris will be a great addition to it as well.

When you finally have 4 Forwards with different elements on the field, all of your Forwards will gain 2000 power.

 

13-036R – Iris

Fits great into the Noctis deck that recently came out.

For 2CP Iris just keeps on giving, as every time a XV Forward enters the field, Iris will activate, allowing you to use her again for a Crystal Point.

Not only that, but you can use her ability to protect a Forward from one of your opponents abilities.

She will pay for herself after a couple of turns. Think of it as getting interest on the CP you paid to cast her.

18-037C – Delusory Dragoon

Comes in with Haste, and when he comes in he grants another Manikin Haste.

Straight to the point, and that’s about it for this Manikin.

3CP for this card isn’t all that bad either.

 

 

13-038C – Kytes

Sky Pirates making a comeback? Maybe, if Kytes has anything to say about it.

Simply Speaking, Kytes can go from 4CP to technically being cast for 1CP. As if you find a XII Character from the top 3 cards of your deck, Kytes will activate, allowing you to use him for a Crystal Point.

Now, if you decide to use his ability, right after he has been activated, you can Activate 2 of your Characters.

I can see Kytes being played and right away using his ability to activate 2 Characters. It can happen easily.

13-039C – Ranger

Not many Forwards or Monsters that cost 1CP, but those Monsters and Forwards that cost 1CP will be easy to Break with this Ranger in your hand.

 

 

 

 

18-040H – Cerberus

Cerberus has 3 on entry abilities to choose from, and depending on your situation, there will always be a good reason to play him.

1) Get rid of that pesky High Cost Forward that seems to be foiling your plans.
2)Activate all your Backups.
Or
3)Draw a card.

After that you are more than welcome to turn him into a Forward with a 9K body. Just as long as you already cast at least 2 cards this turn.

18-041C – Colkhab

Colkhab does have an interesting ability, but I’m thinking why would any one choose Colkhab as the target of a Summon or ability?

Sure, he is more of a meat shield as his 9K body will show you, but other than that there isn’t really a threat that he poses. Maybe once your at 3 points of Damage and his power becomes 10K, but even then.

There are far more important Forwards that should be dealt with before Colkhab.

But, if you’re able to save a Forward from Extinction might as well.

18-042C – Zhijie

I’m thinking they made this card to make the Opus VIII Final Fantasy VII Starter Set more viable. Especially with the new Yuffie.

Zhijie allows you to search for FFVII Forward, and that is about all he does.

Only problem is that you can only use his ability after he has activated. This would have been a better card if it was an upon entry ability.

 

18-043C – Thief

Discard Thief, draw a card. And, that’s about it.

Cheap Backup to play.

 

 

 

18-044R – Sherlotta

5CP to search for a card. I personally think the cost is too high, but you can search for any card. No restrictions here. I do like that you can use Warp to have her come in for only 2CP. but you’ll have to wait 2 turns for that.

I do like the art though.

 

 

18-045C – Dryad

For 2CP you can easily Break a Forward, depending on how many Wind Characters you control.

But, do you want to pay the extra cost to draw a card? Doesn’t seem like a bad deal to me. Especially if they’re cards you have no use for.

 

 

18-046R – Gnash

“Kevin” Gnash comes in and delivers a Jackknife Powerbomb to an unsuspecting Forward or monster of cost 4 or more. That is if you decide to pay the extra cost, but then again why wouldn’t you.

That alone is worth playing this card.

But that’s not all, on your next turn you can use his ability to deal a Big Boot to a 2 cost or less Forward and break them as well.

18-047H – Bartz

Oh, man!

Just look at that. Bartz is as always a Freelancer first. Thus allowing him to be any Job any time he enters the field. Imagine playing let’s say Cadets. You throw Bartz into the field and say his 3rd Job is Class Zero Cadet. Of course you’ll be playing with a full board of Cadets.

Bartz will gain +2000 power for each Cadet Forward that is on the field, thus making him very hard to beat.

Also, when you choose his 2nd Element, Bartz receives protection, in that he cannot be chosen by Summons and abilities coming from a Character or Summon that has the same element as Bartz.

This is a very interesting card.

18-048R – Poppy

Perfect for Wind/Ice or Wind/Earth. If you don’t believe me just read the card.

Wind Forwards will be getting free strikes, since they cannot be blocked by a Forward of cost 3 or more.

Ice Forwards will gain +1K power and First Strike

Earth Forwards will gain +1K power and Brave.

And Multi-Element Forwards will gain 2 of these 3.

Just throw her in the Noctis Starter Set and you should be good.

18-049R – Yuri

You better have a bunch of Crystal Chronicles Characters if you plan on using Yuri. Well at least another 2.

Yuri cannot be chosen by Summons or abilities. Because he has Self-Protection. But only when his Crystal Chronicles friends are around. If not then he’s just a regular Joe.

But, whenever he attacks, or enters the field, he can activate 2 Crystal Chronicles Characters.

A friend indeed.

18-050L – Yuffie

I really like this card. Had a chance to play with it during the Midnight Pre-Release.

For 5CP Yuffie comes in. She already has Haste so she can attack right away. But, I would let her sit back and attack after all the other Forwards attacked.

Once she attacks, she gains +1000 power, and cannot be chosen by Summons or abilities. Not only that, but she also activates all your Forwards. No more worrying about who is going to block, when they all can.

And Doom of the Living, her special ability is a damage dealer. Dealing 24000 damage to your opponents Forwards. Of course you’d have to choose the Forwards and then divide the 24000 among them.

I’ll take 3 and Zhijie to look for her.

Also a gold stamped auto wouldn’t hurt either.

18-051C – Leafkin

How is this a Common?

It allows you to play a 5 or 6 cost Forward straight from your deck, without paying the cost. Sure, you’ll need to have 3 points of damage to do so, but still.

People would still be playing this card even if that Forward was just added to your hand. Not many cards will allow you to go and search for any Forward you like.

You can splash a card like Behemoth K in a Mono-Wind deck, and that’s only the first card that popped into my head.

I’m sure this card will see plenty of play. I’ll take it and search for Yuffie while I’m at it.

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Resurgence of Power : Fire Thoughts

18-001C – Achuka

Achuka almost sounds like the beginning to Kokomo.

First card in the set, Achuka might be a decent backup, but doesn’t look like something that I would use. Then again, I can’t always see how good cards are from the beginning. Sometimes I do, but not always.

Achuka here deals damage when he enters, and then you can dull him and deal some more damage. The damage increases if you have 3 points of Damage.

Achuka, Jamaica, yeah I wanna take ya to a Chocobo.

18-002C – False Stalwart

Simple, comes in with Brave. 2 cost with a 5K body, which can turn into a 7K body, with the help of another Manikin.

Not much to write about, but it’s cheap cost might make it worth it.

Wasn’t there a card that was good with Manikins? Exdeath? Opus 2? I believe it was.

 

 

18-003C – Machinist

Discard Machinist draw a card. And, that’s about it.

Cheap Backup to play.

 

 

 

18-004R – Cleome

A Symphonian Musician? That’s a first. She does have Bard skills and with those Melody Counters she does Buff your Forwards and deals damage to your opponents Forwards.

She is also a Forward herself.

Not a bad card for 2CP.

 

18-005C – Salamander

Simple Fire Summon that delivers 5000 damage to all of your opponents Forwards.

Remove 10 Fire cards from the Break Zone to make it 7000 points of damage.

Now if this card would have been an EX Burst, it would have been amazing.

 

 

18-006C – Zell

Coming in with Haste, Zell can attack right away and if you buff him up to over 10k Power, every time he attacks he deals 8000 damage to one of your opponents Forwards.

Don’t have anyway to buff up Zell?

He comes with an ability that if you discard 2 cards, Zell’s power goes up by 3k.

Self-sufficient.

 

18-007C – Selphie EX

Selphie actually costs 2CP as you’ll be getting back a Fire Forward when she is played onto the field. So, if that Fire Forward was just a card you chucked to help get her on the field then, you have just played like I would if you didn’t know what else to do.

Other than that she is a Backup, with the ability to give a Fire Forward you control +3K Power.

You can also get that Fire Forward of off an EX Burst.

 

18-008H – Two-Headed Dragon

Two heads are better then one.

Every time a Fire Forward attacks choose a Forward your opponent controls and deal it 400 Damage. Straight to the point. Especially of you are playing Mono-Fire. Everyone attacks and you slowly start to chip away at your Opponents front lines.

Attack to bring them down. I’m sure you’ll be able to turn things around if the Two-Headed Dragon is on the field.

18-009H – Tidus

Other than the Kingdom Hearts attire, I don’t see why this card is a Hero. For the cost of Tidus I’m pretty sure you can find a better card to play to deal 8000 damage to one Forward.

Not a big fan of this one.

 

 

18-010C – Berserker

Staying true to the Berserker Job. Berserker must attack. As that is the only thing Berserker can do. He goes Berserk.
He also comes with First Strike. Allowing him to deal damage to your opponents Forwards before they get a chance to.
Also when he comes in you can pay a Fire CP and choose a Forward that must block.

Who’s ready for a Berserker deck? I wonder if there’s enough Bereserkers to get this going?

18-011R – Paine EX

Do to the cost I would say that this card is to be solely used for it’s EX Burst. AM I right or Am I wrong?

I mean 6CP for a 9K body is a lot, but this is just a Rare card.

Unless you’re just counting on removing Forwards from the game instead of sending them to the Break Zone, But that’s what Yuna is for.

 

18-012L – Faris

This card is interesting to say the least. Your opponent will be thinking twice before they attack. As when Faris or a Warrior of Light is dealt damage, you get to choose a Forward your opponent controls and deal it 3000 damage.

Imagine what would happen if they use a Summon or ability that deals damage to all your Forwards. You might be getting rid of a couple of their Forwards to say the least.

I wonder what other Warrior of Light cards will be in this set.

 

18-013R – Fang

Fang looks like she is always just a Rare. I’m waiting for the day where they’ll give her her own Legend card. But today is not that day.

Fang will buff all your XIII Forwards by 2. Including herself. She is basically a 2CP/7K because you will probably be playing a XIII focused deck. Why, you ask? It’s simple really, every turn Fang -can reduce the cost of casting a XIII Forward by 2.

But, why is she a thief? My, guess is because of Lightning Returns. But, it still doesn’t make sense. She should be a Commando or a Dragoon. But, what do I know?

18-014R – Meeth

We already knew that we’ll have Multi-element cards this set, and Meeth here is a card that can make use of it.

He’s a 2 cost Backup that will allow you to search for any card other than a Backup if you discard a Multi element card.
I can see use of this one.

 

18-015R – Ramza

See, this is how good cards come along. Especially with the Warp mechanic. Ramza can be easily cast for 2CP, if you want to wait a couple of turns until he enters the field.

And, when he does, you get to bring in another Knight from the Break Zone and play it onto the field. Just like that you can play 2 Knights with the combined cost of up to 12CP for a measly 2CP. Even if they counter Ramza coming in it’s only 2CP that you lost. You can try again.

And we haven’t even gotten to his ability. Dull 4 active Knights and Break one of your opponents Forwards, and deal them 1 point of Damage. What else could you ask for? This should have been the Hero, and Tidus should’ve just been a Rare.

18-016C – Lulu

2 cost Backup. Most will skip this card. Including me. There are better Lulu’s out there although they aren’t Fire.

But, if you like this card you can dull and discard a card to deal 3000 Damage to a Forward. 5000 if it’s a Multi-Element.

 

 

18-017R -Rain

“Here comes the Rain again.”

He’s ready to come in on turn 2 for 3 CP.

And when he you have 3 points of Damage, Rain gets a 1k Buff, and he deals a Forward 5k damage.

Not bad for a card that you can play for 3CP. Even 5CP is worth it for this card.

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Resurgence of Power – Starter Thoughts

18-131S – Iedolas

6CP to play a 4CP Fire Forward from the Break Zone. Iedolas will technically cost you 2CP to play. I’m sure you can find plenty 4 cost Fire Forwards with on entry abilities to make Iedolas a great card to play.

After that you can have Iedolas as a Backup until you want to use his ability to deal 7000 damage to a Forward.

 

 

18-132S – Ravus

Captain! Captain?

Ravus here might be a good choice to use with Iedolas, if there are already a couple of Captains in your Break Zone. Deal a Forward 10K Damage and hopefully you’ll break it.

If not, Ravus does gain +1000 Power at 3 points of Damage. Add Opus I Lebraeu and he’ll be a 10K Forward.

 

18-133S – Ignis

Ignis is here to give Noctis and Co. protection from your opponent’s abilities. And technically give them Brave. As all the Characters are activated every time Ignis or Noctis attacks.

You’ll have plenty of CP available to you for Main Phase 2 and your opponents turn as all your Backups will be active.

So, play plenty of Backups.

 

18-134S – Prompto

This is a nice card. If you have the whole party out, Prompto is a 2CP/8K with Haste, and every time he attacks you get to draw 2 cards.

Along with Ignis’ protection from abilities, you can probably add Opus I Maria and your opponent will have a hard time getting rid of Prompto.

 

 

18-135S – Gladiolus

Gladiolus might not have Cyclone, but he can attack for up to 12K just from having Noctis on the field. And if you do, Gladiolus will only cost you 2CP.

At 3 points of Damage Gladiolus gains Brave.

Good blocker to have on hand.

 

 

18-136S – Titan

Hmm?

Well, you cast Titan remove a card a Forward from the Break Zone and deal damage to one of your opponents Forwards for the power of the removed Forward.

I might be missing something here, but I believe there are better Summons.

 

18-137S – Aranea EX

Haste, First Strike and the ability to break 2 of your opponents Forward when she enters. All this for 6CP.

Aranea is more like a Summon that sticks around after it has been cast.

Sure you can keep her on hand until you decide to use her when you get 5 points of Damage. Or you can keep Opus VIII Rinoa on hand and bounce her.

 

18-138S – Glauca

This is an interesting one. Just a regular card until he enters the Break Zone. Where he allows you to search for 2 Captains.

You don’t even need to wait for your opponent to send him there, you can put him in the Break Zone whenever you’d like, and you’ll Dull 2 of your opponents Forwards for doing so.

 

 

18-139S – Noctis EX

Search for a Retainer.

Play that Retainer and deal Damage equal to it’s power to one of your opponents Forwards. But this ability isn’t limited to the Job Class Retainer. It can be used for any Wind or Earth Forward.

Only downfall, which isn’t really a Downfall is that it can only be used once per turn.

 

18-140S – Ardyn

Coming in with Brave and a 9K body Ardyn would be a decent card without his ability. But, with that ability you can play a number of cards for a measly 1CP.

Imagine playing Iedolas or Aranea for 1 CP. And that’s just 2 cards that came in this deck.

I can see decks being made around this card.

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Opinion on Starters : Rebellion’s Call

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.

 

 

17-132S -Zemus

Kind of plays like Don Corneo from a couple Opus back.

But, as before to remove 7 or 1 cards from your deck is quite the number.

Unless you’re sure you’re going to win this game, it’s best to avoid using these abilities. But, you’re playing Fire. Go on Aggro yourself ahead and hope for the best.

 

17-133S – Scarmiglione

Interesting.

If you’re playing against a Mono-build this card is a perfect choice. If not, it’s still a good choice.

Scarmiglione comes in and you pick an element. Scarmiglione becomes twice as strong against that element.

And, Blood Tap? Yes that damage will increase as well. It’s a Special ability and since you don’t need to dull Scarmiglione, you can keep using it till you run out of Scarmigliones. With this one there are a total of 4 different Scarmiglione. Multiply that by 3, and you can see how many times you’ll be able to use Blood Tap.

17-134S – Baigan EX

Not much here, but Baigan does allow you to search for Golbez.

After that you can put Baigan into the Break Zone to break a Forward.

4CP/8K power. Average card.

 

 

17-135S – Edge

Same thing with Scarmiglione. Edge has an ability that triggers when he enters the field. Depending on how many FFIV Characters you have on the field, Edge can break a Forward. You can quite easily pick apart your opponent using Mirage over and over.

Plenty of Edges to keep on hand for this ability.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

17-137S – Rydia

Search for a couple of Summons, one gets tossed to the Break Zone by your opponent.

After that each time you cast a Summon, you might be able to break one of your opponents Forwards. Especially if they are high cost Summons.

 

 

 

17-138S – Rosa

Decent card, better card if Cecil is on the field.

Even though Rosa is a Forward, she plays like a Backup, casting White Magic on your Forwards. Activate and a buff. All for a total of 0CP. You know you’ll be using her ability each turn.

 

 

17-139S – Cecil

There are better Cecils, but every time I say that, someone comes up with a way that makes this one even better than the other ones.

So, I’ll just say that Cecil here can have up to 10K Power with Brave.

That and if you dull your FFIV Characters, you can dull Forwards and deal damage and stuff.

 

17-140S – Golbez

Same thing with Cecil, but Golbez can act like a Summon as well.

Which unless you’re searching for another Golbez I don’t see the point in not paying the 2CP and keeping Golbez on the field.

But, you might say 6CP is a lot to pay for this card. But so is the 7CP Odin and all he does is break a card.