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Dawn of Heroes – Spark in the Dark

20-085C – Assassin

1CP/3K body

Perfect if you want to swarm the board. Pay the additional cost and deal a Forward 3000 damage.

After that you can put Assassin into the Break Zone to break that same Forward.

But, then again, put into the Break Zone still confuses me, so I might be wrong on this.

 

20-086H – Alisaie

This card looks good so far, at least in my head. We still need to see it in action.

Alisaie comes in and you can play a 3 cost Scion from the Break Zone onto the field. Right away you get some value from her. Especially if you play her, and grab Alphinaud 20-106R from the Break Zone. You’ll technically only be paying 1CP for Alisaie, and Alphinaud.

And Alisaie’s second ability triggers when a Water Forward (Alphinaud) enters the field. That second ability says that when a Water Forward enters the field you can dull one of your opponents Forwards.

And when that Forward is Alphinaud, your opponents will select one of their dull Forwards and Break it.

Now if that Forward that you dulled is the only dull Forward, then you have chosen the Forward that will be Broken.

20-087R – Angeal

I always have trouble remembering what “Put into the Break Zone” means. And, during every Prerelease, I find myself asking the same question.

Must be old age.

Anyways, Angeal is a 3 cost Forward that likes to Break your opponents Forwards along with a couple of his SOLDIER buddies.

I’d think of Angeal more like a Summon that sticks around. Move over Odin, you ain’t got that strike like Angeal. Or something like that. Cause Angeal will stick around and block an attack or two before he gets sent t the Break Zone.
Angeal can also be put into the Break Zone and give one of your Forwards +3000 power.

20-088L – Estinien

Just looking at this card, you know it’s going to be good.

Warp Estinien in for 1CP. Then he comes in with Haste. And, until the end of the turn he has Brave, and can attack twice in the same turn. And, when he attacks he gains +10,000 power and First Strike.

That’s just … WOW!!!

You’ll want to play Estinien from the get go. Almost like Roche. If you don’t find Estinien in your opening hand, you should just Mulligan and hope to get him on your next draw.

This card will be heading straight to my Haste deck, with Haste.

20-089C – Kadaj

Kadaj is back.

4CP with an 8K body, and an ability that triggers when he enters the field, and enters the Break Zone. (That could be a song title “Enter the Break Zone” or album title.) Kadaj will make a Forward lose power, in other words Kadaj will cast Sap on a Forward.

Once he’s done with that he’ll stay on the field until he gets broken and cast Sap on another Forward. Well, technically it’s not Sap, but it’s close enough.

It’s decent.

20-090H – G’raha Tia

G’raha Tia is a great way to play a Scion onto the field, of an element that you are splashing.

Or any Scion that is not in your hand. As you’ll pay the cost of let’s say Alisaie, and if Alphinaud is already in the Break Zone, you’ll be able to play him as well.

G’raha Tia also gains 3000 power when there is a FFXIV Standard Unit Character on the field.

This is a card I’d like to see in action. And I’ll decide on if I like it or not afterwards. But, it’ll be too late for this article, as I only write my first impressions on each card, and at time of writing release is still a month away.

20-091C – Illusionist

2 cost Backup, that just buffs one of your Forwards attacks by 2000 power for one turn.

Can be used if your in a little pickle, attacking and being blocked by a Forward with a little more power than what you attacked with.

Would I use this card?

Probably not.

 

20-092R – The Emperor

The Emperor has new clothes.

And he’ll change them every time he is put into the Break Zone. He might even change into the same clothes, as you can search for The Emperor and play him onto the field dull. As long as The Emperor has 3CP or less.

With this one there are a total of 6 Emperors to choose from. One which allows you to search for an Emperor of cost 5 or less. Which is the highest CP for any Emperor.

I wonder if we can play The Emperor, the same way that we play Ultros. As the Emperor always seems like he has a way to come back to the field. I’m going to look into this some more at a later date.

We haven’t even mentioned The Emperor’s ability, That requires your opponent to pay 2CP more for their Character’s action abilities. Looks like an easy way to drain your opponent of CP.

I like.

20-093H – Shadow Dragon

You can either pay 3CP to cast Shadow Dragon, or you can use Shadow Dragon as part of the cost to play Golbez. After that you can pay just 1CP of any element and play Shadow Dragon onto the field, straight from the Break Zone.

And, when Shadow Dragon enters the field, you can pick a Forward of 3CP or less and Break it.

Once all is said and done, you can turn Shadow Dragon into a Forward by paying a whopping 0CP.

Sure, it only has 3000 power, but you’re not playing this card so you can have an extra Forward.

Just bring Shadow Dragon out to block, just so you can recast it later.

20-094R – Cor

Cor was a Captain? How come I don’t remember that?

4 cost Lightning Forward with 8000 power.

Nothing to write home about so far.

But, if a King is on the field, Cor gains +2000 power. making him a 10K body.

When Cor is finally sent to the Break Zone, you can remove the top 10 cards of your deck and play Cor back onto the field dull.

Is it worth it? Probably not. Maybe if Cor was a better card, we’d think about it.

20-095C – Weaver

I’m beginning to think that these Backups were solely made to be played in draft.

I don’t think anyone would use these.

But, we have one for every element.

So, I’m writing a bunch of sentences to make it seem like they’re worth writing about.

 

20-096C – Johnny

It was only a matter of time until Johnny showed up. And as you know it Tifa is in this set as well.

Johnny is a decent Backup that can grab a couple of cards from your Break Zone. Easy way to get a couple of Forwards back, or a Backup that was previously sent to the Break Zone.

After that, whenever you need another FFVII Character that was in the Break Zone, Johnny will happily head into the Break Zone to grab them.

Even though he doesn’t specifically search for Tifa, you know that that, that’s what’s really on his mind.

20-097C – Sephiroth

For 7CP you can cast Sephiroth.

Or you can just Warp Sephiroth in for 1CP.

Spoiler alert.

And he’ll Warp down from the sky, thrusting Masamune down one of your opponents Forwards just like he did to …

I stopped myself there, cause sometimes people don’t pay attention to Spoiler warnings.

If you know, you know.

And that’s not all, Zanshin, Special Ability that can be cast without dulling Sephiroth.

depending on how many Sephiroths you have in you hand, you can be breaking low cost Forwards left and right like there’s no tomorrow.

How is this a Common?

20-098R – Chadley

A simple 2 cost ability that will allow you to grab a Forward from the Break Zone.

But, you have to jump through so many hoops just to get to it. But you can eliminate half the process if you already have a Lightning Summon in your hand.

Lets see now.

1 – Play Chadley
2 – Discard a card
3 – Search for a Lightning Summon and add it to your hand.
4 – Next turn/ Dull Chadley
5 – Discard a Summon/
6 – Put Chadley into the Break Zone
7 – Choose a Forward in your Break Zone, add it to your hand.

Is it worth it? Aren’t there better ways of grabbing something from the Break Zone. Sure you can set it up before hand, and Chadley can be used for CP until you need him.

I guess it all depends on whatever you think.

20-099C/15-095C – Ninja

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.

20-100R – Fusoya

Well one thing is for sure.

If you’re playing this card, you’ll have a whole bunch of 1CP and 2CP Summons in your deck. Just so you can spam them whenever you have Fusoya attack.

Isn’t there an Emissaries of Light Braska with an S ability that you can use a Summon instead of Braska?

*hint hint

I think these 2 will go well together.

20-101C – Behemoth

Common Monsters, that can do some damage. Behemoth here is a prime example.

Behemoth enters the field, and deals 7000 damage to one Forward.

Next turn, Behemoth can Break a damaged Forward.

Simple, effective, and probably won’t see much play, even though it is a decent card.

Prove me wrong.

20-102L – Mira

Well Maybe Behemoth will see some play, if it’s only to feed Mira’s ability.

1CP, 1 Monster, 1Miiiir-a

And say good-bye to that Forward that just entered the field. It’s even better if your opponent just spent a fortune on that Forward.

Mira is also able to bring herself back from the Break Zone, all you got to do is sacrifice a Monster, and she returns from the dead.

If you ever needed a reason to make a Monster deck, Mira is it.

20-103H – Ramuh

A 2 cost Summon that will give you 3 choices.

Best part, you can pick up to 2 of the 3 choices.

Which ones should you pick?

The choice is yours.

Dull a Forward, Deal 5000 damage to a Forward, or give Haste to a Forward.

It can also be any Forward that you can choose from.

Dull a Forward attacking, while dealing 5000 damage to another Forward, or even the same Forward.

Or maybe even, dull a Forward blocking and giving Haste to one of your Forwards to attack next.

The possibilities are there.

20-104R – Ramza

All you need is a Crystal in your possession. You don’t even nee to use it. If you don’t have a Crystal then you shouldn’t be playing Ramza. Play another Ramza

Ramza comes in with a Crystal (Maybe that Crystal is a Zodiac Stone.) Ramza gains Haste, and when he is sent to the Break Zone, you can break one of your opponent’s Forwards. Not limited to a certain CP either.

Bring Ramza in and attack right away. Don’t worry if he gets sent to the Break Zone, there’s more Ramzas where that came from.

You can probably find a way to grab him back from the Break Zone.

Ramza Army of One is a go.

As long as he can Shout.

20-105C – Reeve EX

It’s a 3 card trick.

Reeve comes in sets up his little table and shows you the 3 cards. One of which you can add to your deck, the others get sent to the bottom of your deck. Not seeing the light of day again, unless you shuffle your deck.

Ok, I know that’s not how it works.

4CP to grab a card from the top 3 of your deck At least you’ll know what you’ll be missing.

And, why did I always thought it was Reeves?

 

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Dawn of Heroes – Bucket of Dirt

20-064C – Arkasodara

I like this elephant man.

A simple 3 cost Backup that will either Break one of your opponents dull Forwards, or your opponent will pay 3CP for them to save that Forward.

Either way your opponent will lose part of their strategy due to them having inefficient funds, or due to them being down a Forward that they needed.

I like it, I’ll take it.

20-065H – Antlion (IV)

I remember fighting Antlion in FFIV to in order to get the Sand Pearl to save Rosa from desert fever.

Now the Antlion is back, and it is still angry. Must be all the monsters roaming the Antlion Den.

As a Monster, Antlion doesn’t have a special ability, it just waits for Backups to come and go, so it can turn itself into a Forward.

Once it’s a Forward it is something to deal with. With 9000 power and it’s counter ability, that will deal the same damage it received and deal it to another one of your opponents Forwards. Which one? Anyone you’d like.

Yes, I like it.

20-066R – Ignis

At the time of writing I just finished writing about Gnash.

Well, Ignis is the perfect answer to Gnash, Ignis is also one of the Backups that can be chosen by Gnash.

Ignis enters, and you can chuck a Backup and break one of your opponents Forwards.

Not only that, but on the same turn when you send that Backup to the Break Zone, you can grab a Forward from the Break Zone.

End of the day, Ignis has a way of recycling that Forward you need when he is sent to the Break Zone. After all is said and done, you’ll still have a 9K body on the field.

20-067R – Ifalna

Aerith’s mother. That’s all I’ll say in case there are people living under a rock, and haven’t played FFVII yet.

A great 2 cost Backup, that will grab an Earth Forward from your Break Zone and play it straight to the field.

This is actually really good, especially if all of your Opus XIV Clouds are in the Break Zone, and you have no other way of bringing them back.

We need more cards with support Characters that we haven’t seen yet.

20-068R – Aerith

We’ll have Aerith right next to Ifalna in our Binders.

What ever you do, you’re Warping Aerith in. There is no reason to pay 2CP to make her just a 5K body. Aerith is much more than that. Just ask Zack.

Aerith Warps in and grabs a Forward from your Break Zone.

After she grabs that Forward, that’s when she becomes a 5K body.

The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Both Ifalna and Aerith pretty much have the same ability.

20-069H – Chaos

Oh, this is nice.

Chaos causing Chaos just cause his name is Chaos.

Or something like that.

Chaos is a 6CP Forward, that let’s you search for a 4CP Dark Forward and play it onto the field. This will make Chaos a 2CP/9K body, and depending on which Dark Forward you choose you can probably put some hurt on your opponent. Too bad Sterne Leonis is banned, cause that would have been fun. For you, not your opponent.

And that’s not all.

If Chaos is in the Break Zone you can remove Chaos and 2 Dark Characters from the game to Break a Forward of your choosing.

The OG Dark Lord will take vengeance on the Warriors of Light. Maybe that’s what the 2000 year time loop is for.

*queue Alice Cooper’s “Vengeance is Mine”

20-070C – Leatherworker

Uhm, lots of Earth Backups that get played for free.

Free is usually a good thing, when they have a decent enter the field ability. Or any ability at all.

Where’s the Copy/Paste button when you need it?

 

 

20-071C – Ciaran

Here’s your Crystal pumping machine. As long as Ciaran stays on the field and attacks, you’ll be gaining a Crystal each turn.
He can actually use the Crystals himself and gain a 2K buff until the end of the turn.

Other than that, Dark Sword is a decent Special ability that deals a Forward (3000xpoints of damage you received). And you don’t even need to dull Ciaran in order to use it.

There are 2 different Ciarans meaning you can use this ability up to 5 times in one turn. But, only if all the Ciarans are in your hand.

20-072C – Gigas

A Giant? Let’s call him Andre.

Andre comes in and pretty much stops one of your opponents Forwards. Stuns? That Forward will not be able to Attack or Block until the end of their turn. Allowing your tiny Forwards to get some attacks in without the fear of being blocked by a big body.

Gigas … I mean Andre once he’s done Stopping that big body, can be sent to the Break Zone dealing a Forward 8000 damage on the way.

 

20-073C – Kimahri

This is the same as Auron. Only difference is that it’s Earth, and the art on Auron’s card is way better.

Just use what I said about Auron and change the name to Kimahri. And, the damage to 4000.

 

 

20-074C – Miner

3CP to hopefully find a Backup.

If there is a Backup in the top 5 cards of your deck, then Miner will only cost you 1CP.

I think I like the other Miner better.

At least, if you don’t know what to do, you can always put Miner in the Break Zone and draw a card.

 

20-075L – Cecil

Is 3 CP worth a point of damage?

Depends on what you’re playing. If you need that point of damage to buff up all your Forwards because you just received 5 points of damage then go right ahead.

Besides that, Cecil remains true to his story. As he can turn his Dark Knight self, into a Paladin. All you have to do is cross the mirror. Or get sent to the Break Zone. Whichever one is easier. For when you put Cecil into the Break Zone, you can search for a Paladin Cecil, and play him onto the field.

That Emissaries of Light Cecil, is looking good with this right now.

And Tenebrous Blast, just a special ability that deals 8000 damage to a Forward.

20-076C – Sonon

Let’s see, Melphie searches for Sonon, and if Melphie is in the Break Zone, Sonon gains a 1K buff and Brave.

Not bad, for a common.

You got a 9k body on the field, ready to block all of your opponents attacks.

If Sonon is in the Break Zone, hanging out with Melphie, you can remove them from the game a draw a card.

20-077L – Tifa

Another Tifa?

2 in one set? When was the last time that happened?

All the way back to Opus I? I guess, I always thought that there were a lot more Tifas. Apparently there are only 9.

19 Lightnings but, who’s counting?

1CP for a 9K body? Sure, I’ll take it. When Tifa enters the field you must discard 2 cards.

Tifa already has Brave, and if you pay 2CP she can attack again. And, if you have 2 more CP you can attack again, and again. I see an infinite loop somewhere, where someone will figure out how to keep activating all of their Backups in order to have TIfa attack over and over, til it’s game over.

You can’t discard 2 cards if you don’t have any cards in your hand. *Hint Hint.

20-078H – Noctis

The Prince is back, and is becoming quite a regular.

Noctis comes in, and buffs a Forward with +2000 power and Brave, for the rest of the turn.

After that Noctis will hand around the field, until he is sent to the Break Zone, and when he does get sent to the Break Zone, you can put one of your Characters in the Break Zone and play Noctis on the field with a permanent 2K buff.

 

20-079C/15-080C – Geomancer

Reprint.

Standard Unit.

Crystal.

Brave.

Maybe a Geomancer actually mines for Crystals.

20-080R – Fake

The first time I saw this card I thought it was a Fake, and didn’t pay much attention to it.

And, then I read the card wrong, and had to rewrite this.

For 2CP it’s worth giving a shot. Even if Fake can’t attack or block until it sees 2 points of damage.

2CP for a 10K body, sign me up.

 

20-081H – Fenrir

Is this what I think it is?

A Free Summon?

Yes, why yes it is! But, only sometimes.

Fenrir a 1 cost Summon that protects your Forwards from your opponents Summons.

And, if that Forward costs only 1CP, Fenrir is Free!!!

1CP isn’t that much to pay, but Free is better.

20-082C – Mira EX

The Dark Lord is back to help you find your Monsters.

And she does a good job at it, as long as there is a Monster in the top 5 cards of your deck.

After that she has a 3k body, that will fend off at least one attack. OR you can just put her in the Break Zone, and grant one of your monsters the ability to not be broken.

 

 

20-083R – The Magus Sisters (XIV)

At first I thought this was a Summon.

Then I realized that it is not.

What’s good about them is that your opponent can’t use Haste.

Which isn’t really a bad thing as most players don’t really have a lot of Haste cards. But, if you’re using my Haste deck well, it’ll really put a foil in your plans.

20-084R – Leo

See, this is what a King does, he looks out for his people, before charging them taxes and what not.

Leo, a 6CP Backup that when entering the field searches for a FFCC Forward and plays it onto the field.

Think about it for a second.

You pay 6CP for Leo, Find Yuri and play Yuri onto the field. Then you’ll discard a card, and search for Chelinka and play Chelinka onto the field. If you get this off turn one, you’ll be set for the game.

Oh, and let’s not forget the 1K buff to all the FFCC Forwards.

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Emissaries of Light – Thoughts on Earth

16-064C – Dark Knight

Not the best way to start off with Earth, but you can play 3 Backups in one turn at 3 points of Damage if you already have 3 Dark Knights in your hand.

Not much else to say.

 

 

16-065C – Amber EX

Here is the searcher your Soiree deck needs.

4CP to grab a card.

I’ll need to get all these cards together and figure out what’s going on.

 

 

16-066R – Heretical Knight Garland

I like this card.

Garland buffs up one of your Forwards into a Berserk Behemoth, or something of that nature.

+4K power and Brave, is no laughing matter.

And plus, if you keep enough CP available, Heretical Knight Garland is almost indestructible.

16-067L – Aerith

No need to grab your Phoenix Downs, Aerith will raise herself from the dead.

3 turns is all she needs.

She’ll be back in no time, Block, Attack all you want. You’ll probably be able to get into a rhythm here, and have all 3 Aeriths recycling themselves in a way that as soon as one is broken, remove from the game, and on the next turn, yours or your opponents she’ll be back on the field ready to block. All she needs is Haste.

 

16-068C – Eiko

10K Damage?

That’s a lot for a common Backup.

There might be some use to Eiko.

 

 

16-069C – Ciaran

Low cost Forward that can reach up to 9000 Power.

And, that Special Ability. Gets stronger with each Backup you control.

 

 

 

16-070L – Kirin

Kirin and the Shijin. Sounds like Hootie and the Blowfish.

What you don’t already know is that Kirin has the “Power of Love”. Just ask Doc Brown.

He’ll buff up the Shijin with +1K power, and when he comes in, Kirin allows you to play a 4 cost Forward from the top 5 cards
of your deck. That’s almost like grabbing Marty McFly to play at your Prom.

 

16-071C – Gladiator

Another Backup on Standby.

Keep Gladiator on the field till you have received 5 points of Damage. After that dull, return to your hand, play Gladiator, put him in the Break Zone and give all your Forwards +10K and Brave.

And, this is just a Common.

 

16-072C – Beastmaster

Looking for an Energy drink?

Beastmaster will let you grab a Monster when he enters the field.

Yeah, that one was cornier than the other ones.

 

 

16-073C – Benjamin

They finally added a Mystic Quest character to the game. All we need now is 8bit FFI characters. Come on Square-Enix you can do it.

High cost, high power. And Benjamin gets stronger at 3 points of Damage.

Throw him in late in the game and you’ll also Break one of your opponents dull Forwards.

 

 

16-074C – Cactuar

Break a Forward with this Summon, but Cactuar carries some drawbacks. Unless you want to deal yourself some Damage to get the benefits of all these Earth cards.

 

 

 

 

16-075R – Shinju

I think this card is the base of Soiree, as she allows all the different elements to be paid using any element.

Grab Shinju with Amber and watch Soiree unfold before your very eyes.

 

 

 

16-076R – Sophie

She was banned, but now she’s back with a Vengeance.

Sophie’s first ability comes off of Sophie’s Second ability.

If you’re playing high cost Characters, Sophie will be dealing 10K damage to one of your opponents Forwards. 12K if you have Enna Kros as a Backup.

 

 

16-077R – Terra

Terra might fit in a Fire/Ice Category VI deck. Or you can just go all out and grab all the VI Characters and go 6 element FFVI.

Someone out there, already knows how to use this card, and that person is not me.

 

 

16-078C – Demonolith

I remember a card like this in an earlier Opus, but that was a Summon.

Demonolith stays on the field until you want to see your next draw. And if you ;like it, you can keep it. If not just chuck them to the bottom of your deck, and hope for 2 better cards.

 

 

 

16-079H – Hades

The 2 cost Monsters in this deck are something. Each one I keep seeing is a card you’d easily add to your deck.

Hades here, let’s you discard a Backup to draw a card. And, you already know that there are plenty of Backups whose only purpose is to come in and use their on-entry ability. Now you have a way to get rid of them to play another Backup.

But, that’s not all.

Hades can make some of your opponents Forwards vulnerable.

As, whenever a chosen Forward is dealt Damage, that Forward will be broken, and sent to the Break Zone.

Relm is going to have some fun this Opus.

16-080H – Madam Edel

Madam Edel has been name dropped throughout this set, and now we can finally see what she is made of.

Madam Edel is the Forward your opponent will be trying to remove once she is on the field.

Madam Edel grants Protection to all the Morze’s Soiree Members. No Summons or abilities will be able to lay a finger on them.

And for 4CP, you’ll be able to grab a Morze’s Soiree Member from the Break Zone and play it on the field.

16-081R – Mira

We mentioned Relm earlier, but Mira here, will be able to take the reigns just as well.

Mira comes in and lets you play a Monster onto the field, and it all depends on how much Damage you have received. The more Damage the stronger the Monster.

 

 

16-082H – Mont Leonis

Well, you’re always going to be using that first ability. And, we mean always. There’s no reason not to. It doesn’t cost you any CP, and at the same time it gives Mont protection from damage dealt by Summons and abilities.

Taunting Blade? Yeah, it has some use. Mont attacks and uses the ability to take down the Forwards that are blocking him.

I still don’t like Mont.

16-083H – Layle

Depending on which side you’re on, Layle can either make or break you.

Everyone will attack and block, unless there are no more attackers for the blockers to block.

And, with Brave, Layle will be pulling double duty on both sides.

If you need to, you can always give Layle +1K to help him survive.

 

16-084R – Leslie

Leslie is your infiltrator, allowing him to dispose of your opponents Forwards from the inside. He’ll sit perfectly in a Mono-Earth deck as that will be the only way to be able to pass Leslie on to your opponents field.

Once he is there, your opponent will need to choose 2 Forwards and hopefully they’ll be sent to the Break Zone along with Leslie.