Tag: pictologica

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Hidden Trials – By Ice

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

23-020C – Red Mage

Red Mage enters the field, and your opponents discards a cards.

The only question is, will they choose the card that they will discard, or are you going to choose the card that they will discard.

The answer lies in how many Backups you have on the field. If it’s 4 or less your opponent will choose. If you have 5, well, the choice is all yours.

Get rid of that one card that you know your opponent has been searching for this whole time.

23-021C – Weiss

Are Tsivets going to be a thing?

They will if Weiss has anything to say about it.

Weiss searches for a Tsivet, yes you have to pay a Crystal for the search, but what else are you going to do with those Crystals. You can’t hoard them forever.

And once another Tsivet enters the field, Weiss will now have +2000 power and Brave.

And, that my friend is not a bad thing.

Unless your name is Vincent.

23-022R – Aemo

Play this card.

Have your opponent sit back and watch as you neutralize their hand, and they lie lifeless on the side of the road as you dissect their board.

Bit much?

That’s pretty much what happens when you use Aemo’s ability.

Cheap Backup, but that ability is .. what’s the word … Bonkers.

Once your opponent removes his hand from the game, you have free reign over the board.

Unless they have enough active Backups on the field, and active Forwards, they will not be doing much this turn.

And, at the end of the turn, they get their hand back.

But, once the damage is done, it’s done.

I’ll take 3. And 3 more just in case.

23-023H – Anima, Eikon of Eikons

Powerful card.

But, it has very limited use.

In order for Anima’s ability to go off, both you and your opponent must have 0 cards in hand.

Is it likely that this will happen?

Yes, If you’re playing Discard, you can have your opponent down to no cards, and then you’ll use up the rest of your cards to play Anima.

Dull/Freeze their whole board, and you won’t have to worry about their next turn either.

23-024R – Shiva EX

Dull/Freeze a Forward.

And if somehow, that Forward deals damage to one of your Forwards or to you, that Damage becomes 0.

Now, I don’t know how a Dull and Frozen Forward can deal damage to you, but I’m sure we’re going to find out shortly.
If not now, then next set.

 

23-025C – Shelke

Here is where your supply of Crystals will come from when you’re running Tsivets.

Shelke should be the first Tsivet you play, if possible.

Shelke will be the one that gives Weiss a Crystal to search for another Tsivet.

And, since you’ll have 2 Tsivets on the field, Weiss will gain +2000 power and Brave.

You can give Shelke that other Crystal, to give herself +3000 power until the end of the turn.

It’s a Common, it’s 2CP, it’s worth it.

23-026C – Jegran

4 cost Common Forward, 8000 power.

That’s your standard cost for a Common with 8000 power.

Jegran has the ability, once put into the Break Zone, to either Break a dull Forward or have your opponent discard 2 cards.

Either way, it’s a bit of help if played at the right moment.

 

23-027C – Jihl Nabaat

Jihl Nabaat, will hang out on the backfield, producing a single Crystal Point, until the time you’ll need to use her ability.

And, what ability is that?

Jihl Nabaat will break a dull Forward, for the cost of a PSICOM Character, and 2 Ice Crystal Points.

There’s plenty of PSICOM Characters that you can use for this.

And, Jihl shall stay on the field, for when you’d like to use her ability once more.

23-028L – Cecil

Move over Batman, Cecil is the real Dark Knight.

As you can see, all of Cecil’s abilities deal damage to you. Is it worth using these abilities, or even playing Cecil? Well that depends. Do you need to inflict damage upon yourself in order for your deck to get that much stronger.

If the answer is yes, then yes you should play Cecil. Just imagine your back is pinned to the wall, and all of a sudden you reach 5 points of damage and you cast Dark Flame. Most likely, wiping out your opponents front line.

All that’s left is for you to come in a get the win.

23-029R – Zenos

Zenos has your opponent’s Break Zone on lock down.

Every time a card leaves your opponent’s Break Zone, your opponent discards a card. It doesn’t matter where that card goes. It could be removed from the game. It could be added to your opponent’s hand, it could be played straight to the field. Whatever the reason, if a card leaves your opponent’s Break Zone they discard a card from their hand.

And, let’s not forget when Zenos enters the field, you get to remove 2 cards from your opponent’s Break Zone.

Guess what happens after that?

23-030C – Serah

Pick one of two, or two of two.

Depends on if you have a Commando on the field.

Serah comes in and you can Dull/Freeze a card, and your opponent discards a card from there hand.

No Commando, no worries. Just add Fang. There should be a Fang in this set. I haven’t seen it yet.

 

22-031C – SOLDIER Candidate

I always wanted to build a SOLDIER deck. And, when I finally do, SOLDIER Candidate will be in it. 3 copies of it.

As long as you have a couple of Standard Units in your Break Zone, SOLDIER Candidate becomes a 2 cost Forward with 8000 power. Cheap, Effective, Meat Shield. What else would you want? You could stop here and it would be a decent card, if only to block your opponent’s attacks.

But, we’re not stopping here, because when SOLDIER Candidate enters the field, you will Dull/Freeze one of your opponent’s Forwards.

I’ll take 3.

22-032H – Drautos

I don’t remember who this is.

But, this does look like a great card.

You’ll need to have 1 or 2 cards in your hand, in order for you to cast Drautos.

For 2CP this is far from bad. It’s actually pretty good. Drautos comes in with a 8k body and Brave. Meaning you’ll be swinging, and swinging because Drautos will still be able to block.

Plus, he comes in with some added protection from your opponent’s Summon and abilities. If they deal damage, that damage will become 0.

22-033C/15-038C – Knight

Reprint of a reprint. We’ll just put down what we wrote during Dawn of Heroes.

“Ice Reprint Standard Unit.

Just find what I wrote for Samurai and change the word Samurai to Knight.”

 

 

 

22-034R – Pacos Amethyst

For some reason I want tacos right now.

Monster Tacos!

Pacos Amethyst won’t do anything except wait around, unless you have another Monster on the field.

If you do Pacos Amethyst becomes an 8k body on your front line.

And if your opponent wants to get rid of Pacos by targeting it with Summons or abilities, well then your opponent will have to discard a card from their hand.

It might be worth it, if you target it with Opus XI Relm.

22-035H – White Tiger l’Cie Nimbus

5 cost Forward with an 8k body, that also searches for a “Brave” Forward.

White Tiger L’cie Nimbus, or Nimbus for short. Does search for a Forward with Brave. Nimbus also has Brave himself.
Nimbus also cannot be chosen by your opponent’s abilities, making Nimbus a meaty Meat Shield that can also attack.

Nothing special, just a big body that searches for a “Brave” body.

 

22-036C – Flan

1CP to have the option to dull a Forward whenever you’d like.

And if you like your Flan with extra Flan, you can remove 3 Flans from your Break Zone, and Break that Forward that Flan just dulled.

It’s the cycle of Flan.

 

 

 

23-037R – Lightning

This whole time I thought that Lightning was a Legend.

Then I read the card, and thought that is not legend material.

And then, I realized Lightning is a Rare card.

Lightning doesn’t do much when she comes in, but at the begining of each Attack Phase Lightning will dull one of your opponent’s Forwards.

It’s not bad, it’s not great, but the art is amazing.

Why else would they put the Golden Signature on this card?

23-038H – Lady Lilith

“Luck be a Lady tonight”

You’ll be lucky if you have 3 Crystals, cause Lady Lilith will seduce one of your opponent’s Forwards with that Crystal and bring them over to your control.

That’s all there is to say.

I might have to go ahead and redo my deck. So, many cards are coming out that allow you to take control of your opponent’s cards.

 

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Hidden Trials – By Fire

Shop these Singles and more @ our TCG Player Store.

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.

Shop for these Singles and more @ our TCG Player Store.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Hidden Hope : Frozen Hope

22-019C – Ice Bomb

I Need More Bombs!

And, this one is pretty good on my opinion.

During your turn, Ice Bomb becomes a Forward, and whenever it attacks, you can Freeze one of your opponents Forwards.
And, if you already have received 3 points of damage, Ice Bomb will also Dull that Forward, thus making said Forward unavailable for your opponent’s next turn.

I’ll take 3, and put them in the Bomb deck.

22-020R – Vallaide

Who would have thought that Green Mages have these kind of abilities. And, what is a Green Mage anyway? I thought they were Red Mages.

Whatever it is Vallaide has a pass, because he’ll kick some …

It’s true. Just use his ability on a Forward, and whenever that forward is dealt damage, it breaks. Just like that.

Sure, you’ll need another way to deal a little bit of damage to said Forward, but that should be easy enough to figure out.

22-021R – Emina

This is what everyone likes. A Backup that searches for a card.

Sure, the card needs to be an Ice Character that costs 2CP or less, and I’m sure there are plenty of good cards to grab.

This technically makes Emina a 2 cost Backup as well.

Search and Play.

 

22-022R – Quistis

Do you remember Opus I Jihl Nabaat?

Well Quistis here, does a much better job than what Jihl Nabaat did.

Of course you’ll have to be playing a FFVIII themed deck, but with a card like this, and plenty of other great FFVIII cards that won’t be hard to do.

Now, what does Quistis do?

Depending on how many FFVIII Forwards you have on the field, you can dull that many of your opponent’s Characters. And if you have 3 or more, you’ll also Freeze them.

And, the artwork? It looks great. Can’t go wrong with a good looking card with a great ability.

22-023C – Bard

Bard, a low cost Backup that will dull a low cast Forward.

And, if you have another Bard (22-023C) on the field, you can use Bard’s other ability and Break that Forward.

Is it worth the price?

Depends on what you’re Breaking.

You can’t go wrong with a 2 cost Backup, that has a couple of decent abilities. Unless your opponent isn’t playing low cost Forwards. Then you might be out of luck.

22-024L – Kurasame

At 7CP, Kurasame is a quite expensive, but he can be worth it depending on how many Ice Backups you have on the field when Kurasame enters.

Go ahead count your Backups.

I’ll wait.

5 Ice Backups, well that is perfect. You shall either Dull and Freeze, 5 of your opponents Characters. Backups? Forwards? Monsters? Yep. Yep and yep.

Or, you can have your opponent discard a card for each Ice Backup that you have.

We said 5, right?

Well your opponent is discarding 5 cards from their hand. And, what was that card that was just released in the Anniversary Collection Set 2024? I don’t have the card in front of me, but I think it said, deal 5000 damage to a Forward every time your opponent discards a card, due to your Summons or abilities.

Now, at that point I’d say it’s very well worth playing Kurasame, as it will put you in a winning position. If you can’t beat your opponent when you made them discard their hand and laid waste to their front line, I think it’s time for you to pick up another game.

I like it.

22-025C – Cloud of Darkness

This is a decent card, for a Common.

Cloud of Darkness comes in, and since you’ll already be playing Discard because you’re already playing Ice, your job will be to have your opponent have as little cards as possible in their hand before you play Cloud of Darkness. Cause when Cloud of Darkness comes in and your opponent has only 2 cards, or less, in their hand, they will send one of their Forwards into the Break Zone.

And, that is pretty much it.

 

22-026C – Seymour EX

Almost like a Summon. Seymour comes in and breaks a dull Character.

After that Seymour will just hang out on the field producing a single Ice CP once per turn.

Good thing is that this ability can come off of an EX Burst as well.

Now, where did I put that card that gets rid of my Backups.

 

 

22-027R – Shiva

Let’s talk about Ice.

It’s so cold, that it will make all of your abilities stop working. Nothing moves, and your opponent’s Characters reset to 0.

No Haste, No First Strike, No Brave, no buffs no nothing.

Plus you get to draw a card if you only paid the cost with your Backups.

The twins are your best bet at starting a frozen empire.

22-028H – Cissnei

The Turks just got a little bit better with Cissnei.

She might not look like much, but in a Turk heavy deck, she’ll be lying in the shadows waiting to attack. And she can attack twice.

Sure, Cissnei comes in dull, but she also comes in with Haste. All you need to do is activate her and she’s ready to go. Luckily, The Turks are here to give a helping hand. (And you thought that they were the bad guys.) Every time a Member of the Turks attacks, you will activate Cissnei.

Here is the battle plan, Cissnei comes in, Reno attacks, Cissnei activates, Cissnei attacks, Rude Attacks, Cissnei activate and attacks again.

For 2CP, you get a 6K body that dual wields Shurikens.

I’ll take it.

22-029R – Jihl Nabaat EX

It’s Jihl, but which Jihl will you like to play?

Is PSICOM going to become a great deck to play? Who will be in it? How many PSICOM cards are there? Why are there so many questions?

After looking up all of PSICOM there are a total of 3 Characters with that Job, One which is Jihl Nabaat. The other 2 are Rygdea and Yaag Rosch.

“Who you gonna call?”

Not the Ghostbusters, that’s for sure. You can flip a coin and see which one you’ll get.

But, at 3CP you get a Forward with 7000 Power, and you get to search for a member of PSICOM.

I’m guessing they’ll be adding more PSICOM members in the next set, Especially since Lightning is on the box.

22-030C – Shinryu Celestia

This is nice, a decent 2 cost Backup that will give one of your Forwards +4000 power.

Sure, you can only use this ability if you have 5 Backups on the field, but you should be trying to get to 5 Backups as soon as you can. Because Backups equals more CP.

Now, if you can find a way to activate Shinryu Celestia after she used her ability, then you can use it again, giving another Forward, or the same Forward, another +4000 power.

 

 

22-031H – Squall

How is Squall just a Hero?

Because he is a Hero. Just play Final Fantasy VIII to see why.

At 4CP/8000 Power, Squall becomes even more powerful, if you have 4 FFVIII Characters on the field. Not only that, but he is protected from your opponent’s abilities that deal damage.

And if you need to get more Final Fantasy VIII Characters on the field, Squall will help you with that as well. During the beginning of each of your Attack Phases, you will be able to play a Final Fantasy VIII Forward from your hand onto the field. Just as long as that Forward costs 4CP or less.

You can get the four Final Fantasy VIII Forward on the field, by the beginning of your next turn, If you play Squall right away. After that, it’ll be easy sailing.

22-032L – Sephiroth

The card that everyone is looking for. Not the one you see, but the one with the Gold Stamped Signature. It is a good looking card.

Now, lets talk about the card itself.

At 3CP with 7000 power, you would think that this card is undeserving of the Legend status. Well, we’re here to tell you that it is. And, that we can see why Squall is just a Hero.

Whenever Sephiroth is in your hand, you can pay 3CP and break one of your opponent’s dull Forwards. Which in itself is a great ability to have. Although you’ll have to remove Sephiroth from the game.

But, that doesn’t mean that Sephiroth is lost, he just went into the Lifestream like he usually does. Once he is in the Lifestream, and only during the turn that he entered the Lifestream, you may play Sephiroth onto the field for his cost. And, once Sephiroth enters the field, your opponent will discard a card from their hand.

Sephiroth will cost you a total of 6CP to play this way. There are a couple of Summons that will Break a dull Forward. One is Titan (21-071H) who will break a dull Forward for 3CP, and Hades (6-038R) who will break it, and have your opponent discard a card from their hand for 5CP. The difference is that Sephiroth stays on the field as a body.

22-033C – Time Mage

Time Mage is a simple 2 cost Standard Unit Backup that is actually pretty good.

Time Mage enters the field, and will Dull/Freeze a Forward, and if you have one more Standard Unit Backup on the field, Time Mage will Dull/Freeze a Character as well.

If you have 3 of these in your hand you can Dull/Freeze up to 6 Characters, and at 2CP each, it will only cost you 6CP or 1P per Character.

That sounds like a steal to me.

22-034H – Medusa

We finally have a new spell. Stone has arrived to Final Fantasy TCG. They’re just calling them Petrification Counters.

Medusa comes in and casts Stone on a Forward. Once that Forward has turned to stone, they cannot attack or block. And they will not be able to turn back to normal once Medusa is gone.

Nope, they will have to use a Gold Needle, and the price for that Gold Needle is 5CP.

This will put a cog in your opponents plans.

22-035C – Yuke

Simple, basic and straight to the point.

Yuke 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.

22-036C – Rinoa

Final Fantasy VIII, has had some great cards showing up. And, we still haven’t had a Starter Set made for 8.

Good thing is that, we already have plenty of cards to make a great deck. Is Rinoa a good card to add?

Probably not. There are far better Rinoas in other sets, so, I don’t really see you playing this one, unless you’re playing a Discard deck. Or, you just like the art and you’ll just throw it in your FFVIII deck, just to show off with the Full Art. I know I’ve done that before.

If Squall is already on the field when you play Rinoa, her cost goes down to 2CP from 3CP, which makes this card more affordable, and her ability forces your opponent to discard 2 cards.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Hidden Hope – Hope On Fire

Get your Hidden Hope Booster Box Here!

22-001R – Auron

Auron’s here, just doing his job as a Guardian, and protecting one of your Forwards just like any Guardian would.

When Auron comes in, you choose a Forward, and the next damage dealt to it becomes 0.

At 2CP this is a card with great value, just because Auron has Back Attack, and that means you can play him during your opponent’s turn.

Let’s say your opponent casts a Summon or ability, Auron can swoop right in and guard the Forward being targeted.

You don’t even need to be playing a FFX themed deck, Auron can hop into any deck that has Fire in it and he’ll do great.

22-002C – Red Mage

Red Mage, your 2 cost Backup that has some pretty good abilities.

1) Choose a Forward of 5CP or less, and take away it’s ability to block.

Or

2) Discard a fire card, chuck Red Mage, and deal a Forward 8000 damage.

Even if Red Mage just had the first ability, I would have said that this card is great.

And, it’s only a Common.

All you have to do is attack, and when your opponent declares a blocker, just dull Red Mage, and take away that block.

22-003R – Ayame

Really?

I see Samurais making a comeback. Where did I put those Tenzens?

Ayame comes in with Brave, at 2CP/5000 power. But, everytime a Samurai enters the field, Ayame gains +4000 power.
Meaning that Ayame’s power can easily rise past 9000. Which is a good thing, because when Ayame attacks, and her power is over 9000, you get to choose one of your opponent’s Forwards and deal it 7000 damage.

Ayame might look small, but she packs a mean punch.

22-004H – Angeal

SOLDIERs Unite!

Angeal, the original Buster Sword wielder, here to help cause more damage to your opponent. I don’t know if that makes any sense, since he doesn’t actually like to use his Buster Sword in fear of ruining it. But, Zack’s life is worth just a little bit more, than his sword.

Angeal enters the field and you can pay (X), which allows you to search for a SOLDIER of cost (X) and play it straight to the field. That means it doesn’t even need to be a Fire SOLDIER. You can also search for Roche, who comes in with Haste and can attack right away.

And, when Roche attacks, the damage increases by 2000, because that is Angeal’s other ability. Add in the fact that if you have taken 3 points of Damage, Roche also gains 3000 Power, making his attack cause 9000 damage.

We won’t even get into the art. I like this card.

22-005R – Ignacio

That’s a big axe.

Ignacio your 5 cost Forward, coming in with 9000 power.

…

When Ignacio enters the field, you’ll put the top 3 cards of your deck into the Break Zone, and if all of those cards are Fire, you’ll deal one of your opponent’s Forwards 9000 damage.

I mean, .. ok.

Not great. Somewhat … I’ll pass.

22-006H – Garland EX

Is it just me or does Garland look like a dwarf here?

He might look like a dwarf, but this is a great card.

Garland comes in and allows you to grab a Knight from the Break Zone, making garland a 2 cost Forward with 8000 power. You’d think that that’s enough but it is not. When you decide to play that Knight. Or any Knight. You get to choose one of your opponent’s Forwards and hand that Forward 5000 damage.

These cards just keep getting stronger and stronger.

22-007C – Carla

Agito Cadet reporting for duty.

3CP/7000 power.

Carla is a decent Forward. has enough power to hold her own against most Forwards. She also has 2 abilities that can help out when the going gets tough. All you have to do is Dull her. No extra costs for these ones.

You can either deal a Forward 3000 damage, or you can buff an attacking Forward with +2000 power.

Either way she can stop an Attacker or help one of your Forwards.

Carla is a Forward that moonlights as a Backup. Kind of reminds me of Amon from Opus II.

22-008C – Clavat

Cheap Backup to play that allows you to look at the top card of your deck.

If you don’t like what you see, you can place the card at the bottom of your deck. If you do, just leave it where it is.

Bonus Points, Clavat is dressed as a Black Mage.

It could see some use.

 

22-009H – Jecht

Do you know what this is?

It is a Free Card, that will Break a Forward when Jecht enters the field.

I can see Jecht doing great with my Bomb deck, which upon release Jecht will be put in, and something else will be taken out.

Let’s explain. For every Fire Character you control Jecht costs 1 less CP. So, if you have 6 Fire Characters on the field Jecht is free. And when he enters the field, Jecht deals damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards. And they deal damage to each other.

Only thing missing here, is better art.

22-010L – Selphie

Selphie comes in and allows you to search for a FFVIII Forward.

But, that’s not a good reason to make Selphie a Forward. You can do that with a Rare, and it’ll still cost less than 4CP.

Then again, Selphie does a lot more than that.

Once per turn you can give a FFVIII Forward +1000 power, Haste and Brave. That means as long as Selphie is on the field, all of your Finla Fantasy VIII Forwards that come in will be granted Haste and they will be able to attack on the same turn that they came in. No more Summoning Sickness. Selphie has a cure for that.

Oh, and she has 7000 power. 8000 if you use her ability on herself.

22-011C – Warrior

Just your Standard Unit 3 cost Fire Forward with 7000 power.

But, if you have at least a couple of Standard Unit Backups on the field, Warrior gains +2000 power.

Making him a 9k body.

Effectively becoming a Meat Shield.

 

22-012C – Foulander

A Monster that becomes a Forward. That’s becoming more and more normal with every new set.

Foulander here is no exception. And, it deals up to 5000 damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards every time it attacks. Allowing you to soften up your opponent’s front line in the process. And, if you got 3 Foulanders on the field, that’s even better.

Don’t forget that Foulander only costs 1CP.

Throw this in any Fire deck and you’re good to go.

22-013C – Machina

You’re either playing this card early, or you’re not playing it at all.

Unless your board gets wiped and you have to start all over.

Machina does have a decent ability, dealing 7000 damage to a Forward.

Other than that, at least the art looks good.

 

 

22-014R – Belias, the Gigas

This is a great Summon if you want to get rid of a pesky blocker blocking your Attacking Forward. Once that happens, and you cast Belias, your Forward gains +3000 power and First Strike. And if that’s not enough Belias deals your opponent’s Forward 7000 damage. Thus reducing their power and hopefully breaking them.

One way or another your Forward shall survive.

Plus, if you paid with only Backups, you get to draw a card as well.

 

22-015C – Meeth

Meeth sure looks angry.

You would be too if all you did was remove a Backup from the game, to draw 2 cards.

Meeth wanted to come in and party, but one of his friends is forced to leave when he comes in. And that friend was the only reason Meeth wanted to come to this party.

But, for a 2 cost Backup, that lets you get rid of a Backup you don’t need anymore to draw 2 cards, there could be some use to Meeth.

22-016H – Minwu (FFBE)

Not that Minwu, this is the other Minwu from Brave Exvius.

They’re the same, but different.

And, this is a great card.

Bring in a card from the Break Zone, any time you’d like during your turn as long as you don’t have any cards in your hand.
It’s like you’re playing with an extra deck. Plus your Limit Break Deck, you got 3 different places where you can grab a card to cast.

I’ll take 3.

22-017C – Lilyth

Need a Crystal?

Play Lilyth. 2CP with 5000 power.

Not the strongest of cards out there, but if you need Crystals for abilities and what not, Lilyth is a decent play. You get a Crystal and a body that will hang out on the front line until needed.

Let’s not forget Hard Slash. If you look you don’t need to dull Lilyth to use the ability. Meaning if you have 2 Lilyths in hand, you can deal 7000 damage to 2 Forwards and you’ll still be able to attack.

I’ll try this one out.

22-018R – Luartha

At 1CP and a Crystal, Luartha can do some damage (especially if you already have taken 3 points of damage) before your opponent even knows what hit them.

Luartha will come in, and if you pay the Crystal she gains Haste. Once you attack, you can choose one of your opponent’s Forwards and deal it 5000 damage. Thus reducing the Power of a Forward that can break Luartha.

And if you already have taken 3 points of damage, Luartha deals one of your opponent’s Forwards 5000 damage when she enters the field.

I like this card, I shall find some use for it, because you can throw it into any deck that runs Fire, and you’re good to go.

I’ll take 3, preferably foil versions.

Shop for Singles at our TCGplayer Shop!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Beyond Destiny – Twistin’ Turbulence

Shop these Singles and more at our TCGPlayer shop.

21-041C – Evil Weapon

Doesn’t look that evil. Evil Weapon looks like he belongs in the hit movie “Ghoulies”.

If you haven’t watched it, you should. If you like 80’s horror movies that aren’t actually that scary.

Let’s see now. Evil Weapon cost a a whole whopping 1CP. And, for what it does is pretty cheap. I know some people just play certain cards just to gain a Crystal. And Evil Weapon here, will give you a Crystal, and also deal 4000 damage to one of your opponent’s Forwards.

Evil Weapon, is more like a side weapon, a pistol to your shotgun. If your Forward doesn’t Break your opponent’s Forward, just use this Evil Weapon to finish it off.

21-042H – Vaan

If you’re playing Mono-Wind, Vaan could be of some use. As he’ll be a free Forward, if you already have 7 Wind Characters on the field.

If not he costs a whopping 7CP to play a Forward with 9000 power.

Not much to say about this one. I’ll probably just leave it on the side to gather dust.

But, not all is bad.

If you already cast 3 cards, you draw a card. So, you might come up with +2CP.

But, is it really worth it?

21-043C – Viera

Now this is a decent card as well.

Play Viera onto the field and grab one of the top 2 cards of your deck. The other one goes to the bottom of your deck.
And when Viera is active on the field, you can dull Viera and do it once again.

3CP for a Backup with a great ability.

You can’t go wrong with Viera.

 

21-044C – Dancer

Technically, this is a free card.

A 4CP Forward, that gets reduced to 2CP if you already have a Dancer on the field. And if you paid the cost with a couple of Backups, you can choose to activate those Backups, by Dancer’s ability. Which goes off once she enters the field.

That brings us to a total of 0CP.

Not bad for an 8000 power Forward.

 

21-045C – Princess Goblin

This is the kind of Backup that everyone likes. A searcher.

Princess Goblin enters the field and allows you to search for a Warrior of Light, or a Princess Sarah.

She comes in does her job, and hopefully gets your board to where you need it to be.

If not, well, at least she’ll provide a Crystal Point once per turn.

 

21-046C – Cid (II)

Cid is here staring at you to make sure that you’re going to play this card.

And, as long as you have cards that can warp in, there’s a 94.38762% chance that you will. Yes, this conclusion came off of extended research and as of December, 5th 2023, this is accurate. It might not be in the next hour or so, but we’re sticking to our research. And stuff.

Cid (II) comes in and you’re searching for a card that Warps.

You Warp that card right away.

Next turn, you’ll be sending Cid to the Break Zone, in order to speed up the Warp process.

Simple, and effective.

I like it.

21-047C – Summoner

Summoner summons a Summon.

Well, that’s what Summoners are supposed to do.

Once Summoner comes in, you get to grab a Wind Summon from your deck.

And, Every time that you cast a Summon, Summoner gains +2000 power. From how I’m reading it, you can cast a couple of Summons and keep stacking that +2000 power on top of the other. Plus. it’s a Standard Unit so you can have 3 of these on the board at any time.

Combine this with Meia (16-123L) and you have a reduced Summon cost. Add in plenty of low cost Summons and you’ll have 3 Summoners who serve as Meat Shields, or attackers.

Meat Shield just sounds better.

21-048L – Princess Sarah

Look no further. If you needed a way to keep Feolthanos on the board, so he can see EX Bursts, Princess Sarah can help you out.

Once per turn you can choose a Forward and that Forward cannot be chosen by EX Bursts.

After that, just dull and discard a Princess to make the next damage dealt to it 0.

Now, you don’t need to have Feolthanos, but I’d say you play these cards together.

 

21-049R – Sarah (Mobius)

Yes, she gives a +1K buff to all of your Forwards.

Yes, she is a 2 cost Backup.

Yes, she is probably good for draft.

No, I will not be playing this card, actually maybe I will.

I would have said to just go ahead and play Opus I Maria, for 3CP and the same buff to all of your Forwards, but what’s stopping you from playing both at the same time.

I started thinking this card wasn’t that great, it’s decent, but I started changing my mind the more I started writing about it.

I might give it a shot.

21-050H – Sophia (SOPFFO)

For a second there I read that Biker Mage.

You can throw Sophia and Summoner in the same deck. Both grab Summons, and when a Summon is cast they both have abilities that can go off.

Sophia here will deal 5000 damage to a Forward when you cast a Summon. Sure, you can only use this once, as you’ll have to dull Sophia, but that 5k can help out. Especially if the Summon you cast has dealt some damage to a Forward but not enough to Break it.

I wouldn’t call this a Hero, more like a Rare.

21-051R – Tiamat

Chocobos are going to make a comeback, just you watch.

I’m just saying that cause I can’t think of another Mono-Wind deck at the moment.

If you are playing Mono-Wind, you will be playing Tiamat. 4CP/8K body, throw in Opus 1 Maria and a bunch of Chocobos, and you have an unstoppable beast.

Hey, that’s pretty much what Tiamat is.

 

21-052R – Niini

This isn’t bad, especially for the cost.

1CP allows you to look at the top card of your deck. If you like what you see, you can keep it there. If not send that card to the bottom of your deck.

If you cast at least 3 cards this turn, you can grab that card, or grab the next one if you already sent it to the bottom of your deck.

Good thing about this is if you can check to see if you have an EX Burst coming up. If you do you can leave it there and when you take Damage you’ll know that you’ll have a surprise for your opponent.

21-053L – Balthier

Even though I’ll probably never play a Sky Pirates deck. This is a great card.

You can probably just throw it in any Mono-Wind deck, and you’ll do great.

Because every time a Wind Character comes in, you’ll be dealing 3000 damage to one of your opponents Forwards. And 3000 is enough to Break some Forwards, and then I’m sure you’ll have a way or two to finish them off.

Now if you’re playing Sky Pirates, Balthier will be able to Activate all of your Characters once per turn. Right at that moment when you get into your Main Phase 2, you can discard a Sky Pirate and have Balthier’s ability go off, and you’re left with a bunch of active Characters, ready to block, and what not.

21-054H – Pandemonium

And, here I thought this was a Backup.

For 2CP this is great card. Summon comes in and if you played a couple of cards this turn Pandemonium will deal 5000 damage to one of your opponent’s high cost Forwards, and Pandemonium searches for a high cost Forward for you.
If Pandemonium is the first card you played, you can pick one or the other.

Still great for 2CP.

 

21-055H – Penelo

These Sky Pirates just keep getting better and better.

Kind of wants me to make a Sky Pirate deck.

Penelo, a 2CP/5000 power Forward. that activates 2 Characters when she enters the field, as long as you have at least 2 Sky Pirates already on the field.

The best part is that when Penelo is sent to the Break Zone you can grab a 3 cost Sky Pirate from your Break Zone and add it to your hand. I think Balthier would be the perfect card to pick.

21-056R – Galeserpent General Najelith

Here we have the pixelated 3d graphics of FFXI. Even though this was on the PS2, the graphics look like they came from the FFVII era. Enough of the art.

It’s actually not that bad of a card.

Galeserpent General Najelith’s cost can be reduced by 2 if you already have a couple of Wind Characters on the field. Thus making her, a 2 cost Forward with 8000 power.

She cannot be chosen by your opponent’s abilities, giving her protection from that, and you can dull her and deal a Forward 4000 damage. This is where Penelo and Balthier come in.

Dull, 4000 damage, activate, Dull, 4000 damage, activate, dull, 4000 damage.

That’s 12,000 damage right there.

21-057R – Fran

Can’t go wrong with 1CP.

Especially since Fran grants protection to Balthier.

And, if Fran is in the Break Zone, you can play Balthier and grab Fran from the Break Zone and play her onto the field. At the small cost of 1 Wind Crystal Point.

Now I kinda, want to see what Balthier does.

 

21-058C – Machina

Finally a Machina that has synergy with your Type-0 Cadets.

And at only 2CP this is a great card.

If you have at least 2 Cadets on the field, Machina has 8000 power, Haste and Machina cannot be chosen by your opponent’s Summons.

Let’s not forget Armor Break, if you need to you can break a high cost Forward.

I do like it. It’s probably time to dust off that old Cadets deck and see what happens when we add Machina.

21-059C – Dragoon

Play Dragoon early, as your second or third Backup. As, that’s when you’ll get the most value from Dragoon.

Once he comes in you’ll gain a Crystal, and if you have 3 or less Backups on the field you get to draw a card. Which makes Dragoon cost a total of 1CP.

And, that is all. Simple, effective and straight to the point.

Not much else going on here.

 

21-060R – Rikku EX

Most of these Wind cards work well together.

Rikku here is another example of why you should be playing Mono-Wind.

When she enters the field, you’ll reveal the top card of your deck, and since it’s a Wind card, and you’re playing Mono-Wind you’ll just go ahead and add that card to your hand.

This also activates as an EX Burst when you get that point of damage, and Rikku pops her head.

And at 3 points of damage, Rikku gains +2000 power making her a 7000 power Forward.

Shop these Singles and more at our TCGPlayer shop.