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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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Emissaries of Light – Opinion on Lightning

16-085C – Assassin

2 cost Backup that serves as a backup plan and a Backup.

Deals Damage to a Forward that entered this turn.

8K should be enough to break most Forwards coming in.

 

 

16-086C – Ixion

This is a pretty decent Summon. 4CP to have a Forward lose 8000 Power. And, if you’re playing a tri-color deck, it’ll also cause all of your opponents Forwards to lose 2ooo power. Including the first Forward you chose, so that will make it 10K.

 

 

 

16-087C – Puppetmaster

Puppetmaster enters the field, you discard a card and grab a better one from the Break Zone.

I like this card, and it doesn’t cost much.

Grab that Forward from the Break Zone that just got broken, and use it again as your opponent just watches as he just used all of his resources to get rid of it.

Or, something like that.

16-088L – Black Waltz 3

Black Waltz is coming out in full force. (Yes, I know that everyone already knows that, but these are what I see when I first look at the card. I’ve been very behind this Opus,)

All the Black Waltzes are helping each other come back from the dead. And, this time there is no timers on them.

It would be interesting if there was. Roll of the dice or flip a coin, and they just Stop.

Time to head to Black Mage Village.

16-089H – Zack

Zack looks like he’s ready to save Cloud once again.

He’ll come in take care of all the enemies and when he is ready to be sent to the Break Zone, Cloud will come in and finish the job.

It would have been nice if it was that easy.

But, still a pretty decent card for a FFVII deck.

 

16-090R – Seymour

Summon heavy?

Seymour, (I always end up typing Seymore) is a card you’ll play later on in the game, as with depending on how many you have in your Break Zone, Seymour will Break a Forward when he enters, and after that, he simply deals your opponents a point of Damage for removing 6 Summons from the Break Zone.

Sounds good to me.

 

16-091C – Chadley

Now, this is a decent Backup.

Lightning is getting some cards that will help you retrieve cards from the Break Zone.

For 4CP, Chadley can grab you 2 Forwards from the Break Zone. And, you don’t need to use his ability right away.

You can use it as soon as a Forward you need is sent to the Break Zone.

16-092C – Noel EX

For an expensive Common, this is a decent card.

Noel comes in and Dulls 2 Forwards. This also works off of an EX Burst as well.

Other than that, you can dull and sacrifice Noel, and Dull all of your opponents Forwards.

What did they call him in Lightning Returns? The Shadow Hunter?

 

16-093R – Noctis

You are playing a FFXV deck for certain. Kingsglaive or Noctis and Friends, or a mix of both.

Noctis here will shine in either deck.

You’ll be dulling Forwards left and right, and with the new Noctis/Ardyn deck coming out later this year, I’m sure there will be plenty of use for this one.

Noctis can watch it all happen while he sips his coffee.

16-094C – Palmer

The way Palmer is sitting there, about to sip his tea, you know that he’s got something up his sleeve. You think you have him backed into the corner, but nope.

Palmer gives you a way to grab two cards when you run out of cards.

For 2CP, I think this is a good play. He’ll grant you a CP every turn until you decide to use his ability.

 

 

16-095R – Vivi EX

Are we getting the pieces to make a Black Mage deck possible?

Grab a Black Mage from the Break Zone, when Vivi enters the field.

And deal Damage to a Forward, which increases with each Black Mage that you have on the field.
Is this the first Lightning Vivi?

 

16-096R – Byakko

Another Shijin for Kirin.

We already know, Byakko comes in and you can search for a Shijin other than Byakko.

After that, every time Byakko attacks, you can choose 1 Forward and Dull it.

 

 

16-097H – Hyoh

You can play Hyoh for 1CP, but he’s not that great. Not yet.

Hyoh becomes more valuable, the more you put into him.

You’ll want to spend another 4CP on Hyoh to make him a devastating threat.

1CP to give Hyoh Haste and up his power to 7K. After that another 3CP to up his Power to 10k and when he deals damage to your opponent you will deal 2 points instead of 1.

Just watch out for a possible Double EX Burst that might come your way.

16-098H – Spectral Keeper

Spectral Keeper is a Keeper.
Yeah, that was lame.

But, this Monster is a Monster.
OK, I’ll stop there.

But, dulling a Forward at the beginning of each Attack Phase is more than enough to place him in your deck.

And, at 3 points of Damage, Spectral Keeper becomes a Forward and every time it attacks,you will dull a Forward as well.

16-099C – Merald

Soiree Members coming out in full force.

Let’s give this Common some great enhancements, depending on how many Soiree Members are being played.

2 for Haste.
4 to Break.

I’ll need to check out some of these Soiree decks.

16-100L – Y’shtola

Every time I see a new Y’shtola card, I think to myself, I should start playing FFXIV again.

Can Scions make it once again in the Meta? I don’t really follow it, but I haven’t really heard about Scions recently. First it was Marche/Ritz, then it was Samurais, Sky Pirates, Kingsglaive and and now Soiree and The Black Waltz.

But, I believe Y’shtola can give Scions a new Pulse.

 

16-101C – Yuke

Another backup Backup.

Keep Yuke on the field until you need to use him.

After that dull, return to hand, play and Break a Forward.

 

 

16-102R – Lann

For the cost of a Monster, Lann becomes a decent card.

If you decide to remove a Monster from the Break Zone after you play Lann, he’ll gain 2K power, and you’ll dull a Forward during each of your Attack Phases.

You can also use that same Monster to pay for the cost to play Lann, thus killing 2 birds with one stone.

 

16-103C – Larva

Like this Monster.

Larva has some use, but he’ll be perfect for Lann.

Or, just play Larva to Break a Forward, and then put him in the Break Zone to see what your next draw will be.

 

16-104R – Reeve

This Reeve is more like Reeve from the game. Think about it.

Reeve comes in and you play a Forward from the Break Zone onto the field. That Forward could very well be Cait Sith.
Reeve cannot activate during the Active Phase simply because he will be controlling Cait Sith, and will be too busy to be doing anything else.

Which makes me think if we’ll be getting a decent Cait Sith in the near future.

Resurgence of Power, I’m looking at you.

16-105R – Reynn

Just like Lann, Reynn has pretty much the same abilities as her brother.

Only difference is that she gives another Forward Haste.

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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.

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Emissaries of Light – Thoughts on Wind

16-043H – Atomos

How good do you think this card is?

Very good? I agree.

Atomos is currently auditioning for a role in Re-Animator, but this version of the movie will be called “Re-Activater” along side Rikku (2-071R). They’ll be bringing your Backups back from the Dead.

 

16-044L – Wol

Wol is here to make all your powerful Forwards, even more powerful. Not being able to be chosen by your opponents Summons or abilities. And, drawing a card when they come in.

Drawbacks?

Those Forwards need to have a cost of at least 5CP.

 

16-045C – Gargoyle

See, like Gargoyle here, The Forwards protected by Wol will not be able to be broken.

But, if Wol isn’t on the field, Gargoyle can take care of that pesky high cost Forward that is troubling you.

And then for 1CP you can take a sneak peak at the top 2 cards of your deck. If you like them, keep them. If not, just move them to the bottom of your deck, and hope for better cards.

16-046C – Chocobo Chick (VII)

For some reason I thought this card was a Backup.

But, even as a Summon, you might get some use out of this card. Pay 4 CP to activate the 4 Backups you just dulled to draw 1 card.

There might be something I’m missing.

 

16-047R – Sherlotta EX

Whatever happens Sherlotta is giving you at least 1 Crystal.

After that she will block Forwards until she is sent to the Break Zone, and give you another Crystal.

Or just chuck her from your hand for 1 Crystal.

 

16-048H – Zidane

Like we said earlier. Lani/Zidane Fire/Wind decks are coming.

Now we just need to find a way to keep bouncing Zidane back and forth.

Over and Over again.

Take control of your opponents deck.

 

16-049R – Seiryu EX

Another Shijin

4CP/7K. You’ll search for a Shijin upon entry, and Seiryu also comes in with built in protection.

No need for Wol.

 

16-050H – Ceodore

Ceodore comes in causes havoc, if you decide to dull 3 FFIV Characters, you can Break 1 of your opponents high cost Characters.

Ceodore seems to fit well into a Category IV deck. Simply because all his abilities involve IV Characters.

Real Sherlock Holmes here.

Tell me something I didn’t know.

Well, you can play Ceodore for free with Cecil. We’ll get to more about that in a moment.

16-051L – Cecil

For 5CP, you can play Cecil, and another card from your hand that’s 4CP or less. And if that card you play is a FFIV Character, you get to activate 2 Backups. Doing the math that means, if you played a IV cost IV Character (get what I did there?) you’ll actually end up +1CP.

Worst case scenario, you only save 1 Crystal Point, but why would you play a 1 cost when you can play anything up to 4CP.

And, the icing on the cake, is that Cecil protects all your Characters. forcing your opponent to pay 2CP just to make sure their Summons and abilities go through.

16-052C – Selkie

There’s a couple of cards we’ve seen so far that break Characters of cost 4 or more. Wol will be a card that I can see many people use do to the protection Wol grants.

But, we’re talking about Selkie here.

Selkie can sit on stand by until you need her. And, when you need her, at 5 points of Damage, she’ll break a Character of cost 4 or more. Take that, (insert pesky forward here.)

 

16-053H – King Tycoon

King Tycoon banishing most of your opponents board, because that’s what Kings can do.

As soon as he enters the field, you can return all the Forwards and Monsters your opponent controls to their hand.

Or just some of the cards. You don’t want to return any of the cards that have On entry abilities.

 

16-054C – Chocobo

The pixelated Chocobo, comes in and grabs a 2 cost Character or less from the Break Zone.

If you’re playing Chocobos, you’ll probably end up grabbing another Chocobo.

 

 

 

16-055C – Chocobo Sam

Chocobo Sam knows where all the Chocobos are. That’s why you’ll play him and find a Chocobo. Specifically Chocobo (6-050C). That way you’ll be able to play a free Chocobo every time it is your turn.

Plus, giving a Chocobo +3K for a turn let’s you know you’ll have the extra fire power if needed.

 

 

16-056R – Fat Chocobo

Fat Chocobo has one job.

That is to let you grab a Wind card from your hand at the end of each of your turns. If you’re playing Chocobos this might be a decent card to throw in your deck.

And for a simple dull, you’ll be able to play a Wind Backup once per turn.

And, keep a Fat Chocobo in your hand, because if Fat Chocobo gets hit by a Summon or ability, that 10K will keep him alive.

16-057C – Ninja

Uhm, well …

Removing 2 cards for 2000 damage?

I think I’ll pass.

 

 

16-058R – Fina

Comes with built in protection.

And, gives you the option of canceling an auto-ability, when she’s not even on the field. Sure you’ll need at least 4 Wind Backups on the field to be able to use it, but Fat Chocobo will be there to help you out with that one.

 

 

16-059C – Pecciotta EX

Is Morze’s Soiree Member going to become something?

Pecciotta here will help it become it. Activating all of Soiree when he enters the field.

The more I see these cards, the more I want to give it a try.

Time to crack open some Emissaries of Light and find all the cards I need.

 

16-060C – Madam M EX

I’m starting to see a pattern with all the Wind cards this set.

Madam M comes in and let’s you grab a Wind Character, if you find one when you reveal the top 4 cards of your deck.
Other than that, this 4 cost Backup is technically only 2CP.

 

 

16-061R – Yuri

Just like I just said, Yuri does the same thing as Madam M, but better.

This way you might actually play a card straight from your deck onto the field.

Or you can just grab any card if you can’t find a 3CP Wind Character.

 

 

16-062C – Lexa

Protect Madam Edel, that is Lexa’s job. More on that later.

A simple 2 cost Backup, that dulls and grants a Soiree Member, or Madam Edel +1K.

 

 

 

16-063R – Rosa

The missing piece of Cecil and Ceodore.

Rosa comes in and keeps feeding Ceodore and Cecil, to power them up just a little bit to help them survive or take down your opponents Forwards.

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Crystal Dominion – Thoughts on Light/Dark

15-127H – Ace

You can cast Forwards from your Break Zone. But, only 2 per turn.

That is interesting. I’d like to see this in action.

If you already got your 5 Backups on the field, I can see Ace being played late in the game. Try and get back your heavy hitters for one last dance.

 

 

15-128L – Noctis

Just in time for the holidays. Noctis is the gift that keeps on giving. But only if you join the party. As long as you keep the party going, you’ll be able to choose up to 2 of Noctis’ actions.

Break a Monster. Dull and Freeze. Deal Damage. Draw a card. Gain Haste.

Rinse and Repeat.

And with Lunafreya, Noctis will have added protection.

15-129L – Ardyn

At 5CP Ardyn is sure to put your opponent on Ice.

Depending on how many cards you discard from your hand, your opponent will need to choose your discarded card plus 1, of Ardyns action abilities.

Break Characters, Remove cards from their deck, Deal Damage. You name it Ardyn’s got it.

You can tell by the smug look on his face that he means business.

15-130H – Nox Suzaku

Once Nox Suzaku comes on to the field, you probably will be playing a Forward at the end of each of your turns. Sure it might sound like you’re playing a card for free, but in reality you are paying for it with the 2 cards that end up in your Break Zone.
It’ll be a race to the finish, as you’ll be bleeding cards every turn, but you’ll also have plenty of Forwards coming on to the field at every turn.

An all Forwards deck might be the perfect spot for Nox Suzaku.