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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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Resurgence of Power – Mixing Elements

18-107L – Akstar

A is for Akstar, and he learned the 3-step. I was surprised myself but it’s true. Akstar can dance the Waltz. Just look at all those 3s.

First off Akstar comes in and Dull/Freezes all the Forwards, including your own, that don’t cost 3CP.

When he comes in you can also play a 3 cost Ice or Fire Forward onto the field.

And when he attacks or enters the field you deal 1 Forward 3000 damage for all the 3 cost Forwards that you control.
That’s a whole lot of 3s. Even Akstar himself costs 3CP.

Are we getting new deck ideas, where every card in your hand costs 3CP? Can it work? Someone make this happen.

18-108H – Caius

It seems like Caius cards always have a drawback to them.

Sure, you can get a 2 cost 9K body, but you’ll have to discard your hand when he enters the field.

What can we do then?

Just play your whole hand, and then play Caius last.

Let’s look at his abilities. Whenever Caius attacks, you can either have your opponent discard a card, or double the damage Caius deals either to a Forward or your opponent.

He also comes in with Brave. I might have to try this card out and see how it works.

18-109C – Snow

Snow allows you to possibly cast an extra XIII card, when he enters the field and each time he attacks. Though, you’re not drawing the card, you’re actually removing it from the game, and if you don’t cast it this turn, you will lose it.

You basically have a 50/50 chance of casting or removing.

And, at 3 points of damage, Snow gains Haste and +3000 power.

 

 

18-110H – Xande

Ok, so, we’ll be playing Xande towards the end of our turn. Trying to get as many cards in the Break Zone so we can deal 9000 damage to as many Forwards as we possibly can. 4CP will already be 2 Characters. And if you play any other cards before hand, count those Characters as well.

You can also play Xande from the Break Zone, for the cost of 2CP and 5 Backups. Is it worth it? or are you better off just playing Xande from your hand?

Those 5 Backups are 5 Forwards that you can deal damage to.

 

18-111L – Basch

The question is, Is it worth 1 point of damage to search for a Fire or Earth Character?

I’m sure there are plenty of other cards that will search for the card that you’re looking for, without getting a point of damage.

3 points of damage, Basch gains +1000 power and Brave.

5 points of damage, when Basch attacks you deal 8000 damage to 1 Forward.

You do have an incentive to receive that 1 point of damage. Early on it might be a good idea to use it, but later on I would pass.

Or you can just not pay the extra cost, and play Basch as is.

18-112C – Leon

It looks like more and more cards are dealing you a point of damage.

Just how backed up to the wall do you want to be?

Sure, some cards excel when you’re fighting everything off at 6 points of damage, but why would you need to get there in order to hope that you win.

Anyways, Leon here comes in with Brave.

 

18-113H – Cid Haze

Cid comes in and gives you the ammunition to use his ability on the same turn that he comes in. Reducing the cost of casting your next card by 2. It doesn’t say it cannot become 0, so your next card could be free. After that you play 1 more card.

Once you’ve played your third card, and enter your Attack Phase, you choose 2 of your opponents Characters and you dull and Freeze them.

Farewell to the Blockers that your opponent has set up. At least for this turn.

 

18-114C – Maria

I would be trying to get Maria onto the field as soon as possible. And then just trying to find a way to send her to the Break Zone.

Worst thing that could happen is you block a Forward and your opponent discards a card.

Or, you block a Forward and activate all your Characters. Win/Win

 

 

18-115L – Melvien

I would put Melvien in the same category as Opus XVI Tidus. Even if she is put in the Break Zone, your opponent will never really be able to truly get rid of her.

Every time Melvien is put into the Break Zone, you can simply remove her from the game and put 2 Warp Counters on her. 2 turns later she comes back into the field.

And, every time she enters the field, you can Activate 2 of your Backups and Freeze up to 2 of your opponents Backups.
Not much else to say, but I like this card.

 

18-116L – Sephiroth

Kingdom Hearts Sephiroth is back. And, once again with Back Attack.

No, I didn’t plan that.

Sephiroth is coming, and he has entered Attack Mode. One Winged Angel, Demi-God, and whatever else you’d like to add.
When Sephiroth enters the field he Breaks 1 dull Forward.

And every time he attacks, your opponent will either discard 1 card, or you can Break a Forward of cost 2 or less.
Sephiroth will be leaving bodies left and right.

18-117H – Lightning

The Savior is here. For your deck, not your opponents.

Lightning comes in with Haste and starts attacking left and right, dulling, Breaking and dealing damage across the board leaving no Forward unscathed.

Well, that’s what we’re hoping for.

Every time Lightning attacks, you can pay 1CP to dull a Forward, and then pay 2CP to Break a dull Forward. Which in itself is a good reason to play this card.

I shall be trying out this card. At some point.

And if you don’t want to attack, you can use Lightning’s 3rd ability and have your opponent discard a card.

18-118C – Laguna

High cost to play Laguna, but he might be worth it.

When Laguna enters the field or attacks you can a) Deal an active Forward 5000 damage. or b) Dull a Forward.

I’m thinking there are plenty of cards that can chip away at multiple Forwards, chip damage is making a comeback. Or, maybe I’m just beginning to notice it. I can see FFVIII decks becoming stronger. Ever since Opus XVI. And now with Seifer, Fujin and Raijin, there should be plenty to play with.

Let’s not forget Satellite Laser. Well nothing to crazy, but you can deal 9000 damage to a Forward.

18-119C – Chelinka

Need to break some of these new Monsters that came out this set? Look no further than Chelinka. Chelinka Breaks a Monster when she enters the field.

You can throw her in the new Noctis deck and you’re set.

 

 

 

18-120H – Tifa

Tifa comes in a has Protect already cast on her, reducing the damage dealt to her by 2000. And, that’s a good thing. For when Tifa enters the field she goes 1-on-1 with another Forward. You can choose any Forward you would like.

Meteor Strike, is also pretty good in itself. You are able to deal 8000 damage to 3 Forwards. Cost might be a little high, but it can be worth it.

 

 

18-121L – Fran

I think I said earlier that Sky Pirates will be making a comeback. (Not in this post, probably in Wind.) And, Fran here proves it. Whenever Fran attacks, or enters the field, you can play a FF XII Character of cost 4 or less from your hand onto the field. And, Fran only costs 3CP!

Think about it, you’ll be able to build your offense faster than what you would have. A free card once per turn.

And if Balthier is on the field, Fran gains +1000 power and Brave.

Yes, I shall try out a Sky Pirate deck, all thanks to Fran.

Thank you, Fran.

18-122H – Vanille

2 cost Forward that can cancel an auto-ability. We can never have to many cards like this. Vanille is more of an insurance card. I don’t think you’d be attacking with Vanille unless you knew the attack will go through. But, you’re better off just keeping her active, in order to dull her, when an auto-ability goes off.

Sure, it won’t out right cancel it, your opponent will need to pay an extra 2CP for it to go through.

And when you’re done with Vanille, you can just chuck her to the Break Zone to grab a Backup.

18-123L – Sonon EX

Getting rid of your own Backups is always a plus. Especially when they come in do their on entry ability and then do nothing, but sit around.

Sonon comes in and allows you to remove 2 Backups instead of paying the cost. After that you can replay 2 new Backups and hopefully get another on entry ability.

He can also come in with Back Attack, although I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody actually use Back Attack, but you can. You can even remove the 2 Backups during your opponents turn.

Sonon also comes in with an EX Burst, hopefully helping your Forward that is blocking or attacking overcome the other Forward.

I can see some use with Sonon.

18-124C – Billy Bob

Billy Bob comes in and let’s you grab a Forward from the Break Zone. Any Forward. Doesn’t have to be a certain Job, Element, or Category. A little different than Search your deck, but will still see plenty of use.

Best part is that Billy Bob is a Common.

After that Billy Bob just hangs out on the field with an 8K body.

 

 

18-125H – Onion Knight

Onion Knight has a lot going on for him.

First off he enters the field and either Breaks a damaged Forward, or return’s a Forward to your opponents hand. Either way your getting rid of one of your opponent’s Forwards.

The best thing though, when Onion Knight is put into the Break Zone, you can pay 1CP and search for another Onion Knight and play it onto the field.

Very Ultros if you ask me.

 

18-126L – Lightning

Another card that doesn’t want to go away.

After Lightning is sent to the Break Zone, you can pay the 2CP, remove a Lightning and an Odin from the Break Zone and then you can play Lightning onto the field.

Sure, it’s the same cost as paying Lightning on to the field, but what if you don’t have a Lightning in your hand. This way you can just simply play her, straight from the Break Zone.

She also comes in with Haste, dulls a Forward when she enters and you draw 1 card.

What’s not to like?

18-127C – Lilisette

Some of these Commons are actually really good.

Take Lilisette her, she Breaks a low cost Forward when she enters the field.

After that she can dance. And, boy does she dance. Once she’s done with her Sensual Dance, your opponents Forwards will all be week at the knees, and will have lost some of there power. Some will have lost it all.

 

 

18-128H – Arciela

How many of your cards do you want to show your opponent?

Depending on the answer, you can either deal 7000 damage to a Forward, draw a card, or both.

But do you really want to show your opponent your hand just to cast the abilities?

I think I’ll take a pass on this one.

 

18-129C – Jecht

Jecht is just a Common, but we already said we have some good Commons this set. This is another one. Once he enters the field you can pay the extra cost and give Jecht Haste, Brave and First Strike. With the 9000 body he can lay waste to a Forward, or deal your opponent a point of damage.

We also have Jecht Beam, that deals a Forward 8000 damage.

Decent card.

 

18-130L – Firion

Low cost, low power. But, if you have at least 5 Characters on the field Firion, gains Haste and whenever he attacks you draw a card.

I don’t know if you’ll be attacking much with Firion, but you can discard a card and give him +2000 power. Depending on what element the card is you can either give Firion First Strike, or activate him.

Not the greatest Legend, but could see some use.