Posted on Leave a comment

Blissful Ice

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

29-020R – Astos

I’m liking this Astos. The only thing that would make it better is 8-bit Pixel art. C’mon Square-Enix, give us what we want! Or, at least what Kardboard Korner wants.

Astos a 2cost Forward that will Dull//Freeze one of your opponent’s Forwards.

So far, so good.

Astos will stay on the field, and once he blocks one of your opponent’s attacks and gets sent to the Break Zone, Astos will search for another Astos, and that Astos will be played on to the field dull, means that Astos will Dull//Freeze one of your opponent’s Forwards once again.

3 of these in any Ice deck will be good.

29-021R – Ultima Weapon Origin

Ok, we got a Weapon.

Ultima Weapon is more like a Shotgun. Double Barrel. You are able to deal 2000 damage to all of your opponent’s Forwards.

You can then Activate Ultima Weapon Origin and use that ability again. That’ll bring the total damage to 4000 per Forward. You’ll probably break a few of them, and the others will be on the verge of being broken, so your attacks will go through or you’ll break those Forward when they block.

And, with a 9K body, Ultima Weapon Origin will stick around long enough to be a thorn in your opponent’s side.

 

29-022R – Cray Claw

4CP for a Monster? Are there other Monsters that cost 4CP? Quite a few actually.

Cray Claw comes on in and deals one of your opponent’s Forwards 5000 damage, and depending on how many cards they have in their hand, that damage can go up to 8000. Which is good enough to break a Forward, depending on the Forward that is.

And, if you have 5 Backups on the field, Cray Claw will also become a Forward with 9000 power.

It’s not bad, It’s not great, it’s decent.

 

29-023C – Goblin

A 1 cost Monster.

Cheap.

Deals a dull Forward 3000 damage.

Draws you a card.

That’s about it.

 

29-024H – Shiva

For 5CP you can choose up to 3 abilities, and all of these are good as stand alone, but when you can combine, 3 of the 4 choices, you’re going to cause disruption.

1) Dull/Freeze 2 Forwards
2) Dull/Freeze a Backup
3) Your opponent discards a card
4) All your Ice Forwards gain +3000 power.

Mix and match, and then attack.

 

29-025R/26-029R – Shiva (XVI)

“Shiva is a great card to play all by herself. You don’t even need Jill to Prime into her. But, you probably should. It’s cheaper in the long run and you get a better ability.

When Shiva comes in you will Freeze all of your opponent’s Forwards. If you Primed into Shiva you will Freeze all of your opponent’s Characters instead.

Ice Age? Yes, let’s have your opponent discard 2 cards from their hand. This works even better if they only have 2 cards in their hand.

Let’s see what Jill does.”

 

29-026C – Cid Raines

This is where your discard deck will shine a bit more.

Cause every time your opponent discards a card, Cid Raines will Dull/Freeze one of their Characters.

The good thing is that Cid doesn’t need anyone else for this, he can take care of it all by himself as well.

When you have 3 points of damage and Cid enters the field, your opponent discards a card. And, let’s not forget about Seraphic Ray, where your opponent discard a card as well.

.

 

29-027L – Shantotto

This Shantotto looks spicy. And, how does an Ice card have a Fire spell in the art?

Anyway, on to the card. Shantotto being Shantotto, as she comes in and casts Dull//Freeze on all the Characters except for Mages.

That’s a quick way to get the upper hand on your opponent, they won;t be able to block anything this turn, and you can come in swinging. All you need is a way to activate all of your Forwards that aren’t Mages and you can go to town.

Shantotto still has one more ability that Activates once per turn.

Break a dull Forward, Freeze 2 Backups, or have your opponent discard a card.

All of which are good.

Is this the card we need to get a Mage deck going?

29-028C – Jill

What is it with Jill and Freezing your opponent?

Think about it.

Jill and Jihl Nabaat, what do they have in common? They’re both Ice cards and they both Freeze.

But, Jill will also Dull 2 Forwards while Freezing them.

Plus a 7K body that can Prime into Shiva, I’ll take it.

 

29-029R – Xezat

I like this card.

Xezat is the ultimate protection against your opponent’s Summons and abilities. As long as you have a couple of Crystals.

Your opponent must choose Xezat when they are targeting. Meaning that while Xezat will probably be broken, you can use his second ability that costs 2 Crystals, send him to the Break Zone, since he was already going there, and remove one of your opponent’s Forwards from the game.

You can choose the Forward that cast the ability, or choose another Forward cause that ability will fizzle out anyways.

Either way, you’re slowing your opponent down, and Xezat did what he came in to do.

Xezat is also an 8K body.

29-030H – Celes

Yes, put this in any Ice deck.

Celes comes in for 4CP and you can play an Ice Character from your hand onto the field. 3CP or less. That means that you’re only paying 1CP to play Celes.

And if you’ve been playing Ice like it should be played, your opponent will have at least a couple of dull Forwards on the field. That means that Celes can not be chosen by Summons or abilities.

You can also dull 2 of your Forwards, in order to dull one of your opponent’s Forwards, which will add to the total number of Forwards that your opponent has.

Celes also has a 7K body, so she will be sticking around for quite a bit.

29-031C – Onion Knight (FFTS)

I actually used this card at Midnight Prerelease. And, I got to say it won me a match.

Onion Knight, just like in the games, gets stronger later in the game.

Depending on how much damage you have taken. Let’s say at 3 points of damage, Onion Knight gains +2000 power. And at 5 points of Damage, Onion Knight gains +2000 power and First Strike.

This gives Onion Knight a total of 9000 power and First Strike at the end of the game. And, you can have 3 of them on the field at the same time.

Just throw a couple into your Ice decks.

29-032C – Chadley

I’m trying to figure this out. Chadley acts more like a Monster than a Forward. But then again, there are Monsters that act more like a Forward than a Monster.

Chadley has one job, and since he can’t attack or block, that’s all he gets to do.

Every other turn, Chadley will give one of your Forwards +3000 power.

You will be able to use that ability as long as Chadley has a Research Counter on him. If not, then you can just dull Chadley to give him a Research Counter.

 

29-033L – Terra

As much as I want to say that I like this card, I can’t.

I was never one for a Summon deck. I hardly have any Summons in any of my decks for that matter. And Terra here, looks like she needs to be in a Summon heavy deck.

Terra comes in and you an search for a Summon, chuck it into the Break Zone, and then you can choose 2 Characters. Dull/Freeze them.

And then you can put Terra into the Break Zone, and play a Summon that costs 5CP or less for free. Well, technically it’s not free. You’re paying 3CP to use that ability, and you’re getting rid of Terra in the process.

I’ll pass.

29-034C – Tyro EX

And, here I thought they were going to make up for banning Opus XI Tyro.

This time we get Tyro in Ice, and he doesn’t do a lot, but he can grab and Ice Character when he enters the field. And, that’s only if there is an Ice Character in the top 4 cards of your deck.

Other than that this Tyro is just a Backup. that will generate you 1CP per turn.

His ability also comes off of an EX Burst, so that might mean something.

.

 

29-035H – Torgal

This isn’t a Wolf, it’s a sacrificial lamb. That both Clive and Jill will use. Now I haven’t played FFXVI yet, but I think this might be part of the story. Don’t tell me if I’m right or wrong.

Anyways, back to the point. Torgal is a .. you guessed it .. a Free Play! As long as you have Clive or Jill on the field.

All Summons and abilities must choose Torgal, and when he is sent to the Break Zone, your opponent will discard a card.

Plus, Torgal will also act as a Meat Shield. that’s why Torgal is a Forward.

 

29-036C/15-038C – Knight

“Knight comes in, hands you a Crystal

Next turn, Knight Dulls himself and puts himself into the Break Zone dulling a 3 cost Forward.

Thus concludes the story of Knight”

.

 

.

29-037C – MAI

Where was this card when Relm was running on a rampage?

MAI is ready to get rid of those pesky Monsters. At least one of them.

And, at 2CP, this card is a definite yes in your deck, especially if you’re constantly running against Monster decks.

MAI, will break a Monster or return it to it’s owner’s hand.

All you need is a way to either break MAI, or find a way to bounce her off and on the field.

 

29-038H – Mog (VI)

Mog (VI) is the perfect card to play with Celes. Mog will come right in and Break a dull Forward. And when that Forward hits the Break Zone, Mog will draw you a card.

And all this for a Free Play on Mog’s part.

Mog also comes in with a 8K body, meaning he’ll be a little bit of a problem for your opponent. But, you might actually want to send Mog to the Break Zone. That way you’ll be able to play him again, and break one of your opponent’s dull Forwards once again.

Cool Singles!

Posted on Leave a comment

Cecil’s Dark Knights

Its the Red Wings! Sort of.

We’re starting off with Dark Knights.

Cecil, of course will be the first card that we’ll be putting in our deck.And, after looking at all of the Cecils available, we decided on 2 different Cecils. This way you can always have a Cecil on the field. Our main Cecil will be Cecil (15-073H). You’ll want a Crystal Generator on the field, before you play this one, or you can just go ahead and take the one point of damage. Because at 3 points of damage, Cecil will search for Cecil when he is sent into the Break Zone. And,as a true Dark Knight, Cecil will deal your opponent 2 points of damage with the help of Souleater.

The other Cecil is Opus I (1-108H). Cecil will be mostly used for the cost to pay for Souleater, but if he is on the field and you receive damage, Cecil will deal one of your opponent’s Forwards 5000 damage.

The rest of the Dark Knights are Graham (8-075C) who will break a Forward when he is put into the Break Zone. Zeid (25-024H) who can come in with Back Attack and every time Zeid is dealt damage, your opponent selects one of their dull Forwards and sends it to the Break Zone. And, Teodor (18-028L) 9CP? Yeah, no. We’re Warping! For 2CP Teodor will enter the field on your next turn. When he enters he field your opponent discards 2 cards, and since Teodor warped into the field, your opponent will discard another card as well.

We have Tilika EX (18-061R) to generate Crystals. Garland (IX) (8-026L) to keep your opponent’s Forwards at bay. 3 different Dark Knights. And a Baron Guardsman.

Our Backups include Tyro (11-072R) just because if you’re playing Earth you should play Tyro. The rest of the Backups include Crystal Generators and Dark Knights. Nothing special going on here.

Two Summons in this one. Zalera, the Death Seraph (24-026H) and Hecatoncheir (15-082H). You could probably add Cu Sith (10-068C) in here as well.

Monsters, just a handful Antlion (11-066C), Behemoth (19-066C) and Seeping Brie (17-073C)

And, the LB deck consists of 3 cards Maat (22-119R), Selh’teus (24-118R) and Noctis (23-125R). There’s still not much of a selection with the Limit Break cards, so we take what we can get.

Well this is what we got. What would you do different?

Let us know in the comments!

Forwards

1-108H – Cecil x3
8-026L – Garland (IX) x1
15-073H – Cecil x3
17-072H – Baron Guardsman x1
18-061R – Tilika EX x2
21-063C – Dark Knight x2
1-054C – Dark Knight x1
2-073C – Dark Knight x1
8-075C – Graham x3
17-082R – Lich x1
25-024H – Zeid x3
18-026L – Teodor x3

Backups

8-070C – Dark Knight x2
15-033C – Knight x2
15-080C – Geomancer x2
23-058C – Dark Knight x3
16-064C – Dark Knight x3
21-024C – Scholar x2
16-036C – Devout x1
11-072R – Tyro EX x3

Summons

24-026H – Zalera, the Death Seraph x2
15-082H – Hecatoncheir x2

Monsters

17-073C – Seeping Brie x1
19-066C – Behemoth x1
11-066C – Antlion x2

Limit Breaks

22-119R – Maat LB x3
24-118R – Selh’teus LB x2
23-125R – Noctis LB

Shop for these cards and more at our TCG Player Store!

Posted on Leave a comment

Hidden Trials – By Wind

Shop for these Singles and More @ our TCG Player store.

23-039R – Asura

1CP and a Full Art, cant go wrong with that.

When you cast Asura, you activate all of your Forwards. Plus all of your Forwards can’t be returned to your hand and their power can not be decreased until the end of the turn.

You can either play this at the end of your turn, after you attacked with all of your Forwards. This way if you go all out thinking that you’ll win the game, you can still cast Asura and you will be able to block during your next turn.

I’m sure there’s better ways to play Asura, but that’s how I would play it.

23-040L – Adelle

This is wonderful.

Mono-Wind + Adelle = Hard to beat!

With Adelle, you can go all out with all of your Forwards, and if your plan doesn’t work out, you can attack with Adelle and use her ability to Activate all of your Wind Characters.

That way you’ll have your front line ready to block when your opponent decides to attack.

But, maybe they won’t , once they see all of your Forwards activated.

Only drawback is that Adelle won’t activate during your next turn, but since you’re running Wind, I’m sure you’ll find a way to activate Adelle.

23-041C – Jornee

A 2 cost Backup that that shall buff a Forward, and give it some protection as well.

Sure, that Forward needs to cost 3CP or less. But, once per turn, Jornee will give that Forward +1000 power and all damage dealt to that Forward by your opponent’s abilities will become 0.

I mean 2CP, for some damage control is worth it if you ask me.

And, if you don’t, then try it for yourself.

 

23-042C – Vaan

Well, this looks like a decent Vaan.

Vaan comes in, gain a Crystal

Vaan attacks, gain a Crystal.

Life of Crime, double the damage dealt to a Forward by Vaan.

Use the two Crystals Vaan gained from earlier and deal 8000 damage to all of your opponent’s Forwards.

And, they say a Life of Crime doesn’t pay.

23-043R – Venat

A 2 cost Backup, that can search for herself and play herself straight to the field.

Of course, that ability means that you’ll be searching for Venat (23-115L) and you;ll get 2 Crystals for it.

For me, that is worthless as, I will probably never play the other Venat.

Or you can just keep Venat on the field, and use her first ability to cancel a Summon whenever needed.

Now that, I can use.

23-044R – Silver Dragon

I see a pattern here. Monsters that need a Monster to become a Forward.

Silver Dragon becomes a Forward with 9000 power. Which is pretty decent, considering you only paid 2CP for it, but Silver Monster also has the ability, to protect your Monsters from your opponent’s Summons and abilities.

Meaning that you should throw Silver Dragon into any deck running Monsters and Opus XI Relm, as she searches and plays Monsters on to the field, without having to worry about CP.

Yes, Add it to your Monster deck.

23-045C – Samovira

Another Monster.

Samovira is a Winged Demon, waiting on the sidelines until it’s time to unleash his fury on a Forward, or a Monster.

It’s not much to get him on the field, but you’ll have to send Samovira and one other Monster into the Break Zone. Which in return will allow you to Break on of your opponent’s Forwards 5CP and up, or a Monster.

It’s almost like an even trade.

23-046C – SOLDIER Candidate

Another SOLDIER in training.

Just like the other Candidates, this SOLDIER Candidate gains +3000 power if you have a couple of Standard Unit Forwards in your Break Zone.

Now the question I have, is do SOLDIER Candidate’s abilities apply only to each individual card, or do they all get the effects?

 

 

23-047H – Tyro

The Record Keeper returns, and this time he’s grabbing a card from the Break Zone. You’ll need 3 elements in your back line for this to work. If you do, (which you will, because you won’t be playing Tyro if you don’t) Tyro becomes a Free play.

Tyro will also protect one of your Forwards that is being targeted by a Summon, ability or an attack, by reducing the damage dealt to it, all the way down to 0.

I can see it being used, but I don’t see me using it.

 

23-048C – Dr. Mog

“Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard, Dr. Mog!”

Search for a Moogle, does that mean Moogles are a thing now?

Are we going to get Killer Moogles from Outer Space?

So, many questions, we need more Moogles.

Dr. Mog also activates a Moogle with his ability.

Good King Moggle Mog might be making a comeback as well.

23-049C – Ninja

We’ve seen plenty of Ninjas already.

This one is a Backup that costs 2CP, and depending on when you play him, you can a decent card, or a really good card.
Ninja will make a Forward unblockable by a Forward that costs 3CP or more.

Ok, not bad.

But, if you have 5 Backups on the field, all of the Forwards that you control gain that ability.

Allowing you to have a semi-open path to your enemy.

23-050H – Noel

It’s not Warp, it’s Ludicrous Speed!

Noel might cost 5CP to play him, but he can come in easily with Warp. You might not even need to wait a whole turn. If you have 3 Final Fantasy XIII Characters on the field, as soon as you get into your Attack Phase, you will remove 1 Warp Counter for each XIII Character on the field.

You can end up playing Noel for 1CP.

After that Noel comes in with Haste and First Strike, and he’s ready to attack with 9000 power.

He’s gone plaid!

23-051L – Hope

Coming in at 3CP with 7000 power.

Hope is a great card, and you probably will never attack with Hope.

All Hope is going to do, is come in to play, pay (x), search for a Final Fantasy XIII Forward and play it onto the field. This is a great way to splash some more elements into that XIII deck that you know you will be building.

Once the new Forward comes in to play, all you’ll need to do is dull Hope, remove him from the game, and bring him back during your next Main Phase 1. You will then pay XCP once more and search for a XIII Forward and play it on to the field, and repeat.

Don’t forget to add Nora EX (1-079R) and Bartholomew (7-060R) to your deck.

23-052R – Maina EX

Finally, Ninjas have a way to search for Ninjas.

4CP to search, making Mainas cost 2CP.

And then Maina also brings protection, for one of your Ninjas, against your Opponent’s Summons and abilities. Simply by dulling 2 active Ninjas.

Let’s make a Ninja deck that will make Vanilla Ice proud.

“Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go!”

23-053R – Meteion

A rare Backup, that will activate all of your Backups.

And give you a card as well.

Sure, you’ll have to put Meteion into the Break Zone, but she will have served her cause, and then you can play another Meteion, because this one is gone.

All this for 2CP, not bad at all.

 

23-054C – Yuffie

There are Ninjas everywhere, and Yuffie is ready to go.

2CP, 5K body, and the ability to draw a card every time a Ninja deals damage to your opponent.

Plus if you have a couple of Wind CP ready to go, you can just attack with Yuffie, and if anyone tries to block her, just use those 2 Crystal Points to make Yuffie unblockable.

Almost like Opus IV Locke but, instead of paying with a card of the same name, just use two generic Wind Crystal Points.
I can see this being used.

23-055C/15-058C – Dragoon

Reprint of a Reprint.

Dawn of Heroes, Crystal Dominion.

“Crystals and more Crystals.

Use this reprint Dragoon to generate one Crystal and then use his ability to get him off the field.

See, I actually wrote something this time.

No Copy/Paste.

Nope.

I might Copy/Paste this for the next one though.”

23-056C – Luso

Need a way to bring back a Character from the Break Zone?

Luso here might be able to help.

Luso comes in and let’s you grab a Character of 2CP or less from the Break Zone and play it straight to the field.

And Luso’s abilities don’t end there. You can turn Luso into a Monster Hunter, where he will Break a Monster, but Luso will also end up in the Break Zone.

It’s a decent card, has good abilities when Luso enters and exits the field.

Deserves a shot.

23-057H – General Leo

A General needs his army, and so does General Leo.

Only difference is that General Leo’s army is a lot smaller than your average army. General Leo can handle the battle with only 3 soldiers.

When General Leo’s army is on the battlefield, they will give the General +2000 power and protection from your opponent’s Summons.

Other than that, General Leo will also allow you to play a card of 2CP or less from your hand onto the field, when he enters the field.

A leader among low cost Characters!

Check out these Hot Singles!

Posted on Leave a comment

Hidden Trials

We have just received word of a new set coming out.

Opus XXIII, Opus 23 or Hidden Trials. Call it whatever you’d like.
And we are excited!

Lightning graces the Booster Box with original artwork. And it sure is looking good. We can already guess on which card will have the Golden Signat … wait, … I don’t believe there is a Golden Signature. It just mentions a Special Card with an original illustration. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

We do get to see some of the cards, and I can tell you Lightning and Queen just look amazing.

We’re getting a new Tyro as well. This time Tyro is representing Wind, we’ll see how well he does in his new element. It also mentions that Final Fantasy Record Keeper will be a “Featured Title” so, I’m expecting at the very least a bunch of Record Keeper Standard Units, and Maybe just maybe, we’ll get the pixel art cards I’ve been wanting for a long, long time. You heard it here first. January, 11th 2024.

Legacy cards are back. Lightning (15-041L), Rydia (15-083L) and Refia (19-102L). I don’t get why they are just grabbing cards from newer sets, I believe that since they are named Legacy cards they should have come from older sets. At least 10 sets.

But, what do I know.

And with that I’ll just leave the press release here.

Hidden Trials will elevate the ‘Limit Break’ mechanic to new heights thanks to custom-themed cards that can turn the tide of battle, revolutionising the deck-building experience for players.

For the collectors, this Opus will include a very rare, Special Card [23-037R] showcasing an original illustration of FINAL FANTASY XIII Lightning by Miki Yamashita. Additionally, three beloved Legacy cards, Lightning [15-041L], Rydia [15-083L], and Refia [19-102L], are included.

As per tradition, renowned artists have contributed stunning new art pieces to bring the characters to life:

New Art

Rubi Asami, FINAL FANTASY VI / FINAL FANTASY XIII-2

Mihoko Ishii, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

Yuya Ishihata, FINAL FANTASY IX

Ryoma Ito, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Yukihiro Kajimoto, FINAL FANTASY

Gen Kobayashi, DIRGE OF CERBERUS –FINAL FANTASY VII–

Sara Shimokobe, FINAL FANTASY IV

Toshitaka Matsuda, FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0

Fumio Minagawa, FINAL FANTASY XI

Miki Yamashita, FINAL FANTASY XIII

Oreki Genya, FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0

Posted on Leave a comment

Krile’s Splinter

Krile, your Backup Warrior of Light. Taking Galuf’s spot on the team and she does a good job at it. We’re actually going to use 2 Kriles in this deck. Krile (7-068H) and Krile (18-055R). Both of these Kriles work around Summons, and the Resurgence of Power Krile also allows you to grab a FFV Forward from your Break Zone. Thus bringing us to the next Character, Galuf.

You know we had to bring in her Grandfather. And, we are going with Galuf (12-056H), any Forward that has the ability to attack twice in one turn, especially with +10K power, is a go. And when he is sent into the Break Zone, you can search for a 2 cost Earth Forward and play it onto the field.

Next we’ll add Kolka (7-069C) and Tyro (11-072R). Both are Backups and both allow us to search for Krile, or Galuf if Krile is already on the field. And since Tyro allows us to produce CP of a different Element, we will add in the rest of the Warriors of Light.

Bartz (7-059L), cause this is a great card that can attack up to 3 times. You’ll just need some extra Bartzes on hand in order to do so. 3 to be exact. So we’ll just go ahead and add Bartz (19-048C) Because he is easy to recycle back into your deck. And any other Bartz you like, we’ll go with Bartz (12-052H).

Lenna (12-109L), just help us grab a Forward from the Break Zone and play it onto the field. And, Faris to help us grab a FFV Character from the top of your deck when she enters the field. If Lenna is on the field, Faris gains +2000 power.

Ghido (3-131H)? What? Who plays Ghido? Well, Ghido can contact Krile telepathically and that is why he is in here. Ghido is a little bit of a Backup plan that can return high cost Forwards to their owner’s deck.

If we take a look back at Galuf’s ability of searching for an Earth Forward, we are grabbing Ewen (17-080R) and Aerith (16-067L).
We need some more Backups. Let’s get some protection here. Cait Sith (XIV) (6-072C) and Layle (8-088C), both of these cards will protect us from Summons.

Summons are next. We’re bringing in Syldra (3-035H) as it is the only FFV Summon that we have, and it does a pretty decent job so, we’ll keep it.

Fenrir (19-064R), because everyone likes free cards. And Titan (17-070R) to give everyone a 5K boost.

And we’ll grab Objet d’Art (12-064C) which can turn into a Forward, or give all your Forwards +2K and Brave.

Forwards

3x – Ewen (17-080R)
3x – Aerith (16-067L)
3x – Bartz (7-059L)
3x – Galuf (12-056H)
3x – Lenna (12-109L)
3x – Krile (7-068H)
3x – Faris (7-120H)
3x – Bartz (12-052H)

Backups

1x – Cait Sith (XIV (6-072C)
2x – Layle (8-088C)
3x – Ghido (3-131H)
3x – Kolka (7-069C)
3x – Krile (18-055R)
3x – Tyro (11-072R)

Summons

3x – Titan (17-070R)
3x – Fenrir (19-064R)
3x – Syldra (3-135H)

Monsters

2x – Objet d’Art (12-064C)

What would you do differently?