Sunday, May 3, 2015

News: Claret Sword, Aurageyser Dragon and Rebel Shadow Paladins Shown in Anime

This morning's Japanese episode of Cardfight!! Vanguard G (ride 27) partially revealed the skills of several upcoming Shadow Paladin cards from G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon, including what may be the titular dragon itself. Used by director Kanzaki Yuuichirou, these Shadow Paladins are comprised of a group of dissenters united under Claret Sword Dragon, who in a short novel published in last month's issue of Monthly Bushiroad magazine challenged Blaster Dark “Diablo” for control of the Shadow Paladin clan. Their skills, as best can be reconstructed from the anime and the existing template for these types of cards, are given below.

As Kanzaki's damage zone was not shown at any point after his initial stride, all counterblast costs are conjectural and are based on comparison with existing cards. (Altomile, Chronojet Dragon, Neon Messiah et al.)

11:00 PM Update: Several summaries of the fight conditions added to and expanded on below.

Black Dragon, Claret Sword Dragon/黒竜クラレットソード・ドラゴン
Grade 3/11000 Power/No Shield
(Vanguard circle): Generation break 2: (Active if you have 2 or more face-up G Units in your vanguard circle or generation zone) Unknown
AUTO (Vanguard circle): [Counterblast 1] During your turn, when your G unit strides, you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for one grade 1 or less card, and call it to a rearguard circle.

In the episode, Kanzaki first used Claret Sword's on-stride skill to superior call a Night Sky Eagle from his deck. On his second stride, he used the skill to call a second copy of his first vanguard Daffyd from the deck. It is also possible that Claret gives between +2000 and +6000 power to the unit that he superior calls, because when Kanzaki attacks with Giiva boosted by Eagle (normally a 14000 power column) his opponent guards with a 10000 shield trigger from the hand rather than intercepting. Claret's on-stride may return retired units to the deck; see below.

Sovereign Black Dragon, Aurageyser Dragon/覇道黒竜 オーラガイザー・ドラゴン
Grade 4/15000 Power/No Shield
Stride (Released when both players' vanguards are grade 3 or greater!)-Stride Step-[Choose one or more cards with the sum of their grades being 3 or greater from your hand, and discard them] Stride this card on your vanguard circle from face down.
AUTO (Vanguard circle): [Choose two/one of your rearguards, and retire them] When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, until the end of that battle this unit gets Power +10000, search your deck for one/two grade 1 card(s), reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle that deck.

Some Japanese fans have suggested that Aurageyser retires three cards to search for two, rather than retiring two to search for one. One-for-one has also been put forth. In the episode Kanzaki retired a Daffyd to search for two perfect defense cards; based on him then drive checking a Daffyd and superior calling a second one on his next turn, 2critical theorized a card recycling skill attached to Claret's on-stride effects, but this could also be part of Daffyd's skills or even Aurageyser's. Searching for two perfect defense cards may have actually been the result of multiple skills (both Auragesyer's and Daffyd's) being used in succession. (An animation error showed the Daffyd he drove check being on the field during the activation of Claret Sword's skill during his next turn, but immediately before this the field was empty, and subsequent call animations showed Daffyd being called behind a Night Sky Eagle.)

Knight of ???, Daffyd/☓☓の騎士ダフィド 
AUTO:Forerunner (When a unit of the same clan rides this unit, you may call this unit to a rearguard circle) 
AUTO?: [Generation break 1]:
  • Daffyd's skill may be either a generation break version of Pitch Black Sage Charon's skill or an on-retire search for a grade 1 card.
  • May involve a self-cycling effect that returns Daffyd to the deck; after Daffyd was retired, another copy was drive checked by Kanzaki (manually called on the next turn), and yet another Daffyd was superior called on the next turn.
Knight of Contempt, Giiva/黙殺の騎士ギーヴァ
Grade 2/7000 Power/5000 Shield
AUTO: [Generation break 1] [Choose a card from your hand, and discard it.] When this unit is called to a rearguard circle, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw 2 cards.
  • Kanzaki called Giiva on his grade 2 turn as well, but his hand size matches being unable to use the skill due to not being at generation break.
Night Sky Eagle/ナイトスカイ・イーグル
Grade 1/7000 Power/5000 Shield
AUTO: [Generation break 1] [Choose one of your rearguards, and retire it] When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, this unit gets Power +4000 until the end of that battle.
  • During Kanzaki's final turn of the episode, Eagle was able to attack for 16000 power with Daffyd as its booster, and that Kanzaki's opponent guarded with two separate 5000 shield units.
  • A Night Sky Eagle on Kanzaki's left side of the field was retired by Parititan's on-stride skill.

Name Unknown
Grade 1/6000 Power/5000 Shield
CONT: Sentinel (You may only have up to four cards with "CONT: Sentinel" in a deck)
AUTO: [Choose a card from your hand, and discard it] When this unit is placed on the guardian circle from hand, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose one of your vanguards that is being attacked, and that unit cannot be hit until end of that battle. Then, if you have a card with the same name in your drop zone, choose a card from your damage zone, and turn it face up.
  • Two copies were searched by some combination of Aurageyser and Daffyd.
Knight of ???, Matholwch/☓☓の騎士マソルフ
Grade 1/8000 Power/5000 Shield



White Eagle Knight, Gwawl/白鷲の騎士 グワウル
Grade 2/10000 Power/5000 Shield