News: Nouvelle Tops Jetpack Invitational, NH Cardfight Circuit to Begin in December

Invitational top 4. Original image posted by William Steele.

November 15th, Rochester NH. Local card shop Jetpack Comics held an invitational tournament set out to commemorate the Cardfight!! Vanguard trading card game's two year anniversary at the store. Having sent out its call for signups in late October, the main event attracted 43 cardfighters in total. A team tournament was also held, in which five three-person teams took part.

The invitational tournament was the debut of the shop's fight tables, a series of standing glass-topped tables with official Bushiroad playmats set inside of their displays. The tables were custom made for the event, and debuted during the top 4 playoffs.

First place at the invitational was taken by Christian Nguyen with a Nouvelle Vague-Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth” deck, while second place went to Jesse Newman with pure “The Яe-birth,” third to Matthew Lilley with Nouvelle and fourth to Mandon Healy-Rindfleisch with a Galaxy Blau series deck. Earlier this year Lilley had placed second at the WCS2014 New York regional qualifier, also playing Nouvelle. Decklists are provided below.

Deck breakdown (43 participants in total)
13% Kagerou
11% Pale Moon
7% Shadow Paladin
7% Aqua Force
7% Oracle Think Tank
7% Gold Paladin
7% Nova Grappler
7% Genesis
7% Narukami
4% Dimension Police
4% Link Joker
4% Megacolony
4% Royal-Shadow mix
2% Dark Irregulars
2% Bermuda Triangle
2% Murakumo

Similar to Japanese play post-BT15 but counter to existing trends in the English-language format, Kagerou dominated the invitational with the support from Nouvelle and “The Яe-birth.” Pale Moon is a specific innovation of English-language play that was not observed in Japan; the popularity of Venus Luquier is owed to the general lack of enthusiasm with which Omega Glendios has been approached by international cardfighters, as without a specific counter to it running around in the format Venus is free to build 40000+ power Upright Lion lanes that effectively restand through Eva's breakride skill and abuse of Silver Thorn Assistant Zelma.

Organizer Nick Steele also preemptively announced the New Hampshire Cardfight Circuit, a quarterly tournament series held at the end of every NH tournament season, and hosted by officially sanctioned stores in New Hampshire. The first NH Circuit is set to begin in December, with further details forthcoming from its organizers.

Jetpack Comics Invitational Tournament
First place: Christian Nguyen
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Therese HT
x2 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x4 Demonic Dragon Mage, Apalala CT
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x2 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x3 Eternal Bringer Griffin
x2 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x2 Burning Horn Dragon
x2 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x2 Dragon Dancer, Arabella
x4 Dragonic Burnout
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”
Grade 4
x2 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Second place: Jesse Newman
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
x3 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x3 Demonic Dragon Mage, Apalala CT
x4 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Eternal Bringer Griffin
x2 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x3 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x2 Dragon Dancer, Arabella
x2 Bellicosity Dragon
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x4 Dragonic Burnout
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”