CONT [Vanguard Circle]: If you have four or more rearguards, this unit gets Critical +1.While the original Blaster Blade from 2011 could only retire grade 2 or greater units when placed on a rearguard circle, and gained the ability to retire any unit when placed on the vanguard circle, the reimagined card borrows Blaster Blade Liberator's front-row retire and gains a vanguard-critical skill that seemingly foreshadows Majesty Lord Blaster.
AUTO [Vanguard/Rearguard Circle]: When placed, by paying [Counterblast 1 & Soulblast 1] choose one of your opponent's rearguards in the front row, and retire it.
Although some have expressed concern with regard to Blade's early critical and emphasis on swarming, Bushiroad's plan seems to be to push both fighters in a match to advance the game state as quickly as possible. Nowhere is this more evident than in the age-old Royal Paladin-Kagerо̄ rivalry; Royal Paladin swarms the field with Allen and Marron to fuel Blaster Blade's extra critical, but Kagerо̄ in turn punishes Royals by retiring their units with Burj, Bahr, and Berserk Dragon, trading counterblast for counterblast and damage for damage. Royals have a theoretical damage lead from Blaster Blade, but Kagerо̄ gets to power up off retiring their field with rearguard Vortex Dragon. Royal Paladin in turn has to put down more guard to defend in the late game, while Kagerо̄ conserves hand by needing to defend against fewer and less powerful rearguards after initiating their retires. Royals' constant drawing off of Allen and Marron helps alleviate the high guard requirements, but Dragonic Overlord swinging for 43k+ promises to break through that hand as it builds up instances of Force and Burj power. It's a phenomenally designed matchup defined by a string of trades and choices on what each fighter wants to keep and what they are willing to sacrifice--and where will it lead? The King of Knights and Dragonic Waterfall will have to tell us.
