Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Today's Card Analysis: Miru Biru

Bumble Ray!
The Japanese card of the day is Miru Biru, a Royal Paladin Common from V-BT01: UNITE! TEAM Q4!
CONT [Rearguard Circle]: If it is in the same column as the vanguard, this unit gets Power+5000.
Miru Biru's skill is functionally identical to another skill that we've seen, found on the Start Deck version of Wingal. The different between them is that Miru Biru's skill is continuous while Wingal's is automatic, so Wingal only gains the power boost while he is boosting, while Miru Biru is a constant 12k on both fighters' turns so long as he's behind the vanguard. Currently the two are interchangeable in Standard, but in Premium this matters because it means Miru Biru is harder to target by Nova Grappler's retire skills, which can only hit units with a base power equal to or less than the unit they just stood. (e.g. Tribrut.)

As he stands now, Miru Biru is essentially a version of Wingal that doesn't count towards the 4-card maximum, so you could run 4 copies of Trial Deck Wingal and still get the functionality of Start Deck Wingal from Miru Biru. Also of note is that Miru Biru is the first non-Start Deck grade 1 we've seen to be a 7k base, something that is demonstrably not the standard for Standard. Whether you run Miru Biru at all is largely personal preference; with the 13k base grade 3s he forms a 25k column, which is just over a desirable 23k threshold most grade 1s don't reach. With Star Drive Dragon he forms a 28k, something that can help deplete the opponent's hand over several turns even without Force active.

Both Miru Biru and Wingal are High Beasts, and so can boost High Dog Breeder Akane for 3k, making a 20k column that's just over the 18k threshold expected of rearguards. That helps compensate for his lower power base, but it's hard to advise running Miru Biru at all because of his low flexibility.

A sample grade 1 lineup would look something like this:
Grade 1
x4 Strong Knight, Runoria (Perfect Guard)
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x1 Knight Squire, Allen
x3 Wingal (TD01)
x2 Miru Biru / Wingal (SD01) 
The purpose of the tech Allen here is as deliberate redundancy to make the deck more consistent, functioning as a placeholder for a fifth Marron we can't run. Belgius and Akane are essentially the only grade 2s Miru Biru can boost in other columns, but with the corresponding grade 2 lineup looking like this...
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade
x3 Sage of Literary and Military Arts, Jarron
x4 High Dog Breeder, Akane
...There's not really room for Belgius in the current deck. That makes Miru Biru a challenging card to fit in, if it can fit in at all.

Right now the Royal Paladin deck is still being faced with the challenge of coming up with a boss card that can stand on even footing with Dragonic Overlord, and addressing its counterblast issues. Royals currently have no way of countercharging, so in current playtesting it's shaping up as a clan that has to constantly give up one skill to use another.
Miru Biru in chapter 1 of the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga.
On one final note, while the current Card of the Day profiles in Japan do not incorporate any of the card lore Vanguard is so well known for, we do have Miru Biru's lore from the classic game on hand;
Among the High Beasts, it is an officer of Royal Paladin of remarkable intelligence. It is also a mascot of the knightly order, and many knights are comforted by its lovely appearance. With is high computing power and extensive strategies, it plays a central role in logistical support.
 Miru Biru is designed by Itou Akira and illustrated by Miyoshi Norikatsu.

The previous Japanese Card of the Day was Spillover Dragon.

The first Booster Set of the Standard format, V-BT01: UNITE! TEAM Q4! will launch in Japan May 25th, 2018, and in English June 22nd, 2018. It will be accompanied by V-Trial Deck 01: Sendou Aichi and V-Trial Deck 02: Kai Toshiki, launching in Japanese May 11th, 2018, and in English June 8th, 2018. They will be accompanied by a new sleeve based on the "Imaginary Gift" design. The first Extra Booster set, V-EB01: The Destructive Roar will launch in Japan June 29th, 2018, and in July for the English-speaking world. The accompanying new anime series, codenamed "Origin," will begin airing May 5th, 2018, on TV Tokyo and affiliated stations. It will be simulcast with English subtitles on YouTube and Crunchyroll.