Royal Paladin tops Card Kingdom Akiba tournament

Yesterday at Card Kingdom's Akiba branch in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Royal Paladin cardfighter Uchida made first out of 37 participants with a Soul Saver-King of Knights deck. Card Kingdom is one of the bigger card shop chains in Japan, thought to be one of the inspirations for Card Capital in the Vanguard anime series.

1st Place: Uchida/ウチダ
Grade 0: 17
x1 Glyme (First Vanguard)
x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine (Heal Trigger)
x4 Flash Shield, Iseult (Draw Trigger)
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona (Critical Trigger)
x4 Flogal (Critical Trigger)
Grade 1: 13
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x3 Knight Squire, Allen
x4 Pongal
x2 Wingal
Grade 2: 12
x4 Blaster Blade
x4 High Dog Breeder, Akane
x4 Conjurer of Mithril
Grade 3: 8
x4 King of Knights, Alfred
x4 Soul Saver Dragon

Compared with Guld's third-place deck from the 1st TraCaider VGCS, Uchida's deck is almost identical save for his choice to run Wingal over Lion Mane Stallion. Although Lion Mane and Wingal can both make 23k columns--with Akane for Lion Mane and Blaster Blade for Wingal--the additional 5k from King of Knights' superior call means Blaster Blade can actually reach 28k, a more important guard threshold in Standard for how it forces the opponent to use a Heal Trigger or two guardians.

FamilyMart distributing alt art Wingal and Aichi promos

Bushiroad and the Japanese retail chain FamilyMart announced a collaboration at more than 7000 participating FamilyMart and Circle K Sunkus convenience stores. Beginning May 25th, customers will be able to buy two-pack sets of V-Booster Set 01: Unite! Team Q4 for 650 yen. (Tax not included.) These sets come with three promotional cards, the TV schedule Blaster Blade, an alternate artwork version of Wingal with its Trial Deck skill, and a Sendou Aichi Force Gift Marker.

Their respective card numbers are VPR/0001, V-PR/0022, and V-GM/0016, and the key art used for the Marker differs from the one used for the booster set's own promo card campaign and Secret Rare. Buying two copies of the set will still get users the promo card pack for buying 4 booster packs.

The special 2 pack set.

Wingal and Dragonic Overlord scrunchies on sale at 2018 Vanguard Festival

In the 26th episode of Weekly Bites Z, Doctor O and cohost Itou Ayasa showed off a variety of events and upcoming merchandise at the Japanese Great Vanguard Festival, which will be held April 29th~30th. In addition to the Mini Vanguard clear files for sale, the event will also feature a Vanguard-themed phone case for 3700 yen, and scrunchies based on Wingal and Dragonic Overlord priced at 1200 yen each.

These are actually reissues of popular accessories previously distributed at the 2015 Great Vanguard Festival; Bushiroad has sold similar Vanguard scrunchies based on the series since April 2012, when it also launched its first women-only side tournaments.

2012 Vanguard scrunchies.

The phone case, which is the third Cardfight!! Vanguard design has produced.

The 2018 festival will be held April 29th and 30th, with the 2019 event announced today for May 3rd & 4th of next year. The next episode of Weekly Bites Z will be on Tuesday April 17th, at 9:00 PM Japanese Standard Time.

V-TD01: Sendou Aichi card listing

Sendou Aichi

MSRP: 1500 yen + tax (JPN)
Release Date: 05/11/2018 (JPN) 06/08/18 (ENG)
Comes with paper playmat and First Guide for beginners.
Contains 14 types of cards, 53 in total; 34 Normal Units, 16 Trigger Units, and 3 Gift Markers
All cards are exclusive to the Trial Deck.
Each deck contains 4 perfect defense cards and 4 Blaster Blades. (1 illustrated by Itou Akira, 3 by Itou Mishou) Each display case contains six Trial Decks, and each Trial Deck within that case has a randomly inserted Itou Akira-signed hot stamp Gift Marker, or a signed hot stamped Blaster Blade.

Assorted sleeves

The Stardrive Dragon sleeve is available by preordering TD01. (Japan-only) 70 sleeves are included.
The Sendou Aichi sleeve is available by purchasing TD01 as a 2500 yen bundle, with comes with the sleeve and Wingal promo. (Japan-only) 70 sleeves are included.
The Blaster Blade sleeve is available by preordering TD01 at one of the participating Spring caravan demo workshops for Standard format. (Japan-only.) 53 sleeves are included.
The Imaginary Gift sleeve will be available for separate purchase at launch, on May 11th. (Japan-only.)

Decklist

Grade 0

x1 Grime (First Vanguard)

x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine (Heal Trigger)

x4 Margal (Draw Trigger)

x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona (Critical Trigger)

x4 Flogal (Critical Trigger)

Grade 1 (14 total)

x4 Strong Knight, Runoria (Perfect Guard)

x4 Knight Squire, Allen

x3 Wingal

x3 Auspice Falcon

Grade 2

x1 Blaster Blade (Itou Akira art)

x3 Blaster Blade (Itou Mishou art)

x4 Knight of Silence, Gallatin

x3 Sage of Literary and Military arts, Jarron

Grade 3

x4 Alfred Early

x4 Stardrive Dragon

Alfred Early (V-TD01/001)

"The young king and the sworn friend of the light, continue along the path they believe in."

• Imaginary Gift: Force
• Automatic [Vanguard Circle]: When placed, you may pay [Counterblast 1] to call up to 1 "Blaster Blade" from your hand or soul to rear-guard circle, and during this turn that unit gets Power +10000. If you called, draw 1 card.

Stardrive Dragon (V-TD01/002)

• Imaginary Gift: Force
• Automatic [Rearguard Circle]: When it attacks a vanguard, if the number of your rearguards is 3 or greater, this unit gets Power +5000 until the end of that battle.
• First available in Start Deck 01; that version gets 3k when attacking a vanguard regardless of what circle it's on, as long as you have 3 or more rearguards.

Blaster Blade (V-TD01/004 and 005)

• Continuous [Vanguard Circle]: If the number of your rearguards is 4 or greater, this unit gets Critical +1.
• Automatic [Vanguard/Rearguard Circle]: When placed, [Cost: Counterblast 1, Soulblast 1] choose 1 of your opponent's rearguards in the front row, and retire it.
• Also has a vanilla promo card print, VPR/0001.
• Trial Deck comes with 4 copies, 1 illustrated by Itou Akira and 3 by Itou Mishou.

Knight of Silence, Gallatin (V-TD01/003)

• An alternate artwork version is available by buying two copies of the Trial Deck.
• Start Deck 01 version is identical, but with a different background.

Sage of the Arts, Jauron (V-T01/006)

• Automatic [Rearguard Circle]: When it attacks a vanguard, if the number of your rearguards is 3 or greater, this unit gets Power +5000 until the end of that battle.
• First available in Start Deck 01; that version could pay counterblast 1 for +10k when it attacked a vanguard while boosted.

Knight Squire, Allen (V-TD01/008)

• Automatic [Rearguard Circle]: When placed, you may [Counterblast 1] to call up to 1 card from your hand to Rearguard Circle of equal to or lower grade than your vanguard. If you called, draw 1 card, during this turn, this unit gets Power +3000.
• Designed by Itou Akira, illustrated by Koga Azusa.
• Start Deck 01 version has no skill.

Wingal (V-TD01/007 and VPR/00?)

• Continuous: [Rear-guard Circle]: During your turn, all of your "Blaster Blade" on the same column as this unit get Power +5000.
• An alternate RRR foil version is packaged with the Japanese bundle of V-TD01, and a set of 70 Sendou Aichi card sleeves. A means of obtaining them in English has yet to be announced.
• Has 1000 more base power than the demo deck Wingal, and the skill is completely different. V-SD01/009 Wingal gives +5000 power to the vanguard that it boosts.

Auspice Falcon (V-TD01/010)

• Activate [Rearguard Circle]: [Counterblast 1, Rest this unit] Until end of turn, 2 of your rearguards get Power +5000.

Glyme (V-TD01/0011 and VPR/0003)

• Automatic: When you ride over this unit, draw 1 card.
• A statistically identical version with a different background is available in Start Deck 01, and a hotstamped special edition is available at day 2 of the Japanese Great Vanguard Festival on April 30th, 2018.

Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine (V-TD01/015)

• Heal Trigger
• "You may only have up to 4 cards with 'Heal' in your deck."
• First available in Start Deck 01.

Margal (V-TD01/014)

• Draw Trigger
• First available in Start Deck 01.

Bringer of Good Luck, Epona (V-TD01/012)

• Critical Trigger
• First available in Start Deck 01

Flogal (V-TD01/013)

• Critical Trigger
• First available in Start Deck 01

Trial Deck Wingal and Gojo have different stats from Demo Deck versions

During your turn, all of your "Blaster Blade" on the same column as this unit get Power +5000.

The two Wingals (left) and two Gojos. (Right) Stardrive and Crested deck versions have lower base power.

Higher-definition images from Wednesday's bombshell announcement of a Cardfight!! Vanguard reboot series reveal a surprising fact about the upcoming first trial decks for the series, V-TD01: Blaster Blade and V-TD02: Dragonic Overlord. The Wingal and Dragon Monk Gojo promotional cards packaged with the decks have higher base power, tweaked effects, and different background art compared to the ones being used in the official demos of the game.

Both promotional versions of the grade 1s have 8000 base power rather than 7000, and while promo Gojo's skill is identical to its Crested deck counterpart, Wingal has a radically different skill that all but guarantees its staple status in Royal Paladin;

Dragon Monk Gojo (V-SD02/009 and VPR/000?)
ブーストした時 あなたのリアガードが相手より多いなら、そのターン中、ブーストされたユニットのパワー＋３０００。
"When boosting, if you have more rearguards than your opponent, during this turn, the boosted unit gets Power +3000."

Wingal (V-SD01/009)
ヴァンガードをブーストした時、そのバトル中、このユニットのパワー＋５０００。
"When boosting a vanguard, during that battle, this unit gets Power +5000."

Wingal (VPR/000?)
あなたのターン中、このユニットと同じ縦列に、あなとの「ブラスター・ブレード」すべてのパワー＋５０００。
"During your turn, all of your "Blaster Blade" on the same column as this unit get Power +5000."

The sample image text compared with the phrase "on the same column."

While the resolution of the images is high enough to distinguish most of the text, "on the same column" should be treated as a tentative translation, as it's difficult to make out if the kanji really matches this phrase. Moreover, the promo card images are too low of a resolution to gauge their card numbers.

Vanguard has had multiple cards with the same name and radically different skills in the past, but usually separated by months or years. If the new Wingal really is as he appears to be, it's an upgrade competitive Royal Paladin fighters will be scrambling for. 8000 power grade 1s are sorely desired by those that have tried the new format, as while grade 2s have received a power bump to adjust for grade 3s being inflated into crossride-levels of base defense, the same can't be said for grade 1s as a whole.

Original image uploaded by @Bushiroad-Global. Note the Force Gift Markers near the edge of the table.

More than 300 locations "worldwide" are participating in the demo caravan campaign, which for the English game is set to begin in June, closer to the launch of the trial decks and first booster set. The first location to demo the English versions of the cards at all was the GAMA Trade Show in Reno, Nevada, over March 14th-16th. (Simultaneous demonstrations were held at Akihabara Gamers.) No English-language schedule of events has been released yet, while Japan has 318 such demonstrations scheduled in the months leading up to the May launch.

In Japan, the upgraded Wingal and Gojo will be distributed as part of a special bundle of one of the trial decks, a set of 70 card sleeves featuring Sendou Aichi or Kai Toshiki, and one copy of the promo card itself sporting an RRR-rarity foil. It's possible but not yet confirmed that non-foiled versions of these cards will also be in the Trial Decks, which are set to include four copies each of Blaster Blade, Dragonic Overlord, and their respective perfect defense cards. An English distribution for the promo cards has not yet been announced.

V-TD01: Blaster Blade and V-TD02: Dragonic Overlord will launch in Japanese May 11th, 2018, and in English June 8th, 2018. V-BT01: UNITE! TEAM Q4! will launch in Japan May 25th, 2018, and in English June 22nd, 2018.

News: Manga Volume 6 Goes on Sale

Today shipments of Vertical Inc.'s Cardfight!! Vanguard Volume 6 went out to retailers and those that preordered the volume through Amazon . Like its Japanese counterpart, the sixth volume is packaged with a promotional card, Tokura Misaki's Pentagonal Magus. This volume corresponds to the beginning and middle of the Link Joker arc of the anime, introducing Tatsunagi Kourin and Miyaji Academy. The interior cover contains rare illustrations by franchise creator Itou Akira, of Kai Toshiki and Sendou Aichi with Vortex Dragon and Wingal.

Volume 7 will go on sale August 25th 2015, and will star Suzugamori Ren with his Gust Blaster Dragon deck. Gust Blaster is likewise expected to be the promo for the volume, following with the Japanese release structure. Readers can preorder volume 7 through Amazon .

News: First Images of TD14 and TD15 Made Public, Blaster Blade Seeker and Sacred Wingal Previewed

New promotional images for the upcoming VG-TD14: Seeker of Hope and TD15: Brawler of Friendship are now in circulation, showing off some of the trial decks' illustrations. The Beginning Set prints of the trial decks are the main focus of these promo images, advertising them as TD14+ and TD15+. In addition to the standard trial decks, the Beginning Sets will also include 53 card sleeves and a storage case, a Fighter's Count in denominations of +5000 as well as three promotional cards and a promo card pack.

Interestingly, franchise artist and Blaster Blade's original designer Itou Akira did not illustrate the new Blaster Blade Seeker artwork. The illustration was instead handled by Ryuutetsu, who has worked with Itou previously on Blaster Blade's Descent of the King of Knights RRR alternate artwork, as well as on both Blaster Spirits, the original Blaster Dark artwork and other projects. In the artwork Blaster Blade Seeker is accompanied by a much more grown up Wingal; while Blaster Blade is unchanged from his original design, Wingal's dramatic transformation has given him deer-like qualities, and a ring of magatama around his sword's hilt. The use of magatama is surprising and somewhat out of place; the franchise normally associates them with the Oracle Think Tank clan and Amaterasu specifically, while in the real world magatama are jewels of ancient Japanese origin and in art associated with birth as well as the Shinto religion. Their use here may be connected to Wingal's new title as "Seeker, Sacred Wingal."

Brawler of Friendship's promotional art was done by Suzukigorou, known for illustrating Spectral Duke Dragon in 2012, Nebula Lord Dragon in 2013 and most recently both Dauntless Drive Dragon and his Reverse card, Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Я.” The new Brawler units do not seem to recall any specific Narukami predecessors, although their general silhouette echoes most of Suzukigorou's previous work.

Wingal: New Life into an Old Combo

By rawritzrichii, seek consent before reposting.

At release, Wingal was a card that was run sparingly, and avoided altogether if possible. Alternate artwork variants from the original trial deck would find a brief place with cardfighters of February 2011, if only because there were no other grade 1s to replace him with. He had a neat combo with Starlight Unicorn that allowed him to boost Blaster Blade for 21000 power, but it only worked twice in a fight at most, and most people would prefer Blaster Blade as their vanguard to prepare for Gancelot. Some cardfighters wised up to the mixed-clan rules more quickly and substituted him with Bahr, but otherwise Wingal was a card that came and went.

His combo was replicated countless times, but with the exception of Nightmare Baby was by and large sidelined for more versatile units with 7000 and higher power. In set 4 his darker counterpart Doranbau manifested, and much to Wingal's woe this copy was vastly improved by two factors; first, with Blaster Dark as the vanguard Doranbau could create a line that swung for 20000 total power, enough to pressure all but Genocide Jack and Cannongear. If by some chance a ShadowPala cardfighter were stuck at grade 2 for another turn, Doranbau made the fight much more survivable and boosted their odds of living to see grade 3. Second, Doranbau was an ideal sacrifice for Phantom Blaster Dragon, as at the time of set 4's release Dark and Blaster Dragon rides were typically sandwiched together rather than spread apart by several turns as The Dark Dictator or Ildona.

These days the original High Dog is seeing a comeback. Ironically for one of the most ignored units of past sets, Wingal is only getting stronger with age. With a plethora of deck-searching cards that can bring out both Blaster units and High Beasts, particularly Star Call Trumpeter and Akane, bringing a Blaster Blade and Wingal together is easier than ever. And the chief demand to have these two on the frontlines is the much-maligned crossride, 13000 power units that can shrug away typical 16000-power lines with a single draw trigger. Blaster Blade and Wingal now strike just 1000 power above what's needed to force a full 10000-power guard from these vanguards, and unlike Doranbau, Wingal can be brought out through deck searching and attacked with on the same turn. (Doranbau can be searched by Macha, but he can only be called to the circle behind her and so unless Macha is immediately retired by Blaster Dragon and replaced by a rearguard Dark, Doranbau will just create a usually-undesirable 14000 power line.)

Similar revivals from other clans are facing varying success. Nightmare Baby has already fallen out of favor due to Blue Dust being outmoded by Emblem Master; Queen of Heart managed to survive until the third set for the same initial reasoning as Doranbau, but was mostly replaced by the Death Army series due to their combo with Asura Kaiser, and then Dancing Wolf for having a more consistent 10000-boost that works with both Asura Kaiser and Azure Dragon. Doranbau has always been around but is now finding professional favor once more, as the release of Dordona in extra booster 3 gives him another grade 2 that he can at the least reach 16000 with for use on non-crossride units. Counting Masquerade for Blaster Overlord decks, Doranbau can form an 18000 line, giving him some degree of flexibility comparable with the original. All of these however, are missing Wingal's fundamental compatibility with Akane and RoPala's general ability to call any part of the formation with cards like Alfred and Star Call. Later releases have replaced these types of boosters altogether with 11000-power base 6000 boosters like Charjgal and Feather Penguin, but their soulblast cost misses some of the original's appeal as a free boost. It's an interesting revival to observe, and while these cards will mostly only see Apocalypse Bat-style play being run in x2 rather than the straight-up x4 that base 8000 units get, the mere fact that old cards are seeing increasing play in the new format is promising.