News: Ezel and Gancelot to Return in VG-BT14: Brilliant Strike

Early posters and web previews from Doctor O's twitter shocked the global Cardfight community today with the first look at the contents of the fourteenth main booster set, VG-BT14: Brilliant Strike (光輝迅雷 lit. Blazing Thunderclap.) The set's slogan is 「黒き呪縛を截ち切れ！金色の騎士たち！！」 "Cut through the black Lock! Golden knights!!" and its cover card is a currently-unknown new form of Ezel, Aichi's key grade 3 from the Asia Circuit arc. According to Doctor O, the set will provide strong support for the Gold Paladin, Royal Paladin, Genesis, Kagerou, Murakumo, Neo Nectar and Narukami clans. BT14 will be released in Japan on December 12th, 2013. The special conference for BT13 to be held live on September 26th through NicoNico Douga will reveal additional information regarding this latest booster set in addition to showing off cards from the recently released Catastrophic Outbreak.

The new incarnation of Ezel mixes his Red Lion and Platina armors, and is shown prominently cutting through the black rings used by the Link Joker clan to create their Lock spell. Popular speculation is that this Ezel will either be a new Gold Paladin grade 3 for Aichi, or that Ezel will return to his in-universe home army as a Royal Paladin for the Jewel Knights. This is fueled by Ezel's unique relationship to Kourin, who uses the card as the basis of her Gold Paladin deck in the manga, and who originally owned the card in the anime.

Alongside Ezel has been featured a crossbreak ride for Solitary Liberator Gancelot, and a crossbreak ride for "Sacred Regalia of Wisdom, Angelica," the cover card of VG-TD13: Successor of the Sacred Regalia, Misaki's Genesis trial deck. The crossbreak will be "Fair Goddess, Minerva" and will be illustrated by celebrated artist Tanaka Takayuki alias "Tony Taka," who has previously done work for Sega's fantasy RPG Shining franchise.

Reactions to the set's unveiling are mixed. Internationally many cardfighters were left with the impression that Ezel's storyline within the card lore was finished, and that Alfred, Garmore and now Gancelot would have taken the reigns for Aichi's key grade 3s. There have also been expectations within the community that Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark would be the key units to repel the invading force of Link Joker due to their ongoing storyline in the card lore, and Ezel's sudden appearance seems jarring to some in light of that. In Japan however, Ezel's appearance has not been as surprising, in part because of some wordplay that has been lost in the translation of BT14. Both Brilliant Strike and Ezel's previous form Blazing Lion Platina Ezel are written with the kanji 光輝 , so that in Japanese their names are Kouki Jinrai and Kouki no Shishi Platina Ezel. Ezel's appearance was thus foreshadowed by this allusion, and he is the title card of the set as Alfred was in BT10, and as Blockade Inferno was for BT11. The decision to translate 光輝 as "Brilliant" instead of "Blazing" caused this to be lost in translation.

It has been noted that despite some indications to the contrary, this does not appear to be the final set of the third season Link Joker, as the season's titular clan is not listed for BT14. It would be very uncharacteristic for a final set to not include the current antagonists, which implies that BT15 or later will be the last set of the current storyline, in keeping with Bushiroad CEO Kidani Takaaki's previous statement that Link Joker is planned to air for over a year. Finally, Doctor O stated on Twitter this evening that Megacolony would be supported in BT15, bringing with them the winning entry of the original unit card design contest "Unbeatable Mutant Abectrozeus" from last May.

News: FR2013 Kanazawa Results, Dragonic Overlord and Ezel Return to the Fore

Even though the world of North American Cardfight is currently caught up in the crowning of Kaden Kawakami, the world outside is still turning. While Kawakami was receiving his trophy, the next branch of Fighter's Road 2013 was taking place, and Doctor O has the scoop.

In the Juniors' division, Dragonic Overlord The End is picking up steam after its mild success in Kyoto's best 8. First place was taken by a The End cardfighter, although currently it is reported to not use the Dauntless Drive support that has drawn so much professional attention. Second place went to a Gold Paladin cardfighter using an Ezel build, suspected to specifically focus on the Platina Ezel crossride and his ultimate break. The Open division remains consistently dominated by the Eradicators even in their restricted incarnation, with Gauntlet Buster Dragon taking the top spot, and a Gold Paladin Liberator build placing second.  The disparity between the results of Junior class and Open class tournaments through this current season has been noted, as previous tournaments under the Junior and Senior models were relatively uniform when it came to which decks dominated the competition. While on the surface, the Eradicator and Liberator decks appear to be the defining builds of the format, this disparity between divisions may be a sign of a lack of consensus. Neither build has been as prolific as The End or Soul Saver Dragon from 2012 and 2011.

Based on Bushiroad's previous schedule, tournament decklists should go out within the next few days. The remaining five tournaments will take place in Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Sapporo and Nagoya with the Hiroshima tournament being next in line on the 16th. This will be the first time that Fukuoka prefecture has been included in the national tournament, and also the first time that Okayama, Hakata and Osaka will not be participating.

News: Fighter's Cup & Fight Royale Tournament Results

Today the results of the Fighter's Cup and Fight Royale tournaments were made public through the official Japanese website. Both of these tournaments were held as part of the Great Vanguard Festival on April 27-29, each divided into two blocks. Notably, these results are showing much heavier influence from the new break ride mechanics than prior tournaments of 2013, as fighters are becoming more experimental with their deckbuilds.

Gold Paladin seems to be leaving its first real impact on the Japanese pro scene, as the Spectral Duke Dragon deck that was so impractical within the crossride format has been reworked with the Liberator subgroup supporting it, while the Ezel deck that only popped up briefly before is now likewise taking advantage of the Gancelot break ride.

Narukami is remaining a steady presence; in addition to "THE BLOOD" returning to tournament prominence, Uemura Shouhei's Dragonic Descendant decklist has once again shown its influence, as Fight Royale champion Itagaki Shinya has been clearly influenced by the deck's success. Although not a perfect replica, his build is clearly patterned off of Uemura's style. Due to yesterday's announcement of the May 11th restricted list, this could be the last time that Descendant shows its face in the pro scene.

Fighter's Cup A Block
Champion: Atenbou Yousuke/阿天坊洋祐
Grade 0
x1 Spring Breeze Messenger (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Weapons Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Liberator, Flare Mane Stallion
x2 Sleygal Dagger
x3 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
Grade 2
x2 Blaster Blade Liberator
x3 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x3 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x3 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Runner-up: Nomiya Youtei/野宮陽平
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
x1 Spark Edge Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x3 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x4 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x2 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Fighter's Cup B Block
Champion: Nukui Yuu/貫井悠
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x2 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x2 Mischievous Girl, Kyon-She DT
x2 Old Dragon Mage DT
x2 Spark Edge Dracokid DT
x4 Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo HT
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
Grade 1
x4 Red River Dragoon
x2 Photon Bomber Wyvenr
x2 Dragon Monk, Ginkaku
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x2 Rising Phoenix
Grade 2
x2 Thunder Storm Dragoon
x1 Storm Bringer Dragon
x4 Dusty Plasma Dragon
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserk, Garuda
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD"
x4 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion

Runner-up: Ajisaka Masato/鰺坂真人
Grade 0
x1 Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph (FVG)
x4 Elixir Sommelier HT
x4 Weapons Dealer, Gwydion DT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x2 Dantegal CT
x2 Silent Punisher CT
Grade 1
x2 Disciple of Pain
x1 Silver Fang Witch
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x4 Sleygal Dagger
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
Grade 2
x3 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x3 Knight of Passion, Bagdemagus
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
Grade 3
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot
x3 Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel
x1 Burning Lion, Blond Ezel

Fighter's Royale, A Block
Champion: Matsuoka Reishi/松岡怜史
Grade 0
x1 Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Falcon Knight of the Azure DT
Grade 1
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x4 Scout of Darkness, Vortimer
x2 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Halo Shield, Mark
x1 Listener of Truth, Dindrane
x1 Silver Fang Witch
Grade 2
x4 Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer
x2 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
x1 Blaster Blade Liberator
x2 Mage of Calamity, Tripp
x2 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
Grade 3
x4 Spectral Duke Dragon
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Runner-up: Kawai Tomoki/川井智己
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Liberator (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Liberator, Flare Mane Stallion
x4 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade Liberator
x3 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x4 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Fighter's Royale, B Block
Champion: Itagaki Shinya/板垣信也
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (FVG)
x4 Eradicator Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x2 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x2 Eradicator of True Flames, Kougaiji
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Runner-up: 谷帝希 (Pronunciation currently unknown, possibly a pseudonym; "Kokutei Nozomi" is one suggested reading.)
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x2 Old Dragon Mage DT
x2 Spark Edge Dragokid CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo HT
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
Grade 1
x4 Red River Dragoon
x4 Photon Bomber Wyvern
x4 Wyvern Guard, Guld
x3 Rising Phoenix
Grade 2
x4 Thunder Storm Dragon
x4 Hex Cannon Wyvern
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Garuda
Grade 3
x3 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD"
x4 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion

News: Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament Hakata Results, Doctor O's Picks

Closing the Memorial Tournament that previously visited Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo, the Hakata stage of the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament is ending on a slight overturn, as the Eradicators that seemed to be set to maintain steady dominance throughout the tournament were relegated to "just" second place in Hakata. Beaten out by an Ezel-based deck that incorporates Gancelot as its break ride, the upset is further emphasized because the runner-up may be the reigning national champion Nakamura Seishirou, who took the title in the previous year's Fighter's Climax 2012 tournament. Photographs of the tournament have not yet surfaced, but this name and particular combination of kanji are both rare and somewhat old fashioned; although not as unique as Rikino Sakura, there is a high probability that it's the same fighter. Nakamura previously played a Majesty Lord Blaster-based Royal Paladin deck, but his build was crippled by the January-on restricted list that Bushiroad instituted following his victory.

To finish the tournament, Doctor O also picked his favorite decks remaining from the top 8 of each tournament, amending the decklists previously uploaded to CF-Vanguard in the process. These decks did not make it to first or second place, but are simply decks that he liked.

Prizewinner: Fukuoka Koushirou/福岡幸四郎
Grade 0
x1 Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph (FVG)
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
x4 Speeder Hound DT
x1 Flame of Victory CT
x2 Dantengal CT
x2 Silent Punisher CT
x3 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
Grade 1
x4 Sleygal Dagger
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x3 Disciple of Pain
Grade 2
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x4 Knight of Passion, Bagdemagus
x2 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
Grade 3
x3 Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel
x3 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x2 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Runner-up: Nakamura Seishirou/中村誠志朗
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (FVG)
x1 Malevolent Djinn CT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
x4 Demonic Draogn Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x3 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
Grade 1
x2 Raging Phoenix
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Doctor O's Pick: Itou Kazuma/伊藤和真
Grade 0
x1 PR♥SM-Smile, Koro (FVG)
x4 PR♥SM-Miracle, Timor HT
x1 Gunslinger Star, Florida CT
x1 Drive Quarter, Shuplu CT
x1 Comical Rainie CT
x4 PR♥SM-Miracle Canaria CT
x2 Heartful Yale, Fundy DT
x3 PR♥SM-Miracle, Adria DT
Grade 1
x4 Mermaid Idol, Erie
x2 Mermaid Idol, Felucca
x3 PR♥SM-Romance, Mercure
x2 PR♥SM-Promise, Leyte
x3 PR♥SM-Image, Clear
Grade 2
x2 PR♥SM-Smile Liguria
x4 PR♥SM-Romance, Lumiere
x2 PR♥SM-Promise Celt
x1 PR♥SM-Image, Rose
x2 Pearl Sisters, Perla
x1 Girls' Rock, Rio
Grade 3
x4 PR♥SM-Promise Labrador
x3 PR♥SM-Image Vert

News: New Years' Trio Festival 2013 Tokyo Championship Results

This morning the results from Tokyo came in, concluding the second half of the New Years' Trio Festival. Designed to welcome the new year, this year's event is both smaller and larger than the one before it, in that there are only two locations but together they are divided into seventeen blocks total, six in Osaka and eleven in Tokyo.

Previously the Osaka results showed a trend toward Narukami, Oracle Think Tank and Gold Paladin, with the Blaster deck making a sudden revival and enduring through the new restricted format. Today we can see all of these trends continuing, with Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" and Blazing Lion Platina Ezel remaining as popular, while Battle Sister-CoCo decks continue to dominate over Goddess decks on the OraThin side of things. A repeat appearance of Majesty Lord Blaster remains alarming to the scene at large, as this is the same decktype that was previously noted for having only four grade 3s, leading some to conclude that the Royal Paladins have "defeated" the restricted list by becoming stronger through the restriction of Wingal Brave and Majesty Lord Blaster. The results are leaving many to wonder how these decks will fare in Fighter's Road 2013, when they are pitted against one another rather than teamed up. Similar to the resurfacing Blaster deck, Dragonic Overlord The End has likewise reappeared minus his persona blast, with fighters now experimenting with the fusion of him and Goku.

One interesting point regarding "THE BLOOD" is that Spark Kid Dragoon is continuing to be the most popular first vanguard for Narukami leading out of 2012, despite his low 4000 base. It seems that fighters abroad prefer the accessibility of an extra grade 3 over meeting baseline attack requirements. A similar development can be found in recent Shadow Paladin decks, where Arai Toa has actually omitted both Blaster Javelin and Blaster Dark by choosing Creeping Dark Goat instead of Fullbau as her FVG.

The new Royal Paladin deck also seems to have inspired other clans to try the build, as there is now a Murakumo deck based on the idea in circulation under one of the newer faces to the pro scene, Kagawa Hitori. Kagawa's Magatsu Storm deck has Magatsu as its only grade 3, using the clan's evolving ride and self-stacking capabilities to normalize their odds of drawing Storm by effectively removing up to three non-Storm cards from their next drive and draw on the turn before the deck needs to ride him.

Aside from these decks, Glory Maelstrom has finally made his professional debut under Hirai Kento and Kobayashi Fumiyuki, the second and third Aqua Force cardfighters to ever place in an official tournament. These new Maelstrom decks are having difficulty adjusting for Glory however, as all of them want to run Diamantes; Hirai's answer was to run only one copy of Glory and use Maelstrom to draw into it, but Kobayashi instead chose to run a startling ten grade 3s. Similar to the Narukami and Shadow Paladin situation, both fighters preferred Officer Cadet Erikk over the Aqua Breath or Tri-holl Dracokids.

In general, Gold Paladin, Narukami and Oracle Think Tank are emerging as the three most populous decks, with Neo Nectar and Murakumo appearing on the fringes of the scene.

A Block Championship Team
Kawai Akihito/河井明仁
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)

Nakamura Mitsuaki/中村光昭
Majesty Lord Blaster (Royal Paladin)

Hasegawa Jun/長谷川純
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel (Gold Paladin)
B Block Championship Team
Saitou Takumi/斎藤匠
Covert Demonic Dragon, Mandalalord/Phantasmagoric Snowy Wind, Shirayuki (Murakumo)

Sawamura Hiro/沢村洋
Galactic Beast, Zeal-Miracle Beauty (Dimension Police)

Hosoya Natsuki/細谷夏生
Spectral Duke Dragon-Chrome Jailer Dragon (Gold Paladin)
C Block Championship Team
Satou Hiroki/佐藤弘樹
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)

Nakanemi Yuuto/中峰悠斗
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel (Gold Paladin)

Hirai Kento/平井健登
Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom (Aqua Force)
D Block Championship Team
Kubo Naoto/久保直人
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion, "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)

Seito Takaki/清藤尊季
Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu (Oracle Think Tank)

Satou Yuuji/佐藤勇次
Spectral Duke Dragon-Chrome Jailer Dragon (Gold Paladin)
E Block Championship Team
Fujinami Daisuke/藤波大輔
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)

Tamamura Shinkou/田村信幸
Scarlet Witch, CoCo (Oracle Think Tank)

Tokunaga Kazuhiro/徳永和宏
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel (Gold Paladin)
F Block Championship Team
Satou Yumi/里真有美
Scarlet Witch, CoCo/Battle Sister, Cookie (Oracle Think Tank)

Arai Toa/荒井研登
Phantom Blaster Overlord (Shadow Paladin)

Kagawa Hitori/香川一人
Covert Demonic Dragon, Magatsu Storm (Murakumo)
G Block Championship Team
Kobayashi Fumiyuki/小林史幸
Blue Story Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom (Aqua Force)

Yamaguchi Nozomi/山口望
Crimson Impact, Metatron/Chief Nurse, Shamsiel (Angel Feather)

Hayashi Kakehiko/林翔彦
Scarlet Witch, CoCo (Oracle Think Tank)
H Block Championship Team
Saitou Kei/齋藤敬
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel (Gold Paladin)

Ikada Toshiyuki/五十田敏行
Covert Demonic Dragon, Magatsu Storm (Murakumo)

Horigome Tatsuya/堀米達也
Dragonic Overlord The End/Dragon Monk, Goku (Kagerou)
I Block Championship Team
Igarashi Takamune/五十嵐健宗
Maiden of Trailing Rose/Arboros Dragon, Sephirot (Neo Nectar)

Takahashi Ryou/髙橋凌
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel/Spectral Duke Dragon (Gold Paladin)

Takanezawa Ryou/高根沢諒
Crimson Impact, Metatron (Angel Feather)
J Block Championship Team
Tsukamoto Naoki/塚本直樹
Super Beast Deity, Illuminal Dragon (Nova Grappler)

Shimamura Kenta/島村健太
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel/White Hare in the Moonlight's Shadow, Pellinore (Gold Paladin)

Nakayama Shinnosuke/中山真之介
Scarlet Witch, CoCo/Battle Sister, Cookie (Oracle Think Tank)
K Block Championship Team
Nishi Kouki/西弘貴
Crimson Impact, Metatron (Angel Feather)

Ozawa Masahiro/小澤昌弘
Maiden of Trailing Rose/Arboros Dragon, Sephirot (Neo Nectar)

Sugiyama Tadashi/杉山直史
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)

How Long Can the Golden Goose Keep Laying?

Photo by rawritzrichii, seek consent before reposting.

In light of the December 9 results and the close of the 2012 World Championship, one thing has become clear; the Gold Paladins are strong. They have become the third most prolific clan in history, on the heels of Kagerou and their Royal predecessors. Being able to fill the field, draw new cards and break traditional defenses with powerful limit breaks are all key aspects of their success. Bandwagoning is also an element here--if 98 out of 100 decks at a tournament are Etranger, then at least 6 of the top 8 decks will be Etranger regardless of if those decks are any good. Even considering this however, the strengths of the clan are very real. At the very least, Smith, Bastianelli and Fernau did believe in the clan's power. In the world of pros, they are a real threat, but like any other threat they have weaknesses.

In particular, their dominant weakness has been evident since the first booster set. Garmore is the best card that the clan has ever printed; Ezel is only ever run for the opportunity to superior ride him, and occasionally his autoskill when stalling for Garmore. If the Gold Paladins had an exact copy of the King of Knights or of Soul Saver Dragon, that would be run instead. Spectral Duke Dragon is not the monster in Japan that he is on our side of the Pacific, because his sometimes-on sometimes-off +1000, intended to attack independently multiple times in a match, functions poorly in a format where stable 11000, 12000 and 13000 dominate. Even the Gold Paladins' coming crossride, Platina Ezel, is considered vastly inferior to previously-revealed crossrides that were not reliant on being at five damage. The End and even Goddess Amaterasu woul be run instead if they had Gold Paladin equivalents. Probably the most harrowing difficulty for the clan is that the general design theme is "Royal Paladin but weakened." There is no doubt that if sets 4 and 5 had been available during WCS2012, the clan would have been vastly undermined by Majesty Lord Blaster. This leaves a pressing question for the western community of Gold Paladin cardfighters who have grown endeared to their clan.

Come February, BT05 will be available, and by all estimates will be a serious factor in WCS2013. Where does that leave the Gold Paladin cardfighter? For how long can the golden goose keep laying? This is entirely dependent on BT10: Triumphant Return of the King of Knights. The recent team tournament results have shown that both primary variants of Gold Paladin can work well on the same team as Royal Paladin and Oracle Think Tank decks, much as Kagerou did in the 2011 Grand Prix team tournaments, but Platina/Spectral Duke is also competing for that space with Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD," who has seated himself as a new, ultimate break-impaired The End. We have yet to see how Platina holds up to its contemporaries in the seniors' and juniors' divisions, or to the new, Tsukuyomi-derived Blaster build.

Liberator Gancelot is an excellent replacement for Platina, hitting 23000 on-attack with Tron or Llew and throwing a second Gancelot up to 33000 with his break ride. Gancelot is not just an upgrade, but also a countercard that close to replaces the BT09 play style. However, one card cannot carry a clan. The Liberator subgroup is definitely one of the most powerful subgroups to ever be designed, but like all Gold Paladin decks, it is still reliant on first vanguards that depend on Ezel or Pellinore. Running Corron or Kyrph means running Ezel and/or Gareth with Beaumains, severely restricting a deck that would ideally be composed as close to as purely of Liberator units as possible. Running Spring Breeze means running Lop Ear Shooter and potentially Dindrane for an overall similar restriction, but even more than that, it means running Pellinore who has been ruled as not being a superior ride and as a result, canceling Gancelot's carefully-prepared break ride. Gold Paladin cardfighters are left holding out for the new Wingal Liberator and with him the new Alfred, leaving the future murky and uncertain for a clan that in Japan was repeatedly established as underdogs. Even beyond this, the Eradicator and Dudley subgroups are already receiving quite a bit of attention from pros as more likely to replace Spectral Duke and Garmore/Gancelot, respectively.

The English pro scene will soon be left to clash over the set that will finally induct us into the crossride format that has defined much of Japan's professional play for the past year. Despite that, it is already clear that The End will not be storming the format as some doomsayers have predicted. There are two reasons for this; first, the English scene is becoming updated with the more recent sets at a relatively fast pace, introducing new counter decks and reinforcing past decks. Second, the focus of Vanguard has shifted. We are at the end of an era--you could call it the end of the vanguard. Powerful vanguards are no longer a concern in the new format. No matter how much power you gain or extra critical you add on, this cannot circumvent a perfect defense card, cards which in the English format have been standardized at four copies by limit break. While some predictions say that Glory Maelstrom will respond to this by ending the perfect defense, the situation is not equal. While he does get over Duke's base power consistency issues, the new Maelstrom can only do this when he is on the brink of death, and it's clear from playtesting by now that fighting a Maelstrom deck is a matter of changing one's play style. Shields are placed earlier and more frequently, the rearguard becomes the focus of defense, and the vanguard is either not guarded against or grade 0s are conserved for fighting Glory and perfect defense goes to the rear. The situation plays out like jan-ken-pon; the Gold Paladins are undermined by Majesty, who is locked down by The End, who is shut out by Gold Paladin counterdecks that are defeated by Majesty. The most prominent major player living outside of these restrictions is Oracle Think Tank, whose CoCo and Battle Sister play styles neatly stops both the Blaster deck and crossride decks in their tracks, but even they then fall to the Gold Paladins. To who does the throne at the top of the world go to from here? This year's cup is open to everyone.

I am not in the business of naming kings. Blaster Blade Liberator will probably be revealed close to or over the weekend, being the final card from TD08 and TD09 to go unrevealed. This unit will be our last chance before February to gauge the new Gold Paladin, and with it how the Gold Paladin cardfighters of the previous year will plan for WCS2013. While my own investment is strictly centered on my personal clan, it will be interesting to see cardfighters both in the United States and abroad rethink their strategies. The natural position, even not knowing exactly what BT10 will bring, is to assume that Gancelot will be supported by Alfred, with extra copies of the Liberator himself replacing Gigantech Destroyer and Manawydan as a rearguard grade 3, but some fighters may still stick by Garmore or even find the "perfect" offensive grade 3 in Dignified Gold Dragon, who combines the Silver Wolf's and the Destroyer's roles into a single unit. How will traditional Gold Paladin fare once the Liberator subgroup hits the scene? Spectral Duke is largely forecasted to fall into the background in the February-on format, but is there some innovation remaining to rework the deck? Furthermore, there exists an interperiod between the release of trial decks 8 and 9, and the coming of BT10; while there are no official tournaments hosted in this period, there will be ample time for casual play and experimentation. Will we see them synthesized with Platina in an offshoot deck as Galahad and Soul Saver were once synthesized by Masuda?

The parallels are interesting; Gancelot and Alfred were once the first and perfect Royal deck, but were outmoded within three months by BT02's Soul Saver, and yet here we are, once again looking at Gancelot and Alfred, this time as the last Gold Paladin deck. Maligned and potentially unhealthy in large doses as they are, Cardfight does not end with the Gold Paladins. The scene has only evolved further.