Nova Grappler gets first 9000 power grade 1, Draw Trigger perfect guard coming to Oracle Think Tank

Bushiroad's official TV spot for V-Booster Set 01: UNITE! TEAM Q4 went live today, and will now be circulating on television and YouTube ads. The commercial features two previously-unseen cards for the Oracle Think Tank and Nova Grappler clans, Oracle Think Tank's Draw Trigger perfect guard Miss Mist, and Death Army Guy, the first vanilla grade 1 of the Standard format.

Weather Forecaster, Miss Mist
CONT: Sentinel (You may only have up to 4 cards in your deck with "Sentinel")
AUTO [Guardian Circle]: When placed, by paying [Cost: Discard 1 card from your hand], one of your units cannot be hit until the end of that battle.

Miss Mist is a Double Rare in V-BT01, like Flash Shield Iseult and Wyvern Guard Barri before her, while Death Army Guy is a Common. Her presence in the set confirms the theory that similar Draw Trigger perfect guards will be coming to all clans.

Death Army Guy
Grade 1/9000 Power/No Shield/Nova Grappler - Battleroid

Although the past Death Army units revolved around standing when one's drive check revealed a grade 3, and the new Asura Kaiser seemingly foreshadowed a return of these types of cards, Guy suggests the Death Armies have forsaken their old mechanic in favor of raw power. Death Army Guy is the first grade 1 in Vanguard to have no shield icon whatsoever, though it's still possible to call him to guardian circle just as it's possible to "guard" with shield-less grade 3s.

V-Booster Set 01: UNITE! TEAM Q4 will launch in Japan May 25th, 2018, and in English June 22nd, 2018. It will be accompanied by sleeves based on Dragonic Overlord and Blaster Blade. V-Trial Deck 01: Sendou Aichi and V-TD02: Kai Toshiki will launch 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 of Standard, V-EB01: The Destructive Roar will launch in Japan June 29th, 2018, and August 3rd 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.

News: Extra Boosters 4 and 5 Announced

Today VG-EB04: Infinite Phantom Legion and VG-EB05: Celestial Valkyries were announced, revealing two sets introducing long anticipated support for Nova Grappler and Oracle Think Tank. Each of these sets, following the 35-card format of prior extra booster sets, will feature 29/28 key cards reprinted from the clan's past releases plus six new Death Army units and seven Battle Sister units, respectively. Set for a November 17 Japanese release, most prominently the sets feature an Ultimate Lifeform, Cosmolord crossride and a Battle Sister unit receiving promotion on par with Tsukuyomi of BT03. With an English release likely to follow in coming months, the current timing of these two sets could be no better for the international scene, where Trial Decks 02: Golden Mechanical Soldier and 03: Princess Maiden of the Cherry Blossoms are being postponed for later release. The timing of EB04 and EB05 could point to a similar release pattern between the English versions of TD02 and 03, creating a massive influx of support for Nova Grappler and Oracle Think Tank, and in turn strengthening them in the international metagame. This would be much akin to Granblue's current spread in North America.

Past Death Army cards have focused toward supporting Asura Kaiser, trading lower power for self-standing skills and being able to form a 16000 power line when lined up with one another. When used correctly in conjunction with Asura Kaiser, their strategy allows for a total up to five attacks in one turn capable of assailing 11000-power units without the use of triggers. Although this leaves a fairly narrow playing field for new entries in the series, one speculation is that the new Death Army cards will be able to mount more than full-power strikes upon standing, to level the playing field between them and 13000-power crossrides.

Most interesting of all is the Cosmolord crossride card. While not technically confirmed by official sources, the artwork for Infinite Phantom Legion is being universally lined up as a crossride to reinforce the 11000-saturated Nova Grapplers. Fittingly, Cosmolord is one of the Nova Grapplers' scarce units that can attain more than 20000 power consistently, particularly through an established combo with Meshrad Roid. Exactly how the crossride will behave is uncertain, but Nova cardfighters can expect to compete with their Kagerou and Dimension Police contemporaries this November.

In addition to the praise it's garnered, this announcement also completely dismisses past rumors of a Nubatama-based EB04.