News: Second Phantom VGCS Decklists, Duo Tops Running Four Grade 3s

August 9th, 2015. The second Phantom Vanguard Championship site updated today with complete decklists for the top 4 cardfighters, as well as a more complete deck breakdown over what was previously given. While the tournament has been primarily noted as the resurgence of Glendios, in third place was the first Japanese Duo top since the second Kansai Vanguard Championship, over a year ago. Top 8 at the Phantom CS was Healer (Glendios), Toothpick (Sanctuary Guard), Hanta (Duo), Nekono (Glendios), Sanba (Royal Paladin), Gungnir (Revenger), Tomo (Kagerou), and Derrin (Kagerou). Hanta's Duo deck includes just four grade 3s, running additional copies of his first vanguard in place of the remaining ones in order to abuse Darling's ability to return Peace to hand to repeatedly resolve her draw and countercharge skill to add up to four cards to hand. Using this strategy, up to one third of the main deck can be added to hand in a single turn if all of the possible combo pieces come together, and Duo's new legion Nemuel is designed to facilitate this by searching out copies of cards returned to hand.

Deck Breakdown (101 Participants in total)
34 Revenger
22 Royal Paladin
11 Bermuda Triangle
9 Kagerou
6 Great Nature
4 Aqua Force
4 Glendios
3 Narukami
2 Nova Grappler
2 Gold Paladin
1 Dark Irregulars
1 Neo Nectar
1 Tachikaze
1 Touken Ranbu

Shadow Paladin was the most played deck of the Phantom CS, followed by Royal Paladin, and Bermuda Triangle. Glendios had previously topped the Kansai Spring Cup and West Japan VGCS in early May, and has since become a prominent rogue that has popularly superseded the Messiah deck in Japan. Phantom CS champion Healer's Glendios deck was similar to that used at West Japan, running fourteen grade 3s to capitalize on “∞” Glendios' ability to trap the opponent in a full-field lock as much as possible. The addition of Vorium from Sovereign Star Dragon similarly plays into this pursuit of the deck's alternative win condition, adding “Яeverse” units to hand to get five into play as quickly as possible.

First place: Healer/ヒーラー
Grade 0: 17
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x3 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
x3 Star-vader, Jailer Tail DT
x3 Star-vaer, Meteo Liger CT
x3 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
Grade 1: 13
x4 Flowers in Vacuum, Cosmo Wreath
x2 Sword Draw Star-vader, Vorium
x3 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x4 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2: 6
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x2 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3: 14
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x3 Star-vader, “Яeverse” Cradle
x1 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Яeverse”
x1 Broken Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei “Яeverse”
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Яeverse”
x1 Cleanup Celestial, Ramiel “Яeverse”
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Яeverse”
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Яeverse”
Grade 4 (Generation Zone)
x1 Genesis Dragon, Judgement Messiah
x1 Genesis Dragon, Amnesty Messiah
x2 Nebula Dragon, Big Crunch Dragon
x4 Death Star-vader,  “∞” Glendios

Second place: Toothpick/つまようじ
Grade 0: 17
x1 Shining Knight, Millius (FV)
x4 Jewel Knight, Hilmy HT
x4 Jewel Knight, Noble Stinger CT
x4 Blazing Jewel Knight, Rachelle CT
x4 Seeker, Hallowed Breath Dragon CT
Grade 1: 13
x4 Flashing Jewel Knight, Iseult
x3 Jewel Knight, Sabremy
x4 Laurel Knight, Sicilus
x1 Heat Wind Jewel Knight, Cymbeline
x1 Hidden Sage, Miron
Grade 2: 13
x3 Starlight Violinist
x4 Jewel Knight, Swordmy
x4 Knight of Twin Sword
x2 Transmigration Knight, Brede
Grade 3: 7
x4 Sanctuary Guard Dragon
x3 Sanctuary Guard Guarantee
Grade 4 (Generation Zone)
x4 Holy Dragon, Sanctuary Guard Regalie
x4 Holy Dragon, Saint Blow Dragon

Third place: Hanta/はんたぁ
Grade 0: 20
x4 Duo Lovers Singer, Darling (FV)
x4 Duo Tropical Healer, Medjerda HT
x4 Duo Love Joker, Chulym CT
x4 Duo Granpus Turn, Shannon CT
x4 Duo Pride Crown, Madeira CT
Grade 1: 14
x4 PRISM-Duo Aria
x2 Duo Clear Parasol, Kura
x4 Duo Petit Etoile, Peace
x4 Duo Gorgeous Lady, Kazuha
Grade 2: 12
x2 Glitter of Yearning, Spica
x2 Duo Kelpie Jockey, Syrdarya
x4 Duo Mini Hat, Rhone
x4 Duo Lovely Devil, Vepar
Grade 3: 4
x4 Duo Lovely Angel, Nemuel
Grade 4 (Generation Zone)
x1 Snow Elemental, Blizza
x1 Legendary PRISM-Duo, Nectaria
x2 Legend of the Glass Slipper, Amoris
x2 Rain Elemental, Madew
x2 School Etoile, Olivia

Fourth place: Nekono/ねこの
Grade 0: 17
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Taunting Deletor, Gotho HT
x2 Shockwave Star-vader, Dysprosium ST
x4 Exulting Deletor, Maestol DT
x2 Squeezing Deletor, Id DT
x4 Beloved Child of Superstring Theory DT
Grade 1: 9
x4 Flowers in Vacuum, Cosmo Wreath
x1 Grab Hand Gorilla
x2 Rain Elemental, Tear
x2 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2: 8
x2 Light Speed Cheetah
x2 Star-vader, Astro Reaper
x4 Star-vader, Cold Death Dragon
Grade 3: 16
x2 Star-vader, Dark Zodiac
x4 Star-vader, “Яeverse” Cradle
x3 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Ice Prison Hades Emperor, Cocytus “Яeverse”
x3 Star-vader, Freeze Ray Dragon
Grade 4 (Generation Zone)
x4 Rain Elemental, Madew
x2 Death Star-vader,  “∞” Glendios
x2 Nebula Dragon, Big Crunch Dragon

News: Glendios Tops Second Phantom VGCS

August 8th, 2015. This morning Gungnir, winner of the 2014 Hachioji Cup and veteran of the Japanese professional community, tweeted the results of the second Phantom VGCS. First place went to Healer playing Glendios, second to Toothpick with Sanctuary Guard, third to Hunter playing Bermuda Triangle, and fourth to Nekono also playing Glendios. This statement was confirmed by tournament organizer Yuihan, who thanked everyone for their support in holding the tournament. Decklists will likely come out within the next few days. A breakdown of the top 16 cardfighters is provided below.

The Glendios fighters that made the top cut represented a very slim minority of entrants, as they were two of the only four Link Joker cardfighters present, all playing Glendios. The Messiah deck, in spite of initial hype, has not caught on strongly in Japan. Royal and Shadow Paladin have alternately dominated tournament results since the launch of Sovereign Star Dragon, with Kagerou taking a backseat to the two primary Paladin clans. Royal and Shadow together made up almost half the entrants at the Second Phantom CS, with Revengers alone accounting for 34% of participants. It should be noted that the most played deck at this Phantom CS was also not played by anyone in top 4, and that Bermuda Triangle was the third most played deck of the tournament, a trend that has been growing in Japanese play since Academy of Divas' launch.

Deck Breakdown (101 participants in total, 10 decks unreported)
34 Revenger
22 Royal Paladin
11 Bermuda Triangle
9 Kagerou
6 Great Nature
4 Aqua Force
4 Glendios
3 Narukami
2 Nova Grappler
2 Gold Paladin
1 Dark Irregulars
1 Neo Nectar
1 Tachikaze
1 Touken Ranbu

Entry at the Phantom VGCS cost 1500 yen (approx. $12 US at the current exchange rate), and first place won a New Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as entry into a sub-competition for a copy of Splatoon. Second place won an official Amnesty Messiah playmat, as well as one box of Soul Strike Against the Supreme. Third place also won an Amnesty Messiah playmat, and fourth a Lambros mat. The five preliminary rounds used a 30 minute best-of-one format, while the cut to top 16 used a 50-minute best-of-three tournament bracket. The first round of the tournament began at 10:30 AM, with the final preliminary finishing at 1:40 PM, and the cut to top 16 began at 2:40 PM. The finals ended at 6:30 PM, with the tournament dispersed by 8 PM.

The VGCS tournaments are a series of unofficial tournaments organized by fans and cardshops. Unlike Bushiroad's official tournaments, most VGCS events are done using a best-of-three, Swiss tournament model. Turnout is typically 70-80 persons, but some events see 100 or more participants, all of whom compete using pseudonyms and internet handles rather than their real names as in official events. The VGCS model of fan-organized play has begun to gain popularity internationally, with the bi-monthly BeNeLux tournaments serving as their European equivalent, and there are now similar grassroots organizations emerging in the United States like the ARG Circuit series tournaments.

Today's article was made possible by the donations of our patrons at Patreon. Cardfight Pro is funded by public contributions from readers like you.

News: Upcoming VGCS Tournaments for June through August

Pending playmat illustration for the first-place tournament prize at the fourth Brave Cup. Illustration by Gunjima Souichirou.

The following sixteen Vanguard Championships will be taking place in Japan during the months of June through August. Dates, tournament formats and projected participation caps are listed below where they are known. Expect to see tournament result reports within a few days of each tournament.

Many of the organizers of these tournaments are longstanding members of the Japanese professional community. The third Hokusetsu championship will be overseen by kuroneko (sic, top 4 at sixth Cardbox national tournament, top 8 at second Kansai VGCS, organizer at the first and second Hokusetsu CS), the Yamato championship by Gugnnir (first place at the first Tsurumai championship, fourth place at the fifth Fateclock CS, first place at the Hachioji Cup), the Shimon championship by Pest (forward on the championship team at the third Kansai CS, organizer for the third Hachioji Cup, top 16 at September 2014 Ibaraki CS) and the fourth Tsurumai CS by Shiretoko (organizer for the first, second and third Tsurumai championships, assisting manager on the Brave Cups).

5/21/2015 Update: The Dolce Cup has been added to the list.
5/22/2015 Update: Kaguya VGCS added to the list.
5/23/2015 Update: Eighth Hakata VGCS, Kyoto Joker Cup, Vanguard Bon Festival, and Sixth Sapporo VGCS added to the list. Added information about Battle Dome CS, Second Odawara CS.

Today's article was made possible by the donations of our patrons at Patreon. Cardfight Pro is funded by public contributions from readers like you.

June

June 6th - Eighth Hakata VGCS (70 participants; 85 preregistered): Clan fight, five rounds of double elimination with a best-of-one 20 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 16 with a best-of-three 50 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place wins a New 3DS XL, second place two boxes of G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon and one box of Fighter's Collection 2015, third place on box of G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon and fourth place one box of Fighter's Collection 2015.

June 7th - Third Hokusetsu CS (48 3-person teams, 144 participants): Clan fight, five rounds of Swiss draw with best-of-one 20 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 8 teams with a best-of-three 50 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place receives a New Nintendo 3DS XL for each teammate. Second place 9 boxes of G-CB01: Academy of Divas, third place 3 boxes and fourth place 1 box.

June 13th - Yamato CS (42 3-person teams, 126 participants): Clan fight, four rounds of Swiss draw with best-of-one 20 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 16 teams with a best-of-three 50 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place receives a New Nintendo 3DS XL for each teammate. Second place 6 boxes of G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon, third place 3 boxes and fourth place 1 box.

June 14th - Dolce Cup (40 participants): Clan fight, three rounds of Swiss draw with best-of-one 30 minute time limit and mutual loss at time limit ruleset, followed by a cut to top 16 with a best-of-one 30 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place wins three boxes of Sovereign Star Dragon and a rubber playmat, second place two boxes of the same and a playmat, third place two boxes and fourth place one box.

June 20th - Shimon CS (48 3-person teams, 144 participants): Clan fight, no teammates may share clans. Five rounds of Swiss draw with best-of-one 20 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 8 teams with a best-of-three 50 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place receives free participation at the fourth Hachioji Cup in August and a New Nintendo 3DS XL for each teammate. Second place 9 boxes of G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon, third place 3 boxes and fourth place three Cardfight!! Vanguard playmats (Dragonic Overlord the Great, Blaster Joker and Thing Saver Dragon.)

June 27th - Fourth Chiba Brave Cup (96 participants): Clan fight, five rounds of Swiss draw with a best-of-one 20 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 16 with a best-of-three 50 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place receives a rubber “Ω” Glendios playmat illustrated by Gunjima Souichirou, as well as two boxes of G-CB01: Academy of Divas. Second place will receive one box of Sovereign Star Dragon, and third place one box of Academy of Divas; second, third and fourth will all receive playmats illustrated by 47AgDragon. Fifth through eighth will receive fifteen packs out of Sovereign Star Dragon.

June 28th - Second Kitokito CS (32 participants): Clan fight, five rounds of Swiss draw with a best-of-one 25 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 4 with a best-of-one 25 minute time limit tournament bracket. Intentionally agreeing to a draw is prohibited in this tournament. First place will win one box of Academy of Divas.

July

July 11th - Battle Dome CS (Team tournament)

July 12th - Kaguya VGCS (32 3-man teams, 96 participants): Clan fight, four rounds of Swiss draw with a best-of-one 20 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 8 teams with a best-of-three 60 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place wins one New Nintendo 3DS for each teammate, second place three boxes of either Title Booster 01: Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- or G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon, and third place whichever prize second place did not choose.

July 18th - Fourth Tsurumai CS (64 participants): Clan fight, five rounds of Swiss draw with best-of-one 20 minute time limit, followed by a cut to top 8 with a best-of-three 50 minute time limit tournament bracket. First place will win a New Nintendo 3DS, second place may choose between three boxes of Title Booster 01: Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- or three boxes of Academy of Divas. Third place will have the same option for two boxes, and fourth place for one box. The rest of top 8 will receive one box of Fighter's Collection 2015.

July 26th - Second Kyoto Joker Cup

August

August 15th - Vanguard Bon Festival (Corresponds to this year's annual Bon Festival celebrations)
August 16th - Sixth Sapporo VGCS
Fourth Hachioji Cup (Not yet dated)
Fifth Petit Vanguard Festival (Not yet dated)

News: “∞” Glendios Tops West Japan and Kansai Championships, Kagerou Disappears Overnight

"The unending apocalypse, infinite Ω."

Link Joker made an unanticipated return at the apex of two major tournaments yesterday, with both the West Japan VGCS and Kansai Spring Cup seeing Death Star-vader “∞” Glendios in first place. In both cases, Link Joker represented a minority among the participants. At the Spring Cup 35 3-man teams (105 persons) participated, but only two cardfighters played Link Joker among them. At the West Japan CS there were 86 participants, with the 5 Link Joker fighters split between Glendios and Blaster Joker. With the support that it's received in Fighter's Collection 2015, “Ω” has come out as a dark horse answer to the swarm of “Diablo” decks now flooding tournament play.

"Sold out." Photo by inaisekai.

Unusually for a post-Generation Stride tournament, no Kagerou cardfighters were present at the 86-person West Japan Vanguard Championship. The clan collapsed entirely in the face of “Diablo,” with many cardfighters jumping ship to Shadow Paladin and Narukami. Meanwhile at the Spring Cup only 10% of all fighters present played Kagerou--occupying the same niche that “Abyss” filled prior to the Legend Deck's debut. Meanwhile the Legend Deck is selling out in stores across Japan, and Japanese card shops are struggling to keep up with demand. “Abyss” made up 24% of all tournament entries at the West Japan CS, and 41% of the entries at Kansai. Glendios' top at the Spring Cup was complementary to this; while team forward Shokushu lead the way for his mates by going undefeated in the nine rounds he played, both of his teammates were playing Revenger decks with “Diablo” support. (Unlike other team tournaments, the Spring Cup did not prevent teammates from using the same clan.)


Shokushu's “Ω” Glendios deck focused on using its Fighter's Collection 2015 upgrade Death Star-vader “∞” Glendios. (Read as "Omega Loop" Glendios) For counterblast 2 and by turning a copy of itself face-up in the generation zone, “∞” places a card from the top of the opponent's deck onto their field locked for every “Яeverse” rearguard the Omega cardfighter controls. The stride's skill also effectively incorporates an ultimate break of its own, as if the Glendios fighter has five damage then the opponent's rearguards will not unlock during their end phase. This means that, barring any changes in damage as a result of trigger checks, an “∞” deck with five “Яeverse” units in play and five damage will guarantee themselves to automatically win through “Ω” Glendios' World End ultimate break during the main phase of the next turn, provided that the opponent does not have any unlock skills attached to their vanguard and that the Link Joker cardfighter is able to defend through their opponent's turn.

By cutting out even more grade 2 space than is standard, Shokushu was able to make room for both thirteen grade 1s and twelve grade 3s, helping accommodate  “∞'s” stringent requirements. His opponents were forced to avoid granting him five damage, only having the option to send him directly from four to six or not at all. Shokushu reported his individual matchups; six of the nine rounds he played were against Shadow Paladin cardfighters. (Shokushu's other rounds were against Narukami, a team that forfeited and Aqua Force.) He did not lose a single game during the tournament, despite some of the advantages Phantom Blaster “Diablo” had in those matchups. This record may be attributed to his teammates--the team's midfighter Nero and its captain Buretan both played Revenger decks, hence Shokushu had ample opportunity to practice for the matchup. Shokushu was also no stranger to playing Glendios, as he had topped the third Kansai CS sub tournament with it back in July 2014.

Another potential reason for Shokushu's success was the tournament format. Prior to top 16 the Spring Cup used a five-round Swiss system, with each round lasting 20 minutes and being constrained to best-of-one games. The first round began at 11:00 AM, the second at 11:35 AM, and so on. The tournament finals were best-of-three with a 50 minute time limit, and clan fight rules were enforced throughout. But because the initial five rounds were in best-of-one and every opponent facing “∞” Glendios had an incentive to keep the deck at four damage, the format was arguably biased in Glendios' favor. In any given game the looming threat of “∞” hitting the field prevents opponents from putting Glendios fighters to five damage, while still staring down 22000-power “Яeverse” rearguards every turn and having higher damage incentivized by the time limit. Conflicting priorities force poor decisions out of the opponent, to either risk putting the Glendios cardfighter at five in the belief that they will be unable to guard the next turn's stride attack, or to go to five damage themselves to scramble for an additional counterblast while in the immediate short-term putting down less guard. With a 20-minute timer, trying to send a Glendios cardfighter straight from four to six damage becomes less viable as the clock may finish counting down before that can happen.

Kansai Spring Cup Clan Distribution (105 participants)
43 Shadow Paladin
16 Narukami
11 Royal Paladin
11 Kagero
6 Aqua Force
4 Megacolony
4 Oracle Think Tank
3 Great Nature
2 Dimension Police
2 Link Joker
1 Nova Grappler
1 Pale Moon
1 Spike Brothers

The Kansai VGCS Spring Cup took place over the course of two days from May 4th to 5th at the Naniwa Citizens' Hall. 48 teams (144 participants). Entry was 4500 yen (approx. $38) and first place won a carton of G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon and were qualified for two byes for the second day of the tournament. Second place won six boxes of Sovereign Star Dragon, third place three boxes, and fourth place one box. Clan fight rules were implemented. The decklists for Shokushu's teammates are still forthcoming.

Do-re-mi Town. Original image by Morichan.

Second place at the West Japan VGCS was Sanctuary Guard Royal Paladin, third place Thavas-Strikehead Aqua Force, and fourth place Exxtreme Battler Nova Grappler. The tournament was sponsored by Cardbox, one of the original shops to support Cardfight!! Vanguard in Japan. It was a singles division tournament, held on the third floor of Do-re-mi Town, an entertainment center in Okayama prefecture. The first round began at 11:00 AM, with each round lasting 20 minutes. The tournament finals began at 2:30 PM, and the closing ceremony was held at 6:30 PM. Entry at West Japan was 1000 yen for those that preregistered and 1200 yen for those that registered on-site. First place won eight boxes of Fighter's Collection 2015 as well as a voucher for 5000 yen. Second place won four boxes of FC2015 and a voucher worth the same, third place two boxes and a 3000 yen voucher, while fifth through eighth places won a single box.

West Japan VGCS Clan Distribution (86 participants in total)
21 Shadow Paladin (Revengers and Blaster Dark "Diablo," 1 Witch reported)
12 Royal Paladin (Thing Saver, Jewel Knights)
9 Narukami (Brawlers, Eradicators)
5 Link Joker (mostly Glendios, a few Blaster Jokers reported)
5 Nova Grappler (Exxtreme Battlers, Raizers, and Asura reported)
5 Aqua Force (Thavas, Maelstrom)
4 Oracle Think Tank (2 Tsukuyomi, 1 CoCo, 1 Susanoo)
3 Murakumo (Hyakki Vogue)
3 Dimension Police (Metalborgs)
3 Gold Paladin (reported no Pellinores, Ezel, Liberator)
3 Great Nature (Tester Fox)
3 Gear Chronicle (reported no Upheavals)
3 Megacolony (1 made it to Top 16)
2 Granblue
2 Neo Nectar (Musketeers, 1 with Captain Cecilia, 1 without Captain Cecilia)
1 Pale Moon
1 Dark Irregulars
1 Genesis (Legion)

The VGCS tournaments are a series of unofficial tournaments organized by fans and cardshops. Unlike Bushiroad's official tournaments, most VGCS events are done using a best-of-three, Swiss tournament model. Turnout is typically 70-80 persons, but some events see 100 or more participants, all of whom compete using pseudonyms and internet handles rather than their real names as in official events. The VGCS model of fan-organized play has begun to gain popularity internationally, with the bi-monthly BeNeLux tournaments serving as their European equivalent, and there are now similar grassroots organizations emerging in the United States like the ARG Circuit series tournaments and the King of Cardfight competition in the American midwest.

Kansai VGCS Spring Cup
Championship team
Forward: Shokushu/しょくしゅ
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Star-vader, Pixie Powder HT
x3 Star-vader, Jailer Tail DT
x3 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
x4 Apollo Nail Dragon CT
x1 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x1 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
Grade 1
x4 Refusing Deletor, Evil
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x4 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
x1 Star-vader, Volt Line
Grade 2
x3 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Companion Star-vader, Photon
x2 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x3 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x3 Star-vader, “Яeverse” Cradle
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Яeverse”
x1 Dark Dimensional Robo, “Яeverse” Daiyusha
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Яeverse”
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Яeverse”
x1 Cleanup Celestial, Ramiel “Яeverse”
x1 Broken Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei “Яeverse”
Grade 4 (Generation Zone)
x4 Snow Element, Blizza
x4 Death Star-vader,  “∞” Glendios

Midfighter: Nero/ネロ
Decklist pending

Captain: Buriten/ブリテン
Decklist pending

West Japan Vanguard Championship
Champion
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x3 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
x3 Vortex Star-vader, Molybdenum DT
x3 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x3 Apollo Nail Dragon CT
Grade 1
x4 Refusing Deletor, Evil
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x4 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Companion Star-vader, Photon
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Яeverse” Cradle
x1 Covert Demonic Dragon, Hyakki Vogue “Яeverse”
x1 Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Яeverse”
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Яeverse”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Яeverse”
x1 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth
x1 School Punisher, Leo-pald “Яeverse”
Grade 4 (Generation Zone)
x1 Miracle Element, Atmos
x3 Snow Element, Blizza
x4 Death Star-vader,  “∞” Glendios

News: World Championship 2014 Regional Qualifier Locations & Dates

Early this morning the events page for World Championship 2014 went up on the official English Vanguard portal, heralding the dates for the upcoming tournament's regional qualifiers. As in past years, cardfighters will have to qualify at one of the regional events around the world to attend their country's invitation-only continental championship, the top 4 of which will be able to then qualify for the international grand finals in Tokyo. This year's tournament will feature an exclusive commemorative playmat for all participants, as well as the Shadow Paladin and Link Joker promo cards "Revenger, Deathmaster Dragon" and "Setting Sun Star-vader, Darmstadtium." Designed as an alternative boss card for the former clan and a new break ride for the latter, both of these cards have popular fan followings outside of the mainstream Raging Form Dragon and Chaos Breaker/Glendios decks.

The preceding WCS2013 ended with Luxembourg cardfighter Almeida Stewart being titled second world champion; however, in light of the cheating accusations and controversy surrounding his confessed robbery of the card shop La Caverne du Gobelin, many cardfighters have doubted the legitimacy of his title.

Beginning on August 30 and ending in late December, World Championship 2014 will feature nineteen regional qualifiers around the world in all, with a special qualifier held in Tokyo. Similar to the tournament held for Japan in WCS2013, this is suspected to be a qualifier which would allow its top fighters to participate directly in the international finals without previously qualifying at a continental tournament. A partial list of locations is available through the official website, but some are not yet finalized.

With many tournaments taking place around or after the release of VGE-BT15: Infinite Rebirth, alongside the existing grade 4 Dragonic Nouvelle Vague from Divine Dragon Progression, one of the major contenders in the new format is anticipated to be Star-vader “Ω” Glendios. Famous for its ability to prevent cards from unlocking through its limit break, the deck has gained some popularity in Japanese tournaments for how heavily it slows down the game in the hands of a skilled cardfighter. Even into the Legion format it has continued to hold up well under the pressures of the new professional play.

News: Duo Fighter Makes Top 4 in Second Kansai VGCS, Lock on Victory to Feature Multiple Endings

Higashiōsaka Civic Center, Higashiōsaka city, Osaka prefecture. Image source.

The last Vanguard Championship of March ended on the 30th, with the Dragonic Nouvelle Vague making an encore appearance in the Second Kansai VGCS' first and fourth spots. Turnout at Kansai almost broke 100, reaching a latent high point of 97 persons, although it was planned to accommodate up to 128 participants. Kagerou made up an overwhelming majority of the tournament with 42 entrants, but in spite of this dominance Kansai became the staging ground for Bermuda Triangle's revival in the Japanese pro scene, being tied with Aqua Force for the fourth most represented clan.

Second Kansai VGCS Clan Breakdown 
42 Kagerou
13 Link Joker
9 Bermuda Triangle
9 Aqua Force
7 Shadow Paladin
4 Gold Paladin
4 Pale Moon
3 Genesis
2 Narukami
1 Nova Grappler
1 Granblue
1 Oracle Think Tank
1 Great Nature

Just over a week after the release of VG-EB10: Divas' Duet, third place in the Kansai CS was taken by Kimuti, playing Duo Temptation Ried. Based on early previews of the cards in Monthly Bushiroad magazine, Duo builds were expected to do well in competitive play, but there was some debate over whether Ried or Iori would be the preferred deck in the current format. Where Ried is a self-standing vanguard like many of the currently favored decks, Iori's limit break allows her to search for up to two copies of any card in the deck as long as she already has one in play, forcing Duo fighters to choose between an offensive swing that can end the game or unparalleled access to the deck.

Duo True Sister, Mare.

The tournament had an entry fee of 1000 yen per person, and was held on the third floor of the Higashiōsaka Civic Center in Osaka prefecture. The tournament lasted from 11:20 AM until 7:30 PM, and had six 20-minute best-of-1 Swiss rounds followed by a cut to top 8 with four 50-minute best-of-3 games. First place won a Nintendo 3DS XL, second place a standard Nintendo 3DS, third place three boxes of VG-BT15: Infinite Rebirth and fourth place two boxes of the same.


The deck's cornerstone play is using the Duo break ride, True Sister Mare, with its self-standing vanguard Ried. Like the previous Dragonic Descendant, Ethics Buster "Яeverse" and Dragonic Overlord "The Яe-birth", Mare into Ried has the inherent advantage of the break ride power multiplying the effectiveness of multiple attacks, but Mare's counterblast 1 also returns all Bermuda Triangle units to hand when the vanguard attacks and then calls two.

Duo Temptation, Ried.

When used in combination with Ried, who can stand herself by discarding two Duos with the same name and paying 2 counterblast after she attacks, this allows for six attacks in one turn. The calling of rearguards also provides more opportunities to use Loulou in combination with the clan's base 12000 attacker Syrdarya, and Ural.

Like Nouvelle, one of the key points of success for the Ried build is its access to a Luck Bird equivalent in Duo Pretty Horn Ural, and Kimuti chose to run Ural at four to capitalize on Duo series' efficient one-girl soulcharging engine, Ricca. By being able to grab up that kind of cheap card advantage throughout the fight, compensating for Shizuku's failure or building on her success early game, then making additional plays over Ricca's soulcharging after using skills that return her to hand, Duo decks are able to effectively accelerate in a way that makes every one card count for two.

Adding to its effectiveness is that the deck has a special booster in Duo Beast Ear Loulou, a base 7000 grade 1 that when called can choose up to Loulous on the field to give +2000 power to. Since Bermuda Triangle makes its plays around being able to return cards to the hand,  she can be safely recycled across multiple turns, and at endgame when multiple Loulous hit the field the first one played becomes successively more powerful than those that follow, so that the backrow begins to look like 13000-11000-9000 or 13000-9000-11000 to make strong rearguard lanes that complement a high-power vanguard.

Second Kansai VGCS Top 8 
1st Ishibaji/イシバシ - Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague
2nd Demon King/魔王 - Star-vader, Omega Glendios
3rd Kimuti/きむてぃ - Duo Temptation, Ried
4th New Moon/三日月 - Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague
Best 8 Nao - Star-vader, Omega Glendios
Best 8 Kuroneko - Star-vader, Omega Glendios
Best 8 Kouzan/光山 - Dragonic Overlord
Best 8 Nikoru/にこる - Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Also of note is Demon King's Glendios deck, in second place. While Glendios was previously established at the third Laketown, second Tsurumai and eighth Battle City tournaments as an effective deck in its own right, King's build deviated significantly from the established norms. Most Link Joker cardfighters run Glendios with thirteen grade 3s and seven grade 2s to make use of nine “Яeverse” cards, but Demon King's build instead cut back to eleven grade 3s with seven “Яeverse” units in favor of an additional Colony Maker and Rubidium, prioritizing Colony Maker's ability to search for Ruin Magician and streamlining how the “Яeverse” units are played. This is in contrast to Nao and Kuroneko's Glendios decks from further down in the top 8, which played sixteen and thirteen grade 3s respectively, and experimented with Infinite Zero and Cold Death Dragon to pursue Glendios' ultimate break instead of winning conventionally.

The VGCS tournaments are a series of unofficial tournaments organized by fans and cardshops. Unlike Bushiroad's larger official tournaments, most VGCS events are done using a best of 3, Swiss tournament model. Turnout is typically 70-80 persons, but some events see 100 or more participants, all of whom compete using pseudonyms and internet handles rather than their real names as in official events.

In other news, the official website for Cardfight!! Vanguard Lock on Victory!! has updated with new information regarding the upcoming 3DS game. According to the newly established story page, there is a separate storyline for each of the three in-game high schools, with each character responding differently depending on whether the protagonist is male or female, and there are multiple endings depending on both the choice of school and character.

主人公（キミ）は高校生の新米ヴァンガードファイター。とあるきっかけで、入学した高校の「カードファイト部」に入部することに！VF甲子園優勝を目指して、ライバルたちと切磋琢磨する部員たち。しかし、そんな彼らに謎の現象「リバース」の影が迫っていた……。 

The protagonist (you) are a Vanguard Fighter just beginning high school. By certain chance, you are going to join your school's Cardfight Club! Aiming to win the VF High School Championship, you and your rivals study hard along with your club members. However, the shadow of the mysterious phenomenon "Яeverse" is drawing near to these people...

Building on the previous game's feature of being able to start the game over with the same card collection after completing it the first time, Lock on Victory takes full advantage of the system by letting them see each of the different storylines across multiple playthroughs.

Second Kansai VGCS
First Place: Ishibaji/イシバシ
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Therese HT
x1 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x3 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
Grade 1
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x4 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
x3 Dominate Drive Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
x1 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Second Place: Demon King/魔王
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x2 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x4 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x2 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x4 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x2 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x4 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x4 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Ice Prison Dark Lord, Cocytus “Я”
x1 School Punisher, Leo-pald “Я”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Я”

Third Place: Kimuti/きむてぃ
Grade 0
x1 Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Shizuku (FV)
x4 Heartful Ale, Fundy DT
x2 Duo Lamplight Melody, Tigris DT
x4 Duo Tropical Healer, Mejelda HT
x4 Duo Gran Pasturn, Syanon CT
x2 Duo Pride Crown, Madeira CT
Grade 1
x4 Duo Beast Ear, Loulou
x1 Duo Afternoon Tea, Parana
x4 PRISM-Duo Aria
x4 Duo Pretty Horn, Ural
Grade 2
x4 Duo Kelpie Jockey, Syrdarya
x4 Duo Mini Hat, Rhone
x4 Duo White Ice Crystal, Rikka
Grade 3
x4 Duo Temptation, Ried
x4 Duo True Sister, Mare

Fourth Place: New Moon/三日月
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x1 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x3 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
Grade 1
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x4 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x4 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x1 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x1 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x1 Seal Dragon, Hunger Hell Dragon
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Kumbhanda
Grade 3
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

News: Eighth Battle City VGCS Decklists, Glendios and Kagerou Reign Over Triples Tournament

Eastern Cultural Center, Sakai city, Osaka. Image source.

The Battle City CS organization has reported its latest tournament results, and the eighth Sakai ChampionShip has been won by team Priests of Double Critical. While the previous CS saw Blaukluger and Nouvelle Vague in the spotlight, this time two Omega Glendios cardfighters have taken the gold in one of the early team tournaments of the BT15-on format. One constant has remained between Battle City tournaments; as in the previous competition, the midfighter for the winning team used a dedicated Raging Form Dragon deck. In contrast to the mix of RFD-Dragruler that have become commonplace in Japan, Adesu's RFD build has emphasized using the established Raging Form-Mordred makeup developed around BT12, foregoing the crossride entirely and mixing Blaster Dark Revenger support with cards from Infinite Rebirth. This exists in contrast to the established trend of cutting Dark Revenger entirely for Lukea and Mana, a practice that emerged in light of Dragruler's counterblast costs generally replacing Blaster Dark's.

Glendios meanwhile is continuing to grow in popularity among Japanese fans after its success at the Hakata and Tsurumai VGCSes. While an innovative means of using both World Line Dragon and Dust Tail Unicorn in the same deck had been developed at Tsurumai through the grade 2 Colony Maker, this strategy has not seemed to catch on elsewhere, where additional cards of other grades are preferred for consistency over Dust Tail's additional Lock.

Second place team "Over There, Here and There" was made up of three Kagerou cardfighters playing Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth” and Nouvelle Vague decks, with the latter making up two thirds of the team. Team forward Minorun expanded Overlord's strategy slightly by experimenting with Kagerou's new grade 2 promo, Dragon Dancer Arabella, whose counterblast 1 powers up a Flame Dragon vanguard by +5000.

Dragon Dancer, Arabella

Since all of the vanguard options in the current Overlord deck make use of self-standing limit breaks, and “The Яe-birth” in particular Locks all of his own rearguards to fight alone, this build is able to make special use of Arabella by attacking with the power increase two or three times. Team OTHT's Nouvelle fighters brought identical decks that both made use of the grade 2 Dominate Drive Dragon, a base 12000 power attacker triggered by having a "Dauntless" vanguard in play. This took advantage of how long Nouvelle builds tend to sit on Dauntless Drive Dragon for their midgame before break riding to create a game-winning play of two 23000+ power attacks that can't be guarded with grade 0 units, partially answering the slow buildup Nouvelle is faced by.

Interestingly, many decks in the format are now gravitating towards 6-6 on draw to critical triggers, where in the past 12 critical had dominated the deckbuilding process. The change may be attributed in part to the higher number of moving pieces in each deck these days, with Eternal Bringer Griffin, Dragonic Burnout, Dragonic Overlord and his crossbreak ride all being considered essential parts of “The Яe-birth's” strategy, and Glendios similarly looking to assemble Ruin Magician, Praseodymium and several “Яeverse” cards into a single hand.

The eighth Battle City CS took place on March 21st in the gallery hall of the Eastern Cultural Center in Sakai city, and met its expected quota of 64 teams, charging the standard 3000 yen entry fee per team. First place in the tournament won three PlayStation 4 consoles, second place six boxes of VG-BT15: Infinite Rebirth and third place three 2000-yen iTunes cards. Third and fourth place in the tournament went to team Rotten Fighter BL4 (チーム腐-ファイターBL4) and team Amazing Party (ステキなパーティしましょ.)

The VGCS tournaments are a series of unofficial tournaments organized by fans and cardshops. Unlike Bushiroad's larger official tournaments, most VGCS events are done using a best of 3, Swiss tournament model. Turnout is typically 70-80 persons, but some events see 100 or more participants, all of whom compete using pseudonyms and internet handles rather than their real names as in official events.

Eighth Battle City Sakai VG Trio CS
Winning team: Priests of Double Critical/ダブクリ坊主
Sawa/澤
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x1 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x3 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x2 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x3 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x1 Star-vader, Jailer Tail DT
x2 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x2 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x3 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Я”
x1 Ice Prison Dark Lord, Cocytus “Я”
x1 School Punisher, Leo-pald “Я”
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Я”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Я”

Adesu/あです
Grade 0
x1 Judgebau Revenger (FV)
x1 Frontline Revenger, Claudas
x4 Healing Revenger HT
x4 Freezing Revenger DT
x1 Abyss Freezer DT
x4 Grim Revenger CT
x3 Revenger, Air Raid Dragon CT
Grade 1
x4 Dark Revenger, Mac Lir
x4 Barrier Troop Revenger, Dorint
x2 Self-control Revenger, Rakia
x2 Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter
x1 Black-winged Sword Breaker
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Dark Revenger
x2 Nullity Revenger, Masquerade
x2 Overcoming Revenger, Lukea
x2 Wiles Revenger, Mana
x1 Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu
Grade 3
x4 Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom
x4 Revenger, Raging Form Dragon

Derrin/デリン
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x2 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x2 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x2 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x2 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x4 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x2 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x3 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Я”
x1 Blue Storm Karma Dragon, Maelstrom “Я”
x1 Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Я”
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Я”

Runner-up team: Over There, Here and There/あっちこっちそっち
Minorun/みのるん
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
x2 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x1 Blue-ray Dracokid CT
x1 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x2 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Dragon Dancer, Therese HT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x1 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x2 Violence Horn Dragon
x4 Eternal Bringer Griffin
Grade 2
x4 Dragonic Burnout
x2 Dragon Dancer, Arabella
x3 Burning Horn Dragon
x2 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”

Hiiya/ぴーや
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Seal Dragon, Shirting HT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x3 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x3 Blue-ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x4 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
x3 Dominate Drive Dragon
Grade 3
x1 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Seven/セブン
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x1 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x1 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
x2 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
Grade 1
x1 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x3 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
x3 Dominate Drive Dragon
Grade 3
x1 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

News: Glendios Cardfighter Wins Second Tsurumai VGCS, Triple Kagerou Team Places Second in Eighth Battle City CS

This weekend brings an increased prevalence of Glendios decks with it, following on the build's initial momentum earlier this March. The second Tsurumai and eighth Battle City Vanguard Championships both concluded over the 21st and 22nd, with Link Joker fighters making a lasting impression in the top brackets of each tournament. The build's impact has varied immensely based on region, achieving greater visibility within central Japan in Gunma prefecture, than in Hokkaido to the north, where Nouvelle Vague has a better hold on the format.

The second Tsurumai CS had 59 participants in all, with the top 4 going to Glendios, Dragonic Overlord, Glendios and Revenger cardfighters. This isn't the first victory for Glendios fans; the deck had been previously spotlighted in competitive play at the head of the Fireball VGCS earlier this month, under the command of tournament champion Kado. The main difference between Kado and Tsurumai winner Red Deer's decklists are that Kado was more willing to play around Omega Lock. His decklist used Cold Death Dragon where Red's uses Colony Maker, with the intent being to take the initiative away from his opponent by forcing them to put a Locked card into play, but with the caveat that he needed to be able to cast Omega Lock on that very turn to prevent the opponent from gaining card advantage in the long run.

This works better with the World End alternate win condition because otherwise opponents can voluntarily choose to keep their rearguard circles open until Omega Lock fizzles to prevent the auto-win from being initiated, but Deer's decklist is geared to take advantage of how Omega slows the game down without necessarily needing to win through it. Colony Maker leads into Dust Tail Unicorn or Ruin Magician/Praseodymium depending on the conditions. Ninjin's decklist was built similarly, but with two extra Reverse cards for 14 grade 3s and just 12 and 6 grade 1s and 2s, straining the limits of established concepts of deckbuilding.

Interestingly, among those grade 3s was a copy of Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth.” It has frequently been assumed by westerners that “The Яe-birth” cannot be used with Glendios support because it does not have the specific phrase “Я” in its card name, but in Japan “The Яe-birth” is instead seen as being compatible because the supporting units' card text only specifies the backward R character, Я, in card names, and because the phonetic reading for Яe-birth and Яeverse are the same リバース Ribaasu. It's uncertain how the English-language incarnation of the card will handle the intentional double meaning behind “The Яe-birth,” as there are no standards in English for phonetic guides.

Second place cardfighter Sousuke reached the top bracket using a Dragonic Overlord the “The Яe-birth” deck, with notable similarities to the makeup of Beast Deity Cup champion Hisui's deck. Both cardfighters agreed for the most part on the grade 2 and 3 makeup of their builds, with Dragonic Burnout and Berserk Dragon being favored units for their on-call field control that makes use of the rearguard circles Яe-birth Locks, but Hisui prioritized accessing the break ride with Eternal Bringer Griffon more where Sousuke went for raw draw power using Calamity Tower Wyvern and Gojo's card changing to ditch excess draw triggers.

Meanwhile the eighth Battle City Trio CS concluded recently with first place going to a Glendios, Dragruler and Glendios team while second went to three Kagerou cardfighters running two Nouvelle Vague and one Overlord decks. Third place was a makeup of Glendios, Blue Storm and Kagerou; deck lists are not yet available, but the Blue Storm build is suspected to be a Maelstrom build along the same lines as the one that recently placed second in the first Sapporo VGCS. The success of a triple Kagerou team points to the mutual effectiveness of separate but contemporary Kagerou decks, even in spite of Nouvelle being generally regarded as king among them. With Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Я” likewise hanging around in tournament results, many are eyeing Kagerou as a mainstay clan for the 2014 tournament season on both sides of the water.

Second Tsurumai VGCS
First Place: Red Deer/赤いシカ
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x1 Star-vader, Dust Tail Unicorn
x4 Star-vader, Stellar Garage HT
x3 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x4 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x2 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
x3 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x3 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x2 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x3 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Я”
x1 Cleanup Celestial, Ramiel “Я”
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Я”
x1 Demon God Marquis, Amon “Я”
x1 Ice Prison Dark Lord, Cocytus “Я”

Second Place: Sousuke/そーすけ
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
x2 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x1 Blue-ray Dracokid CT
x1 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
x4 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x2 Eternal Bringer Griffin
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
Grade 2
x4 Dragonic Burnout
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”

Third Place: Ninjin/にんじん
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x1 Star-vader, Dust Tail Unicorn
x4 Star-vader, Stellar Garage HT
x4 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x1 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x2 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x3 Star-vader, Jailer Tail DT
x1 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x1 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x3 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x3 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x2 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x2 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x2 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Я”
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Я”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Я”
x1 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”
x1 School Punisher, Leo-pald “Я”
x1 Dark Dimensional Robo, “Я” Daiyusha
x1 Covert Demonic Dragon, Hyakki Vogue “Я”
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Я”

Fourth Place: Kainzu/カインズ
Grade 0
x1 Creeping Dark Goat (FV)
x1 Judgebau Revenger
x4 Grim Revenger CT
x4 Revenger, Air Raid Dragon CT
x4 Freezing Revenger DT
x4 Healing Revenger HT
Grade 1
x4 Dark Revenger, Mac Lir
x1 Black-winged Sword Breaker
x1 Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter
x2 Transient Revenger, Masquerade
x1 Brunt Revenger, Shadow Lancer
x4 Self-control Revenger, Rakia
Grade 2
x4 Overcoming Revenger, Lukea
x2 Nullity Revenger, Masquerade
x3 Wiles Revenger, Mana
x2 Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu
Grade 3
x2 Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom
x2 Revenger, Dragruler Phantom
x4 Revenger, Raging Form Dragon

News: Fighter's Collection 2014 to See English Release, English TCG Approaching Synchronization

The next eight English-language set releases have been announced through the official Cardfight!! Vanguard USA Facebook page, and much excitement has been raised over the upcoming release of VGE-FC: Fighter's Collection 2014 at the end of the year. Due to the nature of FC sets as primarily featuring reprints with few new cards and the rapid release schedule of the game's English edition, it has been a concern of the English-language Cardfight community that they would never get a western release. FC2014, which is set to feature at least 23 new cards with one new grade 3 for each of the clans, has more incentive to be brought over to western shores due to the decreased count of reprints. All of these sets have been added to the official products page, sans set images.

With 37 cards and just 7 known reprints, FC2014 will feature SP reprints of Majesty Lord Blaster, Goddess of the Full Moon Tsukuyomi, Phantom Blaster Overlord, Dragonic Overlord the End, Eradicator Vowing Sword Dragon, Perfect Raizer and Top Idol Pacifica. The full Japanese setlist is not yet currently known, but as no English release of FC2013 has been announced and the set size of Fighter's Collection sets is not necessarily set in stone, it has been variously speculated that the English release could include cards from FC2013 by bumping the set size up to a full 72~80 cards, similar to the set sizes of BT01~BT05. The lack of a release for FC2013 has been a sore spot for westerners, in part due to the exclusive break rides Bleoberis and Electric Shaper Dragon, and also due to the highly coveted alternate artworks in the set for Asura Kaiser, Phantom Blaster Dragon, Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark.

More immediately, VG-BT14: Brilliant Strike and its accompanying pool of Reverse cards are suspected to be arriving in July or August. Eight releases are scheduled for after June, and with only six months remaining in that time period, it's possible that some of these will be dual releases within a single month. In particular, TD13: Successors of the Sacred Regalia and the later trial decks TD14: Seeker of Hope and TD15: Brawler of Friendship are all opportune products to release in the same month as accompanying booster sets due to how they complement the cards in Brilliant Strike and Legion of Dragons and Blades. Another possibility is for the sets following Infinite Rebirth to be released in the winter months following the new year, though this would contradict Fighter's Collection 2014's placement.

With these factors in mind, the annual World Championships--which have historically taken place in August/September through December/January--will likely be held in at least a Brilliant Strike or Divas Duet-on format, with Infinite Rebirth available in time for the finals. This oncoming rapid release schedule will likely put the English card game close to being totally synchronized with the Japanese TCG, matching the goal outlined at last year's Anime Expo of achieving simultaneous release.

News: Fireball VGCS Decklists, Hakata and Sapporo Tournaments Dominated by Kagerou, Post-BT15 Aqua Force Emerges

The third Laketown Vanguard Championship decklists went up on Card Shop Fireball's official blog early yesterday morning, showcasing some of the first competitive decks of the Infinite Rebirth-on format. Tournament winner Kado's “Ω” Glendios deck is of particular interest in part because it's the first Glendios deck seen in tournament play, and also due to its unusual composition, running a huge count of twelve grade 3s and just seven grade 2s. Previously only Aqua Force, Dimension Police and Nova Grappler cardfighters tended to run grade 3 heavy decks on a regular basis, due to their variety of grade 3 options and necessity for two or more gameplans in one deck, but Glendios is a different beast entirety. Some concern over the validity of the results has been expressed due to this Fireball CS only seeing a turnout of 34 persons when 60~80 is more common in VGCS events, but now that the decklist is visible it's clear that a thorough amount of work was put into its construction.

The high grade 3 count was generally anticipated by experienced Link Joker cardfighters due to the overall strategy of the build. “Ω” Glendios decks as a rule now rely on either Omega himself or Star-vader “Яeverse” Cradle Cradle; both of these boss cards use Link Joker's signature Lock mechanic by calling cards with  “Яeverse” in their name to rearguard circles, and accordingly can make any “Яeverse” into a Link Joker unit to promote synergy. In order to use their skills effectively, a high grade 3 count is necessary. Kado also exploited this to his advantage by running six different “Яeverse” cards, five of them as single copies, in order to obscure exactly how many he was running from his opponents. The core Omega strategy hinges on using Glendios in tandem with Ruin Magician, Praseodymium, Rubidium, Magnet Hollow, any two Reverse cards and the first vanguard World Line Dragon. Prior to hitting grade 3, Glendios' early game primarily revolves around trading Reverse cards in hand at the beginning of each ride phase with World Line's skill to search for other Link Joker units, avoiding the problems associated with failing to reach grade 2, and ideally replacing the Reverse cards discarded with other Reverse cards, primarily Cradle.

Magnet Hollow is the build's most valuable grade 2 because of how it instantly adds a Reverse card to hand for a single counterblast when its attack hits, which lets Glendios or Cradle Lock one card per turn, and Glendios can then use its limit break to cast Omega Lock and prevent the opponents' cards from unlocking for one turn. Omega can then get those Reverse cards back by calling Ruin Magician, who for counterblast 1 returns a Reverse card from the drop zone to the hand for each other Reverse on a rearguard circle, and unflip the damage with Praseodymium who operates on the same principle as Ruin. Rubidium is a special card that changes the target of the opponent's attack a rearguards with Reverse in its name, which compensates for the lower overall shield of a grade 3-heavy deck, and prevents skills that only activate when attacking a vanguard from going off.

Although these tactics were conceived with the idea in mind of using Omega Glendios' ultimate break skill to achieve an alternate win condition--automatically winning at the beginning of the main phase if the opponent has 5 or more Locked cards in play--the real outcome of fights with Omega have varied immensely. Being restricted to Locking a single card each turn (and only able to potentially subvert that with the occasional Cold Death Dragon who gives the opponent a card from their deck in the Locked position) achieving World End is frequently an unrealistic goal. Instead Glendios' main strategy has been to stall the opponent out by being able to Lock both frontrow rearguards with relative ease and cast Omega Lock while recycling the discarded cards, immensely slowing down games until they take double the amount of turns to complete. Since Omega powers up all Reverses to have a 15000 power base, the opponent is denied the ability to use their rearguards while Omega's strike for higher numbers on average.

The key weakness to the Glendios deck is its reliance on having Reverse cards available. None of these card skills can activate without Reverse cards already existing on the field or in the hand. Because of this, World Line Dragon's Reverse-discarding skill is not always an optimal play even though there's a limited window that it can be used inside of. Having those Reverse becomes a double-edged sword by enabling stronger plays while weakening Omega's ability to defend earlier in an aggressive format. You can jump to the decklists by searching the page for [3LVGCS]

At the third Hakata VGCS, Nouvelle Vague has continued a steady train of dominance under first place cardfighter Seishirou, while Dragruler-Raging Form and Minerva fighters are managing to hold their own with it in the top ranks of tournament play. In particular, the new definitive Revenger deck is clearly emerging in these early tournaments. Taking a leaf from EX's deck from the Half Moon VGCS, the basic framework of Kaakun's build was two of each Phantom grade 3 paired with four copies of Raging Form Dragon and a supporting rearguard lineup of double Judgebaus into double Sword Breakers with multiple ways to superior call the second Judgebau Revenger through Mana, Tartu and Darkbond, and the paired rearguards Rakia and Lukea who power up when low-grade rearguards are called. The most surprising shared feature of these decks is the absence of Blaster Dark Revenger, whose field control and unflipping with Dorint once made him a staple of the Revenger build. You can jump to the decklists directly by searching the page for [3HVGCS]

The third Hakata VGCS had 93 participants in all, with a burgeoning number of Glendios cardfighters alongside the established Nouvelle and Shadow Paladin decks. A complete breakdown of the tournament is below;

34 Kagerou (25 Nouvelle 9 Overlord)
18 Shadow Paladin
9 Link Joker (5 Glendios 4 Chaos Breaker)
8 Genesis
6 Gold Paladin
6 Pale Moon
3 Aqua Force
3 Narukami
2 Dimension Police
2 Nova Grappler
1 Neo Nectar
1 Royal Paladin

Original photo by SapporoVGCS.

Meanwhile word has gotten out that Kagerou is likewise dominating the first Sapporo VGCS over on the opposite end of the archipelago. Sapporo's top 8 was made up of three Kagerou, three Link Joker, one Shadow Paladin and one Aqua Force cardfighters. As this is the first major headway for Aqua Force in the wake of BT15, many observers are eager to see where professional cardfighters have developed the clan in the first two weeks of the new format.




The VGCS tournaments are a series of unofficial tournaments organized by fans and cardshops. Unlike Bushiroad's larger official tournaments, most VGCS events are done using a best of 3, Swiss tournament model. Turnout is typically 70-80 persons, but some events see 100 or more participants, all of whom compete using pseudonyms and internet handles rather than their real names as in official events.

Third Laketown/Fireball VGCS [3LVGCS]
First place: Kado/カド
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Star-vader, Stellar Garage HT
x4 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x3 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x4 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
x1 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
Grade 1
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x4 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x3 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x3 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Star-vader, Cold Death Dragon
Grade 3
x3 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Demon God Marquis, Amon “Я”
x1 Covert Demonic Stealth Dragon, Hyakki Vogue “Я”
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Я”
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Я”
x1 Ice Prison Dark Lord, Cocytus “Я”

Second place: Black-rimmed Glasses/くろぶちめがね
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
x1 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
x3 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
Grade 1
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x2 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x2 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x4 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
Grade 2
x2 Flame Edge Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
Grade 3
x1 Cruel Dragon
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Third Hakata VGCS [3HVGCS]
First Place: Seishirou
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Seal Dragon, Sharting HT
x1 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x3 Blue-ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x4 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x4 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
Grade 2
x2 Dragonic Burnout
x3 Berserk Dragon
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x2 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Kumbhanda
Grade 3
x1 Cruel Dragon
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x3 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Runner-up: Kaakun
Grade 0
x2 Judgebau Revenger (FV)
x4 Grim Revenger CT
x4 Revenger, Area Raid Dragon CT
x4 Freezing Revenger DT
x4 Healing Revenger HT
Grade 1
x4 Dark Revenger, Mac Lir
x2 Black-winged Sword Breaker
x1 Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter
x2 Transient Revenger, Masquerade
x2 Brunt Revenger, Shadow Lancer
x2 Self-control Revenger, Rakia
Grade 2
x3 Overcoming Revenger, Lukea
x4 Nullity Revenger, Masquerade
x2 Wiles Revenger, Mana
x2 Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu
Grade 3
x2 Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom
x2 Revenger, Dragruler Phantom
x4 Revenger, Raging Form Dragon

Third Place: Jiou
Grade 0
x1 Vivid Rabbit (FV)
x4 Witch of Lemons, Limoncello CT
x1 Cyber Tiger CT
x4 Battle Maiden, Kukurihime CT
x3 Fancy Monkey DT
x4 Witch of Big Pots, Laurier HT
Grade 1
x4 Witch of Apples, Cider
x3 Witch of Frogs, Melissa
x4 Goddess of Protection, Kushinada
x2 Ordain Owl
Grade 2
x3 Witch of Ravens, Chamomile
x4 Grape Witch, Grappa
x4 Goddess of Trees, Jupiter
Grade 3
x4 Omniscience Regalia, Minerva
x4 Regalia of Wisdom, Angelica