"Winged Dragon, Beamptero" coming in Monthly Bushiroad

The official Monthly Bushiroad magazine Twitter account tweeted a sample image of the upcoming promo card for the issue out June 8th, the Tachikaze unit Winged Dragon Beamptero.

AUTO: When it's retired from Rearguard Circle during your turn, 3 of your units get Power +3000 until end of turn.

The card is a remake of the grade 1 unit of the same name from Booster Set 8: Blue Storm Armada, first printed back in 2012. That incarnation of Beamptero could only power up a single unit when it was retired during the battle phase, while this Beamptero can power up three times as many at any point during your turn. Of note is that the unit does not require itself to be retired by card effects, so simply calling over it normally will resolve Beamptero's skill.

Card Gamer Vol. 40 promos "Fierce Leader, Zachary" and "Mimori Suzuko"

AUTO [Rearguard Circle]: When placed from your hand, [Cost: Counterblast 1] look at 1 card from the top of your deck, call it to a Rearguard Circle, and at the end of this turn, put that unit into your soul.

An Etranger card based on Mimori Suzuko, voice of Tatsunagi Kourin in the Cardfight!! Vanguard anime.

To be included in volume 40 of Card Gamer magazine.

FamilyMart distributing alt art Wingal and Aichi promos

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

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

The special 2 pack set.

50 Demo Caravan locations added for the English format

The official English Cardfight portal updated with 50 more locations for the 2018 Spring Demo Caravan today, primarily in Canada. When the Caravan was first announced twelve days ago it comprised just 127 locations in total, and the new additions bring the total up to just over half of the promised 300+ shops. Most of the participating shops in the United States remain unlisted despite having already received their Caravan times; readers may do better by asking the managers of their local hobby shops directly to find out when the demo event is being held. Participants will receive a free Stardrive Dragon Start Deck containing alternate versions of cards found in the Royal Paladin Trial Deck, while its Kagerо̄ counterpart can be obtained at Bushiroad Spring Fest tournaments held on or after May 12th.

Additionally, the Caravan's Demo Caravan promos have been announced: Yoko & Nia for Weiss Schwarz, Garga "SD" for Buddyfight, and The Songstress for Dragoborne. While the Japanese format received a promotional Blaster Blade, no similar distribution has been announced for the English game.

Today's Card Analysis: Grime, Chrono Dran Z, and Blaster Blade

The Japanese cards of the day for April 30th, 2018, are three promotional cards being handed out at the 2018 Great Vanguard Festival in Japan: Grime, Chrono Dran Z, and Blaster Blade. Each card is done in the style of a full-art SP, with gold foiling on Grime and Chrono Dran.

Of the three, only Grime fits into our traditional analysis section. Rather than being new card reveals, these are respectively the final promotional cards of the G format and the first promo cards of Standard; what began seven years ago with PR/0001 Blaster Blade now ends with PR/0727 Chrono Dran Z, and begins anew from V-PR/0001 Blaster Blade.

(Technically, the promotional prints of Rananculus of Phantasmic Blue, Daybreak Scharhrot, and Battle Sister Florentine, that will be packaged in the Jaime Flowers character song CD are going to be the final final promo cards of G. But Dran is absolutely being presented at the festival as a symbolic gesture.)

Grime
AUTO: When you ride, draw a card.

Grime's skill brings with it certain questions. Thus far, we've seen no Forerunner grade 0s in Standard format--units that move out from the soul when you ride over them. In the old format, units staying in the soul but still carrying effects were generally limited to ride chain cards, with the main exceptions being Hades Ringmaster clones and World Line Dragon. Grime and Lizard Runner Undeux could just be what you get at the Common level for grade 0s, in the same way that Shizuku clones worked in the previous format, and if so then we're likely to see Forerunner First Vanguards return at the Single Rare level. But this could also be a situation akin to the G Trial Decks, where what you see is the best you'll get for some time to come. It's partially a question of how realistic it is to expect Royal Paladin and Kagerou to have exactly identical FVs as their only option to start the game off.

(Worth noting is that in the manga's continuity, which the rebooted series is based on, Aichi sticks with Grime and Kai with Undeux throughout the entire first arc.)

Having FVs stay in the soul means no longer having an easy early game booster, resulting in less aggressive first turns. If you're dropping a grade 1 on the board this early, it's probably to boost rather than attack. Otherwise, it's too easy for the opponent to simply drop a trigger and guarantee you can't hit them that turn. What unique effects the new generation of First Vanguard will have is another can of worms--perhaps Royal Paladin could call a grade 1 when you ride over it (or just copying the vanguard outright to avoid exploits) and Oracle Think Tank letting you check the top card and put it on the top or bottom of the deck before drawing. How would one translate Kagerou's mechanics to an FV of this type, though? An on-ride retire can't work at a stage of the game where the opponent has no rearguards.

These are exciting times we live in. In just 25 days V-Booster Set 01 will hit the Japanese format, and at that time, we'll know everything. Are we prepared for the new era? Can we be prepared for the new era?

The previous Japanese cards of the day were Stardrive Dragon and Crested Dragon.

Team Q4 playmat to be included in V-BT01 cases

Duel Portal reports that each 20-box case of BT01: UNITE! TEAM Q4 will come with one large rubber playmat featuring the set's cover illustration of King of Knights Alfred with the Team Q4 members. Each booster box will come packaged with three standard Gift Markers, one for each type.

Furthermore, the promotional cards that will be distributed as part of the set's campaign will be Snogal (Royal Paladin) Grapeshot Wyvern (Kagerou) Onmyoji of the Moonlit Night (Oracle Think Tank) and Extra Muscular. (Nova Grappler) For every 4 normal booster packs purchased cardfighters will receive a Special Pack containing one of these promotional cards paired with a corresponding Gift Marker of one of the Q4 members. (Sendou Aichi, Kai Toshiki, Tokura Misaki, or Katsuragi Kamui.) The Markers correspond to that character's deck, so for example the Aichi Marker will be Force while the Misaki Marker will be Protect, and the Kamui marker will be Accel.

All of this information was confirmed earlier today on the final episode of Weekly Bites Z. The first episode of the new Weekly Bites series will commence Tuesday May 1st at 9:00 PM JST.

Snowgal

AUTO [Rearguard Circle]: When the attack it boosts hits a vanguard, by paying [Soulblast 1] return this unit to your hand.

Grapeshot Wyvern

AUTO [Rearguard Circle]: When placed, if the opponent's rearguard has been retired during this turn, 1 of your units gets Power +3000 until end of turn.

Onmyoji of the Moonlit Night

AUTO [Rearguard Circle]: When placed, by paying [Soulblast 1, discard 1], put one card from the bottom of your deck into your hand.

Extra Muscular

AUTO [Rearguard Circle]: When it Stands, this unit gets Power +3000 until end of turn.

Of note is that Extra Muscular will gain the 3k power boost when he stands at the beginning of the turn as well as via skills, so the card can effectively become a 15k attacker for every turn after it's first placed.

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.

More than 12000 people have participated in the Vanguard Spring Caravan

Uploaded by @hasetch_tenchou.

Bushiroad reports that the Cardfight!! Vanguard Spring Caravan has been demoed by more than 12000 people at 158 stores across Japan since its inception in March. The number of participants is likely to double by the time the Caravan concludes on the 30th, by which time over 300 stores will have hosted demo events for the Standard format.

The equivalent English events are stated to start in June, closer to the launch of the Trial Decks.

A newly-opened carton of Start Decks given out to card shops. Uploaded by @nextonenabari.

The Spring Caravan is a unique opportunity for new fighters to learn the ropes of the Standard format, and walk away with a free Start Deck. The Stardrive Dragon deck was given out between March 16th and April 6th, while after today shops will begin distributing the Crested Dragon deck. Both Start Decks come with a vanilla Blaster Blade promotional card. Those that complete the workshop also receive a commemorative certificate featuring Kai Toshiki welcoming them to the world of Vanguard. Bushiroad last reported around 5000 participants by March 24th.

Uploaded by cfvanguard_PR.

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

A guide to what's legal in Standard format

Stardrive and Crested deck cards are tournament legal.

The V-series icon, found at the bottom left of cards printed for Standard.

For the Japanese format beginning May 1st, cardfighters playing in Standard format will have to choose a clan and compose their deck entirely from that clan, using only cards that have the V-series icon. The exception to the rule is that cards with the numbers V-SD/001~014, V-SD02/001~014, and VPR/0001 are all treated as cards with the V-series icon, and can be used in decks despite not actually having it. Included in this is the Blaster Blade promotional card distributed alongside the Start Decks given away at the demo caravan events, and all of the cards in the Stardrive and Crested decks themselves.

Conversely, only cards without the V-series simple (including the aforementioned Start Decks and promo cards) can be used in the G Standard format, which will only include cards printed prior to the V-series. All cards may be used in Premium Standard format, unless their abilities specifically prevent them from doing so like Epitome of Knowledge Silvest. Those cards may only be used in Premium Standard Extreme Fight.

For the English format, only cards released after April 28th can be used, excluding PR cards. Bushiroad has stated more information will be coming on this front, but it is safe to assume that the English demo deck and VPR promotional cards will be tournament legal just like their Japanese counterparts.

From Bushiroad booth at 2018 GAMA Trade Show.

The first Trial Decks of the Standard format, V-Trial Deck 01: Blaster Blade and V-Trial Deck 02: Dragonic Overlord will launch in Japanese May 11th, 2018, and in English June 8th, 2018. The first booster set of Standard, V-BT01: UNITE! TEAM Q4! will launch in Japan May 25th, 2018, and in English June 22nd, 2018. Their 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.

2018 Blaster Blade promo recalls the beginning of Vanguard, seven years prior

Uploaded by @Sora_reunion2.

The first promo card of Vanguard's new era has gone out in Japan, distributed at demo workshops for the game's new mechanics. Each card is a base 10000 Blaster Blade with 5000 shield, with an advertisement for the anime series printed in place of skill text. These stats may sound par for the course for a vanilla grade 2 coming from the old Vanguard, but in the Standard-format game most grade 2s already have 10k base power, and the vanillas seen thus far have 10k shield.

The text on the card reads:

"A new work begins May 5th, 2018!!

The new TV anime starts broadcasting Saturday May 5th!

You can watch the whole series on the official YouTube channel!"

Although the card is numbered VPR/0001, it does not have the V-era symbol found at the bottom left of Alfred Early and upcoming Trial Deck cards. Some fighters in Japan have taken to going to multiple demo events to acquire additional copies of the promo.

This 2011 photo, taken at that year's Tokyo Toy Show, was among the first Vanguard-related images circulated on the web. The text reads "Cardfight!! Vanguard TV anime airing in 2011!!"

This is not the first time Bushiroad has slapped an anime advertisement on a card, rather than vice-versa. When Cardfight!! Vanguard was being brought out to toy and hobby shows in late 2010 and early 2011, the company distributed two similarly-structured Blaster Blades. The first was based on a prototype card design from before Nakamura Satoshi's team had finalized what Vanguard's aesthetic would be, using artwork drawn by Studio TMS of Aichi in Blade's armor.

The second was after the cards' frame and format had been decided on, and was distributed alongside the Stardrive and Crested Dragon Flash Fight half decks at demo events and in issues of KeroKero Ace magazine. (A third-party predecessor to Monthly Bushiroad.) The alternate artwork used in this vanilla version of Blaster Blade is often pointed to as the origin point for the character Blaster Dark (née Junos/Yuunos) who in lore lacked the courage to use his sword's hidden skill.

Similar to the initial prototype card at the Tokyo Toy Show, an English-language Blaster Blade with a website ad in place of a skill was distributed in mid-2011 at the Anime Expo kick-off event to promote the game's English launch. While the flavor text was identical to its Trial Deck counterpart, the skill text instead read;

"The new era trading card game "Cardfight!! Vanguard"

Check the official website!

http://cf-vanguard.com/"

The 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. V-Trial Deck 01: Blaster Blade and V-Trial Deck 02: Dragonic Overlord will launch in Japanese May 11th, 2018, and in English June 8th, 2018. V-BT01: UNITE! TEAM Q4! will launch in Japan May 25th, 2018, and in English June 22nd, 2018.

News: Cray Elemental Perfect Guard to be Distributed as Promo Card

The Japanese card of the day included a third card today. An unprecedented perfect defense card accessible to all clans, Light Elemental Sunny will be distributed next month as a promo card at the July 17th Bushiroad Summer Caravan in Japan. Past Cray Elemental units have had skills that rely on having face-up Cray Elementals in the generation zone. Sunny instead interacts with that zone in a completely different way, by providing support during the G Assist step.

CONT: Sentinel
AUTO: When this card is removed from your hand for G Assist, all fighters draw 1 card.
AUTO: [Choose 1 card from your hand, discard it] When this unit is placed from hand to the guardian circle, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose 1 of your vanguards that is being attacked, during that battle, that unit cannot be hit.
CONT: This card is from all clans and all nations.

Sunny's autoskill helps make up for removing a card from play during the G Assist step, negating the net -1 that a cardfighter that successfully assists has to take. In exchange the opponent also draws a card, preserving the different in card advantage while not punishing the assisting cardfighter as severely for being forced to assist. However, like the other G-perfect defense cards to be printed since G-BT01: Generation Stride, Sunny cannot protected rearguards from attacks, opening up vulnerability to Commander Laurel and Dragonic Overlord the End.

News: Manga Volume 6 Goes on Sale

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

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

News: Vanguard Manga Volume 5 to Include Episode Zero, Exculpate the Blaster Promo

Yesterday evening Vertical Inc. posted a vine of Cardfight!! Vanguard volume 5, showcasing both the manga's latest promotional card and a page from the volume's omake, Episode 0. This zeroth chapter of the manga details Kai Toshiki's past, and is the first canonical appearance of Link Joker cardfighter Ibuki Kouji, a major character in the fifth anime series Cardfight!! Vanguard G as well as the principle antagonist in the film Neon Messiah. Having first debuted in Japan in January of 2013, the English translation of the zeroth chapter marks the close of the manga's first arc. The initial five volumes of the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga approximately correspond to the first season of the anime series, while the sixth through eighth volumes currently released in Japan correspond to the anime's Link Joker and Neon Messiah chapters.

While the first three volumes were packaged with Studio TMS' alternate artworks for Blaster Blade, Dragonic Overlord and Blaster Dark, beginning with volume 4 the English-language promotional cards  have matched their Japanese counterparts. Hence while volume 4's was The Dark Dictator, volume 5's is Exculpate the Blaster. The motivation behind reprinting the promo cards, which in English were originally distributed as box toppers, was likely that these cards have not been reprinted since their initial run two years prior. Exculpate in particular was only available as a topper for VGE-EB01: Comic Style Vol. 1, one of the least successful sets in the history of the English-language card game.

The fifth volume of the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga will be released on February 17th, and can be preordered through Amazon. Volume 6 is to follow on May 26th, and volume 7 on August 25th.

Today's Card Analysis: Magical Gambler

Today's Japanese card of the day is a promo card for Cardfight Pack Vol. 16, Magical Gambler. Gambler's generation break 1 activates when he stands due to a card effect; for counterblast 1 he can send the top card of the deck to the drop zone and then gain power equal to that card's original power, allowing him to attack a second time with what will normally be at least a +4000 power boost and potentially up to a +11000 boost. While this can be helpful, what sets Magical Gambler apart is when his skill is stacked alongside those of the cards introduced in G-BT01: Generation Stride.

When stood using the skills of the grade 4 unit Vict Ten or the stride support card Mecha Battler Victor, Gambler will already have a +5000 power boost placed on him, and with his generation break will hit a minimum of 18000 power. This is just enough to make a crossride like Big Bang Knuckle Buster drop 10000 shield, but if Gambler's skill sends a unit with at least 9000 power to the drop zone he'll attack for 23000 power, making his second attack dramatically more powerful than his first.

Magical Gambler's skill also helps set up for legion skills, building on the tangible advantage that's been created for going second. With effective stride units like Vict Ten and Vict Plasma available there's no incentive to drop more cards than necessary to guard, or arbitrarily force oneself into legion by other means, since a large portion of Nova Grappler's midgame is now spent on grade 4s. Magical Gambler naturally builds towards legion, stacking on top of the cards discarded to pay the cost for stride. While Nova Grappler's only viable legion units at this time are Mega Flare and Drill Wing, neither of these cards require Raizer rearguards in order to function. So Gambler can serve a variety of mixed offensive and setup roles depending on the type of deck he's used in, and by playing with the minimum numbers of 13~18000 in mind can be counted on for reliable offense.