News: "No Changes" on Japanese Restricted List, Monthly Bushiroad Cup to be Held in June

This morning Bushiroad of Japan issued a formal statement that following consideration of the results of the Fighter's Road 2015 Tokyo regional qualifier at this year's Great Vanguard Festival (held last month), there will be no changes made to the Fighter's Rules for the coming tournament season. This includes the "Additional Rules on the Use of Cards" section, which functions as the game's restricted list. Furthermore, Dragonic Overlord “The X” and Seeker Thing Saver Dragon have both been taken off of the Fighter's Rules watchlist, which up to now listed those cards on the official website as being potentially restricted in the future. No statistics regarding clan usage in FR2015 have been published, but the company's internal data likely parallels latent tournament results in which “The X” was virtually eradicated from tournament play, and Thing Saver's 40% stranglehold on the format broken by an influx of Phantom Blaster “Abyss” decks using “Diablo” support.

【カードの使用に関する追加ルール】について

 大ヴァンガ祭2015で行われた「ファイターズロード2015」の結果を元に協議した結果、【カードの使用に関する追加ルール】に変更はありません。

Regarding "Additional Rules Related to Card Use"

Consulting the results of "Fighter's Road 2015," there will be no changes to the "Additional Rules Related to Card Use."

In January, Bushiroad of Japan had announced Dragon Overlord “The X” and Thing Saver to be under consideration for restriction, after moving Calamity Tower Wyvern and (preemptively) Commander Laurel onto the list. Following Calamity Tower's restriction, a punctuated dropoff in Kagerou usage was observed in tournament play, and Thing Saver Dragon once again rose to dominate professional tournament results. Had the introduction of “Diablo” not given new life to the Revenger deck, Thing Saver would likely find himself restricted by this time.

In other news, Bushiroad made an announcement over the Cardfight!! Vanguard promotional twitter account this morning that the Monthly Bushiroad Cup will be held on June 6th. This team tournament will be held at Sunshine City in Tokyo, and contestants will form three-person teams to compete. As with all Bushiroad tournaments, the competition will have no entry free. All participants that stay until the closing ceremony will receive a copy of the promotional card Fiercebau, and first through third place will receive special gifts in that month's issue of Monthly Bushiroad magazine as well as specially made Fighter's Medals commemorating the tournament. The winning team will be featured in July's issue of Monthly Bushiroad. The tournament will follow a double elimination format, with each game between individual cardfighters being best-of-one and lasting no more than 20 minutes each. The Monthly Bushiroad Cup is expected to last between two and four rounds, concluding within two hours of its start time.

The Cup was was likely designed as a vanity tournament to push the magazine's brand, as Sunshine City is a high traffic entertainment center with strong exposure to the general public. The tournament will be held inside Exhibition Hall C, which is the third most expensive space to rent in the building; unit prices on the hall exceed $16000 per day.

Sunshine City, third floor, Exhibition Hall C. Original image provided by Sunshine City.

News: Fighter's Collection Units to be Remade as Legion Pairs, Thing Saver Dragon Saves All of the Things in FR2014 Tokyo

Fourteen hours ago Bushiroad representative Doctor O tweeted a surprising piece of information on upcoming cards, revealing that on June 10th 8:00 PM JST a special conference will be held through NicoNico Douga, outlining the schedule of Legion releases for the remaining clans in a product lineup for the season. Accompanying this announcement will be the beginning of the "Grade 3 Revival Campaign," which will feature the remaking of old boss cards with new Legion skills to bring them up to speed with new game mechanics. The units chosen came from a survey based on Fighter's Collection 2013, with the fan favorite units getting remakes. Each month, the official cf-vanguard portal will be revealing one of the units included in the game, with July's Legion pair being CEO Amaterasu and a new card to Legion with her. Remaining Legion pairs will be released from August onwards. The conference will also include information on Cardfight!! Vanguard Legion Mate, the currently-airing fourth season of the anime series.

Original photo by EnjoyVanguard.

In other news, the decklists from Japan's ongoing summer national tournament "Fighter's Road 2014" have been uploaded to the official Japanese Cardfight portal, unveiling the Thing Saver Dragon decks used by Takagi Yuuta and Ooyama Takeshi to take first and second place in the open-class regional qualifier. Following suit in the junior's division, the Victory Cup regional qualifier brought its own surprises as according to his Twitter page, the junior regional champion for Tokyo is none other than child actor Horiki Takumi, who played the deuteragonist of the 2012 Cardfight!! Vanguard live-action film and also made guest appearances on the Vanguard TV programming block Vanguard Kids. These successes on the Royal Paladin end of professional play have come on the heels of high placements from Thing Saver cardfighters thinking along similar lines at the Second Beast Deity Cup and Fourth Laketown Championship. The Tokyo regional decklists each placed particular emphasis on the Quintet Wall, Summoning Jewel Knight Gloria, reflecting the general favor Quintet cards have received from professional cardfighters in the BT16-on format. You can jump directly to the Fighter's Road decklists or the Victory Cup decklists by searching the page for [FR14OC] or [FR14VC] while VF Koushien decklists can be jumped to by searching for [FR14KS]

FR2014 Tokyo Regional Qualifier Top 8 (Open Class)
Takagi Yuuta/高木 裕太 - Royal Paladin
Ooyama Takeshi/大山 強志 - Royal Paladin
Sakumagazuki/サクマ カズキ (Doctor O Award) - Narukami
Saito Takato/斉藤 理斗 - Neo Nectar
Onodera Yuuta/小野寺 佑太 - Dimension Police
Okuwaki Yu/奥脇 優 - Nova Grappler
Takahashi Kazuya/高橋 和也 - Pale Moon
Watanabe Hitomi/渡部 瞳 - Aqua Force

Also notable is that the Brawler decklist that received the Doctor O award does not use Skybeat Dragon as was the convention prior to the release of BT16: Legion of Dragons and Blades, but instead Narukami cardfighter Sakumagazuki (alias) replaced it with Wild Rush Dragon, a Legion grade 3 whose skill lets it counterblast 1 for +10000 power and +1 critical when it drive checks a card with the same name as one of the two units on the vanguard circle, increasing its power after the guard step has already taken place and potentially surpassing the value of what would otherwise be a no-pass defense. Prior to BT16 there was some debate of whether Bigbang Knuckle Dragon's mass frontrow attack or Wild Rush's unpredictable persona blast-like effect would be favored in competitive play, and it seems that for now the more difficult to anticipate card has gained ground with pros.

The Tokyo regional qualifier also represents the first Metalborg victory for the Dimension Police clan, with Sin Buster cardfighter Shibata Takumi coming in second place in the Victory Cup tournament. Shibata's strategy was to use Sin Buster along with the special booster Black Doctor to create a strong center lane, and the supporting rearguard Commander Laurel to restand his vanguard. Sin Buster's Legion skill prevents the opponent from guarding with grade 1 or greater units from their hand if Sin Buster's power exceeds 30000, and unlike a variety of old-style Dimension Police units, this power threshold only has be reached after boosting. Black Doctor is a base 10000 booster whenever the unit is in Legion, so that with Sin and Doctor alone the post-Legion skill will be constantly active.

Even when Doctor is not available, the skills of Russell Blizzard and the stand trigger Metalborg Operator Kirika can increase the power of up to two vanguards by +3000 power, simultaneously giving power to the entire Legion pair of Sin Buster and Ur Buster. Since the opponent can only guard with grade 0 units, this makes their defensive power finite, and when his attack hits Sin Buster's innate skill will let him draw a card, while Commander Laurel's skill follows the time-tested strategy of resting four rearguards to restand the vanguard, a threat which is becoming more difficult than ever to defend because of the ability to block both perfect defense cards and Quintet Walls. Even should the opponent survive the turn, the initial draw from Sin Buster and the +2 from using Commander Laurel helps secure the game by keeping handsize high, making the Shibata's Metalborg deck formidable in professional play.

FR2014 Open Class Tokyo Regional Qualifier [FR14OC]
First place: Takagi Yuuta/高木裕太
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x4 Margal DT
x4 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x4 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
Grade 1
x3 Flash Shield, Iseult
x1 Summoning Jewel Knight, Gloria
x2 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x4 Lake Maiden, Lien
x2 Glynngal Seeker
x2 Flail Seeker, Hasbasado
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x3 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x4 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x4 Seeker, Sacred Wingal

Second place: Ooyama Takeshi/大山強志
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x4 Margal DT
x4 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x4 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
Grade 1
x2 Guardian Law Seeker, Shiron
x2 Summoning Jewel Knight, Gloria
x3 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x4 Lake Maiden, Lien
x2 Glynngal Seeker
x1 Flail Seeker, Hasbasado
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x3 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x4 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x4 Seeker, Sacred Wingal

Doctor O Prize: Sakumagazuki/サクマカズキ
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FV)
x4 Brawler, Green Gem Carbuncle HT
x3 Brawler, Dokouson DT
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
x4 Brawler, Plasmakick Dragon CT
x1 Brawler of Heavens, Youzen
Grade 1
x2 Hardship Brawler, Toshu
x2 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x2 Tonfa Wielding Brawler, Ark
x3 Rising Phoenix
x1 Bonfire Eradicator, Castor
x4 Threatening Brawler, Koumei
Grade 2
x4 Brawler, Wild Fist Dragon
x3 Brawler, Skyhowl Dragon
x2 Military Brawler, Lisei
x1 Brawler, Plasma Claw Dragon
x2 Brawler Youjin
Grade 3
x4 Brawler, Shotgun Blow Dragon
x3 Brawler, Wild Rush Dragon

FR2014 Victory Cup Tokyo Regional Qualifier [FR14VC]
First place: Horiki Takumi/堀切拓海
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x4 Margal DT
x4 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x4 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
Grade 1
x2 Guardian Law Seeker, Shiron
x2 Summoning Jewel Knight, Gloria
x4 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x3 Lake Maiden, Lien
x2 Glynngal Seeker
x2 Flail Seeker, Hasbasado
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x3 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x2 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
x2 Seeker of Bravery, Ars
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x3 Seeker, Sacred Wingal

Second place: Shibata Takuma/柴田拓真
Grade 0
x1 Destined Warrior, Dai (FV)
x4 Metalborg, Black Nurse HT
x4 Metalborg, Devil Roader DT
x4 Metalborg, Battle Roller CT
x4 Metalborg, Operator Kirika ST
Grade 1
x4 Metalborg, Mist Ghost
x2 Dimensional Robo, Daishield
x2 Metalborg, Bri Knuckle
x4 Commander Laurel
x3 Metalborg, Black Doctor
Grade 2
x4 Metalborg, Lionetter
x3 Metalborg, Russell Blizzard
x4 Metalborg, Ur Buster
Grade 3
x4 Metalborg, Sin Buster
x3 Metalborg, Draion

Doctor O Prize: Nishiguchi Reiji/西口玲侍
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x4 Margal DT
x1 Messgal Seeker DT
x4 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x3 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
Grade 1
x4 Guardian Law Seeker, Shiron
x2 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x4 Lake Maiden, Lien
x2 Glynngal Seeker
x2 Flail Seeker, Hasbasado
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x4 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x3 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x4 Seeker, Sacred Wingal

FR2014 Tokyo VF Koushien Team Tournament [FR14KS]
Foreward: Andou Masaya/安藤雅也
Grade 0
x1 Starting Ripple, Alecs (FV)
x4 Medical Officer of the Rainbow Elixir HT
x4 Blue Storm Soldier, Missile Trooper CT
x1 Battleship Intelligence CT
x4 Dolphin Soldier of High Speed Raids ST
x2 Pyroxene Beam Blue Dragon Soldier ST
x1 Enemy Seeking Seagull Soldier ST
Grade 1
x1 Battle Siren, Dorothea
x3 Patrol Swimming Jellyfish Soldier
x3 Tear Knight, Cyprus
x3 Tear Knight, Theo
x4 Emerald Shield, Paschal
Grade 2
x1 Twin Strike Brave Shooter
x1 Coral Assault
x2 Blue Storm Soldier, Tempest Assault
x2 Tear Knight, Lazarus
x4 Tidal Assault
Grade 3
x4 Blue Flight Dragon, Transcore Dragon
x4 Blue Wave Dragon, Tetra Drive Dragon

Midfighter: Kawamoto Suzumi/河本涼生
Grade 0
x1 Liberator, Cheer Up Trumpeter (FV)
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
x4 Armed Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
Grade 1
x4 May Rain Liberator, Bruno
x4 White Rainbow Liberator, Balan
x2 Sword Formation Liberator, Igraine
x2 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Starry Skies Liberator, Guinevere
Grade 2
x3 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x4 Liberator, Star Rain Trumpeter
x4 Blaster Blade Liberator
Grade 3
x2 Liberator, Monarch Sanctuary Alfred
x2 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot
x4 Liberator of Bonds, Gancelot Zenith

Captain: Yamamoto Hiroki/山本拓希
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x2 Margal DT
x2 Messgal Seeker DT
x4 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x4 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
Grade 1
x2 Summoning Jewel Knight, Gloria
x2 Flash Shield, Iseult
x3 Seeker, Rune Eagle
x4 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x3 Glynngal Seeker
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x4 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x3 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x4 Seeker, Sacred Wingal

News: Nouvelle and Shotgun Blow Dragon Spread Sparks Over FR2014 Nagoya, Thing Saver Dragon Dominates Tokyo Regional

Runner-up Kajiya Takayoshi. Photo by the_Blue_13.

The first and second regional qualifiers for Japan's summer 2014 national tournament took place this week, with up-and-coming fighter Itou Tatsuya taking first at the Nagoya regional with his Dragonic Nouvelle Vague deck. Followed closely by Kajiya Takahito with Shotgun Blow Dragon in second, this marks the transition into the summer professional season with both a well established build of past formats and the rise of new blood in the format. Just days after BT16's release on the 16th, two Royal Paladin cardfighters playing the new Seeker Thing Saver Dragon took first and second at FR2014 Tokyo regional, one of the most difficult tournaments to qualify at in the Japanese system due to the high bi-annual turnout. Decklists for Tokyo are forthcoming, while in the meantime we have the top 8 from Nagoya along with the decklists from Fighter's Road, the Victory Cup and VF Koushien team tournament. The Nagoya decklists are below by the heading [FR14OC]

FR2014 Nagoya Regional Qualifier Top 8 (Open Class)
Itou Tatsuya/伊藤 竜也 - Kagerou
Kajiya Takayoshi/梶屋 隆仁 - Narukami
Fukaya Kouki/深谷 公貴 (Doctor O Award) - Neo Nectar
Ooshima Kazuhiro/大嶋 一弘 - Bermuda Triangle
Chikami Yuuki/近間 悠希 - Link Joker
Wakayama Masayuki/若山 将之 - Genesis
Kokui Shougo/國井 将吾 - Pale Moon

The Doctor O Award for the tournament went to Fukaya Kyouki's Musketeers deck, for smoothly integrating the old Cecilia strategy along with Fighter's Collection 2014's Holly Musketeer Elvira. This is the last pre-BT16 Musketeers deck to make top 8 in a major tournament after Tomato's success at the Kansai VGCS last January, and has been followed by a post-BT16 Musketeers cardfighter in the Tokyo top 4. According to tweets from on-site viewers, the Tokyo top 4 was Thing Saver, Thing Saver, Musketeers and Metalborgs. Thing Saver Dragon's success was well forecasted in Japan, where the card has been sitting at double Nouvelle Vague's single price for some time now. The card is respected as a self-standing vanguard that can be activated without needing to be at 4 damage, and with its Legion power boost and on-attack skills the Dragon already makes a 23000 power line, a peak number versus the dominant Nouvelle decks. Thing Saver's access to Margal for soulcharging and the promo card Glynngal Seeker for unflipping damage is also considered important because it allows the unit's Legion skill to be repeated several times to finish the opponent off, although this is ultimately limited by the number of Thing Savers available in the deck due to the need to superior ride one to stand.

Meanwhile Shotgun Blow's success at Nagoya is coming in the aftermath of its widespread adoption in the fan-run Vanguard Championships, where the Brawlers have been leaving their mark as a fast and powerful control deck in direct competition with the break ride-centric Nouvelle Vague. The Brawlers are projected to become even more of a runaway success with the release of Bigbang Knuckle Dragon and Wild Rush Dragon in BT16, but what exact form the new Narukami will take is uncertain. Bigbang is a modification to the Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion formula, attacking the frontrow for CB2 while in Legion rather than for CB3 while at limit break, and Wild Rush's skill effectively adds six critical triggers to the deck that give +10000 instead of +5000; when Wild Rush is in Legion, if it drive checks a copy of either of its Legion pair units, it can CB1 for +10000 power and +1 critical. Regardless of what combination of their core vanguards becomes the most popular, considering the relative expense of each deck, incoming cardfighters and those that did not adopt Nouvelle in the first place are considered likely to move in favor of the Brawlers, whose fast and easy setup allows them to easily compete with the grade 4 on equal terms.

2014's Victory Cup replaces the original juniors' division of professional play that has existed since 2011, although the term "open class" is still used to refer to the adult division by way of grandfather clause. Any cardfighters that are not in their third year of junior high school or greater can participate in the Victory Cup, which in the Japanese school system is equivalent to a fourteen-and-under division. Due to an error on the official Cardfight portal, the Victory Cup results are erroneously listed as a team tournament, although the decklists are appropriately headed "Champion," "Runner-up" and "Doctor O Prize" instead of "Foreward," "Midfighter" and "Captain." The Victory Cup decklists are by the heading [FR14VC] Meanwhile the 2014 VF Koushien is this year's major team tournament, named after the annual baseball tournament series of the same name. Unlike in 2013, there is no requirement this year for participants to be in the junior' division, and accordingly there is no separate team tournament for open class cardfighters as happened during FR2013. VF Koushien is thus experiencing a return to the 2012 system. The Koushien decklists are below by the heading [FR14KS]

Notably, this year's Victory Cup and VF Koushien tournaments are the first time we've seen Megacolony decks in professional play, with Tsurumoto Hiroki and Isogai Hitoshi both running variations on the Machining deck with the Cyclomatooth break ride to stall the opponent out, repeatedly preventing them from standing their field each turn and inducing a -2 for each -1 the Megacolony fighters incur. The Fighter's Collection 2014 boss card Machining Warsickle was particularly favored by Isogai, who used its limit break on subsequent turns after his break ride to continue preventing the opponent's vanguard from standing, giving him heavy leverage against Nouvelle's on-attack guard denial.

FR2014 Open Class Nagoya Regional Qualifier [FR14OC]
Regional champion: Itou Tatsuya/伊藤竜也
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Seal Dragon, Shirting HT
x3 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x1 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
x2 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
x4 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
Grade 1
x4 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x3 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x4 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x2 Bellicosity Dragon
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x1 Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Я”
x2 Dragonic Overlord
x3 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x3 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Second Place: Kajiya Takahito
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FV)
x4 Brawler, Green Gem Carbuncle HT
x4 Brawler, Dokouson DT
x1 Eradicator, Blue Gem Carbuncle DT
x1 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x1 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x2 Malevolent Djinn CT
x2 Brawler, Plasmakid Dragon CT
x1 Spark Edge Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Tonfa Wielding Brawler, Ark
x4 Rising Phoenix
x2 Bonfire Eradicator, Castor
Grade 2
x3 Brawler, Skyhowl Dragon
x3 Military Brawler, Lisei
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
x2 Brawler Youjin
Grade 3
x4 Brawler, Shotgun Blow Dragon
x3 Brawler, Skybeat Dragon

Doctor O Award: Fukaya Kouki
Grade 0
x1 Broccolini Musketeer, Kirah (FV)
x4 Hibiscus Musketeer, Hanah HT
x4 Four Leaf Fairy DT
x4 Blue Rose Musketeer, Ernest ST
x4 Night Queen Musketeer, Daniel CT
x4 Bullet Chestnut CT
Grade 1
x2 Lily of the Valley Musketeer, Rebecca
x4 Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth
x4 Red Rose Musketeer, Antonio
x4 Dandelion Musketeer, Mirkka
Grade 2
x4 Cherry Blossom Musketeer, Augusto
x4 Lily of the Valley Musketeer, Kaivant
x4 Pansy Musketeer, Sylvia
Grade 3
x3 White Lily Musketeer, Cecilia
x4 Holly Musketeer, Elvira

FR2014 Victory Cup Nagoya Regional Qualifier [FR14VC]
First Place: Tsuchiya Yuuki/土屋勇希
Grade 0
x1 Little Battler, Cron (FV)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Armed Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x3 Little Liberator, Marron
x3 May Rain Liberator, Bruno
x4 White Rainbow Liberator, Balan
x1 Sword Formation Liberator, Igraine
x3 Halo Liberator, Mark
Grade 2
x2 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x2 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x3 Liberator, Star Rain Trumpeter
x4 Blaster Blade Liberator
Grade 3
x2 Liberator, Monarch Sanctuary Alfred
x3 Liberator of Bonds, Gancelot Zenith
x3 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Second Place: Gotouyuusuke/ゴトウユウスケ
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Seal Dragon, Shirting HT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x3 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x4 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x1 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
Grade 1
x1 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x3 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x3 Seal Dragon, Kersey
x4 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x1 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x1 Lizard Soldier Grom
Grade 2
x2 Bellicosity Dragon
x4 Dominate Drive Dragon
x2 Dragon Dancer, Arabella
x2 Seal Dragon, Hunger Hell Dragon
x1 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Я”
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x1 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Doctor O Prize: Tsurumoto Hiroki/鶴本祐基
Grade 0
x1 Megacolony Battler C (FV)
x4 Machining Bombyx HT
x4 Machining Scorpio CT
x8 Machining Cicada ST
Grade 1
x2 Machining Mosquito
x4 Machining Hornet
x2 Machining Ladybug
x3 Machining Black Soldier
x1 Machining Locust
x2 Paralyze Madonna
x2 Machining Caucasus
Grade 2
x2 Machining Red Soldier
x2 Machining Mantis
x2 Machining Papillion
x4 Machining Tarantula
Grade 3
x2 Machining Warsickle
x1 Machining Spark Hercules
x4 Unrivaled Blade Rogue, Cyclomatooth

FR2014 Nagoya VF Koushien Team Tournament [FR14KS]
Foreward: Iwabuchi Kouya/岩渕宏哉
Grade 0
x1 Desire Jewel Knight, Heloise (FV)
x4 Jewel Knight, Hilmy HT
x4 Jewel Knight, Sacred Unicorn DT
x4 Blazing Jewel Knight, Rachel CT
x4 Jewel Knight, Noble Stinger CT
Grade 1
x2 Summoning Jewel Knight, Gloria
x2 Flashing Jewel Knight, Iseult
x3 Jewel Knight, Prizmy
x3 Stinging Jewel Knight, Shellie
x4 Security Jewel Knight, Arwen
Grade 2
x4 Banding Jewel Knight, Miranda
x3 Fellowship Jewel Knight, Tracie
x4 Linking Jewel Knight, Tilda
Grade 3
x4 Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei
x4 Broken Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei “Я”

Midfighter: Ooba Shin'ichi/大庭伸一
Grade 0
x1 Morgenroet (FV)
x4 Regenbogen HT
x4 Schneeregen DT
x4 Shining Lady CT
x4 Schones Wetter CT
Grade 1
x1 Blaupanzer
x4 Blau Dunkelheit
x2 Flower Ray Leprechaun
x4 Clay-doll Mechanic
x2 Polar Stern
Grade 2
x4 Blaukluger
x3 Jupiter Blaukluger
x3 Mars Blaukluger
x2 Grosse Baer
Grade 3
x3 Mond Blaukluger
x3 Galaxy Blaukluger
x2 Stern Blaukluger

Captain: Isogai Hitoshi/磯貝仁志
Grade 0
x1 Machining Little Bee (FV)
x4 Machining Bombyx HT
x4 Raider Mantis DT
x4 Machining Scorpio CT
x2 Sharp Nail Scorpio CT
x2 Shelter Beetle CT
Grade 1
x1 Machining Mosquito
x4 Machining Hornet
x2 Machining Ladybug
x2 Paralyze Madonna
x4 Machining Caucasus
Grade 2
x4 Machining Red Soldier
x4 Machining Mantis
x2 Machining Armor Beetle
Grade 3
x4 Machining Warsickle
x2 Machining Spark Hercules
x4 Unrivaled Blade Rogue, Cyclomatooth

News: Shadow Paladin and Link Joker Top Tokyo Regional, Granblue Provokes Applause in Team Tournament

Update: The decklists for the tournament are now out.

Doctor O has reported the results of the Fighter's Road 2013 Tokyo regional tournament, which was just completed earlier today. Drawing much excitement, the Eradicator deadlock that has dominated much of the tournament season was broken by the arrival of VG-BT12: Binding Force of the  Black Rings and the new Shadow Paladin and Link Joker decks with it. Doctor O listed Tokyo's Open division top 4 as Shadow Paladin, Narukami and Link Joker, implying that one of these clans made two separate entries into the top.

Meanwhile in the VF High School team tournaments, the winning team drew cheers from the audience for its Granblue cardfighter, who carried their team to the top in spite of the clan having not received proper support since April of last year, in VG-BT06: Breaker of Limits. Decklists for the Open, Junior and team tournaments should be coming out later this week, providing a view of just how heavily BT12's release has impacted professional play.

While the success of Shadow Paladin and Link Joker was not completely unexpected, these new builds being able to compete with decks like Descendant on-release is still an unanticipated upset. Raging Folm Dragon's and Nebula Lord's prices in Japan have since jumped up into the range of 2000 yen per card (approximately $20 US) and Link Joker's perfect defense Promethium has gone to 1800 JPY, comparable to Barri's price during the Japanese reign of Dragonic Overlord The End. For comparison, the Revenger print of Mac Lir is hovering at 900-1000 yen, and the RRR print of Descendant has stayed at 900-1200. Cardfighters all across the country are eager to overturn the Eradicators' stranglehold on Fighter's Road, and with only two regionals remaining there is a limited window within which to do that. One trend that has been noted by attending cardfighters is the increased prevalence of Dark Zone clans; the introduction of Reverse units has deeply empowered Pale Moon and Dark Irregulars beyond their previous eras in BT03 and BT07, with Luquier Reverse and Amon Reverse being heavily proliferated across the different divisions. A distortion has appeared in the otherwise stable Japanese scene, and practically overnight the clan of the next national champion has become uncertain. Link Joker may be just the wild card pro fighters have been looking for.

Press Release: Bushiroad Announces Next Generation Licenses – “Future Card Buddyfight” & “Five Qross”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bushiroad Announces Next Generation Licenses – “Future Card Buddyfight” & “Five Qross”

Tokyo, Japan (June 13, 2013) – Bushiroad announced 2 next generation licenses, “ Future Card Buddyfight” and “Five Qross” at the International Tokyo Toy Show 2013 in Tokyo, on June 13, 2013.

“Future Card Buddyfight” is a new generation trading card game meant for children between the ages of 9 and 11 years old. Comic serialization begins from Winter 2013 in Shogakukan’s “CoroCoro Comic,” and the airing of the “Future Card Buddyfight” TV Animation in Japan starts in early 2014.

In an unprecedented move, the company has announced that “Future Card Buddyfight” will feature simultaneous worldwide releases of both the Japanese and English editions of the card game in January 2014.

Bushiroad will release further information about “Future Card Buddyfight” in Autumn 2013.

More announcements on this exciting new license will be made at http://fc-buddyfight.com/.

The other license in development, “Five Qross,” is scheduled for release in Autumn 2013 in Japan. “Five Qross” will utilize a hybrid system where players purchase physical packs and play online.

*Logo not final and is subject to change.

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Bushiroad Group Publishing Inc. consists of 5 sub-entities: Bushiroad Inc., Bushiroad South East Asia Pte Ltd, Bushiroad USA Inc., Bushiroad Media, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co., Ltd.

Bushiroad South East Asia Pte Ltd was established in Singapore on November 12, 2011 in order to expand the overseas market for Bushiroad card games such as Cardfight!! Vanguard, Weiβ Schwarz, Chaos TCG and Victory Spark.

Bushiroad USA Inc. was established in Los Angeles, California on May 18, 2012, to better cater to the growing demand and interest in Cardfight!! Vanguard from both players and retailers in the USA.

News: Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament Tokyo Results

Yesterday evening the Japanese Cardfight portal released the top two decklists for the Tokyo branch of the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament, held in commemoration of the end of the controversial second season of the Cardfight Vanguard!! anime. Following up what the Osaka tournament began, the event operates under special rules which require all participating cardfighters to have more than four grade 3s in their deck, in response to pro cardfighters Tachibana Souten and Nakamura Mitsuaki emulating contenders from the previous year's national title in creating decks with less than that number. These pros made use of specific search skills to dominate their respective tournaments, on a smaller scale than the Tsukuyomi-based cardfighters of previous years had done before them. Speculation abounds that the Memorial Tournament rules, if successful, could become standardized rules for professional Cardfight as a whole, permanently bringing a close to this trend in deckbuilding.

With two more stages yet remaining--in Nagoya and Hakata--the Memorial Tournament has so far been dominated by the new Eradicator subgroup, in contrast to the underground success of the Shadow Paladins in the current format. The Eradicators are a subgroup of the retire-based Narukami clan, and focus on maintaining a static critical for the vanguard line each turn, as well as on standing their vanguard like Kagerou did before them. Tokyo has seen an upset in the pattern, as second place was taken by a Battle Sister-based variation on the soulless CoCo deck, retooling it for the modern format built around base 11000 vanguards. Note that while the Tokyo winners share a surname, they are currently believed to be unrelated. On the Narukami side of things, all of the Eradicator decks seen thus far are extremely similar in build, but Uemura Shouhei from the Osaka tournament seems to be coming up as the more influential cardfighter, having worked out the "blueprint" for the Eradicators.

The Nagoya and Hakata stages of the Memorial Tournament are to take place on March 30th and April 6th, respectively. The winners of the Memorial Tournament will have an invitation to the Fighter's Road 2013 national championship.

Prizewinner: Itou Hiroaki/伊藤寛明
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x2 Eradicator of True Flames, Kougaiji
x3 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x3 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Sparkrain Dragon
x4 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x3 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Runner-Up: Itou Yuki/伊藤翔
Grade 0
x1 Little Witch, LuLu (FVG)
x4 Oracle Guardian, Nike CT
x4 Psychic Bird CT
x4 Battle Sister, Ginger CT
x4 Lozenge Magus HT
Grade 1
x4 Oracle Guardian, Gemini
x4 Battle Sister, Chocolat
x3 Dark Cat
x2 Battle Sister, Omelette
x1 Red River Dragoon
Grade 2
x4 Battle Sister, Mocha
x3 Promise Daughter
x2 Silent Tom
x2 Battle Sister, Macaron
Grade 3
x4 Battle Sister, Cookie
x4 Scarlet Witch, CoCo

News: New Years' Trio Festival 2013 Tokyo Championship Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

National Championship Live Broadcast and Fighter's Interviews

Two hours ago Bushiroad aired a broadcast on NicoNico Douga, live from Japan's 2012 national championship events in Akiba Square, Tokyo. Meant to provide coverage before the actual events got underway, the show was hosted by celebrated TV persona, Doctor O and a guest commentator.

Opening the broadcast by discussing the entered decks, Doctor O highlighted Kanamaru Makoto's much-anticipated Bermuda Triangle deck. Kanamaru's deck has been singled out as the most watched deck of the Fighter's Road events, standing out amidst a flood of Kagerou, RoPala and GoPala competitors. Bermuda's inclusion in the tournament is seen as surprising due to the influx of Dragonic Overlord The End and Majesty Lord Blaster decks, now regarded as the two most popular decks in competitive cardfight. Doctor O also made special mention of Gotou Kiyomi's Alfred deck, which has garnered much attention for being a modern take on an extremely old deck type--the King of Knights does not see common play as a main unit, instead generally acting as a backup for Soul Saver Dragon or Majesty Lord Blaster.

The broadcast was followed up by a fighter's interview section, in which Doctor O interviewed Itoyama Shintaro (pictured) and Takenaka Shun'ichi, the junior championship fighters representing Hakata and Tokyo, respectively. Itoyama is a Royal Paladin cardfighter, while Takenaka cardfights with a Gold Paladin deck. Itoyama explained in his interview that he has a twelve-year-old younger brother, who usually wins when they fight; his brother uses a Kagerou deck. Itoyama's favorite character is Suzugamori Ren.

Takenaka meanwhile, is a sixth grader who cardfights with his father. Unlike him, his father uses a Narukami deck. His favorite card is Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel, and his favorite character is Aichi. In addition to Gold Paladin, he likes the Angel Feather clan because of the units' beauty.

Doctor O later tweeted live from the ongoing events, showcasing the standing fight tables being used in the competition's Free Area fights. Just two hours remain until Japan's 2012 senior and junior national champions are decided. This crowning will decide the two strongest fighters in Japan; and which decks will top the rest? Kanamaru is championed as a strong underdog candidate in the seniors division, and many hopes are riding on his shoulders. Shibata however, continues to remain the most popular name for the senior title, and besides him there are two other Kagerou cardfighters ready to seize his place should he falter. Things are heating up in Japanese waters as 40 fighters from two age brackets and one unified team competition fight it out for the throne of Japan.

Spotlight: Yamaguchi Kouhei/山口晃平

Fighter's Spotlight is an ongoing project concerned with tracking real-world professional cardfighters across the globe.

Yamaguchi Kouhei/山口晃平

Age: Unknown; Seniors Division
Titles Won: Tokyo Regional Champion (Senior Class)
Current Status: Tokyo Regional Champion
Deck Type: Royal Paladin (Majesty Lord Blaster)
Yamaguchi Kouhei is the 2012 Tokyo regional champion and a past contender for the national title. One of two favorites for the title alongside Shibata Yuusuke, in his time he ranked among the stronger of the participating cardfighters.

Decks and Play Style
Yamaguchi's deck is a take on the popular Majesty Lord Blaster build, integrating the King of Knights, Alfred and Palamedes in addition to his Blaster-type support cards. Draw triggers previously made essential for this deck by Shinhori Kentarou's version of it are abandoned altogether by Yamaguchi, in favor of a three-criticial trigger base that complements Majesty's aggressive skills. Including Kay in the deck effectively allows him to run six early game attack units, while Toypugal supports a Palamedes rearguard strategy, forming a 21000-column with him the turn after Majesty's skills have drawn Blasters Blade and Dark into the soul. Akane is included to support Toypugal, while Starcall Trumpeter brings out either of his grade 2 Blasters, through which Yamaguchi's Wingal Brave first vanguard can support to prepare him for Majesty Lord Blaster.

The King of Knights' inclusion is somewhat surprising but sensible. While the deck does not have the same focus on superior calls as other Royal Paladin decks, even in the rearguard Alfred can bring out Blaster Blade just as Starcall can bring out Blaster Dark. Dark's inclusion can potentially hamper the King's vanguard skills, but with Wingal Brave included in the deck, the likelihood of Alfred taking point is low. Like many of his contemporaries including other Royal Paladin cardfighters, Yamaguchi faces criticism for what is seen as a lack of originality in his deck build, and the perception that his Majesty Lord deck in particular is simply emulating a deck type seen as strong. How much of this criticism is true or false cannot be determined, due to the lack of open interviews with Yamaguchi himself, but the same views tend to pervade his Kagerou rivals.

Summer 2012 Regional Tournament, Tokyo Seniors Division
Card Pool: TD01-EB03, PR 0001-0066
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave (FVG)
x4 Future Knight, Llew CT
x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine HT
x4 Alabaster Owl CT
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona CT
Grade 1
x4 Flash Shield, Iseult
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x1 Lake Maiden, Lien
x3 Toypugal
x2 Knight of Friendship, Kay
Grade 2
x3 Blaster Blade
x1 High Dog Breeder, Akane
x3 Blaster Dark
x3 Starcall Trumpeter
x1 Knight of Loyalty, Bedivere
Grade 3
x2 King of Knights, Alfred
x3 Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes
x3 Majesty Lord Blaster

News: Fighter's Road 2012 Sendai, Hakata and Tokyo

This morning the winners of the three followup Fighter's Road 2012 regional competitions were announced through Bushiroad's official CF-Vanguard Japanese website. As in the preceding events, we are seeing the return of some of the previous year's pros, including Otobe Takasuke of the 2011 Grand Prix. In general however, Sendai, Hakata and Tokyo are seeing more newcomers than other cities.

First place winners in these competitions will go on to the national championship; two among those at the championship will be crowned Japan's 2012 National Champions. Following these three cities, we await results from Sapporo and Osaka.

This set of regionals saw the return of The King of Knights, Alfred, whose continuing popularity has bolstered him into Sendai's first-place slot. Dragonic Overlord The End remains a popular choice, and continues to vie with Majesty Lord Blaster for this year's most favored deck. Blond Ezel currently makes up the underdog deck, making a strong presentation at several of this year's competitions. Additionally, this marks the debut of Spectral Duke Dragon outside of the trio battles.

Trio Battle results will be reported in a separate post, due to the encroaching length of this article. Juniors Division results are now available.

Sendai Regional Finals
Seniors Division
Regional Champion: Gotou Kiyomi/後藤聖弥
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave (FVG)
x4 Future Knight, Llew CT
x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine HT
x4 Alabaster Owl CT
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona CT
Grade 1
x4 Flash Shield, Iseult
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x3 Lake Maiden, Lien
x4 Toypugal
Grade 2
x3 Blaster Blade
x4 Knight of Silence, Gallatin
x2 High Dog Breeder, Akane
x2 Knight of Determination, Lamorak
Grade 3
x4 Knight of Knights, Alfred
x3 Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes

Runner-up: Satou Souta/佐藤爽太
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x2 Dragon Dancer, Monica DT
x4 Lizard Soldier, Ganlu ST
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x2 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
Grade 1
x2 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x4 Dragon Monk, Goku
x1 Wyvern Strike, Jarran
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x2 Lizard Soldier, Raopia
Grade 2
x2 Dragon Knight, Berger
x4 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x4 Wyvern Strike, Tejas
Grade 3
x3 Dragonic Overlord
x2 Duel Axe Archdragon
x3 Dragonic Lawkeeper

Third Place: Otobe Takasute/乙部貴甫
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x1 Dragon Dancer, Monica DT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x4 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x3 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x3 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x1 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x1 Flame of Promise, Aermo
x1 Flame of Hope, Aermo
Grade 2
x3 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x2 Cross Shot, Garp
x2 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End

Fourth Place: Tsunoda Shinji/角田慎治
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x1 Dragon Dancer, Monica DT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x4 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x3 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x3 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x3 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x1 Flame of Hope, Aermo
Grade 2
x4 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x3 Dragonic Overlord
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End

Juniors Division
Regional Champion: Niida Kazuki/新井田和輝
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x4 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x2 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x4 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x3 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x1 Flame of Hope, Aermo
Grade 2
x2 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x1 Bellicosity Dragon
x2 Cross Shot, Garp
x2 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End

Runner-up: Hyougo Koyuki/兵庫小柚記
Grade 0
x1 Godhawk, Ichibyoshi (FVG)
x4 Lozenge Magus HT
x4 Oracle Guardian, Nike CT
x4 Emergency Alarmer ST
x4 Psychic Bird CT
Grade 1
x2 Battle Sister, Cocoa
x4 Oracle Guardian, Gemini
x4 Weather Girl, Milk
x4 Crescent Moon Goddess, Tsukuyomi
x2 Battle Sister, Maple
Grade 2
x3 Oracle Guardian, Wiseman
x2 Silent Tom
x3 Half Moon Goddess, Tsukuyomi
x2 Oracle Guardian, Red-Eye
Grade 3
x2 Oracle Guardian, Apollon
x4 Full Moon Goddess, Tsukuyomi
x1 Meteobreak Weizard

Third Place: Kai Ooyoshi/甲斐大吉
Grade 0
x2 Lizard Soldier, Conroe
x1 Amber Dragon, "Dawn" (FVG)
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x2 Lizard Soldier, Ganlu ST
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x3 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x1 Flame Seed Salamander ST
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Rakshasa CT
Grade 1
x1 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x3 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x1 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x4 Iron Tail Dragon
x1 Lizard Soldier, Raopia
x2 Amber Dragon, "Daylight"
Grade 2
x1 Dragon Knight, Aleph
x3 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x2 Blazing Core Dragon
x1 Amber Dragon, "Dusk"
x1 Burning Horn Dragon
Grade 3
x2 Dragonic Overlord
x1 Embodiment of Victory, Aleph
x1 Vortex Dragon
x1 Blazing Flare Dragon
x1 Dual Axe Archdragon
x1 Amber Dragon, "Eclipse"
x2 Dragonic Lawkeeper

Fourth Place: Hamato Hiroyuki/浜登洋行
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x4 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x3 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x4 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x2 Flame of Hope, Aermo
Grade 2
x4 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x3 Dragonic Overlord
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End

Hakata Regional Finals
Seniors Division
Regional Champion: Nakamura Seishirou/中村誠士朗
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x4 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
x2 Red Gem Carbuncle DT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x3 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x1 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x1 Heat Nail Salamander
x1 Flame of Promise, Aermo
Grade 2
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x4 Bellicosity Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End

Runner-up: Itoyama Shintarou/糸山真太郎
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave (FVG)
x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine HT
x4 Margal DT
x4 Alabaster Owl CT
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona CT
Grade 1
x4 Flash Shield, Iseult
x3 Little Sage, Marron
x2 Lake Maiden, Lien
x3 Toypugal
x3 Knight of Friendship, Kay
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade
x4 Blaster Dark
x2 Starcall Trumpeter
Grade 3
x1 King of Knights, Alfred
x1 Solitary Knight, Gancelot
x2 Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes
x4 Majesty Lord Blaster

Third Place: Tanaka Yuki/田中優樹
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave (FVG)
x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine HT
x4 Margal DT
x4 Alabaster Owl CT
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona CT
Grade 1
x3 Flash Shield, Iseult
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x3 Lake Maiden, Lien
x2 Toypugal
x2 Knight of Friendship, Kay
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade
x4 Blaster Dark
x2 Starcall Trumpeter
Grade 3
x3 King of Knights, Alfred
x1 Solitary Knight, Gancelot
x2 Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes
x3 Majesty Lord Blaster

Fourth Place: Hayashi Junpei/林純平
Grade 0
x1 Shieldseed Squire (FVG)
x4 Dangan Chestnut CT
x4 Dancing Sunflower DT
x4 Sweet Honey HT
x4 Watering Elf ST
Grade 1
x4 Caramel Popcorn
x3 Maiden of Blossom Rain
x4 Corolla Dragon
x3 Lady of Kamorebi
x1 Bladeseed Squire
Grade 2
x3 Glass Beads Dragon
x4 Iris Knight
x4 Hey Yo Pinappo
Grade 3
x4 Maiden of Trailing Rose
x3 Forerunner Battle Maiden, Laurel

Juniors Division
Regional Champion: Ario Kousuke/有尾公佑
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
x4 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Old Dragon Mage DT
x4 Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo HT
Grade 1 
x4 Wyvern Guard, Guld
x1 Desert Gunner, Raien
x3 Photon Bomber Wyvern
x4 Red River Dragoon
x2 Lightning of Hope, Helena
Grade 2
x2 Dragonic Deathscythe
x4 Thunderstorm Dragoon
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Garuda
x2 Hex Cannon Wyvern
Grade 3
x2 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion
x3 Breakthrough Dragon
x3 Thunder Break Dragon

Runner-up: Sougawa Yoshiki/早川嘉輝
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x3 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x4 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
x1 Demonic Dragon Mage, Rakshasa CT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x1 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
x2 Iron Tail Dragon
x2 Flame of Promise, Aermo
Grade 2
x4 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x3 Burning Horn Dragon
x1 Bellicosity Dragon
x2 Berserk Dragon

Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End

Third Place: Iwanaga Junpei/岩永準平
Grade 0
x4 Dragon Dancer, Monica DT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x1 Amber Dragon, "Dawn"
x4 Flame Seed Salamander ST
x4 Demonic Dragon Mage, Rakshasa CT
Grade 1
x2 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x4 Amber Dragon, "Daylight"
x4 Flame of Hope, Aermo
Grade 2
x4 Dragon Knight, Berger
x3 Amber Dragon, "Dusk"
x4 Cross Shot, Garp
Grade 3
x1 Dragonic Overlord
x3 Amber Dragon, "Eclipse"
x3 Garnet Dragon, "Flash"
x1 Dragonic Lawkeeper

Fourth Place: Nakamura Ryuushirou/中村竜志郎
Grade 0
x1 Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph (FVG)
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Silent Punisher CT
x4 Weapons Dealer, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Sommelier HT
Grade 1
x4 Sleygal Dagger
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x2 Charjgal
Grade 2
x2 Beast Knight, Garmall
x3 Mage of Calamity, Trip
x4 Gigantech Commander
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
Grade 3
x4 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x2 Holy Mage, Manawydan

Tokyo Regional Finals
Seniors Division
Regional Champion: Yamaguchi Kouhei/山口晃平
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave (FVG)
x4 Future Knight, Llew CT
x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine HT
x4 Alabaster Owl CT
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona CT
Grade 1
x4 Flash Shield, Iseult
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x1 Lake Maiden, Lien
x3 Toypugal
x2 Knight of Friendship, Kay
Grade 2
x3 Blaster Blade
x1 High Dog Breeder, Akane
x3 Blaster Dark
x3 Starcall Trumpeter
x1 Knight of Loyalty, Bedivere
Grade 3
x2 King of Knights, Alfred
x3 Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes
x3 Majesty Lord Blaster

Runner-up: Nukui Yuu/貫井悠
Grade 0
x1 Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph (FVG)
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Falcon Knight of the Azure DT
x4 Silent Punisher CT
x4 Elixir Sommelier HT
Grade 1
x3 Sleygal Dagger
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x1 Precipice Whirlwind, Sagramore
x3 Charjgal
Grade 2
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x3 Mage of Calamity, Trip
x2 Gigantech Commander
x1 Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemean Lion
Grade 3
x2 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x2 Holy Mage, Manawydan
x4 Great Silver Wolf, Garmore

Third Place: Miyao Yuwa/宮尾佑和
Grade 0
x1 Little Fighter, Cron (FVG)
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Silent Punisher CT
x4 Weapons Dealer, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Sommelier 
Grade 1
x4 Sleygal Dagger
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x2 Charjgal
Grade 2
x1 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x4 Mage of Calamity, Trip
x3 Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemean Lion
Grade 3
x1 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x2 Gigantech Destroyer
x4 Great Silver Wolf, Garmore

Fourth Place: Matsubara Ryoubun/松原諒文
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave (FVG)
x4 Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine HT
x4 Margal DT
x4 Alabaster Owl CT
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona CT
Grade 1
x4 Flash Shield, Iseult
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x1 Lake Maiden, Lien
x4 Pongal
x2 Toypugal
Grade 2
x3 Blaster Blade
x4 Knight of Silence, Gallatin
x2 High Dog Breeder, Akane
x2 Knight of Truth, Gordon
Grade 3
x4 King of Knights, Alfred
x1 Soul Saver Dragon
x3 Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes

Juniors Division
Regional Champion: Takenaka Shun'ichi/竹中駿一
Grade 0
x1 Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer (FVG)
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Falcon Knight of the Azure DT
x2 Silent Punisher CT
x2 Weapons Dealer, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Sommelier HT
Grade 1
x3 Halo Shield, Mark
x2 Little Battler, Tron
x4 Scout of Darkness, Vortimer
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
Grade 2
x2 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
x4 Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer
x2 Flash Edge Valkyrie
x3 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x1 Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemean Lion
Grade 3
x1 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x3 Holy Mage, Manawydan
x2 Spectral Duke Dragon
x1 Great Silver Wolf, Garmore
x1 Battlefield Storm, Sagramore

Runner-up: Katsumata Haruto/勝又悠斗
Grade 0
x1 Blaujunger (FVG)
x3 Battleraizer ST
x1 Shining Lady CT
x4 Round Girl, Clara HT
x4 Red Lightning CT
x4 The Gong DT
Grade 1 
x3 Tough Boy
x2 Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout
x3 Twin Blader
x3 Death Army Guy
x4 Blaupanzer
x1 Oasis Girl
Grade 2
x3 Genocide Jack
x3 Magician Girl, Kirara
x3 Death Army Lady
x1 Blaukruger

Grade 3
x1 Asura Kaiser
x1 Armoured Fairy, Sphira
x4 Beast Deity, Azure Dragon
x1 Death Metal Droid

Third Place: Abe Seigo/安倍聖吾
Grade 0
x1 Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer (FVG)
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x3 Falcon Knight of the Azure DT
x4 Silent Punisher CT
x1 Weapons Dealer, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Sommelier HT
Grade 1
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x2 Player of the Holy Axe, Nimue
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x3 Scout of Darkness, Vortimer
Grade 2
x2 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
x1 Mage of Calamity, Trip
x4 Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer
x3 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x1 Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemean Lion
Grade 3
x4 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x3 Spectral Duke Dragon
x1 Great Silver Wolf, Garmore
x1 Battlefield Storm, Sagramore

Fourth Place: Ogura Takumi/小倉拓海
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo HT
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
x4 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Old Dragon Mage DT
Grade 1
x3 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x1 Desert Gunner, Raien
x2 Photon Bomber Wyvern
x4 Red River Dragoon
x1 Lizard Soldier, Riki
x1 Lightning of Hope, Helena
x2 Djinn of the Lightning Spark
Grade 2
x1 Desert Gunner, Shiden
x2 Dragonic Deathscythe
x2 Thunderstorm Dragoon
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Garuda
x1 Brightlance Dragoon
x2 Shieldblade Dragoon
Grade 3
x3 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion
x3 Vajra Emperor, Indra
x2 Thunder Break Dragon

Is Vanguard Set in Shinjuku?

Recently these images, a comparison of Vanguard's 69th episode with a photo taken from Google maps, have been garnering attention via social media websites. The photo depicts Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku, one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, likewise located in Shinjuku, has also appeared in the anime.

Although it was confirmed earlier in the series' regional tournament arc that Aichi and his friends live in the Kanto region (a region of the Japanese mainland, Honshu) the geographic similarities between Vanguard's scenery and the real world suggest that they live in Tokyo. As Tokyo is one of the seven prefectures encompassed by the Kanto region, the information does line up with what little was already known.

If true, then the park that Misaki, Aichi and Kamui stopped at in ride 69 would be Shinjuku Central Park. Based on demographics, their home town may be one of the neighboring cities.

(via matibari)

Update: Additional photos of the Metropolitan Building have been added. (via floreange)

Official Novel to Retail for $10

More information has surfaced on the official Cardfight!! Vanguard novel, written by Bandana Aoi and set to be released on May 15th, 2012. The novel's cover art is by TMS, the studio behind the anime series, and its internal illustrations are drawn by Adachi Yousuke, who has previously illustrated cards for the TCG including Durangal, Wingal Brave, Pixie Fife and Drum and others. His gallery can be viewed here.

The paperback, spanning 224 pages, is an official product licensed by Bushiroad and published by Tokyo-based Kadokawa Shoten. It follows Sendou Aichi as he meets a new character, Hamane Hiro (浜音ヒロ). Hiro is a lonely boy and a newcomer to Vanguard, who Sendou reaches out to. 

The novel is currently available for preorder on Amazon Japan for 777 yen, roughly equivalent to $10, and it is currently eligible for free shipping.