Showing posts with label touken ranbu -online-. Show all posts
Showing posts with label touken ranbu -online-. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

News: Neo Nectar Revival Legion, Touken Ranbu Cardfight Featured in Special

In today's weekly broadcast, host Doctor O commemorated the upcoming Japanese launch of Title Booster 01: Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- by livestreaming a match between seiyuu Enoki Junya (voice of Horikawa Kunihiro) and Hama Kento (voice of Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, as well as of Cardfight!! Vanguard Legion Mate's Olivier Gaillard). A complete recording of the stream is provided below. Doctor O also unveiled several cards from G-BT04: Soul Strike Against the Supreme. Maiden of Rambling Rose is a revival legion for Neo Nectar's original boss card from BT05: Awakening of Twin Blades, Maiden of Trailing Rose. The card breathes new life into Trailing Rose by attaching her on-hit skill to a high power center lane, and automatically searching for copies of either half of the legion.

Maiden of Rambling Rose
ACT (Vanguard circle): Legion 22000 "Maiden of Trailing Rose"
AUTO (Vanguard circle): [Choose a card from your hand, discard it] When this unit legions, you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to two cards with the same name as a unit in your vanguard circle, reveal them to your opponent, from those cards, choose one card and add it to your hand, call the remaining cards to rearguard circles, and shuffle that deck.
AUTO (Vanguard circle): [Soulblast 2] When this unit is placed on a vanguard circle, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose one of your grade 1 or less rearguards, search your deck for up to one card with the same name as that unit, call it to a rearguard circle, and shuffle that deck.

Functioning like Dragonic Overlord “The X,” Rambling Rose's skillset can guarantee a Trailing Rose in hand on-legion to secure her persona blast. Rambling Rose can also easily set up the drop zone for legion with her on-ride soulblast, and secure a cumulative +3 in a single turn when all her skills are used in tandem.

The second card revealed by the broadcast was Hollyhock Knight, a legion support grade 1 that powers up based on the number of rearguards with the same name as the vanguard. By using Hollyhock in combination with Maiden of Rambling Rose's ability to superior call copies of herself, and Maiden of Flower Screen's ability to take on the name of another unit, it's possible to make Hollyhock an 11000-power booster for a grade 3 rearguard, creating a rearguard lane exceeding 21000 power. Flower Screen is scheduled to be reprinted as a single rare in Soul Strike Against the Supreme, making this combo all the more accessible to Neo Nectar cardfighters.

Hollyhock Knight
CONT (Rearguard circle): During your turn, if your vanguard is in legion, for each of your rearguards with the same name as a unit in your vanguard circle, this unit gets Power +2000.


(Cardfight begins at 10:12, ends at 39:05, G-BT04 cards shown at 58:52)
In their match Enoki and Hama both played decks built exclusively from Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-, showing off the huge variety of skills available to the Touken Ranbu clan. Unlike other clans, which are generally confined in their specialties, Touken Ranbu makes use of a varied amount of draw, retire, power up, simultaneous attack, restanding, and guard restriction skills, all accessible through the unique conditions of Shinken Hissatsu and MVP. Shinken Hissatsu skills activate while there are three or more cards in the damage zone, and MVP signifies a skill that may only be used once per turn in total by all units--so two copies of a card with MVP cannot both use their skill in the same turn, restricting the ability to going off once in that turn, and also setting the Touken Ranbu cardfighter back considerably if they're unable to meet the conditions for an MVP while it's in play Because there are a finite number of turns to each game, each turn that an MVP skill is available but goes unused represents an unrecoverable loss for the Touken Ranbu fighter, balancing out the dramatic diversity of the deck's support cards compared to other clans.

The broadcast drew up a considerable amount of hype due to its celebrity guests, with over twenty-five thousand viewers tuning in live, and many more timeshifting the stream to watch later. In total more than six hundred thousand have either timeshifted or viewed the stream live. Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- will launch in English this October.

Bushiroad's weekly information bulletins air every Tuesday evening at 8:50 PM Japanese Standard Time. They first began in late January to accommodate a new information distribution model for Cardfight!! Vanguard G, as the amount of card information covered in Monthly Bushiroad magazine decreased and was redirected to other routes of distribution. The previous week covered Angel Feather and Machining support from Soul Strike Against the Supreme, while the week before showed off Omniscience Regalia Minerva's 1/8th scale figure release last month.

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.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

News: Doctor O Reveals Machining, Jewel Knight, Celestial Support Cards


(Touken Ranbu cards at 12:10, merchandise at 14:35, G-BT04 cards at 32:00)
July 7th, 2015. In this week's live stream, TV personality Doctor O celebrated the ongoing Tanabata festival by hanging Vanguard-themed wishes from a small tree in Bushiroad's studio, as well as several of the Vangarou-kun card sleeves. In the course of the broadcast Doctor O previewed several cards from G-Title Booster 01: Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-, as well as a line of Touken Ranbu TCG merchandise created for the set, while also showing off Megacolony, Royal Paladin, and Angel Feather cards from G-BT04: Soul Strike Against the Supreme. The translated text of each card is given below.

Straight Jewel Knight, Bartrum
AUTO (Rearguard circle): At the end of your turn, if you have a "Jewel Knight" vanguard, and if the number of other rearguards with "Jewel Knight" in their card names is three or more, draw a card, put this unit on the top of your deck, and shuffle that deck.

Machining Firefly
AUTO: [Counterblast 1] When this unit is placed on a rearguard circle, if you have a vanguard with "Machining" in its card name, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose another of your rearguards, stand it, choose one of your opponent's rearguards, during your opponent's next stand phase, that unit cannot stand.

Invert Celestial, Asbeel
CONT (Damage zone) If you have a vanguard with "Celestial" in its card name, this unit gets "ACT (Damage zone): [Put this face-up card on top of your deck] Shuffle your deck, look at 3 cards from the top of your deck, choose 1 card other than "Invert Celestial, Asbeel," put it into your damage zone face-up, and put the remaining cards into your drop zone."

Thursday, July 2, 2015

News: Bushiroad USA to Launch "Cardfight Online," Touken Ranbu to See International Release

July 2nd, 2015. Today at Anime Expo 2015 in California, CEO Kidani Takaaki announced that Bushiroad Inc. will be launching an exclusive English-language product this year, titled Cardfight!! Online. The web-based game will be exclusive to the English format, and will have no Japanese equivalent; moreover, Bushiroad will also be bringing over G-Title Booster 01: Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- to the English-language format on October 30th, in keeping with their vision of synchronizing the English and Japanese game formats. A trailer for the game was uploaded shortly after the live announcement and is provided below.

Details at this time are sparse, but the interface for the game bears a startling resemblance to that devised for the Nintendo 3DS games Cardfight!! Vanguard Ride to Victory!! and Lock on Victory!!, as well as to a Flash tutorial game created to introduce Vanguard to the west several years ago. According to Kidani, the game will be coming soon, within 2015. The interface features two players with the names Aichi Sendou and Toshiki Kai, but these may merely be usernames, as the decks used in preview screenshots are both Gear Chronicle decks.

What has been shown of Cardfight!! Online indicates a 30-minute time limit on games, as well as automated process of turn order through the different phases.

In years past the original English-language Cardfight!! Vanguard fan community developed around the BYOND client Cardfight Capital, used to play the Cardfight!! Vanguard trading card game online through a manual (rather than automated) simulator. Cardfight Capital was shut down by Bushiroad in early 2013, deeply fragmenting the community and making it difficult to introduce new players to the game without having physical product on hand. While some fled to other, less successful clients to play Vanguard online with, the announcement of Cardfight!! Online points to a new officially-sponsored future for digital play of the Cardfight!! Vanguard trading card game.


Bushiroad has also opened an official Twitter account for the game @CardfightOnline. The company has since clarified that the game will be free-to-play with in-game transactions upon release. Bushiroad released a statement through the account this evening stating that these transactions will not be the only way to receive cards in the web game. The open beta for Cardfight!! Online will begin in late 2015.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

News: Touken Ranbu, Shadow Paladin, Genesis Cards Shown in Weekly Broadcast, LINE Stamps for Cardfight!! Vanguard Manga

This morning's weekly broadcast commemorated the launch of Clan Booster 01: Academy of Divas last Friday with a special box opening guest starring Itou Ayasa, the voice behind Cardfight!! Vanguard G's idol character Yatomi Saya. For this box opening, Doctor O had Itou attack him with the units pulled out of their packs using a large paper fan emblazoned with the Harmony symbol, after which he would thank her for hitting him. (The gimmick itself was lifted from the most recent episode of Cardfight!! Vanguard G, turn 34 "The Mermaid Princess of Magallanica.") The box opening was followed by a look at Title Booster 01: Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-'s latest poster, and several cards from both Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- and G-BT04: Soul Strike Against the Supreme. The broadcast in its entirety can be viewed below, along with translations of the revealed cards.

In other news, manga author and franchise creator Itou Akira announced over Twitter shortly after the broadcast that the LINE messaging service has added stamps of his Cardfight!! Vanguard characters to their store, allowing users who purchase the stamps to send them as emoticons in their messages. The stamps are colorized versions of specific panels from the first three volumes of Itou's Cardfight!! Vanguard. Readers can purchase the stickers in LINE's in-app store for 50 coins (in-app currency) or $0.99. They can be found by searching for ヴァンガード. Itou, who is credited with the original concept of Cardfight!! Vanguard and began developing the manga in advance of the anime's 2011 debut, has over the past two years had his works published in English by Vertical Inc. The English-translated manga is almost caught up to its Japanese counterpart, with volume 6 having gone on sale last May. Volume 7 will launch on August 25th, and volume 8 on November 3rd. At the current pace, it may be possible for the tenth volume to have a simultaneous launch in both Japanese and English.

Today's broadcast unveiled Horikawa Kunihiro, a grade 1 from the Touken Ranbu clan with the new ability Shinken Hissatsu, "True Sword Special Technique." The Shinken Hissatsu ability can only be used while you have 3 or more damage. Doctor O compared the ability to a limit break in the broadcast, as it has a similar damage restriction, but unlike with limit break Hissatsu is a skill that can be used with rearguard units. Damage restrictions have been seen as redundant in the past, particularly when they require counterblast, as counterblast already restricts one's plays by requiring them to take damage to use skills. Horikawa's Hissatsu makes him a temporary 11000-power booster or attacker in exchange for one counterblast, providing a mid to late-game power option on par with Flail Seeker Isbuzzard.

Horikawa Kunihiro
Auto: Shinken Hissatsu: [Counterblast 1] When this unit is placed on a rearguard circle, you may pay the cost. If you do, soulcharge 1, during that turn, this unit gets Power +4000.

From G-BT04: Soul Strike Against the Supreme, Doctor O revealed Genesis and Shadow Paladin cards for each clan's Witch subclan, Cardamon and Adra. Cardamon is an updated version of Chamomile that is specific to the Witch deck, while Adra is a less restrictive print of Fiercebau that is specific to her subclan and its unique conditions.

White Rabbit Witch, Cardamon
Auto: [Counterblast 1] When this unit is placed into the drop zone from the soul, if you have a "Witch" vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, call this card to a rearguard circle, during that turn, this unit gets Power +2000

Secret Book Witch, Adra
Continuous (Rearguard circle): During your turn, if you have a "Witch" Vanguard, and your opponent has 2 or more grade 0 rearguards, this unit gets Power +2000 and "Auto (Rearguard circle): When this unit's attack hits a vanguard, countercharge 1 and soulcharge 1."


Itou Ayasa closed out the broadcast by asking viewers to say with them, "Stand up, myu Vanguard!" (Myu is the verbal tic used by Saya in the anime series.) Over twelve thousand viewers tuned into the broadcast, posting approximately eight thousand comments through NicoNico Douga's live commenting system.

Bushiroad's weekly information bulletins air every Tuesday evening at 8:50 PM Japanese Standard Time. They first began in late January to accommodate a new information distribution model for Cardfight!! Vanguard G, as the amount of card information covered in Monthly Bushiroad magazine decreased and was redirected to other routes of distribution. The previous week featured a fight between Harmony and Duo decks wielded by Doctor O and mascot character Vangarou-kun, while the week before contained the announcement of G-BT04: Soul Strike Against the Supreme.

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.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

News: Phantom Blaster Dragon Becomes Most Expensive Card in Game, Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- Playmats, Deckboxes & Sleeves

The Japanese edition of G-BT03: Sovereign Star Dragon went on sale just a few hours ago, and prices from both Japanese auctions and retailers are already stabilizing. Of all the cards in the set, the most alarming is G-BT03's print of Phantom Blaster Dragon; his average selling price has jumped to be the highest single in the game's history, at 5000~7000 yen per card. (approx. $40~56 at the current exchange rate.) This is more than the price of one box of Sovereign Star Dragon, and observations from Japanese buyers are that the inclusion rate of the set's two generation rares is at one of each generation rare per carton--one Phantom Blaster and one Amnesty per every sixteen boxes. If this ratio is true, it would be a massive departure from Generation Stride and Soaring Ascent of Gale & Blossom, where generation rares were distributed at the same rate as triple rares. Lagging behind Phantom Blaster are Amnesty Messiah and Aurageyser Dragon as the second most expensive cards from the set, going for 1500~2000 yen each.

The exorbitant prices for Phantom Blaster are derived from his synergy with multiple different Blaster deck types, including Phantom Blaster “Abyss,” who is generally regarded as the dominant deck of the pre-BT03 format. Both halves of the “Abyss” legion experienced a similar price jump earlier this month. However, running the Phantom breakride in “Abyss” has been brought under severe scrutiny from the first day the Blaster Dragon breakride was revealed. Doing so means surrendering virtually all forms of soulblast support, including Black-winged Swordbreaker and Darkheart Trumpeter. It also means losing access to Blaster Dark Revenger and Revenger “Abyss” for most of the game, neutering Revengers' devastating field control options and ability to shut down a vast number of first vanguard-centric strategies. Other Blaster decks are also on the rise, with triple rare playsets of Phantom Blaster Overlord reaching a 2000 yen high, and Gust Blaster Dragon rising to 1200 yen apiece.

In other news, Duel Portal, retailers Cardshop Ogre and Card Kingdom have all revealed merchandise for G-Title Booster 01: Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-, including eight character-specific sleeves from Bushiroad's Mini Sleeve Collection and several deckboxes. Six playmat designs (pictured below) are also being produced for the set, intended to double as mousepads. The Touken Ranbu booster was originally announced as an April Fool's joke by Bushiroad of Japan, and later clarified to be a real product made in association with DMM and Nitro+. The booster will feature the characters of Touken Ranbu as part of the unique clan "Touken Ranbu," and will be compatible with all of the cards produced in the existing Cardfight!! Vanguard trading card game.

While the booster set has been designed to attract a new audience to Vanguard, fan reactions across the globe have been mixed. Some fans have expressed displeasure with devoting a booster set to what has been described as an opposite gender counterpart to Bermuda Triangle, when that space could be devoted to an existing clan. Others have criticized the Touken Ranbu clan as being out of place in the greater context of Cardfight!! Vanguard's world, particularly with respect to the planet Cray. But still other fans find an appeal to the cross-promotion that would otherwise be absent from the game, and in Japan boxes of the title booster have already been promised as prizes at several upcoming VGCS tournaments.

The set's status in English-speaking countries is unknown, as DMM lacks an international presence and licensing the set for the western market could prove difficult. Bushiroad Inc. does have experience with bringing over these types of properties in its older card game Weiβ Schwarz, but the possibility remains that one of Cardfight!! Vanguard's clans will remain exclusive to the Japanese edition. Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- will go on sale in Japan on July 17th.

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.