News: Death Army and Battle Sister Cards to Storm North America in September, TD08 & 09, BT10 for October Release

This morning Bushiroad took the world by surprise with the official announcement of western release dates for two extra boosters, two trial decks and two booster sets, laying out their schedule of releases for up through December 2013. VGE-EB04: Infinite Phantom Legion will reprint many Nova Grappler units from BT01-BT06, including the clan's perfect defense card Twin Blader, and an alternate artwork of EB01's Perfect Raizer from the same artists that designed and illustrated the original, Itou Akira and ToMo. EB04 will also introduce new Death Army series cards, including a remake of BT03's Ultimate Lifeform Cosmo Lord, Infinite Death Army Invader Cosmo Lord. EB04 is slated for a September 6th release.

VGE-EB05: Celestial Valkyries will give the same treatment to Oracle Think Tank, reprinting key units from BT01-BT05, with one of those being an alternate artwork of the clan's boss card CEO Amaterasu, illustrated by Hitowa, the same artist behind Water General of Wave-like Spirals Benedict, and Goddess of Good Luck Fortuna. Celestial Valkyries will also bring new Battle Sister units to OraThin's card pool, fleshing them out into a powerful subgroup. EB05 is slated for a September 6th release.

VGE-TD08: Liberator of the Sanctuary will be the second Gold Paladin trial deck to be released, restarting the clan from the ground up through the Liberator subgroup of cards, which focus on the use of the new Blaster Blade Liberator as the axis of one's deck and applying key power increases to the whole field through the new break ride mechanic. After their initially disappointing run from TD05 through BT09, these new Gold Paladins breath new life into the clan by reimagining old cards like Gancelot and Gallatin. TD08 is slated for an October 4th release.

VGE-TD09: Eradicator of the Empire will introduce the Eradicator subgroup for Narukami, allowing selective control of the opponent's front row through break ride. While TD08's support is generally designed to encourage the use of new Liberator units, and TD09 provides similar support, TD09 is also geared toward more generic support for non-Eradicator decks through its Vowing Sword Dragon key card. TD09 is slated for an October 4th release.

VGE-BT10: Triumphant Return of the King of Knights will reinforce the Liberators to allow for an additional focus on the center line in addition to the rearguards, through its key card Liberator of the Round Table Alfred. It will also revive the Royal Paladins as the critical-focused Jewel Knight subgroup designed to emulate the strengths of the previous Blaster cards, and bring in the new, soulblast-focused Genesis clan used by Tokura Misaki during the third season of Cardfight!! Vanguard. Unlike Oracle Think Tank, Genesis is built around rapidly filling up and then discharging the soul for simultaneous draw power and power boosts, giving both short-term power and long-term longevity so long as their fighter can pay the extraordinary costs. BT10 is slated for an October 25th release.

VGE-BT11: Seal Dragons Unleashed will bring the new Seal Dragon series to the fore, while bringing the Dragonic Overlord The End deck its own break ride in Dauntless Drive Dragon, allowing up to six and eight drive checks in a single turn. Just as BT10 is the third season's reimagining of BT01, BT11 is its equivalent to BT02, focusing on breaking the seals imprisoning powerful dragons. The Seal Dragon series will reinforce Kagerou by using Seal Dragon Blockade from BT02: Onslaught of Dragon Souls as its focal card, both reprinting the unit and introducing the Blockade Inferno crossride. Although crossrides are generally regarded as a thing of the past due to their low payout relative to the setup required in the extremely aggressive BT10-on format, Blockade Inferno has been given special attention from professional cardfighters for the devastating power of his limit break and the overall synergy between him, his sealed form and his supporting Seal Dragon rearguards. BT11 is slated for a December 13th release, making it the last English release of 2013, coming out just three days after the international anniversary of VGE-BT01: Descent of the King of Knights.

News: VG-BT10: Triumphant Return of the King of Knights Announced, Royal Paladins to be Absorbed into Golds?

Today the tenth Japanese booster set of Cardfight!! Vanguard was unveiled, BT10: Triumphant Return of the King of Knights. Prominently featuring a reimagined Wingal Brave from BT05: Twin Swords Awakening, the set is already confirmed to contain a new King of Knights, Alfred card. Although not officially confirmed, speculation is turning wild as it appears that Cardfight's first ever clan, the Royal Paladins, are going to be absorbed into the Gold Paladins entirely, replacing the franchise's centerpiece. This is seemingly supported by previously speculation concerning TD08 and TD09, which implied that the year-long seal on the Royal Paladins, Shadow Paladins and Kagerou would be finally lifted.

Details are currently scarce about the set, but from what has already been announced this will, like the new trial decks, contain cards from the third season. The Shadow Paladins are known to be receiving a new first vanguard and play style, so the return of the Royals as Gold Paladins may be timed to coincide with the reemergence of their old foe. The set will contain 102 cards, like BT09 before it, and the release date is February 26, 2013. Incidentally, this will be the two-year anniversary of Alfred's anime debut, as ride 08: "The King of Knights Enters The Fray!" aired on February 26, 2011.

While the return of the old cast is well received, their possible absorption by the Gold Paladins is less so. For many viewers, the Gold Paladins represent the lowest point of the franchise, directly correlated with a perceived drop in quality during the first seventeen Asia Circuit episodes, and with the rise of Gold dominance in the western pro scene. The return of the Royals is something that has been highly anticipated since the Gold Paladins first took over, as has the possibility of a new play style do displace their established Blaster proliferation; similar concerns exist for Kagerou fans, to whom the original Dragonic Overlord remains a beloved figure, and who stands to undergo similar absorption into Narukami, as implied by TD07 being for that clan.