News: Gauntlet Buster and Sweep Command Dragon Storm Fukuoka

This morning Doctor O tweeted the results of the Fukuoka branch of Fighters Road 2013, Japan's ongoing national championship. The Junior class champion took first place using a Narukami deck, with second place going to a Kagerou cardfighter.  The Open class tournament had both its first and second place spots taken by Narukami fighters, one using a now-standard Gauntlet Buster Dragon and Descendant deck, with the other using a different Eradicator build that combined Spark Horn and Sweep Command Dragon, using cards from the eleventh booster set, BT11: Seal Dragon Unleashed. Spark Horn has drawn some attention as a variation on the Eradicator formula, as when his attack hits a vanguard he can use an especial counterblast to retire an opponent's rearguard--without needing to be at limit break. This gives a Narukami fighter a stronger midgame, pressuring the opponent to drop cards for defense earlier in a fight, weakening their overall presence when the time comes for Sweep Command to hit the field, simultaneously retiring the opponent's rearguards and drawing new cards through his limit break and a combo with the Eradicators' many retire skills.

The Eradicators' continued dominance throughout this tournament season has drawn criticism, as the Narukami clan as a whole has continued to receive support from every core booster set since BT08, with multiple cards coming out as definitively competitive decks of their own, and this trend will not be broken until VG-BT13: Catastrophic Outbreak. With Descendant having come out as a competitive deck surpassing Dragonic Overlord The End in threat, the restricted list having done little to stop his reign, currently accounting for five of the eight Open class decks currently being used to contend for the national title and 32% of all 2013 tournament decks, an extremely powerful crossbreak Reverse unit coming for the clan in VG-BT12: Binding Force of the Black Rings, and the build only becoming stronger as a counter to the new Lock mechanic, many are calling for the plug to be pulled on the clan altogether. For some however, Spike Brothers having broken the Eradicator's stranglehold on the format at Hiroshima has inspired new hope.

The remaining three tournaments will take place in Tokyo, Sapporo and Nagoya with the Tokyo tournament being next in line on the 7th of July. This will be the first time that Okayama, Hakata and Osaka will not be participating.

News: Spike Brothers Tops Hiroshima's Open Division Regional

Although high hopes have been pinned on the clan ever since Bad End Dragger's unveiling in VG-BT10: Triumphant Return of the King of Knights, in general the Spike Brothers clan's tournament results have not been above the bar set by the 2013 format shift. This trend was overturned earlier today, when Doctor O reported the Hiroshima regional results for the ongoing Japanese national championship, where a determined Spike Brothers cardfighter placed first in the tournament brackets, breaking the Eradicator-Liberator deadlock that has persisted since the onset of the current tournament season. Second place went to a Gauntlet Buster deck, while the Junior class tournament has seen Kagerou remain a consistent favorite, with Dauntless Drive Dragon breaking into first place. The tournament decklists should be out later this week.

The remaining four tournaments will take place in Fukuoka, Tokyo, Sapporo and Nagoya with the Fukuoka tournament being next in line on the 22nd. This will be the first time that Fukuoka prefecture has been included in the national tournament, and also the first time that Okayama, Hakata and Osaka will not be participating.

News: Doctor O Tweets BCF2013 Vanguard Stage in Sendai Results

Doctor O tweeted the results of the Bushiroad Cardfight 2013 Vanguard Stage this morning through his official account, revealing the outcome of the Senior and Junior tournaments held on the 12th. BCF2013 is part of a nationwide tour lasting through July, which also forms the Fighter's Road 2013 summer national tournament. Of the sixteen finalists for FR2013, eight of them will be determined through BCF2013 events, with four others being Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament champions, and four more being finalists from the Great Vanguard Festival event. The eight participants for the Juniors division of FR2013 will be coming purely from the Fighter's Road 2013 regional events. Only elementary students and younger may participate in the Juniors division, while the Seniors division is open to all ages.

 

While the decklists and names are not yet available, Doctor O stated that the Senior champion used a Gauntlet Buster Dragon-based Narukami deck, while the runner up was also using a Narukami deck, but based on Sweep Commando Dragon. The Junior champion is one of the first major Kagerou victories in a long time, taking the top spot with a Seal Dragon deck, while the runner up used a Gold Paladin Liberator deck.

The remaining seven tournaments will take place in Kyoto, Kanazawa, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Sapporo and Nagoya. This will be the first time that the Fukuoka and Kyoto prefectures have been included in the national tournament, and also the first time that Okayama, Hakata and Osaka will not be participating.