News: Fighter's Road 2013 & Vanguard Fight High School 2013 Summer Regional Tournament Results

This morning the results for Japan's ongoing national championship went public, following up Doctor O's reports from earlier in the week. These were the first official tournaments to take place following the introduction of the May 11th restricted list, and as a result Dragonic Overlord The End was projected to be a major contender in the tournament environment. However, with exception made for the recently-released Blockade Inferno, Japanese cardfighters seem to have eradicated crossrides as a useful mechanic in their singles format, as in spite of the restricted list Descendant has once again taken both first and second place in the Open division. The previously-mentioned exception comes from Blockade Inferno's introduction to professional play, as Haryuu Jin'ichi's Inferno deck took the Juniors by storm, surpassing Sato Yuushin's Liberator build to become a standout among the decks featured today.

In VFHS news, the Sendai regional team is getting attention for its forward cardfighter using a Spike Brothers variant relying on Jelly Beans. The deck runs an excessive number of grade 3s, but because of the search skill of its key card, it can pick out any unit with "Dudley" in its name and add it directly to the hand, bypassing gradelock entirely. Although not currently possible in the English format, on the Japanese side of the Pacific the Spike Brothers' access to the grade 2 Dudley Mason for his field setup gives it powerful consistency. With regard to VFHS decklists, note that there are two teams from each event but neither of them are the runner-up; VFHS is divided into Open and Student-only divisions this year.

For the duration of FR2013, the Senior Class division of tournaments has been retired in favor of a new division, Open Class. Under the new model, only elementary students and younger may participate in the Juniors' division, while anyone can participate in the Open division. Previously, Junior cardfighters could not take part in adult competitions, but with many past prodigies now able to tackle the higher brackets, existing professionals and rising stars alike have reason to be nervous from the heavier competition.

As with the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament, Doctor O is selecting decks from the finalists that did not make it to first or second place to be featured.

Open Class Regional Tournament
Regional Champion: Nanakado Yuusuke/七角悠介
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (FVG)
x4 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Eradicator of the Divine Spear, Castor CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x2 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator, Wyvern Guard Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x3 Iron Blood Eradicator, Shuki
Grade 2
x3 Storm Bring Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x1 Dragonic Deathscythe
x3 Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Chou-Ou
Grade 3
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon

Runner-up: Ishida Akihiro/石田晃浩
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x2 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x2 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Eradicator of the Divine Spear, Castor CT
Grade 1
x3 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator, Wyvern Guard Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x4 Iron Blood Eradicator, Shuki
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x2 Dragonic Deathscythe
x4 Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Chou-Ou
Grade 3
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x3 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x3 Eradicator, Sweep Command Dragon

Doctor O's Pick: Haryuu Shino/針生凌
Grade 0
x1 Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer (FVG)
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x1 Strike Liberator CT
x3 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Falcon Knight of the Azure DT
Grade 1
x3 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x3 Blessing Owl
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x4 Scout of Darkness, Vortimer
Grade 2
x2 Blaster Dark Spirit
x1 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x1 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
x4 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
x4 Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer
Grade 3
x4 Spectral Duke Dragon
x3 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Junior Class Regional Tournament
Regional Champion: Haryuu Jin'ichi/針生仁壱
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FVG)
x4 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Seal Dragon, Dobi ST
x4 Seal Dragon, Shading HT
x4 Seal Dragon, Artpitch DT
Grade 1
x3 Seal Dragon, Chambray
x3 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x4 Seal Dragon, Kersey
x4 Seal Dragon, Flannel
Grade 2
x3 Seal Dragon, Corduroy
x4 Seal Dragon, Jakado
x4 Seal Dragon, Hungerhell Dragon
Grade 3
x1 Dauntless Drive Dragon
x4 Seal Dragon, Blockade
x3 Hellfire Seal Dragon, Blockade Inferno

Runner-up: Sato Yuushin/佐藤湧真
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Liberator (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Weapons Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x1 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x1 Liberator, Flare Mane Stallion
x2 Liberator of the Future, Llew
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x4 Bomergal the Liberator
Grade 2
x3 Blaster Blade Liberator
x3 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
x3 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x2 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x2 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot
x2 Wild Dancing Liberator, Mailshion
x1 Goshawk Liberator, Cadeau

Doctor O's Pick: Motoki Takashi/元木崇
Grade 0
x1 Aiming for the Stars, Artemis (FVG)
x4 Bandit Danny DT
x4 Battle Maiden, Kukurihime CT
x4 Cyber Tiger CT
x4 Large Pot Witch, Laurie
Grade 1
x4 Bowstring of Heaven and Earth, Artemis
x3 Battle Maiden, Tatsutahime
x2 Mice Guard, Sirius
x2 Goddess of Self-sacrifice, Kushinada
x1 Snipe Snake
x1 Witch of Cats, Cumin
Grade 2
x4 Twilight Hunter, Artemis
x4 Battle Maiden, Saohime
x2 Mice Guard, Orion
x2 Witch of Owls, Paprika
x1 Clever Jake
Grade 3
x2 Eternal Goddess, Iwanagahime
x2 Battle Deity of the Night, Artemis
x1 Oracle Queen, Himiko
x2 Witch of Wolves, Saffron

Vanguard Fight High School 2013 Summer, Open Class Sendai Regional Tournament Championship Team
Katou Hirohisa/加藤寛久
Grade 0
x1 Mecha Trainer (FVG)
x4 Sonic Breaker CT
x4 Silence Joker CT
x4 Cheerful Lynx DT
x4 Cheer Girl, Tiara HT
Grade 1
x4 Wonder Boy
x3 Cheer Girl, Marylin
x3 Dudley Daisy
x2 Reckless Express
x1 UFO
Grade 2
x4 Highspeed Brakki
x4 Dudley Mason
x1 Devil Summoner
Grade 3
x3 Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor
x4 Bad End Dragger
x2 Juggernaut Maximum
x2 Jelly Beans

Masaki Takashi/正木隆志
Grade 0
x1 Spring Breeze Messenger (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Weapons Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x4 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x1 Liberator, Flare Mane Stallion
x1 Liberator of the Future, Llew
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade Liberator
x4 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x4 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x3 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Kikuji Toshiyuki/菊地俊志
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 Eradicator of the Divine Spear, Castor CT
Grade 1
x4 Eradicator, Wyvern Guard Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x2 Iron Blood Eradicator, Shuki
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x2 Dragonic Deathscythe
x4 Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Chou-Ou
x2 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
Grade 3
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x2 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x3 Eradicator, Sweep Command Dragon

Vanguard Fight High School 2013 Summer, Student-only Class Sendai Regional Tournament Championship Team
Hajime Shun'ya/原駿矢
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, Omelet
x1 Circle Magus
Grade 2
x4 Battle Sister, Mocha
x2 Oracle Guardian, Wiseman
x1 Battle Sister, Tart
x3 Silent Tom
x1 Battle Sister, Macaron
Grade 3
x4 Battle Sister, Cookie
x4 Scarlet Witch, CoCo

Ishiyama Masaki/石山正起
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x2 Gatling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x3 Seal Dragon, Artpitch DT
x4 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x1 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Mage, Raksha
Grade 1
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x3 Seal Dragon, Kersey
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x3 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x2 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x3 Cross Shot, Garp
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x2 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End
x4 Dragonic Overlord

Ishiyama Shunto/石山舜登
Grade 0
x1 Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph
x4 Silent Punisher CT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Dantengal CT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x2 Warhorse, Raging Storm
x2 Disciple of Pain
x2 Silver Fang Witch
Grade 2
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x4 Knight of Passion, Bagdemagus
x3 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
Grade 3
x4 Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel
x4 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel

Ride to Victory Translation Part 7: Nagisa

←Part 6

Part 8→

Park

Outofthewayoutofthewayoutoftheway~

Scene fades to white and back. Nagisa slides up from the bottom of the screen.



...Ow-wow-wow. Hey, watch where you're going! Eh? I ran into you? I gotcha. I was looking for Kamui-chan so I ran into you by mistake. I'm sorry.

Eww. I thought I heard a familiar voice...so it was Nagisa, huh?



Kamui-chan, found you! Now, let's go on a date!


Y, you're kidding. Why should Kamui the great have to date you!



Again with that. Kamui-chan, don't be shy. It's because I'm cute~. Ufu.



(What do I do? As it is, Nagisa will keep on following me around. But, I have my goddess. I have Emi-san~.


...th, that's right.)



Ahem. If you win in a Vanguard fight with her, I'll think about it.



Really!? All right, then let's fight right now!



Sorry. Because of this, you absolutely have to win. Please! My life depends on it!

Grade 0
x1 Blaujunger (FVG)
x3 Round Girl, Clara HT
x1 Three Minutes DT
x3 The Gong DT
x1 Shining Lady CT
Grade 1
x2 Blaupanzer
x2 Twin Blader
x1 Tough Boy
x1 The Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout
Grade 2
x2 Blaukluger
x2 Magician Girl, Kirara
x3 King of Sword
Grade 3
x3 Stern Blaukluger
x2 Asura Kaiser

(Above are the confirmed cards that we've seen; there are around 23 cards missing from this list, but until complete data can be assembled it should give you an idea of what to expect from Nagisa.)

Facing Nagisa's Blau series deck back to back after Kai's The End makes her somewhat less difficult by comparison. As with The End, Stern can stand itself on-hit and it has less restrictions too because its discard requires three of any Nova Grapplers, but Nagisa takes a -2 in the process and doesn't retain twin drive which helps mitigate her damage somewhat. While powerful when it goes off, the Blau series' evolving ride comes with less guarantees than Kai's Conroe gave him, so it's easier to simply luck into a bad game for Nagisa. Running two types of draw trigger isn't actually in her favor here, since critical triggers would improve Stern's damage output because his self-stand multiplies the amount of damage he can do in a turn by 2, so one critical check becomes like checking two while one draw check is still just one draw check. Because she does have access to Kaiser as a fallback strategy, it's harder for Nagisa's strategy to just outright fall apart, but her deck doesn't have the same Death Army support than Kamui's did so even when Asura Kaiser's skill goes off it's not going to have the same impact. It also contradicts her Stern play somewhat, because she loves to thin the deck with Blaupanzer by dropping her copies of Stern to fetch another copy of Stern and remove a possible bad drive check in the process, but Kaiser wants more grade 3s in the deck rather than less.

Another core weakness of her build is that Nagisa does not have any damage unflipping units, so you could actually let her Kirara's attacks hit so that Nagisa's AI will use up her counterblast early and completely nullify the threat that Stern poses.



I lost...th, that can't be. Kamui-chan!?



Too bad Nagisa. But, this is your lot in life.



...I owe you one! From now on, you and me are best friends!


Me and Kamui-chan's bond will not be cut by this! Kamui-chaan!




Tch, oy. You've got your story wrong! S, so don't go following me to Card Capital.


Kamui-chan wait for me~

Thank you very much. [Player Name]-san. I would like to voice my gratitude on Kamui-san's behalf.


TY yo.

←Part 6

Part 8→

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.

Aqua Force Extra Study Material: Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom

Photo by rawritzrichii, not to be reposted elsewhere without the original photographer's express permission.

Battle phase manipulation is a difficult mechanic to work with. One of the biggest problems that Aqua Force cardfighters face when using cards like Algos or Dorothea is that while their skills involve dramatic effects that can drastically turn a game in their user's favor, the restrictions surrounding them make the skills difficult to pull off consistently and often require a heavy devotion of resources toward one sequence of attack that is unlikely to succeed. Released just last week, VGE-BT08: Blue Storm Armada fleshes out the Aqua Force's manipulation of the battle phase and provides a boost in synergy that every bearer of the clan will want to take advantage of.

The unique first vanguard introduced by the set is Aqua Breath Dracokid, a base 5000 Forerunner that can move back to the soul to give an Aqua Force unit +1000 additional power and a skill; when that unit's attack hits the vanguard, if the number of battles in the turn is four or more, you can draw a card. In theory this skill would be best applied to the vanguard in the early game when another booster is available, in order to ensure that the opponent would have to drop at least 15000 shield to stop the attack when they are at lower damage and would normally not guard anyway, but the problem with this Dracokid is that the new skill's restrictions generally want the unit that he's used on to be the last to attack in the turn, after the opponent has already had the opportunity to damage check triggers and upset the entire setup. Dracokid moving to the soul means that you don't actually get extra cards this way, but instead trade Dracokid for the card that you draw with the +1000 being the only concrete bonus. His skill is useful for opening up the field, but it's a little cumbersome and doesn't have a tremendous amount of synergy with the existing card pool.

Unique first vanguards are not always the option that professional cardfighters go after, and Aqua Force is exemplary of this practice. The FVG that the pro scene as a whole actually prefers is Officer Cadet Erikk, a standardized grade 0 that can counterblast 1 to soulcharge himself and search the top 5 cards of the deck for a grade 3 Aqua Force to add to your hand. Veteran readers can see the criticism coming the moment that this card is mentioned, since under normal circumstances this is a skill that would only be useful later in the game when more cards have been removed from the deck, after most retire-based skills have hit the field and after you're already at grade 3. 4000 power also hurts the effectiveness of the battle phase, where Erikk has trouble bringing the unit he's supporting up to 16000+ power, and in a typical deck Erikk would only have an approximate 30% chance to go off with all of the remaining grade 3s in the deck. However, Aqua Force is one of those rare clans that actually prefers to run nine to ten grade 3s because of how endemic supporting grade 3s are to its strategy. Because of this, Erikk is the single most used FVG among pro cardfighters, opening up the field in the same way as Aqua Breath while having more guarantees in maintaining the existing difference in cards and having more synergy with that high grade 3 count. Whether this speaks to Erikk's synergy with this specific clan or to Aqua Breath's skill being poor is an open question.

The new base of triggers allows for two types of critical or two types of stand to be run, and some mixing of them is encouraged because of how units like Coral Assault play into the deck, but at this stage of its development Aqua Force has access to enough cards that change up how the battle phase works that stands are not necessary.

Opening the grade 1s, Torpedo Rush Dragon is the Aqua Force equivalent to Toypugal, a base 6000 power grade 1 that gains +3000 power when it boosts and specific conditions have been met. While Toypugal wanted two Royal Paladin grade 3s to be in play, Torpedo Rush activates when it is the fourth or more battle of the turn. Unlike Toypugal, Torpedo Rush is really only useful to have a maximum of one or two on the field at any given moment, and he's best devoted to the vanguard and second rearguard line. With Navalgazer he can go up for 22-25000 power, the same general area as Soul Saver Dragon with Toypugal, and while you would generally prefer that Dorothea take that spot, Torpedo Rush can work as an effective substitute if you don't draw her in time. He has natural synergy with Coral Assault and Xenophon, both units whose skills bring them up to 11000 power for an effective 20000-power rearguard line to pressure the likes of Alfred and CoCo, he can allow 9000-power units to reach numbers effective against crossrides and he reaches 20-25000 power with every core vanguard introduced in this module. However, Torpedo Rush's requirements are much more restrictive than Toypugal because in order to work with the vanguard line at all he requires a rearguard unit that can either stand itself or somehow create an extra battle so that the vanguard's attack will be the fourth of the turn. With the cards described so far, this is impossible.

Enter the Storm Rider cards. Storm Riders Basil and Diamantes are grade 2 and 3 variations on one single skill, where when they attack a vanguard and if it is the first battle of the turn they gain +2000 power and then at the close step of their battle, swap positions with an Aqua Force unit on the same column. The power increase compensates for their extremely low power, 8000 on Basil and 9000 on Diamantes, and the positions of the swapped units remains the same, so either Storm Rider will have to attack unboosted in order to have the rearguard that they swap with attack and create an additional attack on the turn. This is similar in utility to standing a unit in Nova Grappler, because it allows for an additional but lower-power attack, but it is much more crucial to the Aqua Force play style because it turns subsequent attacks into ones where skills activate. For example, you can attack with Diamantes first, then swap positions with the base 10000 grade 2 Tear Knight Lazarus behind him, have Lazarus attack, then attack with a Coral Assault on the opposite rearguard column boosted by Theo for a 19000-power attack to remove a 9000-power rearguard like Burning Horn Dragon, then use your vanguard line with Torpedo Rush to activate Torpedo's skill. None of these attacks have to be able to hit to count as an additional battle, so in terms of activating your unit's skills even crossrides pose no threat, but the Storm Riders remain the clan's greatest weakness in addition to being their most key support. Aqua Force's skills depend on them to activate, but using the Storm Riders weakens your battle phase until the opponent can effectively ignore two of your four attacks and devote their defense toward blocking the skills that you're trying to use. To use this generation of Aqua Force well, you must master the Storm Rider cards, and being forced to use them is a dealbreaker for many cardfighters. Because of this restrictive play style, if you can avoid placing Torpedo Rush behind the vanguard and go for Dorothea instead, Torpedo Rush is then best reserved for the final rearguard line to attack.

The grade 1 Storm Rider Eugen shares Basil's skill, but applied over a 6000-power base. While it can be a good fallback and experimental tech, Eugen doesn't really work in the same deck as Basil and Diamantes because all of their skills demand the first attack of the turn as their priority, so multiple Storm Riders on one field have poor synergy among one another. The space that Eugen would occupy is better devoted to Torpedo Rush Dragon or Dorothea.

The actual payout of the Storm Riders comes not from Torpedo Rush, but from other fourth-attack units that have innate synergy with him. You'll recall that Algos from the previous unit can draw a card when his attack hits the vanguard during the fourth or more battle of the turn, and as Aqua Force has difficulty maintaining a strong handsize without hitting Otter Soldier draw triggers, this is a very good skill for them to get off. Tear Knight, Valeria is another base 9000 fourth attack unit, his counterpart who gains advantage by reducing the opponent's cards rather than increasing your own. When Valeria's attack hits during the fourth or more battle of the turn, you can retire an opponent's rearguard, so together they exist as alternatives to one another to grab card advantage using different strategies based on the situation, or otherwise to force the opponent to defend at irregular points in the game.

Considering the Navalgazer setup from the previous module, this puts the opponent in an interesting situation. The first two of the attacks of the turn from Diamantes and Lazarus should be blocked with just 5000 shield, and under normal circumstances taking damage at that point would be a misplay because every attack to come will take more shield to defend. However, Navalgazer will be going for 26000 power with his limit break and Dorothea active, a second attack from Lazarus will be coming if his attack hits, and either Algos or Valeria will be further reducing card advantage regardless of whether their attack is actually defended or not. Not stopping Navalgazer means opening oneself to a potential critical trigger followed by Algos/Valeria going for 23000 power with Torpedo Rush preceded by Lazarus attacking once more. It's a very different situation to work with than when fighting other clans, and requires rethinking when exactly is the right time to defend.

The new Navalgazer support introduced in this set is Hydro Hurricane Dragon. While Hydro has no rearguard skills, two of his vanguard skills are shared with Navalgazer; he gets +3000 power when he attacks the vanguard, and when his limit break 4 counterblast 2 is activated in the main phase, he gets +3000 power for a 26000 total with Dorothea and a new, on-hit skill. This new skill operates such that when Hydro Hurricane's attack hits the vanguard, if it's the fourth or more battle of the turn, he can retire all of the opponent's rearguards. This is an interesting combination of Demon-Slaying Knight Lohengrin, Amber Dragon Eclipse and Navalgazer Dragon, and shows just how much more dramatic an effect limit break can have on the game versus standard skills. Like Navalgazer, it forces the opponent to defend the vanguard's attack regardless of the cost because the amount of cards lost in defense will almost always outweigh what would be lost by allowing it to hit, but Aqua Force is relatively low on counterblast and the opponent is unlikely to pull out two to three turns of consecutive perfect defense as late in the game as Hydro Hurricane's limit break comes in. 20000 shield in defense versus Hydro Hurricane is still only a one trigger pass defense, so the opponent will eventually start losing three or four cards every turn compared to the relatively cheap counterblast cost that Hydro Hurricane carries. This is all taking place in addition to the damage that you will be sneaking in with the Storm Riders, and with Valeria and Algos' skills further harassing the opponent, so you can dramatically decrease the amount of cards they have in play very quickly in a Hydro deck.

However, Hydro Hurricane is not the only dragon to be introduced by Blue Storm Armada. The real boss card for the clan is Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom. Maelstrom is a deck of his own completely separate from Navalgazer. His base 11000 defense alone is a welcome addition to Aqua Force, forming a 21000 line with Dorothea and 20000-power line with Torpedo Rush for an equally strong offense. Maelstrom's limit break is another fourth battle skill, automatically giving him +5000 power when he attacks a vanguard at no counterblast cost and another skill over that. When his attack hits, Maelstrom can counterblast 1 to retire an opponent's rearguard and draw a card. This is an immediate two card difference on top of dealing damage, with everything in play that makes Maiden of Libra's rearguard attacks powerful. Unlike Navalgazer or Hydro Huricane, Maelstorm needs no preemptive counterblast to threaten the opponent, and he can strike down crossrides automatically even with just Cyprus or Theo while also providing another means of getting card advantage outside of hoping for draw triggers. Maelstrom is simultaneously a powerful boss card while filling the same niche as Nemain and Leo-pald in the same breath. While the grade 2 makeup for Maelstrom is generally a combination of Basil, Lazarus, and Valeria or Algos, the grade 3 makeup is typically four Maelstrom and Diamantes with a third grade 3 that can substitute for Maelstrom in the vanguard circle, like Lazarus or Navalgazer. Maelstrom is heavily reliant on Diamantes as a supporting grade 3, and Basil may not be necessary as a consequence.

On the whole Aqua Force is known for its continuous, rapid offensive style that forces the opponent to stop every attack, stalling limit break units while also quickly picking up card advantage from key sniper maneuvers. While it lacks a strong early game buildup, its mid to endgame is overwhelming and the main issue is access to a consistent boosting line because of how weighted Aqua Force decks are toward their grade 3s. Just keep in mind during the deckbuilding process that it's grade 2 space, not grade 1 space, that you want to give up in order to run those additional grade 3s. Next time that we seriously delve back into Aqua Force, it will be to discuss their crossride Glory Maelstrom and the gradual shift in mechanics away from battle phase manipulation and toward changing which cards the opponent card guard with.

Three pros use this clan.

News: May Vanguard Championship Results, Eradicators Stay Strong in Face of Restricted List, Celestials Reach Top 16

The results of the most recent Vanguard Championship have come in, opening the month of May with a look at how the new restricted list will affect the format. As a preemptive measure, this VGCS event adopted the May 11 restrictions before they will actually take effect later this week. This time being held in the Hachiouji Civic Center in Hachiouji, Tokyo, the event drew 114 participants. Pairings were put together using the Swiss system, with the opening rounds conducted over the course of 20 minutes; 50 minutes were allotted for a best of 3 format among the top 16 fighters. Unlike in the previous tournament, matches were not recorded on camera.

The VGCS tournaments are a line of unofficial, amateur tournaments organized by fans and card shops and coordinated through the internet. The tournament environment is fiercely competitive, and unlike in Bushiroad's official tournaments, it's customary for participants to compete under pseudonyms and internet handles rather than using their real names.

First place was taken by Tonkatsu ("Pork Cutlet") and his restricted Dragonic Descendant deck, displaying greater break ride synergy and the integration of cards from BT11 to overcome the deck's more limited capabilities. Second went to Gaga's Liberator build, with third and fourth places going to other, almost-identical Descendant decks. Surprisingly, Dragonic Overlord The End did not do as well as predicted within the tournament, only placing within the top 16 and being ousted from the best 8 by CoCo-Cookie Oracle Think Tank decks, and Blockade Inferno was likewise low on the list. Majesty Lord Blaster has continued to maintain a competitive presence, penetrating into the top 16 with decks that use five and three grade 3s respectively. The most interesting development is the presence of a Celestial deck within the top 16, as Angel Feather has never been one of the top competitive clans, so its steady emergence into the height of amateur play may prove promising for how the world of professional cardfighters approaches it in the new format.

Of the clans participating in the tournament, there were 31 Narukami, 19 Kagerou, 15 Royal Paladin, 14 Oracle Think Tank, 7 Gold Paladin, 7 Angel Feather, 6 Genesis, 5 Tachikaze, 5 Aqua Force, 1 Bermuda Triangle, 1 Pale Moon, 1 Spike Brothers, 1 Neo Nectar, and 1 Shadow Paladin decks. First place received a Nintendo 3DS LL along with a copy of Cardfight!! Vanguard Ride to Victory. Second place won a regular 3DS, third two boxes of VG-BT11: Seal Dragons Unleashed and fourth one box of BT11. Fifth through eighth places received a box of VG-EB06: Dazzling Divas.

First Place
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FV)
x4 Eradicator Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
x3 Eradicator Dragon Mage DT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x1 Spark Edge Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x3 Iron Blood Eradicator, Shuki
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x3 Rising Phoenix
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x4 Dragonic Deathscythe
x3 Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Cho-Ou
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant

Second Place
Grade 0
x1 Spring Breeze Messenger (FV)
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Weapons Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
x4 Curved Blade Liberator, Yoseph
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Silver Fang Witch
Grade 2
x4 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x4 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x4 Blaster Blade Liberator
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x3 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Top 16 Celestial Deck
Grade 0
x1 First Aid Celestial, Penuel (FV)
x4 Celestial, Landing Pegasus DT
x4 Punishment Celestial, Shemhazai CT
x4 Healing Celestial, Ramiel CT
x2 Rampage Cart Angel CT
x1 Critical Hit Angel CT
x1 Rocket Dash Unicorn CT
Grade 1
x4 Adamantine Celestial, Aniel
x3 Marking Celestial, Arabaki
x3 Underlay Celestial, Hesediel
x3 Order Celestial, Yeqon
x2 Battle Cupid, Nociel
Grade 2
x4 Wildshot Celestial, Raquel
x4 Candle Celestial, Sariel
x3 Essence Celestial, Becca
Grade 3
x4 Solidify Celestial, Zerachiel
x3 Prophecy Celestial, Remiel

News: Bushiroad Releases Free Tournament Software

Bushiroad Inc. has begun distributing tournament organization software, to assist organizers in creating fair matchups for both singles and triples tournaments. This seems to be a move geared toward greater transparency, as by distributing their software to the public, Bushiroad is also assuring cardfighters of the fairness of the tournaments. The software has options for Swiss, Single Elimination and Double Elimination Swiss Pairings.

Interestingly, this press release is the second official mention of the anticipated WCS2013 event. As the current Challenge Cup and Team League are now in the process of progressing past the initial elimination stage, and their finals will be held in June and July, public interest in the next World Championship is building.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bushiroad Releases Free Tournament Organization Software

Los Angeles, CA (May 2, 2013) – Bushiroad announced that they are releasing a free trading card game tournament software for PC. Bushiroad Tournament Software aims to provide tournament organizers with a smoother and faster experience for both small and large-scale tournaments.

With a laptop, tournament organizers worldwide will be able to use this software to enroll players, create pairings and calculate match results. The software is able to support both individual and team formats, in preparation for the upcoming Team League 2013 Continental Championships and World Championship 2013.

The free software is now available for download from the Cardfight!! Vanguard website.

 http://cf-vanguard.com/en/event/Bushiroad%20Tournament%20Software.zip

A user manual for the software can be downloaded at http://cf-vanguard.com/en/wp/wp-content/uploads/Bushiroad-Tournament-Software-Manual.pdf.

The Cardfight!! Vanguard Team League 2013 is a three-stage, team tournament campaign running from April through July across the North American, Europe and Asia-Oceania regions.

The World Championship 2013 focuses on individual players and will be held in the latter half of 2013."

News: Fighter's Cup & Fight Royale Tournament Results

Today the results of the Fighter's Cup and Fight Royale tournaments were made public through the official Japanese website. Both of these tournaments were held as part of the Great Vanguard Festival on April 27-29, each divided into two blocks. Notably, these results are showing much heavier influence from the new break ride mechanics than prior tournaments of 2013, as fighters are becoming more experimental with their deckbuilds.

Gold Paladin seems to be leaving its first real impact on the Japanese pro scene, as the Spectral Duke Dragon deck that was so impractical within the crossride format has been reworked with the Liberator subgroup supporting it, while the Ezel deck that only popped up briefly before is now likewise taking advantage of the Gancelot break ride.

Narukami is remaining a steady presence; in addition to "THE BLOOD" returning to tournament prominence, Uemura Shouhei's Dragonic Descendant decklist has once again shown its influence, as Fight Royale champion Itagaki Shinya has been clearly influenced by the deck's success. Although not a perfect replica, his build is clearly patterned off of Uemura's style. Due to yesterday's announcement of the May 11th restricted list, this could be the last time that Descendant shows its face in the pro scene.

Fighter's Cup A Block
Champion: Atenbou Yousuke/阿天坊洋祐
Grade 0
x1 Spring Breeze Messenger (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Weapons Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Liberator, Flare Mane Stallion
x2 Sleygal Dagger
x3 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
Grade 2
x2 Blaster Blade Liberator
x3 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x3 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x3 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Runner-up: Nomiya Youtei/野宮陽平
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
x1 Spark Edge Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x3 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x4 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x2 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Fighter's Cup B Block
Champion: Nukui Yuu/貫井悠
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x2 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x2 Mischievous Girl, Kyon-She DT
x2 Old Dragon Mage DT
x2 Spark Edge Dracokid DT
x4 Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo HT
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
Grade 1
x4 Red River Dragoon
x2 Photon Bomber Wyvenr
x2 Dragon Monk, Ginkaku
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x2 Rising Phoenix
Grade 2
x2 Thunder Storm Dragoon
x1 Storm Bringer Dragon
x4 Dusty Plasma Dragon
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserk, Garuda
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD"
x4 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion

Runner-up: Ajisaka Masato/鰺坂真人
Grade 0
x1 Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph (FVG)
x4 Elixir Sommelier HT
x4 Weapons Dealer, Gwydion DT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x2 Dantegal CT
x2 Silent Punisher CT
Grade 1
x2 Disciple of Pain
x1 Silver Fang Witch
x4 Halo Shield, Mark
x4 Sleygal Dagger
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
Grade 2
x3 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
x3 Knight of Passion, Bagdemagus
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
Grade 3
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot
x3 Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel
x1 Burning Lion, Blond Ezel

Fighter's Royale, A Block
Champion: Matsuoka Reishi/松岡怜史
Grade 0
x1 Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Falcon Knight of the Azure DT
Grade 1
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x4 Scout of Darkness, Vortimer
x2 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Halo Shield, Mark
x1 Listener of Truth, Dindrane
x1 Silver Fang Witch
Grade 2
x4 Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer
x2 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
x1 Blaster Blade Liberator
x2 Mage of Calamity, Tripp
x2 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
Grade 3
x4 Spectral Duke Dragon
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Runner-up: Kawai Tomoki/川井智己
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Liberator (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x2 Liberator, Flare Mane Stallion
x4 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade Liberator
x3 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x4 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Fighter's Royale, B Block
Champion: Itagaki Shinya/板垣信也
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (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
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x2 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x2 Eradicator of True Flames, Kougaiji
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Runner-up: 谷帝希 (Pronunciation currently unknown, possibly a pseudonym; "Kokutei Nozomi" is one suggested reading.)
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x2 Old Dragon Mage DT
x2 Spark Edge Dragokid CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo HT
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
Grade 1
x4 Red River Dragoon
x4 Photon Bomber Wyvern
x4 Wyvern Guard, Guld
x3 Rising Phoenix
Grade 2
x4 Thunder Storm Dragon
x4 Hex Cannon Wyvern
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Garuda
Grade 3
x3 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD"
x4 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion