Feature: A General Discourse on the State of Professional Play on the Japanese Side of 2014

Dragonic Nouvelle Vague is dead and Thing Saver Dragon has killed him. This is the general situation faced by pro cardfighters in Japan; after six months of near-uninterrupted dominance, the competitive favorite evaporated and gave way to a new era of Legion decks. And while Nouvelle's reign had several upsets from the Dragruler-Raging Form cardfighters along with the occasional offbeat build like pre-BT16 Musketeers, it's no understatement to say that the deckbuild was previously one of the most successful in Cardfight!! Vanguard's existing history.

The exact mechanics of Nouvelle's defeat are best summarized as speed, cost and consistency. DNV can create a devastating, game-defining turn which involves two vanguard attacks each exceeding 23~28000 power in which the opponent cannot guard with grade 0 units while their defensive trigger checks are canceled out, meaning that if even a single hit from any unit is taken once the defending player is at five damage, they automatically lose with no chance to pull a heal trigger. Due to his high power and Silent Tom-like skill, it is not uncommon to see a player with seven cards in hand be unable to guard because their primary shield comes from 10000-power units. DNV's persona blast can also be a game-winning maneuver in the rare case that playing multiple Calamity Tower Wyverns is not the superior play, and if the opponent somehow survives the initial strike then DNV still has a base 13000 crossride-level defense to fall back on and retains its grade 0-stopping, trigger-cancelling skills for following turns. However, while these skills are some of the most devastating the game has seen, and can be understood as removing the chance aspects of the game without reintroducing an equal level of skill to compensate, they fall short of the bar set by the decks of BT16-on by needing extensive setup.

In order to have a properly setup restanding DNV that can win the game when it is put into play, Kagerou cardfighters need to first have Dauntless Drive Dragon ready on the vanguard circle at limit break, a copy of DNV in hand, the opponent needs to be at four or more damage so that the initial DNV attack will be relevant, and because savvy opponents will try to stay at three damage in order to take the first of Nouvelle's attacks this can all take four to six turns to arrange. Meanwhile, the Legion decks of the new format are active on turn three by drawing a single card. Through the normal process of guarding attacks to avoid going to higher damage earlier and card changing out less useful cards, the various builds introduced by BT16 are able to naturally achieve their setup without dedicating to a limit break of any kind. The competition between DNV and these new decks illustrates the unnatural nature of limit break as an artificial and redundant limitation placed on the game in an effort to rebalance it in BT06-on, and it's no surprise that two years after its introduction the first decks to abandon limit break are also the most successful. DNV needs Dauntless, needs limit break, needs to meet sensitive timing conditions and have the opponent in the right position, but the best Legion builds need only draw their intended grade 3 and immediately Seek Mate to trigger their abilities. The whole process is expedited by the presence of Quintet Walls and Luck Bird clones to quickly build up the drop zone for Legion.

So while Nouvelle Vague has fallen, why has Thing Saver Dragon risen in its place and not Cat Butler Raizers? To recap a bit, Cat Butler was forecast to be a primary feature of the new format after Bushiroad's celebrity personality Doctor O confirmed over Twitter that its vanguard-standing skill is compatible with a vanguard that is in Legion. Ordinarily Butler only retires itself to stand a grade 2 vanguard whose attack has not hit, but because a vanguard in Legion is considered to be both its grade 2 and grade 3 units, it's valid for Butler's skill. This has built up the new Nova Grappler Legion deck, Ultimate Raizer Mega Flare, into a considerable force to be reckoned with because its Legion skill already gives it an extra critical, and it can restand as many times as there are Cat Butlers to retire while also getting +1 card advantage off of each restand. A Legioned MF can only reach 20000 power unboosted, which in a format of primarily base 11000 vanguards means that its power is not quite on par with DNV's, but its restands come several turns in a row instead of being once per game. The Cat Butler deck has consequently been set up by the western playerbase as a potential best deck in format, with some even rallying around the idea of it being put onto the restricted list or receiving an errata to prevent it from being used with Legion vanguards, but Bushiroad Inc. has shown no signs of supporting these efforts and with the encouragement of Doctor O it appears that their full intention is to celebrate this deckbuilding option rather than try to limit it. Cynically, one could argue that Cat Butler is in fact driving both BT16's sales and clearing out old stocks of EB01: Comic Style Vol. 1, but the tournament results tell a different story.

While Cat Butler Raizers has been a major player of the format, as at the Second Beast Deity Cup, Fourth Tachikawa VGCS, Fourth Laketown CS and at the recent YVGCS team tournament where victorious team midcaptain Yuuhi immitated Tatarimetype2's Cat Butler decklist from Tachikawa, it has not been the most dominant or most used deck of the format. Not only have Thing Saver Dragon decks been close at the heels of Cat Butler builds at each of the aforementioned tournaments, but the build has dominated in competition with Narukami's Shotgun Blow Dragon at FR2014 Tokyo, placed first at FR2014 Sapporo and turned up on the first place team of the second Hokusetsu VGCS. Usage numbers from these VGCS tournaments slant towards Seekers, as in the case of Tachikawa's 33 Seeker to 21 Raizer tally, and Cat Butler can hardly be called Thing Saver's lone rival either. Dimension Police's Metalborgs have also accounted for a significant portion of pro play in the new format, drawing their strengths from preventing the opponent from using grade 1 or greater units--including perfect defense cards and Quintet Walls--against the deck's high-power grade 3 Sin Buster. Second place in the Tokyo Victory Cup went to Shibata Takuma with a Sin Buster-Draion deck, while Metalborgs were the third most represented deckbuild at Tachikawa, accounting for 16 players, and making top 8 at FR2014 Sapporo, Tokyo and Fukuoka's open class tournaments. Despite still operating in the constraints of limit break, Bermuda Triangle's PRISM-Duo series from EB10 has been the dark horse deck of the professional season, with the break ride True Sister Mare and self-standing vanguard Duo Temptation Reite as the preferred combination of the year. PRISM-Duo made an early debut in the season prior to Legion of Dragons and Blades' release, placing third at the Second Kansai VGCS and more recently taking first place under the command of Fukuoka regional champion Yamazaki Tatsuya (山崎竜矢) at FR2014 Fukuoka. Further complicating TSD's dominance and Cat Butler's high status, Shotgun Blow Dragon was shaping up as the dominant build of the season prior to BT16 hitting and has continued to prosper in wake of Wild Rush Dragon emerging as a complementary high-power, high-critical vanguard, with Brawlers making top 8 at four of the five Fighter's Road tournaments and accounting for a small portion of each VGCS. So while there is evidence in favor of Thing Saver and Cat Butler Raizers as the dominant decks within Japan, the fragmentation of professional play in light of Nouvelle's perceived lack of viability has caused the lower ranks to be filled with potential competitors, such that the Brawlers, Spike Brothers, Metalborgs, PRISM-Duo and other builds that have received less attention are potentially more dangerous to the most played decks than they are to each other. While some doomsayers are fond of ominously commenting about Legion being "dangerous" for the game, describing it as a "pure plus" or "broken," the reality is that the stark modifications to the pace of individuals games have not changed how professional play behaves on a large scale. The decks with the most potential continue to be those that break the mold and are understood the least.

In comparing Thing Saver Dragon and Mega Flare-Cat Butler's value as restanding builds, we need to be mindful of the same characteristics that caused Majesty Lord Blaster to prevail over Perfect Raizer back during Japan's pre-BT06 format. Royal Paladin is a clan which emphasizes conservation through superior calls, needing to put less cards down on average to fill the field than other clans, and in that way preserving the resources in the hand for allocation elsewhere. In TSD this is expressed through File and Gildas; File trades himself into the soul for a Blaster Blade Seeker when the vanguard Seeks Mate, while Gildas performs a flat superior call with the same timing. Since Legion vanguards can generally be flexible with their booster once Legion is activated, File allows easier setup of a rearguard column in exchange for giving up his boost. Gildas helps to complete that column, and the easy access to Blaster Blade Seeker gives Royal Paladin a cheap form of frontrow field control that Raizers lack. Seeker decks also need to draw only a single card to have their self-standing skill active, while Raizers need to draw two, making TSD immediately more consistent than Cat Butler decks. The only time that Royal Paladin will be in-Legion yet unable to use its self-stand is when there are no Thing Saver Dragons remaining in the deck, not enough counterblast or not enough soul, and each of these scenarios is less likely to become reality than not drawing a Cat Butler while in Legion. Cat Butler is also predictable, as the opponent can tell when it can and cannot be used because it must be on the field in order for its skill to be active, whereas they can't always guarantee that you'll play TSD's superior ride when you are able to do so. The card advantage game is an important part in comparing the two decks, because it's clear from how Cat Butler cardfighters are building their decks that keeping up with TSD is a necessary part of the format; the favoritism towards Energy Charger and Street Bouncer in Raizer decks highlights that importance. CBR relies on less stable rearguards with lower base powers and less efficient ways of building the field and advantage over time compared to TSD.

However, in establishing this binary dominance of TSD and Cat Butler, pro play has arguably fallen into a creative rut. The release of EB12: Waltz of the Goddess in Japan today is expected to bring at least one major change to the format, with the new Regalia series introducing CEO Yggdrasil, a Legion vanguard who combines high base power (23000 power unboosted) with an additional critical and not being guardable using grade 1 or greater cards. But by contrast, where Yggdrasil forces the opponent to put down a large amount of cards to stop her from almost certainly sending them from four to six damage, or from three to six with a stray trigger, the new Revengers from EB11: Requiem at Dusk have disappointed many. Monthly Bushiroad magazine's revelation that Phantom Blaster "Abyss" can only use its self-standing skill on the turn that it Legions has severely restricted the Revengers' potential in the current format, with many eyes now being on the new Witch cards introduced by EB11. While lacking a restanding vanguard, the Witch series is able to cripple the opponent's field with an entirely new mechanic, calling their triggers from their deck and drop zone over their existing units and then activating supplementary skills based on those triggers being on the field, doing such things as reducing the opposing vanguard's power by -5000 for a turn to effectively power up in the entire field in a “Яeverse” Daiyusha-like fashion, or simply drawing extra cards to build up advantage. Concern should be addressed at the effectiveness of the Regalia units and Witch cards in competitive play; if neither can sufficiently shake up the top brackets, then in absence of a breakout deck from among the aforementioned underdogs the format is likely to remain stale until the rise of VG-BT17: Blazing Perdition in early August.

With regards to BT17, the primary concern for the time being is focused on the announcement of a new type of grade 1 in Bushiroad's latest NicoNico Douga live broadcast. Described as a supporting grade 1 that allows the use of limit break while at three or less damage, the unit is expected to revitalize many decks that were outmoded in the emergent Legion format by allowing them to situationally ignore damage limits, as if every grade 3 were designed with a 2011-type format in mind. While the possibilities unleashed by this are numerous, it can be reasonably inferred that this new type of card will be distributed similarly to Quintet Walls during their original debut, and that only clans receiving support in BT17 will initially receive a copy of the new card. Currently this includes Gold Paladin, Link Joker, Kagerou, Royal Paladin, Aqua Force, Granblue, Tachikaze and Narukami as potential targets for the new limit break support. As this only extends to limit break 4 units, ultimate break skills like those of "Ω" Glendios and Platina Ezel are exempt from the support. The implications of these clans receiving this form of support are nevertheless severe; at present the most prominent decks of each clan to benefit from it would be Grand Ezel Scissors, Chaos Breaker Dragon, Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth,” Ashlei “Яeverse,” Tetra Drive Dragon and Maelsrom “Яeverse,” Nightsnow and Nightmist, Tyrannolegend and Tempest Bolt Dragon. The last of these is particularly notable because with the new grade 1 available, it becomes possible to retaliate effectively against an opponent who is filling the field quickly, calling few rearguards and using Tempest Bolt's counterblast 3 limit break on turn 3 to wipe out the opponent's field, punishing them for reckless attacks. And among the Aqua Force units mentioned, both Maelstrom variations can benefit from the new limit break support because benefits from being able to hit the opponent. Blue Storm Maelstrom's on-hit gives it an overall increase in advantage by two when its attack hits, retiring an opponent's rearguard and drawing a card, while Maelstrom “Яeverse” can reasonably land its extra critical when the opponent is at lower damage before moving in for a similar effect to its predecessor when the opponent begins to guard. While for many decks of 2012-on the new limit break support comes too little too late, those that were already powerful in the first place now have a chance at keeping up with the modern pace of the game. Even the possibility of DNV making a comeback is present, but unlikely because the card is still a grade 4 unit in need of a grade 3 to precede its debut and removing the sensitive timing would not make it any less slow compared to the benefits of running a self-standing Legion or opting for the much simpler “The Яe-birth.” Each clan represented by the setting receiving limit break support is not necessarily guaranteed; in the case of Link Joker this would make it much easier for Chaos Breaker and Glendios' Omega Lock to bring games to a screeching halt until one player decks out first, and depending on how the new Perdition Dragons are designed the limit break support enabling “The Яe-birth” could stand to undermine the reception of the new units.

Exactly where professional play is headed in EB12-on is fairy easy to predict. The existing BT16 decks are here to stay, while Yggdrassil and perhaps Fianna are to join them. The bigger overarching question is how much one card can redeem two years of limit breaks and how relevant the old material will be in the present format. None of the most played decks of the format shut down the opponent in the same way that Nouvelle Vague did, which leaves more room for a response and gives more of a role to the less played builds. The relative stability of the competition at the moment is liable to break down into a more of a free-for-all as the pace of limit break decks develop around staying closer to the same damage as Legion builds, disrupting the certainty that TSD and CBR have brought with them as alternative decks become more viable over time. One of the domineering aspects of the format though is that not every clan will immediately have access to these limit break enabling cards. The Revengers in particular are unlikely to experience a revival without promo card support, despite being major players since BT12, while Great Nature, Angel Feather, Oracle Think Tank, Murakumo, Nubatama, Pale Moon and Megacolony are each left without an easy option to stay relevant in an increasingly midgame-centric format.

Statement of Purpose & Ethics

Last updated June 18, 2014.
Preamble
Over the past three years the research methods, style of presentation and integrity of Cardfight Pro as a publication have undergone dramatic transformative revisions that stretch the limits of what can be defined as a web log. Although statements have been made in the past regarding the general direction and purpose of Cardfight Pro as an organization, there has never before been a single defining document which outlines the goals, methods and ethics it answers to. In light of recent events, it is the view of the head editor that such a document, testifying the will of the organization and the responsibilities of its editors, is called for.

Cardfight Pro maintains that it is not in fact a blog, but is a journalistic resource of integrity that is also hosted on Blogger and makes use of its features. It is generally recognized as a reputable source by the global community of cardfighters, and handles a certain responsibility of disseminating information about the progression of the game across the world, with special attention given to professional play. In absence of other uncensored and unbiased publications independent of Bushiroad Inc. and its related companies, the weight of that responsibility to report professionally and in a trustworthy manner to the general public is severe.

We recognize a special right of the public to be informed and a right of the individual to inform. Even when the truth is painful, it must be pursued. That is not just the right of journalists, but our obligation to the next generation; the community of cardfighters owe to its successors an explanation of why and how we can come to do terrible things. When a chance at absolute truth is present, it must be taken. This process of handing information down among generations of people is a defining feature of human cognition, and through it the praxis of journalism may be considered a form of fuller humanization of those involved. We recognize that truth and transparency will beget deeper understanding of one another.

Journalistic Ethics
Websites hosted by Blogger and their associated writers are not presently afforded the protection of state-specific shield laws within the United States of America unless sufficient professionalism is demonstrated; what constitutes professionalism is not clearly established, and there is no nationwide recognition of bloggers as journalists. This much we acknowledge. However, the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics defines and provides guidelines for the field of journalism as a practice. Journalism is a self-recognizing field wherein a journalist is defined by their recognition among other journalists. Academic degrees, the presence of a publisher or the titles associated with any particular company position are irrelevant in this matter. A journalist is made when journalism is practiced, when the truth is pursued through conscientious reporting and voice is given to the voiceless. Those who act according to the Code of Ethics are journalists, and any individual can be a journalist with or without a publication; to arbitrarily restrict that privilege based on the possession of a print platform is to be counter to the very principles of the field and to obstruct free speech.

With or without recognition as a journalistic resource, Cardfight Pro recognizes and abides by the SPJ Code of Ethics to the best of its journalists' abilities. The full scope of the SPJ is available online, but the premises of it and how they affect Cardfight Pro are outlined below in a condensed list. Due to the nature of the Code, it is not and cannot be made legally binding. The Code transcends all legal systems and extends as an international master work of ethics under which each journalist is to interpret independently. Failure to comply with the Code has no legal ramifications, but due to the trust-based nature of journalism it is impossible to work in the field without observing it, as job security, the reliability and bartering of information, promises to sources, and guarantees of anonymity all rely on observance of the Code.

Through abiding the Code, Cardfight Pro promises to:
-Publish information only if it has been validated to the best of our ability, and believed to be reliable. Rumor and hearsay will be clearly labeled or not published at all.
-Pursue both the objective and humane realities surrounding current and past events, providing an opportunity for dialogue among the public on key issues and for individuals to be represented.
-Identify sources where possible, and protect those sources who must be protected.
-Keep promises.
-Not falsify or distort the facts.
-Avoid advertorial and subservience to corporate interests. Uninhibited advertorial will never be permissible on Cardfight Pro, and private interest will never write or buy the news.
-Question the motives of companies as much as those of private individuals are, and never become slaves to hit count.
-Promote transparency between all parties.
-Never plagiarize.
-Seek and fight for the truth even where it is unpopular to do so.
-Break stereotypes and promote understanding of subjects as people, accepting views in conflict with those of the editors.
-Treat victims with compassion and tact.
-Avoid dramatizing personal tragedies.
-Not report harmfully, except where both necessary and unavoidable.
-Weigh carefully the public right to information and the right of private individuals to privacy, and act in balance to these principles.

Kindness, empathy, ruthlessness and antipathy are tools; these qualities should not obstruct the truth, but assist it. In like, advertisers and sponsorship are necessary evils which support journalism, but are never pillars of it. If it does not support the pursuit of an objective and humane truth, it has no place in Cardfight Pro.

Loyalties & Goals
Cardfight Pro recognizes the following charges of it as a publication;
-To uphold the ideals of Akira Ito in cultivating a safe environment for both children and adults to play, compete and interact together.
-To promote and support a professional community of cardfighters in cultivating their careers with integrity and dignity around the world.
-To pursue the truth as it is owed to the public, even at the risk of personal endangerment.
In informing the public on the actions of pros, we recognize that even casual fighters that play for fun can learn and use the techniques developed in the course of professional Cardfight. We also duly recognize the potential conflict of interests between the company and the community, the internal elements of Bushiroad, the visionaries and technicians, and between the fundamental artistic pursuits of what the game should be as envisioned by its many authors versus the practical reality of how it is implemented and is under the established system. Where Ito and Bushiroad conflict, it is our choice to side with Ito.

Therefore, our first loyalty is to Akira Ito and the art of the game and our second loyalty is to the player base. Nowhere within this does Bushiroad Inc. nor any other corporate body have direct influence or control over the publication. The actions of Cardfight Pro International as a journalistic body must always be in harmony with these ideals. The betterment of the community, the individual growth of veteran cardfighters as well as newcomers, and the artistic vision of Ito must each be respected by CFPro as an organization. Whosoever holds the chair of head editor must never compromise one principle for the other, nor attempt to subvert these ideals for his or her own personal gain, nor yield to attacks on these ideals. Cardfight!! Vanguard is a game which brings people together; and Cardfight Pro should do the same.

News: VG-BT17: Blazing Perdition Set Teaser Revealed, Vortex Dragon to be Revived as "Perdition Dragon Vortex Dragonewt," Volume 2 of Cardfight!! Manga to See English Publication

Four Japanese TCG news resource and advertiser Duel Portal leaked the first visuals for the seventeenth main booster set, VG-BT17: Blazing Perdition. Set to feature cards for the Gold Paladin, Link Joker, Kagerou, Royal Paladin, Aqua Force, Granblue, Tachikaze and Narukami clans, BT17 will feature double the number of Legion Rares of the previous sets, with LR prints for the new Legion pairs "Perdition Dragon, Vortex Dragonewt" (煉獄竜 ボーテックス・ドラゴニュート Rengokuryuu Bootekkusu Doragonyuuto) paired to "Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon" (煉獄竜 ワールウインド・ドラゴン Rengokuryuu Waaruuindo Doragon) and "Bluish Flames Liberator Prominence Core" (青き炎の解放者 プロミネンスコア Aokihonoo no Riberetaa Purominensu Koa) paired to "Liberator of Oath Aglovale" (誓いの解放者 アグロヴァル Chikai no Riberetaa Agurovaru.) The set announcement comes in the aftermath of series protagonist Kai Toshiki's Blaster Blade Seeker being stolen during the Sunday morning episode of Cardfight!! Vanguard Legion Mate, prompting speculation that Kai will be going back to his Kagerou deck to wield the new Perdition Dragon units in BT17.

The set's cover cards are illustrated by Daisuke Izuka, well known for his work on the Garmore series of units, as well as Chaos Breaker Dragon and the Revenger, Raging Form Dragon. The choice of Vortex Dragon as the namesake of a new Kagerou Legion is unsurprising, given the card's history; according to the draft papers included in volume 1 of the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga, Vortex Dragon was originally going to be Kai's main grade 3.

BT17's accompanying Gold Paladin support is to feature a second grade 3 able to Legion with Aglovale, who was previously revealed as being part of a Legion pair with VG-TD16: Liberator of the Bluish Flames' boss card, Percival. Aglovale draws his origins from a minor Knight of the Round Table, Sir Agloval de Galis, who in Arthurian legend is brother to Percival and Lamorak, and the eldest son of Pellinore. BT17 will be released in Japan on August 8th, 2014.

In other news, the release of volume 2 of the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga is drawing nearer, set to go out on June 24th, and is up for preorder on Amazon. This volume will include the promo card PR-0059EN Dragonic Overlord, believed to be the alternate artwork variant by Studio TMS which was distributed in Japan with the video game Ride to Victory! The manga launched in English just over a month ago under the auspices of publisher Vertical Inc. Vertical's translation has been well-received by fans, and volume 3 is expected follow in August.

News: Fourth Laketown VGCS Decklists, Narukami-Royal Paladin Fusion Places Third, Cat Butler Raizers Control Top Two

Original image by card shop Fireball.

Hosted by card shop Fireball, the fourth Laketown Vanguard Championship took place over the 17th of the month, and had a turnout of 60 persons with a 1000 yen (approx. $9.80) entry fee. Preceded by several rounds of six draw and then followed by a cut to top 8, this CS marked another victory for Nova Grappler cardfighters, but interestingly preceded the debut of Cat Butler Raizers at the Second Beast Deity Cup by a matter of days. Unlike the recent Raizer decks from the fourth Tachikawa VGCS and the Second Beast Deity Cup, first place finalist Hideyuki's deck included a more normalized grade 3 count, with seven grade 3s instead of four to five, and made room for its extra grade 0s by cutting out space throughout the entire deck, running just twelve grade 1s and ten grade 2s. His build also emphasized Energy Charger in a fashion similar to Calamity Tower Wyvern's use in the late Dragonic Nouvelle Vague decks prior to their phasing out. Although Beast Deity champion Silver Crow has received much of the credit for popularizing a particular incarnation of the Raizer series in professional play, Hideyuki may lead Nova cardfighters to rethink where they make their cuts and which cards are most important for supporting their restanding strategy.

Third place finalist Black-Rimmed Glasses made his way into the top 4 by uniquely inserting a playset of the grade 2 Narukami Brawler Youjin into his Thing Saver Dragon deck, taking advantage of the fact that Youjin does not require a Narukami vanguard to use his retire skill; so that when either Sacred Wingal or Thing Saver enter Legion, Youjin automatically retires one of the opponent's frontrow rearguards. This kind of deckbuidling is not possible in Bushiroad's official tournaments due to the implementation of rules which prevent players from using other clans in their decks, but VGCS organizers have no such qualms about mixing cards if the skill text allows for it. He also featured a number of other modifications, mixing in a Shadow Paladin card as well with the card changer Witch of Nostrum Arianrhod, to help expedite getting four cards into the drop zone for Legion alongside his Lake Maiden Lien playset. BRG has made a name for himself in the Vanguard Championships, making third in the fifth Fateclock VGCS and second place in the third Laketown VGCS.

The remaining top 8 in the fourth Fireball VGCS included Star-vader "Ω" Glendios, Thing Saver Dragon and two Cat Butler Raizers cardfighters. Glendios has remained an enduring part of the format since its debut at the previous Laketown CS, becoming one of the few builds to consistently slow down the pace of a game by shutting down both rearguard lanes and preventing them from unlocking. In the Legion format Omega has received consistently trouble from the plethora of semi-independent vanguards, diminishing the impact of a locked field.

The VGCS tournaments are a series of unofficial tournaments organized by fans and cardshops. Unlike Bushiroad's larger official tournaments, most VGCS events are done using a best of 3, Swiss tournament model. Turnout is typically 70-80 persons, but some events see 100 or more participants, all of whom compete using pseudonyms and internet handles rather than their real names as in official events. The VGCS model of fan-organized play has begun to gain popularity internationally, with the bi-monthly BeNeLux tournaments serving as their European equivalent.

Fourth Laketown CS
First place: Hideyuki/ヒデユキ
Deck name: STAP Cells Are Right Here!/スタップ細胞はここにあります！
Grade 0
x1 Transmigrating Evolution, Miraioh (FV)
x4 Cat Butler
x4 Regenbogen HT
x2 Raizer Crew DT
x2 Meteoraizer CT
x4 Red Lightning CT
x4 Minimum Raizer CT
Grade 1
x4 Shieldraizer
x4 Energy Charger
x4 The Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout
Grade 2
x4 Ultimate Raizer, DF
x4 Phoenix Raizer, FW
x2 Marine Raizer, HT
Grade 3
x3 Pheonix Raizer, DW
x4 Ultimate Raizer, MF

Second place: Rishia/リシア
Deck name: Don't Say Kompeitō Panic @Berserk/コンペイトウパニック＠バーサークとは言わせない
Grade 0
x1 Transmigrating Evolution, Miraioh (FV)
x4 Cat Butler
x4 Raizer Girl, Kate HT
x2 Raizer Crew DT
x2 Schones Wetter CT
x4 Red Lightning CT
x4 Meteoraizer CT
Grade 1
x2 Shieldraizer
x2 Twin Blader
x3 Energy Charger
x3 Jetraizer
x3 The Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout
Grade 2
x4 Ultimate Raizer, DF
x4 Phoenix Raizer, FW
x2 Marine Raizer, HT
Grade 3
x2 Pheonix Raizer, DW
x4 Ultimate Raizer, MF

Third place: Black-Rimmed Glasses/くろぶちめがね
Deck name: Youjin in Thing Saver/ヨウジン入りシングセイバー
Grade 0
x1 Starting Legend, Ambrosius (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x4 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x4 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
x4 Margal DT
Grade 1
x1 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x4 Lake Maiden, Lien
x4 Guardian Law Seeker, Shiron
x4 Glynngal Seeker
x1 Witch of Nostrum, Arianrhod
Grade 2
x4 Brawler Youjin
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x2 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x1 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x4 Seeker, Sacred Wingal

Fourth place: Knight of Stability/安定のナオト
Deck name: Seeker, Media Park Kawaguchiten/探索店メディアパーク川口店
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x2 Arms Dealer, Govanon DT
x4 Messegal Seeker DT
x4 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x2 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
Grade 1
x4 Lake Maiden, Lien
x3 Flash Shield, Iseult
x1 Summoning Jewel Knight, Gloria
x2 Glynngal Seeker
x4 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

News: Soul Saver-Thing Saver Fusion Deck Emerges in Fourth Tachikawa VGCS, Cat Butler Raizers in First

Original photo by FarEastBirds.

Nine hours ago the fourth Tachikawa Vanguard Championship closed with a Nova Grappler cardfighter playing the new Raizer Legion deck in first place, followed closely by a Royal Paladin fighter in second running a Cosmo Dragon deck that synthesized three-year-old Soul Saver Dragon support with BT16: Legion of Dragons and Blades' recently-released Seeker units. Third and fourth were likewise filled by Thing Saver and Raizer fighters. Both Nova Grappler and Royal Paladin have enjoyed considerable popularity among professional cardfighters since the set's release day, gaining favor for their aggressive self-standing vanguards whose speed--able to bring out their skills as early as turn 3--has supplanted the formerly dominant Nouvelle Vague deck, a deck once feared as having potentially solved competitive play. Out of the Tachikawa VGCS' 96-person turnout, not a single person ran Dragonic Nouvelle Vague.

Fourth Tachikawa VGCS Deck Breakdown
33 Seeker
21 Raizer
16 Metalborg
7 Star-vader, "Ω" Glendios
6 Spike Brothers
5 Musketeer
5 Brawler
2 Duo
1 Gold Paladin

According to tournament organizer Kohaku, the top 16 for the tournament consisted of five Seeker decks, five Raizers, two Spike Brothers, two Musketeers and two Metalborg decks. Although written deck recipes are not yet published, the top 2 decklists from the VGCS were photographed and uploaded to Twitter, and have been transcribed below. The first place deck was a streamlined version of Beast Deity Cup champion Silver Crow's Raizer build, running just four grade 3s to accommodate a Cat Butler playset, and focusing on setting up Legion quickly with Shieldraizer and Energy Charger while building card advantage using Street Bouncer.

Original photo by Yukiya.

Second place cardfighter Yukiya's Cosmo Dragon deck brought some much-needed innovation to the emergent format, running five grade 3s with a single copy of Soul Saver Dragon made searchable using the time-tested grade 1 Pongal. Yukiya's alternate artwork Soul Saver (illust. Studio TMS) served as a finishing move after several bouts of Thing Saver Dragon's restanding skill, taking advantage of the deck's strong soulcharging engine using multiple copies of File, the draw trigger Margal and Legion's special property of sending the entire Legion pair to the soul when another grade 3 is ridden.

Soul Saver Dragon's on-ride soulblast 5 is well remembered for being one of the first mass field power boosts in the history of the game, but is rarely played today due to contemporary cards often gaining comparable levels of power with minimal setup. Soul Saver also served an alternate purpose in facilitating the same kind of minimal grade 3 count as is played in Raizers, and due to the nature of her support is flexible enough to work either as a strategy in her own right or purely as a setup for Thing Saver Dragon to build more soul for his Soulmate Legion skill. Yukiya tweeted that the trigger count for the deck was 8-4-4, presumed to be eight critical triggers, four draw triggers and four heal triggers based on the general trends within Japanese play.

The fourth Tachikawa VGCS results were mirrored at the Fighter's Road 2014 Sapporo regional qualifier, where first place was taken by a Thing Saver Dragon cardfighter who was reportedly using a more normalized deck, followed in second by another Raizer fighter picking up on recent trends. Decklists for FR2014 Sapporo are expected to go out in the next few days.

The VGCS tournaments are a series of unofficial tournaments organized by fans and cardshops. Unlike Bushiroad's larger official tournaments, most VGCS events are done using a best of 3, Swiss tournament model. Turnout is typically 70-80 persons, but some events see 100 or more participants, all of whom compete using pseudonyms and internet handles rather than their real names as in official events. The VGCS model of fan-organized play has begun to gain popularity internationally, with the bi-monthly BeNeLux tournaments serving as their European equivalent.

Fourth Tachikawa Vanguard Championship
First place
Grade 0
x1 Transmigrating Evolution, Miraioh (FV)
x4 Cat Butler
x4 Raizer Girl, Kate HT
x4 Raizer Crew DT
x4 Meteoraizer CT
x4 Minimum Raizer CT
Grade 1
x4 Shieldraizer
x4 The Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout
x3 Energy Charger
x3 Cannonraizer
Grade 2
x4 Ultimate Raizer, DF
x4 Phoenix Raizer, FW
x3 Street Bouncer
Grade 3
x4 Ultimate Raizer, MF

Second place
Grade 0
x2 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Unstated Heal Trigger
x4 Unstated Draw Trigger
x8 Unstated Critical Trigger
Grade 1
x4 Guardian Law Seeker, Shiron
x4 Pongal
x3 Lake Maiden, Lien
x2 Glynngal Seeker
x1 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x4 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x4 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
x1 Knight of Loyalty, Bedivere
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x1 Soul Saver Dragon

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: Cat Butler Raizers Top in Second Beast Deity Cup and Fourth Laketown CS

The second Beast Deity Cup and fourth Laketown Vanguard Championship both finished on the seventeenth, with each tournaments' respective top 2s filled by Nova Grappler cardfighters using the new Ultimate Raizer Mega Flare builds from VG-BT16: Legion of Dragon and Blades, released in Japan last Friday. Each tournament had a strong turnout, and their Raizer champions were followed closely by Thing Saver Dragon cardfighters whose decks may give some insight into what kinds of build broke first and second in the recent FR2014 Tokyo regional.

In addition to the 48 persons that preregistered, sixteen more registered on-site for the Beast Deity Cup, bringing the final turnout to 64 persons. The fourth Laketown CS (also branded as the fourth Fireball CS due to the hosting party) saw 38 persons preregister, but made accommodations for up to 68 persons and final attendance is not known. Beast Deity champion Silver Crow built his strategy around smoothly developing a fast and early Legion attack with Mega Flare; with the support of the Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer Shout and Energy Charger he could quickly card change out his six draw triggers while building advantage with Charger and putting cards into the drop zone to activate Legion with.

Mega Flare's Legion 20000 triggers its autoskill, which gives it an extra critical if there are four units at rest when it attacks the vanguard--including the entire Legion pair. The bigger picture surrounding this is the synergy between the Nova Grappler Legions and Cat Butler, a grade 0 printed back in December 2011 in VG-EB01: Comic Style Vol. 1. Cat Butler's skill can stand the vanguard by retiring himself if the vanguard is a grade 2, and immediately after Bushiroad representative Doctor O confirmed via Twitter that this was valid with Legion skills, the card drew widespread attention both in Japan and overseas. As Cat Butler's retire is effectively a -1 to receive a second twin drive and neither Mega Flare nor Butler are constrained by limit break, this allows for a fast and early +1 increase in card advantage that comes coupled with additional critical and aggressive sweeping attacks. As Ultimate Raizer MF only requires four units to be at rest for his critical to kick in, Silver Crow also made use of the grade 2 Street Bouncer to build his advantage further early on, giving up a rearguard attack in order to draw a card and improve consistency while still maintaining the vanguard's dangerous Legion skill.

In an unexpected twist, both of the Beast Deity Cup finalists run four of the Nova Grappler Quintet Wall, Shieldraizer, completely abandoning perfect defense cards for the first time in the history of professional play. The low counterblast cost of the Raizer deck and the need to set up an early Legion functions well the early use of Quintet Walls as a quick way to prep Legion in advance. While the pro reception of Quintets ranged from lukewarm to negative when they first debuted in VG-BT14: Brilliant Strike, Legion has made the likes of Shieldraizer and Gloria commonplace among professional cardfighters. More surprisingly still, Silver Crow's decklist used just five grade 3s in order to accommodate maxing out Cat Butler at 4.

The fourth Laketown/Fireball CS decklists are not currently available, but the top ten are known to contain 5 Nova Grappler, 4 Royal Paladin and 1 Link Joker decks, with Raizers making first and second place. The previous Laketown CS is generally regarded as the origin point for the proliferation of Star-vader “Ω” Glendios in Japan following VG-BT15: Infinite Rebirth. The first Beast Deity Cup meanwhile is attributed with being the inspiration for many of the competitive Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth” decks.

Second Beast Deity Cup
First Place: Silver Crow/シルバークロウ
Deck name: The Will of Konomu-sensei/このむ先生の闘志
Grade 0
x1 Transmigrating Evolution, Miraioh (FV)
x4 Cat Butler
x4 Beast Deity, Rescue Bunny HT
x2 Meteoraizer CT
x2 Red Lightning CT
x2 Beast Deity, Death Stinger CT
x4 Raizer Crew DT
x1 Schneeregen DT
x1 Beast Deity, Banpauros DT
Grade 1
x4 Shieldraizer
x4 The Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout
x3 Energy Charger
x2 Cannonraizer
Grade 2
x4 Ultimate Raizer, DF
x4 Phoenix Raizer, FW
x3 Street Bouncer
Grade 3
x4 Ultimate Raizer, MF
x1 Phoenix Raizer, DW

Second place: sein
Deck name: Good Luck Spiral/幸せスパイラル
Grade 0
x1 Transmigrating Evolution, Miraioh (FV)
x2 Cat Butler
x4 Raizer Girl, Kate HT
x2 Meteoraizer CT
x3 Shining Lady CT
x3 Red Lightning CT
x3 Raizer Crew DT
x1 Subliminal Grey ST
Grade 1
x4 Shieldraizer
x3 The Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout
x3 Energy Charger
x2 Clay-doll Mechanic
x1 Carvingraizer
Grade 2
x4 Ultimate Raizer, DF
x4 Phoenix Raizer, FW
x1 Wing Raizer
x2 Marine Raizer, HT
Grade 3
x4 Ultimate Raizer, MF
x3 Phoenix Raizer, DW

Third place: Jin/仁
Deck name: Seeker/探索者
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x3 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x3 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
x4 Messegal Seeker DT
x2 Margal DT
Grade 1
x3 Flashing Jewel Knight, Iseult
x1 Summoning Jewel Knight, Gloria
x4 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x4 Lake Maiden, Lien
x2 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

Fourth place: Hisui/ヒスイ
Deck name: None
Grade 0
x1 Advance Party Seeker, File (FV)
x4 Seeker, Loving Healer HT
x3 Certain Kill Seeker, Modron CT
x3 Seeker, Herald Breath Dragon CT
x4 Messegal Seeker DT
x2 Margal DT
Grade 1
x2 Good Faith Seeker, Cynric
x4 Lake Maiden, Lien
x4 Guardian Law Seeker, Shiron
x2 Glynngal Seeker
x1 Flail Seeker, Hasbasado
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade, Seeker
x3 Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic
x4 Crossbow Seeker, Gildas
x1 Natural Talent Seeker, Valrod
Grade 3
x4 Seeker, Thing Saver Dragon
x3 Seeker, Sacred Wingal
x1 Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei