News: Cardfight!! Vanguard Manga to Release April 29th, Volumes 2 and 3 to Follow

After several years of anticipation, Itou Akira's long-awaited Cardfight!! Vanguard manga will finally be reaching western shores at the end of this month. Vertical Inc.'s English translation of the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga will come in two variations, both of which are 220-240 page paperbacks that come with an alternate artwork print of Blaster Blade using Studio TMS' artwork PR/046EN.

The Special Edition will also come with two 25-card Flash Fight decks, a playmat and storage box. The Special Edition of volume 1 is limited to 4500 copies, of which 2400 were already ordered by the beginning of March, and only first edition prints of the manga will contain the promo card. The Japanese print of this Blaster Blade promo is visible below for comparison.

The Cardfight!! Vanguard manga is highly regarded in the community for having a more cohesive take on the franchise's storyline, being written without the same time restrictions as the weekly anime and with less product placement; unlike in the animated series that models its narrative around upcoming booster sets, cards in the manga are created to tell a story first and made into reality later. Itou's writing acts as the source material for many ideas used in the anime and light novels, but instead of diverging into tournament arcs and championships, his manga gives focus to the daily lives of the cast and personal pressures they face.

Both versions of volume 1 are available on Amazon, although it should be noted that Amazon's listing erroneously lists the Special Edition as hardcover. Volume 2 is currently slated for a June 24th release, and volume 3 is to follow on August 26th. The promo cards for those volumes have not yet been announced, but it's feasible that they may follow the trend set by the first card have the next two contain Studio TMS' alternate artworks for Dragonic Overlord and Blaster Dark.

Itou's manga first appeared in July 2010 at the Tokyo Toy Show, with the first pages of the manga being previewed alongside an early PV for the first season of the anime. The manga began its formal Japanese run in KeroKero Ace magazine in November of the same year, where the first chapter was serialized ahead of the anime (which would not begin airing until January 2011), and the second chapter followed in December. Itou's manga continued to be serialized chapter by chapter in KeroKero Ace for three years of unbroken publication, until the magazine suddenly collapsed in July 2013, due to an executive decision by the publishers, Kadokawa Shoten.

In September the manga switched publications to the newly-created Monthly Bushiroad magazine, and has continued to have new chapters printed every month since that time. Thus far seven volumes have been compiled from Itou's chapters, with volume 1 originally being released in March 2011, volume 2 in August of that year, volume 3 in January 2012, volume 4 in June, volume 5 in November, volume 6 in August 2013, and most recently volume 7 in December 2013. The English-language volumes so far follow a bi-monthly schedule, and at that rate could be forecasted to catch up to the Japanese volumes by April of next year.

News: Duo Fighter Makes Top 4 in Second Kansai VGCS, Lock on Victory to Feature Multiple Endings

Higashiōsaka Civic Center, Higashiōsaka city, Osaka prefecture. Image source.

The last Vanguard Championship of March ended on the 30th, with the Dragonic Nouvelle Vague making an encore appearance in the Second Kansai VGCS' first and fourth spots. Turnout at Kansai almost broke 100, reaching a latent high point of 97 persons, although it was planned to accommodate up to 128 participants. Kagerou made up an overwhelming majority of the tournament with 42 entrants, but in spite of this dominance Kansai became the staging ground for Bermuda Triangle's revival in the Japanese pro scene, being tied with Aqua Force for the fourth most represented clan.

Second Kansai VGCS Clan Breakdown 
42 Kagerou
13 Link Joker
9 Bermuda Triangle
9 Aqua Force
7 Shadow Paladin
4 Gold Paladin
4 Pale Moon
3 Genesis
2 Narukami
1 Nova Grappler
1 Granblue
1 Oracle Think Tank
1 Great Nature

Just over a week after the release of VG-EB10: Divas' Duet, third place in the Kansai CS was taken by Kimuti, playing Duo Temptation Ried. Based on early previews of the cards in Monthly Bushiroad magazine, Duo builds were expected to do well in competitive play, but there was some debate over whether Ried or Iori would be the preferred deck in the current format. Where Ried is a self-standing vanguard like many of the currently favored decks, Iori's limit break allows her to search for up to two copies of any card in the deck as long as she already has one in play, forcing Duo fighters to choose between an offensive swing that can end the game or unparalleled access to the deck.

Duo True Sister, Mare.

The tournament had an entry fee of 1000 yen per person, and was held on the third floor of the Higashiōsaka Civic Center in Osaka prefecture. The tournament lasted from 11:20 AM until 7:30 PM, and had six 20-minute best-of-1 Swiss rounds followed by a cut to top 8 with four 50-minute best-of-3 games. First place won a Nintendo 3DS XL, second place a standard Nintendo 3DS, third place three boxes of VG-BT15: Infinite Rebirth and fourth place two boxes of the same.


The deck's cornerstone play is using the Duo break ride, True Sister Mare, with its self-standing vanguard Ried. Like the previous Dragonic Descendant, Ethics Buster "Яeverse" and Dragonic Overlord "The Яe-birth", Mare into Ried has the inherent advantage of the break ride power multiplying the effectiveness of multiple attacks, but Mare's counterblast 1 also returns all Bermuda Triangle units to hand when the vanguard attacks and then calls two.

Duo Temptation, Ried.

When used in combination with Ried, who can stand herself by discarding two Duos with the same name and paying 2 counterblast after she attacks, this allows for six attacks in one turn. The calling of rearguards also provides more opportunities to use Loulou in combination with the clan's base 12000 attacker Syrdarya, and Ural.

Like Nouvelle, one of the key points of success for the Ried build is its access to a Luck Bird equivalent in Duo Pretty Horn Ural, and Kimuti chose to run Ural at four to capitalize on Duo series' efficient one-girl soulcharging engine, Ricca. By being able to grab up that kind of cheap card advantage throughout the fight, compensating for Shizuku's failure or building on her success early game, then making additional plays over Ricca's soulcharging after using skills that return her to hand, Duo decks are able to effectively accelerate in a way that makes every one card count for two.

Adding to its effectiveness is that the deck has a special booster in Duo Beast Ear Loulou, a base 7000 grade 1 that when called can choose up to Loulous on the field to give +2000 power to. Since Bermuda Triangle makes its plays around being able to return cards to the hand,  she can be safely recycled across multiple turns, and at endgame when multiple Loulous hit the field the first one played becomes successively more powerful than those that follow, so that the backrow begins to look like 13000-11000-9000 or 13000-9000-11000 to make strong rearguard lanes that complement a high-power vanguard.

Second Kansai VGCS Top 8 
1st Ishibaji/イシバシ - Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague
2nd Demon King/魔王 - Star-vader, Omega Glendios
3rd Kimuti/きむてぃ - Duo Temptation, Ried
4th New Moon/三日月 - Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague
Best 8 Nao - Star-vader, Omega Glendios
Best 8 Kuroneko - Star-vader, Omega Glendios
Best 8 Kouzan/光山 - Dragonic Overlord
Best 8 Nikoru/にこる - Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Also of note is Demon King's Glendios deck, in second place. While Glendios was previously established at the third Laketown, second Tsurumai and eighth Battle City tournaments as an effective deck in its own right, King's build deviated significantly from the established norms. Most Link Joker cardfighters run Glendios with thirteen grade 3s and seven grade 2s to make use of nine “Яeverse” cards, but Demon King's build instead cut back to eleven grade 3s with seven “Яeverse” units in favor of an additional Colony Maker and Rubidium, prioritizing Colony Maker's ability to search for Ruin Magician and streamlining how the “Яeverse” units are played. This is in contrast to Nao and Kuroneko's Glendios decks from further down in the top 8, which played sixteen and thirteen grade 3s respectively, and experimented with Infinite Zero and Cold Death Dragon to pursue Glendios' ultimate break instead of winning conventionally.

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.

In other news, the official website for Cardfight!! Vanguard Lock on Victory!! has updated with new information regarding the upcoming 3DS game. According to the newly established story page, there is a separate storyline for each of the three in-game high schools, with each character responding differently depending on whether the protagonist is male or female, and there are multiple endings depending on both the choice of school and character.

主人公（キミ）は高校生の新米ヴァンガードファイター。とあるきっかけで、入学した高校の「カードファイト部」に入部することに！VF甲子園優勝を目指して、ライバルたちと切磋琢磨する部員たち。しかし、そんな彼らに謎の現象「リバース」の影が迫っていた……。 

The protagonist (you) are a Vanguard Fighter just beginning high school. By certain chance, you are going to join your school's Cardfight Club! Aiming to win the VF High School Championship, you and your rivals study hard along with your club members. However, the shadow of the mysterious phenomenon "Яeverse" is drawing near to these people...

Building on the previous game's feature of being able to start the game over with the same card collection after completing it the first time, Lock on Victory takes full advantage of the system by letting them see each of the different storylines across multiple playthroughs.

Second Kansai VGCS
First Place: Ishibaji/イシバシ
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Therese HT
x1 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x3 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
Grade 1
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x4 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
x3 Dominate Drive Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
x1 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Second Place: Demon King/魔王
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x2 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x4 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x2 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x4 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x2 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x4 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x4 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Ice Prison Dark Lord, Cocytus “Я”
x1 School Punisher, Leo-pald “Я”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Я”

Third Place: Kimuti/きむてぃ
Grade 0
x1 Bermuda Triangle Cadet, Shizuku (FV)
x4 Heartful Ale, Fundy DT
x2 Duo Lamplight Melody, Tigris DT
x4 Duo Tropical Healer, Mejelda HT
x4 Duo Gran Pasturn, Syanon CT
x2 Duo Pride Crown, Madeira CT
Grade 1
x4 Duo Beast Ear, Loulou
x1 Duo Afternoon Tea, Parana
x4 PRISM-Duo Aria
x4 Duo Pretty Horn, Ural
Grade 2
x4 Duo Kelpie Jockey, Syrdarya
x4 Duo Mini Hat, Rhone
x4 Duo White Ice Crystal, Rikka
Grade 3
x4 Duo Temptation, Ried
x4 Duo True Sister, Mare

Fourth Place: New Moon/三日月
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x1 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x3 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
Grade 1
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x4 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x4 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x1 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x1 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x1 Seal Dragon, Hunger Hell Dragon
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
x3 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Kumbhanda
Grade 3
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Feature: Interview with Former Japanese National Champion Kokubo Hikaru

On August 22nd 2013, Dengeki Online published an interview with Kokubo Hikaru, at the time the reigning Japanese national champion and the first Pale Moon cardfighter to ever hold the title. The interview was conducted as part of comprehensive coverage of Bushiroad's events, and was done alongside other interviews with the winners from the Weiss Schwarz, Chaos and Victory Spark tournaments. As the state of the English card game is now firmly in the BT12-on format Kokubo became champion in, his strategies are increasingly relevant for international cardfighters. Below is a translation of his interview, held on the 11th of that year following the national championships.

Kokubo v. Uemura Shouhei, FR2013 finals. Image source.

Interview with the Champion, Kokubo Hikaru/優勝した小久保光さんにインタビュー
――勝因はなんでしたか？
What was the reason for your victory?
スイスラウンドはライド事故で負けてしまった相手との決勝だったのですが、一瞬のチャンスをモノにできたのがよかったかなと思います。
"During the Swiss rounds I had an opponent who lost because of a problem with riding and I won because of that, but I wonder if that momentary opportunity was a good thing or not."
――ここ一番で活躍してくれたカードはなんでしょうか？
What is your most used card?
　《パープル・トラピージスト》かなと思います。このPRカードがあってくれてよかったです。
"I think it's "Purple Trapezist." I'm grateful to have this PR card around."
――WGPも始まりますが、どのように挑みたいですか？
The WGP (World Grand Prix) is already beginning, but how would you challenge it?
これからも変わることなく、大好きな“ペイルムーン”を使っていきたいです。このクランは強いです!!
"Without changing anything for the future, I would do it using the Pale Moon that I love. This clan is really strong!"

The "riding problem" that Kokubo identified is the everpresent fear of what has been called gradelock or misriding in the English game, where a cardfighter is unable to reach grade 1, 2 or 3 at the right moment and spends a turn or more behind the opponent. Winning by way the opponent being gradelocked has been a source of conflict around the world, as many fighters both professional and otherwise consider gradelock the game's worst aspect because of how it prevents one from putting up an effective fight, and thus the wins are felt to be illegitimate both by the defeated and the victorious. Particularly in BT10-on formats where grade 1 and 2 10000 and 12000 power attackers are prevalent, gradelock can spell a rapid death sentence with no opportunity to catch up. The deck that never becomes gradelocked has become a holy grail for professional play. However, it should be noted that Kokubo was referring to the Swiss elimination rounds used to determine the top 2 fighters, not the actual game that decided the Japanese national championship.

Kokubo is well known for his Luquier “Я” deck and accompanying strategies, as his major victory with the build came on the heels of the second Tachikawa Vanguard Championship results just days earlier. At the time this confirmed Luquier “Я” for the larger community as one of the best decks of the format, and also brooked a major division in play style. Kokubo Hikaru's Luquier deck was played with four of each Dragon Tamer for crossride consistency, but there was also a strong camp in favor of playing Luquier “Я” with Miracle Pop Eva for a game-changing endgame assault with four to five attacks in the turn that any deck would be hard pressed to survive. Kokubo's decision to focus on his crossride was partially based in the importance of the Dragonic Descendant matchup in Japanese play at the time, which defined the viability of many decks; the difference between base 11000 and 13000 defense was the difference in whether an unboosted Descendant could be guarded for two triggers to pass, or no pass with a single 10000 power shield.

News: Eighth Battle City VGCS Decklists, Glendios and Kagerou Reign Over Triples Tournament

Eastern Cultural Center, Sakai city, Osaka. Image source.

The Battle City CS organization has reported its latest tournament results, and the eighth Sakai ChampionShip has been won by team Priests of Double Critical. While the previous CS saw Blaukluger and Nouvelle Vague in the spotlight, this time two Omega Glendios cardfighters have taken the gold in one of the early team tournaments of the BT15-on format. One constant has remained between Battle City tournaments; as in the previous competition, the midfighter for the winning team used a dedicated Raging Form Dragon deck. In contrast to the mix of RFD-Dragruler that have become commonplace in Japan, Adesu's RFD build has emphasized using the established Raging Form-Mordred makeup developed around BT12, foregoing the crossride entirely and mixing Blaster Dark Revenger support with cards from Infinite Rebirth. This exists in contrast to the established trend of cutting Dark Revenger entirely for Lukea and Mana, a practice that emerged in light of Dragruler's counterblast costs generally replacing Blaster Dark's.

Glendios meanwhile is continuing to grow in popularity among Japanese fans after its success at the Hakata and Tsurumai VGCSes. While an innovative means of using both World Line Dragon and Dust Tail Unicorn in the same deck had been developed at Tsurumai through the grade 2 Colony Maker, this strategy has not seemed to catch on elsewhere, where additional cards of other grades are preferred for consistency over Dust Tail's additional Lock.

Second place team "Over There, Here and There" was made up of three Kagerou cardfighters playing Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth” and Nouvelle Vague decks, with the latter making up two thirds of the team. Team forward Minorun expanded Overlord's strategy slightly by experimenting with Kagerou's new grade 2 promo, Dragon Dancer Arabella, whose counterblast 1 powers up a Flame Dragon vanguard by +5000.

Dragon Dancer, Arabella

Since all of the vanguard options in the current Overlord deck make use of self-standing limit breaks, and “The Яe-birth” in particular Locks all of his own rearguards to fight alone, this build is able to make special use of Arabella by attacking with the power increase two or three times. Team OTHT's Nouvelle fighters brought identical decks that both made use of the grade 2 Dominate Drive Dragon, a base 12000 power attacker triggered by having a "Dauntless" vanguard in play. This took advantage of how long Nouvelle builds tend to sit on Dauntless Drive Dragon for their midgame before break riding to create a game-winning play of two 23000+ power attacks that can't be guarded with grade 0 units, partially answering the slow buildup Nouvelle is faced by.

Interestingly, many decks in the format are now gravitating towards 6-6 on draw to critical triggers, where in the past 12 critical had dominated the deckbuilding process. The change may be attributed in part to the higher number of moving pieces in each deck these days, with Eternal Bringer Griffin, Dragonic Burnout, Dragonic Overlord and his crossbreak ride all being considered essential parts of “The Яe-birth's” strategy, and Glendios similarly looking to assemble Ruin Magician, Praseodymium and several “Яeverse” cards into a single hand.

The eighth Battle City CS took place on March 21st in the gallery hall of the Eastern Cultural Center in Sakai city, and met its expected quota of 64 teams, charging the standard 3000 yen entry fee per team. First place in the tournament won three PlayStation 4 consoles, second place six boxes of VG-BT15: Infinite Rebirth and third place three 2000-yen iTunes cards. Third and fourth place in the tournament went to team Rotten Fighter BL4 (チーム腐-ファイターBL4) and team Amazing Party (ステキなパーティしましょ.)

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.

Eighth Battle City Sakai VG Trio CS
Winning team: Priests of Double Critical/ダブクリ坊主
Sawa/澤
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x1 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x3 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x2 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x3 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x1 Star-vader, Jailer Tail DT
x2 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x2 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x3 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Я”
x1 Ice Prison Dark Lord, Cocytus “Я”
x1 School Punisher, Leo-pald “Я”
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Я”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Я”

Adesu/あです
Grade 0
x1 Judgebau Revenger (FV)
x1 Frontline Revenger, Claudas
x4 Healing Revenger HT
x4 Freezing Revenger DT
x1 Abyss Freezer DT
x4 Grim Revenger CT
x3 Revenger, Air Raid Dragon CT
Grade 1
x4 Dark Revenger, Mac Lir
x4 Barrier Troop Revenger, Dorint
x2 Self-control Revenger, Rakia
x2 Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter
x1 Black-winged Sword Breaker
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Dark Revenger
x2 Nullity Revenger, Masquerade
x2 Overcoming Revenger, Lukea
x2 Wiles Revenger, Mana
x1 Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu
Grade 3
x4 Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom
x4 Revenger, Raging Form Dragon

Derrin/デリン
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x4 Recollection Star-vader, Tellurium HT
x2 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x2 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x2 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x2 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x4 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x2 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x3 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x4 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Я”
x1 Blue Storm Karma Dragon, Maelstrom “Я”
x1 Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Я”
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Я”

Runner-up team: Over There, Here and There/あっちこっちそっち
Minorun/みのるん
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
x2 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x1 Blue-ray Dracokid CT
x1 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x2 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Dragon Dancer, Therese HT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x1 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x2 Violence Horn Dragon
x4 Eternal Bringer Griffin
Grade 2
x4 Dragonic Burnout
x2 Dragon Dancer, Arabella
x3 Burning Horn Dragon
x2 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”

Hiiya/ぴーや
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Seal Dragon, Shirting HT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x3 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x3 Blue-ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x4 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
x3 Dominate Drive Dragon
Grade 3
x1 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

Seven/セブン
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
x4 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x1 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x1 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
x2 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
Grade 1
x1 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x3 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x4 Berserk Dragon
x3 Dominate Drive Dragon
Grade 3
x1 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Grade 4
x4 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague

News: Extra Booster 11 "Requiem at Dusk" and Extra Booster 12 "Waltz of the Goddess" to Support Shadow Paladin and Genesis, New Witch Cards to be Introduced

Images circulating on Twitter Japan this morning unveiled the next two extra boosters for the Japanese edition of Cardfight!! Vanguard, VG-EB11: Requiem at Dusk (宵闇の鎮魂歌 Yoiyami no Chinkonka, "Requiem of Twilight") and VG-EB12: Waltz of the Goddess (女神の円舞曲 Megami no Enbukyoku, "Goddess' Waltz.") Stated to provide exclusive support for the Shadow Paladin and Genesis clans, and feature cards used by Suzugamori Ren and Tokura Misaki in the TV anime Cardfight!! Vanguard Legion Mate, the extra boosters are confirmed to support the Revenger and Regalia subclans that were introduced last year. In addition, EB11 will introduce a series of Shadow Paladin "jet-black witch" (漆黒の魔女) cards, while EB12 will introduce "snow-white witches" (純白の魔女) for Genesis.

新たな力、漆黒の【魔女】達を集めて新しくヴァンガードをはじめることもできる！
Aratana chikara, shikkoku no majo-tachi wo atsumete atarashiku Vangaado wo hajimerukoto mo dekiru! 

"By collecting the jet-black "Witches" you can use a new power to begin a new kind of Vanguard!"

EB11 and EB12 will be released on June 20th in Japan. Each set will feature 35 cards, 25 new with 10 reprints (3 RRR, 5 RR, 8 R, and 19 C-rarity cards, with 6 Special Parallels containing only 1 reprint and 2 Legion Rares.) Blaster Dark Revenger is popularly believed to be one of the reprints in the set, with alternate artwork derived of the promotional image seen above, and a Legion marker to allow connectivity with the new boss card. There is also a possibility that he will be modified to be closer to Blaster Blade Seeker in skill. The sets are confirmed to include use the Legion mechanic, as was suggested at a previous press conference.

News: Glendios Cardfighter Wins Second Tsurumai VGCS, Triple Kagerou Team Places Second in Eighth Battle City CS

This weekend brings an increased prevalence of Glendios decks with it, following on the build's initial momentum earlier this March. The second Tsurumai and eighth Battle City Vanguard Championships both concluded over the 21st and 22nd, with Link Joker fighters making a lasting impression in the top brackets of each tournament. The build's impact has varied immensely based on region, achieving greater visibility within central Japan in Gunma prefecture, than in Hokkaido to the north, where Nouvelle Vague has a better hold on the format.

The second Tsurumai CS had 59 participants in all, with the top 4 going to Glendios, Dragonic Overlord, Glendios and Revenger cardfighters. This isn't the first victory for Glendios fans; the deck had been previously spotlighted in competitive play at the head of the Fireball VGCS earlier this month, under the command of tournament champion Kado. The main difference between Kado and Tsurumai winner Red Deer's decklists are that Kado was more willing to play around Omega Lock. His decklist used Cold Death Dragon where Red's uses Colony Maker, with the intent being to take the initiative away from his opponent by forcing them to put a Locked card into play, but with the caveat that he needed to be able to cast Omega Lock on that very turn to prevent the opponent from gaining card advantage in the long run.

This works better with the World End alternate win condition because otherwise opponents can voluntarily choose to keep their rearguard circles open until Omega Lock fizzles to prevent the auto-win from being initiated, but Deer's decklist is geared to take advantage of how Omega slows the game down without necessarily needing to win through it. Colony Maker leads into Dust Tail Unicorn or Ruin Magician/Praseodymium depending on the conditions. Ninjin's decklist was built similarly, but with two extra Reverse cards for 14 grade 3s and just 12 and 6 grade 1s and 2s, straining the limits of established concepts of deckbuilding.

Interestingly, among those grade 3s was a copy of Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth.” It has frequently been assumed by westerners that “The Яe-birth” cannot be used with Glendios support because it does not have the specific phrase “Я” in its card name, but in Japan “The Яe-birth” is instead seen as being compatible because the supporting units' card text only specifies the backward R character, Я, in card names, and because the phonetic reading for Яe-birth and Яeverse are the same リバース Ribaasu. It's uncertain how the English-language incarnation of the card will handle the intentional double meaning behind “The Яe-birth,” as there are no standards in English for phonetic guides.

Second place cardfighter Sousuke reached the top bracket using a Dragonic Overlord the “The Яe-birth” deck, with notable similarities to the makeup of Beast Deity Cup champion Hisui's deck. Both cardfighters agreed for the most part on the grade 2 and 3 makeup of their builds, with Dragonic Burnout and Berserk Dragon being favored units for their on-call field control that makes use of the rearguard circles Яe-birth Locks, but Hisui prioritized accessing the break ride with Eternal Bringer Griffon more where Sousuke went for raw draw power using Calamity Tower Wyvern and Gojo's card changing to ditch excess draw triggers.

Meanwhile the eighth Battle City Trio CS concluded recently with first place going to a Glendios, Dragruler and Glendios team while second went to three Kagerou cardfighters running two Nouvelle Vague and one Overlord decks. Third place was a makeup of Glendios, Blue Storm and Kagerou; deck lists are not yet available, but the Blue Storm build is suspected to be a Maelstrom build along the same lines as the one that recently placed second in the first Sapporo VGCS. The success of a triple Kagerou team points to the mutual effectiveness of separate but contemporary Kagerou decks, even in spite of Nouvelle being generally regarded as king among them. With Dauntless Dominate Dragon “Я” likewise hanging around in tournament results, many are eyeing Kagerou as a mainstay clan for the 2014 tournament season on both sides of the water.

Second Tsurumai VGCS
First Place: Red Deer/赤いシカ
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x1 Star-vader, Dust Tail Unicorn
x4 Star-vader, Stellar Garage HT
x3 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x4 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x2 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
x3 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x4 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x3 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x2 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x3 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x3 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Deadliest Beast Deity, Ethics Buster “Я”
x1 Cleanup Celestial, Ramiel “Я”
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Я”
x1 Demon God Marquis, Amon “Я”
x1 Ice Prison Dark Lord, Cocytus “Я”

Second Place: Sousuke/そーすけ
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Abarara CT
x2 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x1 Blue-ray Dracokid CT
x1 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
x4 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x4 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
Grade 1
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x4 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x2 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x2 Eternal Bringer Griffin
x2 Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara
Grade 2
x4 Dragonic Burnout
x4 Burning Horn Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
x4 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”

Third Place: Ninjin/にんじん
Grade 0
x1 Star-vader, World Line Dragon (FV)
x1 Star-vader, Dust Tail Unicorn
x4 Star-vader, Stellar Garage HT
x4 Star-vader, Weiss Soldat CT
x1 Star-vader, Meteoliger CT
x2 Star-vader, Spark Doll CT
x3 Star-vader, Jailer Tail DT
x1 Star-vader, Scouting Felis DT
x1 Star-vader, Nebula Captor DT
Grade 1
x4 Barrier Star-vader, Promethium
x3 Star-vader, Ruin Magician
x3 Carved Seal Star-vader, Praseodymium
x2 Taboo Star-vader, Rubidium
Grade 2
x4 Star-vader, Magnet Hollow
x2 Star-vader, Colony Maker
Grade 3
x4 Star-vader, “Ω” Glendios
x2 Star-vader, “Я” Cradle
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Я”
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon “Я”
x1 Maiden of Venus Trap “Я”
x1 Dragonic Overlord “The Яe-birth”
x1 School Punisher, Leo-pald “Я”
x1 Dark Dimensional Robo, “Я” Daiyusha
x1 Covert Demonic Dragon, Hyakki Vogue “Я”
x1 Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier “Я”

Fourth Place: Kainzu/カインズ
Grade 0
x1 Creeping Dark Goat (FV)
x1 Judgebau Revenger
x4 Grim Revenger CT
x4 Revenger, Air Raid Dragon CT
x4 Freezing Revenger DT
x4 Healing Revenger HT
Grade 1
x4 Dark Revenger, Mac Lir
x1 Black-winged Sword Breaker
x1 Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter
x2 Transient Revenger, Masquerade
x1 Brunt Revenger, Shadow Lancer
x4 Self-control Revenger, Rakia
Grade 2
x4 Overcoming Revenger, Lukea
x2 Nullity Revenger, Masquerade
x3 Wiles Revenger, Mana
x2 Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu
Grade 3
x2 Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom
x2 Revenger, Dragruler Phantom
x4 Revenger, Raging Form Dragon

News: Fighter's Collection 2014 to See English Release, English TCG Approaching Synchronization

The next eight English-language set releases have been announced through the official Cardfight!! Vanguard USA Facebook page, and much excitement has been raised over the upcoming release of VGE-FC: Fighter's Collection 2014 at the end of the year. Due to the nature of FC sets as primarily featuring reprints with few new cards and the rapid release schedule of the game's English edition, it has been a concern of the English-language Cardfight community that they would never get a western release. FC2014, which is set to feature at least 23 new cards with one new grade 3 for each of the clans, has more incentive to be brought over to western shores due to the decreased count of reprints. All of these sets have been added to the official products page, sans set images.

With 37 cards and just 7 known reprints, FC2014 will feature SP reprints of Majesty Lord Blaster, Goddess of the Full Moon Tsukuyomi, Phantom Blaster Overlord, Dragonic Overlord the End, Eradicator Vowing Sword Dragon, Perfect Raizer and Top Idol Pacifica. The full Japanese setlist is not yet currently known, but as no English release of FC2013 has been announced and the set size of Fighter's Collection sets is not necessarily set in stone, it has been variously speculated that the English release could include cards from FC2013 by bumping the set size up to a full 72~80 cards, similar to the set sizes of BT01~BT05. The lack of a release for FC2013 has been a sore spot for westerners, in part due to the exclusive break rides Bleoberis and Electric Shaper Dragon, and also due to the highly coveted alternate artworks in the set for Asura Kaiser, Phantom Blaster Dragon, Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark.

More immediately, VG-BT14: Brilliant Strike and its accompanying pool of Reverse cards are suspected to be arriving in July or August. Eight releases are scheduled for after June, and with only six months remaining in that time period, it's possible that some of these will be dual releases within a single month. In particular, TD13: Successors of the Sacred Regalia and the later trial decks TD14: Seeker of Hope and TD15: Brawler of Friendship are all opportune products to release in the same month as accompanying booster sets due to how they complement the cards in Brilliant Strike and Legion of Dragons and Blades. Another possibility is for the sets following Infinite Rebirth to be released in the winter months following the new year, though this would contradict Fighter's Collection 2014's placement.

With these factors in mind, the annual World Championships--which have historically taken place in August/September through December/January--will likely be held in at least a Brilliant Strike or Divas Duet-on format, with Infinite Rebirth available in time for the finals. This oncoming rapid release schedule will likely put the English card game close to being totally synchronized with the Japanese TCG, matching the goal outlined at last year's Anime Expo of achieving simultaneous release.