News: New Years' Trio Festival 2013 Osaka Championship Results

Just today the first results of the commemorative New Years' Trio Festival were posted on CF-Vanguard, welcoming the new year with the opening to 2013's pro season. This event can be seen as a continuation of the Vanguard Fight Team Festival begun in January-February 2012; such team-based tournaments are the norm for beginning the new year. Today's results come from Osaka, a city home to many famous pro cardfighters like Kakuhara Misaki and 2012 National Runner-Up Kanamaru Makoto. While last year saw Royal Paladin, Shadow Paladin, Kagerou and Oracle Think Tank as the dominant decks of the time, this year is divided between Royal Paladin, Gold Paladin, Narukami and Oracle Think Tank decks.

An important development on the Narukami side is that the clan has a clear, distinct identity now due to the onset of Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD." Beyond being a less powerful clone of Kagerou, Narukami has struggled to establish itself as both a distinct and viable clan within the past year, but now pro decks are finally settling into a niche for it as multiple grade 3 rides become an exploitable center of the deck's strategy in addition to its retire strategy. "THE BLOOD" has proved to be the most popular deck of those presented today, though he has not quite lived up to The End's legend as a format-defining unit.

Much to the chagrin of classical purists, this is also the first time in history that Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel-based Gold Paladin has really proved itself in a professional environment. Criticized for being a blank card at less than five damage, and for his strain on counterblast, Platina has been a difficult unit to gauge and build around effectively. His lack of a persona blast or soulblast-based boosting unit for the rearguard has also weakened the idea of running both the crossride and its preceding ride at four, a trait unique to this particular generation of crossride. The format of team tournaments however, better lends itself to the emergence of a wider variety of decks, as less powerful builds have more of a chance in the trio fights than in the juniors' and seniors' divisions. This was demonstrated in the last 2012 championship, where the Dark Irregulars, Pale Moon, waning Shadow Paladin and pre-crossride Aqua Force all placed within the team tournaments despite being heavily unpopular in the other two divisions.

The Blaster deck has also been firmly established as still kicking, with a variant having emerged that similar to the now-restricted Tsukuyomi variant runs just four grade 3s, using a grade 2 lineup which consists exclusively of Blaster units and Starcall Trumpeter to ensure that Wingal Brave's skill goes off. With one new pro, Tachibana Souten, going so far as to add a single Blaster grade 1 to the deck, this new variant is extremely dangerous. Blaster Blade Spirit seems to have replaced Gallatin altogether for the foreseeable future due to his compatibility with Wingal Brave, and his retire combo with Starcall Trumpeter. While the deckbuild does not seem to have been widely circulated prior to the Osaka tournaments, future events are projected to see a resurgence in Blaster decks due to Majesty Lord Blaster now having the winning qualities of both its past self and the restricted Tsukuyomi, with Blaster Blade Burst arriving at the end of January to replace Soul Saver Dragon in the deck. For some fighters, concern over further amendments to the restricted list because of this indie deck potentially seeing mass adaption is already budding.

Of all these surprises however, the most directly shocking of all is that a possible revival of standardized three perfect defense is at hand; in a curious trend, two of the three A Block, all three B Block, one from C Block, and one Trio Championship deck from F Block have reverted to the old style of play, a model which was outmoded in the parallel English pro scene by the introduction of the limit breaks that are now endemic to the Japanese format. Until these tournament results came in, running four perfect defense cards was a nigh-unquestionable part of the tournament scene. How this will be resolved remains yet to be seen; the 2013 Trio Festival will pick up again further down the line with the Tokyo results.

New Year's Trio Festival 2013 Trio Championship, Osaka
A Block Championship Team
Gotou Hiroshi/後藤啓志
Phantom Blaster Overlord (Shadow Paladin)

Tokumitsu Kenta/徳満健太
Spectral Duke Dragon (Gold Paladin)

Kawachi Yoshirio/河内良弘
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)
B Block Championship Team
Tonoi Wataru/殿井渉
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel (Gold Paladin)

Nakaya Haruhi/中矢一日
Battle Sister, Fromage (Oracle Think Tank)

Ueyama Naoki/上山尚樹
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)
C Block Championship Team
Maeda Atsushi/前田惇
Scarlet Witch, CoCo (Oracle Think Tank)

Hisano Masanori/久野雅徳
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)

Tachibana Souten/立華奏天 (Note; this name is most likely a pseudonym, lifted partially from the anime/light novel series "Angel Beats!" If this is their actual birth name, then they have supreme, all-surpassing luck.)
Blaster deck; Majesty Lord Blaster, Exculpate the Blaster with Soul Saver Dragon (Royal Paladin)
D Block Championship Team
Kubo Yoshinori/久保慶典
Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel (Gold Paladin)

Nakamura Koujiro/平岡晃次郎
Galactic Beast, Zeal (Dimension Police)

Umehara Shunei/梅原俊瑛
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)
E Block Championship Team
Anonymous/匿名
Scarlet Witch, CoCo/Battle Sister, Cookie (Oracle Think Tank)

Tanabe Kazuki/田辺一樹
Blaster deck; Majesty Lord Blaster with Soul Saver Dragon (Royal Paladin)

Matsushita Shin'ya/松下晋也
Spectral Duke Dragon (Gold Paladin)

F Block Championship Team
Sakagami Ryouta/阪上良太
School Hunter, Leo-pald (Great Nature)

Fujii Taichi/藤井太智
Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD" (Narukami)

Yagi Ryousuke/八木亮輔
Spectral Duke Dragon/Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel (Gold Paladin)

Followup: Bushiroad Explains CFC Shutdown

Earlier this morning, Bushiroad's primary legal representative in their recent shutting down of the Cardfight Capital platform, Kei Nagase (in our standard handling of Japanese names, Nagase Kei) contacted us, issuing a public statement regarding the cease and desist order and why it was necessary. Below is the full statement, unmodified;

"To all our valued users

Thank you for your continuous support with Cardfight!! Vanguard.

We would also like to thank you for sending us your opinions with regards to the game Cardfight Capital. We have read and reviewed all the comments received so far.

We understand that many of you have enjoyed our trading card game Cardfight!! Vanguard through Cardfight Capital and that some of you have even started to play the physical game because of Cardfight Capital. Whichever the case may be, we are very heartened and thankful for your interest in Cardfight!! Vanguard.

Even after taking all these facts into consideration, we are still not able to change our stance towards the shutting down of Cardfight Capital.

There are 2 main reasons to this decision, and please be assured that monetary reasons were not behind this decision.

1.    For the players who do not have access to the Cardfight Capital, it is an unfair advantage when the players who access it can perform deck tests and play the game freely through Cardfight Capital.

2.    The fact remains that Cardfight Capital is infringing copyright property. To let such violations go unchecked with ultimately lead to the decline of intellectual property. Even if it does contribute to the growth of our TCG presently, the situation will most likely change in the future, and become a threat in its growth.

We would like to take the opportunity to apologize to the users who are finding it difficult to purchase Cardfight!! Vanguard products and card games in their regions.

We are working hard to ensure that Cardfight!! Vanguard can be enjoyed by every user all over the world and to provide a better play environment for the game.

We seek your patience and kind understanding in this matter.

Sincerely,

------

Kei Nagase

Bushiroad Inc.

Legal section

http://bushiroad.fm/

------"

The cease and desist, once thought to be a hoax, has been verified as a very real order to close support for the platform. Devourer of Souls et al. has complied; CFC will no longer be updated, and the only way to play the game is through servers hosted by private individuals with no connection to those started by the development team. While much uproar has developed in the community over this, Mr. Nagase's statements regarding copyright infringement and the erosion of intellectual property ring true for many. More to come as the situation develops.

News: Ride to Victory's Official Website Updated

Vanguard races onto the 3DS in April, bringing a new dimension to cardfights.

Just this morning, the splash page for the Cardfight!! Vanguard Ride to Victory! video game was updated, converting it into a full website. While many features are stilled locked, a demo video was posted under the game outline to give a hands-on look at what the finished product will look like, using the Hotblooded protagonist (here named 主人公 "Main Character" as he was in prior screenshots) fighting Morikawa Katsumi as an example.

Ride to Victory will be released in Japan on April 11th, 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is touted as a "Vanguard Fight Simulator," featuring both a full storyline for the player to go through as their own custom character, and wireless multiplayer for cardfighting with friends or randomized opponents. The game will feature more than 1300 cards ranging from BT01-BT09 and TD01-TD07, including every card from the start of the series up to the conclusion of the Asia Circuit, has received a B rating from CERO and will retail for 4980 JPY, before applying tax. Each copy will include PR cards, Blaster Blade, Blaster Dark and Dragonic Overlord, with promotional artwork done by Studio TMS, who have previously made similar alternate artworks for Wingal and Soul Saver Dragon. The cards themselves will have a special foil treatment, being treated as if they were R rarity cards from a regular booster pack.

Due to the region locking on the 3DS, only Japanese 3DS systems can play the game. Importing will in most cases, not be possible.

Subgroups and Subgroup Support

Subgroups as a mechanic have been around since the first trial decks, and were codified as early as BT03. However, they did not take their modern shape until BT05. In general, subgroups rely on the vanguard having a specific block of text in its name, and target particular units in the subgroup for skills. In this way, subgroups can transcend clan limitations to form viable mixed decks. Tsukuyomi is an early example of the mechanic, using "six or more" text for soul-based units, just as CoCo would succeed her with "do not have any cards in your soul" in 2012. It is generally accepted that the first modern subgroup is the Blaster series as it was completed in BT05, although this was contemporary to the development of other series. While TD01, BT01 and BT04 all had elements that contributed toward a Blaster deck, they lacked the now-definitive rearguards that gain power from having a subgroup-specified vanguard. Without these rearguards, a play style will be just that; a highly developed strategy, but not a true subgroup as became prominent in post-crossride formats.

The difference between a subgroup card and a subgroup support card is that support cards are not strictly necessary for the deck, but instead exist as outliers that make it stronger. These units specify a general characteristic like "Blaster" being in the name, or "six or more soul" while the actual subgroup cards will specify unit names like "Blaster Blade" or "Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi" instead of listing a generic element of the card. There is some room for interpretation here, since some cards that would normally be considered subgroup cards are grandfathered into subgroup support because they predate modern wordings, and vice versa. Below is a list of examples of subgroup and subgroup support units, using the Blaster subgroup as the base for showing what this mechanic looks like.

Examples of Subgroup Support Cards
Wingal Brave
Knight of Friendship, Kay
Apocalypse Bat
Knight of Loyalty, Bedivere
Knight of the Void, Masquerade
Starcall Trumpeter

Examples of Subgroup Cards
Barcgal
Fullbau
Blaster Javelin
Blaster Blade
Blaster Dark
Demon World Castle, DonnerSchlag
Blaster Keroro
Blaster Keroro Dark
Solitary Knight, Gancelot
Phantom Blaster Dragon
Majesty Lord Blaster
Phantom Blaster Overlord
Blaster Blade Burst

Sometimes, subgroups overlap. For example, Phantom Blaster Overlord is able to receive support from both Blaster cards like Wingal Brave and Knight of the Void Masquerade, and from Overlord cards like Flame of Promise Aermo and Burning Horn Dragon.

With all this support, this question surrounding subgroups is, "How do we run subgroup support cards?" Japan has had the better part of two years to develop, playtest with and codify subgroup decks, and using the example above, the model below has become the standardized framework.

Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave
Grade 1
x4 Knight of Friendship, Kay
Grade 2
x1 Knight of Loyalty, Bedivere
Grade 3
x1 Solitary Knight, Gancelot

While it's important to continue innovating and finding new ways to integrate these cards, this is the model currently in vogue. The first thing to notice regarding the model is that it can be easily adapted to other subgroups, as seen when applied to a BT09-based Amaterasu deck;

Grade 0
x1 Supple Bamboo Princess, Kaguya
Grade 1
x4 Battle Maiden, Sayorihime
Grade 2
x1 Battle Deity, Susanoo

Of course, there are key differences. Kaguya is in no way a perfect equivalent to Wingal Brave, nor is there a Gancelot for Amaterasu. Not every subgroup will play like every other subgroup, nor does every subgroup have access to both a Kay and Bedivere, so the canon of support cards requires adjusting from clan to clan. However, this is a good starting point for those just trying out subgroups for the first time, and as a stable, time-proven framework it can be a springboard for stabilizing one's own take on a particular deck.

The crossing of clan boundaries means that occasionally, some units from one clan can fill the gaps in another. For example, the framework can be adjusted to a Shadow Paladin-based Blaster deck;

Grade 0
x1 Fullbau
Grade 1
x4 Knight of Friendship, Kay
Grade 2
x1 Knight of the Void, Masquerade

In this example, Kay fills in for the Shadow Paladin's lack of an equivalent unit. Because Kay only specifies a vanguard with "Blaster" in its name, not a Royal Paladin with "Blaster" in its name, Kay can be safely integrated by himself without making a strong impact on the deck's consistency, synergy or the rate at which it activates triggers. Likewise, Royal Paladin Blaster decks can make the somewhat riskier move of integrating Apocalypse Bat into their build, although this particular decision has not done well in the pro scene and isn't considered part of the mainstream framework. Integrating units of overlapping subgroup is then one way to improve the synergy of a deck that uses multiple clans.

List of Subgroups, Chronologically
Blaster (Royal Paladin - Shadow Paladin)
6-Soul/Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi (Oracle Think Tank)
Overlord (Shadow Paladin - Kagerou)
Machining (Megacolony)
Ezel (Gold Paladin)
Beast Deity (Nova Grappler)
Dudley (Spike Brothers)
Soulless/Scarlet Witch, CoCo (Oracle Think Tank)
Lox (Great Nature)
Amaterasu (Oracle Think Tank)
Maelstrom (Aqua Force)
Dimensional Robo/Daiyusha (Dimension Police)
Battle Sister (Oracle Think Tank)
Vermillion (Narukami - Dark Irregulars)
Liberator (Gold Paladin)
Eradicator (Narukami)

News: Cardfight Capital to be Shut Down

Earlier this morning, Bushiroad issued a cease and desist to those responsible for the creation and management of the Cardfight Capital program, a BYOND-based client which allows the user to participate in online cardfights. The program first surfaced in early 2011 as a means of playing in the Japanese format of the Cardfight!! Vanguard Trading Card Game, and predates the existence of the English-language format. While long used by both professionals and amateurs to test decks and practice for upcoming tournaments, with many pros finding their start there, the program itself has always been in violation of copyright laws.

Public opinion is divided on the matter. For many people, Cardfight Capital is their only means to play the game. However, the game could hurt the sales of the upcoming Ride to Victory! 3DS game, which among fans is considered likely to see an English-language release despite the lack of official confirmation. The shutting down of Cardfight Capital would make it more difficult both for amateurs to develop their skills to enter into the pro scene, and hurt the pros' ability to analyze and test upcoming decks. However, this would also lead to more box sales due to players being required to play with real cards rather than test online, and if Bushiroad does not defend their license at this point, they may stand to lose their ability to defend it in the future.

Cardfight Capital was created by Devourer of Souls, and has been run continuously since March of 2011. While other programs like Vanguard Master and Cray Online have surfaced in the past, none have reached the same level of usership as CFC. Much as with the similarly-controversial restricted list, within 24 hours of the news breaking, a petition against Bushiroad's decision has surfaced.

Update 9:00 PM EST: The possibility has come up that the cease and desist is a hoax, and the Bushiroad email address used by the alleged legal representative was seized through fraudulent means. None of this has been confirmed as of yet.

Update 1/6/13 12:42 PM EST: The main sever of CFC has been closed down. As of now, only private hosting remains, and the game will not be updated.

Followup 1/11/13 9:31 AM EST

News: Blaster Blade Liberator Unveiled

The final episode of Cardfight!! Vanguard Asia Circuit, which aired just two hours ago in Japan, confirmed the name of the much-anticipated Blaster Blade remake, Blaster Blade Liberator. Set to be featured in TD08: Liberator of the Sanctuary and BT10: Triumphant Return of the King of Knights, this unit will be a key card in the Gold Paladin clan's Liberator series subgroup. The card's skills are not known, but the power and shield are 9000 and 5000 as with his Royal Paladin incarnation, and he is speculated to have both Liberator-based skills and skills which will contribute to a double clan hybrid play style between the Royal and Gold Paladins. As BT10 will also feature Royal Paladin cards along with its Gold Paladins, as well as a reprint of the original Blaster Blade, the nature of these skills is highly anticipated.

Furthermore, three new cards based off of older Royal Paladins have been revealed.

Little Liberator, Marron
Grade 1/Power 7000/Shield 5000
Gold Paladin/Giant/United Sanctuary
[AUTO](RC): When this unit attacks, if you have a vanguard with "Liberator" in its card name, this unit gets [Power]+3000 until the end of that battle.

Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
Grade 2/Power 10000/Shield 5000
Gold Paladin/Human/United Sanctuary

Liberator of the Future, Llew
Grade 1/Power 6000/Shield 5000
Gold Paladin/Human/United Sanctuary
AUTO [R]: When this unit boosts a «Gold Paladin» vanguard, if the number of rear-guards you have with "Liberator" in their card name is 3 or more, the boosted unit gets Power +4000 until end of that battle.

These cards are based on the Little Sage Marron, Knight of Silence Gallatin and Knight of the Future Llew, while Marron's skill originated with the Knight of Friendship Kay. The new cards are being very poorly received in the wake of the Asia Circuit's extremely controversial ending, which will be broadcast in English in just two hours.

News: Exculpate the Blaster to See EN Release, VGE-EB01 Promo

As preorders for EB01: Comic Style Vol. 1 become available, various distributors are now leaking that the manga promo card Exculpate the Blaster will be included as a promotional tie-in, much as The Dark Dictator followed for BT04. Exculpate is a unique transformation-based grade 3 for the Royal Paladins, being intended as a finishing move for the Blaster deck capable of wiping out an entire field in addition to the opponent's vanguard; however, there are severe restrictions on its use requiring the vanguard to already be grade 3, and for Blaster Blade to be in the soul. Exculpate originally debuted in Volume 5, Chapter 21 of the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga written and illustrated by Itou Akira, as the finishing blow used by Aichi to overcome Suzugamori Ren's Phantom Blaster Dragon. Most recently, the card appeared in the Fighter's Climax 2012 national championship, where it was included as a single copy in the junior championship runner-up Shinhama Yoshifumi's decklist.

VGE-EB01: Comic Style Vol.1 is the first Cardfight!! Vanguard extra booster, and at release will be the tenth booster set to be released in English overall. The set is composed entirely from cards that were originally designed for the Cardfight!! Vanguard manga, Itou's first original work following his departure from Yu-Gi-Oh! R. The primary features of the set are the solidification of the Raizer series as a distinct playstyle for the Nova Grapplre clan, the introduction of the Murakumo clan and their lockdown strategy, the Machining units for Megacolony which gain power from having other Machining in the soul, as well as minor reinforcement for Royal Paladin and Kagerou. Bellicosity Dragon in particular has drawn attention for allowing Kagerou decks to unflip their counterblast, letting them repeat the use of skills and take the strain away from their damage zone. While all of the cards in the set were designed by Itou, only the SP artwork for the Sage of Guidance, Zenon, was completely illustrated by him. The inclusion of Exculpate in the set is appropriate; much as Dictator was appropriate for BT04 as it was the Shadow Paladins' core set, Exculpate is so because it is the climax card of the manga's first major story arc. Like Zenon, it is also purely Itou's work.

The manga has yet to be officially serialized in individual volumes for English distribution, although the first chapter has been translated in a free promotional booklet often handed out as a participation prize at shop tournaments and at World Championship 2012 regional events. Thus far, fan translations of the manga have been filling the gap.