The New Decks of SBT02 "A Collection of Steel Blades and Metal Bodies

    So this is a surprise, we get three weeks of no real news and then BAM! THREE NEW DECKS IN 3 DAYS! HERE'S EXCELBLADE! HERE'S DDT KATANA, HERES DRAGMETAL! Jesus guys, calm down. Next week you`ll be spoiling us S-UB03. So anyway, a new set of attributes are coming out and everyone's just like "Oh hey cooool". So I wanted to explain the three of them as a fun little thing as people seem to love when I talk about them. So not to hold you guys waiting.

Hereee we go!!

Excelblade/Bladedancer

All properties go to Freedomduo

     Excelblade is the brand new attribute of Katana World along with Electrodeity and the new DDT Katana deck. These guys are based around the heart and soul of the samurai, not striking until the time is right. This deck is super item dependent, but the payoff and good damage it can do now is pretty nice. The main card THIS TIME is the item (named after the anime character) Excelblade Godslash, KANESADA, which for 1 life gives you a 10/1/6 on an item which is Nice, but then it gets even better where all <<Bladedancer>> (Including itself) cannot be rest by card effects, and this card cannot be destroyed or returned to hand. So only thing that can stop this is Godpunks, and that's because Godpunks are a degenerate archetype but I digress. This also has Counterattack so when someone attacks this alone, you can kill any small fry. Excellent item, search able by the attributes searcher, and its "Restriction" of not being able to call to the center is not even an issue as most Katana decks are open world to begin with. Meaning at THIS STAGE of the decks life, only knowing about 5-6 cards, we know a good direction of the deck for a basis to play, and theirs a ton of things the deck can get in order to make it more viable in opposition of the Lost World oppression going on right now on BFA. Their main monster, KUROGANE destroys a monster on each turn and deals 2 damage while also gaining you two damage If your weapon is in Stand. NEO will gauge 1 and draw 1 for you on each of its double attacks when your weapon is IN Stand. and SUZU is your searcher for any of your monsters, item or the impact which we will get to. and she gains DA and Pene if you have your item....This time it doesn't ask for stand BUT IT WOULD IF SHE COULD! So onto the impact which is actually pretty darn neat. 

     Pinnacle of Iai, "Godspeed" is only usable when you ate attacked and your <<Excelblade>> is in [Stand] position. For 1 gauge and 1 life. You can nullify the attack. Then nullify the abilities of the cards attacking and destroy all cards in the attack. THEN If a card was destroyed, deal 3 damage. Easy to cast, Easy to use, search able by Suzu and basically a great counter when combined with KUROGANE. Deal 2 with KUROGANE then deal 3 with this guy. 5 damage in one turn when you haven't even attacked yet, is a very good amount and unlike other Counter Finals, this one does not need you to jump through hoops to get to use it, you just play your deck as you always play it and theirs no issue. I would see an issue is this was the only shield in the deck, but since modern buddyfight design overextends on what a deck needs. Their probably gonna get a shield. All in all, Excelblade is gonna turn out to be a fun deck to play in the coming months and hopefully budget friendly with only 1 RRR and 1 RR as we know of. If you are looking towards the path of the Samurai, choose Excelblade as your deck.

Deity Dragon Tribe (Katana)

     So this is a surprise to an extent. We knew Garba being usable in all worlds made it something of a gimmick that was going to be explored, but it was gonna happen sooner or later. Instead of the Drum Method of being curbstomped into other worlds, the other worlds are being built around him, but instead of an Astrodragon Garga or a Linkdragon Garga...he goes with Ninja`s. So again the Ninja deck goes for a more aggressive approach for combat with a backup discard engine for Ninja Arts spells to keep your opponent at bay. Also Naruto references. So let's get on to understanding this new deck and why I actually find it kinda fun to mess around with. 

     Gargantua Wind Demon Dragon is the big G-EVO for the deck His ability allows him to basically use the most underused mechanic in buddyfight to date. The TOKEN MECHANIC FROM BT02! I KNOW! I FORGOT THEY DID THAT ALSO! This one makes 6/2/6 Dragod Size 0 monsters at Counter Speed and allows you to make a second one if you have a G-EVO Card in soul. I did not say by USING G-EVO, I said a G-EVO in soul, so you can call JUST THIS and put a copy of himself or OG Garga into soul and then BOOM! Tokens. Also like shown in the anime, they can be called over monsters, so in case you need to do it in a defensive measure, there you go. They were also given a ton of discard to draw outlets. Their item discards a <<Ninja Arts>> to block an attack plus boost the power and crit of all monsters on your field for Wind Demon plays. They have a card that takes ALL Copies of itself out of the deck, so basically a +3, which you can then use to discard or use as gauge fodder. They also got a Shiden Clone on a set with monster and item protection, and a Flarefang clone that procs on discard to draw. It is simple in the game play but oddly fun in execution. It isn't just Dragon World degeneracy in a new flag. You have to decide when to discard and when to call to proc effects and keep the engine going. I had a good time playing on BFA with these guys for a bit and I hope people enjoy them too.


**Begins Writing this part Friday Morning**
Oh hey, a video showing off Dragmetal, I wonder how they play?

**Its a Control and Burn deck**
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TCGBuzz Jacob and I looking at the new cards

Dragmetal

     OH MY GOD, A CONTROL DECK FOCUSED ON TAKING OVER YOUR OPPONENT'S AREAS! I INSTANTLY LOVE IT AND WILL PLAY IT ON BFA TILL THEY STOP GETTING SUPPORT! I think people know by now that I am more of a control player in Buddyfight, see as how I play burn decks focused on effect destruction and crippling my opponent. So this is just bliss to me. They just got revealed today (as of the writing of this part of the blog) and they are focused specifically on controlling the board and gaining advantage.
     Their main mechanic of Dragmetal is "Oppression", where for 1 gauge, you can put these guys on your opponent's left and right OPEN areas and they are then considered "OPPRESSED" areas. I will put some of the bullet points of Oppressed areas below, but for the sake of this blog, an oppressed area is basically an extra area where your monsters can go. You take over your opponent's left and right so you can put Size 0`s in your own left and right zone (And they are gonna get a Size 0, don't you worry) and have about 5-6 attacks of low damage, but mostly to bother the center and destroy cards on the left and right to be able to take over. Their main monster is the bad boy up there Lostknight: Nero Lance, who during your turn, can "Oppress" an opponent's area for one gauge. Then at the end of your turn, if this card was in an Oppressed area, you deal 2 damage to your opponent. Quick burn against your opponent and other Dragmetals, like his original form Argento Lance, gives you a DEL Effect when oppressing an area, so it gives advantage and burn. Rosso is going to be your center shield, becoming a Size 1 5/3/5 that can for free return a monster from your opponent's field to their hand. Use that to pop a free soul or just bounce something out of an area that needs Oppression. Giallo Mace to power bump your entire field by +3/+3 to make your Nero`s hit 8K, your Rosso`s hit 8K, and the eventually size 0`s hit something at all. The two spells revealed, Seiji Kido Defense and Cho-Tokyo Gambit are also interesting. Seiji Defense prevents your Dragmetal monster from being destroyed FOR THE ENTIRE TURN, while also being a nifty drop zone pick up spell. Cho-Tokyo Gambit though returns all monsters to hand like...the original Gambit, but also if you want gives you a gauge and 2 draws if you control both of your opponent's areas. Good draw, good defense, good protection all around, and we haven't even seen all the cards yet, but I already love the concept of the deck and their designs. The inorganic feel of the guys gives off a mechanical vibe, but their organic-like bodies suggest otherwise. Sort of a mix of the unknown animalistic designs known in chess, with more monstrous aesthetics. Its an interesting design and concept. We know for now that Dragmetal is going to have 1 RRR and 2 RR as of now, but in time I can see them getting more R`s and C`s to make the deck more budget friendly. I might actually buy this deck when it comes out if I get the chance. It isn't some super evil antagonist deck, and the cards are powerful but not too powerful besides the control for right now. I cannot wait to play these guys in BFA...however I don't think theirs card moving in BFA for across the field so testing these guys may be a little awkward at first, but I WILL GET THROUGH IT IN ORDER TO DEAL THE BURN!!!!
     If you think this deck appeals to the Oppressor in you, I recommend picking up the Dragmetal deck!

In Dragmetal..I mean Conclusion

     Dragmetal is awesome, Excelblade is cool, and DDT Katana is now boring to me after seeing such a cool deck like Dragmetal. I do have a feeling though Bushiroad has the right idea making a second attribute with the main 3 worlds their supporting in order to create diversity. No matter how many times they can put Dragon World in a set, people are going to get tired of too many options for one deck and so having options on what to play, even if its the same world helps spice up the variety of decks shown throughout the season and will bring a lot new decks to life throughout the first Ace season. I do have a theory though in a sense that in S-BT03, they're going to add a new Ancient World attribute that opposes Linkdragon Order, as Dragmetal in a sense opposes Astrodragons. Its a good guy vs bad guy situation and I feel it makes sense to give Ancient World a second attribute to use for the season, seeing how SBT03 support is going to split SDW support into Astrodragons and Dragmetal now. It's just a small theory and I am probably correct, but it doesn't hurt for small speculation as long as you aren't shoving it down someones throat. So I hope you guys enjoy this small look at my next set of spending mistakes and I hope you do not do the same thing as I will do. 

(P.S NOTE BEFORE THE OPPRESS BULLET NOTES, A Small image of a Size 0 Dragmetal has appeared online, however it's so small that it is untranslatable at the moment, but I will now take my correctness and dance because I WAS RIGHT!)

The unofficial Bullet list of rulings regarding Oppession (9/22/18)

• Your opponent cannot call a monster to an Oppressed area
• An Oppressed area counts as an area on your field and not your opponents.
• You can have a maximum of 5 monsters on your field if you Oppress two of your opponent's circles (3 Size 1's and 2 Size 0`s)
• Your opponent must destroy the monster in the Oppressed area in order to return the area back to their possession (the method of doing it is irrelevant though, as long as you get that area open legally)

S Character Pack 1: SHIN-It's the X Character Pack, but in a good way.

     So the Character Pack reveals are finally coming in and we finally have good foundation of all THREE decks in the booster that we can do a small little explanation and dissection of all the new cards. I did say three because a third attribute entered the fray, they have a unique mechanic and they seem to be used by Ranma, so that will be cool! Wanted to write this since I've been having fun play testing around with all the decks and I have come to several conclusions on DBD and DDT, and just a small mention on the new DiD deck and how they contribute to the game. So with everything settled, put on your Dragon hazmat suit.

      Let us begin.      

 Deity Dragon Tribe

Okay so speaking of the new poster boy of Buddyfight, not only is he getting this batch of support, but also a brand new Katana deck as well as three other Gargantua decks later in the fall. It may not be DDT but my god this dragon is insane. He has gotten four brand new forms in this set alone. Acute Mode shown here working with the new Garrapier and link attack focused. Legion Mode focuses on field swarming and bringing out a new fresh field once your item attacks to either gain resources through the Gar-animal trio, or a new monster to take some monsters down like Glom Gardra while Garga attacks. Charing is literally just a massive battery, gauging you for three, gaining you one life and a draw and finally Daybreak Garga is basically Rescue Drum, so always nice to have. The support lineup gives them monster destruction, to size 1 counter recovery, to G-EVO shenanigans and even more protection with their new Blue Dragon Shield and a counter 5 life which might not seem much but is always a good tech in if the un-revivable impacts start to creep back into the game. All in all, plenty of amazing cards are coming for DDT and I expect them to get a possible resurgence back into the Meta-game even if a little they got a ton more resource gaining and the pressure and G-EVO potential to pull out more damage then before. So yeah DDT is AOK!!....God using these short-term names makes me cringe...

Dragon Blood Division (The Revisit)

The True MVP of the deck

Dragon Blood Division is a closed center deck. You got monsters who can go into Bloody Eye's soul, stacking him for counterattacks, as well as them the cards in soul giving him extra effects like crit up and card destruction. They also now have opponent discard tools, resource gain tools, and an ability to stand for another attack which when you can stack 3 Perpetuity in Eye's soul, can hit for a lot. All they need now is a faster way to get Bloody Eyes, which will happen, and the deck can just speed into advantage. Their toolkit of spells are nice also. Elegante for all your destruction needs, Graziozo for your always needed kosher, Taboos for resource and Infinite Phantom for your draw power going into your turn to keep your weaklings alive and to fetch more guys to shove into Bloody Eye's soul. We have the livestream tomorrow (6:30 AM EST for those interested) to see the rest of the Division and their support, but for now they do have options to tackle decks that do have effect destruction nullification. It's a small set of options but its there. I have been having a good amount of fun with the deck due to its uniqueness from other Dragon World decks and I am happy to have more diversity in Dragon rather then the same mundane we are used to. If you love Dragon World but never liked playing the hero role, how about a switch to the dark side?

Dimensional Dragon

    Okay bob, you have one job in this blog. To put a picture of a buddyfight card in the picture section...ONE JOB! THIS IS JUST A PICTURE OF AN ENGINE! HOW DO YOU MESS THAT UP?!

Wha wha wha wha whaaaaa

    What do you mean this is a Buddyfight card? That's a picture of an engine. Here let me show you a picture of an actual engine.

    See bob, this is a buddyfight card, not an engine...What do you mean they look the same? 

                                                              Wha wha wha wha whaaaaa

     For the love of Gao, these are not the same thing! Let me show you if you want to act like a smarty pants!  

<============================>

See the differences?! Now if you are going to tell me straight to my face that Dragon World Dimensional Dragons are basically just a massive engine to turbo into Lost World...THEN I AM DONE WITH YOU BOB!!!

Wha wha whaaaaa

THAT IS IT!!! THIS BLOG IS OVER!!! NEXT EPISODE IS DROIDS! GOODNIGHT!

THE NEW ATTRIBUTES OF ACE!!!!! Part 1: Gargantua Awakened...23 years late.

     Welcome to the brand new segment on "How to make your Buddyfight Deck Relevant" Where instead of all the old archetypes that were made out of the Bushiroads uncontrollable need to find something to make that is not a Dragon. Today we will be switching from what this blog will be dubbing the OG ERA, to check out what is happening on the other side of the timeline in the ACE ERA! We need to look to the future as, for this moment, it does not seem Bushiroad will be doing support for the older decks down the line for a bit, more focusing on getting a ton of decks for people to join in now then for people to have to go find old stuff. So for people who might not want have the best jumping point to the incoming changes or are a new player looking to join buddyfight at this new landmark, well I am here to look at them with you and to see what deck appeals to you or if you find a deck to main for the new era, as everyone has to find something new to replace your TEF/Chaos Deck. Don't lie to me, you have a TEF deck or a Chaos deck somewhere in your collection, everyone did. So, let`s not waste anytime guys! Let`s GOOOOO!

ENTERS ACE ERA

IS PUNCHED TO DEATH BY GODPUNK

    Well....that was extremely painful. Everything is seen to be either hyper-aggressive or a little more slower but still able to deal a ton of damage. Even with new reveals coming in from the Ace Ultimate Boosters and Corocoro showing a focus on aggression and damage rather then more burn or lock down. Yes, Linkdragon Order is not lock down despite all the times you see your opponent using them. In fact, we actually have results from Japanese tournaments regarding the impact (get it) of Gargantua Awakened to the Meta game. 

    Jerry show the clipboard.

     So yeah....Godpunks took 1st place in Japanese Tournaments 30%, with Astrodragons only talking 20%. Linkdragons and old man Chaos are also 20% and Sun Dragons, TE, and DDT, THE EPITOMY OF MIKADO.DEK only makes 18%. Also Other could be that Ein infinite loop people found (Which I hear is so boring to fight against), so yeah, this is insane. Its also to note that Japan Tourneys are best of 1, so it makes sense to see Astros and Godpunks so damn high. You play Astro`s like you are fishing in Chaos and you can make a winning board on turn 2 and Godpunks make me cry because they are so damn strong, possibly only beatable by Astros because they can rush so much that if you can get the second turn and a good hand, GGGodpunk. This is the changes done with only 4 attributes to the game, it has helped move some old garbage out of the limelight...what replaced it maybe isn't good but hey, what can you do. So I wanted to talk about the newest attributes here, and what I think about them and help raise interest for people still on the fence for the game. So today I present

THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO NEW ACE ATTRIBUTES! (NOT ACTUALLY OFFICIAL EDITION)

So we are going to split this into three parts. The first part will hold the first 4 attributes from Gargantua Awakened because that is only a month away. The second one will be based on S-UB02, the Miko and Mel Booster, and then adding in Creepy Dan to the mix because Bushi HAD to reveal his deck instead of showing the Ultimate Boosters in Corocoro. So let`s start with the first 4 decks.

oh wait...forgot something.

WE`RE NOT COVERING YOU!

NOW ON TO THE SHOW!

----

Deity Dragon Tribe

So this guy just appears after 23 years,
and now when Gao or Tasuku kept using
his sword?

    Deity Dragon Tribe (or DDT) is the new "Gao" style attribute for Buddyfight Ace. Used by the son of the original Buddyfight Protagonist, Yuga Mikado. The aesthetic of DDT is a lot like classic Armordragons, but added in more regalia with jewels and fancier armor designs. Unlike Armordragons which had a basic overall beat down with a flexible amount of usage in its early days, Deity Dragon Tribe focuses highly on Gargantua Dragon, from the items even being locked primarily towards him, so Gargantua Dragon will be your main deck for the longest time. It is interesting however that Gargantua Dragon is not the usual Dragon World card, but is affiliated with no world. His deck for now is just Dragon World due to the support, but it is highly likely in the future that their could be Gargantua in various new Attributes in different worlds, or just Deity Dragon Tribe being a multiple world attribute like Thunder Empire, but without the flag to use it all at once. The playstyle however is also straightforward. Gargantua Dragon where you usually put Buddies, your choice of Garblade or Garchris, Lanze Gardragon and the upgraded Gargantua Punisher. THAT'S ALL YOU NEED....if that were true. Gargantua Dragon also has the iconic ability of <G-EVO> that whenever he finishes attacking, he can evolve into another Gargantua Dragon (Either a new base form or a mode) from your hand without paying the [Call Cost] of the upgraded mode. You swing with your 8 crit Blast Mode AND THEN hit them with the punisher to win. Simple game-play wise and it fits well with all over Dragon World Mikado style decks. If you need to choose the Main Characters deck, or you find the aesthetic charming, over find the mode gimmick a nice addition to the usual Dragon World snoozefest, check out DDT! You can get them by buying the first S Start Deck: Dradeity coming out (Supposedly) July 27th and upgrading with the first S Booster: Gargantua Awakened on August 31st!

Astrodragon

No, he is not the son of Tasuku, stop asking.

Astrodragons is the second new attribute introduced for Buddyfight Ace. Used by the first rival to Yuga (second if you counted Ranma), Subaru Hoshiyomi. Astrodragons, unlike Prism Dragons on release are not complete annoyance, but an actually fun, and fast Aggro deck based on keeping formation and maintaining a complete aggressive chain of attacks. Remember when TE can do 20 damage in a single turn...that's this deck`s bread and butter. The main unit this time is Skyseer Dragon, Cross Astrologia, who in similar vain to Gargantua Dragon`s <G-Evo> has his own ability. +Galaxy F> is activated when any form of Cross is in the center, you have an Astrodragon on your left, and you are equipped with an Astrodragon Item. This forms a Triangle on the field and Cross will then buff your entire field. Even your pathetic, horrible, disgraceful, shameful, pitiful right circle. Their disgusting in power, but beautiful in aesthetic, Trading Prism Dragons crystal designs and more color based typing to a more armored look, with predominantly various shades or purple and blue, making Cross pop in the center in bright yellow with rainbow wings. The Prism Dragons are more "Natural" while the Astrodragons are more..."Artificial". Not like the Chaos where its cyborgs, but more like how Armordragons are made, but instead of a predominant red, its a predominant blue. If your looking to deal more damage and use tactics like the Ace of Study (....why not just the Ace of Knowledge), then try out Astrodragons!  You can get them by buying the second S Start Deck: Triangulum Galaxy coming out (Supposedly) July 27th and upgrading with the first S Booster: Gargantua Awakened on August 31st!

Linkdragon Order

Baku, reincarnated as a Jock.

    The third attribute for the new series is for Ancient World, the brand new LINKDRAGON ORDER! Used by the "Ace of Sports" Masato, Linkdragon Order goes for a different approach from the usual Ancient World play style of "BIG SIZE 3! ALL DA TIME!". Instead of having 1 Size 3, they thought "what if...we have 3...size 1`s?!" This apparently blew the new R&D Directors mind, as he then went on to make Linkdragon Order as insane as it can be. BUT! Then he thought "What if...after they use the 3 Size 1`s...what if they could make 1 Massive Size 3!". Linkdragon Order, in a nutshell, is using Multiple size 1`s in the early game to set up pressure and ending with making a massive size 3 that will wall and keep up the pressure mid to late game. Their main mechanic is also the most complex of the Ace Trio. (D Share) is their ability, which allows all Linkdragon cards to share their abilities with other monsters with (D Share). So if one Linkdragon size 1 has the ability to pop a monster when it attacks, you choose a different monster, it pops something also. This also applies to your item so you would have a full field of monsters that can pop, heal, attack again, gain gauge, its all here. Each one has an effect that is decent, but that their on your entire field, it makes it all so much better. Once you hit that mid-game, you pull out the big bad of the deck, Spiral Thunderaxe, King Agito, who has the special (Spiral D Share) which instead of getting the abilities of all the cards on the field, gets all the abilities of cards in its soul. I remember DAY 1 when Ace got revealed and they teased a few cards. 5 Cards...and in a Testing Mirror Match, they were able to reach 100 life. I am not joking...
Do we have the footage of that? No? We don't...darn it.

     I sadly have to ask you guys to believe me when I said it could happen, and if you have a long match, it will happen. So all in all, Linkdragons are the most technical deck in the Ace trio and that's a good thing. One other cool thing about Linkdragon Order is the aesthetic, which instead of colossal dragons from the other attributes, focuses primarily on tinier dragons, small bi and quad pedal beings who have different, and distinct looks to each one. You see the green one and instantly know Jisen, you see the yellow one, you see Harahara. Each monster is distinct and each contribute to the overall deck as a whole when together or inside King Agito. If you are into a heavy deck, full of wacky possibilities and a ton of customization, I recommend to you the dangerous world of Linkdragon Order. You can get them by buying the third S Start Deck: Spiral Linkdragon Order coming out (Supposedly) July 27th and upgrading with the first S Booster: Gargantua Awakened on August 31st!

Godpunk

No SP foil for you, all you get is
a BCS Promo.

Godpunk is the attribute that was revealed last out of the Gargantua Awakened set. A Danger World attribute based on entirely being a ruthless, heartless thief, Godpunks focus on actually disruption by using your opponents resources for their own [Call Cost]s. They have cards that use your opponents gauge, card`s that require your opponent discards, and even the Buddy Monster, Topfist Vainglory, Brawlzeus lets them basically take any card on your opponents field and put it into the drop zone. As stated in the beginning of this retrospective, this is the most powerful deck in Japan right now, because it can just waste away at your opponents resources and it does a damn good job doing it. Must be why their aesthetic matches the whole "Gangster" feel, with ripped clothes, biker jackets for items, a very big influence on punk attire and the idea of the "Japanese delinquent" that is seen in many animes in Japan. This deck does not have a special Ability box unlike the other three released, but they still have the overall ability of "Plunder". When they attack and destroy an opponents monster, or deals damage to the opponent, they gain a resource for you, in a way of stealing it from the opponent. They also have great gauge acceleration for their skills as they just beat the futility of facing them into your skull. Fighting them is like actually facing real life bullies. It may seem hard, it may seem frustrating, but in the end, you go tell a parent. So for you guys who love bullying your opponent into submission, making them feel hopelessness and overall making the game less fun to play (What...It's true), Godpunk is the deck for you. This does not have a Start deck associated with it, so you can get all the cards by buying the first S Booster: Gargantua Awakened on August 31st!

Moving on to part 2

     Thank you very much for reading all of this through! This was something different I wanted to write up since the Ace Era is going to be a brand new start to Buddyfight for a bunch of new people, so I wanted to do my part and help people look at a deck and find interest in the game or just bring back lost interest once the X season destroyed a lot peoples faith in the game. It certainly did mine, but I really like the new status quo and if Bushiroad keeps the balance as it is now, then we will likely have a healthy year for Casual Buddyfight, so I thank you again for checking out this episode. This is part 1 of a 3 part series. In the next episode, I will be focusing on the next two attributes to have enough support to be able to talk about them, as well as a tiny little review of the most recent revealed attribute for the game. It wont be as in depth as this one, since the attributes are not fully out, but enough to give the general idea and check them out. I`m signing out, thank you for reading and please have an excellent day.