Thoughts on the restriction of Conroe

I am going to refer to the current banned cards as restricted. You can still use up to 4 of them but their use is restricted so I hardly consider this a "ban".

First of all we all know what Lizard Soldier, Conroe does. Just for sanity's sake lets take a look:



According to bushiroad the reason for this ban is it is overused. They do not mention it being unfair or game breaking.

"The restriction was made based on the observations from the recent “Cardfight!! Vanguard Team League 2014”. We have identified that “Lizard Soldier, Conroe” to be widely used among Kagero players during the tournament and recognized the influences that it may cause to the tournament environment in the future. Therefore, the above mentioned restriction will be implemented."

I find a few problems with this logic. Many cards are widely used among players. Most every deck has 8k boosters and perfect guards. Players who want to win use the best cards as possible to win. Of course this will determine some staples. The problem is when that card gives an unfair advantage. I don't see anyone having issues with Conroe being particularly game breaking. Most people use him to search for Bahr or a perfect guard (which again, are widely used among all players, yet are not banned) So where is the unfair advantage in that? I fail to see it. Perhaps it is "unfair" that not all clans get to have an easy search.

Lets take a look at a card that is not banned:


Now this card has the exact same effect as Conroe, but is for Spike Brothers. It is even the same in terms of power and grade. The real reason that this one is not banned and Conroe is, is because Kagero is more dominant. We all know dauntless/DOTE and Dragonic Nouvelle Vague have been some of the most powerful decks in the game. We have not seen this kind of power from Spike Brothers. If we did, this card would be banned. What should be restricted is the powerful cards themselves rather than the cards that make the game enjoyable and consistent. I personally think every clan should have cards like Conroe and Trainer. I feel it would make games go a little more smoothly and help the game be a little less luck based and fair for every player.

I would like to hear your opinion on this topic in the comments below!

Back from hiatus+ frustration

I took a break from playing CFV. I got frustrated with the game a little bit and had some issues come up that made it hard for me to make it to go play and stay focused in the game.

I feel a bit annoyed at one area of the game particularly and that is:

Lack of promotion. I called a card shop to ask them if they sold CFV products. They said no, no one bought them so the stopped selling them. I told the gentleman on the phone that I have several friends in the area that play so I did not understand why they would not sell and they should host some CFV tourneys to drum up interest. (A card shop one city South of them were selling CFV just fine) He said they had some tournaments for CFV in the past and no one showed. Had I known this, I would probably have been there each week. I never saw anything on bushiroad's website about this nor on their own website. This shop had Magic and Pokemon game nights listed, why they did not include CFV beats me. I know today facebook is the place that all the "kewl kids" hang out these days but the first place people look is on the official bushiroad tournament site. How can I support the game/local shops if people don't communicate/promote. It irks me because it is a lose/lose situation since I cannot support shops and events I don't know exist.



Now the reason this is so important is the fact that the closest cardshop is 4 bus transfers away. Grand total that is 8 bus transfers and 4 hours to ride to the shop and back home after it is done. Yuck.

Even when I went to Seattle 2013 regionals there were no signs, no banners, nothing. The venue was the Redmond Mariott, which is in a mall called Redmond Town Center. There are 2 stores which carry gaming cards and an anime shop that could also profit from being aware of the tourney. I asked all three of these shops that day if they were aware of this event and all of them were completely oblivious. Such wasted opportunity.

Random update-Look what I got in the mail!

A craptastic webcam pic before I tore it open because I was super exited!

Most of you already know what cards it contains but in case you didn't
http://cardfight.wikia.com/wiki/Trial_Deck_10:_Purgatory_Revenger



Now my personal favorite card in this deck is Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom. I like it because its a solid 11K and it is versatile. He can fit into almost any shadow paladin build and can be used as a searcher. I think using his limitbreak for a combo with Dictator and using his skill to call out and swarm makes him a great card.



I have mixed feelings about Blaster Dark Revenger (BDR) I'm not saying he is a bad card, he is useful. The only thing that bugs me about him is that the vanguard has to be a revenger. I kind of wish his skill was more like blaster blade or berserk dragon. I am not really a fan of restrictions so I usually stay away from cards that are fairly themed. I recognize restrictions as a necessary evil they are sometimes fair and other times stifle creativity. Blaster Dark has a ride chain to search him to the VG however, BDR doesn't. It boils down to consistency VS versatility on a card VS card basis and what fits into your play style. The bottom line is truly your deck build.

I think one of the most underrated cards in this trial deck is Venomous Breath Dragon. His limitbreak is slow and there are better cards to be placed in the VG circle. I have noticed him working well as an RG where my opponent has a 11K vangaurd. Though that can still be iffy since clogging the field with no intercepts can end your game.

Over all I think this was a pretty good release. I feel like it is missing something though. Other than BDR the grade 2 units stuck me as meh. Obviously it is a trial deck so it is going to need an overhaul before I can play it more than causally. What trial/starter deck doesn't come with random crap cards right? I will say that it has some pretty nice artwork. Transient Revenger Masquerade, Freezing Revenger and Venomous Breath Dragon to name a few with really nice art. BDR goes without saying.

Changes I would like to see

The first change I would like to see is that tourneys are match format. A skilled player does not deserve to be out of the runnings because they got grade locked or luck sacked. Also I think that a single game makes it easier for players to cheat by stacking and not get caught. It is just not fair to players any way you look at it.

I would like pack and trial deck prices to go down. At most of my local game stores its 19.99 for a deck and 3.99 for a pack. Which I think is too much in comparison to other TCG's. 50 cards for 20$ after tax isn't a good deal nor is 5 cards for almost 4 bucks. I think 10-12 dollars for a trial deck would be fair and either making the amount of cards in boosters 10 or cutting the cost down to 2.00 would be fair. I know that online there are packs available for this much, however shipping usually brings the price up. I think the cost is what is really holding vanguard back from being as popular as other TGC's. More people opt for card singles because it is cheaper and less of a hassle which means less profit for Bushiroad and less chance of major retailers selling CFV packs. Not to mention with more people buying singles online local game stores (tournament venues) suffer.

Less clan restrictions. I feel clan restrictions are a necessary evil sometimes but they can really stifle the creativity of the game. The reason I enjoy this game so much is because my deck is my creation. It is my idea, my strategy and it is one of a kind. Though clan restrictions can prevent broken combos from spoiling the balance of the game. When all decks are carbon copies I feel bored playing them. When I play someone who has a unique deck I have a blast because it is a new challenge. Its way more fun than playing something cookie cutter. I think that perhaps as the game grows and more cards are introduced this will be less of a problem as long as things are not too strictly themed or made for ride chain decks. I would like it if there were cards that worked for a nation rather than just a clan. Perhaps ambassador cards that counted as all clans in their respective nations, like a United Sanctuary card that was considered Royals, Golds, Shadows ect could be a good idea. I also want to see more cards that can just sort of fit into several builds so we have more cards to choose from within our clans.

I would also like it if there were more locals. I think this is the part were we the players must take action and invite our friends to promote the game. Of course we should support our local game store or tournament venue. What I have done is played games in public to drum up interest. Usually a local game store, comic shop or even a coffee place is a good place to do this. Also when others ask about the game invite them to join in and teach them. Welcome them to the game and share the fun. Maybe even give them some spare cards to get them started. After all the best things about the game are playing different strategies, playing different events, making new friends and having a lot of fun.

Thoughts? Post 'em in the comments below.

Whats up with me

There haven't really been a lot of posts from me because I have been pretty ill for the last few months. I will be just fine when it is all over so no worries. For now I feel pretty crappy though. I have been out of the meta for quite some time. I am far too dizzy and sick to go and visit friends or play in shops. Honestly I have been home since mid October and its has not been fun.

One happy vanguard related thing was I ordered myself a perfect guard for the holidays. When I got the envelope I opened it and vivid rabbit was inside. I was kinda annoyed for a second thinking great now I am gonna have to swap this out and then I realized that the sleeve contained my Barri and 2 vivid rabbits. Put a smile on my face with all the crappy things that have been going on.

I'm exited for next month's release :


When I get it I will be reviewing it. I admit the main reason I am getting it is for the artwork. Shadow Paladins have some of the best artwork. Normally I prefer to only keep cards I know I will put in a deck and trade/sell the rest. Probably because I am a poor college student. Though I most likely will be using a few of these cards for deck building.

Anyways till then I will probably not be very active. I may post some funny light hearted posts like my last entry. It keeps me in a positive mood which I really need right now. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them.