A new week

Looking at how many people actually come here in search of the Vanguard iphone app, I re-downloaded the game and started from scratch (not that I wanted to but my data was not retained).

Because I actually was familiar with the game, I did not have to spend resources figuring out what to do.
Right now, they have this limited event so I'm running through the dungeon again and again to collect the limited tickets of which 15 of them can be used to cash in a premium "gacha". In my last data, I did not manage to get anything past R. This time, within a short span of 1 day, I managed to get 2x R+s by going through the event dungeon. 

I'm thinking of saving up 11x normal tickets hoping that I can get the 11x in a row bonus. I hope it doesn't only apply to paying people. It looks quite expensive to pay to play so I can't really imagine people doing that. There are a few ways to get some R+/ SRs like from a 1st print of the 10th set and 11th set or like some song CDs but I don't see myself getting those. Hope the game has more of these limited events. I stopped at first because it didn't seem like I could get decent cards.

I also picked up the next and suggestively final copy of the Magic the Gathering comic and got a promo Corrupt.

Also over the weekend was my first irl Vanguard game with a borrowed deck which happened to be MLB so I had not much trouble wielding it. That build was very different from mine and I couldn't really do the plays that I had in my build because of the structural differences but it was fun to finally play the game irl.

I'm waiting for my cards for my deck to finally come from the land of the rising sun but it seems like it would maybe take another week or so. =(

For the 3DS game, I managed to get 100% of the non-promo cards via online games that gave out unowned cards. Unfortunately, I am 11 cards short in the promo area which is does not seem to be accessible via normal means other than via passwords. So that means that I wouldn't get to test Exculpate until the time comes for it to be released. -_-" 

Last week, I got a feel of the new V2 for Guardian Cross with the quest assigning bartender who is obviously a bartender by the hairband. Not going to comment on her ultra skimpy censorship-for-clothes attire.

And new quests from some new faces...

And more hyped up faces...

I should be taking a break from GC this week in favor of the VG iphone app. Even 1 game is hard enough. What more 2?

Blasters still in the works

Every night, I try to clock a few Vanguard online games in an effort to be more proficient and to get more cards.

When you play an online game, you get cards you don't already own. 2 for a win, 1 for a loss. Thankfully, I have managed to keep a positive win ratio.

I am hoping to slowly grind into the promo section after the normal sets fill up. :(
The SP rarity is killing me. And I finally see why they are worth so much. Lol! It's like 1 in a box or something.

Also, my deck build is gradually changing. I have downed a few 4Xs in an effort to test out more efficient builds for the deck.
The testing methodology is the same as my Mtg approach. Thankfully, Vanguard is somewhat similar to legacy in how diverse my opponents can be so I can apply my diversification ideas properly without harming the entirety of the deck.
I've seen the opponent's builds and tried out ideas as time went by. I think the deck has come a long way since the first iteration as it has since taken a different approach. However, it still looks different from others as I don't run the 10k that attacks for 13k. Perhaps out of stubbornness or just my plain disliking for a g3. I still believe that G3s past the first are generally liabilities.

For my G3s, I have an Alfred (just added to test this slot but probably going soon) and a Soul saver dragon (temp replacement for Exculpate) now together with a Pendragon (currently a perm staff) along with a Gancelot (mostly to find Blaster blade) and 2x Majesty lord blaster.

For my triggers, I started out with 4 of each to understand them better and now I reached 1 stand, 5 critical, 6 draw, 4 heal.
Basically, critical and stand are offensive and draws are defensive. My split of 6-6 comes from this reasoning. In my opinion, stand triggers are slightly more aggressive for a long game because standing splits up the guarding requirements as compared to a critical which consolidates the attack power. This reduces the effectiveness of 10k guards and perfect guards and taxes more on a guarding hand. Criticals are harder to take into account for but are perfect for closing games when they do hit.
Given the nature of the core sequence of Majesty lord blaster's skill, the value of having stand triggers greatly drops but I still think that the value of a copy of the first stand trigger is much higher than the marginal value of the 6th critical trigger which is why there is a 5-1 split.

I decreased the number of Wingal braves and trimmed some 4 ofs to introduce some extra elements such as a single Toypugal and 2 Lien. I was wrong on my Wingal brave assessment. 4 is too much given the nature of the game.

It shouldn't be long before I settle on a permanent build.

Sonic 1 ver 2! with Tails and Knuckles!!

So Friday was the last day of the GC slime event. Unfortunately, I only managed to get a whole line of weak slimes. :(

However, I saw a trailer on facebook with Sonic 1 on it.

Sonic 1 was my first ever video console game back when I was a little kid. Well, the Sega Megadrive had 2 games: Sonic and a F1 game, obviously for my dad. Well, both Sonic and I come a long way back.

What's new in version 2?



-the mode screen before the main title
-spin dash added
-the Special zone turns around much faster, making it much more difficult than it originally already was

Unfortunately, the game does not start with Tails and Knuckles unlocked.
Tails (Sonic and Tails) unlocks after you beat the game once.
I have not yet unlocked Knuckles but as I have yet to, I suspect that I either have to get all the Chaos Emeralds and beat the game or meet a certain timing for the Time Attack mode. I think it might be the latter.



This is one of my fav poses.



As with this..



Another uncommon shot..



Didn't know the stars were trailing...



Knuckles must have learnt from here.



Tails title screen... Tails is by far the most cheating character. His flying ability lets you get everywhere and Eggman's main advantage comes from the fact that you can't reach him. Not so with Tails.



At the start of Marble Zone act 1, there is this ledge that looks like you can run back and jump and somehow get unto it. I always wanted to see what was there. And.. there wasn't anything. I flew up and found a secret Invincibility box though.



Tails posing...



Tails easily reaching this platform...



Labyrinth Zone shots...



More of it...



Tails failing to keep aloft...



Tails game clear screen.



Sonic and Tails in Sonic 1.



Special Zone only admits one.



You're lost Tails.



Tails fooling around.



Labyrinth Zone shot.



Game clear shot.

Hope Knuckles unlocks soon :(

Don't do this to me!

Today would be the final day for the GC mass slime event. I have yet to get the mighty silver slime or the medium red slime. :(

It's not like I'm not getting the ultra rare cards but...



I keep getting the weak slime!!! *pukeblood*
I want the other 2 too! T.T

5 star Slime???

For the whole of last week, I ignored GC and did not try to get the 7 chess pieces. It's quite a grind and I have stopped hunting entirely for awhile now. This morning, I went in to see what's new and they have a slime event with 3 new slimes...

To think that they would use my fav monster to lure me back... -_-"

Anyway, after 5 rounds of hunting just slimes and fire slimes, I managed to get a Weak Slime!



I look forward to seeing the other 2. :)

Tencho Dairi? and an inside view of vg

I cannot imagine how a cat would handle an actual deck but...



Still practicing the blasters deck.
It's quite a complicated deck to play. I have no idea how kids can play this game so fast.
When I start, I have to contemplate on how to win the scissors paper stone since it matters. Going first essentially negates the fact that there aren't good enough blasters at grade 1 since my first attack would be at grade 2.

Then, I have to think of how many cards to put back. Having 1 grade 1 makes things easier but it gets much harder when you don't. Say you have 2s and 3s, I still have yet to come to a conclusion as whether or not to keep only a grade 2 or both a 2 and 3 in order to maximize the odds of getting a grade 1.
Chances of getting a grade 1 is less than 1/3 which means that I realistically cannot count on shipping 3 cards away. There is a draw step draw.
With 13 g1, shipping 3 cards away would see a g1 at a 74% chance. (3 in 4 games)
Shipping 4 cards would see a g1 at a 81% chance. (4 in 5 games)

If I ride at grade 1, I have to consider which to ride because it impacts the game on the 2nd/3rd turn after this. It gets much easier at g2 and 3 but g1 is tough to call. Usually, it comes down to what the expected g3 vanguard would be. The extra power might be crucial or it might not.

After which I need to plan where to put wingal brave and that requires imaging of my g2 turn. If I have a 10k blaster in hand, it's fine to move it behind the vg. If I have trumpeter, it would be better to move aside. If I have blasters, it can stay behind. If I don't have a g2, odds are better behind. However, it can get stuck there if I miss a g3 and lack power to hit anything post guards.

There comes the decisions of what to call where and what to attack. Small rgs can be ignored because being there limits the maximum attack potential of that line.
I usually go for the g2s but extra evaluation is required for the other grades. Then there is planning of how to fill the lines which is very important because you have to waste a card to take a spot.

For mixed clans, there is an extra complication of:
-no triggers if there aren't on-clan guys
-perfect guard cannot guard off-clan guys
An empty board with off-clan vg= free slaps
Clearing an on-clan rgs with off-clan vg= free slaps

You hardly want to be on your vg with your secondary clan. :(

Then there is how to guard.
For 2x drive, odds are as follows:
2x triggers: 1/9
1x trigger: 4/9
0x trigger: 4/9
Assuming a trigger is approx 1/3.

If need be, you can throw a 0 trigger guard and you're safe about half the time. A safe guard would be a guard for 1 trigger. A no fail (not assuming stand trigger) is guarding for 2 triggers. I guess that is why I want some stand triggers amongst the 16.

Triggers and intercepts can be used to negate weak attacks too by not giving them a target to hit.

Planning the power in each line comes very early. You ideally want equal or equal plus increments of 5ks. Everything in between is redundant. Say my majesty lord blaster at 12k. There is no difference having 4k or 7k boost if facing a 10k target but the difference of 7k and 8k is one whole trigger's worth.

Positioning of the small rgs is important in a grindy game and their value alters with the presence of stand triggers.
Say you have g1 8k and g0 4k in a line.
Stand: 8k front
Protect the line: 8k boost

As 'serious' gamers, we always do things at the marginal level to get that extra 1 game win. I'm still making plenty of mistakes. I guess being older doesn't mean much without practice. Tons of it.

Milky Holmes Cameo?

I'm almost through my second rerun having completed all 30 challenges (so time consuming having to understand and figure out what to do) and going through every possible ingame battle. In the midst of doing so, I ran into the Milky Holmes. I don't recall much of that anime other than the fact that they had abilities early on but lost them. I recall their archenemy who was the student council president and the teacher who had pointy nips. Their cosplays appeared in the movie too. 

She's still obsessed with flowers. Lol. 

Gem from Dragon's Maze

This is my pick for the card with the most potential for Legacy/Classic:

Anything blue in a deck with Force of will is never a dead card.

That said, this card is a very powerful card for both its effects that are good in certain conditions even if each side costs 1 more than their conventional uses.

In Legacy, creatures are relatively plentiful for both sides to be useful.
It's good because you now get the flexibility to do what you want from a card that is in a slot that you conceded to for a defensive position. I had to think of using Diabolic Edict. Now I can safely run D. Edict on a taxed +1 mana for more flexibility and the Fusing part would be really breaking if it comes down to it.
It really gives you ways to get around those Show and Tell/ Reanimator decks.

In Classic, it's a better answer to Blightsteel Colossus.
In delver decks, I had a dilemma on what answer I could run to answer Blightsteel Colossus because once it gets down, the only way out is to resolve Jace, the Mind Sculptor and that is usually not possible (since Classic doesn't have p9). I once had the 1 mana bounce + 1 life loss spell in my testing so I'm glad that this card is around.

I look forward to playing this card in Legacy and maybe Classic.

Still searching :(

I'm currently trying to clear the Vanguard Ride to Victory for the second round while trying to go through all the side battles.

The challenges are getting very hard. The last one I did was a Gold paladin deal 6 in a turn challenge. I misread one of the key cards, thinking that I could only have 4 cards out but it was actually 4 rearguards. I think I spent more than half an hour trying to figure out the answer while trying to understand the lines of plays that would result from each card position and interaction. Most interactions missed out the crucial grade 2 rabbit that I figured would let me deal the 6th damage. Imagine my excitement when I managed to sculpt the position that I wanted.

Here are some new passwords (in red):


Some of the comic promos are going to be released next month.

I looked at the collection tab and noticed that they actually showed everything that the game contained. Unfortunately for me, I didn't see blaster mameshiba in the mix :(
Exculpate was there so I hope to find the password/ in game unlock for it. It's like finding a needle in a haystack.

I received an alternate art Elaine when I beat Kourin the other day so I'm trying to find an irl version but it seems tough or perhaps I'm not trying hard enough. Tried looking at english based card shops to no avail but it just came to me that I could try Japanese online shops so I could try that. I hope they do international deliveries.

I came across another deck featuring 2 clans like the blaster deck featuring the grade 3 Amon and 2 Kagero that gains power when the opp's rearguards get retired in the main phase. I played a few games and found it interesting but I think the current version I am trying is still very unpolished so maybe after I look up the dark irregulars cards would I find a nicer build.

Ham on the wry 2

Sunday morning, I went bust in the Ham on the wry 2 running a BUG standstill list I made about an hour before the event.

I designed the list to take into account the fact that many random people would be playing random decks.

Unlike a normal Classic tournament, having vastly messed up matchups can be very hard for Classic control decks to deal with. I expected to face decks with some volume of creatures, red decks, affinity etc. As such, I tried to have some countermeasures for those. The other end of the spectrum would be the rising popularity of workshop decks.

My conclusion was to run a standstill deck, with deathrite shaman and abrupt decay. And pack in time vault, tinker.

My first match was against the guy who used my rug delver deck from 1.5 yrs ago to good value over then till now. (It was meant to be good against standstill)
Had a critical turn where I drew Blightsteel colossus and could not Tinker for the kill because of that.

My second round was against a cheap ver of Oath. I won but the experience was horrible when my opponent was whining, didn't react then came back to make more noise after the game when I asked if I mentioned the inactive + losing part.

Round 3 was against another Oath deck which had very odd games and I lost.
Game 1 I made my opp discard 2 Oath of Druids, he draws time vault but I don't have green mana for abrupt decay. Then he draws voltaic key for the win.
In the last game, my opponent had Library of Alexandria out and that made it very hard to play without my own card draw engine. A critical part of the game came from him discarding dragon's breath then casting Show and Tell into Griselbrand and beating into my Jace, tms. I wouldn't have any outs that cannot be stopped by FoWs.

It was already 5am then. I woke up at 9.30am to resume my normal Sunday but I guess staying up past 4am really takes a toll on one's body. I guess it might no longer be in my interest to do these overnight stuff.

Blaster Mameshiba~

Today, I went down to my local card shop with the intention to get the Vangaurd Mameshiba sleeves that I recall seeing before for the Blaster Mameshiba card and I did manage to get my hands on them.
(2 left, including the display)

What's a Mameshiba? It's a bunch of beans-(shiba dog faced) that provide some trivia (called mame chishiki in Japanese) and make people uncomfortable.
The following Youtube link would suffice to explain everything.

So the trivia on the card/sleeves actually say: "Did you know? Blaster Blade is actually the name of the sword." I can imagine Aichi feeling down (like all the other people in the video) to that comment especially when he always says Blaster Blade is his avatar. Lol. 

Blaster Mameshiba! I found out at the shop that the banned list is being redone in a week so I can run 4x Wingal Brave and 2 Majesty Lord Blaster (like my 3DS build). Tutoring is such a powerful effect.

Here are my Vanguard stuff I managed to get today. I think I am probably almost completing my deck.
I think it is quite odd that I am actually getting cards for a game I have never physically played a game in.
I suppose building a deck that can be eternally used would be fine. I'm ok with that. Maybe when I get a kid and he/she grows up and somehow ends up playing the game, I can take out my deck and win on technical play. HAHA. 

Vanguard basically has 2 main aspects to playing the game once deckbuilding is cleared:
Technical play and tactical play.
The first requires a considerable understanding of the basic game mechanics to make better plays. This part goes very deep which makes it very interesting.
The second is understanding the opponent's strategy to give yourself an advantage over them by disrupting them while pushing for yours.

I also learnt of double sleeving to actually protect the sleeve today. (woot)
In Magic, hardcore people use 2 sleeves to protect very high value cards. I personally have not tried that before.
The Mameshiba sleeves were $25 actually and Vanguard / the other bushiroad games have some fancy sleeves to play in (that cost more than Magic sleeves). The guy tending the shop space for Vanguard advised me to double sleeve to protect my Mameshiba sleeves so I did.
(Wow the deck becomes so fat with all the air and sleeves)

I hope I actually manage to find Blaster Mameshiba and Exculpate the Blaster in the 3DS game.
I think they are quite important for the deck I want to make. =(