Shadow 5/5

We’re starting right off with what I think is the best of the bunch. Shadow gives us something that Fire and, frankly, most archetypes in this game really want: Backup consistency. Additionally, he makes viable the kind of deckbuilding we couldn’t hope to reliably get away with in competitive up until this point with 15-16 Backup standard builds. In Fire/Ice VI (where I imagine a lot of people immediately put this card, myself included), the ability can net us a critical Backup and potentially one to put down with his ability. It’s important to note that these don’t have to be the same thing; you can grab a Gestahlian Empire Cid and play a 2 CP backup you already had in hand. His partner Backup Interceptor is obviously a great search target and an additional VI Backup to turn on Locke, and haste him and the rest of the crew to boot.

I think the part a lot of others overlook is just how great this card has the potential to be in literally any deck with Fire and an adequate number of 2 CP Backups. The two other obvious candidates here outside of Fire/Ice are Mono Fire (which has some potential with self-damage builds) and one of my personal favorites, WOFF. WOFF has a plethora of 2 CP Backups and often has Backup trouble despite a high count (around 18) because of naming problems; Shadow is a perfect addition here to help search out what we need and continue developing smoothly. The additional Fire Forward in a deck that seriously lacked reasons to play Lebreau is also appreciated, and I’m sure if WOFF sticks around we’ll be seeing Shadow in the deck going forward.