It’s easy to quench the desire of a level 2 game simply by having more level 1’s and level 3’s. But the question remains… why this strategy?

One can look at deck recipies and figure out that the majority of people consider a level 2 game almost non-existent. A few reasons arise for such cause:

Change characters make up with huge stock for that bonus level advantage and power.

Assist characters (especially the +1000 power in front) to boost the level 1 field, making your attackers not have to be level 2

Being squeezed in between the level 1’s and level 3’s makes this a tech heavy level 2 transition

High level players play this kind of way to maximize cards being played for soul damage over usable characters

The dissect to get out of the scenario is to always have consistency of cards to play. The absolute difference in power between a 1/1 7k vanilla to a 2/1 8500 vanilla with soul trigger is entirely just 1500 window. A +1000 power 2/1 support can boost through the difference and a Climax with +2k power, +1 soul can topple this different. It’s a solid reason for considering not playing the level 2 attack game and simply replace with better supports.

As the options for level 3 supports is often forgotten due to lack of drawing into them at the correct timing or just rarely used in meta, or the fact its face time with use is not as predominant as other level 3’s would be to wall, the support pillar most commonly would end at level 2.

The exception right now is Log Horizon’s Shiroe 3/2, with its ability to get level 3’s to wall hard and offer soul penalty when you defeat characters. As great as the ability will sound, this level 3 eats up two stock which could have been used for a normal level 3 to wall. Plus having it assist a level 1 character only boosts it by 1000 power, meaning you should be staggering level 2’s into your deck for the added bonus. With all of this in mind, Shiroe’s support skills are only suited for a pure level 2 heavy deck, with not much techs at level 1 to support the massive stock consumption.

The dislodge of level 2

Then by all means the question of “What level two cards do I play if I make a deck worth while?” This calls into consideration of how you build your level 1 line-up. The most simplest of cases is a level 1 tech combo that dishes out the search for level 2’s. Laharl and Mao was the first fishing card with a non-climax demerit. Shimekaze was also mentioned regarding its similar appropriate behaviour to Laharl and Mao. With the latest release of Little Buster’s Rin that searches on play of Climax, maxing her out for consistency not only boosts handsize, it also prepares you for level 2+ game.

[Auto] When this card attacks, and “We should Date” is on the climax slot, search your deck for a level 2 or higher character card, put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck.

The option to search lowers your overall power at level 2, making your one turn set up susceptible to damage and if you are stuck at level 1 too long, makes the characters you retrieve inefficient. Especially with searching from deck, the amount of options to pull climaxes to come as a result increases, making attacks and cancels climax cancel reveal-able.

What are beneficial level 2’s?

This is a highly debatable section for a number of reasons with level 2’s use:

Playing climax combos for a limited amount of level 2’s which is more time for use than hording level 3 climax uses for level 3’s (unless a change is involved to a level 3)

Power vanilla characters or with encore is a sustaining level 2 is standard but doesn’t make it memorable (since sometimes WS is about dominance and consistency), so level 3’s are more interesting to play than level 2’s unless it has an outstanding ability not to play it

Paying two stock for a 2 soul character is costly and since going to level 3 soon, might be better to hold off the stock consumption till level 3 who also holds an additional effect.

Now of course, if you become Hitler’d (from 2-6 to 3-6, then immediately deck refresh and lose game for deck refresh damage to 4-0), well, let’s just say having level two’s on the field helped keep your field alive and not having nothing to play.

One note to mention is that there is increasing notice for level 2 to be stock reliving. Cards that boost stock count with various conditions like Love Live’s Eri Support, and Railgun’s Saten with climax combo are a few of the set’s generation of stock or even hand size to prepare for a long and enduring level 3 game.

What if I don’t play any level 3’s?

This comment is quite common that gets logged in discussion in other chats. However, today’s meta game of having a level 3 presence, healing, and auto effect to deal 1 damage, the calling for usage of level 3’s to deal that critical 1 point of damage and end the game is extremely high. However, there is only a handful of players who use these level 3’s at the correct timing.

Heal when you have one or two damage and always aim for 0. It’s easier to acknowledge 7 going straight in than being at 1 damage and having heals not to heal and then lose and blaming yourself for the loss.

Have non-heal cards to play on turns you’re satisfied either to not heal down or end your opponent. Don’t get too greedy with a healing deck because there will be instances of when healing is not predominantly operable and you’re just left with a 3/2 10k attacker.

Understand difference between ping (before and after) and clash. These three skills are the new offensive skills and each has its own use (I’ll write another article for level 3’s)

In the event you don’t play level 3’s, be sure to have characters that can wall your opponent without any problems. Since it is just a level 2 with a power output of a level 3’s 10k power (meaning a 2/2 9k only requires 1000 power to match), your deck has to push your opponent to merit using 1 soul characters in the subsequent turns to mitigate the deficit of only playing level 2’s. It’s entirely possible with a push game by getting your opponent at a high enough level quickly with +2 soul climaxes, cards that give additional soul to all other characters helps overall output to close gaps, create gaps, or just knock that one extra card off to force your opponent to refresh lose quicker.

The consistency of level 3 play is always analogous to preference. A level 2 field is often shadowed by level 3 effects to make it with enough power for the wait. But in a game like WS, power doesn’t mean too much if you have either good climax cancels, counters in hand to keep characters alive, or ways to increase the stall or catch up, making the finishers of Level 3’s not as efficient.

CONCLUSION

Level 2 is being more and more recognized as a corner case scenario. It’s situated between a sustaining level 1 field to a level 3 finishing scenario…often regarded as a ‘transition’ stage with no dominant type of style that suits the play. The best that can be done about this is sustain stock for level 3 characters to play, maintain that field presence or start incorporating 2 soul damage without expending extra cost to summon a level 3 on the field to incorporate the extra soul damage.

Previous

Level 1 Back Up

Level 0 Triangle