Hello everyone and welcome to CanYouSayBlog.

Today we will be talking about the Force.

Yes this thing.

More specifically how to allocate your force markers.

The placement of force markers is one of the new core fundamental skills required by players playing force clans in standard and Premium.

This article will be focusing on standard and the basic concepts and theory behind placing markers, instead of diving into how marker placement priotiy is for every clan, since that differs accoridng to build.

The key points to remember about placing force are 1) when to place 2) where to place 3) difference between one or two force markers 4) Use in conjunction with other 10k Pump effects.

Timing.

First is placement timing. Each game will be different and there is no hard and fast rule as to where to place force when you get it

But when each force is placed makes a fair bit of difference.

As force is in play for that circle for the rest of the game, you should think of it as X times 10k power over X turns(being how many more turns until game ends), and subsequently the next gift you get is 10k power times X-1, as it's around for less time.

Hence, as the first gift you get has the most power over time, it will have the most subtle but ultimately most impact on the game.

When you first ride to G3, both players will not have enough time to build up significant resources and hence that extra 10k power will also help pushing through one hit... Should that be your goal.

As each force is continuous it is important to think not only of where you want power for that turn but for the next turn and the turn after that. If you want power to V for one turn but the 10k for RG would be better for the next turn, the turn after AND the turn after that(as your next ride will place another Force to the other Rg or pump RG a second time or something ), you should consider placing the gift to RG and instead putting a booster behind V.

Likewise each subsequent force will have less overall impact on the game (while having most impact on that turn) so keep this in mind.

It's very common to see force being given to the Vanguard on first ride. In the world of Standard, this is incredibly common because of the lack of Forerunner being commonplace. In the past it was always quite common to have some form of power pump for VG, be it Forerunner, Break Ride, or Stride, reducing the necessity to increase your VG's Power to hit some form of magic number. However, in Standard, FVs with the "On Ride, Draw 1" Ability appear to be the boilerplate, in the early game, and in fact most matches, your V will not have any boost at all. By placing Force onto your VG, it makes it 23k on the offence without having to spend any cards. If the opponent has been guarding your attacks early they will be at 0-1 damage, meaning you need that extra boost in power to make them no guard a few of your vanguard swings. With only 13k, a 15k G0 can provide a 2-to-pass, but with a 10k pump, even a heal can, at best, give a 1 to pass, meaning that by giving your V force, it, from that turn onwards, makes your Vanguard guardable with only one card.

Do note that in the earlier turns when hands are still low, its unlikely the opponent will waste shield on guarding a 13k + 8k attack (20k 1 to pass against 10k, 20k 2 to pass for 13k), so therefore if you already have a decent booster in place (Thanks Akane), it may be strategic to place that force on a RG, and instead give V the force next turn or the turn after, as giving force to the V when the opponent wouldn’t guard in the first place is rather a waste.





Placement

The more power your VG has, the more the opponent will no guard it, as well as have to throw null guards at it. However the flip side is that if your RG don't get force, they also will be easily guarded and hence not be able to burn opponent cards and resources or push damage. If units are larger the power can be made worthless by a simple no guard. Hence, it is important to make the opponent want to guard by pushing damage.

Try to judge where the opponent would or wouldn't guard and place force where they want to guard. That way you can either sneak through more damage or burn more hand.

As always remember to no only think of this turn, but the next one as well.

Another important thing to remember is that the power pump affects all units in the circle, be they attacker g2 g3 or they be g1. If you place an 8k unit in the circle with force, you can compensate for not having an attacker there for a turn or two by making it 18k. It might not be ideal but it does make up for when you don't have much other options.

Another important point is when a RG has two force markers, a g1 booster 8k becomes 28k, an important line in the new meta, being a 20k to guard, the line where one card alone is not enough to guard, asking the opponent to burn a Heal/GGuard or two cards.

If you have an attacker + booster in one column but no attackers in hand but a booster that can come up and attack for 18k, you should consider giving that Rg force.

Summary: Force on RG means pushing damage and burning hand card. Force on V makes them want to No Guard.

Multiple force markers.

The next thing to consider is placing multiple force markers.

Unlike Accel, one fo the benefits to playing Force is also the ability to scale power in increments of 10k. Multiple instances of 10k pumps make a difference to guarding, and hence its important to account for how many to place where.

One of the examples that was previously mentioned as using an 8k booster with 1 force to get 10k shield. By moving the booster back and calling a G2 10k attacker, this line becomes 28k, an important number in the new Vanguard as it can no longer be guarded with a single card. Additionally, if the attacker is attacked/retired, you can compensate by recreating this line with another force marker.



The goal is always to create the 20k/25k to guard line, because it is at this point the opponent must afford more than 1 card a turn to guard that attacking line.

In Vanguard, most turns you will only get 2-3 cards draw in hand(1 from Stand and draw, 1-2 from drive.) Hence, anything that costs 2 or more cards to guard is not only likely to be no guarded but is also the foundation of burning the opponents defenses down in an offensive clan.

Similarly, by overinvesting in one columns power by making it 38k or 48k at the cost of reducing power on the other side, all it achieves, especailly if the opponent is at 3 or 4 damage, is a simple No Guard.

It is important to keep in mind that before giving multiple force to RG to assess how many 15k shield the opponent has in hand. If an attack is guardable by 15k (<28k power), it is likely the attack will be guarded with a 15k to stave off damage, hence leaving the column at 15k to guard is actually a tactical decision. By taking them away one turn it leaves the opponent depleted of 15k shield in hand.

The next is stacking multiple force onto VG. As mentioned before, a single force can bring a 13k force vanguard to the power level of 23k, a level where 20k one card is only one to pass, a risk most opponents will not be taking. However, 25k is 2 to pass, which is a G1 and a G0 two cards. The same number of hand as a null guard but not actually requiring the null to be used. By stacking another force to the center, it forms 33k, a number that is no longer guardable easily with sheer numbers, and instead needs a null guard. Try to time your second force to center if the opponent has amassed one or two null guards in hand but is already at 4 damage. The aim is to make the opponent throw all their nulls, instead of 2 card guarding your center and using the null on the RG carrying critical... if they need to use a null at all.

+10k Effects and using them in conjunction with Force.

This particular segment is dedicated to Overlord and Alfred Early, two cards that not only come with Force, but with an effect that grants a temporary 10k power pump. Alfred giving to RG, and Overlord to center.

The point I'd like to make is the timing of this 10k pump. A very common mistake is to use Overlord's ACT ability the turn you ride him and give force to V, a turn where the opponent is at 0-2 damage if they have guarded early, a 33k which doesnt actually force the opponent to guard. In this scenario, it would have been better to give the force to RG and activate Overlords ability, or not activate it at all and give force to V(if you have no RG/Playing around Alfred early +3 advantage with BB effect).

While Kagero does have a playstyle that controls the field and aims to burn the opponent hand via high powered center line attacks, this does not mean you never give force to RG. At some point the RG have to be used to attack, and especially if theyre carrying a critical, its far too easy to throw 15k or 20k against an attack that you want to have at least 3-4 cards used to guard.

Similarly, Alfred's ability to give 10k to Blaster Blade when called creates a 13k center line and 20k RG line, which, at very early stages will be hitting fairly easily. At this timing it isnt very useful to give the blaster blade force, as that line will already be at 20k, hitting almost anything with an 8k boost.

Instead, give the force to a RG, which allows the other column to hit for higher numbers and get the opponent to guard for both of your RG columns, instead of easily guarding a 5k or 10k guard attack and taking the 30k power.

As these power pumps are only for one turn, it is the player ability that has to make those power pump count.

Remember, the next turn you will be aiming to re-ride and get another gift. Especially in the case of Overlord, you dont need to always give your gift to Vanguard. Instead, try to give the force to RG at timings where you would be able to use your ACT skill to gain the 10k and make it matter.

For example, If you ride Overlord and feel you dont need the extra 10k power this turn, but are planning to make your Overlord 33k-43k next turn, give Force to Overlord and dont use the ACT. But, if you feel you only need 23k this turn and the next, instead give the power to RG and use your ACT to get to that magic number.

Conclusion:

Force is unlike Accel and Protect, where the player determines placements and progression. Mastering the placement and timing of Force as the game progresses and using it to push the game in certain directions is one of the more interesting new dimensions of Vanguard. Utilizing force both on the offence and placement in repsonse to the opponents play is the true trick to mastering Force clans.

I hope this article has helped you think about the various aspects of Force application. May the Force be with you.

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