[Blog] Premium Watch: Shadow Paladin Claret Sword!

15min read

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Today we will be going over a rather potent Aggressive deck for Premium Standard, using some of the new cards from VEB12 Team Dragon's Vanity.

That's right, today we will be going over using Claret Sword Dragon in Premium Standard!





Claret Sword Dragon has solidified itself in the current standard Metagame as a fast and aggressive deck that preys upon the Accel decks in vogue, dealing damage early and chasing with high critical pressure. These properties are also the becomings of an aggressive Premium standard deck, aiming to seal games before the opponent can pull off their advantage gaining strides.

Similarly to the Premium Standard Vanquisher deck that we went over last week, Claret Sword Premium standard is very cheap to upgrade from the standard version, with many of the key main deck components being either Common, Rare, and reprinted recently, as well as most core GZone cards being fairly cheap to pick up.



Shadow Paladin until now

Until now, in premium Standard, Shadow Paladin has a very defined identity as the Luard deck, utilizing Luard and Ritual abilities to draw many cards, recur perfect guards with Esras, and finish with multiple attacks of high power formerly with Dagda and Dragabyss, but currently with Dragprinciple Morfessa. This is of course not the only direction Luard decks have headed, as seen with the recent topping of Deckout Luard.

One of the defining features of Luard deck is their incredibly powerful early game thanks to Macha and Charon, Nemain and Swordbreaker, and the newfound inclusion of Morion Spear dragon to push the Opponent damage from as early as turn 1 yet maintain hand and card draw to fight at grade 2 for prolonged periods of time, and a transition to a powerful advantage game or multi attack finish.

However, the weaknesses of Luard include a weak ride to g3 turn, often times Luard itself being effectless for one turn, making the ride to g3 turn lacking in pressure. Additionally, while blessed with powerful card draw, there is no way to search out Luard itself, making you rely on drawing it or g assist into it.

Another weakness of Luard is how they play multiple 5k power triggers, both as Stand triggers as well as Belial Owl, a key draw card, leading to your average damage trigger being lower power, sometimes not enough to stop the opponnents offense.



The final weakness of Luard is its morfessa stride turns requiring build and effort to fully achieve Ritual 10 on the first Stride, as well as units power relying heavily on Morfessa 15k power boost to achieve good power Numbers. While there is the guard restrict, one damage trigger can knock most of your attacks to a very manageable number for the Opponent.

Adapting Standard playstyle of Claret Sword

The Claret Sword Dragon deck in standard is extremely fast, maintaining high power in the early game while gaining much card advantage, delivering damage and setting up Claret Sword Dragon well. If restanding once did not end the opponent, restanding a second time certainly will.

However, the deck has two main weaknesses:

First, without Seven G1 in Drop zone, Claret Sword is incredibly weak, unable to restand and thus unable to finish the opponent. Second, the deck lacks a way to precisely search for Claret Sword Dragon, relying on blind chance of drawing it or Branwen to hit it in the top 3.

In Premium Standard, these major weaknesses can be accounted for.

First, due to being able to stride as an option, without seven g1 in drop zone and with no power on your Vanguard, you can still deliver an offense, a great follow up to Claret Swords restand thats easy to achieve. Second, by playing the G-era Branwen, you can pinpoint search your claret sword dragon. Finally, as your rear guard power is high, even if the Opponent opens multiple damage triggers you can still push through damage.

In Premium Standard, while Luard often will be effectless on the turn you ride it, Claret Sword can get a force marker, and deliver devastating blows to the Opponent, knocking multiple potentially critical components from the opponent hand.

These factors together make Claret Sword Dragon in premium a vastly different deck to play and enjoy from Luard

Deckbuild







And heres a text version of the decklist, should you like to look up some of the cards



Promising Knight, David x 1 FV

Claret Sword Dragon x 4

Knight of Insight, Bathaden x 1

Knight of Blind Advance, Lugaid x 1

Morion Spear Dragon x 4

Darkpride Dragon x 4

Dark Night Maiden, Macha x 1

Black Sage, Charon x 1

Light Elemental, Honoly x 1

Witch of Extirpation, Bheara x 2

Cherishing Knight, Branwen (GBT03) x 4

Blue Espada Dragon x 4

Black-winged Swordbreaker x 2

Skull Witch, Nemain x 4

10/2/4

Dark Shield, Mac Lir x 2

Grim Revenger x 4

Death Feather Eagle x 2

Dagger of Peaceful Passing, Pryderi x 4

Abyss Healer x 4

GZone x 16

Supremacy True Dragon, Claret Sword Helheim x 3

Dragprincipal, Morfessa x 2

Dark Dragon, Phantom Blaster "Diablo" x 2

Dark Dragon, Spectral Blaster "Diablo" x 1

Dragabyss, Luard x 2

Dark Dragon, Darkveil Dragon x 1

Dragwiser, Bronach x 1

Dark Element, Dizmel x 1

Dark Dragon, Plotmaker Dragon x 1

Witch Queen of Iniquity, Jeliddo x 2

Card choices

Bathaden



Bathaden is a grade 3 unit from VEB12 Team Dragon's Vanity that has the ability on V/R to cb1, retire two of your own units to call a unit from the drop zone of equal or lower grade than the retired units. Then, give itself and that unit +10k power.

In standard the sheer utility this ability provides by retiring units being called in excess by Nemain is so beneficial, top players have started playing it in Mordred Phantom as well as Claret Sword, despite it not having any gift.

Bathaden provides access to any card in your drop zone with this reanimator skill, while creating huge power columns and retiring nemains, setting up both powerful Claret Sword turns while being attacker, stride cost and utility in the stride turns.

Lugaid



Lugaid is a Grade 3 with Force with two skills. First, on V/R, when placed he can retire your own rear guards to retire the same number of the opponents rear guards. While this retire utility comes in very handy against decks that suffer against retire such as Tsukuyomi and decks with powerful intercepts such as Luard, the second skill is the main reason why we play this card.

On rear guard, by binding three grade 1s from the drop zone, draw a card.

Thats right there is no once/turn restriction on this! If you bind multiple grade one cards you can draw two, three, or even four or more cards!

While in Standard, Claret sword has to reserve its G1 in drop zone for Claret, this cards power makes it see play in Mordred Phantom builds. In Premium Luard, not only is it not a luard, but Luard decks need to keep their g1 utility and have plenty of draw power.

But what about Premium Claret Sword? In Premium not only are you a deck that can drop your own deck to drop zone very fast, but after using Claret Sword on turns you go to g3 first, or in games where the Opponent jumps to g3 first to try to deny this, grade ones in your drop zone function nothing beyond achieving the Ritual 10 count for morfessa.

Speaking of Morfessa, Rugaid actually has a hidden combo with Morfessa.

Because Morfessa only requires 10 G1 and G0 in the drop zone, any additional cards dont contribute to the effect. After converting all triggers to G1, you can use Rugaid to remove all excess cards from the drop zone to draw multiple cards. Draw up to four or even five cards in one go but still have your ritual 10!

Dark Night Maiden Macha

This iteration of Macha is available from the Suzugamori Ren Legend deck, and when you attack with her when boosted, you can counterblast one to call a G1 unit from your deck. With Force, this enables further multi attack potential, as she calls you extra units during the battle phase.

This slot can be changed for other units in G1 or G2, but being revivable by Bathaden makes it functional as an one of, as well as adding to the number of g2 you can ride.

Stride fodder Branwen

The original GBT03 Branwen is played as both a means of searching Claret Sword, as well as being additional G3 for striding, putting the total of "G3" cards in the deck to 10. Playing the Branwen from VEB12 would leave it at 6, making it difficult to stride. Of note, as one of the main cards from the G Era that the deck uses, it would be one of the more expensive parts, if not for its recent reprinting in the Revival Collection Vol 2

Honoly

Honoly is a common counter to several decks, forcing the opponent to stop their attacks unless they can pay the additional counterblast for multi attacks, but unless you can search it out, being a one of means that you won't be able to use its effect when you need it. Luckily for us, shadow Paladin excels at superior calling grade 1 units from the deck!

GZone Card Choices

Hellheim

Claret Sword Hellheim is one of the strides in the GZone. When it's attack hits, or when the opponent calls a Perfect guard or calls a G Guardian, you can persona flip a copy of itself to call G1 units from your deck equal to the number of face up GZone you have. The reason we play three is so it's effect can activate twice in a single turn, if the opponent gives you the opportunity twice.

This multi attack potential works perfectly with Force 1, and the increased pressure of Force 2 allows you to bait the opponent into using their Perfect Guards and GGuardians even more often.

If your Granblue opponent decides to use their G guardian combo to call a perfect guard, you get to activate twice at once!



Phantom blaster Diablo

Phantom Blaster Diablo is your secret weapon against Gyze decks. Previously Phantom Blaster Diablo would use it's ability to lock the Gyze player from using cards from their hand (as they cannot retire Zeroth dragons to bypass this restriction) combined with the inability for Gyze players to call GGuardians (they have been removed by Gyze), to secure a win at 3 or 4 damage, but the counterplay would be to heal down so Phantom Blaster Diablos two damage would not be enough to kill. However, Claret Sword can pack it as an additional surprise, as by placing Force 2 on Vanguard, you can kill those Gyze players from 2 Damage when you open one of your ten criticals!

Spectral Blaster Diablo

Spectral Blaster Diablo has a fairly strangely worded skill, but here's the gist of it. At GB2, pay one soul one flipped GZone and one rear guard during your main phase. Then, after the battle it attacked, CB2 and retire two rear guards to restand at 1 Drive.

You can stride into a restander! Spectral Blaster Diablo is played mainly for the restand, or more specifically, as a follow up to going first and hitting with Claret Sword with Force 2. Remember how Claret Sword would almost always win if they could restand twice, well Spectral Blaster is the answer to that, giving you your second restand without relying on re riding Claret sword for more power and on the amount of g1 in drop zone.

Very few decks will survive your early assault, and even fewer will survive the g guardian into second restand.

Dragabyss Luard

Dragabyss Luard is played as a single pair in order to access both your Nemains if you could not draw them, but also be a retire option if the opponent has problematic units on their board.



Dragprinciple Morfessa

Morfessa is one of the main stride of the deck. Unlike Luard whom will focus on targetted search, Claret Sword has the upside of being able to fill it's drop zone both with indescriminate self mill as well as drop and draw effects, making it incredibly easy to achieve the ritual 10, especially after using morfessas ability to retire two and draw two. Use her high power and guard restrict to follow up your early game rush!

Agnos

As Claret sword is a deck that will be calling multiple units out to board, stepping over them with agnos may seem counterintuitive, but due to not having a stride ability like Luard, Claret Sword benefits greatly from the free stride ability of Agnos.

Option parts

Here are some optional parts for the deck you may want to consider for your own build of the deck!

Vicreau

Vicreau is the FV starter from GBT14, with the ability at Ritual 3 to, when retired by an ability, to send itself to soul and countercharge one. This helps supplant the heavy costs of a shadow Paladin deck, and as a main deck 5k power unit, readily searchable by Nemain. However, as the deck doesn't retire as much, or play Esras as a retire option that isn't on your field, being able to use the skill may prove less consistent than a Luard deck.

Branwen (new!)

The new branwen would be used to search top 5 for a grade 3, add it to hand, and then discard a card. This works very well with quick shields, but she does not confirm being able to stride, and may not be able to catch your Claret Sword Dragon. If you were to play her, consider playing 1 of her compared to 3 of the strider version

Esras

Dragsaver Esras would be another option, as a very effective perfect guard with the ability to bring herself back from the drop zone while loading the deck with more grade 1s to call.

This would mean not playing MacLir, but it would also open up the option for 12 Critical.

However as it's often difficult to have a large amount of choice on which grade 1s you bind with Claret Sword, due to usually only having 7-8 when you ride to g3, you may end up binding Esras unintentionally, potentially shutting off your potential to bring her back.

Ahrianrohd and Dead Armor Dragon

Ahrianrohd and Dead Armor Dragon are played in the standard version of the Claret Sword Dragon deck, both to assist in the second restand of Claret Sword and when Claret sword cannot gain any power. However, in the premium deck, as there is a far lesser emphasis on the second restand of Claret sword and less reliance on the skill as your finisher, they are not played. Dead Armor is another card that has a clashing effect with Morfessa, making it useless for that one turn.

Macha

The Darkness Maiden Macha from VBT02 has the ability to CB1 to call a G1, then gain 5k power and draw a card. While falling out of popularity in Standard, she is continued to see play in Premium, where even a 5k power boost to your vanguard can make all the difference, riding into Macha and having a reusable source of card draw while maintaining the exact power lines that the Opponent will struggle to keep up with will almost garuntee you winning the grade 2 game if you want to fight for first stride (often to hide the fact that you're a Claret sword deck that's very capable of killing on the turn you ride to Grade 3.)

Blaster Dark

On a similar vein, Blaster Dark can be used in the deck, both as a pinpoint removal ability if the opponent doesnt play out much of their hand, but speeding up your drop zone while filtering your own hand by way of his Twin Drive skill. Sitting on Blaster Dark as your Vanguard allows you to pressure the opponent into playing out more rear guards, as you could easily skip your G3 ride and use Twin Drive again to keep the pressure on, which also means that if you do choose to ride up to G3 Claret Sword, the opponent will have even less to guard with.

Dragstrider Luard

Dragstrider Luard is the ritual 7 Stride, but allows you to discard two and retire two rear guards to gain a large chunk of power and gain guard restrict, and is used as the finisher. If you play the standard Claret sword, you know how easy it would be to get Ritual 7, and thus using this stride is incredibly easy, allowing the follow up to Force 2 on vanguard by pressuring with Critical 3 and four drive pressure.

Ultima

Ultima is the zeroth dragon of United Sanctuary. For counterblast two, put two triggers from your deck on top of the deck, call two cards and for every attack, all units on your field gain those triggers power and effects. This is not played because of its similar impact on the game to Morfessa. While it does gain you two units on your field, Morfessa creates 15k and 1 critical to your board while making perfect guards effectively cost one more card. Ultima often stacks a critical and another trigger, creating 20k and 1 critical to your board, making its effect only truly useful when the opponent is at 3 damage and doesn't have null guards.

Aura Geyser / Aura Damned

Gotta flex those SGRs to go with them SSR Claret Sword Dragons! Use them as flip fodder for Morfessa. Low rarity is weakness and weakness is a sin.



Force 1 vs Force 2

In this deck, both Force 1 and Force 2 are utilized. Force 1 goes well with the multiple attacks of Hellheim and Macha, as well as make many of the attacks with Morfessa become Null guard range, taking three cards out of the opponents hand. As Morfessa grants a critical as well, The Opponent at 4 damage means Force 1 may be the play to make.

Conversely, Force 2 can easily be utilized in the deck as well. Not only does it make the ride up to Claret Sword devastating, you can damage control the opponent forcing them to guard everything when they are at 3 damage with Morfessa. Placing a force 2 to the side and attacking with Morfessa first creates a vanguard line that critical to win, one column with 3 crit already, and if they guard the vanguard, a single critical trigger makes the other column lethal, forcing more guard.

Pick your force type based on the situation at hand!

Force marker selection

When placing Force markers, by virtue of playing Claret sword you should play the Kanzaki Marker for Force 1, as well as the Kanzaki IGR for Force 2, just to flash that high rarity!

Conclusion

Today we went over a new addition to Premium Standard: a deck that can be aggressive in the early game and follow up with an execution at grade 3 or with various options at Stride: Claret Sword Dragon. The perfect transition from Standard to Premium Standard for players whom have the Claret Sword Dragon deck, this deck upgrade is not only cheap to build but also easier to learn than Luard, making it a great fit for players who like Shadow Paladin but dislike the Luard playstyle.



Be sure to pick up your cards for Claret Sword Dragon early, both for Standard as well as Premium and enjoy this fast and aggressive deck in both formats!

If youre interested in other deck ideas for standard and premium standard, do check here

Thats all for today. Thank you for tuning into the CanYouSayBlog, where we learn how to be a better cardfighter! Do tune in again soon for regular articles on your favorite decks, reviewing the fundamentals of Vanguard, and interviews with the top players from around the world!