Hey ya’ll, back again with more predictions. I wanted to get to this a lot sooner but had a pretty busy week. This time though my focus is on Kagero, and where they can go from here.

I have the basic amount of experience with Kagero with the legend deck and all that, but my main experience has always been my opponents. As a way to really test out the functionality of some of my decks, I always playtested against Kagero players as a way to prepare for the control match-up. A lot of the times, it was Overlord but recently was against the new Blademaster stuff (proxied up ahead of release).

This one probably won’t be as long or in-depth as the Aqua Force article as the focus will more than likely be shifted from Blaze and more towards Overlord, as Kai will have some spotlight in the new anime season. Although, it is still likely we’ll get Blaze support.

Reprints/Reissues

Been there, done that, but still good

Kagero has a vast trove of past cards that can either see reissues or reprintings, but only a few of them would actually be worth the time, so in all honesty, I don’t really expect much this time around. If anything is worth a reprint slot, it would be something like Gattling Claw Dragon (yes, another draw trigger) or maybe Lava Flow Dragon. But when we get into possible reissues, perhaps some sort of Overlord or support card for them that is used. They could potentially reissue OG Conroe, and would be awesome, but would probably also have to reissue Mecha Trainer as well for Spike Brothers; given they are the are the only two like that. It just doesn’t seem that likely to me, but hey, I’ve been wrong before.

Overlord and Pals Support

It’s no secret that Bushiroad has a not-so secret love for Overlords and Blasters…Blasters aside, Overlords have a chance to get support here and will likely be the bulk of this set. Blaze got their love in GBT-11 with Kouen and their new lord and savior; Ziegenburg. That’s not to say they won’t get support but…I’ll get to that in a bit.

Overlords are pretty basic on their own, support the boss man and restand the vanguard (occasionally after attacking the rear-guard). Don’t have as much of a focus on retiring as other variants of Kagero, but it is the face of the clan for the most part. Recently, since the legend deck, this variant has had more of a focus on Flame Dragons, so it is likely it’ll still have that general focus.

It’s very likely that this set will have a RRR stride with a focus on Overlords/Flame Dragons and various support cards modeled after classic Kagero units. Perhaps an Aleph Stride? Barri G-Guardian? New versions of other units such as Kimnara? I think they can do a lot of basic stuff with the deck.

Whether Overlords or Blaze gets a stride, it’d be likely to be GB4 or Multiple Flips, or both of them if they both get a stride.

Seriously, this guy could use an update, all his friends got one

As for what the deck needs…it’s kinda hard to say. Kagero has a good deal of options now, plenty of countercharge options to work with as well as a few soul charge options. It’s all pretty balanced, but some pieces here and there can use some updates. Overlords themselves could use some more offensive options on rear-guard, as their vanguards are pretty set. Especially with Ziegenburg as a generic option. On top of that, their various Hand Trap options give them a unique way to defend themselves.

One issue right now is their lack of ways around Resist, but it’s probably for the best to keep that balance to give other decks a chance (such as Aqua Force or Gold Paladin). However, the main issue with Kagero builds is the lack of decent early game options. Most of the good options for the decks are usually GB/Overlord Vanguard restricted. So if Kagero gets something they need, they would need to get a few decent cards that can be used earlier in the game.

Blaze Support

Honestly, don’t expect too much from the support this set, but a couple cards here and there. Potentially can get a generic stride, even a second Blademaster stride, but it may not be the main focus unless other characters come into play (probably Mamoru).

A Blademaster Stride 2.0 would be more likely the GB4 one if any of them had to be. Ziegenburg already did the Act Flip and GB3 skill, and to great effect.

I honestly keep forgetting how beautiful and badass Ziegenburg’s art is

Blaze itself started off a bit rocky with it’s support, mainly because the original Blademaster was very much lackluster for the deck, but with Kouen and the new support, the deck’s functionality improved greatly. The only thing it lacks is a few decent early game options here and there. It doesn’t need too much like constant retiring, but perhaps a variant of Martial Arts Dragon would help the deck out against more aggressive early game decks.

The Other Subclans

Outside of Overlords, which is more of an archetype, there are only two main Subclans of Kagero; Seal Dragons and Perdition Dragons. Seal Dragons made a relatively small appearance in G-BT11, including a new stride, but it was rather miniscule and didn’t necessarily fix the deck’s issues. Perdition Dragons on the other hand have been ignored since close to the legion era.

There is really no saying if they will give either support, but if they do, I can say what they’d need if anything.

Seal Dragons

Seal Dragons…are weird. It’s main purpose is calling grade 2’s…for your opponent. Then they can benefit from them on the board from either killing them again, gaining bonuses and obviously, preventing intercepts. It’s definitely an interesting concept in theory, but it can also backfire horribly when done wrong.

With the support of G-BT11, it seems they are trying to do something with the deck, but it’s kinda beyond me what they wanna do. Given the nature of the deck, it won’t be top tier, but if they got the right support, they could make it at least seem a bit more solid.

If a third archetype is to get some sort of support, it probably won’t be Seal Dragons though.

Perdition Dragons

Perditions have a lot more options when it comes to support, as they are focused in on retiring in columns and benefit from empty columns. Their lack of recent support gives them a more likely contender for support than Seal Dragons, but they would probably need something new.

As Perditions are mainly focused on Legion builds, they could potentially get a new Rare Legion like Genesis Witches got recently, and maybe a basic stride to go along with it. However, due to the Legion based nature of the deck, it has issues when combo’d with stride much like the other legion support in the G Sets.

Unlike Seal Dragons though, Perditions do have their own Dragonic Overlord, so it can also be used in conjunction with any new Overlord support as well. So if they do get support, it can at least be justified that way.

Summary/Conclusion

Yea, I didn’t have as much to go on about this time around, as Kagero is in a better spot than Aqua Force, but to summarize some basics;

Not too much in reprint/reissue department

More Overlord focused over Blaze, but both are likely

Retrained versions of classic Kagero units

Still needs a bit more focus on earlier game, but all-around good still

If a 3rd variant is to appear, it’d be more likely Perdition support over Seals

Kagero has been up and down in the meta, but for the most part over the past year or so has been a solid tier 2, at least at the top of that with it’s defensive options. However, it has a lot of issues against decks that rush it still and can get around their control tactics. Cards like Ziegenburg help only so much for them. To keep their dominance, they need to be able to keep up with the meta.

Feel free to share your thoughts and lemme know why I’m wrong what you think. What does Kagero still need at this point? What do they absolutely not need?

Next time, I’ll go back to one of my main clans for a more in-depth analysis, especially with how their most meta deck potentially affects their support, as well as a potential foreseeable restriction based on that. This time, I’m gonna be talking about Spike Brothers and the main man himself, Rising! Until next time!

-Dax