Article by: One Who Gets Crits, Commander Jaime

If you haven’t yet, check out Part 1!

With the trial deck looking good so far, I was looking forward to the release of G Booster Set 2: Soaring Ascent of Gale & Blossom. In this set alone, all AqF decks received powerful G Era cards, including a Stride. Without further ado, let’s get into it!



Our stride of the set, Marine General of Heavenly Silk, Lambros! For achieving the 4th battle we get rewarded by restanding 2 of our units! And if the number of face up cards in your G Zone is 2 or more, they each get +10k! Wait what?! More attacks and they get bigger?! 6 consistent attacks with the last 3 being big?! Holy crap! That’s broken! No mis amigos, it’s Lambroke!



Keep in mind that AqF was really the main clan to do 4 battles or more during this time, aside from Nova Grapplers. Other clans couldn’t really get more than 3 battles, with the exception of VGs that could restand. To push it even further, with 6 attacks is crazy talk in this time. But that’s the thing, AqF could actually push even more than 6 attacks…. Sounds like the time Goku turned SS3 against Majin Buu ha. But we’ll get to that in a bit. Literally this card defines the Thavas deck, and the card choices from this set and the trial deck’s.



Typically Lambros would be your 2nd and final stride. Literally, this stride turn alone would be enough to end games. Remember, no G Guards in this time, only 8 card G Zones. Also, most decks couldn’t generate enough hand advantage to guard everything, especially if the AqF player strode 1st. Hence the well deserved nickname, Lambroke.



We can 1st stride him to get the 2 restands, but no power gain, so it was kind of meh to do it. Or we could restand a whole column, just like Jaime in the anime did. But of course we have to be considerate of our resources, we don’t want to overextend if we can’t finish our opponent off. As a result, we wouldn’t really want to do a play like that.



What we could do is have 2 restanders in the front row. Like a Tidal Assault and a Magnum Assault for example. Have Tidal attack a RG, then Magnum attack VG to get him to restand, and help get to the 4th battle for our VG. Now with Lambros attacking restand both Tidal and Magnum with both gaining 10k. Any triggers checked, give all to Tidal. If the opponent was at 4 damage and you gave a critical to Tidal, attack with Tidal twice. With one critical trigger Tidal is swinging 24k by himself, then with a 7k boost he’ll be 26k. Then follow with Magnum for 21k. We can also do the same with Magnum instead of Tidal, just vice-versa. We can also do 2 Magnums or 2 Tidals. But 2 Tidals is less effective because one of them will be weaker beforehand because it had to restand to get to achieve the 4th battle for our VG. That’s 7 attacks to sum it up, just wow.

Ever since Limit Break era, I had an interest in AqF. But I felt like the pay off for getting to the 4th battle wasn’t worth it, even in non-control matchups. After realizing the coincidence of the anime’s new AqF character, Jaime Alcarez, and seeing this guy. I was like, “That’s exactly what AqF freaking needed for a long time!”. It was almost like destiny for me to soon join the waters of Cray.



During this time and even today he’s still played at 4. This is one of AqF’s best strides in the game still. He’s a great mid-to-late game stride to finish off opponents.



Surprisingly, I even won a game against my opponent, Black Guy Senpai, from 0 damage to 6 damage in one turn. Lambroke.



AqF has a problem when our opponent gets a trigger when they take one damage from one of our first 3 attacks. Most of the time our initial attacks are just at the 11k threshold. But don’t fret, here comes High Tide Sniper. This guy convinced me more why getting to the 4th battle was worth it. Hide Tide is a beatstick and can be a giant one. Ideally, your setup would be a restander like Magnum and this guy in the other column. Our attack pattern on a Lambros turn would be:

1st and 2nd battle: Magnum boosted to 16k then 11k by himself.

3rd battle: Hide Tide with his skill 19k (passes the 16k threshold).

4th battle: Lambros at 26k (let’s say you don’t get any triggers).

5th battle: Magnum at 21k.

6th battle: Hide Tide with his skill and boosted by a 7k booster to hit 36k!



Now that’s a giant beatstick! We can abuse him with Officier Cadet, Andrey as well. Have Hide Tide get the restanding skill. Then have him attack RG first and have a restander get you to the 4th battle. After Lambros’ power up, Hide Tide can attack VG with 29k then restand to dish out 31k or 38k with a booster. This is the kind of shenanigans why Lambros would end games on the player’s 2nd stride turn. Again that’s 7 attacks.



Usually AqF has a problem with the first few attacks being 11k pokes. So a trigger damage checked could make one or more of those pokes useless. What I really like about Hide Tide is that he’s a 1 card beatstick, by himself he passes the 16k mark so even if the opponent’s VG is 16k base you still can hit. Also, worth to note we don’t need a booster behind him. Which means we can get to keep a card in our hand for guarding purposes or use for next turn (if they live). This is useful on 1st stride turns, an example play is:

1st and 2nd battle: Magnum boosted to 16k then 11k by himself.

3rd battle: Tidal Bore (give all power to Hide Tide if triggers were drove checked)

4th battle: Hide Tide with his skill 19k or more.

Optional – 5th battle: Using Andrey’s skill on him to restand and attack with 21k or more.



During this time he was played at 2-4 copies depending on the G2 lineup other than Tidal Assaults and Magnums. Today, he is still played 0-3 depending on the build. Some builds will consider more 4th battle enabling units for consistency reasons rather than having a beatstick. Remember, in AqF, we really appreciate getting the most bang for our buck per unit.









One of my favorite G1s from this set, Battle Siren Orthia. This unit makes the boosted unit into a Tidal Assault. At first glance you may think it’s a G1 that can help get to the 4th battle, but she has some abusive plays. Put her behind Hide Tide and she can once again make him attack VG. For example on the Lambros turn:

1st and 2nd battle: Magnum boosted to 16k then 11k by himself.

3rd battle: Hide Tide with his skill 19k.

4th battle: Lambros at 26k (let’s say you don’t get any triggers).

5th battle: Magnum at 21k.

6th battle: Hide Tide with his skill and boosted to 36k!

7th battle: -5k from Orthia’s skill but use his skill to +10k to hit 24k!



Or Optional route with Andrey:

6th battle: Hide Tide with his skill 29k

7th battle: Hide Tide with his skill and boosted to 38k!

8th battle: -5k from Orthia’s skill but use his skill to +10k to hit 26k!



Yeah that’s 7-8 attacks right there, pretty crazy…. Literally the last 3-4 attacks are 21k and over. Keep in mind pretty much your CB and soul will be low or diminished after this turn. But that’s okay, because this turn should be your final turn.



That’s not all, she has Resist. Like wow it’s a constant booster against control decks. You could also put her in the front row to give Link Joker a hard time locking your front rows, until you’re ready to push for game.

During this time she was played 2-4 copies, she was fighting for G1 spots with other cards. To be honest, we already have to make room for PGs and Stride Fodders, so there’s only so much room to work with already. Today, she isn’t usually played in Thavas anymore because of a future G1 with Resist as well comes into the picture. We’ll get to her later in the clan booster (spoilers).







My other favorite G1 in this set, Battle Siren, Stacia. Yep, she can attack from the back row! Not only that, she becomes a 9k and because of that she can ‘snipe’ your opponent’s 9k or lower RGs in the front row.

She also ‘enables’ you the 4th battle. She can attack from back row and then you still have your 2 front row RGs to attack. Just like that, easy 4th battle enabling. Versus the non-control matchups, she’ll always be there since she’s in the back row so we have a consistent 4th battle every turn without needing a restander.



Neat trick with her is when we attack with Lambros with her boosting him. You can stand her with his skill and give her +10k, and Lambros will gain that power as well. She technically is still boosting him, so he can power himself up in this manner. So he’ll be a 42k attack and Stacia can attack once more as a 19k attacker from the back row. Now you’re asking why would I do that though? Usually the VG attack is PGed so it seems kind of useless. But sometimes the opponent may not have a PG or is saving it for a power column, like Hide Tide.



She is very useful against the Link Joker match up as well. Since they’ll be locking your front rows, you can use her to get some more attacks in and even get to the 3rd or 4th battle to use Marine General of the Heavenly Scales, Tidal Bore or Lambros’ skills.



During this time she was played at 2-4. She was another way to get to the 4th battle. She’s also a G1 and that’s great because it gives you some flexibility in your G2 lineup. She is still played today, her numbers range 0-4. People love her for her consistent usefulness.







We got our first PG with a skill in here as well, Ocean Keeper, Plato. This guy helps with counter charging so you can use your skills without any awkward limitations. So we can afford to consistently use RGs like Magnum, Orthia, etc. What’s nice about our strides, especially Lambros, they don’t require any CB for their skills. So thus all the CB is saved for your RGs to help reach the 4th battle and/or push for more battles after a Lambros powerup.



During this time some people at we’re playing this or playing an OG PG (like Emerald Shield, Paschal) so they can use it to protect RGs. Both PGs are useful for those reasons mentioned. Personally, I play in a way that I know I will lose my RG anyway. As long as I get the benefit out of it on my turn, it’s okay to me. So I use Plato for the CCing.







This little guy’s art is cute and pretty bad ass, Kelpie Rider, Nikki. Oh wow neat our own Stride Fodder as a Kelpie rider and of course he can search for Thavas our main dude! He definitely helps in consistently striding. It really hurts when you have to use more than one card to discard to stride in AqF, so he’s definitely welcomed!



If you called him early to search for Thavas, he would typically be a booster for Magnum since at that point, he’s a vanilla 7k booster. So even mid to late game he serves for a good purpose.



During this time, he was a staple at 4. AqF players definitely wanted to consistently stride effectively and search Thavas in the early game if needed. Today he’s played at 3-4, he is still necessary to stride efficiently.







At the time, most people played different G3s as backup VGs. Strikehead Dragon; however, was slightly different in his use. When you rode him, you have ability to make anything a restander on the 1st battle. Note that his skill isn’t GB restricted, so if you rode to G3 first, his skill is super useful on getting 3-4 attacks while your opponent was at G2! His skill is still useful even on first stride, there are times you value another attack over a retire that Thavas gave when the 4th battle was achieved. You can make your extra G3s in hand into a 11k restander which hit 11k VGs. You can ride him on the Lambros turns if you needed a restander during that turn to get to the 4th battle. There were times where you didn’t see your G2 restanders or Stacia on those turns. So having a G3 that can make anything a restander was another way to improve the consistency of achieving the 4th battle.

During this time he was played at 0-4 copies. To be honest, I myself overlooked him and thanks to my friend, David Adipratama, he pointed out his great usefulness to me. It served him very well in his Continentals. He’s the Bushiroad World Championship 2015 Asia-Oceania Continental Champion!



Don’t believe me? Here’s the link to the Bushiroad site.



I later on started playing Strikehead for a while and it was great! However, in the next set of support, a new G3 fights for his spot (spoilers).





Techs



She’s not in this set technically but she was the promo for AqF in this set. Also, only a few people really got a chance to play her because partly due to that reason. Couple Dagger Sailor is a column swapper. She’s really useful in getting to the 4th battle, actually hitting 11k to poke the VG, and she’s not GB restricted.



She was also a pricey promo! Like she was in the $15-$25 USD range for one copy!



The other alternative was Storm Rider, Diamantes. They have the same skill except his is free but he was a G3. Couple Dagger could be used in the early game to produce 3-4 attacks while your opponent was at G1/G2. So people weighed which pros/cons they liked/disliked.



In the mid to late game, useful targets to swap with were Hide Tide and other G3s since they could hit VG on their own.



During this time she was played at 0-3 copies. 0 for the people that didn’t get her and didn’t want to pay for her really. Myself I got a few copies of her because I was in a case split for AqF in this set. But I ended up playing 1 of her and 1 Diamantes.







I have a love/hate relationship with Saberflow Sailor. She can help you draw 2 cards, but she has to be at least attacking on the 4th battle?! People have mixed feelings for her and even I do still lol. What makes it even more annoying was that it was 8k base power….. So even with a 7k booster it would be a 15k column.



BUT WAIT!!! She does have her good uses, they may not be clear at first looking at this card. But while playing AqF, you realize any way to draw more cards is very appreciated.



So let’s go over some nice plays.

1st stride with Tidal Bore:

1st and 2nd battle: Magnum boosted to 16k then 11k by himself.

3rd battle: Tidal Bore (give all triggers to Saberflow if PGed)

4th battle: Saberflow for 8k or 15k if boosted. Use her skill to retire herself and draw 2.



She may not hit at the 4th battle, but that’s okay. The real use for her is to get 2 new cards with her. If she can hit, she can either deal in an extra damage or make the opponent drop a card to guard it. That’s good because they -1 card in hand while you get +2 back to hand. This way you should be guaranteed to do an effective Lambros turn next stride turn, which is big!



She’s also very relevant against control decks in this time with 8 card G Zones. She works very well paired with Strikehead and Orthia. Let me explain a play. Assuming you have no RGs on board.

1. If riding to G3 and can stride that same turn, ride Strikehead.

2. Use Strikehead on placed skill to call Saberflow to give her the restanding skill.

3. Pay cost to stride into Tidal Bore or another 1st stride.

4. Call Orthia behind Saberflow.

5. Optional: Call Battle Siren, Mallika (draw trigger), use her skill to put her into soul and give +3k to Saberflow. Making her an 11k.

6. Now for battle phase, attack the VG with Saberflow (either 8k to miss or 11k to poke) she restands.

7. Attack the VG with your VG. If PGed give all triggers to Saberflow.

8. Attack the VG with Saberflow boosted for (15k or 18k, or more if triggers were stacked on her).

9. Use Orthia’s skill to restand Saberflow and -5k her.

10. Attack the VG with Saberflow once more as the 4th battle. At the end of the battle use her skill to retire and draw 2 cards.



As a result you did 4 attacks, 2 of them can hit without Mallika being involved. They took some damage and/or dropped some cards to guard. Then Saberflow removed herself from the field and got 2 cards back into hand for guarding next turn. Orthia remains but she has Resist.



This was big in this time. Remember no G Guards yet and Link Joker needed cards on the board to lock still. It made those clans’ turns seem vanilla because they couldn’t retire, spin, nor lock stuff on your field since there was none and/or had units with Resist. You did something more impactful than just not calling anything and attacking only once and with only your VG. And you recuperated hand resources to guard and then use for the next turn to do Lambros to finish them off.



It’s also worth to note you can do the same play without Strikehead but you need Andrey. Only problem is that Andrey could be retired, spinned, or locked by the time you can stride. If you do this with Andrey, you can ride Thavas. Since you’ll achieve the 4th battle, you can even retire one of their units on the field.



During this time she was played at 0-3 copies. I played her at 1 because I wasn’t too worried about the control matchup at the time and I liked the idea of possibly drawing good cards on 1st stride with her.







Another G3 used for his impact on RGs, Marine General of the Wave-slicing Sword, Max. He was usually used at a low count or none to be honest. He did help extend more attacks and this is good when your opponent is at 5 damage and needed to guard everything.



He was also a valid ride target because his skill works both on VG and RG. So if you couldn’t stride, this could help give the final push!



During this time he was played at 0-3 copies. I honestly didn’t even gave him a chance because I felt that other cards were better, in my opinion.





Current State of Thavas:

This deck was wrecking havoc in big events. It got a good number of tops and even reached to 2015 Worlds. The format was basically Shadow Paladin (Ren Legend Deck released around this time), Sanctuary Guard Dragon (Swordmy abuse), and Aqua Force (Thavas). Lambros was considered a broken stride at the time, hence Lambroke. With G Guards now, it’s helped our opponents to take on a Lambros turn, but he’s still a very good stride and still used at 4 in Thavas.



When I took it to a big event, more than half the people I faced smacked their lips in disappointment when I revealed my AqF forerunner. Lol. All of my games that I won literally happened on 1st or 2nd stride. Where Lambros would be the 2nd stride and of course produce 6-9 attacks. Nobody wanted to face AqF. Not even I lol.



Here’s a sample deck list from that time.

G Zone: 8

4x Lambros

3x Tidal Bore

1x Blizza



G3s: 8

4x Thavas

2x Glory

2x Tetra-drive



G2s: 12

4x Tidal

4x Magnum

3x Hide Tide

1x Saberflow



G1s: 13

4x Plato (Unflip PG)

4x Nikki

3x Stacia

2x Orthia



G0s: 17

4x Heal

4x Supersonic Sailor (Crit)

4x Despina (Crit)

4x Mallika (Draw)

1x Bubble Edge (SVG)

Minor editing and proofreading by Ocean Dragon Lord