This article is a continuation and a merge with an older article about cards needed to start playing Aqua Force from G set 13 onward, however, as I’ve missed the release date of the second part, which would cover subclans, I decided I’d just merge the old and the new articles into one. Prepare for a big wall of text, as there is quite a few units to cover.

Cards introduced here will be split into groups that will represent decks/subclans that can be played with the newest support (Thavas, Blue Wave, Maelstrom). Feel free to go down further if the decks aren’t the ones you’re interested in.

Most likely the best deck after set 13, it’s versatility and adaptability to match-ups where AqF suffers the most should secure it that spot. Much of the deck is still consisted of older cards, with the new ones being a supplement, raising the deck’s power to a new level, so here’s most of the deck’s core without the new ones:

Grade 0:

Bubble Edge Dracokid – A starting vanguard candidate, providing draw power at almost any point in the game. This SV has been one of the most popular choices for a very long time and it continues to be a great choice, especially in more late-game focused Thavas decks and in environments saturated with control match-ups, since his skill is usable very early, meaning it can provide its bonus before most opponents will have a chance at retiring or locking it.

Kelpie Rider Mitros – Another SV candidate, Mitros has only grown in viability with the incredible synergy he has with the new Supreme Ruler of Storms, Thavas. He will not only fetch a Supreme Ruler in a way where Thavas can use his re-stand skill, he is also a viable target for a Supreme Ruler’s on-stride ability to give him the ability to attack from the back row, since Mitros is a Wave unit. A good choice for aggressive Thavas variants, where getting a powerful first stride turn is important and using minimal resources to exert maximum pressure is key. Do keep in mind, however, that Mitros is weak versus decks that can retire or lock units quickly.

Supersonic Sailor – A very important trigger that provides two resources at once, filling the soul and counter-charging. Picking up 2-4 would be recommended.

Kelpie Rider, Petros – A “Persona Crit” for thavas. Her ability to move to the soul, powering up the vanguard with Thavas in its name (heart counts as well of course) and draw a card ia great, especially in situations where it’s difficult to achieve a certain amounts of battles, since she can attack on her own just to add to the number of battles, then she removes herself from the field, dodging retire and lock abilities and also replacing herself in the player’s hand by drawing a card makes her invaluable in this deck. 2-4 is highly recommended, depending on how many draw triggers and Supersonic Sailors are being played.

Battle Siren, Mallika – A draw trigger that serves either as an alternative or a supplement to the new Blue Wave draw, in case more than 4 draw triggers will be played in the deck. 2-4 should be enough to supplement the deck with enough draw triggers.

Grade 1:

Battle Siren Melania – A core card for any Thavas deck, her ability to be a solid attacker and enable the player to draw more cards is very important, as well as her Resist ability, making her a very valuable unit to draw in virtually every game. 3-4 is almost a must, personally I wouldn’t play any less than two.

Battle Siren, Orthia – One of the oldest units only vaguely related to Thavas is now again one of the core parts of the deck. She is a Resist unit, helping out the deck’s bad match-up with control decks, but her true purpose lays in her ability to re-stand a unit she boosted with a 5000 power penalty. For her cost, as well as her opportunity cost in playing other good grade 1 units, the ability has made her a liability so far, however, with the addition of Alexandros, she can truly shine again when re-standing a unit that was already re-stood and/or boosted by Alexandros’ ability, enabling a unit which received a big power boost from Alexandros to attack again and effectively doubling the power that Alexandros provided to that unit for the turn. She also has good synergy with Bubble Edge Dracokid. 2-3 should be enough for most decks.

Ocean Keeper, Plato – The PGG of the clan or the “unflipper PG”. Unfortunately, Thavas decks, which were already somewhat relying on Plato are now even more counter-blast heavy and so Plato has become an absolute must in this deck, since his counter-charging ability being extremely helpful. 4 would be advisable if possible, however he will be a massive drain on one’s budget, which is worth considering (since he has had no reprints at this point).

Grade 2:

Battle Siren Adelaide – A staple in most Thavas decks so far, her potential only grew with the addition of Alexanros, powering her up for a massive barrage of big attacks (especially with an Orthia behind her), she is one of the core combo pieces of the deck. Unfortunately she can only act as that on the turn she is placed on the board and she doesn’t have a Wave ability making her unable to capitalise more on Supreme Ruler’s on-stride ability. 3-4 would be recommendable, depending on how many other units with the ability to re-stand on their own that the deck already contains. Less is also possible, ideally, however, at least two should be played.

Tidal Assault – Another staple that has been a core part of virtually every AqF deck up until G set 13. His usability is now in question for certain decks, however in Thavas, he is still one of the core parts and in the current state of the deck the only unit that can have solid uses before riding to grade 3. 3-4 is the ideal, more or less depending on other re-standing units in the deck and player preference.

Saberflow Sailor – This was one of the most awkward units in the deck, with her 8000 base power and her requirement for her to attack on the 4th battle or more she at the same time as she provided the excellent +2 draw, she also didn’t really fit into the attack patterns that were the most optimal for the deck. Now, however, with the introduction of Alexandros, she has suddenly become one of the best ways of generating advantage in the deck. Anywhere between 2 and 4 copies would be recommended, as she is a unit invaluable to the deck where she can generate more cards in the player’s hand without requiring the now heavily contested counterblast.

G-zone (grade 4):

Marine General of Heavenly Silk, Lambros – Our main stride and finisher before G set 13. His role was largely taken over by Alexandros, however, Lambros still has good uses in this deck and is often an ideal stride on the second stride, since he won’t use the counterblast needed for other units, while providing similar additional power as Alexandros would. Still a core of our G-zone, but should be fine at 2 copies, rather than 4.

Storm Dominator, Commander Thavas – He used to be the stride that was used when nothing else really fit the state of the game, however, now with more strides (mostly Alexandros really), his usability has diminished, however, he is still a very important stride for control match-ups or turns when counterblast is extremely scarce. He also provides the name of Thavas in decks that will be running any non-Thavas grade 3 units. 2 copies should be enough, but could easily be bumped up to 4 in an environment where Link Joker is heavily present or in a deck where not all grade 3s have Thavas in their name.

Storm of Lament, Wailing Thavas – There will still be situations where retiring as much as possible will still be ideal plays and the grade 1 guard restriction may be the key to victory in games where we have enough knowledge about our opponent’s guarding potential. 1-2 copies are highly recommended as a utility tool.

Air Element, Sebreeze – While the counterblast cost on this already-situational unit is a heavier burden on the deck than it was before, this deck is still heavily stride-reliant and the on-stride ability of Supreme Ruler can be game-winning alone when our opponents are still on a grade 2 unit , while we have to ability to dish out 4-6 attacks. 1 is fine as we don’t plan on doing any g-assisting tricks in a deck with a rather tight G-zone.

Blue Storm Deterrence Dragon, Ice Barrier Dragon – A G-guard which supplements the new Galfilia well, as well as the only G-guard that AqF has that will reliably gain at lest 10000 (or more) shield. 1-2 copies are quite necessary to cover our G-guardian lineup.

Guard Leader of Sky and Water, Ihoannes – A niche card, however, he can be game-deciding in certain match-ups and is currently our only way to achieve a high number of shielding from a G-guardian. 1 copy should suffice for most decks.

Honorable mentions:

Magnum Assault – A budget friendly re-stander. While he requires more cards to be placed on the board, he has great synergy with cards like Mitros and Petros. Don’t be afraid to use this card if others aren’t available.

Jockey of the Great Sea, Skyros – A unit considered a staple in Thavas decks up to G set 13. His role in the deck has been severely diminished with the introduction with even more units requiring the Thavas name (especially Cipla). He may still have some uses in decks heavily geared versus control match-up, however and as long as the deck is geared towards not having a Thavas name all the time, he can still be used effectively.

Water General of Wave-like Spirals, Benedict – Basically a 5th Tidal Assault if one feels more would be needed. Most decks won’t use it, however, as Supreme Ruler already increases the number of re-standing units in the grade 3 line-up.

High Tide Sniper (also, Battle Siren, Janka) – These two units fulfill a very similar role and it can be very potent with Alexandros and Orthia. Does hinder the deck’s consistency, however, they are a viable card to focus on for the deck’s winning strategy.

Battle Siren Stacia – A staple for the deck since her introduction, but with the introduction of Supreme Ruler and his ability to turn any Wave unit into a back row attacker, her role has been quickly replaced. She may still be considered a good budget option if cards like Orthia are unavailable to you.

Blue Wave is the other deck supported in this set with the potential for competitive success. It is, however critical to note that Blue Waves now mostly have two different deck styles and a possible hybrid of the two. One is mostly focused on the new Valeos and the other one is still built around Anger-boil as their main grade 3. Both have potential to make an impact, however which is better (could also be the hybrid) is for now unclear. When I’ll be mentioning the cards below, I’ll also be mentioning which deck they will supplement or which one they’ll supplement better.

Grade 0:

Blue Wave Dragon, Dagger Master Dracokid – Likely the best candidate for a SV in both versions, as the introduction of Flood Hazard now enables both decks to use the full potential of this card on the first stride. He also negates the minus in hand size with using Flood Hazard on the first turn. Keep in mind, however, that he does cost a counterblast and is susceptible to control, which is currently Blue Wave’s weakness in general. Depending on player preference and the deck’s ability to generate counterblast, more copies can even be played in the main deck, to fulfill a similar role as Brutal Trooper in generating hand advantage.

Officer Cadet Andrey – Another good starter, with great synergy in both versions of the deck, as having more attacks on the first stride allows this deck to go fully aggressive from the start. It can even be game-ending when following up a good early game aggression with non-gb restricted units Blue Wave is well-known for.

Bubble Edge Dracokid – An answer to a control heavy environment, however, this unit has far less synergy in Blue wave than it does in Thavas, which should be kept in mind.

Supersonic Sailor – Resource generation is still key in this deck and Supersonic helps with that. Less effective with Valeos since he doesn’t have the Blue Wave name, However, he is still the by far best alternative when playing more than 4 critical triggers (which should be 99% of the time). 2-4 copies depending on the lineup, goes for both decks.

Battle Siren Mallika – Additional draw triggers are nice and she is the best candidate. As with Supersonic, 0-4 depending on the line-up.

Grade 1:

Blue Wave Soldier, Bright Shooter – Likely the only Blue Wave grade unit worth mentioning before this set, bright shooter helps generating some hand advantage for free, he is a decent unit for both decks. In Valeos, he can also have good synergy with Beragios’ search ability, refunding its cost, if a grade 3 was discarded. 0-3 for either deck, depending on player preference.

Battle Siren, Cloris – In Blue Waves she can provide impressive amounts of free guard without even using her own ability, due to cards like Yorgos and Refit Sailor binding themselves, setting up for free shield from Cloris. Keep in mind, that while Yorgos cannot use his ability to perfect guard from the bind zone, he does gain the 5000 shield Cloris provides, making any Yorgos in the drop zone 5000 free shield every turn! She can also make certain Narukami match-ups completely one-sided. She is playable in both versions, but mostly depends on whether the player decides to use Yorgos or Plato as their PGs. 0-4 depending on the deck’s goals and other components, both versions.

Ocean Keeper, Plato – A good alternative to Yorgos when counterblast is an issue, mostly depends on deck builds and player preference, but in general he’s not as necessary as he is in Thavas.

Grade 2:

Blue Wave Marine General, Lucianos – He used to ba a card often played in the Anger-boil deck simply for the name and the ability to enable Lambros, despite his ability being almost useless on Tetra-Boil turns. Now, with more G2 Blue Wave units, he can easily be replaced in the Anger-Boil version, but he makes a good addition to Valeos decks as an extra re-stander with the Blue Wave name. 0-4 depending almost completely on player preference, Valeos version only (can still be played in Anger-Boil, but isn’t recommended).

Blue Wave Marine General, Damia – She saw heavy play in Anger-boil decks, as she has great synergy with Anger-boil’s on-stride ability, being able to turn all of the +3000 power-ups into +5000 power-ups, improving the power numbers significantly and due to having a Blue Wave name. She can still have some use in Anger-boil decks, however is completely unnecessary in Valeos decks and would most likely present a liability to the deck’s consistency. 0-3 in Angerboil only.

Grade 3:

Blue Wave Dragon, Anger-boil Dragon – Main grade 3 for the deck variant named after it. 4 in that version and 0-4 in Valeos/hybrid versions, depending on the deck’s goals.

Blue Wave Dragon, Tetra-drive Dragon – Before G set 13 it was the best non-Anger-boil grade 3, now however, with the release of two new good grade 3s, Tetra-drive’s use was made more situational rather than a necessity. It is still the best grade 3 unit to play along the main G3 of the deck in the case where lots of rush decks and/or grade stall decks are present, as much of the Blue Wave units’ abilities are usable when simply riding onto grade 3, especially in Anger-boil. Personally, I’ve beaten decks like Blasters with tons of early aggression when riding onto this unit, while they were still at grade 2, since very fer decks are able to withstand a full-power LB4 turn from this unit and some of the grade 2 units. 0-4 depending on match-ups, more synergy in Anger-boil.

G-zone (grade 4):

Blue Wave Brave General, Artiom – He makes some good first stride combos anc dan help fix the grade 3 if that is necessary. 0-1 copies is fine for all builds, as the player will almost always have better alternatives available during any other part of the game.

Storm Dominator, Commander Thavas – A good unit to keep in the G-zone, for those control match-ups. Keep in mind that in Blue Wave the G-zone has even less space for utility units as there are anywhere between 4 and 7 subclan-specific units in the G-zone that should be played. He can also still make a great first stride turn with only Foivos and Andrey. 0-2 depending on match-ups and player preference.

Storm of Lament Wailing Thavas – A good tech unit for clearing boards and preventing PGs from being used. He also works great with Dagger Master Dracokid, since his attack will often be the last one and since it’s often almost un-guardable, the crit provided by the starter can make a big difference.

For the G-guardians refer back to the Thavas section as it’s basically the same (and this article is long enough as it is).

Honorable mentions:

Dispatch Mission Seagull Soldier – This unit used to be a core unit due to it ability to fix numbers as well as being able to return to the hand, dodging control, which Blue Wave struggles with. In Valeos, however he competes with several other key units for soul and the number fixing is less relevat, so it was phased out of many decks. Still a useful card in both versions, depending on player preference.

Many of us AqF players couldn’t wait for Maelstrom to return to playability and finally, after the major disappointment that was Maelstrom support in the clan booster, we finally get something worth playing. Now the deck isn’t nearly as powerful as Thavas or Blue Wave, it is however, playable and a very fun deck to unleash upon unsuspecting fighters bringing back Maelstrom’s aggressive play style. Similarly to Thavas, a large majority of this deck will consist of older cards, the new one giving us a new frame to work with, however there are still tons of old units we’ll need to use.

Grade 0:

Blue Storm Cadet, Marios – The default SV for Maelstrom, Marios returns as a potent on-hit pressure generator as well as possibly giving us some hand advantage and help setting up our combo pieces for aggressive turns. His greatest strength lies in the fact that he never leaves the field on his own, always retaining the on-hit pressure throughout the game.

Officer Cadet, Astraea – My personal choice for this deck, Astraea provides massive on-hit pressure throughout the whole game until she actually activates her skill. Her biggest weakness lies in her base 4000 power, which can go ignored in most other decks, however, since in Maelstrom we now have grade 2 units with 10000 base power and we can use Gregorios the is a 12000 attacker on his own, she can make good numbers with other rear-guards, completely negating her downside in most situations.

Blue Storm Marine General, Despina – She is completely unnecessary from the standpoint of our Maelstrom combos, she can, however still serve as a complement to Wailing Thavas, making his attack much, much more difficult to guard. We also have no other specific triggers we need to run, sho she is a good fit. 0-4 depending on ratios/preference.

Supersonic Sailor – Maelstrom is, despite the new units requiring lots of counterblast not as counterblast heavy as Thavas and Blue Wave, due to having great synergy with Galfilia and many of the rear-guards that enable extra battles requiring no counterblast. Therefore Supersonic Sailor is a good crit to use, however not obligatory. 0-4 depending on ratios and preference/budget.

Grade 1:

Blue Storm Battle Princess, Koralia – Since the new Maelstrom support heavily benefits from moving Maelstroms from he drop zone to the soul, it’s important to be able to fill the drop zone with enough Maelstrom units and this is exactly what Koralia’s role in this deck is. She is also one of the two ways (the other one being the perfect guard) of getting Maelstroms onto the drop zone pre-grade 3 ride, enabling some very, very potent grade 2 rush turns with Eldermoss. 4 copies, because we want to se her early and the only way to improve that is more copies.

Blue Storm Shield, Homerus – Since Counterblast isn’t a big issue in this deck, playing Plato isn’t necessary. Homerus also synergises very well with Maelstrom’s aggressive play style, being able to boost and return to the hand for a small price of a soul-blast (the only cards we care about keeping in the soul are Maelstrom units and Lordly Maelstrom can place anything into the soul from drop zone to use its on-stride skill). 4 copies, since we want to play maximum sentinels, especially ones that we can use aggressively and retain their PG ability.

Blue Storm Battle Princess, Theta – Not a necessary unit at all, however, she is a decent attacker on her own, has the Blue Storm name and has good synergy with Rascal Sweeper and makes good power numbers with Astraea on the second battle.

Battle Siren Stacia – Blue Storm has no innate back row attackers, so she can supplement that. Only problem is, she doesn’t contribute much to the early game, so she’s more of a tech choice rather than a core card to play. 0-3 would be suggested.

Grade 2:

Blue Storm Soldier, Rascal Sweeper – Our main ways of generating extra battles related directly to Maelstrom. He’s a free column switcher and is always an 11000 power attacker when we’re on Maelstrom, meaning he always has some use as an attacker and has the Blue Storm name, making him a viable target for Lordly’s on-stride. 2-4 depending on preference.

Blue Storm Marine General, Gregorios – A supplement for the deck to have more decent attackers, while making good numbers with Astraea. 0-4 depending on preference (personally I play 2).

Tidal Assault – Blue Storm’s grade 2 units are quite outdated, so Tidal’s help with generating enough battles to trigger all of our skills is very important. 3-4, we still need him here.

Blue Storm Marine General, Spyros – Spyros is a double-edged sword. His skill to re-stand is flexible enough that with Lordly’s on-stride he can enable the 4th battle on his own, the issue is, he gains no power at all, meaning he most likely won’t be hitting anything at all or will need some extra units to supply him that lacking power. 0-4 complexly based on player preference, personally I don’t even play him, yet some consider him a key card for the deck.

Grade 3 (it’s all Maelstrom here):

Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom (break-ride version from the clan booster) – We need targets for Koralia and it’s either the original unit or this one. This one, however, gives us more versatility and even on-hit pressure if we ride to grade 3 first. 3-4 copies.

Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom – Since we normally play 9+ grade 3s in Maelstrom due to the sheer number of Maelstroms that we want to see to be able to push into the soul with Lordly/Eldermoss, we do have some spare slots beyond the break-ride and Lordly. This is where Glory (and/or the next unit) coms in. Glory is a good choice for the extra spot, as it is the only unit that does something when we cannot achieve enough battles and are behind. It also makes great combos with Despina and the break-ride, however, those combos aren’t the focus of the deck anymore now that we have some really good stride units to go into, however they can be a back-up plan incase we either get grade-stalled or simply cannot utilise our strides. 0-2 depending on whether glory or Reverse is played.

Blue Storm Karma Dragon, Maelstrom “Reverse” – Same slot as Glory Maelstrom. Some prefer Reverse, as Reverse has a way more potent skill, but also requires more setup and combo pieces. 0-2 depending on whether glory or Glory is played.

G-zone (grade 4):

Blue Storm Helical Dragon, Disaster Maelstrom – Once shunned as being one of the worst AqF units, now the ideal first stride unit and combo set-up pieces (fun fact: this unit’s price on the secondary marker jumped from 0.40$ to ~20$ literally overnight after the new Maelstrom cards were revealed). Disaster is our ideal first stride, however, it needs a Lordly on the VC or an Eldermoss available to achieve full potential. Now that we can push other Maelstroms to soul on the first stride it’s able to give the front row 5000 power on first-stride, search out another Maelstrom to re-ride or use for the cost of stride next turn (also Lordly’s on-stride if needed) and, most importantly guarantee 2 face-up Maelstrom units in the G-zone for Engulf Maelstrom’s skill to gain power and a Critical without having to un-flip more Maelstrom units (Galfilia becomes the unflip target, where the deck’s counter-charge engine comes from). 2 is all we need.

Storm of Lament, Wailing Thavas – This units works really well in Maelstrom, especially as the second stride, since we normally won’t be able to get enough Maelstrom into the soul for Engulf to prevent our opponent from G-guarding quickly enough, Wailing in tandem with Despina can easily force several G-guardians, setting-up our opponent’s hand for an Engulf finish, all while retiring their board reducing their resources significantly for their next turn.

For G-guardians refer back to the Thavas part, since it remains the same, but keep in mind, that playing 2-3 Galfilias in this deck is basically mandatory. The rest of the G-zone is flexible and up to player preference.

Conclusion

That concludes this article. Hopefully you’ve found this useful/educational. Unfortunately this article is this long as I’ve been planning to split it into two parts before the set even came out, however due to personal reasons I was only able to finish part 1 and it felt a bit weird to push out part two of “preparing for the set” so long after the set’s release, so I decided to simply put everything together and release it as one, as more of a reference article and advice, rather than letting people know what to pick up on the set release.