Fundamentals: 5000 boost; small power, big impact

Yahallo lads and ladettes, its me its your best friend its CanYouSayG, and youre reading the CanYouSayBlog, where we learn how to be a better cardfighter.

Today, we will be going over a small concept, but one of the numerous concepts that may be completely instinct for some, and completely new to others, concepts that make up the fundamentals of play.

For this article, we will be going over how a small 5k power on your vanguard can impact the game.

One of the ways to win in Vanguard is to drive the opponent to five damage, and make them not be able to guard your final attack. As part of this game plan, its often good to attack early and get attacks to hit early, pushing damage in the early game when the opponent cannot afford as much guard so you dont need to put as much effort into getting big enough power in the later game.

To this goal, getting your vanguard's attack to hit the opponents vanguard is very important, to which you need to create the appropriate power line.

In standard and in premium, the largest amount of guard a single card in the early game has is a heal trigger at 20k shield, followed by a critical or front trigger at 15k shield. Thus, if you are trying to push in the early game, its important to try to play around these cards, either by making the opponent use them up, or reaching that 20k to guard line to force the opponent to give up their strongest shield value early, or take more early game damage.

While the number of cards that can reach 23k-25k power without triggers tends to be limited in the early game, having a line that is 10k power to hit and giving it a trigger has a similar effect for pushing through damage. Either they have the 20k shield, giving them the hard choice of giving up their strongest shield value, or getting more cost to use, dont have the 20k shield and take damage, or do the ineffective play of guarding with two cards in the early game.

In the early game, one of the most important concepts is how valuable a single card is in your hand. In the first one or two turns, the number of counterblast you have is limited, meaning you are limited to what powerful counterblast effects you have access to, namely how many times you can use cards to draw yourself extra cards in hand. Combine this with not as many draws and drive checks to give you a lot of card selection, and this results in the early game being very constrained for cards, making guarding a single attack in the early game for two or more cards extremely cost ineffective.

Additionally, when the game is still building and players are setting up their board states in the first few turns, it is also extremely unlikely players will gamble on a vanguard attack potentially opening a trigger, as the potential negative outcome often far outweighs the positive one. This, along with the preference of most players to play a more guaranteed game especially in the early turns makes most of the decision making in the first few turns to be either no pass, or no guard, without any middle ground.

While players have very little cards in hand, and have yet to play out their field, its also more likely players will call out and attempt to counterattack with their cards in hand instead of spending them to take a risky guard.

Think about it. After your first turn, if you are offered the choice of no guarding an opponent vanguard and going to 2 damage, no-passing it using only one trigger from your hand, or taking a risky 1-to-pass by using a grade 2 unit (and lose one attacker for next turn), which one would you choose?

This results in players aiming to guard their attacks with one card, if possible, in the early game.

The most common way this is done is by placing a 15k shield to guard your vanguard's attack. Even with the 10k power of a trigger, it will not be enough power to deal damage, saving you a whole attack you can no guard later.

This is where increasing your Vanguard's power by 5k or 10k comes in extremely useful.

By giving your vanguard 5k additional power, it can no longer be guarded with just one card.

A 15k power attack, against a Grade 1 or 2 unit (often 10k power or less), can only be guarded for no-pass by a 20k shield, a card of extremely high value, and rare as there are only four (or less) in your deck.

Combine this with a rear guard ready to attack that you will be giving trigger power to if they place that 20k shield, and the risk of spending that heal goes even higher.

Thus, the opponent will likely choose to no guard the attacks instead of taking risks, resulting in an attack hitting, and you driving the opponent one more damage closer to defeat, one less damage you need to worry about driving in the mid or late game.

Additionally, by creating that 15k power column in the center line, if you attack with three columns, the ideal play for the opponent remains to no guard the first rear guard attack, if you attack from rear guard, in hopes of a trigger. If the first attack is not a trigger, the center 15k line will shut down a chance to guard the second attack as well, further driving damage.

However, in the early game, often times this 5k boost is hard to come by, as placing 5k boost from your hand to give your vanguard will involve giving up a valuable 15k shield from your hand!

This is where cards that either give your vanguard 5k power or create boosting units come in extremely handy, also resulting in decks that play these cards being better in the early game.

This can be done several ways.

Some decks play cards that create 5k boosting units for you. Examples include Dandelion Musketeer Mirkka, Pansy Musketeer Sylvia from Neo Nectar, as well as the new nubatama card from VBT07 Zangetsu (though being a base 9k does make its power line 14k, effective against grade 1s and accel/protect clans, but not against force clans).

While not in standard, Forerunners in Premium standard with 5k power can also perform the same role if called behind V.

These boosting units have the additional benefit of being around for the next few turns, giving you plenty of chances to maintain your Vangaurds power line.

Skull Witch Nemain of Shadow Paladin is another good example. While some players may like to call a full column of 5k + 5k to the side while resting the vanguard, it may be the key to victory by calling a 5k boost behind the Vanguard on that early turn instead, to get closer to that magic number of 15k or 20.

Another common way this power column is created is by using effects to give your Vanguard 5k power.

One of the examples that come to mind is Darkness Maiden Macha of Shadow Paladin. By using her effect to CB1 and superior call a unit, it gives her 5k power. If you have ridden her, this creates an ideal column on your V, allowing you to use the unit called and potentially your nemains on other columns.

Some other cards that easily generate that extra 5k power on the vanguard are Daibrave, Daidragon, and Platinum Ace from Dimension Police.

Daibrave especailly stands out. Instead of calling it behind the vanguard and wasting a soul to pump your vanguard to 23k power to try to force a hit, try instead to call it to RG, use its skill to make your vanguard 15k power, and then proceed to attack (preferably a rg) with it, followed by your difficult to deal with vanguard at 15k power attacking. Even if the opponent spends their 20k shield here, this easily transitions into the next turn where you either ride into G2, ready to do the same move, or into Dailiner, whoes high power leads right into vanguard attack hitting.

Thats all for today.

Today, we went over how a small 5k power boost on your Vanguard on the first or second turn can become the key to your victory several turns down the road.

See you again next time where we discuss the Genesis Premium Standard Deck: Circle Shift