Hey guys! Tsu here with another preview from Naruto CCG's Series 25 "Kage Summit"! We here at "The Perfect Curve" typically rotate who gets to write about which previews each set, to give each person a chance to write about a super rare because honestly, those are the most fun cards to write about and talk about. As the corner stones of the set and the "value" you'll be getting out of your boxes, the "Super Rare" card is obviously going to be widely talked about. Sadly the card I'm going to show you is NOT a Super Rare.

"Then why tell us about Super Rares at all Tsu?"

Glad you asked, Jimmy! You see normally I get dumped into one of two camps: Super Rare ... or unplayable card. I'm very pleased to announce though that our 2nd preview is actually a very good and very playable rare... so without further explanation, here is Lightning Style: Emotion Wave!






What Can I Do For You?
So at first glance, we can see that this is a late game Jutsu, primarily used by Darui in the anime and manga series. A turn 5 Jutsu with a symbol requirement isn't so bad but whenever we talk about Turn 5+ Jutsu the card has to hold some weight because it's going to be instantly compared to cards like Hydro Pump, Snake Sword, and of course Almighty Push!

So the question is, does Emotion Wave hold up? Well considering that most of the above removal cost at least 3 or more chakra to remove 2 to 3 Ninjas, we'll have to just see if it is a good value in comparison. But before that, we have to actually look at how the card works.

When we play Emotion Wave, we obviously have to pay the cost of X chakra...X can be as little or as much as we want. Note that paying 0 chakra for Emotion Wave does absolutely nothing. For each card you pay with the Lightning Symbol, you'll get a simple damage spell along the lines of an old school Fireball Jutsu. For each Water symbol you pay, you'll net an additional target on the card. So what does this all mean? Here's a quick table for you:

1 Lightning Chakra + 0 Water Chakra = 1 Damage to 1 Opposing Ninja
2 Lightning Chakra + 0 Water Chakra = 2 Damage to 1 Opposing Ninja
1 Lightning Chakra + 1 Water Chakra = 1 Damage to 2 Opposing Ninja
2 Lightning Chakra + 1 Water Chakra = 2 Damage to 2 Opposing Ninja
1 Lightning Chakra + 2 Water Chakra = 1 Damage to 3 Opposing Ninja
2 Lightning Chakra + 2 Water Chakra = 2 Damage to 3 Opposing Ninja
... And so on and so forth.

So 4 Chakra nets you a team wipe, which is actually less valuable than Snake Sword in this case which isn't really good value.

"But Tsu! I thought you said this was a good card!"

Well it is! The secret lies in a theme that's being pushed in Series 25 "Kage Summit" and that's multi-colored decks. By paying the cost of Emotion Wave with a single card like ...oh I dunno...the most played card in the format Monster Research, the Jutsu becomes way more efficient. If you were to pay the cost of emotion wave with only cards with the Water & Lightning Symbol together, the numbers for the card start to look more like this:

1 Water/Lightning Chakra = 1 Damage to 2 Opposing Ninjas
2 Water/Lightning Chakra = 2 Damage to 3 Opposing Ninjas

So for the low cost of that Monster Research in your chakra area, this card can cause some serious damage!




Double Trouble!
Here is a list of every Lightning/Water dual element card in Block format for your reference. This should give you an idea of just how many cards in the format are playable and can easily provide the double cost requirement for Lightning Style: Emotion Wave! Please keep in mind, this list does not include any cards from "Series 25" but you should note that many powerful cards such as Raikage, Darui and even Emotion Wave itself are capable of efficiently activating Emotion Wave.

Ninja
Anko Mitarashi - An already highly played card.
Anko Mitarashi - This 2 drop Common has no real use when you consider the 3 drop counterpart. Even though it can make every card in your chakra area able to be more efficient with Emotion Wave, I still don't see it making a huge splash.
Five Tails  - 7 Combat 4 drop is pretty good. Especially since he gets a draw for every victory he wins.
Gamaken - Thomas Veazie popularized this as a sideboard option against Ink Ninjas in Lightning & Water decks.

Mission
Great Naruto Bridge - Already sees play in 9 Phantom Dragons decks, which are already primarily Water/Lightning to begin with.
Anko's Memories - Restricted to 1 but still played in pretty much every Lightning or Water deck
Monster Research - The BIG ONE! 3 of in almost every single SJC Winning deck, a single Monster Research in your chakra area makes Emotion Wave something to fear.

 Jutsu
Chidori Lance - Decent Jutsu
Blade of the Thunder God - Not too great

So considering that only 2 of the cards on our list are actually unplayable (T2 Anko & Blade of the Thunder God), it's safe to say that this card will have a lot of synergy with a lot of very playable and powerful cards.

The Thunder God Tech
So I feel that this is something that needs to be pointed out and it's probably one of the main reasons I feel that Emotion Wave will make a big "splash" (get it?) in Lightning Decks this season... all thanks to this guy:





On turn 2 you can play Monster Research and board press with your field. If your opponent blocks you can play The 4th Hokage and have him use Emotion Wave for the cost of the 1 Monster Research in your chakra. This + the 4th's Effect all but guarantees you discard any opposing team as early as turn 2. Using the 4th Hokage's Mastery effect, you can keep not only the 4th Hokage but Emotion Wave to set this play up again later in the game. You killed 3 Ninjas for 2 cards in hand and 1 chakra. Talk about value!!!

I hope you enjoyed our second preview for Series 25 "Kage Summit"! Please check back next week for our 3rd preview!

-Tsu

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Set 25, tsu

Watch live video from The Perfect Curve on www.justin.tv

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Livestream, Shonen Jump Championship

"Temari, your curves are so perfect."

I believe Josh used this quote once to describe a preview of Temari of ours. While I wouldn't say our final preview has "perfect" curves (I'm one who doesn't always subscribe to the philosophy of "bigger is better"), she definitely has more bounce in her step than most, if not all the females, in the Naruto universe.

It should be obvious by all the bad jokes by now that I'm talking about Tsunade.

Yes, for one reason or another, I seem to have happened into another version of the Fifth Hokage. In Set 19 we had Leaf's Elite, which was pretty amazing with the stat buffs and a pretty decent effect although not strong enough for a 6 drop. Later in Set 22, I showed you Tsunade (Kimono) and promised you that she would see tons of play as a Wind version of Jiraiya...not to mention the already stellar version of The 5th Hokage in the same set.

I like Tsunade. I really do. She's one of my favorite characters to play in the Clash of Ninja games due to her slow but powerful (both in terms of physical power and mixups) fighting style. As a character I like her violent temper yet caring nature for that of her comrades. All around, she's definitely one of the more interesting females in the show for sure. But the problem lies in the fact that there's simply no good Tsunade... as awesome as Kimono was there wasn't any real jutsu threats to recursively play besides those that are banned or limited. And the "Infinite" heal effects don't really do anything unless tricked into play early ... drawing cards? Well Wind already does a ton of that so this isn't going to be anything new that breaks the mold.

Every other Hokage gets strong, unique effects that are game ending. Tsunade keeps getting the same rehash set in and set out and it's really disappointing.

Question: How do we make Tsunade good?
Shortest possible answer and Bandai's most convincing argument yet that Tsunade's strength is unrivaled

MAKE HER "OVERFLOWING"

Simply put: Make her unaffected by your opponent's cards.

This Tsunade, for lack of a better phrase, is a "Master Baiter" (or if you prefer a kiddy friendlier name: A "Lightning Rod"). She forces the chain by saying "Not only am I huge but if you don't play first Jutsu, I will rain down an ungodly (efffing) firestorm upon you! You're gonna have to call the United Nations and get a (what a beaver builds) binding resolution to keep me from (what mommy and daddy do) destroying you. I am talking scorched-earth, (motherlover)! I will massacre you! I will (expletive deleted) you up!"

*ahem*

So you may be saying "Well that's all well and good Tsu, but Wind still sucks. I can't rain down the fancy pants Jutsu in that deck!"

Did you notice she has the Lightning Symbol?
Surprisingly enough, this Tsunade is more effective in a Lightning deck than in a Wind deck. Not only do they have the Jutsu to back it up, but they also have the large team powers and aggression for this to be a perfect fit.

My only real gripe with the card?
Protection from Missions but only EOJ timing? What gives Tylar!?

Oh and one more thing cause I know you'll all ask this. I talked to Tylar about this card. "Cannot be the target" means if she's already targeted and then her combat becomes 10 or higher, she no longer becomes a legal target, thus causes her to be unaffected by all of those jutsu.

We hope you enjoyed our Set 24 previews! Please stay tuned for Set 25 previews when they come out. Oh, and for our 2 year anniversary this month, I think I might smell a contest... we'll see.

Catch ya later Bandai!

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Oppai Are OP, previews, Set 24, tsu

So based on everyone being all riled up over the Topside thing, perhaps I might have to start marketing a new t-shirt.

Just think about it!

"Free Topside!" T-Shirts!

We can sell them @ $15 and make some cash with which the crew can then use to upgrade our streaming equipment (this stuff is not cheap) and travel to various Jumps and cover them. Brilliant idea isn't it?

Right?

. . .

. . .

. . .

*crickets*

(Disclaimer: I'm not actually serious here. If you actually think I am... you're just being ridiculous).

The actual point of this post was that I wanted to take the time to use this space to talk about a few things, specifically Tylar's Corner (1/31/12).

Is it about Topside?

No.

Well then what is it about?

Well... who knows? Maybe allanime will put this in his "review" thread at the end of the night?

Anyways, our last 2 previews hopefully don't disappoint! I wonder what they could be...

Tag ya later Bandai!

-Tsu

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Oppai Are OP, Set 24, tsu

Preface: I don't like to be that guy who calls people out, especially not publicly but I feel it needs to be said cause it's irked me and a lot of other people recently. The Hidan thread was the last straw.

If Topside reviews this card or any subsequent cards on our blog in the discussion thread, I'm pulling the article, the preview, and with holding our Set 24 Super Rare preview.

Why? Because he pretty much always says the same thing that has already been said before. On top of that, it's essentially just like him summarizing our entries and just putting it in the same thread. Let people actually read our work and form an opinion for themselves. Please don't just repost what we already posted...it just detracts from our posts.

Yes, I'm being mean.

Yes, I'm serious about this.

End Preface

Okay there now that that is out of the way I can actually proceed on with the talking.

So what is today's preview about you ask?

Well it mostly has to do with this guy. Surely you remember this guy, right? Our Set 21 preview turned a lot of heads because of his powerful effect....but he had no real support.

And until this day we still have a variety of Ink creatures.

There's Ink Summon, Ink Lion, Ink Leech, and Ink Snake for those playing at home. Of course Set 24 yields another Ink Ninja, the Ink Fish which has a stellar "Draw 1" effect and good turn 1 stats...but that wasn't "officially" previewed yet (just spoilered thanks to a poster on the message boards, posting up the newest Meijin kit)

But what does the deck actually DO?

Supposedly you put in play a bunch of dorks (that's small stat ninjas for the uninformed) and then you drop Sai [Virtuoso] on turn 4 and draw a ton of cards and then...

And then...

Psst, Tylar... I just drew 12 cards off Sai...what the HELL am I supposed to do with all of these cards?

The Ink deck doesn't actually do anything. Yes it draws cards. Yes it has lots of cheap spammable 1/1s and 2/2s, and while that may help you get a lot of BRs early with your multiple teams, everyone knows spamming out small Ninja doesn't exactly win the game without something like Scouting Party or Naruto Vs. Sasuke.

So what are you implying Tsu? An NVS for Ink Ninjas!?

I wish Timmy! Wouldn't that be awesome? No instead I offer something that is rather interesting and unexpected win condition for the Ink Deck.

A Burn Ninja

Ink Eagle is interesting in that he has the highest stats out of all the Ink Ninjas thus far and isn't terribly difficult to come into play. On top of that, his multi use effect allows you to detonate your entire field for a slew of Battle Rewards all in one go.

Speaking of "Detonate", I think you can already guess that this guy has a lot of Synergy with other free Battle Reward Ninjas such as Hidan (Curse Mode) & Deidara [Fiery Wrath]. Consider Andrew's strategy from our previous preview that nets 7 Battle Rewards in 1 turn. Now imagine if you actually had the Ink Ninja rush early game...it's realistically possible to net 10 Battle Rewards in one turn with this setup.

Problem? It doesn't seem entirely practical.

When I first saw Ink Eagle a week ago, along with Hidan, I originally thought that there might be some synergy with them but the problem was would I be able to cheaply spam out the Ink Ninjas in the early game? I get the idea of the deck is now to use Sai to generate a ton of chakra and spam out more ninjas to burn with Eagle but the chakra cost makes it incredibly difficult.

The card that makes it all easier? Monkey King Enma

Well at least it was Monkey King Enma until I realized the errata. Argh... if he hadn't gotten changed I think there might actually have been something really strong on our hands here. You could theoretically have a whole deck where you could drop Enma on 3 and then Sai on 4, draw a ton of cards and possibly spam out not only 4 or 5 Ink Ninjas but say a Kiba to tutor an Akamaru to get a free Double Headed Wolf, Shima to get Fukasaku or vice versa. In essence, I guess Enma got changed not only because of some pre-existing infinites and combos but some other decks in the future like perhaps the Ink Deck. Am I saying it's strong? Who knows...it seems weak on the surface but I think Eagle gives it a little something else that might make it be "sleeper OP" down the road.

I'm really hoping someone breaks this card because I still can't make heads or tails of the deck. It just has all these random weapons that are supposedly part of a bigger picture...or at least that's why Tylar keeps hinting at ever since he first gave me Sai [Virtuoso] to preview back in Set 21.

Honestly, I feel like he might be trolling me by slipping me Eagle but... you never know. There might just be more here than meets the eye...

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Set 24, tsu

It's been a while right? :)

Sorry the site hasn't been updated but the last few months have been busy for all of us...and with a stale game state there hasn't been much to talk about.

That said, Invasion was a swimming success for Bandai in my opinion, and TP4 is just as awesome. I personally haven't been able to get any TP4 or Target Promos yet but oh well. I'm sure I'll get some shortly after I get paid.

That said, we've received FIVE brand new previews for the newest set, Sage's Legacy, including a Super Rare to make up for our lack of one in Set 23. We'll be trying to do something "old" with these previews by doing a more in-depth write up than usual if we can. There's some interesting things to talk about with a few of our previews and I'm really happy that they're not just "*insert trash card here that you can barely talk about*" like we (and many other sites) sometimes get. I think this is kind of a reflection on Bandai's card design as of late. Invasion had very few bad cards and TP4 as well. Normally I've been accustomed to Naruto sets being 50 to 80% unplayable cards. And while a lot of cards in those two newest sets may not see play, I don't necessarily feel a vast majority of them are useless as per usual.

As for SJC MA in March, I'll be traveling with GenCon Winner 2010 Squee up to the Motel Casa de Pena to have some fun and cover the event for you all. Tentatively, I'll for-go playing in the event to make sure we do this coverage and we do it right. The best coverage I've ever done has been on days where I haven't been playing, and ones where I have...well they've pretty much been a wash. Additionally, this time the live stream will be done with my desktop, which is a much stronger device than the typical laptop you see me stream on. (An i7 Quad Core is much more powerful then this wimpy dual core). I got the idea from a video game streamer who travels around the country to cover events. He uses a comparable desktop and has since forgone his laptop because it's simply better. Sure travel accommodations suck that way, but it will get the job done faster.

In fact, he uses the same software as me and even the same camera (for those complaining the camera I use sucks). Because of the stronger PC, we can get away with setting the camera to max 720p HD settings. Now all that's left it so to acquire the stand he told me to get for the camera (surprisingly only $10!) and for the venue to deliver with the Wi-Fi I asked and we'll be in business. Please don't let me down on the Wi-Fi part Saul! I can't take another event where I'll promise something and have to settle with my tethered cell phone. Ha ha.

But seriously this time we're going to do this shit.

And we're going to do it RIGHT dammit!

-Tsu

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Livestream, Massachusetts, previews, Set 24, Shonen Jump Championship, tsu

We will be doing coverage of the Shonen Jump Championship in New York (with some minor hang ups).

This will either be in the form of text updates or a Livestream. We will have the Livestream there however I was told by the owner of the venue that everyone would have to sign a consent form to do so which seems somewhat preposterous but if that is what has to be done in the name of coverage, so be it.

What do you guys think about this?

-Tsu

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Livestream, sjc, tsu

Don't worry! You can rewatch the stream as well as the top 16 matches @ our Justin.TV page.

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Gencon, Livestream, tsu

*ahem*

Sometimes you hand out staff writers previews. And sometimes those staff writers forget to preview them. So in those times, we just put up the last preview and let you admire it yourself. Our last preview isn't anywhere as mind blowing as the functional reprint of Giant Vortex Jutsu but it is still a really solid 2 drop that I expect many Earth decks to be using post rotation. The ability to protect a Ninja from Damage during either players Mission Phases or EOJ for 1 chakra is a pretty potent ability.

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Set 22, tsu

In case you missed it at the Morristown tournament last Saturday, here is our 3rd preview courtesy of its creator Eric M. a.k.a. Squee.

I won't say much about the card as you can all ask him about it. Needless to say...the card reads ridiculous and will probably make Fire a complete force post rotation.

NOTE: Card has been corrected. It is as printed.

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Set 22, tsu

Yes. I said it. Females are competitive.

Tier 1? Nope, probably not.

Tier 2? For sure.

And by the end of this short article and the unveiling of our first preview, I intend to try to make you a believer.

For once, it seems like Females is ACTUALLY viable. The Kimono deck, after getting my preview Monday and slowly making adjustments to a proxy deck that I've been playing, has surprisingly come out... good. It can at least go toe to toe with a post-rotation Earth deck with all the trimmings, Deidara, C4, and C0 in tow. And it's all thanks to a couple of key cards that I think a lot of people are overlooking.

The Kimono Deck at a Glance

Pros:
-MASSIVE...team power
I'm not even kidding. It is very possible on turn 6 to swing out with 3 teams whose powers exceed 16+. And I'm not just saying this on a whim...it happens almost every other game.

-The ability to draw about half of your deck by turn 4~5

-Reasonably powerful Jutsu lineup

-Incredibly Strong Late Game (even more so than Earth)

Cons:
-Somewhat Luck based
This isn't as big a con as you might think. It's incredibly easy to get the results you want once you're setup. Things are only rocky turn 0 and turn 1 usually.

-Very susceptible vs. Hina
Most missions in the deck are Permanent. Hina hurts very badly. However, my build plays 12~14 missions so I hope they have a way to recycle it.

-Very susceptible vs. Mill/Deckout
Because of all the mandatory draw power in the deck, you should arrive at turn 5~6 with 15 or so cards left in the deck. If your opponent is playing mill, all it takes is once shot with something like Great Dragon Flame Jutsu (Give 1 Damage/Mill 5) in the early game and you'll need to wrap things up by turn 7 or you're screwed.

-No 2 drops
Hardly a draw back but there's no good post rotation female 2 drop besides KNS and you risk that dying to Shizune. It's at your discretion if you want to play it. Ino Yamanaka [Playful] is not an option as it kills your deck's draw engine.

-Poor Chakra Generation
We counter act that in a few ways (Bonds, Hard Charging) but chakra lock, like Mill, is a bad matchup.

The Cards

Ninja
Hotaru Katsuragi
Boobie Lady is the ideal 0 drop in the deck. Neither of her coin flip effects have a draw back and she's a very good stated Ninja. I play 3.

Temari
Broken. You should know why we're playing this. I play 2.

Hinata Hyuga (Kimono)
Her effect is barely a drawback. On turn 0, you're either going discard 1 of the cards in your opponent's hand or she's a 3/0. You're going to want to try to go for heads obviously as a few good flips and you pretty much lock up the game. I would play 3 in this deck. I'd shoot to drop her on turn 1 though.

Tenten (Kimono)
Neither of her draw backs are bad. She's a 3 combat turn 0. You should be playing 3 of these. Even if you hit tails early with this card, there are other card effects in the deck that benefit greatly from milling cards off the top of your deck.

Ino Yamanaka (Kimono)
Literally unplayable. The worst upside of any Kimono Card. The worst downside as well.
Do me a favor and stick to this broken Ino instead. Her stats will serve you far better than any coin flip effect can. Just so you know, I play 3 of that vanilla Ino.

Sakura Haruno (Kimono)
The second best Kimono Ninja. You should be playing 3 of these as this is what makes the deck run. Almost every card in the deck will generate you card draw off of Sakura. It's very easy to draw 4+ cards a turn with this card and Tenten. My record in I believe 10 in one turn. 3 of. No exceptions.

Rin
Was in some earlier builds of the deck. Decent female. Heals your Hinata. Can be abused with other cards in the deck. You might find it okay to run but I think it's subpar so I've cut it. When I did play it, it was at 1. Just thought it was worth mentioning. The deck has no 2 drops so if you want more 1 drops to fill the void, she's one of the best ones you're going to get.

Shizune (Kimono)
The third best Kimono. She has no real downside and her effect can be stacked multiple times. It's very easy to get +2/+2 every turn with her. Some turns you can go broken and get +5/+5 for every Ninja on your board. You should be playing 3 of this.

Chiyo
A necessary 3 drop. If you mill over Tsunade with Tenten, your late game is screwed. You need this Ninja to pick up Tsunade and for that it's a staple. I would probably play 2.

Anko Mitarashi (Kimono)
Anko is the Kimono I'm most on the fence about. Growth coins are very good, especially since you can have turns where it's possible to put 3 or 4 growth coins down. The reason why I'm weary of playing her is because she can very well eat all your chakra...something the deck already lacks because almost every mission is permanent. Your chakra comes almost exclusively from hard charging and Bonds in this deck... I have recently changed her to this Anko because of how many Ninjas you can put in play with this deck. It's simply a safer option.

Kurenai Yuhi (Kimono)
Ya'll ain't ready for this card. Seriously it's too good. So that's why we're not going to play it and opt for Genjutsu Reversal instead. It protects you from Jutsu on both players turns and has solid stats, without having to worry about decking out or giving your opponent advantage.

Konan
Techy option for a 5 drop. I've been experimenting around with it. Good synergy with max hand size increase cards.

Mission
Dreams of the Past
In many ways, this is the only reason this deck is playable. Being able to get 3 chances to hit the Kimono effects per turn starting on turn 1 is a must. If you stack at least 2 of these, you'll be able to resolve every effect for the rest of the game unless your opponent Hinas you. The D1 on T1 isn't bad either, especially if you curved Tenten/Sakura.

Fond Memories
I've played without it most of the time but I realized that it's definitely a necessary card in the deck. It's not better than Dreams but it allows for you to destroy your opponent mid/late game if you have a way to trigger all your Ninja effects at least 3 times in a turn.

Bonds of Frienship
A necessity. The deck simply has crap chakra generation and this helps smooth it out. The growth coin can be helpful late game too.

Ino's Tears
It's been awful for me. Just don't play it. The deck draws enough cards as it is...this is completely unnecessary. If you're playing the correct number/quantity of cards, you should draw them every game with this deck's amazing draw engine.

Barrier Preperation
I shouldn't have to explain why we're using this one. Blink out an injured Kimono, put it back into play, trigger your whole board.

Daydreaming
Draw 2, Heal a Ninja, trigger all my ninja effects, and my max hand size is increased by 2? Derp good in this deck.

Jutsu
Hydro-pump
BROKEN. BROKEN. BROKEN.

Stunning Strike
Sucks. Don't play it. I'm serious. Only on here cause I know someone is going to see "Expert: Female" and try it. Just...no.

Reanimation Ninjutsu
Fair choice. I don't play it but it's there if you want to draw a card/heal a ninja and pick up a Jutsu from the discard pile. It's main use is to loop Hydro Pump.

Kick of Anger
Injure spell for the whole deck. Built in howl if you tie or better on the EC. A very solid choice overall for this deck post rotation, since Wind has few better options.

Ferocious Punch!
Negation of choice. I shouldn't have to tell you how good this card is in this deck.

Infinite Embrace
The best card in the whole deck. Remove a Ninja and trigger all your effects....which means the card essentially reads: Move the Target to it's opponent's chakra area. Then, you draw 2 cards and discard 1 card from your hand. Then your opponent discard's a card from their hand. Then all your Ninja's get +1/+1 and you get a growth coin on 1 of your ninjas. If you have a second Embrace (which is very likely given what Tsunade does) or draw into a second Embrace...yeah. Good times.

Okay so if you actually read all of that, you have my gratitude. I just wanted to show people that there are a decent number of tools and that you can actually build a viable deck out of this. I'm not saying this is the best way to build it...keep in mind I've only been proxying for a day or two now...but for a Day 1 deck that's still rough around the edges...it has promise.

Oh and here's this TSUNADE (KIMONO)

that I'm sure you've all been waiting to drool over.

What a finisher for the deck right? Every turn you can trigger all the abilities of your Ninjas for 1 chakra. In addition, you get to pick up a Jutsu in your discard pile. Even the Haters can't say a Wind version of Jiraiya [Instruction of the Hidden Technique] is bad. Even if the Female/Kimono deck fails, I expect Tsunade to see play regardless. I feel she's just that good ... any respectable Wind deck should be able to easily muster 3 female Ninjas considering every Ninja in those decks is usually a Puppet, Female, or both if you consider Sasori.

*ba dum tiss*

*crickets*

*ahem*

I hope you've enjoyed our first preview card for Set 22. Check back for our other previews soon!

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Deck Building, previews, reviews, Set 22, tsu

We just got our Set 22 Previews fresh from Bandai. After our set 20 preview fiasco (that shot us in the foot pretty badly mind you), we received some really stellar stuff to make up for it this time around. Get ready for the best set of previews yet! If the rest of the card's in the set are on par with what we got, I can only assume we're in for one hell of a good time post GenCon.

See you Friday! And trust me, it will be a good one!

Preview Hint: new KIcks for Miss melONs? Oh my!

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Set 22, tsu

Just as a reminder, we will be helping host along with 2010 SJC Champion "Squee" a tournament in Morristown, New Jersey on Saturday July 23rd.

You can find all the details on the official post on the Bandai boards located

Here

PLEASE POST IN THE THREAD IF YOU ARE COMING! WE NEED A HEAD COUNT!

This tournament needs a minimum of 30 players so please let us know if you are coming so we know if we are making our quota. If this event is successful, you can expect to see one perhaps in the winter time.

As an incentive for people to show up, we will be showcasing an exclusive preview that you can only see by attending this event. Be one of the first to see a very powerful card from Set 22, 2 weeks before its release!

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, tournament, tsu

At this point I'm sure some of you have seen the card on Troll and Toad but none the less here is our last preview:

Barrier Battle Arts

Hope you enjoyed these previews. Check back for Set 22 previews very soon!

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Tournament Pack 3, tsu

As I'm sitting here waiting for Bandai's next Void preview to show up to verify if the rumors are true, I decided I'd upload my own Void preview.

Continuing with the "Money Style" theme, we have a card that's sure to make a much bigger splash in Unlimited and Pre-Rotation than Post-Rotation, that's fore sure. It also helps answer some of the outcries in recent months about the game not having any real solid Client support. So with that in mind, here is

"Money Style: 'Help Me' Jutsu!"

For what it does, it's pretty good, but it really only shines in Lightning, Earth, and Wind...the elements that don't already have a turn 1 Tutor in Makeout Tactics. I like that it draws a card for each client in play but realistically, the game has so few clients that are good, especially block clients, it's hard to justify playing this and reliably draw 2 or 3.

The obvious combo is to use the Tournament Pack 1 Iruka to tutor the Client you really want and then break even next turn by grabbing a second client. As I said, perhaps the best use of this card would be in Unlimited in perhaps something like Animals where Emi, Hikaru, and Michiru are likely to be played in the same deck.

Perhaps the best thing about this card is probably that since this is a relatively new card that supports clients, it means that perhaps that client support will be around the corner in relative sets. Tylar did say something about Set 24 or Set 25 reviving an old mechanic in a new way so perhaps Clients will finally be a big deal. Or maybe not. Who knows?

I'm really curious as to what people do with this card, especially in the Unlimited tournament for GenCon this year. The card reads as good but in actuality, there's very little that can be done with it. Get cracking boys and girls! I wanna see some innovation!

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Tournament Pack 3, tsu

Here are some pictures I took at East Coast Throwdown 3 this past weekend. These photos are from the same location as this tournament right here that we're hosting on July 23rd.

If you have any doubts that the venue will be bad, small, or just plain won't hold up to your expectations, I hope I can quell that a little with these:

A view from the outside of the Hyatt. It's a pretty nice looking building. There's a parking garage to the left of the building. It cost me $20 even to park there from 10 AM to Midnight so plan accordingly.

As you can see the venue is pretty damn big. It can hold a lot of people. I can assure you that we probably won't be playing in a room nearly as crowded as this.

Just another room at the venue. Shout outs to "iloveu" Joe in pink.

That's right, there's a movie theater in this venue. How do you feel about this guys?

Even better than that, there's a bar that serves not only coffee & espresso but alcohol as well for our 21+ guests and it's open all day. Be sure to tip well! :)

And lastly for those of you who actually care, I got to play Street Fighter x Tekken early.

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, tournament, tsu

Andy sent us TP3 previews.

They got lost in our email.

I just now discovered them.

You know what that means?

With the set launching in 4 days and us having 4 previews, prepare for super fast preview time over the next couple of days as we approach the release of Tournament Pack 3 this Friday!

Wahoo! Andrew will be posting up the first one tonight or tomorrow so keep your eyes pealed folks!

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, previews, Tournament Pack 3, tsu

Want to test your skills for GenCon against some of the best? Want to win a decent amount of cash and prizes on the side as well? Then what you need to do is get to Morristown, NJ on July 23rd, 2 weeks before Gencon, and test your skills in The Perfect Curve's first sponsored tournament

What It Is?
Squee and Andrew came across a gentlemen who noticed them play testing for GenCon at a remote location and asked if the game was a good tournament game and offered his services to lend us use a venue if we ever wanted to host a tournament. Considering there aren't many high caliber tournaments anymore for this game, we decided this is the perfect idea and opportunity to not only provide great play testing experience for GenCon to the player base, but start a series of tournaments that may be run quarterly, to provide high level competition for new players wanting to get into the game competitively as well as test the skills of even the most hardened veterans of the game.

What It Is Not
It is not a scam. The man runs a legit business and you can find his information at the following link.

The venue is also a pretty established one.

How do I know it's not a scam? This is the same venue that is used to run East Coast Throwdown, a professional fighting game tournament that's backed by Evolution. Good enough for pro organizations to run their tournaments at? Good enough for us.

This is also not a money grab. The venue fee is standard for most high level events for any game that is played competitively/seriously. In addition, prize structure is set to be favorable to players and not the people running the event.

Date & Location

July 23rd
Hyatt Headquarters Plaza (Terrace Ballroom)
3 Speedwell Ave
Morristown NJ, 07960

As I said before, this is the location used for East Coast Throwdown, a fighting game tournament I will be attending this weekend. I will upload pictures for everyone at weekend's end so you can actually see what the venue looks like where we will be hosting this event.

Start time has not yet been discussed but you can expect signups to start between 9 AM and 10 AM (depending on when the venue opens). If it opens before 9, start ups will start at 9 and round 1 will start at 10 AM. Otherwise, round 1 starts at 11 AM. Please make sure you are on time. Deck lists will be required and checked.

Entry Fees, Format, & Prizing
$10 Venue Fee. This is the minimum amount of money to enter the venue...so if you want to spectate games, this is the minimum you will be paying.

$10 Entry Fee. This is the amount of money you will be paying to actually play in the tournament. This money is used as as the "Pot" for payouts to the winners.

Format: Block Format, Swiss Tournament, with a Top 8 Cut. A Top 16 cut will be prepared if the amount of people requires it.

Prizing: At the moment, the prizing is set as such and is subject to change and open to debate

-1st Place: 50% of the pot
-2nd Place: 20% of the pot
-3rd Place: 10% of the pot
-4th Place: 10% of the pot

The last 10% is used to compensate judges for their time and effort. Asking them to judge the entire floor for a whole day and compensate them with a decent lunch/dinner seems pretty fair.

Additional Prizing: TBD

There are talks of Chunin level prize support from Bandai in the works. In addition, there may be uncut sheets as well.

Closing Comments
We are really hoping that this tournament takes off, is run smoothly, and has a lot of players so that we may host another one in Q4 of 2011 (maybe). With your support this can be a huge success and we can do more of these in the future.

In order for this tournament to be run smoothly we need a minimum of 32 Players. There is no maximum. Please confirm if you are coming to this in the following thread or at least express interest:

Bandai Thread

If this venue has Wi-Fi, there will be a live stream hosted by TPC.

Lastly, the following people are not allowed to participate in this event as players:
Patrick O'Neill (Tsu Kiyo Me)
Eric Melone (Squee)
Andrew Kardis (Zero)

We're hosting it. Who else is going to run it?

Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Gencon, tournament, tsu, We Sitting Here I'm Supposed To Be the Franchise Player and We In Here Talkin Bout Practice

Long time community member and former playtester Zbkillaz a.k.a. Saul has received conformation from Yuya @ Bandai that there will be something done in the coming days/weeks about the Anbu situation.

Exactly when, what it effects (Origins? AX? GenCon?), or how the cards will be changed I have no idea but as soon as we know, we'll be sure to post more here.

In the meantime you can read about the topic over at Bandai:

Bandai on Anbu (Official)

Labels: bandai, Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, errata, Rogue list, tsu

So it seems this time for Tournament Pack 3 we've been passed over for previews. I'm not exactly too upset or worried about it as I have some confidence that for Set 22 we'll get some previews to make up for it. Hopefully a super rare, a good one this time, right Bandai? :)

The Live Stream I promised for GenCon seems like it will be for sure happening if I get approval from Bandai & GenCon. Tylar already seems pretty keen to the idea, so here's hoping. It just requires me to straighten out some audio problems and remote internet connections. After that, all I need Nick to do is help me make some nice banners and to help people run it at the actual event.

Speaking of GenCon, how are many of you getting there? 12 hour road trip seems nice and all but I've been wondering lately if I should fly instead to save time. Thoughts?

What are you thoughts on the format and such? Good? Bad?

Lastly, Bandai, I urge you to make the next iteration of the Rogue List promptly after TP3's release and make it legal for GenCon. As many of you know, Set 22 releases the day before GenCon and as with every set release, a new rogue list. Since Set 22 cards cannot be on a new rogue list and only Set 21 and TP3 cards would be able to be hit, I urge them to make this decision before the 3 week dead line to GenCon so that way we can have a very enjoyable format.

As for the quality of cards coming out of TP3, I really like some of the cards that Fire has previewed thus far but everything shown in Water has been very ... iffy. Sasuke Uchiha (State 2) was a pretty massive let down and makes me wonder what the point of his effect is. He'll still be played in many Water decks but only because it's an option, not because of how good it is. At least he could have had the Fire symbol, right?

Oh well~

Labels: bandai, Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, Gencon, Livestream, Tournament Pack 3, tsu