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
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
First up, we'll focus on Fire, an element that is very underplayed in today's metagame. This report will focus on general card choice for Fire, so you can see their basic tool set for competitive play. It does touch on but is not dedicated to specialty variants (True Allies, Dogs, Genjutsu, etc.)
Ninja Quality
Fire has some pretty stellar early game options in Dogs, however outside of that, it's early game presence is defined almost entirely by splashes. This seems to be the general theme with Monofire, however while some consider it a drawback, I don't really see how. Fire can pretty much play straight Fire symbol cards from turn 3+, and all the missions that are on color are incredibly solid and generate a decent amount of chakra.
Turn 0
Best On Color: Sasuke [Vanilla], Urushi, Kiba [Keen Nose], Gama, Nawaki (as a 1 of, depending on your 6 drop setup)
Best Splash Choices: Gaara (Childhood), Temari [Excellent Tactician], Messenger Ninja (if you play Fire/Lightning or just splash Naruto Clone x 3 to get to Konohamaru/Naruto)
Sasuke and Gama are incredibly solid in the early game, although depending on what you want to do, Vanilla Sasuke may not be the best choice. In my Fire builds I usually use 2 Vanilla and 1 of the 4 drops (specifically Initial Attack). Don't sleep on Kiba either. He may not be incredibly good this time around but I'm willing to be with Set 21, his playability will come back again... think of his placement here as a marker for things to come.
Turn 1
Best On Color: . . . Ummm Big Bark Bull? Akamaru? Haimaru Brothers?
Best Off Color: Yakumo, Shikamaru [Flexibility], Shion (Awakened), Temari [Analytical Mind]
Holy crap does Fire suck in the 1 drop spot. Akamaru is probably the best on color option the element has but in all honesty, the combination of Yakumo/Shika/Shion in the 1 spot is already incredibly potent. This is what I was talking about with early game splash...the lack of on element is made up by the fact that those 3 Ninja are just so good in the early and even mid game that they're too hard to pass up.
Turn 2
Best On Color: Kiba [Reliable Parnter], Kotetsu (Set 19), Biscuit
Best Off Color: Sakura [Book Smarts], Konohamaru Ninja Squad, Kigiri (Sideboard Option)
Again, the on color options aren't so hot (outside of Biscuit who is amazing!), just like the 1 drop slot. Kiba RP is straight up broken if you play Dog Rush and should be your go to drop. Kotetsu only gets in here cause of his Turn 3 Sakura-esque stats. The real 2 drops to play for Fire are Sakura BS and Konohamaru Ninja Squad. Depending on how you build the deck, every drop from turn 2 and up will draw you a card if you get Sakura into play, negating Fire's lack of good draw. With Drift at 3 and Makeout Tactics, the odds of getting her on turn 2 are incredibly high. Konohamaru Ninja Squad is an amazingly well stated turn 2 with an even better protection effect. Did I mention it draws a card when put in play? 2 if you have Sakura? You should be using those 2 Ninjas in your 2 drop slot.
Turn 3
Best On Color: Tobi [Man of Mystery], Tobi [Akatsuki's Humor], Obito Uchiha [Hidden Strength], Sakura Haruno [Reliance], Enma, Pakkun (Set 19)
Best Off Color: Zetsu [Mysterious Nature], Naruto Uzumaki [Reliance]
You'll almost always be playing 3 Tobi MoM because of his draw but sometimes getting away with 1 Akatsuki's Humor isn't terrible (although somewhat ill advised). Obito is amazing in Monofire and very underplayed however he comes with the huge drawback of needing Gaara & Temari in play to be of any real use. It's a potent combo that can lock opponent's out of Jutsu wars, especially when combined with your other Jutsus and Ninja like the Third Hokage. Sakura is still an amazing power house, however if you're playing Booksmarts, there's no real reason to use this card (unless you want the Growth). A solid alternative if you didn't pick up the Target packs. Enma is strictly animal deck based, while Pakkun is just a generically well stated turn 3 with Mental Power (Sakura Draw!) and a great effect.
Zetsu is an obvious off color pick. He is the most powerful sideboard card in the game for a reason. Naruto Reliance works even in non-Lightning/Wind based decks for his stat boost and the ability to make the Naruto/Sasuke squad. If you're feeling REALLY gutsy, you can splash 1 Reaper Death Seal to search with that guy and go balls to the wall with draw. I just hope you have the steam to finish off the opponent before you die.
Turn 4
Best On Color: Kakashi (Boyhood) [A New Technique], Kakashi (Anbu Days) [Expert Tracker), Kakashi (Anbu Days) [Mysterious Corps]. Chiriku, Sasuke Uchiha [Freezing Eyes], Sasuke Uchiha [Initial Attack]
Best Off Color: Asuma [For the Next Generation], Baki, Hiruko. . . too many to list really.
Turn 4 is where Fire REALLY shines. It has access to some potentially lethal combos that can turn the tide of the game in a pinch. Everyone already knows the basic Boyhood combo (which draws off Sakura) and Chidori loop. Expert Tracker can spell lights out for an opponent in a Dog deck (also draws off Sakura). Some people may doubt the reprint Anbu Days usefulness on this list but he may be the key to propelling Fire into a competitive status. Being able to growth into Sasuke Initial Attack on 4, search him & an Anbu (See: Itachi or Yamato) and Ambush him to net the other Ninja (all while drawing off Sakura) is HUGE advantage. You thinned the deck by 2 cards, got 3 big Ninja, and drew a card. Odds are you probably triggered Chiriku's amazing protection or Yamato's ability to pick up Jutsu/Missions off that one play when you get them out. Freezing Eyes is a wonderful sideboard option still for more aggressive decks or if you're playing Gaara/Temari for board wipes.
Asuma works well because most Fire decks splash a lot of Wind and/or play Flex, meaning you can easily tutor up the platoon/Flex for the Squad next turn. Baki & Hiruko are always good if you have no other options.
Turn 5
Best On Color: Kakashi [Reality Twist], Kakashi [Oblivion], Itachi [Goal], Itachi [Test of Power]
Best Off Color: Yamato [Planning], Sasori [Creating the Masterpiece]
Outside of True Allies (which this general overview doesn't cover), the two best Kakashi if you're not going to play a 4 drop are Reality Twist and Oblivion. Reality Twist is a double edged sword in a lot of ways. For starters, it gives you the chance to draw your way out of a poor situation, which may or may not pay off. Alternatively, you can use it to destroy your opponent's hand which may or may not pay off (they may draw into better options). He's definitely one of those "try and see" cards. Oblivion is essentially Tayuya & a Matchless Hero all in one card. The only real reason I think he hasn't caught on is Fire's poor chakra generation (which raises the question of why he isn't used in Lightning...oh wait True Allies -.-;;). Goal is a relic from the past but will get the job done in 5 drop Fire if you need an Itachi. I much rather use Test of Power, a card that has the amazing ability of seeing all of your opponent's out and allows for some general mind games. The only drawbacks to him are that your opponent can selectively charge to get rid of his Trample effect and if you see they're sitting on amazing stuff and you aren't going to be aggressive after seeing their outs, they know you're sitting on nothing.
Off color... you're not going to be playing much off color in Fire but if you do splash a lot of Wind, Sasori is your man if you want a solid 4 drop. Yamato is listed purely for his amazingly sexy combo with Kakashi Anbu Days, allowing you to setup a Pseudo-Boyhood/Kamui/Fireball engine as early as turn 4 (Sakura on 2, KNS on 3, Kakashi & Yamato on 4 = 12 Mental Power).
Turn 6
Best On Color: The Third Hokage [For the Greater Good], The Third Hokage [Hokage's Order], Furido, Itachi [Destructive Hallucination]
Best Off Color: Pain (Deva Path)
I personally feel that For the Greater Good is the best way to go. People are really underrating how powerful an instant kill that you really can't respond to is. It will slowly kill you, yes, but if it clinches the game, who cares? Hokage's Order is great for picking up Itachi & Yamato in the respective decks but not much else. His stats are lackluster but perhaps Mastery makes up for it? Doubtful. Furido is wonderful if you use a lot of Shion, Flexes, Squad Components, and Nawaki in your 0 and 1 line up. He has amazing stats to boot. Itachi is only really amazing if you're using a lot of Genjutsu based Ninja in the deck, in which case a free injure for playing the deck how its meant to already is very good. He's lower priority than for the Test of Power for me though as that Itachi has tons of easy ways to be put in play, which you want so you can squad to Itachi/Sasuke, which is the real power behind Monofire.
That Squad allows you to break down so many barriers such as the overwhelmingly played Chiriku. Also a 9/5 with Mastery and the ability to play all of Fire's best Jutsu are NOTHING to scoff at (It's for that reason that I recommend Sasuke IA, Kakashi AD, Itachi TOP, and Furido to make it happen easier).
Deva Path's sole purpose is if you for some reason cannot get Itachi but have this guy, he's not terrible cause of the Pain/Itachi squad. Big body with a Sacrifice drawback. Can play most Jutsu in the deck
Missions
Fire's missions are actually surprisingly rock solid. Problem? There's hardly any of them. Your choices are limited to the following:
Solid Choices
Make Out Tactics
Just Like Drifting Clouds
Tsunade's Guess
Interruption
Surprise Help/Animal Contract/Scouting Party (Only if you play lots of Dogs)
Sideboard Choices
Will of the Youth
Reconfirmation of the Mission
Less Solid/Techy Choices
Clash (Depending on the current rulings)
Shadow in the Moonlight (Worse version of Tsunade's Guess but if you want more)
Capture (It's not terrible for dumping Anbu)
Narrow Escape (Against squad heavy decks)
High Speed Body (It's not a bad card but it's not amazing in this format either)
Jutsu
This is where Fire really falters. It has no real powerhouse cards like the other elements so it's hard to win the fight. Your go to cards are going to be:
Solid Choices
Chidori (Set 16)
Firestyle: Fireball Jutsu (Set 15)
Sharingan Kunai
Fear by Genjutsu
Labyrinth
Kamui
Mangekyo Sharingan (Set 19)
Anticipation
Probably in that order too.
Less Solid/Techy Choices
Sharingan of Tears
Burst of Lightning Blade
Revenge
Lightning Blade
Lightning Blade Single Slash (TP1)
Visual Jutsu
Burning Ash
Flying Swallow (If you're playing Wind Splash)
Final Grade: B
Fire is a very underrated element with a lot of potential. It has what it takes to top tournaments, but I don't feel it has the final push to win the day. It's late game Ninja presence is far stronger than people are giving it credit, with Sasuke/Itachi Squad pretty much mowing down the competition. It can easily curve out to draw a ton off of Sakura and it lends itself very well to being combined with both Earth and Wind, allowing you to get some serious control or speed variants out of the deck. If it has one fatal flaw, it's that the Jutsu quality is terrible outside of the Kakashi/Itachi ones, and even then those under perform or are just too costly. With Set 21, should a few good Fire early game Ninja surface along with 1 or 2 power house Jutsu (See: Kirin), this element could easily be back in the top spot. Fire still has some serious punch, don't sleep on it.
Labels: Chief Tsuzumiya Haruhi, reviews, Set 20, tsu
Now that Christmas is officially over, and previews are going up on the main site, I thought I would put up a little piece giving my thoughts on the cards.
Jiraiya (Sage Mode): I really like this guy alot. While his "Sacrifice" is rather costly, I believe that his stats and effects more than make up for it. From a design aspect, his first effect is awesome in that it makes players look back and re-evaluate almost every jutsu card ever in made, just to see how awesome it is with Jiraiya. In my book, that should be chalked up as a huge success for the design team. It makes cards like Paper bomb, seem much better, since instead of only having early game applications it can be used late game to kill 2 Ninja.
I really appreciate the fact that he ISN'T protected from everything. The protection from jutsus is warranted due to his turnmarker, and cost to hit the board, but that still gives players a chance to use either Ninja effects or Mission effects to stay in the game against this giant. All in all I give this guy 9/10, because even though he might never hit the top tables due to how taxing his "Sacrifice" appears to be (Time will tell), I feel like Jiraiya (Sage Mode) completely lives up to the character shown in the series.
Shima & Fukasaku: I'm a little dissapointed in these guys. Shima, while a decent card doesn't really reflect Shima as a character, or contribute to the archetype its trying to fit into. As a card I like her, and will probably fit her into my cube, but I don't think she is a card I would really want to be running main deck in a format where she will more often then not have no actual effect.
Fukasaku's effect I like, because it supports combination very well, however I dislike that it requires shima in his team. Both Shima and Fukusaku in teh same team are already capable of triggering the combination effect on every Toad based Combination Jutsu card to begin with, and as for Non-Toad Combination Jutsus such as Searing Migraine, Piggy Back, and Leaf Whirlwind... Why would you try to hit two specific ninja in a team to use a Jutsu that doesn't even require a specific ninja for its combination. I like the concept behind Fukaksaku, but I feel the execution was just short of delivering us a playable card.
The Jutsus: I don't like any of these. Most people who seem to like these cards are justifying the cards usefullness by how good they are with Jiraiya (Sage Mode). There are two problems with that school of thought. First, Jiraiya (Sage mode) is a turn 7 Ninja, who you can't even assume will be played in most games, due to his harsh (But Fair) requirements. Second, every jutsu is ridiculous with Jiraiya (Sage Mode), so why not play one that's atleast somewhat good on it's own? Aside from that, I really dislike that Bandai brought Expert from Dragon Ball to Naruto, as it clearly undermines Combination in every way.
Sage Art: Bath of Boiling Oil: I really like this card. While I can't really say if it will see play or not, it's a cool card and very well designed. Hopefully we will see more cards like this in the near future.
Super Box Lunch: Errr.. I mean Jiraiya's Hermit dance. I'm glad they printed some new recursion for lightning, though I think turn 5 is a bit high for it's cost. Very cool synergy with all the Toads who have multiple colors as well as the Jiraiya who is considered to have every symbol. It's unfortunate that Lightning has so many strong missions right now, as I think that will probably keep this card from being used, but hopefully post rotation this card might see some play.
Gamaken: This card get's the award for most flavorful card ever printed. Both effects perfectly fit Gamaken, making him a really cool card. However, because of this I don't think he has what's needed to be played in a competative environment where Dogs isn't the best deck. His stats are that of a 4 drop, and neither of his effects are particularly usefull in most situations... It's unfortunate because he is perfect in one aspect, but greatly flawed in another.
The Bad Jutsu with Gamaken: It's a worse Toad Mouth Trap... I really wish Bandai would stop using that effect on Jutsus, because players always seem to get confused with how it works, and they never see play anyway. I would much prefer a "Burning Ash" type of effect in that effects place from now on.
I'll try to put up more reviews later in the week, as more cards are revealed. Until Next time!
-Andrew 
Labels: reviews, Set 20, Tales of the Gallant Sage, Zero
Since I never did finish my weekly card reviews, I decided to post up a list of the cards I feel to be the top ten cards to come out of the Naruto CCG's set 17 "Will of Fire".
The First Hokage is a card a lot of people underrated when initially previewed by Bandai. Being another Four Pillar Prison user with Mastery pretty much gave earth a guaranteed win condition, provided they could hit the jutsu. His ability to slow down your opponents game by taking back Battle Rewards, while also giving you hand advantage played a huge part in the third place deck at the Georgia Shonen Jump this past week, not to mention his recurring effect also made it easier to go into the long game without fear of decking out. I expect to see a lot more of this guy in upcoming events.
Unlike The First Hokage, people were hyping The Second Hokage like crazy when he was shown. While he hasn't yet lived up to the hype, he does have the ability to end the game, or at least swing it back into your favor. By taking back a Water Style: Water dragon and a Threat of the Tailed Beast with The Second Hokage's effect, you can pretty much lock up the game thanks to The Second's Mastery. While that might be a bit of a dream scenario, the ability to pick up Ambush Ninjas each turn is still very powerful and can completely change the tide of the game. While he didn't make top tables at the jump, I can easily see him there soon.
#8. Kigiri (N-801)
The ability to turn off any Ninja or Client effect every turn on a splashable two drop Ninja? How could you not love this card? If I had more room I probably would have squeezed a copy or two of this guy in my board for the Shonen Jump, as he turns off most of the common hate such as Shimon, Miroku, Naruto & Shion Squad, and even my favorite two drop Shino. All in all Kigiri ended up seeing a decent amount of play in the top tables, and I expect he will end up seeing even more post rotation.
This one should be rather self explanatory. It's a Vanilla Sasuke with two Mental Power, a water symbol, Ambush, and most importantly; a different name. While Tracking Ninja isn't "broken", it was probably a poor decision on Bandai's part to print a functionally better Sasuke vanilla that allows water to max out on turn four Sasukes without worrying about their early game. Curving this guy into Shikamaru [Flexibility] is a pretty big beating against most decks, so don't be surprised if you start to see flex being played in a multitude of decks along side this card.
Having played with her for awhile now, I can say for sure that she is pretty invaluable in the decks she's played in. While testing for the Shonen Jump I often tried cutting her in favor of other cards just to put her right back into the deck a few games later. Although I didn't always get to heal a Ninja when putting her into play, I was never upset to play her, as more often then not she made my team strong enough to take down my opponents. Ton ton also gave me the ability to play her on turn two, which was just a beating. I love this card, and I wish I could have put her into the top five.
This guy is awesome. I was very skeptical of him at first, as the [Man Beast Clone] variant of Kiba is so strong, but I definitely don't regret running [Keen Nose] this past weekend. One of the things I hate the most when playing in tournament is when I open with a hand without a mission. Without a Substitute, Just like Drifting Clouds, Long Awaited Reinforcements, etc in my opener, I know my curve will be entirely subject to what I rip. I mean, I'm not going to throw back a hand of Sasuke, Shikamaru [Flexibility], Ino [Pressing], but I would strongly prefer if there was some kind of mission to back up my curve. Thats why Kiba is so good, he dig just deep enough that the math is usually in your favor at hitting at least one mission in the revealed cards. While he doesn't set up an automatic Kiba Inuzuka & Akamaru Squad, he does increase the odds of hitting an early Shino Aburame & Kiba Izukuka squad via hitting any of the previously mentioned Missions. I would run this Kiba in any deck playing at least nine missions, without a doubt.
I had a bit of a hand in hyping this card, so let me be the first to say that this card should not be rogued. While this card is without a doubt more powerful than any of its predecessors, I think that in a format where the commonly played missions are both permanent and non-permanent and happen between turns two and three, neither Lone Avenger nor Catch-Out would cut it. That doesn't mean I believe this card is perfectly fair however, as it probably should be turn three and not turn two, I do believe that it is needed, at least for now. Having played with and against the card both at the Shonen Jump and in testing I can say that I was never blown out by the card unless I made a greedy play with Succeeded Will of Fire, but there needs to be cards like that in the format, other wise we don't need to think about when it's appropriate to play a mission, nor do we have to play conservatively.
Some of you might find it weird that this card is above Interruption, but the reality is that this card is way better. Being dual symbol means that twice the number of decks will be using it, and that earth will probably be playing a singleton Kabuto [Database] somewhere in the main deck or the board to fetch this card. In my opinion, what makes this card so much better is it's versatility as a sideboard option. Against decks where you need mission negation, it's mission negation. Against decks where you need client hate, it's client hate. Against decks with Mission hate, it helps you resolve your other missions. This card is amazing, and will probably help keep earth and water strong options against the rest of the field.
#2 Asuma Sarutobi (N-823) & Shikamaru Nara & Asuma Sarutobi (N-860)
I put these cards together because they are essentially the reason the other is so good. After seeing the number of decks playing one to two copies of Asuma, no one should really be surprised at how high this card is on the list, but for those of you who are, all I can say is that Asuma does everything you want him to. He provides excellent late game, a free block/trade before squading, card advantage, and most importantly a win condition. Several of my games at the Shonen Jump were won off the back of this card, and if I could somehow make space I would probably play a second copy of him. I expect Asuma to end up similar to how Kiba [Man Beast Clone] did, being played in majority of the decks due to how powerful and how easy to set up the squad is.
This one should have been incredibly obvious, as this card is just ridiculous. With the number of dual element missions in the game, this Naruto can easily be splashed into any deck to help set up guaranteed turn three missions and in most cases pump your team's totals. At the Shonen Jump Fire players were grabbing Succeeded Will of Fire, Earth laters were grabbing Respective Dreams and Pledge Under a Starry Sky, and Wind and Lightning players just grabbed every mission in their deck. I'm not saying that the ability to grab a mission is completely unfair, I just believe that in the current pool he has can search too many powerful cards, while also boosting all of your ninjas. This guy just isn't balanced, and until he is rogued I will probably continue playing decks in which I can abuse both of his effects. On the upside, between this guy and the Sakura, Bandai should be getting a lot of money off the Starter decks.
And that ends my count down of the ten best cards in will of fire. Be sure to comment bellow on any cards you think deserved to be in the top 10 that weren't, or that you felt should be higher or lower then they were. Until next time!
-Andrew
Labels: reviews, Will of Fire, Zero
I told you guys I would try to get my earth preview week review up during the week, so here it is (Well, mosty of it anyway):
Saturday April 24th: Saturday Preview
Earth Style: Earth Pike: What a cool way to transition from water week to earth week. I've been advocating cards like this for a long time, so I'm pretty happy that we finally got something along these lines. I saw a lot of love for this card on the boards, which I'm not surprised by, after all it's good card design and it has Kakuzu showing his pimp ring. Despite how much I clearly like this card, I personally don't think the card is strong enough to see any competitive play. With both Disguise jutsu and the new Water shark bomb both in format, doing what this card does to a better extent I don't see a reason to run a worse copy just because it can be both. Still, I'm glad the designers are finally taking the initiative and designing cards like this.
Sunday April 25th: Sunday Preview
Kiss of Death: we've had about 6 or so jutsus that do essentially the same thing as this card, none of which ever saw any real play, so you can't really expect much from this card playability wise. Maybe if Bandai had tacked on a draw one or something like that to make you go positive? I don't know, it just needs something in my eyes.
Monday April 26th: Asuma Theme
Asuma Sarutobi [For the Next Generation] + Asuma Sarutobi & Shikamaru Nara [Everlasting Relationship]: I'm going to talk about both cards, simply because it's impossible to talk about one without talking about the other as the two cards make each other good. For starters I saw a lot of hate on the Asuma card, which I didn't get. Why would you want him to be a super? Why would you want an incredibly linear effect? I'm happy with my Uncommon Revamped Kiba MBC. Yep, Thats exactly what Asuma is. Some of you are probably like "No, Kiba is a good zero drop any deck can play that tutors a ninja you can play for free." While you are technically correct that there is a difference between turn zero and turn four, and that Kiba's target hit's play for free, Asuma does everything better than Kiba on a better turn.
Asuma, as a stand alone ninja is aggressively stated for a turn 4 jonin in earth, giving an early six combat ninja to an element which curves predominantly support, where Kiba was always under stated regardless of the deck, unless your opponent started with a sakura. Asuma's search is also better than Kiba's because unlike Akamaru, you are probably playing Shikamaru because he is a good stand alone card that fits in your deck and has a relevant effect. Akamaru is fit into the deck specifically to obtain value out of your Kiba. Lastly, and most importantly Asuma & Shikamaru squad is far more game breaking then Kiba & Akamaru squad ever was.
A turn five 7/5 with Jonin rank, five mental power, two relevant combat attributes, and a powerful effect seems a lot better than a turn three 4/3 with a strong ability, in my book at least. One of the main reasons I like this guy is because it brings us back to the early stages of the game, where size is everything, and stall breaking effects are a legitimate win condition, as opposed to the blow out one turn win effects we've become used to over the past year. One last little thing I want to about is the wording on the Asuma card, which allows you to grab any card with "Shikamaru Nara" in it's name, allowing you to not only set up Shikatemaris for decision, but also allows you to grab the Shikamaru Asuma platoon, play it, and then squad into the big guy on turn five trigger the platoon's effect netting card advantage and allowing you to deploy on that turn as well. I'm not sure how viable that is, but in theory it's pretty awesome.
I personally think that every deck should, and probably will be packing at least one copy of the Asuma. There really isn't a strong enough reason not to, especially if you intended on play Shikamaru in your deck to begin with.
Present for the Promotion: I like that this card doesn't have a hand cost, that way any deck can use it, and that it always causes you to break even by using it. Despite how similar it is to Emina, I'm pretty confident it won't be nearly as playable as she once was. Still, this card makes a pretty good one of to allow you to pick up steam in the late game by returning all the Jutsus to your deck.
Tuesday April 27th: The First Hokage Theme
The First Hokage [Supremacy]: I really like this card a lot. Not only does he have a strong, game changing effect just for entering play, but he also has an effect that helps give your deck some resilience in the late game? Having solid stats and mastery just adds to my love for this card. While I don't exactly know what kind of deck he will go in (Aside from tree based decks, which I am not a fan of), I assure you that I will probably find something to play this guy in even if I have to splash for him alone. While he probably isn't going to go for as much as the Second, I can easily see this guy ending up being one of the more expensive supers in the set.
Farewell: We have cards that already do this, why make more? At least it's a common.
Earth Style: Stone Plate Coffin: So earth gets Hidden Mist Jutsu? Interesting, but I don't think that will really do much in a format with disguise jutsu, as well as other negation options that at least appear to be better than this card.
Wednesday April 28th: Yugito Ni Theme
Yugito Ni [Rage]: Nice artwork! Unfortunately the card itself is rather lack luster. That kind of effect isn't particularly game breaking, and in an aggressive format, you need a good reason to play Ninjas that come out so late. At least Yugito's effect makes sense flavor wise, plus she has Tailed beast mode in her characteristics! I would be pretty surprised if Yugito saw some real play, but I don't know, the format might develop in a way that her seven combat might be relevant.
Howl: Again, good artwork, lack luster effect. Even in a cooled down environment, two chakra to not really change the board position isn't great. I feel like this card could have had a tack on of something small and it probably could have seen a bit of play post rotation, but as it is I'm going to just say no.
The Last Message: I really don't know what to think of this card. The cost seems really steep, but at the same time there could probably be some kind of combo with it to make it good. For now I'm going to say no to competitive play, but it has potential.
As I need to finish writing my final paper before I go out tonight to the Ironman 2 premier, I'm going to have to finish up this review later. Please be sure to comment bellow to let me know what you guys agreed or disagreed with. Until next time
-Andrew 
Labels: previews, reviews, Will of Fire, Zero
Now that I've actually had a chance to look over all of the previews for the past two weeks, I figured I would post up another review for you guys. I'm only going to go over the Water theme today, as I have a paper due tomorrow, but I should be able to do the Earth themes at some point during the week.
Saturday April 17th: Saturday Preview
Combination Jutsu: I really like this card a lot, simply because it's costed so well. two generic chakra to water prison a ninja is pretty good value, especially in an aggro based deck like NVS which shouldn't have an problem getting this card to always have the better of the two effects. My only complaint about the card is the other effect. Why is it -2/-2? Isn't negatives a fire based effect? Should have given the user a pump, or something that made sense. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if this card saw some play prior to rotation.
Sunday April 18th: Sunday Preview
Princess Koto: Another strong client effect. While she might not seem as amazing as Michiru, or Emina, she is capable of some pretty crazy things when put in a deck that plays predominantly female ninjas. Odds are, this chick will constantly force the opposition to use jutsu's first, which is exactly what you want in a deck using cards like Counter and Wind Scythe Jutsu. I kind of dislike that she doesn't have the wind symbol, but I can also understand why she was given the two symbols she currently has. Princess Koto is a card I would be aware of when getting ready for the SJC this season, because if you don't have a way to deal with her in your board, you might be fighting an uphill battle against Kunoichi or Medical decks during the day.
Monday April 19th: Kisame Theme
Kisame [Water Clone]: I'm actually really disappointed with this card. While the effect is exactly what you would expect the effect to be for water clone Kisame, there are several things missing from the card that just ruin it. First of all, where is the clone status? The card is a picture of Kisame using water clone, has the surname [Water Clone], and the effect of putting an exact copy of Kisame into play... So where is the damn clone status? The other thing that bothers me is his inability to get his effect off of Ambush. I think thats pretty grimy, simply because water's entire play style has developed around Ambush, and I don't really think that by getting his effect off of an Ambush, he would be OP.
As for the card it self, I'm not sure if I actually like it or not. I can see the blow out moments where making two ninjas in one turn wins you the game, but I also see his effect causing the player to make bad plays due to keeping it in hand instead of charging it, and charging another card like a jutsu or mission, just to get Kisame's effect. It probably wont see play until after rotation, but even then, I feel like his draw back is too big to be played over Guren.
Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu: Right off the back you can probably determine the playability of this card in water decks in the current format by looking at it's name. Competing with one of the most efficient negation cards in the game means that this card is most likely not going to make the cut any time soon. However, the designers opted to not only forgo a requirement on the card, but also make the cost generic allowing any deck to utilize this card. While in the current format, I'm not sure what deck will want to use this out side of a rush based deck, post rotation this card might actually see some play.
The Top Priority: All I can say is that giving your opponent the ability to pick for an effect means that you will seldom gain a lot of advantage off of said effect. Pressing was the same way, while both effects were really good, allowing your opponent to pick between the two effects just meant that you would never really get the effect you want. This card is pretty much the same in that, yes sending a ninja to chakra is good for a mission effect, but sending a turn zero ninja, or a ninja with ambush to chakra isn't particularly good. Even in Limited, I probably wouldn't take this card until very late in the pack.
Tuesday April 20th: The Second Hokage Theme
The Second Hokage [Supremacy]: This card was really well designed for the core set in my opinion. The Second's effect pretty much ties all of water together, and in a way represents water as a whole. For those of you wondering what I mean, the best example I could probably give comes from other card games like Duel masters, where each base set they had Ultras that catered specifically to their color's main themes, which is exactly what The Second does. Helps you generate a lot of chakra? Check. Helps you play a lot of powerful Jutsus? Check. Helps you Ambush Ninjas? Check. Helps you burn Chakra? If you have Threats in your Chakra area when you put him in play, check. The Second just does everything you want him to do in water, so there really isn't a reason to play cards like Kakuzu over this guy, as Kakuzu is more narrow and less game breaking then the Second.
I really like this card a lot, not only from a design standpoint, but from the stand point of someone who likes cards that reward the more skilled player. Second's effect can just as easily be a game winning play for a skilled player who played the game thinking ahead, as it can be a decent play by a less skilled player who didn't think past the current turn. By planning ahead, you can easily manipulate your chakra to insure you get the exact three cards that will win you the game, like two Water dragons, and a Threat of the Tailed beast. All in all I think the Second is just really good, an dI expect him to be one of the chase supers from the set.
Bounty: Bounty isn't a bad card, as it has synergy with all the ambush ninjas water has, but I have never been a fan of conditional draw power that either has a good effect or none at all. it might see some play, but I sincerely doubt it.
Black Strings: Healing jutsus never seem to see play simply because there are better tricks you could be playing instead, and I don't feel as though this card is any different. While Black Strings does happen to be costed well for it's effect, it still doesn't do enough to warrant it seeing play in a competitive environment.
Wednesday April 21st: Haku Theme
Tracking Ninja: I personally think this card is a step in the wrong direction for Bandai. Including a 4/1 turn zero Ninja with two mental power, relevant combat attribute, and ambush, in a set with a bunch of decent turn zero ninja with weaker stats doesn't make sense to me at all. It was stated that they were making good turn zero ninjas on all colors to reduce splashing, but then they make a ninja who is better than those other ninjas, and leagues better than vanilla sasuke ever was in water. So the reality is, they made a bunch of turn zero ninjas that no one will play because they also made tracking ninja who has better stats, and has synergy with certain decks.
Killer Shot: So it's a fire ball for two generic? It's definitely better that any deck can utilize it, but I still feel as though it isn't good enough. Maybe if they allowed you to bounce it back to hand if the user had some kind of characteristic or something, I don't know. I just feel like the card is too narrow and doesn't really help unless the opponents entire strategy is reliant on a client or permanent mission.
The Next Target: This card is so incredibly good. This one mission gives water the ability to deal with things they could never deal with before on an early enough turn to hit almost anything. This card would probably have gotten my vote as best common in the set if tracking ninja wasn't around.
Thursday April 22nd: Kabuto Theme
Kabuto [Recycling]: Not only is this guy good in your deck, he is also good for the environment! Bad puns aside, I think this might be my favorite card in the set. Most of you can probably recall that I was one of the biggest advocators of Sasori TBT, and even ended up playing him in this years past sannin event. Kabuto's effect is incredibly powerful, and completely puts Sasori TBT to shame. Not only do they have similar stats and characteristics to begin with, but Kabuto's effect is more cost efficient and the Ninja actually sticks. I would without a doubt be playing with this guy at Gencon this year, if DB didn't exist. Because DB has solidified him self as a staple three of in every water or water/X deck, there really isn't any good justification to not play him. Hopefully DB gets restricted or something so I can justify playing this guy, because if not, what a waste of such a good effect.
Earth Style Ultimate revival Jutsu: Soil Bodies: This card is waaaaaay to narrow to see play, even with it's alternate cost. I'm not a fan of cards that rely on your opponents cards to do anything, and thats exactly what this card does. Even for limited, this card has no real reason to be a rare.
Tragic Destiny: I'm not a fan of this card for the same reason stated in the above; I don't like cards that rely on the cards your opponent plays to do anything. In water, this card lets you ambush a ninja, which probably already has ambush and give it an effect which may or may not help. So you are pretty much playing a mission that says "Give target ninja the effect of a ninja your opponent controls". I guarantee you that card would never see play. Yes, you could pick up a ninja from discard pile, and Yes I like Kabuto which does just that, but it's completely different. Kabuto allows you to abuse cards like Temari WS, the new Second Hokage, and Shino IW by constantly getting them back, where this card is a one shot deal that cost more for a potential bonus.
The card has more of a use in Fire decks, as they don't have access to similar effects, and have far less cards with Ambush on them. Still, I feel like there are much stronger cards to be playing in the current pool, and even if there weren't I'm just not a fan of this type of an effect. I will say that I probably would play this in EDH though, because recursion in a format of one ofs is obviously much more powerful, not to mention your opponent is guaranteed to have a powerful ninja effect via their general, so more often then not this cards second effect will be relevant.
Friday April 23rd: Three Tails Theme
Three Tails [A Monster who Lives in the Abyss]: This guy is pretty scary. As long as he is on the table with a jonin, you really cant attack or block profitably. Couple that with his huge stats and you have a pretty big threat. ALone this guy probably wouldn't see too much play, but the next card is what really makes him playable in my opinion.
Yukimaru [Guide]: His first effect is almost negligible, as most of us just read him as "You can play your Three Tails really early" and I'm pretty sure thats what is going to make this guy see play. I haven't tested out this concept yet, but believe me I plan to do so once the set lands. I never saw the Three tail fillers, so I'm not sure exactly who this guy is or why he gives the three tails a lower entrance cost though, so if someone would like to fill me in that would be great.
Stolen Bodies: While it probably wont see much play in the current environment, this card is a strong candidate to replace threat post rotation. It may not be as game breaking, but it does work in a similar manner. I'm actually okay with this card replacing threat, as threat happened to be pretty stupid, especially in multiples.
As I said before, I will try to get the Earth themes review up later in the week, but no promises. Please comment bellow to let me know what you agreed/disagreed with, what cards you think will end up seeing play, or if any of these cards is being over rated/over looked. Until next time.
-Andrew
Labels: previews, reviews, Will of Fire, Zero
Due to the overwhelming amount of comments for Pat's new "The good, the Bad, and the Ugly" segment, where Pat uses two other cards to mask the fact that he wants to complain about one specific card, I decided to put up a weekly review of the previews posted on the main site. Hopefully you guys are still somewhat interested in my card evaluations now that I no longer have previews of my own to give out on a podcast that you can skim through. Anyway, let's get this started with.
Monday April 12th: Sora Theme
Sora [Broken Seal]: So before I get into anything too deep on this one, I want to point out that I never watched the Sora fillers, and I only really know that apparently he has the over flow of the 9 tails chakra in him, or something like that? Anyway, I like Sora. Not because I think he is good or anything, the reality is that he probably wont ever touch competitive play. The reason I like Sora is because he was designed to be another Naruto for a casual Tailed beast mode deck. He fills the roll of "Radiant Energy User" on turns three or four if you are desperate, or if you need someone else to use the jutsu for whatever reason. He also gives cards like Destructive swing a chance at seeing play. On a minor note, Sora is also Stated very well for limited play, so you might want to pick him sooner rather than later in a draft.
Beast Wave: Palm Hurricane: I feel this card is a step in the right direction for design. Most of you probably didn't notice this, but the card, while being primarily Lightning (cost and requirement wise) the effect is a Wind effect. I wouldn't mind seeing a cycle of Jutsu cards that are dual colored that allow an element a chance to use an effect that it normally wouldn't be able to use. My only complaint is that it probably should have costed Wind l Wind instead, so that Lightning would have to pay more for an off color effect, though I understand it was costed the way it was to be more playable in it's theme. In terms of power level, I feel like this card is far under what we have now, but might be much closer post rotation.
Hate: I really don't like this card. I do like the concept of giving lightning the ability to negate missions at a cost, where fire has that ability for free, however this card is just to situational with the current pool of cards. There are very few good effects that provide growth coins, and even growthing itself is generally un-advantageous. For a card like this to actually see play, one of two things would probably need to happen: 1) Bandai gave more solid effects that provide growth coins to lightning, or 2) Bandai made a broken mission card that completely destroys the foundation of the game and as such every deck needs a way to try and play around it.
Approaching Shadow of Death: I also like this card alot because of how it interacts with Hidan (Cursed mode). Granted Disaster is a far better card, I still plan on trying this card out, as the Hidan deck probably wont be able to compete until post rotation, where we are left disasterless. I'm also happy Bandai is sticking with lightning being the primary effect damage element.
Tuesday April 13th: Sai Theme
Sai [Study]: The only card in the theme that has anything to do with Sai! His effect is very strong, but due to how fast paced the current format is, I doubt he will see much play until post rotation, where I will probably end up playing him in everything. I really like this Sai a lot, and I think it's a prime example of a card that could easily be reprinted in future core sets, only without the terrible artwork.
Just like that Hero: Freaking awesome. This is a card that combo decks have been waiting for for a long time. Granted, it is turn four in a fast paced format, but I still wouldn't bet against this card seeing play in some deck during the next year, wether it be NVS, or some other crazy concoction. This is exactly what a super rare should be in my opinion: a card that is Fun, unique, and something people want to build around.
Scattered Thousand Birds Jutsu: Generic Negation for lightning that follows lightnings established Niche of sending cards to the bottom of deck. I have no problems with this card, in that it happens to be well costed for it's effect and it has a wide range of users. The unfortunate thing is that there are several cards in the current card pool that fulfill this cards role in lightning decks better, so this card might not see play right now.
Wednesday April 14th: Clone theme
Distraction: So basically this is a substitute for the Efficient training deck? I like that they are giving it some support, but I don't think this card makes the deck any better. Still, it would be pretty cool to play Naruto [Reliance] on turn three, search this card, then on five turn naruto into tailed beast mode in injured status and blow up a guy. due to this card not having a hand cost, it can be done in any deck too. This card might be worth looking into, but it's most likely too situational to see competitive play.
Rasengan: My initial thought was "Name is Rasengan, so it probably wont see play due to the Broken promises variant being amazing." However, I've grown to appreciate this cards value in the side board. Being able to kill a Ninja, and then Blow up a Michiru, or Miroku is incredible value. This card is exactly what we have been asking Bandai to give us, and I for one am happy with it. If the Hidan deck takes off, you lightning players might want to pack these guys in against it, cause without Ritual it becomes exceedingly hard for that deck to win.
Thursday April 15th: Taijutsu Theme
Agira [For the Revenge]: I think this card is awful. Not only is it awkwardly stated for a Taijutsu Ninja, but it's effect is random and over costed. This is a bad example of support for a theme because it isn't supporting the theme do what it's good at, it's just random and bad. It also doesn't help that they didn't give this guy a rank, or any mental power.
Gensho [For the Revenge]: This card is much better, in that it actually follows the theme slightly better by pumping itself, however I don't think the card is strong enough to see play for several reasons. The first thing I have against this card is it's timing. By using it's effect before they block, your opponent instantly knows if blocking you is a good or bad plan. Had they made his effect during the exchange of Jutsu, it would require more decision making, and therefore more skill to know when to block him, and when blocking might not be the best plan. My other complaint about the card is the lack of growth. I normally consider growth a worthless mechanic, but in this case I feel it's pretty relevant due to the turn zero version of this character being so good.
Rokaku [For the Revenge]: This guy might be the best card in the theme, which is unfortunate because his effect has nothing to do with the Taijutsu theme. A Disguise jutsu on a stick for lightning might be good next format, due to the decreased power level, and even now it could be pretty relevant when going up against cards like Chidori and Rasengan from Broken Promises. I think Bandai could have made this guy better for the theme, and stronger in general by changing the cost to removing two Taijutsu ninja from your discard pile from the game. This way, his effect would only be usable in the theme, and it would be legitimate because he would protect your Ninja's after they use pumps to get bigger than the opposing teams.
Jako [Support]: Card is bad. Seriously, Whoever made this card is retarded. Theme support doesn't mean "Give them a bad card that becomes on curve if used in the theme" because if that were the case, why not just play something on curve to begin with? He should have had the two support, and either gotten an additional support, or given a combat to the head if he was in a team with a Taijutsu ninja, giving incentive to actually run this card. The irony behind this card's surname has my head hurting.
Yagura [Probationer]: This one has growth, but not the turn four, wut? Despite that, I really like this card because not only does it fit the theme it also adds to the list of cards that benefit from the new rules regarding note taking a major events. Being able to look at a card in your opponents hand every turn is a pretty good ability for a zero drop, especially since he can use it from the side lines. I except this guy to definitely see play if not this format, then the next for sure. I also think this card would make a great platinum promo.
Friday April 16th: Lee Theme
Rock Lee [Motto]: Definitely fits in Taijutsu themed decks well, it's just unfortunate that they aren't good, otherwise this guy might be a house. Curving only Taijutsu ninjas with this guy could be such a savage set up, now if only Bandai could give us the resources to make this possible in a competitive environment. Looks like this Lee is getting my vote for "Cool card that isn't going to see any ply whatsoever" of the set. A shame, really.
Rock Lee [Eight Inner Gates]: Sooooooo good in aggressive decks. In Animals and NVS particularly this guy will pretty much always be a 5/2 after turn one, allowing him to nab more battle rewards, and beat down on even the toughest genin in the format. Love this guy, and I really like the unique card design and use of Lightnings "Turn marker maters" sub theme.
Raigo! Thousand Hand Strike!: At first glance the card appears to be limited fodder, but at second glance you realize that it might even be worse. It pumps worse then just about every other pump in the set, and it's effect doesn't seem to be too relevant in limited play (so far from what we've seen). In constructed there are much better options as far as stopping mental power battles go.
Sudden Entry: I saw that a lot of people really seemed to like this card on the boards, which confused me. In the current format, there is so much splashing that I cant ever see this effect going off reliably. Even post rotation cards like Baki AB, Tobi MoM, and Yakumo will still be around, and you aren't going to opt not to run better cards to try and get this card to go off, when at best you only have around a sixty percent chance of it going off anyway.
So that concludes the first edition of my weekly card reviews. I'm going to aim to do these every weekend, but those of you who know me well know that I have a habit pushing things off. I hope you guys enjoyed the review, and please feel free to comment and let me know if you agree or disagree with anything I stated. Until next time.
-Andrew
Labels: previews, reviews, Will of Fire, Zero
Run By:
Patrick O'Neill
(Tsu Kiyo Me)
Andrew Kardis
(Zero)
Joshua Lu
(JDragon)
Staff Writer(s):
Nick Botchis
(Shino'sDad)
March 2010
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