Gear Chronicle support this time around was absolute garbage.
Decks and Archetypes that got support in this new set was:
- Bloom
- Brave
- Zodiac Time Beast
- Alfred
- Chronojet Ride Chain
- Musketeer
Bloom
Neo Nectar arguably got the best support this set and the most beneficial stuff. Fixed many issues the deck had and in general gave it a great boost.
First off is the main girl Ahsha herself. Nothing special, just that she's a completely better version of her older self. The main thing is her second skill. That second skill immediately fixes Ahsha's main issue: the fact that it could only clone things on the field. Every deck that could pull off a boardwipe was immediately something that could screw over Ahsha. Sniping off key bloom targets, as well, was a huge pain. Now that Ahsha can call any unit in hand at the beginning of the turn for no cost, she can immediately clone it with the stride skill. So damn good. The stride skill as well, while requiring an additional soul alongside the counterblast, is also great since it grants boost. Clone Ahsha to call another Ahsha and make a 22k column? Yes please.(Don't actually do that unless you have nothing else).
Second main thing is Inverno, the GR.
Now let me get this straight she's literally a godsend.
First skill, Recycle 5 units and CC1. Just. Straightup. Recycle 5 units and CC1. It's so simple, yet fixes the issue of having cloning targets for very cheap and gives you more Counterblast to use for your combos. Her second skill is just amazing too. Counterblast 1 and Discard one to call two units from deck? Easily triggering bloom? That's just so good. With a Katrina on the field, you can clone it twice and trigger bloom four times. Four. Times. That's alot of power, mind you. And since her first skill countercharges for you and recycles units, it makes her second skill essentially free. Just. So. Good. GR.
The rest of the set is just other kinds of Bloom power gainers. Noel gives less power than average, but can attack from the backrow, Pistol is treated as any unit that is called until end of turn for no cost, Odette gives +4k to any unit, and Pora hits like a truck, giving herself +10k on attack for every time she's bloomed.
Outside of those, we have our new G-Guard and PG. Marleena, while pretty situational, guards for a huuuge 30k for free. Flower Keeper Dragon is also very good, acting as a normal Perfect Guard and can possibly add a card to your hand. I still prefer Lilga, but Flower Keeper is a completely valid choice.
All of the old problems Ahsha had that kept them from competitive play are now fixed. Sadly, the top two decks, Time Leap and Nightrose, can shut down the powerful columns that Ahsha has, but overall Ahsha's in the best spot that it's ever been due to this set.
First off is the main girl Ahsha herself. Nothing special, just that she's a completely better version of her older self. The main thing is her second skill. That second skill immediately fixes Ahsha's main issue: the fact that it could only clone things on the field. Every deck that could pull off a boardwipe was immediately something that could screw over Ahsha. Sniping off key bloom targets, as well, was a huge pain. Now that Ahsha can call any unit in hand at the beginning of the turn for no cost, she can immediately clone it with the stride skill. So damn good. The stride skill as well, while requiring an additional soul alongside the counterblast, is also great since it grants boost. Clone Ahsha to call another Ahsha and make a 22k column? Yes please.(Don't actually do that unless you have nothing else).
Second main thing is Inverno, the GR.
Now let me get this straight she's literally a godsend.
First skill, Recycle 5 units and CC1. Just. Straightup. Recycle 5 units and CC1. It's so simple, yet fixes the issue of having cloning targets for very cheap and gives you more Counterblast to use for your combos. Her second skill is just amazing too. Counterblast 1 and Discard one to call two units from deck? Easily triggering bloom? That's just so good. With a Katrina on the field, you can clone it twice and trigger bloom four times. Four. Times. That's alot of power, mind you. And since her first skill countercharges for you and recycles units, it makes her second skill essentially free. Just. So. Good. GR.
The rest of the set is just other kinds of Bloom power gainers. Noel gives less power than average, but can attack from the backrow, Pistol is treated as any unit that is called until end of turn for no cost, Odette gives +4k to any unit, and Pora hits like a truck, giving herself +10k on attack for every time she's bloomed.
Outside of those, we have our new G-Guard and PG. Marleena, while pretty situational, guards for a huuuge 30k for free. Flower Keeper Dragon is also very good, acting as a normal Perfect Guard and can possibly add a card to your hand. I still prefer Lilga, but Flower Keeper is a completely valid choice.
All of the old problems Ahsha had that kept them from competitive play are now fixed. Sadly, the top two decks, Time Leap and Nightrose, can shut down the powerful columns that Ahsha has, but overall Ahsha's in the best spot that it's ever been due to this set.
Brave
Brave stuff this set actually makes it viable and possibly let it be seen in competitive play.
Brave Lancer's straightup broken. CB1 Call 3 units is ridiculous. As long as this is done without any cards in hand(of which there are a couple ways to cheat) this can literally be the easiest +3 ever. Multiattacking, recovering after board clear, Brave Lancer has a bunch of uses. Hell, it can be a way of shoving yourself into Brave range. Honestly does so much for the deck.
New Altmile is also pretty much straightup better than his old self. At the tradeoff of losing +1000 power distribution, he drops the Counterblast cost of his stride skill completely. Thats. Really really good. His GB2 aint bad either, giving your entire board +4k on attack while in brave.
Albion's yet another multiattack enabling G2, alongside the already existing Suleiman and Twin Sword. Sadly he doesn't have Brave himself, but still a solid card.
Igraine is easy 25k shields if you are sitting on Altmile. Easy 25k shield is easy 25k shield. Also can possibly hit 30k shield if you're in brave.
Redon makes some pretty fun plays. +3k to front row and on-call getting boost until end of turn makes this a really flexible card.
Regius is pretty interesting. While in brave, he soulcharges for you and if you're left with one card in hand after guarding with Regius, you can choose not to pay the cost for Perfect Guarding. Deciding between the three awesome PGGs is gonna be pretty hard now.
Iasius is a bit weird. On-call becomes a 16k attacker. Sure, it works but it's not really worth running in my eyes. The 10k base, as well, is a pain.
Scramble Griffin's just a worse Escort Eagle in my opinion. They both serve the purpose of "this unit dies, guard for 10k", but Eagle also has Resist.
Knight of Cast, when used right, can make huge numbers.
Overall, Altmile got some really great support and tools that could possibly shove them up to competitive status, if used in the right hands.
Chronojet Ride Chain
Brave Lancer's straightup broken. CB1 Call 3 units is ridiculous. As long as this is done without any cards in hand(of which there are a couple ways to cheat) this can literally be the easiest +3 ever. Multiattacking, recovering after board clear, Brave Lancer has a bunch of uses. Hell, it can be a way of shoving yourself into Brave range. Honestly does so much for the deck.
New Altmile is also pretty much straightup better than his old self. At the tradeoff of losing +1000 power distribution, he drops the Counterblast cost of his stride skill completely. Thats. Really really good. His GB2 aint bad either, giving your entire board +4k on attack while in brave.
Albion's yet another multiattack enabling G2, alongside the already existing Suleiman and Twin Sword. Sadly he doesn't have Brave himself, but still a solid card.
Igraine is easy 25k shields if you are sitting on Altmile. Easy 25k shield is easy 25k shield. Also can possibly hit 30k shield if you're in brave.
Redon makes some pretty fun plays. +3k to front row and on-call getting boost until end of turn makes this a really flexible card.
Regius is pretty interesting. While in brave, he soulcharges for you and if you're left with one card in hand after guarding with Regius, you can choose not to pay the cost for Perfect Guarding. Deciding between the three awesome PGGs is gonna be pretty hard now.
Iasius is a bit weird. On-call becomes a 16k attacker. Sure, it works but it's not really worth running in my eyes. The 10k base, as well, is a pain.
Scramble Griffin's just a worse Escort Eagle in my opinion. They both serve the purpose of "this unit dies, guard for 10k", but Eagle also has Resist.
Knight of Cast, when used right, can make huge numbers.
Overall, Altmile got some really great support and tools that could possibly shove them up to competitive status, if used in the right hands.
Chronojet Ride Chain
Oh, Chronojet support this set. Just looking at you is making me hurt inside.
Well first off, the main support: Ride Chain
Ride Chain... blegh...(sorry James, I know you love them but blegh)
So four pieces: Chic Folc Dragon, Smart Fender Dragon, Grey Exaust Dragon, and Throttle Caliber Dragon. Also of course the Ride Chain supporter.
Chic Folc is the normal Ride Chain starter we've all gotten used to: Ride the Grade 1 and Search top 7 for the G2 or G3.
Smart Fender is interesting. Becomes a 9k if you have Chic Folc and on the rear becomes a 7k Grade 2.
Grey Exaust calls Smart Fender from soul when he rides, and then time leaps the Smart Fender into the Grade 3, which is typically the Grade 3 of the chain.
Throttle Caliber Dragon has two on hits, one on each the Vanguard and Rearguard circles. On the rearguard, he bounces to hand when he hits. On the vanguard, he searches any Chronojet and rides it as rest.
Linear Feed is an 11k attacker if you successfully rode Grey Exaust and also can send two Chronojets in hand to the deck to draw two cards.
Now, what's so bad about the chain? Doesn't look that bad. Oh trust me, it is.
First off, the ride chain forces you to run very odd cards in lieu of a good amount of the cards most GC decks need to run. This isn't much of a problem in the G2 and G3 slots, but in the G1 and G0 department it just kills. Running Chic Folc Dragon disallows you usage of Chrono Dran and running Smart Fender requires you to cut down on other G1s, which are the lifeblood of the deck. The problem isn't that the ride chain itself is bad, it's just that running the ride chain makes the entire deck lose its fluidity and it doesn't exactly mesh there. Ride Chain deck could definitely work, but it'll be quite difficult.
After a solid amount of testing, I've found the Ride Chain to be pretty decent. It trades consistency with potency. While it's pretty inconsistent, it plusses pretty damn hard when it does go off. I typically end my Grade 2 turns on the ride chain with 8-10 cards in hand when it goes off. It's probably not going to replace the typical Dran-Draw engine in Time Leap decks but it's definitely worth a try if you wish.
Now that wasn't even the worst part. Ride chain was ok. It was memeable. The rest is so worthless it's not even something to make memes about.
First off is the big bad GR Crossover Dragon, who is Nextage but worse. Locks you out of key Time Leap plays and, if it doesn't go off, you're stuck with two useless Grade 3s on the board. Yes, it is great in some situations but more often than not it's just a dud.
Ishuiil, Sharrum, Nagish, and Gear Bear would be ok, except for the fact that there are cards that do their job but better already.
Undalulu is ok for what it does, but considering Tiger wants the cards to be bound and Jet really doesn't have space for other Grade 1s it's sorta eh in usage.
The last two cards, Shiftbullet and Arlim, are probably the best support Chronojet got this set to be honest.
Shiftbullet, for a CB1, thins the deck by two, adding a Chronojet to your field and to your hand. I don't like how it fields a Chronojet, but guaranteeing you stride the next turn is pretty solid and helps Chronojet variants with low amounts of Grade 3s to function pretty smoothly.
Arlim is a 30k GGuard that recycles two Chronojets in your drop, which is really really good. 30k Shield is always good and recycling G3s, again, helps Jet variants with little Grade 3s to work great.
Excuse my long Gear Chronicle rant.
Gear Chronicle got pretty poor support overall this set, which I'm pretty upset about, but the few scraps they did get are worth picking up as singles.
Alfred
The King got some new toys.
Alfred Oath is a pretty good card, although I know it made people a bit sad that he isn't completely broken and his GB2 is basically his old skill. Alfred truly shines in a deck that uses the Blaster Engine, with a combination with his new Stride card Alfred Oath is a great 1st ride being able to fill the board up for a massive attack. The new arrival of a retrain Alfred made him a viable back up or even the main Grade 3 for multiple decks: Pure Alfred (Oath/Alfred Seeker), MLB/Alfred and soon Blaster Blade Exceed/Oath.
Legit Sword Dragon is a pretty decent 1st stride especially if your playing with Blaster Engine. Need that Barcgal for Llew? Need a Blaster Blade to go along with your Flogal? Legit can grab what you need to scale your field. In my honest opinion this card is a great budget stride now that Fides is hovering around $10+.
Scion Rider is amazing. Let's put in this way, if you're playing Alfred why wouldn't you use this card? OG Alfred, Alfred Seeker, Alfred Oath, they all love this card. While it would have been nice if it isn't restricted to G3 Alfred but whose complaining? A CC2 means you can now enjoy more Benon + Mirron/Richard or Llew + Flogal combos.
Acute Knight, Paris is decent. I wanted her to be the [Retire] stride for free clone but she is worth a spot in the deck if you can't afford RP Stride Fodders. Her counterpart, however, is pretty janky. His effect is decent, but the problem is he isn't a Swordsman of Light or a Blaster. With both Oath and Legit's effect superior calling only SoLs or Blasters, he has no room in the G2 unless you're really budget. Which shouldn't be a problem anyways because Blaster Axe Grawl or Blaster Javelin should be a better budget options thanks to their SoL names.
For the rest of the Alfred stuff? Unplayable because of the reason above. Not having a Blaster/SoL in their name killed their play-ability in Alfred decks. Paris is the only one that has a decent chance of seeing play thanks to her +1 grade in hand. The others? Easily replaceable by better budget SoL cards or the high end Blaster Engine
Well first off, the main support: Ride Chain
Ride Chain... blegh...(sorry James, I know you love them but blegh)
So four pieces: Chic Folc Dragon, Smart Fender Dragon, Grey Exaust Dragon, and Throttle Caliber Dragon. Also of course the Ride Chain supporter.
Chic Folc is the normal Ride Chain starter we've all gotten used to: Ride the Grade 1 and Search top 7 for the G2 or G3.
Smart Fender is interesting. Becomes a 9k if you have Chic Folc and on the rear becomes a 7k Grade 2.
Grey Exaust calls Smart Fender from soul when he rides, and then time leaps the Smart Fender into the Grade 3, which is typically the Grade 3 of the chain.
Throttle Caliber Dragon has two on hits, one on each the Vanguard and Rearguard circles. On the rearguard, he bounces to hand when he hits. On the vanguard, he searches any Chronojet and rides it as rest.
Linear Feed is an 11k attacker if you successfully rode Grey Exaust and also can send two Chronojets in hand to the deck to draw two cards.
First off, the ride chain forces you to run very odd cards in lieu of a good amount of the cards most GC decks need to run. This isn't much of a problem in the G2 and G3 slots, but in the G1 and G0 department it just kills. Running Chic Folc Dragon disallows you usage of Chrono Dran and running Smart Fender requires you to cut down on other G1s, which are the lifeblood of the deck. The problem isn't that the ride chain itself is bad, it's just that running the ride chain makes the entire deck lose its fluidity and it doesn't exactly mesh there. Ride Chain deck could definitely work, but it'll be quite difficult.
After a solid amount of testing, I've found the Ride Chain to be pretty decent. It trades consistency with potency. While it's pretty inconsistent, it plusses pretty damn hard when it does go off. I typically end my Grade 2 turns on the ride chain with 8-10 cards in hand when it goes off. It's probably not going to replace the typical Dran-Draw engine in Time Leap decks but it's definitely worth a try if you wish.
Now that wasn't even the worst part. Ride chain was ok. It was memeable. The rest is so worthless it's not even something to make memes about.
First off is the big bad GR Crossover Dragon, who is Nextage but worse. Locks you out of key Time Leap plays and, if it doesn't go off, you're stuck with two useless Grade 3s on the board. Yes, it is great in some situations but more often than not it's just a dud.
Ishuiil, Sharrum, Nagish, and Gear Bear would be ok, except for the fact that there are cards that do their job but better already.
Undalulu is ok for what it does, but considering Tiger wants the cards to be bound and Jet really doesn't have space for other Grade 1s it's sorta eh in usage.
The last two cards, Shiftbullet and Arlim, are probably the best support Chronojet got this set to be honest.
Shiftbullet, for a CB1, thins the deck by two, adding a Chronojet to your field and to your hand. I don't like how it fields a Chronojet, but guaranteeing you stride the next turn is pretty solid and helps Chronojet variants with low amounts of Grade 3s to function pretty smoothly.
Arlim is a 30k GGuard that recycles two Chronojets in your drop, which is really really good. 30k Shield is always good and recycling G3s, again, helps Jet variants with little Grade 3s to work great.
Excuse my long Gear Chronicle rant.
Gear Chronicle got pretty poor support overall this set, which I'm pretty upset about, but the few scraps they did get are worth picking up as singles.
Alfred
The King got some new toys.
Alfred Oath is a pretty good card, although I know it made people a bit sad that he isn't completely broken and his GB2 is basically his old skill. Alfred truly shines in a deck that uses the Blaster Engine, with a combination with his new Stride card Alfred Oath is a great 1st ride being able to fill the board up for a massive attack. The new arrival of a retrain Alfred made him a viable back up or even the main Grade 3 for multiple decks: Pure Alfred (Oath/Alfred Seeker), MLB/Alfred and soon Blaster Blade Exceed/Oath.
Legit Sword Dragon is a pretty decent 1st stride especially if your playing with Blaster Engine. Need that Barcgal for Llew? Need a Blaster Blade to go along with your Flogal? Legit can grab what you need to scale your field. In my honest opinion this card is a great budget stride now that Fides is hovering around $10+.
Scion Rider is amazing. Let's put in this way, if you're playing Alfred why wouldn't you use this card? OG Alfred, Alfred Seeker, Alfred Oath, they all love this card. While it would have been nice if it isn't restricted to G3 Alfred but whose complaining? A CC2 means you can now enjoy more Benon + Mirron/Richard or Llew + Flogal combos.
Acute Knight, Paris is decent. I wanted her to be the [Retire] stride for free clone but she is worth a spot in the deck if you can't afford RP Stride Fodders. Her counterpart, however, is pretty janky. His effect is decent, but the problem is he isn't a Swordsman of Light or a Blaster. With both Oath and Legit's effect superior calling only SoLs or Blasters, he has no room in the G2 unless you're really budget. Which shouldn't be a problem anyways because Blaster Axe Grawl or Blaster Javelin should be a better budget options thanks to their SoL names.
For the rest of the Alfred stuff? Unplayable because of the reason above. Not having a Blaster/SoL in their name killed their play-ability in Alfred decks. Paris is the only one that has a decent chance of seeing play thanks to her +1 grade in hand. The others? Easily replaceable by better budget SoL cards or the high end Blaster Engine
Zodiac Time Beast
We got two Zodiac Time Beast cards. This'll be short and sweet.
Arka is a great PG for pure ZTB/Demiurge decks. Recurring PG that can bind stuff is really good. Also another PG that can be stuck in bind for Demiurge.
Peacock is sorely for Demiurge decks. Time Leap a G1 into Peacock, Peacock stays on field. If nothing else, another G2 ZTB to throw in.
Nothing really changes in Zodiac decks with the new set. Recurrable PG does make them alot better than they used to on the defensive side of things, though.
We got two Zodiac Time Beast cards. This'll be short and sweet.
Arka is a great PG for pure ZTB/Demiurge decks. Recurring PG that can bind stuff is really good. Also another PG that can be stuck in bind for Demiurge.
Peacock is sorely for Demiurge decks. Time Leap a G1 into Peacock, Peacock stays on field. If nothing else, another G2 ZTB to throw in.
Nothing really changes in Zodiac decks with the new set. Recurrable PG does make them alot better than they used to on the defensive side of things, though.
Musketeer
Musketeer got some really nice stuff this set that actually makes them a good deck that is usable.
The new Musketeer stride, Myra, isn't too special but gives a really good amount of power to any rears you call if you have a full field for basically no cost. Thankfully enough, you can use the skill four times if you so need to since Cecilia stride is a thing.
Mia Reeta is the star of the show for Musketeer support this time around. Her first skill recycles any two Musketeers in your drop at the end of every turn without restriction or cost, which is super nice in Neo Nectar in general. Her on-stride skill gives your vanguard a Luard-esque skill of retiring one to superior call two rearguards. Works wonderfully with the new Myra stride.
Loraine is ok. Vanguard skill is really easy +1 for Counterblast 1 and the rearguard skill frees up come Counterblast on-hit. I still say that the other Musketeer Grade 3s are probably more worth running than Loraine.
Tessa is a lot of power. A. Lot. Of. Power. Also looks like she's holding a sausage, which is amusing.
Tatiana is a Jetter clone, so it can kill itself off so you can stride for free. Opens up space to call new units and obviously free striding is free striding, so it's an amazing card. Amazing enough, actually, to be $8 in preorders. Which is amusing. Lol.
Antero is on-hit plus, which is pretty good actually, but needing another copy on the rear is a bit annoying early game, which is when Antero really shines.
May Len is cool and gives Musketeers an actually good forerunner they can use outside of Legion.
Also Musketeers have alot more freedom with their trigger lineups with a new Crit, Draw, and Heal so yeah.
Musketeer support was nice. Just enough to make them somewhat competitive. Definitely something worth investing in if you so wish and pretty fun.
Verdict: It's a pretty solid set overall, with huge payout due to the high prices of Ahsha and Altmile. Reprints, especially, are amazing in this set and Strider Crits along with Unflipper PGs and Stride Fodders are much more easily accessible(and shiny, too). Definitely worth hitting up boxes, within the initial release at least.
Unless you're Gear Chronicle. Don't hit up this box if you're Gear Chronicle.
Anyhow, see you in the next one!
-Chang
Also thanks Verz for writing about Alfred support for me. Happy Birthday, as well!
Musketeer got some really nice stuff this set that actually makes them a good deck that is usable.
The new Musketeer stride, Myra, isn't too special but gives a really good amount of power to any rears you call if you have a full field for basically no cost. Thankfully enough, you can use the skill four times if you so need to since Cecilia stride is a thing.
Mia Reeta is the star of the show for Musketeer support this time around. Her first skill recycles any two Musketeers in your drop at the end of every turn without restriction or cost, which is super nice in Neo Nectar in general. Her on-stride skill gives your vanguard a Luard-esque skill of retiring one to superior call two rearguards. Works wonderfully with the new Myra stride.
Loraine is ok. Vanguard skill is really easy +1 for Counterblast 1 and the rearguard skill frees up come Counterblast on-hit. I still say that the other Musketeer Grade 3s are probably more worth running than Loraine.
Tessa is a lot of power. A. Lot. Of. Power. Also looks like she's holding a sausage, which is amusing.
Tatiana is a Jetter clone, so it can kill itself off so you can stride for free. Opens up space to call new units and obviously free striding is free striding, so it's an amazing card. Amazing enough, actually, to be $8 in preorders. Which is amusing. Lol.
Antero is on-hit plus, which is pretty good actually, but needing another copy on the rear is a bit annoying early game, which is when Antero really shines.
May Len is cool and gives Musketeers an actually good forerunner they can use outside of Legion.
Also Musketeers have alot more freedom with their trigger lineups with a new Crit, Draw, and Heal so yeah.
Musketeer support was nice. Just enough to make them somewhat competitive. Definitely something worth investing in if you so wish and pretty fun.
Verdict: It's a pretty solid set overall, with huge payout due to the high prices of Ahsha and Altmile. Reprints, especially, are amazing in this set and Strider Crits along with Unflipper PGs and Stride Fodders are much more easily accessible(and shiny, too). Definitely worth hitting up boxes, within the initial release at least.
Unless you're Gear Chronicle. Don't hit up this box if you're Gear Chronicle.
Anyhow, see you in the next one!
-Chang
Also thanks Verz for writing about Alfred support for me. Happy Birthday, as well!
i think the question is, was the gear support bad or is it that gears are so good already the only thing that could be considered good support would be broken?
ReplyDeletealso i loved how bad our pre-release was we pulled so many gear support that the one guy who kinda wanted it had a free deck at the end of the day.
The Gears support was bad. It did nothing beneficial for the deck, outside of Arlim and maybe Shiftbullet and the Ride Chain. Gears are good, but they could always have some nice tech choices or picks over certain other cards. The cards in this set are just absolutely unusable in most Gear Chronicle builds
DeletePersonally, I would be interested in seeing what you could do using the ride chain.
ReplyDeleteFor ZTB decks, what's better: pure ZTB or Chronojet ZTB?
ReplyDelete