Monday, December 2, 2019
Wixoss Starter Deck: Black Direct
Black Direct is the Wixoss TCG’s 27th preconstructed deck, and the 4th released for the “Key” format (all cards legal in the format are marked with a small key in the bottom right). It focuses on Guzuko and black War Spirit:Trick Signi. It was also one of the decks selected to be reprinted as part of Wixoss’s 5th anniversary, at the lower price of 555 yen (and the wonderfully verbose name of “WXK-DF02 Start WIXOSS with Guzuko and Win by Deck Manipulation!” ) - the only difference is that the reprint does not include the two foils (Guzuko, Useless Princess of Returning and one copy of Dark Alice, Super Trap). These cards are instead included as regular, non-foils. The decklists are identical.
(For a full list of contents, check out https://wixoss.fandom.com/wiki/WXK-D04_Black_Direct)
Gameplay and review
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Guzuko, Useless Princess - LRIG - level 0 / limit 0
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Guzuko, Useless Princess of Sorrow - LRIG - level 1 / limit 2
On-Play Discard 1 card from your hand: Gain .
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Servant O4 - Signi - level 1 / 2000 power - Origin Spirit
[Guard] (By discarding this card from your hand, prevent damage from a LRIG's attack once)
Constant: [Multi Ener] (While paying an ener cost, this card can pay for any one color of your choice)
Life Burst: Add 1 <Origin Spirit> SIGNI from your trash to your hand.
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Clown Cannon, Small Trap - Signi - level 1 / 3000 power - War Spirit: Trick
No effect
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Cheshire, Small Trap - Signi - level 1 / 3000 power - War Spirit: Trick
On-Play: Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. Return them to the top of your deck in any order. (If your deck has 2 or less cards in it, look at all of them.)
Life Burst: Draw 1 card.
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Together with Aya! - Key - cost:
Constant: Your LRIG gains the following ability:
[Auto: Whenever your opponent's LRIG attacks, your opponent declares even or odd. Reveal cards from the top of your deck until you reveal a SIGNI. If the level of the SIGNI revealed this way does not have the declared parity, disable that attack. Shuffle the revealed cards and put them on the bottom of your deck.]
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Level 1 LRIG: Guzuko, Useless Princess of Sorrow
Your level 1 is identical to the level 1s found in most other Key format starter decks. You can discard a card to gain a coin. In these starter decks, it basically makes for a slow “Discard 1 card, then draw a card”, since the starters all have “pay a coin, draw a card” as their level 2 effect. So if you have a strong hand, don’t feel you have to discard for that coin.
Level 1 Signi
In addition to your standard level 1 Servant, your level 1s are Clown Cannon, Small Trap and Cheshire, Small Trap. There’s not a whole lot going on here; just play them to close your signi zones, and attack when you can get in for damage. Cheshire can be useful later in level 3 and 4, but in the early game it doesn’t accomplish much. Note that when you use its effect, the top card is usually going to get moved to the bottom by the effect of your key, so put any card you don’t want to draw next turn on top (your opponent can get sneaky by not attacking with their LRIG, but giving up a chance to damage you is never going to be worth it, unless your opponent really just wants to troll you). Some decks need to think hard about how to apply pressure from level 1, you… don’t. Just play out your Signi, and take it easy for these early levels.
Level 1 Arts, etc:
Guzuko is one of the LRIGs introduced in the Lostorage anime, and as such, she starts with a stock of 3 coins from level 0. This is especially advantageous in the key format, since it means you can deploy your Key, Together with Aya!, on your first turn. Many of the LRIGs in other starter decks were introduced before coins were a thing, and that means they don’t get them at level 0, which means they often have to wait until level 3 or 4 to get their Key up and running (especially given most starter decks’ level 2 LRIGs immediately use the coin you get from the level 1 LRIG effect). Your Key gives you about a 50/50 chance of cancelling your opponent’s LRIG attack without using a guard. While this isn’t the strongest Key effect, as you already have Guards to defend against LRIG attacks, it does provide a few advantages: it helps make sure your guards cover more ground and you don’t have to worry about running out of them, and it means you can play your Servants to cover Signi zones much more freely. As long as you manage your guards well and your opponent doesn’t get too lucky guessing the top of your deck, this deck often won't take a single point of damage from an opposing LRIG attack.
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Guzuko, Useless Princess of Mercy - LRIG - level 2 / limit 4
On-Play : Draw 1 card.
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Servant D - Signi - level 2 / 5000 power - Origin Spirit
[Guard] (By discarding this card from your hand, prevent damage from a LRIG's attack once)
Constant: [Multi Ener] (While paying an ener cost, this card can pay for any one color of your choice)
Life Burst: [Ener Charge 1]
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Mad Hatter, Medium Trap - Signi - level 2 / 5000 power - War Spirit: Trick
On-Play: Reveal the top card of your deck. You may put it on the bottom of your deck. If the card revealed this way was a SIGNI with an odd level, you may pay . If you do, until end of turn, this SIGNI gets +7000 power, and this SIGNI gains "Auto: Whenever this SIGNI attacks, until end of turn, 1 of your opponent's SIGNI gets −2000 power."
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Bad Bomber - Art - [Main Phase] - cost:
Until end of turn, all of your opponent's SIGNI get −12000 power.
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Level 2 LRIG: Guzuko, Useless Princess of Mercy
Having your coins delivered up front means that you’re always going to want to draw a card here. Nothing else to say, her effect is the same as most other Key era level 2 starter deck LRIGs. Do note that her limit is 4, so you’re going to need 2 level 1s and a level 2. Having multiple level 2s doesn’t do much good here.
Level 2 Signi
Apart from the standard level 2 Servant (Servant D in this deck), your level 2 signi is Mad Hatter, Medium Trap. This card can be a bit hard to use, as its effect is pretty useless later in the game (as -2000 power isn’t enough to even dent any Signi above level 1), but at level 2, you often can’t control the top of your deck, and even if you get lucky on the blind flip, you may not have spare ener to activate the effect (especially if your Key blocked your opponent’s first LRIG attack). Basically, don’t worry too much if you don’t put up much of an offense at level 2. Just keep your Signi zones filled, and keep taking it easy. Your fun starts next level...
Level 2 Arts, etc.
If your opponent played first, and is at level 2 with a full field of Signi, this is a great time to use Bad Bomber if you have the ener to spare. Just be careful to make sure you have 2 ener left over to grow to level 3 (3 ener if you skipped the level 1 coin generating effect - make sure you enter level 3 with enough coins to pay the bet on Bloody Out!). There’s no pressure to do so, though, level 3 is also a fine time to use it.
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Guzuko, Useless Princess of the Next Dream - LRIG - level 3 / limit 7
On-Play : Gain .
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Barabara, Large Trap - Signi - level 3 / 5000 power - War Spirit: Trick
On-Play: Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. Put any number of them into the trash, and return the rest to the top of your deck in any order. (If your deck has 2 or less cards in it, look at all of them.)
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Jabberwock, Large Trap - Signi - level 3 / 5000 power - War Spirit: Trick
Auto: Whenever this SIGNI attacks, if this SIGNI is in your middle SIGNI zone, reveal the top card of your deck. You may put that card on the bottom of your deck. If the card revealed this way was a SIGNI with an odd level, until end of turn, this SIGNI gets +5000 power, and gains [Lancer]. (Whenever a SIGNI with [Lancer] banishes an opponent's SIGNI in battle, crush 1 of your opponent's life cloth.)
Life Burst: Draw 1 card.
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Level 3 LRIG: Guzuko, Useless Princess of the Next Dream
This is your last chance to make a coin, so (as noted above) make sure you end up with enough coins to pay the bet on Bloody Out! That being said, you don’t really need to pay the bet on Phantom Garden, so if you got a coin at level 1, you can skip this LRIG effect and conserve your ener.
Level 3 Signi
You may have been taking it easy for the first 2 levels, but don’t get out of that chair just yet! You’re still going to be taking things pretty easily in level 3 as well. Of your level 3 Signi, Barabara, Large Trap is a set-up card in the same vein of Cheshire (although much more useful, Barabara can bin the cards you don’t need), and Jabberwock, Large Trap only has an effect while it’s in your middle Signi zone. If you can get Jabberwock’s effect to flip the right card, by all means go in for some damage, but otherwise, keep taking it easy…
Level 3 Arts, etc.
Just because your Signi are taking it easy doesn’t mean you don’t have any cards to play here. If you have a spare ener (and you didn’t already use it in level 2), this is the perfect time to use Bad Bomber. It’s a cheap, powerful offensive Art that will often force your opponent to spend one of their Arts just to minimize their damage. By level 4, you have plenty of other banish effects running around, and your opponent may actually be able to get one or two of their Signi above the 12000 power mark, so level 2 or 3 is the best time to take advantage of this Art.
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Guzuko, Useless Princess of Returning - LRIG - level 4 / limit 11
Auto: When this LRIG attacks, if there is a "Together with Aya!" on your field, you may pay . If you do, this turn, your opponent can't [Guard] unless they discard 1 additional card with from their hand.
On-Play: Add 1 SIGNI from your trash to your hand.
Action [1/Turn] Main Phase Attack Phase : Put the top card of your deck into the trash.
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Dark Alice, Super Trap - Signi - level 4 / 12000 power - War Spirit: Trick
Action [1/Turn]: Reveal the top card of your deck. If it is a SIGNI with an even level, add it to your hand. If it is a SIGNI with an odd level, put it into the trash, and until end of turn, 1 of your opponents SIGNI gets −8000 power.
Life Burst: Until end of turn, 1 of your opponents SIGNI gets −10000 power.
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Daisharin, Super Trap - Signi - level 4 / 10000 power - War Spirit: Trick
On-Play: Reveal the top card of your deck. If it is a SIGNI with an even level, put it into the ener zone.
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Witch Niche - Spell - cost:
Choose 1 of the following 2.
① Put 1 of your <Trick> SIGNI from the field into the trash. If you do, add 1 <Trick> SIGNI from your trash to your hand.
② [Ener Charge 1] (Put the top card of your deck into the ener zone)
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Bloody Out - Art - [Main Phase] [Attack Phase] [Spell Cut-In] - cost:
Bet -
Put 1 of your SIGNI into the trash. If you do, banish 1 of your opponent's level 4 or less SIGNI. If you bet, banish an additional 1 of your opponent's SIGNI.
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Grave Awake - Art - [Main Phase] [Attack Phase] - cost:
During your opponent's turn, the cost to use this card becomes .
Put 1 SIGNI from your trash onto the field.
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Phantom Garden - Art - [Main Phase] - cost:
Bet -
Add up to 3 SIGNI with the same color as your LRIG and different levels from your trash to your hand. If you bet, add up to 4 cards to your hand instead of 3.
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Level 4 LRIG: Guzuko, Useless Princess of Returning
Here we go! Level 4 is when your LRIG gets a real effect, and Guzuko… Well, she has an effect. Note that her on-play effect can bring back colourless guards as well, which can be useful if your opponent has been getting lucky on their Together with Aya! predictions. But usually, you’ll want to get back a Dark Alice, Super Trap if any have found their way into your trash. Her attack effect is quite useful, but does cost a fair bit of ener to keep using. You want to make sure you have the ener available to use your defensive Arts, so you may not use it in the first few turns in level 4, but don’t forget about it! It is powerful, and it can often force through the last few points of damage on your opponent. Her action effect is pretty pointless, but it can help Cheshire do a decent Barabara impression, and I’ve found it randomly handy in a bunch of matchups.
Level 4 Signi
Dark Alice is the core of your deck, and as soon as she hits play, you’re officially done taking it easy. This deck has plenty of ways of stacking the top of your deck to enable her effect, and even if you have to blind-flip, the fail case on not being able to -8000 an opposing Signi is that you get to draw a card, which is still great. But what makes Dark Alice truly terrific is that your opponent can’t just let her sit in play; since her ability is an act, not an on-play, you can use it every turn, banishing opposing Signi turn after turn. Two Dark Alices can take down even the most stubborn level 4s, and if your opponent has multiple level 3s laying about, two Dark Alices can open up 2 Signi zones for direct attacks. Every turn! Your opponent is going to want to get Dark Alice off the board as soon as possible, but even if they can get past her 12000 power, you have tons of ways of bringing her back from the trash. In your main deck, Witch Niche is the main one, (most of the other ways are Arts). Note that Witch Niche can bring back the same Signi it trashes, so you can reuse Barabara’s on-play effect, or get around Dark Alice’s once-per-turn restriction on her ability. (Daisharin, Super Trap is basically a postscript in the deck. It can be useful to get a bit of ener and clear an even-leveled Signi from the top of your deck, but Dark Alice is the star, and you’re generally just as happy playing out your level 3s as you are with Daisharin.)
Level 4 Arts, etc.
In terms of your Arts, most of your concern at level 4 is going to be defence. Bloody Out is the strongest option, as it takes out two opposing attackers, which if any of them have abilities that banish on attack or Lancer, means that you can save two damage off this one Art. It also then leaves both Signi lanes open for you to attack through on your next turn. All for the low, low cost of 2 ener (and 2 coins - without the bet kicker, this card is underwhelming). Less powerful (at least in this deck) is Grave Awake. Since none of your Signi have on-play banish effects, this will only ever close one lane, but if you put a Dark Alice in an open lane with a lower power attacker facing it, you can use Dark Alice’s ability on your next turn to open up a lane to counterattack. Note that if Dark Alice is in your ener zone when you use this Art, you can still put her into play, as selecting targets happens after paying costs (unlike certain other well-known tcgs). Also interesting is that according to tcg singles store yuyutei, Grave Awake is already worth more than the cost of the deck on its own, so the deck has some good value. Not that it’s terribly likely that anyone reading an enlglish-language review of a Wixoss deck will be in a position to sell their singles in Japan.
Oh shoot, I almost forgot about Phantom Garden! That’s fine, though, since you will too! It’s a nice way to bring back Dark Alice alongside a Barabara and Cheshire to set her ability up (the cost-target trick with Grave Awake works here, too), but you’ll have plenty of games, even a majority of your games, where you’ll never need to use this Art, and you'll be staring at it in your Arts deck wishing it was literally anything you could use for defense. To be fair, though, most starter decks have at least 1 Art that is subpar, so it's not too big a ding against this deck.
Wrap-up:
Of the decks re-released for the 5th anniversary, Black Direct is one of the best. It has a solid overall game plan, has the tools to execute that game plan consistently and resiliently, and is straight-forward enough that its pilot won’t have to agonize over every decision made from turn one in order to pull out a win (looking at you, Piruluk). One odd quirk is that it is a bit more text-heavy than most other starters, and remembering which cards put the cards you reveal where can be annoying, but that’s a minor complaint. Some of the newer starter decks are more powerful (WXK-D09 Blue Umr onwards), but if you’re not too worried about power levels and just want to try the Wixoss tcg out, the super-low price and solid gameplay of this deck is the real deal.
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