Black Alfou is the Wixoss TCG’s 40th preconstructed deck, and 17th released for the “Key” format, and focuses on Image Spirit: Beautiful Technique SIGNI and the Puppeteer mechanic - which lets you use your opponent’s SIGNI on your field. As part of the third wave of starter deck releases for the Key format (after the decks with Phantom Garden and the “Dual” decks), this deck has no included foils.
(For a full list of contents, visit https://wixoss.fandom.com/wiki/WXK-D17_Black_Alfou)
Level 1 LRIG: Alfou, Danseuse of Curtain's Rise
Your level 1 is identical to the level 1s found in most other Key-format decks. In most decks this effect sets you up to use your level 2 LRIG’s ‘draw a card’ effect, but in this deck, you want to use the coin to play your Key card. Because of this, even if you have a great hand, make sure to discard to get the coin.
Level 1 SIGNI
This deck contains the obligatory level 1 Servants (O2 & O4) and 3000 power / no effect SIGNI (in this deck Aschenputtel, Dance of Fairy Tales), as well as Taubez, Dance of Fairy Tales. There will almost never be any level 1 SIGNI to puppeteer in the first few turns of the game, so don’t feel bad if you can’t make use of the effect. It’s more a bonus that keeps your level 1 useful into the late game.
Level 1 Arts, etc.
As mentioned above, you really want to deploy Haity Key, At the Ends of Love and Hate at level 1. Most LRIGs want to save the coin they get off their level 1 effect to draw a card with their level 2 LRIG effect, but this Key draws a card when you take damage, and since you almost always take damage at level 1, you don’t need to worry about missing the draw at level 2. However, you don’t get any coins at level 2, which means that if you don’t play your Key at level 1, you have to wait until level 3. Since the Key triggers off of damage, you want to play it when your life cloth is as high as possible, and waiting until level 3 will drastically cut down the effect it has on the game.
Level 2 LRIG: Alfou, Danseuse of Theatrical Blackout
Since you used your coin at level 1, this LRIG basically has no text.
Level 2 SIGNI
In addition to your level 2 Servants (D & D2), your level 2 SIGNI is Glasshoe, Dance of Fairy Tales. This is another SIGNI, like Taubez at level 1, that has an effect that’s not often relevant early on, but does help the deck’s late-game power and reliability. Glasshoe’s protection ability isn’t worth going down a card early in the game, but as the power of opposing SIGNI effects starts to scale up in level 3 and 4, it becomes quite useful. Also note that at level 4, Cinderella can bring it back from the trash for free with her on-play, so if/when Glasshoe gets banished or enercharged, it should be the first ener you use when paying a cost.
Level 2 Arts, etc.
Not much to do here.
Level 3 LRIG: Alfou, Danseuse of Intermission
You finally get some more coins. Imagine having to wait this long to play your Key!
Level 3 SIGNI
By this point, by paying ener costs, your opponent is likely to start having SIGNI you’re actually interested in puppeteering, and Rinz, Dance of Fairy Tales will let you start pulling them out of the opponent’s trash to your field. Puppeteered SIGNI is a bit weird in Wixoss; getting two SIGNI off one card is always great (ie. Rinz and the SIGNI she puppeteers), but given how synergistic and focused decks tend to be, you’ll often find you can’t use the SIGNI’s effect because your deck doesn’t have ways to make charms, or beats, or whatever. Fortunately, this deck gives you things to do with extra SIGNI, such as Curbius, Dance of Fairy Tales, which lets you trash one of your SIGNI to banish an opponent’s, and even gives you a bonus if you trashed a puppeteered SIGNI. Between Curbius and the banish effect of your Key, you should be able to keep pressuring your opponent with damage, even with the deck’s otherwise soft early game.
You also have the Spell Actor Wardrobe, which has a very familiar effect, and has all the usual side uses - not only does it let you swap out a low-level SIGNI for a more powerful one late in the game, but it can reuse an on-play effect or a once-per-turn/down action by trashing a SIGNI and bringing the same SIGNI back to your hand. Like most starter deck spells, this is one of the weakest points of the deck, but it does have its uses. Sometimes you’ll even use the enercharge mode to set up your defensive Arts in the later stages of the game, although apart from Bloody Strike this deck doesn’t use much ener, so the enercharge mode isn’t relevant all that often.
Level 3 Arts, etc.
Many of the level 1 SIGNI found in starter decks have no LRIG-type limits, but at higher levels, those limits can stop you from using the more powerful high-level SIGNI in your opponent’s trash. Pumpkin Carriage can let you get around these limits, but your level 4 LRIG’s 1/game effect gives you the opponent’s LRIG type permanently, so most games you’ll only be using Pumpkin Carriage to open up 2 opposing SIGNI zones to attack through. Also around this level, you’ll have enough spare ener to use Rays of Edge, which is a versatile Arts that can save you a point of damage by trashing an attacker in an open lane, and leaves that lane open for you to counterattack through on your next turn.
Level 4 LRIG: Alfou, Danseuse of String-Pulling
Jealousy, this LRIG’s 1/game effect, gives you the opponent’s LRIG type permanently, giving you full access to their trash when you puppeteer. You should use this ability on your first turn at level 4, even if your hand has plenty of passable plays otherwise. The auto effect that triggers once per turn when you puppeteer is useful on offense (-7000 power), defense (draw a card, hope for a Servant), and niche cases (sometimes forcing an early refresh can be the difference between winning and losing, but 3rd effect will generally be used much less than the first 2). Because it only activates once per turn, you may want to space out your puppeteering effects to once per turn as well, as this will also help you avoid over-extending.
Level 4 SIGNI
Cinderella, Dance of Fairy Tales is a bit like Curbius, although unlike Curbius she can’t trash your own SIGNI, only puppeteered SIGNI. She also (appropriately) comes with a Glasshoe, which makes her a powerful wall against opposing counterattacks. Dingon, Dance of Fairy Tales is useful in a few ways. She can puppeteer anything, and is also a card your opponent has to prioritize removing, hopefully before combat so her auto ability doesn’t activate. Your opponent playing out SIGNI to ensure you don’t get multiple turns with Dingon in play can mess up their SIGNI placement and disrupt their plans to actually force damage through to your life cloth. Also note that Taubez and Rinz will trigger your LRIG auto effect, and give you fuel for Cinderella and Curbius, so they’re quite useful to play even if you don’t really need the puppeteered SIGNI they give you.
Level 4 Arts, etc.
O’Clock Bell is a powerful Art that can fill in 2 SIGNI zones on defense, and depending on the SIGNI your opponent has in their trash, you may even be able to use their effects to stop a third attack (by banishing, etc). However, it is near useless if your opponent’s deck is heavily slanted towards attack-phase banish effects, or their SIGNI have the Lancer or Assassin abilities. Bloody Strike is more versatile, but 6 is a lot of ener, which means that it can take some work to get your board in a situation where you can use it. Also note that you’re able to cash in Pumpkin Carriage for 2 banishes at this level (although only on your turn), and that the action of the Haity Key is a powerful last hurrah once you’re out of life cloth to fuel its other abilities. Overall this deck is more slanted to offense than defense, but your Arts should keep your opponent off-balance long enough for you to get the last blow in before they can.
Wrap-up:
This deck has some interesting things going on with it, but it does feel like we’ve been getting a lot of black starter decks recently (Ulith, Myu, Nanashi, and now Alfou), which makes this one feel a little less interesting as a result - there’s only so many times you can look at trash recursion and Bloody Strike before it starts to feel a little too familiar. That being said, this deck does have an interesting blend of effects to help set it apart, with puppeteering giving this deck more raw card advantage than most other black decks, while still having a good number of effects that force through damage, especially the Key, which is powerful, versatile, and a nightmare for the opponent to play against. On the minus side, its defenses are a little lackluster, especially against decks where O’Clock Bell doesn’t do much. Still, all the starter decks featuring booster-version level 4 LRIGs (and the ‘Rays of Edge’ Art) are some of the strongest starter products Wixoss has put out, so if you’re looking to get into the game, or you’ve always had a soft spot for Alfou and are super excited to see her finally get level 3 and 4 cards after being stuck as a 2-stop deck for years, this is a worthwhile deck to pick up.
