Sunday, December 8, 2019

Wixoss Starter Deck: Dual Blood - Ril



Dual Blood is the Wixoss TCG’s 29th preconstructed deck, and 6th released for the “Key” format, and features 2 seperate decks: a red Ril deck, and a black Carnival deck. The Ril deck focuses on War Spirit: Arm Signi. It was reprinted as part of Wixoss’s 5th anniversary, at the lower price of 555 yen (and the tongue twister of a name of “WXK-DF04 Start WIXOSS with Ril and Win by Evolution!” ) - the only difference is that the reprint does not include the two foils (Ril, Memory of Dignified Valor and one copy of Highmail, Ultimate Attire). These cards are instead included as regular, non-foils. The deck lists are identical.

(For a full list of contents, check out https://wixoss.fandom.com/wiki/WXK-D06_Dual_Blood - note that the first 20 cards listed are the Carnival deck list - Ril’s cards are the second 20)

Gameplay and review


 
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Ril, Memory of Innocence - LRIG - level 0 / limit 0
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Ril, Memory of Mutual Favor - LRIG - level 1 / limit 2
On-Play Discard 1 card from your hand: Gain .
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Servant O - 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: [Ener Charge 1]
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Kukri, Small Attire - level 1 / 3000 power -  War Spirit: Arm
No effect 
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Nuncha, Small Attire - level 1 / 1000 power -  War Spirit: Arm  
On-Play Discard 1 <Arm> SIGNI from your hand: Banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI with power 2000 or less.
Life Burst: Draw 1 card. 
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Mel-Muddler - Key - cost:
Auto: At the end of your opponent's turn, you may put this key from the field into the LRIG trash. If you do, banish up to 2 of your opponent's SIGNI that attacked this turn.
On-Play: [Ener Charge 2]
Action [1/Turn] Attack Phase
Green0: Until end of turn, 1 SIGNI gets +2000 power.
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Pulling Chestnuts out of the Fire - Arts - [Main Phase] [Attack Phase]  - cost:Red0
Bet - Choose 1 of the following 2. If you bet, choose 2 instead.
① Banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI with power less than the power of 1 of your SIGNI with Rise.
② Search your deck for 1 SIGNI with Rise and 1 <Arm> SIGNI, reveal them, put them into your hand, and shuffle your deck.

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Level 1 LRIG: Ril, Memory of Mutual Favor
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. One thing to mention is that the spells in these starter decks are all pretty bad, especially in multiples, so if you have one in your opening hand, it’s almost always correct to discard it.

Level 1 Signi
In addition to your standard level 1 Servant, your level 1s are Kukri, Small Attire and Nuncha, Small Attire. Nuncha can let you attack in for some extra damage early on, which is a really great way to start out your game, especially since this deck wants to be the aggressor. That being said, sometimes your hand will have a bunch of spells and Servants, and you’ll mess up your turn 2 by discarding too aggressively. Most games it shouldn’t be a problem, but keep it in mind.

Level 1 Arts, etc.
Ril starts with 1 coin at level 0, so you can immediately deploy your Key. Mel-Muddler will almost guarantee you won’t run out of ener, and its attack phase power boost is nice, as it can stop your opponent from banishing your early Signi, which lets you hold more cards for your explosive later turns. The banish effect is also threatening; it won’t save you any damage, but it will put a ton of pressure on your opponent’s life cloth. (Also, note that you can use Pulling Chestnuts out of the Fire to search up a Nuncha and a Highmail to discard to it if you drew a hand with only one level 1 Signi. It’s not how you want to be using this Art, but if you had bad luck with your starting hand, there’s no shame in using this Art now.)


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Ril, Memory of Swordpoint - LRIG - level 2 / limit 4
On-Play : Draw 1 card.
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Servant D4 - 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: Add 1 <Origin Spirit> SIGNI from your trash to your hand.
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Flambe, Medium Attire - level 2 / 5000 power -  War Spirit: Arm
Constant: If you discarded 1 or more cards this turn, this SIGNI gets +5000 power. 
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Level 2 LRIG: Ril, Memory of Swordpoint
If you discarded at level 1 to get a coin, draw a card, if you didn’t… don’t. Pretty easy. 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. Using your Key effect to keep your level 1s alive should almost guarantee you can keep a full line of Signi at this level.

Level 2 Signi
In addition to your obligatory level 2 Servant, you have Flambe, Medium Attire, the obligatory starter deck card whose effect is just a power boost. Nothing much going on here, although if you took the first turn, this will be your first opportunity to attack, so if you had 3 or more level 1s in your opening hand, you can save Nuncha for level 2, but don't hold Nuncha for level 2 unless you have another level 1 to take its place on the field at level 1. Just because you’re aggressive doesn’t mean you want to give your opponent free chances to deal extra damage to you.

Level 2 Arts, etc.
Nothing to see here.


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Ril, Memory of the Blue Sky - LRIG - level 3 / limit 7
On-Play Red: Gain .
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Tlet, Great Attire - level 3 / 7000 power -  War Spirit: Arm  
On-Play Discard 1 <Arm> SIGNI from your hand: Search your deck for up to 1 SIGNI with Rise, reveal it, add it to your hand, and shuffle your deck.
Life Burst: Draw 1 card.
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Sansetsukon, Great Attire - level 3 / 8000 power -  War Spirit: Arm  
Constant: If you discarded 1 or more cards this turn, this SIGNI gets +7000 power.
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Victim Defense - Arts - [Main Phase] [Attack Phase]  - cost:0
Bet - (You may pay when using this ARTS.)
Choose 1 of the following 2. If you bet, choose 2 instead.
① Until end of turn, 1 of your opponent's SIGNI gets "can't attack." You discard 2 cards. (If there are 1 or less cards in your hand when you use this, discard all of them.)
② Add 1 SIGNI from your trash to your hand. 

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Fiery Morning, Moonlit Night - Arts -  [Main Phase] [Attack Phase] - cost: Redx2 Colorlessx2
Bet -  
If you bet, the cost to use this ARTS becomes RedColorless.
Banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI. Add 1 red SIGNI from your trash to your hand. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Level 3 LRIG: Ril, Memory of the Blue Sky
You always want these extra coins, so treat your grow cost as 3 and plan accordingly. If you only have 2 ener, don’t wait a turn to grow, as getting to level 4 is too important, but missing these coins will hurt.

Level 3 Signi
Tlet, Great Attire is pretty bad, despite being cute. You have so much draw power in this deck that searching up a Rise Signi is almost never necessary, especially at the cost of another card in your hand. Sansetsukon, Great Attire is pretty decent, however, despite being another card that only boosts its own power. With her effect active, Sansetsukon has 15000 power, and with an extra +3000 from Ril’s level 4 effect, she dodges all of black’s power reducing defensive Arts. With a limit of 11, you need one level 3 on your field at level 4, and Sansetsukon is a pretty good one.

Level 3 Arts, etc.
Now that you have some coins to spare, and your opponent is getting up near level 4, where things start getting heated, you have access to your two main defensive Arts: Victim Defense and Fiery Morning, Moonlit Night. Victim Defense is interesting in this deck, in most decks it shuts down a Signi attack, then returns a Servant to block a LRIG attack, but given the draw power of this deck, you’ll rarely be lacking Servants, and it’ll often be better to grab a Highmail, Ultimate Attire from your trash instead so you can keep up your offense if your opponent banishes one of your Highmails in play, or keep up your card draw with a Tonfa, Ultimate Attire (also worth noting, it’s your only effect that enables Sansetsukon’s power boost during your opponent’s turn, which can sometimes stop an attack that would otherwise go through for damage - such as a Lancer attack). Fiery Morning, Moonlit Night fulfills much the same role, but it costs 2 ener rather than 2 cards in your hand (making it much less costly to use). Most games you’ll only need to use these Arts once you’re at level 4, but be aware that you have the option to use them starting at level 3.


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Ril, Memory of Dignified Valor - LRIG - level 4 / limit 11
Constant: During your turn, all of your <Arm> SIGNI get +3000 power. 
On-Play: Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. Put 1 <Arm> SIGNI from them onto the field, and put the rest on the bottom of your deck in any order. Then, banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI with power less than or equal the power of the SIGNI put onto the field this way. 
On-Play: If there is a "Mel-Muddler" on your field, [Ener Charge 2]. 
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Highmail, Ultimate Attire- level 4 / 13000 power -  War Spirit: Arm  
Rise Put on 1 of your red SIGNI (This can't enter the field unless this condition is met.)
Auto: When this SIGNI attacks, if you discarded 2 or more cards this turn, banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI.
Action [1/Turn] Discard 1 card from your hand: Draw 1 card.

Life Burst: Banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI with power 13000 or less.  
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Tonfa, Ultimate Attire - level 4 / 19000 power -  War Spirit: Arm  
On-Play RedRed: If you discarded 1 or more cards this turn, draw 2 cards.  
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Sword Line Ascertainment - Spell - cost: Red0
Choose 1 of the following 2.
① Put 1 of your <Arm> SIGNI from the field into the trash. If you do, you discard 1 card and draw 2 cards.
② [Ener Charge 1] (Put the top card of your deck into the ener zone)

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See Through the Fiery Ambition - Arts - [Main Phase] [Attack Phase]  - cost: Redx3 Colorlessx2
This turn, all of your SIGNI get [Assassin] as long as the SIGNI in front of it has power 12000 or more.
(SIGNI that enter the field after this ARTS was used are also affected by this effect.)
(An attacking SIGNI with [Assassin] deals damage to the opponent without battling the SIGNI in front of it.)

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Level 4 LRIG: Ril, Memory of Dignified Valor
When you’re about to grow to level 4, make sure you have an open Signi zone! If you have all 3 zones full, enercharge a Signi away before growing. If your Signi zones are full, Ril level 4’s on-play only hits if you have a Highmail in your top 3 cards. This is bad, as you can’t use the banish part of the effect unless you put a Signi into play with the first part of the effect. It’s an easy mistake to make, as you’ll be tempted to keep your Signi around if you don’t need ener, since any Rise Signi in your hand need to be played on other Signi already in play. The other on-play effect incentivizes you to keep your Key around until level 4 to get the additional enercharge 2, but don’t feel compelled to keep it around. This deck generally doesn’t run into many problems with ener, and you’ll generally have plenty of banish effects floating around at level 4, so depending on how the game plays out, there are plenty of times where it’s correct to trash the key earlier. Finally, the +3000 power on your turn is surprisingly useful, especially combined with Highmail and Sansetsukon’s naturally high power. It lets you banish power-boosted green Signi by attacking into them, and almost totally blanks black’s power-reducing defensive effects.

Level 4 Signi
Highmail, Ultimate Attire is the offensive core of this deck. It’s pretty easy to meet the “if you discarded 2 or more cards this turn” condition between its own ability, your Sword Line Ascertainment spell, and effects like Tlet and Nuncha in a pinch. Since it’s so easy to meet the condition, it’s almost guaranteed to banish on attack; it has 13000 power, above the normal limit of 12000 power for level 4s, making it hard to banish; and it lets you discard weaker Signi to dig into your deck for more high impact Signi and guards. It does it all, but the deck doesn’t really have any other ways of forcing through damage, so it’s vitally important to keep them in play. Fortunately, in addition to your Arts that can retrieve Highmails from your trash, this deck also has a ton of card draw. Highmail’s effect is a great one, since you can use it turn after turn, but you also have Tonfa, Ultimate Attire, which given how easy it is to discard, basically lets you turn 2 ener into 2 draws. As mentioned, this deck tends to have plenty of ener lying around, so being able to turn it into more cards in hand at such a good rate is a terrific effect that gives you a ton of consistency in the late game.

Level 4 Arts, etc.
Level 3 already covered most of the Arts you’re going to use at level 4. This is also where you’ll have a Rise Signi in play to enable Pulling Chestnuts out of the Fire. It’s a great effect if you can use both halves, but there’s a frustrating number of times where your opponent is able to clear your Highmail(s) from play before their attack phase, rendering the banish half of the card unusable. It’s pretty unstable as a defensive effect, but it’s cheap and can help you out in earlier levels if you’re lacking Signi to fill in your lanes, so it does fill a role in your game plan. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for See Through the Fiery Ambition, which is one of the most useless Arts in any of these starter decks. It has a massive cost of 5, and requires your opponent to have specific cards in play in order to do anything. Even at best, it rarely gives you an opportunity to get in more than 1 extra damage, and given the massive cost and how often it does stone nothing against your opponent’s board, it’s a waste of an Arts slot. That being said, if you’re running this list stock, be aware that it is there, and keep an eye out for situations where it’ll be useful. Once in a blue moon, it just might help you close out a close game, and if your Key is still around for some reason, you can use its power boost on an opponent's Signi with 10000 power and feel extra clever. Still useless in most games, though.

Wrap-up:
Of the decks rereleased for the 5th anniversary, this is probably the best.  Yes, one of its Arts is a stone blank, but the rest of its Arts offer a good balance of defense and utility. The real selling point of the deck, though, is its main deck. It has a ton of offensive power and card draw, which gives you a powerful, consistent engine. Most starter decks tend to start to run out of ways to use ener in the late game, and it tends to build up without any way to take advantage of it. Tonfa gives this deck a terrific way of converting this surplus into more offensive (drawing Highmails) and defensive power (drawing guards). In that respect, it’s similar to Guzuko in Black Direct, but both your offense (banish effects) and defense (card draw) are just a bit stronger. That being said, the best three of the five 5th anniversary decks (Ril, Tama, and Guzuko) are all very close in power, so feel free to pick whichever one you like the look of most.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Wixoss Starter Deck: Blue Catharsis



Blue Catharsis is the Wixoss TCG’s 25th 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 Allos Piruluk and blue Image Spirit: Devil 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 delightful mouthful of a name of “WXK-DF01 Start WIXOSS with Piruluk and Win by Discard!” ) - the only difference is that the reprint does not include the two foils (Allos Piruluk TET and one copy of Screw Carmilla, Crimson Spear of Demonic Seas). 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-D02_Blue_Catharsis)


Gameplay and review
:


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Allos Piruluk - LRIG - level 0 / limit 0
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Allos Piruluk MONO – LRIG - level 1 / limit 2
On-Play Discard 1 card from your hand: Gain .
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DEVIL SEAL - spell - cost: Blue0
Choose 1 of the following 2.
① Put 1 of your <Devil> SIGNI from the field into the trash. If you do, your opponent discards 1 card from their hand.
② [Ener Charge 1] (Put the top card of your deck into the ener zone)
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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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Slime, Sticky Figure of Hell - Signi - level 1 / 3000 power - Image Spirit: Devil
No effect
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Manomin, Hoodlum of Demonic Seas - Signi - level 1 / 1000 power - Image Spirit: Devil
On-Play: Each player discards a card from their hand.
Life Burst: Draw 1 card.
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Level 1 LRIG: Allos Piruluk MONO
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. Even if you have a decent hand overall, it’s usually worth getting this first coin, as even if you don’t need the draw 1 effect at level 2, being able to deploy your Key at level 2 instead of level 3 can sometimes be really important.

Level 1 Signi
In addition to your standard level 1 Servant, your level 1s are Slime, Sticky Figure of Hell and Manomin, Hoodlum of Demonic Seas. At level 1 you don’t have a whole lot of choices to make, just play out your Signi to fill in lanes and get in damage where you can. That being said, Manomin is really important to this deck, and your good draws will often involve at least one of her. You really want to empty your opponent’s hand as quickly as possible, and Manomin is one of your best tools to do so. Your spell, DEVIL SEAL, also works towards this, although unless your hand is super-amazing, it’s better to wait until level 2 or 3 to fire it off. You don’t want to empty your opponent’s hand at the cost of leaving one of your Signi lanes open. Likewise, this deck is one of the few that really benefits from attacking early. Normally, it just gives your opponent ener, but the more you can stress their hand, the better, and if they use that ener on an Art, that’s terrific, as that’s one less card to worry about at level 4. At earlier levels as well, there are much less ways of turning ener into cards, so this can also help you conserve discard effects for later turns.

Level 1 Arts, etc.
Nope. Nothing to do here. Even if you do want to rush out your Key, it doesn’t have any effects until you’re at level 2, so just hold off for now.


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Allos Piruluk DI – 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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Shakko, Blue Spear of Demonic Seas - Signi - level 2 / 5000 power - Image Spirit: Devil
Constant: As long as there are 1 or less cards in your hand, this SIGNI gets +3000 power.
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Code Piruluk KEY - Key - cost:
Constant: Your level 2 or more LRIG gains the following abilities.
   Action [1/Turn] Exceed 1: You draw 1 card. Your opponent discards 1 card from their hand.
   Action [1/Turn] Attack Phase Exceed 2: Down and freeze 1 of your opponent's SIGNI.
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Level 2 LRIG: Allos Piruluk DI
Unlike most level 2s, where the correct play is to always draw, you have a real choice to make at level 2: do you draw off your LRIG, or do you play your Key and draw that way? In most games, drawing off your LRIG is better, as you can always draw off the Key later, but sometimes you’ll want to be able to pressure your opponent’s hand with the Key ASAP, especially if you got off to a strong start with Manomin, and maybe a DEVIL SEAL. Also watch your ener; in many games you’ll want 5 ener for level 3 (2 to grow, 1 to get a coin, and 2 for Three Dust), so ener charge accordingly. It might also be worth taking a bit of damage from your opponent’s LRIG, even if you have a Guard in your hand. Although be careful! If your opponent is more aggressive than you, you’ll want to conserve as much Life Cloth as you can (this deck requires a ton of adaptation to the current game state, well beyond what most other starter decks demand).

Level 2 Signi
Pure mediocrity. At this stage in the game Shakko, Blue Spear of Demonic Seas won’t be getting its power boost, and late game the boost is inconsequential. Your other level 2 is Servant D, so just pretend your level 2 Signi have no text.

Level 2 Arts, etc.
As mentioned above, there is some real consideration to be given to playing out your Key here. Note that you can also just run it out at level 3, so it’s not the end of the world if you decide to draw a card with your LRIG effect instead.

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Allos Piruluk TRI – LRIG - level 3 / limit 7
On-Play : Gain .
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Shark Spear, Black Spear of Demonic Seas - Signi - level 3 / 7000 power - Image Spirit: Devil
On-Play: If your hand has 2 or less cards in it, until end of turn, 1 of your opponent's SIGNI gets −1000 power. If your hand has 0 cards in it, instead it gets −5000 power. (A SIGNI with power 0 or less is banished by rule.)
Life Burst: Draw 1 card.
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Armored Slime, Sticky Figure of Hell - Signi - level 3 / 8000 power - Image Spirit: Devil
Constant: As long as there are 1 or less cards in your hand, this SIGNI gets +4000 power.
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Three Dust - Arts - [Main Phase] - cost:
This ARTS can only be used if your LRIG is level 3 or more.
Choose 3 cards from your opponent's hand without looking, and discard them.
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Worst Condition - Arts - [Main Phase][Attack Phase] - cost:
This ARTS can only be used if your opponent's hand has 0 cards in it.
Banish up to 2 of your opponent's SIGNI.
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Level 3 LRIG: Allos Piruluk TRI
You want the coin here, but be aware of your ener. Sometimes you’ll run into a game where you want to Three Dust so you can Worst Condition on your opponent’s next attack, and you won’t have even a single ener to spare. In that case, giving up the bet on Phantom Garden is a small price to pay. This won’t come up in most games, but watch the game state and think a turn ahead.

Level 3 Signi
More mediocrity. Shark Lance looks decent, until you realize you almost never get to 0 cards in hand to activate its -5000 power ability, and -1000 power is almost always pointless at this point in the game. Armored Slime, Sticky Figure of Hell can get a nice power boost, but doesn’t really offer any offensive ability, and doesn’t help you get cards out of your opponent’s hand, either.

Level 3 Arts, etc.
With not much going on in your main deck, your real decisions at level 3 come in here. What you do this turn mostly comes down to 2 factors: the number of cards in your opponent’s hand, and how much ener you have stockpiled. If your opponent has a ton of cards in hand, and you have the ener to spare, Three Dust is at its most punishing here. It, as well as your Key, should be plenty to empty even the most robust of opposing hands. That being said, you don’t want to empty your opponent’s hand here, only for them to rebuild, and then you can never use Worst Condition. A big part of what you play this turn comes down to how well you’ve limited your opponent’s hand in the previous turns. In your best games, you’ll be able to save Three Dust for later on, but don’t let that stop you from playing it when you need to on level 3.



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Allos Piruluk TET – LRIG - level 4 / limit 11
Auto: When this LRIG attacks, you may pay . If you do, draw 1 card.
On-Play: Choose 1 card from your opponent's hand without looking, and discard it.
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Screw Carmilla, Crimson Spear of Demonic Seas - Signi - level 4 / 12000 power - Image Spirit: Devil
Auto: When this SIGNI attacks, if you have 1 or less cards in your hand, your opponent discards 1 card from their hand.
Life Burst: If your opponent has 2 or less cards in their hand, banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI.
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Slime Queen, Sticky Figure of Hell - Signi - level 4 / 10000 power - Image Spirit: Devil
On-Play: Discard 2 cards from your hand: Banish 1 of your opponent's SIGNI.
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Don't Leave Me - Arts - [Attack Phase] - cost:
Bet -
Down 1 of your opponent's SIGNI. If you bet, instead down 2 of your opponent's SIGNI.
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Phantom Garden - Arts - [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: Allos Piruluk TET
Not much to say about her, she’s pretty straightforward. One thing to look out for is if your opponent is super low on cards and you think you might have a chance to play Worst Condition on their next turn, don’t spend the ener on Piruluk’s attack effect if it’ll knock you below 3 ener. It comes up rarely, but it’s a mistake that can easily cost you the game.

Level 4 Signi
There’s some real effects here, but they’re still not as powerful as many of the competition in other starter decks. Screw Carmilla, Crimson Spear of Demonic Seas seems like it should be decent, but her effect feels like it belongs on a level 3 Signi, not the headlining level 4. is overly conditional and can be hard to enable. You often have to dump cards from your hand for no value to enable her effect, and your opponent can either banish her, or accept the discard and rebuild around it. And her life burst is beyond frustrating; often, it does nothing, and you have no real way of planning ahead to make sure it works, other than by, again, sabotaging your own hand, which is just not an option in the early levels when you tend to lose half or more of your life cloth. Slime Queen, Sticky Figure of Hell is a little better, as a straight-up banish is a good way to force through damage while enabling your low hand size effects, but as an on-play with a steep cost of two cards from your hand, the amount of times you can fire off her effect is very limited.

Level 4 Arts, etc.
Since both your level 4 Signi are highly conditional and often act like they don’t have text at all, your Arts deck needs to do some heavy lifting here. Fortunately, you have some strong defensive options in Don’t Leave Me, and hopefully the second Exceed effect on your Key (most games the Key draws 2 and forces two discards, then stops one attack, but don’t feel locked into this; some games you’ll need two defenses, and some games you’ll need all 4 draws and discards). This is also one of the few decks that makes Phantom Garden look good, as bringing back Manomin, Slime Queen, and some fodder to pitch to their effects can set up a very strong turn. But the real determining factor of how well this all plays out is Worst Condition. In some games, this will be the best card in your deck, and in some, it will literally be unplayable. Often Three Dust alongside an attack that clears your opponent’s field is the best way to set up Worst Condition, but some games you’ll need to fire off Three Dust before you have the ener to spare for Worst Condition, which means you’ll need to work much harder to create a situation where it pulls its weight. Complicating things, many of the opposing starter decks have cards like Phantom Garden, which can rebuild a hand in an instant, which makes it harder to keep up Worst Condition. Wixoss has a large number of card advantage engines, and rebuilding a hand is much easier than certain other famous tcgs, which means you often have to be able to empty an opponent’s hand multiple times over the course of a game, and sometimes they’ll just draw more cards than you can keep up with. This is why reading ahead, and planning your ener needs and optimal timing for your Arts and Key effects is so important to this deck.


Wrap-up:
Of the starter decks I’ve played, this one is by far the most demanding. Simple mistakes can be enough to end the game for you. I’ve had games where if I had one more ener, I’d have won, and the last time I didn’t enercharge at the start of my turn was turn 2. Or I fire off Three Dust too early and never get a chance to play Worst Condition. Or I try too hard to avoid using Three Dust, and end up using all my exceeds for the Key’s draw/discard option, only to discover that I really should have saved 2 exceeds for defense. You will lose a lot, but the games you lose will be close enough that you’ll constantly be thinking, “ah, but if only I made one different decision in the mid game, I’d have won!” If you’re just getting into the game, this is probably the worst of the 5th anniversary decks you could pick, but it can still be a lot of fun to play. Just know what you’re getting into.