Top Buddyfight Decks from 2014-2020 (Part 1)

Hey everyone, I was just reminiscing on the history of competitive Buddyfight as a whole and how the game has evolved over the years. So in this post I would like to talk about the decks that took the game by storm and dominated, some of these formats were the most skill-intensive formats while some were just Tier 0 formats that was about who had the better hand. So now let's take a look.

2014

Thunder Knights no doubt was the strongest deck in the game at that point in time, due to the fact that Dragon World had access to the best negates in the game which were Blue Dragon Shield and Green Dragon Shield to give them insane defence and advantage. Being a great beatdown deck with the help of Fahne for the extra critical pressure along with the ability to give your stuff move added a huge amount of offensive pressure, not to mention the combination of Dragobond and moving to the center. Dragoarcher was another card that was too good for it's time in the game, letting you +1 draw for free if you called it with another Thunder Knight on the board. Moreover, access to the best impact in the game at the time, Gargantua Punisher just pushed the deck over the edge. While cards like Inferno Armor Dragon helped you to clear and control the board. 

2015

The game started to catch on here in Singapore as it started to grow in popularity as it was the more 'skilful' game in comparison to Vanguard at that point in time as it was a breath of fresh air. However, in came the cancer of Impacts that kill you easily, stopping the fun of the game because there were no answers at that point in time. Kaizerion came and dominated the game for a long time, simply due to the fact that they had access to the best impact in the game in the form of Brave Energy Full Drive, as well as Hyper Energy. Moreover, there were little to no answers to Kaizerion except casting a Nemesis Thunder to destroy the Kaizerion before it could put cards into it's soul. Yes imagine playing the game with essentially 5 health, 2 if you are going second because a Kaizerion would swing at face and you'll be at 7 leaving you with 2 Health to work with before you get slapped in the face with a Full Drive. 

2016 (First 3/4)

Oh for the love of the game, 2016-2017 was one of the best years for competitive Buddyfight. There were so many good decks that it was actually fun. As you can see, the meta were all the decks in the above picture from the first half to the second half. Fifth Omni was the old reliable control deck with Drum and Doble as well as the amazing offensive potential the deck had. Whereas Aster was the Tank of the format with many tools to control and pressure other decks with it's unkillable Jack. Shadow Shades were the inherent counter to Drum, Aster and Pillars as it could out-tank both decks with it's crazy amount of soul generation as well as field control and extra attacks with Impact Joe. Azi was here and there because of it's access to the 8 damage Giga Howling Crusher, with the 6-crit sword and a buddy Pissaro on board, as well as the ability to instantly clear Shadow Shades and Jacknife Asters with a single swing as it negated the Soulguard of the monster for the turn. 72 Pillars became a thing for the longest time with the printing of Teacher Asmodai because it simply provided so much advantage with the ability to bounce their own stuff for more enter field effect procs and the ability to destroy 2 cards on your opponents board. Not to mention the combination with Saturday Night Devil Fever for the extra bombing and attacks. Simply the most skilled deck of the format. Then came Oberon, with the introduction of Red Arthur, the deck had an offensive option in Arthur and Oberon for board control to stop every deck in the format. Truly a cancer in itself. 

2016 (Last 1/4)

Well the times of the skilled format took a backseat with the release of Dragon Zwei, however it took the Japanese players awhile before they discovered just how strong the deck could be when it is mixed with Size 3 Neodragons. With the introduction of the 20 life the deck inherently was such a strong tank deck, not to mention the ability to call 2 size 3 monsters on board and Diemenzion EX having 2 soul was soul crushing for any deck because it was simply too difficult to clear as well as survive the offensive onslaught by the deck. The dominance of Zwei lasted a good full 1 year, which was insane with the longevity of the deck. The only other deck to last that long was Dimension Dragons but that is a story for another time. Before Worlds of 2016 in came the new release of Zetta Loop which involved Guilty Wave. With the ability to impact call as many time in one turn and Guilty Wave returning to hand after every attack, it created a loop with infinite attacks as long as you had the gauge to sustain Guilty Wave, moreover your Zetta would stack criticals based on the amount of impact calls you made during the turn. Yes Guilty Wave was immediately errata'd following it's short cancer stint in the game and at Worlds. 

2017 (The Springfest of Tier 0)

Yes it was a Tier 0 format dominated by Executioners. Eventhough it was a Tier 0 format it was considered one of the most skilled formats simply due to the fact that the mirror was extremely hard to pilot. Having access to Hell Gate was one of the most important factors in the game as the Executioner player had the ability to toolbox any card in their drop every turn, leading to many different path of plays depending on the board state. Many a times, games would go to deckout and usually the more skilled player would know how to control their resources as well as their deck to prevent a deckout. The deck simply had access to almost everything the game had to offer from control to card draw and a recycle-able negate. Moreover a card to call monsters from the drop that could be retrieved at the start of their turn. Simply a deck that was dominant and rewarded skill. If you would like to get better at the game I would recommend picking up an executioner deck from the 2017 format and playing mirror games with your friends. It countered everything in the format including the ever resilient Zwei with Cougar to farm the extra advantage every turn. 

Thats all for today folks. Let me know if you would like me to go into details about the decks.

Curse Mark

Hey everyone! Sorry for not keeping this blog updated as I was away with National Service commitments and there wasn't much going on in the game of Buddyfight due to the pandemic that has swept the world off it's feet. I have been following the game on the Japanese aspect and their meta during this period as well and the meta has went one full circle into Lost World being the 'End all be all' win-con. This has actually made the game less fun for players like myself who prefer skill games over simply just going first and going into Lost World and winning there and then. 

The meta has shifted to the point of being able to Turbo Lost World out and sustain from there. Thus when you are building decks in the future with Glory Valiant you should have a few things in mind such as, how sustainable or useful are your main deck cards once you are in Lost World and can your main deck survive a Lost World turn by your opponent? With all these in mind, having access to powerful generic cards are more important than ever.

So now let's take a look at a deck that will be top-tier meta once Glory Valiant releases, Curse Dragons! Well the deck was once considered gimmicky but with the new cards they got, it has become a threat and also a budget option for newer players as the deck does not play Lost World. Let's take a look at a list that won one of the Japan Local's. 

First off, let's take a look at the new additions! 

The new Geil's effect lets you search for a Curse Dragon Set from your deck or drop, yes that includes the new Set Impact! More on that later. The reason why this effect is strong is due to the fact that it makes your deck extremely consistent and it lets you play less copies of your Curse Dragon Set spells without being punished for it. A consistency card which is strong and much needed. Moreover, at the start of your opponent's turn if they have a card under their flag you gain 3 life and if there are 8 cards you draw a card! 3 Life is very crucial because it represents one attack. With this in mind, your Buddyblock becomes that much better.

Curse Grip is a new removal spell that is extremely strong once the conditions are met. By destroying your Curse Dragon monster you can destroy a card on your opponent's field, if there are 6 cards under your opponent's flag you can place it under their flag instead. This is a very potent effect as it removes a huge amount of threats without soul on the field if they do not have Grace of the Sun Deity to protect. 

Curse Count is the new impact, which reduces all damage dealt to you by 1 if a Curse Dragon Monster is on your field. Moreover at the end of your turn you place the top 2 cards of your opponent's deck under their flag speeding up the process as well.

Sentence of Curse is your primary win condition of the deck as usual, letting you win when your opponent starts their turn with 14 cards under their flag as this card will trigger and place the 15th copy for the win under their flag.

Weaknesses

Some weaknesses of the deck still remains which are Loyalty as it slows down your plays by a huge margin. However, with this knowledge in mind you are extremely favoured against any deck that does not have access to Loyalty. You will have to be wary of how much you want to extend your plays based on the situation. As for myself I would never play around Loyalty in any situation as you are usually behind if they use a Loyalty on you, so might as well squeeze as much advantage you can get before it happens. 

Another weakness of the deck as some might say is simply pure aggression, thats why it is paramount that you farm as much advantage and gain as much life as possible during both player's turn with your Geils, and your Curse Field. This is where your Buddyblock's and Loyalty will come in to cushion and survive. Surviving for one extra turn is more than enough to win you the game because a 2 turn clock is enough to hit the 15 card limit.

Decks such as Time Dragons and Drop effects like Brawlzeus and Vanity will also stop you from winning as they can simply remove your set spell on the field. Do take note, this is usually an impossible matchup, however Godpunks will not be that prevalent in the meta because it is not that strong even with the new boost.

Final Thoughts

Use the above list as reference only, as it is a Best of 1 format do take note of it. I would add 2 Loyalty, 3 Buddyblock and 2 Grace of the Sun into the deck. Do experiment and change the ratios accordingly as well. Curse Grip should be added to slow down certain aggressive combinations as well. This is a very strong deck that has the potential to be the best deck, the 'High-Roll' potential is there as well as long as you open with Overturn Abygale you pretty much win the match right there and then as well. It takes a huge amount of skill to pilot defensive strategies such as Curse Dragons because it goes against the norm of how a Buddyfight Game is played. Your goal is to always survive and timing that BuddyBlock is the key success factor to winning the game.

Tick Tock Time to Rock

Hey Ho!! Always wondered about Time Dragons and how to play it optimally? Look no further.

Ultimate Unite Card Review

First off disclaimer, this is not a review for every single card, this is for the cards that I feel will impact and change the meta. Everything is my opinion. Shoutout to BuddySpoiler for their consistent hard work and effort over the years (5 years now if i'm not wrong)

Time Dragons

First off is the new flag Overgod 0. While it is a strong win con on it's own, there is  huge commitment to the deck space when playing this card. This is because early in the game from Turn 1-4 it is a dead card in your hand with no value, moreover if you want to play this as a win con then it'll mean adding consistency cards for this which also adds to the already constrained deck space. This is a tough choice over Lost World, and I have yet to see which is the better option. Don't get me wrong, this is a strong card but is it game breaking? The answer is no. 

Time Dragons have so much draw power to the point they can deck out on their 3-4th turn, that's how crazy it is. If the game drags because your opponent is controlling your gauge and preventing you from going into Lost, you realise that you end up losing to deck out. This new deck refresh card is amazing by itself and it solves a huge problem with Time Dragons, moreover this one card can refresh and reset yourself. Amazing ability, however the requirement of being able to use if only at 4 reverse makes it less appealing to play as it is usually a dead card. 

Spell null for Time Dragons, seriously? Yeah Time Dragon has gauge issues early on in the game so it might not be that annoying. However giving a spell null to the most consistent deck in the game is a no go. Definitely a very strong card.

Trying to filter to make your deck more consistent? Enter the Omega. Well this card is extremely strong, however it's extremely susceptible to ability null which makes it a feel bad. Moreover having more than 1 copy at any given time is a feels bad moment. The effect is extremely strong, plussing 2.5 card value which is crazy strong.

Time Dragon always lacked a proper way to restand their cards and now they have something to use. Moreover, this is such a flex card that you can use for many situations, both defensively and offensively. The reduce damage for the turn is extremely strong. As the game drags on this card's power level only rises.

ES is pretty much one of the main reasons why Time Dragon is going over the top. A protection card from everything except bounce. The kicker is the 1 draw if you target 2 cards. This is not a once per turn effect thus you can afford to play 4 since on a technicality this is a free trade off. 

Garga

Probably the best Garga, a single card that wins you games. Super offensive and the ability null protection is so crucial against the current meta. However if you miss the RRR spell or lack any Garga's in drop this card becomes less strong immediately and the deck has no offensive pressure. Well hello Giga Howling Crusher for 9-10 damage. FTK?

This is the reason why the matchup against Time Dragon is not as bad as before. This is because this weapon has innate 2 souls which prevent it from being sent to the bottom deck by Time Ruler provided you have Garga on board. Free protection to your board as well. What's not to like?

EDD

Please refer to the EDD article

Genesis Dragons

Like what? It's already so hard to clear Bigbang in the middle and we have a way to call more? A draw with additional soul and the ability to call more without paying the call cost. This card is nuts. 

New left and right that can be called once your current one gets cleared. With these new left and right they offer full all round protection for your board. The triple attack alone is insane as well. These 3 simple cards has propelled this deck to the spotlight in Japan recently in the Musashi Cup, I would keep an eye out for this dark horse deck.

Horus

Horus always had the issue of keeping their board sticky, especially the set spell and the monsters. With this card now it is so much more easier, pressuring the opponent more as well in the process, killing two birds in one stone both offensively and defensively. The added check top 4 effect that lets you add any Legend Dragon card is extremely strong because you can find you Luucy and Kifu from it. Going first has never felt better as a Horus player.

A super sticky item that has triple attack and a way to restand your entire board along with your buddy zone? Sign me up, with this card the deck has so many more ways to abuse Magma Horus to it's fullest potential. Horus is coming out of this set as a strong contender for Tier 1. 

You might be thinking why is a Messiah Arms card doing in here for Horus? Well the card's effect is not limited to only Messiah Arms, therefore most people opt to run this at 1 copy just for the effect of the check top 2 and a free negate after. Super strong.

Horus, like Time Dragon has insane draw power and with that you usually lose to yourself if you are unable to win the opponent. However, now with this you have a deck refresher, moreover you can add any Legend Dragon card form drop to your hand. Meaning Luucy. Yes Luucy is broken.

Phantom Thief Draco

A 10/10 card, a new card to search for your Maurice or set spell. With this you can afford to run less copies of Maurice and set spell, moreover the most important part is the Holy Magic synergy. Well that and the ability to retrieve back your Harry in drop along with your important monsters. 

Another way to add Magical Treasure, a sticky body and free burn? Yes Yes Yes

So how's the meta looking?

I have left out older decks and collab decks as going forward, collab decks will always be considered Tier 1.5 simply due to their nature. Going forward this is the primary focus of the meta going into Team League. As you can see, the format now is more stable compared to S-BT07 with more decks in Tier 1. Now any deck in Tier 1 has more than 50% chance to win Time Dragons provided they go first. So don't think that Time Dragons is broken

666

Hi everyone! For today's deck profile I'll be talking about Evil Demonic Dragons or EDD in short. So with the new boost coming out tomorrow on the 28th of February why has this deck been risen back into popularity in Japan? With numerous shop tournament wins and even the most recent Musashi Cup Champion, what's the spice? 

Consistency is Key

With the new support comes 5 new cards that has helped boost the deck into prominence and a force to reckon with, let's take a look.

First off is a new Bellial. This card alone has given EDD the OTK potential and taken it into full drive, this is because it now gives all your EDD monsters protection from bounce and destruction effects as well as penetrate and most importantly 666 criticals!! That's insane and it makes all your attacks a one hit kill if they cannot answer. This is essential the potent poison the deck now has access too. Moreover with a counter call skill, means it gets over rest spells before hand that would stop your old Bellial. Imagine the amount of pressure a single Bellial gives, now imagine the pressure with this card on board.

EDD always had trouble reaching the 6 life threshold to unlock their insane advantage engine. However look no further, this card is the best of both worlds as it helps you reach that goal by paying 2 life and giving you 2 gauge as well as 2 draw if you are at 6 life. This card is a must have at 4 copies as it boost the consistency of the deck greatly. Now you can go Time Sale into this card and Lupis. That is pretty much a 3 card combo into a 6 draw and plus 2 gauge, thats insane.

EDD was always known as a control deck and look no further, enter Gluttony. This bad boy is proving to be the premier control card in EDD along with Envy. A simple effect of putting it into the drop zone lets you target and destroy a card on your opponent's field. If you do, drop a gauge and a hand from your opponent, this is a premium effect. Moreover this card gains double attack on attack, so it goes well with the new Bellial. Now enabling you to have a full field and once this card attacks finish you can use it's effect to put it into the drop zone so that your item can attack. Flexible as a defensive play because you stop a single penetrate effect with this card if you lack the item.

EDD always had the huge problem of ability nullification, with this card it adds another layer of protection as you lacked it previously from the size 0 because it could get bombed by card effects. Moreover this card provides you with a single gauge upon EDD entering the field, another gauge and draw if you are at 1 life. You may think that it's little but every single gauge matters in EDD especially with the next card.

A spell null for DDW? Well thats a little too much. EDD is already a deck that doesn't give your opponent a safe window to counter and rest your board or do any tricks, well now you have a way to stop those pesky rest your cards effects and go for the 666. A simple yet amazing effect since you have so much draw and gauge once you are at 6 life. Simply broken. 

The Base

Well if you have never touched an EDD deck before, its not a simple deck to pilot to it's full potential. Let's take a look at the good old stuff that you still need.

Envy is your old reliable ability null and rester, extremely important to block a crucial ability from resolving. With the new builds this can be ran at 2-3 copies. Your control tool and consistent draw power.

Lupis is your advantage engine with a enter field 2 gauge and a draw if you have another EDD on field. 2 gauge and 2 draw if you are at 6 life. Moreover it has the skill of going into the soul of a monster and giving it soulguard, finally giving it an additional 10k power and defence is your life is at 6. Such a strong effect, you always want to see this card every turn. 4 copies.

Diablos Soul is your other main draw engine, by sacking an EDD on field you can gauge 2 and draw 2, 3 if your life is at 6. As usual you'll definitely want to see this every turn. 4 copies.

Your item searcher and Bellial, with this card you can afford to play 1-2 copies of each Bellial and not be punished by it. It has an inbuilt protection effect to protect your monsters as well. 2-3 copies.

Your main deck thinning and gauge. Add up to 2 different EDD monsters and items and the rest going into gauge? Very strong. However with the new cards joining the deck you can afford to run less copies of this card, 2-3 copies. A side note is that you don't always have to add 2 EDD monsters to your hand, sometimes you can just gauge more if need be or you can hide a crucial card inside the gauge and pay it off on your opponent's turn to surprise them. *Daredevil* cough cough

The one card to make you go to 1 instantly, such a crucial card to play on your opponent's turn 1 if you are going first. This speeds up your deck exponentially giving your opponent a clock to stop your onslaught of 666 during their turn. Also a free reduce the next damage to 0 and a draw? Wow. 4 copies.

Your main card to ensure your cards cannot be rested and a retrieval to take your Bellial, Envy or Gluttony. Such a sick card. Always put Lupis into this card's soul to ensure maximum value and protection. 2 copies.

Counter call? Sign me up, this card is so flexible that it's not even funny. Calling a Lupis on the opponent's turn is so much value, moreover having the option to call a destroyed Envy or even a Gluttony that has just used it's effect. The 2 life cost helps you reach the 6 life threshold on turn 1 as well. Too flexible and you're crazy to not run at 4 copies.

Hate Lost World? Hate Time Dragons? Yeah use this. Premium control card that cost nothing if you are at 1 life. Hence why going first in EDD is so strong. The gauge burn effect is so crucial in certain matchups and the monster destruction effect goes in tandem with Envy. 2-4 copies depending on what you expect to play against.

The old daddy, you have to run this in order to call the new one so 1-2 copies of this. Super strong effect that ends games right there and then. 

Your revival spell, essentially a sure-fire way to survive the turn and blast your opponent the following turn. 2-3 copies.

Umbrella of Doom, you know you are way ahead if the 1 life effect resolves giving you a draw and dropping an opponent's hand card. The gauge burn is also important. Take no effect damage as well, so no funny impact to win the game. Super strong, without this card EDD will never be good. 2-3 copies.

Juicy spicy salty 666 damage impact as long as you attacked twice. Insane with Bellial on board. Even if all your Bellial's don't hit, this will. 1-2 copies.

Closing Thoughts

In summary this deck is Tier 1 along with Time Dragons definitely, however it has to go first. A super strong control deck that can end games with a snap of a finger. Now you can play this deck without Lost or with Lost. Both are viable options. Non-Lost builds have more consistency and space to go for the 666 win whereas the Lost build gives them the option of another win con that is as strong, especially with all the draw power the deck has. At the end of the day it all boils down to what you prefer. Here's a Non-Lost list taken from a Japan shop tournament winner.

Credits to the Japan Shop Winner

Peace.