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Road to Worlds Series #1 (Getting Better)

Hello everyone welcome to a special series, I'm sure everyone's goal is to win their Regional Qualifiers and go to Worlds and win the whole thing. Being a World Champion is something many covet, it is a long and tough road. Grinding countlessly and hoping that your cards all align on the day of the competition. While the luck you have cannot be changed, the way you play can. 

A look at Worlds Matches

First off, let's take a look at Game 1 of the World Finals. As you can see the Horus player went first and has set-up his board. By this point you should be expecting 1-2 Luucy in their hand and you have to play around accordingly. However, the DD player has made the mistake of going for the greedy play. He called Agonia and Epis right after, while having D. Suction in his hand. This gave the Horus player 2 timings to null both Agonia and Epis, crippling the DD player enough to outright lose the game right then and there. The correct play would have been to call Agonia and used D. Suction on it to guarantee the effect going off. This is extremely crucial as you play around Luucy and you can fish for more outs. As you can see, sequencing is especially important at the highest level of this game.

Now let's take a look at Game 1 of the Semi Finals. Andrew waited for the Flame Horus to be called before using Luucy to nullify both Flame and Freezer Horus, there are pros and cons to this play. First off, if Sean has to do a 'blind' call for Freezer Horus it means that his hand lacks Duric. If he had Duric it would have been played first to either bait a Luucy or punish Andrew by farming into more outs. But why would you go for Duric first when the usual play is always draw first before using effects that check the top few cards of your deck so that you have information on what you lack thus being able to have near perfect information on what to take (No perfect information because you cannot see your opponent's hand). This is because you want to force your opponent into making a decision, either use their Luucy to stop the Duric from giving you advantage or letting it through. But based on how the opponent plays this out you can assume two things.

If he does not use Luucy, there is a higher probability that he does not have 2 Luucy in his hand which is usually the case or that he is just saving them all up for later turns. If he does use Luucy, expect that he has another in hand obviously as the main priority is to stop the Buddy Call effect from Horus resolving. This is the mirror and it will get grindy as whoever runs out of resources first will be the one that is unable to defend from the other player. 

  

With this information in hand, he should have used Luucy on Freezer Horus's effect preventing the Flame Horus from coming down unless Sean commits another 2 gauge. This alone forces Sean to have Aharamat to gauge 2 just to call. Moreover, if he has the spell 'Victory' in his hand he can only cast it after committing an item to retrieve Jutha and call it. Forcing the opponent to commit more resources means they require specific cards to get out of their unfavored position. By requiring specific cards lowers the possibility that they can win on their turn, however if they have the nuts you lose either way. This is just a way of mitigating the possibility of giving your opponent unnecessary advantage.

Sequencing & why it matters

Buddyfight is a simple game to learn however difficult to master, one of the main reasons are the counter timings and sequencing. Sequencing is crucial in this game due to the fact that it lowers the possibility of dead draws or lower quality of plays. The standard rule of thumb is always to draw first before using 'Super Hero Time' & 'Darryl Berk' like effects. This is so that you draw your cards first giving you more options as to what you need after the additional card draw. 

When you are playing against decks with 'End Battle Phase' effects always remember to link attack with enough damage to pressure the opponent into doing something. Asking the question is always better than giving the answer. This is because there are specific answers to questions, so theoretically your opponent will have a lower possibility in having answers to your questions. Sounds confusing right. 

With Loyalty being the bane of almost every deck's existence. Always take into account that the opponent has Loyalty in their hand and sequence your calls accordingly and do not blindly play into it.

To surmise, sequencing is important to maximise on the information that you have so that you can make more informed decisions over the course of the game therefore increasing the probability that you will win. Moreover, you can bait cards from your opponents by sequencing the correct way which I will talk about now.

Baiting & Hand Reading

The game at higher levels are all about mind games, baiting cards out of your opponent's hand is crucial and testing for certain cards so that you can read their hand is important as well. Simple cards like Sweet Happy Time can be used to bait cards out of your opponent's hand. For example you have a huge board and your opponent doesn't know if you are going to call more monsters so they keep their rest spells in their hand, by calculating the total damage output that you are able to do, sometimes entering battle phase is the right choice. This is to prevent giving the opponent a counter timing to rest your cards without you being able to react. So you want to go into battle baiting a rest spell, only to cast Sweet Happy Time for maximum value. Always remember that if you can afford to bait out cards, do it. Ensure that the risk & reward for baiting is positive net value. 

Hand Reading is crucial, however this is harder to do as you require deck knowledge of how the turn goes for each deck and what is crucial for them. Only after many hours of testing will you know the optimal sequence the opponent will play using a certain deck, with this knowledge you can do hand reading and guess. This is where you can go 1 for 1 with them with your cards. The best example being Horus against Dimension Dragons. Where their most optimal play is to go Set Spell into Nice One, followed by Agonia, suction into Epis if they go second against Horus. Any other sequence and they are susceptible to their cards getting destroyed, taking the risk.  

Always be Ready

Always be wary of certain combos that are available to the opponent. An example is the Dogma and Epoch combo, this is crucial as a timely Epoch can destroy you completely. This is why game and deck knowledge is crucial, study the meta and test to figure out what stops you in your tracks and what lines of play the opponent can make. Buddyfight is a simple game that you only have to see what you need to do on your turn to either win or go to your next turn with the most advantage. You do not have to think so far into the future. Practice more and you can improve your play speed to the point where it becomes a muscle memory as to what is the best play automatically, this is crucial especially when it comes to official tournaments where there is a time-limit. Imagine losing due to time-out when you know you have game, thats a very bad feeling that leaves a sour taste in your mouth. 

I hope that this series has helped you in some shape or form in improving your game. 

Peace.

Seeing the Stars for Victory

Hi guys, today I'll be taking a look at the revival of an Ace! The Ace of Studies! With the release of Perfected Time Ruler S-BT07, Cross has evolved and achieved a new form and ascended into a God! With these new cards will it be enough to make Astrodragons great again and take a place on the pedestal of great decks? Well let's take a look.

 In with the New

The new form of Cross has a new Galaxy DF skill, when Cross is in the center-

• If a monster is on your left, all cards on your field get [Counterattack] and defense+10000!
  ・If a monster is on your right, all cards on your field get [Penetrate] and power+10000!
  ・If you have an item equipped, all cards on your field cannot be [Rest] by your opponent's card effects, and get critical+1!

Cross also has Triple Attack! As you can see with this new skill your field is powered up by the stars into greater heights. Increasing the aggro potential. This is a must include at 4 copies in all Astro Decks. Moreover, being a 'Dragod' you can play this card in other worlds, creating new combinations. Think of this in Chaos and Battle Buildings? All the possibilities!

By far the second most important card that Astro Dragons need, a revival spell and a deck refresh. This is very important as Astro goes through the deck very quickly with the multiple farming tools. Being able to refresh your deck means more farming, you can also keep it for your Lost World turn! This is crucial in maintaining your board presence as well. Minimum of 2 copies is played, consider siding 1-2 copies more if you are playing against other aggressive decks. This spell is crucial in those matchups. 

The Analysis

Decklist from Japan CardKingdom Winner 

So let's take a look at this list that has won a shop tournament in Japan. So why does the deck function so well? Let's look at the new stuff that makes Astro viable in the current meta. Astro always had consistency issues with maintaining a full board especially true because they lacked a consistent way to play size 0 cards that were good. However, with the new set comes 2 very important cards that covers the consistency issues.

First off let's talk about 'Govern Star Dragon, Grays' this card helps to tutor out or retrieve your Set Spell. This is crucial as your set spell is the main reason your card skills do not get nullified, moreover every time you play an Astro Dragon monster you get to draw 1 and gain 1 life, once per turn. Next we look at 'Seer Dragon, Pale' this card has an inbuilt effect that lets you take this card back from the drop zone at the start of your main phase for a cheap cost of 1 life. So once this card is in your drop you will never have to worry about not having the full formation. But the key part of this card is it reduces the gauge cost of your Astro Dragon monsters when called from hand by 2!! This makes your Cross only 1 gauge! Amazing.

Well now with Cross, this card is a 15k Defensive wall that redirects all attacks to it, not to mention it has counter attack! The 2 soul is crucial as well for casting your spells and making your opponent hit it 3 times just to clear it. The most annoying card to go against when you are playing an aggro deck.

The best defensive cards in Astro, they can not only be used defensively but as a disruption tool as well during your opponent's turn to get rid of their board and key cards. Always remember that Time Dragons have to remove a soul to cast their rest spell which leaves their Time Ruler with 1 soul, making your Cross Pair Slash the ultimate punishing tool.

Other Card Choices

A sideboard option usually unless your local meta has many 'End Battle Phase' effects. This battle phase extender is strong in ensuring the kill. Moreover the synergy with Cross from S-BT02 that calls a monster from drop during the start of attack phase creates a loop with Coupe. 

How it works is during the battle phase you call coupe from drop with the effect of Cross, during your final phase Coupe goes back to your hand and you cast Endgame Study, letting you use Cross effect again to call another Coupe from drop and the loop begins. A strong combo that helped the Japan National Champion of Final Stage in 2018 win. 

Lost World is always a win condition by itself, having more win conditions can only mean positive upside, so why not play it? 

Understanding your Weaknesses

Remember that Loyalty and Buddyblock are your two biggest enemies. Always play around them accordingly, this is where card and deck knowledge will play a part. Do not go too crazy with your calls so that you can farm more cards, presenting a board with lethal is good enough while maintaining enough gauge to cast your revival spell. So with game knowledge playing a part you will have to ask yourself what are the chances and odds that your opponent plays these cards in the main board game 1? Buddyblock is not a main board card in most decks so do not play around it, whereas Loyalty is. Remember to always sequence your calls accordingly to play around Loyalty. Always perform link attacks if you are wary that the opponent has Buddyblock. Watch how your opponent reacts and plays when you commit to the first link attack, then based on your read you can tell if he has it or not. This separates the good players from the rest. Loud Voice effects that reduces the critical of your board is a bane as well, thus consider siding in more 'Tesla-line Field' to ensure your offence doesn't get hindered. Well thats all I have for you today.

Say NO to Loud Voice

Peace

Countering the Big Daddy

With the release of Time Dragons you may be wondering why is this deck so broken and how do I beat it? Well first off let me tell you that the format we are currently in (S-BT07) is a healthy format and it’s not considered a Tier 0 format. First off there are a few glaring weaknesses of Time Dragons, namely hyper aggressive decks that can dish out insane amounts of damage and have a way to extend the battle phase. Time Dragons inherently is considered to be a true control deck right down to its core, so what that means is a lack of offensive pressure. By being a true control deck, means it comes with its bad sides which is a slow deck in winning the game. So decks with multiple wincons such as Phantom Thief Draco can take advantage of them. 

The Counters

Let’s talk about how each deck can counter Time Dragons. First off would be the most obvious, Horus. Simply casting a single ‘Sweet Happy Time’ will Ensure all your Horus effects from resolving which is crucial for the push,  board presence and control. Once that first step is done all you have to do is farm for a spell null and go all in. 

Key pointers to note- use Luucy to stop their Time Ruler from going off to maintain your board. Consider siding in Impact to push for the extra 4-6 damage. Siding in ‘Pyramidal Peak’ to get rid of the pesky set spell and size 0 cards. This is a matchup about skill. Know when to cast certain spells after baiting the Time Dragon player to commit to the board.

Next up we have is Phantom Thief Draco. Yes a Budget deck can even win the most expensive deck. There’s two builds, with or without Lost World. For those more Budget friendly, the non-lost build has a different wincon which is the size 3 Monster ‘Twenty Fani’. A quad triple Attack with 4 critical is more than enough. As Time Dragons have no proper and efficient way to restand their field currently, all the Phantom Thief player has to do is rest their board all the while milling their deck with Sky Castle and Harry. 

Key things to note- As the magic world player you need to understand and identify the wincons that you have and how close you are to them. This is very difficult to do without proper practice and understanding of your deck. Burn damage from Holy Magic and Steal Time also stacks up over time so take note of that. There’s multiple ways of going around this matchup. Sequencing is especially important when navigating as well. 

Moving on would be Astrodragons- your board is key and anti skill nullification is more important. Do not play the new item as it gets shutdown by Time Ruler, play Skyseer Bow Calum Rex for its 2 soul and protection effects.  Like Horus a single sweet happy time is more than enough to push for game. Do watch out for their rest spells, so use ‘Cross Pair Slash’ to get rid of their souls to prevent them from casting it. 

Key pointers to note- Consider siding in ‘End game study’ to continue the battle phase. Always remember about their ability nullification and play around it. Always go second. Keep your revival spell for their Lost turn, this is the most crucial point. 

Moving onto Roselia, a simple deck to pilot but easier to misplay. With a full board always aim to go for link attacks with penetrate. If you have the exodia combo(4 Roselia cards with protection and offence) you more or less can push for game. Slam hard and impact to extend the battle phase. Use spells to call monsters from drop to continue the Attack. 

Key pointers to note- sequence your calls properly to prevent them from getting destroyed or nullified. Keep your revival spell for their lost turn. 

Idolmaster Kirari/Anzu- if you go first and you have the discard combo, go for it. If you go second remember that your protection spell ‘The Trick is to...’ is important to prevent your cards from being rested, destroyed and nullified. Kirari is key as it stops the Time Dragon player from doing anything. Remember to keep ‘Sexy & Guilty’ to destroy their set spells.

Key pointers to note- timing is important, know when to use your protection cards, sometimes you will not use it defensively in order to Ensure game next turn. Consider siding in more revival spells as the game will prolong to the point you might deck out. Consider siding in impacts to restand your board or to deal 5 damage. There are many different ways to counter this matchup and find out which way is best for you. Side out your Kanako Mimura if you are sure you are going second. It’s only needed for the turn 1 combo. 

Well that’s all I have for you guys today. Buddyfight has reached the point whereby there’s no clear best deck without weaknesses. Time Dragon is popular because it’s a new Mechanic and it’s a deck that rewards skill and deck building. Not every player can pick up Time Dragons and expect immediate results with it. So do not think that because you’re playing against it, you’ll lose.

Peace

The Horus Bible

Today I'll be doing a deck profile and analysis on one of my favourite decks, Horus. This is a new deck that came out during this season featuring a new mechanic, 'Triple Buddy'! Yes 3 buddies, means 3 health from Buddycalling which racks up overtime. That's essentially a free 2 additional life gain which translates into +1 card advantage. This deck took Worlds by storm garnering half of the Top 4 slots and winning 2019 BCS Worlds. 

So why did it win Worlds?

With S-BT06 Horus got what it needed, which was additional ways to gain gauge and filter their deck, not to mention disruption spells and a third buddy! With the meta prediction going into Worlds being flooded with Dimension Dragons, Horus was a no brainer choice as it was a natural counter to Dimension Dragons. Having access to ability nullification/bounce and rest spells, you end up trading one-for-one with the DD player and when you stop their Agonia and Epis the DD player will be low on resources making them weak to your offence. Horus is the true midrange deck of the format with many ways to play, knowing when to use your resources and when to bait out cards from your opponent. Now I'll go into detail with each key card in the deck as well as tech choices. 

The Key Cards

First off would be the Triple Buddies! Flame Horus has the effect of popping 2 cards on your opponent's field and drawing 2 when buddy called by Freezer Horus, amazing effect that lets you replenish your hand and take out key pieces on your opponent's board such as a set spell that prevents ability nullification. Moreover when Freezer Horus is on board it gives all Dragod on your field Triple Attack which is extremely important for the aggro. Moving onto Freezer Horus, this card protects all your Dragod on board as well as your King items, it prevents them from being destroyed/bounced by your opponent's card effects! Splendid effect to keep your board sticky and presenting a near unanswerable board. Last but not least the main buddy, Ra. If Ra is in the center it protects your Flame and Freezer Horus from being destroyed, that means even by battle! Moreover it gives all Dragod and King on your field +10000 power, +1 crit and Penetrate. This is where you can deal a total of 27 damage alone from your monsters not including your item and additional spells. Last but not least Ra has an inbuilt Zodiac effect which prevents your opponent's cards from standing by card effects, this acts as a pseudo boost in combination with any rest spells that you play. 

Luucy is by far the main reason why Horus is such a dominating deck. Being able to access a bounce or an ability nullification on 3 monsters at a time is an extremely strong effect. You can stop key cards that your opponent plays with this card preventing them from getting additional advantage, moreover if you have 2 copies in your hand. You can first nullify the ability on the board, cast it again for a clean bounce! Leaving your opponent's board empty for you to go all face! Usually having 2 of this in your hand is enough to win you the game.

Kifu is the ultimate defensive and offensive card all rolled into one. The best card to synergise with Ra. Resting 3 cards or standing 3 cards on board is an extremely potent effect. Not to mention if you are standing your board thats an additional 9 damage! This card stops many cards from attacking ensuring you survive the turn.

Yes a Super Hero Time for Horus, with benefits of adding 2 life! Horus lacks the gauge generation without discard effects so this is a must have, not to mention this card can let you fish for an important card. 

Victory!! The best advantage engine card, gauge 2, draw 2 and gain 2 life. Such an amazing effect. Casting this will put you in the lead and help you comeback from dire spots. 

Horus lacks a way to protect their board from ability nullification so this is a must have! Moreover this acts as a pseudo Nice One in your hand, so by discarding a card any paying 1 gauge you can draw 2. This in conjunction with on discard effects makes for a very strong card.

De ju Mau the ultimate tutor card and not to mention discard synergy. Also an added effect to stand all your Legend Dragon in your Buddy zone, so what that means is more Buddy Calling! More life gain and more Magma Horus effects.

Ara Saas is by far one of the more important cards to continue your offence and defence. By bouncing your Dragods and calling new ones, you still can continue your Triple Attack onslaught because Magma Horus gives Triple Attack for the turn to all Dragod. 

Al Coronation is an item searcher for your Victory Spell cast condition and a way to retrieve your Legend Dragon from drop, adding a discard synergy. 

Spell nullification is always broken, having access to it in a hyper aggressive deck? Yes please. 

Your ultimate searcher and discard synergy card. It lets you check the top 5 cards to add a Dragod and a Legend Dragon. The key part is that you can take any Legend Dragon card, be it spell or item even the impact! Such a strong effect that lets you tutor for key cards.

Your discard synergy fodder. Personally I would not play Alwidol in my Horus decks as most of the discarding requires you to discard a Legend Dragon, thus picking Jutha over Alwidol. The 2 gauge is extremely important and if you have a dead hand, you can call it for a draw and a life.

Overturn Miserea has a broken effect of resetting the board. Once you reset the board you can go ham with your Horus monsters on an open field. Essential in getting you out of tricky situations and resetting your opponent's board if they have tons of gauge and hand.

The chair that makes everything good and right. Free fishing for a Legend Dragon Monster every turn, and most importantly a protection effect. So its a one time protection against cards like Vanity and Time Ruler.

Additional power is a bonus for reaching numbers if you do not have Ra on board. The retrieval effect is extremely strong and the 1 life equip cost is an integral part as well. 

Tech Cards

Negates are currently out of flavour especially in Horus when you have access to Luucy and Kifuu. However if you want to play the mirror this is a good choice in combination with Ra. Discard synergy is a bonus.

To counter single boss monster decks. Extremely potent against Athora.

Destroy those pesky ability nullification protection set spells on board so your Luucy will be able to affect your opponent's monsters. 

Anti reduce crit effects to go for that push, not to mention a free bonus of clearing your opponent's board.

Loyalty seems like a no brainer in every format, the ability to lock your opponent down is extremely strong. Sweet Happy Time protects your Horus from being rested or their effects from getting nullified, super potent.

Because your whole deck functions on having a Horus on board for your important spells to be able to cast. Going into Lost means you are trading away your board. Great in combination with Overturn Miserea as you can draw a fresh 6 cards and 2 gauge, retaining your main deck cards since it cannot be shuffled into your Lost Deck. 

Sample Decklist

Theres no true 'Rule of Thumb' ratio, it all depends on the player. You can take out cards here and there for Loyalty & Sweet Happy Time. 

Matchups & Strategy

 

Dimension Dragons, you are favoured if you go first. If you go second it will be a question if you can survive their T1 Lost. Moreover Ranma prevents you from gaining life. However, if you go first you can set up and your Luucy is online locking down their Agonia and Epis. Having access to Spell Nullification also stops their end battle phase and farming spells. (55%-45%) 

Well its a matter of not dying to Athora's overturn and being able to consistently rest the main Athora with the eternity rings stacked onto. Once that is settled, the game is easily won. If you can take down their item, thats a bonus and you can just Luucy away the main Athora. Spell Nullification is extremely important to stop their key farming cards and revival spells. (55%-45%)

You are extremely favoured in this matchup because of Freezer Horus, if you have loyalty thats pretty much game. Nothing much to navigate in this matchup. (60%-40%)

Time Dragons the big baddie. Unfortunately they have too much control and can stop you easily in your tracks. Luucy is a key part of this matchup and your set spell has to stick to protect yourself from ability nullification. (40%-60%)

A one sided matchup for you, just go all face and rest their board on their turn to prevent them from using their impact. (70%-30%)

This matchup depends on if the IdolM@ster player has the protection spell. If they don't you just run through them easily. (65%-35%)

Wonky matchup but as long as you can rest their board with Ra, you stop them dead in their tracks. Miserea is another way to win this matchup. But overall your board is more offensive compared to theirs. Spell Nullify their end battle phase and thats GG. (55%-35%)

Thats all, I hope you have learnt abit about Legend Dragons.

Peace