Sunrise Egg will be your First Vanguard for the most part. It doesn’t do much, as with most starting vanguards in the Standard format.

All Nirvana players will go into Rino as their first Grade 1 Vanguard. While this card doesn’t do anything when rode upon, its vanguard ability allows the player to search for a Trickstar from the deck when Reiyu is rode upon; this Trickstar can then be used for overDress with Vairina variants.

Next up, Reiyu will be the Grade 2 that all Nirvana players will ride into. When rode upon, Rino’s ability activates to allow the player to search their deck for a Trickstar to use for overDress.

Furthermore, when this card is rode upon upon by Nirvana, its ability looks through the deck for a Vairina and adds it to the player’s hand for the cost of one Soul-Blast. This gives the player an opportunity to overDress the Trickstar called during the G2 turn with Vairina, a powerful attacker with field control tools.

Nirvana is your main Grade 3. This card is the main engine for the overDress mechanic to shine. Its first ability allows the player to retrieve a Grade 0 from the drop and call it to the field; this ability is always used to retrieve a Trickstar from the drop to be used as overDress material.

Nirvana’s second ability activates when it attacks. With a cost of 1 Counter-Blast, Nirvana gives units with the overDress ability and itself a +10 000 power bonus. This allows it and the overDress units to hit for high numbers, pressuring the opponent to guard the high-octane attacks.

Furthermore, when this is rode upon, Reiyu’s ability activates to search the deck for a Vairina to put into hand, which gives Nirvana an overDress unit to work with to begin hitting the opponent with high numbers.

Vairina Valiente is the main offensive weapon of the deck. It becomes a powerful attacker with each originalDress unit under it (+5000 for each card), and it also provides on-hit pressure (restand on hit) that forces the opponent to think twice about allowing Vairina Valiente’s attack to hit. It’s also a difficult card to remove off the field because the cumulative +5000 power lasts even during the opponent’s turn!

Vairina Arcs is one of the most important cards for this deck, and it is likely to remain so for a very long time. This card draws more cards from the deck when overDressed, allowing the player to gain more hand advantage and add more key pieces to hand. This boosts the consistency of the deck overall, and allows the deck to be extremely aggressive once Nirvana is rode upon.

It’s highly recommended to mulligan looking for this card – if you have 1 damage by your grade 2 turn, using Arcs to draw cards while putting on the pressure early will definitely help you take control of the game at an early stage!

Vairina’s base form is something that players should also take into account when deck-building. This card boasts very high power, being able to hit at 30 000 power with the buff from Nirvana’s attack and its own ability, which gives itself +10 000 when in the overDress state.

It also has control tools to retire one of the opponent’s rear-guards, but beware! This deck doesn’t generate Soul as quickly as some other decks, so you may have limited shots of this.

Another card to consider in deck-building is Tensha Stead. This card allows the player to retrieve a copy of their vanguard from their deck when the attack that Tensha Stead boosted hits. It allows the Nirvana deck to Persona Ride consistently, while also pressuring the opponent to throw out cards to guard the attack that this unit boosted.

Another consideration is the usage of Draw Triggers in the deck. One argument against the use of Draw Triggers is that the deck itself already draws many cards to get to key pieces quickly, thus it is more optimal to run more pressuring Triggers like Criticals and Fronts.

However, this idea is based around the idea of getting Vairina Arcs early in order to supply cards to the player’s hand. As a 4-of in the deck, Vairina Arcs would be the only card to increase the Nirvana’s player’s hand advantage. Thus, going without Draw Triggers would be a more risky choice as the Nirvana player can easily run out of steam if the opponent can weather the attacks.

The First Vanguard of the Dust Storm ride line is represented by Bart! If you prefer the adorable Sunrise Egg, feel free to go for it!

Nigel is the main Grade 1 of the Dust Storm ride line. This card doesn’t do much when ridden, but when Nigel is rode upon by Randor, its ability activates to Soul-Charge 1, which helps prepare for Eugene’s big turn.

Other than that, Nigel has a second ability that allows it to retire an additional unit, once an opponent’s rear-guard is retired during the main phase. It’s a bit costly, using up one Counter-Blast and removing itself from the field, but it’s a good way to remove key rear-guards on the opponent’s field. Furthermore, it frees up the battlefield for Eugene to superior call using his second ability.

When Randor is ridden, Nigel’s ability activates to Soul-Charge 1.

Randor has a rare ability that activates on vanguard and rear-guard circles. When Randor attacks, for the cost of one Counter-Blast, Randor Soul-Charges 1 and gains a +5000 power increment.
Of course, this ability can only activate when the opponent has two or less rear-guards, but this ability is usually active when this is rode upon and called as a rear-guard during Eugene turns, because the opponent probably has not committed many rear-guards to their side of the board yet.

Finally, when Randor is ridden by Eugene, the Eugene player gets to draw a card and put a card from the drop into their Soul. It helps to fill up Soul once again for Eugene’s ability and also adds some cards to hand for the Eugene player.

Eugene is the main Grade 3 for the Dust Storm ride line. When this card is ridden, Randor’s ability activates to draw a card and put a card in the drop into the Soul.

Eugene’s abilities synergise well with one another. This card’s first ability rests two rear-guards in order to retire one of the opponent’s rear-guards and give Eugene a +10 000 power bonus. This ability allows this unit to hit for higher numbers when it attacks, but more importantly it links directly to the unit’s second ability.

This card’s second ability is active if an opponent’s rear-guard was retired during the turn. When the player activates Eugene’s ability, they are able to look at the same number of cards from the top of the deck as the number of opponent’s open rear-guard circles, call any number of units from them, and refill the Soul with the rest.

Tribash is exceptional in the fact that it gives Eugene a Critical to work with when it attacks. It also fills up the Soul and opens up a space on the board for Eugene to work with the next turn. The immense pressure that Tribash provides is irreplaceable in this deck!

Shigamanago is another key card to the functioning of the deck. This card is able to remove itself off the field when an opponent’s rear-guard is retired during the main phase. In doing so, the Dust Storm player can look at the top card of the deck and decide to call it to a rear-guard circle or fill up their Soul. This unit cycles through the deck to search for more powerful rear-guards to call down.

Tensha Stead is what makes this deck tick! With the number of cards dedicated to other aspects of the deck, the deck’s offense may be slightly lacking without Persona Ride. With Tensha Stead, the player can guarantee a heavier offense on the next turn.

Sunlight Punishment is a great control tool that helps to clear the board of the opponent, while also activating many abilities, such as Eugene, Shigamanago and Nigel.

However, do use this sparingly as it eats up one Counter-Blast for each rear-guard retired. You could consider running this card in smaller quantities to make room for more offensive options in the deck.

Pure Prayers are a great defensive tool, giving the defending player +15000 power until the end of the battle. It may be considered in more control Eugene builds that aim to grind out the opponent.

However, given that Pure Prayers is a Blitz Order, and that Orders can only be used once per turn, it would be ideal to run less than four pieces of this to maximize the offensive capabilities of the deck instead

Matt will be the starting vanguard for most Diabolos ride line players, unless the player is trying to bait opponents into thinking that they are running the Baromagnes variant. While Matt does not do much ability-wise, the card is still helpful because it will be called out behind Steve when rode upon by the latter.

Steve helps to build up the Soul that Bruce will eventually use during the Final Rush turn, and this will also call out Matt behind it when this is placed on the vanguard circle. This ability will synergise with Richard when Richard is ridden on the next turn.

Steve also will gain +5000 power when Final Rush is active. However, most players will only run this card in the ride deck, because there are more impactful cards that come alive on Final Rush turns.

When Richard is placed on the vanguard circle, it can put in the previously called out Matt or any other rear-guard called out into the Soul to draw a card from the deck. This ability is especially important in building more Soul for Bruce during Final Rush turns as well as building up hand for guarding attacks or finding more key pieces.

This card’s second ability is the same as Steve’s second ability; once again, this is usually run in the ride deck so that more powerful Final Rush cards can be run in the deck.

The main boss card, Bruce, is the powerhouse of the deck. Everything in the deck runs through this card, and only through Bruce can victory be ensured. This card’s first ability activates at the beginning of the ride phase, when it is already on the vanguard circle. Thus, Final Rush will only become active on the second turn that Bruce is on the vanguard circle.

Essentially, Bruce and the rest of the deck are vanilla cards until Final Rush becomes active on the player’s fourth turn. However, to compensate for this, Final Rush abilities are extremely powerful, and can overwhelm opponents if they do not finish off this Diabolos ride line fast enough.

This card’s second ability activates when it attacks, Soul-Blasting 5 cards to restand all of the player’s front row rear-guards. This Soul is readily gained from cards like Steve, Richard, Marjorie, Colossus, Acrobat Presenter and Gungnram. Thus, despite the seemingly hefty cost, it is actually quite reasonable to restand the front row every time Final Rush is active.

Eden is easily one of the best cards in the current format, hands down. On Final Rush turns, this card gains +5000 power, and when it restands (due to Bruce’s ability), it gains an extra Critical. This ability is what gives the Diabolos ride line so much pressure.

On top of what already is an amazing card, Eden is also able to remove one of the opponent’s rear-guards when it’s attack hits. Overall, it is such a great tool for Diabolos players that it is necessary to run 4 copies of it.

Marjorie is another amazing card that supports the Diabolos ride line. On Final Rush turns, this card is able to put one rear-guard to Soul to draw the Diabolos player one card, Soul-Charge 1 and give itself a +10 000 power buff.

This ability essentially fills up the Soul to be used by Bruce for restanding Marjorie and another rear-guard, and it also can be used to clear the board in case the opponent has a playstyle that focuses on removal (such as Seraph Snow and Eugene decks). This is also a card that you want to run 4 copies in the deck.

Protobulb Dragon is also another really awesome card in the Diabolos ride line. On Final Rush turns, it is able to put a rear-guard to Soul for the cost of 1 Counter-Blast to fetch a card from Soul into the player’s hand.

This opens up a myriad of possibilities as it can give the Diabolos player many cards to recycle. They could retrieve an Over Trigger or Perfect Guard from their Soul to use for guarding. They could fetch a Bruce to Persona Ride next turn. They could also fetch for more important key pieces like Eden and Marjorie. The versatility of this card is what makes it so powerful in the deck. It is recommended to run this as a 3-of as there are other important cards to run in the deck as well.

Finally, Acrobat Presenter is a card that should always see play in a Diabolos deck. Presenter is able to Soul-Charge 1 when it boosts, provided that your vanguard is Bruce. This is able to Soul-Charge an additional card if Final Rush is active. This card provides a reliable way for Diabolos players to gain Soul, along with Marjorie. Overall, this would be similar to Protobulb, in that it should be run as a 3-of.

If you’re going for the Baromagnes ride line, there’s a high chance you’ll be going for this card as your First Vanguard to make sure you’re on-theme! This doesn’t do much, but at least the card looks pretty intimidating.

Deep Soniker is the main Grade 1 that Baromagnes players will go into. This has a simple ability of Soul-Charging 1 card when placed on the vanguard circle.

Its second ability, though, allows it to be an effective attacker when the 10-Soul requirement is achieved. This card remaining in the Soul after being rode upon by Electro Spartan will be quite important, as it will pretty much guarantee that it is usable as an attacker when Baromagnes has reached its full power.

Electro Spartan is a very strong Grade 2 ride, but its first ability only pays off when Baromagnes rides upon this unit the following turn. That ability allows the player to put a card from hand to Soul (for example, maybe another Deep Soniker) and draw a card, while also Soul-Charging 1.

This card’s second ability activates when called to a rear-guard circle, which Soul-Charges 2 for the cost of 1 Counter-Blast. Overall, Spartan is one of the deck’s much needed Soul-Charging cards, helping to meet Baromagnes’ 15-Soul requirement much faster.

Baromagnes is the Grade 3 unit that this deck revolves around. This card only has one ability, but it progressively gets more powerful as the game goes on, as the player continues to build up Soul.

Usually by the time Baromagnes is ridden, the player will have attained the 10-Soul requirement, allowing them to deal significant damage to the opponent’s defenses.

By the next turn, Baromagnes will most definitely meet that sweet 15-Soul requirement, which grants the opportunity to multi-attack and clear both player’s fields. If opponents allow Baromagnes players to do as they please, they will most definitely be in deep trouble.

Curtis is a significant rear-guard that aids Baromagnes in Soul collecting. This card has a simple ability of Soul-Charging 2 when placed on a rear-guard circle if the vanguard is Baromagnes. This ability does not require any cost to pull off, and it is very necessary to use this to quickly build to the 15-Soul requirement.

The second ability is not as significant, as it eats up a lot of Counter-Blast to pull off; but it might be necessary in order to make attacking columns more difficult to guard.

Selfish Engraver, is one of the best cards for Baromagnes, and is one of the most impactful cards of the first set. This is able to provide on-hit pressure which Soul-Charges 1, building up to Baromagnes’ 15-Soul requirement. Furthermore, at the end of the battle that this unit attacked, if there are 10 or more cards in the Soul, it can be put to Soul and provide a Counter-Charge for the player!

This second ability not only builds up more Soul for Baromagnes, it also ensures that Baromagnes has the Counter-Blast to pull off its own ability. A great all round card with even more amazing art, this card should always be a 4-of in Baromagnes decks. The fact that this card is of Common rarity should all the more encourage Baromagnes players to run this at max capacity.

Brothers’ Soul is another important card that has to be run in a current Baromagnes deck. It is an Order that simply Soul-Charges 2. Once again, this card helps to build up Soul for Baromagnes, and given the lack of Soul-Charge options thus far in the format, Brothers’ Soul becomes a necessity in order for Baromagnes to turbo his way into the 15-Soul requirement.

What does help in the Order’s favour is that it does not require any other cost in casting, so it is quite a free card to play down.

Players may consider running Pithana in the deck, as this card also helps to build up Soul for Baromagnes while giving another unit a small +2000 power bonus. While the card does function to put more cards to Soul, it may not be the best option as it necessitates calling it to the field from hand (given that Baromagnes does not have much superior calling from the deck or Soul during the main phase) and it results in losing cards to guard.

However, if the aim of the player is to turbo their way into 15 Soul to finish the opponent off at the expense of their own hand size, then Pithana may be considered as a piece that aids their quest.

Crawl, you “Insects”! is a great card to run in the deck because the power buff it can give to one of the players’ units scales incrementally with every 5 Soul. It can allow a column to be extremely beefy, forcing even more cards out of the opponent’s hand to guard.

It significantly reduces the number of cards that the Baromagnes player has for guarding, though, so 2-3 copies maximum should suffice..

This Grade 1 Order can serve as an early defensive option in the deck, due to the fact that this deck is rather fragile in the early game. It should be played in lower quantities in the deck so that more slots can be allocated to pieces that accelerate the player to the 15-Soul requirement.

Simone may also be considered due to the guard pressure that it has. However, this may not be the best card to run, as the attacks that Baromagnes will more often than not demand many cards out of the opponent’s hand to guard.

Perhaps running this card at 1 or 2 copies in the deck will suffice, and it may come in handy in situations that Baromagnes players want to win the game against the opponent’s small hand.

Base is the “base form” of the Cloud Knights ride line. This doesn’t do much, but the art on the card is always something to appreciate.

When Fort is first ridden, he doesn’t do much. However, Fort’s power lies in its first ability, which activates when Rooks is ridden.

By revealing two grade 3 cards in the player’s hand, they are able to check the top card of the deck to call a unit card, or put that card to drop if it isn’t. (in the case that one checks into an Order). It provides free advantage to the field, and it is able to potentially get a powerful Grade 3 on the field as early as turn 2. This adds to the beatdown nature of the deck.

Rooks is another powerful Grade 2 vanguard ride. When this card is ridden, Fort’s ability activates, superior calling a unit card from the top of the deck. This is an opportunity to call down a grade 3 unit in the deck, which is quite likely due to the high grade 3 count in the deck.

Rooks also serves as a way to gain card advantage in hand, as when it is ridden by Bastion, its ability activates, and the player can reveal three grade 3 cards in their hand to draw a card. Free card draw is always welcome in a deck that needs cards for offense and defense, especially when the deck consists of a significant number of grade 3s.

Bastion is one of the best Grade 3 vanguards in the format right now, and it’s not hard to see why. With other grade 3 units, Bastion shines extremely well.

This card’s first ability gives all grade 3 units a small increase in power, by +2000. It doesn’t seem like a lot of power, but if Bastion players go first, they are able to hit magic numbers at 15 000 while the opponent is at 10 000 power at Grade 2, forcing more than 5000 Shield from hand to guard Bastion’s attacks. Overall, the ability allows Grade 3 units to hit for higher numbers that force more guard out of the opponent’s hand.

Bastion’s second ability is what allows the deck to be so effective at beating down opponents. After the battle that the player’s drive check revealed a grade 3, the Bastion player can discard a card to restand a rear-guard and give it +10 000 power. The fact of the matter is that many players play many Grade 3s in a Bastion deck to use this ability reliably, so they would expect to always pull off the restand every turn.

Combine this ability with a Persona Ride and an Alden, and you can see why this deck is such a dominant force in the first set. Do note that this ability is not limited to vanguard drive checks, so if the player’s rear-guards do somehow drive check G3s (see Amartinoa), Bastion’s ability will still activate.

Alden is one of the most powerful cards of the set, not just for Bastion, but for Keter Sanctuary as a whole.

When Alden is placed, the player may pay the cost to call a card to a rear-guard circle. If the player calls a grade 3, the player may draw 2 cards. This essentially refunds the 2 cards the player used to call down onto the field, and allows them to cycle through the deck to find more key pieces or prepare the deck with more triggers or grade 3s. This ability is so powerful that many players have considered damage-denying Bastion players to prevent them from using this card the moment Bastion players ride up to Grade 3.

This card’s second ability is equally powerful. When this card attacks, if there are three or more grade 3 units on the field (inclusive of this card), it gains +5000 power until the end of turn. This power remains even if this card restands from Bastion’s ability, so that means that this unit can gain +10 000 power from its own ability alone for free, because Bastion players will always meet the requirement of 3 or more grade 3 units.

Add this power to a potential Persona Ride and Bastion’s restand power, and this card can easily hit 45 000 power without boosting on the 2nd swing.

Fosado is another Grade 3 that is so integral to the gameplay of both Keter Sanctuary decks. First of all, Fosado cannot be chosen by the opponent’s card effects, so the card is practically immune to removal effects.

Its second ability adds pressure to the opponent to guard, as this card’s attack will allow for a Counter-Charge and Soul-Charge should it hit, regardless of the target. This card provides resources for Bastion to continue attacking the opponent with Alden and Dark Strain for boosting.

Kokabiel is a much needed defensive card for Bastion, as the deck’s defensive options are limited due to the high grade 3 count.

This unit provides an incremental 5000 Shield for every two grade 3 units on the player’s field. Its defensive prowess as a grade 3 is unprecedented , as it does not hinder Bastion’s second ability to restand units when it is drive checked (unlike triggers or G1/G2 normal units).

Because this card is of Common rarity, there is no excuse for Bastion players not to pick this card up as a 4-of in the deck.

Dark Strain Dragon is another essential card that Bastion players should definitely pick up.

By Soul-Blasting 2 cards when there are three or more grade 3 units on the field, all of the player’s grade 3 units get Boost until the end of the turn. This allows the Bastion player to play many grade 3 units from their hand onto the field to be boosters for the turn, which do not reduce Shield value in the hand given that grade 3s have no Shield in the format.

Its ability allows attacking columns to be extremely massive to force ridiculous amounts of Shield from the opponent to guard attacks. The Soul required for its ability can easily be replenished for the next turn by Rafluke and Fosado, so it will always be a present threat on the field. It should be an easy card to pick up as a Rare card.

Painkiller Angel is a tool that Bastion players may consider using as the card is able to cycle through the deck faster by drawing the player a card after boosting, all for the cost of one Soul-Blast.

The card also provides much needed guard for a Shield-starved deck, but it may not be as effective in the deck as the consistency of hitting grade 3s for Bastion might be lowered.

Solaria also fulfills a similar role in that the card cycles the deck more. However, this is limited to when it is discarded, but this can be achieved when discarding for the ride deck or for Bastion’s ability. Being a grade 3 also helps in the consistency of the hitting grade 3s for Bastion.

Tri Connect Sorceress is the First Vanguard for most Hexaorb players. The card has wonderful art, even though it doesn’t do much.

Tier Square Sorceress is the main grade 1 ride for the Hexaorb ride line. This card does not do anything when ridden, but when ridden by Pentagleam Sorceress, the player can pay the cost to draw a card, replenishing the card discarded for the cost of the ride deck.

This unit’s second ability is more niche, but it can be useful in removing one of the opponent’s more pesky rear-guards. Whenever the player’s drive check reveals a trigger, it can send an opponent’s front row rear-guard to the bottom of the opponent’s deck, acting as a form of field removal for the cost of one Counter-Blast.

All Hexaorb players will go into Pentagleam as their Grade 2 ride. When this card is rode upon, Tier Square’s ability to draw a card activates. Furthermore, when Pentagleam is ridden by Hexaorb Sorceress, it is able to look at the top three cards of the deck and arrange them in any Order; this ability can be used to prepare triggers for Hexaorb’s first ability to immediately activate during drive checks.

This card’s second ability allows the player to look at the top card of the deck and decide whether or not to leave it at the top of the deck or send it to the bottom of the deck, while giving itself a nice +2000 buff. This ability is free, and also helps to cycle through the deck for more impactful cards in the moment, like triggers and key pieces.

Hexaorb Sorceress is a Grade 3 ride that requires a fair amount of support from other pieces of the deck, but has potential to go the distance!

This card’s first ability gives an additional +10 000 power to any rear-guards whenever the player’s drive check reveals a trigger unit. This ability is not limited to once per turn, allowing it to continuously activate it to buff rear-guards as long as triggers are checked. This can be especially lethal when the player manages to drive check into the Keter Sanctuary Over Trigger Amartinoa to give rear-guards the ability to drive check as well.

Hexaorb’s second ability complements the card’s first ability well, and it gives the player the opportunity to stack the top of the deck with either a Critical or a Front trigger. This guarantees that the first ability will go off, when the trigger check would normally dictated by the randomness of the deck or by limited scrying abilities. However, this ability is limited to Persona Ride turns, so it will not be activated for most turns.

Fosado is also an essential part of a Hexaorb deck because of the insane utility he brings. With Hexaorb, this unit can hit for powerful numbers to pressure the opponent to let the attack go through, and provide valuable Soul-Charge and Counter-Charge to Hexaorb.

Lepisto, while only being an option in Bastion decks to potentially attack 5 times, is a necessity in Hexaorb to provide the offense to decimate opponents.

This deck without Lepisto is limited as a three-attack deck with no guard restrict abilities, so Lepisto is there to provide extra offensive power. This ability is costly, but it is necessary. This card shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up, though, given its Common rarity!

Once again, Solaria helps to cycle and filter the deck to get to more triggers and key pieces. This unit’s ability might be very costly in a deck that uses up quite a bit of resources, so it should be run sparingly. Nevertheless, Solaria is a great card that helps Hexaorb players retain card advantage.

Faciata is an interesting option to run in the deck, because the card provides more Counter-Blast for Hexaorb to use. However, this should be run sparingly in the deck as its ability requires Soul-Blasts in order to Counter-Charge.

Pastelitos may be considered to run for players as the card provides a bit more offense for the deck, giving itself +5000 when a trigger is drive checked. Other impactful cards like Lepisto and Fosado seem like a more attractive option, but it is possible to consider playing this as it has Shield for guarding.

Lotte is the adorable First Vanguard for the Magnolia ride line. It’s cute, but as with most First Vanguards, it doesn’t change much in overall gameplay.

Some Magnolia players will go into Charis as their Grade 1 vanguard. Its first ability activates when Lattice rides over it the next turn; it can look at the top card of the deck and call a grade 2 or less unit card to the field, or put the card to the Soul if it isn’t.

More often than not, Charis’ ability will check for a grade 2 or less given the low grade 3 count in the deck, but it may check for an Order and unfortunately not call another rear-guard to the field. On the bright side, should players be unable to get an extra unit on the field, they can build up Soul for more explosive turns. The unpredictable nature of this card may encourage players to use another Grade 1 as their first vanguard ride, but that will be covered later.

Its second ability gives itself power when it attacks from the back row, which is the main gimmick of Magnolia.

Lattice is the Grade 2 card that most Magnolia players will go into. When rode upon, Charis’ ability activates to have a potential chance of adding another body to the field to attack the opponent aggressively early.

Its first ability activates when Magnolia is rode upon, and it works similarly to Charis’ first ability, except that when an Order is revealed, it will be put into the player’s hand instead of the Soul. This ability is still unpredictable, and as such people may consider running another grade 2 instead in the Ride Deck.

Its second ability allows it to become a threatening attacker, but it requires it to be attacking in the back row and 1 Soul has to be used.

Magnolia is the main Vanguard for this deck. It only has one ability, but it is a powerful one at that. After it attacks, it can give one back row rear-guard the ability to attack from the back row for the cost of one Counter-Blast. This ability allows the deck to consistently hit 4 attacks every turn (of course, with sufficient resources).

During Persona Ride turns, this ability is further enhanced, as Magnolia can now choose three units instead of one to attack from the back row. The threat of 6 attacks is extremely intimidating in this format. Defensive triggers may impede your offensive turns, though, so play around those carefully to stay ahead!

Giunosla is one of the highest potential cards in the deck. Its ability activates when it attacks from the back row, and it gives its power to another rear-guard at the cost of 1 Counter-Blast. This ability on its own will basically give 15 000 power to another rear-guard (given that Magnolia will give the back row +5000 power after using its ability), but it can do so much more.

It would be extremely awesome (but also improbable) to drive check into the Over Trigger and give this unit the +100 000 000 power buff. It can be even more exciting if there are two Giunoslas on the field and the Over Trigger used is Olbaria. The power stacking of Giunosla is what makes this deck quite powerful in theory.

Resource management is always important in this deck, and it is important that players do not waste resources early to prevent Giunosla from being active during turns that warrant pushing for game.

Ghost Chase is one of the most integral defensive cards in Stoicheia, and it should remain a staple card in many Stoicheia decks for a long time.

When this Blitz Order is played during the opponent’s battle phase, the player may give one of their units +5000 power until the end of the battle to help guard against an attack.

Furthermore, Ghost Chase can bounce one of the player’s rear-guards back to hand. This allows Magnolia to bring back a unit on the field for a myriad of purposes: to be used next turn, to be protected against opponent’s attacks or effects, to be used for Shield value etc. (for example bouncing a Perfect Guard or Over Trigger for guarding)

The utility that Ghost Chase provides is too good to pass up, and thus this card should always be run in Stoicheia decks, more so in Magnolia which needs defensive options against decks that can counterplay their aggressiveness.

Rancor Chain may be considered to be a replacement grade 1 ride instead of Charis. Charis may be deemed too unpredictable and unreliable, so Rancor Chain can eliminate that randomness.

Its ability allows it to draw two cards and discard an Order from hand, allowing the Magnolia player to draw more cards and find key pieces faster. The Order discarded can be retrieved later by Black Tears Husk Dragon as well, so there essentially is a gain in advantage if Rancor Chain is used.

This card can also be Soul-Blasted later and revived by Ellenia and Spiritual Body Condensation to act as a booster.

Black Tears Husk Dragon can also replace Lattice as a grade 2 ride. It can retrieve the Order discarded by Rancor Chain and also serves as a good beater when it is Soul-Blasted and revived from the drop by Spiritual Body Condensation.

Once again, an interesting option to be considered by Stoicheia players; this tech choice has become more and more favoured by Magnolia players to improve the consistency and early game of their deck.

Of course, going into Rancor Chain and Black Tears Husk Dragon would sacrifice the aggressiveness that Charis and Lattice give.

Dream Nibbling is a terrifying starting vanguard, in terms of aesthetics. It simply serves as Soul fodder for Rancor Chain to use its ability.

Rancor Chain’s first ability allows it to draw two cards and discard an Order from hand, allowing the player to draw more cards and find key pieces faster.

The Order discarded can be retrieved later by Black Tears Husk Dragon as well, so there essentially is a gain in advantage if Rancor Chain is used.

This card can also be Soul-Blasted later and revived by Spiritual Body Condensation to act as a booster. This card is very powerful and helps to boost the consistency of Zorga in getting more key pieces.

Black Tears Husk Dragon retrieves the Order discarded by Rancor Chain when it is rode upon.

It also serves as a good attacker whenever an Order is used during the player’s turn. Do note that this card cannot retrieve Blitz Orders, so Ghost Chase, Call to the Beasts and Sealed Path should not be discarded by Rancor’s ability if possible.

With Zorga, a new gimmick comes into play: Alchemagic. When the player would play a Normal Order during their turn, they may Alchemagic, and combine the Order with a different Normal Order in the drop by paying both their costs.

This ability allows the Zorga player to mix-and-match Orders together to fit the current situation. Be it using Spiritual Body Condensation and Grief, Despair and Rejection to push for damage against the opponent, or to use Tearful Malice and Spiritual Body Condensation to get some units onto the field and recover resources, the possibilities of combinations are infinite for Zorga. With future sets, Zorga builds will become even more diverse and complex.

Zorga’s second ability allows the player to call a card from the drop to a rear-guard circle, filling the board with attackers or activate on-place abilities.

Hendrina is an important card in Zorga builds due to both of the card’s impactful abilities. When this card is placed on a rear-guard circle, the player may choose to discard three cards from the top of the deck.

This ability allows the player to find more cards to use; like Orders in the drop for Alchemagic or attackers to be resurrected by Zorga or Spiritual Body Condensation. This ability is also optional, giving the player the choice on whether or not to discard; this is especially relevant if the player has few cards left in the deck.

Hendrina’s second ability removes itself from the field, but nullifies the cost of Soul-Blast for Alchemagic. It’s a great way to maintain Soul resources for Zorga decks.

This Order is what gives Zorga decks the ability to attack with incredible power. The Order gives any three units +10 000 power until the end of the turn, and it is a great way to force more Shield out of the opponent’s hand for guarding their hefty attacks. As of now, there aren’t many choices for Orders to run, but this Order will suffice as a great way to raise the power of attacking columns.

Once again, Spiritual Body Condensation is one of the best cards for Stoicheia as it can revive units onto the field that have on-place abilities or are integral to the offense of the deck.

Not much else needs to be said about this card, other than the fact that it must be played in every single Stoicheia deck. Pick up a playset of this as it will be in fashion for quite a while.

Ghost Chase is one of the most integral defensive cards in Stoicheia, and it should remain a staple card in many Stoicheia decks for a long time. When this Blitz Order is played during the opponent’s battle phase, the player may give one of their units +5000 power until the end of the battle to help guard against an attack.

Furthermore, Ghost Chase can bounce one of the player’s rear-guards back to hand. This allows Zorga to bring back a unit on the field for a myriad of purposes: to be used next turn, to be protected against opponent’s attacks or effects, to be used for Shield value etc. (for example bouncing a Perfect Guard or Over Trigger for guarding)

The utility that Ghost Chase provides is too good to pass up, and thus this card should see play a lot in Stoicheia decks.

Ruby Red is the starting vanguard for the Battle Princess series. Even though this card doesn’t do much, the card art poses Ruby Red as a dangerous threat not to be trifled with. Watch out!

Kyanite Blue is the reliable Grade 1 in the deck that enables the Battle Princess player to get the main feature active and running: the Prison Galactolus.

Other than that, this card doesn’t really serve any purpose; but if players decide to run this in higher deck ratios, the second ability can become more relevant.

Risatt Pink is the only card that allows Battle Princess players to imprison one of the opponent’s cards in hand. This ability is especially helpful when the opponent chooses not to call any units down onto the field.

This only happens when it is placed on the vanguard circle, but this will essentially help to activate cards like Grapple External to be able to hit for respectable numbers early.

Seraph Snow is the main Grade 3 unit of the Battle Princess deck, and this card is a great enabler for Prison to function.

Its first ability adds pressure to the opponent to remove their units from the Prison during their turn. If not, Seraph Snow has the potential to gain +10 000 power and even an extra drive if they leave 3 or more rear-guards in the Prison. This is especially damaging against rear-guard reliant decks like Magnolia.

This card’s second ability acts as another way to imprison the opponent’s rear-guards. It’s a good ability that allows for field control and forces the opponent to rethink what units they would like to call down onto the board.

Agra Rouge is an important card in the functioning of the deck. This card is able to gain power and Shield should two or more of the opponent’s rear-guards be left in the prison.

This builds more to the control aspect of the Battle Princess series, allowing them to calmly guard against the opponent’s attacks and slowly overwhelm them.

Its second ability can imprison an opponent’s front row rear-guard for the cost of one Soul-Blast. This helps to build up for Seraph Snow’s three-rear-guard requirement for the extra drive.

Chevalstud is another important supporting unit that can imprison an opponent’s rear-guard and give the player an advantage in hand by drawing a card. It’s a simple ability, but it allows the player to gather more resources to outlast the opponent. This should be a 4-of for the foreseeable future.

Bobalmine is an essential card in both Brandt Gate decks. It provides resources in the form of Soul and Counter-Charge after boosting. Of course, there is the requirement of a Set Order being present, but that is always going to be a condition that is actively met by the Prison set Order. Bobalmine’s ability is so cost-friendly, there should be no excuse for not running it in the deck.

Goldog Dragon may be considered to be used during Ride deck discarding to add an additional body onto the field. Of course, this can’t be used during Grade 1 turns (given that there may not be damage to use for Counter Blast and the Set Order would not be in play at the time of discarding).

This is a great way to preserve the hand advantage and also put an attacker early that can be annoying for the opponent to deal with.

This grade 1 Blitz Order may be considered to add to the defense and control aspect of the deck.

However, the Counter-Blast cost to cast this Blitz Order is very expensive, and it would be taking up slots in the deck that could instead run more impactful cards that contribute to Imprisoning the opponent’s units, so this would probably only see play as a 1 or 2-of in the deck.

Phovi is the grade 0 starting vanguard for Orfist players. It doesn’t do much, as with most starting vanguards, but the art that it has is magnificent.

Routis’ ability activates when it is ridden, searching the deck for a World card, and putting it into the player’s hand. This gives the player a bit more consistency in obtaining the World Set Orders, instead of being forced to play 4-ofs of both World Set Orders.

Routis’ second ability is a humble one, and it gains +2000 power when attacking or boosting if the World is Dark Night or Abyssal Dark Night.

Cubisia is a powerful grade 2 ride that can give any unit plus +5000 power when a World is put into the Order zone. This runs in conjunction with the World Order searched out by Routis’ ability, so this power buff is guaranteed to go off every time this card is ridden.

Cubisia also gains a +5000 power buff during the player’s turn if the World is Abyssal Dark Night, so it can be used as a viable beater with the Shadow Army tokens.

Cardinal Deus, Orfist is one of the most interesting cards in the current format. This card gains a +5000 power bonus on the player’s turn based on what the World state is. This allows Orfist to hit for higher numbers and force out more Shield from the opponent during attacks.

Orfist’s second ability can be activated if the World is Abyssal Dark Night. For the cost of 2 Counter-Blast, this card can call up to three Shadow Army tokens to the field. These Shadow Army tokens are grade 1 units with boost and 15 000 power, and can act as powerful attackers on their own and boosters for Cubisia or Jabbatail.

What is interesting to note is that this ability is repeatable during the turn, so it is possible for an Orfist player to fill their entire board with Shadow Army tokens for the cost of 4 Counter-Blast.

Bobalmine is an important card in both Brandt Gate decks, and it can be seen as a necessity for Orfist decks because Orfist requires a lot of Counter-Blast to pull off his Shadow Army summoning ability.

Bobalmine replenishes one Counter-Blast that Orfist may use for the following turn, after it boosts. The Soul that it gives is also quite relevant. Overall, Bobalmine is a great resource generator and should be maxed out in a current deck.

Of course, all Orfist players cannot forget to bring along Shadow Army tokens. One must always have at most 5 tokens to bring along, just in case the game plan calls for a board full of tokens. In competitions, missing any tokens during gameplay can lead to disqualification, so players should always come prepared.

Jabattail is a great tech option in the deck. If the World is Abyssal Dark Night, it can attack all the units in one of the opponent’s rear-guard columns.

This allows it to attack important boosting units and adds pressure to the opponent to force out more Shield for their units, especially if both units targeted are important to defend.

In the scenario where this attacks the opponent’s vanguard and an important booster in a game-winning situation, it will force the opponent to more or less sacrifice their booster to guard this attack. Because of the lack of options for Orfist as of yet, this card can be freely run in high quantities.

Drumler is also a good option in the deck, as it can help to cycle the deck to get to more important key pieces by drawing a card.

However, it can be argued that because this card only becomes active when two or more Worlds are active, players may wish to play fewer copies of it.
Adding to this, the cost for drawing is quite hefty, and it competes with Orfist for Counter-Blast as well. So, this card should be run in lower quantities in order to prevent interference with the main feature of the deck.