Angels, EX Cards, and the Metagame

[DocWatson]

So I was a little long-winded in my last post about Rougeerst, but let's see if I can get through the rest in one go shall we?

Let's start off with the underdog of the four spheres, the Refess angel of Sun and Birth, Weissvogel. Taking a look at her stats down the line we see that she's a level 3 unit, with 45 HP, an AT of 25, a DF of 0 (in Refess?! hold your gasps please), an AGI value of 4, and a RNG of 1. The first thing you'll notice is the fact that she's easily got the most HP out of all the angels and a speed that is only beaten by one other unit in Refess (the odd little unit, Cassowary King). Is she worth 3 SP it takes to summon her? Probably not. Here's where I get a bit confused on the usage of this little girl, she's got the AT, HP, and RNG to make her a front line hitter, however her auto ability which gives you SP +1 each morning phase makes me want to place her behind a few tanks to keep that battery going. Perhaps her true ability is the fact that she's able to help from the backlines (especially with that opening ability HP+10 for all friendly units? yes, please) and then when you're ready to let the front tanks fall, she can burst through and provide some nice offense. Fans of the classic SP ramp into Wasseir technique will certainly be a fan of this angel, as having her out with the Solar Prince will get that big guy out right quick.

Let's take a look at the EX card that comes packed with Weissvogel: our new Lion Baron, Zagar! In an interesting turn of events we see that this must be a card from the Baron's younger years as this one's only level 3, however he has 10 more HP and 10 more attack. His DF goes down to 0 in this version, but his AGI and RNG stay the same with values of 2 and 1 respectively. His SS is slightly more aggressive in that now he doesn't just do 60 damage, but he removes it directly from the HP of a unit (take that all you high DF units!) and in a similar theme he now has the ability to strip away the DF value of a random enemy unit in range and deal damage to them equal to his attack. Impressive? Quite. However, I'm not sure this EX pack is really worth the Gran so I doubt we'll be seeing him or his angel too much. Still, I'm sure some diehard Refessian out there will prove me wrong and make a killer file with these.

The next angel we're going to look at is the angel of the Moon and Soul, Noirweiden. She's a level 4 with 20 HP and 50 ATK, the phrase glass cannon is being bounced about on the forums about this girl and I must say I find it all too appropriate. Add to that an AGI value of 3 and a decent range of 2 and I'm definitely seeing someone that can sit behind the front lines to pluck away enemy offenses. She has a decent SS in that she has the ability to remove 40 HP directly from a unit, but her Soul Release ability is what's going to keep people seeing her on the field. This ability allows her to fully recover her HP when she dies, however you lose a LP. A risky venture, but one I'd be willing to try out. After all, if she dies you're eventually gonna lose an LP anyway right? The key to this card, as previously stated, is a healthy amount of defenders standing in front of her to absorb those blows before she keels and takes you with her.

More than not however, I predict we'll see her comboing quite well with her EX card: Broken Iron Soldier, XXXX. At level 3 with 50 HP, 30 AT, and 3 AGI he's certainly a decent front line drop but where he really intrigues me is his ability. Explosive Burst XXXX does just that: he self destructs and most likely kills anything on the board with him. For 3 SP he deals 50 damage directly to the HP of all units available, and I hafta say I've been waiting for a board wipe like this. Alone the ability is a great way to take a losing board on your end and really mess with the positioning your opponent has set up, combined with Noirweiden and you've got the ability to clear your opponent's field and get a nice clear Iczer attack. I'm not sure how much play we'll get with that angel (she's good, but whether or not the risk is worth it time will tell) but I definitely think we'll be seeing plenty of this guy for Iczers who are willing to shell out the dough.

The last angel we're going to see today is the cute little one drop for Falkow: Sea and Wind, Bulerigid. With an HP and AT value of 10 she's probably not gonna see too much front line fighting, but she comes in with an AGI of 3 and a RNG of 3 and for a one drop that's certainly something to look at. Her Soul Skill is the ability to return all cards in each Iczer's cemetery to the card file and I hafta say it seems a bit like a desperate play. On the one hand yes, you get all your cards back, but then again so does the opponent. Will this see play as a useful SS? I hafta say I'm not too sold on it just yet, but it may be an interesting counter to Broken Iron Soldier's ability so there's a possibility that if one rises so will the other. Now let's take a look at her regular abilities, the first up being her whispering of the wind skill. This has the ability to remove 2 AGI from any one unit within her range for one turn. Told you that AGI and RNG of hers would come in handy, and once again we see Falkow's ability to mess up combat math. A reusable and free (if not slightly less powerful) Undine effect is definitely worth placing her in your card file for, especially in a Falkow vs. Falkow match. Next up in her ability line we have the wrath of the sea skill which removes 20 HP from a target enemy unit for 1 SP. Falkow never disappoints with the ability to hit exactly where you want 'em to, and their angel certainly doesn't falter in that respect. Granted it's only 20 HP, but that's certainly enough for an assist kill if ever I've heard it, and definitely a viable play.

Taking a look at her EX card we see a brand spankin' new version of that favored heavy hitter of the Falkow: Azure Dragon-East, Vordore. This time around he starts at a level lower (lovely little trend they've got going isn't it?) and has pretty much the same stats except that he's 1 point faster in AGI. His new, and singular, ability this time around is to give all units 0 DF for the turn. Quite frankly, I'm not a fan. Yes I understand he's a level lower so his ability couldn't possibly stack up with the original's devastating boosts, but this one seems a bit too situational to me. If your opponent isn't packing a lot of DF cards, and is instead blowing through with an overpowering offense (which is a fairly large amount of decks in today's meta) then this guy's essentially a dead card in your file. Thanks for trying Vordore, but you don't get A's for effort in my classroom.

So there you have it, counting my other post we've seen all the angels and their respective EX cards. My prediction? Well, I don't think I'm really straining anything when saying that the best deal here is obviously the Gowen pack, followed by the Lawtia pack. Looks like those two spheres are continuing their dominion over the meta, though whether or not we'll see too many of these cards floating about to begin with seems dependent upon just how much players want to reach in and fork over hard earned gran for three cards. Gotta say I'm a bit too worked up over Rougeerst to not buy at least one, so until the next shift in the meta I'll see you all in the arenas and happy playing!

[Xovian]

The next angel we're going to look at is the angel of the Moon and Soul, Noirweiden. She's a level 4 with 20 HP and 50 ATK, the phrase glass cannon is being bounced about on the forums about this girl and I must say I find it all too appropriate. Add to that an AGI value of 3 and a decent range of 2 and I'm definitely seeing someone that can sit behind the front lines to pluck away enemy offenses. She has a decent SS in that she has the ability to remove 40 HP directly from a unit, but her Soul Release ability is what's going to keep people seeing her on the field. This ability allows her to fully recover her HP when she dies, however you lose a LP. A risky venture, but one I'd be willing to try out. After all, if she dies you're eventually gonna lose an LP anyway right? The key to this card, as previously stated, is a healthy amount of defenders standing in front of her to absorb those blows before she keels and takes you with her.

More than not however, I predict we'll see her comboing quite well with her EX card: Broken Iron Soldier, XXXX. At level 3 with 50 HP, 30 AT, and 3 AGI he's certainly a decent front line drop but where he really intrigues me is his ability. Explosive Burst XXXX does just that: he self destructs and most likely kills anything on the board with him. For 3 SP he deals 50 damage directly to the HP of all units available, and I hafta say I've been waiting for a board wipe like this. Alone the ability is a great way to take a losing board on your end and really mess with the positioning your opponent has set up, combined with Noirweiden and you've got the ability to clear your opponent's field and get a nice clear Iczer attack. I'm not sure how much play we'll get with that angel (she's good, but whether or not the risk is worth it time will tell) but I definitely think we'll be seeing plenty of this guy for Iczers who are willing to shell out the dough.

I've messed with her a few times, but unless it is really late game, she is a burden. The LP hits alone make her one of the highest risk cards out there. Having HP that the vast majority of units can kill in one hit doesn't help matters. If she had a higher Agi, i think she'd see more actual field usage, but from what i can see she'll likely be hanging out as a soul card for people that want her non-defend able damage. The good thing is, if you wanted to make use of her on the field, you only need one instead of having multiples.

Broken Iron Soldier seems better in almost every regard over the angel, which kinda saddens me. Only time will tell. Granted there is one work around with the angel, but most people already complain about that card that would benefit her as is, I don't think i need to mention who "he" is.

[Savin877]

I've messed with her a few times, but unless it is really late game, she is a burden. The LP hits alone make her one of the highest risk cards out there. Having HP that the vast majority of units can kill in one hit doesn't help matters. If she had a higher Agi, i think she'd see more actual field usage, but from what i can see she'll likely be hanging out as a soul card for people that want her non-defend able damage. The good thing is, if you wanted to make use of her on the field, you only need one instead of having multiples.

Broken Iron Soldier seems better in almost every regard over the angel, which kinda saddens me. Only time will tell. Granted there is one work around with the angel, but most people already complain about that card that would benefit her as is, I don't think i need to mention who "he" is.

Surely you don't mean our wonderful killing machine friend do you? Even if you do play that card, all the other Angels and EX cards are completely counter to him with direct damage or setting all DEF=0. Lawtia players are going to have to think twice before using him in their decks now. However, I could definitely see the card working well with Eskatia if you set it up right. However, I don't think too many people have that card yet.

[Xovian]

Surely you don't mean our wonderful killing machine friend do you? Even if you do play that card, all the other Angels and EX cards are completely counter to him with direct damage or setting all DEF=0. Lawtia players are going to have to think twice before using him in their decks now. However, I could definitely see the card working well with Eskatia if you set it up right. However, I don't think too many people have that card yet.

True enough but if they are trying to counter just him, while it will work, it leaves other avenues open that Lawtia can exploit.

Besides I never used him as a soul card anyways. Didn't need to.

[Thespi]

As I just posted in another thread...

I just played a game where my opponent had two LeBeau SS cards (3-4) and I pulled out my EX:DeFau fellow and totally wiped out the 95 DF that had been generated by the two LeBeau SS.

I don't think having KM in the LP section is going to mean an automatic win any more, or more accurately, I should say; People should ASSUME they will win with "him" there!

[7th_Shadow]

the meta's all gowen now. before it was speedy red cards. now its luck with the help of the new angel lvling up the brave soldier. everyone's trying to get their hands on it and stuffing it into their deck. my think its worst than lebeau was.

[Xovian]

the meta's all gowen now. before it was speedy red cards. now its luck with the help of the new angel lvling up the brave soldier. everyone's trying to get their hands on it and stuffing it into their deck. my think its worst than lebeau was.

Wont get any arguments from me. I was happy i finally made level 10 yesterday (on a day off), and went into the RP room and promptly received my thrashings by gowen players. Now i dont try to pretend im the best player out there, but the curve for gowen is very low in number of turns, and its basically clock work. Out of 7 hours playing, with minor breaks in between, I faced 6 decks that were not gowen, most of which the duels were over after around 20 mins. The gowen players might have needed a wopping ten minutes. I'm just as good as the next guy/gal when it comes to taking a loss, but repeatedly just having ones rear end handed to them and quickly isn't all that fun.

Just because you know whats coming, doesnt mean you can always work around it. That angel defiantly took their decks to a whole new level of the quick beat down.

In the RP room, i noticed a high amount of players besides me who have angels in their files. So it isnt like i can say I'm on equal ground, but comparing the angels of vs I think its clear who has a better effect in the game.

Don't get me wrong, i love using the to get through Lebeau as much as anyone.

[Romdeau]

Lebau should be slowly fading out as there are now several counters to it from each clan (well, except maybe for Refess-Lucky shot with Lightning Woman?). IMO Lebau is a bit of a last ditch effort to try to win without using any strategy whatsoever. It's so easy an idiot could do it; no disrespect, but if you whip that SC on me my fury will be righteous and it shall be swift. I really do not like that card.

[radishlaw]

Lebau should be slowly fading out as there are now several counters to it from each clan (well, except maybe for Refess-Lucky shot with Lightning Woman?). IMO Lebau is a bit of a last ditch effort to try to win without using any strategy whatsoever. It's so easy an idiot could do it; no disrespect, but if you whip that SC on me my fury will be righteous and it shall be swift. I really do not like that card.

In my opinion it would never quite fade out. I mean, it's extremely easy to set up; with the starting deck, you already got a couple.
To use is as easy; you just stick it in soul slot, no influence needed.

I guess that is what they are doing; make a very unbalancing card and push a "anti-Lebau" EX pack, forcing people to buy or lose to extremely
cheesy trick (it's definitely not a tactic)