I’d like to invite our top Iczers to publish some of their favorite Card Files, by sending them to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or posting them on the forum, but for now my meager Card File-building skills will have to suffice. Since Basic Set time is done, I figure no one will mind giving away their strategies.

REFESS Card File, OUR LADY OF REFESS

Key Playing Cards:

3 Saber Saint / Lapierre, 3 Folrart Shield Knight, 3 Cassowary King, 2-3 Magic Weapon, 2-3 Phoenix, 2-3 Ruby Carbuncle and/or Folrart Paladin.

Key Soul Cards:

EX: Azure Dragon - East / Vordore (multiple if possible), any targeted offence, Solar Prince / Verlaat or Ruby Carbuncle for longevity. LeBeau is also an option.

Nice Extras:

SP generation and healing, in the form of Sun and Birth / Weissvogel and Solar Prince / Verlaat or Kesaran Pasaran and Cure, Dryad, Will o’ the Wisp for increasing Lapierre’s HP. To handle high DF enemies, replace Folrart Paladin with EX: Lion Baron / Zagar.

If You Got ‘em:

2-3 High Priest / Abel, 2-3 Dragonrider / Wasseir

The Game:

You want to build a front line with one or two Shield Knights, I prefer two, and something that can do some damage. However, the damage is not absolutely necessary. What’s important is that you make the Shield Knights really tough to crack, with healing, especially Abel’s, and defense from Dryads or Soul Skills.

Behind the front line goes Lapierre, and when the enemy gets out archers, use Cassowary King. Lapierre needs her AT buffed or this isn’t going to work. I prefer Magic Weapon, but Boy Combat Priest and Soul Skills are okay. Lapierre and her fast AGI rain down death on the enemy while everyone else tries to keep her and the front line alive. Her sword, Lantylit, hits a random row and isn’t limited by range, so it can fire off in conjunction with Cassowary King. It does AT+10 damage, so with a Magic Weapon Grimoire on it, she can one-shot both Basic Set Lawtia tanks at once. Once you’ve got things in place for the Saber Saint to start attacking, you’ll probably be a little behind, although strong offensive Soul Skills can help make up for it somewhat. Either way, you’ll have to put Lapierre to work clearing up, taking down multiple units a turn if possible.

Cassowary King is probably the strongest defensive card in the Basic Set. It does the one thing that is most difficult to do, and that is slow the game down. Eliminating the damage from those pesky Salamanders and light archers makes a world of difference to Refess, where HP is like currency. Also, a lot of effects like the Return powers of Witch and Expert Sorcerer depend on range. No matter how strong the enemy is, he can only attack with three units at a time, and that’s only if he packs a full front row… which makes him more susceptible to Lapierre.

Dryads and Wisps are good for a little extra defense and triggering Soul Skills. Remember, if you buff a Shield Knight with a Wisp he also heals more when he uses Standby each turn. EX: Vordore is a lifesaver for buffing DF, AGI and AT, and Soul Skills that bring cards back out of the Cemetery can give you the extra copy of Lapierre or Shield Knight you need.

The Finishing Move:

When your front line finally falls, you can replace them with Folrart Paladin or hopefully, Phoenix. When Lapierre falls, doing damage can be a problem. However, throwing a Magic Weapon on Phoenix can turn the big bird into a powerful end game hitter. His damage and range will help you clear out the enemy’s weaker units, hopefully costing him the remainder of his Life Points without wasting too many attacks on his tanks and Undying units. Ideally, Lapierre can be replaced by Wasseir. Like Lapierre he can sit behind the front line and hit all the enemies with his special attack, unaffected by Cassowary King’s range debuff. Unlike her, he is one tough nut to crack.

FALKOW Card File, BAD LUCK BLUE

Key Playing Cards:

3 Black Cat / Fellana, 3 Sea Hunter, 2-3 Magic Scythe Soldiers, 2-3 Sylphs, 2-3 Undines, No Grimoires.

Key Soul Cards:

Any is fine, but you want to make up for not having any Grimoires and for having less offense then a standard Vordore deck, so go for direct damage.

Nice Extras:

You’re either going to need 3 Azure Dragon – East / Vordore or 3 Aqua Sorcerer / Mystere, or 2-3 of both if you can manage it. Haste Soldier may be needed for an opening.

The Game:

The idea is simple, once you have Sea Hunter out, put Black Cat behind him and keep attacking until the enemy is out of Grimoire cards. Normally, you’d put out Scythe Soldier or Eagle Soldier to press the enemy and carry through until it’s time for Vordore. It may seem like your tripping yourself up by putting out such a weak card, but killing off the enemy’s Grimoires now can ruin the enemy’s strategies for the rest of the game. Of course, the enemy isn’t likely to take this lying down.

Here’s the idea, in reality the enemy isn’t going to let you just sit there and destroy the Soul Bind he was planning to use to combo with his Invisible Druid Soul Skill, or the Returns he uses to get board control, or the Flame Arrows he needs to take out Vordore. He’s going to hit the Black Cat with everything he’s got. Nine times out of ten, your enemy figures he’s going to lose his Grimories anyway, he might as well use them to make the Black Cat pay for her crimes. She’ll get blasted with Returns, Flame Arrows, Soul Binds, everything. That’s really the best part, now not only is your opponent losing his Grimoires, but he’s also burning away SP in the early game, something that is almost guaranteed to trip him up later. Once she’s done her job, let her go to the cemetery. On the off chance she lives, you might want to keep her around as a high AGI ranged card that can deliver Vordore damage nicely. However, a Sylph does just as well and doesn’t tie up 3 of your SP.

So what if the enemy doesn’t fall for the bait? Well, just plug along and send his Grimoires to the cemetery one at a time, then move the Black Cat into the front row and let her die, getting back her SP and setting off a Soul Card. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of keeping her alive when she’s no longer useful. She’ll tie up your SP and make a target for killing your LP during a late-game field wipe.

The Finishing Move:

After that, you can move into a standard Vordore endgame without worry of Grimoires ruining his carefully laid AT bonus plans. However, the weaker field position you may be experiencing due to one of your early game level 3’s being weak might mean you don’t have the opportunity to build a strong enough foundation for big V, which means pulling him out is suicide. You might want to consider a Mystere strategy instead, especially since the deck is otherwise without Returns. Send his 3 biggest units away with Undines, one turn after another, and then use your remaining units to overrun his field. Without Grimoires, Mystere’s run can be pretty difficult to stop. This is doubly true if the enemy is SP weak from using his Grimoires too early in the game.