Moka Explains: Log Horizon!

Welcome Readers!

To our post featuring the latest insight to the upcoming Weiss Schwarz release:
Log Horizon!

 This latest release is based on a fun and well-loved anime series. With both a trial deck and an extra booster set, Meisters have the opportunity is play with their favourite characters from the series. 
 Both released in English on the 23rd October 2015, you were able to get building; with the trial deck acting as a great foundation. However, at the moment this is only an extra booster series so sadly you only have 2 colours to mess with: Red and Blue; with Shiroe cards in Blue and Akatsuki cards in Red. Along with Shiroe and Akatsuki, you also have the option to play with other loveable characters from the anime series: Nyan-tu, Naotsugu, Marielle, Rayneshia and many more!!


  Trial Deck
 Like every other Weiss Schwarz trial deck, the Log Horizon one is a 50-card pre-constructed starter deck that includes a rule sheet, deck manual, playbook and a paper playmat; perfect to get you stuck into the World of Weiss! 
 Bushiroad stated on their Weiss Schwarz website that this trial deck features well be featuring characters and card art from the first 4 episodes of the anime.
 There are two types of exclusive RRR foiled cards as well as 1 SP gold hot-stamped signed card from Akatsuki's voice actress - Emiri Kato - that you have a chance at pulling from one of the six decks in a display case. The two cards that come in RRR are Akatsuki and Shiroe.

 As mentioned already, this trial deck only consists on Red and Blue cards, so here are some of my person favourites exclusively in the trial deck:
   - Akatsuki  ~  Level 0, 1500 power, 0 cost;  [Auto][Put a marker from underneath this card into your waiting room] When this card attacks, if you pay the cost, choose one of your opponent's level 0 or lower characters in your centre stage and put is into your opponent's waiting room.  &  [Act]<Rest> this card to put a marker underneath her if there isn't one already.
 Now I like this early game aggression character because with a cheap cost she sets herself up for the next turn and can easily aid in wiping out your opponent's centre stage defences.
   - Enchanter, Shiroe  ~  Level 3, 10000 power, 2 cost; [Cont] Gets +1500 power if you have five or more cards in your hand and also gains the following ability: [Cont] During this card's battle, your opponent cannot play "Backup" from hand.  &  [Auto] When this card is frontal attacked, look at the top card of your deck, and put it back on top of your deck or in the waiting room.
 A pretty decent starting Level 3 character to play with as it has both aggressive and controlling traits: aggro ones consisting of gaining a power up and the control ones consisting of stacking a trigger check and not allowing your opponent to use "Backup" cards during his battle. He also comes in SR :D
   - Enchanter's Support  ~  Level 2, Event, 1 cost;  Choose one of your opponent's Level 3 or lower characters and that character cannot <stand> in your opponent's next stand phase. Choose one of your characters and that character gains +2000 power until the end of turn.
 I really, really like this event card. Personally it's difficult to find an event card that is 100% awesome, but to me, this card fills that quota. Despite being a Level 2 event card, it even allows you to target [change] or early game Level 3 characters on your opponent's stage and force it to be stunned which gives you more of an upper hand for a turn. And if that wasn't good enough, it gives any one of your characters and it gains +2000 power! I seriously cannot see a downside to this card; it gives you so much for barely any cost.
   - Crescent Moon Alliance Representative, Marielle  ~  Level 2, 4000 power, 1 cost; [Assist] All characters in front of her get +1000 power. &  [Act](1) Choose one of your <Weapon> characters and that character gets +1500 power until the end of turn.
 Usually I'm not very fond of Assist cards that are above Level 0.... However, I do like this cards easy way of powering up your whole centre stage which is very handy to have. Also, if you don't have anything else to work with, you can push her forward to the centre stage and she can battle for you instead.
   - Swashbuckler, Nyan-ta  ~ Level 1, 5000 power, 0 cost;  [Auto] When a card named "Sophisticated Cooperation" is placed in your climax area, if you have another character with "Shiroe" in its card name, this card gets +4000 power.
 For a card that costs nothing to play and can take out Level 3 characters with the correct set up, I highly like this Level 1 combo card and pleased that something like this was made available in the trial deck.
 For now, they are all the trial deck cards I wanted to specifically address in this post but there are a couple of others I liked the general look of that adds flare to the trial deck :)


  Extra Booster Support
 Released at the same time on 23rd October 2015, players have the immediate option to upgrade their newly purchased trial decks. Within this extra booster set of Log Horizon, there are 50 types of cards, with 50 parallels and 3 SP variants. Per booster there is 6 cards; 4 normal and 2 parallel, with 6 booster packs per display box. The 3 types of exclusive SP gold hot-stamp signed cards that are randomly inserted into packs are from the Japanese voice cast for the anime series: Takuma Terashima as Shiroe, Yumi Hara as Maryelle and Emiri Kato as Akatsuki like in the trial deck.

 Here are a few of my favourites from both sides of Extra Booster; let us start with Blue seeing as Shiroe is the main character of Log Horizon!
   Blue
       - Log Horizon's Representative, Shiroe  ~  Level 3, 3000 power, 2 cost;  [Cont] You cannot take damage from your opponent's character's [Auto] effects.  &  [Assist] All of your <Weapon> or <Magic> characters in front of him gain X power. X is equal to 1000 times by that character's level.  &  [Auto](1)[<Rest> this card] During your turn, when another of your character's battle opponent becomes< reversed>, if this card is <stand> if you pay the cost, choose one of your characters in battle and that character gains "[Cont] The character in front of this card gets -2 soul" until the end of your opponent's next turn.
 To start off with, yes he may only be 3000 power base, but his defencive and controlling qualities is amazing for any deck focusing or teching Blue cards in this series! I like how he effectively does what he does best in the anime and that is support it comrades in battle and guides them straight to victory by being one step ahead of their opponent!
      - Guardian, Naotsugu  ~  Level 3, 9500 power, 2 cost;  [Cont] This card gets +500 power for each of your other <Weapon> or <Magic> characters.  &  [Cont] Great Performance: When your opponent attacks, if this card is in the middle position of your centre stage and not <reversed>, your opponent frontal attacks this card instead.
 Continuing with the theme of having half aggro and half controlling aspects. Easily being 11500 power without added assists, he also forces your opponent to frontal attack him when conditions are met which can screw with any plans they may have had in the beginning, forcing them to chance present tactics.
      - Determination to Change the World, Shiroe  ~  Level 1, 6000 power, 1 cost;  [Auto][(1) <Rest this card] When you other character attacks, if a card named "Log Horizon" is in your climax area and this card is <stand>, if you pay the cost, until the end of turn that character gets +1500 power and the following ability: "[Auto] When this card's battle opponent becomes <reversed>, you may draw a card".  &  [Auto](1) At the beginning of your opponent's attack phase, if you pay the cost, choose one of your <Weapon> or <Magic> characters and that character gets +1500 power until the end of turn.
 With this character, I like the ideas of the power gain during different phases of the game, both in your turn and your opponents and the option to draw a card when conditions are met.
      - Log Horizon, Nyan-ta  ~  Level 1, 4000 power, 0 cost;  [Auto][(1) Put this card into your waiting room] When another of your characters is being frontal attacked, if you pay the cost, return that character to your hand.  &  [Act][<Rest> two of your <Magic> characters] Until the of your turn, this card's soul does not decrease by side attacking.
 Another defencive character here but continuing with the slight aggressive tendencies as you can "save" one of your characters that is being frontal attacked and gives you the option to pay the cost allowing you to side attack with no reduced soul damage.
      - Field Monitor, Minori  ~  Level 2, 8000 power, 1 cost;  [Auto](1) When a card names "Simplified Full Control Encounter" is placed in your climax area, if this card is on your centre stage and you pay the cost, all of your characters gain +2500 power until the end of turn and the following ability: "[Auto] When this card's battle opponent becomes <reversed>, you may put that character on the bottom of your opponent's deck".
 For costing a total of 2 stock and needing a specific climax, this card's ability is insane! As well as powering up your whole attacking team, it also allows you to remove any <reversed> opponent's from field and put them exactly when you know they will be; effectively allowing you to stack your opponent's damage/drive trigger checks.
      - Nyan-ta  ~  Level 2, 7000 power, 1 cost;  [Auto] When another of your <Weapons> or <Magic> character attacks, this card gets +1000 power until the end of turn.  &  [Auto][(1) Put a card from your hand into the waiting room] At the beginning of your climax phase, if you pay the cost, choose one of your opponent's characters, <stand> that card and move it to another open position on your opponent's stage, and this card gets +1000 power until end of turn.
 I quite enjoy this Level 2 character. As well as being able to stand up against Level 3 opponent characters with its power gaining effect, it also allows you to move one of your opponent's characters that may prove to be troublesome for you so long as they have an open position on stage; he then gains more power for doing so which helps you reconstruct your opponent's field and wipe out their characters.

   Red
       - Beach Angel, Marielle  ~  Level 0, 500 power, 0 cost;  [Cont] All of your other <Weapon> or <Magic> characters get +500 power.  &  [Auto] When this card is placed on the stage from you hand, you may put the top three cards of your deck into your waiting room.  &  [Auto] When this card is placed on stage by hand, put the top card on your deck into the waiting room. If that card is a climax, put this card into your stock.
 The reason I like this card is simply because she is a good generic assist card that can be played in either a dual or mono colour build, with the additional option to thin out your deck if you wish for certain cards to be in your waiting room as quickly as possible so it aids in those [change] and [bond] abilities.
       - Lord's Ninja, Akatsuki  ~  Level 3, 10000 power, 2 cost;  [Cont] Cannot side attack.  &  [Auto] When this card is placed on stage by hand or by [change], you may put the top card of your clock into the waiting room.  &  [Auto] When this card attacks, if you have "Waltz for Two" in your climax area, until the end of turn, she gains +4000 power and the following ability: "[Auto] When this card's battle opponent becomes <reversed>, you may deal one damage to your opponent (damage may be cancelled).
 This is the main Red Level 3 character card and she reminds me of a mixture of Mikasa cards from the Attack on Titan series. To start off with, she is unable to side attack. Secondly she is the Reds "healer" on this Weiss support as she saves you some time by putting the top card of your clock into the waiting room if you wish. The main ability I like is her climax-based one where she gains +4000 power and has the ability to deal your opponent if her battle opponent becomes <reversed> which can easily win you the game when played correctly.

       - Maiden's Heart, Akatsuki  ~  Level 2, 7000 power, 1 cost;  [Auto] When this card is placed on stage by hand, reveal the top card of your deck and if that card is a <Weapon> or <Magic> character, put it into your hand and choose a card from your hand and discard it into the waiting room.  &  [Auto][Change][(2) Put this card and a card from your hand into the waiting room] At the beginning of your climax phase, if you choose to pay the cost, choose a card named "Lord's Ninja, Akatsuki" from your waiting room and place it on stage in the same position as this was.
 I always like the to get most out of specific Level 3 so running the [changer] than can transform itself into the main focus of your deck is usually a good decision to make. As well as changing into the Level 3 Akatsuki, she also allows you to draw into a new character card that you may need to set up your next combo; her draw-and-ditch effect allows you to set up her [change] ability rather easily.

       - Silent Worker, Akatsuki  ~  Level 2, 2500 power, 1 cost;  [Auto](2) When this card is used as "backup", if you pay the cost, return all of your cards from your waiting room back into your deck and shuffle.  &  [Act][Counter] "Backup" +2500 power to a character that is being frontal attacked.
 As most of you are properly aware by now, I don't usually run or like "backup" cards. However, ones with skills like this really takes my interest and is worth running in your deck, especially to fill in a decent Level 2 lineup. Used at the right time, you can refresh your deck without taking the "clock damage".
       - Sorcerer, Rundellhaus  ~  Level 2, 7500 power, 2 cost;  [Cont] Gains +500 power for each of your other <Weapon> or <Magic> characters.  &  [Auto][(3) Put two cards from your hand into your waiting room] When this card attacks, if you pay the cost, deal your opponent five damage (damage may be cancelled).
 Like the Level 2 Female Titan, he allows you to deal your opponent a lot of damage. Although you give your opponent a better chance of revealing a climax and thus negating the damage, it does thin out their deck for one, get rid of possibly wanted cards for two, and give them less chance at nullifying his attack damage for three. Yes his cost may be argued at steep (including his call cost) but he's overall an epic character and a very large threat to your opponent; forcing them to rethink what to target if they have little resources left to fight with.
       - Rundellhaus  ~  Level 0, 2500 power, 0 cost;  [Auto][Change][(1) Put this card and a card from your hand into the waiting room] At the beginning of your climax phase, if you pay the cost, choose a card named "Adventurer, Rundellhaus" from your waiting room and put it on the stage position that this card was on.
 Despite not being overly "wow", I quite like the concept of having a Level 0 changer that can superior call out a stronger unit and depending on whether you're only creeping up to Level 1, this is a nice edition to speed things along and allow you to remain early in the game but bring out some possibly better power than your opponent.
       - Cleric, Marielle  ~  Level 2, 8000 power, 1 cost;  [Auto][(1) Put the top card of your deck into your clock] When this card attacks, if you have "Crescent Moon Alliance" in your climax area, if you pay the cost, choose up to two characters from your waiting room and return them to your hand, and this card gets +2000 power until the end of turn.
 Finally, his beautiful character has the ability to take-on a Level 3 opposing character and return two wanted characters of any trait back to your hand, easily allowing next turn set up depending of what is in your hand so long as her conditions are met of course!

 As I said before, there are so many more characters and cards that I wish to include in this blog post but these particular ones caught my interests the most and I hope you understand why. Be sure to check out the extra booster set support yourself if you want to uncover more of what this amazing set has to offer you!

   Final Thoughts?

 As you can see, although there is only two colours to play with in this set, in my opinion Bushiroad have taken feedback from previous English extra booster releases and truly taken it on board. 

 Disappointingly Angel Beats appeared to be missing some key "glue" support that would enable its colours to work to their full potential as I personally found that the characters were capable of much more and there could have easily released support for all four colours in the booster support. I do somewhat feel the same here with Log Horizon, but not to the same degree.

 I was hoping for Bushiroad to do is to release support for all four colours as I believe different characters could have belonged to one of the separate four colours and they could have expanded on this, but I do think that this decision was purely due to the anime not having enough sufficient characters to divide them into the four colours and provide decent support for each colour; in doing so, by sticking to just Red and Blue, they hit the nail on the head by comprising the characters into these two chosen colours as greater support was able to be produced at a more consistent level instead of overstretching the characters and possible effects.

 Although I don't think I will personally buy into this set as I'm only halfway through watching the anime (and the fact that I'm saving up for another upcoming Weiss set), I do encourage others to check this fantastic set out as it has a lot to offer players with such little released support. This set focuses on having flare everywhere it could fit it in, that allows the deck possibilities to be more enjoyable and it is awesome to see. I truly enjoy the look of this Weiss release and I'm sure you will too even if you've never watched the anime!

 Oh yes! And be sure to enter into one of your local registered Weiss Schwarz tournaments to receive the special promo card: Minori, Apprentice Magician!!
 She is a Level 1, 2000 power, 0 cost "Backup" (1000 power) character than if she is used as "Backup" from hand and you have a "Shiroe" on your stage, you may choose one of your characters in battle and give it an additional 1000 power.

 Well, that's all for now readers! In the next blog post, we shall be looking some Log Horizon deck lists, so be sure to watch out for that one! 
     Take care everyone!
          Moka x x

Moka Explains: Attack on Titan - Red & Blue!

Welcome Readers!

To some AOT Red and Blue deck list ideas!

 In part II of my coverage of Attack on Titan deck lists, we shall be focusing on looking at mono Red and mono Blue. As mentioned before, you can easily mix colours in Attack on Titan support but if you're new to the game or just starting at deck build, I would highly recommend trying a mono coloured deck then once you get accustomed to the game play and gain a good feel for what you want your deck to do, then proceed to mix colours; doing this, to me, makes it so much easier to keep your deck balanced and consistent.
 Also, these are only sample decks that I feel I would start off with, then slowly alter the cards and/or amounts depending on how I feel the deck runs personally for me, so please take that into account before reading onwards :D Thank you!
 If you missed Part I, just click here: Part I

    Red - Cadet Support: Mikasa and the Recruits!
 Now this deck list is what I have in mind at the moment so it may obviously change when I get round to a good time to play test it out. Although, the general concept of this Cadet deck list is to make sure there is consistent power throughout your attacks, with the odd defencive and aggressive flare with climax combos. Some red units, like yellow, have the ability to move during your opponent's turn to avoid them from being attacked; I really like this ability addition to the general effects as it shows how the cadets would use their gear to get away from oncoming trouble.
  Climax cards:   8
      - The Girl the World Saw   x4
      - I Can Hear His Heartbeat    x4
 I chose these specific climaxes due to the characters I chose to run in this build. You can easily swap these around if you wish to run other climax-based combos in your deck, so this part is always personal preference and down to what you want your climaxes to do; support a combo or act as a general climax card.
    Alternatives:
          - Same Class  ~  Double Soul Trigger;  [Cont] All of your characters gains +2 soul - works with "Bold Crime" Sasha.
          - Day of Resolution  ~  Door Trigger;  [Cont] All of your characters get +1000 power and +1 soul.
          - I Can Hear His Heartbeat  ~  Double Soul Trigger;  [Auto] When placed in Climax Area from hand, choose up to one Red card from your waiting room and put it into your stock, and all of your character get +1 soul until the end of turn.
  Level 0s:    12
      - "Strong Spirit" Reiner    x4
      - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Bertholdt   x2/3
      - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Marco  x3
      - "Battle Stance" Jean   x3/2
 Reiner is the Red assist card that gives all characters in front of him +500 power at all times. He also allows you to give one of your characters another +500 power each time another of your <Corps> characters becomes <reversed> which can easily damage your opponent's plans of clearing your Front stage. Marco is a quirky little character as when he is placed on stage from hand, you reveal the top card of your deck and if it is a <Corps> character, you add it to your hand, then you choose a card from your hand and discard it to the waiting room. He also [bond] with "104th Cadet Corps Class, Jean". Bertholdt is 3500 power for 0 cost so he cannot effectively be played if you do not have another <Corps> character on stage, otherwise he must be put into the waiting room. Battle Stance Jean is a typical Level 0 "suicider" that forces its Level 0 or lower battle opponent to <reverse> if he gets <reversed>, and has the ability to give one of your <Corps> character +1500 power until end of turn by paying the cost.
    Alternatives:
          - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Christa  ~  2500 power, 0 cost;  [Auto][(1) Put the top card of your deck into your clock] When placed on stage from hand, if you pay the cost, choose a Level 1 or lower character from your waiting room, and return it to your hand.
          - "Paving a Way for the Future" Mikasa  ~  2500 power, 0 cost;  [Auto] At the beginning of your opponent's attack phase, you may put the top card of your deck into your waiting room and if that card was a <Corps> character, you may move her to an open position on your centre stage.
  Level 1s:     14
      - "Battle Stance" Mikasa   x4
      - "Sore Loser Personality" Jean   x3
      - Hand of Salvation   x2    {event}
      - "Healing Goddess" Christa   x3
      - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Sasha   x2
 Now my Level 1 lineup consists of a nice defencive changer and powered cadets. Battle Mikasa gets +1000 power and +1 level when placed on stage by hand, and has the ability to [change] effectively when she is frontal attacked. If you choose to pay the cost, you may call up to one card names "Beyond the Walls, Mikasa" in your hand to the stage as a defending character. Hand of Salvation is the only event card I chose to run in this build where you may return a <Corps> character from your waiting room back to hand, choose a card from your hand and discard it, then choose one of your characters and give it +3000 power until the end of turn; a very nice salvage event with the ability to also power up a character as well. Sore Jean is simply a free stock-costing 5000 powered character that gains +1000 power continuously if all of your other characters are <Corps>. Sasha can gain +1500 power if you have two or more other <Corps> characters and also [Encore]. Finally, Healing Christa has the ability to give one of your characters in battle +2500 power until the end of turn if you pay the cost when another of your <Corps> characters is frontal attacked.
    Alternatives:
        - "Awkward Affection" Mikasa  ~  4500 power, 0 cost;  Now this card can ideally only be played if you plan on mixing Red with Yellow or vise versa as she is heavily reliant on "Eren" being on your stage: [Cont] If you do not have another character with "Eren" in its card name, this card cannot <stand> during your stage phase.  &  [Cont] If you have another character with "Eren" in its card name, this card gets +1500 power.  &  [Auto](1) When this card attacks, if "I Can Hear His Heartbeat" is in your climax area, if you pay the cost and if you do, choose an "Eren" character from your waiting room and return it to hand, and this card gets +1500 power until the end of turn.
  Level 2s:    13
      - "Beyond the Walls" Mikasa   x4
      - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Mikasa    x3
      - Mikasa Ackermann    x3
      - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Jean   x3
 Again, more Mikasa character cards to play with! Corps Class Mikasa is our [change] character that gains +1000 power - up to twice per turn - when another <Corps> character is placed on stage. At the beginning of your encore step if she is <rested>, you may pay the cost and if you do, she goes to your waiting room. Then you choose a card named "Resisting Fate, Mikasa" from your waiting room and place it on stage in the position that this card was on. Beyond the Walls Mikasa is unable to side attack, but at 8000 power base, she gains an additional +500 power for each of your other <Corps> characters. Then if you have "The World the Girl Saw" in your climax area and her battle opponent becomes <reversed>, you may deal your opponent one point of damage (this can be cancelled). Mikasa Ackermann is a trial deck exclusive card and was explained in the main Attack on Titan blog post: AOT. Jean gains +2000 power when another of your characters becomes <reversed> and has the following [Act] ability: Pay 1 stock and until the end of turn, he gains +1000 power and [Auto] When this card's battle opponent becomes <reversed> you may put that card on the top of your opponent's deck.
    Alternatives:
        - "Bold Crime" Sasha  ~  7500 power, 1 cost;  [Cont] Gains +1000 power if you have 5 or more in your stock. &  [Cont] Gains <Potato> on stage.  &  [Auto] When this card attacks, if you have "Same Class" in your climax area, choose up to one cards in your opponent's waiting room and put it on top of your opponent's deck, and this card gets +3000 power until the end of turn.
        - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Reiner  ~  7500 power, 2 cost;  [Cont] If the number of other <Corps> characters is two or more, this card gains +1000 power and [Encore][Put a character from your hand into your waiting room].  &  [Act][Rest] one of your <Corps> characters and this card gains +1000 power until the end of turn.
  Level 3s:    4
      - "Resisting Fate" Mikasa   x4
 Like a mono Green deck, this is your only Red Level 3 option I'm afraid. However, this version of Mikasa is pretty awesome with 3 abilities; her first ability is a powerup where she gains +2000 power continuously if you have two or more other <Corps> characters on stage taking her to 11000 power before assist or other power-ups. Her second ability states that when she is placed on stage by hand or by [change], you may put the top card of your clock into your waiting room so a nice healing ability to play with. Her final ability is occurs at the beginning of your opponent's attack phase where you may pay 1 stock and if you do, you may choose one of your <Corps> characters and this card and exchange them as <stand>, allowing Mikasa to step up the mark and protect one of her more fragile comrades: as also portrayed strongly in the anime.

 Obviously when it comes to decks where there are many cards to choose from, I can't recommend/state all of the possible and best alternatives for the colour/set so I encourage you to personally dig a little deeper into the set if you don't find what you are looking for here :) Best of luck!

    Blue - The Mighty Titans!

 Now this decklist is what I recommended to a friend (include the Green Hange card) and he won a very considerable amount of games with it; so hopefully it will also have the same luck to you! In summary, the idea of this Titan deck is to early game beat down your opponent, then while they gain some higher Level cards, you bind your time until you can unleash the ultimate Titan: the Colossal Titan!! Along with the assisting havoc that the Female Titan brings, she has a few tricks of her own to mess around with your opponent.

  Climax cards:   8

      - Subjugation     x4

      - And, in 850...    x4
 Seeing as there is only 2 Blue Climaxes for AOT out to date, these are the only choices you have sadly. However, they make up for it by being part of some amazingly powerful combos throughout the Blue Titans. Subjugation is a Draw/Book Trigger Climax, but does have the ability to give all of your characters +1000 power and +1 soul until the end of turn. 850 is a both a Soul and Treasure Trigger climax, and has the same ability as Subjugation. The treasure ability allows that climax to go to your hand instead of to Stock when triggered meaning you can slowly build your hand for the mega combo of the deck.

  Level 0s:   11

      - "Towering Threat" Titan   x4

      - "Predation" Titan    x7
  Now one of the best things I found about the Blue Titan build is how the deck portrays the real Titans in the anime as they keep on coming regardless of how many is slain by the Corps. What I mean by this is that you may run as many as Predation and Invasion Titans as you possibly want in the deck. Towering is a nice early game support card as it gives your other character in the middle position of the centre stage +1000 power and also has the [Act] ability to search your deck for up to one <Titan> character, reveal and add it to your hand if you pay the cost of 2 stock and <resting> Towering; also shuffle your deck afterwards.

    Alternatives:

          - "No. 1 Oddball" Hange  ~  2000 power, 0 cost;  [Auto][(1) Put a card from your hand into your waiting room] When placed on stage from your hand, if you pay the cost, search your deck for up to one <Corps> or <Titan> character, reveal and add it to your hand, and shuffle your deck afterwards.
          - "Captured Titan" Sawney  ~  1500 power, 0 cost;  [Auto] When placed on the stage by hand, you may put X cards from the top of your deck into your Waiting Room. X is equal to the amount of <Titan> characters you have.  &  [Auto][Put a card from your hand into your Waiting Room] When placed on stage from your hand, if you pay the cost, choose one of your characters and that characters gets +1500 power until the end of your opponent's next turn.

  Level 1s:    13

      - "Invasion" Titan  x7

      - "Cruel Smile" Titan   x3

      - Forest of Giant Trees   x3    {event}
 Now Cruel cannot side attack, but at 7000 power, he's pretty nice to have out as soon as possible once your lower Titans are destroyed; especially as he also has [Encore]. As for Forest, it allows you to search for up to two <Titan> character from your deck and add them to your hand, and the only cost it has is to discard a card and put it into the waiting room. A very nice event card to allow you to find the missing pieces to your puzzle! 

    Alternatives:

        - "Overwhelming Power" Female Titan  ~  2000 power, 1 cost;  [Backup] +1500 power  &  [Auto] When this card is used as [Backup], if the number of <Titan> characters you have is three or more, choose one of your characters in battle and that character gets +1500 power until the end of turn.

  Level 2s:    12

      - "Broken Wall" Colossal Titan   x4

      - "Threat to Humanity" Colossal Titan   x4

      - "High Intellect" Female Titan   x4
 For this Level 2 line up, there isn't much going on in terms of physical attack brutality as Threat and Broken cannot attack without Stature on the stage; Threat has abilities that focus around the other pieces of the Colossal Titan where if it is on the Left position on stage, it gives the other two piece +1000 power at all times. Also, if you pay the cost when this card attacks and the climax "And, in 850..." is in the climax area, all of your <Titan> characters get +3500 power until the end of turn. Broken has similar skills where he gives Threat and Stature Titan +1000 power each if he is on the Right position of your centre stage. Again focusing around "850..." when he attacks you may draw a card.
 Please find other important details on Threat and Broken with Statures description.
 However, the Female Titan can be a game winner. She gives all of your other <Titan> characters +1000 power at all times, also when you place a climax card in your climax area, you may pay the cost and if you do, you deal your opponent a huge five damage. Although that damage can be cancelled (if it is you just thin out their deck which can be a good thing), it may also not be cancelled and can finish the game! You may also <rest> her as an [Act] and if you do, she gives one of your <Titan> characters +1000 power until the end of turn.

    Alternatives:

        - "Hard Exterior" Armored Titan   ~  7000 power, 1 cost;  [Cont] If all of your characters are <Titan>, this gains +2000 power.  &  [Auto][Put the top card of your deck into your clock] When this card's battle opponent becomes <reversed>, if you pay the cost, draw a card.
       - Spreading War, Colossal Titan  ~  10000 power, 2 cost;  [Auto][Put a Level 0 or lower character from your stage into your waiting room] When this card is placed on stage from hand, you may pay the cost to keep him. If you do not, he gets sent to your waiting room. Also, he is a +2 soul character with a soul trigger.

  Level 3s:    6

      - "Enormous Stature" Colossal Titan   x4
      - "Plan of Capture" Female Titan   x2
 Now you don't have to run the Female Titan supporting Level 3 in this build, but as an iconic character in the anime, I really wanted to run at least 2 of her in this deck as it gain me another option to play with if the Colossal Titan focus doesn't go to plan. Colossal Titan has 3 wordy abilities: the first states that if "Threat" and "Broken" (the Level 2 pieces) are on your stage, Stature gets -1 level while in your hand; enabling the other pieces of the puzzle to get going! The second ability states that continuously during your opponent's turn, if Stature is in your centre stage and not <reversed>, "Threat" and "Broken" cannot become <reversed>; making them highly problematic for your opponent. The third and final ability of Stature is climax based - And, in 850... - and at the beginning of your encore step, you may pay the cost of putting that climax into your waiting room and if you do, return the top card of your clock into your hand and this card gets +3000 power until the end of your opponent's next turn; making the Colossal Titan 16000+ power easy during your opponent's turn if you have the right set up. 

 However, you must take into account that if the Colossal Titan head is gets <reversed> and slain to the waiting room, "Threat" and "Broken" automatically will lose its indestructibility and will also follow suit to the waiting room.
 The Female Titan also has 3 abilities: the first forces the character in front of her to have -1 soul continuously. Her second ability is climax based - Subjugation - because when she attacks with that particular climax in the Climax area, if all of your characters are <Titans>, draw a card, and until your opponent's next turn, the character facing her gets -1 soul. Her final ability revolves around being frontal attacked where you may discard a <Titan> character from your hand into the waiting room and if you do, she gains +2500 power until end of turn; so a very nice defencive ability there, especially when combined with that Blue [Backup] card!

 The Titans are forever ruthless and ready to cause problems for their Corps counterparts, and the Cadets have a long way to go before they can truly take down the Colossal Titan... right? Or perhaps they are ready to take him down to size or two! 
 Show your opponent that you have confidence in your build, and let them Cadets sore to victory, or those Titans smash through their defences! 
 Now I hope these deck lists have helped you with something you might have been stuck on before and that the details of each as aided you with learning how to use those cards to bet of their ability and potential.

   Anyway, that's all from me readers!   Take care and see you next time!
      Moka x x

Moka Explains: Attack on Titan - Green & Yellow!!

Welcome Readers!!

To our blog post featuring part 1 of our Attack on Titan deck lists!

 If you aren't sure what is in this set, be sure to check out our previously AOT blog post to see what the set is like, what characters are featured in the set, and also get an introduction to see what each colour within Attack on Titan has to offer :D
  Link to previous blog post: Attack on Titan!

 If you're all up to date or even just curious, keep reading and we hope you enjoy our own this first instalment of our AOT personal deck lists. Maybe even find inspiration to create or modify your own build!!

 As mentioned in our previous Attack on Titan blog post, this set has the joys of all 4 colours to play around with: with Levi and the elite scouts in Green, Eren and Armin as main features in Yellow, Mikasa and the other recruits in Red, to the mighty Titans in Blue, you'll definitely find something to enjoy playing from this series! 
 All Weiss Schwarz chosen card art in this set truly brings out the iconic scenes from the anime that easily bring players and lovers of the anime together as they remember the emotions they each went through during the duration of the Season 1 of Attack on Titan.

   The Decklists!!
 As we have a lot to get through, I will make my explanations of my choices rather brief, otherwise this blog post will be even longer than what it is expected to be anyway, haha. Just so beginners can grasp deck-building easier, we shall be sharing mono colour deck lists; although trial decks are usually duel-colour builds, personally I found it easier in order to get used to Weiss deckbuilding, sticking with one colour makes the process a lot easier to handle in my opinion. Players who are after duel or more coloured builds, it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out what cards of each colour you'd like to use together :) so best of luck!
 Let's start off by covering a mono Green build as Levi is arguably one of the main idols amongst the AOT characters:

     Green - "Levi and Pals"
 Now this deck list is what I played at my locals first official Weiss Schwarz tournament and I managed to get 1st place undefeated with 16 participating players. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of players, but our store is new to supplying Weiss goods and supporting a proper Weiss community so I'm pretty proud of that. As the deck title gives away, my deck revolves around Levi and his elite squad of Special Operations. As I write up my actual list, I do see that the deck is very unbalanced and I will probably change it about a fair amount. However, my winning streak helps prove that despite this, it does work.
   Climax cards:   8
      - Special Operations Squad    x3
      - The Wings of Freedom    x3
      - Truth    x2
 All climaxes combo with cards used throughout the build; I figured having a climax that suits a combo at Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 gave my deck an edge and something to work towards during each Level of the game.
 SOS is the typical "put a <featured colour card> in your stock and all characters gain +1 soul" until the end of turn; it has 2 soul triggers. WOF is the "every characters gets +1000 power and +1 soul" until the end of turn; it has the treasure trigger. Truth allows you to "draw a card, choose one of your characters and it gains +2000 power and +1 soul" until the end of turn; it has 2 soul triggers.
   Level 0s:  12
      - "Violent Ripples" Levi    x4
      - "Member of Levi Squad" Gunther    x3
      - "Member of Levi Squad" Eld    x3
      - "No. 1 Oddball" Hange   x2
    Alternatives:
          - "Gentle Smile" Petra  ~  1500 power, 0 cost;  [Auto] When this card becomes <reversed>, if this cards battle opponent is Lv 0 or lower, you may put the top card from your opponent's clock into their Waiting Room. If you do, put that character into your opponent's lock.
          - "Overfastidious Personality" Levi  ~  4000 power, 0 cost;  [Auto] when this card is placed on stage from hand, put the top two cards of your deck into the Waiting Room. If there is a Climax among those cards, <rest> this card.
          - "Scout Regiment Captain" Levi  ~  2500 power, 0 cost; [Cont] If the character facing this card is Level 3 or higher, this card gets +7500 power.
   Level 1s:   14
      - "Humanity's Strongest Soldier" Levi    x4
      - "Member of Levi Squad" Petra    x3
      - "Member of Levi Squad" Oruo    x3
      - Biological Research    x2   {event}
      - "Proud Soldier" Levi    x2   (or)
      - "Cool Personality" Levi    x2
 Looking at my build, yes I have a lot of Level 1s, but for how I play it works well; especially for early game rush come Level 1. As explained in more details in the previous AOT post, HSS Levi is the main game combo - Special Operations Squad - that I really enjoy where Petra, Oruo, Gunther and Eld support and form together a very strong formation against your opponent. Biological Research is an event card with 0 cost that works well with HSS Levi and his combo characters as you look at the top four cards of your deck, choose one <Corps> character from among them, reveal and add it to your hand, then put the rest of the cards into the Waiting Room. Cool Levi is an on-place power character that gains +500 power for each of the <Corps> characters you have on stage until the end of turn. Proud Levi is just a nice vanilla unit.
    Alternatives:
        - "Scout Regiment Section Commander" Hange  ~  5000 power, 0 cost;  [Act][Put a card from your hand into your Waiting Room] This card gets +2500 power until the end of turn.
        - "Outer Wall Research" Erwin  ~  6500 power, 1 cost;  [Auto] Encore (Put a character from your hand into the Waiting room to return this character to your stage as <rested>).
   Level 2s:   11
      - "Beyond the Walls" Levi    x4
      - "Frank Disposition" Hange    x3
      - "Lessons"    x2   {event}
      - "Scout Regiment Commanding Officer" Erwin   x2
 BTW Levi is a great Level 2 character than allows you to place him on stage from hand at Level 1 if you have four or more <Corps> characters on the field, then if all of your characters are <Corps>, he gains +1000 power continuously and all players cannot use "Backup" cards during this card's battle. Frank Hange combos with the Truth climax when that climax is placed in the climax area, you may reveal the top card of your deck and if the revealed card is a <Corps> character, all your characters gain +2000 power until the end of turn. She also gives all of your other <Corps> characters +1000 power at all times when she's on stage so a nice buff there. Lessons is another event card where you pay 1 stock to choose one of your <Corps> characters and it gains +4000 power until the end of turn. You then place the event card into your stock so you essentially get the event for free. Erwin has two skills; the first allowing him to gain +1000 power continuously if you have 5 or more cards in your stock, as well as giving him Encore [discard a character], second skill allows you to potentially get one of the stocks used to pay for him back as when he is placed on the stage by hand, you reveal the top card of your deck and if it is a Level 0 or lower character, you put it into the stock (if not, return the revealed card to its original place); another good thing about him is his 2 soul damage.
    Alternatives:
        - "Cold Stare" Levi   ~  1500 power, 1 cost;  [Auto] When you use this card as [Backup], put the top three cards of your deck into the Waiting Room. &  [Act] Backup [Backup 3000, Level 2](1) Put this card from your hand into your Waiting Room and choose one of your characters being frontal attacked and that character gains +3000 power until the end of turn.
   Level 3s:   4
      - "Resisting Fate" Levi    x4
 This is the only Level 3 character that Green exclusively got so seeing as I wanted to concentrate on a mono Green scouts deck, "Resisting Fate" Levi is my only Level 3 in this build. He has 10000 power and costs 2 stock; having two skills to mess with: the first comboing with a climax - The Wings of Freedom - and when the climax is placed in the climax area, if RF Levi is on your centre stage, you may choose a <Corps> character in your clock and put it on any position on your stage; A very nice "healing" skills and gives you another character to fight against your opponent. His second skill can only be used once per turn but it's very powerful nevertheless; during the turn that this character is placed on stage by hand, when this card's battle opponent becomes <reversed> you may pay 3 stock, discard a <Corps> character from your hand and put another character from your stage into the Waiting Room, and if you do, you may <stand> Levi and move it to another open position on your stage meaning multiple attacks to cut down your opponent's field and Clock!
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    Yellow - Humanity's Answer: Eren/Armin
 Now this deck list is what I run when focusing on mainly Eren and Armin cards; ratio is a little off at the moment as I decided to upload the deck list I have at the moment due to not having a playset of some cards making my ideal build more difficult to play with, but this build works just fine for me so I'm pleased about that. Some Red Mikasa cards need "Eren" in order to work but those shall be the alternative choices if you wish to make a Yellow/Red build.
   Climax cards:   8
      - Crushing Blow    x3
      - Since That Day   x3
      - What We Should Focus On   x2
  These climaxes are chosen just because all 3 combo with character cards; allowing me to have something to do depending on the cards I have in my hand as most decks plan on doing anyway, haha. Crushing Blow gives all of your characters +1000 power and +1 soul until the end of turn; it has 1 soul trigger and the burn ability meaning if you trigger it and your opponent cancels the damage of that battle, you deal one point of damage to your opponent anyway. Since That Day is the yellow stock building climax of the booster set and also gives all of your characters +1 soul until the end of turn; it has 2 soul triggers. What We Should Focus On is the same as Crushing Blow; it has 1 soul trigger and whirlwind instead meaning when it triggers, you may choose one of your opponent's characters and return it to your opponent's hand.
   Level 0s:    12
      - Armin Arlelt   x4
      - Memories of the Past, Eren   x3
      - "Honor on the Battlefield" Eren  x2
      - "Confused Feelings" Armin   x3
 There isn't much special about my Level 0 line-up, but most of the time, I try to get to Level 1 as quickly as possible where my deck begins to do something worth while against my opponent. Armin Arlelt is the TD assist unit and you can <rest> him to give a "Eren" or "Mikasa" character another +500 power; to me this is the better Yellow assist card. Past Eren is a 3500 power character that cannot side attack so he is just in my build for early game power and attacks. Battlefield Eren is another TD character that gives another of your characters +1500 power when it direct attacks. It is also a Level 0 "suicider" that when it becomes <reversed>, it it's battle opponent is Level 0 or lower, you may put it into your opponent's stock, then if you do, put the bottom card of their stock into their Waiting Room. Confused Armin is a character that bonds with Past Eren by putting the top card of your deck into your Clock, allowing you to return a Past Eren from the Waiting Room, back to your hand. 
    Alternatives:
          - "A Chain of Tragedies" Armin  ~  1500 power, 0 cost; [Auto](2) When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, and if you pay the cost, search your deck for up to one <Corps> character, reveal it to your opponent and add it to your hand. Shuffle your deck afterwards.
          - "Beyond the Walls" Eren  ~  1000 power, 0 cost;  [Cont] During the turn, your other character in the middle position of the centre stage gets +1000 power.  &  [Act][Brainstorm][(1)[Rest] this card] Reveal four cards from the top of your deck and put them into your waiting room. For each climax revealed, search your deck for up to one <Corps> character, reveal and add them to your hand. Shuffle your deck afterwards.
         - "Entrance Ceremony" Annie  ~  2500 power, 0 cost;  [Cont] IF the number of cards in your stock is two or less, this card gets +1500 power.
         - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Conny  ~  1500 power, 0 cost; [Cont] If you don't have a climax in your Climax Area, this card gets +1 soul until the end of turn. &  [Auto](1) When damage dealt by this card is cancelled, you may pay the cost to draw 1 card.
   Level 1s:   13
      - "Humanity's Rage" Titan Eren   x3
      - "Hope in the Darkness of Despair" Eren Titan  x4
      - "Paving a Way for the Future" Armin   x3
      - "Paving a Way for the Future" Eren   x3
 For my Level 1 line-up, I wanted to have that early power gain hence the use of Humanity's Rage and Eren Titan. Each time one of your <Corps> characters attacks, Humanity's Rage gains +1000 power meaning he can be 9000 power before assist/boosting power. He also has a second skill based on "Crushing Blow" where you may pay 1 stock and put the top card of your deck into your clock. Then if you do, this character gains +3500 power until the end of your opponent's next turn and your opponent is not allowed to use [Encore] of any kind until the end of your turn. Eren Titan is from the trial deck and a particular enjoyable character in a Yellow featured deck as he becomes a solid 7500 power if a "Mikasa" or "Armin" is on the stage continuously; otherwise 6000 power base and costs 0 to call to the stage. Paving a Way Eren is an early game beater as he gains +500 power for each of your other <Corps> characters during your turn and also has [Encore] as you may put the top card of your deck into your clock to return him to your stage as <rested>. I don't usually like the idea of forcing damage but it's a decent way to level up if you want to get to a particular Level sooner rather than later. 
 Finally, Paving a Way Armin has the same Brainstorm skill as Beyond the Walls Eren, but has a supportive ability that gives your other character in the middle position of the centre stage gets +1000 power during your turn.
    Alternatives:
        - "Recurring Tragedy" Eren  ~  4000 power, 0 cost;  [Cont] During your turn, all of your other <Corps> characters get +1000 power.  &  [Act][[Rest] this card] Choose one of your character and that character gets +500 power until the end of turn.
        - "Gentle Ally" Conny  ~ 5000 power, 0 cost;  [Cont] If the number of your other <Corps> characters is two or more, this card gets +1000 power.
        - Anti-Titan Device "Omni-Directional Mobility Gear"  ~  Event, 0 cost;  [Backup] Search your deck for up to one <Corps> character, reveal it, put it into your hand, choose a card from your hand and put it into the waiting room. Shuffle your deck afterwards. Choose up to one of your <Corps> characters in battle and move it to an open position on your stage.
  Level 2s:   11
      - The Emblem on Their Backs   x2
      - "Readiness" Eren   x2
      - "Titan's Power"   x2
      - "Key to Humanity's Counterattack" Eren   x3
      - "104th Cadet Corps Class" Annie   x2
 The Emblem is a brilliant event card from the Trial deck that allows you to give one of your <Corps> characters +8000 power - as explained in detail in the actual AOT blog post - which can easily allow a  Level 1 or even 0 character enough power to overcome a mighty Level 3 and can also overcome any possible "backups". Titan's Power is another awesome event card that is a "backup" event that allows you to give a <Corps> character +4000 power and if that character's battle opponent becomes <reversed> you may place that character into your opponent's memory. Readiness Eren is a character that gains +4000 power and +1 soul if it is facing a  Level 3 character, and also has [encore]. Key Eren is a combo card that works along side the Level 3 Titan Eren. When the climax - "What We Should Focus On" - is placed in the climax area, you may pay 1 stock and put this card into memory, and if you do, this allows you to call the Level 3 Titan Eren from your hand to the stage. This decks closest form of "Change" ability as it does allow you to call a mighty beast of a card a Level early. Finally, Annie is a nice Level 3 beater character that gains +1000 power during your turn and if you pay 1 stock and put a card from your hand into the Waiting Room when she attacks, she gives your other characters +500 power and +1 soul until the end of turn. A nice card to help you catch up on damage.
    Alternatives:
        - Chimi Annie  ~  9000 power, 1 cost;  Cannot side attack, but has 1 soul and 1 soul trigger.
        - "Call from the Heart" Armin  ~  7500 power, 1 cost;  Gains +1000 power if you have two or more <Corps> characters continuously.  &  When this card triggers a climax, he gains +1 soul and +4000 power until the end of turn.
        - "Sudden Reinforcement" Eren Titan  ~  2500 power, 1 cost;  [Backup] Level 2 backup that gives a frontal attacked character +3000 power until the end of turn.
  Level 3s:    6
      - "Resisting Fate" Eren   x3
      - "Firm Will" Eren Titan   x2
      - "Resisting Fate" Armin   x1
 For my final mono yellow deck list, I decided to run these 3 particular Level 3 characters: Resisting Fate Eren is the main Level 3 in this build as he can be called to the stage at Level 2 if your opponent has a Level 3 out on his/her stage. He also gains +500 power for each of your other <Corps> characters meaning he can be a total power of 12500 power (including basic Assist characters; excluding [Act]s and can be even more with The Emblem on Their Backs, totalling at 20500!!). Furthermore, during the turn that this character is placed on stage from your hand, if you opponent cancels damage dealt by his attack, you may deal one damage to your opponent anyway, but this may also be cancelled. 
 Eren Titan, as explained before, works with a specific Level 2 character. This beastly titan has 12000 base power and has 3 abilities; When "Key to Humanity's Counterattack" is in your memory, he gains another +1500 power and the following ability at all times: when his battle opponent is <reversed> you force it into your opponent's memory. His second ability allows you to search for up to one <Corps> character from your deck and add it to your hand when he is placed on stage from your hand. His final ability occurs during the Encore Step; you must pay 1 stock in order to keep him on stage, otherwise you swap him with "Key to Humanity's Counterattack" in your memory and place that card in the same position as Eren Titan was in: this is a minor cost to pay to keep such a strong character on the field.
 Resisting Fate Armin is purely a supporting Level 3 character which gives <Corps> characters in front of him +2000 power at all times and gives those characters in front the ability to not be targeted by your opponents effects; he is also unable to be targeted by your opponent's card effects so he is a very solid Level 3 Assist. His other ability is activated when he is placed on stage by your hand, where you look at the top X cards of your deck - depending on how many <Corps> characters you have on stage at the time - and search for up to one card from among them, add it to your hand and the rest goes to your Waiting Room.

  Well that's all I have to offer when it comes to building a mono Green or mono Yellow Attack on Titan deck lists. If you wish to look at Red and Blue deck lists for this series, that shall be covered in a separate blog post to avoid the post being overly long-winded. As you can see an underlying theme of each colour so far as Levi have Early/Middle game rush with Late game aggression, whereas Eren and Armin have a slow build of power as you level up throughout the game.

 I hope you found this blog post interesting and it helped you figure out what characters to use in your own if you are currently building one from scratch or wondering how to upgrade the trial deck.
 Hopefully this was worth the wait, and I shall see you next time Readers!!

    Take Care!
      Moka x x