Its another Thursday, which means another Gate Ruler reveal stream!
First up was the update to 11-K Knight, which has updated its starting hand from 2 to 4. In Japan, this change will apply to tournaments starting tomorrow, August 20th. For English, this will assumedly be applied with Set 3's release on October 29th.
Next, 2 new Superior Rares were revealed, Vavelsion, the War Veteran and Lucifer the Lightbringer. Both of these carry brand-new abilities, Guardian Summon and Damage Reversal. Guardian Summon, as explained on Vavelsion, is an ability that allows you to summon a unit during your opponent's turn as an instant action, whereas Damage Reversal is an alternative costing method for effects where you flip X number of face-up damage face-down. A Q&A for Damage Reversal was released which we will translate later in the article.
Lucifer the Lightbringer, as described when first teased, is a powerful field-wipe. Hand based decks will be able to use it to use it to wipe many boards, and it will make 6 HP or higher units much more valuable. Cards like G&G Armament Factory may see increased use with Lucifer to allow it to take out even those sturdy units. This damage is unreducable too, making it a pretty sure kill on those units, which include the meta-defining Darumageddon, allowing it to be removed before it gets its additional drive.
Of course, this board wipe affects your side as well, and Lucifer only possesses 5 HP, so it'll be removed too, making it more akin to a spell. However, if used in decks built around one or both of the mechanics it belongs to, OWL or Reginleif, it can Enhance to gain Charge Shield and remain on the board. If it does so, you will then have a 5 HP defense zone, enough to render any Ruler but Berserker useless for the turn, as well as access to a powerful DR2 ability to ready a resource every turn. Since you are likely to net a good 2-3 uses of this per Lucifer (given you have enough damage to feed that), it will enable OWL and Reginleif decks to make use of a lot more high cost cards than normal!
The other Superior Rare reveal, Vavelsion, is a Volnar Dragon, making it a natural fit for Genesis Summoning and giving the deck a reason to gather enough materials to perform a level 4 Genesis Summon, something Calico Cat Sith would be a natural fit for. Vavelsion's DR3 can wipe out any card on the board, be it unit, set, or field, and has no 1/turn restriction, allowing you to spam it out as long as you have the damage to support it. Genesis as an archetype has a lot of healing tools too, which will give you more DR to work with.
The alternate cost for Vavelsion's Cost Reduction will also allow you to return Genesis Summon targets you draw back to the deck, something the deck couldn't do before, and with the remaining 1 resource you can potentially come, you could use Golden Ringdancer Paula with the new Cat Monk to pull out a Level 2 Genesis Summon alongside it. This set will also include a new version of Paula that is still a Level 1 Genesis Summoner, so it could do similar plays.
Lastly, Vavelsion even includes the Fire attribute required to activate Ice Flame Mineral, and once we have another Level 4 Dragon, summoning Vavelsion, spending its DR to clear the field, and then using Butterfly Effect to trade for another Dragon is a potentially powerful combo. With Canhel the Dragon deck could even summon Vavelsion without sacrificing a card in hand for its Cost Reduction.
After that, the box toppers and case toppers in Japan were discussed. The box topper is 1 Superior Rare, and the case topper is 1 copy of each Secret Rare. This likely does not apply to English boxes/cases, but as with the Legend box toppers Japan had in Set 1, it will probably be reflected in our normal pullrates.
The final card reveal of the stream was Cobra, a new collab card. Similar to Lord Annexator and Captain OMG! of the 1st set, it is a character from an old manga, in this case Cobra from 1978-1984, with the card's art drawn by its original creator. The stream stated that this card would be Japanese only, likely due to licensing restrictions, but given that the English and Japanese product info have the same number of ★★★★, we will likely get a card with different name and art and identical effect, like with Flying Spaghetti Monster and Schrödinger, the Cat Out of the Box.
The card itself is normally is low value for its level, being a level 2 3/3/2 that deals 3 to a unit, but when you're on your last 2 life it can be summoned as an instant and its reosurce cost is reduced by 1, making it very potent. Interesting to note is that its
ability shares its ability name with Jack Churchill's identical ability. The last time we saw something like this was with "Energy Boost" on "Spartan" Panzer Marines and Wescalot Imperial Legionary, which used the same name to restrict both cards to a shared 1/turn. Since that's not the case here, its possible we could see some kind of support for the "Giant Killing!" ability.
The last piece of news from the stream is that both of the newly revealed Superior Rares, Vavelsion, the War Veteran and Lucifer the Lightbringer will be available for early use in Japan via PDF print-offs until Set 3's release on October 29th.
(Sources: 1, 2)
The below is a translation of the Japanese site's Damage Reversal Q&A.
(Source)
First up was the update to 11-K Knight, which has updated its starting hand from 2 to 4. In Japan, this change will apply to tournaments starting tomorrow, August 20th. For English, this will assumedly be applied with Set 3's release on October 29th.
Next, 2 new Superior Rares were revealed, Vavelsion, the War Veteran and Lucifer the Lightbringer. Both of these carry brand-new abilities, Guardian Summon and Damage Reversal. Guardian Summon, as explained on Vavelsion, is an ability that allows you to summon a unit during your opponent's turn as an instant action, whereas Damage Reversal is an alternative costing method for effects where you flip X number of face-up damage face-down. A Q&A for Damage Reversal was released which we will translate later in the article.Lucifer the Lightbringer, as described when first teased, is a powerful field-wipe. Hand based decks will be able to use it to use it to wipe many boards, and it will make 6 HP or higher units much more valuable. Cards like G&G Armament Factory may see increased use with Lucifer to allow it to take out even those sturdy units. This damage is unreducable too, making it a pretty sure kill on those units, which include the meta-defining Darumageddon, allowing it to be removed before it gets its additional drive.
Of course, this board wipe affects your side as well, and Lucifer only possesses 5 HP, so it'll be removed too, making it more akin to a spell. However, if used in decks built around one or both of the mechanics it belongs to, OWL or Reginleif, it can Enhance to gain Charge Shield and remain on the board. If it does so, you will then have a 5 HP defense zone, enough to render any Ruler but Berserker useless for the turn, as well as access to a powerful DR2 ability to ready a resource every turn. Since you are likely to net a good 2-3 uses of this per Lucifer (given you have enough damage to feed that), it will enable OWL and Reginleif decks to make use of a lot more high cost cards than normal!
The other Superior Rare reveal, Vavelsion, is a Volnar Dragon, making it a natural fit for Genesis Summoning and giving the deck a reason to gather enough materials to perform a level 4 Genesis Summon, something Calico Cat Sith would be a natural fit for. Vavelsion's DR3 can wipe out any card on the board, be it unit, set, or field, and has no 1/turn restriction, allowing you to spam it out as long as you have the damage to support it. Genesis as an archetype has a lot of healing tools too, which will give you more DR to work with.The alternate cost for Vavelsion's Cost Reduction will also allow you to return Genesis Summon targets you draw back to the deck, something the deck couldn't do before, and with the remaining 1 resource you can potentially come, you could use Golden Ringdancer Paula with the new Cat Monk to pull out a Level 2 Genesis Summon alongside it. This set will also include a new version of Paula that is still a Level 1 Genesis Summoner, so it could do similar plays.
Lastly, Vavelsion even includes the Fire attribute required to activate Ice Flame Mineral, and once we have another Level 4 Dragon, summoning Vavelsion, spending its DR to clear the field, and then using Butterfly Effect to trade for another Dragon is a potentially powerful combo. With Canhel the Dragon deck could even summon Vavelsion without sacrificing a card in hand for its Cost Reduction.
After that, the box toppers and case toppers in Japan were discussed. The box topper is 1 Superior Rare, and the case topper is 1 copy of each Secret Rare. This likely does not apply to English boxes/cases, but as with the Legend box toppers Japan had in Set 1, it will probably be reflected in our normal pullrates.
The final card reveal of the stream was Cobra, a new collab card. Similar to Lord Annexator and Captain OMG! of the 1st set, it is a character from an old manga, in this case Cobra from 1978-1984, with the card's art drawn by its original creator. The stream stated that this card would be Japanese only, likely due to licensing restrictions, but given that the English and Japanese product info have the same number of ★★★★, we will likely get a card with different name and art and identical effect, like with Flying Spaghetti Monster and Schrödinger, the Cat Out of the Box.The card itself is normally is low value for its level, being a level 2 3/3/2 that deals 3 to a unit, but when you're on your last 2 life it can be summoned as an instant and its reosurce cost is reduced by 1, making it very potent. Interesting to note is that its
ability shares its ability name with Jack Churchill's identical ability. The last time we saw something like this was with "Energy Boost" on "Spartan" Panzer Marines and Wescalot Imperial Legionary, which used the same name to restrict both cards to a shared 1/turn. Since that's not the case here, its possible we could see some kind of support for the "Giant Killing!" ability.The last piece of news from the stream is that both of the newly revealed Superior Rares, Vavelsion, the War Veteran and Lucifer the Lightbringer will be available for early use in Japan via PDF print-offs until Set 3's release on October 29th.
(Sources: 1, 2)
The below is a translation of the Japanese site's Damage Reversal Q&A.
DR (Damage Reversal) refers to the action of flipping a face-up card in your damage zone face-down. For example, "DR3" means "flip 3 face-up cards in your damage zone face-down".
Cards flipped face-down by DR are still counted as cards in the damage zone, but information such as name, abilities, and card type are lost. Its an ability that can only be used if you've been damaged, and the number of uses per match is limited, but its a versatile and powerful to compensate for that. Manage the resources in your damage zone well, assess the battlefield, and claim victory!
Q: What is DR (Damage Reversal)?
A: It means to flip the specified number of face-up cards in your damage zone face-down. A flipped card loses all information written on it and any effects currently applied to it, and new effects cannot be applied to it.
Q: When referring to the number of cards in the damage zone, do face-down cards count?
A: Yes, it counts as a card in the damage zone just like a face-up card.
Q: Can I choose a face-down card when healing with Supernatural Citizens Act?
A: Yes.
Q: If a face-down card is moved to another zone, does it stay face-down?
A: No, face-down cards become face-up when moved to another zone.
Q: Can I choose a face-down card with DR (Damage Reversal) and flip it face-up?
A: No, "flipping a card" means "flipping a face-up card face-down", so that's impossible.
Q: When targeting a specific card in the damage zone with an ability such as White Dragon of Wales, can I choose a face-down card?
A: No, face-down cards lose all information on their front side, so when choosing a card in the damage zone for an effect that is looking for specific traits you won't be able to choose a face-down card, even if the card's front side has those traits.
Q: When checking for specific cards in the damage zone with an effect such as Space Tutankhamun's
, do face-down cards count?
A: No, as face-down cards no longer exist as any specific card name as they have lost all information on the front side.
Q: When choosing cards in the damage zone for Well of Id, I chose a face-up card and then flipped it face-down with an Instant Action DR ability. In this case, is the card still placed in the graveyard?
A: Yes, both face-up and face-down cards can be selected for effects that choose card(s) in the damage zone, and since the effect's resolution does not require any information on the front side of the card, the effect proceeds and the card is placed in the graveyard.
Q: When I play the ability of Solar System Backpacker in my damage zone, and then flipped it face-down with an Instant Action DR ability. In this case, will I be able to normal summon Solar System Backpacker with its ability?
A: No, when the card is flipped face-down, the effect of Solar System Backpacker will be interrupted as the information has been lost, and it will stay in the damage zone face-down.
Q: If I choose a face-down card with the "■ Choose 1 card in your damage zone and play it without paying its cost or counting it for your summon cap." ability of Schrödinger's Cat, will I be able to play the chosen card?
A: No, you will not be able to play it as you lack the information from the front side needed to know if the card can be played, so it'll stay face-down in the damage zone. Also, if you chose a face-up card with Schrödinger's Cat and flipped it face-down with an Instant Action DR ability, you would not be able to play the card for the same reason.
Cards flipped face-down by DR are still counted as cards in the damage zone, but information such as name, abilities, and card type are lost. Its an ability that can only be used if you've been damaged, and the number of uses per match is limited, but its a versatile and powerful to compensate for that. Manage the resources in your damage zone well, assess the battlefield, and claim victory!
Q: What is DR (Damage Reversal)?
A: It means to flip the specified number of face-up cards in your damage zone face-down. A flipped card loses all information written on it and any effects currently applied to it, and new effects cannot be applied to it.
Q: When referring to the number of cards in the damage zone, do face-down cards count?
A: Yes, it counts as a card in the damage zone just like a face-up card.
Q: Can I choose a face-down card when healing with Supernatural Citizens Act?
A: Yes.
Q: If a face-down card is moved to another zone, does it stay face-down?
A: No, face-down cards become face-up when moved to another zone.
Q: Can I choose a face-down card with DR (Damage Reversal) and flip it face-up?
A: No, "flipping a card" means "flipping a face-up card face-down", so that's impossible.
Q: When targeting a specific card in the damage zone with an ability such as White Dragon of Wales, can I choose a face-down card?
A: No, face-down cards lose all information on their front side, so when choosing a card in the damage zone for an effect that is looking for specific traits you won't be able to choose a face-down card, even if the card's front side has those traits.
Q: When checking for specific cards in the damage zone with an effect such as Space Tutankhamun's
, do face-down cards count?A: No, as face-down cards no longer exist as any specific card name as they have lost all information on the front side.
Q: When choosing cards in the damage zone for Well of Id, I chose a face-up card and then flipped it face-down with an Instant Action DR ability. In this case, is the card still placed in the graveyard?
A: Yes, both face-up and face-down cards can be selected for effects that choose card(s) in the damage zone, and since the effect's resolution does not require any information on the front side of the card, the effect proceeds and the card is placed in the graveyard.
Q: When I play the ability of Solar System Backpacker in my damage zone, and then flipped it face-down with an Instant Action DR ability. In this case, will I be able to normal summon Solar System Backpacker with its ability?
A: No, when the card is flipped face-down, the effect of Solar System Backpacker will be interrupted as the information has been lost, and it will stay in the damage zone face-down.
Q: If I choose a face-down card with the "■ Choose 1 card in your damage zone and play it without paying its cost or counting it for your summon cap." ability of Schrödinger's Cat, will I be able to play the chosen card?
A: No, you will not be able to play it as you lack the information from the front side needed to know if the card can be played, so it'll stay face-down in the damage zone. Also, if you chose a face-up card with Schrödinger's Cat and flipped it face-down with an Instant Action DR ability, you would not be able to play the card for the same reason.
(Source)
Edited by HunterSerge on 19th August, 2021 at 12:56pm CST