Friday, April 25, 2014

News: Cardfight!! Vanguard Films "A Game of Three" and "Neon Messiah" to Screen in September, Petit Vanguard Festival Decklists

Information regarding the upcoming Cardfight!! Vanguard films has just come out of this year's ongoing Great Vanguard Festival. Previously revealed at Bushiroad's December 2013 press conference, the films are currently scheduled for dual screenings as a single movie in September 2014. The first piece, A Game of Three (3つのゲーム Mitsu no Geemu) will be filmed in live action and star musician-actor Naito Daigō, while the second movie, Neon Messiah (ネオンメサイア Neon Mesaia), will be animated by LIDENFILMS of Ultra Super Pictures and star professional seiyuu Yonaga Tsubasa as the voice of Sendou Aichi. LIDENFILMS had previously done animation work on the franchise's poorly-received second season, Asia CircuitNeon Messiah is set to take place between the end of the Link Joker and the currently airing Legion Mate chapters of the anime series, and will explore the events leading up to Aichi's disappearance in the latter season.

Also coming out just today is news regarding the sixteenth and seventeenth Japanese trial decks, leaked by the manager of the Fukuoka-based card store G-PROJECT. VG-TD17: Blue Flames of the Sacred Court (聖裁の青き炎 Seisai no Aokihonoo alternatively translated as of the Sacred Judge) will feature the Gold Paladin units used by Quatre Knight Olivier Gaillard, but the exact nature of TD16's support is not known. TD16: Cursed Dragon of Determination (決意の呪縛竜 Ketsui no Jubakuryuu) has been widely speculated to contain support for the Link Joker clan, based on the use of the kanji 呪縛 Jubaku "curse/spell" which is also the written form of ロック Rokku Lock. Without a pronunciation guide, it's uncertain if the intended reading is Cursed Dragon or Locked Dragon; the double meaning may be intentional. According to G-PROJECT, both decks will be receiving a Beginning Set variant as with TD14 and 15, and will be released on July 11th.

In other news, the decklists from the Petit Vanguard Festival's winning team have been made public and are translated below. Captained by Sussan using a Dragonic Nouvelle Vague deck, the team also features one of the first successful Monarch Sanctuary builds of the BT15-on format; Monarch has had a generally lukewarm reception in Japan, debuting on the secondary market as a 200 yen (approx. $2) RRR, and even in the team midfielder Chris' deck Monarch himself is only played at two copies. Much of the build's newfound success comes from Balan, an improved clone of Barrier Troop Revenger Dorint that can unflip damage whenever a Blade Liberator is called to the rearguard, and from Star Rain Trumpeter, who can superior call a unit by returning Blade Liberators to the deck from the drop zone or soul. The new grade 1 Zorron is also subtly important to the new Liberators; when called to the rearguard from the deck Zorron can move into the soul to call another card from the top 3 cards, so that with the skills of Gancelot Zenith, Star Rain and Escrad all able to trigger him, the Monarch build achieves effective acceleration that can partially ignore Zorron and run a "46-card" deck while also replenishing the soul for Monarch's limit break. Chris' version of the deck also has synergy with Gancelot Zenith's emphasis on grade 2 and lower rearguards, achieved by running just 6 grade 3s.

Petit Vanguard Festival First Place Team
Foreward: Akebi/アクビ
Grade 0
x1 Vivid Rabbit (FV)
x4 Witch of Big Pots, Laurier HT
x2 Bandit Danny DT
x2 Fancy Monky DT
x4 Witch of Lemons, Limoncello CT
x4 Battle Maiden, Kukurihime CT
Grade 1
x4 Goddess of Protection, Kushinada
x4 Orange Witch, Valencia
x3 Apple Witch, Cider
x3 Ordain Owl
Grade 2
x4 Grape Witch, Grappa
x4 Witch of Ravens, Chamomile
x3 Goddess of Trees, Jupiter
Grade 3
x4 Omniscience Regalia, Minerva
x4 Regalia of Wisdom, Angelica

Midfielder: Chris/クリス
Grade 0
x1 Aspiring Liberator, Alm (FV)
x4 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x2 Strike Liberator CT
x2 Armed Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x3 May Rain Liberator, Bruno
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x4 White Rainbow Liberator, Balan
x4 Physical Force Liberator, Zorron
Grade 2
x4 Blaster Blade Liberator
x4 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x3 Liberator, Stair Rain Trumpeter
x1 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of Bonds, Gancelot Zenith
x2 Liberator, Monarch Sanctuary Alfred

Captain: Sussan/すっさん
Grade 0
x1 Red Pulse Dracokid (FV)
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe
x1 Dragon Monk, Genjo HT
x2 Dragon Dancer, Barbara HT
x1 Dragon Dancer, Therese HT
x1 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x4 Seal Dragon, Artpique DT
x2 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x2 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
x2 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x1 Lizard Soldier, Goraha CT
Grade 1
x4 Nouvelle Roman Dragon
x2 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x1 Dragon Dancer, Maria
x1 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x3 Calamity Tower Wyvern
x1 Dragon Monk, Gojo
Grade 2
x4 Nouvelle Critique Dragon
x3 Berserk Dragon
x2 Bellicosity Dragon
x1 Dragonic Burnout
x1 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Kumbhanda
Grade 3
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
x2 Dragonic Overlord (BT15/004)
Grade 4
x3 Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague