User blog:RaijinSenshi19/Buddyfight Informative - D-BT02, Katana World

Hey, hello hello, CobaltClaw / RaijinSenshi here, with the seond Buddyfight Informative for D-BT02!

Last time we visited Dragon World, and that went about as well as expected...

This time, we are visiting Katana World who got a massive overhaul and boost to their old decks, and they even got an entirely new one introduced as well.

And you know what?

This is one of the few times Katana World actually looked interesting to me (Like when Ziun was introduced). I would gladly build all of these decks if I had the budget for it.

Something I dont.

Wish I did.

Aaaaanyway... Let's go oriental!

Blade Beast
The new deck and attribute introduced for Katana World is the strong and capitivating Blade Beast deck. Revolving around using the various Japanese Blade cards that Katana World has built up over the years, these beasts pack quite a punch to create the first truely viable Katana World deck who can utilize items well.

First we look at the Size 3 of the deck, Blade Beast of Guillotine, Oden Tamitsuyo, who is a Blade Beast / Japanese Blade attributed monster, a call cost of 2 gauge and a respectable statline of 7000 / 2 / 6000. Her abilities include destroying a card the opponent controls when she is called, if you have five or more different Japanese Blade cards in the drop zone. And, at the end of her battle, if you have two or more different Japanese Blade cards in the drop, she gains Double Attack for the turn. She also has Move naturally.

Oden Tamitsuyo literally fills all the criteria for a Size 3 monster to be abused with Item decks, except that she does not have Soulguard, but that is okay. She leaves something to be desired, as the Blade Beast deck is not that big yet, but as it expands with multiple Blade Beasts in the future, it is sure to be a Tier 1 deck, just like Shadow Shade before them.



Obligatory RRR is obligatory.

This badass is Blade Beast of Blinder, Mikazuki Munechika, a Size 2 Blade Beast / Japanese Blade with a call cost of 1 gauge and 1 life. His statline of 5000 / 2 / 1000 might not seem that impressive at first, but dont be fooled, this guy is RRR for a reason. Just for having two or more different Japanese Blade in the drop zone, this guy gains +1 crit, and at the end of battle, he gains Double Attack too, while sporting natural Move and Penetrate.

Talk about straight beatdown tactics. This guy is scary, and if the opponent cant deal with it quickly, he is going to cleave down their health pool. pizza slice for pizza slice.

There is nothing more scary than a simple and powerful card. Uff.



Blade Beast of Phantasm, Onimaru Kunitsuna is next in the line, a Size 2 Blade Beast / Japanese Blade with 6000 / 3 / 3000 stats and a call cost consisting of paying 1 gauge and giving him a two-card topdeck soul. At the end of your turn, if he is rest, he destroys himself, but fret not, because he also has Soulguard to defend himself from self-destruction. And yeah, he also has Move.

Hey, it is Onimaru in monster form!

This guy is obviously just as an important card for the deck as Munechika, but this is the guy you can safely guard yourself with. An ideal play would be to equip your item and call this guy on the first turn, and then attack with your item alone. Just an idea.

Simple and strong, yet again. Woo.



Then we move on to Blade Beast of Ghostslash, Tojikiri Yasutsuna, and this guy is basicly what makes the entire deck playable and worth it.

He is a Size 1 Blade Beast / Japanese Blade with a statline of 5000 / 1 / 3000, and a call cost of 2 gauge. If you know Buddyfight, you canexpect him to have a crazy ability with those stats...and he does. When he enters the field, you can add one Japanese Blade monster or item from the deck to your hand, and as long as you have a Japanese Blade in the drop, he gains +1 crit and Penetrate.

Can we just dicuss how we can just charge a Japanese Blade and use that gauge for his call cost, and he will be live?

So insanely good a card this is. Especially for a Size 1, no less.



The fifth and last monster is not as insane as the others, but he does help the deck.

Blade Beast of Exorcism, Juzumaru Tsunetsugu is a Size 1 Blade Beast / Japanese Blade with 3000 / 2 / 1000 stats, and his ability is to grant you an additional gauge when called, as long as you have another Japanese Blade.

So far the only monster without a call cost in the deck, and it helps getting the others out, in terms of gauge gaining.

And this might be the first time I have seen a deck on launch date that does not have a single monster that can be deemed as bad. Nice work, Katana World!

Skull Warrior
Ah, Skull Warrior, the fan favorite deck that has been dead for such a long time now...making an explosive comeback with their new support bundle, I see?

Revelation Tactician, Keiganryu is the new Size 3, sporting the Skull Warrior and Dragon attributes, and this guy is one heck of a strong card. Call cost of 2 gauge and giving him a topdeck soul. Natural Soulguard. And as long as he is on the field, all Size 1 Skull Warriors have their size reduced by 1, turning them into Size 0 monsters.

This is one of the most strongest Size 3s Skull Warriors have ever had, and possibly the only you want to actively use in a deck because of how much he does for the deck. Giving you center protection, giving you a big beater without restricting plays, an actual good Size 3 ,and...this guy just makes Skull Warriors a whole new beast that you have to watch out for.

Grab a center-jumping item and start to whack faces in!



Solemn, Zogesennin is not that good a card in contrast.

He is a Size 2 Skull Warrior that costs 1 gauge to call, has the massive 7000 / 3 / 1000 statline, natural Penetrate, and he destroys himself at the end of the turn.

I mean, he is an option to cheese damage should you need it, but so is First Omni Beast Lord, Ziun, and I would much rather use him.

Not really sure if this will ever be worth running.



Gale Conflagration, Amakujaku is quite an interesting choice.

Size 2 Skull Warrior / Fire with 7000 / 2 / 3000 as stats is quite good. Call cost of 1 gauge, self-destruction at the end of the turn, and natural Double Attack.

Some people might be inclined to compare this to Tempest, Garo-oh in terms of wether they should run it or not. It honestly is up to the player of the deck to decide who to run or not. I am not a Katana World player myself, so I really dont see any reason to run one over the other, maybe except that Garo-oh can stay on the field and being a first turn play...okay, there is your reason, I guess.



Behold! The number one example of the fact that having a good-looking female on a card, does not mean the card is good.

Snake Princess, Setsuna is a Size 1 Skull Warrior, 3000 / 1 / 1000, with the ability to call another Size 1 Skull Warrior fro mthe drop zone when she enters the field...by paying 1 gauge and then paying the call cost of said card. And she destroys herself at the end of the turn.

This is not good in the slightest. And for new players, it shafts them out of playing the deck right. They should just have reprinted Return to the Underworld instead. She is just not good. If she had 2 crits then she would at least been somewhat of an option, but just having 1 crit cemented Setsuna as a bad card.

Just dedicate your Size 1 slots to better monsters. You dont need the snake princess' help.



Undying, Benishojo is a different story.

He is a Size 1 Skull Warrior with the 5000 / 2 / 1000 statline, and he destroys himself at the end of the turn. But what makes this guy insanely good is the fact that while he is in the drop zone, you can pay 1 gauge to revive him by his own effect.

A self-returning Skull Warrior, Size 1 with 2 crits no less, is something that seems unreal. Now you dont need to spam your field full with Set spells to revive an entire board in a turn. Benishojo, after he is played, will always be available for use. You cant mill him, sending him to the gauge only temporarily work, and bouncing him is just counter-productive. He is a really good card that I would be shocked hearing people saying is bad.

So dont do that.



Godly-speed, Natsubame is another really good Size 1 that Skull Warrior got.

He is a Skull Warrior, of course, with the 4000 / 2 / 1000 spread on his stats. He self-destructs at the end of the turn, but whenever he is called from the drop zone and you have another Skull Warrior on the field, you get to draw a card.

So obviously drawing cards is a HUGE THING, especially for Skull Warriors. I guess they intend for you to use this with Setsuna, but I honestly still think that Setsuna is not worth running, even because of this one thing. As long as you have another Skull Warrior on the ready, this guy nets you more advantage.

Skull Warriors got their long awaited Impact Monster, and behold! It is Yamigitsune, back with all of his smug glory!

Yamigitsune, "White Fire, Shigaisoshi" is the first actual Size 1 Impact Monster in the game (to be released through normal means), with the Skull Warrior and Darkness attribute. Love the fact he has that Darkness attribute. Statline of 6000 / 2 / 3000. The call cost is 2 gauge and destroying a Skull Warrior on your field. When he enters the field during Final Phase, you get to stand a Skull Warrior you control and can use it to attack in the Final Phase for this turn, which is incredibly good. He also retains the "To Darkness" ability he had in hisfirst form, letting you put a Skull Warrior into the drop zone when they deal damage to draw a card.

This is insanely good. You have no idea how good this is, but I will give you a clue... His call cost helps proxing spells thatactivate when your Skulls are destroyed. The fact that he does not destroy himself is obviously important too. You dont even need to call this guy during Final Phase because of Return to the Underworld, which lets you play this guy for a measely 1 gauge.

And this guy being as good as he is, makes it so Skull Warrior players do not even need the original Yamigitsune anymore, because this form is so much better in pretty much every single way,besides that you cant call this normally outside of Final Phase.

I was worried that Yamigitsune might have not been worth running in Skull Warriors anymore, and then they release this. Good stuff bushiroad. Good stuff.

Ninja


Ah, hello again Ninja decks. The undisputed main focus of Katana World, with their many tricks and over the top combo-based plays...unless your deck is simply Ghoul Deity, Gojinmaru, of course.

The first guy we are looking at for Ninjas is their new Size 2, Patrol Ninja, Shokai. He is a Ninja / Wind attribute monster, sporting 4000 / 2 / 5000 as his staline, a call cost of 1 gauge, and when he enters the field you can chose a Size 2 or less Ninja from your drop zone and add it to your hand.

So now we have both Yumi Ninja, Suiha and this card, helping you getting the Ninjas you need. Either from the deck or the drop zone. Honestly, Suiha is better, but also harder to get these days. You can do some cute plays by putting a Ninja in the gauge and using that gauge to call this guy, and then getting back said monster.

Not much more to say, as this guy lacks a bit of the flare that Suiha has.

And where would we be if we got main set support without giving the main character buddy and upgrade?

The new Tsukikage, "Kuroyasha Mode" is a Size 1 Ninja, retaining the 5000 / 2  / 1000 stats of the original Tsukikage. He has the Counter Act ability to chose a Ninja you control and pay 1 gauge. The next time that Ninja would be destroyed, it stays on the field. And this ability can only be used once per turn.

So the new Nanomachine Body Replacement lets Tsukikage protect other monsters than himself, in other words. This makes monsters like Gojinmaru a big pain the butt to get rid of. If people try out some bootleg non-Gojinmaru decks for Ninjas, they should use Kuroyasha, as he is just too good to pass out on. And Katana World has enough gauge accel to always make use of this ability.

And it being Counter means you can use it right as the opponent is attacking said monster or tries to use a spell to destroy it. Makes it even better.



To everyone's surprise, Bushiroad decided to reprint the original Nanomachine Ninja, Tsukikage as well.

He is basicly the exact same as Kuroyasha, except that his Nanomachine Body Replacement can only be used on himself, and by discarding a non-monster card when he is about to be destroyed to prevent him from leaving the field.

It's an alright reprint. I dont know how relevant this card is going to be from now on, but time will tell for sure.

Since Tsukikage got one, it is no surprise that Byakuya also did.

Byakuya, "Shiroyasha Mode" is a Size 1 Ninja with 5000 / 1 / 1000 as his stats. At the end of his battle, if you have a Tsukikage on your field, or a card with a Tsukikage in their soul, this card gains Double Attack. Also, if this card is in the soul of anything, that card can attack over your opponent's center, essentially giving them Shadow Dive.

Shiroyasha is arguably the worst Byakuya, but he has situational uses where he functions better. Plus, there is the fun play of getting him in the soul of something so they gain Shadow Dive. Topdeck shenanigans go!



Low-Rank Ninja, Mikazukimaru is Bushiroad's attempt at getting us to stop using Electron Ninja, Shiden. Not working.

He is a Size 1 Ninja with 5000 / 1 / 1000 as his stats, and his ability activates when he enters the field. If you have another Size 1 Ninja, his "Group Training" activates, letting you draw a card. Group Training can only be used once per turn.

I mean, it is technically a free draw. People will have to try him out themselves and figure out if he is worth running over Shiden, because I frankly dont see it.



The last monster that Ninjas got is this Megaman-looking mofo.

Air Slash Ninja, Ryusei, who is a Size 1 Ninja / Wind, with 6000 / 2 / 1000 status, and he can not be called to center.

That is all. He is just one of the beefed up vanilla monsters. Not much to say, except that he looks really cool.

Ah-ha! Ninjas also got their true Impact Monster this time around!

Gojinmaru "Ghoul Deity Arts, Dance of Yashagami!" is a massive Size 2 Ninja, with no less than 8000 / 2 / 8000 as his statline. His call cost includes paying 2 gauge and putting a Tsukikage and a Byakuya monster from your field into his soul. he has two abilities, the first which lets you discard a Ninja Arts at the end of the battle where he attacks to have him gain Double Attack. He also has the Counter ability to pay 2 gauge and discard a Ninja Arts to nullify an opposing spell and deal 2 damage to the opponent. he also has the natural Soulguard, of course.

This is obviously a very strong monster, and when played right, it might even be impossible for the opponent to kill it. Using a lot of gauge accel and card draw to make sure his abilities are live is something you want to prioritize. And I have to address the fact that he has two soul upon being called, so he is one of the hardest Impact Monster to effectively get rid off, at this point in time.

Spells


Katana World operates heavily on all their high maintenance spells, giving the world the edge and upperhand on a lot of decks due to how well distributed and useful they all are. From item destruction to attack nullification and restriction. Katana World has pretty much all of it.

The first spell is a welcomed reprint in the form of Clear Serenity, which is a Ninja Arts / Demon Way, with the Counter ability to increase your gauge by no less than 3 cards.

To think people thought that this card wasnot worth running in the beginning of the game. Shame shame shame. Clear Serenity is needed to give Katana World the resources they need to make their winning plays. Gauge is very important to this world, and failing to store resources is a sin punishable by death for this world.



Speaking of gauge ramping.

Raiton, Art of Stored Electricity is another spell with the Ninja Arts attribute, with the Counter ability to increase your gauge by 2, and if your life is 5 or lower, you gain an additional 2 gauge.

So obviously this card is really good if you somehow managed to let yourself get pushed down to 5 life early in the fight. I would say that this is at least a 2-of in most decks, and for Gojinmaru Yashagami this can be an important card in case you want to call the big meatstick at the end to finish the opponent off for sure.



Our dear Sword Beasts gains support in the form of spells as well~

This is Sword Skill, Zanteisettetsu, a Japanese Blade attribute spell with the Counter ability to prevent a Japanese Blade you control from being destroyed. And if the Japanese Blade targeted is a monster, said monster gains Counterattack for the turn.

A Dragobond that grants Counterattack.

Dragobond clones are so dirty, and while it fits Katana World to have these dirty spells, I feel like Dragobond cards should not be a thing. Alas, this is a very powerful card, and is seriously needed to make Blade Beasts operate at full power.

And it being Japanese Blade adds to their count to activate their abilities.



So I heard you players liked Demon Way, Geppakugiri? Well, what if we gave Ninjas a buffed version?

Dodan, Chaos Pebbles is a Ninja Arts / Earth attributed spell which can only be cast if a Ninja on your field is destroyed (Soulguard does activate the condition for this card), and lets you Counter by destroying a Size 2 or lower monster the opponent has, as well as a spell they might have Set.

Gojinmaru just got even more of an issue to deal with, huh? Not all decks need to run this 100% of the time, but damn is it a good card for Ninjas.



And now to turn up the heat and spice things up a bit.

Katon, Blazing Armors is a Ninja Arts / Fire spell that can only be cast when a Katana World monster is attacked. Said monster gains 5000 defense until the end of the battle, and your opponent is burnt for 1 damage.

Again, they just want Gojinmaru to never be destroyed. But the fact that this works with any Katana World monster opens for some interesting deckbuilding tactics. Water decks can really make use of this as well, ironicly.



Another welcomed reprint for new players.

Art of Body Replacement is a Ninja Arts / Wind attributed spell that canonly be cast when the opponent is attacking, lettign you Counter and nullify the attack, as long as it is not a Link Attack.

Good to see this, if only for the potential to get a foil version of it. Having shields is always good.



And they even reprinted one of the best spells the world has access to, my goodness.

Ninja Arts, Snake Gaze has the Spell and Ninja Arts attribute and a cast cost of paying 1 life. The ability is a Counter, and it lets you rest an opposing monster.

Double Attack, Triple Attack, Impact Monster, or any monster at all giving you problems? Just deny them from attacking for the turn by resting them!

I am saying that this spell is incredibly good for a reason, and not just to hype a card I like. It is really one of the most powerful spells that Katana World has.



Now now, here we have another case of a good card being only a common.

Demon Way, Kasumienran is a Demon Way and Defense attributed spell, with a cast cost of 1 gauge. After casting this card and it can be cast as a Counter, the next damage you would take is reduced to 0 and you gain 1 life.

It's a Chillax! for Katana World, and in the Impact Monster meta, it is a welcomed card if Snake Gaze is not your cup of tea. Pretty good spell to have handy.

Items and Impact


Katana World also got some sparkly new items and an impact with their new support.

The first being Elite Sword, Odenta. A Japanese Blade / Weapon with massive 7000 / 2 statline, and an equip cost of 1 gauge and 1 life. And the kicker with this is that an item like this would have some kind of drawback in Katana World. This however, has the ability to not be destroyed by the opponent's effects while on the field.

This is a really freaking powerful item. With enough crit to deal damage, and massive wallbreaking power otherwise.

So now, all of you Bleach fanatics out there can wield a massive huge sword and yell Getsuga Tensho when attacking, just for the heck of it~



Another reprint!

This time it is Five Heavenly Swords, Onimaru. The 6000 / 3 Japanese Blade / Weapon that costs a gauge to equip, gains two soul when equipped, and loses a soul at the end of turn if it is in the rest position.

This can get some cute comboes going with Byakuya, "Shiroyasha Mode" by giving this thing Shadow Dive if you get it through topdeck. Also, it is somewhat of a drop zone accel for Blade Beasts, while being a really powerful item. I would say that this and Odenta are the two items you would run for the most part. But I have yet to look at the other Japanese Blades thoroughly, so I might be wrong on that.



Next up is Water Calling Sword, Suiryu, which is a Water / Weapon with 2000 / 2 as it's stats, no equip cost, and the ability to send itself to the drop zone and pay 1 gauge to put a Size 1 or less Ninja from your drop zone, back into your hand.

Dont bother wirth this card. It looks amazing, but you are just not going to get anything out of this. Run Fiendish Blade, Urahonekui instead, if anything.

Last up for Katana World is their new impact.

This is Blade Beast Formation, Shape of the Elite, a Japanese Blade attribute impact. With a cast cost of 3 gauge, and restricted to being cast only if you habve 5 or more different Japanese Blade in the drop zone, this impact stands all of your Japanese Blade cards, and grants you an additional Attack Phase.

Pushing 8 additional damage in the form of 3 seperate attacks is something digusting, isn't it? Well fitting finisher for our new sword furries. They are going to be Tier 1, I swear. Trust me.

Closing Words
My goodness, now I actually want to play Katana World.

That is how interesting and cool all their new support is!

Sure, Gojinmaru-less Ninjas still need a lot of reworking, but they are onthe right track if we keep using the support granted to us in this set.

I for one want to dust off my Skull Warrior stuff and build it a-new. Now to just figure out how to get old and useful cards...