Terms

Within the Future Card Buddyfight card game, you've probably come across some "Terms" or words you might not have heard before or don't really understand what they mean specifically.

The following lists some of the more common and obscure phrases utilised within not only this game but most Card Games in general. Some of these terms can overlap in certain cases.

Aggro
One of the three central play styles. Aggro decks center on using cheap and efficient monsters, items, and spells, to generate an immense offensive push before the opponent can begin to form a defense. An example of this would be Dungeon World Adventurer decks that focus on using Dancing Magician, Tetsuya to generate additional attacks. Aggro decks typically reach their potential during the beginning of the game and in some cases sacrifice defensive power for attacking power.

Archetypes
Refers to a group of cards who share a similar card name and have support cards that specify that card name. Cards can also be members of multiple archetypes. An example of an archetype would be Thunder Knights. May also be referred to as a "sub-type" or, as a loan term from Cardfight Vanguard, a "sub-clan."

Attribute
All cards have at least one attribute attached. Attributes work similarly to Archetypes, by organizing certain cards into specific groupings. The difference is that attributes may exist in multiple worlds. An example of an attribute would be Dragon. An attribute-based flag also exists in the form of Dragon Ein. Hate cards are often designed to combat specific attributes.

Body
A shorthand way of referring to the statistics of a monster or item. A monster with a "big body" has a large combination of Power, Critical, and Defense. A monster with a relatively large Defense stat can be referred to as having a "big butt."

Bounce
To Bounce something is to have it sent back to an opponent's hand. Magical Goodbye is considered a "bounce" spell because it can send a Size 2 or smaller monster back to its owner's hand.

Card Advantage
Card advantage is a term in reference to the player that has more cards on the field and in their hand. Many players build their decks around the strategy of always having card advantage the whole game. The player with card advantage is typically seen as winning as they have more options and have more actions they can do in a single turn.

The words plus (for positive advantage) and minus (negative advantage) are used to classify the type of advantage gained. The exactly values of these Advantages can be calculated mathematically. [http://buddyfighttheory.blogspot.com/2014/06/buddyfight-math-card-advantage.html See this blog for exact calculations of this in Buddyfight. ]

A card that generates card advantage is one that gives you an extra card (plus). In other words, their plusses must outweigh their minuses.

Return to the Underworld, Twin Demon Dragon, Zahhak, and Nice one! do this. Dragonic Grimoire and clones do this when one has 2 or less cards in their hand. Cat Shadow, Aoihime does not do this as it has you lose a card to gain a card, leaving you with no net gain. It would be said that Aoihime minuses you in losing a card and a life for a card (where the action of getting a card is a plus. Both plus and minus cancel each other out, as in this case they are equal.)

Twin-Headed Hellhound, Orthrus and Ice Prison Emperor, Cocytus Greed also generate advantage (plus), but do so by making the opponent lose cards (minus) without you losing any. In this game, most cards that destroy cards by effect require you to lose cards to do so. Demon Lord, Asmodai and Death Summoning Tears of the Banshee (you lose the spell card) are good examples of this, often as a way to balance the game.

CCG
An acronym for Collectioble Card Game, the genre of game to which Future Card Buddyfight belongs is. Sometimes otherwise referred to as a Trading Card Game (TCG) or Original/Official Card Game (OCG). OCG is typically used to refer to the origin game.

Clone
A card whose effects and/or stats are identical in function, meaning they do not have to be exactly the same, just similar enough. Some clones can be considered bad clones (have a detrimental effect due to the World they are in.) and some can be considered good (vice versa). An example of a card with alot of clones is Dragoenergy.

Combo
One of the three central play styles. Combo decks center on gathering resources and stalling the game until you're able to gather specific Combo pieces. Once the pieces of the Combo have been gathered, the player will utilize them in a particular order that leads to an explosive, and often game-ending, turn. An example of this would be Legend World Asgard decks that focus on using Great Spell, Ragnarok. Combo decks typically reach their potential during the middle of the game.

Control
One of the three central play styles. Control decks center on disallowing the opponent from performing actions that would let them further their deck's strategy. This includes cancelling spells, bouncing or destroying monsters, or the threat of punishment if the opponent commits a certain action. An example of a control deck would be Magic World 72 Pillars decks that focus on Demon Lord, Asmodai. Control decks typically reach their potential during the late game, finding a creative way to force a win.

Constructed
A tournament format where the players use their own pre-constructed decks to participate.

Dead Draw
A dead draw refers to a card that is drawn when it cannot be used. An example of this is drawing Gargantua Punisher!! when the opponent will have more than 4 life at the end of your turn. In this game, dead draws aren't as bad as in other TCGs, since you can always charge them.

Hate cards, when the opponent doesn't have the type of card they are good against, tend to be dead draws and the reason why one shouldn't overly rely them.

Draft
A draft is a two-part, Sealed tournament event. Unlike Constructed tournaments, players must build a deck from the card pool generated from 24 packs. This is the first part of the event. The second part of the event consists of the players using the decks they have drafted in a tournament to determine a winner.

Fetch
An effect or ability that allows you to search through your deck for a specific card. This differs from a tutor in that a specific card must be taken from the deck.

First Turn Kill
First Turn Kill (FTK) refers to winning on your first turn. A combo is a FTK when it can cause this.

Gauge
A hidden zone that functions as one of the players resources. At the start of the game, there must be two cards in the gauge. At the start of a turn, a player may choose to charge a card by putting a card in hand into the gauge and subsequently draw a card. This is known as the "Charge and Draw" phase. Card effects, such as Hyper Energy, allow a player to place cards into the gauge. Some players substitute "Gauge" or "Gauging" for the term "Charge" but it should be noted that the proper term for putting cards into the gauge is "Charge."

Hate Cards
A Hate Card is a type of card designed to specifically counter a particular attribute. For example, when playing against a primarily "Dragon" deck, using a card that destroys "Dragons" would be a hate card. In this case, Dragon Extermination Knight, Siegfried would be a "Dragon" hate card because its effect specifically targets "Dragons." A player should never avoid playing hate cards because then they'll miss out on some great cards. But at the same time, focusing on hating a single attribute will make your deck vulnerable to all other attributes.

Heart of the Cards
See Top Decking

Item
One of the card types in Future Card Buddyfight. They are played over your flag and represent the player. For example, by equipping Steel Fist, Dragoknuckle, you can imagine the player is now wearing that piece of equipment.

Transform is a mechanic that allows the player to become a monster; for example, Explosive Takedown, Rampage Sonic. To do so, the player must pay the Transform cost, then place it over the flag in much the same way as equipping an Item card, and the monster will be treated as an Item.

Ride is a mechanic that allows a player to mount a monster; for example, Martian UFO, Takosuke. To do so, the player must pay the Ride cost, then place it over the flag in much the same way as equipping an Item card, and the monster will be treated as an Item.

Lucksack
See Top Decking

Meta Game
The Meta Game is the portion of a TCG that solely exists in the social space of the TCG's community. It can vary from region to region, and even from local shop to local shop. Generally speaking, however, it encompasses the entire scope of the game's community. The Meta Game can affect which cards and decks players play, how they play them, and their general approach to the game.

Within the Meta Game is the roleplaying aspect of a fight which players express to a certain extent. While some players prefer to emulate the behavior and chants of the Anime characters, some players prefer to play silently, speaking only when activating effects.

"Meta," in general, is taken to mean "the most popular option used by a majority of the player base." For example, when a deck or archetype used by a popular character, such as Purgatory Knights used by Tasuku Ryuenji, becomes popular and is widely used, they, in this case, would be considered "Meta."

As it is just a matter of mass opinion, the "Meta" changes often, often affecting how players build their decks and the decks they choose to play. Cards who counteract the current popular trend of effects are referred to as "Anti-Meta". They may or may not be Hate Cards.

Players who modify their decks to reflect the Meta are often referred to as "Meta-Sheep" or "Meta Chasers." Both terms, however, are considered rude.

Note that while players may interchange "Meta" and "Tier", and while a Meta deck can be in a Top Tier, ''they are not one in the same concept. ''

Mill
"Mill" refers to the action of "sending cards from the deck to the drop zone". Typically, it refers to sending just the top cards of the deck to the drop. The ability of Accel End can basically be shortened to "mill 5, gauge 1" in terminology.

However, milling can also refer to the action of searching the deck for a specific card(s) and sending it to the drop zone. This is referred to as a "specific mill". Defiant, Sabifukuro does this, albeit gives you a choice in which card to send to the drop.

Net Decking
Net Decking refers to a player copying someone's deck rather building a deck of their own, this is commonly frowned upon. Usual choices for Net Decking include decks that frequently win tournaments, or the decks of popular nanime characters.

Nuke
A nuke is a common way of saying to your opponent you cleared the whole, or a partial portion, of the field. Similar to its namesake. It can also refer to a section of the field, either: your hand, field, or gauge (would be stated as hand-nuke, field-nuke and gauge-nuke respectively.) A card who can, by itself, cause a nuke is often attached to a restricted or high cost of gauge.

An example would be Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, Tenbu and Great Spell, Ragnarok.

One Turn Kill
One Turn Kill (Abbreviated OTK) refers to achieving a winning condition in a single turn, most commonly reducing the opponent's life to Zero.

Play-set
A Play-set is a numerical shorthand for the maximum number of cards allowed in a deck. This number varies by game. In Buddyfight, the a player says they have a "Play-set" of a card, they have 4 copies of said card, or 5 if it is a card that can be used as a Buddy.

Play Timing
An opportunity within the structured flow of game-play that allows a player to perform an action or counter-action. Refer to the Detailed Rules of Buddyfight for the exact positions of these Play Timings.

Ramp
A ramp is a card or combo that continually gets a player resources over the course of a game. Return to the Underworld is a card ramp, Steel Fist, Blacknuckle is a gauge ramp, and Blue Sky Knights, Drum Bunker Dragon is a life ramp.

Scoop
Scoop is the action of picking up your cards at the end of a game after the match has been decided. This term is usually used when a player knows they're about to lose, so they surrender by "scooping" their cards. To clarify, it is still proper to declare your surrender and not do so by doing this action. Few players actually do that and people say this term when describing a combo that can cause it. "I do X, then Y, then Z, and then my opponent scoops" is what one would usually hear.

Sealed
A tournament format where the players must construct a deck using the cards pulled from un-opened packs.

Stall
Stall is a strategy that revolves around making it harder for the opponent to deal damage in order to prolong the game, usually with difficult to take down monsters. This is commonly used when attempting to use an effect that takes several turns to resolve or when attempting to gather the pieces required for a combo. Frost Wall, Nevel Vans is an example of a card used to stall.

Staples
A staple is a card that holds a deck together (like a staple) and should be used in at least most versions of a deck. Some staples need to be included for a certain build to even be considered that kind of build. Martial Arts Dragon Emperor, Duel Sieger is considered a staple for Siegar builds, but so are Ice Dragon Emperor, Glacies and Dragon Emperor Legend for being essential to the strategy. Generically useful cards like Magical Goodbye are also considered staples, despite being put in many builds, just for how useful they are.

Tiers
A fanmade way of classifying which 'decks' are considered the 'strongest'. Ideally, all decks should be equal. In reality, there are certain decks which can best most, if not all, other decks. The range of Tiers are dependent on who is refering to them. However, it is generally understood that Tier 1 means "A really good deck with a high win-rate." and it descends from there. Tiers are malleable, and can easily change after a set of support is released.

Tier 0 is a term used to describe a deck that wins too often and used too much, typically due to some sort of unstoppable and easy to perform combo. TCGs need to have a variety of decks to be healthy and fun. Tier 0 decks go against this by forcing players to either play the tier 0 deck or a deck that beats the tier 0 deck. Basically, if you don't play the deck or a deck that can beat it, you won't be able to win consistently. Whether Buddyfight has ever had tier 0 decks leaves much for debate, it is clear that if it ever has, they are not tier 0 for too long.

Note that while Tier and Meta can overlap, and player do use them interchangably, they are not one in the same concept.

Tempo
The speed of a match. There is no exact science to determining a tempo of a match. However, a match with a fast tempo is one where the resources and Life of the players are changing at a fast rate per turn. These matches often only last 2-4 turns.

Toolboxing
A term which refers to a specific playstyle technique. The player creates an imaginary "Toolbox" by placing cards into a specific Play area, whether intentionally or during normal play, for example: Drop Zone. The cards that are placed into these zones have specific effects for specific times, and can be reused at will by the same player through the effect of other cards. This increases the versatility and options of the player's moves, and the toolbox can be considered a 'second hand'. An example of this in Buddyfight are Return to the Underworld and the Skull Warrior archetype.

Top Decking
"Top decking" (also known as "luck sacking" when one wishes to be negative, or as the "heart of the cards" by a certain other TCG franchise) is the term used for when a player draws the best possible card at the best possible moment, typically in a way that helps them win soon afterward. A great example of this is Episode 39: Kiri Strikes Back! when Gao top decks Thunder Knights, Bastard-sword Dragon after losing his whole hand when that is probably the only card in his deck that could have won him the game.

Tutor
An effect or ability that allows you to search through your deck for any card. This differs from a fetch in that any card can be taken from the deck, or a restricted sub-set of the deck.

Vanilla
A card that does not have any card effects. An example of a Vanilla card is Stealth Ninja, Kirikakure Saizo. A card who gains effects when certain conditions are met, are considered to be Vanilla until said effect is activated. Vanillas usually have higher stats than usual to compensate for not having any effects.

X On A Stick
(Also known as X on Legs.) Refers to a monster that has the effect of a spell. This means that you get the effect of that Spell Card, but with the added benefit of an attack/defense using that same card. An example of this would be King of Forest, Zlatorog for Fairies of Hard Work.