Hello, everyone! First off, I just want to say that if you are reading this, then it means that you are taking the time to check out what I have in store, and for that alone, I thank-you.
Now to the topic at hand. The Granblue deck was once considered to be a pretty unique and formidable deck when the game first came out especially seeing how it got all of it's support in such a small amount of time (it literally only took about 4 months tops to have everything out for the clan seeing how BT02 and BT06 came out only a month or two apart) and was one of, if not the first clan, to be able to pull off a 12 critical deck without hybridizing other clans. However, as more and more time went by, people started to slowly stop using the undead pirates and move on to Gold Paladins, Kagero, Narukami, etc., and, while this may be easy to answer for most readers, my question is just one word: why? Why would people dismantle and let go of such a unique clan? Now, before everyone starts raving that it's because of, "The Big 3" or any other reason, I personally believe that Granblue still can be viable even against them. With all of this in mind, I'm pretty sure y'all are wondering, out of all of the clans in the game, why would i want to put so much attention to Granblue? It's quite simple really: Granblue is my main deck; I've used them since day 1 of BT02 coming out and have loved the clan since then!
GRANBLUE IN GENERAL:
Overall, Granblue have been known famously (or infamously to some people) as one of the more trickier decks to go against mainly for their flexibility once they have a strong and able Drop Zone. While this may sound great as it allows you to alter your formations with little to no cost if done correctly, how exactly does it fare out against certain clans? Well, let's break it down:
VS 10000 VANGUARDS:
This is where Granblue can be extremely annoying especially if your main ace is Ice Prison Necromancer, Cocytus! The Granblue already have some of the best boosters in the game as even Kagero have trouble of getting rid of most of them seeing how their main two Grade 1's, Samurai Spirit and Deadly Nightmare, are self-resurrectors. Combine that with Cocytus' Limit Break, a 20000 power column with Master Swordsman, Nightstorm with Dandy Guy, Romario or with a rear-guard Dragon Undead, Skull Dragon with anything that is 7000 or better, and they will always be attacking with 20000+ power before Drive Checks. In a late game scenario, these columns are extremely annoying to go up against as each one will cost you 15000 shield, if not more, to protect yourself against them. Overall, Granblue love to see a 10000 Vanguard because that's where can deal the most damage.
VS 11000 VANGUARDS:
This one is a little trickier as that extra 1000 power can make a difference as far as guarding goes. Cocytus will still have a slight edge if he's the ace Vanguard, but the rear-guards will be slightly easier for them to guard seeing how Nightstorm with Romario will now only require a 10000 shield to guard, but if you have a Dragon Undead, Skull Dragon being boosted by a Dandy Guy, Romario, which makes 21000 combined and still forces out a 15000 shield from that attack alone, you should still be fine. That and Nightstorm alone can still be a pest seeing how it's still attacking for 12000 and will still force out a shield or a hit. In conclusion, while not as effective as facing off against a 10000 Vanguard, Granblue can still force out a win given the right formations.
VS MAJESTY LORD BLASTER (aka 12000 Vanguards):
This one is a real hit-or-miss for Granblue. If MLB cannot get the Blaster brothers into the soul fast enough, then Granblue can either mow down their hand or deal a great amount of damage early on as they can just treat it as a generic 10000 Vanguard. However, once Majesty Lord Blaster has the necessary prerequisites, that's where a change of tactics comes into play as the generic 20000-21000 power columns, which normally can result to forcing out 15000 shield, are now snuffed out by a regular 10000 shield. As bad as that may sound, that's not really that bad as most late game players sometimes cannot even make 17000 (which is the milestone number that makes the opponent guard with that extra 5000 shield). If Majesty Lord Blaster makes it to it's true potential, then the object for Granblue would be to actually maintain their 17000 columns as now they are just going to keep whittling their hand down. The simplest way to do this is with having our Dandy Guy, Romario being the main booster and have any Grade 2 or higher unit attacking as most units of that Grade or higher are already 9000 or higher, so that way, it's still picking off higher shields if not more cards. If you are shy of Romarios, then having one of the self-resurrectors boosting a Blueblood or Ruin Shade always does the trick too as they also break that 17000 milestone, and once again, Nightstorm can still go toe to toe against Majesty Lord Blaster alone to get some quick jabs in there.
VS CROSSRIDES (aka 13000 Vanguards):
Whether it's Phantom Blaster Overlord or Dragonic Overlord The End, the 13000 Vanguards are a HUGE nightmare for any deck or player that isn't prepared against it. Seeing how the Vanguard is 13000, the milestone shield is an attack with 18000 power or higher, so even the regular 17000 attacks aren't anywhere as effective as it would be against anything that we have covered so far. With that in mind, what's the best way to approach this? Nightstorm can't jab a crossride alone and most attack formations become easier to guard. The answer is actually both simple and complex at the same time: you attack everything on site. Anything that cannot make that 18000 threshold should start going after their rear-guards as it would more than likely force out their hand that way and let anything that can hit for 18000 or higher go after that pesky Crossriding Vanguard. The main strategy for this is that you are trying to force out as much as their hand as you can by either minimizing the amount of units the opponent has on their field or by forcing out as much of their guards as you can. As for the Vanguard, the simplest way to get to that 18000 mark is to have a Romario boost anything that is either originally 10000 or higher or boosting a Ruin Shade as she can become 11000 by herself. As you can see, Crossrides are the hardest matchup for every deck, and Granblue is no exception, but that still does not mean that it's impossible for them to win against it.
I hope these ideas and strategies that I have brought up has enlightened you to give Granblue a second chance. They may not be the most popular nor are they the most powerful, but they definitely are one of the more underestimated clans in the game and deserve some acknowledgement and respect of its own. If any of you have any questions as far as my article or even Granblue is concerned, don't be shy to ask! I'm always open to offer help to those that ask for it! Anyway, thank-you very much again for reading, and remember: Go Rogue, Go Pro!
Matt "WL36" Sita
Latest posts by WarLycan36 (see all)
- Granblue: A dead clan? - March 13, 2013
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