I would like to preface this article with a disclaimer and tell you that all investment tips are personal opinion and speculation and may not end up working out. Nearly every card game in existence has restricted cards in some form, and Vanguard is no exception. I would like to discuss restrictions in Vanguard as well as their impact on investing and playing. Games such as Magic: the Gathering (Standard Format) and Pokémon have a set rotation, making only the past several sets legal in order to keep the game new and exciting. Other games such as the Legacy and Modern formats of Magic as well as Yu-Gi-Oh! simply ban or limit cards that are deemed overpowered. Yu-Gi-Oh!, however, has a set time for each new banlist to come in, being March and September 1st. As a former Yu-Gi-Oh! player myself, I recall how crazy banlist time was. Everyone was making prediction videos and screaming about how Konami only cared about the money and that they didn't want their favorite card banned and everything else anyone could possibly complain about before they knew what the banlist was. Of course, the prospect of a card getting banned or limited decreased it in value a lot of the time, so many people decided to hold off on buying cards until there was a confirmed banlist In Vanguard, however, things are made more difficult by the fact that there is no given time for cards to be banned, and that anything could be limited at any time. For this reason, it is tough to determine what will be a profitable investment. It is probably safe to assume that Bushiroad will keep cards with the Sentinel keyword untouched as they are staple in any competitive deck. That being said, some of the more popular cards right now, such as Spectral Duke Dragon could always be limited, and may not be the best to invest in. Cards that are currently mediocre, however, may not be the best, either. Descent of the King of Knights is going out of print in a few months, for example, and while it will rise in price, it may be rendered irrelevant by Set 10 as a lot of amazing new cards will be coming out, and Set 11 could be even better. Even current sentinels seem to be outclassed by their new archetype counterparts. There is also the issue of the Japanese restriction list. Bushiroad has said that there are currently no plans to implement it into the English game, but that could easily change, as Kagero will be receiving new support in Set 11. I believe that this is also a reason to invest in Lizard Soldier, Conroe, as I think it would be near impossible to make a starter worth playing over him. He adds a lot of consistency, and I almost won my first tournament with only a Kagero trial deck with him replacing Lizard Runner, Undeux as a starter. Other than that, I can't think of anything that will stay relevant from Set 1. I think it may be a good idea to get it while it is cheap (now), and sell it when it rises in price (Most likely a little while after set 9's release, as Oracle Think Tank will get its crossride) and to potentially keep some of the triple rare Blaster Blade, as it is arguably the most famous card in the game, and may become something like a Black Lotus in the future, though that will, of course, take quite a long time for it to get close to that kind of price. We really don't know anything about what set 11 will release other than the knowledge that there will be Kagero, Narukami, Tachikaze, Aqua Force, Angel Feather, and Genesis. I think it is safe to say that picking up a lot of set 10 and the Narukami trial deck will be profitable. Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion is an incredible card, preventing intercepts and almost certainly retiring your opponent's front row, but I don't believe it is consistent in the Eradicators deck, and therefore most likely will not rise up in price much, if at all, when set 10 comes out, though it most likely will very much with set nine. I think that, as Japan is already on set 10, and has only the restricted list and Barcgal's inability to act as a starting vanguard, it is very possible nothing will be restricted in the English game until set 10, though I still think it wise to prepare for the worst. It is certainly a possibility to have Barcgal unrestricted as the new cards come out, as it really doesn't do that much for the deck. I also doubt it would be reprinted, so it would be a good investment as well, in my opinion. I'm not really sure if, when we look back on this game in a few years, Royal or Gold Paladins will be considered the main clan. I find it interesting that Season 3 is going in a different direction with Aichi keeping his Gold Paladins. I also can't wait to see if Ren keeps his Gold Paladins as well, as the Shadow Paladin trial deck was announced a while ago. I think it's probable that Shadow Paladin will get a new archetype as well, and I'm interested to see it. I really hope it is as good as the Gold Paladin and Narukami trial decks, as I've been a huge fan of the deck since its release. I am also interested about the sneak preview of Blue Storm Armada, as the mats from the last sneak preview are going for around $60, and I hope the promo is better than the last one. I think sneak previews are a wonderful idea, as you get six packs, random prizes, and cards before they come out. People often misjudge values before set release, as the decks have not yet been properly tested against the metagame in a competitive environment. I am very excited for what's to come in the near future, and hope to possibly write for you all again. Thank you for reading my article, and have a wonderful day!
Latest posts by Nathan Huffman (see all)
- Restrictions in Vanguard - March 1, 2013
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