Venture Into the World of Spike

So I feel as though I have perfected my Narukami deck. I still have much to learn in terms of gameplay but the deck itself I completely understand.

I still play it often when I'm in the mood to crush someone. But when my craving to master something new kicks in I run a spike brothers deck.

Spike brothers are a very direct attack. I like direct. I revel in being in the face of my enemy. The key to spike brothers is to rush the enemy. Put the pressure on quickly. Force the opponent to guard before they planned on it. What I have found in my playing so far is that I can seriously mess up a players plan with an early rush.

Example. Most people aim for 2 1's 2 2's and a 3 in their opening. If I force 5k twice or even 3 times they either miss a ride or lack boost. Sure I will be unable to guard the unboosted attack but they now must draw into a 1 a couple times to develop their field.

The quick pressure allows me to develop steadily while preventing my enemies development. The only counter is to take the damage. In which case you end up at 4 damage at turn 2. If I ride dudley that's pretty much game. Spike can unleash 65k worth of attacks by the time you reach turn 4. Now this is the signature play but dudley is just an epic play. Stacking cards like: Blackie, Juggernaut, and Reckless Express allows me to have plenty of combos to release ridiculous numbers.

So far I like spike brothers and have some experimenting to do. I still get bothered by my small hand. I am used to running with some nice advantage in White Lightning but here I sacrifice my advantage to win.

Last night I ran 2 Dudley's and a jug backed by 2 wonders and an express. I hit CEO with 19,28,21,28. My opponent rage quit with a 3 card hand.

This was a winning image I enjoyed. I didn't like nova grapplers because I felt reliant on triggers. Spike brothers allows me to win without needing them.

Latest thoughts

After playing white lightning I have noticed a few things. Namely the uselessness of shieldblade dragoon. Garuda attracks just as much agro but also comes with an effect. I plan on transferring to 4 Storm, 4 Garuda, 2 Brightlance.

After some extensive testing I have come to some other conclusions. Thunderbreak Dragon Sucks. Vermillion is a win condition. Thunderbreak is a 1+. He just doesn’t work as well. His personal booster is to costly so wyvern is the only means of properly boosting him. 25k is helpful against crossrides and devastating to 10k’s. But 21 from vermillion is just as hard on 11k’s. Vermillion duplicates are also better then a 10k thunderbreak clone.

Control Deck’s suck. We’re just not kagero. We don’t have vanguards that can take out multiple rearguards(continuously). We don’t have MULTIPLE snipers. Narukami just can’t be kagero.

Indra has a simple weakness. Null guard. Use 1 null guard to avoid the inevitable 3 crit attack. You then destroy 2 Indras. If he guards he will clearly put more effort in then you and thus you take the advantage. The biggest problem with Indra is it requires multiples to work. Thus it’s a late game play. Often by the time you can ride 2 of a card you will be at 4-5 damage. At this point extra crit really doesn’t help. Indra decks have no special way of increasing power to make the attack go through. Vermillion is more solid and thus more viable.

White Lightning Grade 1's

Red River Dragoon
I have never used this card as a guardian. This is my goto booster. He makes garuda 16. He makes breakthrough/djinn 20. Some guys like him to make 10's swing at 18 but 18 is not a good number. He is better used to make sheildblade a 16. Best card in class.

Desert Gunner Raien
Like his big brother this guy is to limited to be effective based on his ability. Unlike his brother he can boost stronger cards to hit good numbers. 7 is better then 6. If you use any 9k units he is a good grab.

Lightning of Hope Helena
You Must Hit a vanguard. If so you can cycle through your deck. I find she is nice to have but often requires you to burn a card you dont really want to get rid of.

Rising Pheonix
Its another 6. But you can +1 for a soulblast. Your not often to do this more than once. But it doesnt hurt as Narukami Doesnt soulblast.

Wyvern Supply Unit
+2k for one turn. This isn't Dimensional Police. I donot aim to put all my force into one swing. I do not need 1 turn effects like this.

Stealth Fighter
Why in gods name do I have a card that can leave the feild. What purpose does this serve. Why does he need to leave the feild. Why do I need him in my hand. for the extra 5k? its a dumb card that takes up space.

Photon Bomber Wyvern
I hate Wyverns but damn. after 3 damage this guy makes vermillion swing. At 23 for his LB. Wyvern is the best way to get power out of your vanguard. However he is a regular 6. For this he is relegated to minimal status in a deck. you want 1 on the feild. After that they are just sheild or sacrifices for Helena.

Wyvern Guard Guld
I have ridden this guy to many times. He is always in my hand. I hate him. However i need to run at least 3 in order to hold off those 31K attacks. He's also a great deterent when someone double triggers a rear.

Djinn of the Lightning Spark
6k booster. only good as a vanguard. Not worth it.

Dragon Dancer Rai Rai
Credit Where its due she pumps thunderbreak to 26. As a vanguard. Photon Bomber does 25. She does Vermillion to 17. Photon does 21. thunderbreak requires 4 damage. Photon requires dealing 3. Does anyone else see how limited this card is compared to the most limited damn card so far.

Lizard Soldier Yowsh
Soulblast 1 for +3. So yay my 1 can be 9k. To bad its a freaking booster card.

Lizard Soldier Rikki
8k if I counterblast. Yay.

My 1's look like this
4 Red River
3 Desert gunner
3 Guld
2 photon bomber
2 Helena
2 Pheonix

White LightnigGrade 2's

Brightjet Dragon
YAY. This guy is more powerful if im losing hand advantage. 11k is nice on a 2. the problem is I can get more out of other cards. This guy is offensive when your losing and defensive when your winning. That's a great combo. Just when your low on cards and likely to need to intercept this guy becomes usefull as a fighter. Dumb card.

Bright Lance Dragoon
Oh boy, 11k with a counterblast. Honestly he's a vanilla 10k. I use him just because he has the option but I never use it.

Desert Gunner Shiden
At 9k hes not bad but hes only useful WHEN he is played. I struggle to get him when I need him. I have few troubles with interceptors so shiden is a difficult buy.

Djinn of the Lightning Flare
8k rear that swings for 10. Rather have a 10k that swings for 10. Low end Djinn units serve little purpose as the are underpowered unless they are a Vanguard. For the 1 turn you ride them they arent worth it.

Dragonic Deathscythe
Counterblast 2 Retire a rear. Yawn. Cards like these have a place but in a Vermillion deck they get in the way.

Dragon Monk Ensei
This guy is a decent card, Hit a vanguard draw a card. (If you have 4 or more rears). Damnit. I find it hard to use as hes at best 15 and easily blocked to avoid the +1.

Hex Cannon Wyvern
Little Secret. I hate wyverns. They are late game units. Guld, Photon, Hex. All preferably appear after the 4 damage point. Murphys law likes to give me handfulls of these units. Hex is standard 8 and after the 3 damage point swings for 11. Again, a solid 10 is better then a conditional 11.

Thunderstorm Dragoon
Vanilla 10k goodness. I once feilded 2 of these with red rivers and did more damage with them then vermillion. His weakness is that Brightlance is better sometimes or otherwise the same.

Sheildblade Dragoon
Yes hes an 8k. But he is a perfect defender. My favorite part of this guy is he aggros so much. People waste attacks to kill him. Secret. If you swing at an 8 with more then 13 I'm not going to defend it. Either way its a -1. Some people think they are smart by removing him but honestly when you swing for 16 why are you worried about him. 15 or less maybe as you can acctually remove 10k for what should be a 5k. At that point I've won.

I like running 10 2's
4 brightlance
4 sheildblade
2 garuda

Garuda is occasionally useful. Otherwise 4 10k and 4 10k sheilds.

White Lightning Grade 3s

So far the biggest thing I have learned about deck building is TOP DOWN. Grade 3’s are often the least prevalent in your deck but the most powerful. Most Decks can be said to have 1 specific vanguard. The deck is often built around said vanguard. Building a deck from triggers to 3’s can often lead to misplaced cards that don’t belong in the deck. Nova Grapplers with Asura Kaiser but no death army units is a good example. Clearly Kaiser is intended to Drive Check 3’s but with no other units to benefit  from it you depend on a stand from your Twin Drive. Starting with Kaiser lets me know I want to Drive 3’s and thus should bring units that benefit from this strategy, thus, Death Army Guy/Lady.

So to build my white Lightning deck I have to pick some grade 3’s first.

Djinn of the Lightning Flash

Some people don’t like this card for some reason. (He cant attack rearguards) Honestly with a red river hes swings for 20 as a rear. Some decks might want to attack rearguards with this but not this deck. Lower end djinn units are understandably worse as they could possibly be usefull attacking rears. Some people like Breakthrough but I prefer Djinn. For the cost of flexibility I gain the ability to go unboosted against an 11k. Plus as an early ride he swings at 24 with a wyvern.

Indra

Some rave some rant. Indra is what he is. If you pick him he MUST be your main ride. At a mandatory 4 indra basically relies on the critical to force guards on the VG. I get that one swing with two crits does 5 damage. I also get that you cannot intercept and are forced to defend rears or loose your crit. Indra isn’t a spectacular card until 3 of them are present and for that it becomes an all or nothing bet. Personally I find it to vulnerable to run.

Thunderbreak Dragon.

Every time I read this guy he gets worse. 10k, swing for 15 as VG 25 with wyvern bomber. Limit Break. This guy is a bare bones 10k until you take 4 damage. What gets me most is that he has a use. I just have no idea when to play him. If I’m waiting for limit break I’d much rather ride vermillion for the 11k. So he’s an after vermillion card as im not going to abandon vermilions break unless I can ride back asap. He’s a terrible early ride and only 1k better than djin if I plan on late riding. Worse yet, he’s vanilla 10 at rear. I really cannot use this card.

Breakthrough Dragon.

The peoples champion. Put something behind him and he swings at 12. It’s really that simple. Djinn is stronger on his own but Breakthrough can attack rears. I don’t like doing so with him as he usually swings in the 20’s.

Riot General Gyras
Megablasting 10k vanguards work in dark irregulars or other soul based decks. Not Narukami. This guy requires to much to be made effective.

Rumble Gun Dragon
This one is yet to be tested enough but initially it does what I dont want, It plays like kagero. Drive a 3 Retire a rear. The Idea is nice. Thats about it.

Plasmabite Dragon
Oh joy. 13k attack from a 10k when I Counter Blast. Even if I run 4 garuda's and a deck based of similar units I know it's weakness. These kinds of cards swing for OK amounts. Breakthrough and djinn are almost as good. 13k is nice but not when i get 12 for free.

For the White Lightning Deck we use 3 Vermilions for our main ride. His 11k is good on defense and his limit break is used ONLY for disrupting the opponent. Further we use 2 Djinn. He’s a great early ride and a decent rear. 2 breakthroughs fill out the 3’s to add in some flexibility in terms of rears. If possible donot ride.