Lesson 7: Attacking Rearguards
- Brampton Booster
- Jul 16, 2012
- Comment
Woah there! This is a REALLY outdated post. For more current and accurate articles visit my main page.
As you all know, any front row unit can attack any unit in the opposing front row. The playbook tells you to win, concentrate all attacks on the vanguard. While that seems to be the obvious, it’s not always the case. This lesson explains why you need to attack Rearguards and when to attack them.
Let’s give a scenario. Your opponents field looks like the field on the top while yours is quite barren. You have only Grade 1 boosters and 2 in your hand but your opponent has tons of triggers. To call out everything and attack the Vanguard might seem to be your last ditch effort(since next turn you don’t have enough defence), there is another way out of this. Attack the rearguards! The opponent, thinking you are just wasting your time, will let your units retire his since he doesn’t waste any precious guard. That thinking leads him into a trap. Once you remove all of the Rearguards, it’s his turn.
Oh no! Only the Vanguard can attack! Sure, they can call triggers but instead of hitting with attacks that need 10k or 15k you now only need 5k. With this, you can survive for another turn. Another turn for a chance to come back. (Yes, a smart opponent will want to guard your attacks on the Rearguard, but it’s going to take the same amount if not more shield then if you attack the vanguard. So, you have nothing to lose). Most likely, you won’t run into that situation very often: but the premise of fewer and weaker attackers holds. If you check out my most wanted list, you’ll find units to attack because they are threatening not in power, but by effect(pressure).
Also, you may try to attack rearguards to stall out a Limit Break. Sometimes, you just aren’t ready for a limit break, or need to activate yours first. In that case you attack the rearguards, either to prepare guard for their attack or to reduce attackers to again, increase Shield. Actually, that’s what attacking rearguards do, give you some breathing room for the opponent’s turn. To attack rearguards with the premise to remove attackers means you need to consider what they have in their hands. As you might see sometimes, you try to kill a Rearguard just to have another copy show up (Even if they have non in hand, they get a 50% chance to top call one!). So attacking rearguards hoping to stall of something needs to be taken with a lot of thought. this is a common trap of attacking rearguards, thinking you can ‘survive longer’. In fact, it can just as easily help the opponent survive! Let’s look at
The Dead Units
If you kill a rearguard that is ‘dead’, then you have given ‘life’ to the player. A clear example was the locked field in the previous lesson, you shouldn’t put two boosters in the same column. If the opponent makes a formation like that, don’t hit it. Doing so actually frees the field, and you’ll regret it. Watch out for 8k boosters, anything in front of them is a threat, so if the rearguard in front is no a +2 or +3 unit, then you might be better off without attacking it. (Might since there are some cards you want to remove regardless of what is behind it)
A more subtle dead unit are those that only have effects right when they are called out. Blaster Blade isn’t going to help after it has been placed on (R), so why not give it up for something like Palamedes next turn? That’s why you should consider, do they need to use that card next turn? Do you need to remove that rearguard? Do you need to an on-hit effect to work desperately? Are they going to come back from the dead?
Mostly, dead units don’t stick around for very long in higher order plays, no longer then two turns.
S-intercept
These units gain an extra 5000 \S/ when they intercept. Doubling the power of most units, you can easily stop a Rearguard attack with an attacking unit.
Many people actually instead hit these s-intercepts first, but consider how you should hit it. There are a few number ranges to consider here.
8k to 8k looks right, but a smart player should block it. It needs 5k shield to block however, and that means they swap a 5k Shield for a 10k Shield and a possible attacker. Seems like that is the better option huh?
10k/11k to 8k means that you can hit the vanguard, but you chose to attack this unit instead. But think about the 5k shield used to guard: had you attacked the vanguard, it takes the same 5k shield. In fact, it’s probably a better idea to attack the vanguard, and hope to get a damage through.
13k is the best number to hit S-intercepts. They will either trade a 10k trigger for a 10k attacker, or let it die. If you attacked the vanguard with 13k they only need 5k, so your hurting the opponent’s shield more if you attack that. The only problem is, attacking at 13k is a hard number to reach alone and your more likely to pair that kind of unit with a 8000 and hit for 21000 then keeping it at 13k.
Once 18k is surpassed they shouldn’t guard it. First, they need 5000 MORE to stop the attack, so they lose something. Secondly, they warded off an attack that needs 10000 to guard, exactly what it achieves regardless had it intercepted. Hitting this is only for desperate people who need an attack through, such as a megablast or some other devastating effect.
Grade 2’s are a very special case to handle. You need to factor in that, if you attacked the vanguard, would they have used the very unit you plan to remove to intercept with? If so, it’s better to to attack the vanguard then.
Most wanted list
Pressure as I’ve said refers to the times where you guard a unit because you don’t want an attack through. Pressure is found in all cards, but there are specific things that make one unit with a higher pressure then another. Vanguards obviously have huge pressure, they can check into a crit and inflict more damage to you then you intended. Otherwise, pressure units can be found in two different ways:
The first is high power pressure. These are cards like Palamedes and other 13k attackers, as well as their weaker 12k counterparts. Normally, they aren’t that dangerous. Being boosted by a 6k makes it a 19k attack at most, still needing only 10000 \S/. It is only when they are put behind an 8k vanilla booster that things start to explode. Suddenly, they hit 20k and 21k, requiring 5000 more shield each time, every time. They can cut a good hand down, as most rearguards only swing below 20k. Taking this into account, you can see that Vanguards naturally have this power, so that is why they give off so much majestic pressure.
The other category is effect pressure. The list of units below have effects that give it pressure, and therefore, is the target of many attacks. But is it actually justified to attack them?
Silent Tom
This unit is a tricky one. Played correctly it hits for 16k. But that’s not the scary part. Tom does not allow you to use grade 0’s to guard the attack. That’s right, and in the clan it is based from it can hit 21k every turn. To guard it means you lose three potential attacking units from your hand, or a null guard wasted on a Rearguard. Hope that 13k can work as that means they have to use 10k to guard, which is a disadvantage to keep but its ability is surely necessary to bite back. If your Silent Tom is attacked, consider your opponent’s hand and whether they can guard your Silent Tom next turn or not. 18k is just about the borderline, you warded off an attack that would need a 10k shield so your Tom is like an S-intercepter at that moment. Guarding a 23k is stupid, one is your opponent most likely needed a vanguard to get that high and you removed an attack that was going to hit your vanguard for 23000!
Indra
This unit can force guard because of it’s ability to get criticals like crazy (The vanguard Indra gains a critical for all of our rearguard Indra’s). And while it’s not that powerful many people are going to overguard it because of the thought of a potential insta-kill.That makes rearguard Indras an attack magnet. Especially if you have 2 of them. Hitting for 15k is probably going to pull a shield from them, since next turn it’s going to pull 3~4 cards from you. If you opponent is going for 20k it means you avoided an attack that needed 15k to guard with, so guarding with that same amount to protect it is overdoing it. However, after the middle game there is no longer a need to run attack Indra rears – crits are nothing in the endgame.
Megablast units
Save for the newer Megablast units, the old megablasters are not clan restricted and have amazing effects. CEO breaks through the Entropy walls with a +5 draw, while Lohengrin annihilates all your opponent’s rearguards. These Megablasts units can attack from the Rearguard position to another rearguard position, causing strain from your hand when you guard it. They are all 10k, but don’t need to be hit for magic numbers exactly. Why? Because they really aren’t that dangerous.
Dragonic Overlord
A particularly deadly skill that can be teched into any deck. While it has a pretty hefty cost it is a guard puller; Anything under 11k is pretty bait when it can hit for 20k minimum. It can attack again and again or just sit there looking pretty while you twin drive with your vanguard. Stand triggers are the best to get DO’s ability off the second time, so perk up when they have a few too many. Hit it if your low on guard. Some people don’t care about this card as very few people actually tech and use the effect: If your opponent is using one clan and then drive checks this baby out alarm bells should be ringing. Most decks don’t actuality ultilize DO too many times, so if you believe you can withstand one assault it’s better to let it stay.
Providence Stragetist and clones
Draw a card! Wow I so need to block it every turn! You don’t really need to hit this card, because they will most likely intercept with it anyways. And if you have a 11k vanguard, that’s only 5k a turn. Rearguards should pressure at 10k, so you can see that difference.
Concluding, Note what units are actually considered ‘dangerous’, and decide if you want to remove them.
The real reason
The main reason to attack Rearguards is to gain on hit effects. This is where the notorious Nubatama’s come in. While very technical, the main ability to discard cards from Dreadmaster and Voidmaster needs their attacks to hit. Attacking the vanguard is obvious to see as if they let the attack through they take damage and lose a card in their hands. But hitting the Rearguard is not only easier (due to lower power), many players are more enthusiastic about letting that attack through (for some bizarre reason). DOTE is also a pretty stupid card, because even one hit widens the advantage gap so far. Attacking rearguards is a very situational thing, but in some cases you can use strategy to plan out victory.
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