Lens of Truth: Kaiser Vermillion vs. Overlord

Brampton Booster
Jun 12, 2012
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Woah there! This is a REALLY outdated post. For more current and accurate articles visit my main page.

Which is better? If you said Vermillion flat out, then you have fallen into the cardtrap of hype and sinking faster then lead boots.

The Winning Image

The winning image of Narukami is ‘lightning fast fights’, and their card effects certainly match up to that expectation. The Djinn line focuses powerful attacks on the vanguard. The wyrens push the opponent into the late game faster then they like to. The Desert Gunners temperarily stop Intercept and slow down your opponent’s formation. Death Scythe and Thunder Break remove those intercepters completely. Brightjet allows you to push again since you’ll be unlikely to have too many cards in your hand. Most narukami decks have 6 or more criticals, and that Indra practically sucks guards from your opponent. Everything is centered on finishing off the opponent before they can do anything.

But what wrong with DKV? It is because the boss card does not fit with the winning image. You can only use its effect when you are in your late game (Limit break). That means you either hung back on attacking them, or you purposely let multiple attacks through that could be guarded with something small like 5k. Narukami is supposed to have a bad endgame, not being able to guard enough as you tried to force a win early on. Don’t let your opponent push you into your LB so early, because then you will be forced to guard more and therefore, you’ll be playing by their clan’s rules instead of your own.

The best time to use DKV is in the late game, where a 5k shield can make all the difference. Each player is down to the wire and hoping the opponent won’t get triggers. If you cannot defeat your opponent on the turn after your ability goes off, you are supposed to lose. If you win, that’s either because your opponent sucks or you got a very important heal.

Power rating

Why do people compare DKV to Blockade + DO? Because people think that it combines the inability to intercept with the ability of wiping the front row. But that’s not so true. DKV cannot force a guard but DO does.

DKV at max power will swing at 23k (and only with the 10k booster that you should have 2 of). 23k is basically 21k for against the 11k VG. Thing is, the opponent won’t protect all of their units (and probably can’t even) instead guarding the vanguard with a perfect or 20k. Even though it need two trigger to pass, you don’t need to worry having the vanguard being put with 2 Triggers because it is stupid to leave it up to chance, and the extra critical and power is nothing different to your rearguards who are already dead. Getting a stand is useless, and the critical a DKV checks will most likely be blocked as well. If you take the 4 damage so early, then they can choose not to guard the VG, as they have like 2 damage at that time. Your other RG also are in limbo. DKV effect is now CB3: If you are in danger of losing, kill the front two rearguards. After, they can drop 2 or take one. DO is better then that. Or if they have intercepts CB3: If you are in danger of losing, all units gain 10k. Taking out in total 0 – 30000 Shield and 1-2 damage with that ability.

First, before we go into the aftermath of DKV’s effect, let me tell you when you can use it. DO can work in RG: DKV is VG only. Either Narukami will have a DKV VG or losing. Dragonic Overlord is also techable, a lethal secret weapon in some decks. Even boosted by a 6k without another KG he will hit for 20k (+10k on a normal RG) and goes to a max 26000. DKV is stuck with his Narukami buddies, and even mentioning another card from a different clan makes him a clumsy and terrible 9k; The worse number in offense and defense for a grade 3.

No Guard

Unlike DKV, DO gives choices to the opponent, none of them good. They can choose to guard the attack at the expense of wasting cards from the hand. In this case, DO becomes CB3: Increase your VG and one RG by 15000 (or 20000 if you do a +15k attack). No LB means that you don’t need to be in the late game to use the effect. That is going to be 30000shield total.
They can let the first attack through then guard the second (since he goes down to 16k). So it is now CB3: Retire one Rearguard and increase your vanguard by 10k.(Or 15k again if it is an intercept unit)
The last acceptable option is to not guard any attack, and obviously its going to be CB3: Retire two Rearguards and inflict one damage to your opponent. You do not need LB for this. Hey, doesn’t the last one sound like DKV? That’s right, in full force DO is the same as DKV without Limit Break. But that’s not all Do can do.

Unfortunate Event

DO attacking from the Rearguard position. Making the first attack, it clears the path for the Vanguard to hit. HIT. Units in the vanguard are the most powerful (usually, DO is better in RG). After DO swings you can attack you reduce your opponent’s advantage in the Rearguard position. Vermillion needs to do that in the vanguard position. So your vanguard is attacking AFTER your opponent lost their cards, not BEFORE it like Vermillion.

Triggers are beautiful after DO has gone. A CRITICAL TRIGGER can be applied to your vanguard, since it is unobstructed by so many shields. Unlike, DKV, cause you give it to the RG and they probably give it to someone else that will be guarded. If they guard your attack for say, 30000 POWER: you lowered your opponent’s field by 50000, if that critical does not go through you are probably losing or they have a bajillion cards in there hand. A STAND Trigger sends shudders and notes of despair into fighter’s hearts, since DO stands again with not 16k but 21000. Then, DO rampages again and rapes the rearguards if you protected those before and rapes the vanguard with an attack that needs a final 10k shield out of their hand.

Say you get a trigger and ‘equal’ field. During that turn your opponent will lose the following normally:

Vermillion(w/LB): 2 RG, 40k \S/, 1 dmg OR 2RG, 20k \S/, 2 dmg

Overlord: 2RG, null+20k, 1dmg \S/ OR 40k, 2 dmg OR null+40k OR 1RG, null+10k

So Overlord is really good at it’s game, but there is one thing DO is bad at.

The Condition

DO’s effect is really hard to use properly. You basically need to set it up just right and know everything your opponent has. Plus, there are many different patterns of attack you can use with DO. If you kill the two RG ‘s with DO don’t hit the VG again, but rather use your VG to attack instead(Unless you are 100% sure a STAND trigger is on it’s way). Knowing how to use it takes a lot of logical thinking. Most players screw up, even me sometimes. You need 2 conditions, but its generalality is what makes him so techable.

Your opponent has a shield value equal or less then the exact amount to guard every attack, without a trigger. (Basically, they let one or more attacks through)
You phased or anticipated (or hope for) at least one [STAND] or [CRITICAL] trigger in your drive check.

Without those two conditions, it’s just a 20k shield. A Juggernaut can do that without a hefty cost. The optional condition, to get your opponent quaking in their boots, is to have a pressuring Vanguard, either a Erdogiel to threaten a late game heal or a Crit Indra, or a Amaterasu with a Crit hiding. Excluding DOTE, it’s slightly hard to find room to tech it and get it when you need it. But the tiny fun techs makes it a wild card that many people don’t suspect. Narukami people, everyone knows what is going to happen, making them way too predictable.

The Final Chance

Vermillion is powerful, and there really isn’t any bad time to use it. DO will create headaches because of the plethora of options of attack. Careful planning need to be taken to bring judgement, and there is almost always a chance in the game, though hard to find. Although DO is slightly circumstantial, it is still way better then DKV.

But even after all this, I still want you to use your Vermillion at 4. First, it’s the only 11k you have and you’ll be messed up if you don’t use it. Also, there isn’t much else you should run. (A normal deck should have 4 DKV, 2 Breakthroughs and 2 TBD). DKV’s effect is powerful. It is terrifying, especially to those who don’t know the meta. It removes 4 cards from your opponent, and your opponent will often misplay against him. If they don’t play any or just one RG, then they are trying to conserve their hand, and one they do just keep hitting them and they will never come around to offense. To go against this deck, push them back with fast but forgettable attackers, and so when Vermillion wipes the field you don’t have to lose anything as you call the better cards. Plus, Early pressure gets them to use more cards to guard. No Narukami deck should think about not putting four, it’s not about the uselessness in RG, it’s about the powerful 11k ability in VG. Also remember your Winning Image, rush the opponent. If you don’t try for Vermillion skill, then you are better off.

They whine at how amazingly broken it is and how they are crushed by it. And it is, just not at a broken level. (Just a powerful level) Generally speaking, Vermillion is on the better side of the card effects. I’m just here to tell you the Truth of Vermillion.

So, crush them.