Following up on my previous Nanoha deck-building post, this time I want to try a different level 1 combo.
Table of Contents
Initial Concept
I’m thinking that the new Nanoha level 1 combo could be better than Fate in terms of just generating more resources, and thus might work better with the 2/4 heal 3 event. So I’ll use my 8 choice list as a starting point, going for basically the same late game, but a different early game.
Obviously, I’m replacing the level 1 combo, and the alarm. I suppose I’ll take this opportunity to put in the Lindy alarm instead, for some free stock, but only as a 2-of, since it’s less important to find it early.
It could go up to 3 if there’s space in the deck, since it can be nice to see it multiple times over the course of the game; but it definitely shouldn’t go down to 1, since that would mean you can’t use it and then salvage it off the level 1 combo in the same turn (unless you level up during climax or attack phase, probably from refresh).
It’s also notable that the heal 3 event works quite well with it, since you choose which cards to heal off. So you can clock the alarm at level 2 and then play the heal 3 event, to effectively heal 2 (and get a memory) for 3 stock and no hand; or, if the alarm is already in clock, you can heal down to it without healing it off unless it’s buried under 4 or 5 cards.
Deckspeed
This level 1 combo doesn’t need memory, but does need deckspeed, and a reversed or empty lane. To that end, I’m thinking I’ll run the on-death check-3 riki instead of the salvage riki, for that little bit of extra deckspeed and help with power built into a plussing 0; it’s also blue, which is nice. It once again runs into the issue of being off-trait for Lindy (though a different Lindy, that checks for a different secondary trait), but I’m not too worried about that; the alarm doesn’t tend to be super useful at level 0 to begin with, and the riki isn’t too likely to be played later on (and even if it is, there’s a good chance you have a full field and the other 4 characters are on-trait, anyway).
Similarly, the check 3 brainstorm seems better than the salvage brainstorm in this deck, for deckspeed and to help loop the climax (since the combo can take care of looping itself). Though this deck also just doesn’t need as many brainstorms to begin with, since it doesn’t need to fulfill a board condition at level 0. So I might just cut the salvage brainstorm down to 1, or something.
I’m also thinking I’ll bump the Vita adachi up to at least a 2-of: beyond just being some raw deckspeed, it can potentially open a lane for the combo and/or deal with a lane that would wall out the combo.
I’ll probably cut the 1-of Fate & Nanoha that goes to memory, though it’s tempting to keep it as emergency deckspeed.
Some more deckspeed options:
- A 1/1 akatsuki for «Magic» or «Animal»: probably not worth it because of the stock cost. It does have a 2.5k power pump built into it, but that requires resting 2 characters, which could be awkward.
- A level 0 that can mill 3 cards, or mill 2 cards and then give you topdeck information; works fairly well in combination with a brainstorm for even more milling. It’s pretty limited outside of milling, though, and the mill 2 is mandatory.
- A level 1 accelerate to check 4 for a «Formula» character on reverse: doesn’t really work in this deck, though I suppose you could potentially make it work to some extent. Again, off-trait for the alarm.
- A camera event for «Magic» or «Formula»: efficient, and lets you control how much you mill to some extent, but hard to select into.
- A level 0 that can check X for a card, where X can get up to 4 at the most. Another one that costs stock; the ability could also be useful just as a utility card, but once you hit level 2, the salvage brainstorm is mostly better, I’d say.
- An akatsuki, but it requires a specific card in memory. (It’s also yellow; that’s not too bad with the riki being able to set color, but can still be awkward.) The memory condition likely costs a stock, but also selects into the level 1 combo, assuming that’s in the waiting room, so it’s fairly reasonable, and possibly something we want to play anyway.
- A fukaziroh, that’s also a reverser. A bit awkward and inefficient if you want to use it during main phase, but decent if you can attack with it. Being a reverser also means it’s a fine attacker at level 0, and doesn’t feel too bad to crash in if you’re worried about it being denied if you leave it for the opponent’s turn (though that also means you have less information when you use the fukaziroh ability).
- A level 1 on-death rize for blue or «Magic» characters. This seems mostly just worse than the fuka, even if it can get level 0s: there’s no chance to use it efficiently before level 1, and it mills 1 less card.
- An on-reverse rize for Nanohas or Fates. There’s possibly an argument for using this over the fuka, but being on-reverse means it can’t be used during main phase, you have to make decisions earlier, and the opponent can deny it by siding (though at 2.5k, it’s at least able to kill most level 0 characters, so there’s a decent chance that it can productively attack the next turn; or else you can crash it in and still get the mill). I’m not sure whether this or the fuka has better selection, but so far it feels like the deck doesn’t have that many level 0 Nanohas or Fates.
- A level 0 that can check 4 for a blue or «Magic» or «Weapon» character, and can also put a card from hand to stock. It’s not efficient, but it has the option of whether to pay with hand or stock. Honestly, I might include this just for the first ability, since the combo helps you get hand but what you really want is stock.
- The climax swap can mill 3, which is nice, and makes me more inclined to include the climax swap to begin with.
I’m thinking of focusing on the camera event and the fuka (as efficient, somewhat selective sources of deckspeed), with the hand-to-stock and climax swapper as 1-ofs. And while I’m probably not going to play the akatsuki, I’m still going to play the card that salvages the level 1 combo, in part because it’s also a 1.5k power pump.
First List
I completely forgot this was a card, but it seems like a very good card to tech in with the choice finisher, to prevent various defensive counters. (It then becomes another argument for running the musashi over the miki burn.)
So at this point, I’ve got 10 slots available from cutting 2 brainstorms, both memory cards, and the level 1 Nanoha from the 8 choice list; actually, make that 11, since I think the helmet can go down to 1, given that the level 1 combo is selective. (Perhaps it could be cut altogether, but it’s still probably a good card to grab if you’re not sure what you’ll want next turn.) Putting in the hand-to-stock, the climax swapper, and the Presea (huh, that’s how her name is spelled?) assist, that leaves 8 slots, so for now I’m thinking 3 fukas, 3 camera events, and 2 of the memory thing that salvages the level 1 combo.
That’s 1 less level 0, which is fine since there are still 19 of them; and a lot less yellow, but still 11 yellow non-climaxes, which should be plenty. The count of red non-climaxes is up to 18, which is nice, and 10 for blue, a lot more than before.
As for what to call this deck… hmm, the names of the climaxes I’m using here are the titles of the first & last episodes of the first season, so maybe something based on that? Or maybe something about encounters, since the level 1 combo and its climax both have that in their names? I guess overall, it’s a pretty normal deck, not really doing anything flashy (outside of the 2/4 event perhaps, but I’m not sure how often that’ll even come up), so I’m not really sure what the name should be focusing on. Going back to the “first & last episodes” thing, maybe I’ll just call it “From Beginning To End”, to kinda sorta evoke the idea of a deck that’s solid all the way through the game, even if it doesn’t stand out at any point. (Is this actually that sort of deck? I’m not sure, but whatever, close enough.)
Deck Log: 4MUZU
EncoreDecks: ea_LgrNk3
Changes
Trying it out a bit, I suppose the level 1 combo conflicts with the tap counters (not tending to leave a board, even when it gets over the opponent’s cards). That’s not necessarily a problem: the tap counters are mostly meant as an option when your finisher doesn’t kill, and of course sending the level 1 combo to memory is optional. But it does make me wonder if those slots could be better used elsewhere.
Also, I’d kind of like to bump the salvage brainstorm back up to at least 2, to have the option of sending it to memory and then grabbing another copy; and while this deck doesn’t have a board condition at level 0 (so doesn’t want as many brainstorms as the 8 choice deck), it does have one at level 1, in the sense that you’d like to have a backrow or two to be able to send earlier combos to memory without turning off later combos. The helmet is also nice for that, with the additional benefit of being a global 500, which could potentially be relevant.
So I suppose the obvious thing to do is to replace the tap counters with a salvage brainstorm and a helmet… though going down to 21 level 1 or higher cards means that the fuka has an 16.2% chance to whiff in first deck; even with 23, it’s a bit high, at 12.9%.
So perhaps the way to go is to instead look for more level 1s that can be nice to have on the board. Bumping the event up to 4 could help, though that’s just one card. (Of course, that’s not something that goes on the board itself, but it can potentially get you something you’d like to play.) Bumping Presea up to 2 is another option — she is a 1k global on your turn, after all — but a 1/1 isn’t ideal, and you don’t always have yellow.
Focusing on red 1/0s, there are some interesting options:
- A card that can stack a card on top of the opponent’s deck. It costs stock, though, so doesn’t seem especially worth it.
- A card that can salvage a Nanoha (so probably the level 1 combo) for a stock. It needs to rest 2 characters (specifically, «Magic» characters), though, so mostly precludes brainstorming.
- Another card that can salvage a (cost 0) Nanoha, this time for a hand. It’s only 2k, but you could potentially just leave it in the back; it can refund a stock from playing a specific level 3 Nanoha, which could be useful as an off finisher, though it’s mostly just a burn 1, and one that can’t use a direct lane, at that. I’m also not sure that you’d actually want that level 1 sitting on stage all game; there’s a good chance it’d get played over with a brainstorm or a utility card or something, since the level 1 combo doesn’t necessarily leave you with any open slots on the board.
- An anti-brainstorm card, which could be nice to have sitting in the back row. I’m not sure how impactful it is, though; I feel like a lot of the time removing a brainstorm entirely isn’t that impactful, and this doesn’t even do that. And importantly, it doesn’t have any other abilities to make it potentially worthwhile even if the anti-brainstorm text doesn’t end up being relevant.
- A riko and power pump. With the level 1 combo needing to clear its lane, power pumps are certainly welcome, and this one has a bit of selection attached to it. It’s not especially likely to be able to grab the level 1 combo directly, but it can at least grab the level 0 that can grab the level 1 combo, assuming they’re both in the waiting room. (Or it could grab a riki, I suppose, though that’s not quite as nice.) It does need to drop a character (blue or «Magic» or «Weapon»), so it can’t be used to filter out climaxes or events.
Going back to late-game cards, I’d kind of like to put in the burn 1 event; this feels like a deck that can often afford to hold onto events like that. An extra burn 1 is just generally nice, of course, but beyond that, it has the potential to do stuff like getting the opponent’s clock into their waiting room before a fumio, or pumping one of your finishers out of range of a memory kick backup, or pinging off a climax that the opponent was able to leave on top. So honestly, I think I’ll just go for that, and not worry too much about filling up my stage at level 1 (there are still 26 costless characters/events and 3 1/1s; it’s not like it’s especially low, honestly, just some of them I’d prefer to hold in hand).
Thinking about the back row, perhaps I’d just prefer to have the helmet rather than the salvage brainstorm; this deck can easily go over hand limit if it’s looping the level 1 combo, so hand-costed selection is likely better than stock-costed selection.
There’s also the potential to run a card that gives Nanohas hand encore; it seems a bit redundant with the level 1 combo already looping itself, but it could help when you don’t have the climax, or let you spend hand to not leave direct lanes.
The Arisa is a power pump, but is off-trait for everything, so that’s probably not the way to go. I’d be more inclined to go for the Nanoha over the Fate, for the extra 1k power, but paying a stock for a soul could certainly come up, particularly on the finishing turn (where I guess it also effectively costs a hand, unless you needed a 3rd attacker anyway), and this deck doesn’t have that much yellow.
Still, I’m more inclined to just go for the helmet; that can also get the combo back, and it’s more broadly useful. Plus, I feel like the global 500 power is fairly significant, though of course that depends a lot on what decks you expect to face.
After some more testing, I’m thinking I don’t really need 2 of the adachi; while it’s nice, it’s still pretty niche (and if the opponent doesn’t have an early play of some sort, it’s just 500 power, which is pretty awkward). I feel like I’d more often just prefer a power pump; in particular, I’m thinking of the level 1 riko, since that can both pump power itself and select into another power pump, or a card that can mill, or whatever. It can also help you have enough characters on board to fulfill the alarm condition and/or send multiple combos to memory.
I’m also thinking I’ll cut the helmet back down to 1, to add 2 rikos; it fulfills a similar sort of role.
I kind of want to cut the musashi as well, since I feel like I don’t often go for it, even when I’m low on resources (in that case, I potentially don’t have the ability to sculpt into it, or the hand to play it alongside double combo; perhaps it’s just a question of better planning, I suppose), but this deck is already pretty low on yellow.
You know what, I’m just going to go ahead and cut the musashi for a second EP. Yellow will be fine. I also want to put in a 4th camera event… or actually, maybe a second copy of Shamal, which can help with both milling/selection and converting hand to stock. I think I’m going to cut the 3/1 event, since I feel like I’d prefer slight additional consistency in first deck over a slight potential for a better finisher turn. I’ll instead throw in a copy of the character tap counter, as an option for using extra resources if you don’t have the 2/4 event or get hit straight to level 3.
Final Deck List
Deck Log: YBZY
EncoreDecks: R5m3-pqap
Closing Thoughts
In a way, this is the opposite of my previous set of decks; it tends to let the opponent swing bigger at level 1 rather than doing that itself, while also having less built-in deckspeed. So it’s more likely to end up behind in damage rather than ahead, but it’s aiming to make that up with the heal 3 event, basically, and also (ideally) from compression on account of having more resources. The level 1 combo can feel really powerful when you’re able to loop it with decent deckstates and without the opponent walling it out; and even if they do set up a wall later on, just getting one turn of it is already pretty good. It’s nice to be able to grab stuff like EPs at level 1 or finishers at level 2 or the off-color alarm, and not have to worry about not having attackers next turn if you end up staying at your current level (or just in general). It can be awkward if you miss the climax for a turn, and so end up having to attack with the combos without it and then not have them around the next turn (or similarly, if you opt not to send them to memory because you’re uncompressed), but there are still ways to get them back to some extent, and you can potentially keep one in the back row if you don’t have the climax, or put only one into memory if you’re uncompressed.
The finisher isn’t the best, but it’s still fairly efficient. I particularly like the fact that it makes the climax-salvager/fumio cheap enough to be a standard part of the gameplan, meaning you don’t need to worry too much about finding the climax, while also having a decompression option easily available. And with the level 1 combo and the triggers both being selective, it’s often pretty easy to be set up for level 3 once you reach it.
Overall, I’d say this deck feels like a solid mid-tier deck. At its core, it’s a pretty standard 1k1 deck; it’s got some powerful things it can do, but also some notable weaknesses. It has the potential to generate a lot of hand, but can struggle to use that hand productively or convert it into stock (particularly since most of the stuff that helps loop the climax costs stock). It can struggle with deckspeed, but at the same time, the necessity of finding deckspeed outside the level 1 combo means that what it does have doesn’t rely on playing a climax. Leaving direct lanes can make the game somewhat swingy — how much you cancel matters even more than normal — but between the 2/4 event and the EP, there’s a decent amount of healing to help deal with some of that variance.
Come to think of it, both of these deckbuilding posts have ended up with cards from the very first Nanoha set, from way back in 2008, being fairly central (the Chrono alarm in the previous post, and the 2/4 event in this one). It’s pretty cool that they’re still somewhat relevant (though I guess that also makes these posts less applicable to people who don’t have those old cards, or at least more awkward). Those cards aren’t quite to their 20th anniversary — that set was for the 3rd season of the anime, after all — but they’re getting close.
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