Cactuar Correspondence - Weekly FFTCG Chat 5/16/19

let's talk fftcg!

Every week, there is something new to discuss and analyze in this game. In this feature, we answer your questions and respond to recent developments, new meta decks, specific cards we like or don't like -- you call it, we'll answer.

If you want to join the conversation, send us your thoughts! We would also love to hear the questions you have next week, so please shoot us a message at Facebook or on Twitter. Thanks for reading!

This week, we are joined by James Denam from North Carolina. James has traveled to many of our events in full Squall cosplay, so we’re just going to call him Squall!

Is Sephiroth just annoying, or an actual problem to the game?

SQUALL: I think he can be absolutely back-breaking but that's true of many cards when used well. I don't think he's a problem to the game.

TREVOR: Just annoying. As an expensive investment, it's a medium risk/medium reward style play. He is terribly overrated.

CHRIS: Extremely annoying and powerful. The difference between discarding/drawing 1 and 2 cards is pretty staggering.

ADAM D: Extremely annoying, but not a “problem” in the sense that we need to see a ban or adjustment.

What deck are you playing after the past weekend’s tournaments?

SQUALL: I'm going to keep trying out the deck I played last weekend. I have one change in mind that I think will solve some issues I ran into at Soldier Series and I'm looking forward to deploying it at locals on Friday.

TREVOR: I think I may take Greg Cole's Scions deck for a spin. He has been killing it recently and I want to be just like him when I'm older.

CHRIS: Honestly nothing at the moment. I'm kind of looking for something new and different to play. But I've always got fire ice sleeved up!

ADAM D: I’m looking at trying a Knights package. I feel like it’s underplayed. But, that doesn’t have a lot to do with what we saw this weekend. Whatever I play, it will respect the “grindy” nature of this meta.

Do you think Nael will see competitive play?

SQUALL: At this point I think it depends on the rest of the set and how much backup removal is a theme. Nael has strong abilities with downsides like removing the backups for his action abilities instead of putting them in the break zone. Will better options emerge in the rest of Opus IX, or will removing your own backups continue to be a relatively special ability?

TREVOR: Absolutely, a potential 2CP 9K with back up cycling? Sign me up.

CHRIS: It's very hard to say. I think it is a decent enough card and can draw you cards and can get hasty but I'm not sure it's good enough, time will tell!

ADAM D: Probably. It’s a good rate, gives Fire more card advantage which the element still needs, and it’s a good way to close a game out. I would be surprised if people ran more than one of these, though.

If a new mechanic was introduced in this game, what do you think it would be?

SQUALL: The ability to put cards in the Break Zone back into your deck. Something like "Choose 1 Forward. Remove it from the game. If you do so, put 1 card from your Break Zone on the bottom of your deck."

TREVOR: If we are talking about a new card type, it'll be Equipment or Dual Colour Backups. If we mean a new keyword, something like Menace/Taunt or Replicate would be neato.

CHRIS: I'd like to see something similar to jump start or rebound in magic. I like the idea of being able to play cards a second time at the cost of removing it from the game afterwards.

ADAM D: I spent a little bit of time reviewing old mechanics from Chapters and I really like the “Level Up” mechanic which states that when a Forward deals damage to an opponent of breaks another Forward, you get to search for another card that shares the name and play it (removing one of them as a result). That might make a lot of older cards a lot more competitive.

Who has the most emotionally evocative story across all Final Fantasy games?

SQUALL: This is tough; part of what I love about the Final Fantasy series is the ability of the storytellers to get me to care about the characters in the game and the events they go through. Ultimately I have to choose Lulu; she loses her parents at a young age to Sin and years later her lover, she loses her first summoner, and she has to deal with the girl she sees as a sister accepting the same fate. Her voice actor does a terrific job; I'd love to see what some of the earlier games in the series could pull off with good voice acting.

TREVOR: Vivi Ornitier without a question. Being raised to die without knowing, finding out you are a potential prototype of drones, learning about your super finite life and to dying at the end of the story. oof.

CHRIS: Hmmmm. It's hard for me to not say Cyan here. I mean he lost his family in a pretty not cash money way, and the guilt he felt afterwards was pretty gut wrenching.

ADAM D: Celes Chere, in a huge way. FFVI is all about coping with loss, and Celes might deal with the most. She defects, joins the Returners who take forever to trust her, and we only really see her find closure through dialogue in the final battle. Her (possible) scene before leaving the solitary island, with the parallels to the opera scene, is the heaviest thing I’ve ever seen in a video game in my life.