Cactuar Correspondence - Weekly FFTCG Chat 9/6/18
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're joined by Christopher Mattiske, from Australia! He runs a great YouTube channel for FFTCG content, so check out his stuff here.
The new Galuf that was spoiled enters a population of 5 CP Earth Forwards that all have a very high power level. Do you think he will see competitive play?
CHRISTOPHER: I've actually been kind of underwhelmed with Earth's 5 CP Forwards the last few sets. I've wanted a good, neutral, full-value target for big head Tama 4-086 for a while, and this might fit the bill. Unfortunately, it's high costed, and has to live for a turn with no real protection so it may be too fragile. However, Earth is severely lacking in good, pro-active Forwards so it might breathe some life into the element beyond Dadaluma 4-085 & Wol 5-075. And, of course, it's cute with Kelger 3-108 but that might only be feasible if we get a Category V or Dawn Warrior searcher.
DANNY: The new Galuf card looks great! He has all the things one would want out of a 5 CP Forward without an enter-the-field effect. He has built in protection in the form of not being able to be broken on your turn. This will help him stick on the board and will make spot removal trickier for your opponent. This field effect is what will help him see play.
We have a lot of 5-cost Forwards that get left behind because they don’t immediately effect the board when they come down, and get no value until the next turn that they can attack. Cards such as Ultimecia 1-152, Vaan 5-145, and Aymeric 6-106 are high-powered Forwards but remain vulnerable the turn they are played and the turns after. High cost, coupled with vulnerability, make these cards see little to no play.
His fist ability to pay earth CP and make it so one of your opponent’s Forwards must block him make him a devastating offensive Forward. This is an effect we’ve seen on a few cards such as Lightning 1-141 and Cinque 3-014 and it is highly impactful for board control, especially for removing problematic forwards like Garnet 3-129 and Y’shtola 5-068. He’ll also be a solid answer to an opposing Galuf. This is an awesome ability and comes at a fair cost.
Finally, his Special ability Stop is also solid, albeit being the worst part about this card. Galuf is a very solid Forward and deserving of his Legendary status. I expect he will see a lot of play going forward!
HUNTER: It really depends on how good the other Category V support is. It looks like they're trying to push V stuff, the way they pushed Category II stuff in Opus VII, but I'm kind of expecting it to fall a bit short. That said, playing this off Kelger is legitimately very powerful: an 8000 Forward with Haste is probably "worth" 4 CP, so getting to cheat in a beefy 5 CP Forward is well worth the extra 2 cost. Being able to Activate him with the new Bartz is cool, too. The biggest problem with this card is that it is 5 CP, and doesn't do anything when it enters. If I'm paying 4 CP or more for a Forward, I want it to do something immediately or be hard to deal with, like The Emperor 2-147, Dadaluma, Wol, Setzer 4-036, Orphan 5-029, Genesis 3-033, etc. But, this guy doesn't destroy anything until you invest 2 Earth CP and attack the next turn. His Special is pretty unimpressive as well, although it does synergize with his attack trigger. I think he's okay, but probably falls a little short. That said, the flavor of this card is pretty great (see when he fights against Exdeath in FFV).
CHRIS A: I absolutely think he will see competitive play. He can fit in any deck with Earth cards that plays Forwards. While I think he isn't overpowered by any means, he sure does come close. On your turn, he literally has the best version of First Strike a guy can have, and he has "pay 2 Earth CP, kill a guy." If you're sitting on a Hecatonchier 4-093 in your hand, you are destroying 2 Forwards. It's pretty impressive. And he makes Kelger look mighty attractive right now!
What changes do you expect or hope to see from future large tournaments?
CHRISTOPHER: I know it's probably not going to happen, and the topic has been done to death, but I really hope there's some way to embrace best-of-three as the standard, then we can consider the thing I really want to see; a very small sideboard (like 6 cards or something).
While this game does very well at allowing mainboard "tech" choices to be feasible due to the CP mechanics, we are starting to get enough different linear/degenerate strategies (Turbo Ice, Dadaluma) that it'd be nice to punish those decks for putting all their eggs in one "unfair" basket without sacrificing games against "fairer" decks.
DANNY: As we’re well aware, time limits on these big events need to be addressed and fixed promptly. It was incredibly discouraging to see the Seattle Crystal Cup end on such a low note. I happened to be watching the stream with a friend who is just getting into FFTCG and TCGs in general and even she commented that going to sudden death in a final match of a high-profile event was inexcusable and indefensible, as well as hindering the competitive scene from growing and being taken seriously. Can’t help but agree there. This needs to be fixed, quickly.
Along with this, enforcement of slow play calls from judges would go a long way. And slightly outside of large tournament support, I’d like to see a more comprehensive judge program so we can avoid situations where judges misconstrue FFTCG card interactions. This would be largely beneficial for the competitive scene.
HUNTER: Sadly I don't "expect" things to change that soon, but I truly do think that Organized Play is quite bad for this game. Given that RB [from Square Enix North America] has said he thinks top cut should still be timed (for a reason unclear to me), I don't think it will be untimed for some time (but I do think it is inevitable since, in my opinion, it is just obviously correct). I am hoping that soon they will, at the very least, increase the time limit to something like 80 or 90 minutes. I am also hoping that they expand the "1st place gets a bye" thing they're doing at Nationals to more like top 4 or top 8 and cut to top 28/24 or whatever instead. In addition, to that I believe the player with the higher seed in single elimination should be able to choose play or draw for game 1 in the best of three, so that players gain more of an advantage for doing well in Swiss. (At the Crystal Cups there was no real advantage between going like 7-0 and going 5-2, meaning that someone that is 7-1 could make it less far in a tournament than someone 6-3). I do think things are slowly improving, but the rate is extremely frustrating especially when I see so many non-competitive players defending the status quo without really understanding the situation ("just play faster", "if you can't beat them in the time limit you shouldn't play that deck," etc.)
CHRIS A: The elephant in the room is timing the top cut matches. I think, if they need to be timed, there needs to be enough time to actually finish the set with time in between for shuffling and such. Or, just make them not timed, and have the judge enforce slow play.
What was the response to the first set of elemental dice at your LGS?
CHRISTOPHER: We haven't received them yet, sorry :(
DANNY: Those dice are amazing and I need them, in every color. I’m so glad to see more prize support for this game outside of promo cards. The dice and upcoming deck box for the Opus VII pre-release are all amazing steps in the right direction to get players excited to compete and show up to locals.
HUNTER: I'm not sure if my store has received them or not yet since I was out of town for Magic this past weekend, but maybe they have. I certainly think they are much cooler than the alternate art promos. I especially like that all the sides have roman numerals for the numbers, I think that is really neat.
CHRIS A: Unfortunately we haven't received those yet but the pictures look real nice!
Do you think that we should prepare for a set rotation?
CHRISTOPHER: I don't; I believe Kageyama has made it pretty clear he doesn't want set rotation to happen, but I do believe we may see a ban/limit list at some point. Personally, I think set rotation would be a death sentence for the game as it cuts off an entire limb of the player base: the players who have taken a break from the game and may want to play again at some point, as well as players who can't keep spending money for the best new cards every set.
Yu-gi-oh may be an awful game but the fact that it's still so popular is 100% due to the lack of set rotation. Magic only gets away with it because of how established it is. I know in Australia Force of Will pretty much died the moment Grimm Cluster rotated out because that was the set everyone started in.
DANNY: Believe Kageyama-san is on record saying there is no plans for set rotation. But as the card pool inflates, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. In fact, given a few more sets, I’d be rather excited to play constructed without cards like Shantotto 1-107 or Al-Cid 2-097.
HUNTER: I do not think that will happen for a long time, and even if it does, I don't think there's really anything to "prepare" for. Even if they do this, they will assuredly still support a "legacy" format where all cards are legal, so it isn't like your Shantottos and Emperors would become useless or something.
CHRIS A: I think if the game continues to grow, the possibility of a rotation may be there, but as of right now (even with adding new cards to the pool) the game remains extremely balanced. I would like to see, instead of a rotation, the inclusion of different formats similar to Magic's Legacy, Modern and Standard.
Which character from which video game has your favorite storyline, and why does it resonate with you?
CHRISTOPHER: Don't hate me for this but I've never played through a Final Fantasy video game. I've seen bits and pieces but I got into this card game because I fell in love with the game's design and mechanics. Granted I have learnt a LOT about the characters and their stories just from talking to the people who play the TCG.
As a substitute, I will tell you that if I was going to play any of them it would be FFVI and if I had to choose an FF waifu it would be Terra.
DANNY: I am a huge fan of FFX and always loved Tidus. I’ve heard a lot about how people dislike his braggadocios and nonchalant attitude and that that is a turn off. However, I find that his character development is amazing to witness. He isn’t a typical FF protagonist - stoic, dark/brooding, as we’ve seen from earlier games. He is a teenage athlete/Rockstar in his world, and his attitude reflects a life of entitlement. Once he is given a massive undertaking in accompanying Yuna, he becomes more cultured and fulfills the role as a guardian. The interactions he has with other characters showcases his positive spirit and desire to push others past their own boundaries (Wakka and Khimari). But it is his connection with Yuna that gives him character development throughout the story. Their dynamic is wonderful – awkward, yet deep. And that ending gets me every time. Yuna and Tidus both deal with the revelations in their own way, and Tidus handles it like a champ; he sends off Yuna and friends with a display of love and affection and literally dives head-first, accepting his fate, and even reconciling with his old man. Just perfect.
HUNTER: Laguna Loire from FFVIII and it isn't close. Everything about his story is perfect and it is one of the reasons why FFVIII is one of the best games of all time. (SPOILERS AHEAD) The first time you (the player) meet him just comes out of nowhere. The SeeDs are traveling by train to Timber when suddenly they all inexplicably fall asleep, and suddenly the setting changes to the middle of a forest with a bumbling Galbadian soldier and his two comrades and the screen fills up with text boxes of "?" "?" "?" "?" "?" "?" "?" which we quickly learn are Squall's thoughts. Every encounter you get in with him plays "Man With the Machine Gun" which is just a remarkable track, and the sheer shock of the fact that this portion of the game just came out of nowhere made this one of the most memorable aspects of any Final Fantasy for me. Laguna is supposed to be going to war but they're lost in this forest and they give up and go back to Deling City and go to the bar instead. Here we learn that Laguna has a crush on the singer/piano player at this bar named Julia. His buddies convince him to go up and talk to her but his attempt is pathetic and he winds up cramping his leg and walking back defeated, all the while we see Squall's thoughts on it ("What an idiot.") But ultimately she comes to him, and despite him being an absolute goober he inspires her to write a song about him "Eyes on Me". This is the last time Laguna sees Julia, though, and she eventually marries General Caraway and has a daughter named Rinoa. Not long after, she dies, and Laguna winds up married to a woman named Raine who nursed him back to health in a small town called Winhill. Each of these flashbacks we see ever so subtly reveals things about the present of FFVIII, many of which aren't clear on the first playthrough--in fact, I know that a lot of players somehow miss the fact altogether that Laguna is Squall's father. Given that the main themes of FFVIII are 'succession' and 'love' ("Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" as seen on Edea 2-099 is literally "Succession of Witches Love" jumbled up), getting to see how Laguna and Julia's love was ultimately passed on to their children Squall and Rinoa is incredible. But beyond that, Laguna feels like he links to everything in the world of FFVIII--Seifer's weird combat stance and lust to become a knight to protect a sorceress is based on Laguna's portrayal of a gunblade knight in a movie. If you return to Winhill in the present there are two failed SeeDs who protect the town from monsters and are paid for by a wealthy benefactor that is clearly Laguna. The Moombas and Shumi borderline worship Laguna--even building him a statue in their village. The presidential palace in Esthar even has a massive picture of Winhill overtop of it. The first time we see Laguna in the present he is in a space suit and is referred to as "Man in Space Suit" which is reminisicent of his theme "Man With the Machine Gun", and we can only really tell it is him from his mannerisms/animations. The thing is, there's really nothing special about Laguna. He's just a goofy, well intentioned dude, but things just mostly work out for him and everyone in the world adores him--even his companions Kiros and Ward basically gave up everything else in their life just to hang out with him. The fact that this man that Squall writes off as a total idiot not only helped liberate Esthar from Adel, but also became president, and is his father is hilariously ironic. Basically, the reason why Laguna is the best character basically just boils down to the combination of his sheer likability and the fact that everything connects together in FFVIII and that he is the glue that makes it work. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
CHRIS A: I'd have to say my favorite story from a Final Fantasy doesn't come from a particular character, but the entire story of the game. Final Fantasy I had such a neat concept using the idea of a time paradox that was pretty before its time. I'm a sucker for these kinds of stories, and it was neat when you look at it in a real world context considering this could have potentially been Squaresoft's last attempt at a game. And that fact that the story kind of goes on forever left a lasting impression on me.