Hi everyone, this is Tim and it’s time for my first Opus XIV: Crystal Abyss Card of the Week article!
I did send a list with possible cards to Kageyama-san, and I am very happy with the selection of cards he made for me! Both cards are very exciting and I can’t wait for the release of Crystal Abyss already!
So, let’s take a look the card!
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Garland [14-007L] is a 4 CP Fire Forward with 8000 power, category I, and the Job “Knight”. If Garland is dealt damage by a Summon or an ability, the damage becomes 0 instead.
When a Backup is put from the field into the Break Zone, draw 1 Card. His Special-Ability Flare requires dulling Garland and reads “Choose 1 Forward. Break it. Then your opponent selects 1 Backup they control. Put it into Break Zone.
Alright, let’s pause there for a minute and let this amazing Art by Gen Kobayashi sink in – this card is great! Some might even say it’s huge.
There are 6 versions of Garland already (4 of them in Fire, 2 in Lightning), but only Garland [10-088H] was popular in Ranperre [10-104R]-Decks and none of the Fire-Version have been really used in competitive play. I am sure this will change with Crystal Abyss!
My first thought is Knights! Fire/Water in particular! Just with Ovelia [1-156C] on the Field, Garland turns into a 9000 Power Forward with an inbuilt protection against damage from Summons and abilities which is very strong against other Decks like Samurais or Mono-Fire unless they start using Cu Chaspel [11-004C], which you could also include in case of any Mirror Matchups. Philia [13-129S] is already showcasing how great damage reduction for abilities is and Garland is not only immune to her entry-ability but also Summons as well.
Going back to Fire/Water Knights, Gawain [12-126R] can search Garland, and even if you have a copy already, he can provide an additional copy to make use of his special Ability Flare.
In case you would like to include Lightning as well (and maybe have multiple Garlands in your Deck), Duke Goltanna [1-134R] can also search for Garland.
Being a Fire-Card, you have an easy access to Belias, the Gigas [2-019R] and Sage [2-005C] to give Garland Haste and use his Special Ability in the same turn. This might pair well with Zidane [8-115L] who has been quite popular in Fire/Water lately as you can Break a potential blocker as well as a Backup to draw another card.
I think, this ability might justify a space in every deck that runs Fire as every of your Backups as well as your opponents backups will let you draw a card when they hit the Break-Zone. Is this the return of Yuna [1-176H] to counter this ability or is the beginning of a Fire-Earth Backup-destruction deck, running Hecatoncheir [1-117R/8-083C], Fenrir [12-068H], Doga [10-078H] or similar cards to get rid of all your opponent’s backups and let’s you draw a card for each.
Pretty much every generic backup that you can easily put on your Break Zone is useful with Garland such as Geomancer [10-012C] or Black Mage [8-007C], but also other Elements will show themselves really useful. I am sure you will find thousands of possibilities to utilize this ability and a reason to include Garland in every deck that has Fire CP!
Last but not least, we cannot forget what you are all thinking! With Garland on the field, Lulu [1-149H] reads: Put 1 backup into the Break Zone, deal 5000 Damage and draw 1 Card! 😊
I am sure that you will come up with even more ideas!! Happy brewing and stay cool!
Next week, Kageyama-san will reveal another Full-Art-Legend with an incredible awesome Art-Work!
Stay tuned!
Tim