The background stories of Battle Spirits TCG
Not only a TCG, Battle Spirits has developed several contents simultaneously in Japan.
As the Battle Spirits project started as an anniversary products line, its media contents were supported by partnership between Bandai and SUNRISE Inc.「サンライズ」 (it is told that the early product codename "BS" came from initials of each companies), one of leading anime companies in Japan. Currently animated TV series "Battle Spirits: Bashin, the breakthrough boy"「バトルスピリッツ 少年突破バシン」 has been on air for a half year. And its monthly serial comics is running on Kerokero Ace Magazine「ケロケロエース」, a kids comic magazine.
Animated series is directed by Mitsuru Hongou 「本郷みつる」, an experienced kids anime director from 90's who have also showed unique talent for robot animes in recent works like "IGPX" or "REIDEEN". United with animators from SUNRISE Inc, Battle Spirits animated series pays attention relatively heavily on daily school life of kid characters/players in the story. Though they play the card game, attend to tournaments or conventions, or fight villain players some times, their dramas in the show are merged with everyday episodes of youth and friendship.
As for a summery of the show, the story follows on a 6th grade elementary school boy named Bashin Toppa 「馬神トッパ」. Although started playing Battle Spirits TCG as an inexperienced beginner player, he occasionally awakens the gift within himself to summon spirits and nexuses in his command during the game. From then Bashin achieves cards, skills, and knowledge of the card game rapidly, not only for his talent but with many helps and experiences from friends, other awakened players, and powerful rivals.
As these kids aware of their powers and natures behind the card game, a mysterious society of game players starts challenging them. "The League of Thousands Spirits", and its member players or minions each called by distinct numbers. Bashin and kids learn that spirits in the Battle Sprits card game were originally inhabited in other dimensional plane, but separated and commanded by the cards somehow according to the League's secret scheme.
Bashin and friends vowed finding the way to liberate spirits and their planes in last winter episodes, and they enters junior high school in this spring (we start new school years form April in Japan.) Divided in separate schools and classes, there will be new characters and encounters among them, awaited by new foes and players from the League.
On the other hand, the comics adaptation series on Kerokero Ace Magazine features more on fights between spirits and players. Both sharing same stories and backgrounds in general, those two Battle Spirits storylines are making an interesting contrast.
The Battle Spirits comics are written and illustrated by Hideaki Fujii 「藤異秀明」, the comic book artist renowned with energizing and acrobatic battle scenes and monster portrayals. like his run on several kids magazine comics (such as "D-Children" 「真・女神転生デビルチルドレン」 adaptation comics from a computer game/TCG product) in the past did, Fujii shows dynamic and thrilling battles of players and spirit forces in otherworldly planes.
About a half of past Kerokero Ace Magazine issues have contained an exclusive promo card in a volume so far, and so is an each volumes of comic trade paperbacks (whose promos features a card illustration by Hideaki Fujii). Roughly once in a year the Magazine has appended a beginner’s starter deck as a supplement each copy, advertising to and assisting newcomer players. I'm not sure if things will work like this in U.S. just same as in Japan here, considering there are no information about the Battle Spirits media business in overseas right now. But I think Bandai will find chances to provide you anime shows or comics somehow, or promo cards supplement for believers around the world at least.
The universe of Battle Spirits TCG
For some reasons told in previous story summery, the universe of Battle Spirits TCG is mutually constructed and linked between its game design, character backgrounds, and fantasy game worlds. There are currently six colors existed in the universe and game of Battle Sprits, which each represents different home worlds of spirits in extra dimensional planes. And main characters or players in the show/comics excel in their personal color cards and decks.
Red is the personal color of the main character boy Bashin, and contains powerful forces of spirits like tough wild beasts, huge reptiles or dinosaurs, furious scaled humanoid races with intelligence called "Dragnos", and ancient dragon lords.
The main strategy of red might seem very aggressive and offence-oriented at first look, for many spirit powers or nexus effects of are activated through attack actions. But considering that Battle Spirits TCG is an active game in its origin design, Red represents the most basic and initial card groups in the game.
Not only some steroid creatures or burn magics, there are also convenient draw source or resource/core manipulation "Awakening" spirits power. It is very important to remember that there are very few (and mostly ineffective) nexus removal options other than red cards.
Bashin mainly plays red decks, and is now the master of two red X rare spirits, The DragonEmperor Siegfried and The TwinRowdy Diranos! Deep within the warlike and primordially balanced world of red, vast elder wisdoms and knowledge are hidden. And the mastery of Red strategies would tame even the most brute forces of all, and command them with cool cunningness.
White is the personal color of the other main cast, "J" (Juli Sawaragi, the unfamiliar first name came from his half Finn birth) the young champion player of Battle Spirits TCG. As Bashin plays the game with passion, J plays his deck with the power of reason and logic. Although white cards and J's playing style look defensive and steady, white contains one of the fastest beat decks or tactics. The mystery of ambivalence lies in tempo control, which is the point of white strategies.
White can access to various opposing cards with bounce effects, in which white specializes at. This remarks that white lacks in ways to gain card advantages, with short draw source and less card removal/disposal. But tempo manipulation tactics make this weakness to a challenging feat, or even greater advantages!
With accesses to tempo of both sides, white card can make opposing players ineffective and distracted before they accomplish full board development. And cost reduction rule helps white side to build forces in superior efficiency. This enables white strategies adaptable to any spans throughout the game, from fast-paced beat to heavy-cost total control.
Symbolizing deck themes of the color, white spirits are originated from armored creatures like shelled crustaceans or scale-plated flying fishes, artificial drones, robots, gigantic machine-monsters, and glamour-wielding metallic fairies. With their unity and systematically combined might, as J's favorite white X rare spirit The Gigantic Thor often charges to enemies armed with the weapon his fellow reinforcement robotic spirits transformed, players can establish fine defense line to create more greater counterstrike chances!
Green world is said that it was originally a harmonized plane of woods and grasslands, flourished with life force and nature gifts. But powerful beastlords having started battles for their hegemony there recently, once peaceful sanctuary became uneasy battleground and those innocent little or fragile are now threatened by former protectors. To solve the situation, concerned treefolk elders newly summoned other beastlords for guardians and arbitrators. As war of predators, beastmen, raptors, and insectoids goes on, will there be any chances to stop the battle?
Green enlists the mightiest spirits of all colors in its forces, and thanks to core generating/accelerating capabilities players can pump their levels and BPs up to the best easily and rapidly. Although suffered by short active draw source (due to counter-balance its broad/tempo merit, just same as white does), green decks can manage to overcome by unique spirit powers such as recovering to refresh status or entering play in flash timing. Supported by good combat tricks and resource management cards, green is the most battle oriented color of all.
The master player of green is a boy nicknamed as "Striker"「ストライカー」(his real name was later revealed as Kakeru Nohara), who is Bashin's best friend and a former ace player of their school soccer team. When Striker suffered unfortunate leg injuries by accidents, he chose to become a player of another game in all new fields, to protect others from bully players from the League. His trained and strengthened will makes powerful decision for a beginner player, even awe-inspiring to experienced friend players sometime! In daily school times he is little a mischievous boy and being just another fine buddy kid though.
Purple contains a realm of dark, shadowy kingdoms of curses and death-magics. The inhabitants there were mostly frightening monsters, such as winged night creatures, miner demonic being like imps, or lesser formless spawns. Those are led by legendary monsters like vampires, mummies, or even greater demonic figures. This might sound chilling or haunting, although worldviews shown by illustrations or favor texts are somewhat less grim and more lawful than you imagine. The netherworld of purple is ruled by Seven Generals of the Pandemonium, each representing a race co-existing in this realm.
Purple cards in TCG provides good draw sources, as well as various spirit removal effects which can deal opposing spirits not only destroying them but also neutralizing powers by manipulating their cores. Purple was favorite color for control deck players at first, with powerful magic/nexus effects and high cost spirits.
But additional sets supplied the color a lot of low/middle cost spirits that can match forces of other colors with attack-triggering powers. Current purple strategies shows many varieties of decks, beat decks supported by spirit removal magics, hand/resource manipulating middle speeded decks, and total control decks with a famous mass destructive X rare spirit The SevenShogun Desperado!
The main player of purple deck in the Battle Sprits story is a mysterious girl "Suiren" (「スイレン」, meaning "Lotus"), whose secret identity is a young popular singer "My Sunshine". She is playing the card game with her alter ego as a renowned expert player in spare times, hiding from her agency and managers. As she enters junior high school, she is now permitted to play the TCG as her own self, and eager to join circles of young classmate players.
Yellow is the first addition to previous four basic colors, joined from 2nd set "Geki-syou" (「激翔」, vaguely meaning "Ascendant Flights") and now consisting some major strategies in the metagame. Yellow deck player in the show is a girl "Megane-ko" (「メガネコ」, meaning "glassie-girl" as an nickname spoken by people around her with friendship), who is a childhood friend to Bashin and started to play Battle Spirits TCG following to footsteps of him. She have won many matches in the tournament and now proven herself to be a talented player, just like her favorite deck color did in the game scenes.
Yellow is a color heavily specialized in resource management. With various supporting magic effect options and spirits with relatively less BPs, its strategies are based on multi-color decks that can boost merits of other colors. Yellow also enlists bunch of small but fine utility spirits, and surprisingly powerful heavy cost spirits that can act as main deck themes. One of such cards is a X rare spirit The ArcAngelia Mikafar, whose vast magic cost reduction power enabled a combo deck that can draw up all your deck to form mass weenie attacks.
Some players in Japan said that Mikafar combo was invincible, but I doubt it from my experiences as I had beaten many Mikafar decks in past. Right now Mikafar is temporary restricted in official, but I think newcomer players in U.S. can deal with the deck even better with our past playing records in Japan.
Blue is a new addition to card colors of Battle Spirits, introduced in the latest 3rd set "Ha-tou" (「覇闘」, "Battles for the Championship"). As the set subtitle says, the whole blue world is a coliseum of fighters and challengers itself. Warlike residents of the realm had arranged an agreement to stop consuming wars by choosing their rulers with ceremonial tournaments in the past, and the legacy lingers as right now they have started the anniversary competition for the rule of their Five Kingdoms.
Blue gathers fine spirit strength in each cost areas. But they are not just mindless brawns, but are trained cunning competitors in battlegrounds. Such backgrounds are portrayed with other main strategies of blue cards; nexus manipulation and magic restriction that can support your fighters with protection from dirty tricks, and blue deck distraction tactics will cause serious nightmares to control or combo decks.
The ceremonial tournaments have started with great passion and excitement of the crowd, with entrances of the heroes of fame. The Dogman Murdoch, renowned coach of many past champion teams. The GlantKing Randolf, fighting monorch of the Middle Kingdom. And The GlantHero Titus, legendary winner of all seven competitions! But behind in the scene, intruders are sighted repeatedly, and they are not some known foul players or cheaters, but are totally unknown interrupters! Things are seems to be getting much hotter even outside of the game...
Now this is all I can offer you for now. I hope these little articles would be your help to enjoy playing Battle Spirits TCG, and to empower playing communities of the game in global (of course this means Japan is included too!) for near future. I noticed that Bandai America has started coverage on official site (http://www.bandaicg.com/) recently, along with the designer’s blog by Mechael Elliott himself. I'm waiting for you all oversea fans to catch up, and enjoy playing this great game with us and being great help to enrich its fun for you and us of all.
As an appriciation for international visiters, I have a little tip for you. In the right side of this blog, Below the link area, there is a button for web clap services labeled 「ウェブ拍手」. I have written series of tip articles for Battle Spirits TCG in times of new blog entries. I'm going to write new one from now and this time it would be a deck list that I had used in Tokyo preliminary tournament. Some cards are from expansion sets (and I'm not sure all english edition cards have identical english card names written in cards in Japan) so you might not comprehend them now. But I hope they would be your help for a little someday.
TPJ-021:"Lunasa Prismriver/Prismriver Three Sisters"「ルナサ・プリズムリバー／プリズムリバー三姉妹」
| Card type | Character | |
| Card name | Lunasa Prismriver/Prismriver Three Sisters | |
| Cost | ４ | |
| Team | Gensokyo | |
| Visible / Hidden | Visible only | |
| Flight, Ranged | ||
| ATK | ６ | |
| DEF | ９ | |
| Card text | Reservist | |
| Lunasa Prismriver can attack only characters with odd cost. | ||
| Flavor text | The lead sis is kinda spooky an' no my style. | |
| Card number | TPJ-021 |
TPJ-032:"Yakumo Ran/Familiar"「八雲 藍／式神」
| Card type | Character |
| Card name | Yakumo Ran/Familiar |
| Cost | ４ |
| Team | Gensokyo |
| Visible / Hidden | Visible only |
| Flight, Ranged | |
| ATK | ７ |
| DEF | ６ |
| Card text | Reservist |
| When Yakumo Ran enters play, Search a card with name Yakumo Yukari from your deck and put it into your hand. | |
| At the start of combat phase, reveal the top card of your deck. if it is a plottwist card, put it into your hand. | |
| Card number | TPJ-032 |
TPJ-010:"Hoan Meirin/Chugoku"「紅 美鈴／中国」
| Card type | Character |
| Card name | Hoan Meirin/Chugoku |
| Cost | ３ |
| Team | Gensokyo |
| Visible / Hidden | Visible only |
| Flight | |
| ATK | ３ |
| DEF | ６ |
| Card text | A character protected by Hoan Meirin can't be attacked. |
| (A)→Hoan Meirin gets +2/-2 this attack. | |
| Flavor text | Don't mess with her. |
| Card number | TPJ-010 |
TPJ-024:"Merlin Prismriver/Prismriver Three Sisters"「メルラン・プリズムリバー／プリズムリバー三姉妹」
| Card type | Character |
| Card name | Merlin Prismriver/Prismriver Three Sisters |
| Cost | ３ |
| Team | Gensokyo |
| Visible / Hidden | Visible only |
| Flight, Ranged | |
| ATK | ４ |
| DEF | ６ |
| Card text | Reservist |
| Merlin Prismriver can attack only exausted characters. | |
| Flavor text | huh? I thought Merlin was leading the band. |
| Card number | TPJ-024 |
