Bushiroad introduced key words for clans in Cardfight!! Vanguard G. Key words are for a clan’s signature ability. They notify a player when the ability is active and how it can be used in the game. Gear Chronicle’s key word is Time-Leap. Units are bound to superior call units with higher grades. Wave perfectly fits with Aqua Force. The mechanic is just like Aqua Force’s signature ability and it activation is based on your attack’s order. Royal Paladins were given Brave.
Brave is a horrible concept for Royal Paladins. Brave activates when you have three or less cards in your hand. You must carefully control your hand to successfully activate Brave. You do not want too many cards in your hand. You must defend the vanguard and often call units to the field to maintain the skill’s availability. This is an odd mechanic for Royal Paladins because the clan’s theme is social solidarity. The clan’s signature ability is to gain power by having allies on the field. It is similar to Gold Paladin’s Unite skill. Unite only activates when two or more Gold Paladins are called to the field.
It is bad to have less than three cards in your hand to trigger effects. You cannot be able to consistently defend your vanguard. Hand size still extremely important in trading card games. Defense is the key to winning games. Most of Cardfight!! Vanguard’s strategies rely on having a good offense. Some decks do have a defensive mind set. Perfect Guards, G-Guardians and triggers are your most defense cards. You must have them to win games. You will lose games if you are unable to consistently guard the vanguard. Draw triggers are not good for this type of deck. I love draw triggers for drawing an extra card. I want to get to my key cards sooner than later.
The Royal Paladins’ key word should have been focused on superior calling allies from the deck and gaining power when you have a full field. Many Royal Paladin decks such as Alfred and Sanctuary Guard Dragon are about surrounding yourself with your allies. Your vanguards will gain power and your allies will gain new skills. Brave is not about that at all. It is such a huge disappointment for my favorite clan.
The Final Word
I have no idea what Bushiroad was thinking when they made Brave for Royal Paladin. Brave is by far the worst key word among the clans. The remaining clans’ key words are based on each clan’s signature trait. A tiny hand was never the theme for Royal Paladins. The Royal Paladins deserve a better mechanic than Brave. I want Royal Paladins to have a mechanic based on their social solidarity. They are a group of warriors, who make each other stronger. I will stay with my Alfred Legion deck and my Seekers deck!
