The first booster box for Cardfight!! Vanguard’s reboot was released on June 22, 2018. Unite! Team Q4 is one of the game’s most anticipated boxes in the game’s long history. I purchased a box at my local shop last weekend, and pulled many amazing cards from my box. I pulled Dragonic Waterfall, CEO Amaterasu, and Asura Kaiser.
Unite! Team Q4 reintroduces the team’s clans. The clans in the set are Kagero, Nova Grappler, Oracle Think Tank, and Royal Paladins. The current clans with Force are Kagero and Royal Paladins. Nova Grapplers are the first clan to feature the Accel gift. Oracle Think Tank debuts the Protect gift. Players can familiarize themselves to the new rules, mechanics, and strategies.
Every booster box of Unite! Team Q4 includes five promo packs. One promo pack includes a marker for each Imaginary Gift. The four remaining packs include a promo card and an Imaginary Gift with a character’s illustration. These promo cards are a great incentive for players to buy a box. You will get markers that are required for every standard deck.
Perfect Draw Triggers!
New sentinels (perfect guards) are the new draw triggers. Draw triggers have finally regained their value in the game. I only played draw triggers in my premium decks because I liked to draw cards to build my hand. However, their shield of 5,000 was lackluster compared to other triggers, and they did not have great skills. Draw triggers now have a greater purpose in the game. They will draw a card after being checked, and will provide the perfect defense. Expect to see draw triggers in every deck moving forward.
Royal Paladins
I love the Royal Paladins’ new tactics to regain resources. Many of the original Royal Paladins superior called cards from the deck to build a field. The new Royal Paladins call cards from your hand and you may draw a card to replace the card from your hand. Both strategies accomplish the same goal of maintaining your hand. There are a few exceptions to this strategy such as King of Knights, Alfred.
King of Knights, Alfred is a major upgrade from Alfred Early. The king can superior call Blaster Blade from the deck and gains 10,000 power for having Blaster Blade on the field. Then, we have Soul Saver Dragon as the clan’s finisher. She closes many games by overpowering the entire field. Alfred and Soul Saver Dragon should be a top deck in the format.
Kagero
Kagero continues its trend that relies on a strong vanguard to win games. Only a few rear-guards are essential for victory. The top vanguard for Kagero is the powerful Dragonic Waterfall. Dragonic Waterfall is Kagero’s VR and finisher. Protect clans cannot hide from Kagero anymore. Dragonic Waterfall is a strong card in standard and premium formats.
Bushiroad dropped the ball on a few cards that could have had potential if given a Force maker. Vortex Dragon’s only flaw is its lack of a gift. You do not gain a Force gift after riding Vortex Dragon. Vortex Dragon is only useful in the right situation. You need multiple Force gifts from earlier vanguards and need to acquire his skill’s conditions.
Oracle Think Tank
Oracle Think Tank is the first clan with the Protect gift. Their strategy focuses on defense and drawing many cards to create a large hand. A large hand and Protect gifts make a very strong defense This is the clan I am looking forward to building a deck for the current format. Offense sells tickets and defense wins championships.
Imperial Daughter, Promise Daughter, Circle Magus, and CEO Amaterasu are the perfect team. These cards generate huge card advantage. Players can create large hands in just a few turns. Imperial Daughter is on the front cover, but I can make a strong agreement for CEO Amaterasu as the best vanguard for Oracle Think Tank. My deck is going to focus around these two vanguards.
Nova Grapplers
The weakest clan in the box is Nova Grappler. Bushiroad tried to create two decks for the clan, but neither deck feels complete. We have a new Hero archetype and Raizers return. Neither archetype have all of the tools necessary to compete and gain advantage. Nova Grapplers’ only advantages are the Accel gift, Hi-powered Raizer Custom, and the new Perfect Raizer. Hi-powered Raizer Custom is the only card in the clan with the ability to gain advantage by superior calling a card from the soul to the field.
Front triggers make their debut in the franchise in Unite! Team Q4. Front triggers are exclusive cards for Accel clans. Two different sets of front triggers are available for Nova Grapplers. Players have the option of playing eight front triggers in their decks. I am expecting players to experiment with different trigger lineups to find the best lineup for their Nova Grappler decks.
The Final Word
Unite! Team Q4 is a great booster box for the opening month of the new Cardfight!! Vanguard. I am very happy with the cards from my box. I highly recommend buying a box if you are planning to build decks for the clans from this set. The new perfect guards are a great addition to the game. Royal Paladins, Kagero, and Oracle Think Tank are near equal footing, and they all stand above Nova Grapplers for now. The Royal Paladins have the best rear-guards. Kagero has the best vanguard. Oracle Think Tank has the most consistent team of units. Finally, Nova Grapplers are not at their best just yet.
Booster Box Rating: [usr 4]
