Hey, folks, what’s up? It’s been a minute, huh?
So, yeah, March didn’t really go as planned. I had an episode of the podcast recorded about Jessica Cruz, my favorite Green Lantern, but my laptop died earlier this year and wouldn’t you know it, I’d forgotten to back that episode up! So it goes.
More importantly, I finally accepted something about myself: I can’t stay focused on one topic long enough to reliably put out a focused podcast about it. When I had the idea for It Came From Off-Panel!, all I wanted to do was talk about comics… but that passion petered out around the start of 2022. Don’t get me wrong, I still love comics, but right now I’d rather spend my free time with Digimon! So that’s what I’ve been doing. I know myself; I know that that passion, too, will eventually fade, and I’ll only want to talk about Star Wars or something for a few months.
All of which is to say: the whole system I’d worked out for releasing a podcast and accompanying content? That’s not going to work for me.
I also stopped using Twitter, which has had two major effects: first of all, I’ve felt way better–that place ruins my mental health. Second, the whole idea of content creation has felt a lot less… urgent. As a result, I’ve kind of put this blog aside. However, I still feel like writing on occasion, so I’m going to try to post every now and again. Maybe once a week, maybe only a few times a month. But it’s going to be more like the old Roll With It days where I sort of just write about whatever I feel like.
Right now, what I feel like writing about is Digimon. I’ve always been a fan of the franchise and I’ve been getting back into it lately, in large part because of the Digimon Card Game. Have you guys heard about this thing? It’s really good. I’ve also just caught up on Digimon Ghost Game, the current incarnation of the anime, which is great, and this week I bought a Vital Bracelet and am raising a sweet little Gabumon. I want to do a whole post about the Vital Bracelet at some point, but right now I can’t use its companion app due to my phone’s NFC reader being on the fritz, so it’ll have to wait until I get that fixed (which should be soon).
Anyway, the card game! The Digimon TCG is, frankly, better than it has any right to be. I’ve written about it before, so I won’t break down all the gameplay; instead, I just want to talk for a minute about a deck I recently built.
I want to be clear up-front: I’m not a competitive player. This deck almost certainly wouldn’t get me anywhere in a tournament, and I’m fine with that! I don’t play in tournaments. They involve other people and that’s terrifying. I play this game with my roommate and we’re pretty evenly matched.
I also don’t buy singles of cards, netdeck tournament winners, or anything like that. I buy a box when a new set comes out, I pick up starter decks, and I just sort of throw together what looks fun out of what I pull.
Basically, what I’m getting at is this: if someone who happens to be a pro Digimon player ends up reading this, don’t leave a message about how I should pick up a couple of extra copies of X card and swap it out with Y, or how this deck is weak in the current meta, or whatever. I don’t really care about that stuff.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the red hybrid deck I put together after buying a box of the most recent release, BT-07 Next Adventure! Next Adventure has a huge focus on hybrids–Digimon that can evolve onto Tamers. If you’re familiar with the basic mechanics of the game, you can probably see what a big advantage hybrids offer in terms of filling up your field. I threw together a little Red hybrid deck for kicks and so far it’s been fun to play!
Digi-Eggs
I have a pretty basic red egg setup focused on boosting my Digimon’s DP. Two copies of BT7 Kapurimon, which gives a power boost when Tamers are in play (ideal for a hybrid deck); two copies of BT5 Koromon, which allows the player to draw if it’s under a Digimon with Greymon in it’s name (unfortunately BurningGreymon is exempt from that bonus, but I have a lot of other Greymons in this deck); and one copy of ST7 Gigimon (which grants a DP bonus when an opponent’s Digimon is deleted). I’d have more Gigimons except that I’m using them in a separate deck.
Rookies
My rookies are a combination of Flamemons and Agumons. I don’t have enough hybrids to build a fully hybrid deck, so the backup is basically Greymon tribal–thus, Agumon support.
First off, I have three copies of the BT6 Flamemon, which grants Piercing as an inherited effect when it’s under a hybrid or Ten Warriors Digimon. Red Hybrids have a lot of Security Attack bonuses, so tossing Piercing onto one is always a good call–plus, if Flamemon happens to be on top of Gigimon, that deletion will raise his DP.
Next up are two copies of BT7 Flamemon, which has a useful hybrid search on play and allows me to toss out a Takuya tamer on deletion (as an inherited effect). Finally, I have a single BT4 Flamemon, which simply has a weaker version of BT7’s search effect. He’s really just here to give me more hybrid bodies.
ST7 Agumon is the main part of my Agumon package with four copies. It’s inherited effect is a straight +2000 DP when attacking a player–that’s handy no matter what I evolve him into. Then I’ve got a single copy of EX1 Agumon (for the inherited Tamer search) and a single copy of the Promo Agumon with the “boost DP if this Digimon is a Greymon” effect.
So, overall, my rookies are decent at boosting DP and helping me get Tamers on the field.
Champions
Champions are split between hybrids and a few Greymons. First and foremost, of course, is BT7 BurningGreymon, which can immediately delete one of your opponent’s weaker monsters if you digivolve it onto Takuya or Flamemon. I’ve got two copies of that, as well as two copies of BT4 BurningGreymon, who gets a meaty DP boost on your turn. Wrapping up my hybrids at this level is a single copy of BT4 Agunimon, who is just there to give me another hybrid to work with.
As for Greymons, I have two copies of BT5 Greymon, who is cheaper to evolve onto Agumons and provides another nice DP bonus as an inherited effect. Then I’ve got one copy of BT1 Greymon (again, for the DP bonus inherited) and two copies of ST7 GeoGreymon (mostly because he plays out of Security–and, if you’re lucky, deletes one of your opponent’s monsters when doing so).
Ultimates
I don’t have great hybrid support in my ultimates, unfortunately. I’ve only got a single copy of BT4 Aldamon, who hits like a truck–11000 DP if you’ve got hybrids in his stack, plus Security Attack +1. I have two copies of BT7 Aldamon, who is also a monster, though without the extra Security Attack.
Next up are two copies of EX1 MetalGreymon. Why? Because he looks cool and fits the Greymon theme. That’s about it, really. I have a single BT5 MetalGreymon Alterous Mode for pretty much the same reason (though at least that one can buff some of my megas, too). Finally, I’m using two copies of ST7 RizeGreymon, because… Greymon.
Megas
Obviously, I’ve got BT7 EmperorGreymon in here–but only one copy, unfortunately. I’ve also got a single copy of EX1 WarGreymon in here, because sometimes you just need to wipe out a Blocker. The majority of my megas, however, are ST7 ShineGreymons (three copies, to be exact). Piercing and Security Attack +1? Greymon in the name? This was a no-brainer.
I was lucky enough to pull a BT7 Susanoomon that’s in here, too, though I haven’t had the chance to fire him off yet.
Tamers
I only pulled two BT7 Takuya Kanbaras, but they’re both in here. I’ve never gotten to evolve him into EmperorGreymon, but his inherited effect is incredibly useful for hybrids like Aldamon. Because of my need for Tamers and reliance on Greymon backup, I also have two copies of BT4 Marcus Daimon and a single BT5 Nokia Shiramine.
Options
Memory Boosts are always useful, so I have one copy apiece of both Red Memory Boost and Flame Memory Boost. Then, I have a single BT1 Brave Shield, in case I need an emergency Blocker. I’ve also got a single copy of Atomic Inferno, which is great for boosting, say, Aldamon with even more Security-busting power. After that, my Options focus on deletion, since that’s what red Options do best.
I’ve got two copies of ST1 Gaia Force, because unrestricted Digimon removal can’t be beat. Everything else is a single copy. BT7 Giga Storm and BT4 Trident Revolver are limited to weaker targets, but the former can wipe a couple of rookies or champions and the latter gets me a free Tamer. Finally, BT7 Firedrake Strike lets you wipe out anything with the same DP as a hybrid, making it phenomenal when paired with… well, any red hybrid of ultimate level or higher, really.
So, yeah! That’s a deck I’ve been having fun with. Is it good? Probably not! But it’s good enough for me. I don’t really know who this post is for, I guess, but I wanted to write about cards for a bit. Mission accomplished!
It Came From Off-Panel! 