So link jokers came out in zero and I decided to reroll in JP zero to get em :eyes:
So uhh... I got most of em.
So yea, good pulls aside, welcome to the blog where I’ll be going over link jokers in zero, going over my build and their theory behind it.
I got to legend 0 with the deck a few mins ago so that’s good.
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Now before I discuss the stuff about link jokers, if you’re just here for the list I have been running
Here ya go.
And now let’s begin with the first section
The basics
The lock mechanic in vanguard has not changed at all; it’s the same. But not to worry, they are not oppressive... yet. Link jokers, while they have the lock mechanic up their sleeve, they have a bunch of issues themselves:
• Counterblasts
Link jokers have a lot of units that have a lot of units that counterblast BUT their main glaring problem is that they do not have a way to counter charge at all.
And their counterblasts being hefty does not help either. One of the examples is this fella that ya saw at the start of this image:
Taking 3 counterblasts for locking 3 and +1 crit, while it seems good on paper, is not good in practice. And the main reason is because the deck doesn’t have a way to facilitate countercharge. Not to mention that counterblast 1 to add a copy of himself is also going to be a thing that’ll happen pretty frequently so you’re using 4 counterblasts for essentially a CHANCE on finishing a game, because perfect guards exist.
Anyways, the main point is that link jokers have some a lot of units with decent to good counterblasts but they don’t have a consistent way to counter charge. So you’ll basically have to play link jokers very sparingly in terms of counterblasts; use them where they’re needed.
• Does not have a lot of options pre limitbreak
Link jokers at the moment is mediocre until the deck reaches 4th damage. The deck has möbius breath dragon, knight of entropy and dust tail unicorn (the starter I prefer).
It also has the Schwarzschild dragon ride chain since the grade 2 can lock if you ride over the grade 1. Though the only problem is that you have to play a part of the ride chain, if not you play the whole ride chain which, while it is better than möbius breath if it happens, it’s not a guaranteed chance. So I’d say stay away from the ride chain unless you want to play the Schwarzschild build.
•Dealing with intercepts
Link jokers can’t deal with intercepts once they run out of gas. Since it’s not actual removal, if you do not finish your opponent in the late game, you’re basically screwed because you’ll have to deal with the intercepts first and THEN you have to deal with PGs that your opponent will most likely have. So yea, finish them off before you run out of counterblasts.
And yea that’s about it. The deck does have some sort of filtering, and you can play more filters if you want to so Yea, link joker is okay in that department for now so yea.
The good points
I’ll try to keep this section brief. The lock mechanic is their best point of course. While they don’t have many lock tools before 4 damage, the tools they do have are pretty good. And because of that, the deck can push damage relatively fast during early game if you wanted to.
The deck’s main strength is during 4th damage. The deck basically pops off and becomes super oppressive due to the break ride being able to lock front row and back row with 1 counterblast. With the break ride and dust unicorn starter, the deck can do a triangle lock pretty easily. And even without limit break, because of dust unicorn and knight of entropy, front row lockdown is not a super hard thing to achieve.
TL;dr: the deck can be pretty aggressive early game and it is pretty oppressive when it gets to limit break territory.
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Deck profile... and whatever
Man I like reverse kai as a skin
So that’s the what I went with, ya took a glimpse at it at the start of the blog. Anyways, let’s get on with the meat and potatoes :eyes:
Starter
Dust tail unicorn is an important piece of the deck. This is the card that’ll make the link joker locks even more oppressive since he can lock units in ANY rearguard circle. The opponent will obviously try to remove this card so beware of that. It will be a bit of a hit if they remove this but the deck should still function decently.
though it’s better if you’re able to use the card.
Grade 1s
The PGs are there, they’re always necessary in this game so there’s that.
Opener of dark gates is there for filter if you want to filter your hand. The deck doesn’t really need filter, it’s not like you are going to persona blast or something, but the occasional filter is good to have. I like the flexibility of having a filter I guess.
Demon claw is one of the main components of the deck. Since you’ll be locking a lot, this card will power up a whole lot, which will go over defensive. Also, another cool thing you can do is to use this alongside möbius breath and Tungsten in your 2nd turn and you will always be over defensive since tungsten will gain 3k if the opponent has a locked card (will most likely be the starter most of the time) and demon claw gains 3k boost if something is locked while it’s on the board.
Their total power will equate to 21k after just one lock so this combo is pretty good in mid to late game too.
The 8k vanilla is there just because it’s a good beatstick to have around. You can also play this card
For more filter if you like that. I just like the 8k since it is a big number and it’s good for going over defensive triggers when time comes for it.
Grade 2s
Krypton (the 10k vanilla) is there for ABSOLUTE VALUE. It’s a 10k vanilla so he will always be good for blocking hits.
Möbius breath is another important piece of the deck. You mainly want to open with him if you’re going first so locking starters isn’t a problem.
Unless it’s wingal liberator then fuck ‘em
Another reason you play is because of the synergy with demon claw, since that 3k attack boost is a sizeable buff. So not only your opponent has to deal with their starter being locked for a turn, they also have to deal with the 2 damage you deal at the start of that turn.
Speaking of möbius breath and demon claw:
Tungsten is also one of the cards that benefit from möbius breath. It will basically make sure that you get the second hit on your opponent with the +3k gain. And this gain is not just for your turn, BUT FOR YOUR OPPONENT’S TURN TOO. Since lock doesn’t revert until the end of the owner’s turn, tungsten stays at 11k. And 11k beatsticks are a pain to get over.
Pairing up this card with nebula lord basically means your opponent is going to attack with the vanguard since nebula lord locks backrow, making this card an annoying pest for your opponent.
Singularity sniper is one of those cards which you don’t want to see too often. She’s situational but that’s all we have so far so we sorta have to run her for the free locks on hit. So if your opponent is dumb enough to put a grade 1 or grade 3 in front row, this card will just lock them... providing your opponent has a locked card on board already.
But yea the card isn’t that bad, just run 2 so you don’t see it all the time.
Grade 3s
Now to meet the centrepiece of the deck:
Infinite zero! Man this card is great. +3k while attacking is great since he himself can pass over defensive if you’re opponent isn’t running cross rides with just a 7k booster or above. Not only that, the break ride skill is the main reason you run it since it locks multiple units in front row and back row. So along with the starter, the breakride alone can make a triangle lock (locking the front rows and the backrow behind the vanguard) which is pretty hard to deal with especially if the opponent is on 4 or 5 damage. Best link joker card, hands down.
King of entropy is usually the thing you want to break ride into. This could be because the opponent took out the starter but this card is pretty crucial for the deck. Counterblast 2, while being pretty hefty, is pretty good. Especially when this card and dust tail unicorn can take care of the whole front row by locking them.
It’s good for triangle locking with break ride and just increasing pressure for the opponent with locking the rear guards fairly consistently.
You don’t want to see multiples of him in hand since one is usually enough to control the game. The card is mainly a heal trigger because after you have 1, you don’t really need more since the card’s skill is not on call, you can use it anyways. While this card is good for getting over defensive triggers, it can’t lock front row units... which is the only problem. That’s why I prefer king of entropy over him. But by god, with infinite zero break ride, this card is something else. Getting access to attack boost and even drawing if you lock 3 cards is good. But it can’t lock front row units which is a big bummer.
and also a blessing too since the deck would’ve been pretty stronk if he had that sorta skill.
The card is a decent beatstick, that’s about it tbh lol.
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Tips
Link jokers in this game are quite finicky but from like 80 games that I’ve been playing, I have figured out some ground rules for this clan:
• don’t use your counterblasts unnecessarily. Use them if you see the opportunity to lock their units and pushing for lethal.
• push for damage. Be as aggressive as you can during the early game. You have a decent bit of tools to do damage so might as well take the advantage of that. If you put them in a lot of damage early game, then link joker will oppress the hell out of the opponent and eventually win the grind.
• This one is mirror specific: if you see a link joker player playing Schwarzschild dragon ride chain, for the love of god, don’t give him counterblasts to use Schwarzschild dragon’s skill. That card is basically the counter to this deck for some reason. But to combat the lock, just remember to put intercepts. The main problem with the ride chain is the grade 3 since it takes a lot of counterblasts, so you’ll be fine once you can weather that storm.
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if anyone tries them on global when they come out, tell me how the deck plays out, lmao.
Peace
