Greetings! Railgunfan75 here with some more Weiss Schwarz content. Because it is my Fate celebration month, I am taking a break from the Steins:Gate overview to discuss the Fate set. So any Weiss related posts this month will look at some aspects of the Fate set. I have discussed this sets in the past. For those not in the know, there is a large Fate presence in the game. On the English side, there are sets for Fate/Zero, FSN Unlimited Blade Works, Apocrypha and the Illya spinoff . The Japanese side also has a extra booster for Fate/Zero, a booster and TD for the Fate/Stay Night Visual Novel and a set for Fate/hollow ataraxia. Fate/Apocrypha and the Prisma Illya series sets are stand alone sets and the cards can’t be mixed in with the other Fate sets.
This time I want to focus on the English side of the game or rather what is missing from it. Sadly, the Fate set in English has a hard time competing with the top sets like SAO and certainly not with some newer sets like Konosuba and Re:Zero. There are multiple sets not available for English players and while those sets are for the most part outdated, there are some cards that if they were available for English players would certainly improve the options they had. It is likely that the English side will see the recently announced Heavens’ Feel set at some point but regardless these cards are in some essential to JP builds. I also will be looking solely at the cards that are playable with the Zero and UBW sets.So now that the lengthy introduction is out of the way, let’s look at some cards.
Fate/Zero EB
Irisviel, Pure And Innocent
Trait 1: (Homunculus) Trait 2: (Alchemy)
[A] [(1) Discard a card from hand to the Waiting Room] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, you may pay cost. If so, search your Library for up to 1 ::Master:: and/or ::Servant:: Character, reveal it, and put it in your hand. Shuffle your Library.
This card is a simple drop searcher but honestly it is something that the Fate English decks really need. Cards like this which simply increase the consistency of the deck are something which many players would take for granted. This card helps to fullfill that role by allowing to search for the any character from the two dominant traits of the sets. Yes, the character does not have either of those traits but that is really a small detriment. Having the ability to set up your late game is essential to most decks and this card aids in doing so. There is not an equivalent available as of now on the English side and it is a shame.
FZ/SE13-10
Lancer, Two Magical Lances
Trait 1: (Servant) Trait 2: (Weapon)
[C] ASSIST All your Characters in front of this gain +500 Power.
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, you may choose a Character whose name includes “Lancer” in your Clock and return it to your hand. If so, choose a card in your hand and put it in your Clock.
This card would be handy for those who wish to run a green/Lancer centric build. The 500 power assist is standard but the ability to clock swap Lancer characters from your hand can prove to be useful. This applies to “Lancer” characters from both Zero and the UBW sets so there are plenty of cards that can be used as targets. Also you aren’t restricted in what you put in the clock which is also nice. There aren’t many means to hand fix for free in the set and this card gives you the opportunity to do so.
FZ/SE13-21
Kirei, Truth Seeker of the Holy Church
Trait 1: (Void) Trait 2: (Master)
[C] For every other Character with either ::Master:: and/or ::God:: that you have, this gains +500 Power.
This card profile is admittedly a bit dated but it can be a solid beater option. Currently this card is used as a beater and color fixer for blue in the “Master” centric build and it serves the roll well. This card is simple but sometimes the simple cards can make an impact. This card would certainly be useful in English builds.
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
Stheno & Euryale
Trait 1: (God) Trait 2: (Twins)
[C] If you have another “Stheno & Euryale”, all your other Characters with “Rider” in name gain +1000 Power.
[C] All your other Characters with “Rider” in name gain the following ability. “[C] This cannot be Reversed by effects of [A] abilities of your Opponent’s Characters. This cannot Side Attack.”
This card is the backbone of JP builds which focus on a midgame with monster sized characters. This build is an older one but one which is still viable today especially due to the cards from the UBW sets. A backrow of this card ensures that your advance summon characters can’t be level bombed and really aids the Rider clock kick from the zero set in executing its effect. Again they are off trait but that can be worked around and the payoff is worth the extra effort. This would be a nice counter point to SAO or Attack on Titans monster mid and endgames.
Rider in Swimsuit
Trait 1: (Servant) Trait 2: (Swimsuit)
[A] When you use the BACKUP of this, choose 1 of your ::Master:: Characters, and that Character gains +1000 Power for the turn.
[S] [Counter] BACKUP 1000, Level 1 [Discard this card from your hand to the Waiting Room]
A 2000k level 1 counter is something that is standard in practically every set these days but not all sets have this tech. If you are an English Fate player and wanted such a counter for the “Master” deck, then you are out of luck. As is the case the Irisviel searcher above, having this card helps with the consistency with how the deck functions. These counters have proven to be a nice addition to any decks that have access to them. They simply allow for a stronger midgame by allowing characters to survive for multiple turns or to stop on reverse combos. It is not an essential card to some decks but a card that decks like to have.
Magical Girl Kaleido Ruby
Trait 1: (Master) Trait 2: (Magic)
[A] [(1) Discard a card from your hand to Waiting Room, put this in Waiting Room] When “Mimic Tohsaka” is placed in your Climax Zone, you may pay cost. If so, choose a Cost 1 or less Character with “Rin” in name in your Waiting Room and put it in the Slot this was in.
[S] BRAINSTORM [(1)] Flip over the top 4 cards of your Library and put them in your Waiting Room. Search Library for up to X Characters with “Rin” in name, reveal them, and put them in your hand. Shuffle your Library. Discard X cards from your hand to the Waiting Room. X = number of Climax cards revealed this way.
FH/SE03-034
Mimic Tohsaka
Trait 1: None Trait 2: None
[C] All your Characters gain +1000 Power and +1 Soul.
This combo is one that is used in some Rin/Archer builds. In the absence of any Standby mechanic in the set, this combo lets you do something similar at level 1. The Rin/Archer deck build has some nice cost 1 options to include (the effect lets you summon cost 1, level 2s as well). And to summon these cards at level 1 can help to win the midgame battle. The midgame is probably the biggest weak point for English fate but summoning 8500-9500 level 2s at level 1 would allow you to win against more English matchups. The character also has a nice secondary effect with it’s brainstorm. While it is not a straight plus, the hand fixing ability allows you to get the targets you need in the waiting room for the combo plus allow you to search out characters you need. This is a nice combo and one that would be nice to have in English decks.
FH/SE03-032
Rin in Swimsuit
Trait 1: (Master) Trait 2: (Swimsuit)
[A] This ability activates up to once per turn. When you use an [S] ability, this gains +1000 Power for the turn.
[A] ENCORE [Discard a Character card from your hand to the Waiting Room]
This card is a nice option for the previous combo to summon. It will likely be 8000k+ on attack which is big enough at level 1 plus has the ever handy hand encore meaning it can stick around for a couple of turns. There are cards in the English set which would fill this type of roll but having the encore ability on this really nice. Including this card on the English side would simply provide another option. More options is always nice, right?
Fate/Stay Night
Rin in Pajama
Trait 1: (Master) Trait 2: (Pajama)
[C] ASSIST All your Characters in front of this gain +500 Power.
[S] [(1)] Choose 1 of your Characters with “Archer” in name, and that Character gains the following ability for the turn. “[A] When this becomes Reversed, if the Level of its Battle Opponent is equal to or lower than the Level of this, you may Reverse that Character.”
This is yet another role player that can prove useful in a deck. This is a simple 500 assist optimized for the Rin/Archer builds or Archer heavy builds with the second effect. The secondary effect is something which I feel could be quite useful in certain situations. You can pay 1 stock to turn any Archer into a level reverser. While level reversing effects are not he best level 1 option, sometimes trading a card for an essential card on your opponents’ field is worth it. Also, paying 1 stock for an effect is not bad as it can give you a climax out or stock out for a target in the waiting room. This is not a game changer but with the power pump and the bomb effect this can make your game go more smoothly.
Rin, Gandr Shooter
Trait 1: (Master) Trait 2: (Gem)
[C] ASSIST All your Level 2 or higher Characters in front of this gain +1000 Power.
[S] [Rest 2 of your ::Master:: Characters] Choose a card in your Opponent’s Waiting Room and put it on top of the Library.
This is probably the best single card that you find on this list. Not only does this card give 1k to all level 2 and 3 characters in front of it, it also has a really nice startup effect. At the cost of resting 2 “Master” trait characters, you can put a card on top of your opponents deck. Of course, you want to put characters on top of deck with this effect and effectively ensure attacks of 1 damage will stick. When played at level 1, you end up top decking characters and increasing potential damage for multiple turns. This can potentially help to swing a game in your favor. It is slower and not as flashy as some other cards but still worth playing regardless. It can be especially punishing against decks which happen to be out of climaxes by allowing you to push the deck further away from refresh and recycling cards to do damage. The effect can be so strong that paying the 1 stock doesn’t mean much. Also multiple deck types would love this card and with their being many back row characters being “Master” trait, fitting this in is easy. Shame that the English decks don’t have access to this.
Rin, Average One
Trait 1: マスター (Master) Trait 2: 魔法 (Magic)
[A] [(1)] When this attacks, if “Mischievous Smile” is in the Climax Zone, you may pay cost. If so, deal 1 damage to your Opponent. (Damage Cancel can occur)
[S] [(1)] This gains +1000 Power and the following ability for the turn. “[A] When the Battle Opponent of this becomes Reversed, you may put it on top of the Library.”
Mischievous Smile
Trait 1: None Trait 2: None
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Climax Zone, choose up to 1 RED card in your W
The climax for this card was printed both in the Stay Night and in the UBW II set with the UBW version shown here. The climax also combos with a level 1 Rin salvage character from UBW II. So JP decks which run the level 1 combo can slot in a couple of the level 2 Rin’s for an additional bonus. This combo would be really a nice complementary piece in English decks as you can start pushing for damage at level 2 instead of 3 and for relatively low cost. The stock climax effectively cancels out the one stock needed for the combo effect. There is nothing wrong with having the option to ping for extra damage at level 2 and it is also nice that the character costs 1 stock vs 2. Typically you pay 2 stock for a level 3 to play early. For that same two stock you can effectively get 2 attacks.
The stock from the climax also does the same for the top deck effect. You can recoup the stock spent for the top deck effect effectively making it free. The top deck effect is nice for multiple reasons. The first is that you don’t need a climax to use it’s effect making the card less of a dead play with out it. You can also beat up on leftover level 1 characters and get a possible damage bonus or guaranteed damage by doing so. Again we have another card which would be insanely useful in English decks do it’s ability to allow you to be more aggressive.
FS/S03-061
Rin & Archer
Trait 1: (Master) Trait 2: (Servant)
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, you may put the top card of your Clock in the Waiting Room.
[A] When this attacks, if “Words of Farewell” is in the Climax Zone, you may deal 1 Damage to your Opponent. (Damage Cancel can occur)
[S] [Discard a ::Weapon:: Character card from your hand to the Waiting Room] This gains +2000 Power for the turn.
FS/S03-074
Words of Farewell
Trait 1: None Trait 2: None
[C] All your Characters gain +2 Soul
Finally, we have an old but still good endgame combo. I am typically not an advocate for running +2 soul climaxes but this combo is so good that it doesn’t matter. First we have a character which while weak in power can heal on play, has a means of giving itself more power and can especially in multiples really push for a lot of damage. The optimal play with this combo is to play 3 of the Rin/Archer cards, slap down the climax which makes them 4 soul characters and side attack with all three burning all the way. If you opponent has all level 3s in the front row, then you end burning for 1 on attack and then side attacking for hopefully 1 or 2. If your opponent is at mid level 3, it would be hard to survive 6 attacks like that. Of course if you need to push for more by Front attacking you can or you can mix front and side attacking to manage damage. The endgame options available in the English game while good are just not as explosive as this combo can be or as cheap to pull off. The burns cost nothing which is absolutely insane. Even some newer combos these days have a cost for such an effect. It also fits into practically any Fate deck build with it;s traits and lack of restrictions on using the combo. This could be a game changer for many English Fate deck builds.
So there you have it, my list of Fate Weiss Schwarz cards and combos that the English game could really use. Hopefully we will see some of these card effects added in the Heavens Feel Booster release which I imagine would be coming to English eventually. I am not done with Weiss content this month as I will be sharing you a fun English Fate deck build that I have concotted. Look forward to that coming soon. So until next time, this is Railgunfan75 signing off. Remember,
to show consideration and respect to those around you no matter what your differences are. It goes a long way. And of course stay geeky my friends!
railgunfan75's Geek blog 