An indepth look with Zero2Pass over the many options that Chaos breaker has in the premium format and how to build it ! – Cipher
Introduction
The cyber dragon “clown” is back in full force. No longer confined to just Star-vaders, the door to more possibilities of flexible deck creation and new plays now open. In Clan Selection 1 V-SS09 which just recently released in Japan, Chaos Breaker returns as a a RRR boss unit along with some new star-vaders. He is bound to be a great chase card for V premium and premium fans alike. For this article, I will be covering these cards have improved the deck in the context of Premium and how we should build a Chaos Breaker deck in this day and age, and in general the common options that are discussed.
Gameplan
The goal of Chaos Breaker is to control the game tempo through limiting the opponents lines of play. By shutting down columns, the opponent is forced to constantly change how he/she will react to the player. By controlling the opponent’s options over many turns and wearing their defenses , Chaos will then be able to put itself in a winning position by winning in the advantage game or simply denying its opponent’s plays with Lock. Once in control ,Chaos then finishes the game , with a power play in the form of its finishers.
Deck Building & Design
G3s
The main G3 boss is the rebooted Chaos Breaker Dragon , which now takes the place of Chaos Breaker Crisis . While losing the on-stride lock effect of Crisis, he gives us back the ability to use its retire and draw effect multiple times in a turn. whenever your opponent unlocks multiple cards at a cost of a soul. (Crisis is a hard 1/turn). This time around the soul blast skill is not restricted to Star-Vader, as was the case for Original Chaos Breaker.
On top of that when the opponent unlocks a card and you retire it with Chaos Breaker Dragon’s effect, you ALSO force the opponent to remove two gifts from the field/hand. For each such gift removed, the player gains a force marker. Crippling their formation while powering you’re own. Something really new for Chaos focused decks in Premium. Typically you will be gaining these markers during your opponent’s turn and still works with other options such as Destiny Guardian.
If you happen to go first, you can also utilize his ability to lock, which is identical to OG Chaos Breaker Dragon albeit providing the opponent a force marker (which you will later take back).
Other than that , Chaos Breaker Close should still be considered at 2-3 copies, as a supporting G3. While it can be a decent ride target, it trully shines as stride fodder.
When this card is discarded from hand and you control a heart card with Chaos, such as when used as a cost to stride, the player may pay a soulblast 1 to force the opponent to call a card from hand to a RC as locked. Remember it targets the RC directly. This helps to hit to weaken your opponent’s defensive options while also clogging his rearguard circles with Lock which works brillaintly with Chaos Breaker’s signature strategy.
Other G3 options that you could tech in at 2-3 copies are Freezeray ($20 RR at one point) and Glendios. Freezeray can be utilized to stop multi-attacks decks including loop decks. His effect is when your vanguard is hit the player picks one of the opponent’s rearguards and locks it. Try to lock those front row targets, including units on Accel circles.
While it will not be able use its Reverse based abilities , Glendios can still be used as an alternate win con, where if your opponent has 5 or more locked cards at the beginning of your turn you win the game. He does require the player to ride him and then survive a turn which means getting of a Chaos VG and be at Ultimate Break.
With enough units locked and enough guard in hand, This can be actually be a viable way to win as meme as it seems.
G2s
The first G2 to be included is our new friend Zirconium, who has also been released with the rebooted Chaos Breaker Dragon. This card is the on ride/call is something Chaos player’s have been certainly waiting for. Before this on G2 turns , all we had was Mobius Breath Dragon (on hit lock) and Dubnium with his SB 1 to retire himself to lock a rg. Both these cards also require the opponent to have a card in play, to even be effective.
On the contrary, Zirconium forces the opponent to call the top card of their deck to an open RC. If placed in the back row, the opponent is punished by giving the player a 10k bonus to Zirconium and a +1 draw to the player’s hand. If they put the card in the front row, they are punished by being limited on the number of attacks they can perform on their next turn. Either way its a win-win situation for you. Zirconium also gives your Vanguards an extra critical by setting his critical value to 2 when your opponent controls a G3 or highr vanguard and a locked card .As we will see, this is vital to the finishing blow.
Photon in the next G2 to consider in the lineup. This card was released in the trial deck TD-17, as super chase LR in BT17, and then also was reprinted in another set to help with how few copies were in circulation. This card is basically a “free” lock. If the opponent has a locked card you simply call Photon to pick another RG to lock. You pick the target. That’s it!
Then we come to a handful of G2 tech choices. These 2-3 card slots will contain a choice based on how the player wishes to carry out the game. It could be a tempo card, to help with the lock control game. It could be a combo finisher piece that the player will typically only need to see once to create that finishing maneuver.
Globuladia is another G2 you may wish to consider and is a really common choice . He is limited in that the vanguard must be at least at G3. However, this card can get up to a 6k bonus. His effect is on-place to force the opponent to pick a card from their drop zone to then place it on a RC as locked. It can be any RC, which means the opponent is forced to retire if the field is full. Like Cold Death, the strength of this card is that it targets the RC and not the unit itself.
Dubnium is yet another G2 to help punish the opponent through a lock from hand effect. Like Chaos Breaker Close, Dubnium can force the opponent to place a card from hand on a RC as locked. However, unlike the case for Close the opponent may choose not to do so in which case Dubnium gains 10k until end of turn and the player draws +1 card to hand. This is a GB2 effect, and thus is best utilized to help push for final turn. His other effect, perhaps less utilized, allows the player to retire him at end of turn and for SB 1 the player forces the opponent to choose a card on an RC and lock it. This can be a helpful early game move, in conjunction with Baroul, to force an early omega lock.
If you plan to go for a quick board lock, or your local meta is made up of decks that clear the field at the end of turn (e.g. Grandblue), then you may wish to consider Cold Death Dragon. Like Zirconium, on-place for 1 CB the player forces the opponent to lock the top card of his/her deck on an unlocked RC, open or not. Unlike Zirconium, it requires there to be a locked card on the opponent’s field in order to proc. Thus, it is a great card to follow riding Zirconium on the player’s G2 turn, thus locking to RC circles very quickly. If you tech in Glendios, Cold Death is definitely an old friend to add back in given the opponent will try to keep open circles to prevent his finishing AUTO skill. This card was typically run at 1-3 in Glendios decks and likewise can find a home in Chaos Breaker Dragon reboot at the same ratio.
Lastly, I present Binodal Dragon. This card first appeared in V-era and soon became a favorite for players running Deletors with Given. He has two abilities that work together. For 1 SB you retire him to draw a card. And then [AUTO] when retired from RC then CB 1 to force the opponent to call at least two cards from hand when guarding attacks from the vanguard until end of turn. This includes ALL attacks by the vanguard which is why it is ran to support Deletors with Given as a finishing hit. For the deck presented here, Binodal is to be used to finish the game off with Stark (see below).
G1s
The G1 cards provide resource support as well as added maneuverability regarding lock. The deck can be fairly soul hungry and the perfectly timed bait and switch or omega lock may help secure your victory.
To start as of , is the ever reliable Zinc , at 2-3 copies typically. You may opt for 4 copies but watch for deck out. If your vanguard has Chaos in its name and your opponent has a locked card then you can put her into soul to SC for 2 and CC for 2. This is your main resource engine to keep up the soul needed to draw off Chaos Breaker Dragon and the CB needed to fuel the strides and support G2 cards.
Craving Claw is the new G1, released along with Chaos Breaker Dragon rebooted and Zirconium. The card has an on-hit/on-boost effect where the player then searches the top 5 cards of the deck for a Star-Vader card (any grade, mind you). This is one of the few times in this deck where the Star-Vader name comes up as a specific target restriction. Claw allows the player to fix the hand early on, whether it be for that much needed G3 ride target or a support piece. The other ability is to as an [ACT] place this card into the soul to unlock one of the opponents cards to then lock another, perhaps in the front row. This card provides much synergy and is very versatile overall.
Another G1 to increase the overall consistency of the deck is Lady Battler of the White Dwarf. It is Link Joker’s G3 searcher in the V series. She helps to fix the hand, looking for either Chaos Breaker Dragon or Freezeray.
This effect reminds me of Worldline, except it is limited to searching for a G3 but any card can be discarded. She also has the added bonus of becoming a 13k beater or booster if there happens to be a locked card on the field. Running her at 4 copies does help to fix the hand for the G3 the player needs.
Baroul is a very effective option when the player wishes to keep cards locked for an extra turn. This is ideal on the G2 ride turn when riding Zirconium and locking up cards as such. On placement for 1 SB Baroul forces the opponents cards to be omega locked. This means the opponent has to wait an extra turn before unlocking any cards locked. This includes any cards locked during the turn Baroul is played, before and after he is called. The effect also targets any of the opponents cards locked before the end of their own turn following the turn of the player calling and activating Baroul. By saving up opponents’ locked circles, the player can set up for a massive field-retire with Chaos Breaker Dragon V, sweeping the board and amassing a hand.
Starvader , Penrose Gate remains to be a solid option for any Chaos deck. When pitched to stride if on a Chaos the player may SB 1 to search the top 7 cards of the deck for a Chaos card then shuffle. Though with the addition of White Dwarf (V) and Claw, this card is for the most part , is no longer as required as the prior two , does its job. Still it remains to be a strong option especially if you choose to play less Grade 3s.
I would also like to bring attention to Aharonov Cat. Arelatively new promo one may also wish to consider. As a cost of putting it into soul, the player can give any unit a 10k bonus until the end of turn. The only requirement is that the opponent either has a card in the bind zone or there is a face card down within the same column. This can definitely help fix number to force out more sheild from your opponent.
Starters and Triggers
Really there are only 2 main options. A V-era starter with its ability to draw when riden upon or Carbon.
Personally , I recommend running a V era starter, to both gain a +1 to hand but also to grab a quick shield upon going second. This can definitely help provide more options to pitch if one needs to G assist, when calling a perfect guard, or when paying a pitch cost for whatever card requires it..
Furthermore , Carbon can still be placed in the main deck at 1-2 copies as it provides the versatility of Colony Maker but without the CB 1 cost. If the opponent has a locked card you can put him into the soul to fish out either a G1 or G0 Star-Vader and call it to RG. This provides more soul and allows the Star-Vader player to tool-box a variety of cards at lower deck construction numbers, as one so chooses.
For triggers we are running includes 4 PG/draw ( Cosmowreath our Draw Sentinel) , 8 critical, and 4 heals. Back in the G-era we typically ran 3-5 draws. Having a draw perfect guard also frees more G1 Slots for more flexible deck building.
For the critical triggers the optimal choices are Superatoms (stride fodder), and Vandal Sharp, and even Paradigm Shift Dragon
Superatoms in particular , allows us to run fewer G3s and yet still have enough stride fodder targets.
Vandal Sharp helps provide extra boost while replenishing the hand. By Vandal Sharp into the soul it gives the VG 10k until the end of battle and draw a card.
Paradigm is a G-BT05 critical that allows us to lock back row cards. By placing this card from RG to the top of the players deck, one can then choose and lock one of the opponent’s back row RGs. The player then shuffles the deck. This allows criticals to be recycled, raising the probability of helping Stark close for the game when the time comes. It also has strong synergy with Craving Claw.
Paradigm locks a back row RG and then one can use Claw to unlock that card to then lock up a front row RG to help prevent even more attacks on the opponent’s next turn.
For heals, the V era provides 20k guard. This is very valuable and can be clutch in the early game. The Star-Vader CC heal trigger Magellanic Stream is a great option to tech in at 1-2 copies. When this card is pitched for the cost of generation guard, you can bind it together with another heal already in the discard to both CB 1 and SB1.
Essential Strides
The first stride we will include is the classic Chaos Universe. At 1 CB and persona-flip, the player chooses an open RC of into which the opponent places a card from hand as locked face down. If there are two or more cards face up in the Gzone then the player can choose another card in play and have the opponent also lock this card. Being the first Chaos dedicated stride from G-BT05, this card is typically played at either 2 or 4 copies, given the persona-flip requirement. It is often your dedicated first stride. Note that part of the ability of Chaos Universe does not require Chaos to be in the soul. This can be relevant if you had to ride into Freezeray.
Next up is Chaos Breaker Deluge is a card the is key for Chaos to keep up its gameplan and is recommended to be ran at 2 to 3 copies (1 is an absolutely minimum). Requiring a Chaos in the heart, at GB3, SB 1, flip over ANY card in the Gzone, and pitch a card to force the opponent to take two cards from hand and place them on RC as locked. This effect targets the RC and not the card sitting on the RC. This matters when the opponent has effects in play stating his/her units can not be targeted/affected by the opponent. As eluded, if the field is full, the opponent is retiring units where the cards are placed. Lastly, if the opponent is at 4 or less damage the player takes a locked card and places it face down within the opponents damage zone, helping you to push damage without even attacking. This card puts on the pressure and is a great second stride option. Again, I stress running 2 to 3 copies for the grindy match up.
Finishers
While Chaos usually wins by controlling the opponent and grinding them out. The deck still values having a finisher to decisively end the game especially against match ups with high defensive options. Here are the 2 that come to mind
Altwilder is the GB8 option one may want to consider as a finisher. This is especially true if Stark isn’t available for your deck build. Getting to GB8 takes some work. However, being able to force the opponent to empty the hand before swinging into them can be crazy good. I recommend running a pair of Avalanche to help empty the opponent’s field as well as the GZone flipping G guardian Lacus Carina to accelerate getting to GB8.
Stark is the ultimate finisher for Chaos Breaker. If the player has 3 cards face up in his/her GZone, by discarding a card with the same name as their Vanguard , they are able to Ultimate Stride , into the Zeroth Dragon of Destroy Star , Stark. Which has a base of +25000 and a very powerful skill, albeit for a cost of 2 counterblast. If paid Stark gets -2 drive and is able to attack 3 times (does not rest when attacking) , which itself can be a lethal after withering away at your opponent’s hand.
Still , There are a number of cards that work with Stark to make it even more devastating a finisher. Ideally one will have acquired force markers from Chaos Breaker V himself, stacking them on VC. Also, by having Zirconium in play with the opponent having a locked card is giving Stark a crit of +2 because the heart is a Star-Vader. Binodial Dragon can also gives its pseudo guard restrict skill to Stark for the whole turn , and for all 3 of Starks attacks. Cards like Vandal Sharp and Aharonov Cat can give Stark more power.
As a Zeroth Dragon , it does come with its infamous downside however, when Stark leaves the VG circle also cards in your G zone are then removed from the game, so be sure to finish the game on that turn and not use it carelessly.
Other Stride Options
This are of course not the only Strides Link Joker has access too , and having a variety of G units will allow us the player to react to different scenarios, to begin lets take a look at the Glueball Dragons .
The original Glueball Dragon , like Chaos Universe, and at a cost of SB 1 (if there is a Star-Vader in the heart) the opponent is forced to turn units in their field face down for every card the player has face up in his/her Gzone. For each card locked as such, the front row Star-Vaders of the player gets an additional 3k power boost. This is best used mid to late game, and not typically as a first stride. It serves an an Alternate finisher or to set up for other plays.
The other , Glueball Avalanche is yet another great answer as another first stride when being damage-denied. At a cost of SB 1 and by flipping any card in the Gzone face up the player can then lock any two of the opponents units. For each locked card on the opponent’s field, the player then gives a 2k bonus to each of his/her front row units. If two or more Avalanche are face up within the Gzone, when an opponent’s card is unlocked it becomes bound instead.
Avalanche does not have a heart requirement, meaning that if the player had to ride a non-Chaos G3 then Avalanche is a particularly good option to have in the G-zone.
An often overlooked stride , is Chaos Universe Alththani is yet another stride dependent on having a Chaos card in the heart. By flipping any card with Chaos in the G-zone face up and a cost of a mere SB 1, the opponent is forced to lock 2 of his/her units. If they are unable to lock 2 units as such, the player draws 2 cards and gives a 2k power boost to 2 of his/her units until end of turn. Remember to do all you can when you proc an ability. While not a popular choice, it can help if you find yourself being damage-denied early on.
For mirror matches , Amnesty Messiah is often ran at a copy For CB 1 the player can unlock any number of locked units in play. By doing so, the vanguard gains 3k for each unit unlocked. If 3 or more were unlocked then the vanguard gains an extra crit. This can be a very simple and effective way to work on pressuring to finish. Generally a staple for any Link Joker deck in Premium.
G Guardians
The best G guardian Link Joker has to offer is Genesis Beast Deity. Upon calling to the G zone, the player is able to unlock any two units for this G guardian to gain +20k shield. Very simple and very effective, this card combos well with the SB 1 to retire an unlocked card and draw +1 each. By drawing +2 during an attack, the player gains access to more shield value.
Lacus Carina also comes to mind when talking about Link Joker G Guards.At GB1 and a cost of 1 CB and flipping a G Guardian face up, Lacus Carinacan lock an opoonent’s unit in the backrow targets back row rearguard. For each rear guard the player locks him/herself (up to 3 total) the opponent must lock a back row unit. While no shield value is gained, the cost of flipping a G Guardian helps the player to accelerate GB/Ultimate Stride are simply as a disruption tool to stop decks which uses the backrow rearguards for combo plays.
There are also other G guards such as Cosmo Wreath . For 1 CB, the opponent must choose one of his/her back row rear guards and lock it. In doing so, this G Guardian gains a shield of +5K and the opponent loses the boost value.
There are also a few Cray Guardians worth considering. Dizmel, a G Guardian with resist itself, is also worth considering at 1 copy. On placement, the player chooses one of his/her RG which cannot be hit for the rest of the turn. Agleam is a ‘drop draw’ G Guardian, allowing the player to cycle a card in a pinch.
Example Deck Profile
Some words on V premium
Personally I feel it is in Premium that Chaos trully shines but if you are interested to know how Chaos can be played in V premium do check the deck discussion for some tips to get a deeper analysis on further deck crafting for V premium.
Closing
Why Chaos? He provides a draw engine and is a central component for the Chaos suite of strides that help the player achieve victory through lock. He is very interactive in this regard, forcing the opponent to continuously rethink their plays while limiting how the opponent can utilize their own cards and in attacking back. For the control player, Chaos provides an avenue of rich lines of play one will enjoy putting into action. For those who played Chaos during G era, dust that deck off and get ready to add in the V era rebooted Star-Vader cards. For those V-era players new to premium, pick up those G-era pieces before they are gone!
I got a chance to sit down and read it! Great job overall! Love seeing Premium Vanguard content and thanks for sharing!