Lili - Deck 03

This is a deck I discovered from one of the infamous top 10 Lili players. Like Deck 02, it has speed, healing, damage and some defense. This is the first Lili deck since the new Lili cards, so think of this deck as Lili - Deck 02 but better.

The Deck

Lili

• 2x Peacock Waltz: 18 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Only Punch: 3rd card +16 Hit
• 3x Direct Persuasion: 22 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Cards ≤ Opp cards & Opp cards ≥ 3: +1 card
• 2x Minuet: 25 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp cards ≥ 4: Cards +5 Hit
• 2x Monte Carlo Snap: 16 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block missed: Card discarded & +27 HP
• 1x Shears to Spinning Edge: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Focus -5 cards & +3 cards
• 1x Rafflesia: 12 Damage, Punch, Opp cards ≥ 3: +1 Parry
• 3x Rose Pique: 20 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Cards ≤ Opp cards: 3rd card +15 Hit & Opp 3rd card -30 Hit
• 1x Elysee Le Bras Allonge: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Strike: Both -5 cards & Both +4 cards
  
• Power Card: Lili - I: 185 HP First turn: +2 cards & Opp +1 card

Strategy

Try to capitalize off Elysee Le Bras Allonge. That card with the help of Shears to Spinning Edge and the
3x Direct Persuasions ensure that the assault persists. You are likely to cycle through your deck at least once before victory. Try to strike when Direct Persuasion is going to proc, that way you take advantage of the card, however doing this tends to become predictable, fortunately damage comes from the 3rd card and not really the first 2. Generally strike at 3 cards or more.

Conclusion

There isn't really much to be said about this deck. I have seen extremely poor players use this deck and still achieve ranking of 1300. Sorry it took so long to get this out, I think they are going to nerf a lot of the cards found in this deck so there isn't much time to enjoy it.

Yoshimitsu - Deck 05

Took a long break from Tekken Card Tournament and didn't really get to play much. After the latest 5th Balance Update, I was able to play with the new healer cards for Yoshimitsu and modified my main deck. I wrote in response to many comments about the deck I currently use on Yoshimitsu to attain a high Ranking and here it is!

Yoshimitsu

The Deck

• 2x Tsuka Splitter: 20 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Strike & K&P cards owned: 3rd card +15 Hit
• 3x Sakanobori: 12 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Block: +1 Parry
• 3x Soul Stealer: 17 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Head-on card: +7 HP
• 1x Kimon Matagi: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp HP ≥ 75: +10 HP
• 2x Nozuchi Fumi: 15 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Opp BLock: Card +35 Hit
• 3x Shisetsu Genman: 16 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Cards = Opp cards: +1 card & Opp -1 card
• 1x Magatama: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: HP ≤ Opp Hp: +25 HP & Cards concealed
• Power Card: 175 HP First turn: +2 concealed cards & Opp +1 card

Similar to Deck 04, this deck adopts the 3x Shisetsu Genman, 3x Sakanobori, Magatama, Kimon Matagi. Personally, I feel those cards are mandatory in the current metagame and wouldn't go anywhere without them.

Strategy

This deck plays very similar to Deck 04, except less randomness and more healing so I will not retype the strategy segment form Deck 04. Soul Stealer works very well with Sakanobori and Shisetsu Genman to maximize the full healing capabilities. If you don't have time for a long grueling game, do not play this deck because when facing other decks with strong healing, it becomes a game of Patience as oppose to wits.

The only trouble this deck may have is against Kazuya. There are 2 types of Kazuya's,the ones who have 3x Demon God Fist, and the ones who don't have any. Approach each with the same incentive of bringing their HP to 81 and fish for a 1 Strike KO as usual. If the enemy Kazuya runs Demon God Fists in their deck, there is without a doubt they intend to us those cards to heal. Fortunately, Demon God Fist on the field means Nozuchi Fumi can become useful in position 2 (and sometimes 1). This becomes extremely dangerous for the enemy Kazuya and they will risk much from "blocking to heal". If they opt to strike, they will have no cards, and you can decide whether you want to drop them below 80 or not.

Conclusion

Currently my best deck. I am very confident to reach 1300+ by the end of this week. The tournament just started so only time will tell. My advice for players running this deck: PLAY PATIENTLY. There should be no other deck that can "out heal" this one except for an all-heal Yoshimitsu deck but that deck does not have any striking power and will not be able to kill you. Against those kind of decks, just pray you have a strong connection and a lot of time to kill.

Don't forget to comment, ask questions, like, subscribe, etc. I am always open to suggestions or any forms of criticism =].

Yoshimitsu - Deck 04

Stopped playing with Kazuya for a while to go back to Old Faithful (Yoshimitsu). Made a new deck that works really well against the current meta. So far no problems versus 3rd card buffing punch deck Lili, or One Hit KO Paul. At the time of writing, I am currently 1270 and in my last 10~12 games, haven't "lost" (I have had a couple draws but no losses). Surprisingly haven't run into many Kazuya's (lol), but I imagine this deck wouldn't fair too poorly as long as it follows this strategy.

The Deck

• 3x Tsuka Splitter: 20 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Strike & K&P cards owned: 3rd card +15 Hit
• 3x Sakanobori: 12 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Block: +1 Parry
• 1x Poison Breath: 5 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card appears: Opp -30 HP
• 1x Kimon Matagi: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp HP ≥ 75: +10 HP
• 1x Tobi Ushiwaka: 15 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Block & Opp Focus: +1 card
• 1x Aratama: 5 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp Focus: Card +50 Hit
• 1x Kamikaze: 21 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Focus, Cards = 5: Both -5 cards & Opp -45 HP
• 3x Shisetsu Genman: 16 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Cards = Opp cards: +1 card & Opp -1 card
• 1x 1x Magatama: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: HP ≤ Opp Hp: +25 HP & Cards concealed
• Power Card: 175 HP First turn: +2 concealed cards & Opp +1 card

This is one of my first decks of the form 3 3 3 and 6 unique cards. At first, I was skeptic
al towards using it, but after 10 games, or so, I felt the consistency is pretty good. The speed of this deck is extremely slow, so it is necessary to make those strikes count. Fortunately Tobi Ushikawa, Shisetsu Genman, and Aratama can aid in getting "safe" card draws and the many defense cards will prevent focus breaks from occuring.

Strategy

Yoshimitsu

The deck draws it strength from defense and card control. The healing cards from Magatama and Kimon Matagi are very important to take note of. If drawn together in 1 hand, it would be wise to do your best to prolong the game till you reach the end of the card cycle. This can be done by playing safe and going for safe draws via Tobi Ushiwaka or Shisetsu Genman. If you need to prolong the game and you have card advantage and Sakanobori, consider blocking till the opponent strikes or 5 cards are discarded. Sakanobori is an amazing defense card for prolonging the game.

Tsuka Splitter is solely for damage as this deck is extremely lacking in damage. I do not advise striking unless you have a good card advantage or a strong life lead. I usually go for 3~5 card strikes, most of the time it is when the opponent has 0 cards or 1. If Tsuka Splitter is not in your deck of 5 cards, it may be a good idea to triple block 5 card discard because the damage you deal with your last 3 cards may not be worth the card advantage your opponent has after the strike.

Do your best to drop opponent's HP to 75+ so Kimon Matagi will always be in effect. Don't be afraid to throw away a 1~2 card advantage in hopes of getting Shisetsu Genman or Aratama off because prolonging the game usually means more heals for you and when Cards = Opp Cards (as it will be after a 5 card discard), you have more chance(s) for Shisetsu Genman to go off. If the opponent blocks and gives you card advantage, you can continue to focus. Again, if you just drew Shisetsu Genman, consider blocking for it's effect to go off.

Conclusion

I think this deck performs quite well in the current metagame of High Damage Paul and Lili. Parries aid extremely well against these 2. Regarding Kazuya, it is important to know WHEN TO STRIKE (not only for this deck) as it is inevitable for this deck to have to fight a berserker Kazuya. A useful tip is to bring them to below 80 only from the result of Kamikaze or when they have 0 cards. I try to drop Kazuya's to 111+ HP and let Poison Breath go to 81. At the high 1200's, good Kazuya's will fish for strikes by blocking attacks that will drop them to 85 +/- 4HP, in this way, I will either get a strong card advantage and can proceed to bring him to below 80, or keep fishing for Poison Breath/Kamikaze.

Don't forget to comment, ask questions, like, subscribe, etc. I am always open to suggestions or any forms of criticism =].

Lili Deck - 02

This is my second deck for Lili. It is 3rd card buffing punch deck. This deck isn't as popular in the 1100's as it is in the 1200's (I imagine because it is so good that those who use this deck rise past the 1200, lol). It is very strong (damage wise), fast, and Monte Carlo Snap (imo the best healing card since the Heihachi Update) is all the healing you need.

The Deck

• 3x Broken Heart: 14 Damage, Punch, After the attack: HP ≤ Opp HP: +2 cards & Opp +1 card
• 3x Peacock Waltz: 18 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Only Punch: 3rd card +16 Hit
• 2x Rompez Fleuret: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp cards ≥ 3: Card +25 Hit
• 2x Direct Persuasion: 22 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Cards ≤ Opp cards & Opp cards ≥ 3: +1 card
• 3x Monte Carlo Snap: 16 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block missed: Card discarded & +27 HP
• 1x Slashing Vine: 14 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp cards ≥ 3: Cards +8 Hit
• 1x Elysee Le Bras Allonge: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Strike: Both -5 cards & Both +4 cards
  
• Power Card: Lili - I: 175 HP First turn: Both +3 Card

I like the SR Power card more but the 175 HP Power card sends the opponent's cards instantly to 3 where this deck is strongest. Also, it's cheaper =]. If you cannot afford the SR Card, feel free to opt for a 3rd Direct Persuasion. Alternatively, 1x Broken Heart and 1x Monte Carlo Snap can be substituted for Allonger Le Bras (40 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp cards = 0: Opp +1 card) for a more aggressive play style.

Strategy

This deck is very versatile. It can generate cards extremely fast whether focusing or blocking. Broken Heart and Direct Persuasion provide safe ways to obtain cards while blocking (Broken Heart will not proc if your HP is greater than the opponents but if it is, then you can afford taking risks by focusing). The idea is to allow the opponent to have 3 cards in-order to trigger the effects of Rompez Fleuret, and Slashing Vine. When the effects of these cards are active, your strike
will be very powerful. Peacock Waltz's ability should always be active and provides a very strong buff that cannot be blocked without the assistance of a parry card. Don't be afraid to use Monte Carlo Snap to strike, many players assume that Lili players will use Monte Carlo Snap as a source of healing but remember that over healing will stop the effects of Broken Heart which is key to pushing an smart opponent's cards past 2. I would love to make a flowchart for this, except that I think it would be a lot more complicated than previous ones. All I can say is, know when to play aggressively and when to play defensively. Although this statement may seem very simple, many players cannot differentiate when those times are, I will try to make a post regarding that in the near future.

Very important: don't fire off Elysee Le Bras Allonge as soon as you get it. This card can be used to get more damage, or heal up using Monte Carlo Snaps. Consider playing focus or even block, I am sure the opponent will either play Block or Strike anyway.

Conclusion

I am not a Lili player and I don't intend to ever play Lili however, I do think this type of deck is very strong and not many decks can keep up with it in terms of Healing and Damage. With the change in the 5 card discard rule and HP per turn card nerfs, this deck only becomes stronger. I am thinking of subbing in a 2x Heliotrope (20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block won: 3rd card +30 Hit) but am not sure where to put it. With Heliotrope a general strategy can be seen, lower the enemy's HP to 90~100, focus to 5 cards (hopefully your HP is lower than theirs) allow them to build 3 cards OR win a block (the only way to avoid having 3+ cards is to strike) and strike for the rest of their HP.

Small changes can be made here and there depending on the players you fight (I don't think 1100 players think so deeply about not triggering certain card effects) but the general idea of the deck is the same, 3rd card buff punching deck.

Please leave comments, suggestions or anything. I would love to hear the opinion of Lili players.

Yoshimitsu Deck - 03

Online WW Championship is coming to a close and this was an experimental deck I have been using with some success. It got me as high as 1250 and then I slowly dropped to exactly 1200 at the time of writing. I don't dodge any fights but the majority of my losses were from Panda, followed by other Yoshimitsu (lol). This deck I call "Rush" because every game will end within 14 turns. The longer the match lasts, the poorer this deck performs. This deck is meant to end games quickly, win or lose. Although the deck is extremely luck based, the matches it produces are extremely fun. My funnest match was with Iwatsubute and Oni Kick Combo against a 130 HP Lili. I played Strike and she focused, hilarity ensued.

The Deck

• 3x Shisetsu Genman: 16 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Cards = Opp cards: +1 card & Opp -1 card
• 3x Oni Kick Combo: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: This card appears: 1st card +40 Hit
• 3x Dragonfly Fist: 14 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp Focus & Cards ≤ 2: +1 card
• 3x Mumyo Juji Ken: 22 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp HP ≤ 70: Card +20 Hit
• 1x Poison Breath: 5 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card appears: Opp -30 HP
• 1x Thunderblade: 18 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card blocked: Keep card
• 1x Iwatsubute: 25 Damage, Kick, After the attack: HP ≥ 70: Both -65 HP & Card discard
• Power Card: Yoshimitsu III: 175 HP First turn: +2 concealed cards & Opp +1 card

Thinking of substituting Thunderblade for Shibikari, Aratama or Kamikaze. I feel it is preference, but I selected Thunderblade because it helps push cards towards 3rd position, and synergizes well with Oni Kick Combo. I don't like Tobi Ushikawa because I want to maximize the use of Shisetsu Genman and sometimes when I don't want to gain a card and just block, so that the opponent can catch up in cards, Tobi Ushikawa won't let that happen.

Strategy

This deck is meant to get cards quickly and dish out damage fast. When the opponent is below 70 HP, it becomes much easier due to cards such as Iwatsubute, and Mumyo Juji Ken. Proper use of Shisetsu Genman, and Dragonfly Fist can help this deck to constantly have cards in hand whilst striking. Iwatsubute and Poison Breath are great ways to bypass blocking opponents or parrying opponents with Mumyo Juji Ken to finish the job. I think focusing till 2 cards is the general trend for this deck. If Dragonfly Fist is in hand, you can play defensively, offensively or focus for more cards. Because there is absolutely no heal, it is important to avoid damage and maintain enough HP for Iwatsubute to activate. If there are situations where Cards = Opp Cards if you play a certain move (correctly assuming your opponent will play a move as well) then go for it. A good example would be if you have 2 cards, one of which is Shisetsu Genman, and the opponent with 1, blocking would be a good option. Even if the opponent forces a discard, the next turn Cards = Opp Cards. When you are in sync with your opponent, Shisetsu Genman can be quite the asset, especially with multiple in hand.

Opening cards

This picture highlights a strong synergy with the SR Power card and Shisetsu Genman. Blocking is a very safe option and yields very good results. If Paul blocks as well, he will have 0 cards to Yoshimitsu's 4. If Paul Strikes, he will have 0 cards to Yoshimitsu's 4, and if Paul Focuses, it is 1 card to 4.

Dragonfly Fist and Shisetsu Genman work very well without each other (you'll know what I mean soon). If you have just Dragonfly Fist and opponent has 0-1 card, strike for 14 damage, and at the beginning of next turn Cards = Opp Cards and if your 1 card is Shisetsu Genman, you can consider striking again for Cards = Opp Cards the next turn (or the turn after if the opponent ends up blocking), blocking for a safe 1-2 card lead (and block the next turn to trigger Shisetsu Genman again), or focus (I would only recommend this if the opponent's HP is 90 or below).

The general strategy is to whither them down with wimpy 1-2 card strikes, whilst maintaining Cards = Opp Cards, till they are 90 HP (if you have yet to see Poison Breath) or below 70 HP. After that, if Iwatsubute falls into 3rd position or higher you will have secured the win.

Conclusion

Is a very fun deck to play. I enjoyed the fast matches because sometimes I just don't have time heal to full HP with a Nina only to play as if the match just started. This is probably the funnest deck I have ever tried. Iwatsubute is just awesome when it goes off (in my favor of course). I think I will try Kamikaze, except that 5 cards is something I don't normally go up to with this deck (dragonfly fist requires 2 cards or less to be useful). I will make a comment on how Kamikaze fairs in this deck as a substitute.

Rushing a Nina

Edit: Kamikaze is allright. I only found myself using it fighting Lili's which forced me to start the game off with 5 cards or when I have counted that I have used all 3 Dragonfly Fists in a cycle. I prefer Kamikaze over Thunder Blade now because of the relatively high base damage and the synergy, and because sometimes I don't want to have 1 card in hand due to the effects of Thunder Blade or Shibikari, lastly, the artwork for Kamikaze is plain great. I look forward to the upcoming Conceal patch for more Shisetsu Genman/Oni Kick Combo/Iwatsubute shenanigans.

Don't forget to comment, ask questions, like, subscribe, etc. I am always open to suggestions or any forms of criticism =].

Law Deck - 01

I have had my share of playing against many Law players. I actually started out with Law. Had a bunch of bronze cards, looked at the collection of cards and thought, "Law is a pretty boring character". So I swapped out to Yoshimitsu. After playing Law players here and there, I noticed a trend in Law: "He hits like a truck". Here is my attempt at a deck for Law. It is quite well rounded, having healing, drawing power, damage and nullifying cards. It has strong defensive capabilities as well as offensive and I believe it has the potential to outperform many decks (especially 130 HP Lili, I would imagine since Card Release 01, Law's feast on Lili)

Law

The Deck

• 1x Backflipper: 20 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: HP ≥ 85: Cards +10 Hit
• 2x Dragon Junkyard Kick: 22 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Opp cards ≥ 4: Card discarded +2 cards
• 2x Ab Cruncher: 23 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Block & Opp cards ≥ 3: -5 HP and +1 card
• 3x Dragon's Descent: 25 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Opp Focus: Card discarded & +30 HP
• 2x Low Backhand to High Kick: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Dual Block: Opp cards nul.
• 2x Wolf Fang: 22 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Strike: Opp cards nul. & Opp -15 Prot
• 1x Flash Fist: 24 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Focus; Both -1 card & +10 HP
• 1x Rainbow Kick: 15 Damage, Kick, After the attack: This card appears & Cards ≤ 2: +2 cards
• 1x Tiger Fang: 10 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Every turn: Cards +15 Hit
• Power Card: Law - III: 180 HP, Every turn: K cards +2 Hit

Alternatively, you can settle for 175 HP Power Card: First turn: Opp -2 cards, that option would do well against Paul, Yoshimitsu, Xiao Yu, and Lili, otherwise I would settle for the SR Power Card if Gold is not an issue.
The average damage per card is 21.2, this is not including the bonus from the Power card or the damage bonuses from Backflipper, and Tiger Fang. Alternatively, you can sub out Low Backhand to High Kick for another Wolf Fang and maybe another Ab Cruncher/Dragon Junkyard Kick. I thought Low Backhand to High Kick was a good way to prevent opponents from fully healing by blocking and Trout Sweeper Pandas who rely on Trout Sweep or block missed card buffers.

Strategy

Generally you would want to focus till 1 or 2 cards and strike. This is to make sure Rainbow Kick will always get it's ability off (the ability is most definitely worth it). In situations where the opponent has 2+ cards and you are in possession of Ab Cruncher or Dragon Junkyard Kick, you can Block play defensively as well as get cards otherwise strike if you are feeling lucky (lol). When cards such as Tiger Fang and Backflipper appear on the field, getting a 5 card strike in could do some massive damage. Four cards is even better but if you feel your opponent is a conservative player, going for 5 cards may be the way to go.

Conclusion

Law is a pretty versatile character. He may not have the drawing speed of Xiao Yu or Nina, but he sure makes up for it with his monstrous damage. I just recently had a couple games with Law using the new Yoshimitsu card, Shisetsu Genman. This card enabled me to safely block many attacks as well as avoid triggering Dragon's Descent. If you are looking for a counter to this deck, I can only suggest to stay under 4 cards, try to get some strikes with less than 3 cards and do your best to avoid healing Dragon's Descent.

Don't be shy to comment or make any suggestions. I am actually not a Law player so criticism is welcomed =].

Nina Deck - 01

Edit: Due to the changes from Balance Update 4, Nina's Spin Low Kick to Right Upper has been nerfed so hard to a point where this deck's strength is less than half of what it used to be.

So I've been told there are a lot of Nina's at the top. I was just having a little fun in the 1100 rating today, playing with the new cards and a "nuke" deck for Yoshimitsu, when I ran into two low 1300 Nina fights. I lost both of them, one was pretty close, if only the new cards had a little more juice then I would've been able to tie one of them (lol). Both 1300 Nina fights were back to back and both had very similar decks. I went to the Nina collection and scrolled through, looking for the cards I saw and multiplying them by 3 if they weren't unique. T
his is what I came up with:

The Deck

Nina

I am not sure what to call this deck. Tekken Card Tournament uses 3 categories to describe the stats of a fighter, Strength, Speed, and Special. I am not sure what Special means, I assume it's "tricky". This deck seems to have very high Strength and Speed, and I suppose the Special is average (whatever the hell Special means anyway). I suppose I will call it 1300 Nina to honor the 1300 Nina's who use this deck.

• 3x Blonde Bomb: 10 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card appears: +20 HP
• 3x Catapult Kick: 10 Damage, Kick, After the attack: This card hits: +1 card
• 3x Flashing Escape: 40 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Opp Focus: Card discarded
• 3x Spin Low Kick to Right Upper: 10 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Strike: +1 card & +4 HP
• 1x Jab to Mid Kick: 25 Damage, Kick, After the attack: This card appears: 4th card discarded & +1 card
• 1x Assault Bomb: 25 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp Strike: +1 card & +5 HP
• 1x Crab Hold: 30 Damage, Kick, After the attack: This card appears: +2 cards
• Power Card: Nina - I: 255 HP, First turn: -100 HP

This deck has extremely high draw speed, and an average damage of 19.33 per card. Generally the 10 damage cards are for healing and card drawing purposes but after a while they also rack up some big damage.

Strategy

Focus to 3 cards, and strike. The reason being because Jab to Mid Kick appearing on the 4th position is a waste, as well as Crab Hold (you will be at "6" cards). Throw some guesses here and there for Flashing Escape. Don't let a 3rd position Flashing Escape go to waste. Block when enemy has 5 cards. Doesn't seem like there is much to this deck, but I could be wrong. If you've cycled through Crab Hold and Jab to Mid Kick, you can focus past 3 cards until you start the new cycle (revert to counting cards if you have no idea what I am talking about.

Conclusion

As a Yoshimitsu player, I don't feel there is a reliable answer to this deck. It just keeps healing and dishing out damage and drawing and healing. Magatama and Kimon Matagi cannot keep up with it, and when luck runs out, those 2 cards will just appear at different ends of 2 cycles (separated by 26 cards) and you will eventually bleed out. Reminds me of Xiao Yu, except Xiao Yu's heal is terrible and Xiao Yu's average damage per card is under 11. Currently, I am trying cards such as Iwatsubute, Poison Breath, and Mumyo Juji Ken to attempt to rush my opponents. Fun, but not very successful (lol).

Please leave a comment, or if you are that 1300 Nina player, let me know if the deck is off =].

Kazuya Deck - 01

Lately, I have been looking at Kazuya's cards a lot, and am starting to get bored of Yoshimitsu (those new cards are coming out today though so hopefully that changes). As a result, I've created a poll to help me choose which character I should take up. I am currently leaning towards Kazuya, Heihachi, and Law (if the game designers mention King, I will add him tot he poll as well). Obviously it will take me some time before I get a full deck rolling, but it never hurts to get an idea of what my blog viewers think. If I were to go with Kazuya, I would run the following deck as my first 15 cards.

The Deck

So I have decided to call this deck "Xiao Yu 2.0" (pronounced She-ow Yu two-point-oh). The reason being, simply because at 80 HP or below, it draws cards as fast as Xiao Yu, and it hits for up to 5 times
more.

Kazuya in a suit

• 2x Jaw Breaker: 15 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Strike & HP ≤ 110: Opp -1 Parry
• 1x Demon God Fist: 43 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Block: -1 Parry & +5 HP
• 3x Skull Smash: 13 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Strike: +1 card
• 3x Twin Fang Double Kick: 13 Damage, Kick, After the attack: HP ≤ 80: Card discard & +2 cards
• 1x Devastator: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card hits: -15 HP & +2 cards
• 1x Wind God Fist: 25 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: HP ≤ 60: P cards +15 Hit
• 2x Oni Stomp: 10 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Opp Strike: HP ≤ 110: +25 Protection
• 1x Gates of Hell: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: HP ≤ 120: Opp -7 HP

Select 1 of the 4 Options

• 1x Oni Stomp: 10 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Opp Strike: HP ≤ 110: +25 Protection
• 1x Double Back Fist: 25 Damage, Punch, Strike: +50 Protection
• 1x Entrails Smash: 20 Damage, Punch, Opp Strike & Opp cards ≥ 3: +1 Punch Parry
• 1x Stonehead: 50 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card appears: Opp +20 HP
• Power Card: 175 HP, Every turn: P Cards  +2 Hit

This deck has relatively weak damage if HP is greater than the opponents, otherwise, Acute Pain is where the bread and butter is. At 80 HP or less, there are 7 cards which improve the draw rate. That is just under half the deck so it is quite difficult to find yourself in a position with no cards. Choosing between the 4 options is a matter of preference. I prefer Stonehead because a 50 damage card puts the fear of God into your opponent.

Strategy

You will start off with around 175 HP and until you are 110ish HP you need not worry about blocking. Concentrate on not losing Skull Smash from focus breaks and do your best to put some hurt on the enemy. At around 110 HP, watch out for 1-2 card strikes that will leave you at 81 HP or 61 HP. At this point, you should have a good feel for the average damage the opponent can dish out with 1 card, and block potential strikes that will leave you above 80. Remember to consider Oni Stomp and Entrails Smash in your calculations. If you find yourself in a situation where the Opponent is attempting to kill you in a 5 card strike and there are many 3x Block into 5 card discard, then you made a mistake somewhere and you have to wait till you get the Gates of Hell card to force your opponent to strike you or die. When you are under 60 HP and Wind God Fist is procing, you should be able to win with the power you have attained, overwhelming and absolute.

Edit: I have taken out 3x Acute Pain for 2x Jaw Breaker and 1x Demon God Fist. I think Jaw Breaker is a good choice because at 80 HP or below, if you consistently strike, you will be at 1-3 cards.

Kazuya Balling

Conclusion

I am not a Kazuya player (yet...) but this is a deck I would like to try if I pick up Kazuya. I feel Kazuya's decisions to block, focus or strike have more impact then the deck Kazuya uses. I said in a comment on a past post that I felt Kazuya is the most tactical of the characters and possibly the hardest to use in all of Tekken Card Tournament, so if you don't have success at first with Kazuya, don't give up. If you don't want to do a lot of calculations, you may not have an easy time breaking mid 1200's with Kazuya. Hope you found this informative and interesting. Please leave a comment, like, share, subscribe, etc. Thanks for reading =]

Lili Deck - 01

Edit: Due to the drastic changes in Lili's Piercing Thorn card, and the addition of Rafflesia, I have edited the build of the deck hoping to salvage what is left of a Parry Deck for Lili.

This post is regarding a common Lili deck that I see quite often. I find it extremely difficult to overcome without a bit of luck. I will also post a flow chart to aid in the strategy of this deck. This deck is not the "be all and end all" Lili decks, it is just a deck. Without further adieu, here is the deck!

Parry Queen Lili

The Deck

• 3x Direct Persuasion: 22 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Cards ≤ Opp cards & Opp cards ≥ 3: +1 card
• 2x Matterhorn Ascension: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: This card appears & Opp cards ≥ 2: +25 HP
• 1x Rafflesia: 12 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp cards ≥ 3: +1 Parry
• 2x Alstroemeria: 14 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Dual Block & Opp cards ≥ 2: Opp -1 card
• 2x Freesia Thrust: 20 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Opp Strike & Opp cards ≥ 3: +1 Kick Parry
• 2x Autumn Wind: 15 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Opp Focus: Both +1 card
• 2x Monte Carlo Snap: 16 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block missed: Card discarded & + 35 HP
• Power Card: 130 HP, Every turn: Opp -1 card max
  

Pick 1 of the following

• 1x Monte Carlo Snap: 16 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block missed: Card discarded & + 35 HP
• 1x Elysee Le Bras Allonge: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Strike: Both -5 cards & Both +4 cards

Strategy

Here is the flow chart I have created for this deck. Obviously it won't beat everyone but it is a general guide to playing with this deck. As you can see it is quite defensive and patient. You may not like the play-style so feel free to not go along with the flow chart.

Conclusion

I have never tried this deck before, but I can tell you fighting against is very tough. If you were wondering how to counter this deck (and maybe all Lili deck's that have a similarity to this one), Consider striking with 1-2 cards when the Lili doesn't have any means to gain a card the next turn for blocking (Sunset Sunrise).

Feel free to comment, ask any questions, subscribe, or "like" the post =].

Yoshimitsu Deck - 02

This deck I call Seppuku because it is suicide sometimes. I haven't personally tested this deck but on paper it looks awesome and it plays like the current Paul & Panda metagame. Another good thing about this deck is, it doesn't contain an SR card, unless you want the SR Power card, which is HIGHLY recommended otherwise the -22 Damage first turn will suffice. I will describe how it works after revealing the deck.

Edit: I tested this deck. It is like a coin toss. It's not like Paul where the damage is definitely going to kill, but watching the numbers rack up to over 300 sometimes is quite pleasing for some reason.

Heavy Damage

The Deck

I cannot take full credit for this, and unfortunately I don't know who to give credit to. I have never seen this deck personally, however I did see a fellow Yoshimitsu use 3 of the 5 types of cards which is what gave me the idea in the first place.

• 3x Seiken Douharai: 15 Damage, Punch, After the attack: P cards conceal, All cards +13 Hit
• 3x Omega Hosen: 15 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Dual Block: Cards concealed 3rd card +25 Hit
• 3x Fubuki: 10 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Block missed: Card + 30 Hit
• 3x Nozuchi Fumi: 15 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Opp Block: Card +35 Hit

Select 1 of the 5 options or even mixed combination of the 5:

• 3x Tsurubebi: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Strike & Opp Block: +20 Protection
  
• 3x Nebular Burst: 22 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Strike: +30 Protection
• 3x Gehosen: 20 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Focus, HP ≤ 35: +200 Protection, Both -5 cards
• 3x Mumyo Juji Ken: 22 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp HP ≤ 70: Card + 20 hit
• 3x Tsuka Splitter: 20 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Strike K&P cards owned: 3rd card +15 Hit
• Power Card: Yoshimitsu - III: 175 HP, First turn: +2 concealed cards, Opp +1 card

The deck has relatively low base damage, but if you take some time to read the ability descriptions, you will see that it has extremely high boosted damage.

Strategy

Focus to 5 cards, Block once or twice, and than strike. Opting for Tsuka Splitter may give you just enough damage to decimate your opponent. Strikes that meet blocks with Tsurubebi will ensure you won't die to your opponents strike the following turn. Nebular Burst may give you just enough HP to survive the 5 card Seiken Douharai(s) assault if your opponent and yourself cross swords. If one of you is not dead by the end of the 5 card strike, then both players must be at extremely low HP and you can commence the guessing game. This is where Gehosen and Mumyo Juji Ken really shine. Gehosen gives you the unfailing option of focusing whilst a strike from Mumyo Juji Ken will put the fear of God into your opponent.

Playing with the Deck

There is not much to be said about this deck, focus to 5 cards, block once, and start flipping a coin. (lol) I personally haven't tried this deck but I look forward to trying it. Reminds me of Trout Sweeping Panda's and 50+ Damage deck Pauls.

Conclusion

This deck is a gamble deck. It will probably get destroyed by Xiao Yu and parry Lili, but it is still fun. I think it will do well against healing Nina. With the "Best Slap" competition in full swing, this will get you first place for sure!

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and mash that like button on the side. I just had that put up =]

Yoshimitsu Deck - 01

I've been meaning to get this out but I feel upon doing so that its success may be compromised by the upcoming balance update. This is the deck for Yoshimitsu that I have used to achieve up to 1311 rating last week and 1280 this week in the latest 2 Online WW Championships. I will discuss about the strategy I use inorder to unlock its full potential as well as the strengths and weaknesses that come with the deck.
It is advised you read the previous posts about card counting and Yoshimitsu card analysis before continuing.

The Deck

Before having any gold cards, I looked at the Yoshimitsu deck and thought, "there are a lot of synergies with the "block" action". From there I examined all the Yoshimitsu cards and realized he had a lot of good unique cards. I picked up almost all the Unique cards and had a deck of 12 or so Uniques and 3 Fubuki. I struggled to break 1200 in the Online WW
Championships and went back to the drawing board. After accumulating a lot of gold and credits, I sought out to create a more consistent deck and here are the results:

Yoshimitsu

• 3x Oni Kick Combo: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: This card appears: 1st card +40 hit
• 3x Tsuka Splitter: 20 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Strike K&P cards owned: 3rd card +15 Hit
• 2x Sakanobori: 12 Damage, Kick, Before the attack: Block: +1 Parry
• 2x Fubuki: 10 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Block missed: Card + 30 Hit
• 1x Kimon Matagi: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp HP ≥ 75: +10 HP
• 2x Nozuchi Fumi: 15 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Opp Block: Card +35 Hit
• 1x Heshikirigari: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Opp Focus: +6 HP
• 1x Magatama: 20 Damage, Kick, After the attack: HP ≤ Opp Hp: +25 HP & Cards concealed
• Power Card: Yoshimitsu - III: 175 HP, First turn: +2 concealed cards, Opp +1 card

This deck has relatively high damage as most of the cards are 20 and above. You can count that a 5 card strike Blocked/Unblocked will hit for at least 60 damage. That being said, I don't think the cards themselves carried me to mid to high 1200+ but rather how to use them.

Strategy

The strategy of this deck is to strike at around 1-3 cards, playing focus most of the time and blocking when the opponent has 4-5 cards (of course if first position is Magatama and I am severely weak, I will block to increase the likelihood of winning). I will talk about 3 important cards in this deck, these cards are very key and play the most important role in all matches. The 3 cards are Magatama, Kimon Matagi, and Heshikirigari. The significance they play in this deck is the ability to heal. Kimon Matagi can heal to full HP and this should be abused as much as possible, it also goes well with striking with 1-3 cards as it controls the Oppositions HP to be above 75. Magatama allows the player to have a risky and more reckless play style, focusing till 5 cards and striking whilst tanking any attacks the opposition throws. Heshikirigari was the next best healing card that did not compromise the consistent damage of the deck. The other cards are seen as raw damage, with the exception of Sakanobori which is another defense card that synergizes very well with the 3 healing cards.

Playing with the deck

I mentioned in the previous paragraph that 1-3 card strikes is how I generally play, however, every game is situational and I will do my best to elaborate on general playstyles of this deck and how I play with each of the cards

Yoshimitsu

Oni Kick Combo: with both players at 1 card, and Oni Kick Combo is drawn, I have a 60 damage card in possession for 1 turn. Depending on what the opponent's card is, I may focus, I may strike, and I may just even block. If it is the first card drawn of the match, I will usually strike to get an idea of how conservative the player is whilst not wasting more than 1 card. If I am low HP and need to shuffle through my deck, I will play focus in hopes of drawing one of the 3 healing cards. If the opponent is able to Kill me with a strike, I will play block because what they think is: "this Yoshimitsu has 40 bonus damage for one turn, he probably thinks I am going to block and he will focus, or he may use the Oni Kick Combo's ability and strike. He will most definitely not block, so I am going to go f
or it). It is all just a guessing game for this card but every situation is different. If this card is in position 3 or higher, it is just 20 damage muscle and its ability with the other cards will add too much intimidation for a sensible player to not block and hence I will focus.

Tsuka Splitter: This is just a steroid for when I have 3 or more cards. If I want to take away the opposition's first card because it has a strong ability, I will strike with just this card. I feel the opposition will not expect me to strike till I have 3 cards to utilize the ability of Tsuka Splitter and thus it seems more likely they will not block. Trading this card's damage for 1 other card (dual strike) is fine by me (unless it is a Paul). Often times if this is first drawn, I will focus. In position 3 4 or 5 and a guaranteed ability proc and I am able to play recklessly because of a life lead and do not require any healing whatsoever, I will flip a coin and strike or focus accordingly. If this card is in the first 2 positions, consider focusing till 5 for Nozuchi Fumi and Fubuki heavy damage.

Sakanobori: This card is for defense purposes. If the opponent has 4 cards or more, I will block. If they have 3 cards and their card in position 1 or 2 has an ability that procs only when it hits, or one of their cards will proc only when striking with 3 or less cards, I may consider blocking. Otherwise I feel this card is not useful and will focus. If the enemy's card is valuable (like a heal per turn card) I will strike just to take it away, but the first 2 sentences take priority over the last statement.

Fubuki: This card in position 1 or 2 is rather unlucky. I will consider blocking if the opponent has been striking me with 1 card all day, then if the ability procs, I usually focus and seldom strike. In positions 3 4 or 5, with 5 cards, you may consider blocking for proc, or striking for a CHANCE at sinking in the first 2. I put this card into my deck to give myself more incentive to block so if I feel an attack is coming I don't mind blocking.

Nozuchi Fumi: This card in Positions 3 4 or 5 is a lucky break. If in position 3 with 3 cards, I usually strike as the damage is usually guaranteed and i don't want it to get knocked down to position 2. In positions 1 or 2, I only consider striking to take out the opponents 1st card, but otherwise usually focus to shuffle through cards. Although I described striking with 1-3 cards, if you read this post on counting cards, I will focus past 3 cards if I feel Nozuchi Fumi will appear in position 3 4 or 5.

Heshikirigari: This card is not the greatest, but it still has some value. In position 1 and Opponent has 1 card or less, and in need of HP, block for a predicted strike and continue focusing till 5 cards. In positions 2 or higher, focus till 5 cards. I am considering removing this card from my deck.

Kimon Matagi: This card plays a very large role in the deck. In position 1, versus 3 cards or more, I will block if I am at 50% hp or lower. Versus 1 to 2 cards, I will block if I am near death and require HP. Not many characters can manage 10 Damage per turn. Otherwise focus. In position 2 3 or 4, I will focus everything that doesn't potentially kill me and block against 5 cards. In position 5, I will block till 80% HP or higher and I feel my opponent will focus, then I will strike.

Yoshimitsu

Magatama: This card is a huge life saver. In position 1, I will focus if I don't have use for the ability (assuming the opponent will focus). In position 1 with less than 50% HP, I will block till the ability no longer procs. With 3 cards and in position 1 versus 3 or more cards, I will block till the opponent strikes then proceed focusing. In position 2 3 or 4 with no threat of imminent one-hit-KO I will focus till 5 cards. With 5 cards, I will block until the ability no longer procs, and strike. Occasionally, I will heal till the 2nd last proc and strike.

Strengths and Weaknesses

This deck does well against characters that don't have a reliable source of healing such as Kazuya, Law, Other Yoshimitsu's (lol). The reason is because those characters can be picked at till they fall. This deck has the ability to turtle when necessary and play offensively otherwise. This deck does well against Panda decks without Trout Sweep, otherwise it is hit or miss. Due to the relentless assault this deck loses to Xiao Yu (personally I think Xiao Yu is over powered. I don't even get to see 4 cards before dying) because the deck is unable to effectively shuffle through cards. Against an intelligent Nina, this deck will lose as Nina can strike, heal and draw at the same time and the most this deck can do is cause a stalemate only to eventually lose. Against most Lili decks, this deck will lose as Lili's heal is extremely strong and her ability to parry without having to block really shuts down Tsuka Splitter, Nozuchi Fumi (unless in position 5). Lili's healing ability is also very strong.

Conclusion

Although I briefly described the strengths and weaknesses, I plan to create future posts describing matchups against every character. No deck should ever be perfect. Since this game is new and we have a long way till balance, I can only assume the most 'perfect' deck is the ones used by whoever ranks 1st place in Online WW Championship. But that is changed every 3 weeks from balance updates. Any competitive deck should be catered towards the metagame. Currently this metagame involves Paul and Panda. I wrote this a couple hours before Balance Update 03 (><) and from my readings on the Twitter Page this deck might lose a lot of luster. Fortunately if it is nerfed, it will be compensated in Balance Update 04.

Hope this post helps a lot of players. Again, don't be afraid to comment or subscribe.

Panda - Now You're Endangered

As seen in the latest Online WW Championship rankings, Panda is up there along with Paul and here's why: Trout Sweep. This card combined with Panda's monstrous base damage forces the opponent to focus against a Panda with 5 cards and risk a potential One hit KO (or the worse case, 135 HP). If you don't like to leave your entire health bar to a coin toss and choose to block, you may lose 15 HP, and sometimes, that 15 HP (or more depending on how many Trout Sweep the panda has) could mean death by the last 3 cards of Panda. That being said, here is the Panda deck a friend of mine used to get to the top 50 of last week.
,

Trout Sweep

• 3x Trout Sweep: 20 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Dual Block: Opp -15 HP
• 3x Bear Slash: 10 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block missed: P cards + 8 Hit
• 3x Salmon Swipe: 18 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block Card +20 Hit
• 1x Killing Uppercut Grizzly Claw: 30 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card hits: Keep card & Card -30 Hit
• 1x G-Clef Cannon: 40 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp Strike & Opp cards = 1: Opp +50 HP
• 1x Salmon Hunter: 60 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Focus & Opp HP ≤ 80: -30 HP
• 1x Rabid Bear: 55 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Focus & Opp cards ≤ 1: -40 HP
• 1x Grizzly Claws: 25 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp Strike: +20 Protection
• 1x Ultra Kuma: 40 Damage, Punch, After the attack: Block: Cards +10 Hit & +40 Protection
• Power Card: 210 HP

Strategy: Focus till 3 cards if Trout Sweep is not part of the 3 cards, press Strike and repeat, else Focus till 5 cards, Press Block. Flip a coin, heads press Block, tails press Strike. Repeat flipping coin till 0 cards then repeat from beginning.

The probability of drawing at least 1 Trout Sweep is 76%. The Minimum damage a set of 5 cards can do is 135 HP, but that is with 3x Trout Sweep. According to the Tekken Twitter, Trout Sweep is on the watch list for changes. I am not sure about the Pauls and Pandas out there but, I am looking forward to a Tekken Card Tournament where I never have to see my health bar drop from 100% to 0% in a couple turns.

Paul - Balance Update 02

Paul

Anyone playing the Online WW Championship seeing a lot of Pauls lately? I for one see a Paul every 3 fights (my rating is currently 1280s). Wondering why there are so many Pauls? My guess is because ever since May 21st, Paul has received 3 boosts to 3 cards that make it very likely that he can Strike you with 5 cards when you are at full HP and there is literally nothing you can do about it. Those 3 cards would be, Double Strike (Damage increased to 55 from 40), God Hammer Punch (damage increased to 15 from 4, this card is significant because of it's ability: Strike : Opp -1 Parry) and Phoenix Wings (damage increased to 60 from 50). Still not convinced? Let me put together a quick Paul deck that has the potential to One Hit KO any character despite their power card (this includes a 255 HP Nina with 255 HP)

• 3x Shoulder Tackle: 50 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card blocked: -20 HP
• 3x Double Strike: 55 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Focus Opp HP ≤ 90: -20 HP
• 3x Flash Elbow: 50 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Opp Block: -10 HP
• 3x Phoenix Wings: 60 Damage, Kick, After the attack: Cards ≥ 3: -20 HP
• 1x Thruster: 75 Damage, Punch, After the attack: This card appears Cards ≥ 2: -30 HP
• 1x God Hammer Punch: 15 Damage, Punch, Before the attack: Strike: Opp -1 Parry
• 1x Kongo Blast : 5 Damage, After the attack: Strike: Opp -2 Parry
• Power Card: 165 HP, First turn: +1 card, 1st card + 15 Hit

Strategy: Focus till 5 cards, press Strike

As you can see, with the exception of God Hammer Punch and Kongo Blast, every card does a nifty 50 damage or higher. As a Yoshimitsu player with a pitiful 160 Health (apparently this is 2nd lowest possible Health for Gold Power cards, 155 HP from Law is the lowest) my chances of survival are slim to none even if I know they are going to focus till they have 5 cards.

Fortunately I think Pauls reign of terror will end by June 11 during Balance Update 03. But in the mean time, you may ask, how do you battle this deck? My answer is simple, dodge any incoming Paul matches (lol). Unfortunately, according to the Tekken Twitter and Facebook page, this option may not be available in the next few days and when that happens, just sit tight till Balance Update 03 and all your frustration against Paul will be rectified as you watch all the QQ from the Tekken Facebook and Twitter Page.