The Fighter's Road 2013 Kanazawa decklists are out, revealing names of the newest emerging pro fighters of this year's national championship. Despite their restriction earlier this year, Eradicators have consistently maintained a steady grip on the Open division as the favorite pro deck of choice, with the Liberator subgroup as their constant rival. While they aren't shining as prominently, Angel Feather's Celestials made it into Kanazawa's best 8, pointing to a more even playing field than the top two results would suggest. The Open division may be business as usual for the Eradicator-Liberator deadlock, but the Junior class tournament is the center of attention for the crossride-centric Dragonic Overlord The End build that has reappeared here after a six month hiatus, this time taking advantage of Corduroy's cheaper cost and a pool of Seal Dragon triggers to make retiring easier on a build that wants to reserve its damage zone for The End's persona blast. The deck is being piloted by Niida Kazuki, a veteran of the 2012 Fighter's Road tournaments who previously used The End. Since that time it's clear that Niida's play style has cultivated in a different direction entirely, turning away form the Burning Horn Dragon that he once ran at four in favor of Corduroy, Berserk Dragon and Bellicosity Dragon's utility skills.
In an interesting twist of history, Eboshida Daito has reappeared in the best 8 for Kanazawa's Juniors division; while Eboshida has never been an especially prominent name among pros, at the game's beginning in late 2011 he was the runner up for the Nagoya Junior regional tournament using a Nova Grappler-Royal Paladin hybrid deck, and was also the runner up in the Kanazawa Junior regional for Fighter's Road 2012. Since 2012 he appears to have settled into Gold Paladin as his clan of choice, this time using a Liberator deck instead of Ezel support. Unfortunately, Eboshida did not place high enough to continue contending for this year's national title.
In VFHS news, teams sporting both Dragonic Descendant and Majesty Lord Blaster are gaining ground as a popular combination. With a modernized, break ride-focused Dragonic Overlord The End filling the third space, Hirayama Ken, Ishida Koudai and Watanabe Shouhei are together making for a dangerous combination of all-star builds, in spite of their neophyte status to the world of pros. The direction of the team is ambitious, but it remains to be see if their combination pays off or if the next wave of strategy pushes back the tide.
The Student-only division has taken a different course, with a tech-heavy Maelstrom deck emerging under the command of up-and-coming fighter Torimi Akitaka. Torimi is of interest due to Aqua Force's overall weaker presence in professional play, as the clan is generally agreed upon as strong but difficult to use compared to contemporaries with a less steep learning curve. As the format up until January was heavily defined by defensive play and base 13000 vanguards that Aqua Force units could generally not target with Diamantes or Basil, and the emphasis on aggressive play has only developed within February-on, Aqua Force fighters have been generally slower to come out of the woodwork.
Open Class Regional Tournament
Regional Champion: Shinohara Shigeki/篠原成貴
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (FVG)
x3 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x1 Malevolent Djinn CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Eradicator of the Divine Spear, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x3 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator, Wyvern Guard Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x3 Iron Blood Eradicator, Shuki
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
x4 Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Chou-Ou
Grade 3
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Sweep Command Dragon
Runner-up: Nakanishi Yuusuke/中西雄亮
Grade 0
x1 Spring Breeze Messenger (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Weapons Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x2 Liberator, Flare Mane Stallion
x4 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x4 Little Liberator, Marron
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
Grade 2
x3 Blaster Blade Liberator
x4 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
x4 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x4 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot
Doctor O's Pick: Yoshida Shouji/吉田祥二
Grade 0
x1 First Aid Celestial, Penuel (FVG)
x4 Healing Celestial, Ramiel HT
x4 Celestial, Landing Pegasus DT
x4 Punishment Celestial, Shemhazai CT
x2 Critical Hit Angel CT
x2 Rocket Dash Unicorn CT
Grade 1
x4 Marking Celestial, Arabaki
x4 Underlay Celestial, Hesediel
x1 Order Celestial, Yeqon
x4 Adamantine Celestial, Aniel
Grade 2
x4 Candle Celestial, Sariel
x4 Wildshot Celestial, Raquel
x4 Love Machine Gun, Nociel
Grade 3
x4 Prophecy Celestial, Ramiel
x4 Solidify Celestial, Zerachiel
Junior Class Regional Tournament
Regional Champion: Niida Kazuki/新井田和輝
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x3 Gattling Claw Dragon DT
x1 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x3 Seal Dragon, Artpitch DT
x4 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Seal Dragon, Shading HT
x1 Blue-Ray Dracokid CT
Grade 1
x2 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x4 Seal Dragon, Kersey
x4 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x3 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x1 Flame of Hope, Aermo
Grade 2
x4 Seal Dragon, Hunger Hell Dragon
x4 Seal Dragon, Corduroy
x2 Berserk Dragon
x2 Bellicosity Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End
x3 Dragonic Overlord
Runner-up: Takamoto Yutaka/高本豊将
Grade 0
x1 Dreaming Sage, Korron (FVG)
x2 Flame of Victory CT
x4 Silent Punisher CT
x3 Dantengal CT
x2 Loonbau ST
x3 Speeder Hound DT
x4 Elixir Sommelier HT
Grade 1
x2 Little Battler, Tron
x2 Blessing Owl
x2 Evil Slaying Swordsman, Haugan
x3 Advance of the Black Chains, Kahedin
x3 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x2 Disciple of Pain
Grade 2
x2 Master of Pain
x3 Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemean Lion
x1 Mage of Calamity, Tripp
x3 Knight of Passion, Bagdemagus
x3 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
Grade 3
x1 Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel
x2 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x1 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot
x2 Battlefield Storm, Sagramore
x1 Holy Mage, Manawydan
Doctor O's Pick: Eboshida Daito/烏帽子田大翔
Grade 0
x1 Little Battler, Cron (FVG)
x4 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
x4 Strike Liberator CT
x4 Weapons Liberator, Gwydion DT
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
Grade 1
x2 Silver Fang Witch
x4 Curved Blade Liberator, Josephus
x3 Little Liberator, Marron
x3 Halo Liberator, Mark
x1 Halo Shield, Mark
Grade 2
x4 Liberator of the Flute, Escrad
x1 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x4 Liberator of Silence, Gallatin
x3 Liberator of Royalty, Phallon
Grade 3
x4 Liberator of the Round Table, Alfred
x2 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot
x2 Steel Spear Liberator, Bleoberis
Vanguard Fight High School 2013 Summer, Open Class Kanazawa Regional Tournament Championship Team
Hirayama Ken/平山謙
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (FVG)
x3 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x1 Malevolent Djinn CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Eradicator of the Divine Spear, Castor CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator, Wyvern Guard Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
x4 Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Chou-Ou
Grade 3
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon
Ishida Koudai/石田航大
Grade 0
x1 Lizard Soldier, Conroe (FVG)
x2 Dragon Dancer, Monica DT
x4 Embodiment of Spear, Tahr CT
x1 Seal Dragon, Artpitch DT
x4 Seal Dragon, Biera CT
x4 Seal Dragon, Shading HT
x1 Red Gem Carbuncle DT
Grade 1
x4 Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
x1 Seal Dragon, Kersey
x4 Seal Dragon, Rinocross
x4 Dragon Monk, Gojo
x1 Flame of Hope, Aermo
Grade 2
x2 Seal Dragon, Hunger Hell Dragon
x4 Dragon Knight, Nehalem
x3 Berserk Dragon
x2 Cross Shot, Garp
Grade 3
x4 Dragonic Overlord The End
x4 Dauntless Drive Dragon
Watanabe Shouhei/渡辺翔平
Grade 0
x1 Wingal Brave (FVG)
x4 Enthusiastic Jewel Knight, Polly HT
x3 Margal DT
x1 Alabaster Owl CT
x4 Bringer of Good Luck, Epona CT
x4 Blazing Jewel Knight, Rachelle CT
Grade 1
x2 Toypugal
x2 Lake Maiden, Lien
x4 Little Sage, Marron
x4 Flashing Jewel Knight, Iseult
x3 Knight of Friendship, Kay
Grade 2
x3 Star Call Trumpeter
x3 Blaster Blade Spirit
x3 Blaster Blade
x4 Blaster Dark
Grade 3
x2 Swordsman of the Explosive Flames, Palamedes
x2 Majesty Lord Blaster
x1 King of Knights, Alfred
Vanguard Fight High School 2013 Summer, Student-only Class Kanazawa Regional Tournament Championship Team
Grade 0
x1 Little Witch, LuLu (FVG)
x4 Oracle Guardian, Nike CT
x4 Psychic Bird CT
x4 Battle Sister, Ginger CT
x4 Lozenge Magus HT
Grade 1
x1 Battle Sister, Omelet
x4 Battle Sister, Chocolat
x2 Battle Sister, Cream
x2 Battle Sister, Cocoa
x2 Emerald Witch, LaLa
x4 Oracle Guardian, Gemini
Grade 2
x3 Battle Sister, Tart
x3 Battle Sister, Mocha
x4 Silent Tom
Grade 3
x4 Battle Sister, Cookie
x4 Scarlet Witch, CoCo
Ueki Shun'ya/上木駿矢
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo HT
x3 Mischievous Girl, Kyon-She DT
x4 Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Malevolent Djinn CT
x1 Spark Edge Dracokid DT
Grade 1
x2 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Wyvern Guard, Barri
x2 Photon Bomber Wyvern
x1 Eradicator of the True Flames, Kougaiji
x1 Rising Phoenix
x1 Dragon Monk, Ginkaku
x4 Red River Dragoon
Grade 2
x4 Thunder Storm Dragoon
x4 Dusty Plasma Dragon
x2 Demonic Dragon Berserker, Garuda
x1 Dragon Dancer, Veronica
Grade 3
x3 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD"
x4 Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion
Torimi Akitaka/鳥見皓宇
Grade 0
x1 Officer Cadet, Erikk (FVG)
x2 Mass Production Sailor ST
x2 Enemy Seeking Seagull Soldier ST
x3 Dolphin Soldier of High Speeds, Raids ST
x3 Pyroxene Communications Sea Otter Soldier DT
x2 Supersonic Sailor CT
x4 Medical Officer of the Rainbow Elixir HT
Grade 1
x2 Tear Knight, Theo
x4 Emerald Shield, Paschalis
x2 Battle Siren, Dorothea
x2 Flash Signal Light Penguin Soldier
x3 Shortstop Brave Shooter
Grade 2
x4 Tear Knight, Lazarus
x2 Storm Rider, Basil
x3 Twin Strike Brave Shooter
x2 Veteran Strategic Commander
Grade 3
x4 Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom
x1 Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom
x1 Last Card, Revonn
x3 Storm Rider, Diamantes
