Buddyfight Math - Making an Impact

Impacts are a very lopsided feature in Buddyfight, to the point where I don't think Bushiroad really meant for it to be a main feature in the game (yet). Personally, I think Bushiroad added the Final Phase as a way to more easily control the balance of the game in case something goes wrong. It's another phase after your Battle Phase (so kinda like a Main Phase 2) where you can potentially alter the state of the game and perhaps the outcome of the match. But in all honestly, most of the time you're just going to be skipping this phase. It's put there by Bushiroad "just in case". And I think they made a terrible mistake in doing this.

While Impact cards are definitely useful and can oftentimes win games, very few Impact cards can actually do much outside of dealing a final blow, especially given the awkward cast timing of Impact cards in general. When dealing with Impacts, using card advantage is no longer a reasonable or even rational way of looking at cards, because the entire purpose of the Impact card is different - instead of "winning" a game, an Impact is going to try to end the game. In one way or another.

Buddyfight Strategy - Supersize Three (Card Quality)

Size 3 is the controversial Size. Everybody knows that Size 1's are 100% necessary in every deck (this isn't necessarily true, by the way). Everybody knows that if you're running Size 1's, you might as well run Size 2's as well to gain quality advantage and maximizing the field limit. But not everybody believes in the power of Size 3's. More often than not, Size 3 is neglected or poorly supported because of several "reasons".

Reason A: A single Size 3 monster must do what 1 Size 2 and 1 Size 1 or 3 Size 1's can do.

Reason B: A single Size 3 monster must be able to absorb the same number of attacks that 1 Size 2 and 1 Size 1 or 3 Size 1's can take.

Now let me prove why these reasons are, in fact, wrong.

Buddyfight Strategy - Weapons

I've had more than one Buddyfighter tell me vehemently, "Weapons suck!" or some variation of that statement. It seems like the community is really divided as to whether these permanent pieces of equipment are blessings in disguise or noobtraps.

To be fair, I don't blame the people who scorn items given that Bushiroad has released some seriously crappy items (*cough cough Dragobrave). And weapons do involve a lot of risk for sometimes not-so-important rewards. But trust me when I say that weapons can be pure amazing.

Buddyfight Strategy - Going First

How much do you want to win that rock-paper-scissors game? Let's figure this one out together using a thinking exercise.

The definition of mediocre

Let's say we both make 50 card decks of the most lolsack card in the whole entire game, Systemic Dagger Dragon. Don't get me wrong, this card isn't bad (anymore) thanks to its "Onca" evolution that is actually really, really good. But its normal form's stats are pretty laughable. Size 1, 3000 Power, 3000 Defense, 2 Critical. The saddest part is that 3000 is a minor number in Buddyfight, and very few important cards have a 3000 defense threshold (magic numbers in a future article!).

But hey, he has the same power as defense. That's kinda neat.

Moving on, we now take these illegal 50 card decks and play against each other, to see how going first will affect our chances of winning.

Buddyfight Strategy - Field Control

How many Vanguard players do we have here? Remember when Suzugamori Ren first attacked a Rearguard and everybody was like wat. Well turns out he was super right and really smart in gaining advantage by correct targeting and advantageous guarding.

If you can't think and do basic math, get out.

Not surprisingly, the same applies to Buddyfight. Leaving your opponent's monsters on the field alone is one of the most stupid strategies you could possibly pull. Listen to Ren. He's actually smart.