Learning and Improving 5: Memorization

Hey Cardfighters,

This week we'll talk about Memorization and its importance on the game.

Basics:
Memorization is a key part of the game and this is because as you may have noticed Drive Checks are put into the hand. This means that while your opponent is essentially drawing 3 cards per turn you get to see 2 of them. Hypothetically you could know 2/3s of the cards in your opponent's hand. If you can master memorization you can time skills better, and choose the best things to attack.

Base Strategy:
The most basic strategy we have for memorization is

• Only memorize triggers and perfect guards.

This may seem simple but it gives you a lot more control over a match versus not memorizing at all. If you know that they got a bunch of triggers over the past turns then you can target their rearguards and know that they likely won't have a replacement. The same goes for the opposite if you haven't seen triggers in a while then you can use your extra power and critical skills to take advantage of their lack of guard.

More Advanced Ideas:
 The obvious way to advance your memorization tactics is to just memorize everything but I'll break it down to help you to prioritize your mental efforts before you can remember everything.

1. Grade 3s
• Memorizing Grade 3s serves a similar purpose to triggers since they can't be used to guard. They are also used for strides now so if you see your opponent get a Grade 3 then you know to expect a stride next turn and you can play around that. 
2. Grade 2s
   • This is important because Grade 2s are the ideal units for the front row letting you put up an offense without losing their shield value by intercepting. It is important to remember them because then you will know when it is useful to attack/retire the front row since they won't have any replacements.
3. Grade 1s
   • Finally the least important unit to memorize is grade 1s this is because most likely you are unable to affect the back row which means memorizing grade  1s are only useful for determining your opponent's next play and taking advantage of their 5k shield. There is 1 exception. If you are playing a retire based clan mainly Kagero then you can timely hit their back row with retires if you know they don't have replacements.

I don't cover memorization techniques because I think its more important to know how to prioritize your mental energy. As well as the fact that different techniques work for everyone. Many people talk about the Mental Mansion Idea where you imagine a huge house and have rooms for what you want to remember. I tried this and while I can visualize very well I can't hold the image of a mansion and the rooms very well. This meant I could remember what they drove check but the next turn I forgot so I would never know more than 2 cards in their hand. What ended up working better for me is getting accustomed to the cards, I would call it a database of cards in my head as I play with and against them, I can memorize drive checks a lot easier now because I recognize the artwork and its associated to a card in my mental database which helps me retain the information better.

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Thanks for reading,

~Bambi