Learning and Improving 1: Glossary

Hey Cardfighters,

Welcome to my new article series meant to help people who want to learn the game and improve their skills.  I will try to make this accessible to every level of player from beginners to more more experience players who are looking to hone their skills.

FIRST, I want to have a starting ground for this series and that is the How to play pamphlet in the trial decks or the basic rules you can find on the Wikia. It will also suffice if you have played the learning vanguard game on the Official Website.

This means that you should already know the basic rules of the game coming in such as, counterblasting, soul charging/blasting, trigger checking (both drive and damage), Game Phases, riding and some others. This is because there are a lot of good resources for those that aren't too hard to find.

With that out of the way I want to get into the beef of this article, which is a Glossary. This will be a mini dictionary for Vanguard terms and mechanics since there are a lot and they can be overwhelming to a new player. This will be a running thing so it may not include everything initial. If you want me to add a word :)


 Vanguard Keywords/Mechanics:

• AUTO/ACT/CONT - Types of abilities, AUTO: happens whenever the conditions are met. ACT: abilities can be used at anytime during the main phase. CONT: This ability is always active if the conditions are met.
• Rest - Turn the unit horizontal. (This is done when attacking and using some abilities)
• Stand - Turn the unit Vertical. (This allows it to attack or use abilities)
• Counter Blast - Turning a face up card in your Damage Zone face down
• Soul Charge - Putting the top card of your deck into the Soul
• Soul Blast - Putting a card from your Soul into the Drop Zone.
• Retire - Put the unit into the dropzone
• Lock - Turn the unit face-down and it counts as though it isn't there but you are unable to call a new unit to that spot.
• Limit Break - Usually refers to Limit Break 4 which is an ability that can only be used when you have 4 or more damage
• Legion - A special skill which lets 2 units be in the vanguard circle at the same time. Usually a grade 2 "Mate" and Grade 3 "Legion".
• Stride - Discarding a cards from your hand with grades totaling to 3 or more, to place a grade 4 card from your G-zone on top of your vanguard.
• Generation Break - A skill that is only active after a certain number of grade 4 (strides) are face up either in your G-zone or on your Vanguard. 

Vanguard "Might as well be a keyword" Slang:

• Crossride - Refers to units which get +2000 power all the time when a specific unit is in the soul.
• Breakride - Combining the words Limit Break and Ride, which refers to a unit who has a Limit break ability that activates when another unit rides it. 
• 12k Attacker - A grade 2 with 9000 power that gain +3000 power when it attacks under some condition
• 10k  Attacker - A grade 1 with 7000 power that gains +3000 power when it attacks under some condition
• Especial Interceptor - A card which gets +5000 shield when you intercept with it.
• "Magic Numbers"/Numbers - This refers to a number which is a multiple of 5000 above your opponent's guarding which forces out another 5000 shield due to equal numbers hitting
• Perfect Guard - A sentinel card which completely prevents an opponent's attack, with the cost of discarding a card.
• Quintet Wall - A sentinel card which lets you call the top 5 cards of your deck into the guardian circle for 1 Counter Blast.
• Stun/Paralyze - Megacolony's effect of not letting your opponent's unit stand during their stand phase
• Spin/Rewind - Gear Chronicle's Abilities which return a card to the hand.
• Bounce - Bermuda Triangle's ability to return a card to the hand from rearguard
• Clone - Murakumo/Neo Nectar's ability to get a copy of a rearguard.
• Damage Adder/Inflictor or Self Damager - A unit with an effect that allows you to put the top card of your deck into the damage zone and then return a card from the damage zone back to the deck at the end of the turn. 
• Limit Break Enabler - A unit which lets you use your Limit Break abilities while at 3 or less damage.
• Glory Effect - A skill which prevents your opponent's from guarding with Grade 1 or higher cards from your hand.
• Tom Effect - A skill which prevents your opponent from guarding with Grade 0s from your hand.

Vanguard Slang:

• Sack - Getting Lucky, (A person who drive checks a bunch of trigger may be called "sacky)
• Meta - Generally the same as in any game but it can also be used as a substitute for "top tier"
• Beater - A unit you are plan on using for your attacks. "My grade 3 is mainly a beater"
• Restander - A vanguard with an ability that lets it stand up again after it attacks.
• Numbers/Magic Numbers - When your attacking power is some multiple of 5k above the unit you are attacking.  
• 1 Pass, 2 Pass, No Pass - These are things people say when guarding which refers to how many triggers the opponent needs to get to break their guard or in the case of No Pass it can't be passed no matter how many triggers come up. 
• Pressure - A unit that has an ability that activates when you hit your opponent or gains an extra critical are generally refered to as pressure units because your opponent will likely not want them to let you hit or else you will get extra effects. 
• Damage Control - A tactic to manage your own damage for either counterblast, healing, or defensive purposes
• Early Guarding - Guarding early can let you take attacks later in the game which are generally stronger meaning you use less cards overall. Is a type of Damage Control. 
• All Effects - When you put all trigger effects on to a unit. Mainly either +1 crit and +5k to a unit or +5k and stand to one unit rather than splitting them up.

Again, let me know if there is anything you think I should add or would like me to add.

Thanks for reading,

Bambi