Post by keith0913832 on Feb 15, 2016 1:06:30 GMT 8
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to another edition of Deeper Dive. Thus far we have covered 2 of the less popular reversal styles and hopefully I have shed some light on how you can utilise them in your decks. This week we are looking taking a plunge into the depths of Antics. But not just any Antics though. We are going to review these Antics:
Yes, you might find the effects to be very lame as it stops you from attacking more. If this were classic, these cards would have sucked. But thanks to the aggression rule, these cards work wonders. As we all know by now, the aggression rule only sets in when a player ends his turn without attempting to play a maneuver. This meant that the above 3 cards have the ability to deal 6 irreversible damage to your opponent, something even sponge deck can’t defend themselves against. So why hasn’t this card see play in tourneys yet?
The combination of it being an Antic and the requirement to be played after something makes them a hassle to play. That said, there are certain superstars that can overcome those obstacles to pull these off. Here’s my top 4 picks and a more in-depth explanation of how they can pull it off. There are obviously more superstars and tactics out there that can pull them off but that would be up to you to find out!
1. Jack Swagger
Being a Follow-up themed superstar, Jack Swagger naturally earned his spot here in my top 4 list. Taking a first look at his ability shows how aggressive he can be through playing Follow-up maneuvers, especially since they can’t be reversed from backlash if it were the next card played after using his ability. However, most people would have overlooked the fact that his ability also allows him to search for Antic Follow-ups too. Therefore, instead of going along the aggressive route for Swagger, you can opt to kill your opponent off through the ‘soft’ way instead. Another problem that Follow-up decks have to deal with is the stagnation of Follow-ups in your hand if the previous maneuver got reversed. Swagger’s Pre-match looks to solve that problem.
By being able to draw 1 and put 1 Follow-up at the bottom of your arsenal, you are able to clear up your hand and make way for new cards. Since his ability also allows searching, you wouldn’t have to worry about your Follow-ups being stuck at the bottom.
2. Sandman
Sandman on the other hand takes a different approach towards the 3 Antics. Rather than making the Antics the primary tactic, Sandman can choose to use it as an add-on to his sponge tactic. On first look, Sandman is made to tank, through his recovery ability. For every maneuver he successfully plays, he is able to recover 2 cards to the bottom of his arsenal. Coupled with the fact that his ability can take place more than once a turn, Sandman can choose to run 1D maneuvers to reduce the chances of his maneuvers being reversed on overturn. But if you have a maneuver that is successfully played and not reversed from arsenal, why would you end there? Here’s where the 3 Antics come into play. Whilst Sandman can probably out-stall his opponent without any help, the 3 Antics will help to kill of his opponent quicker and make your opponent regret not reversing those puny maneuvers.
3. Randy Orton
Next up is the legend killer. With his printed ability revolving around Antics, it’s difficult not to focus his tactics around them. This tactic requires some set-up in order to pull off, but it wouldn’t disappoint you, even if you don’t base your tactic on this 3 Antics. You will require Double Leg Lock Crabs (DLLC) and Spinning Dropkick to pull this tactic off. First off, his ability can only be activated by discarding Assaults or Throws and by looking at the list of self-retrieving maneuvers, you are only left with Spinning Dropkick, Snap Bulldog and Elbow Smash. Of which, Spinning Dropkick's requirements would be the easiest to satisfy. You can activate 3 DLLC’s effect to return in to your hand to discard them to retrieve Spinning Dropkick to hand for your ability. You might be thinking about the amount of cards your opponent would have in his hand if you do this. But remember that the Antics restrict him from playing anything during his turn. Thus, even if he has a good hand, he wouldn’t be able to play anything. It’s a long shot to playing this tactic, but it could be very fun to see how your opponent struggles with 20+ hand but not being able to do anything with it.
*Prior version was wrong as mentioned by Balls. Above paragraph edited. Thanks!
4. King Booker
Slightly similar to how Jack Swagger works, his ability allows him to retrieve 1 non-hybrid card from ringside. Therefore, Booker can choose whether to retrieve the Antic to play them. Whilst the main tactic wouldn’t be revolving around the Antics, they still act as a way to protect yourself if you are running low on reversals as well. You can refer to a sample deck list of King Booker running these Antics HERE as well.
CONCLUSION
With that we have come to the end of the article. The 3 Antics are never easy to play. But hopefully after reading through how the 4 superstars play around with them, you can gain some knowledge and maybe find out a better way to implement them into your deck. As usual, feel free to leave your comments or queries in the comment section below and we will address them next week.
We will continue the topic of Follow-up Antics next week!
With that we have come to the end of the article. The 3 Antics are never easy to play. But hopefully after reading through how the 4 superstars play around with them, you can gain some knowledge and maybe find out a better way to implement them into your deck. As usual, feel free to leave your comments or queries in the comment section below and we will address them next week.
We will continue the topic of Follow-up Antics next week!
Till next time, thanks for reading and have a nice day!