More card and deck orientated episodes?

Im sure its not just me but would anyone else find episodes of the main guys/girl sitting down an opening packets (Maybe pooling together for a box) and trading to get cards for their decks over just getting them from Shins (card captial owner guy) brief cases or personal store or from psy girls..

They could make it interesting if its opening as a group, or going to shops for trades maybe even recovering a stolen trade card or just each character spending some cash and opening packs to try to get the good cards.

I'd actually love this if it was done in more unique ways as the new sets are introduced. And there are plenty of ways to go about it.

I have absolutely never understood the desire for episodes like this.

If it advanced the characters in some significant way, yeah. If not, why would I ever watch someone buying a pack when I could go out and... buy a pack?

ScarletWeather wrote:

I have absolutely never understood the desire for episodes like this.

If it advanced the characters in some significant way, yeah. If not, why would I ever watch someone buying a pack when I could go out and... buy a pack?

Because you don't understand the appeal of seeing characters incrementally understanding and evolving. Having a briefcase with whatever you need just given to you is like a cheat code for a perfect deck. The anime already has bad characterization and no development, a pack opening and deck building / testing episode would rock every now and then. Instead of just: I AM SUDDENLY USES THESE CARDS NOW.

Alice wrote:

ScarletWeather wrote:

I have absolutely never understood the desire for episodes like this.

If it advanced the characters in some significant way, yeah. If not, why would I ever watch someone buying a pack when I could go out and... buy a pack?

Because you don't understand the appeal of seeing characters incrementally understanding and evolving. Having a briefcase with whatever you need just given to you is like a cheat code for a perfect deck. The anime already has bad characterization and no development, a pack opening and deck building / testing episode would rock every now and then. Instead of just: I AM SUDDENLY USES THESE CARDS NOW.

You misunderstand me. I have no problem with incremental development as a character milestone, or just showing booster packs. I have a problem with the subject of an entire episode being just "hey guys, let's open booster packs".

As I already stated, if it's linked back to the development and growth of the characters and advances them somehow, that is something else entirely.

I just fail to see how building and testing on their own, with no context whatsoever, would actually add to the characterization. It might have in the first season when Aichi in particular was still learning the game, but I thought for the most part the anime handled that fairly well with things like Yuri's winning image speech and the early cardfights. Not perfectly, but fairly well. Season two is a mess, but arguably I think it's past the point where we should need episodes dedicated to things like that.

As the basis for an entire episode? Yeah, Scarlet's right, the time for that has come and gone. However, as a framing device for character and/or plot development? I do believe I see potential. It adds to the main selling point of the Vanguard anime, the "realism" of the situation. Sure it's exagerated but what anime, nay, any medium doesn't have that to a degree? Now this is just my opinion, but Vanguard seemed to have succeeded most when it was more of a... not quite sure what to describe it as, but I'll go with a more down to earth version of, oh, say, Yugioh, for fans of Toku shows, having a similar relationship to it as Kamen Rider to Super Sentai(Using Japanese terms mostly because Kamen Rider doesn't really exist over here in the States, but... wait, why am I explaining this? This site's community is probably made of mostly Japanophiles, who would know... BACK ON TOPIC LOCKON.) being, while still pretty absurd, less so than it's contemporary. Basically, the fact that we actually see Aichi actually purchasing cards(Something I've only seen once elsewhere, specifically the last Battle Spirits anime. First episode, didn't really stick with the show, so I don't know if it ever happened again, but remembered that scene.) adds to the idea that, unlike(Again, using Yugioh as a counterpoint. Seriously, Aichi is almost an expy of Yugi.) oh, say, Yugi, you might actually meet someone rather like Aichi in the real world. Yes, I know that he's not THAT realistic, but this an anime with holographic projectors used almost exclusively for a children's card game, so some degree of suspension of disbelief is required, although they do actually handle that in a somewhat believable manner, which brings me to a major point. Vanguard doesn't require HALF of the suspension disbelief it's cohorts do, mostly because Aichi is basically a nobody, well, at least before PSYqualia became a thing, but that's not the issue. He's not some "reincarnation of an ancient hero" or some sort of "prodigy." He's just a kid, with a moderate degree of talent and luck, but not really standing out from most of the other good players. The fact that he loses almost as much as he wins is actually very refreshing after the ludicrous tango of invincible heros that its colleauges love, although Yugioh did "try" with Yuma, but that's neither here nor there. Another thing to point out is that these losses don't just come from only plot relevant characters, as I've mentioned JURASSIC ARMY, heck, some of his losses aren't really plot relevant at all, such as the Kamui fight. He didn't need to win, and in fact, the plot would probably of unfolded almost exactly the same anyway. Also, him losing REALLY lets you know that this is NOT your typical card game anime. Again, it does have its flaws, don't get me wrong, such as, while Bushi was actually very good about having the heros lose, I think they sometimes went a little overboard with it, such as Misaki, or, especially or, Team Caesar, the chew toys of Vanguard. This is glaring because it doesn't make sense. We've already established that Misaki is some form of genius, and Team Caesar are NATIONAL CHAMPS. Seriously, Koutei and Yuri have, last time I checked, all of ONE victory each, while I don't think Gai EVER won a match. Seriously, they're SUPPOSED to be good. Let them win once in a while, and not like that dadgum "Hey, you won, but you STILL lost." Seriously? He beat REN, come on Bushi..... I'll just drop here before I devolve into COMPLETE delusional ranting.

You know, this post would be easier to read and easier on the eyes if there was some spacing involving the Enter/Return key and made into shortened paragraphs then one long wall of text that makes the reader lose his/her train of thought along the way. Just something to note.

The author lost his train of thought. Frankly, even I can't make sense of it, and I wrote it. Sooo, yeah, I'm not messing with it, just call it delusional ranting and move on.

Sorry, Kind of got busy towards the end of last year so never replied to this thread to give my own opinion.

Basically Alice nailed the angle I meant it from, the charater sopening packs, needing to see what cards work (test matches to show them learning what works, what doesn't realisations of what they need to aim for and working on their playstyles) and trading cards (Learning what is a good trade, trying to gt 4x the card they want. This would show them learning the trading aspect and not as mentioned just getting handed a suitcase with a here you go play with these).

Really I would find these episodes (Or even part of episodes if they open some packs and minor trade or discuss the cards they got) much better than some of this psychic and world altering crap (Personal opinion) that season 2 has and soem of season 1... I'd much prefer to see the show go more watching a group of players playing the game without the otherworldy aspects and it could definately be kept fresh with differen tformats, the character trying other decks or clans to learn their styles for countering them, and generally again showing them developing.

It doesn't help that what we get instead of things like this are usless boring "hurr summer" episodes that only shippingfags and moefags care about.

Hey Hey Hey. Theres nothing wrong with watching Asaka and Misaki play beach Volleyball!



No but seriously, thats one thing that always did bother me, in any TCG show. The characters decks just change magically. Also, I couldn't stand how for example going back to the whole summer vacation thing, I couldnt stand how when they were trying to fix their decks by just looking at them. Like, you could at least get some more cards out and look through them, your decks not going to magically change... unless you're Aichi Sendou. Then you get to Superior Call Blaster Blade Spirit, the 4th card down in your deck with Ezel's Limit Break.

I have no idea how the fuck he did that. That made zero sense to me.

I tried not to think about it. Apparently neither of them know Ezel too well.. The wind was on Aichi's side I guess

That summer camp episode mad eno sense, it was alot of pissing about, and very little hey guys i made loads of decks for us to play vs so we can understand enemy decks and learn how they work to watch out for this...

Seriously it would not be that hard to draw in the card opening and add some proper training time in stores or have them all at one person's house going through card lists and working out effects of cards. Heck even have them going on the internet to look up results from other events to see what was winning there and working to counter it.

Duce wrote:

That summer camp episode mad eno sense, it was alot of pissing about, and very little hey guys i made loads of decks for us to play vs so we can understand enemy decks and learn how they work to watch out for this...

Seriously it would not be that hard to draw in the card opening and add some proper training time in stores or have them all at one person's house going through card lists and working out effects of cards. Heck even have them going on the internet to look up results from other events to see what was winning there and working to counter it.

That much is a bit far and not very entertaining. As long as the fights are interesting, I see new cards and Kai and Ren keep getting appearances, I'm fine with S3.