Vanguard features many clans, arguably more than it needs given numerous aesthetic and mechanical overlaps, but all the same I try to find enjoyment in each and every one of them. This desire stems from wanting to get the most out of the game I've played for so long. That said, it doesn't work out. Some decks fail to appeal for very long, and others not at all. This post will attempt to go in depth in regards to each offender.
Angel Feather
I feel this clan lost its way at some point in its life, turning away from the "damage zone as a toolbox" aspect in favor of the "drop a useless card here, get fucking huge" mindset. It's pretty obvious why this came to be - a pool of roughly 4 cards just can't hope to contend with entire decks, souls, or drop zones. I won't even deny that it's an improvement. But dammit, the charm is gone. Why couldn't there be some kind of compromise? More cards like Fever Therapy Nurse with a wider variety of effects would rekindle my interest in a heartbeat. Heck, a reasonably conditioned healing effect would be nice too.
Genesis
I touched on this in a previous post. Since the clan is focused so heavily on the Vanguard, it lacks a certain feeling of solidarity. "All for one" without the "one for all". And it's intentional! I doubt the clan will ever receive something as basic as a Luck Bird clone, the one thing above all else that would revolutionize the clan.
Murakumo
Not to be shallow, but it just sucks, and it's ugly to boot. Shadow cloning has always been overcosted for the results it tends to generate, and running out of copies due to taking damage or otherwise is incredibly crippling. The Grade 3 they got in FC2014 was interesting, a step in the right direction, but nowhere near enough.
Tachikaze
Simply put, I'm not twelve anymore. Awesome art isn't enough to compensate for a lack of intriguing game play - or at least hard advantage! They'll forever be in the shadow of a certain group of paladins.
Dark Irregulars
Effectively the inverse of Genesis, the rear-guards here do enough to please (barely), but the center lane is an utterly worthless resource sink. The prospect of locking yourself out of half your deck all the time for menial power and critical boosts is excessively silly. More ACT or CONT skills from the soul could alleviate this, but whether or not Bushiroad will cave and realize this doesn't necessarily infringe on Pale Moon is anyone's guess.
Pale Moon
Better base power for your generics, please. Seriously. That's it. I actually kind of like the clan.
Spike Brothers
SPORTS. I don't appreciate them in the real world, and I certainly don't appreciate them in my card games. The extent of their raw, overwhelming power often turns games into solitaire, and they're also incredibly linear. Were Vanguard's disruption levels a little higher, the clan could be far more interesting. Alas, the sense of choosing a play and executing it in anticipation of what the opponent is going to do just isn't there.
Dimension Police
Going all in on a single, unstable play gets old quickly. Commander Laurel's presence doesn't help.
Nova Grappler
I mostly think it's a lack of aptitude on my end. I struggle to identify the proper level of commitment for any given hand, compounded several times over by the nature of various match-ups. It's not like Oracle Think Tank or Granblue, which by virtue can get away with just about anything because individual cards don't mean much. Additionally, I feel Aqua Force has fewer chance elements when it comes to the whole "death by a thousand pokes" thing, so I just don't feel I have a reason to bother. More so since Nova loses outright on the aesthetic front. :P
Great Nature
Needs more birds.
Okay, my best guess is that my indifference stems from the late game hamstringing that the break ride block brought and legion block didn't quite remedy. I like their combo-centric nature and think many of their cards are cute/cool/majestic/etc. I wish them the best in G-BT02 even if I don't touch them again.
Bermuda Triangle
Truth be told, there's nothing wrong with the clan as far as I'm concerned. It's active at all stages of the game, it plays to my strengths as a cardfighter, and it's not bad to look at. No, what troubles me is how it's treated, by both Bushiroad and the consumers.
Since Bermuda only sees support once a year, they're often screwed out of a card or two (or worse - an entire mechanic) that go on to become staples of the block. Furthermore, it has too many themes for its own good, very few of which are ever actually completed to a satisfactory degree. I mean shoot, where the fuck are Alk, Coral, and Pacifica these days? Nevermind poor old Riviere and Prism. It's pretty much a direct result of cranking the pandering up to eleven without regard to anything else.
The group towards which this pandering is aimed is loaded with the worst kind of people, too, ranging from incredibly creepy to intolerable asshole. You can't hope to start a legitimate discussion on how to build or play something without an interjection or two (or twelve...) that are outright wrong or otherwise unappreciated. After all, one's own taste is quite clearly always superior and everyone else is plebeian scum for believing otherwise.
...at any rate, I digress. Just call me a hipster.
Cray Elemental
Y U NO CONTAIN ALL THE TRASH COMMONS EVERYONE GETS TO SAVE SET SPACE?
Monday night can't come quickly enough.
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