Welcome back to UC on UCG, Ultraman Card Game players! Last time, we checked out the Mebius deck, and we hit very slightly on one of the main decisions every player has to make when deckbuilding; in the early game, where our card pool is limited, most decks can’t be made out of just one Ultra Hero’s cards. For either that reason, or just wanting to make use out of two different, complementary playstyles, most players need to find a secondary Ultra to work with, and that’s a tough decision to make!
Luckily, this week’s deck is the first deck made in the game made specifically to work with two Ultras, making that choice an easy one. Let’s get into Decker/Trigger and see what these heroes from the past and future can really do!
Part 1 — How Does It Work?
Perhaps more than any other deck in the game, Decker/Trigger comes with a specific game plan that must happen for the deck to succeed. Simply put, make 2 Triple Heroes as fast as you can. If you have two by Turn 3, you’re golden!
Once you’re there, you have access to a number of neat tricks couched within the deck’s varied Level 2s and 3s. With tricks to keep the opponents off-balance, and well-constructed heroes, the deck can be a real powerhouse! Let’s get into the specifics and help you build out a deck that takes the strongest elements from both heroes!
Part 2 — Level 1s
As per usual, packing four copies of each hero’s respective R Level 1 (Decker BP01-028 and Trigger BP01-082 — Hey, what a funny coincidence, even the set numbers mirror one another in this case!) is an auto-include; However, compared to usual, these Level 1s are in kind of an odd place. Most decks can afford to make that trade-off, giving up a turn to gain some card advantage. However, Decker/Trigger has that all-important game plan. To get to a winning position, those Triples need to be made as fast as possible, and that means that if you’re dropping a Level 1 in the first two turns, there needs to be a Level 2 right behind it to evolve.
And once we’ve fulfilled those conditions, even playing them as singles don’t actually work, since (spoilers) the final stage of the deck involves adding a universal BP Grade increase to all Single Heroes you control, meaning that the draw effect for Decker and search effect for Trigger wouldn’t even work. Because of that, you’re definitely still including four of each, but you shouldn’t expect to be dependent on it in the same way other decks are. Don’t worry, you have other ways to gain card advantage!
Now, because being able to make Triple Heroes is so important, we’re still including a healthy amount of Level 1s to level onto. We like suggesting 4 of the card advantage Rs for each hero, and then 3 of the Uncommon L1 Decker (BP01-029) and 3 of the Basic Common L1 Trigger (BP01-083). Why 083 and not its identically-statted, identically leveled counterpart in BP01-084? 084 has the Armed type, which at this point in the game has the highest number of Heroes that become stronger when facing it. Don’t just build for yourself — Build for your opponents as well!
Part 3 — Level 2s
Decker and Trigger have Level 2s that are very utility-driven, in contrast to the more generic scene searches of other Heroes like Tiga and Z. This is good! Compared to those Heroes, who are more splashable, we need a consistent, useful package that can cover a number of bases. The two RR Level 2s, BP01-031 for Decker and BP01-085 for Trigger, are exactly what we want to see as often as possible, especially 031.
085 does something very important at all points of the game — on play, if you’ve made it a Double, it pops any scene. Remember that on-play effects have priority before activated effects, so if your opponent was relying on a game-changing field effect like The Man Who Created SKaRD or Champion of the Fierce Fight, your Trigger will pop them before they ever get to use their effects. In addition, you can clear your own scenes, which may let you go and play a lower-round scene that was stuck in your hand! Not a common problem currently, but remember, this is just the first set! Future-proofing is always good!
For Decker, meanwhile, 031 has a bit of a strange effect that could prove to be very powerful! On play, if you’ve played it as a Double, you can choose to swap that card’s place with the Hero to its left or right. To explain exactly how this effect can be used, we’re going to share an anecdote from our Editor-in-Chief, while we were testing the deck for this article.
“It was in the middle of a game with the Ultraman Arc deck, and we were on Turn 3. I had managed to take hold of Lead Player status, with a Triple Trigger in my first battle area, and a Double Decker in my second. In my hand, I had… 3 of the RR Decker L2, and one of the RRR L3. I set the single L2, and evolved my L3 into Battle Area 2… And when the Open Phase came, I realized that, because of my L3 Decker, the RR came in as a Double, triggering its effect!
Immediately, I shifted my Triple Decker to the latest battle area, and won it to keep Lead Player, locking the opponent out of any scenes. I was able to do this repeatedly as well, constantly placing my Triple Decker in the latest battle and winning against whatever my opponent was able to play. As I drew more Level 3 Deckers in subsequent turns, I was able to win previous battles, and by the time my last RR came down, I had won.”
Even if you only get to use the effect once, the ability to steal a win in the final battle by having a Triple early can totally turn the tide of a game around, and an 11k Double is a pretty big BP score as well, letting you score battles your opponent isn’t prepared to commit to.
Because L2s are so important, we recommend playing the Uncommon L2s for both Heroes — BP01-032 for Decker and BP01-087 for Trigger. These two actually become much stronger than other cards that raise BP grade against the right foes — in this deck, you can have multiple one-card Triples taking the field!
Now, how does that work, exactly?
Part 4 — Level 3s
BP01-034, the Decker RRR Level 3, is the strongest card in the deck and the whole reason for the game plan we’ve been following this entire article. At both Double and Triple, while you control a Triple Hero other than this card, every Single Decker and Trigger card on your field has its BP Grade increase by one. Even your Level 1s become Doubles under this effect!
Now, here’s where the secret of the deck comes into play for us. We know what we’ve said this entire time, about the game plan — Make one Triple, then make this card as a Triple, and profit. However, keen-eyed players who took a closer look at the card may realize that 034 simply says “While you have ANOTHER Triple Ultra Hero”. The effect even starts at Double. All you ACTUALLY need is one Triple on field that isn’t this card to set everything going! Let’s be clear, though — you want to play this Decker at Triple, whenever possible. At 18,000, this Decker has the strongest BP of any card in your deck!
But what about Trigger, you may ask? What’s his fancy top-end? Well, it’s a good thing you did ask, because we’re crazy about the R Trigger (BP01-088) too, as the best starting Triple you can play! When this Trigger comes into play as a Triple, you just reveal the top five cards of your deck and pick anything from them to put in your hand, discarding the rest.
That’s right, anything. No limitations, no putting a card in your hand back. Check 10% of your deck and if there’s any card you need, it’s yours! In testing, playing this on the second turn in the first battle area was responsible for us getting 034 in FIFTEEN different games! It’s a real difference-maker, and though its Triple BP is a bit low for a Level 3, its Double BP is a surprising 13k, making it big enough to fight and win against almost any Double in the game — perfect to put onto all those Singles you’re playing once your combo is set up!
The other two Level 3s to use for this deck are very effective support Heroes, both at Uncommon — BP01-035 for Decker, and BP01-089 for Trigger. Both have similar effects under different conditions — 035 grants 1000 BP to both adjacent heroes, left and right, when played as a Triple, while 089 grants it to one or the other played as either a Double or a Triple. Both are definitely worth playing, but we found ourselves more grateful for 089 when we needed the effect. However, 035 shows its utility with stats, being a 13k Double like Trigger’s 088. It really is a question of personal taste for your ratios for these two!
Part 5 — The Scene
Decker/Trigger actually has two scenes to use, For Smiles and Light and Darkness, Again. Each one focuses on one of the two Heroes in the deck. For Smiles asks for you to control a Trigger, and is a simple scene that, when played, draws you a card and has you discard one. Keep in mind, though, that playing a scene ALSO draws you a card, so it’s effectively letting you draw TWO and discard one. Because of how scenes work mechanically, you get that first draw before any on-play effects resolve, so you’re getting a better choice of what you want to keep before you have to discard!
Light And Darkness, Again, meanwhile, cares about your Decker cards. The first and only Round 3 scene in the game, this card has a strong activated effect — discard one card from your hand to give every Decker you control +1000 BP for the turn. While this card is undeniably strong, it’s also a commitment, locking you out of using For Smiles (Remember, you can only replace a scene with one of an equal or higher level) and requiring a discard to use its effect. Luckily, the former can be mitigated by using the RR Level 2 Trigger! We told you the ability to trash your own scenes was good…
Part 6 — Other Ultras?
Compared to other decks we’ve reviewed, you’re generally not mixing these two with other Heroes — they’re built to compliment one another, and you rarely want more than 2 different Heroes in a deck as is! However, something to keep in mind is that the Trigger package is actually fairly self-contained. Perhaps some enterprising players will try seeing if Kengo Manaka can make any other heroes smile?
Part 7 — Sample Decklist
We’ve spent all this time talking about how these two Ultras are made for one another, so let’s put together a list and try them out!
Level 1 — 12 Cards
BP01-028 Ultraman Decker Flash Type (R) x4
BP01-029 Ultraman Decker Flash Type (U) x2
BP01-082 Ultraman Trigger Multi Type (R) x4
BP01-083 Ultraman Trigger Multi Type (C) x2
Level 2 — 20 Cards
BP01-031 Ultraman Decker (RR) x4
BP01-032 Ultraman Decker Strong Type (U) x4
BP01-033 Ultraman Decker Miracle Type (C) x2
BP01-085 Ultraman Trigger (RR) x4
BP01-086 Ultraman Trigger Power Type (C) x2
BP01-087 Ultraman Trigger Sky Type (U) x4
Level 3 — 14 Cards
BP01-034 Ultraman Decker Flash Type (RRR) x4
BP01-035 Ultraman Decker Dolnade Breaker (U) x3
BP01-088 Ultraman Trigger Ultra Dual Sword (R) x4
BP01-089 Ultraman Trigger Ultra Dual Sword (U) x3
Scenes — 4 Cards
For Smiles (C) x3
Light and Darkness, Again (U) x1
For us, this is essentially the archetypical Decker/Trigger deck. Make some ratio changes for taste, but this uses almost every card both archetypes have, to follow our vaunted game plan. We’re focusing more than usual on Level 2s, because you’ll be playing them as Singles to treat them as Doubles. Fun, right?
That’s all we have time for this week, but if you like what you saw, check out our previous pieces in this series! And for more information on the game straight from the source, check out the Official Ultraman Card Game website! We’re going to get started on next week’s piece right away — after all, sitting around doing nothing won’t get us anywhere!
