Star-Vader, Blaster Joker Deck Profile

The unthinkable has happened, as the once proud Blaster Blade has not only been abducted by Link Joker, but has also been turned into their own, under the name Blaster Joker. Paired with Photon, this Legion is a very powerful being to face.

As a request by one of the other members of the Grand Sanctuary, I will be putting up my own opinions of these cards, their support, and what I believe the deck should look like.

First, lets start with the star of the deck:

Star-Vader, Blaster Joker

[ACT](VC): Legion 20000 "Companion Star Star-Vader, Photon" (If your opponent's vanguard is grade 3 or greater, this unit may return four cards from your drop zone into your deck once, search your deck for the specified card, and Legion)

[ACT](VC):[Counter Blast (2) & Soul Blast (2) & Choose one of your rear-guards with "Star-vader" in its card name, and lock it] If this unit is in Legion, lock all of your opponent's rear-guards, choose one of your opponent's Legion Mate, and retire it.

[AUTO](VC):[Choose one card with the same name as a unit in your (VC) from your hand, and put it into your soul] When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, this unit gets [Critical]+1 until end of that battle.

Absolute Lock. Absolute Break. Absolute Insanity! Locking all the Rearguards and breaking off a Legion Mate is devastating! Not only does this assure that a major part of the field is unusable next turn, it prompts the opponent to re-ride the Vanguard to where they can make an effective attack. If I had to compare this card to others, it would be the Deletors. But unlike Deletors, who zero out the attack power altogether, Blaster Joker only hinders the Vanguard by a little. His real power is crippling the defenses of the rearguards and making sure Legion won't be too much of a hassle, provided the opponent cannot ride on the next turn. His second ability is interesting as well, as you can have up to 6 cards, which are the other copies of Photon and Blaster Joker, that you can use to give your attack an extra critical, and even if it doesn't reach the opponent, that's another member to the soul that can be used for the Legion skill next time.

The only problem is the main problem most Star-vader Boss cards have: Counterblasts. With the absence of a reliable damage unflipping card, this ability to lock and retire a mate can only be used so many times, usually 2 times provided you don't heal off the damage. With his soul charging ability, the soul will not be that much of a problem, and locking a rear? Not too bad for what you do to your opponent. But for the most cases, using that ability should be only when:

1: The opponent is in Legion

and/or

2: The opponent has a field of 3 or more rearguards.

Now, why don't we look at Blaster Joker's mate? You may know him, as he is used even outside of Legion:

Companion Star Star-Vader, Photon

[AUTO]:When this unit is placed on (RC), if you have a vanguard with "Star-vader" in its card name, and your opponent has a locked card, choose one of your opponent's rear-guards, and lock it. (The locked card is turned face down, and cannot do anything. It turns face up at the end of the owner's turn.)


Like I said, this card has been used outside of Legion play because it's ability is very, VERY good for Link Joker. Instead of paying a counterblast, hitting an attack, or being a Vanguard grade 3, Photon has the luxury of locking just by being called while your opponent has a locked card. Take that, Dust Tail Unicorn! Photon may not be able to be used outside of Star-Vader, but that's not a big issue. The real issue is using him alongside Blaster Joker. It's not the best as a Rearguard for Blaster Joker, as you will already have locked everything on the field. But that being said, since Blaster Joker will have to be accompanied by another grade 3 (unless you somehow make a 4 Grade 3 deck work? :/ ) you can use Photon to lock any stragglers that get left behind from their abilities.

Now let's look at the 2 cards meant for Blaster Joker support, along with 1 that can't be overlooked, despite it not having a specific effect with him:

Star-Vader, Brave Fang

[AUTO]: Forerunner (When a unit of the same clan rides this unit, you may call this unit to (RC))

[AUTO](RC):[Put this unit into your soul] When an attack hits a vanguard during the battle that this unit boosted, if your vanguard is in Legion, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose up to two of your opponent's locked cards, and those cards cannot be unlocked during your opponent's next end phase.


Again, this card may not have a specific effect with Blaster Joker, but consider this: Brave Fang is a Link Joker copy of Wingal. Wingal being Blaster Blade's partner, I just have to talk about him.

His effect is an Omega Lock on 2 cards after he boosts a successful attack while your Vanguard is in Legion. When combined with Absolute Lock, this skill is very handy, as you can assure that both rearguard columns cannot attack for 2 turns, even if you cannot activate the Legion skill again. Very useful in most Link Joker decks that benefit from Omega Locks.

Minuscule Star-vader, Mayoron

[ACT](RC):[[Rest] this unit] If your vanguard is in Legion, choose a unit named "Star-vader, Blaster Joker" in your (VC), and that unit gets [Power]+10000 until end of turn.


Now here is a familiar face that has direct ties to Blaster Joker. Marron has also been cloned, and packs an even bigger punch! He just gives any Blaster Joker 10000 power just by resting itself. Not only is that a big power boost, but it also gives you a perfect candidate to lock for your Legion Skill after you rest it! Big things do come in Minuscule packages.

Silence Star-vader, Dilaton

[AUTO]:When this unit is placed on (RC), if your vanguard is in Legion, and the number of locked cards your opponent has is two or more, search your deck for up to one card named "Star-vader, Blaster Joker", reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.

Have you guessed what this unit is? While it should be easy, it's hard to see Gallatin back after not being useful in many decks thanks to cards like Phallon. But yes, he is cloned, and is much more useful than his human counterpart. If you have locked 2 or more cards, and your Vanguard is in Legion, you can search a Blaster Joker straight from your deck. That is good for 2 reasons:

1: If you use another Legion because you don't have Blaster Joker, you can search him out for the next turn.

2: If you are already at Blaster Joker Legion, you can use the searched card for his critical effect

This changes how other Legions work with this deck, cause you can get to your boss card even faster when you aren't able to ride him, and even if you have already ridden him, you can just use it for the critical effect, not only thinning your deck, but giving you even more pressure.



After all of those cards, it's certain that Blaster Joker is not something to be taken lightly. In the right hands, you can devastate you opponent with pressure. Now, knowing all this info, here is my take on the deck centered around Blaster Joker:



Grade 0 x17
x1 Star-Vader, Brave Fang (Starter)
x4 Star-Vader, Apollo Nail Dragon(Critical)
x2 Star Vader, Null Chameleon (Critical)
x4 Star-Vader, Jeiratail (Draw)
x2 Star-Vader, Nebula Captor (Draw)

x4 Star-Vader, Pixie Powder (Heal)


Grade 1 x14
x4 Barrier Star-Vader, Promethium (PG)
x4 Star-Vader, Bolt Line
x3 Demon Claw Star-Vader, Lanthanum
x3 Minuscule Star-Vader, Mayoron


Grade 2 x11
x4 Companion Star Star-Vader, Photon
x4 Flash Gun Star-Vader, Osmium
x3 Silence Star-Vader, Dilaton


Grade 3 x8
x4 Star-Vader, Blaster Joker (Legion)
x4 Star-Vader, Garnet Star Dragon (Legion)

Winning Image:

The Grade 0 line-up is a balance of crits and draws, evening them out. You'll get criticals from Blaster Joker's skill, and the more cards you have in hand, the better you are to defend should your locks wear off. 

Brave Fang is a great starter, but can only be effectively used when using Absolute Lock. When the skill is active, No one will let Brave Fang hit at the risk of their rears being Omega Locked, so to even out the pressure, put him behind a rearguard, forcing a decision between a critical or a reaguard lock if it comes down to it.

For Grade 1's, Perfect Guards are the way to go. You'll be soulblasting and guarding enough for your Legions to be effective, so don't worry about Quintet Walls. Bolt Line is another high pressure card, forcing Omega Locks when their boosted attack hits. Lanthanum will gain huge boosts from your Legion Skill, since it can lock up to 5 units in one go. a 17000 booster isn't something to take lightly. And while Mayoron is useful, it's only good if you are assured a Blaster Joker will be striking, and since you aren't guaranteed to ride him first time, it's only going to be useful as a booster until then.

For Grade 2's, Photon is a must, because of it's Legion, along with his skill should you not get Blaster Joker out first. Osmium is just like Bolt Line, being able to Omega Lock, and goes great when boosted by a powered up Lanthanum. Dilaton, like Mayoron, is situational, and with a limited number of Blaster Joker's in the deck, he won't be of much use if you don't constantly supply them. 

For Grade 3's, Blaster Joker is obvious. But this is the tricky part: What to pair it with. Our ultimate goal is to get out Blaster Joker, but what if we don't have him? Who can fill in that space without making it hell when Blaster Joker comes out? 

At first I though Dark Zodiac would be the best option, since it had a no counterblast cost for it's locks, and Astro Reaper could help like Dilaton could, searching both Blaster Joker and Photon for the Critical. But then, there is the matter of replacing a Grade 2 unit for Astro Reaper, as well as the temptation of Dark Zodiac's Omega Lock counterblast. 

After talking it over with the others, we agreed the best option was the other Mate of Photon: Garnet Star. Garnet Star does not need a counterblast for it's lock, it works well with Dilaton and Photon, and it keeps Osmium into the mix. The only downside is you need to be careful how you use your Photons. One wrong move and you won't be able to Legion your Blaster Joker when you get the chance.

Final Turn:

Well, there you have it. Payne, I made this by your request, and honestly, it was fun to see how evil this deck can be under the right circumstances. Although I myself prefer Deletors, I can't deny that Star-Vaders are a force to be reckoned with. Any of you who have friends aiming for this deck, you better be prepared. 

Thanks for your support. I'll see you next time.

Daltorus