Cardfight!! Vanguard - Breakdown of Nova Grapplers - Part 1

Picking out a Starting Vanguard:
In most instances, by using a Nova Grappler deck, you must have to use Battle Raizer or Turboraizer. Reason being is due to this effect:

• Auto: When you ride another «Nova Grappler» on this unit, you may call this to your Rearguard Circle.

Which means, this would be used as a generic starter for a Nova Grappler deck; however, to break down why you should use each one, the reason why you can reuse the Stand Triggers is that you can return them to the deck when they are boosted. Here's the two cards below:

 

The left card is Battleraizer and the card to the right is Turboraizer. The reason why they can be returned to the deck is this effect:

• Auto (R): When this Unit Boosts, for that battle, the boosted Unit gains an additional +3000, and at the start of that turn's End Phase, this Unit is sent to the Deck and that Deck is shuffled afterwards.

Which means, once you boost with this card, it has to return to your Deck, and the Deck is shuffled afterwards.

The third starter is a Chain Ride starter, which if you ride the correct Grade 1 unit, you can automatically search out a Grade 2 unit and put it in your Hand. The card used would be Blaujunger, which the card image is shown below:

Reason why it's called a "Chain Ride" starter is because of this effect:

• Auto: When you Ride a (Blaupanzer) on this Unit, Search for up to 1 (Blaukruger) from your Deck, Reveal it to your Opponent, and Send it to your Hand.

 The fourth starter, which was released in the Breaker of Limits set, is shown below:

Along with Battleraizer and Turboraizer, Beast Deity, White Tiger is another generic starter that you can start in the Vanguard position. Why I don't recommend him along with Battleraizer and Turboraizer to be generically used is because of his effect. His effect is listed below:

• Auto: When you Ride over this Unit with another <<Nova Grappler>>, you can call it to a Rearguard Circle.
• Activate (R): (Counter Blast (1), put this unit into your Soul) When this unit boosts a «Nova Grappler» and the attack hits a Vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose a «Nova Grappler» "Beast Deity" Rearguard and Stand it.

Since the second effect is type-specific, I would only recommend that you use Beasty Deity, White Tiger as a generic starter for a "Beast Deity" deck.

Grade 0 Breakdown:
Throughout the Nova Grappler clan, there has been several Grade 0s that beckon from it. To break it down nicely, for Grade 0s, they are typically 10000 Shields, and some of them are triggers. The Critical Triggers of Nova Grapplers are listed below:

The one on the left is Red Lightning. The one in the middle is Shining Lady. The one on the right is Fighting Battleship, Prometheus. Shining Lady and Fighting Battleship, Prometheus are both generic Grade 0s with no effect; however, they have 5000 Power, 10000 Shield, and a Critical Trigger. The one with the effect is Red Lightning which the way that they balanced it is having the Power being 4000 instead of 5000. The effect of Red Lightning is shown below:

• Activate (R): (Move this Unit to Soul) If you have a «Nova Grappler» Vanguard, unflip 1 card in your Damage Zone.

With this, I would use Red Lightning a bit more than the other 2 Critical Triggers, because his effect allows a card from the Damage Zone to be unflipped, which can, in turn, help with a Counterblast based deck.

The Stand Triggers of Nova Grapplers are listed below:

The first two, I already discussed earlier in this post, because Battleraizer (image in the top left) and Turboraizer (image in the top middle) are the most generic starters for a Nova Grappler deck. Cannon Ball (image in the top right), Lucky Girl (image in the bottom middle), and Red Card Dealer (image in the bottom right) are the generic Grade 0 Stand Triggers. Grapple Mania (image in the bottom left) is the effect Grade 0 Stand Trigger with the effect listed below:

• Auto (R): When an attack hits a Vanguard during a battle in which this Unit Boosts a Nova Grappler, you may choose one card from your Damage Zone and unflip it. If unflipped, at the beginning of that turn's End Phase, return this Unit back to Deck, and shuffle that Deck.

This is good in a Counterblast build, where you can unflip damage in the Damage Zone where you can utilize the Counterblast strategy of Nova Grapplers.

The Draw Triggers are shown below:

Three Minutes (left image) and The Gong (right image) are the two generic Draw Triggers.

The Heal Triggers are shown below:

Ring Girl, Clara (left image) and Wall Boy (right image) are the two generic Heal Triggers.

Other Grade 0 Cards are shown below:

Blaujunger (top left) and Beast Deity, White Tiger (top right) are the two Grade 0 Starting Vanguard. Kaleido Ace (bottom) would be used as Starting Vanguard if you have nothing else. Since, there's 4 better starters in the Vanguard position, Kaleido Ace is mentioned, but rarely used in a Cardfight, so you'll barely see it. Cat Butler (middle) is the Grade 0 5000 Power card with an effect shown below:

• Auto (R): (Retire this Unit) During the beginning of the Close Step of a Battle in which your Vanguard attacked, If that attack did not hit during that battle, you can pay the cost. If you do, select 1 Grade 2 or lower <<Nova Grappler>> Vanguard of yours and Stand it.

This would barely be used since you'll be either at Grade 3 when you draw it or when you have a Grade 2 Vanguard, you would prefer to use it as a Shield more than using the effect.