Sword Girls EX1 Preview

Sword Girls is the ultimate online anime card game, and in this preview, we’ll give you a taste of the new cards waiting for you in the upcoming open beta test. These cards are part of Sword Girls EX1.

Uniform Tweak (Vita Public School)


Uniforms don’t have to be uniform, and Uniform Tweak helps to make some of your Followers really stand out. Two random allied Vita Followers have their Attack increased by two times their Defense, while having their Stamina reduced by half of their Defense, rounding down. On most Followers, this may result in moderate stat boosts, but this card especially shines when used on defensive juggernauts like Cook Club Katie. Make sure to use it when the Stamina loss won’t cause you to outright lose that Follower, and have a plan in place to raise that Follower’s Stamina just in case; while Defense may protect them from a Follower’s attacks, Spells and Character skills that hit Followers directly, bypassing Stamina, are common. Regardless, Uniform Tweak provides a powerful offensive bonus to already-untouchable Followers.


Paradise Hunter Asmis (Vita Public School)


Asmis, a student at Vita Public School and a member of the Secret Service Detective Agency, is solving what might be her greatest mystery yet. Paradise Hunter Asmis is only a SIZE 2 Follower, but she has 5 Attack, 2 Defense, and 8 Stamina, better than average stats for that SIZE. However, her true value comes from her skill. If you have a Vita Character, then the first time Asmis is attacked, your Character will gain 8 Life, granting you an incredible edge in battle.
 
2S Agent Fourteen (Academy)


Asmis may be star member of the Secret Service Detective Agency, but she’s not the only one. Agent Fourteen is a useful Follower if you want to exhaust your opponent’s options. As long as Agent Fourteen is in play, cards in the enemy Deck are sent to the enemy Hand until full at the start of every turn. This may not sound immediately useful, but this happens before players draw cards, so the opponent is forced to discard a card every turn! The leftmost card in the enemy Hand is always going to be dumped into the Grave and can’t be saved for future turns. If you build a Deck around forcing your opponent to run out of cards, Agent Fourteen is a must-have.
 
Unionize (Academy)


The maids have had enough, and they aren’t going to take it anymore! When Unionize kicks in, the first card in the enemy Field with a SIZE equal to the number of empty Slots in your Hand plus the SIZE of Unionize (which happens to be 2) is sent to the bottom of the enemy Deck. The ability to outright remove an enemy Follower is always powerful and can often decide a game’s outcome. While this card may initially seem a bit complex and overly-specific, what it does is allows you precise control over exactly which enemy Follower it takes out. It has a low SIZE, so you have a great deal of control over what it takes out. On top of that, this card has three other major factors going for it. It’s a Common card, so anyone can craft it easily. It also has a Limit of 3, so you can have multiple copies in your Deck to deal with emergency cases. Finally, unlike some of the other removal cards, Unionize doesn’t take faction into account at all, so no one is safe, and you can use it no matter which faction your Character belongs to.


Education Results (Crux)


Education Results is a powerful Spell useful in just about every situation. When you use it, the first Crux card in your Hand is sent to the Grave, but a random allied Crux Follower gets its Attack and Stamina increased by 4 each, an incredible buff for a negligible cost. Many cards rely on gradually building up their strength, and many are destroyed before they can realize their full potential. Education Results helps them fulfill that potential. The Stamina boost helps them survive hits that would knock them out, but the Attack boost is the real prize. Used wisely, Education Results can help your Followers destroy just about anything that would threaten them.
 
Vivid World of Kana (Crux)


The Vivid World of Kana is an extremely effective card that just about anyone would love in their Deck. When this Spell goes off, the first two cards in your Deck are played to the first empty Slots in your Field as long as they belong to your Character’s faction. However, if they are not part of the same faction, they’re sent to the Grave instead. The ability to place cards directly into the Field, getting around the usual SIZE restrictions is fantastic, but as if that weren’t enough, the moved cards have their SIZES changed to Vivid World of Kana’s SIZE of 2. Kana makes it possible to play powerful cards without sacrificing your ability to adapt!
 
Elder Scardel Barbera (Darklore)


Elder Scardel Barbera is a welcome card for any Darklore player that relies on powerful Followers (which is nearly all of them!) If you have a Darklore Character, then the first time she is attacked, the Follower in your Grave with the highest SIZE is removed from the game and a new copy of that Follower is created in the first empty Slot in your Field, back and better than ever; it gets Attack and Stamina equal to Barbera’s Defense, which is 3 by default. If you ever lose a Follower central to your Deck, Barbera can give you a second chance.


Crescent Enigmas (Darklore)



No one knows what is happening in this picture, but The Crescent Enigmas is a Spell that provides a powerful Attack boost to a random allied Follower. When this Spell takes effect, two random Darklore Followers in your Hand are sent to your Grave, and then a random allied Follower has its Attack increased by the difference between its Attack and Stamina. If you have any Followers with a high Stamina and low Attack, or Followers with a high Attack but low Stamina, this Spell is your answer.


 
DRESS UP!

Sword Girls EX1 also features a fantastic new mechanic with the new Dress Up cards. These cards start out as unremarkable Followers, but at the start of the next turn, they transform into magical girls, Sailor Moon style, wielding powerful new skills and higher stats! For the moment, Dress Up cards are exclusive to the Vita and Crux factions, but keep an eye out for more Dress Up cards in the future episodes.

Council Maron (Vita Public School) and Dress Up Maron (Crux)


Council Maron is a Vita Follower that starts out with a negligible 2 Attack, but has 2 Defense and 11 Stamina. If she survives the turn, then at the start of the next turn, she’s replaced with the first Dress Up Maron card in your Deck (And replaces any previous Dress Up Maron card you might have out already. Only one at a time!); on top of that, Dress Up Maron will lose SIZE and gain Attack and Stamina. Dress Up Maron herself carries a powerful skill. Whenever she attacks, the first card in your Hand with “Dress Up” in the name is sent to your Grave. If you don’t have in your Hand, then the first card in your Grave with “Dress Up” in the name is removed from the game. If any of those happens, her target loses 1 Attack and 2 Stamina. If you keep a steady stock of Dress Up cards in your Deck, then she can really put the hurt on enemy Followers and keep them from effectively striking back.
 
Seeker Smartylane (Crux) and Dress Up Smartylane (Crux)



Crux also has their own Dress Up Follower in Seeker Smartylane, who becomes Dress Up Smartylane. Like Maron, she transforms into her Dress Up form at the start of the turn, though she’s more focused on building her own strength than lowering enemy stats directly. Whenever she attacks, a Dress Up card in your Hand is sent to the Grave, or a Dress Up card in your Grave is removed from the game, then her Attack is increased by 1 and her Stamina is increased by 2.


Dress Up Change


Finally, there’s a Spell to support Decks that run Dress Up cards. If you absolutely need Dress Up Maron or Dress Up Smartylane on your Field this turn, then Dress Up Change is what you’re looking for. When Dress Up Change takes effect, Maron and Smartylane transform immediately, and their Dress Up forms are enhanced, though more towards survivability than in raw attack power. The best part about this card is that it has a SIZE of 2, so you can have Council Maron, Seeker Smartylane, and Dress Up Change on the Field at the same time.

The upcoming open beta will feature these cards and many more from Sword Girls Episode 3 and EX1, a total of over a hundred new cards added to its already extensive library. Make sure to sign up for the open beta at to receive the latest news and updates.