Top of the Line (Spinning Valiant, V-Premium)

I tend to compare myself to Taishi Miwa in the V-Series anime. Overtly friendly and open, having a pension for wearing comfy jackets, and favoring Suiko as my preferred Ultra-Rare sister. But above all that, one common thread we share is playing Nova Grappler's Hero division. In a clan full of buff n' tough robots who re-stand so much you'd swear it was a riverdance routine, a bunch of costumed warriors with a harsh restraint placed upon the opponent late game may raise a couple eyebrows. But I can assure you that in the right hands, the deck can be devastating. Fingers crossed said hands are what my own qualify as.

Theatrics aside, the Spinning Valiant (or Nova Hero if you wanna be more general) deck really is unlike its rushing compatriates. Focusing more on getting stronger the more pressure in the form of damage is placed upon them, they generate massive numbers and with proper timing, explode through the scene with a massive finisher that forces your opponent to dedicate a ludicrous amount of resources just to attempt to survive. Not only that, but its eponymous leader can defend his allies with his double-edged CONT and help maintain stability of your field, among other such beneficial effects that aren't just opponent-pelters.

Credit where credit is due, however, I'd cited a majority of the decklist from the eclectic Vanguard Insider/Mr. Timeleap, whose own decklist involving the hapless hatted hero can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLmWT7RaOfE

Go check out his stuff, he's a super cool dude with likely more Vanguard street cred than I'll ever have, hah. Now, without further ado, let's discuss our caped cast of card characters. We'll go in descending order of grades, to really discuss the stars of the show first and later trickle down into the fellow champions they enable.

Grade 3's (Quite a Caped Crowd)

First and foremost, the star of the show is undoubtedly Spinning Valiant. After all, you get special treatment when your name's in the decklist. His first skill, a CONT, may seem odd to some. It makes it so during either turn, either player can only attack the vanguard. While it does restrict you from picking off your opponent's problematic rears, the same case is then applied to your opponent. So you can rest easy knowing they're all that much safer from your opponents' big numbers. The meat and potatoes of this card, however, comes in the form of its AUTO skill, giving him a free 10K power boost if four or more of your front row RC's are occupied.

But the second half of this requires more selective timing to make the most of; not just in the effect itself, but the cost; with a hefty CB-4 comes the devastating condition for the remainder of the turn that for all your attacks, should your opponent guard from hand, they must call three or more at the same time. This in turn with your large numbers can force them to either use up a crazy amount of their hand to live or force them to take the attack so as to conserve resources, but once used is very hard to recover the cost of. So be mindful of the state of the game before, when, and after you flip down two-thirds of your damage.

Right behind Mr. Valiant is a fellow Accel-granting beefcake, Girly Dolly. Though not as devastating as her top-toting leader, she still plays a big role that can assist in your longevity. Regardless of what circle she's on, with five or more Hero on RC, she'll grant all your guardians an additional 10K Shield. This fortunately stacks with other copies of her on the field as well, so even when you're on the edge of breaking in terms of damage yourself, you'll be able to survive with barely any GC calls and save up on your hand resources for later.

Rounding our our lineup of Grade 3's as a two-of is Miss Splendor. She was Miwa's boss in the anime, seemingly, and next to her fellow Heroes she's capable of a ton. Regardless of what circle she resides upon, when your Hero attacks she can further restrict your opponent's defenses by disabling their intercepts. Furthermore, should your field be filled more than your opponent's, she grants the attacking unit an additional 3K for the battle. She may lack an Accel gifter, but she's still a welcome facet of the Hero family.

Grade 2's (A Super Spinner's Sidekicks)

If you're like me and you enjoy a hint of dandy in your superhero mix, you'll adore Stylish Hustler, especially after you read both his effects. His first effect, regardless of what circle he's on, allows you to SB-1 to retrieve a rear that hit the drop due to your opponent's effect back to your hand. It's moreso an answer to the likes of Kagero and not say, anything that binds or locks or rewinds (my slang for Gear Chronicle's bottom-decking), but like Girly Dolly having this effect can help you sleep better at night knowing it's up on your field. Its secondary effect on RC's what's making headlines however, aside from his handy hat he's cocking in his artwork. On attack, he'll gain a free 3K power for every card in damage. Essentially with full damage, he'll gain 15K to make 24K unboosted to make your CB-4 turn that much harder for your opponent to stomach. Really gives the deck that much more spice, no?

A fellow Hero by his side is none other than Cup Bowler. He may not turn heads like his pal, but still puts in work. Regardless of circle, having another Hero grants him a continuous 5K during your turn. Also, purely aesthetically, I just admire how his main weapon's a toy much like Valiant's, and find it a nice little way of tying the deck's whole vibe together.

Helping you out on the defensive side is one last Hero in the form of Warrior of Chakram. She's (He's?) a heck of an interceptor, lemme tell ya. When your vanguard's attack, for a mere single SB, she gets an extra 5K Shield for every card in damage, totaling up to 30K on her own. It gets even crazier if Girly Dolly's up, as every copy of her adds another 10K atop that once conditions are met. A great way to stand up to beefy attacks with just a single card. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but as I like to say, it's a card that helps me sleep better at night.

With the G era having recently graced Zero, I've come to know this card quite well in my escapades to geek out about all things Nova Grappler. Rip-roaring once again with his re-standing antics, Cool Hank beams his pearly whites proudly as he gives Nova decks the world over a heck of a tech. On VC hit, he'll SB-1 to net you a draw, which can mean a lot since this deck and Accel decks in general could use all the hand advantage they can get. On RC, though, he really helps accelerate your finishing turns by discarding a card to re-stand one of your powerful beaters made harder to guard by Valiant for another go telling your opponent's GC "Three, take it or leave it." Heh, can't believe I made that kinda reference in a Vanguard deck of all things.

Grade 1's (A Hero's Humble Beginnings)

Going hand-in-hand in more ways than one with your boss, Spin Kid can whip up a gale if you nab him in your opener. Once you ride him upon Tap (or Sling Burster if you're feeling perky), provided you have Spinning Valiant in hand, you'll be able to reveal him to deal a damage to both players' vanguards. For those of you scratching your heads, it's actually quite beneficial in many of this deck's cases. First and foremost, you want that damage early on so you can get into CB-4 range for when you're sitting on Valiant. Not to mention you'll want your opponent at high damage as well to make surviving said sit even harder for them. Even better if you're going second and happen to check a trigger, especially a Critical, to make the resulting swing that much more devastating early on. You might not get it off all the time, but when the chips fall in place for this kid, you'll be glad they did!

Looking to make mash of your opponent's monsters? Look no further than Smash Masher, debuting in the same set as Valiant and proving a welcome addition to his squadron. His on-attack effect really comes in handy late in the game when both players are at high damage, CB-1 allowing him to net 5K for every card in damage to reach up to 33K unboosted. Paired with Hustler, it's a match made in baddie-bashing heaven. And at the end of the turn, he can refund his own cost and even give you extra SB to use later. How, you may ask? By placing himself into the soul to Counter Charge! In a deck that loves to have its CB online for when the right moment comes, it's a godsend.

Truly earning the name of sidekick and making use of your SB, roaring in comes Rocket Hammer Man. Boosting a Hero with him will allow you to SB-1 to gain an additional 5K and make guarding it harder. Magic numbers are part of what helps the deck run late into the game, so any and all help you can get in achieving that will be more than welcome.

Grade 0's (Heroes from Zeroes)

The starter is none other than Tap the Hyper. It can be any starter, really, but I like to run him to keep the whole Hero thing going as much as possible, and it's also Miwa's starter from the anime. You're free to swap him out for Sling Burster for one reason or another, but for me personally I like keeping the theme of spinning tops going as far as it can.

The Trigger lineup, as noted by Mr. Timeleap in his vid, consists of 4 Heals, 4 Criticals, 5 Fronts, and 3 Draw PG's. His rationale being that once you're on your CB-4 turn, a well-checked Front really helps make your attacks that much harder to withstand as your whole front row benefits from the power gain, and while Girly Dolly bolsters your defenses in her own right, Draw PG's can tie up her loose ends well. Heals in a deck that relies on having high damage may be concerning, but it does allow you to artificially Counter Charge at the right time upon checking, and simply gives you some more breathing room in terms of your survival.

Possible Substitutions (Sidekick Stand-in's)

If you'd want some power with your defenses, you may consider swapping Warrior of Chakram for Fever Rocketeer. This firework flinger gets an automatic 3K upon attacking the vanguard, though when your own is under fire he can SB-1 to get an extra 10K to intercept with. Gives me some OG series 12K attacker vibes, he does.

By that same token, you can also swap Rocket Hammer Man for Rolling Extender. Unlike Mr. Hammer, his 5K boost is free at all times during your turn, with the only drawback being he can't perform or boost any attack headed towards a rear. Given Valiant's CONT, however, it's hardly a worry at all. Starting to notice a trend of going straight for the van here...

Following the same line of Grade 1's, you can also opt to swap Rocket Hammer Man for Clay-doll Mechanic if CB is a core worry of yours. Once you CB, he'll retire himself from RC to Counter Charge 1 and refund the cost you paid. You do go minus for it, but I can see why Nova builds would opt for this guy.

If you wanna try re-standing your most powerful pieces a different way with something debuting in the same set as Valiant, you can swap Cool Hank for Kick Kick Typhoon. He was the go-to re-stand tech in V prior to Cool Hank, and for good reason. When placed on VC or an Accel circle, he gives any of your units, himself included, an extra 5K for the turn. On RC, when he attacks with a full front row, he'll CB-1 to re-stand a rear of yours. I run Cool Hank in favor of him due to his re-stand being less particular and not costing a CB to do so, but nothing's stopping you from playing the big booting robo instead.

If you want some spot removal dotted in with your guard restricting, you can opt to swap Miss Splendor for Savanna Wild. On place regardless of circle, he asks of CB-1 and SB-2 to pop everything your opponent has in the same column as it, afterward gaining 15K if one or less units kicked the bucket as a result. In a deck that wants to save its resources for juuuuuuuuuust the right moment, it might not be ideal. But if it's your cup of tea, I won't stop you from drinking it.

As far as triggers go, feel free to swap Fronts and/or Heals with Criticals, and/or swap Draw PG's with Critical Sentinels. If you wanna take it to that extreme, go right ahead. It's a zany way to go, I'm sure, but where there's a will there's a way. After all, Nova is quite the aggressive clan, and Crits can definitely assist to that end.

Handy Play Notes (Billy, Do Be a Hero!)

Spinning Valiant, as mentioned, can be quite the leader. The first half of his second skill can be used at any time regardless of how much damage you have, so feel free to use it to your heart's content. It's a free 10K, after all. You'd be silly not to take advantage! But by that same token, save the second half for when you and your opponent's damage are neck-and-neck. Once used, it can be very tricky to recover the costs and survive your opponent's turn following, so make sure you fire it off when it's absolutely advantageous. And when you do, make sure your field's well-equipped to dish out heavy numbers to make the commanding guard condition extra tricky. Make them sorry they let you get to four or more damage!

For the sake of resources and longevity, try and refrain from calling rear guards early on, unless it's a full column if possible. Before Spinning Valiant's CONT can go off to protect your rears, give them some extra breathing room by sparing them until the right moment where they can swing without fear. Stylish Hustler's SB-1 skill also helps protect your rears, so utilize that if Kagero or similar antics are abound.

If Valiant has yet to storm forth, there's no shame in riding Girly Dolly. Especially since she grants you Accel circles in his place, and just helps you survive longer through her Shield-bolstering CONT.

Also on the topic of Accel, Accel II is generally preferred. It might go without saying as this is an aggressive deck, especially in Novas who live and die by their deadly rears on board. But if you're feeling confident or just have that good of a hand/board, Accel I can propel it that much further. Just keep these two facts in mind when considering what to attack with and what to guard with in your grip.

Conclusion (And So, the Day is Saved)

As stated, Spinning Valiant and his antics might not be what you'd initially expect from the likes of Novas, but they definitely stand out for good reason. Heck, Dr. Seuss himself said "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?"

Plus, you have to admit the deck's gimmick is thematically sound, getting stronger the more the odds are against them as per a superhero in their own story. Not to mention standing proud and strong no matter what kinda wrongdoer's staring them down. In a world of dragons and terrifying beasts of various and mystifying origin, sometimes all you need to give them what-for is a quirky costume and a lot of passion. Plus some very unconventional weaponry. Not only does it pack a punch, but it gives you a name and story to follow you!

With all that said, resident oddity ChupiTrooper signing off.