Stop! In The Name Of Love (Nociel, V-Premium)

My story with Angels is quite an odd one. Picture a past ChupiTrooper, freshly entering this era of Zero called "Limit Break", this peculiar mechanic taking form when one is at four or more damage. With this new era came a bevy of new clans, one in particular fitting the theme of damage by utilizing it as its main schtick. That clan was known as "Angel Feather."

Said clan was suprisingly abundant in younger Chupi's pulls that time of year. Mystified by their presence, he'd decided to build and play them out of necessity, later building quite an affinity for them due to their empowering from the damage zone and even situational multi-attacking from it.

The time came, however, to decide upon what in Angels he'd play in the TCG. He'd previously built and adored Spinning Valiant on the back of Nova Grappler giving him a home in Zero and Vanguard as a whole, so this should come naturally to him. Should he pick Ergodiel, with her aggression and spot removal alongside other such units like Freezing Granter? Or perhaps Celestials, in spite of Zerachiel's high price range off the back of the Ultra-Rare set? So many angels, so little time...

...until he'd remembered. Within his Angel builds, from the very beginning, there was one soul who showed up in them all. One who assisted irreplaceably in the damage-rigging and theme of angels improving the lives of many. That soul's name was Nociel. And lo and behold, Divine Lightning Radiance had graced her whole line with new life! Swiftly he took to building, days of tinkering and testing this and that, until at last. By his side for all his days was a powerful, versatile agent of affection that would support him for years to come.

Okay, okay. Odd and sappy story aside, if you're like me and you adore multi-attacks regardless of what you play, Nociel is the deck for you. It has everything: re-standing, spot removal, versatility, and ability to grab its important pieces seemingly from thin air and change its game plan on a dime. And the shell it all resides in is that of a delightful tomboyish girl who grows and matures through her line to become the strong, upstanding woman capable of taming even the most savage and grotesque of horrors.

...Maybe I'm reading too deeply into it. Regardless, Nociel and her friends are quite the force to be reckoned with, and I daresay neck-and-neck with Gavrail, with whom they share a set debut with. So if you're looking for a break from the usual Victory Deer with extra steps you might see Angels tote almost certainly these days, look no further. There's something for everyone to love with this pack of patch-putters.

Grade 3's (Love in the First Degree)

The face of the whole deck, and in my eyes Angels as a whole, is none other than Love Sniper, Nociel. For those of you familiar with Angels' run in G, she and the following card may be a familiar face in quite the interesting build, again, opposite side Gavrail. What this cutie brings to the table is something her whole line's been known for since inception, retrieving cards from damage to hand to use later. In this card's case, her once-per-turn ACT lets you CB-1 to place the top card of your deck in damage, then retrieve a card from said damage. You're definitely going to CB the card you'd like to retrieve, making the effect CB-neutral as you'd imagine from Angels. After Nociel's had her turn to attack, however, she emulates the Stride mechanic of old by way of SB-1 and two discarded cards to ride a Nociel from your hand as Stand, at the cost of a single drive. The prime target for this, sure to tie your whole play together is none other than...

...the amalgamation of all this cupid's endured in her time, no longer tied down by her past and heart beating fast and true to protect those whom she loves so dear. Holy Seraph, Nociel. Her descent has you SB-1 to place a "Nociel" card of your choosing from your deck into your damage face-up, the end of your turn allowing you to place a card from damage on the bottom of your deck once all is said and done. This can be useful for self-damaging for skill threshold purposes, yes, but can also set up for its second skill, which sets this deck over the edge in combination with fellow "Nociel" cards. On attack, for another SB-1, if three or more face-up Nociels are in your damage, you'll re-stand one of your rear guards, but for that same SB-1 and five Nociels in damage, you'll re-stand two instead! This essentially allows you, if everything combines right, to execute six attacks in one turn with multiple free 5K boosts to your front row and a minimum of two Protect II markers empowering your offense and defense. It's something to behold once it all comes together, and like Nociel herself, you too will look at your opponent fearlessly with the utmost intention to purify their aggression and make peace once more.

Grade 2's (Two's Company)

A great deal of the deck's meat when it comes to your attacks and supportive effects comes in the form of its Grade 2's. And rounding us of is, shocker, Love Machine Gun, Nociel. Taking a page from her OG series counterpart, this lassie on-place will CB and SB one each to place a "Nociel" card of choice from your deck into your damage and subsequently return a face-down damage to your hand. Though it is a hard once-per-turn, it's instrumental in a lot of things. It can set up your damage for when Holy Seraph's time to shine comes, as well as fetch Seraph herself or Love Sniper to add to your hand if they're not already in them, thus securing your ride chain. Beyond that, however, look at that determination in her face. Can you really look at a face like that and not let her go ham on some heretics?

Cooking two Tender Pigeons on one stove (man, where do I come up with these lines?) is Nurse of Holdheart, or Hold Heart. Localization's weird sometimes. Anyway, on either circle she'll have you CB-1 to exchange a card from hand with one from damage. It's all fine and good, but should you place a Grade 0 in damage, she allows you to then choose any of your opponent's rears to place in damage and then have your opponent heal one. Sure, it gives them Counter Charge, but removal AND damage rigging's still hard to beat, at least to me. She's also part of the reason we run as many Grade 0's as we do.

Stay safe and clean from the pathogens running around these days, ladies and gents. Not just for your own sake, but if not, Hygienist Angel will take no shame in correcting that for you. During either turn on RC, she gains 5K for every card in damage. It makes her harder to get over for free, yes, but for that same low cost you'll also have a MASSIVE attacker that can get up to a whopping 62K unboosted barring Protect II's if everything combines properly. Now if that's not scary enough, imagine re-standing it. Let's just say your opponent's imaginary med bills will be through the roof once this tweezer-thwacker's done with them.

Grade 1's (One and One is Two)

And if this Grade 1 can be with you, what a wonderful world this would be. Sam Cooke references aside (which by the by, his music's amazing), Scaling Angel's a perfect unit to round out this section. On ride, she'll allow you to drop one and then draw one. Not only could it exchange a card in hand you'd prefer to be something else, but it sets up for her RC skill quite nicely. Said skill allows you to place a Grade 2 or less from your damage into soul, then place a normal unit from drop in its place in damage. Like the first skill, the benefit's a two-way street by giving you more soul to pay your costs with and to set it up with cards to return to hand with your effects or for when Holy Seraph's ready to use said soul to give your opponent what-for. And I doubt you need me to tell you how soul-reliant Angels can be, so this card's a welcome addition any day of the week.

Speaking of soul and returning cards from damage to hand, Bellyful Meds Angel is no slouch on either of those fronts. She makes a fine booster if that's what you're looking for, but beyond that her ACT places her into the soul to swap a card from hand with one in damage as a hard once-per-turn. And for good reason, because it keeps your resources consistently on-board and fills your soul with which to pay your later costs with. No wonder she's shot up in price over the past few months, hah.

One more soul-filling sweetheart to go, and let's hope she sees an international release someday. Cure Basket Angel comes about to once again fill soul, but also aid in the defensive side of things as well. On ride she plays the same drop one and draw one game as Scaling Angel, but on RC once your opponent decides it's time to battle, she'll place herself into soul to give two of your Grade 1 and up rears the ability to intercept for the turn, even from the back row. Not only does it fill your soul to make costs happen like her brethren, but it also grants additional ease when it comes to guarding whatever attacks come your way. Quite the ragtag group Nociel's befriended, no?

Grade 0's (The Start of Something Magical)

Arguably just as important as Nociel's max grade variant is her polar opposite, Happy Bell, Nociel. You'll want as many of these in your damage as possible, as she grants your whole front row a 5K Power boost during your turn provided you have a Nociel as your vanguard. She stacks with other copies of herself in damage as well, and is part of the reason why Hygienist Angel is so scary. Get as many of her in damage as you can as quickly as possible, bonus points if it's done so with Nurse of Holdheart for the aforementioned removal.

Any and all starters Angels have under their belts will do your deck well, I simply choose to run Medical Kit Angel since she too debuted in the same set as Nociel's matured forms and Gavrail. Plus, it's a cute itty-bitty nursie! She'll grow up to heal the bodies and hearts of so many, too!

When it comes to triggers, the deck will have 4 Heals, 8 Criticals, and 4 Draw PG's. The Crits are self-explanatory, making your multi-attacks that much more devastating if you're lucky enough to check them, but the Draw PG's are an absolute, indisputable, capital-M MUST in this deck. Not only will they net you advantage upon checking, but they help you defend that much better and also happen to be Battle Cupid, Nociel, therefore if you happen to damage check them, you're golden! Same can be said for Happy Bell, your opponent essentially doing your advantageous damage-rigging for you.

Substitutions (Plenty of Fish in the Sea)

If you're that determined to go hard on the powerful Angel plays, you can opt to swap Nurse of Holdheart with Black Arquerias, Japhkiel. Her skill is a hard once per turn, but can net herself some power upon swapping a card from damage with a damage check then and there, as well as for another one of your units if said damage check happens to result in a trigger. I just like to run Holdheart due to the theme of free agent Angels and how many Grade 0's we happen to play, but you're free to choose which of these two you'd like on that front.

Wanna utilize your Protect II's further, do we? If that's the case, you can swap Hygienist Angel with Amputation Angel. Though a tad pricier than her counterpart, having a Protect marker in the same column as her gives her 15K during either turn. Furthermore, if three or more are on your circles, her attacks can't be blocked by Sentinels, thus allowing guard restrict atop high power. All of that can be re-stood by Holy Seraph and empowered by Happy Bell, so it's definitely a worthwhile investment. If not a scary prospect given the whole "amputation" thing. W-why is she so happy to have "amputation" in her job description...!?

When it comes to Grade 1's that fill your soul for later, you can swap Cure Basket Angel for Scanning Operator. At the end of the battle he boosted while a new card was put into your opponent's damage that turn, he'll place himself into the soul to draw one and then discard one. Unlike Scaling and Cure Basket, the draw before the drop gives you full agency over what card goes into drop and what card goes into hand. Not to mention it also sets up for the aforementioned Scaling's RC skill later.

Also on the topic of Grade 1's, and for going hard on Angel plays, you can swap Cure Basket Angel for Black Call, Nakir. She's the lady who on place searches for and fetches a Grade 3 from your deck's top five cards, pitching a card if you did. This way, you can secure your ride line and even set up for Scaling Angel's effect once more if you haven't already.

Finally when it comes to triggers, you can swap any number of Criticals you like with an equal number of Draws. Just because offense is a key component in this deck doesn't mean Battle Cupid, Nociel has to go it alone when it comes to drawing you cards on check. So if getting advantage in this deck is something you'll lose sleep over, you can swap Crits for a corresponding number of draws and you'll be resting nicely once again.

Handy Play Notes (Momma Told Me What I Should Know)

Too much extension's gonna rot your soul (quite literally). If it fills it, let it go, 'cause love only gets ya down (Sing it!). I know, I know, sorry to make a song reference again. For realsies, try and keep your soul as full as possible and try to avoid overextending when it comes to using Holy Seraph's skills and the like. Cards like Scaling Angel, Cure Basket Angel, and Bellyful Meds Angel are very good on rear for keeping that soul running, so don't hesitate to use them if you can spare the field space.

All Nociels and no others in damage makes you a happy swinger. It goes without saying, especially given Happy Bell's stackable automatic boost and Holy Seraph's ability to re-stand your front row off a single SB. Do everything in your power to get as many Nociel cards face-up in damage as you can, preferably Happy Bells if you can happy-help it.

Your continued riding of Nociel Grade 3's and the Protect II's they grant make your rears all the better. It all adds up in terms of power with the Happy Bell boosts, and aids in defense as well, especially in tandem with cards like Cure Basket Angel. For this reason, Protect II is undoubtedly your gift of choice in this deck. Your front row will thank you for this, being as devastating guards as they are swingers.

Conclusion (And Thus, a Fruitful Union)

All in all, Nociel's the perfect deck if you like offense, cute stuff, and powerful tomboys. Like the eponymous savior, you too will grow to appreciate all you stand for in the heat of battle and wear it like a badge. So don't let your own or others' emotions hamper you, use it to better yourself and your decision-making, for through that passion you'll attract others like you, all united towards a common goal. And that, my friends, is what I believe the spirit of Vanguard to be all about.

...Goodness, can I go five seconds without overinterpreting something about this deck? Oh well, guess that's just how I'm wired. I shan't keep you any longer. Go forth and spread the love, you beautiful baskets of biscuits. Or cures. Man, I want Cure Basket Angel on the global side already.