From Budget to Competitive: Gear Chronicle part 2

Welcome to the continuation of my budget series articles for gear chronicle. We will talk about some of the possible changes to make for the deck, options vs cost, and what you should prioritize on depending on your capital limits. My previous article walks through how to build a decent good deck from scratch with 2 x TD and a few good rares and commons, so do look up the link below if you have not already.

From budget to competitive gear chronicle part 1

Money Sinks:

The following cards are where most of your money get sunk into. I will breakdown what they offer to the clan in general, relative priority of getting them, and how viable are they relative to their budget cost. Gentle reminder that shop prices will be considerably more than what I am quoting here as reference, but that doesn't mean you should not try them if you you can't find it from players! Sometimes you can get really sweet deals from shops if they are really nice, so don't hesitate to inquire.

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High priorities:

These are basically stuff you will 100% need without fail. They make the deck function towards its winning image, so if wallet allows, grab them! Good deals exist if you are persistent, specially among players and traders, so be polite about it, and if they are not offering lower, do respect their decisions and don't force it.

#1: Interdimensional Dragon, Ragnaclock Dragon ~$8-10 (Eng ~$15)

Ragnaclock is a beast. It can carry the entire deck on its back if needed, and is a threat that everyone facing gear have to plan for. That means saving PG specifically for him, and thus this create awkward situations where opponent's will not guard your first few strides if their hand does not have enough G0 shields. This allows you to severely punish them with chrono jet's GB2 glory if they use up most of their G0. Or if their drive checks had no PG, you can potentially punish them with this for high damage or even end the game. Minimal at least a pair.

When do I get this?
When your wallet allows it. I would prioritize at least getting a pair to gain the option. Even more than other options. However if it is over your spending capital, faterider is still a decent option, and your opponent will assume you have it and play around it regardless. Ideal aim is to get 2 of these asap, although a complete play set need not be immediate if wallet is a little light.

Is it worth the cost?
Very. Its a very powerful finisher that requires opponent to have an exact answer or it will cost him. I gotten mine at ~$8 each in Singapore, during the off period where the clan saw a decline in play. Granted it was a good bargain, I would say $8-10 is a good deal. For english side unfortunately the nature of the game is expensive, so expect around ~$15 each. Still worth getting a pair if you can afford it.

#1/2: Interdimensional Dragon, Faterider Dragon $4-5 (English ~ $6-10)

This is a very strong unit for budget cost. He grants the clan toolbox potential as well as high amount of power later in the game. Best of all it has no CB or SB cost, meaning they can be spent on your control effects or guard restrictions. The power to a unit is no slouch either, as after striding ragnaclock you can easily get multiple 3k power to 3-4 unit. Ideally at least 1 in the G-zone, but 2 is a possibility.

When to get this?

You can either get this asap if you know ragnaclock is out of your range, or get this after ragnaclock. It really depends on your wallet capacity, so use personal judgement for this. He is really good for his cost, and grants insane utility to a deck with not much filtering.

It it worth the cost?

I would say he is the 2nd most important unit to have in the G-zone for english, as for Jap he's a steal for his price. As of writing I find found mine for around ~$5 each, and keep 2 in the event I want to play a more aggressive stride focusing on RG. For english this can easily reach around $8-10 for RRR, which is alright for what it does, but a little on the pricier end, so you are extremely budget . 

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Medium priorities:

Everything here helps the deck, but it is more of a quality of life change that you can live without. Most of these are quite affordable upgrades so if there are good offers you can afford, do snag them. They are good quality of life improvement, at reasonable cost.

#1: Glimmer breath dragon $1-2 (Eng $2)

This unit is very similar to Burnout Dragon. Like burnout, he makes you committed to a G3 in your deck, which is Chrono jet. But given how strong that is, you usually want to sit on chrono jet for a LONG time, making the oppotunity cost extremely low. He does cost a soul which is a scarce resource in GC, but if planned properly its manageable. Unlike his precessor Relic master, he cant be used pre-stride but can hit 11k vg unhindered and cost only 1CB 1SB, so take your pick. Do note when considering other units that require souls, as this tends to clash with them. Its a decision either to use this over Amber as GC actually lack backrow boosters to commit due to deck constraints; glimmer is more independent while amber is over a long term, so take your pick.

When to get this?

When good deals arrive. This card is cheap for what it does unlike burnout (main clan hype too stronk). Since we commit mostly to chrono jet, this has marginal drawbacks and as a standalone its quite good. Look out for great deals as people may be willing to even through this in in bundle trades just to get rid of it. Take them when its convenient and never look back. If you are going to focus on amber then you might want to hold on this one.

Is it worth the cost?

Very good deal. I got mine at roughly $1 each through bundle trades, as the hype is currently down. English ones will be roughly $2 each which is still affordable. He's flexible, and cheap to boot. A real budget saver.

#2: Steam maiden, Arlim ~$4-5 (Eng $5-7)

This is our PGG that grants a chance to countercharge(new unflip keyword). You can reliably get 1 unflip (possibly more) based on how long the game drags. If you are aiming for more RG that consume CB this is rather handy for managing that, but not mandatory. She cannot be used to guard for RG, so it is something to note against matchups with Overlords or Big Bang.

When to get this?
When you settled High priorities. This means she is lower priority than Ragnaclock and Faterider, as the TD already have normal PG, so getting them basically only adds a chance to countercharge. You will definitely want to prioritize utility and main cards before getting this, but keep a look out for sweet deals. Ideally you want to get 4 at one shot.

Is it worth the cost?
I got mine at about $4 each due to good deals, but many will be willing to pay about $5 for them. English ones may go up to $5-7 depending on where you get them. In my opinion they are decent if you intend to use a lot of CB and don't mind forsaking RG against Naru or Kagero. Overall I feel it not high priority, but important to look out for when appropriate.

#3: Lost age dragon ~$4-6 (Eng $2-3)

This is a book promo that should have just been the TD promo instead of mystery flare. Unfortunately its Bushiroad's marketing strategy, so we gotta live with that. Its nothing complicated, simple hit pressure and instant tuck effect for no cost. Definitely more cost effective than chronoscommand overall, a very good 1-of when opponent have multiple targets you want to pick off the field.

When to get this?
When you get a decent deal. You won't miss it if you don't have one, but he is an excellent option to have. He can be found occasionally within traders as it is a book promo, so it is just a matter of whether you can afford it. Its not as scary as Ragnaclock and cost roughly the price of Faterider, so if given the choice, Faterider>Lost Age.

Is it worth the cost?
Depends. If tight on wallet I'd say you can get similar on hit pressure through Epochmaker + Glimmer Breath. He demands roughly ~$4-6 in Singapore for the Jap one, so it may deter some people. In English he is cheap at around $2-3 each, so this is one of the cards English had it easy. On hit pressure for free is never bad, so if given sweet deals do consider it, can be worth the cost.

Notable #1: Interdimensional Dragon, Epochmaker Dragon ~$2-3

This is my favorite pick in this category, A real dark horse.It grants good pressure for free, and lets you reuse your glimmer breath or steam breath dragon. The extra attack from a G3 is very underrated, as if planned properly, even if opponent has a damage trigger, he still can hit his front row to pressure guard. Another cool thing is you can relocate your RG when they get called back, so you can shift boosters around or even put important units like amber in the back row so they don't get attacked during opponent's turn. So get creative.

When to get this?
I would say try to get 1. It is a GR, the art is pretty cool, and its cheap to boot. I usually like to stride this or Lost age first to get the pressure out since many people want to take the first few damage for CB and save hand, so the frequency of it going off is quite high. If they PG this, it works in your favor since that's one less PG for Ragnaclock. Grab this when cheap offers arise.

Is it worth the cost?
I may be bias, but its worth getting one, even for the art alone. Got mine at a cheap $2, which is great for budget players. Don't let the fact it is a GR scare your wallet, as many people don't want to hold on to this. Unfortunately this is not available yet in English, so you guys are out of luck for the moment.

Notable #2: Interdimensional Beast, Upheaval Pegasus ~$0-1

This dark horse (no pun intended) is a risky gamble that can pay off really well, especially if you already have units that benefit off tuck effects already in play. Mistgazer, gear hawk and Gear hound get ridiculously large of it, which generates really big RG columns.  Sometimes you can even get opponent's triggers to be stranded on his field, which means less triggers in his deck overall. However do note this can be risky if opponent has RG that have on call effect, as they can pay for them even on your turn! So some caution to be taken. A very high risk high reward card for the more adventurous.

When to get this?
Get this off trades as throw-ins. This thing is really cheap as it is considered a trash RR from FC15, so should not be hard to aquire. It helps that there are better strides out there, but for cheap this card adds a little fun into your game with friends at little cost.

Is it worth the cost?
If gotten for cheap/free yes. Its a fun pick that I throw in to keep games interesting. I got mine off box sharing for FC15 since nobody wanted it, and got it thrown in along with my nova stuff. Again this is a FC15 card, so English will have to wait to see if they will get it. Overall its good cost for fun gotten, so it doesn't hurt to pick up one.

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Low priorities:

Here is where some caution is required; I do not really advise getting these immediately either because they are not cost efficient for what they do, cost too much, or very low priority over those mentioned above. In no way they are terrible, just that if budget is a concern, try to steer away from these.

*Heart Thump Worker ~$2-3 (Eng ~$5-7)

This unit helps to build up soul for your SB, which is rare in GC. However this does not justify the cost (especially in Eng).
When to get this?
After everything else in priority. I would value this the least important of all the upgrades, as the improvement is just an extra critical that can soul charge. That said, if you manage to get this as a throw in during trade, do snag some up as you will eventually get them, just not before the rest.

Is it worth the cost?
Not so. Everything else provides better utility for cost ratio. I would not pay the price for this in Eng, but for Jap I think within range of $2 is acceptable, although i rather settle the strides and other stuff first before considering this.

Chronos Command Dragon ~$7-9(Eng ~$9)

Now this may seem contradictory, but hear me out on this. This unit does not do what you expect it to do, and not well at it.Firstly you have no control of when you want the effect to go off, unless opponent rush you with full field, and even then properly staggered effects will get you the same results (chrono+epochmaker+glimmer). Next thing to note is the cost is rather high at CB2 + SB1 + a discard. Assuming a SB = 1CB, you need to make sure you nail at least 4 RG to break even. For the same on hit lost age or epoch can generate +1 off this for no extra cost. It would be nice to have one, but I feel other units perform better on average.

When to get this?
After almost every other stride, or there is a steal. I personally do not feel this is worth it's current cost (partly due to this being a GR) so the price is still hyped. I feel if on a budget, you get more bang for your buck with either fate rider or even ragnaclock. So don't put this on a high priority unless its a really good deal.

Is it worth the cost?
Personally I don't like it, but some say 1 copy doesn't hurt. He is floating $7-9 atm, which Eng one goes around $9 or so. He is priced this way since he is the GR form GBT01, but I feel his effective price should be around ~$6. So if you get lucky and find it for that price, do grab it then.

Steam fighter, mesh-he $4-5 (Eng ~$5)

This is also another one that I feel varies in value. IF you want to focus heavily on CB like amber + Ishin, you will want to consider this to mitigate some cost. However soul is already precious to the clan as it is, so I will try not to run this with other SB effects.

When to get this?
This unit's priority depends on how heavy your deck's CB is. In my budget list it is light on CB and runs Gigi, so this does not fit in. However if using a heavy CB and light SB effect, this can find a home, and its priority becomes right after Arlim. Otherwise I tend to stay away form this one.

Is it worth the cost?
I think it should be cheaper. Both the Jap and Eng ones cost ~$5, but I think its more bang for your buck if you are heavy on CB. Again this depends on your list mostly whether you can support it well or not.

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Here is how I would go about purchases depending on how much I can afford:

Budget route:

1x epochmaker > 1x upheaval > 1x faterider > 2x Ragnaclock > 1x lost age > 2-3x glimmer breath  > 4x arlim >2x Ragnaclock > rest

High capital route:

4x Ragnaclock > 4x Arlim > 1x fate rider > 1x lost age > 4x heart thump > 2-3x mesh-he > rest

Maximum Budget list

G0: 17
1 Gunner Gear dracokid or Timepiece dracokid (FVG)
4 Steam maiden, Uluru (heal)
4 Luckypot dracokid (draw)
4 Steam battler, dadasig (critical)
4 Vainglory dream gear cat (stand)

G1: 14
4 Withdrawn gear raven (PG)
4 Mistgazer dragon (power booster)
2 steam rider Dizkal (9k attacker)
4 Steam breath dragon (strider)

G2: 11
4 Smoke gear dragon (10k base)
3 Steam fighter, amber (retire unit)
4 Twinmaser dragon (12k attacker)

G3: 8
4 Chrono jet dragon (Main G3)
4 Steam maiden Elul (backup G3)

G4: 8
2 lost age dragon
2 fate rider dragon
2 epochmaker dragon
2 upheaval Pegasus

Proposed list (final):

G0: 17
1 Gunner Gear dracokid or Timepiece dracokid (FVG)
4 Steam maiden, Uluru (heal)
4 Luckypot dracokid (draw)
4 Steam battler, dadasig (critical)
4 heart thump worker* (critical)

G1: 14
4 Steam maiden Arlim* (PGG)
4 Mistgazer dragon (power booster)
2 steam rider Dizkal (9k attacker)
4 Steam breath dragon (strider)

G2: 11
3 Smoke gear dragon (10k base)
3 Glimmer breath dragon* (retire unit)
3 Twinmaser dragon (12k attacker)
2 steam knight puzer lli* (legion mate)

G3: 8
4 Chrono jet dragon (Main G3)
4 Ruin disposal dragon (backup G3 legion)

G4: 8
4 Ragnaclock dragon
1 lost age dragon
1 fate rider dragon
1 epochmaker dragon
1 upheaval Pegasus