Taki, the sexy, buxom, good-hearted Kunoichi of the Soul Calibur series comes back with a vengeance to the UFS Community. This is another edition of Character "Gems" Corner and today we look at Taki, the latest addition to the game of UFS and just like her previous versions she does something a little unique to her, and very similar to ninjitsu itself, never showing her true agenda until it is FAR too late for her opponents, lets look at her cards to see what i mean.
Taki6
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Hand: 6
Vitality: 27
First F: Each player chooses a foundation in their opponent's staging area and turns it face down. These cards are considered to be foundations with a blank text box.
E: If your attack deals damage, add it to your staging area face down as a foundation with a blank text box durring the end phase.
First off after looking at the character... Who gave Taki Brandi Orchid's 3rd outfit from Killer Instinct... ok bad joke aside she's an amazing character especially since she has Life and Chaos, but also has Air which got a good amount of support this set and helps a LOT with her speedy setups. She has a 6 and with 27 vitality, which is average but her abilities are where she shines most. First she has a First F that flips any foundation in your opponents staging area and turns it blank as long as it is there, yes the trade off is they get to mess with your staging area, but you can do this GOING SECOND FIRST TURN OF THE GAME, start turning face down problem cards and slowly start to set up a kill condition and you should be far ahead of your opponent. Her enhance allows you to take your attacks that you WERE going most of the time to put in your momentum and add them to your staging area face down as blank foundations. Not a Horrible ability if i do say so myself, as most of the time FOUNDATIONS are more important than momentum, it's like i told someone in my playgroup once: "Unless you are Yun-Seung1 you are NOT gonna block with your momentum" case in point.
Ninja Tactics[UR](Action)[Combo: Combo, Combo]
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +2M
Combo F: Draw 2 cards and then discard all cards from your card pool.
F: Add all face down cards in your card pool to your hand.
Diff: 4 Control: 4
Possession Stance[U](Action)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +1M
While this card is in your card pool, face down cards in your card pool do not count towards progressive difficulty.
F: Discard X momentum: Turn X cards in your card pool Face Down.
Diff: 3 Control: 5
Two amazing actions, the first one is rather unorthodox when you first look at it as it can do one of two things, it can either return ALL face downs to your hand or as a combo can draw you 2 cards and then discard both players card pools, yes it is a 4 diff 4 control and an ultra rare but still a nice ability if you can EVER make it work. Possession Stance, brings back the old days of Multiple decks where you can use this card to make your multis NEVER MATTER when it comes to your progressive difficulty, yes this card itself counts but i'd rather have +1 with 6 face downs than +1 and +6 from the face downs, the form ability that puts it in play allows you to immediately flip cards in your card pool face down so you can continue to bring on the pain to your opponent, the 5 control check and the +1 mid block are just good for it.
Rekki-Maru & Mekki-Maru[UR](Asset)[Unique][Weapon][Taki ONLY]
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +2M
F: Commit: Add 1 face down card from your staging area to your hand.
E: Commit, discard 1 momentum: Each player turns 1 card in their card pool face down.
Diff: 2 Control: 5
Tower of Rememberance - Ancient Gates[R](Asset)[Terrain]
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +2H
While this card is ready in your staging area, after an attack deals damage, each player adds the top card of their deck to their card pool face down.
E: Commit: If your attack deals damage, turn it face down.
Diff: 3 Control: 5
Her assets are where she starts to shine a little; her Asset Rekki-Maru and Mekki-Maru2 is an indirect reprint of a favorite card from the last block, Making a Difference, as for an enhance it flips your opponent's attack face down if it is their first attack, not a bad thing if you ask me, it essentially aborts their attack and can save you from a huge damage first attack, though you need to find a way to ready it to do that again. The Form ability allows you to recycle your attacks that you added to your staging area back to your hand and reuse them. Her Terrain allows for a SLOW Mill strategy as for every attack that deals damage, regardless of which player dealt damage, Both players add the top card of their deck to their card pool face down, note if you have possession stance out, THIS DOES NOT EFFECT YOU. The Ancient Gates enhance allows you to turn your attack face down if it deals damage, again possession stance helps here.
Assassin's Secret[U](Kick)[Combo: Weapon]
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +2H
SZD: 3H4
Combo E: Add the top 2 cards of your deck to your momentum.
E: If this attack deals damage, turn 1 card in your card pool face down.
Diff: 4 Control: 3
Assassin's Strike[R](Weapon)[Multi: 1]
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +1L
SZD: 4M6
E: If this attack deals damage, it is added to your staging area face down durring the end phase. This card is considered to be a foundation with a blank text box. Each of this attack's multiple copies also gaines this enhance.
Diff: 6 Control: 3
Crossing the Cliff[U](Throw)[Combo: Weapon, Weapon]
[Air, Earth, Life]
SZD: 3M4
Combo E: Ready all face down cards in your staging area that have not been readied this combat phase.
Diff: 5 Control: 3
Dream Scroll[C](Weapon)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +2M
SZD: 3H3
E: If this attack deals damage, your next attack this turn gets +X speed. X equals the number of face down cards in your staging area.
Diff: 4 Control: 3
Ninja Cannon: Fury[UR](Taki Combo: Weapon, Weapon]
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +2M
SZD: 3L5
Combo E: This attack gets Powerful: 2. You Must destroy face down cards in your staging area to pay this attack's powerful cost.
E: Commit 1 foundation: Take 1 card from your hand and add it to your staging area face down. This card is considered to be a foundation with a blank text box.
Diff: 5 Control: 3
Seal[C](Weapon)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +1M
SZD: 5M3
E: Destroy 1 foundation: If this attack deals damage, add it to your staging area face down. This card is considered to be a foundation with a blank text box.
Diff: 4 Control: 3
Her attacks are both simple AND Deadly, each one complements eachother both in and out of Taki. Her first attack, Assassin's Secret, allows you if played after a weapon attack go net 2 FREE momentum, not a horrible ability, and will see play outside of Taki. It also allows you to turn any card in your card pool face down, 3 high 4 damage and a 3 check nice. Assassin's Strike while a 6 check for any character outside of Taki allows you to have a use of her ability TWICE, as it has multiple one and its multiple copy gains the put it in your staging area as a blank foundation text. Crossing the Cliff, is an AMAZING card as it allows you to ready all of your face down cards in your staging area, nice if you pay it after a short string of heavy attacks and have emptied their hand, this card leads to BIG Beatings for your opponent. Dream Scroll LOVES to see lots of face downs in your staging area as it gives a speed bonus equal to the number of face downs in your staging area to the next attack you play this turn, and the fact that it is a High attack means it may deal damage more often than not and allow that enhance to go off. Ninja Cannon: FURY is an amazing card as it does 2 very important things, it can give itself powerful 2 and can then start blowing up your face down cards to contribute to the powerful cost(though you can ONLY use face down cards and not momentum, bummer) and it also allows you to immediately gain 1 more face down card into your staging area essentially if timed right giving itself an extra +2 damage, 3 low 5 base damage with the potential to get HUGE, i like it. Finally we have Seal, which for having high speed and low damage not much else to say about it outside of it will see play in decks outside of Taki.
Assassin's Technique[C](Foundation)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
E: Commit: If your attack deals damage, each player adds 1 face down card from their staging area to their card pool.
Diff: 2 Control: 5
Evil Destroyer[R](Foundation)
[Air, Chaos, Death]
E: Destroy 1 foundation: Destroy 1 face down card in your opponent's staging area. Only playable durring your attack.
Diff: 2 Control: 5
Know's her Objective[R](Foundation)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
R: Commit: After your opponent plays an ability that adds any number of cards to either player's momentum, cancel that effect.
Diff: 2 Control: 4
Loves her Blade[U](Foundation)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
Block: +2L
F: Commit, discard 1 momentum: Take 1 card from your momentum and add it face down to your staging area, commited. This card is considered to be a foundation with a blank text box.
Diff: 2 Control: 5
Musoh-Battoh-Ryu[C](Foundation)
[Air, Good, Life]
Block: +3H
E: Add this card to your card pool: Choose a face down card in your opponent's staging area and add it to their card pool.
Taki R: Discard 1 momentum: Before you clear this card from your card pool durring your turn, add it to your staging area instead.
Diff: 2 Control: 4
No Chance[U](Foundation)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
F: Destroy 2 Foundations: Turn all face down cards in your staging are face up. Discard any attacks or actions revealed by doing so.
Diff: 3 Control: 4
Quick Exit[UR](Foundation)
[Air, Chaos, Life]
F: Destroy this Foundation: Ready 1 card in your staging area that has not been readied this combat phase.
Diff: 1 Control: 5
Her foundations are very unique as they play off of her face down trickery, let us start with her first one, Assassin's Technique. This foundation after an attack deals damage, forces both players to add a face down card in their staging area to their card pool, which slowly widdles away at your opponent's staging area if you played it right, as they do not get their cards back. Next up is Evil Destroyer, this card is a semi-reprint of impetuous from the first SNK Set but is better as for destroying one foundation you can destroy one face down card in your opponent's staging area, good for Taki mirror matches and for destroying your opponent's cards he was trying to return to his hand anyway, be wary though if your opponent runs recursion as to what card you destroy. Knows her objective is a nice anti-momentum trick that will find it's way into anyone that can play it's sideboard at least, stats are nothing to sneeze at but hey anti momentum is always a good thing. Loves her blade helps the huge momentum decks to get themselves some extra foundations in play by using a momentum and placing it face down in their staging area as a blank foundation. When i look at Musoh-Batto-Ryu i see a semi-reprint of Taking the Bait except for Taki, it allows you to slip your opponents cards into their card pool and then immediately durring the end phase you get M-B-R back to your staging area to use again(as long as you have momentum) not a bad card at all. No Chance, at first looks to be a great card though i am thinking this is more of Anti-Taki mirror match tech and anti-Seigfried tech, someone will prove me wrong though. Quick exit, yes this is a good card hence why it's an ultra rare, for destroying it as a form, you can ready ANY card in your staging area that hasn't been readied this turn, opponent finds a way to commit Taki so you can't use your ability, pop this and you are back in business, opponent commits stand off, pop this, etc. Now lets try to make a nice Taki deck, I'm going to attempt to make a tri-symbol hybrid deck for her:
Character: Taki6
Actions[4]
No Forgiveness[Life] x4 2/5 +3M
Assets[3]
Rekki-Maru & Makki-Maru[Air, Chaos, Life] x3 2/5 Weapon Unique Taki ONLY +2M
Attacks[20]
Dream Scroll[Air, Chaos, Life] x4 4/3 3H3 Weapon +2M
Execution Technique: First Rite[Air, Chaos] x4 4/3 3L3 Stun: 2 Weapon +2L
Ninja Cannon: FURY[Air, Life] x4 5/3 3L5 Taki combo(Weapon, Weapon) +2M
Sail Nautilus[Chaos] x4 4/3 4M4 Weapon +1M
Zhao Daiyu's Poison Touch[Chaos] x4 4/3 2H4 Stun: 1 +2H
Foundations[32]
Assassin's Technique[Air, Chaos, Life] x4 2/5
Communing with the Ancients x4 3/5
Evil Destroyer[Air, Chaos] x4 2/5
For the Money[Chaos] x4 2/5 +3M
G-Corp Leader[Chaos] x4 2/5
Loves her Blade[Air, Chaos, Life] x4 2/5 +2L
Maniacal Laughter[Chaos] x4 2/5 +3H
Musoh-Batto-Ryu[Air, Chaos, Life] x4 2/4 +3H
This deck has a couple nice interactions one being Evil Destroyer -> G-Corp Leader = re-use attacks, For the Money and Communing are bait for your opponent, Zhao Daiyu's Poison Touch is anti-life gain, any questions on this deck are much appreciated and i will answer them, i hope this gives some insight and we see some good decks for her, until then, this is Nathan "NJBrock22" Spade, signing off.
Originally Submitted 11/23/2009
Editors note - We are truly grateful to NJ for being as patient as he has in waiting for these articles to see print.