Introduction
Hi, I’m Francis, also known as GForceMD! I mainly play Cardfight!! Vanguard and Hololive TCG. I recently participated in the Bushiroad Spring Fest held at Ayala Malls Circuit Makati in Manila, where I competed in both the Singles and Team events for Cardfight!! Vanguard alongside my friends and teammates, Kai and Robert.
I joined these events because I love competitive play and wanted another opportunity to achieve a strong finish using decks that I genuinely enjoy playing. Going into the tournament, I was feeling relaxed and excited to compete. I had put together a decklist that I thought would be fun, offer a unique approach compared to what other players might bring, and still have a reasonable chance of winning.
Preparation and Strategy
I prepared two different decks for the event: one for Singles and another for Teams. For Singles, I played Aichi Icon, which was widely regarded as one of the strongest decks in the meta at the time. For Teams, I lent my Aichi Icon deck to my teammate and piloted Blangdmire Fantome instead.
I chose Blangdmire Fantome because, even when going second, it could still outlast and withstand pressure from many of the top decks in the current meta. My strategy was to capitalize on the deck’s durability and win through a battle of attrition.
To prepare, I spent a lot of time practicing with my friends in CDO. Playing against such skilled players helped me better understand different matchups, refine my decision-making, and anticipate how games might unfold during the tournament.
My deck composition was not as complete as those of many other players running the same deck, so I would like to give a massive shout-out to Robert for helping me get everything ready for the event. Despite these limitations, I felt confident in my chances. I believed my deck packed quite a punch, and I expected its ability to generate unexpectedly large attack numbers to catch opponents off guard, even if they had practiced against the deck beforehand.
Event Day
Day 1: Singles Format
On Day 1, I competed in the Singles format. Unfortunately, I lost most of my dice rolls and ended up going second in the majority of my matches.
During the first half of the Swiss rounds (Rounds 1–5), I managed to win every match and remained undefeated. My tech card came into play frequently, and I was able to pressure my opponents with massive attack numbers that they were not prepared to guard against.
A special shout-out goes to the player running Silhouette, who was also undefeated when we faced each other in Round 5. I was caught off guard by the deck’s ability to generate similarly high attack numbers, as I had not specifically prepared for that matchup. Fortunately, I managed to secure the win after drawing into the new unit that allowed me to prevent my opponent from using Perfect Guards during a particular battle.
In the second half of the Swiss rounds (Rounds 6–9), the matches became more challenging. In Round 6, I defeated a friend who was playing Lianorn OTK—a little friendly fire along the way. In Round 7, however, I lost to Heartluru after my opponent triggered an offensive Overtrigger. Unfortunately, I did not have a Perfect Guard available to defend against the attack.
Round 8 was another close match, this time against Blangdmire Fantome. I was nearly defeated because I was short on guard, but I managed to heal one damage and survive another turn. That lucky heal made all the difference and allowed me to secure the win.
In the final Swiss round, I bricked against the eventual tournament champion, who was playing the same deck as I was. Despite that setback, I finished the Swiss rounds with a 7–2 record, earning a spot in the Top 32 alongside fellow player Anjo, who also made the cut.
Unfortunately, my run ended in the Top 32 when my deck bricked once again, leaving me unable to recover against my opponent. Although I would have loved to advance further, I was still happy to have made the Top 32. As a reward for the finish, I received a hot-stamped Dark States Perfect Guard.
Day 2: Team Format
For Day 2, I piloted Blangdmire Fantome in the Team format, sticking to my original strategy of outlasting my opponents and winning through the long game.
The deck performed well against certain matchups, particularly Odium. I managed to win all my matches against Odium players, but I struggled against opponents using other decks and ultimately lost those matchups. Unfortunately, our team was unable to advance further after losing to our opponents. We felt that luck played a significant role in the outcome, but that is simply part of the game. You cannot win them all!
Although it was disappointing to be eliminated relatively early on Day 2, I still had a great time competing. A huge shout-out to my teammates, Robert and Kai, for teaming up with me and making the experience enjoyable. At the very least, we walked away with some Nao sleeves and a playmat from the side events, so it was not a completely fruitless trip!
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Bushiroad Spring Fest was an incredibly enjoyable experience. I had the opportunity to play my new decks, challenge myself against strong competitors, and compete alongside friends with whom I do not always get the chance to form a team due to our individual circumstances.
My ambition to compete at the highest level remains unchanged. I still hope to earn an invitation to the World Finals in Japan someday. That goal has been with me since I first started competing, and I intend to keep working toward it.
Beyond personal achievements, I also want to help expand our local community and encourage more friends to join us. I want others to experience the excitement of competitive play, build friendships, and create lasting memories through the game. I still love Cardfight!! Vanguard, and one of the biggest reasons I continue to play is that my favorite deck is still around.
Eventually, there may come a time when I have to step away from competitive play. When that day comes, I hope our community will continue to grow and thrive, even without the older players who helped build it. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for our little community and hope we can reach a point where more of us consistently achieve strong tournament finishes.
Ultimately, I want to see our community grow to the point where we can all stand together on the podium as some of the country's top players.
Until then, I'll keep playing, keep competing, and keep working toward that goal.
