Cipher Frontier • Issue 26
Table of contents
Issue 26: A Fiery 2017! Fire like Fire Emblem!!
Hello everyooone!!!!
Here we are with yet another Cipher Frontier!
...it's been a little while, hasn't it?
Hmm. It feels almost as though this is the first one we've had this year...
Hahhahaha! No, that couldn't be right. It must be my imagination.
It's not!! This really is the first Cipher Frontier we've had since the start of 2017!!
Wh-what!? Shade, isn't it already March!?
Good grief... what a lazy bunch of louts the staff are. Do you think they forgot about this whole thing entirely?
Gosh, that must be it!
Wait, who the heck are yooou!?
You already forgot about me!! I'm the Randal from the past!! R-A-N-D-A-L!!
Ah... That whole thing had slipped my mind.
Oh, what a mess this whole thing is! How could anyone let this happen?!
U-um... I'm sure there was just a lot going on.
Like what!? I'm going to file a complaint with the producer!
Well, a lot has happened in the time we were gone.
Aye, without a doubt. Let us clear our heads and go over everything.
Hmph... I still can't see how it's justifiable... well, I guess there's no point moping.
Well, let's lighten the mood a little... by starting with this!
The Fire Emblem Cipher Festival 2017 was a blast!
Cipherfest took place in Tokyo and Osaka again this year. We, of course, humbly took part in both events. It was wonderful.
Yes, yes! There were quite a few more participants than last year, so it really did feel like a festival. I was so moved to see how many Fire Emblem and Cipher fans there were!
It seems like the calligraphy displayed at the event was written by Producer Kawade himself. Being producer just means you're the one doing all the odd jobs, huh.
Today's hosts were Miss Eri Suzuki, voice of Soleil, and Miss Juri Kimura, voice of Nyx and Mozu. Such pretty voices made the whole event sound sweeter!
There were a lot of events and performances again this year. Which was your favorite, everyone?
My favorite was the Shop Area, oh, and the Coloring Area, oh oh and the Photo Op area, and I can't forget about the Quiz Area!!
Uh... I think you've listed more than just a favorite...!
Well, I thought the Teatime Talk event was interesting, myself.
Oh, oh, I forgot about the Illustrator Signings and the Heroes' Karuta, I liked those too!
Speaking of the signings, the illustrators had to prepare an awful lot of posters. That must have been hectic, don't you think? Just look!
Ohhh~!! One Roy, two Roys, three, four... this table is full of Roys!
Such an abundance of autographs... I feel the utmost gratitude for every illustrator.
As far as the karuta, Eri Suzuki, Juri Kimura, Riko Wakana, and Michihiko Hagi—voice of Ike—provided their voices for the readings. How exciting!
Oh! Speaking of Sir Hagi, his battles with Producer Kawade were intense. Truly heated, both in Tokyo and Osaka.
This is what the climax of the battle looked like at EAST.
Eeeeeek! Producer Kawade's side of the board is cooovered in Risen!
...It's rare to see a match with this many units on the field.
Unfortunately, Mr. Hagi couldn't stave off the endless hoardes of Risen that Producer Kawade summoned. I'm curious about this deck and how it works.
I thought you might be... so I brought in that Risen King Chrom deck that Producer Kawade used.
W...What on earth, no, where on earth did you find this!?
Hohoh... that is an abundance of Risen indeed.
Far as I heard, there were a lot of new cards he wanted to use, but since they were still a secret by the time of Cipherfest, he just loaded his deck up with Risen instead.
So if he'd been able to use those cards, Mister Risen King could have been even scarier!? That's incredible!!!
So there are other new cards on top of these... I can hardly contain myself! Series 8 cannot come soon enough!
It is truly, truly a shame that Mr. Hagi lost here... At least we got to hear his signature "Aether"!
So, Mister Randal, which part of Cipherfest was your favorite?
Well, it had to have been the Pack Battles, for me. That adrenaline rush of opening a new pack... heh heh... there's nothing better than that!
You use the packs you buy at the event to build a deck and fight. Simple and easy to play!
Those who participated in Pack Battles received a Marker Card for themselves... it's a grand idea, truly. You never know what sort of deck your opponent will be bringing, so every match is exciting!
Thanks to you all, we had a lot of participants—we even completely sold out of booster packs at the venue!
Oh, right! The concert that the Cavalier Duo and Rei Kondoh performed was really awesome!
Yes, the performance the three of them teamed up to give us was wonderful!
Don't they just set the mood so perfectly?
And at Cipherfest EAST, the final battle for the Japan's Best Tournament was held!
The lords used by the top 4 this year were Sothe, Oboro, Micaiah, and Selkie. ...there was a lot of variation between the decks. Quite interesting to see.
And in the end... it was Sir Tomo—representing the Chugoku and Shikoku regions with Lady Oboro at his side—who emerged victorious!!
It was a fierce match that could have gone either way! Congrats on your win, Champion Tomo!
And at the end of both Cipherfest EAST and WEST, the same final cheer was given!
Cipher and Fire Emblem fans alike had a great time at the event this year, it seems!
Yeah, a blast from start to finish.
I really was happy to see so many people.
Thank you so much, everyooone!
Oh, right, speaking of the Pack Battles that were so popular at Cipherfest... accompanying Series 8's release, there will be a Pack Battle tournament held at 8 venues across the nation!
What joyous news! You can play to your hearts' content with the newest packs!
You buy some new packs, open them there, and get to battling! Thrilling!
There will also be more Tutorial events for those of you who don't yet know how to play, so please come participate!
If you're interested, please come! You can find more information on the "Series 8 Pack Battle & Tutorial Meet" event on our website!
By the by, Cipher's second anniversary is this June! We'll be releasing more information on Series 9 bit by bit until then, since it will also be releasing around then.
I seem to recall that at Cipherfest East, Sir Kotaro Yamada drew Sir Al and Sir Roy, and Lady Senri Kita drew Sir Skrimir—all of whom will make their appearances in Series 9.
Yes, they've already decided on the title of Series 9, so I may as well tell you all.
The title will be... "Thunderous Earth"!!!
"Th-thunderous earth"... what does that even mean???
Hmmm~... yeah, I don't really get it either. Perhaps Producer Kawade will explain at the next livestream?
Regardless of meaning, it's a title brimming with power!
And after a long break, another starter deck will be released alongside Series 9! This one will feature characters from Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, which will be released for the Nintendo 3DS on 4/20.
Ohhh, I've been waaaiting for another starter deck!! I'm so happy!
"Echoes: Shadows of Valentia" is a remake of "Fire Emblem: Gaiden", which stars Alm and Celica. It seems like they've spent much time fixing everything up for this version of the game.
Hidari is the character designer for this one, isn't he? Well, I'm happy about the game, but more importantly, I'm glad they've brought it to Cipher so quickly.
They've already decided on the title for the Starter Deck too. "Land of the Gods"!
Does this refer to the setting for the new game, Valentia? In that case, the "Gods" in question... might they be Sir Duma and Lady Mila!? I am eager to see the contents of the deck for myself!
I really wanna see more character illustrations!
...thought you might say that. I brought an illustration from Hidari that they're using for a card, actually.
Wha—!? I... I haven't heard anything about anything like that!
Come on, take a look!
Whoooaa! So... So cool!
He cuts such a brave and dignified silhouette... I can't wait to fight alongside him!
Just where do you get...
Heh heh... I just got bored, what with all the waiting.
A...anyway, it's a nice illustration! The wait for June's release date will feel awfully long!
Look forward to Series 9, everyooone!
Oh, right, and that "Fire Emblem: Heroes" that they just released the other day!
Alongside the "Fire Emblem: Echoes: Shadows of Valentia" that will be releasing on 4/20!
And on top of that, the new "Fire Emblem: Warriors" that those folks at Koei Tecmo are developing!
All of these games...
...will make their way to Cipher in 2017!
Woooow! That's incredible!
Aye, aye. It's an honor!
It's great that there are so many new Fire Emblem games, but to include all of them in Cipher... does Producer Kawade really think he can pull it off?
Fire Emblem is receiving a deluge of new content this year, and it feels like Cipher is picking up the pace! Or something along those lines, right?
My chest burns with excitement... I'm getting fired up just thinking about it all!
Heh heh heh... what a thrill!
2017 is gonna be jam-packed!
I hope we can enjoy that excitement together.
Let us all...