Cipher Frontier • Issue 37
Table of contents
Issue 37: 1, 2, Cipher! Thanks for the Fest! Congrats on Series 12!
Hello everyooone!!!!!!
Did everyone get to go to Cipherfest?
I did, I diiid! It was so much fun!!
Aye! The stage... the goods... all was prepared with such care!
I saw it for the first time... well, it was fine, I guess.
Yes, 'fine'... says my lady, first in line to rush to and fro buying everything in her sight.
My lady, who played matches, went to an artist signing, completed the quiz, and played Tap Tap Sumo, all while keeping her eyes on the stage... yes, I get the impression she thought it was just 'fine'.
W-what are you saying!? That doesn't mean anything! There was... there was just a lot that I had to accomplish!
Hahaha! Well, your old man here had a good time coloring and writing poetry. There are a lot of different ways to enjoy Cipherfest, which is one of the great things about it.
It seemed like everyone went home satisfied, which was wonderful.
There's much to discuss regarding Cipherfest, but we will leave that for later... for now, we have something more immediate!
Let's go everyone! One, two...
Happy Cipher Series 12 release daaay!!!!!!
Yes! Happy release day!
sniff... to think that we are welcoming another day like this together... I'm overjoyed!
This one is entitled "Raging Deluge"! A title like this seems an ill omen... does it fortell of disaster?
That's right! Series 12 focuses on drama and disaster! Let's go over the product information, shall we?
"Raging Deluge" Booster Packs
Featured Titles:
"Path of Radiance", "Radiant Dawn", "Awakening", "Genealogy of the Holy War"
MSRP:
One 10-card pack: 350 yen (before tax)
One 16-pack box: 5600 yen (before tax)
Featured Titles:
"Path of Radiance", "Radiant Dawn", "Awakening", "Genealogy of the Holy War"
MSRP:
One 10-card pack: 350 yen (before tax)
One 16-pack box: 5600 yen (before tax)
Is this the packaging? Ike, Chrom, and Eldigan, huh! Well, aren't all the cool characters representing today!
All are respectable, but Ike draws the most attention. Having gone from a humble mercenary to a legendary hero... I can't help but admire him as a warrior!
Right? But this series... Ike looks a little different!!
Eeeek~~~!! W-What is thiiis!?
"Nightmarish Rampaging Hero: Ike"! This card depicts a theortetical scenario of if Ike had touched the Medallion and gone berserk! A Cipher original!
Medallion... you mean that one that they say seals away a dark god? The one that drives people who touch it crazy?
Yes. Surely, Master Ike knew the dangers of touching it, so he must have had good reason to do so..
What... when he is in this state, he doesn't only destroy his enemies, but even his allies and himself!? How terrifying...! It strikes terror into even my heart!
Hmmm... and it looks like his rampage begins quickly...
And then there is this card, which represents an Ike who has grown by overcoming such hardships!
Wow, an attack of "X"?! His attack goes up based on the growth mechanic, right? This guy's crazy!
That's right! And as long as he continues defeating enemies, he can continue attacking as well!
The various storms he weathers shape him into a hero beyond compare!
Many characters connected to Ike--his mother, Elena; his father, Greil née Gawain; and his sister, Mist among others--make their appearances in this series as well. We hope you enjoy them!
The drama between the cards unfolds on the battlefield... Yes, I am looking forward to it.
And new characters under the Brand symbol are sure to make a splash as well! First, we have the emperor of the overseas continent of Valm, Walhart!
Wooow~ I can practically feel his power through the card with an illustration like this... so intimidating~!
It's not just the illustration either, his abilities are nothing to sniff at... when fighting enemies in the front line, his attack power becomes 90! So this is the power of an emperor...
And not only that, he has a powerful ability that activates when he class changes... it's reminiscient of the Overclass skills we saw in Series 11!
How will Sir Chrom, Sir Basilio, and Lady Flavia of the continent of Ylisse fight back against Valhart's relentless assault... I don't even want to blink in case I might miss something!
And under the Holy Banner symbol, we see the story of Eldigan the Lionheart proudly fighting as a knight and a king in spite of the tragedy that his fate brings him.
He gets two bond phases... wow, that's incredible!
His "Cross Knights, move out!" skill lets you deploy cavalry units from your bond area, right? I wanna become a member of that corp!
Other characters connected to him and the Nordion royalty, such as his sister Lachesis and son Ares, will also appear in this series! His friends Sigurd and Beowulf, too, will join him on the battlefield!
I see... all of these cards focus on the usage of Bond Cards--how very fitting for cards under the Holy Banner symbol. Battles will only become more interesting from here!
Eldigan and the Nordion Royal Family aren't the only characters to appear, either--characters related to the Dukedom of Friege are here as well!
Even Amid and Linda! And take a look at that skill on Ishtar... you've definitely gotta check that out!
So in total... it's safe to say this is another exciting installment with plenty more fun cards~!
At this point, there are so many cards its hard to decide which ones to use~!
I am going to have to work overtime making a new deck and trying it out myself!
All the characters we've seen so far look like promising opponents... I am waiting with anticipation!
I think it'd be fun to make a deck outta little sister types like Mist, Lissa, and Lachesis.
Yes, I am awaiting giving Raging Deluge a try with bated breath. I hope you all will go to a store near you to buy some yourselves!
With that, I think that's all the information for Series 12, so we move onto...
Our Cipherfest 2018 repooort!!
Now begins our coverage of The Fire Emblem Cipher Festival 2018 WEST and EAST, which took place on 3/4 and 3/11 respectively!
We already said it, but it was such a fun tiiime!
Aye. It was so fun that I have a hard time believing it all happened in just one day.
I found myself questioning if it was really alright to cut loose like that, what with all of the events and goings-on...
...as expected of my lady, who partook in every event without fail. Your opinion is well-informed.
Then let's do a little retrospective!
The locations this time were Kobe Fashion Mart and Makuhari Messe, where plenty of Fire Emblem and Cipher fans congregated.
On the stage, there were a host of events, including a Tea Table Talk and a Mini Concert.
The stage hosts this time were voice talent Minami Takahashi and Hibiki Yamamura!
They both have such wonderful voices and presences as emcees--the stage was full of life!
The Tea Table Talk featured topics such as the cover art of Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, and the announcement of Tharja's inclusion in the Fire Emblem Warriors extra content. Some of the information discussed has never been revealed before publicly. And there was plenty that was not to be missed.
And speaking of things not to be missed--the battle between Michihiko Hagi, voice of Ike, and Producer Kawade!
Last Cipherfest, Producer Kawade made a deck that included cards that hadn't been released yet and ended up winning, right?
Whaaat!? Can he really do that? Isn't that a little unfair?
It was awfully craft of him! ...so in preparation, this year, the staff sent Ike's newest cards to Hagi in secret prior to the event.
Great job, Staff! You're almost as competent as Valjean! So using those cards in an Ike deck, Hagi faced off against Producer Kawade's Eldigan deck, isn't that right?
At his first match in WEST, Hagi unfortunately lost... but in his second match at EAST, he scored a resounding victory! His cry of "I did it, Father!" could be heard echoing across the venue!
What a radiant smile! But with such a close battle, it would not have been unusual to see either of them emerge victorious.
Oh yeah, by the way, the decks they used at EAST looked like this.
Oh, I was also so happy to see the Illustrator Signings again!
Well, us nobles were also quite happy to get signed illustrations from our favorite illustrators!
And not just illustrators this time--Michihiko Hagi was also providing his autograph! I was really pumped for that one.
People wrote poetry about Fire Emblem, colored pictures, solved quizzes at the Quiz Area, and discussed their love for the series--there was a lot of participation.
I have gathered the questions that were posed at the venue. Why not try to see if you can answer them yourself?
And on top of all that, Cipherland, the dream of every Cipher player! Here, you could enjoy a brand new game that is quite different from the typical Cipher battle.
Tap Tap Sumo! You tap the playing field to try and knock each others cards over! I got really into that one!
There were other card games using Cipher cards, like Old Maid and Memory... since most people already know how to play 'em, it's fun to see them played with a Cipher skin!
Actually, Tap Tap Sumo even had a tournament, and the finalists played their final match on stage. It was an exciting display.
And finally, the closing ceremony! At Cipherfest EAST in Makuhari Messe, the Japan's Best Tournament was concluded.
This time, Japan's top player was Kira, who played using Marth as a lord!
So this is Japan's glorious victor... that is to say, the best Cipher player in the entire universe right now, since the game is Japan-only!
Whoooaaaa! It was an incredible display! I have nothing but praise for the one who came out on top!
Congratulations, Kira!!
And to conclude the event, everyone called out a chant together: 1, 2, Cipher!!
Both Cipherfest WEST and EAST were a resounding success!
Yaaaay! Clapclapclap!!
Thank you all for coming, everyooone!
It always feels a little lonely at the conclusion of something like this.
All that behind us, we have some behind-the-scenes shots from the festival. Take a look at everyone.
What a coincidence--I also prepared photos.
First, we have this photo from the day before Cipherfest EAST, where the round-robin matches between the Japan's Best competitors were taking place. A total of 13 matches were played by representatives from across the country.
You couldn't let your guard down for even a moment... you could cut the tension with a blade...
And this was a skirmish between Producer Kawade and Master Hagi in the dressing room on the day of the Festival.
The atmosphere was totally different from what you see on stage--very fun!
Our special guest Mister Tetsu Kurosawa reaaally looked at those cards!
And next, we have Producer Kawade choosing which poems and love letters to read during the Tea Time Talk.
He was deliberating very seriously over which to choose...
Without a doubt! Each one expressed the passion of the writer... if he could have, I'm sure he would have included each and every one of them.
And these are the Cavalier Duo & Yosuke Kinoshita from just before their live performance.
And as a little bonus... a picture of a very happy Mr. Young wearing a samurai hat from just before the Tap Tap Sumo grand finale!
It kinda felt like the audience weren't the only people who got to enjoy the event, but the performers, too!
Well, the performers have to enjoy themselves if they want the audience to have fun too... you have to try to prioritize that when hosting an event like this.
Very interesting... I have made note of that.
Yes, yes! Definitely write that... down... wait...?
…………
S...stranger, a stranger is here!!!
Who are you?! State your purpose, fiend!
I am Niamh......
Miss.. Niamh? Did you need something from us...?
I cannot say...... It is not yet time......
Eeeek~~! I have no idea what's going on anymore!
Well, I don't know what's going on either, but... she's a beaut, huh? Got a real aura of cool to her!
Huh? Wait... are you...?
Ohh! To think we would meet again... what a coincidence!
……………？
I-it almost seems as though she doesn't remember us...
Um, do you guys... know each other?
Well, I wouldn't say that, but... a looong time ago, when I got lost as a child, she helped me out... or something like that...
If you listen to that "Special Talk of Love & Bonds CD" that came packaged with an art book at Comiket last year, well, that about explains it.
......Well, it doesn't matter much to me.....
D-Doesn't...
I have three things I wish to convey to you all today... first, I will make my debut in the TCG in Cipher series 12...
W-wow, she's right! She's a card!
W-when did you... no, more importantly, what a ridiculously long skill name!
Second, effective immediately, I will be joining Cipher Frontier...
Huh!? Everyone, look! Niamh managed to slyly insert herself into the title!
Y-you are right, my lady! The title of this is becoming rather long as well...!
Third, I hail from a world overflowing with the power that you call "Boundless Chaos"...
Boundless Chaos...!? How do you know that term? What do you know?
I cannot say...... It is not yet time......
Aaaaghhh~~! Just who on earth is this girl~~!!
W-well... let's just slow down, and we can ask about it more later, right? Miss Niamh, it's nice to meet you!
...nice to meet you.
Ugh... I have no idea what is going on anymore, but...
Well, seems like there's some sorta circumstances interfering here. Eh, let's not sweat the details--let's just focus on getting along!
Ugh... I guess I have no choice but to collect myself and move on... ahem!
So then, everyone, what are your plans from here?
Looking back on Cipherfest made me excited! I'm going to head to the card shop and buy as many Series 12 packs as I can carry!
I have a lot of cards I wanna try too! Let's play together soon!
I would like to try my hand at some Shop Tournaments and Pack Battle Tournaments.
It also seems quite chic to travel to all varieties of areas to experience events and tournaments in unfamiliar places.
Even from here on out, there will be plenty more events--more Hands-On Experiences, and even a "Cafe de Social", so please look out for more details on those!
So everyone, be it in collecting series 12 cards, in battles, or in events...
Enjoy Cipher to the fulleeest!!!!!!
......fullest.