Set 3 Spoiler Series!

Battle Spirits Set 3 - Scars of Fury is set to release on February 5, 2010. With its impending release comes one of my favorite times in the TCG year, spoilers! Throughout the month of January, the Battle Spirits community will be given the privilege of viewing many of the cards that will be released in Set 3. Bandai has graciously provided Eye of the Vortex with six exclusive cards to preview to our audience.

The Middle of Hard Battle

According to Michael Elliott, Purple and Red are natural enemies. This is apparent in the art of The Middle of Hard Battle. This Nexus card has a fitting effect for a fight; focusing on two natural occurrences in battle: the destruction of spirits and gaining of territory. The Middle of Hard Battle allows you to destroy a spirit with one-thousand battle points or less at the start of your opponents battle phase.

Love the Art

One thing that really stands out for me on this card is the art. I love the dynamic of pitting colors against each other as natural enemies. Michael Elliott told us that that type of conflict existed, but it was rarely shown. The card art gives us a rare taste of an epic battle between Purple and Red.

Depending on Your Opponent is Bad

As much as I like the effects of this card, I cannot overlook the fact that the abilities rely largely on your opponent. When you have to rely on your opponent for your card to be effective, your opponent will do their best to ensure that they don't put themselves in a situation where they are hurt by your card. This means that the effectiveness of The Middle of Hard Battle will depend on your opponent. Hence, odds are that the card will be less effective than it could be.

Destruction & Evolution, Meet Tempo

Evolution is making bounds of progress in Set 3 as more Red cards are introduced. I previewed Runkaphorhynchus, mentioning that his evolution and destruction abilities together make him a force to be reckoned with. We can add The Middle of Hard Battle (level two) to that combination, causing your opponent to lose a possible total of three spirits from one attack. That type of combo with Pteramahawk, several other evolution cards, and Red's destruction spells could pose a serious threat to create a nasty tempo deck.

Might be Worth the Cost

The big question about this card is 'are the effects that it gives you, worth paying the high cost to play it'. Truthfully, this question cannot be answered by game theory, as it is a personal choice whether you feel it is justified. The abilities of The Middle Of Hard Battle are very good and tempting to use. However, I cannot get around the fact that my opponent could render this card useless because I am giving them the option of playing around it. I do not think the effects are worth the cores I am paying for it.

Battle of Evolution Nexus'

There are now two Nexus cards in the card pool that focus specifically on spirits with the keyword Evolution. Both of which have their uses and players may find it difficult to choose between refreshing their spirits and destroying the opponent spirits. Red already has a lot of destruction and it focus' heavily on beatdown. Therefor, I believe that a card that refreshes your spirits is much more useful than another one that destroys spirits. The Plateau of Duel uses the same concept as a Green deck running Hermit Wise Tree. A card that refreshes fits much better with the theme of a beatdown deck.

Not What It's Cracked Up To Be

The Middle of Hard Battle is one of those cards that falls a little short of playable from my perspective. I like the abilities of the card a lot, but having to rely on my opponent for them to be effective doesn't appeal to me. I'm a, however, huge fan of the art and the whole Red vs Purple dynamic. This Nexus does have a lot of uses and could be used as a form of Tempo in a Red deck. It never hurts to have a card that constantly destroys the opponents spirits each turn. However, I think that The Plateau of Duel is a better choice for Evolution decks because they focus heavily on beatdown. Overall, I'd say that The Middle of Hard Battle is a good card that could see some play, but I wouldn't count on seeing it at any competitive events.

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