Friday Stride: Storm Dominator, Commander Thavas

So after a week suffering from a severe case of laziness, we return to meet our next release - another clan booster, so now it's time for Navy Season a single review. There's a better reason than for the swordboys, or at least a less subjective one - we're getting plenty of new stuff in the next few weeks, so there's only really chance to cover one card. Maybe I'll get back to the others later, but I promise nothing. So, anyway, let's get into the super special cover card of the set - Storm Dominator, Commander Thavas.

Never release 'Battle Siren, Storm', Bushiroad.

Thavas comes to us from the first school of stride fusion, whereby you get soft advantage for your persona flip whatever and then a +1 if you have two units (and in Thavas' case, four attacks but he sets that up himself so you'll rarely be worried about that). More specifically, flipping a copy of himself gives a rear-guard 5000 power and the ability to attack from the back row. Then, if you're at Generation Break 3 (that is, you have 2 face-up G units in the G zone) he gain the on-stride skill of his grade 3 form, to force your opponent to retire one of three rear-guards on the fourth attack. It's worded slightly differently due to the introduction of the Wave keyword, but the impact is the same.

At first glance, this doesn't seem all that impressive - this is the clan that carries the monster that is Lambros, so why would you want a card that enables 4 attacks for a retire of dubious quality? To a degree, it's a valid point, as Lambros is the big finisher, but that's not what Thavas is here for. Thavas is a grinding unit, with all of his effects aiming at working more cards out of your opponent's hand. More power, means more shield to stop the attack. Attacking from the back means an extra attack, which forces the guard to be split between attacks and drain even more cards in shielding. Whilst the retire isn't the most efficient, it's one card that they have to replace in order to sustain their pressure, and it's not so good that it insists you avoid this as first stride to access it. Each extra guard, or indeed extra damage, can make the difference between Lambros ending the game or letting them survive to make their counter play.

There's also the small matter of all your 'Wave' rear-guards getting their skills enabled even if you draw none of your enablers. None of Aqua Force's other G units do this, giving it a unique and valuable role in most builds.

The other advantage he has is that he's Thavas, which means he has access to the standard suite of support for on-stride units. The most generally useful is the critical trigger,
Kelpie Rider, Petros, who can go to the soul when a Thavas vanguard attacks to draw and give a power boost. Few Aqua Force builds need especial counterblasts, so Petros is easy to fit in most decks running commander Thavas even in the absence of the grade 3. The other support is unlikely to be seen outside of Thavas-centered builds, but with only one grade 3 option you won't always have him to ride. Kelpie Rider, Mitros can search out a Thavas for another attack and then a copy in hand, but only if you have a Thavas as vanguard. Commander Thavas allows him to correct having to ride into an alternate grade 3, fetching a card to re-ride. Battle Siren, Melania also generate advantage with a Thavas vanguard, and the ability to attack from the back row is perfect for her - as a grade 1 with resist the back row is a perfect place for her, but her skill requires her to attack which would normally require her to move up to use it. The last card, Battle Siren, Adelaide, is a one-time restander with a Thavas vanguard. Being effectively 'disposable' whilst making two valid attacks without support, she's a nice way to enable attacks against control decks, and the commander allows her even more power, and even a chance to hang back to allow her to get locked without clogging up the front.

In conculsion, Thavas is a solid support card. He's probably a 2-of, since most builds have a finisher of choice they want at four, but almost every build will have use for him, either to patch up a poor hand or drag an opponent into kill range.