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Fire Emblem Cipher: Series 9


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https://fecipher.jp/

 

Uncover hidden strengths from across Valentia, Elibe, and Tellius in the upcoming expansion of Fire Emblem Cipher, the Fire Emblem trading card game!

 

The Fire Emblem Cipher TCG is a collectible card game based on the Fire Emblem series by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Though it has only been available in Japan and there's no word on an official English release, it is regularly updated with new sets and rules which keep it interesting for fans to talk about.

 

Getting Started

 

Despite the TCG only being available in Japanese, there are a number of resources made available by fans in English which provide information on what you need to know in order to collect the cards or even how to play the game. The best source, in my opinion, is the wiki guide written here, though you can also refer to the information on the official site linked above, albeit in Japanese.

 

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Basically:

  • New collectors who want to own specific cards of their favorite characters should get an idea of how much they individually go for at the local retailers and try to buy/trade for them within the second hand market (fellow fans in various communities). This is generally more cost friendly than the easy route of buying them off online retailers like eBay, Amazon, or TCG Republic, so you can get a lot of mileage from doing research and knowing what's out there and at what prices. If you want to import sealed starter decks, boosters, or sleeves, I recommend buying through AmiAmi.
  • New players can try owning any of the available starter decks to help them with learning, which are ready to play and are all suitable for introducing the game. Online simulators with English translations of all the cards are out there too! The one shared on the wiki is pretty popular, although I personally prefer playing with FECipherVit.
  • New sets are released every few months and new promo cards are regularly distributed during the interims through various means (events, magazines, etc.), so there's constantly new stuff to glean over.
  • If you really like the art, know that many illustrators of the card artwork tend to publicly upload the full illustrations via Twitter or Pixiv, usually after the release of a new set. Some might not be available though.

Card Sets

 

Series 9 will be out on June 22, but there have already been hundreds of different cards released since the TCG started in 2015, with each set focusing on specific groups of Fire Emblem titles.

 

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For a full list of cards, you can check them out here, or search the wiki.

 

Series 10, which is confirmed to feature Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, and Fire Emblem Heroes, will release later this year.

 

It has also been announced that Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and Fire Emblem Warriors will be featured in a Cipher set release at some point this year, most likely in Series 11.

 

Basic Rules

 

In Fire Emblem Cipher, two players wage battle against each other using their army of characters, with the ultimate goal of claiming victory by defeating the opposing army's leader in combat until they can no longer be sustained by their five orbs.

 

Each army's deck needs at least 50 cards to engage in battle, and unlike some other card games, running out of cards to draw from your deck just means you have to replenish your deck with all the cards left in your retreat to continue the battle, meaning the victory condition is all you have to focus on.

 

Game Flow

 

Each turn consists of these actions in the following order, which are divided into their own phases:

  1. Drawing a card from your deck
  2. Adding a card from your hand to the bond row
  3. Deploying units from your hand to the battlefield
  4. Attacking enemies, activating skills, or repositioning your units

This goes back and forth between both players until one emerges as the battle's victor!

 

Card Details

 

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Here's a quick rundown on what everything means on any card:

  • Unit name - The name of the character depicted on the card. With the epithet, constitutes the card name.
  • Epithet - A title distinguishing the unit from other different cards they may have. With the unit name, constitutes the card name.
  • Power - A measure of the unit's strength when engaged in combat.
  • Aid - A measure of the unit's strength when assisting an ally in combat.
  • Range - Indicates how far the unit can attack in relation to their position on the battlefield.
  • Class - Represents the unit's class and how seasoned they are.
  • Skills - Normal skills the unit possesses, which grant various abilities.
  • Assist skills - A type of skill which may only be activated when the unit is assisting an ally in combat.
  • Field cost - The number of bonds needed to deploy the unit from your hand to the battlefield.
  • Class change cost - The number of bonds needed to promote the already deployed unit to this card.
  • Symbol - Denotes the unit's associated faction and color.
  • Gender - The gender the unit is identified as.
  • Weapon - The type of weapon the unit uses in combat.
  • Types - Additional attributes of the unit if any, such as if they are a flier or armored.

Further details on how the game plays can be found on the wiki.

 

If there's anything you want clarification on, whether about the rules of the game or anything else regarding the cards, you're welcome to ask here!

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7 hours ago, Chrom said:

Do we really not know what promo's to be included with the new Dengeki Nintendo yet, if any?

 

Dengeki already got its promo in the issue that was released on 21 April, the Chrom one. There was no matching promo in the matching Nintendo Dream issue, nor any preview or hint of one in next's month's (July, technically) edition, so there's probably just the one magazine promo for S8. No guidebook either (and those are also printed by Nindori).

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They just showed off Yuzu's card, which I totally forgot was in S8 and was probably going to be shown before anything from S9. Oops. At least this reaffirms that they'll be showing off cards during Golden Week. I had forgotten whether or not that mattered, but it looks like it doesn't. I think after they show off Land's tomorrow that should be when they ought to start.

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2 hours ago, Chrom said:

They just showed off Yuzu's card, which I totally forgot was in S8 and was probably going to be shown before anything from S9. Oops. At least this reaffirms that they'll be showing off cards during Golden Week. I had forgotten whether or not that mattered, but it looks like it doesn't. I think after they show off Land's tomorrow that should be when they ought to start.

 

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. Wednesday still gives them enough time to show off a few new cards before the weekend, probably one update of each colour (Alm/Celica NHs for Red, Al for Purple, Skrimir for Green?).

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Observation: Lando has five different cards but is also the only Cipher original character whose cards are all illustrated by Mayo.

 

Not that this bothers me, but I think it'd be nice if someone else eventually draws him and shares their take on the character.

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2 hours ago, Chrom said:

Potential for the TCG itself...?

 

It's wishful thinking, but I've always been a wisher.

 

In the meantime, though, I'm just going to sit over here and be super psyched that we're getting the Cipher DLC at all! I do wonder why it was firmly announced in the UK but only got a "More Coming Soon" notice in NA, though.

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