Hi, this is Chitosev, back with yet another Da Capo review. I would first like to offer an apology for the delay of this article, which was originally planned for a Thursday release. Sometimes, unexpected things happen and everything is ruined…

Which would lead us to this week’s review. Unlike the many others before this that were more Character and trait based, this review would cover a whole theme of similar effects. Read more after the jump!

In this review, I will be covering the range of looking at /revealing the top card of your deck series of effects, which have its roots all the way back in the D.C. D.C. II Extra Booster.

Level 1: Revealing the Top card of your Deck.

This chain of effects is first introduced in the D.C. D.C. II Extra Booster, where it is used to fulfill requirements to trigger certain abilities. It can give the player a slight foresight by knowing what they will trigger for the next attack, or add it to either their hand or stock by climax effects. For effects that triggers when played or by activation, it can be used to plan better attacks against your opponent, which may result in the most damage dealt with the least resource used.  For the effects that trigger on attack, while it won’t help knowing the trigger right before the trigger step (since you have already declared what type of attack first already), some of them have very powerful effects that are worth fulfilling.

Some of the notable cards in this series of effects:

DC/W01-E04 C　水着の和泉子 / Swimsuit Izumiko

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【A】 When this card attacks, reveal the top card of your deck. Should it be a Climax card, select up to 2 of your opponent’s character cards and return them to your opponent’s hand.

This card is quite the popular target in many fun decks. Together with ever popular event Playing by the Stream, it forms a deadly combo that can wipe your opponent’s field for an all-out direct attack, as well as waste your opponent’s resources in playing them down.

DC/W01-E08 C 水着のななか＆由夢 / Swimsuit Nanaka & Yume

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【A】 When this card is put from your hand onto the stage, reveal the top card of your deck. Should it be a card that is Level 1 or above, during this turn, this card gains Power +2000.

A decent level 0 character that is capable of taking down most level 0 beaters, should you succeed with the ability. Even without deck-top controlling, it is relatively easy to trigger this effect. During the later levels, it can be used to reveal your next trigger for a better planned attack.

DC/W01-E16 R 水着のアリス / Swimsuit Alice

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【A】 When this card is put from your hand onto the stage, reveal the top card of your deck. Should it be a character card that is equal or below your Level, you may put that card onto the stage in any border.

Also another popular target for fun combo decks. It allows you to save the cost of playing bigger characters, so long as its level is equal to or lower than yours. One can simply use Playing by the Stream to selectively put the character they want to play out on the top of the deck.

DC/WE02-002 R お雛様　音姫　/Dolled Up Otome

【A】 When this card attacks, reveal the top card of your deck. Should it be a character card with the trait <<Student Council>>, during this turn, this card gains Soul +1.

One of the better attackers in a Student Council deck, throughout the whole progress of a game. A 0 cost 2 soul attacker is always welcomed.

DC/W09-077 RR 新生徒会長　杏 / New Student Council President Anzu

【A】 When this card is put from your hand onto the Stage, you may put the top card of your Clock into your Waiting Room.

【A】[②]  When this card attacks, reveal the top card of your deck. Should it be a character card with the trait <<Student Council>>, you may pay the cost to activate this ability. Should you do so, put the top card of your Clock into your Waiting Room.

A key card in a Student Council deck. Allows many damage to be healed in 1 turn. It was also nice of the card designers to allow the players to pay the cost only after they confirmed a Student Council character on attack.

DC/W09-062 U 旅立つエリカ/ Starting Journey Erika

【C】For each other of your Character card with the trait <<Royalty>>, this card gains  Power +500.

【A】When this card attacks, reveal the top card of your deck. Should it be a character card with the trait <<Royalty>>, you may deal 1 damage to your opponent.

A strong level 3 character to play in a Royalty-based deck. Its ability to deal 1 damage allows easy chasing of damage, and also for a easier final turn, where players can attempt to deal 6x 1 damage if they succeed for all the checks.

DC/WE08-76 PR 黒サンタの杏 / Black Santa Anzu

【A】 When this card is put from your hand onto the stage, reveal the top card of your deck. Should it be a card that is Level 1 or above, until the end of your opponent’s next turn, this card gains Power +1000.

Similar to Swimsuit Nanaka & Yume, but this card can stay around for at least 1 more turn to net you more advantage next turn.

Level 2a: Looking at the Top card of your Deck, choose to put Top or Bottom

This is where the control starts. This type of ability allows you to control your top deck, and return any other card that you don’t want to see back to the depths of the deck. This allows you to slightly control the contents of your deck, 1 card at a time. You may choose to return any climax cards you have seen by this effect to the bottom deck, in hope for more cancels at a later stage. You may also opt to put a card you very much would like in your hand, but with no means to get it now, to the bottom deck, in which you can search the card out using deck search abilities (if you have any.) This also works well with the ‘Revealing the top’ abilities, simply because the rates of fulfilling the conditions for them would be increased.

List of cards with this ability:

DC/W01-E15 R 小悪魔　杏 / Little Devil Anzu

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【A】 When you put this card from your hand onto the Stage, look at the top card of your deck, and choose to put it on the top or the bottom of your deck.

DC/W09-086 U 料理中の麻耶 / In the middle of Cooking Maya

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【A】When you put this card from your hand onto the Stage, look at the top card of your deck, and choose to put it on the top or the bottom of your deck.

【A】CHANGE ［① Discard 1 card from your hand, put this card to your Memory］At the start of your Encore Step, should this card be in 【Rest】 mode, you may pay the cost to activate this ability. Should you do so, choose 1 [In the Middle of a Date Maya] Character card from your Waiting Room and place it in this card’s original Border.

DC/W09-089 C 磯鷲　涼芽 / Isowashi Suzume

【S】[Put 2 of your Character to 【Rest】 mode] Look at the top card of your deck, and choose to put it on the top or the bottom of your deck.

Level 2b: Looking at the Top card of your Deck, choose to put Top or in Waiting Room

Very similar to the above ability, but with slight utility differences. Instead of simply returning unwanted cards back to the bottom deck, this type of effects allows you to put them directly into the waiting room. Players may use this type of ability to try and thin their deck, though this deck-thinning is inferior to many of the Brainstorm abilities out there (which Da Capo didn’t have until the very recent D.C.III trial deck, which gave a brainstorm of 1 card). Players who see climax cards using this effect may only opt to send it away to ensure its existence after refresh, or to accept fate and choose to trigger it. Players with access to waiting room retrieval may also choose to send any character cards they want to the waiting room so that they can easily retrieve it.

List of cards with this ability:

DC/WE02-012 C お月見　由夢 / Looking at the Moon Yume

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【A】 When you put this card from your hand onto the Stage, look at the top card of your deck, and choose to put it on the top of your deck, or in your waiting room.

DC/WE08-75 PR 甘味な時間　由夢 / Sweet Time Yume

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【C】ASSIST: All your character cards in front of this card that is Level 2 or above gains Power +1000.

【A】When you put this card from your hand onto the Stage, look at the top card of your deck, and choose to put it on the top of your deck, or in your waiting room.

Level 3: Look at the Top 2 cards of your deck and Rearranging

DC/WE02-014 R 星に願う杏 / Wish upon a Star Anzu

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【A】 When you put this card from your hand onto the Stage, look at up to 2 cards from the top of your deck, and return it to the top of your deck in any order.

There are very rare similar cards even in the whole of the WS card pool. This type of ability allows you to know and control your next 2 triggers. It works very well with climax cards that allow you to draw 1 card, allowing you to control what you will draw and your next 1 trigger. In standard, this ability may also be used with the popular 2-cards Brainstorm ability of the Zero no Tsukaima booster, notably Sailor Uniform Siesta and Louise of the Void.

While this ability allows you greater control, it does not have the option of returning unwanted cards back to the bottom of the deck, or to the waiting room. One may instead use this ability along with the above few for greater effect.

Level 4: Look at the Top 4 cards of your deck and Rearranging

DC/W01-E13 C 水着の由夢

【A】 When you put this card from your hand onto the stage, look at up to 4 cards from the top of your deck, and return it to the top of your deck in any order.

【A】 When this card attacks and the Climax card 「Bathing with a Cat」 is in play, select 1 Character card in your Waiting Room and add it to your hand.

Tremble in awe as you learn about the existence of this wonderful treasure, currently still available only in the Da Capo series. This card allows you to control all your triggers for your next attack, allowing the best success rate for any effects that require revealing the correct card from the top of your deck.

Besides controlling the triggers, players can also use this ability to ensure more cancels in the next turn. If the player sees at least 1 climax in the 4 cards, he is able to push it to the bottom of the 4 for 1 confirmed cancel next turn. If more than 1 climax is seen, it is up to the player to see if he wants the cancels, or simply attack for a chance of massive damage.

Level Extra: Looking at the Top of your opponent’s Deck

DC/W01-042 C 大和撫子　環 / Yamato Nadeshiko Tamaki

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【A】 When you play this card from your hand to the stage, from the top of your opponent’s deck, look at up to 3 cards, and put them back on top of your opponent’s deck in any order you like.

【A】 When this card attacks and the Climax card [For my Important Person......] is in play, from the top of your deck, place one card to your Stock. During this turn, this card gains Power +3000.

【A】 Encore [Place 1 Character card from your hand into Waiting Room] (When this card leaves the Stage and is put to the Waiting Room, you may pay cost to activate this ability. Should you do so, this card is placed in 【Rest】 mode on its previous Border.

DC/W01-E09 C 水着の環 / Swimsuit Tamaki

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【A】When you put this character into play from hand, look at up to the top 2 cards of your opponent’s deck, choose up to 1 of it, and put it at the bottom of your opponent’s deck. Return the remaining cards to the top of his deck in any order.

DC/W09-040 C 凛々しい環 / Dignified Tamaki

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【A】[①] When you put this card onto the stage from your hand, you may pay the cost to activate this ability. Should you do so, look at the top card of your opponent’s deck, and choose to put it on top or below his deck, during this turn, this card gains Power +1000.

The Da Capo series does not only have abilities that look at your own top decks. Following closely to the series, certain cards of Konomiya Tamaki can look and even decide your opponent’s future. This may be used together with cards that control your own top deck to deal ‘confirmed’ damage.

Overall Review:

The ability to control even at least 1 trigger in WS is highly valuable, even though it may seem insignificant. Besides using it to allow you to trigger the specific trait for various abilities, it can also allow you to increase your chance to cancel or to deal more precise damage that has a lower chance of being cancelled. Of course, while all the above cards are from the Da Capo sets and expansions, it is definitely not the only series with these effects. You can find top deck controlling in the Brainstorm-heavy Zero no Tsukaima, which would be releasing a new Extra Booster soon enough, and the recently released Guilty Crown, which takes the revealing top deck and top deck controlling effects to yet another level.

See beyond your normal sight, and learn to enjoy beyond your observations.