March has already begun and spring is getting closer but this also goes for the new FFTCG set From Nightmares! Fortunately, we have another community spoiler, which we can present to you today!
The Card
Vivi
1 CP, Lightning
Forward
Job: Black Mage
Category: Pictlogica / IX
3000 Power
Code: 19-080R
When Vivi enters the field, you may reveal any number of Lightning cards from your hand. When you do so, choose 1 Forward. Deal it 2000 damage for each card you revealed.
Character Background
Vivi Ornitier, the little boy in the big hat, is a black mage and a playable character in Final Fantasy IX. Despite being plagued by self-doubt, he's a talented, inquisitive, and lovely little guy. He joins the protagonist Zidane along with Captain Steiner to search for Garnet and thus becomes part of the group. His background connects him with other black mages and the three Black Waltzes.
Vivi is now up to his 7th incarnation as of From Nightmares, and like almost every one of these cards to date, his primary purpose is to deal damage, and he does it in a rather unique way.
Possible Uses
Despite being only a 1 CP Forward, this Vivi has huge damage potential! For each Lightning card we reveal from our hand when he is played, we can deal 2000 damage to a Forward, whether it's our opponent's or our own.
So in a mono Lightning deck, the limit here is only our hand size, which means we're paying for its efficiency in information rather than CP here. This is not the first card to work with such an effect. [12-089C] Dragoon triggers more abilities the more card name or job Dragoon we reveal from our hand and [15-037L] Terra dulls and freezes as many characters as we reveal summons from our hand. Vivi makes it even easier for us here by only requiring the cards to be of the Lightning element.
Vivi can also be worthwhile in multicolored decks, since even with only three Lightning cards shown, 6000 damage can be dealt, which can kill a lot of forwards. Only the element ratio in the deck is really important here.
Since we can also generate CP by discarding cards and also because we draw 2 cards each round, the hand cards shown rotate out faster. The information that we give our opponent through such effects can also be controlled relatively easily and does not always put us at a disadvantage.
Synergies
Vivi joins the ever-growing group of 1CP forwards who really deliver with good abilities and there are plenty of them in Lightning. So [12-082R] Diana is a great card to fetch him or one of the others right out of the deck.
Of course, it's not always an advantage to reveal your hand to your opponent, but Lightning already offers a remedy with cards like [14-089C] Ewen or [17-093C] Orc. If we only show an Ewen or Orc when Vivi is played, the chosen Forward will only take 2000 damage, but if that Ewen or Orc is played immediately afterwards, it can then break the damaged Forward. An inexpensive but efficient combo that doesn't show the opponent more cards than necessary.
Even out of the Break Zone, Vivi can be a useful card, as cards like [11-086L] Aranea, [11-098C] Puck, [12-087H] Mid Previa, and [18-070C] Aphmau can all directly play him back onto the field and let the little Black Mage continue to do damage.
From Nightmares has already brought us some new spoilers from Final Fantasy IX, and Lightning has already received more in this category with a new Kuja and a Ramuh. So maybe Vivi will get even more powerful synergies with the release of the set?
There are quite a few cards that have already proven themselves or could revive once we get our hands on Vivi.
Conclusion
The fact is, at least in Mono-Lightning decks, the little Black Mage packs a punch. Playing a 1 CP forward and doing 5-figure damage with it can throw an opponent off course. We're curious to see if Vivi can establish himself in Lightning decks, because he definitely has potential.
Does our spoiler motivate you to pick up more Lightning cards again in the near future?
Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter or FFTCG Deutschland Discord!
As always, thanks to SQUARE ENIX for letting us be a part of the community spoiler season!