Brave Token is a series debuting in the Grand Creators next year in the TCG! Although PUNK and Exorsister might've taken the spotlight early on, Aquamancer stole the show! The deck itself isn't all too potent, but as a recursive engine it puts up quite a fight! Recently it's been making waves over in the OCG and the prices of the cards have been skyrocketing. Today we'll be taking a look at how they tick and what makes them so good.
We won't be able to fully cover the other cards outside of the ones used in the engine, as that's not the focus of the article. With that being said, time to embark on this adventure!
The Queen of Adventure
Aquamancer of the Sanctuary is a potent card and then some, kickstarting the Brave engine and its recursive cycle. She's able to fetch Rite of Aramesia, netting you both a Brave Token and Journey of Destiny for your efforts! While the restriction stopping Normal Summoned monsters from using their effect is a little bothersome, it's a small price to pay. You won't splash this into everything, but a good chunk of decks can still do so.
Make sure to max out on Aquamancer and Rite, as you really wanna see them. Some strategies are also capable of adding Foolish Burial into the mix! FB acts as the 4th copy of Aquamancer, or sets up something else should you already have it in your grip.
One cool idea that people are also doing right now is using Rite with Amano-Iwato! Since the effect won't activate, it's going to stay on the field and continue to lock people out. This could come in handy, so it's worth keeping an eye on.
Another thing to note about Aquamancer is that she's a level 3, which means Cherubini shenanigans! You can either use it to make the Link-2 or send it off Cherubini's effect as cost. Don't forget that you can summon her for free after Rite, should you have other copies or if you added from Journey.
Since she's also a Spellcaster, making Artemis OR convenient access to Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians might be of interest. You even get a bunch of spells in the GY to fuel the revival effect! With the Equip Spell, Rite, and Journey, that's exactly 3 which guarantees you can get back a monster.
Aquamancer's traits continue to be a boon, as its convenient WATER attribute lends to some funky tech. People have also been trying out a small Shaddoll package, using Shaddoll Fusion and El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis! This dumps her to the GY and also applies big pressure.
In any case, now that you have both the Token and the Continuous Spell on the field, this is where the fun begins.
Journey Onwards
Journey of Destiny is our next stop, and it certainly delivers! There's a lot of effects to talk about, so let's break them down. Battle protection on monsters with Equip Cards is a fine bonus that shouldn't come up too much, but it's nice to have either way. After all, it does help your Brave Token stick around.
The ability to search any monster that lists the Brave Token is the big-ticket effect. One option that's been catching everyone's attention is Wandering Gryphon Rider! Sending a card from your hand seems like a bummer at first, but for several decks, it can act as a way to set up their own GY. For example, Eldlich really likes this effect.
WGR is a beefy wall that summons itself for free if you control a Brave Token OR control no monsters, both of which are easily doable. The important part is that it's able to negate any card or effect if the Brave Token's around. This offers incredible protection for any aspiring Deck wanting to make use of this engine. It also shuffles itself back to the Deck to use it, meaning you can set this whole thing up all over again during the next turn.
A "free" recurring Omni-negate is nothing to scoff at, especially as it doesn't take up your Normal Summon either. The OCG has caught wind of this, and has been splashing the package almost everywhere! Examples include but are not limited to Brave Prank-Kids, Brave Phantom Knights, Brave Dragon Link (with Borrelend), Brave DPE, Brave Eldlich, Brave Salamangreat, and so on. With that being said, the possibilities are plentiful and there's a lot of unexplored ground. Being able to easily stop blowout cards from harming your strategy is a huge selling point.
This is something that only applies to OCG, but it's an interesting observation nonetheless. Should your opponent Maxx "C" you on Rite of Aramesia, you can actually weather the storm! Rite would give them a draw and you simply stop Special Summoning. Since WGR is a Quick Effect, you can bust it out on their turn which avoids them going +1! It's not much, but still better than what most decks can boast under the roach's influence. It's a great trade overall.
That's not the only thing the engine is good for though, as the Brave Engine essentially gives you 2 free bodies without the Normal Summon! A lot can be done with this, and the many variants are able to capitalize on it. Ranging from Predaplant Verte Anaconda to I:P Masquerena or any Link-2 of choice, the world is your oyster.
You can even use these for Tribute or Synchro plays! Going second you can even use them to force out threats, or just gather enough stuff to make a beefy Accesscode Talker! Brave Token + WGR is also 4000 ATK on the board and that can matter a lot in dicey situations.
As for copies, running 1-2 appears to be the agreed number to run.
Equip and Synergies
Last but not least for the Brave engine, we have Dracoback the Dragon Steed. This nifty equip spell can be added for free from Journey of Destiny and it has a couple of cool interactions to explore! The Golden Lord himself loves this Equip Spell as it fuels both of its effects! Pitch Dracoback off Eldlich the Golden Lord's first effect to out something. It then triggers to equip itself to a Brave Token. Then you can use its effect to remove another card your opponent has by bouncing it to the hand. Lastly, you can send it as the cost to revive the boy himself.
It's a surprisingly strong value for two pretty searchable cards. That's not all! You can link away the monster equipped with Dracoback to summon a monster that has a trigger effect! SEGOC will then come into play and let you get away with stuff like Knightmare links or even Crystron Halqifibrax a lot easier.
Worst case scenario, it's a free card in hand that you can use as discard fodder and that's still pretty decent all things considered. While some of the Brave lists don't run this, I highly recommend that you do so. The benefits are substantial enough.
Conclusion
Brave Token is an engine to look out for in the future once we get The Grand Creators! How it's going to impact the meta is not quite certain, but it would not be wise to ignore its raw power and potential. What do you folks think of the engine? Is it going to be a breakout star, or is it overhyped?
