Cardfighter Spotlight: Interview With Cameron Stewart
Today we have a Cardfighter Spotlight! I’ll be having the opportunity to interview the Genesis player that recently accomplished 1st overall in Vision’s Online Premium Tournament! His name is Cameron Stewart (Grim#0405) and is from the United States! Let’s get right into the interview!
Interview
Jaime: First off, congratulations to Cameron (Grimrswords) for getting 1st place in Vision's online Premium tournament! When I saw the results and you were playing Genesis, I was happy to see Genesis being represented. Today I wanted to do an interview with you about your overall experience and even get to know you a little bit for the readers. It's great to get a 2nd chance to interview you on another top. Sounds good amigo?
Cameron: Yes and thanks for the opportunity again!
Jaime: Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Are you from any specific Vanguard teams/communities? Any other events that you and/or team have done well? Etc.
Cameron: I been playing Vanguard for 7 years online and 2 years in real life. Granblue was the first clan I started with. I am from Atlanta, GA. I also am an active local at Wasteland Gaming and Supergames Inc. in GA. Personally I do not have any BCS accomplishments; however, plenty of others at that shop have many top 8 BCS under their belt. The highest achievement out of my locals was a top 8 at worlds in Premium last year.
Jaime: That’s awesome that you have plenty of players that have gotten tops in your locals! How did you start playing Cardfight Vanguard?
Cameron: I started playing Vanguard on Tradescardsonline, it was my older brother who got me into it. I choose Granblue because my favorite color is blue and I preferred the art of the Grade 0s of Granblue then Bermuda Triangle or Aqua Force. Funny enough if I was to go back, I most likely would have chosen Aqua Force if I had started with the Grade 3s.
Jaime: The clans in Magallanica are all really cool with their arts! During your preparation, what are some things that you mainly focused on? Certain matchups, deck builds, strategies, etc.
Cameron: Making the loop consistent and speedy as possible. I focused mainly on fighting the Kagero (Blademaster) matchup as that deck is the counter. It can deny me damage, so I needed to figure out a way to pull it off under those circumstances as if I was 0 damaged.
Jaime: The loop is important and interesting that you were focused against Blademaster. What made you decide on Genesis to play with? Why Fenrir?
Cameron: It topped the Vision Premium tournament before so that got me thinking about it. But it wasn't until my teammate, on ES, used his own variation on me. The way it took off, I struggled winning against it even with Blademaster. So after that I decided this is the deck, so I just tweaked it to my liking and it was tourney ready.
Jaime: Awesome, let's dive into your deck list. I see that you're playing 1 Zarzan, 4 Bobos and 3 Cycloneds, how were they able to help out in the tournament? Were you able to resolve Zarzan consistently?
Cameron: The loop requires GB1 and Zarzan is the only way to get GB1 without CB, Bobos are used to gain the extra CB you need. Cycloned cause of Zarzan's skill to flip it which can be used multiple times if needed. Yes, it was consistent by using Fenrir or Gleipnir to fetch it out. Those cards helped me pull the loop off very fast and without needing CB.
Jaime: Wow that's a great point on fetching Zarzan with both Fenrir and Gleipnir! I also see you're playing 4 copies of Grappa and 3 Kazande. Was that intentional on both of those cards working together?
Cameron: Kazande is needed for the loop as you can use his skill to SB2. If you're going for the loop, then you would SB Tahro, her skill triggers and goes into the bottom of the deck. Then you can use Gelja to SC2, give a unit 6k power, and rinse and repeat that which gives you the infinite power loop. Kazande SBing Grappa or Orange can help turbo through your deck and get to 1 card left in deck as fast as possible.
Jaime: That's great that it provides the infinite power loop and I can see it would be hard for other decks to deal with that. Did you miss not having 4 Croute? Did the 3 Bangle help? Any other card choices you'd like to point out?
Cameron: 4 Croute would be nice but there really isn't the space, unless you could cut some Bobos. But if your opponent 0 damages you then your going to wish you had Bobo. 3 Bangle really helped as I was able to put pieces like Tahro, Gelja, Orange, or Grape into Soul. It also helps to fetch a Zarzan piece or loop piece.
Jaime: Awesome thanks for explaining those card choices. With this build, what was your winning image for most of your games? Like did you have a setup, game state, or strategy that you focused on?
Cameron: Winning image is 1 card left in deck, Fenrir as VG, 2 Gelja in Soul, Kazande and Gleipnir on field, and at least 2 Tahro in soul.
Jaime: Very specific, I like it! During your games, which decks/clans did you face?
Cameron: My matchups were:
OTT Gyze (W)
OTT 2020 Premium Collection (L)
Nubatama Jammy (W)
Narukami Vanquisher (W)
Shadow Paladin Luard (W)
Nubatama Jammy (W) three times
Genesis Valkerion (W)
Pale Moon Alice (W),
Jaime: Was there a game you would like to highlight? Like your toughest matchup, best game, break or deal moments, etc.
Cameron: I won against the Shadow Paladin user before he rode to G3. I also won against the Pale Moon user, even though he had the Tricky Assistant Denial play. My toughest matchup was my only Loss to Kuuroneko because I underestimated OTT and lost to a 90k 3 Crit VG.
Jaime: Yes, OTT can have some really big VG swings! During your games, what is something that you appreciated about your deck from the preparation you've done? The strategy of it, consistency, power, plays, etc.
Cameron: Just how fast and consistent it was and how I was able to win against someone before they ride G3. Also, executing my strategy even against Denial plays.
Jaime: How many rounds were in the tournament? How was your record throughout? Was there a Top 8?
Cameron: My record was 5-1 during Swiss rounds with best of 1, 6-0 in the Top 8 with best of 3, single elimination.
Jaime: Nice, that's an impressive record! How was your finals game(s)?
Cameron: I won against my opponent because they could not stop the loop nor win against me quickly.
Jaime: The loop is so strong. After the tournament, did you take some time to reflect? Anything that you learned from your experience?
Cameron: I learned that Fenrir's weakness is heavy denial plays and decks that can put you from 0 to 6 damage in one turn. Also, that I shouldn't give damage unless I know what that opposing deck can do.
Jaime: Awesome and I agree that denial plays ruin your winning image turn! Would you like to do any shout outs to people that you know and/or have helped you along your journey?
Cameron: Elemental Spectacle and specifically Angel who got me on to it.
Jaime: That's all great stuff! I'm sure your friends are happy and excited for your accomplishment! Just one more question and we'll be done amigo.
While preparing with Genesis, did you use/see any social media to help you solidify your build? Such as blogs, YouTube videos/channels, Facebook, Reddit, etc.
Cameron: I just practiced on CFA and that was it.
Jaime: Awesome! Thank you for sharing that as well, very much appreciated. Thanks again for joining me in this interview! I wish you the best and hope to see more from you in the metagame! Till next time amigos!
Takeaways
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this interview! I just wanted to highlight some takeaways that can help players out!
Never Underestimate Your Opponent
Cameron mentioned, “My toughest matchup was my only Loss to Kuuroneko because I underestimated OTT and lost to a 90k 3 Crit VG."
One thing that can cause you to lose a game/matchup is underestimating your opponent. As you're getting close to Top 8, it becomes vital for you to continue your wins, otherwise you may not make it and come up short.
I encourage players to gauge their opponent by their plays to get a good sense of skill level. But never let your guard down as even they can deceive you early on to steal a win from you. Not to mention the chances of drive checks/damage checks that can change the odds in their favor.
The Damage Denial Strategy
Cameron mentioned, "Also, that I shouldn't give damage unless I know what that opposing deck can do."
Premium has enough decks in its metagame where even giving 1 CB to a deck, can really lose you the game or make it harder to win. This damage denial strategy is something to learn and master. Decks like Fenrir with the infinite power loop, can truly win in one turn by putting the opponent from 0 to 6 damage. With decks like these being able to do so, then you can safely take the strategy of denying your opponent any damage until you're ready to win.
This is another reason why cards like Bobo can be essential in certain decks. Bobo can give you 2 CB to work with and it can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Final Thoughts
Feel free to check out Commander Jaime's video on his perspective of the deck list and also some of the interactions from this article.
Thanks again for reading this Cardfighter Spotlight article! It’s great to see Genesis to take 1st in an event! Thanks again to Cameron Stewart for joining us today as well! Till next time amigos!