Quick stats:
- Colors: 29 green / 21 blue
- Level 0 = 17 characters
- Level 1 = 9 characters
- Level 2 = 5 characters + 2 events
- Level 3 = 9 characters
- Soul triggers: 16 + 2 on climaxes
Level 0
4x “Supreme Music” LAYER
【AUTO】 When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, put the top 2 cards of your deck into your waiting room, and this card gets +X power until end of turn. X is equal to the number of 《Music》 characters revealed among those cards ×1000.
【AUTO】 [(1) Put the top card of your deck into your clock] When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose 1 level 1 or lower character in your waiting room, and return it to your hand.
2x Shining Admiration, LOCK
【AUTO】 [(1) Put 1 card from your hand into your waiting room] When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to 1 《Music》 character, reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.
【AUTO】 When this card becomes 【REVERSE】 in battle, put this card at the bottom of your deck.
3x “Supreme Music” CHU²
【AUTO】 When you use “Accelerate”, choose 1 of your characters, and that character gets +1000 power until end of turn.
【ACT】 Brainstorm [(1) 【REST】 this card] Flip over 4 cards from the top of your deck, and put them into your waiting room. For each climax revealed among those cards, search your deck for up to 1 《RAISE A SUILEN》 character, reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.
3x RAISE YOUR HANDS, CHU²
【AUTO】 [Put 1 card from your hand into your waiting room] When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, you may pay the cost. If you do, reveal the top card of your deck, choose 1 level X or lower character in your waiting room, and return it to your hand. X is equal to the level of the revealed card. (Climax are regarded as level 0. Return the revealed card to its original place)
2x Never-Ending Music, LAYER
【AUTO】 When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, if your opponent has 1 or fewer characters on his or her center stage, choose 1 cost 0 or lower character in your opponent’s center stage, and put it at the bottom of his or her deck.
【AUTO】 When this card attacks, choose 1 of your other 《Music》 characters, and that character gets +X power until end of turn. X is equal to the number of other 《Music》 characters you have ×500.
2x Ultimate Sound
(No climax combo for this one, it’s just an empty +2Soul)
Level 1
1x Blunt Kindness, MASKING
【AUTO】 [(1)] When you use “Accelerate”, if your clock has 4 or more cards, you may pay the cost. If you do, put the top card of your clock into your waiting room.
【ACT】 [【REST】 this card] Choose 1 of your 《RAISE A SUILEN》 characters, and that character gets +3000 power until end of turn.
1x Handling Difficult Demands, LOCK
【AUTO】 [(2)] When you use this card’s “Backup”, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose 1 of your opponent’s characters with level higher than your opponent’s level, put it into your opponent’s waiting room, your opponent chooses up to 1 level 0 or lower character in his or her waiting room, and puts it on the stage position that that character was on.
【ACT】 【COUNTER】 Backup 1000, Level 1 [Put this card from your hand into your waiting room] (Choose 1 of your characters that is being frontal attacked, and that character gets +1000 power until end of turn)
2x RAISE YOUR HANDS, MASKING
【CONT】 All of your opponent’s characters get “【AUTO】 Encore [(2)]”.
【AUTO】 Accelerate [Put 1 《Music》 character from your waiting room to the bottom of your clock] At the beginning of the climax phase, if you have another 《Music》 character, you may pay the cost. If you do, this card gets +3500 power until end of turn.
4x Competent Producer, CHU²
【AUTO】 When this card attacks, choose 1 of your characters, and that character gets +1000 power until end of turn.
【AUTO】 【CXCOMBO】 When this card attacks, if “Supreme Melody” is in your climax area, and you have another 《RAISE A SUILEN》 character, choose 1 of your characters, and that character gets the following ability until end of turn. “【AUTO】 When this card’s battle opponent becomes 【REVERSE】, search your deck for up to 1 《RAISE A SUILEN》 character, reveal it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.”
4x Supreme Melody
Level 2
2x Desperate Invitation, LOCK
【AUTO】 When this card attacks, if the character facing this card is level 3 or higher, this card gets +4000 power and +1 soul until end of turn.
【AUTO】 When this card’s battle opponent becomes 【REVERSE】, you may put this card into your memory. If you do, at the beginning of your next draw phase, choose 1 “Desperate Invitation, LOCK” in your memory, and put it on any position of your stage.
1x RAISE YOUR HANDS, PAREO
【CONT】 Assist All of your level 3 or higher characters in front of this card get +2000 power.
【AUTO】 [(1) 【REST】 this card from 【STAND】] When you use “Accelerate”, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose 1 of your 《Music》 characters, and that character gets +3500 power until the end of the next turn.
1x On Stage, LAYER
【AUTO】 When this card attacks, this card gets +X power until end of turn. X is equal to the number of other 《Music》 characters you have ×1000.
【AUTO】 Accelerate [Put the top card of your deck into your clock] At the beginning of your climax phase, you may pay the cost. If you do, this card gets +1000 power and the following ability until end of turn. “【AUTO】 When this card’s battle opponent becomes 【REVERSE】, put up to 2 cards from the top of your deck into your stock.”
1x On Stage, MASKING
【ACT】 【COUNTER】 Backup 3000, Level 2 [(1) Put this card from your hand into your waiting room] (Choose 1 of your characters that is being frontal attacked, and that character gets +3000 power until end of turn)
2x Yes!! You Guys Are the Best!!
【COUNTER】 If all of your characters are 《RAISE A SUILEN》, choose 1 of your opponent’s characters in battle, that character gets -2 soul until end of turn, and draw up to 1 card. If you draw 1 card, choose 1 card in your hand, and put it into your waiting room.
Level 3
3x “Supreme Music” LOCK
【CONT】 If you have 4 or more 《RAISE A SUILEN》 characters, this card gets -1 level while in your hand.
【CONT】 If you have 2 or more other 《RAISE A SUILEN》 characters, this card gets +1000 power.
【AUTO】 Accelerate [Put 1 《Music》 character from your waiting room to the bottom of your clock] During the turn that this card is placed on the stage from your hand, at the beginning of your climax phase, you may pay the cost. If you do, this card gets +1500 power and the following ability until end of turn. “【AUTO】 When this card attacks, search your deck for up to 2 《RAISE A SUILEN》 characters or “Yes!! You Guys Are the Best!!”, reveal them to your opponent, put them into your hand, and shuffle your deck.”
1x On Stage, PAREO
【AUTO】 When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, you may put the top card of your clock into your waiting room.
【AUTO】 When this card is placed on the stage from your hand, choose 1 of your 《Music》 characters, and that character gets +X power until end of turn. X is equal to the number of 《Music》 characters you have ×500.
2x Firm Abilities, LAYER
【CONT】 During your turn, if you have 2 or more other 《Music》 characters, this card gets +2000 power.
【AUTO】 [(3) Put 1 card from your hand into your waiting room] This ability activates up to 1 time per turn. During the turn that this card is placed on the stage from your hand, when this card’s battle opponent becomes 【REVERSE】, you may pay the cost. If you do, 【STAND】 this card.
3x Overwhelming Vocal Ability, LAYER
【CONT】 This card gets +500 power for each of your other 《RAISE A SUILEN》 characters.
【AUTO】 【CXCOMBO】 When this card’s battle opponent becomes 【REVERSE】, if “Promise From Before” is in your climax area, you may put that character into your opponent’s clock.
【AUTO】 During the turn that this card is placed on the stage from your hand, at the beginning of the encore step, you may put the top card of your clock into your waiting room.
2x Promise From Before
Introduction & Overview
I’m glad that this time around, I don’t need to write two paragraphs about all the off-trait cards – this build is 100% Raise A Suilen!
But there are other “problems” to write about instead: namely Suilen’s limited card pool. Since this is the first Bang Dream set to include this band, some tools are obviously gonna be missing and some engines will be underdeveloped. So when I was building this deck, I tried my best to focus on Suilen’s weaknesses in hopes of successfully circumventing them.
The first objectively odd choice is probably the inclusion of the +2Soul climax instead of full numbers of the Layer level 3 combo. Initially, I built this with 4 Gold Bars as one normally would, but there’s no getting around the fact that as a finisher, Layer leaves a lot to be desired. She heals, which is always great on a finisher, but she needs reverses and even when she gets them, she only adds one extra damage via the clock-shoot. During my initial testing, even in the most favorable games where I’d get two or three easy reverses, it still wasn’t enough. In most cases, it felt like playing the TD+ restander (which I originally only had at one copy) was the better choice since stock usually wasn’t an issue and if there was a reverse to be had, giving it to the restander enabled more damage than the Layer CXC. And that build needed more damage output. Like, desperately. With that finisher alone, the reach I wanted to have just wasn’t there.
So I looked at what else Suilen has that could push damage, and there wasn’t much: the band only has 4 different level 3s so far, and this build runs all of them. Ultimately, I decided to invest a bit more into the restander by upping its count to 2 copies, but that only kinda solved the games where I could get reverses. And that’s where the +2Soul CX came in: admittedly, I first tried it as a joke, but after testing it for a while, I am now completely serious about it. No, it won’t solve all games, but in the right moment, it can be the push Suilen is lacking – because at the end of the day, I think it’s better to have that push, even at earlier levels, than not having it at all. And that’s why I’ve built the rest of the deck in a way that enables you to capitalize on the sneaky +2Soul play as often and as much as possible.
As for running only two Bars, yeah it’s not ideal, but while it would help a lot if the level 1 combo was on Pants instead of Book, the Bar trigger itself already goes a long way towards getting the CX in hand by level 3. I’ve had games where I couldn’t get it in hand no matter what, of course, but those games were the minority. And hilariously enough, as long as I got to tactically slam a +2Soul in one of the earlier turns, even those games without a finishing climax combo felt somewhat better than many of the games I’ve had with the initial 4 Bar build.
Another thing to address is the choice of level 1 combo: not that there’s much to choose from, given that the only other option is the “on attack top check for a character” TD+ Lock, but since that Lock is 6k cross-turn and on another Gold Bar CX, she’s not necessarily worse than the CHU² combo I’ve gone with here. When the set first came out in JP, I kinda glanced over the Suilen card pool and thought that Lock would be the better play since CHU² is an on reverse search, and who runs those in 2020, right … unless you’re Madoka or something equally sad.
But then the English set came out, and I gave CHU² a try anyway. Honestly, I was really surprised by how well it performs! I guess the idea of an on-reverse deck search in the current meta evokes some negative bias by default, at least it did in my case – but CHU² is just unique enough to avoid the biggest drawbacks of most such combos. First of all, she gives the search ability to whichever character you want, which combats reverse-denial: unless your opponent can deny you in all 3 lanes, you can still get 3 searches off of one single reverse target if you triple-field the combo. And sure, some decks (and some players in general) have no problem denying all three lanes – but it’s not exactly something we’re hyper focused on. Usually, there’s the mentality that every reverse you deny is a loss for your opponent, but with CHU², that doesn’t hold true. I’ve had a non-zero number of games in which my opponents actively played to crash one or two lanes, only to then realize that it didn’t matter anyway.
And second of all, she compensates for low power issues with her 1k boost on attack. Again, you only need one reverse to get all your pluses, so while she’s only 5k with the Book climax in play, assuming your field three, the last one attacks for 8k without any other boosts – and there are other boosts available as well, which I’ll go over later.
Also, the fact that none of her abilities are actually tied to herself just makes her even more useful in the late game. Not only does the 1k boost help with the reverses your finishers so badly need, she can also cheat out searches during level 2 – as long as you draw the Book again, it doesn’t matter if CHU² can reverse something on your opponent’s board. You have other level 2s that can, so just crash or side with CHU² and give the on-reverse search to one of those instead. I think that’s a really neat functionality that most on-reverse combos don’t offer – they’re usually just dead once the boards get too big.
So with the controversial choices covered, let’s take a look at how the deck actually plays.
Main Game Plan
Level 0
There’s mainly a lot of utility going on here. Suilen doesn’t currently have any of the conventional plussing level 0s like runners, coinflips or oversizes. It has some, which I’ll cover at the end, but they’re mostly watered down versions of better profiles, so I don’t see a reason to include them over all the other actually great utility we do have access to.
That being said, it might be weird that so many of the level 0s are discard outlets – that’s half on purpose, half by accident. The Lock drop-searcher is obviously worth running without question, even more so since it could technically count as an oversize at 3k? Maybe, but that’s beside the point. The CHU² with the on-play Riko effect is included mainly for the free access to the waiting room, but also because if nothing else, she’s a free top check – since you can always just discard a level 0 and get it back no matter what you reveal. The Masking is perhaps the most replaceable one in the lineup, but I personally like her effect since it helps set up 5-card brainstorms by removing a character from the top of your deck, on top of also letting you discard cards and giving +500 power on attack.
So while I’d likely run some of these cards anyway, in this specific build, the ditch utility is especially valuable to me because of the +2Souls. Basically, as much as slamming one of those down and going to town is super fun, this deck really can’t afford such plays most of the time. It’s not 2Soul Sunshine, by which I mean that soul rush isn’t its default state but instead (usually) a one-turn thing that needs to be considered accordingly. If all that your +2Soul turn does is mill your opponent for free as they cancel everything on the 4th card, you kinda shot yourself in the foot there. Believe me, I’ve tried the “random +2Soul for funnies” approach with this build because of course I have, I live for the memes and it just doesn’t work out. So if you want this climax to make up for your lack of reach at level 3 before you even get there, you need to carefully time it so that you get maximum value out of it – which often means holding it in your hand, waiting for the moment when your opponent’s compression is just bad enough so that you have decent chances of landing some big swings. And while blindly holding on to climaxes is never a great feeling, the numerous ditch outlets in this deck allow you to do that with minimized risk. Honestly, you have enough discards to be safe even if you hold the +2 Soul and then trigger Book into another Book and then a Gold Bar – extreme scenario, but just putting it out there anyway.
Moving on, the rest of the level 0 lineup is pretty straight forward: the tap-self search brainstorm is probably one of the biggest blessings Suilen has for now, easily makes or breaks the deck with its current card pool so I’m glad we’ve got this instead of a tap-two search. The Layer box topper promo is nifty if you happen to open it when you’re going second since it can get rid of whatever they attacked you with – bonus points if it’s a runner, suicider or just generally something you wouldn’t want to reverse because it has an on-death effect. Her power boost is also nice, both for your other weak level 0s as well as later on for your level 1s and 3s that need reverses. As for the Layer Riki clone … do I need to say anything? Easily the best card in BD vol. 2! Being able to avoid level lock and set up multiples of your level 1 combo is obviously great (and something BD needed in general), but the fact that she mills on top of that? Perfect. I love it.
Level 1
Ideally, the play is tri-fielding the CHU² + Book for that sweet, sweet triple plus. I just love how versatile she is for a combo profile that usually feels very rigid and underwhelming. If you want to be wary of counters, you of course don’t have to stack all three searches on one of them, though as I’ve already said before, 8k will safely get you over a lot of things. Also, putting all the search effects on your last attacker gives you the added benefit of thinning your deck only after you’ve revealed all your triggers, so you’re not making it slightly more likely to trigger CXs as you normally would with a search combo. And by going through your deck at the end of your turn, you also get a great overview of what’s left in there, which makes the blind stock from any Bars you trigger that turn much less of a mystery.
But you don’t have to rely on CHU² alone to get enough power for reverses – that’s why the 1/1 Masking support is for. I don’t think I’ve used her heal ability much at all, but having a 3k boost available at level 1 is really decent as she pushes your level 1 attackers over 10k easily. And if that’s still not enough power, don’t worry – there’s also the 1/0 Masking with base 6k power which can be Accelerated to 9.5k on either player’s turn. And if it’s over 9000, it ought to be good, right? Like, forget the combo, even if you don’t find the Book in time for level 1, fielding this Masking is still a good backup plan since she’s essentially a clock-one costed plus in most situations – not that many decks get over 9.5k on attack during level 1 after all. Oh, and did I mention that the CHU² brainstorm gives an additional 1k power to someone when you use Accelerate? So that puts Masking at 10.5k even!
And the remaining two level 1 cards are just anti early-play tech: one copy of the Lock backup and one copy of the Pareo bottom deck bomb. Feel free to switch those ratios around if the match-ups you expect would benefit more from having two bombs or vice versa.
Level 2
The plan to prolong our existence and not die continues with the Lock early play – sadly, she doesn’t heal (which would be awesome), but her Accelerate ability does help out because it thins your deck by searching two cards and also lets you search the 2/2 minus soul event. If you’re doing well with stock, as this deck often does, the 2/2 event is often a great way to ensure you have enough time to kill your opponent. But depending on the game state, you can also use her to grab your level 3 pieces, or the 2/1 Masking backup to protect her until next turn. The Pareo 2/1 assist does make keeping the Lock alive a bit easier, but it’s not a must-have, at least not at level 2.
Aside from the early play, Suilen actually has some super decent level 2s??? It’s pretty cool. I’m personally a huge fan of the Lock that gains 4k and a soul if she’s attacking a level 3 character. Usually, those kinda cards are meh because if your opponent doesn’t have early plays out by the time you’re level 2, this profile is just dead in your hand, but Lock actually goes to memory when she reverses a battle opponent of any level, and then comes back next turn! Meaning that as long as she can get a reverse on her first turn, she actually gives great value – especially if she ends up killing a level 3 on her second turn. Her poofing off stage doesn’t have the best synergy with the minus soul counter since you can’t use that on empty lanes, but you’ll usually still have your other two lanes left for counter plays anyway, so that one open lane won’t hurt as much.
Similarly, the 2/1 TD+ Layer is also really neat. She attacks at 11k on a full field, 12k if you use her Accelerate ability, 13k if you also give her the boost from the brainstormer. And if you do go for that route, you get two stock from her reversing something – blind stock, but still! It’s not like you can’t pay it out right away with the minus soul counter if you need to.
Level 3
I think I’ve outlined most of this in the Intro section already, but basically, you need reverses and if you can’t get them, you’ll have to really struggle to not die. The good thing is that in many cases, you’ll know from turn one if the deck (or player) you’re against will let you get those reverses. If yes, then you’ll have plenty of time to find the Bar CX and set up your finishers – but you’ll have to decide between the low stock, low damage Layer healers or the high stock but more damage restander anyway. Depending on the finishing power of the deck you’re facing, you might be able to safely go for a two turn kill as well: first the combo to clock-shoot and heal, and then the restander next turn.
But if you can’t get reverses, your best bet is to heal as much as possible while holding the minus soul counters and hoping that vanilla swings can close the game.
Alternatives
First off, the “kinda plussing” level 0s I promised you guys are this Pareo chaser and this Lock oversize middle runner – but I really don’t think either of them are worth running. Other notable cards to consider are this TD+ Pareo which might be a good swap for the 0/0 Masking, this TD+ Layer suicider and maybe the TD+ draw brainstorm. I’ve had the latter in the original draft of this build at one copy, but she doesn’t do much, especially given that you don’t really need to draw into your counters since the Lock early play can search them.
For level 1, aside from the Lock combo discussed earlier, I think the only other card worth looking at is this Layer that also gets pretty big with Accelerate and salvages a copy of itself or the new Tae memory kick backup on reverse – but keep in mind that Tae isn’t a <Raise a Suilen> character 🙂
Similarly, level 2 has maybe one alternative support option which could replace the Pareo assist: this 2/1 TD+ Masking. But for anything past that, I guess we wait for the inevitable next Bang Dream set 😛
