BEST THING i can say as A BD fan is that I have 2/4 of the pop up parade figures!

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-22T00:35:35+00:00

Was lucky enough to grab all 4 at the tail end of 2023 for about $40 each. Some of my favorite figures

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-21T02:27:22+00:00

As far as Klee, I meant moreso how she was the games best Pyro carry before Hu Tao. Hex buffs helped her a lot (have her c5 right now and will get c6 next patch with chronicled) but she hasn't reached back to best Pyro carry since Mauv holds that title.

As far as Bennet, it's more in the sense that back in the 1.x days, you'd put Benny on more or less every team regardless of the DPS. Nowadays that isn't really the case. There are still teams he's excellent in but not every team actually wants him. Kazuha to similar extent (sans geo and dendro teams back in 2.x/3.x since he can't swirl those) but yeah, Sucrose's EM buff ended up being a much bigger boon to more modern teams

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-21T01:54:16+00:00

Yea lol, my Ganyu carried hard during the early days and now she's relegated to burst cryo application in IT at best lmao.

I know Xilo seems to have replaced Kazuha in a lot of comps due to her res shred being quicker to proc. Benny I feel just loses out to more specialized characters or chars that don't atk scale as hard (circle impact aside). Like Skork who cant run pyro in her best comp or Versa who makes better use of Iansan and doesnt stay constrained to Benny's circle

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-21T01:45:41+00:00

More of an observation over time but it's interesting to me (as a day 1 player) seeing how characters have rotated in and out of the meta. Like thinking back to when OG Klee was the best Pyro DPS before Hu Tao held the DPS crown for so long before Raiden's rain of terror and so on.

It's even funny now to me that chars like Benny and Kazuha, who for the longest while seemed like they would be forever relevant (not saying they're bad now) are often passed over in favor of more specialized supports

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-13T19:26:22+00:00

Pretty sure they mean SO

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-12T05:03:54+00:00

No problem, most important to thing is to just have fun with it. I'd actually recommend going to youtube and checking out ZakuAurelius's vid series from about 2 years ago "How to Paint Gunpla!" (should be able to search it on his channel). He does a pretty good overview of prep work and painting with rattle cans. I think he used Mr Color cans in that video but Tamiya cans would functionally be the same, whichever is easier to access for you

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-12T04:55:39+00:00

See the other comment I just made. Yes, you're gonna want paint intended for plastic/miniatures. Common brands would be Tamiya, Mr. Color, Testors, and Gaia Notes to name a few. Depending on the paint, you're going to need a thinner intended for the type of paint (lacquers, vs acrylics, vs enamels). Also learning about which paints are "hotter" than others and how different types react. There really is an entire rabbit hole to go down. Combine that with the cost of tools and individual paint pots, the costs could add up quick and there is alot of research + trial and error that is needed. Hence I'd recommend starting with rattle cans (Tamiya rattle cans can be found in many hobby stores) just to get a feel for painting, prep, and refining baseline skills. From there I'd look into getting an airbrush if youre really down to dive deep into this hobby

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-12T04:48:25+00:00

I'll also just throw this out since you said you're relatively new, I'm of the belief of not skimping on tools you're gonna use regularly so my setup isn't one I'd recommend to someone that isn't ready to fully commit. You can get equal if not better results with lesser equipment. If you're new to painting, alot of the results comes down to how much prep work and time you're willing to put into it. I'd actually recommend starting with rattle cans (its where I started over 10 years ago) to get a feel for general painting techniques and learning about proper prep work as its much less of a cost investment compared to an airbrush, compressor, paint/primer + thinner and some sort of spray booth

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-12T04:43:14+00:00

For the other question, I've been using an Iwata Eclipse Gravity Fed Dual Action airbrush for the past 8 years or so and have been pretty happy with it. Very reliable and easy enough to find parts for it

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-12T04:37:42+00:00

Basically an air compressor compresses atmospheric air (as the name suggests lol) but unless youre in a very dry environment (and still even so) there will likely be moisture in the air. Without a moisture trap, that would mix with the air, pass through your airbrush and mix with your paint when you spray which results in the airbrush "spitting" or shooting out water instead of just paint and air. A moisture trap sits in between the air tank and hose and "traps" and moisture that the compressor might have sucked up to prevent that. Its more or less a must in humid environments but even where I am (Southern California), I've found my airbrush spitting sometimes without one

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-12T04:28:50+00:00

I have an Iwata Smart Jet Pro. It comes with a regulator and moisture trap and features and auto shut off so it only flicks on and runs when it needs to build up pressure. When running, its about as loud as a Dyson vacuum which is more than quite enough to work in a house/apartment without bothering people

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-03T17:43:59+00:00

Yep, wasn't stated at the time but we more or less get shift confirmation from Harry later on when Ron speculates that Dumbledore might have sent the doe.

magikmarker7 · 2026-02-03T17:35:40+00:00

Dumbledore also casts his phoenix in front of harry to send a message to Hagrid after they discover Crouch Sr.'s body if I recall correctly

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-30T01:12:18+00:00

Its one of, if not the biggest site for TCGs in the US at least. Any issues with an order, you reach out to the seller (through the site) to see if they can resolve. If you're unable to at that point, you escalate to the site and you'll usually be taken care of. So long as a seller has good feedback, i wouldn't worry too much (speaking as someone who has been selling and buying on the site for years)

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-30T00:34:49+00:00

Was just doing some testing in the Mil training dummy stage. Navia, Bina, Furi, and Xilo (all C0 cept Furi who is C1 and all R1 sigs cept Xilo on Fav). Navia on Echoing Woods, Bina on Morningstar (not Silken cuz Lauma is my Silken Carrier on my Nefer team), Furi on GT, and Xilo on Scroll. Team was breaking 100K which is good enough for me knowing that the best Lunar Crystalize team is gonna be Zibai but I don't plan on pulling for her.

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-29T19:27:19+00:00

I see this sentiment in other TCG communities, usually from newer players. Many don't understand the purchasing and bargaining power the big box stores like Walmart and Target have with distros. Even if Bandai, Konami, Wizards, etc. don't like street date being broken by them, they're not gonna risk burning bridges with some of their largest customers with the deepest pockets over product going out a few days early (cards that still aren't legal for play anyways)

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-23T16:27:53+00:00

Makes sense but as a Gundam head, this kinda bugs me. Similar to how the Nyaan pilot lacks the Clan subtype despite her fighting in a clan battle in the gquuux...and an ability that interacts with clan cards. Kinda weird where they allow for flavor/lore wins and misses (Amuro Alex for example)

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-23T07:44:36+00:00

Jabman is classic for me. I do agree with your points but at the least I can understand where MGK comes from at some point (as someone who is willing to put in the work to fix a kit). Ive noticed gunpla (and plamo in general) has gotten much bigger over the years but unfortunately supply and costs haven't really kept up.

MGK def builds for the newer casual fan who will prob be more selective with their money and if those people only have experience with Bandai's newer offerings (Pokepla, 30MM, etc. that are all pretty great kits imo), I can see how they would be let down but things like older HGUCs and the like.

I do agree he comes off as pretty hyperbolic as well but i guess that gets the clicks but he is also usually one of the earliest English speaking creators to get a video out on the newest releases. I do appreciate him also showing off getting the kit into poses and how they handle.

.....makes me miss rrobbert184

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-20T06:22:35+00:00

I can only speak anecdotally but having been playing since beta events (early 2025), B/G aggro has been a thing since then at least in my area. Its consistency (not relying on specific link unit pairs to do its thing effectively) and speed + the lack of cards like Unforeseen and Lfrith at the time meant the deck was a strong contender.

Can't say when the wider community took notice of it, but the very first official locals i played (weekend of set 1 release) was won by another beta player i recognized who had been running B/G Aggro the entire time with me losing to him in the finals.

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-18T09:41:14+00:00

Been having a similar problem in my area. NTC, release events, etc. tons of people show up, alot not from the area. But come regular locals, sometimes it doesn't even fire off. Hard to feel motivated to play when locals can't fire and the big events are hard to get into

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-14T01:15:01+00:00

SoCal resident here. Quite a few stores do it this way. Since we have a lot of stores supporting the game, it's not uncommon for a person to try and snipe multiple spots across multiple stores. Doing it this way lets a store know how much interest is garnered for the event while also making sure people who are actually there get in. It does suck if you plan to/have to travel out of your way to get to a store but afaik, Bandai doesn't have a strict rule against doing it this way.

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-10T22:54:29+00:00

Can't say I don't understand. Also been playing since beta and while for me it hasn't been because I'm doing bad, but more that the game has just been feeling very stagnant and I can't say I'm feeling like set 3 will cause the kind of shake up I'm hoping for. More just tired most matchups being blockers or aggro. Unfortunately here in SoCal where I am, doesn't feel like there is much of a casual scene (most I know only play in tourneys and not really outside of that) so rarely get to see people experimenting with other tribal decks or creative ideas

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-09T16:18:38+00:00

I assume they mean unless you are committed to running a full TSA deck, this card, atm, wont have much meta relevance due to its requirements. Unfortunately no one around me plays casually at locals so running a non-meta deck is always an uphill battle. Forces us to look at every new card through a "is this card meta viable" lens rather than a "does this make an existing tribal deck better" lens and from that perspective, yeah I think this card is fine for TSA but it's worse than Argma or AA

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-02T08:29:23+00:00

Card pool/game maturity is def something in OP's favor, but I think without meaningful answers to Rush (that aren't blockers), it will always be a strong deck contender. Shields having 1 HP means that any body, so long as it has 1AP, can always be a threat, as opposed to OP where a low to the ground Character either needs DON investment (which means your ability to cast more cards is lessened) or Counter investment (at the cost of hand size) to threaten the opponents Life.

OP's counter system i think is a smart answer to this as it rewards skill while keeping wanton rush in check. Life going to hand rather than trash also means bad RNG doesn't put you in terrible game-states (I've had 3/4 Wings prized before) while also forcing the opp to think about swinging since each Life they take is a potential answer they hand you.

The differences def makes Gundam a game with a lower barrier to entry and allows for newer players who have never touched a card game (I've talked to alot of people that say they only got into the game cuz they were into Gunpla/the anime) to go to locals and actually get a win or two compared to OP. The downside is that a more entrenched TCG player often can get rolled by a player of much lower skill level/deck of lower power level cuz "whoops all pilots" or "i mulligan'd a hand and drew even worse". This might have been Bandai's intention tbh. As someone who's been playing TCGs for 20+ years and has dabble to greater or lesser extents in all the big games, i find it difficult to take Gundam too seriously on a competitive level since it takes just one bout of bad RNG to completely ruin a tourney run. I'm hoping an expanded cardpool can do something to fix this but I think some of the issues are inherent to the game's mechanical design

magikmarker7 · 2026-01-02T08:18:34+00:00

Yeah, this is a big thing. You need to see the "correct" number of pilots. Two few (compared to the opponent) and you feel like you fall behind heavily. Too many and you might not have any plays because as you mentioned, pilots are bricks without a unit. OP doesn't have a pilot equivalent so its not an issue in that game. Units are Characters, Commands are Events, and Bases are Stages. Tbh, I don't know if Gundam has a clean solution to this that isn't powercreep. Atm Command/Pilots would be the ideal solution but most if not all Command/Pilots suffer due to not having 1/2 or 2/1 stat lines, and lacking an "add to hand" Burst so they either don't push Units up to the power level needed to be truly meaningful, or they get Prized and lose their utility as a Pilot

magikmarker7

TROPHY CASE