Archetype Archive: Water

Water is an interesting archetype. It is basically the red head step child of Katana World. Little supported and tended to be ignored. It usually supports both Ninjas (Ninja Arts) and Skull Warriors (Demon Way) and it will be lucky if it gets it's own standalone support. That being said, even though this list is going to be short compared to other archetype archives, the support for Water is sprinkled in other archetypes within Katana World so get deck building!

Buddyfight Season 1

Technically, Water was in Cyber Ninja Squad. I say technically because the archetype didn't have an actual play style and it was just an applied monsters with no rhyme or reason. These monsters included Loud Laugh Ninja Fugumaru, Stealth Ninja, Kirikakure Saizo, Sea-Splitting Irukamaru and Mobile Ninja, Jiraiya. The only spell with the Water attribute was Demon Way, Noroihikagami. All vanilla monsters or spells with no real cohesive play style between each other and are meant to actually support other archetypes.

I will never understand
how this card got an SP rarity

It wasn't until Break to the Future that Water actually had some semblance of a play style with White Dragon Hermit, Nanase, Cat Shadow, Aoihime and the set spell, Water Technique, Shinotsukuame. Aoihime can search for the set spell to help buff the stats of all the Water monsters. Then, Nanase can sit in the center with 7,000 attack and defense while disrupting the opponent's gauge.

Runaway Female Ninja, Yukishiro acts as a control aspect of the deck since it is a spell nullify and can be on the left or right of Nanase. Disperser of Conflagration, Shiromizuchi was a beefy size 1 but was not overall used in the archetype. Perfect Beauty, Hyoshi Shirasagi also had the Water archetype but if either were ever played, it was probably in a size 1 Skull Warriors deck.

There were some more spells were also created in the set for Water in Break to the Future. They included Demon Way, Kiribusuma, and Water Technique, Minawagakushi. Both cards helped mitigate how aggressive the opponent could be but never directly supported Water (besides attribute).

The last card that helped support Water was Moss Wall, Fudogame but even then, it was another vanilla with high defense that costed a gauge.

Overall, throughout the season, the archetype still wasn't great. You could tell Bushiroad was trying to make an archetype but it wasn't cohesive enough.

Buddyfight Hundred

The Hundred season as a whole did very little to support Water. About the only direct support cards that could be played in the deck was Third Omni Water Lord, Miseria, INV Third Omni Water Lord, Dark Miseria and Water Ploy, Kyokusuinoen.

The first two out of the three weren't even Katana World cards and the third card didn't help any current play style. So overall, there was effectively nothing new.

Buddyfight Triple D

But everything changes in the Triple D season!... is what I would want to say but the only card with the Water attribute from this season was Skull Warrior Bones of the Four Birds, "Akuten Haba" but again, there is no real cohesive strategy for Water that this card can actually do.

Bird. Bird. Bird is the Word.

Buddyfight X

Continuing on with the lack luster support, Premature Passing Bibikawazu came out in The Dark Lord's Rebirth. At this point, it was much more helpful for Skull Warriors than Water.

Once Overturn! Thunder Empire!! was released, Water finally got enough updated cards to actually be a coherent deck with a strategy. These cards were Celestial Deity of Misty Dew Water, Nanase, Heavenly Vengeance, Full-equip Kannon, and their tutor spell, Demon Way, Fresh Blood Nectar.

Same... but different

With these three monsters, they had a size 3/2/0 field that greatly controlled the opponent's gauge and field. Once these cards came out, Bibikawazu could be used to set up the drop zone for the new Nanase. Another notable size 0 run in the deck was First Omni Beast Messenger, Goishi Goma since he reduces the gauge cost of both Nanase and Kannon.

There was one more Water card in the Overturn! Thunder Empire!! set however it synergized with Blade Beast/Japanese Blade more than Water but the card was White Dew Blade Beast, Murasamemaru.

The New World Chaos set brought one new Water card but there was another non-Water card that helped the deck as well. The one Water card was Ninja Arts, Vapor Crow. It didn't do much for the deck but it does have the Water attribute.

The other card was Hundred Mechs general, CHAOS Gishingyuki. Since the size 0's in the deck are Skull Warriors and Kannon is a size 3, CHAOS Gishingyuki could be called at counter speed to the field by sacrificing Bibikawazu or Goishi Goma. Then, he would reduce in size to 0 if Kannon is on the field. Have a 10,000 power double attacking beat stick wasn't bad for the deck since it does lack offensive pressure. The deck gains a respectable amount of gauge because of Nanase so the two gauge cost isn't that bad.

Buddyfight X2

Unfortunately, the support wouldn't continue. The short X2 season had nothing new for Water.

Buddyfight Ace

Ace has graced Water with exactly one card so far for Katana World and it is a good generic card. Celestial Arts, Returning Water destroys a monster on your field to gain a gauge, life and draw a card. This is obviously meant to proc Nanase's destruction ability but it's generic enough to be an Oswira Gard clone for practically any Katana World deck.

~Last updated 4/25/2019