Go first? Go second?

SENKOU!!

If you have been playing other card games, be it physical or digital, you would know the importance of going first or second. Some games may give you huge advantage going first while others for going second. So what about WIXOSS? Today we will look at the plus points of both cases.

Going First

One such SIGNI that is really strong but only playable on level 4

So going first in WIXOSS is a good thing for most cases. By going first it means you will be able to reach level 4 first, allowing you to play more stronger level 4 SIGNIs which may either aid you or defeat your opponent. It also goes without saying that most LRIGs only start to have effects on level 4, hence going to level 4 gives you a huge amount of advantage.

One such LRIG that helps generate ener, Orchid Key Umr

Going first also allows you to stabilize faster. As many stronger effects are on level 4, reaching there allows you to build up the needed hand and ener first before your opponent strikes you. LRIG response effects are often also available on level 4 LRIGs, giving you more defense against your opponent's aggression. Hitting 4 first also allows you to not be held down by the LRIG level restriction, allowing you to call almost any card in you deck to field.

Even in Key Format, reaching 4 first brings about huge benefits. Take Tama for example. Before reaching 4, she has to rely on her top deck being the correct level in order to fully activate effects such as Sanpoke and Kamakura . But once she hits level 4, she can freely activate those effects knowing that she can guarantee call the SIGNI out onto the field, all she needs to take note is to not exceed the SIGNI zone level limit, something which can be controlled by what you board.

Going Second

So what about going second? Well fortunately there are also certain advantages that going first don't bring about.

Imagine facing a double crush attack and another
SIGNI attack on turn 1 in Key Format.

One advantage is that you get to attack first. Now it may seem very trivia that you can attack first, especially when you consider that no matter who goes first, you will get 1 at least damage in, even better yet the fact that going first means you get to board a full field. 

However certain decks like stop decks rely on quickly finishing the opponent before they can stabilize (usually when they reach level 4), giving them a very limited number of turns to do their job. By going 2nd, they will have an extra turn of attacking which can seal the game for them.

Most of such stop decks usually have the ability to open SIGNI zones as early as level 1, some even able to give double crush to their SIGNI this early. Since this is only turn 1, the opponent is extremely likely not to response to the attacks, allowing the player to deal in a potential 3 damage in easily and quickly bring their opponent into lethal range.

Cards like Armile also favors players going second, allowing them to open SIGNI zones if both players LRIG level are the same.

Another advantage going second gives is the extra 1 draw on turn 1. Sure it may not seem much as it is just a +1, but if your hand isn't exactly optimal for early game, the fact that you get to draw into the deck one more increases the chances of you drawing your early game pieces. This prevents you from having a rough start and letting unnecessary damage in due to not boarding any SIGNI.

This advantage also helps stop decks tremendously as they usually function with certain pieces, having that extra draw 1 allows them to more consistently get what they need.

Become You

As you can see, there are different positive points for going either first or second, hence when an ARTS that allows you to overtake your opponent in terms of LRIG level appears, things start to change.

Stop decks now have even more advantage in going 2nd. With Become You, going second not only means they get to attack first, they get to reach level 2 first and have a full field of 3 SIGNI zone, allowing them to do more aggressive plays as compared to being limited to 2 SIGNIs on the field. Do remember many SIGNI effects are also only available at level 2 and above, meaning that reaching level 2 first now opens the different possible plays like boarding Dong Zhuos first.

Become You also allows decks to reach their desired LRIG level first before the opponent. Decks like Layla-Samsara and Become You Tama require reaching level 4 before the opponent does in order to prevent any in-built LRIG response from interfering with their combo's, improving their consistency by miles.

Winning Carnival decklist with Become You, Something
you don't see often

Of course the opposite can be said to be true too. By playing Become You, you get to reach level 4 first in order to access your in-built LRIG response and put a stop to OTK decks like Become You Tama.

There's also the risk of facing responses such as Tama's Flame and Idol Defense if you open Become You on the turn of your combo, forcing players to open earlier and overtake their opponent before the crucial turn, though this play may leave the one doing the combo vulnerable too as the opponent can also use Become You to further overtake them, negating the advantage they have gotten. 

Conclusion

SENKOU!! 

As we have discussed, going first or second has its own merit. Ultimately it depends on the type of deck you are playing and knowing whether you go first or second can help you determine what cards should you return during mulligan
in order to ensure a smooth early game.

With that, I hope this article has given you a little more knowledge on how WIXOSS works and help you in winning games. Until next time, see you~