The prerelease has come and gone; we are now left with the task of sorting the playables from the chaff, in order to update our decks, or simply know what to watch for in your opponent's decks. This list is probably not comprehensive, but it's a start. These are my favorite Darkstalkers cards, based on power level, and usefulness in the current metagame. I'm not even trying to build new decks, just to make that clear. With that said, let's jump in!

B.B. Hood

Hmm... 6/25 with a really decent recursion ability. I can see her fitting really well in toolbox builds, or just straight up aggressive builds. I played her at the Prerelease with a single Cryokenesis, which I would recur with BB, play after I blocked, and then opt not to send it into my momentum. It was pretty sweet, and did really well. I can see similar, more powerful shenanigans in her future.

Bat Spin

A solid attack, essentially 6 damage for 4 difficulty with some life gain to round out the package. Solid, to say the least.

Buddhist Devotion

Kasumi Gaki on a foundation only leveled out so both players can enjoy its benefits. If any card scares me, it's this one. Who knows what people are going to drop, but I can assure you it won't be pretty in the hands of the skilled.

Born to Hunt

BB's ability is back in this card, and it really excites me because I can use that really sweet recursion ability with anyone that can tote the symbols. That, or Buddhist Devotion it into play. Either way, this card should see some decent play, as it's the closest thing we have to a watermarked Unorthodox Style.

Cheerful

The ability is just okay, but it's the numbers on this foundation that are just out of this world. 1/6 with a really, really sweet block? Sign me up! Bonus points because Lilith's cards seem to have the most impressive quality as well.

Contemplation

What a monster! A necessary monster at that. With Dimitri and Morrigan running around healing off of everything this card could be the just the thing to take them down. I would almost go so far as to call this a sideboard staple, if it wasn't for the fact that everyone's sideboard is already bursting at the seams.

Countless Days of Killing

Another monster from Bishimon. Just imagine the ridiculousness these can form in multiples. It reminds me of False Pretenses only more offensively-minded. Beastly... I'm already weighing this up against Shinobi Tradition in Evil.

Delta A

Decent stats all around. I like it more for its capabilities as an attack than as a mill piece. Expect to have a great many of these thrown at you in the near future.

Demitri

Ugh... Killing this guy is already starting to annoy me, and I haven't even played one yet. Rest assured he'll be eating one of your attacks each turn, so you'll have to get really good at baiting him, and, *sigh*, whatever, just mill him out... Seriously, though, the best way to fight this guy is with a lighter.

Empire's Ruin

Here's a really neat aggro foundation I can get into. This baby means your attacks are going to be really freakin' fast, it might as well say "all your attacks get +2 speed" on it. Combined with Rikuo's character card, blocking may become a nightmare very soon.

Free Will

Another great-looking Lilith card that features a neat little recursion ability, though I doubt it's as powerful as Born to Hunt, as you only get one use out of it. It does have less restrictions, though.

God of Metal

Trade you useless foundations for meaningful attacks. I used this baby with BB. Hood in the prerelease and I was drawing the same three 6 damage attacks each turn. Freakin' sweet! As a bonus, who doesn't love rockstar-zombie-thingys?

Instant Success

Meet Lord Raptor. He's pretty awesome. Consequently, he also hates Forms. Nadeshiko for everyone! Except. For Forms. Still, yay!

John Tailbain

If I were to build a new deck, it would feature Johnny T. Once I figure out how to keep him in wolf form all the time, he's gonna be pretty awesome. He probably won't be as hard to kill as Dimitri, but then again, he just might be far worse if there's a way to keep him loaded with moon tokens. The sad thing is, I'm starting to think STG purposely made all these Darkstalkers hard to kill just so they could survive to mill you .

Jumping In

I don't really think this card hoses all that much, but it should allow for some crazy plays that aren't normally possible, I don't know, like a Buster Wolf my opponent's turn? It's worth a look.

Lilith

Draw 2 cards of your choice if your opponent attacks you. A bit on the fragile side, but a sweet handsize and ability should make up for the risk. She also has a neat built-in mill feature to take down Dimitri, Morrigan, and Johnny T. Pretty cool, I'd say.

Lure the Enemy

Sweet Mother of Pearl! Does that card say Mill 12-14 cards?! It does. Ouch.

Oral Dead

Stupid name, crazy ability. Couple it with Instant Success for good times. Lord Raptor pities the fool that tries to play forms.

Primitive Instinct

Another preview card that I think should not be underestimated. It can probably be nicknamed "fully blocked."

Rikuo

He reminds me of Tira in the sense that he's definitely gonna be pushing damage through. Some players disagree with my assessment because he can't ready himself, but I hardly think it takes that much away from him. He will be making you eat attacks, I guarantee it.

The Beast Within

Another solid reason to play with Johnny T, and another reason to try to figure out ways to keep him in Pop-Eye mode permanently.

Parting Thoughts

When I look at new sets, I tend to look at the foundations first. Solid attacks are everywhere and a dime a dozen, it seems. Not everything is a Chain Throw, granted but most of the time, correct play will see your attacks landing. The foundations, however, are the life blood of UFS. They are what make decks tick, and that's why new foundations are so important. Being the first to spot these new power-cards helps you pick them up at great prices. People cry when I tell them I picked up a playset of Higher Calibur for $4. Back on topic, characters seem to be the next logical place to turn your focus. The first thing to look for is for a character that would make your existing deck better, and then if not, a character that would warrant a closer look, if not a new deck. Right now, I'm too lazy to build a new deck, seeing as how my existing one is already Tier 1, and I only ever have the capacity for 2 maybe 3 decks made at any point in time, seeing as how I don't play Death or Void. Or Fire. Or Air. Or Life. Or All. Or really anything not called Evil, Water, or Order. Sometimes Earth. Anyway, the last part of a set I tend to look at are the attacks, actions, and assets, because all they really do are enrich decks that are already made, or provide kill conditions.

I'll probably be doing another one of these for Street Fighter tomorrow, so stay tuned. Get your Darkstalkers on, and above all, have fun!

-Ceejaybee