Some news and...Number Chronicles Pt.1 Let's go get some Numbers.

Well, today's article is going to be more casual, really casual actually. There might not be much relevant information, but it was incredibly fun for me to write.  I felt like I discussed a couple of pretty heavy topics over the last few weeks, so for this one I wanted to do something more fun.

Also SORT OF BIG NEWS; tomorrow will be the first day that I'm starting my new podcast.  It's going to be a couple of the competitive players in my area discussing several topics at my choosing.  It's going to be an experiment, but it will work out much better than my first Video Blog.  I will be posting a link to my stream, and a link to my youtube channel where you can watch it if you miss the initial stream.  I'm aiming for starting somewhere around 11:00 p.m. EST time, so look here around that time for that.

ARISE NUMBER!!!

Number monsters are Xyz monsters in the Zexal anime that have an extra effect, they can not be destroyed by battle with non-number monsters.  These monsters don't get this extra added bonus in real life, but they still have decent effects, and they are still fun to collect.

The numbers in the real game add another collection element in the game.  This is a good thing for people looking to collect something, but not really looking for becoming a serious collector, or even add something a little extra if a person is buying packs.  It's just something cool you can look foreward to when a new set comes out.

Now, let's look at some tips to help someone collect numbers.

Start small, work your way up...basic tips for beginners.

The first Number seen on Zexal.

 A lot of the Number cards are pretty easy to obtain.  For example, the earlier numbers have been reprinted a ton, some of them you can even pick up for about a quarter in trade or cash.

Number 10: Illumiknight is pretty easy to get, and is a decent place to start a collection if you're short on trade-able cards.  Illumiknight isn't a very good example of a strong number though.  He doesn't really have a great effect.  He does have a couple of uses, and it really seems like cards like Illumiknight are ones to watch out for.  I don't think it would be that farfetched to say that with the card designed the way it is, it could, some day, be used in a combo oriented deck of some sort.  This is getting really close to saying it is has "potential" so I'll stop there. Number 34: Terror-Byte should be another easy snag, considering it's not valued at anything and has been reprinted twice.

A couple of the other numbers are staple cards for Xyz decks.  Numbers like Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, Number 39: Utopia, Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction, and Number 16: Shock Master can be easily picked up.  They even see reprints really often. 

The more advanced stuff...

So yeah, some other places to pick up Numbers.  Shonen Jump Alpha gives out 4 promos each year with subscription.  Alpha promos are sometimes numbers, even if the card isn't that good those numbers can still end up costing a pretty penny if you get them elsewhere. The subscription is only $30, and even if there aren't any Numbers being offered at the moment, the promos are still generally pretty desirable things.

Shock Master was once of these promos, and fetched a pretty good chunk of money for just being one card.  Right now, the most recent card from Alpha was Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings, with Number 88: Gimmick Puppet - Destiny Leo being the next one slated for shipment.  As time goes on, there will probably be even more offered. My guess is that the next one will be Number 69: God Heraldic, Coat of Arms.  At least that is what I would want it to be.

Next in line????

The other place that new Numbers see release is through the Zexal manga.  Everyone knows Number 50: Blackship of Corn by now, since it is a really good card.  He was released in the Zexal manga.  The next promo in the manga is Number 22: Zombiestein.  He won't be seen as much as the Blackship, but he's a fun little card, and a huge beatstick.  Sadly, if your looking for a playable Number then Zombiestein isn't the best.  It is, however, a really easy card to pick up for the collection.

New sets also contain a lot of Numbers.  Those releases are often related to the anime. Currently, the most sought after Number from a base set is Number 11: Big Eye.

Trading for Numbers

Personally, I usually try to get the number cards as throw-ins in my trades.  Mostly because the majority of them are not really sought after anymore, due to excessive reprints or just not being powerful enough.  I like to wait on picking up the more expensive ones if I don't need them for a specific deck.  The most patient hunter is the one who gets the easiest prey after all. Generally, if the card is sought after enough, or is pretty iconic, it will be reprinted soon enough.

There are a few ways to get difficult Numbers without trading.  I usually don't advocate doing this, but playing for cards is another nice way.  If I were to do it, I would do the throw in method if it's a Number that is valued at less than $10.  Something like Big Eye would be a pretty difficult catch, because the only people who would ante it would probably be confident in their abilities.  So if someone is going to do it, make sure you know what you're doing.  Again, I do not advocate doing this, but it is a method for collecting Numbers as well as increasing a collection just in general. I accept no responsibility if you do this and lose.

Wrapping it Up

This was a pretty basic article. I hope it didn't bore any of you, like I said, it was meant to be pretty casual.  Just something to spur up some ideas.  The next part to this won't be posted any time soon, as it is something that there isn't a ton of new and interesting things to say on it. Also, Cosmo Blaze It Pt. 3 will be a video.  I'm going to have that up by the end of the weekend, by this point, I can actually talk in depth about the practical uses of the TCG exclusives.

~Et3rnal13

Also, if you got here from the Pojo Number Hunters Guild, feel free to post pictures of your collection in the comments section.