SkylanderClub Link:
Blades was one of my most anticipated new Skylanders. He has great aesthetics and unique moves that
are almost a new interpretation on a cross between Warnado and Flashwing. I will say this though, and I think 99% of
fans will agree with me…There is one big disappointment with Blades. What is it you ask? Simple, he doesn’t fly! When I looked forward to Blades (an Air
Element Dragon) the last thing on my mind was that he wouldn’t fly. I just assumed he would and wondered what
kind of cool attacks would get tied in with that. His attacks are good, I just still have
trouble getting past the fact he doesn’t fly.
My solution would be to tie flight in with the Cyclone Swirl…Press “ATK
3” to fly, then tap “ATK 1” for a flying wing slice and “ATK 2” for the Cyclone
Swirl (both executed while flying). I
mean, think how cool it would be to be in flight and spawn the Cyclone
Swirl? Anyway, it is what it is, and
despite the lack of flight, Blades is still a pretty cool character.
Blades Base Upgrades
His Base Upgrades begin with Cyclone Swirl that gives
instant access to his tertiary attack.
Next up, we address his Primary Attack (Wing Slice) and get “Sharpened
Wings” that bump up the damage “Shard
Harder” (who named that one, lol?), provides a logical quantitative and
distance based upgrade to the Blade Shards.
“Wind at Your Back” upgrades the Tertiary Attack by having it follow you
and dealing extra damage. I am not sure
about this one…I almost think I would prefer the cyclone to remain stationary
allowing me to use it as a defensive stalemate while I can reposition for a
better attack angle, to prolong my life, or to simply retreat. It is nice that if follows you, but there are
times I see it being more advantageous to my playstyle if it was in fact
stationary. In all honesty, I’d ditch
this upgrade and let this be the “Dragon Flight” where Blades can fly with
increased Speed and Armor. However,
since that isn’t the case, I would prefer a Speed, or Armor Boost opposed to
being followed. Actually, thinking about
it further, I would vastly prefer the Cyclone to seek out the nearest enemies
as opposed to follow me! Some will
disagree, but I truly believe my play style would benefit from either
A-Stationary Cyclones, or B-An enemy seeking Cyclone.
Wind Wielder (Cyclone Swirl Upgrades)
via Legendary Blades
Wind Wilder didn’t really appeal to me as much as Shard
Shooter. However, since Blades has a
Legendary version, it falls into place to pursue! “Follow Like the Wind” is somewhat
forgettable in that you basically just have the Cyclone follow closer…Turns are
still an issue, but it tails you much better for those that prefer this type of
Cyclone. The more practical thing here
is that it also spins the shards faster…This basically means where things use
to be a leisurely “Hit….Hit…Hit…” they now “Hit-Hit-Hit!” There are pros and cons to this, but for most
players this is a definitive advantage.
The path ends with “Shielding Swirl” that makes the Cyclone’s diameter
greater AND can deflect enemy projectiles.
I can’t showcase that at the Academy, but it will no doubt “sometimes”
be quite the asset! Nestled in the midst
of these 2 upgrades is “Crushing Cyclones” (I honestly pictured twin, fist
shaped Cyclones (think Lightning Rod eqsue)).
What this does is really amplify the damage from your other
attacks! The one catch is that you must
have that said enemy INSIDE the cyclone.
On the edge, or outside and you deal standard damage. This really makes the path worth pursuing,
even for those not impressed by a closer following, larger Cyclone that
sometimes deflects projectiles!
Shard Shooter (Blade Shard Upgrades)
via Blades
I will be honest, if I had only 1 Blades, this is the path I
would take. The Cyclone is cool, but
with a character like Blade I just prefer the straight forward approach. “Slice Shards” gives the primary “Wing Slice”
a chance to shoot a Blade Shard. This is
nice bonus damage, but really picks up later.
“Cutting Edge” has Shards do increased damage. “Shard Shrapnel” is one of those seems lame,
looks lame upgrades that is usually only appreciated once a player has seen it
in the heat of battle. It is a small bit
of damage, but runs roughly 4x and that of course makes it significant. My only complaint with this path is that I
would really have liked for “Slice Shards” to stay its course, but also
slightly up the damage from the primary attack Wing Slice.
Conclusion
