The Four Triggers, Part 4: Draw Triggers

Passive, Card

Draw triggers are the second most common trigger you'll see after Critical triggers. They have the one and only "unconditional" benefit out of all the triggers. While Crits and Stands are rather ineffective outside of your own battle phase, and Heal triggers only work when your behind in damage, Draw triggers always work. Regardless of when you check them, you will always get a free card to your hand. This would easily make them the strongest trigger type in the game, but Bushiroad was intelligent enough to add a single but important mitigating factor to these powerhouses. Unlike other triggers, Draws only have 5000 shield, as opposed to the 10000 that is standard. This is a rather large detriment as it means that for every Draw trigger you include you are slightly weakening your overall shielding.


Draw triggers are good choices for any type of deck, as they don't require any effort by the player to be effective. Unlike Stands, they don't require specific rearguards. Unlike Crits, you don't have to properly scale a field. Unlike Heals, you don't have to be constantly staying in the danger zone.

Lana! Lana!!

I'm going to make a point of saying right now: Draw Triggers are among the weakest trigger types to Drive Check, as they are weaker defensively. Draw triggers, however, are incredibly useful when checked during a Damage Check. Consider the following:


Checking triggers during a Drive Check:
Checking a Critical trigger will increase potential damage, and add a 10000 shield to your hand.
Checking a Stand trigger will force additional guards (if you have a proper field and aren't a fool, see Part 3) and add a 10000 shield to your hand.
Checking a Heal trigger *may* remove a damage from your damage zone, and add a 10000 shield to your hand.
In each of these cases, you benefit by gaining 10000 shielding for your next turn. This is quite a big deal, as it helps you adequately defend on your next turn. However, unlike these three, the random nature of the Draw trigger makes it less reliable as a defensive measure (though not necessarily worse).
Checking a Draw trigger adds a 5000 shield to your hand, and adds one card from your deck to your hand. For the sake of convenience, I'm going to assume we're using a deck with 4 Draw Triggers, 4 Perfect Guards, and the standard 17/15/10/8 Grade variation:
(43% Chance): You draw a Grade 1 or 2 that is not a Perfect Guard. In this case, your total gained shielding  is 10000, and you break even. You might have gained a valuable resource for next turn.
(24% Chance): You draw a Grade 0 trigger of a different type. You have unfortunately removed a trigger from your deck, but your overall gain in shield is 15000, a respectable amount better than if you had simply drawn a normal trigger.
(16% Chance): You draw a Grade 3, and you only gain 5000 shielding this turn. This puts you at a disadvantage defensively, though it may give you a valuable resource next turn (or you can sac the Grade 3 for a Perfect Guard).
(8% Chance): You draw another Draw trigger, reducing your trigger count and breaking even at 10k shielding.
(8% Chance): You draw a Perfect Guard. Assuming the average value of a Perfect guard to be 20000, depending on what you choose to ditch for the Perfect you've gained somewhere between 10000 shield (breaking even) and 25000 shielding (quite a bit).


So the value of a Draw trigger defensively is:
43%: You break even, or gain a resource and end up with less shielding. (Par)
24%: You gain 15k shield, at the cost of reducing your trigger count. (Above Par)
16%: You only gain 5k shielding but gain a resource. In addition, if you end up ditching this card for a Perfect, you effectively broke even. (Below Par)
8%: Break even, reduce trigger count. (Below Par)
8%: Anywhere from breaking even to a huge gain of 25000. (Above Par)


32% Above Par
43% Par 
24% Below Par


Keep in mind that every time you hit Par, you are still losing out on the secondary effect (Crit, Stand, Heal) that would be helping you during your Drive Check. So, in truth, Par is inferior to Crit, inferior to Stand (if the field is correct), and inferior to Heal (if it goes off). In addition, all scenarios in which you gain a resource are even weaker defensively if you use hold on to it and do not guard. Keep in mind this trade-off, as it could be your saving grace to draw into an important card.


Now let's look at where Draw triggers excel.


Checking triggers during a Damage Check:

Checking a Critical trigger will do nothing special, and you gain no shielding or resources. You have lost a 10000 shield from your deck.
Checking a Stand trigger will do nothing special, and you gain no shielding or resources. You have lost a 10000 shield from your deck.
Checking a Heal trigger *may* remove a damage from your damage zone. You gain no shielding or resources. You have lost a 10000 shield from your deck.
In each of these cases, you get very little out of the trigger apart from the possible defensive value of the +5000 (which Draw triggers also do). In addition, the 10000 shield is put into your Damage Zone, and is not usable for the rest of the match (with very few exceptions, Angel Feathers).


Checking a Draw causes you to lose a 5000 shield from your deck. It has an incredible boon, however. You gain a random resource (see the above percentages) that is literally free. Since none of the other triggers do anything special (save maybe Heal) Draw triggers give you what is effectively a free something. This free card could help you stay alive or defend, or could be a powerful resource for the next turn.

One more thing

It is incredibly important enough to note that Draw triggers have a special advantage that can change the game in huge ways. As the game goes on, more and more cards are gained through Drive Checks than through drawing. Eventually, a savvy opponent will know almost your entire hand (or the entirety of it). Draw triggers allow for you to hide information from your opponent. Your opponent doesn't know the defensive abilities of the card you drew, for example. Looking back at my section about the Drive Check, one should note that even though the defensive value of the Draw trigger may come up short, your opponent doesn't know if you drew a Grade 3 or a Perfect guard. This is incredibly useful, as it forces your opponent into situations where he must run his turn partially blind. If your opponent overextends their field for a Final Turn or big play, and that hidden card stops him, you could easily turn the tables on him.


Final article on the subject, Heal triggers.