Extend

Extend ( Ekusutendo) is a keyword exclusive to X units.

Characteristics
X units with Extend have the following characteristics:
 * They have a starry black-colored frame with yellow lines.
 * They are grade 3 cards with no skill icons.
 * Grade 3 X units with Extend have an original power of 17000 (if in a Protect or Accel clan) or 18000 (if in a Force clan).

Terminology

 * An X unit on the field is called an extraguard (エクストラガード Ekusutoragādo).
 * The circle that an extraguard is placed on is called an extraguard circle, or (XC).
 * Placing an X unit on an extraguard circle is referred to as extending (i.e. "when your X unit is extended on (XC)"). It is not considered to be riding, calling, or Stride.
 * Cards underneath an X unit are called extenders (エクステンダー Ekusutendā). Like equip gauge, extenders are held in a separate zone from the field, called the extender zone (エクステンダーゾーン Ekusutendā Zōn), but are associated with a specific unit, the X unit.
 * Putting cards under an X unit into the drop zone for a cost is called Extra Blast (エクストラブラスト Ekusutora Burasuto).

How it Works

 * You may only have up to 4 X units in your G deck.
 * During your main phase, if both players' vanguards are grade 3 or greater, or if you started the turn with a grade 3 or greater vanguard, you may pay the Extend cost of a face down X unit with Extend in your G zone. The Extend cost varies from card to card, but usually involves putting cards under the X unit. Those cards become the X unit's extenders.
 * After paying the cost, if you don't already have an extraguard circle, you gain one on your front rows. Place the X unit on your extraguard circle.

Details

 * The extraguard circle gained is placed wherever the next Accel circle would be placed. If you have no additional circles, place the extraguard circle to the left of your leftmost rear-guard circle. If you have an Accel circle there already, place the extraguard circle to the right of your rightmost rear-guard circle. If you have two Accel circles, place the extraguard circle to the left of your leftmost rear-guard circle. And so on.
 * Unlike G units, X units stay on the field past the end of the turn.
 * Units on extraguard circles perform a drive check during the battles that they attack. Since X units have no skill icons, their drive is 1.
 * When an X unit is placed on an occupied extraguard circle, the X unit previously on that circle is returned to your G zone face up.
 * Extraguards, like other front-row units, can be attacked. When an extraguard is hit by an attack, it takes damage equal to the attacking unit's [Critical] (and you perform damage checks), and the extraguard is returned to your G zone face up.
 * When an X unit would be put into any zone other than the G zone or a circle, the X unit is never put into that zone, and it is put face up into your X zone instead. At the same time, its extenders are put into the drop zone.

Tactical details
Extend allows players to get an extra attack that demands about 10k shield each turn, pressuring Protect clans. However, like many battle plans that involve multi-attacking, this is made weaker if your opponent pulls a trigger on a damage check, although the drive check from the extraguard's attack mitigates this somewhat.

Extraguards are harder to hit than vanguards due to their higher base power. Also, as extraguards are not vanguards, effects that activate that attacking a vanguard won't work, hampering some abilities. However, extraguards are much more lucrative targets than vanguards, due to the extra attack and drive check they give, their powerful abilities, and the fact that they take damage. Players must decide when they can safely swing at an extraguard without giving up too much shield, or if the opponent can afford burning all their shield to guard an extraguard.

Extending an extraguard onto the field is largely beneficial, but it has its risks. If the extraguard goes down quickly, the player wastes the cards used to extend the extraguard for little gain. If you pull a trigger on a damage check, unless it's a front trigger, you can only choose to buff either the vanguard or the extraguard, and if you buff the vanguard, you're still vulnerable to 17k-21k attacks. Extend also makes Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion much more dangerous, since it allows Vermillion to hit two units for damage.

In Premium, since X units and G units are placed in the same deck, they compete with each other for space. Since X units are more permanent, it may be correct to run less than the maximum 4 X units and cut down on G guardians so that you can run more G units with Stride.

Background
What is Extend?

Extend is a teleportation and communication magitechnology created by members of the Interstellaris Federation for Cray i. The opening of Cray to the galactic community has attracted all manner of lifeforms curious about the new planet, some of which have shown interest in mentoring the inhabitants of Cray in the ways of the wider universe. Extend allows inhabitants of Cray to broadcast and receive thoughts psychically from the wider universe through the Interstellaris internet, connecting them with people in the wider universe whose wavelengths and thoughts coincide, and allowing both to teleport to the other in an instant. It is essentially Stride, except it has a galaxy-wide scope, it is limited to beings that exist in the present, and it is done with the awareness and consent of both parties, preventing rampages.

After the forces of Cray i had defeated the demiurge, the world entered an unprecedented era of peace. Due to Hazur's long-term plan to unite the citizens of Cray, the nations of Cray were now more willing than ever to work together peacefully and engage in diplomacy. The three gods, Messiah, Gyze, and Hazur, were reunited at last, and due to Hazur's ideal of active use of power, the gods of Cray now worked more actively than ever to improve the lives of the citizens of Cray. The governments of Earth, now aware of Cray due to the recent Zeroth Dragon and Alpha Dragon incidents, officially opened diplomatic and trade relations with Cray, and Earth began to benefit from Cray's magic and technology (although they remain distrustful of the nations of Cray). The warriors of Cray i now monitored the demiurge's new world, the world of V, keeping watch to make sure they would know if the demiurge would ever make another move on Cray i.

Most notably, the Interstellaris Federation, now believing that they no longer should withhold their technology or society from Cray, acted to welcome Cray to the greater intergalactic community. The governments of Cray signed a treaty that would allow travel to and from other areas of the Federation. Visitors from all over the Federation, tourists, wanderers, workers, and entertainers alike, began to flow in from many areas of the Federation, primarily the Siltha Republic and its surrounding territories, and in turn, citizens of Cray began to travel to other planets. Even travelers from the Korgarran Confederacy, on unfriendly terms with Cray and the Silthans due to their previous attacks on Cray, were tentatively accepted. Some of these extraterrestrial visitors came to establish relationships with the citizens of Cray, even aligning themselves with Cray's clans. Interstellaris established a system to allow these visitors to appear on Cray quickly and conveniently: the Extend System.

Kagero

 * Lord of the Volcano Planet, Jakagara

Interstellaris

 * Deep Space Serpent, Xorothnaya (V Series)