Well, today (3/26/2011) was the first regional I've played in for quite some time, and thought I'd write a report on what I played and noticed while at the event.
I went in with a well tested, very solid build of Six Samurai. Not a surprise, considering Samurai are both one of the best decks in the meta, as well as my personal favorite deck. I built my side to take on Karakuri/Machina/Plant, Machina Gadget, and Mirror Matches, as well as a few cards to just switch up the abilities and strategies of the deck itself. Let's Start:
Round 1: Miracle Gemeni
This was not a deck I have much experience playing, nor was it one I planned against. I knew it was a likely deck I would face, but my lack of experience with it left me nonplussed as to what to side against it.
Game 1: Pretty simple. I herped it out and swarmed my opponent to death. He had 5 cards set to back row turn one, I drew into Giant Trunade, and already had a Samurai, 2 United, a Gateway and a searcher. It was game.
Game 2: He made some really irritating plays, and despite an even fight throughout the game, he came out with the win.
Game 3: I started with advantage, and steadily steamrolled my opponent in this game until he topped Miracle Fusion, at which point he managed to put out Absolute Zero. He rammed Zero into my Shi En, prompting me to activate Magatama Musakani to save the rest of my field. He used his last back row (Solemn Judgment) to clean stop my Magatama, and kill my field. We were both then handless, and fieldless. His turn, he topped into Neos Alius, and beaned me for 1900. My turn. Top a trap, and set it. Hist turn, bad top, hit me for 1900. My turn. Draw, it is irrelevant, I activate my set Double-Edged Sword Technique, bringing back 2 Shi En to attack for game.
Drend is 1-0.
Round 2: Gravekeeper's.
This wasn't a fair match. At all. This guy had never been to a regional, and was playing Keepers without Pot of Duality OR Royal Tribute. Gravekeeper's already have a tough match up here, and it didn't help that his deck was half complete.
Game 1: OTK. Not much to say except DEATH PONY!!!!
Game 2: Using Oppression and Gozen Match, he managed to get me down to 200 LP without taking any real damage. Then I worked out a way to use only my EARTH monsters and wipe him out. Game over.
Drend is 2-0
Round 3: Samurai
Yay! My first mirror match, in my opinion, my best match up!
Game 1: Starts out pretty solid, I get first. Summon a few, get a Shi En, set some back rows, keep his plays from happening, turn around and swarm for game.
Game 2: He starts, summons Shi En, sets 3 back row, ends. I draw into my sided Puppet Plant. I drop it, grab his Shi En, SS Grandmaster and Kizan, normal summon Kageki into a Mizuho, pop his D-Prison with Mizuho, and drop my last card, another Kizan. Game.
Drend is 3-0
Round 4: Samurai
Second mirror. This guy is good. There wasn't much to remember, as it was an even match and close in all 3 games. Typical Samurai kicking each other in the face. I came out with the win.
Drend is 4-0
Round 5: Karakuri/Machina/Plant
This one should have been easy. I side into Cyber Dragons to take care of this, and Samurai have a good match up anyway. The only thing that kept me from crying after I lost, was the fact that I was playing a guy I know pretty well from our locals. We had a blast with this match.
Game 1: He goes first. Sets some stuff, summons some stuff, ends. He manages to keep my swarm from killing him (it doesn't help that my hand was aweful). He comes back 3 turns later after setting everything and refusing to attack because of my set Giant Trunade that he was convinced was a Mirror Force. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. He was literally shaking at the prospect of a Mirror Force, but when he finally worked up the courage to attack, was so angry with himself that it was making me bust a gut.
Game 2: Didn't. Draw. Shit. Not a single CyDra, much less a good swarm. A bunch of stall, a few sets, and his Machines trample me down.
I am now 4-1. Not too bad, considering how long I've been out of competitive play.
Round 6: Dragunity
I don't know Dragunity either. I have no real interest in them, but still... I should have been better prepared.
Round 1: Not much to say, I manage to shut him down, and swarm for the win.
Round 2: I misplayed pretty bad. I thought he might have 2 Ravines in hand, so I didn't negate the one he played. I was wrong. (I had done the same thing in game 1, leaving his hand pretty dead.) He did the absolutely derpiest crap I've ever seen in this game. No deck should ever be able to automatically get a level 8 Synchro out. That's what this deck does. He got Stardust Dragon, and kept me down through out the game. His win.
Round 3: This time, I was a little more prepped. Did some siding I thought would help, and kept the game even until he got a Dux in a great draw, and proceeded to get out Scrap Dragon, and use it to keep my field clear, absolutely destroying my chances at a come back.
Record now is 4-2. Still in the running.
Round 7: Derp-A-Derp Miracle Gemini
I have officially decided I HATE this deck. He trounced me 2-0. The Shining and Absolute Zero just kept beating me down, while his back row shut me completely down. Nothing I could have done to change the outcome. Well, with me now being 4-3, I cannot get an invite, much less top.
Despite all that, I did enjoy myself. It was a great deal of fun, despite the fact that only 1 of the group I went with got their invite, nor did any of us win either of the win-a-mats, and Wes and Traviis both topped again. I got some good DT pulls (no Trishula though), and made some great trades, although the one I wanted didn't happen. Before I left, I traded the store my spare Kizan, and got 3 STOR-ENSE. Pulled a Vanadis from the packs. Freaking hilarious.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Card of the Week
Well, many of us have seen the results from YCS Charlotte by now, but if you haven't look here: http://www.konami.com/yugioh/blog/?cat=106
As the champion was playing Six Samurai, I felt it was appropriate to name a card from their pool as the Card of the Week. Everyone, meet my friend Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki!
This seems pretty straight forward, and for anyone that has played with or against a Six Samurai deck knows that this card can be quite a little bugger. Let's dissect this guy and see what makes him great. First, he is 3 stars. This puts him in an obvious combination with Kagemusha of the Six Samurai, who can Tune out for Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En. Now, the best part is that Kageki has an effect which can automatically bring in a Kagemusha (or any other Level 4 or lower Six Samurai monster), which can often spell disaster for an opponent. Now, even with the compatibility with the main tuner, and the good special summoning effect, it gains 1500 attack points as long as another Samurai is on the field! This card is amazing, and is an obvious play maker for the deck.
With the second YCS victory in a row for the Legendary Six Samurai (3rd total for Samurai), many people are talking about a new limit to the deck. I for one feel that it is completely unnecessary. There were only 2 Samurai decks in the top 16. That is only 12.5% of the top field. Gravekeepers saw much better representation, and nobody is complaining about them. Samurai have been balanced out with the limit of Gateway of the Six. However, if a limit were to happen, it would be to Kageki. The card just makes it too easy to summon Shi En.
As the champion was playing Six Samurai, I felt it was appropriate to name a card from their pool as the Card of the Week. Everyone, meet my friend Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki!
This seems pretty straight forward, and for anyone that has played with or against a Six Samurai deck knows that this card can be quite a little bugger. Let's dissect this guy and see what makes him great. First, he is 3 stars. This puts him in an obvious combination with Kagemusha of the Six Samurai, who can Tune out for Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En. Now, the best part is that Kageki has an effect which can automatically bring in a Kagemusha (or any other Level 4 or lower Six Samurai monster), which can often spell disaster for an opponent. Now, even with the compatibility with the main tuner, and the good special summoning effect, it gains 1500 attack points as long as another Samurai is on the field! This card is amazing, and is an obvious play maker for the deck.
With the second YCS victory in a row for the Legendary Six Samurai (3rd total for Samurai), many people are talking about a new limit to the deck. I for one feel that it is completely unnecessary. There were only 2 Samurai decks in the top 16. That is only 12.5% of the top field. Gravekeepers saw much better representation, and nobody is complaining about them. Samurai have been balanced out with the limit of Gateway of the Six. However, if a limit were to happen, it would be to Kageki. The card just makes it too easy to summon Shi En.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Teams in gaming
There is one topic that has always confused some people in gaming. Whether Role Playing (D&D), Cards (Yugioh, VS System, Magic: The Gathering, etc.) or video games, and that is the concept of a 'team.' With this little bit of gamer talk, I plan to address why teams are both unnecessary or pointless and a good thing. At the same time.
In a game like football or basketball, it is self evident that you need a team. 1 V. 5 doesn't sound all that fair, does it? Nor does 10 random people running around on a court sound very fun. You've got to organize the game to make clear objectives. In other games, this is completely unnecessary due to the difference in both rules and objective, yet we see teams all the time. Why? I've heard several reasons for a player to join a 'team.'
In D&D, a team would be a group of people who play together, and work together in the game. They often build their characters as a group in order to complement each others choices and create a cohesive and successful party. In this game, it makes sense. Now, I'm not saying that every member of a D&D group is necessarily part of the team, as there is usually an odd man out, who just doesn't fit in with the others on a social basis. Sometimes this is due to an age difference or just a difference in other interests. Look at your D&D group next time you have a chance. You should be able to identify who is on a team. They will usually spend much more time with each other than other members of the group, and will often be 'friends' in character.
In video games, the sensible nature of teams gets a little more blurry. For example, a group of people who travel together to a tournament (or other gaming event) relatively regularly will often also be considered a team. Does the victory of one member usually benefit the rest of the team? Not really. They will keep their prizes, and they are the only ones that get the 'prestige' of the victory, but for some reason, team members get some kind of satisfaction out of one member winning a tournament. I suppose it comes down to pride. It is more of a 'hey look, my team mate won!' kind of thing, although it really does nothing to boost the position of a losing player among their peers. Sure, it's fun to travel with friends, and you can be happy for your friend if they win and Vice Verse, but teams are fairly pointless here. It nets you nothing.
Now, in card games, it is fairly strange. You can see from the video games section that it really wouldn't be all that beneficial to be on a team, but there are some things that a team can do in card games that they can't do in video games. Often in card games, your success rate is dependent upon your personal investment into an individual game. For example, a player who only spent $30 building a deck for a large tournament is far less likely to do well than a player of equal skill who spent well over $300. That isn't meant to say that money is everything, but it is a sizable chunk. This is where being on a team can help you successfully play a card game. Let's say Steve wants to play X-Sabers (Magic players should think Jund), but he doesn't have very much to invest into the game, much less the ability to just out and out buy the deck as singles. That can get expensive. Now, that isn't to say Steve isn't putting money into his game of choice, it is just that he cannot afford to spend ridiculous amounts on it, so he has a limited card pool. He has managed to build up most of his deck, but is missing the five or six most expensive cards he needs to finish it, but the tournament is this weekend! He doesn't have the $200 it would take to finish it off, but he has a teammate named George who happens to have those cards, but doesn't use them! All Steve has to do is ask George, and the deck is done, and both players can go on and play in the tournament without worrying about how an incomplete deck will ruin their day. Now, often George will also want to borrow a few cards from Steve, but hey, Steve isn't using them either, so why not? Part of being on a team involves a massive amount of trust. Some teams even combine their collections, pooling all resources in order to keep a few very strong decks constantly built. Card games can get extremely expensive, as anyone who plays them regularly very well knows. The combining of collections should not be done lightly. All people involved should trust each other implicitly, or there will end up being fighting and arguing over who puts the most in, and eventually someone will want to quit the team, and take 'their share' with them. Due to human nature, what one person sees as 'their share' is often quite a bit larger than what they have actually put in, and in a fair split, will walk away with. When this happens, accusations of theft tend to pop-up and perfectly good friendships can go to the way side, all over a silly, albeit expensive, card game. I've seen this happen time and again.
Another aspect of teams in card games involves multiplayer. A team is exactly that. A team on one side of a game in multiplayer. It can be a great deal of fun, even more so when you build your decks to complement and feed off of each other. Not only will this kind of team synergy be more fun, but it will also lead to far more victories in the long run.
If you are considering joining a team, stop and think about it. Is it really what you want? Is it something you are willing to devote yourself to? Do you know and trust those people in the team enough to essentially be handing over everything you've invested into your game to them? Are these people you are going to spend a lot of time around anyway, so it makes sense? Just a few things to consider when joining a gaming team. Well, I suppose that counts toward non-yugioh gaming, although it did cover it a bit. Later!
In a game like football or basketball, it is self evident that you need a team. 1 V. 5 doesn't sound all that fair, does it? Nor does 10 random people running around on a court sound very fun. You've got to organize the game to make clear objectives. In other games, this is completely unnecessary due to the difference in both rules and objective, yet we see teams all the time. Why? I've heard several reasons for a player to join a 'team.'
In D&D, a team would be a group of people who play together, and work together in the game. They often build their characters as a group in order to complement each others choices and create a cohesive and successful party. In this game, it makes sense. Now, I'm not saying that every member of a D&D group is necessarily part of the team, as there is usually an odd man out, who just doesn't fit in with the others on a social basis. Sometimes this is due to an age difference or just a difference in other interests. Look at your D&D group next time you have a chance. You should be able to identify who is on a team. They will usually spend much more time with each other than other members of the group, and will often be 'friends' in character.
In video games, the sensible nature of teams gets a little more blurry. For example, a group of people who travel together to a tournament (or other gaming event) relatively regularly will often also be considered a team. Does the victory of one member usually benefit the rest of the team? Not really. They will keep their prizes, and they are the only ones that get the 'prestige' of the victory, but for some reason, team members get some kind of satisfaction out of one member winning a tournament. I suppose it comes down to pride. It is more of a 'hey look, my team mate won!' kind of thing, although it really does nothing to boost the position of a losing player among their peers. Sure, it's fun to travel with friends, and you can be happy for your friend if they win and Vice Verse, but teams are fairly pointless here. It nets you nothing.
Now, in card games, it is fairly strange. You can see from the video games section that it really wouldn't be all that beneficial to be on a team, but there are some things that a team can do in card games that they can't do in video games. Often in card games, your success rate is dependent upon your personal investment into an individual game. For example, a player who only spent $30 building a deck for a large tournament is far less likely to do well than a player of equal skill who spent well over $300. That isn't meant to say that money is everything, but it is a sizable chunk. This is where being on a team can help you successfully play a card game. Let's say Steve wants to play X-Sabers (Magic players should think Jund), but he doesn't have very much to invest into the game, much less the ability to just out and out buy the deck as singles. That can get expensive. Now, that isn't to say Steve isn't putting money into his game of choice, it is just that he cannot afford to spend ridiculous amounts on it, so he has a limited card pool. He has managed to build up most of his deck, but is missing the five or six most expensive cards he needs to finish it, but the tournament is this weekend! He doesn't have the $200 it would take to finish it off, but he has a teammate named George who happens to have those cards, but doesn't use them! All Steve has to do is ask George, and the deck is done, and both players can go on and play in the tournament without worrying about how an incomplete deck will ruin their day. Now, often George will also want to borrow a few cards from Steve, but hey, Steve isn't using them either, so why not? Part of being on a team involves a massive amount of trust. Some teams even combine their collections, pooling all resources in order to keep a few very strong decks constantly built. Card games can get extremely expensive, as anyone who plays them regularly very well knows. The combining of collections should not be done lightly. All people involved should trust each other implicitly, or there will end up being fighting and arguing over who puts the most in, and eventually someone will want to quit the team, and take 'their share' with them. Due to human nature, what one person sees as 'their share' is often quite a bit larger than what they have actually put in, and in a fair split, will walk away with. When this happens, accusations of theft tend to pop-up and perfectly good friendships can go to the way side, all over a silly, albeit expensive, card game. I've seen this happen time and again.
Another aspect of teams in card games involves multiplayer. A team is exactly that. A team on one side of a game in multiplayer. It can be a great deal of fun, even more so when you build your decks to complement and feed off of each other. Not only will this kind of team synergy be more fun, but it will also lead to far more victories in the long run.
If you are considering joining a team, stop and think about it. Is it really what you want? Is it something you are willing to devote yourself to? Do you know and trust those people in the team enough to essentially be handing over everything you've invested into your game to them? Are these people you are going to spend a lot of time around anyway, so it makes sense? Just a few things to consider when joining a gaming team. Well, I suppose that counts toward non-yugioh gaming, although it did cover it a bit. Later!
Card of the Week
This is a fairly fickle fairy. By sending the card from your hand to your graveyard (NOT discarding, meaning that it isn't the most usable card in the world under the conditions of Macro Cosmos), you can negate the effect of one monster your opponent controls, but only during your opponent's turn. Already a pretty useful card, huh? Well, we aren't into the half of it.
Not only is Veiler usable because of his nifty effect, it is also a) a spellcaster (so those of you who are fans of this type already want a few) b) a Light type monster (making it Chaos Sorcerer fodder once you've discarded it) and c) a tuner. Being only 1 Star, it will either have to work with multiple other monsters (not too hard when you Synch out for higher level monsters, like Mist Wurm), Tune with a high level monster (Machina Fortress anyone?) or go into a smaller synchro (like Armory Arm). Huh. Seems to me that it can do just about anything a tuner ever should have to do, and on top of all that, it has an amazing effect to shut down your opponent's big plays.
When building a deck, the next piece to consider after the possible applications of a card in your deck theme is the rulings attached to that card. Many people seem to be under the impression that everything that Konami says is a 'ruling.' It isn't. Policy is not a 'ruling.' Game rules and mechanics are not 'rulings.' A 'ruling' is an incoherent little blurb clarifying the application of a card when text may be vague or just plain contradictory. Effect Veiler has it's share of these little nuisances. I'll go over them now.
1) Effect Veiler cannot negate effects that activate or resolve in the graveyard. The card that Effect Veiler is trying to negate must remain on the field during the duration of the chain. For example, Effect Veiler cannot stop the likes of XX-Saber Darksoul, but can stop the effect of say, Dark Armed Dragon. Now, it is much more beneficial to activate Effect Veiler in response to the activation of that card's Ignition effect, as it often will come with a cost, like in the above scenario, Dark Armed will still have to remove a Dark monster from the Graveyard, but will be negated.
2) If, for whatever reason, you control the monster you were trying to negate at the time of Effect Veiler's resolution, the monster's effect will NOT be negated. No example here. I am brain farting at the moment, and can't come up with one.
3) If a monster is no longer on the field or is flipped face down after resolution, the effect will no longer be negated. Pretty self explanatory. The negated monster has to remain face up on the field to be negated by Effect Veiler.
4) This ruling seems to contradict the previous one, though if you study it a bit deeper, it doesn't. If Effect Veiler is sent to the graveyard to negate Exiled Force, and Exiled Force is later sent to the Graveyard to destroy a monster, the effect is still negated. Exiled Force neither activates nor resolves in the graveyard, but sends itself as a cost to essentially simultaneously destroy a monster on the field. This leaves the window open for Effect Veiler. Extrapolating from this ruling, it would also seem that a few other Ignition effects would be affected by Effect Veiler, such as Lonefire Blossom when it tributes itself.
All in all, Effect Veiler is an amazing card, and although a bit hard to come by, would be well worth the extra 'oomph' it may require in a trade to get them. Pulling them is always nice too. XD
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The March 2011 Forbidden/Limited list
Attention Duelists! My hair has noticed the new ban list, and if you haven't seen it too, you NEED to go see it! http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/limited/index.html. There you go. I even linked you to it, so there is no reason not to know what is on it. Now, I'm going to go through and give my own commentary on each and every change! YAY! Well, lets gets started.
First on the list we have Goyo Guardian.
You should know this card pretty well, as it has been around since the beginning of Synchros, and has lived in everyone's Extra Deck since. 2800 attack, 2000 defense, and it revives any monster it kills to your own side of the field. It was pretty apparent early on that this was going to be a commonly used and a very powerful and useful card. But ban it completely? I can see it. Even though it saddens me greatly, being that this is one of my favorite cards, it has always been overly powerful, and it never lost its place in the Extra Deck of those who had it. It is generic, an easy 6 stars, WAY too strong, and has an amazing effect. Honestly, this was over due. Into the collection binder you go, my friend.
Our next card to focus on is one that many people think should have been banned years ago. Cold Wave!
Cold Wave has been seen with dread for quite some time. During the reign of the Gladiator Beasts, it foretold the other players demise. Lately, it has seen use in things like Blackwings and X-Sabers to shut down the opponents response ability to swarm for game. I have heard more complaints about this one card than I have about any other card in the game. And I've been playing this since day 1. Good riddance to this pest of a card, and may you STAY there for the rest of time!
Ah, the infamous FTK concept. This is one that has annoyed me personally for a long time. Mass Driver.
There really isn't all that much to say about this one. It needed to go. Any card which can create a first turn kill should be removed from the card pool. I just wish they wouldn't stop here. Get rid of Shadow Priestess of Ohm, Toon Cannon Soldier, Cannon Soldier, et al and just END the problem, rather than skirting it like they have for so long. We could bring back cards like Dark Magician of Chaos and Dimension Fusion.
Well that does it for the actual banned cards. The above cards are NO LONGER permitted in sanctioned play, or in unsanctioned tournaments I run. Next, I'm going to touch on all the cards which got moved to the limited list.
First, we have Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow. This card should be fairly familiar, as it was previously run in triplicate in every single Blackwing deck on the market. Well, Konami decided to cede to reason and dock their love child deck just a bit. Blackwing players should not start overreacting now though. Sure, you lost 2 cards, admittedly good ones, but the deck was solid before Kalut, and will continue to be so in the future. For now, I suggest replacing the 2 Kalut you lost with another Vayu (if you haven't already got 3) and maybe a Dark Grepher or Spirit Reaper. You'll be fine until the Duelist Pack Crow comes out, and Extreme Victory has YET MORE Blackwing support for you. You'll be fine.
Now we have Dandylion. In reality this card should never have even come back to 2. It should have stayed limited indefinitely. It has way too much utility in way too many decks to be given the free reign that it has had this last 6 months. A good card, and well deserving of this spot.
Next up is one that hit me pretty hard. Honest has been staple in every Lightsworn Deck since Lightsworn came out in Japan. And why not? It has so much synergy with them! Of course, us Lightsworn players saw this as yet another hit in a series of beatings the mediocre deck has been taking since its release. We are down to 1 Honest, 1 Lumina, 1 Charge of the Light Brigade, and 2 Judgment Dragons. But, unlike some people I know and talk to, I look ahead to the Japanese meta, at least to an extent. I happen to know that Angels (fairies in the TCG) have been a royal pain in the ass over there, and that Honest is but one of the cards on this list intended to knock them down a notch. I personally feel that they should have given Lightsworn something back, whether giving us back a Lumina, or even a Charge, but unfortunately, Konami didn't see it that way.
This next one has a bit of controversy attached. Book of Moon has for a very long time been considered staple, whether at 1, 2, or all 3 copies. During the last format, every deck ran 3 of the bugger due to it's extreme utility. Any card that has 'staple' status needs some kind of check to keep it balanced. This card belongs at 1, even though it completely kills Emtpy Jar (Also known as mill or deck out decks), a far from competitive deck type. On the other hand, it makes it so that boss monsters can run rampant this format without all that much recourse, and Gravekeeper's don't get to recycle their Spy's as often. I still feel it was a good choice.
As a Six Samurai player, this card was fully expected, but I need to get something straight with you. Gateway of the Six, although a good card on its own, and downright deadly when all 3 copies are on the field, is NOT necessary for a Samurai deck, much less a Samurai win. It is essentially icing on the cake. With the synergy that the Legendary Six Samurai gave this long forgotten and amazing archetype, the card is just unnecessary. It wouldn't have even made all that much difference had the card been banned.
Now we have the semi-limited cards. You can only run 2 of these cards in any deck.
Archlord Kristya has been considered a very powerful card since it was released, even though it saw very limited use. It is really only useful in Fairie decks, or in some strange builds of Lightsworn. Lost Sanctuary will see the release of a common version of this card, making it available to everyone, rather than just the wealthy or the lucky. I think that it is a good preemptive weakening for the US, though the Japanese are probably wishing more had been done.
Card Trooper is one of those cards that is only going to get played no matter where it is on the list. In my opinion, this did nothing. It didn't bring back the Troop-Dupe-Scoop format, nor did it really help the usefulness of the card.
Debris Dragon is another of those cards that is just too useful. Only time will tell us whether or not dropping it to 2 was enough, though with the Exceed summoning coming soon, I don't think dropping it to 2 will help.
All I can say to Spirit Reaper is it is about damn time. This card has been limited for way too long. It is a stall card, that is all. Don't bother with this one. Sure, it will see some extra use, like in Gravekeeper's, but you won't see X-Sabers or Six Samurai changing their line up just to add in another of this ugly jerk.
Megamorph saw use during the format of Demise OTK, as well as in some other, older OTK style decks. I think it is good to come back. The meta just isn't what it used to be, and these older decks don't really compare to the might of Synching or the sheer speed of Samurai and Sabers.
Overload Fusion is another of those old OTK cards. Sure, it will allow Cyber Dragon OTK a second chance, but honestly, it isn't going to work in this format, so this card doesn't worry me in the slightest.
Ah, Royal Tribute. One of those really old cards that never saw use until some dillweed comes out at a YCS and does well with it. Needless to say, it is WAY over powered, and almost single-handedly made Gravekeeper's a workable, nay META deck. We can expect to continue to see Gravekeeper's in the top at tournaments in the future, maining as many copies of this card as possible.
Semi-Limiting Icarus Attack was a minor blow to Blackwings, but one that is easily recovered from. Just replace it with a Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. You'll be fine.
Despite only being a mid-range card in usefulness, Solemn Warning has been elevated to damn near staple status. The only decks I personally play them in is Gladiator Beasts and Six Samurai. Other than that, they are WAY too expensive, in spite of the fact that players lost a copy in the main.
The following cards were also brought back to 3 as of this list.
Chaos Sorcerer - Konami has been flirting with this blast from the past for 3 lists now. It is finally out in the clear, and seeing use in various chaos hybrids and Lightsworn. Could we possibly see it's big brothers come back sometime in the future? We won't know until it happens.
Snipe Hunter - Although a good card, it was never all that amazing, and it is finally coming off the list.
Demise, King of Armageddon - Well, it's back folks. Will this deck see major play in big tournaments, like Charlotte and Anaheim? I think not. It MAY take a few regionals, and definitely a few local victories.
Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier - By far the weakest of the Ice Barrier Synchros, it should never have been limited, and is back where it belongs.
Gold Sarcophagus - This card is well past its prime. 2 turns to wait for a card is too long, and it really sees little play, and is far from useful.
Skill Drain - Finally. It is back. Time for the Barbaros/Fusilier decks to be built once more.
Ultimate Offering - Same with Skill Drain. This makes Gemini decks better, as well as giving us the ability to abuse monarchs. Expect this card to see play again in big tournaments.
Well, that's the last of them. A little long, but it was a big change. I hope you learned a little something, or at least enjoyed some of the commentary. Look forward to more gaming related blog posts, including a Card of the Week, and several other running articles. Laters!
First on the list we have Goyo Guardian.
Our next card to focus on is one that many people think should have been banned years ago. Cold Wave!
Ah, the infamous FTK concept. This is one that has annoyed me personally for a long time. Mass Driver.
Well that does it for the actual banned cards. The above cards are NO LONGER permitted in sanctioned play, or in unsanctioned tournaments I run. Next, I'm going to touch on all the cards which got moved to the limited list.
First, we have Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow. This card should be fairly familiar, as it was previously run in triplicate in every single Blackwing deck on the market. Well, Konami decided to cede to reason and dock their love child deck just a bit. Blackwing players should not start overreacting now though. Sure, you lost 2 cards, admittedly good ones, but the deck was solid before Kalut, and will continue to be so in the future. For now, I suggest replacing the 2 Kalut you lost with another Vayu (if you haven't already got 3) and maybe a Dark Grepher or Spirit Reaper. You'll be fine until the Duelist Pack Crow comes out, and Extreme Victory has YET MORE Blackwing support for you. You'll be fine.
Now we have Dandylion. In reality this card should never have even come back to 2. It should have stayed limited indefinitely. It has way too much utility in way too many decks to be given the free reign that it has had this last 6 months. A good card, and well deserving of this spot.
Next up is one that hit me pretty hard. Honest has been staple in every Lightsworn Deck since Lightsworn came out in Japan. And why not? It has so much synergy with them! Of course, us Lightsworn players saw this as yet another hit in a series of beatings the mediocre deck has been taking since its release. We are down to 1 Honest, 1 Lumina, 1 Charge of the Light Brigade, and 2 Judgment Dragons. But, unlike some people I know and talk to, I look ahead to the Japanese meta, at least to an extent. I happen to know that Angels (fairies in the TCG) have been a royal pain in the ass over there, and that Honest is but one of the cards on this list intended to knock them down a notch. I personally feel that they should have given Lightsworn something back, whether giving us back a Lumina, or even a Charge, but unfortunately, Konami didn't see it that way.
This next one has a bit of controversy attached. Book of Moon has for a very long time been considered staple, whether at 1, 2, or all 3 copies. During the last format, every deck ran 3 of the bugger due to it's extreme utility. Any card that has 'staple' status needs some kind of check to keep it balanced. This card belongs at 1, even though it completely kills Emtpy Jar (Also known as mill or deck out decks), a far from competitive deck type. On the other hand, it makes it so that boss monsters can run rampant this format without all that much recourse, and Gravekeeper's don't get to recycle their Spy's as often. I still feel it was a good choice.
As a Six Samurai player, this card was fully expected, but I need to get something straight with you. Gateway of the Six, although a good card on its own, and downright deadly when all 3 copies are on the field, is NOT necessary for a Samurai deck, much less a Samurai win. It is essentially icing on the cake. With the synergy that the Legendary Six Samurai gave this long forgotten and amazing archetype, the card is just unnecessary. It wouldn't have even made all that much difference had the card been banned.
Now we have the semi-limited cards. You can only run 2 of these cards in any deck.
Archlord Kristya has been considered a very powerful card since it was released, even though it saw very limited use. It is really only useful in Fairie decks, or in some strange builds of Lightsworn. Lost Sanctuary will see the release of a common version of this card, making it available to everyone, rather than just the wealthy or the lucky. I think that it is a good preemptive weakening for the US, though the Japanese are probably wishing more had been done.
Card Trooper is one of those cards that is only going to get played no matter where it is on the list. In my opinion, this did nothing. It didn't bring back the Troop-Dupe-Scoop format, nor did it really help the usefulness of the card.
Debris Dragon is another of those cards that is just too useful. Only time will tell us whether or not dropping it to 2 was enough, though with the Exceed summoning coming soon, I don't think dropping it to 2 will help.
All I can say to Spirit Reaper is it is about damn time. This card has been limited for way too long. It is a stall card, that is all. Don't bother with this one. Sure, it will see some extra use, like in Gravekeeper's, but you won't see X-Sabers or Six Samurai changing their line up just to add in another of this ugly jerk.
Megamorph saw use during the format of Demise OTK, as well as in some other, older OTK style decks. I think it is good to come back. The meta just isn't what it used to be, and these older decks don't really compare to the might of Synching or the sheer speed of Samurai and Sabers.
Overload Fusion is another of those old OTK cards. Sure, it will allow Cyber Dragon OTK a second chance, but honestly, it isn't going to work in this format, so this card doesn't worry me in the slightest.
Ah, Royal Tribute. One of those really old cards that never saw use until some dillweed comes out at a YCS and does well with it. Needless to say, it is WAY over powered, and almost single-handedly made Gravekeeper's a workable, nay META deck. We can expect to continue to see Gravekeeper's in the top at tournaments in the future, maining as many copies of this card as possible.
Semi-Limiting Icarus Attack was a minor blow to Blackwings, but one that is easily recovered from. Just replace it with a Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. You'll be fine.
Despite only being a mid-range card in usefulness, Solemn Warning has been elevated to damn near staple status. The only decks I personally play them in is Gladiator Beasts and Six Samurai. Other than that, they are WAY too expensive, in spite of the fact that players lost a copy in the main.
The following cards were also brought back to 3 as of this list.
Chaos Sorcerer - Konami has been flirting with this blast from the past for 3 lists now. It is finally out in the clear, and seeing use in various chaos hybrids and Lightsworn. Could we possibly see it's big brothers come back sometime in the future? We won't know until it happens.
Snipe Hunter - Although a good card, it was never all that amazing, and it is finally coming off the list.
Demise, King of Armageddon - Well, it's back folks. Will this deck see major play in big tournaments, like Charlotte and Anaheim? I think not. It MAY take a few regionals, and definitely a few local victories.
Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier - By far the weakest of the Ice Barrier Synchros, it should never have been limited, and is back where it belongs.
Gold Sarcophagus - This card is well past its prime. 2 turns to wait for a card is too long, and it really sees little play, and is far from useful.
Skill Drain - Finally. It is back. Time for the Barbaros/Fusilier decks to be built once more.
Ultimate Offering - Same with Skill Drain. This makes Gemini decks better, as well as giving us the ability to abuse monarchs. Expect this card to see play again in big tournaments.
Well, that's the last of them. A little long, but it was a big change. I hope you learned a little something, or at least enjoyed some of the commentary. Look forward to more gaming related blog posts, including a Card of the Week, and several other running articles. Laters!
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