I didn't go to Locals last week because I went to a wedding instead but I went this week. Once again I took my Quickdraw Dandywarrior deck. Here's how it went down:
Round 1: I got a Bye!!! I win without doing anything for the first time in my professional Yu-Gi-Oh career.
Round 2: vs Frank (Gravekeepers) 2-1
Game one I went first and exploded the best I could before he could use Necrovalley. He couldn't win.
Game two he pulled Royal Tribute immediately. I tried to defend myself but he picked off my defense one card at a time.
Game three I couldn't explode right away which held me back. It was a tough battle. In the end Giant Trunade plus an explosion allowed me to win.
Round 3: vs Jonathan (Tengu Plants) 1-2
It's unfortunate that I couldn't win the match especially since we were playtesting earlier and I did extremely well against him. All of the games were really close.
Round 4: vs Nick (T.G. Plants) 2-0
Game one I exploded immediately with Librarian...
Game two was the same deal.
Top 4 was myself, Jonathan, Frank and Jordan (Six Samurai)
Round 5: vs Jonathan (Tengu Plants) 1-2
The game I won I did a lot of exploding. The other two games my hands were a lttle poor, one with triple Pot of Avarice I think. Game two he locked me down with Thunder King Rai-Oh and I couldn't do a thing. Game three I was playing defensively the entire game because I was drawing inconsistent cards.
Round 6: vs Frank (Gravekeepers) 2-1
Game one I was defeated very quickly because he had Necrovalley and I couldn't kill it.
Game two I won because I went first and exploded with Librarian and everything.
Game three was the longest game of the tournament for me. For the longest time he had Necrovalley and Royal Oppression active. I couldn't destroy both those cards for the longest time but one turn he used Trap Stun which shut down his Oppression. I used Puppet Plant to steal a lv 4 spellcaster. I summoned Junk Synchron and made Arcanite Magician which destroyed both Oppression and Necrovalley. I barely won two turns later.
In the end I came third and Jon came first. It all worked out since Jon and I combine our credit anyway. However I was disappointed with my results. Next week I'm going to a Generation Force Sneak Peek. In two weeks when I compete in my Belleville Locals again I wll strive to do better. I'm not quite satisfied with third place. It's good but not good enough for me.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
English is Essential
There is a reason why the government forces students to take English until university (in North America). This is because the language must be completely understood so you don't sound stupid. English is essential in regards to writing an essay, reading a book, or playing Yu-Gi-Oh in North America.
Over my 18 month span of playing this game competitively there have been instances where people have bothered me simply because they cannot understand what the text of a card implies. If your opponent activates Bottomless Trap Hole on your Stardust Dragon during the end phase and you tribute it to negate the hole, the dragon immediately returns before the turn officially ends. This is one of the oldest examples that I encountered and it occured multiple times. I shook my head everytime that happened. There were also the people who thought Black Rose Dragon can destroy everything except itself when successfully summoned. Again I shook my head.
Either people don't read their cards or people don't understand the English language. Illiterate people are a serious inconvenience to this game because they waste pointless time during a match trying to understand a card they thought they understood. Then they call a judge which causes that person to humiliate him/herself further when the judge rules against that particular illiterate person. This makes me shake my head at that person. This happened at my latest regionals and as I stated already, I shook my head at this poor fool and then defeated him.
What inspired me to create this post today was an argument about Effect Veiler. A friend of mine who is a judge believes that Veiler negates a monster's effect but at the end phase if that monster's effect can activate during the end phase (Judgment Dragon and Kinka-byo are examples) it will activate. However other judges aad duelsts are believing that Effect Veiler negates a monster's effect until the end of the turn and no end phase effects will activate if the monster was targeted by Veiler that turn.
This is the text of Effect Veiler from it's most recent release in the Yusei Duelist Pack: "During your opponent's Main Phase, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to select 1 face-up Effect Monster your opponent controls. Negate the effect(s) of that monster until the End Phase." The most important word in the text is "until". "Until" the end phase that monster's effect(s) are negated. This includes everything up to the end of Main Phase 2. Once the End Phase begins, Veiler wears off according to the English language.
I'm going to compare the wording of this card to the wording of Trap Stun: "Negate the effects of all other Trap Cards on the field during this turn". The wording for this card implies that traps cannot be activated until the next player's Draw Phase begins. If Effect Veiler was meant to be this way the text would be worded something like this: "Negate the effect(s) of that monster 'during this turn' or 'until the end of the turn'." Veiler was not originally worded to negate the End Phase effects of monsters.
I will now compare Effect Veiler's text to an extremely possible real-life scenario. At my Locals there is a player I hate with a passion more than any other player in Belleville: His name is Bobby. Let's say, for example, I am going to continuously punch Bobby until all his teeth fall out. Once again, the key word is "until". Once I have successfully accomplished the task of punching his teeth out I will stop because I'm only going to punch him "until" all his teeth fall out (although Belleville people would agree with me if I said I should punch him more than that...).
So for everyone out there who believes Effect Veiler negates monster effects until the end of the turn and not the End Phase, I would advise a thorough re-reading of the card. If people believe Effect Veiler should negate monster effects during the End Phase then hope for an errata of Effect Veiler.
Speaking of Effect Veiler misunderstandings, I have had people ask me if you can target an opponent's Veiler with your Veiler... The misfortunate thing is that I've had to answer this question multiple times... First of all, you can only activate a Veiler during your opponent's Main Phase and secondly Veiler has to target a face-up monster on the field.
I will admit I have been wrong about a card text once or twice if the card is not clear or if I've seen other intelligent players do the same incorrect action. No one is perfect but the lesson of today's post is this: If you don't understand the English Language then don't play Yu-Gi-Oh!!
Mario
Over my 18 month span of playing this game competitively there have been instances where people have bothered me simply because they cannot understand what the text of a card implies. If your opponent activates Bottomless Trap Hole on your Stardust Dragon during the end phase and you tribute it to negate the hole, the dragon immediately returns before the turn officially ends. This is one of the oldest examples that I encountered and it occured multiple times. I shook my head everytime that happened. There were also the people who thought Black Rose Dragon can destroy everything except itself when successfully summoned. Again I shook my head.
Either people don't read their cards or people don't understand the English language. Illiterate people are a serious inconvenience to this game because they waste pointless time during a match trying to understand a card they thought they understood. Then they call a judge which causes that person to humiliate him/herself further when the judge rules against that particular illiterate person. This makes me shake my head at that person. This happened at my latest regionals and as I stated already, I shook my head at this poor fool and then defeated him.
What inspired me to create this post today was an argument about Effect Veiler. A friend of mine who is a judge believes that Veiler negates a monster's effect but at the end phase if that monster's effect can activate during the end phase (Judgment Dragon and Kinka-byo are examples) it will activate. However other judges aad duelsts are believing that Effect Veiler negates a monster's effect until the end of the turn and no end phase effects will activate if the monster was targeted by Veiler that turn.
This is the text of Effect Veiler from it's most recent release in the Yusei Duelist Pack: "During your opponent's Main Phase, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to select 1 face-up Effect Monster your opponent controls. Negate the effect(s) of that monster until the End Phase." The most important word in the text is "until". "Until" the end phase that monster's effect(s) are negated. This includes everything up to the end of Main Phase 2. Once the End Phase begins, Veiler wears off according to the English language.
I'm going to compare the wording of this card to the wording of Trap Stun: "Negate the effects of all other Trap Cards on the field during this turn". The wording for this card implies that traps cannot be activated until the next player's Draw Phase begins. If Effect Veiler was meant to be this way the text would be worded something like this: "Negate the effect(s) of that monster 'during this turn' or 'until the end of the turn'." Veiler was not originally worded to negate the End Phase effects of monsters.
I will now compare Effect Veiler's text to an extremely possible real-life scenario. At my Locals there is a player I hate with a passion more than any other player in Belleville: His name is Bobby. Let's say, for example, I am going to continuously punch Bobby until all his teeth fall out. Once again, the key word is "until". Once I have successfully accomplished the task of punching his teeth out I will stop because I'm only going to punch him "until" all his teeth fall out (although Belleville people would agree with me if I said I should punch him more than that...).
So for everyone out there who believes Effect Veiler negates monster effects until the end of the turn and not the End Phase, I would advise a thorough re-reading of the card. If people believe Effect Veiler should negate monster effects during the End Phase then hope for an errata of Effect Veiler.
Speaking of Effect Veiler misunderstandings, I have had people ask me if you can target an opponent's Veiler with your Veiler... The misfortunate thing is that I've had to answer this question multiple times... First of all, you can only activate a Veiler during your opponent's Main Phase and secondly Veiler has to target a face-up monster on the field.
I will admit I have been wrong about a card text once or twice if the card is not clear or if I've seen other intelligent players do the same incorrect action. No one is perfect but the lesson of today's post is this: If you don't understand the English Language then don't play Yu-Gi-Oh!!
Mario
Thursday, July 21, 2011
An Ignored Emergency
People who know me or follow me on Youtube are probably aware of the fact that I experiment random tech cards in the best decks. I do this for two reasons: Firstly because I like being creative and secondly because I like winning games with random cards that no one expects. Unfortunately I cannot find the cable to connect my camera to the computer so I haven't been able to upload any Tech Genius episodes. However I will occasionally discuss random cards on my blog and advertise their strengths and diversity. I will discuss a card that is not used commonly in today's format (unless you are playing the crappy Psychic deck) but I think should be ultilized, particularly in Plants: Emergency Teleport.
I splashed this card in my Quickdraw Dandywarrior build for the sake of integrating an additional combo, along with Krebons and Mind Master. Currently I do not regret this decision. If I draw Krebons first turn it's a solid defense because it can negate an attack for 800 life points. If I draw Mind Master early it will end up in the graveyard and then it is a target for Junk Synchron if Doppelwarrior is in your hand. That whole combo is something I don't feel the necessity of mentioning because everyone should know it...
With Emergency Teleport an additional synchro summon can occur and with Librarian on the field it will increase your advantage further. Summoning Mind Master can let you synchro summon with a token to summon Formula Synchron and draw 1 (2 if you control Librarian). You don't have to summon Formula though; you do have a full extra deck of options and Teleport will let you choose between a 1 and 2 star tuner if they are both in your deck. Also, I should mention that Mind Master is a light target for Chaos Sorcerer and Krebons is a dark target.
Unfortunately this strategy is only effectively splashable in Plant/ Doppel/ Water Synchro builds. It just simply doesn't fit anywhere else (except crappy psychic decks...). Of course you could play some random Chaos deck and integrate this strategy as well. This post is a little short but it shall do for today. Enjoy trying Emergency Teleport if you wish.
Mario
I splashed this card in my Quickdraw Dandywarrior build for the sake of integrating an additional combo, along with Krebons and Mind Master. Currently I do not regret this decision. If I draw Krebons first turn it's a solid defense because it can negate an attack for 800 life points. If I draw Mind Master early it will end up in the graveyard and then it is a target for Junk Synchron if Doppelwarrior is in your hand. That whole combo is something I don't feel the necessity of mentioning because everyone should know it...
With Emergency Teleport an additional synchro summon can occur and with Librarian on the field it will increase your advantage further. Summoning Mind Master can let you synchro summon with a token to summon Formula Synchron and draw 1 (2 if you control Librarian). You don't have to summon Formula though; you do have a full extra deck of options and Teleport will let you choose between a 1 and 2 star tuner if they are both in your deck. Also, I should mention that Mind Master is a light target for Chaos Sorcerer and Krebons is a dark target.
Unfortunately this strategy is only effectively splashable in Plant/ Doppel/ Water Synchro builds. It just simply doesn't fit anywhere else (except crappy psychic decks...). Of course you could play some random Chaos deck and integrate this strategy as well. This post is a little short but it shall do for today. Enjoy trying Emergency Teleport if you wish.
Mario
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tech Genus Doppel Plants
Statistically Plant variants have won the majority of World Championship Qualifiers this year. However a Tech Genus build topped the recent North American WCQ. Both of the above types definitely have individual strengths that allowed both types to win Nationals.
A deck exists today that merges these individual types: T.G. Plants. I tried this particular deck a while ago and I didn't prefer it over other builds but now I do thanks to Tech Genus Hyper Librarian and Reborn Tengu. I'll reveal the decklist and then explain the strategies.
Monsters (22):
Dandylion
Lonefire Blossom x2
Spore
Glow-Up Bulb
T.G. Cyber Magician
T.G. Striker x2
T.G. Warwolf x3
T.G. Rush Rhino x2
Doppelwarrior x2
Junk Synchron x2
Effect Veiler x2
Reborn Tengu x3
Spells (11):
Dark Hole
Monster Reborn
Giant Trunade
Mystical Space Typhoon x2
One for One
Foolish Burial
Reinforcement of the Army
Pot of Avarice x3
Traps (7):
Solemn Warning x2
Solemn Judgment
Limit Reverse x2
Call of the Haunted
Horn of the Phantom Beast
Extra Deck (15):
2 Formula Synchron
1 Armory Arm
1 T.G. Wonder Magician
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Naturia Beast
1 T.G. Hyper Librarian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Naturia Barkion
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Shooting Star Dragon
1 T.G. Halberd Cannon
Firstly, this deck can explode as early as turn one but by my third turn at the latest I will have already exploded. This deck spits out level 5 monsters easily, which include Librarian... Afterward I can synchro a lot and gain enormous advantage. Horn of the Phantom Beast exists for Tengu, Warwolf and Rush Rhino to gain a small portion of advantage. I only run one copy because it is not necessary for success. It helps when I draw it but I don't need it. The final aspect that draws me closer to the deck is the fact that I can summon Naturia Beast and Barkion easily. Striker and Rush Rhino make Barkion. Striker and Danydion or Glow-Up Bulb and Rush Rhino can make Beast. Furthermore Naturia Beast can be equipped with Horn of the Phantom Beast and a 3000 attacker that can negate spells is no joke.
I haven't decided if I want to continue playing my Quickdraw build or this new deck. The quickdraw deck has more search power and more defense but this new deck has many more options and less of a problem getting out Librarian.Anyway that's today's post.
Mario
A deck exists today that merges these individual types: T.G. Plants. I tried this particular deck a while ago and I didn't prefer it over other builds but now I do thanks to Tech Genus Hyper Librarian and Reborn Tengu. I'll reveal the decklist and then explain the strategies.
Monsters (22):
Dandylion
Lonefire Blossom x2
Spore
Glow-Up Bulb
T.G. Cyber Magician
T.G. Striker x2
T.G. Warwolf x3
T.G. Rush Rhino x2
Doppelwarrior x2
Junk Synchron x2
Effect Veiler x2
Reborn Tengu x3
Spells (11):
Dark Hole
Monster Reborn
Giant Trunade
Mystical Space Typhoon x2
One for One
Foolish Burial
Reinforcement of the Army
Pot of Avarice x3
Traps (7):
Solemn Warning x2
Solemn Judgment
Limit Reverse x2
Call of the Haunted
Horn of the Phantom Beast
Extra Deck (15):
2 Formula Synchron
1 Armory Arm
1 T.G. Wonder Magician
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Naturia Beast
1 T.G. Hyper Librarian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Naturia Barkion
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Shooting Star Dragon
1 T.G. Halberd Cannon
Firstly, this deck can explode as early as turn one but by my third turn at the latest I will have already exploded. This deck spits out level 5 monsters easily, which include Librarian... Afterward I can synchro a lot and gain enormous advantage. Horn of the Phantom Beast exists for Tengu, Warwolf and Rush Rhino to gain a small portion of advantage. I only run one copy because it is not necessary for success. It helps when I draw it but I don't need it. The final aspect that draws me closer to the deck is the fact that I can summon Naturia Beast and Barkion easily. Striker and Rush Rhino make Barkion. Striker and Danydion or Glow-Up Bulb and Rush Rhino can make Beast. Furthermore Naturia Beast can be equipped with Horn of the Phantom Beast and a 3000 attacker that can negate spells is no joke.
I haven't decided if I want to continue playing my Quickdraw build or this new deck. The quickdraw deck has more search power and more defense but this new deck has many more options and less of a problem getting out Librarian.Anyway that's today's post.
Mario
Monday, July 18, 2011
Analysis of the Best Cards
The conclusion on yesterday's North America WCQ was intriguing: A straight Tech Genus deck claimed the spotlight of being the best. It's definitely an accomplishment for a deck that isn't Plants, Six Samurai, Fairies or Gravekeepers to win Nationals despite what everyone thought. I toyed with the notion of Tech Genus monsters a little in the past but I never stuck with them. Now for the sake of playtesting and experimenting I will build a couple of decks with the Tech Genus engine including the straight build, a plant build, a zombie build, a fairy build and a water synchro build.
However this post is about a different topic. I will analyze the game-winning cards of the WCQ. I have read and disected all of the feature matches and I know what cards won games there. The most intriguing game was the finals between the Tech Genus deck and the Tengu Plant deck. I mention this simply because the winner did not summon Librarian once. In fact, he barely synchro summoned throughout the duration of the match. His opponent summoned two Hyper Librarians during the last turn of the second game and the advantage he gained from them wasn't absolutely necessary to become victorious. Anyway I'll start with the cards from that particular match then I'll list the rest.
Reborn Tengu - Is it a surprise that more than half of the top 6 used Reborn Tengu? It's broken and allows for multiple plays and a great defense. It also goes well with the next card I'd like to mention:
Pot of Avarice - Shuffling your monsters back into your deck, including 2 Reborn Tengu with a 3rd sitting on the field, allows for more plays and two extra cards.
Giant Trunade - Clears the opponent's defense (minus Effect Veiler and D.D. Crow) for one final explosion.
Royal Oppression - This card shuts down many of the popular, powerful cards of the metagame to prevent explosions and preventing fulfillment of particular strategies. Certain cards include Gravekeeper's Spy, Master Hyperion, Kageki, DEST, Debris Dragon, Junk Synchron and Monster Reborn. There are definitely more cards that Royal Oppresion kills.
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - It greatly reduces the opponent's resources and victory is much easier accessed.
Debris Dragon - This versatile card can synchro summon Black Rose Dragon, Stardust Dragon, Scrap Dragon and Trishula (along with a couple others).
Master Hyperion: The Fairy Boss! It destroys defense with his effect so victory can follow shortly. Not to mention it's ridiculously simple to summon.
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - This card has been able to win games since the beginning of time. He still wins games by bouncing defense back to the hand and pushing for game (similar to Giant Trunade...)
T.G. Hyper Librarian - In the right deck you can draw enough cards to overwhelm your opponent with more offense and defense.
Solemn Judgment - It can negate the one card that would prevent you from winning the game (unless that card is D.D. Crow or Effect Veiler).
Caius the Shadow Monarch - If it banishes an important card that your opponent needs it becomes easier to win.
Dark Hole - Clears the field of monsters and the more work the opponent put into establishing the field, the more likely victory will follow after a Dark Hole.
Royal Tribute - If it kills enough monsters first turn you win.
Gateway of the Six - It's raining Six Samurais!!!!
Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En - It's ability to negate a spell or trap is ridiculously good in this metagame. The more Shi En you control the better.
TG1-EM1 - This trap switches your Tech Genus Monster with any monster you choose from your opponent's side of the field. In other words, give them a shitty creature that let's you search at the end phase you destroy it and take a really powerful monster to rape your opponent with.
Monster Reborn - Brings back any monster from any graveyard and abuse it in any situation you need. It can win games.
These are the major cards that win games a majority of the time. The more of these cards that are utilized in your deck the better.
Mario
However this post is about a different topic. I will analyze the game-winning cards of the WCQ. I have read and disected all of the feature matches and I know what cards won games there. The most intriguing game was the finals between the Tech Genus deck and the Tengu Plant deck. I mention this simply because the winner did not summon Librarian once. In fact, he barely synchro summoned throughout the duration of the match. His opponent summoned two Hyper Librarians during the last turn of the second game and the advantage he gained from them wasn't absolutely necessary to become victorious. Anyway I'll start with the cards from that particular match then I'll list the rest.
Reborn Tengu - Is it a surprise that more than half of the top 6 used Reborn Tengu? It's broken and allows for multiple plays and a great defense. It also goes well with the next card I'd like to mention:
Pot of Avarice - Shuffling your monsters back into your deck, including 2 Reborn Tengu with a 3rd sitting on the field, allows for more plays and two extra cards.
Giant Trunade - Clears the opponent's defense (minus Effect Veiler and D.D. Crow) for one final explosion.
Royal Oppression - This card shuts down many of the popular, powerful cards of the metagame to prevent explosions and preventing fulfillment of particular strategies. Certain cards include Gravekeeper's Spy, Master Hyperion, Kageki, DEST, Debris Dragon, Junk Synchron and Monster Reborn. There are definitely more cards that Royal Oppresion kills.
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - It greatly reduces the opponent's resources and victory is much easier accessed.
Debris Dragon - This versatile card can synchro summon Black Rose Dragon, Stardust Dragon, Scrap Dragon and Trishula (along with a couple others).
Master Hyperion: The Fairy Boss! It destroys defense with his effect so victory can follow shortly. Not to mention it's ridiculously simple to summon.
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - This card has been able to win games since the beginning of time. He still wins games by bouncing defense back to the hand and pushing for game (similar to Giant Trunade...)
T.G. Hyper Librarian - In the right deck you can draw enough cards to overwhelm your opponent with more offense and defense.
Solemn Judgment - It can negate the one card that would prevent you from winning the game (unless that card is D.D. Crow or Effect Veiler).
Caius the Shadow Monarch - If it banishes an important card that your opponent needs it becomes easier to win.
Dark Hole - Clears the field of monsters and the more work the opponent put into establishing the field, the more likely victory will follow after a Dark Hole.
Royal Tribute - If it kills enough monsters first turn you win.
Gateway of the Six - It's raining Six Samurais!!!!
Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En - It's ability to negate a spell or trap is ridiculously good in this metagame. The more Shi En you control the better.
TG1-EM1 - This trap switches your Tech Genus Monster with any monster you choose from your opponent's side of the field. In other words, give them a shitty creature that let's you search at the end phase you destroy it and take a really powerful monster to rape your opponent with.
Monster Reborn - Brings back any monster from any graveyard and abuse it in any situation you need. It can win games.
These are the major cards that win games a majority of the time. The more of these cards that are utilized in your deck the better.
Mario
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tournament Report for July 16, 2011
I played in my locals this week with my Quickdraw Tengu Doppel Dandywarrior deck with differences in the main and side deck from last week. Here is what happened.
Round 1: vs Frank (Random Token Deck..) 2-1
Game one I was caught off guard and he had defense for all of my offences. I didn't get to synchro summon once and opening with 2 Tengu is not the best. Therefore I lost.
Game two I performed numerous synchro summons with Quickdraw and Debris Dragon on my second turn and I depleted over 9000 life points.
Game three I struggled to initiate momentum with my plays opening with 2 Reborn Tengu again. After a few turns I used a Pot of Avarice and shuffled in 2 Tengu and 3 other monsters I stalled the game with. Afterward I exploded by drawing One for One and a Dandylion with my 3rd Tengu on the field.
Round 2: vs Nick (T.G. Plants) 2-0
(This is the third Locals in a row I play this guy round 2...)
Game one he exploded immediately before I got to make a move and my opening hand wasn't nearly as good. Fortunately he does not have a Librarian or I might have lost. Anyway it took a while to break through his defense and when he had no back row I exploded enough to clear all his monsters.
Game two he drew a bad hand and I drew great. He conceded on his second or third turn.
Round 3: vs Jason (Fabled) 2-0
Game one we both opened with half-ass hands I think. I stopped his Morphing Jar that he desperately needed to get things going. Afterward he shortly ran out of plays and I always had a few moves every turn.
Game two I think he opened a little better but drawing both my Debunk in my opening hand did not help him. I stopped a big play at the beginning and then he had nothing to work with. I won shortly after.
Round 4: vs Jordan (Six Samurai) 2-0
Game one he couldn't release Shi En first turn because he only had spells and traps. Giant Trunade wins games.
Game two he did unleash Shi En right away but I used Puppet Plant on my first turn to take it, attack with it and synchro with it. Next turn he got out another Shi En and a Grandmaster and I won the turn after because I had a second Puppet Plant.
Once again I went undefeated and the Top 4 consisted of myself, Frank, Jordan and Dave (Vayu Turbo)
Round 5: vs Dave (Vayu Turbo) 2-1
Game one Delta Crow demolished all of my defense and then I lost shortly after.
Game two I drew enough of my sided cards to stop his plays and I managed to explode.
Game three is similar except I didn't perform any big explosions because I didn't have the cards to create enormous plays. Eventually the game became a top-decking war and I barely won the war. Reborn Tengu is good.
Round 6: vs Jordan (Six Samurai) 2-0
Game one of this match was similar to game one of our previous match with minor differences. I still won the same way.
Game two he drew half of his macro side cards (3 Dimensional Fissure and 3 Macro Cosmos) immdediately which killed any play I wanted to do. This was the longest game of the day because for so long we were both top decking. I got out a couple synchro monsters that were all negated or destroyed as the game progressed. I won the game with a Puppet Plant equipped with an Armory Arm. I don't think that combo has ever won a tournament...
I won the tournament and $30 store credit. I spent some of it on the new Exceed starter deck. I personally am unsure whether I'm going to play these new monsters competitively right now because Plants aren't letting me down. I received 1st place the last three Locals I have attended with the same type of deck with minor changes between weekends. Anyway next weekend I'm not playing next weekend because I'm attending a wedding so I have to continue my awesome record in two weeks.
Round 1: vs Frank (Random Token Deck..) 2-1
Game one I was caught off guard and he had defense for all of my offences. I didn't get to synchro summon once and opening with 2 Tengu is not the best. Therefore I lost.
Game two I performed numerous synchro summons with Quickdraw and Debris Dragon on my second turn and I depleted over 9000 life points.
Game three I struggled to initiate momentum with my plays opening with 2 Reborn Tengu again. After a few turns I used a Pot of Avarice and shuffled in 2 Tengu and 3 other monsters I stalled the game with. Afterward I exploded by drawing One for One and a Dandylion with my 3rd Tengu on the field.
Round 2: vs Nick (T.G. Plants) 2-0
(This is the third Locals in a row I play this guy round 2...)
Game one he exploded immediately before I got to make a move and my opening hand wasn't nearly as good. Fortunately he does not have a Librarian or I might have lost. Anyway it took a while to break through his defense and when he had no back row I exploded enough to clear all his monsters.
Game two he drew a bad hand and I drew great. He conceded on his second or third turn.
Round 3: vs Jason (Fabled) 2-0
Game one we both opened with half-ass hands I think. I stopped his Morphing Jar that he desperately needed to get things going. Afterward he shortly ran out of plays and I always had a few moves every turn.
Game two I think he opened a little better but drawing both my Debunk in my opening hand did not help him. I stopped a big play at the beginning and then he had nothing to work with. I won shortly after.
Round 4: vs Jordan (Six Samurai) 2-0
Game one he couldn't release Shi En first turn because he only had spells and traps. Giant Trunade wins games.
Game two he did unleash Shi En right away but I used Puppet Plant on my first turn to take it, attack with it and synchro with it. Next turn he got out another Shi En and a Grandmaster and I won the turn after because I had a second Puppet Plant.
Once again I went undefeated and the Top 4 consisted of myself, Frank, Jordan and Dave (Vayu Turbo)
Round 5: vs Dave (Vayu Turbo) 2-1
Game one Delta Crow demolished all of my defense and then I lost shortly after.
Game two I drew enough of my sided cards to stop his plays and I managed to explode.
Game three is similar except I didn't perform any big explosions because I didn't have the cards to create enormous plays. Eventually the game became a top-decking war and I barely won the war. Reborn Tengu is good.
Round 6: vs Jordan (Six Samurai) 2-0
Game one of this match was similar to game one of our previous match with minor differences. I still won the same way.
Game two he drew half of his macro side cards (3 Dimensional Fissure and 3 Macro Cosmos) immdediately which killed any play I wanted to do. This was the longest game of the day because for so long we were both top decking. I got out a couple synchro monsters that were all negated or destroyed as the game progressed. I won the game with a Puppet Plant equipped with an Armory Arm. I don't think that combo has ever won a tournament...
I won the tournament and $30 store credit. I spent some of it on the new Exceed starter deck. I personally am unsure whether I'm going to play these new monsters competitively right now because Plants aren't letting me down. I received 1st place the last three Locals I have attended with the same type of deck with minor changes between weekends. Anyway next weekend I'm not playing next weekend because I'm attending a wedding so I have to continue my awesome record in two weeks.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Power from Above
Mario here and before I officially begin this post I must mention two things. Firstly, I will be unable to upload videos this week because someone else is borrowing my camera for the week. Secondly, I am not attending Nationals unfortunately. My family and friends want to celebrate this holy occasion, my birthday, all week and particularly on the weekend. It's irritating but uncontrolable. I guess I'm that special of a person... I never knew...
Anyway today's post is on Fairies. The deck received a boost from the Lost Sanctuary starter deck. I believe it is a worthy deck for tournaments although it isn't as explosive as Plants or Six Samurai. By now everyone is aware of the noteworthy cards that the structure deck released and the popular cards most players use so I won't waste time explaining these cards. Today I just want to discuss my two favorite builds and what I will play when I gather the cards I'm missing. First is a Herald/ Agent deck from the top 8 at YCS Providence.
2 Archlord Kristya
3 Herald of Orange Light
3 Herald of Perfection
1 Honest
3 Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
3 Master Hyperion
2 Senju of the Thousand Hands
1 Sonic Bird
2 Soul of Purity and Light
3 The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter
3 The Agent of Mystery - Earth
3 Dawn of the Herald
1 Giant Trunade
1 Monster Reborn
2 Pot of Duality
3 Preparation of Rites
2 Gozen Match
2 Safe Zone
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Ancient Fairy Dragon
1 Armory Arm
1 Avenging Knight Parshath
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Flamvell Uruquizas
1 Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth
1 Light End Dragon
1 Magical Android
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Thought Ruler Archfiend
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
The build centers around Herald of Perfection locking down the opponent. Then Master Hyperior arrives and destroys the opponent. The strategy is fairly simple. The next build is one that won a tournament in Japan on July 3.
3x Mystical Shine Ball 「神聖なる球体」
3x The Agent of Creation - Venus 「創造の代行者 ヴィーナス」
1x Honest 「オネスト」
2x The Agent of Wonder - Jupiter 「奇跡の代行者 ジュピター」
3x Zeradias, Herald of Heaven 「天空の使者 ゼラディアス」
2x Archangel Christia 「大天使クリスティア」
3x Master Hyperion 「マスター・ヒュペリオン」
3x The Agent of Mystery - Earth 「神秘の代行者 アース」
3x Pot of Greederosity 「強欲で謙虚な壺」
1x Monster Reborn 「死者蘇生」
3x Treasure of Heaven 「天空の宝札」
1x Dark Hole 「ブラック・ホール」
2x Mystical Space Typhoon 「サイクロン」
1x Book of Moon 「月の書」
2x The Sanctuary in the Sky 「天空の聖域」
1x Torrential Tribute 「激流葬」
2x Bottomless Trap Hole 「奈落の落とし穴」
1x Solemn Judgment 「神の宣告」
3x Divine Punishment 「神罰」
1x Chimeratech Fortress Dragon 「キメラテック・フォートレス・ドラゴン」
2x Knight of the Earth - Gaia Knight 「大地の騎士ガイアナイト」
1x Arms Aid 「アームズ・エイド」
1x Ally of Justice Catastor 「Ａ・Ｏ・Ｊ カタストル」
1x Tech Genus Hyper Librarian 「ＴＧ ハイパー・ライブラリアン」
1x Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Boundary 「氷結界の龍 ブリューナク」
1x Black Rose Dragon 「ブラック・ローズ・ドラゴン」
1x Scrap Dragon 「スクラップ・ドラゴン」
1x Stardust Dragon 「スターダスト・ドラゴン」
1x Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Boundary 「氷結界の龍 トリシューラ」
1x Ally of Justice Decisive Arms 「Ａ・Ｏ・Ｊ ディサイシブ・アームズ」
1x Gemknight Parl 「ジェムナイト・パール」
1x Solid-Frozen Gantetsu 「ガチガチガンテツ」
1x Daigusta Phoenix 「ダイガスタ・フェニクス」
This build revolves around activating the Sanctuary in the Sky and abusing the cards that correspond with the field spell. This is also fairly straight-forward. The build I want to manufacture is an amalgamtion of the above two types. I believe fairies need as much offense and defense that it can receive. Herald of Perfection provides the ultimate defense while the Sanctuary enables the hidden abilities of certain other cards along with negating battle damage when a fairy battles. I want as much power as available when playing Agents. I will never play Agents competitively in this format because Plants are better (not to mention I have put in insane amount of thought and practice into Plants). However I believe that Fairies will not be badly attacked on the next ban list because Plants and Six Samurai are better. Next format when I have the cards I require (which doesn't include Archlord Kristya unless it's released in the 2011 tins or the Generation Force Special Edition) I will construct this deck and see success with it.
Anyway today's post is on Fairies. The deck received a boost from the Lost Sanctuary starter deck. I believe it is a worthy deck for tournaments although it isn't as explosive as Plants or Six Samurai. By now everyone is aware of the noteworthy cards that the structure deck released and the popular cards most players use so I won't waste time explaining these cards. Today I just want to discuss my two favorite builds and what I will play when I gather the cards I'm missing. First is a Herald/ Agent deck from the top 8 at YCS Providence.
2 Archlord Kristya
3 Herald of Orange Light
3 Herald of Perfection
1 Honest
3 Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
3 Master Hyperion
2 Senju of the Thousand Hands
1 Sonic Bird
2 Soul of Purity and Light
3 The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter
3 The Agent of Mystery - Earth
3 Dawn of the Herald
1 Giant Trunade
1 Monster Reborn
2 Pot of Duality
3 Preparation of Rites
2 Gozen Match
2 Safe Zone
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Ancient Fairy Dragon
1 Armory Arm
1 Avenging Knight Parshath
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Flamvell Uruquizas
1 Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth
1 Light End Dragon
1 Magical Android
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Thought Ruler Archfiend
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
The build centers around Herald of Perfection locking down the opponent. Then Master Hyperior arrives and destroys the opponent. The strategy is fairly simple. The next build is one that won a tournament in Japan on July 3.
3x Mystical Shine Ball 「神聖なる球体」
3x The Agent of Creation - Venus 「創造の代行者 ヴィーナス」
1x Honest 「オネスト」
2x The Agent of Wonder - Jupiter 「奇跡の代行者 ジュピター」
3x Zeradias, Herald of Heaven 「天空の使者 ゼラディアス」
2x Archangel Christia 「大天使クリスティア」
3x Master Hyperion 「マスター・ヒュペリオン」
3x The Agent of Mystery - Earth 「神秘の代行者 アース」
3x Pot of Greederosity 「強欲で謙虚な壺」
1x Monster Reborn 「死者蘇生」
3x Treasure of Heaven 「天空の宝札」
1x Dark Hole 「ブラック・ホール」
2x Mystical Space Typhoon 「サイクロン」
1x Book of Moon 「月の書」
2x The Sanctuary in the Sky 「天空の聖域」
1x Torrential Tribute 「激流葬」
2x Bottomless Trap Hole 「奈落の落とし穴」
1x Solemn Judgment 「神の宣告」
3x Divine Punishment 「神罰」
1x Chimeratech Fortress Dragon 「キメラテック・フォートレス・ドラゴン」
2x Knight of the Earth - Gaia Knight 「大地の騎士ガイアナイト」
1x Arms Aid 「アームズ・エイド」
1x Ally of Justice Catastor 「Ａ・Ｏ・Ｊ カタストル」
1x Tech Genus Hyper Librarian 「ＴＧ ハイパー・ライブラリアン」
1x Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Boundary 「氷結界の龍 ブリューナク」
1x Black Rose Dragon 「ブラック・ローズ・ドラゴン」
1x Scrap Dragon 「スクラップ・ドラゴン」
1x Stardust Dragon 「スターダスト・ドラゴン」
1x Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Boundary 「氷結界の龍 トリシューラ」
1x Ally of Justice Decisive Arms 「Ａ・Ｏ・Ｊ ディサイシブ・アームズ」
1x Gemknight Parl 「ジェムナイト・パール」
1x Solid-Frozen Gantetsu 「ガチガチガンテツ」
1x Daigusta Phoenix 「ダイガスタ・フェニクス」
This build revolves around activating the Sanctuary in the Sky and abusing the cards that correspond with the field spell. This is also fairly straight-forward. The build I want to manufacture is an amalgamtion of the above two types. I believe fairies need as much offense and defense that it can receive. Herald of Perfection provides the ultimate defense while the Sanctuary enables the hidden abilities of certain other cards along with negating battle damage when a fairy battles. I want as much power as available when playing Agents. I will never play Agents competitively in this format because Plants are better (not to mention I have put in insane amount of thought and practice into Plants). However I believe that Fairies will not be badly attacked on the next ban list because Plants and Six Samurai are better. Next format when I have the cards I require (which doesn't include Archlord Kristya unless it's released in the 2011 tins or the Generation Force Special Edition) I will construct this deck and see success with it.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tournament Report for July 9, 2011
I originally was planning to not attend this week's Locals because of university orientation. However I decided at the last minute to return to Belleville to play my Quickdraw Tengu Doppel Dandywarrior build with multiple changes from last week... the biggest change being Tech Genus Hyper Librarian!!!!
Round 1: vs Jason (Fabled) 2-1
Game one I performed Librarian plays and he could not overcome the advantage I gained.
Game two I struggled because my opening hand was a little bit horrible and he had Honest to defend him. Game three I think he opened bad and I broke through the little defense he had claiming victory.
Round 2: vs Nick (T.G. Plants) 2-0
Game one he used Bottomless Trap Hole on my Librarian and after a little bit of struggling I defeated him. Game two I owned him with Librarian and he had nothing on me afterward.
Round 3: vs Bobby aka irritating bastard (X-Sabers) 2-0
This was the kid I mentioned in yesterday's post. He borrowed the entire X-Saber deck and i was upset that I had to play with him. Nonetheless I had an enjoyable experience crushing him.
Game one I dealt 10400 damage on my second turn. I used 2 Upstart Goblins on my first turn. I knew the Upstart Goblins weren't that harmful.
Game two took a little longer to overwhelm him but I stole one of his X-Saber synchros with Puppet Plant and gained great advantage with numerous plays without Librarian. A couple turns later I destroyed him. Unfortunately I couldn't send him to the Shadow Realm...
Round 4: vs Ryan (Burn) 2-0
Game one he went first and set a bunch of cards. On my turn I used Giant Trunade and exploded thanks to Librarian. I defeated him immediately.
Game two he was imposing pressure on me and I was struggling to break through Wabokus, Thunder of Ruler, Level Limit Area B and Wave-Motion Cannon. I slowly gained advantage with Librarian and eventually I broke through all his defenses before he burned me to defeat.
I went undefeated into the top four. Other members include Ryan, Jordan (Six Samurai) and Bobby.... (shame)
Round 5: vs Jordan (Six Samurai)
Game one he didn't open with a playable monster. The usefulness of Reborn Tengu and Armory Arm won me the first game.
Game two he opened somewhat better. Nonetheless he faced the powers of my Librarian and I gained too much advantage for him to properly respond.
I was supposed to play Ryan in the finals but he had to go so we agreed to split and we both won $30 store credit. In conclusion being the only player with Librarian in Belleville turned out to be amazing. I made the card and my deck with its unusual tech choices shine (triple Upstart Goblin and triple Dust Tornado). Afterward I played some Pokemon TCG (I'm just starting to get into it) and played and defeated some very good decks which is always positive. The game is definitely different than Yu-Gi-Oh and eventually I will share my opinions and observable differences between the two cards games. I have not yet decided whether I will be attending Nationals or not. I have to choose quickly because I'm required to decide in only a few days. Unfortunately my birthday is right before Nationals so that may interfere with any extraordianry faraway card trips...
Mario
Round 1: vs Jason (Fabled) 2-1
Game one I performed Librarian plays and he could not overcome the advantage I gained.
Game two I struggled because my opening hand was a little bit horrible and he had Honest to defend him. Game three I think he opened bad and I broke through the little defense he had claiming victory.
Round 2: vs Nick (T.G. Plants) 2-0
Game one he used Bottomless Trap Hole on my Librarian and after a little bit of struggling I defeated him. Game two I owned him with Librarian and he had nothing on me afterward.
Round 3: vs Bobby aka irritating bastard (X-Sabers) 2-0
This was the kid I mentioned in yesterday's post. He borrowed the entire X-Saber deck and i was upset that I had to play with him. Nonetheless I had an enjoyable experience crushing him.
Game one I dealt 10400 damage on my second turn. I used 2 Upstart Goblins on my first turn. I knew the Upstart Goblins weren't that harmful.
Game two took a little longer to overwhelm him but I stole one of his X-Saber synchros with Puppet Plant and gained great advantage with numerous plays without Librarian. A couple turns later I destroyed him. Unfortunately I couldn't send him to the Shadow Realm...
Round 4: vs Ryan (Burn) 2-0
Game one he went first and set a bunch of cards. On my turn I used Giant Trunade and exploded thanks to Librarian. I defeated him immediately.
Game two he was imposing pressure on me and I was struggling to break through Wabokus, Thunder of Ruler, Level Limit Area B and Wave-Motion Cannon. I slowly gained advantage with Librarian and eventually I broke through all his defenses before he burned me to defeat.
I went undefeated into the top four. Other members include Ryan, Jordan (Six Samurai) and Bobby.... (shame)
Round 5: vs Jordan (Six Samurai)
Game one he didn't open with a playable monster. The usefulness of Reborn Tengu and Armory Arm won me the first game.
Game two he opened somewhat better. Nonetheless he faced the powers of my Librarian and I gained too much advantage for him to properly respond.
I was supposed to play Ryan in the finals but he had to go so we agreed to split and we both won $30 store credit. In conclusion being the only player with Librarian in Belleville turned out to be amazing. I made the card and my deck with its unusual tech choices shine (triple Upstart Goblin and triple Dust Tornado). Afterward I played some Pokemon TCG (I'm just starting to get into it) and played and defeated some very good decks which is always positive. The game is definitely different than Yu-Gi-Oh and eventually I will share my opinions and observable differences between the two cards games. I have not yet decided whether I will be attending Nationals or not. I have to choose quickly because I'm required to decide in only a few days. Unfortunately my birthday is right before Nationals so that may interfere with any extraordianry faraway card trips...
Mario
Friday, July 8, 2011
Ties Between Emotions and Yu-Gi-Oh
Every human faces complex elements called emotions and they vary from extreme happiness to deteriorating depression: This is obvious and common knowledge. I believe Yu-Gi-Oh forces emotions out of its players. In my experience this children's card game has contributed to my positive emotional spectrum and sometimes the effect is reversed. In this post I intend to outline and describe particular bullshit concepts and events that exist in the Yu-Gi-Oh realm. Following each of these topics I will describe my emotions pertaining to each.
I will start by writing about the 2011 Collector Tins. Pot of Duality is scheduled to be released as a super rare inside both tins. Hearing this revelation in Yu-Gi-Oh triggered both my positive and negative emotions. I'm thankful that POD is finally being re-released and is easily accessable. The above reasons unleashed my negativity concurrently. I only received my first POD a few months ago after serious complications and irritation. I'm pissed that this ridiculously excellent card will become a $10 super rare. I believe this is an injustice to everyone who paid massive amounts in cards or cash to obtain one, two or three PODs. This topic leaks into my next area of discussion.
Nothing in Yu-Gi-Oh pisses me off more than bad players that achieve great results. Unskilled douches that copy auto-piloted strategies and achieve significantly positive results infuriates me. Players that also borrow complete already-made decks and witness success also slide into this category of players. People who actively participate in the Belleville Local tournaments are probably already aware of what I'm about to write about. There is a player among my card-playing community that has frequently borrowed a complete deck because he was too lazy to put in the slightest effort of creating something his own. Then he finally decided to obtain some cards and create some fucked up Gravekeeper deck (the most auto-pilot deck in this format). Ironically he made Gravekeepers terrible in the process. Hopefully he will eventually grow some balls and create a deck that requires skill and the fact that he has topped a couple of times is unfair to anyone who isn't a fucktard. (As a sidenote I believe skilled players can successfully build any deck and add subtle twists to increase success rate (including Gravekeepers). Bad players copying the simplest successful deck in the metagame does not require skill and these people should burn in hell and not play Yu-Gi-Oh.)
Next, the distinct attitudes of certain players have a negative effect on me. I'm talking about players that disrespect and disregard other player's successful ideas. This attitude is understandable if the idea is satistically terrible or ineffective. Over time I've observed this unrighteous attitude, as a victim and a bystander. I've witnessed terrible players (one of them being the player described in the above paragraph) behaving this way and it repulses me. I personally never pass judgment on a deck until I witness it in action and this is the attitude every player should have.
Unfortunately I'm required to finish this post early because my father wants to use the computer. At some point in the future I will continue this post. I started playing this game because I initially believed it was interesting, enjoyable and challenging. Currently I also strive to share my opinions with fellow players and to combat the bullshit the game has gathered over time. I have carried a challenging life for multiple years. I have faced tragedy, a couple deaths, various types of fights and betrayal. I've already accepted that personal happiness is unachievable. However I attempt to maintain, at the bare minimum, internal peacefulness. Yu-Gi-Oh is one of the factors that greatly contributes to this internal peacefulness and I will not let this bullshit interfere with this. I will do everything in my power to remove the bullshit by battling and controlling what I can. (By the way there is a significant difference between peacefulness and happiness, especially for me.)
Mario
I will start by writing about the 2011 Collector Tins. Pot of Duality is scheduled to be released as a super rare inside both tins. Hearing this revelation in Yu-Gi-Oh triggered both my positive and negative emotions. I'm thankful that POD is finally being re-released and is easily accessable. The above reasons unleashed my negativity concurrently. I only received my first POD a few months ago after serious complications and irritation. I'm pissed that this ridiculously excellent card will become a $10 super rare. I believe this is an injustice to everyone who paid massive amounts in cards or cash to obtain one, two or three PODs. This topic leaks into my next area of discussion.
Nothing in Yu-Gi-Oh pisses me off more than bad players that achieve great results. Unskilled douches that copy auto-piloted strategies and achieve significantly positive results infuriates me. Players that also borrow complete already-made decks and witness success also slide into this category of players. People who actively participate in the Belleville Local tournaments are probably already aware of what I'm about to write about. There is a player among my card-playing community that has frequently borrowed a complete deck because he was too lazy to put in the slightest effort of creating something his own. Then he finally decided to obtain some cards and create some fucked up Gravekeeper deck (the most auto-pilot deck in this format). Ironically he made Gravekeepers terrible in the process. Hopefully he will eventually grow some balls and create a deck that requires skill and the fact that he has topped a couple of times is unfair to anyone who isn't a fucktard. (As a sidenote I believe skilled players can successfully build any deck and add subtle twists to increase success rate (including Gravekeepers). Bad players copying the simplest successful deck in the metagame does not require skill and these people should burn in hell and not play Yu-Gi-Oh.)
Next, the distinct attitudes of certain players have a negative effect on me. I'm talking about players that disrespect and disregard other player's successful ideas. This attitude is understandable if the idea is satistically terrible or ineffective. Over time I've observed this unrighteous attitude, as a victim and a bystander. I've witnessed terrible players (one of them being the player described in the above paragraph) behaving this way and it repulses me. I personally never pass judgment on a deck until I witness it in action and this is the attitude every player should have.
Unfortunately I'm required to finish this post early because my father wants to use the computer. At some point in the future I will continue this post. I started playing this game because I initially believed it was interesting, enjoyable and challenging. Currently I also strive to share my opinions with fellow players and to combat the bullshit the game has gathered over time. I have carried a challenging life for multiple years. I have faced tragedy, a couple deaths, various types of fights and betrayal. I've already accepted that personal happiness is unachievable. However I attempt to maintain, at the bare minimum, internal peacefulness. Yu-Gi-Oh is one of the factors that greatly contributes to this internal peacefulness and I will not let this bullshit interfere with this. I will do everything in my power to remove the bullshit by battling and controlling what I can. (By the way there is a significant difference between peacefulness and happiness, especially for me.)
Mario
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Next Top Tier Deck...
RESCUE DINOSAURS: I might just be the first person to publically publish a decent build of this deck and take full credit for it!!!
Mario here. Before you read the post make sure your knowledgable about the following cards:
http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Evolkaiser_Ragia
http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Rescue_Rabbit
Rescue Rabbit is to be released in the set "Photon Shockwave" and the TCG will face this card in about 5 months from now. Rescue Rabbit = Instant Exceed or Instant Synchro or possibly both (invidually of course since exceed monsters cannot be used as synchro materials). Rescue Rabbit can be splashed into X-Sabers and Gladiator Beasts (and a few random builds) but Rescue Rabbit gives birth to the following deck:
Monsters:
3 Rescue Rabbit
3 Kabazauls
3 Hydrogeddon
2 Treeborn Frog
2 Fishborg Blaster
3 Genex Undine
2 Genex Controller
2 Effect Veiler
2 Mobius the Frost Monarch
1 Water Spirit
3 Battle Fader
1 Tragoedia
Spells:
3 Moray of Greed
3 Pot of Avarice
2 Enemy Controller
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Giant Trunade
1 One for One
1 Foolish Burial
Extra Deck:
1 Evolkaiser Ragia
1 Steelswarm Roach
2 Formula Synchron
1 Armory Arm
1 Tech Genus Hyper Librarian
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Orient Dragon
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Shooting Star Dragon
1 Shooting Quasar Dragon (or Tech Genus Halberd Cannon if SQD is not available by then in the TCG)
Assuming the September 2011 banlist does not attack any of the cards used in this build, I can create this deck with the TCG release of Photon Shockwave (even if some of the above cards get attacked further by the list I can make superb edits). Rescue Rabbit can make a Ragia or Roach first turn and can manipulate alternative actions later in the game. The player that can succesfully utilize Rescue Rabbit first will instantly gain advantage and possibly become victorious shortly afterward.
I have proxied and playtested this deck a few matches against my current Quickdraw build (Taking into consideration Priority will be abolished by the time Rescue Rabbit is released) and this build is truly relentless. Multiple Rescue Rabbits in a single game is extremely difficult to overcome. Not to mention Hydrogeddon summons another one from the deck when it destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the graveyard. Then "pain" phase 2 consists of an exceed summon and/or maybe a synchro summon or two as well. Consider this: Fishborg Blaster + 2 Hydrogeddon/Kabazauls = Trishula and Fishborg Blaster + Treeborn Frog + 2 Hydrogeddon/Kabazauls = Shooting Quasar Dragon after some Librarian bonuses.
I realize this is still a long way away but the brokenness of this card must be analyzed and experimented immediately. Konami is on the verge of printing another card that can impact the metagame on its own, similarly with Reborn Tengu and Librarian. Fortunately since the OCG and TCG will release this card only with a distance of a few months it will hopefully become banned in the March 2012 list. I think Konami wants to print this card to create diversity and to challenge the powerful decks on the next format. Unfortunately Konami released a card that's extremely broken and will squeze into any deck that it can "rescue" and dominate everyone else. "Rescue Dinosaurs" is what I choose to name this build and it will be... the next top tier deck.
Mario here. Before you read the post make sure your knowledgable about the following cards:
http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Evolkaiser_Ragia
http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Rescue_Rabbit
Rescue Rabbit is to be released in the set "Photon Shockwave" and the TCG will face this card in about 5 months from now. Rescue Rabbit = Instant Exceed or Instant Synchro or possibly both (invidually of course since exceed monsters cannot be used as synchro materials). Rescue Rabbit can be splashed into X-Sabers and Gladiator Beasts (and a few random builds) but Rescue Rabbit gives birth to the following deck:
Monsters:
3 Rescue Rabbit
3 Kabazauls
3 Hydrogeddon
2 Treeborn Frog
2 Fishborg Blaster
3 Genex Undine
2 Genex Controller
2 Effect Veiler
2 Mobius the Frost Monarch
1 Water Spirit
3 Battle Fader
1 Tragoedia
Spells:
3 Moray of Greed
3 Pot of Avarice
2 Enemy Controller
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Giant Trunade
1 One for One
1 Foolish Burial
Extra Deck:
1 Evolkaiser Ragia
1 Steelswarm Roach
2 Formula Synchron
1 Armory Arm
1 Tech Genus Hyper Librarian
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Orient Dragon
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Shooting Star Dragon
1 Shooting Quasar Dragon (or Tech Genus Halberd Cannon if SQD is not available by then in the TCG)
Assuming the September 2011 banlist does not attack any of the cards used in this build, I can create this deck with the TCG release of Photon Shockwave (even if some of the above cards get attacked further by the list I can make superb edits). Rescue Rabbit can make a Ragia or Roach first turn and can manipulate alternative actions later in the game. The player that can succesfully utilize Rescue Rabbit first will instantly gain advantage and possibly become victorious shortly afterward.
I have proxied and playtested this deck a few matches against my current Quickdraw build (Taking into consideration Priority will be abolished by the time Rescue Rabbit is released) and this build is truly relentless. Multiple Rescue Rabbits in a single game is extremely difficult to overcome. Not to mention Hydrogeddon summons another one from the deck when it destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the graveyard. Then "pain" phase 2 consists of an exceed summon and/or maybe a synchro summon or two as well. Consider this: Fishborg Blaster + 2 Hydrogeddon/Kabazauls = Trishula and Fishborg Blaster + Treeborn Frog + 2 Hydrogeddon/Kabazauls = Shooting Quasar Dragon after some Librarian bonuses.
I realize this is still a long way away but the brokenness of this card must be analyzed and experimented immediately. Konami is on the verge of printing another card that can impact the metagame on its own, similarly with Reborn Tengu and Librarian. Fortunately since the OCG and TCG will release this card only with a distance of a few months it will hopefully become banned in the March 2012 list. I think Konami wants to print this card to create diversity and to challenge the powerful decks on the next format. Unfortunately Konami released a card that's extremely broken and will squeze into any deck that it can "rescue" and dominate everyone else. "Rescue Dinosaurs" is what I choose to name this build and it will be... the next top tier deck.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Dimensional Six Samurai vs Normal Six Samurai
Mario here... and I feel like writing an essay today...
During the previous 5 months Six Samurais have dominated the metagame. Although Gateway of the Six is no longer at 3 like in the previous format it is still a powerful force to be reckoned with. Dimensional Six Samurai has seen great success recently compared to the standard Six Samurai builds. The Normal Six Samurai builds though are equally dominating. Both types have a different play-style and in my opinion are equally as successful.
Dimensional Six Samurai plays Dimensional Fissure obviously. Essentially the deck substitutes 3 Double-Edge Sword Technique for 3 Dimensional Fissure (basically there is seldom use of DEST in Dimensional Sams since it's a useless card with Dimension Fissure standing). The Fissure nullifies the explosive powers of Plant and Doppel builds, Agents, Normal Six Sams and Water Synchro to list a few different decks. With the arrival of Tech Genus Hyper Librarian, Dimensiona Fissure is looking like a stronger card. This type however has a negative counterpart: The forced disregard for DEST limits the explosive powers of the deck (not to mention DEST wins numerous matches). DEST is one of the greatest tools for the Normal Six Sams to abuse.
Normal Six Samurai does not utilize Dimensional Fissure and maintains the usefulness of DEST. Without the Fissures the deck loses that automatic advantage against Plant and Doppel builds, Agents, Normal Six Sams and Water Synchro to list the same of a few different decks. DEST however will capatlize by creating a synchro monsters that can influence the direction of the game hopefully. Finally, Monster Reborn and a teched Call of the Haunted will assist in the opponen'ts destruction since it will not be a dead draw. It's obviously the most explosive of the two different builds.
Dimensional Six Samurai have an instant advantage against most decks in game one whereas Normal Six Samurai explodes and cripples the opponent. Six Samurai builds in general continue to dominate the format. Personally I would play the normal effective build game one and if necessary side into Dimensional Fissures for the remainder of the match. I'm sure numerous skilled duelists would also consider it. Luckily Six Samurai decks cannot abuse Hyper Librarian and Reborn Tengu like Plants can... Six Samurai are not absolutely broken yet.
During the previous 5 months Six Samurais have dominated the metagame. Although Gateway of the Six is no longer at 3 like in the previous format it is still a powerful force to be reckoned with. Dimensional Six Samurai has seen great success recently compared to the standard Six Samurai builds. The Normal Six Samurai builds though are equally dominating. Both types have a different play-style and in my opinion are equally as successful.
Dimensional Six Samurai plays Dimensional Fissure obviously. Essentially the deck substitutes 3 Double-Edge Sword Technique for 3 Dimensional Fissure (basically there is seldom use of DEST in Dimensional Sams since it's a useless card with Dimension Fissure standing). The Fissure nullifies the explosive powers of Plant and Doppel builds, Agents, Normal Six Sams and Water Synchro to list a few different decks. With the arrival of Tech Genus Hyper Librarian, Dimensiona Fissure is looking like a stronger card. This type however has a negative counterpart: The forced disregard for DEST limits the explosive powers of the deck (not to mention DEST wins numerous matches). DEST is one of the greatest tools for the Normal Six Sams to abuse.
Normal Six Samurai does not utilize Dimensional Fissure and maintains the usefulness of DEST. Without the Fissures the deck loses that automatic advantage against Plant and Doppel builds, Agents, Normal Six Sams and Water Synchro to list the same of a few different decks. DEST however will capatlize by creating a synchro monsters that can influence the direction of the game hopefully. Finally, Monster Reborn and a teched Call of the Haunted will assist in the opponen'ts destruction since it will not be a dead draw. It's obviously the most explosive of the two different builds.
Dimensional Six Samurai have an instant advantage against most decks in game one whereas Normal Six Samurai explodes and cripples the opponent. Six Samurai builds in general continue to dominate the format. Personally I would play the normal effective build game one and if necessary side into Dimensional Fissures for the remainder of the match. I'm sure numerous skilled duelists would also consider it. Luckily Six Samurai decks cannot abuse Hyper Librarian and Reborn Tengu like Plants can... Six Samurai are not absolutely broken yet.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Mathematics, Probabilities and Thinning
Skilled players make good decks by considering the probabilities of drawing particular cards. Good decks increase the probability of drawing win conditions. Mathematics is always present when analyzing these probabilities. I'm going to attempt to explain simple mathematics that you probably know or may not know. My goal in this post is to reinforce the concept of mathematics so you, the reader, can create better decks.
I personally wasn't considering probabilities until I began practicing for Regionals and I was cautious of my probabilities while constructing the final draft of my deck. While it's true that you must include cards that cripple your opponents you must also include your winning strategies. Any card that searches and thins out the deck is useful. In conclusion it was with this build that I topped Regionals because it had enough deck thinning without removing the essence of the deck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXjjtdbUs4w
Consider Upstart Goblin: Draw 1 and increase your opponent's life points by 1000. If you are playing a 40 card deck with 3 Upstarts you are essentially playing a 37 card deck with minor life point repercussions. That's simple math.
Pot of Duality is a similar card that's more expensive. Poor people play Upstart and everyone else plays POD if they choose. Some decks utilize 3 copies of both cards like Gravekeepers for example. I'll use Gravekeepers in my next example.
Gravekeepers play a 34 card deck if Upstart and POD are incorporated. Lets analyze the first turn though. You can only activate one POD once per turn therefore it's only a 36 card deck turn one (If you understand where I'm coming from). The main goal is to activate Necrovalley immediately. Most decks incorporate 3 copies of the spell along with 3 Gravekeeper's Commandant which searches the deck for Necrovalley. This is a total of 6 cards that activate Necrovalley in a 36 card deck first turn. Now that probability of playing Necrovalley: 6/36 = 1/6. This implies that it is simple and probable to open with Necrovalley. The secondary goal is to activate Necrovalley then activate Royal Tribute. Only 2 copies are allowed per deck currently. Here's the corresponding math: 2/36 = 1/18. That's the probability of opening with Royal Tribute first turn.
Anyway, in the Plant Synchro world I have started experimenting 3 Upstart Goblins in my builds. The explosiveness plants can unleash makes the 3000 maximum life increase by Upstart insignificant. My current goal is to include as many cards possible that thin out the deck in some fashion (Reborn Tengu, Sangan, Morphing Jar, Tuning, Tech Genus Hyper Librarian) without removing winning strategies and defense mechanisms (Effect Veiler, Mystical Space Typhoon, Solemn Warning). Currently it's proving to be a difficult challenge because I can only incorporate so much. I'm still unsure if I am going to Nationals or not but this type of build is what I'm planning to create nonetheless.
My final factor I wish to reinforce in this post is the importance of playtesting and drawing sample hands. It's crucial so you can realistically determine the probabilities of your deck when it matters. For example, I played 100 sample hands when I took on the challenge of building Six Samurai. 78 out of those 100 hands were capable of summoning Shi En first turn assuming there was no interferance from your opponent. Drawing sample hands provide you with information of your more probable plays outside of pen-and-paper mathematics.
Remember to include mathematics when constructing any deck. One card can make all the difference.
Mario
I personally wasn't considering probabilities until I began practicing for Regionals and I was cautious of my probabilities while constructing the final draft of my deck. While it's true that you must include cards that cripple your opponents you must also include your winning strategies. Any card that searches and thins out the deck is useful. In conclusion it was with this build that I topped Regionals because it had enough deck thinning without removing the essence of the deck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXjjtdbUs4w
Consider Upstart Goblin: Draw 1 and increase your opponent's life points by 1000. If you are playing a 40 card deck with 3 Upstarts you are essentially playing a 37 card deck with minor life point repercussions. That's simple math.
Pot of Duality is a similar card that's more expensive. Poor people play Upstart and everyone else plays POD if they choose. Some decks utilize 3 copies of both cards like Gravekeepers for example. I'll use Gravekeepers in my next example.
Gravekeepers play a 34 card deck if Upstart and POD are incorporated. Lets analyze the first turn though. You can only activate one POD once per turn therefore it's only a 36 card deck turn one (If you understand where I'm coming from). The main goal is to activate Necrovalley immediately. Most decks incorporate 3 copies of the spell along with 3 Gravekeeper's Commandant which searches the deck for Necrovalley. This is a total of 6 cards that activate Necrovalley in a 36 card deck first turn. Now that probability of playing Necrovalley: 6/36 = 1/6. This implies that it is simple and probable to open with Necrovalley. The secondary goal is to activate Necrovalley then activate Royal Tribute. Only 2 copies are allowed per deck currently. Here's the corresponding math: 2/36 = 1/18. That's the probability of opening with Royal Tribute first turn.
Anyway, in the Plant Synchro world I have started experimenting 3 Upstart Goblins in my builds. The explosiveness plants can unleash makes the 3000 maximum life increase by Upstart insignificant. My current goal is to include as many cards possible that thin out the deck in some fashion (Reborn Tengu, Sangan, Morphing Jar, Tuning, Tech Genus Hyper Librarian) without removing winning strategies and defense mechanisms (Effect Veiler, Mystical Space Typhoon, Solemn Warning). Currently it's proving to be a difficult challenge because I can only incorporate so much. I'm still unsure if I am going to Nationals or not but this type of build is what I'm planning to create nonetheless.
My final factor I wish to reinforce in this post is the importance of playtesting and drawing sample hands. It's crucial so you can realistically determine the probabilities of your deck when it matters. For example, I played 100 sample hands when I took on the challenge of building Six Samurai. 78 out of those 100 hands were capable of summoning Shi En first turn assuming there was no interferance from your opponent. Drawing sample hands provide you with information of your more probable plays outside of pen-and-paper mathematics.
Remember to include mathematics when constructing any deck. One card can make all the difference.
Mario
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Synchro and Fusion in the same deck.
We have Draco Equiste.
We have Supreme Arcanite Magician.
We have Gaia Drake.
And we have Naturia Exterio.
And Synchro Fusionist.
I get a nice little twich in my panties when I think about combining the two monster types together so I started thinking of ways to do it.
Draco Equiste is good in decks that like dragon synchros and warrior type monsters. So, you can definitly main miracle synchro fusion and side super poly if you were playing stricter Junk-Doppel. You can push yourelf into Dragon plays and if they die you have a spell card that summons a 3200 beater.
That resists burn. Hoo-rah.
Draco Equiste has some plays against Sams that get greedy with Shi En-Barkion lock. Using Super Poly in heroes means that all your oppenent has to do is waste resources to summon a dragon so the -1 of the spell card is counted for.
Supreme Arcanite Magican!
Synchro spellcasters we hate to see and love to play, Librarian and Arcanite.
Non-synchro spellcaster that is seen in lots of decks, Veiler! Im going second, my opponent drops Kagemusha, Doomcal, Debris, anything a Veiler can screw over.
My turn, Junk Doppel crap assuming it goes off and you go into a Librarian.
Youve drawn your Miracle Fusion and after synching off the Formula and Librarian for regular Arcanite to pop some cards you can summon Supreme Aracnite to destroy or even draw two more cards. At this point there might be very few cards left on the field, so just sit on the fusion.After that he is still 1400/2800.
Super poly against gravekeepers or even in gravekeepers should they feel creative in wanting to stop Fish FTK or Quasar.
Gaia Drake.
Derp, just use summoner of Illusions.
Summoner of Illusions to tribute a token or something to summon a Gaia Drake that is immune to Summoner's drawback.
Old combo is old.
Naturia Exterio!
You dont need to waste extra deck space on Barkion!
Just use Naturia Beast and King of the Swamp in a Hero deck!
Future fusion for Gaia!
Drop Ehero and Glow Up.
Normal a Wildheart or a Woodsman, summon Glow up, make a Beast.
Pitch King of the swamp from hand to search a poly.
Miracle Synchro Fusion into Exterio.
That is a turn one play but this combo is easily set up into.
Run the right cards to make an easy beast and just dump a Swamp.
Swamp is a Debris target so there are some level 7 dragon plays, not to forget Gugnir which can just toss the poly you searched to blow up a card you dont like.
What if you draw the glow up?
Run some other support to further mix that plant-ish engine in, One for One, Enemy Controller, even
Fusing it with a poly.
Im not saying go all out with the staple five but its possible.
Your normal summon can be a Debris or even Junk play and then use Miracle Fusion and Miracle Synchro Fusion respectively to futher spam the field.
I'll do up decks and more combos that make the summoning of these cards easier to perform at a competitive level. I'll be starting with Draco-Equeste.
Comment either on Facebook or here about some ideas you make have.
Jon
We have Supreme Arcanite Magician.
We have Gaia Drake.
And we have Naturia Exterio.
And Synchro Fusionist.
I get a nice little twich in my panties when I think about combining the two monster types together so I started thinking of ways to do it.
Draco Equiste is good in decks that like dragon synchros and warrior type monsters. So, you can definitly main miracle synchro fusion and side super poly if you were playing stricter Junk-Doppel. You can push yourelf into Dragon plays and if they die you have a spell card that summons a 3200 beater.
That resists burn. Hoo-rah.
Draco Equiste has some plays against Sams that get greedy with Shi En-Barkion lock. Using Super Poly in heroes means that all your oppenent has to do is waste resources to summon a dragon so the -1 of the spell card is counted for.
Supreme Arcanite Magican!
Synchro spellcasters we hate to see and love to play, Librarian and Arcanite.
Non-synchro spellcaster that is seen in lots of decks, Veiler! Im going second, my opponent drops Kagemusha, Doomcal, Debris, anything a Veiler can screw over.
My turn, Junk Doppel crap assuming it goes off and you go into a Librarian.
Youve drawn your Miracle Fusion and after synching off the Formula and Librarian for regular Arcanite to pop some cards you can summon Supreme Aracnite to destroy or even draw two more cards. At this point there might be very few cards left on the field, so just sit on the fusion.After that he is still 1400/2800.
Super poly against gravekeepers or even in gravekeepers should they feel creative in wanting to stop Fish FTK or Quasar.
Gaia Drake.
Derp, just use summoner of Illusions.
Summoner of Illusions to tribute a token or something to summon a Gaia Drake that is immune to Summoner's drawback.
Old combo is old.
Naturia Exterio!
You dont need to waste extra deck space on Barkion!
Just use Naturia Beast and King of the Swamp in a Hero deck!
Future fusion for Gaia!
Drop Ehero and Glow Up.
Normal a Wildheart or a Woodsman, summon Glow up, make a Beast.
Pitch King of the swamp from hand to search a poly.
Miracle Synchro Fusion into Exterio.
That is a turn one play but this combo is easily set up into.
Run the right cards to make an easy beast and just dump a Swamp.
Swamp is a Debris target so there are some level 7 dragon plays, not to forget Gugnir which can just toss the poly you searched to blow up a card you dont like.
What if you draw the glow up?
Run some other support to further mix that plant-ish engine in, One for One, Enemy Controller, even
Fusing it with a poly.
Im not saying go all out with the staple five but its possible.
Your normal summon can be a Debris or even Junk play and then use Miracle Fusion and Miracle Synchro Fusion respectively to futher spam the field.
I'll do up decks and more combos that make the summoning of these cards easier to perform at a competitive level. I'll be starting with Draco-Equeste.
Comment either on Facebook or here about some ideas you make have.
Jon
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Tournament Report for July 2, 2011
Mario here.
It’s been too long since a tournament report has been posted on the blog. Anyway I participated in Locals this weekend playing Quickdraw Dandywarrior. Here are the results:
Round 1: vs Josh (T.G. Plants) 2-0
Game one I spammed the field with fluff tokens with Drill Warrior plays. He couldn’t break through my defense but I slowly crippled his.
Game two went back and forth a little but I eventually got the better of him after a couple Trishula plays.
Round 2: vs Nick (T.G. Plants) 2-1
Game one went back and forth but eventually I proceeded to win.
Game two my hand was terrible.
Game three his hand could’ve been better. I defeated him very quickly.
Round 3: vs Tom (Burn) 2-1
I was caught off-guard game one because I wasn’t expecting this match-up and every play I attempted was stopped by Royal Oppression and I slowly burnt to defeat.
Game two I wasted no time and exploded first turn before he could do anything. He did summon Lava Golem on his first time but I had enough to surpass his traps and deplete his life points before mine disappeared.
Game three again went back and forth but barely escaped and succeeded in defeating him with a couple of Trishulas.
Round 4: vs Dave (Six Samurai) 1-2
Game one was extremely close. He misplayed right at the beginning by negating my Tuning with Shi En and then I activated Dark Hole. He turned the game around slowly and pressed with enough damage to kill me. Also, Royal Oppression against me did not help.
Game two I exploded right away and won shortly after.
Game three he exploded turn one but I drew a number of cards because of Maxx C. I exploded however it was all over when he activated Double Edge Sword Technique.
I reached the Top 4 along with Dave, Jim (Blackwings) and Jon (Chaos Plants).
Game 5: vs Jim (Blackwings) 2-1
Game one he controlled me for a while but I broke free of his control and beat him down.
Game two I opened three Pot of Avarice which means I lose no matter what.
Game three was similar to game one and I was victorious
Game 6: vs Jon (Chaos Plants) 2-1
We did agree to split the store credit between 1st and 2nd since we share a collection. However we played it out regardless. All of the games were close, especially game three. I was forced to less than 2000 life points and I made a comeback resulting in my victory.
So technically I received 1st place and $35 store credit. Jon and I traded for our second Tour Guide of the Underworld. As well we traded a spare Reborn Tengu and a T.G. Warwolf for a Monster binder which we spent hours after the tournament organizing. All and all it was a good day!
It’s been too long since a tournament report has been posted on the blog. Anyway I participated in Locals this weekend playing Quickdraw Dandywarrior. Here are the results:
Round 1: vs Josh (T.G. Plants) 2-0
Game one I spammed the field with fluff tokens with Drill Warrior plays. He couldn’t break through my defense but I slowly crippled his.
Game two went back and forth a little but I eventually got the better of him after a couple Trishula plays.
Round 2: vs Nick (T.G. Plants) 2-1
Game one went back and forth but eventually I proceeded to win.
Game two my hand was terrible.
Game three his hand could’ve been better. I defeated him very quickly.
Round 3: vs Tom (Burn) 2-1
I was caught off-guard game one because I wasn’t expecting this match-up and every play I attempted was stopped by Royal Oppression and I slowly burnt to defeat.
Game two I wasted no time and exploded first turn before he could do anything. He did summon Lava Golem on his first time but I had enough to surpass his traps and deplete his life points before mine disappeared.
Game three again went back and forth but barely escaped and succeeded in defeating him with a couple of Trishulas.
Round 4: vs Dave (Six Samurai) 1-2
Game one was extremely close. He misplayed right at the beginning by negating my Tuning with Shi En and then I activated Dark Hole. He turned the game around slowly and pressed with enough damage to kill me. Also, Royal Oppression against me did not help.
Game two I exploded right away and won shortly after.
Game three he exploded turn one but I drew a number of cards because of Maxx C. I exploded however it was all over when he activated Double Edge Sword Technique.
I reached the Top 4 along with Dave, Jim (Blackwings) and Jon (Chaos Plants).
Game 5: vs Jim (Blackwings) 2-1
Game one he controlled me for a while but I broke free of his control and beat him down.
Game two I opened three Pot of Avarice which means I lose no matter what.
Game three was similar to game one and I was victorious
Game 6: vs Jon (Chaos Plants) 2-1
We did agree to split the store credit between 1st and 2nd since we share a collection. However we played it out regardless. All of the games were close, especially game three. I was forced to less than 2000 life points and I made a comeback resulting in my victory.
So technically I received 1st place and $35 store credit. Jon and I traded for our second Tour Guide of the Underworld. As well we traded a spare Reborn Tengu and a T.G. Warwolf for a Monster binder which we spent hours after the tournament organizing. All and all it was a good day!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Gold Series 4 Released Today!!
Today is Canada Day but more importantly it is the release date of Gold Series 4. By the way, I'm half Italian and half German; therefore I just don't care about Canada Day. Anyway here's the list:
■GLD4-EN001 Millennium Shield
■GLD4-EN002 Pendulum Machine
■GLD4-EN003 The Wicked Worm Beast
■GLD4-EN004 Goddess with the Third Eye
■GLD4-EN005 Beastking of the Swamps
■GLD4-EN006 Versago the Destroyer
■GLD4-EN007 Morphing Jar (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN008 Goddess of Whim
■GLD4-EN009 Injection Fairy Lily
■GLD4-EN010 Gravekeeper's Spy (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN011 Spirit Reaper (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN012 Chaos Sorcerer (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN013 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN014 White-Horned Dragon
■GLD4-EN015 Toon Dark Magician Girl
■GLD4-EN016 Meltiel, Sage of the Sky
■GLD4-EN017 Radiant Jeral
■GLD4-EN018 Diabolos, King of the Abyss
■GLD4-EN019 Lich Lord, King of the Underworld
■GLD4-EN020 Prometheus, King of the Shadows
■GLD4-EN021 Mormolith
■GLD4-EN022 Darklord Zerato (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN023 Doomcaliber Knight (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN024 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN025 Celestia, Lightsworn Angel (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN026 Tytannial, Princess of Camellias (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN027 Summoner Monk (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN028 Genesis Dragon
■GLD4-EN029 Orichalcos Shunoros
■GLD4-EN030 Obelisk the Tormentor (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN031 Five-Headed Dragon (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN032 Gladiator Beast Gyzarus (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN033 Eternal Drought
■GLD4-EN034 Eradicating Aerosol
■GLD4-EN035 Soul Exchange
■GLD4-EN036 Toon World
■GLD4-EN037 Graceful Dice
■GLD4-EN038 Sage's Stone
■GLD4-EN039 Toon Table of Contents (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN040 Pot of Avarice (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN041 Recurring Nightmare
■GLD4-EN042 Sword of Dark Rites
■GLD4-EN043 Trade-In
■GLD4-EN044 Magic Formula
■GLD4-EN045 Robbin' Goblin
■GLD4-EN046 Skull Dice
■GLD4-EN047 Royal Oppression (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN048 Xing Zhen Hu
■GLD4-EN049 Deck Devastation Virus
■GLD4-EN050 Trap Stun (Gold Rare)
This Gold Series is a disappointment on steroids compared to the previous ones. More than half the cards in this set are completely ignored and un-played in today's metagame. The other cards are cards that most players (me) have and/or have no interest in playing. It does though bring easier access to certain cards for certain decks which can be beneficial for certain players I suppose.
This set, unlike the previous three, is not a "money" set at all. The one "money" card in the set is Doomcaliber Knight going for about $20. All of the other cards are $10 or less. If you decide to spend $25 on a pack of 3 gold rares and 22 commons it's unlikely you will get your money out of it.
Konami did a wonderful job at fucking up a supposed-to-be good set of cards. This set is only useful for those players who want to build plants or chaos. It does reveal some interesting information though concerning the September 2011 format. Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning is definitely joining the metagame in September. Priority will disappear in the TCG by then and Black Luster Soldier won't be as dominating as he once was considering Bottomless Trap Hole can now defeat him. It's also possible that some of the gold rares will be limited in the upcoming format. These guesses include Pot of Avarice and Gravekeeper's Spy which would certainly cripple their corresponding decks (plants and gravekeepers). Remember, Konami released Crush Card Virus so most people could obtain a copy before it was banned a month later.
In conclusion this set is garbage. Konami should've released harder-to-find cards such as Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Pot of Duality or Archlord Kristya... Although Doomcaliber Knight and Black Luster Soldier being re-released here does show that Konami did something minimally positive. I'll likely buy a pack just to test my luck. The best thing I'll probably pulll is the playmat.
■GLD4-EN001 Millennium Shield
■GLD4-EN002 Pendulum Machine
■GLD4-EN003 The Wicked Worm Beast
■GLD4-EN004 Goddess with the Third Eye
■GLD4-EN005 Beastking of the Swamps
■GLD4-EN006 Versago the Destroyer
■GLD4-EN007 Morphing Jar (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN008 Goddess of Whim
■GLD4-EN009 Injection Fairy Lily
■GLD4-EN010 Gravekeeper's Spy (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN011 Spirit Reaper (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN012 Chaos Sorcerer (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN013 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN014 White-Horned Dragon
■GLD4-EN015 Toon Dark Magician Girl
■GLD4-EN016 Meltiel, Sage of the Sky
■GLD4-EN017 Radiant Jeral
■GLD4-EN018 Diabolos, King of the Abyss
■GLD4-EN019 Lich Lord, King of the Underworld
■GLD4-EN020 Prometheus, King of the Shadows
■GLD4-EN021 Mormolith
■GLD4-EN022 Darklord Zerato (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN023 Doomcaliber Knight (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN024 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN025 Celestia, Lightsworn Angel (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN026 Tytannial, Princess of Camellias (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN027 Summoner Monk (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN028 Genesis Dragon
■GLD4-EN029 Orichalcos Shunoros
■GLD4-EN030 Obelisk the Tormentor (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN031 Five-Headed Dragon (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN032 Gladiator Beast Gyzarus (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN033 Eternal Drought
■GLD4-EN034 Eradicating Aerosol
■GLD4-EN035 Soul Exchange
■GLD4-EN036 Toon World
■GLD4-EN037 Graceful Dice
■GLD4-EN038 Sage's Stone
■GLD4-EN039 Toon Table of Contents (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN040 Pot of Avarice (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN041 Recurring Nightmare
■GLD4-EN042 Sword of Dark Rites
■GLD4-EN043 Trade-In
■GLD4-EN044 Magic Formula
■GLD4-EN045 Robbin' Goblin
■GLD4-EN046 Skull Dice
■GLD4-EN047 Royal Oppression (Gold Rare)
■GLD4-EN048 Xing Zhen Hu
■GLD4-EN049 Deck Devastation Virus
■GLD4-EN050 Trap Stun (Gold Rare)
This Gold Series is a disappointment on steroids compared to the previous ones. More than half the cards in this set are completely ignored and un-played in today's metagame. The other cards are cards that most players (me) have and/or have no interest in playing. It does though bring easier access to certain cards for certain decks which can be beneficial for certain players I suppose.
This set, unlike the previous three, is not a "money" set at all. The one "money" card in the set is Doomcaliber Knight going for about $20. All of the other cards are $10 or less. If you decide to spend $25 on a pack of 3 gold rares and 22 commons it's unlikely you will get your money out of it.
Konami did a wonderful job at fucking up a supposed-to-be good set of cards. This set is only useful for those players who want to build plants or chaos. It does reveal some interesting information though concerning the September 2011 format. Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning is definitely joining the metagame in September. Priority will disappear in the TCG by then and Black Luster Soldier won't be as dominating as he once was considering Bottomless Trap Hole can now defeat him. It's also possible that some of the gold rares will be limited in the upcoming format. These guesses include Pot of Avarice and Gravekeeper's Spy which would certainly cripple their corresponding decks (plants and gravekeepers). Remember, Konami released Crush Card Virus so most people could obtain a copy before it was banned a month later.
In conclusion this set is garbage. Konami should've released harder-to-find cards such as Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Pot of Duality or Archlord Kristya... Although Doomcaliber Knight and Black Luster Soldier being re-released here does show that Konami did something minimally positive. I'll likely buy a pack just to test my luck. The best thing I'll probably pulll is the playmat.
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