*This post is specifically for my fellow Belleville players. Anyone else though can read it and hopefully gather ideas.*
The Belleville players for the most part are good players. I bear a liking for these good players but to be honest the only good thing about our Belleville Yu-Gi-Oh activities is this select bunch of players. Certain other players are either little kids or fucking ass-munching annoying idiots. Not to mention the owner of our card shop isn't big on Yu-Gi-Oh. There are also a few more contributing factors that I will get into later. Before I leave my fellow community for 8 months (even though I will be back periodically in those 8 months) I will leave some parting advice regarding how to improve the community so everyone is happier.
1. Address the Assholes: The biggest asshole I can think of is Bobby so I will use him in my examples for this post. Bobby, as everyone knows, is an asshole (putting it lightly). His presence for the most part is sickening to be around. His random comments are annoying and really stupid. He borrows decks and doesn't bear the skill to create his own (he made gravekeeper's a few months ago and it was terrible so he stopped using it). He believes is a really good player and his ego is sky-high. He bears no respect for anyone except the person he borrows decks from. He is really smelly... There are a few more reasons why he is very disliked amongst the majority of players. I believe someone should address him in person and tell him he is a waste of space in this universe (or some other alternative message). The community would be better is he was excluded. He was once banned from the store but then he was allowed back for unknown reasons. Someone should take a stand and eliminate him somehow, and then the other assholes could follow.
2. Nurturing: Yesterday Jon and I gave a little kid some cards to a little card to improve his deck. Mirror Force, Solemn Judgment and a couple other good cards. Personally, I don't want to exist in a community where the little kids are guaranteed to advance you further in the tournament while they stay behind. I was a little kid once and through my own power along with little assistance I became skilled. I think though the little kids should be assisted so they become great too. All of the skilled players should give the little kids a chance and shouldn't be eliminated quickly. Bobby yesterday, for example, was 1-1 and during his next round he quickly wiped out a little kid. I asked him how he won so quickly and then he said "I'm just really good". I later discovered he won so quickly because he beat a little kid. This isn't the way to do things. The little kids deserve more than this unless the little kid in question is a lost cause who believes Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana is terrible in Dragunities...
3. The Store Itself: The owner cares very little about Yu-Gi-Oh. He completely sanctioned Magic the Gathering and he's working with the Pokemon TCG. He refuses to even attempt to sanction Yu-Gi-Oh, or at the least hold more tournaments. He also does not get Turbo Packs or good card sleeves. Also, his single Yu-Gi-Oh cards are mostly slightly overpriced. If the store changes and the store owner changes his attitude it might make things better.
These are the three biggest things I want changed. Hopefully I can come back in 8 months and see some change. That would make me happier.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Sacred Crane Chaos!
Today I will write an analysis of an interesting tech card that may be worth trying this coming format:
This card is really quite interesting. It is a light attribute making it BLS friendly. It can also be used greatly with 3 Icarus Attack. I'm planning to build a deck around this card because I can make anything work. It's difficult to explain but I have the rough draft of the deck to share:
Monsters (22):
3 Sacred Crane
3 Mist Valley Falcon
2 Summoner Monk
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
1 Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite
2 Tour Guide of the Underworld
1 Sangan
3 Effect Veiler
1 Dark Simorgh
2 Tragoedia
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
Spells (6):
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
Traps (12):
3 Icarus Attack
2 Call of the Haunted
1 Return from the Different Dimension
1 Escape from the Dark Dimension
2 Solemn Warning
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Starlight Road
1 Dark Bribe
Basically this deck abuses the drawing power of Scared Crane with Summoner Monk and Mist Valley Falcon primarily while preparing to drop the boss monsters. Here are some interesting combos with the deck:
Using Summoner Monk to discard a spell to summon Crane from the deck and draw. It's a +1. I'm thinking of including a few more spells in the deck to enable the Monk to become more viable.
Banish the Crane with Chaos Sorcerer or Bls. Then summon Leviair the Sea Dragon to special summon the Crane and draw.
The Crane can also be used as an Exceed Material for Number 39: Utopia. You can detach then use COTH to special summon it from the graveyard and draw a card.
This final combo is focuses around the bouncing power of Mist Valley Falcon. Use COTH to special summon Crane and draw, all during main phase 1. In your battle phase, use Mist Valley Falcon to Falcon Punch your opponent. Mist Falcon requires you to bounce a card back to your hand in order to attack. Bounce COTH, destroying the Crane, and set it during main phase 2. Next turn, activate COTH to summon the Crane and draw again. You can continuously repeat the pattern unless your opponent interferes with it.
In conclusion I can see this innovative deck doing well. I have to gather the remaining cards I need but once I do this deck will soar to victory... get it... soaring... birds...
Mario
This card is really quite interesting. It is a light attribute making it BLS friendly. It can also be used greatly with 3 Icarus Attack. I'm planning to build a deck around this card because I can make anything work. It's difficult to explain but I have the rough draft of the deck to share:
Monsters (22):
3 Sacred Crane
3 Mist Valley Falcon
2 Summoner Monk
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
1 Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite
2 Tour Guide of the Underworld
1 Sangan
3 Effect Veiler
1 Dark Simorgh
2 Tragoedia
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
Spells (6):
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
Traps (12):
3 Icarus Attack
2 Call of the Haunted
1 Return from the Different Dimension
1 Escape from the Dark Dimension
2 Solemn Warning
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Starlight Road
1 Dark Bribe
Basically this deck abuses the drawing power of Scared Crane with Summoner Monk and Mist Valley Falcon primarily while preparing to drop the boss monsters. Here are some interesting combos with the deck:
Using Summoner Monk to discard a spell to summon Crane from the deck and draw. It's a +1. I'm thinking of including a few more spells in the deck to enable the Monk to become more viable.
Banish the Crane with Chaos Sorcerer or Bls. Then summon Leviair the Sea Dragon to special summon the Crane and draw.
The Crane can also be used as an Exceed Material for Number 39: Utopia. You can detach then use COTH to special summon it from the graveyard and draw a card.
This final combo is focuses around the bouncing power of Mist Valley Falcon. Use COTH to special summon Crane and draw, all during main phase 1. In your battle phase, use Mist Valley Falcon to Falcon Punch your opponent. Mist Falcon requires you to bounce a card back to your hand in order to attack. Bounce COTH, destroying the Crane, and set it during main phase 2. Next turn, activate COTH to summon the Crane and draw again. You can continuously repeat the pattern unless your opponent interferes with it.
In conclusion I can see this innovative deck doing well. I have to gather the remaining cards I need but once I do this deck will soar to victory... get it... soaring... birds...
Mario
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Yu-Gi-Oh TCG vs Pokemon TCG: Part 1
Mario here!!
This is the start of a new set of posts comparing the Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh card games. I recently re-started my competitive career in this game only about 6 weeks ago. I'm already part of a team, I've gotten more cards and my skills appear to be excellent. Playing this game has broadened my horizons unanimously. My skills for both card games have increased and my general knowledge about the games has increased. With my expanded knowledge I know better than before the problems with Yu-Gi-Oh compared to Pokemon or Magic the Gathering for that matter. This series of posts will help illuminate the garbage Konami is responsible for.
This first post will speak to the financial aspect of both games. Yu-Gi-Oh is ridiculously more expensive to play than Pokemon. Here are the reasons why:
In a box of Yu-Gi-Oh packs, this is the standard structure of what you will find in the box: 1 pack will have a secret rare. 1 pack will have an ultimate rare. 2 packs will have ultra rares. 4 packs will have super rares. That means there are 16 packs with only standard rares. When you purchase and open a box one of three things will happen:
1. You will pull really great and profit greatly.
2. You will get an average box and the value of the cards will be close to what you paid for the box.
3. You will pull terribly and cry in a corner.
In a box of Pokemon packs you will almost always profit, or at least break even. I don't know the exact structure of pack contents but profit will always be made.
Single Yu-Gi-Oh cards are generally more expensive than single Pokemon cards. The most expensive competitive Pokemon cards right now is going for about $50 the last I checked. Certain people may want to play a maximum four copies of this card and will only pay $200 at the most. The currently most expensive competitive Yu-Gi-Oh card is Tour Guide of the Underworld and right now one copy is going for about $200. A playset of 3 today costs on average $600. Competitive Yu-Gi-Oh decks can stretch to $1500 when you add the value of the 40 card main deck + the 15 side deck + the 15 card extra deck which can easily reach $300 on its own. My current Pokemon deck can be valued at $220 and it is a very good deck. My current Yu-Gi-Oh deck can be valued at around $1000 and it is also a very good deck.
That is all I wanted to talk about in today's post. Please let me know what you want me to talk about next in this series. I do not know when I will post the second post to this series (I still have to share an update with my fun ritual deck).
This is the start of a new set of posts comparing the Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh card games. I recently re-started my competitive career in this game only about 6 weeks ago. I'm already part of a team, I've gotten more cards and my skills appear to be excellent. Playing this game has broadened my horizons unanimously. My skills for both card games have increased and my general knowledge about the games has increased. With my expanded knowledge I know better than before the problems with Yu-Gi-Oh compared to Pokemon or Magic the Gathering for that matter. This series of posts will help illuminate the garbage Konami is responsible for.
This first post will speak to the financial aspect of both games. Yu-Gi-Oh is ridiculously more expensive to play than Pokemon. Here are the reasons why:
In a box of Yu-Gi-Oh packs, this is the standard structure of what you will find in the box: 1 pack will have a secret rare. 1 pack will have an ultimate rare. 2 packs will have ultra rares. 4 packs will have super rares. That means there are 16 packs with only standard rares. When you purchase and open a box one of three things will happen:
1. You will pull really great and profit greatly.
2. You will get an average box and the value of the cards will be close to what you paid for the box.
3. You will pull terribly and cry in a corner.
In a box of Pokemon packs you will almost always profit, or at least break even. I don't know the exact structure of pack contents but profit will always be made.
Single Yu-Gi-Oh cards are generally more expensive than single Pokemon cards. The most expensive competitive Pokemon cards right now is going for about $50 the last I checked. Certain people may want to play a maximum four copies of this card and will only pay $200 at the most. The currently most expensive competitive Yu-Gi-Oh card is Tour Guide of the Underworld and right now one copy is going for about $200. A playset of 3 today costs on average $600. Competitive Yu-Gi-Oh decks can stretch to $1500 when you add the value of the 40 card main deck + the 15 side deck + the 15 card extra deck which can easily reach $300 on its own. My current Pokemon deck can be valued at $220 and it is a very good deck. My current Yu-Gi-Oh deck can be valued at around $1000 and it is also a very good deck.
That is all I wanted to talk about in today's post. Please let me know what you want me to talk about next in this series. I do not know when I will post the second post to this series (I still have to share an update with my fun ritual deck).
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Chaos Frog Monarchs
This is my first innovative project of the September 2011 format. I like this deck because it is really aggressive and immune to 3 MST and Heavy Storm. Here is my rough draft of the main deck and the extra deck:
Monsters (29):
1 BLS
2 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Sangan
2 Tour Guide
3 Tengu
3 Treeborn Frog
2 Swap Frog
3 Caius
1 Zaborg
2 LADD
3 Veiler
1 Genex Ally Birdman
1 Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite
1 Battle Fader
1 Gorz
2 Tragoedia
Spells (11):
3 MST
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Pot of Avarice
1 Foolish Burial
3 Enemy Controller
Extra Deck (13):
1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
1 Leviair the Sea Dragon
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Trishula
1 Locomotion R-Genex
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Brionac
1 Catastor
1 Librarian
1 Armory Arm
1 Formula
This deck fully supports BLS with the plentiful amount of light and dark monsters. Birdman, Zephyros and Swap Frog allow for the same monarch of LADD to be utilized continuously. LADD in particular is a card I favour for this format and I think it will shine. Consider this awesome move: You already properly summoned BLS and it went to the graveyard somehow. LADD is summoned later and destroyed... You can re-summon BLS!! It's very crafty and skillful in my opinion. Zaborg in the main build is random tech that I actually favour, especially since it is a light monster. 2 Tragoedia is very good for the deck because it will generally have at least 2400 ATK or higher.
This deck currently is meeting my expectations. I'm personally afraid that this deck may be over-achieving and attempting to do too much. Only proper playtesting though, which hasn't been done yet, will assess the deck.
The extra deck is missing two spots which is good for right now. If I choose to include more tuners I may have to add more synchro monsters. One space could allow a Chimeratech Fortress Dragon for my sided Cyber Dragons. Anyway please leave thoughts and advice.
Mario
Monsters (29):
1 BLS
2 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Sangan
2 Tour Guide
3 Tengu
3 Treeborn Frog
2 Swap Frog
3 Caius
1 Zaborg
2 LADD
3 Veiler
1 Genex Ally Birdman
1 Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite
1 Battle Fader
1 Gorz
2 Tragoedia
Spells (11):
3 MST
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Pot of Avarice
1 Foolish Burial
3 Enemy Controller
Extra Deck (13):
1 Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
1 Leviair the Sea Dragon
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Trishula
1 Locomotion R-Genex
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Brionac
1 Catastor
1 Librarian
1 Armory Arm
1 Formula
This deck fully supports BLS with the plentiful amount of light and dark monsters. Birdman, Zephyros and Swap Frog allow for the same monarch of LADD to be utilized continuously. LADD in particular is a card I favour for this format and I think it will shine. Consider this awesome move: You already properly summoned BLS and it went to the graveyard somehow. LADD is summoned later and destroyed... You can re-summon BLS!! It's very crafty and skillful in my opinion. Zaborg in the main build is random tech that I actually favour, especially since it is a light monster. 2 Tragoedia is very good for the deck because it will generally have at least 2400 ATK or higher.
This deck currently is meeting my expectations. I'm personally afraid that this deck may be over-achieving and attempting to do too much. Only proper playtesting though, which hasn't been done yet, will assess the deck.
The extra deck is missing two spots which is good for right now. If I choose to include more tuners I may have to add more synchro monsters. One space could allow a Chimeratech Fortress Dragon for my sided Cyber Dragons. Anyway please leave thoughts and advice.
Mario
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Good and Bads of Next Format
You have probably heard about 100 different people say what decks they believe will be on top of the upcoming format. I will do the same like so many others and give reasonable explanations regarding my decisions:
1. Fish OTK/FTK - Both of these are slaughtered with the murder of Fishborg Blaster. I'll also mention that the new fish monsters from Generation Force are nowhere near Regional or YCS worthy in my opinion.
2. Water Synchro - Once again, banning Fishborg injures this deck almost beyond repair. I plan to revisit an old build of mine with Genex Undine and Controller though and this will be the closest to the present generic Water Synchro build (minus Fishborg and including other tech).
3. Formula/Frog/Monarchs: Formula Monarchs are finished, once again, because of Fishborg going away but also because the limiting of Avarice and Formula Synchron. Frog Monarchs is still definitely a contending deck (I am constructing a build for this).
4. Plant/ Junk Doppel - Restricting Formula, Avarice, Debris Dragon and Lonefire Blossom does hurt the deck a little but it's definitely still playable.
5. Six Samurai - Limiting Smoke Signal is an opportunity for more tech or including alternative methods for first turn Shi En, Naturia Beast or Barkion. Hitting Shi En is almost more of a present because it allows for extra space in the extra deck.
6. Fairies - This will undeniably be one of the strongest decks in the format. It wasn't attacked by the ban list which makes it a great contender. The deck will also see increased play with the release of the tins at the end of the month. The existence of Heavy Storm though will eliminate many Sanctuary in the Sky builds.
7. Gravekeepers - Royal Tribute first turn does still exist. However, because of the existence of Heavy Storm, players may not set their entire hand and then use Royal Tribute. Otherwise, the deck is still a concrete option.
8. Tech Genus - Banning Royal Oppression and limiting Librarian does not hurt the deck too much. Also, intelligent and skilled players won't let Heavy Storm interfere.
9. Lightsworn - 3 Judgment Dragon makes this deck almost auto-win with a decent opening hand and decent milling. I will talk about BLS later in the post.
10. Zombies - The deck has updated support and the Exceed rulings with Goblin Zombie make the deck all the better.
11. Flamvell - This is a little random but I believe with Heavy Storm around, people will set less traps allowing Flamvell Firedog to do what it does best. Also 3 Rekindling is auto-win all day everyday.
12. Gladiator Beasts - Heavy Storm does hurt the deck a little but it will always be good.
13. Malefics - This deck does deserve mentioning because I simply love it. 3 MST and Heavy Storm seems to show increased hatred toward the deck but it's still playable and I will still continue working with it.
14. Heroes - OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x 567341789!! Legendary Collection 2 + Super Polymerization + all the rest of the excellent hero cards = tier 1. Wait and see! This is a deck I will definitely be playing.
(I think I just had a Hero-gasm...)
15. Dark World - When the structure deck is released in the TCG it will become tier 1 instantly. It deals with Gravekeeers and Lightsworn very well and can combat everything else.
16. Blackwings - +1 Icarus Attack but -1 Royal Oppression. I believe it will remain at the same status.
17. Scraps - This is another deck that is somewhat hurt by the presence of Heavy Storm. They do benefit from having a 3rd MST to chain with Scrap Dragon's effect (+1).
18. (Machina) Offering Gadgets - The more Exceed monsters the TCG receives the more the playability of this deck in the TCG. It is definitely hurt by 3 MST and 1 Heavy Storm. Numerous duelists may become too afraid to try the deck because of this.
19. Rituals - I made the deck for this format.... I think it will be good.... with Megamorph at 3.... but I may have to drop a Relinquished because of 3 MST...
20. Crystal Beasts - Another random deck I am trying this format. It should be ok but Heavy Storm is a problem for certain cards other than Rainbow Dragon...
21. Psychics - Mind Master is banned this format so I would advise to toss this deck aside. Effect Veiler rapes this deck more than it already did now.
22. Hopeless Dragon - This deck never changes between formats and unless more support is released this deck won't achieve anything mighty, except topping a locals possibly.
23. X-Sabers - This deck has always been good and this deck will definitely be a contender next format. Skilled players can do a lot with this deck and un-skilled players can still spam the field if they open with a good hand.
24. Dragunity - This deck's success will depend more on whether you play first or second. Playing first allows a first turn Stardust Dragon which prevents 3 MST and Heavy Storm. Being second increases raping possibilities with 3 MST and Heavy Storm (assuming those cards are drawn, it is only 10% of the deck maximum).
25. Black Salvo - I believe the deck is still great because you can constantly gain advantage with it and blow up the field with Black Rose Dragon anytime you want.
26. Worms - W Nebula Meteorite is a chainable trap and can be chained to all the massive MST action of the format. It is an anti-meta deck so Heavy Storm does suck. However Starlight Road and Dark Bribe address that issue.
27. Chaos/ Twilight - I saved this for last because I personally believe any deck that originally begins predominantly with Light or Dark monsters, and then adds monsters of the opposite attributes qualifies this deck as Twlight. It also adds "Chaos" to the title. Chaos Plants, Chaos Frog Monarchs and Chaos Lightsworns are all examples of this. With the return of BLS, twilight decks are more encouraged. Players an splash Gorz, 2 Tragoedia, 2-3 Tour Guide and a Sangan into a light-based deck. Players can splash Effect Veiler into a dark-based deck. These builds will see the most play of the format guaranteed, especially with the pending release of Rescue Rabbit.
These are my thoughts. If I missed a deck let me know and I can post my thoughts about it on my next post.
Mario
1. Fish OTK/FTK - Both of these are slaughtered with the murder of Fishborg Blaster. I'll also mention that the new fish monsters from Generation Force are nowhere near Regional or YCS worthy in my opinion.
2. Water Synchro - Once again, banning Fishborg injures this deck almost beyond repair. I plan to revisit an old build of mine with Genex Undine and Controller though and this will be the closest to the present generic Water Synchro build (minus Fishborg and including other tech).
3. Formula/Frog/Monarchs: Formula Monarchs are finished, once again, because of Fishborg going away but also because the limiting of Avarice and Formula Synchron. Frog Monarchs is still definitely a contending deck (I am constructing a build for this).
4. Plant/ Junk Doppel - Restricting Formula, Avarice, Debris Dragon and Lonefire Blossom does hurt the deck a little but it's definitely still playable.
5. Six Samurai - Limiting Smoke Signal is an opportunity for more tech or including alternative methods for first turn Shi En, Naturia Beast or Barkion. Hitting Shi En is almost more of a present because it allows for extra space in the extra deck.
6. Fairies - This will undeniably be one of the strongest decks in the format. It wasn't attacked by the ban list which makes it a great contender. The deck will also see increased play with the release of the tins at the end of the month. The existence of Heavy Storm though will eliminate many Sanctuary in the Sky builds.
7. Gravekeepers - Royal Tribute first turn does still exist. However, because of the existence of Heavy Storm, players may not set their entire hand and then use Royal Tribute. Otherwise, the deck is still a concrete option.
8. Tech Genus - Banning Royal Oppression and limiting Librarian does not hurt the deck too much. Also, intelligent and skilled players won't let Heavy Storm interfere.
9. Lightsworn - 3 Judgment Dragon makes this deck almost auto-win with a decent opening hand and decent milling. I will talk about BLS later in the post.
10. Zombies - The deck has updated support and the Exceed rulings with Goblin Zombie make the deck all the better.
11. Flamvell - This is a little random but I believe with Heavy Storm around, people will set less traps allowing Flamvell Firedog to do what it does best. Also 3 Rekindling is auto-win all day everyday.
12. Gladiator Beasts - Heavy Storm does hurt the deck a little but it will always be good.
13. Malefics - This deck does deserve mentioning because I simply love it. 3 MST and Heavy Storm seems to show increased hatred toward the deck but it's still playable and I will still continue working with it.
14. Heroes - OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x 567341789!! Legendary Collection 2 + Super Polymerization + all the rest of the excellent hero cards = tier 1. Wait and see! This is a deck I will definitely be playing.
(I think I just had a Hero-gasm...)
15. Dark World - When the structure deck is released in the TCG it will become tier 1 instantly. It deals with Gravekeeers and Lightsworn very well and can combat everything else.
16. Blackwings - +1 Icarus Attack but -1 Royal Oppression. I believe it will remain at the same status.
17. Scraps - This is another deck that is somewhat hurt by the presence of Heavy Storm. They do benefit from having a 3rd MST to chain with Scrap Dragon's effect (+1).
18. (Machina) Offering Gadgets - The more Exceed monsters the TCG receives the more the playability of this deck in the TCG. It is definitely hurt by 3 MST and 1 Heavy Storm. Numerous duelists may become too afraid to try the deck because of this.
19. Rituals - I made the deck for this format.... I think it will be good.... with Megamorph at 3.... but I may have to drop a Relinquished because of 3 MST...
20. Crystal Beasts - Another random deck I am trying this format. It should be ok but Heavy Storm is a problem for certain cards other than Rainbow Dragon...
21. Psychics - Mind Master is banned this format so I would advise to toss this deck aside. Effect Veiler rapes this deck more than it already did now.
22. Hopeless Dragon - This deck never changes between formats and unless more support is released this deck won't achieve anything mighty, except topping a locals possibly.
23. X-Sabers - This deck has always been good and this deck will definitely be a contender next format. Skilled players can do a lot with this deck and un-skilled players can still spam the field if they open with a good hand.
24. Dragunity - This deck's success will depend more on whether you play first or second. Playing first allows a first turn Stardust Dragon which prevents 3 MST and Heavy Storm. Being second increases raping possibilities with 3 MST and Heavy Storm (assuming those cards are drawn, it is only 10% of the deck maximum).
25. Black Salvo - I believe the deck is still great because you can constantly gain advantage with it and blow up the field with Black Rose Dragon anytime you want.
26. Worms - W Nebula Meteorite is a chainable trap and can be chained to all the massive MST action of the format. It is an anti-meta deck so Heavy Storm does suck. However Starlight Road and Dark Bribe address that issue.
27. Chaos/ Twilight - I saved this for last because I personally believe any deck that originally begins predominantly with Light or Dark monsters, and then adds monsters of the opposite attributes qualifies this deck as Twlight. It also adds "Chaos" to the title. Chaos Plants, Chaos Frog Monarchs and Chaos Lightsworns are all examples of this. With the return of BLS, twilight decks are more encouraged. Players an splash Gorz, 2 Tragoedia, 2-3 Tour Guide and a Sangan into a light-based deck. Players can splash Effect Veiler into a dark-based deck. These builds will see the most play of the format guaranteed, especially with the pending release of Rescue Rabbit.
These are my thoughts. If I missed a deck let me know and I can post my thoughts about it on my next post.
Mario
Monday, August 22, 2011
Stunning the Next Format
I've recently heard varied opinions concerning the playability of Stun (anti-meta) decks in the next format. I'm going to give my opinion because I'm realistic.
This format we have Heavy Storm at 1 and MST at 3. 10% minimum of the deck is now hatred towards spells and traps. Not to mention certain other decks have alternatives ways to destroy more spells and traps. Some of these cards include Ryko, Lyla, Worm Apocalypse and Icarus Attack.
Here is the thing: spell/trap hate as always existed whether it's in the form of Malevolent Catastrophe, Cold Wave, Giant Trunade or Heavy Storm. Now to stop playing stun decks simply because Heavy Storm is back and MST is at 3 is childish and stupid. YOUR OPPONENT WILL NOT ALWAYS HAVE HEAVY STORM, MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON OR A DIFFERENT FORM OF SPELL OR TRAP HATRED!!!!! I've playtested sample hands with my deck ideas in the next format and I don't always open with a single MST or Heavy Storm. If you do open with one of those 4 cards then that's great but the game doesn't always end if your opponent gains advantage off of a Heavy Storm.
Stun players can still main certain cards like Dark Bribe or Starlight Road to stop Heavy Storm and other significant cards like Dark Hole, Torrential Tribute or Mirror Force. Certain players may question Dark Bribe but I believe it's better to let your opponent draw a card than your opponent clearing 3 traps with Heavy Storm or gaining more advantage with a different spell or trap. Again that's just me... However with all the spell/trap hatred this format Stun players should add more chainable traps like Compulsory Evacuation Device, Waboku, Threatening Roar, Trap Dustshoot, Mind Crush or Deck Devastation Virus.
MST and Heavy Storm aren't the only reasons some players are questioning the playability of Stun decks. The banning of Royal Oppression is definitely a contributing factor. Certain Stun decks (T.G. for example) preferred running this card to control their opponent's special summon capabilities. However that is no longer possible. However is shouldn't be the end of the "Stun" world if this card is banned. It can now be easily replaced with Starlight Road or Trap Dustshoot. Besides not all Stun decks always play Oppression so its non-existence isn't that apocalyptic.
I will agree that Stun decks will lose a little amount of strength this format but they are nowhere close to extinction. Perhaps it isn't the best choice but it shouldn't be omitted entirely. Since I will have 3 Pot of Duality shortly I will attempt many of these slower decks because I don't believe they are dead. Maybe I should play them just to prove the people who question my theories wrong...
Mario
This format we have Heavy Storm at 1 and MST at 3. 10% minimum of the deck is now hatred towards spells and traps. Not to mention certain other decks have alternatives ways to destroy more spells and traps. Some of these cards include Ryko, Lyla, Worm Apocalypse and Icarus Attack.
Here is the thing: spell/trap hate as always existed whether it's in the form of Malevolent Catastrophe, Cold Wave, Giant Trunade or Heavy Storm. Now to stop playing stun decks simply because Heavy Storm is back and MST is at 3 is childish and stupid. YOUR OPPONENT WILL NOT ALWAYS HAVE HEAVY STORM, MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON OR A DIFFERENT FORM OF SPELL OR TRAP HATRED!!!!! I've playtested sample hands with my deck ideas in the next format and I don't always open with a single MST or Heavy Storm. If you do open with one of those 4 cards then that's great but the game doesn't always end if your opponent gains advantage off of a Heavy Storm.
Stun players can still main certain cards like Dark Bribe or Starlight Road to stop Heavy Storm and other significant cards like Dark Hole, Torrential Tribute or Mirror Force. Certain players may question Dark Bribe but I believe it's better to let your opponent draw a card than your opponent clearing 3 traps with Heavy Storm or gaining more advantage with a different spell or trap. Again that's just me... However with all the spell/trap hatred this format Stun players should add more chainable traps like Compulsory Evacuation Device, Waboku, Threatening Roar, Trap Dustshoot, Mind Crush or Deck Devastation Virus.
MST and Heavy Storm aren't the only reasons some players are questioning the playability of Stun decks. The banning of Royal Oppression is definitely a contributing factor. Certain Stun decks (T.G. for example) preferred running this card to control their opponent's special summon capabilities. However that is no longer possible. However is shouldn't be the end of the "Stun" world if this card is banned. It can now be easily replaced with Starlight Road or Trap Dustshoot. Besides not all Stun decks always play Oppression so its non-existence isn't that apocalyptic.
I will agree that Stun decks will lose a little amount of strength this format but they are nowhere close to extinction. Perhaps it isn't the best choice but it shouldn't be omitted entirely. Since I will have 3 Pot of Duality shortly I will attempt many of these slower decks because I don't believe they are dead. Maybe I should play them just to prove the people who question my theories wrong...
Mario
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Mini Tournament Report and Combining Card Collections
I don't feel like typing a whole lot today so my tournament report will be very small:
Round 1: Jordan (Frog Monarchs) 2-0
Round 2: Jonathan (Plants) 2-0. Tee-hee
Round 3: Vince (Six Sams) 0-2. Not too much tee-hee
Round 4: Jason (Frog Monarchs (with Gravekeeper Spy's)) 2-0
Top 4 was I, Ryan (Worms), Vince and Josh (Six Sams). We agreed to a four-way split immediately however I still played who was going to play in a fun match regardless.
Round 5: Ryan (Worms) 2-1
Anyway today I'm going to briefly talk about the positive and negative factors of sharing card collections with other players. In the beginning it is really hot having access to a more diverse collection of cards and makes deck-making and trading easier. The other positive is that normally (not always) you and the other people(s) you are sharing cards with will split the cost with you when getting other good cards (again I emphasize the "not always").
All in all the negatives are very miniscule. Occasionally one person will want a particular card and the other person(s) will be stubborn and could prevent you from obtaining the card. The other small issue is sharing. Sometimes you cannot get as many copies of a card that multiple people want to use and someone will be unable to use it for a while.
That's all for today. In conclusion combining collections is an intelligent idea. It makes people happier and better at the game.
Round 1: Jordan (Frog Monarchs) 2-0
Round 2: Jonathan (Plants) 2-0. Tee-hee
Round 3: Vince (Six Sams) 0-2. Not too much tee-hee
Round 4: Jason (Frog Monarchs (with Gravekeeper Spy's)) 2-0
Top 4 was I, Ryan (Worms), Vince and Josh (Six Sams). We agreed to a four-way split immediately however I still played who was going to play in a fun match regardless.
Round 5: Ryan (Worms) 2-1
Anyway today I'm going to briefly talk about the positive and negative factors of sharing card collections with other players. In the beginning it is really hot having access to a more diverse collection of cards and makes deck-making and trading easier. The other positive is that normally (not always) you and the other people(s) you are sharing cards with will split the cost with you when getting other good cards (again I emphasize the "not always").
All in all the negatives are very miniscule. Occasionally one person will want a particular card and the other person(s) will be stubborn and could prevent you from obtaining the card. The other small issue is sharing. Sometimes you cannot get as many copies of a card that multiple people want to use and someone will be unable to use it for a while.
That's all for today. In conclusion combining collections is an intelligent idea. It makes people happier and better at the game.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
My Thoughts on the September 2011 Ban List
Mario here.. with the thoughts on the ban list...
New Banned cards:
Fishborg Blaster
Mind Master
Giant Trunade
Royal Oppression
New Limited cards:
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En
T.G. Hyper Librarian
Debris Dragon
Formula Synchron
Lonefire Blossom
Heavy Storm
Primal Seed
Shien's Smoke Signal
Pot of Avarice
New Semi-Limited cards:
Summoner Monk
Tragoedia
Necro Gardna
Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
Destiny Draw
Swords of Revealing Light
Mind Crush
Call Of The Haunted
New Unlimited cards:
Judgment Dragon
Spirit Reaper
Overload Fusion
Mystical Space Typhoon
Megamorph
Gravity Bind
Icarus Attack
Banning Fishborg and Mind Master was very intelligent because they are ridiculous tuners. Giant Trunade banned is also good because it's a trap clearer that is skill-free. Banning Royal Oppression was Konami's first fuck up on this list (Remember, we are dealing with Konami and they always make some bad choices on each list). Royal Oppression is a card that requires a little bit of skill because you can stop at any special summon at the cost of a little bit of your life each time. It was also a risky card to use because you can pay the life points and your opponent will MST it or something. Special summons are the bread and butter of Yu-Gi-Oh and Royal Oppression was a great card because of all the above mentioned reasons. It should've stayed especially with MST at 3 now...
BLS shouldn't have come off the list. It's true that we have many more ways to stop it today then we did when it was big last time. However the card is broken and can easily eliminate any other boss monsters of this format. Trishula, Shi En, Avarice, Formula, Smoke Signal and Storm I wrote about why they should be at 1 in my prediction list and my reasons were valid, thus I am happy for the sake of the format they are all at 1. I won't get into it again why they went to 1 but my explanations are on prediction list somewhere on this blog. Librarian should've been banned because with 1 Formula and no Fishborgs I can still draw many cards in one turn the way I play. Lonefire at 1 reduces the chance of drawing it but I don't care because I was playing Lonefire at 1 from May to July. It also makes particular combo plays a little harder but once again I don't care. Debris at 1 doesn't bother me either. That actually helps me more than it hurts me because recently I wasn't playing Debris because I couldn't successfully throw two copies in my deck without going over 40 cards. You only need 1 Debris, especially with Tour Guide... Sangan...
I'm not sure what to think with the new semi-limited cards. Monk at 2 interests me because of exceeds and Rescue Rabbit soon... It is a risky card though so I will be interested to see what happens with it. Tragoedia and Gardna at 2 are really good because it stops explosive plays, plus Tragoedia in general is a very good card and assists when summoning other synchro and exceed monsters. Dewloren at 2 is very smart because now there are no more loops with Symbol of Heritage... Fish FTK... D-Draw at 2 gives destiny heroes a little more chance but they will be rarely played competitively unless they are splashed into other Hero builds. Swords at 2 is just stupid and no one really cares. Mind Crush at 2 is a nice pick because of all the searching, particularly because of Tour Guide... Sangan... Call of the Haunted at 2 was another stupid move by Konami because having 3 general special summon cards like that isn't exactly helpful. Maybe it's Konami fucking with us. Everyone wanted Reborn banned so instead of doing that they just give us another Call... assholes....
The unlimited list is absolute bullshit. JD at 3 along with BLS and Necro Gardna at 2 makes Twilight extremely sacky and extremely un-skilled. More Konami bullshit I guess... Spirit Reaper at 3 with 3 MST is very stupid as well because you can eliminate cards from the hand all the time now. 3 Overload Fusion make machine players a little happier. I can possibly see offering gadgets splashing Cyber Dragons and 3 Overload Fusions to summon big machines. 3 MST is really stupid because traps are no longer safe, especially with Heavy Storm back. Megamorph at 3 is a little random and a little insignificant. Gravity Bind at 3 is interesting simple because of exceed monsters rising in popularity. Icarus at 3 gives Blackwings a little more support which is random but nothing big for me.
This is list is both good but bad. Unfortunately my hope for a more skilled format has been extinguished. Then when Dark World and Rescue Rabbit become big in the TCG almost every bit of skill will be thrown out the door. I guess there is a tiny bit of hope that the official TCG list might hit Tengu or Tour Guide and make things a little more fair... but other than that...
New Banned cards:
Fishborg Blaster
Mind Master
Giant Trunade
Royal Oppression
New Limited cards:
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En
T.G. Hyper Librarian
Debris Dragon
Formula Synchron
Lonefire Blossom
Heavy Storm
Primal Seed
Shien's Smoke Signal
Pot of Avarice
New Semi-Limited cards:
Summoner Monk
Tragoedia
Necro Gardna
Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
Destiny Draw
Swords of Revealing Light
Mind Crush
Call Of The Haunted
New Unlimited cards:
Judgment Dragon
Spirit Reaper
Overload Fusion
Mystical Space Typhoon
Megamorph
Gravity Bind
Icarus Attack
Banning Fishborg and Mind Master was very intelligent because they are ridiculous tuners. Giant Trunade banned is also good because it's a trap clearer that is skill-free. Banning Royal Oppression was Konami's first fuck up on this list (Remember, we are dealing with Konami and they always make some bad choices on each list). Royal Oppression is a card that requires a little bit of skill because you can stop at any special summon at the cost of a little bit of your life each time. It was also a risky card to use because you can pay the life points and your opponent will MST it or something. Special summons are the bread and butter of Yu-Gi-Oh and Royal Oppression was a great card because of all the above mentioned reasons. It should've stayed especially with MST at 3 now...
BLS shouldn't have come off the list. It's true that we have many more ways to stop it today then we did when it was big last time. However the card is broken and can easily eliminate any other boss monsters of this format. Trishula, Shi En, Avarice, Formula, Smoke Signal and Storm I wrote about why they should be at 1 in my prediction list and my reasons were valid, thus I am happy for the sake of the format they are all at 1. I won't get into it again why they went to 1 but my explanations are on prediction list somewhere on this blog. Librarian should've been banned because with 1 Formula and no Fishborgs I can still draw many cards in one turn the way I play. Lonefire at 1 reduces the chance of drawing it but I don't care because I was playing Lonefire at 1 from May to July. It also makes particular combo plays a little harder but once again I don't care. Debris at 1 doesn't bother me either. That actually helps me more than it hurts me because recently I wasn't playing Debris because I couldn't successfully throw two copies in my deck without going over 40 cards. You only need 1 Debris, especially with Tour Guide... Sangan...
I'm not sure what to think with the new semi-limited cards. Monk at 2 interests me because of exceeds and Rescue Rabbit soon... It is a risky card though so I will be interested to see what happens with it. Tragoedia and Gardna at 2 are really good because it stops explosive plays, plus Tragoedia in general is a very good card and assists when summoning other synchro and exceed monsters. Dewloren at 2 is very smart because now there are no more loops with Symbol of Heritage... Fish FTK... D-Draw at 2 gives destiny heroes a little more chance but they will be rarely played competitively unless they are splashed into other Hero builds. Swords at 2 is just stupid and no one really cares. Mind Crush at 2 is a nice pick because of all the searching, particularly because of Tour Guide... Sangan... Call of the Haunted at 2 was another stupid move by Konami because having 3 general special summon cards like that isn't exactly helpful. Maybe it's Konami fucking with us. Everyone wanted Reborn banned so instead of doing that they just give us another Call... assholes....
The unlimited list is absolute bullshit. JD at 3 along with BLS and Necro Gardna at 2 makes Twilight extremely sacky and extremely un-skilled. More Konami bullshit I guess... Spirit Reaper at 3 with 3 MST is very stupid as well because you can eliminate cards from the hand all the time now. 3 Overload Fusion make machine players a little happier. I can possibly see offering gadgets splashing Cyber Dragons and 3 Overload Fusions to summon big machines. 3 MST is really stupid because traps are no longer safe, especially with Heavy Storm back. Megamorph at 3 is a little random and a little insignificant. Gravity Bind at 3 is interesting simple because of exceed monsters rising in popularity. Icarus at 3 gives Blackwings a little more support which is random but nothing big for me.
This is list is both good but bad. Unfortunately my hope for a more skilled format has been extinguished. Then when Dark World and Rescue Rabbit become big in the TCG almost every bit of skill will be thrown out the door. I guess there is a tiny bit of hope that the official TCG list might hit Tengu or Tour Guide and make things a little more fair... but other than that...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
The Return of the Soldier
Mario here. The September 2011 format re-awakens an old boss monster that will definitely impact the format... Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning.
For those who are unaware it has the exact same summoning conditions as Chaos Sorcerer. Then it can either banish any opponent's monster (regardless of position) or possibly attack multiple times. I didn't play competitively before when this card tormented everyone but now it's back to torment everyone again.
This card can be splashed into Chaos Plants and Twilight. People will splash light monsters in dark-based decks or vice-versa just to summon this card. I am a solid example of someone like this.
Also going to 1 this format is Primal Seed. It can add any two banished cards to your hand when BLS is on the field. You can bring back any two of your banished cards at all. Free pluses anyone...
Here are some basic combos with this monster. It is a light monster unlike Chaos Sorcerer so it works with Beckoning Light and Honest. You can Leviair the Sea Dragon to special summon one of the Soldier's banish prerequisites that is lv 4 or lower. Finally, if you tech in Spell Strikers you can use Primal Seed to return a banished spell or two since Spell Striker banishes spells to special summon itself. I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with double Monster Reborn...
This is a short post and I only wrote it because someone wanted me to. Overall BLS will be a dominant card this format and gives enormous assistance to older decks that can take advantage of this card. That is all.
For those who are unaware it has the exact same summoning conditions as Chaos Sorcerer. Then it can either banish any opponent's monster (regardless of position) or possibly attack multiple times. I didn't play competitively before when this card tormented everyone but now it's back to torment everyone again.
This card can be splashed into Chaos Plants and Twilight. People will splash light monsters in dark-based decks or vice-versa just to summon this card. I am a solid example of someone like this.
Also going to 1 this format is Primal Seed. It can add any two banished cards to your hand when BLS is on the field. You can bring back any two of your banished cards at all. Free pluses anyone...
Here are some basic combos with this monster. It is a light monster unlike Chaos Sorcerer so it works with Beckoning Light and Honest. You can Leviair the Sea Dragon to special summon one of the Soldier's banish prerequisites that is lv 4 or lower. Finally, if you tech in Spell Strikers you can use Primal Seed to return a banished spell or two since Spell Striker banishes spells to special summon itself. I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with double Monster Reborn...
This is a short post and I only wrote it because someone wanted me to. Overall BLS will be a dominant card this format and gives enormous assistance to older decks that can take advantage of this card. That is all.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Rarity Review: Generation Force (Part 2)
Yesterday I revealed the ultra/ultimate rare cards in Generation Force and explained whether they deserve to be that rarity or not. Today I will do the same with the 8 secret rares keeping in mind you only pull 1 secret rare in a box of 24 packs. Now let's begin:
1. "Tiras, Keeper of Genesis" Light, Fairy/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 5, 2600/1700, requires 2 lv 5 monsters: This card's effects can only be applied or activated while it has Xyz Material(s). This card cannot be destroyed by card effects. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked or was attacked: Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy the target. During each of your End Phases: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card.
This card has really great effects. However it is difficult to summon unless you main Instant Fusion... because of this card's summoning conditions I wouldn't qualify this card as a secret rare. I wouldn't want to pull this card out of a box.
2. "Lost Blue Breaker" Water, Sea Serpent/ Effect, lv 3, 1400/0: If there is another face-up Fish, Sea Serpent or Aqua-type monster on the field: You can tribute this card to target 1 Spell/Trap card on the field; destroy that target.
Basically this card is a Spined Gillman that can tribute itself to destroy a spell or trap. Unless you are playing a Deep Sea Diva build this card is almost useless. This card should not be a secret rare at all and I believe it is the worst secret rare in the set.
3. "Pain Painter" Dark, Zombie/ Tuner, lv 2, 400/200: While this card is face-up on the field, its name is treated as "Plaguespreader Zombie". Once per turn: You can target up to 2 face-up Zombie-Type monsters you control, except this card; they become Level 2 until the End Phase. They cannot be used as Synchro Material Monsters except for the Synchro Summon of a Zombie-Type monster.
This card makes Zombie decks a little better because now there is another tuner to help synchro summon. This card though does not deserve to be a secret rare primarily because Plaguespreader Zombie is 100 times better and it made Zombies and other decks 100 times better. I don't really want to pull this card.
4. "Orient Dragon" Wind, Dragon/ Synchro/ Effect, lv 6, 2300/1000: When this card is Synchro Summoned: Target 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls; banish that target.
This card is another staple synchro, necessary for removing Shi En, Stardust, Scrap Dragon and other synchro threats. This card should especially be played with Debris Dragon. This is a really good and a great secret rare.
5. "Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon" Dark, Fiend/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 5, 2600/1700, requires 2 lv 5 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach a Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up monster card your opponent controls; destroy it.
The dark version of Tiras. Its effect is fairly selective and Tiras is better in my opinion. If I don't think Tiras should be a secret rare then neither should this monster.
6. "Smashing Horn" Counter Trap: When a monster effect or Trap Card is activated that negates the Normal or Special Summon of a monster(s): Negate the activation and destroy it.
This card stops Solemn Warning and Thunder King Rai-Oh. I don't want this card because I think it's too particular. It could be an ultra/ultimate but shouldn't be a secret.
7. "Vision HERO Adoration" Dark, Warrior/ Fusion/ Effect, lv 8, 2800/2100, requires 2 HERO monsters: Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and 1 face-up "HERO" monster you control, except this card; the opponent's targeted monster loses ATK and DEF equal to the ATK of your targeted monster, until the End Phase.
This card is an Elemental Hero Gaia on steroids and very open with fusion prerequisites. This card deserves to be a secret rare.
8. "Steelswarm Roach" Dark, Fiend/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 4, 1900/0, requires 2 lv 4 monsters: When a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the Special Summon and destroy it.
Right now it's the most expensive card in the set and can negate any big special summoned monster excluding other Xyz monsters. It definitely deserves to be a secret rare.
Out of 8 secret rares only 3 of them are worthy of their rarity. Konami didn't do a good job with the secret rares unfortunately.
1. "Tiras, Keeper of Genesis" Light, Fairy/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 5, 2600/1700, requires 2 lv 5 monsters: This card's effects can only be applied or activated while it has Xyz Material(s). This card cannot be destroyed by card effects. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked or was attacked: Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy the target. During each of your End Phases: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card.
This card has really great effects. However it is difficult to summon unless you main Instant Fusion... because of this card's summoning conditions I wouldn't qualify this card as a secret rare. I wouldn't want to pull this card out of a box.
2. "Lost Blue Breaker" Water, Sea Serpent/ Effect, lv 3, 1400/0: If there is another face-up Fish, Sea Serpent or Aqua-type monster on the field: You can tribute this card to target 1 Spell/Trap card on the field; destroy that target.
Basically this card is a Spined Gillman that can tribute itself to destroy a spell or trap. Unless you are playing a Deep Sea Diva build this card is almost useless. This card should not be a secret rare at all and I believe it is the worst secret rare in the set.
3. "Pain Painter" Dark, Zombie/ Tuner, lv 2, 400/200: While this card is face-up on the field, its name is treated as "Plaguespreader Zombie". Once per turn: You can target up to 2 face-up Zombie-Type monsters you control, except this card; they become Level 2 until the End Phase. They cannot be used as Synchro Material Monsters except for the Synchro Summon of a Zombie-Type monster.
This card makes Zombie decks a little better because now there is another tuner to help synchro summon. This card though does not deserve to be a secret rare primarily because Plaguespreader Zombie is 100 times better and it made Zombies and other decks 100 times better. I don't really want to pull this card.
4. "Orient Dragon" Wind, Dragon/ Synchro/ Effect, lv 6, 2300/1000: When this card is Synchro Summoned: Target 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls; banish that target.
This card is another staple synchro, necessary for removing Shi En, Stardust, Scrap Dragon and other synchro threats. This card should especially be played with Debris Dragon. This is a really good and a great secret rare.
5. "Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon" Dark, Fiend/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 5, 2600/1700, requires 2 lv 5 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach a Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up monster card your opponent controls; destroy it.
The dark version of Tiras. Its effect is fairly selective and Tiras is better in my opinion. If I don't think Tiras should be a secret rare then neither should this monster.
6. "Smashing Horn" Counter Trap: When a monster effect or Trap Card is activated that negates the Normal or Special Summon of a monster(s): Negate the activation and destroy it.
This card stops Solemn Warning and Thunder King Rai-Oh. I don't want this card because I think it's too particular. It could be an ultra/ultimate but shouldn't be a secret.
7. "Vision HERO Adoration" Dark, Warrior/ Fusion/ Effect, lv 8, 2800/2100, requires 2 HERO monsters: Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and 1 face-up "HERO" monster you control, except this card; the opponent's targeted monster loses ATK and DEF equal to the ATK of your targeted monster, until the End Phase.
This card is an Elemental Hero Gaia on steroids and very open with fusion prerequisites. This card deserves to be a secret rare.
8. "Steelswarm Roach" Dark, Fiend/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 4, 1900/0, requires 2 lv 4 monsters: When a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the Special Summon and destroy it.
Right now it's the most expensive card in the set and can negate any big special summoned monster excluding other Xyz monsters. It definitely deserves to be a secret rare.
Out of 8 secret rares only 3 of them are worthy of their rarity. Konami didn't do a good job with the secret rares unfortunately.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Rarity Review: Generation Force (Part 1)
The time has come for Konami to release a new set in the TCG. This set indeed has a lot of excellent cards to offer but are they all good? In this rarity review I will share my thoughts on the ultra/ultimate and secret rare cards of this set and explain whether the rare cards do indeed earn their rare status or if it's a waste of a rare spot in the set. I will begin with the ultra/ultimate rares:
1. "Space-Time Police" Wind, Psychic/ Effect, lv 5, 2300/1500: When this card is Special Summoned: Target 1 face-up card your opponent controls; banish that target. When this card leaves the field: set the card that was banished by this effect to your opponent's side of the field.
This card is ok if you like Psychics. However it is nothing impressive and can leave the field fairly easily (Bottomless Trap Hole, Dark Hole, Mirror Force). I personally believe this card shouldn't be an ultra/ultimate rare.
2. "Number 17: Leviathan Dragon" Water, Dragon/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 3, 2000/0, requires 2 lv 3 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach 1 xyz material from this card; this card gains 500 ATK. If this card has no Xyz Materials, it cannot attack your opponent directly.
This is the artwork card of the set and definitely deserves it. It can instantly become 2500 then 3000 the next turn. If you use Tour Guide and Sangan to summon him you can instantly detach Sangan and search. However I hope I do not pull it because it is a tin promo..
3. "Number 34: Terror-Byte" Dark, Machine/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 3, 0/2900, requires 3 lv 3 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz material from this card to target 1 face-up lv. 4 or lower Attack position monster your opponent controls; take control of the target, until the End Phase.
Although rather upsetting because of its summoning conditions it is a possible Brain Control x 3. It is also difficult to destroy by battle when in defense mode. I believe it does deserve to be an ultra/ultimate rare.
4. "Wind-Up Zenmaister" Earth, Machine/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 4, 1900/1500, requires 2 lv 4 monsters: This card gains 300 ATK for each of its Xyz materials. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to select 1 face-up monster on the field that you control. Flip that monster into face-down Defense position. During the End Phase, the selected monster is flipped into face-up Attack Position.
This is another cad that deserves its rarity. It isn't difficult to summon and has great synergy with the popular flip monsters like Ryko, Gravekeeper's Spy and Worm Yagan (It fits very well with Gravekeepers and Worms). It is the other tin promo card so I'm hoping I don't pull this as well.
5. "Leviair the Sea Dragon" Wind, Aqua/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 3, 1800/ 1600, requires 2 lv 3 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 banished lv 4 or lower monster; special summon that target to your side of the field.
It is definitely the best ultra/ultimate of the set and I think the most expensive as well. It laughs in the face of D.D. Crow and Dimensional Fissure. Not to mention with Tour Guide + Sangan you search a monster from your deck and special summon a banished creature. This is splashable in Plants, Chaos, new Dark World builds ad with the new fish monsters released in this set because they have a tendency to banish themselves.
6. "Wonder Wand" Equip Spell: Equip only to a Spellcaster-type monster. It gains 500 ATK. During your Main Phase: You can send this face-up card and the equipped monster you control to the Graveyard; draw 2 cards.
This card is a +1 and easily splashable in Gravekeeper, and can also be used alongside Chaos Sorcerer, Breaker, Arcanite Magician and Librarian!!!!! It deserves to be ultra/ultimate rare.
7. "Raigeki Bottle" Continuous Trap: Each time a monster you control declares an attack, place 1 Thunder Counter on this card. You can send this card with 4 or more Thunder Counters to the Graveyard; destroy all monsters your opponent controls.
This is definitely an awkward card. I don't like it because by the time you declare 4 attacks it will probably be removed from the field.. If you declare 4 attacks on one turn there probably isn't a point in activating it during your main phase 2. I think this card is ok and definitely deserves to be a super rare not an ultra/ultimate rare.
8. "Piercing Moray" Water, Fish/ Effect, lv 4, 1500/500: Once per turn: You can Tribute 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster; this card gains 600 ATK. If this card attacks a Defense position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
This card is a 2100 beater and piercer at best. This card is a huge waste of time and paper.
9. "Elemental HERO Nova Master" Fire, Warrior/ Fusion/ Effect, lv 8, 2500/2100: requires 1 "Elemental HERO monster + 1 Fire monster: Must be fusion summoned and cannot be special summoned in other ways. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: Draw 1 card.
First of all I would like to point out Konami's change in text. With this particular card it is very precise and simple to understand. Anyway we had Absolute Zero, Gaia and the Shining. We now have the fire fusion Elemental Hero and it can let you draw a number of cards if backed up with Seven Tools and Trap Stuns. It is a great ultra/ultimate rare.
10. "A Hero Lives" Normal Spell: If you control no face-up monsters; pay half of your life points; Special summon 1 lv 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck.
This is a solid card for heroes but shouldn't be so rare. This card played in a deck with Warnings, Judgment and Seven Tools can be risky. I wouldn't play it first turn because 4000 life points immediately taken away is a serious disadvantage. I would only activate this card late game when I don't have too many life points to halve. I think this card only qualifies as a super rare.
These are the 10 ultra/ultimate rares in the set and 7/10 deserve their rarity in my opinion. That statistic is pretty good considering Konami really fucked up some of the sets in the Synchro era. Tomorrow I will continue the post and give my opinion on the secret rare cards and we will get to see if Konami did well or if they fucked up this set after all.
1. "Space-Time Police" Wind, Psychic/ Effect, lv 5, 2300/1500: When this card is Special Summoned: Target 1 face-up card your opponent controls; banish that target. When this card leaves the field: set the card that was banished by this effect to your opponent's side of the field.
This card is ok if you like Psychics. However it is nothing impressive and can leave the field fairly easily (Bottomless Trap Hole, Dark Hole, Mirror Force). I personally believe this card shouldn't be an ultra/ultimate rare.
2. "Number 17: Leviathan Dragon" Water, Dragon/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 3, 2000/0, requires 2 lv 3 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach 1 xyz material from this card; this card gains 500 ATK. If this card has no Xyz Materials, it cannot attack your opponent directly.
This is the artwork card of the set and definitely deserves it. It can instantly become 2500 then 3000 the next turn. If you use Tour Guide and Sangan to summon him you can instantly detach Sangan and search. However I hope I do not pull it because it is a tin promo..
3. "Number 34: Terror-Byte" Dark, Machine/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 3, 0/2900, requires 3 lv 3 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz material from this card to target 1 face-up lv. 4 or lower Attack position monster your opponent controls; take control of the target, until the End Phase.
Although rather upsetting because of its summoning conditions it is a possible Brain Control x 3. It is also difficult to destroy by battle when in defense mode. I believe it does deserve to be an ultra/ultimate rare.
4. "Wind-Up Zenmaister" Earth, Machine/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 4, 1900/1500, requires 2 lv 4 monsters: This card gains 300 ATK for each of its Xyz materials. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to select 1 face-up monster on the field that you control. Flip that monster into face-down Defense position. During the End Phase, the selected monster is flipped into face-up Attack Position.
This is another cad that deserves its rarity. It isn't difficult to summon and has great synergy with the popular flip monsters like Ryko, Gravekeeper's Spy and Worm Yagan (It fits very well with Gravekeepers and Worms). It is the other tin promo card so I'm hoping I don't pull this as well.
5. "Leviair the Sea Dragon" Wind, Aqua/ Xyz/ Effect, rank 3, 1800/ 1600, requires 2 lv 3 monsters: Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 banished lv 4 or lower monster; special summon that target to your side of the field.
It is definitely the best ultra/ultimate of the set and I think the most expensive as well. It laughs in the face of D.D. Crow and Dimensional Fissure. Not to mention with Tour Guide + Sangan you search a monster from your deck and special summon a banished creature. This is splashable in Plants, Chaos, new Dark World builds ad with the new fish monsters released in this set because they have a tendency to banish themselves.
6. "Wonder Wand" Equip Spell: Equip only to a Spellcaster-type monster. It gains 500 ATK. During your Main Phase: You can send this face-up card and the equipped monster you control to the Graveyard; draw 2 cards.
This card is a +1 and easily splashable in Gravekeeper, and can also be used alongside Chaos Sorcerer, Breaker, Arcanite Magician and Librarian!!!!! It deserves to be ultra/ultimate rare.
7. "Raigeki Bottle" Continuous Trap: Each time a monster you control declares an attack, place 1 Thunder Counter on this card. You can send this card with 4 or more Thunder Counters to the Graveyard; destroy all monsters your opponent controls.
This is definitely an awkward card. I don't like it because by the time you declare 4 attacks it will probably be removed from the field.. If you declare 4 attacks on one turn there probably isn't a point in activating it during your main phase 2. I think this card is ok and definitely deserves to be a super rare not an ultra/ultimate rare.
8. "Piercing Moray" Water, Fish/ Effect, lv 4, 1500/500: Once per turn: You can Tribute 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster; this card gains 600 ATK. If this card attacks a Defense position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
This card is a 2100 beater and piercer at best. This card is a huge waste of time and paper.
9. "Elemental HERO Nova Master" Fire, Warrior/ Fusion/ Effect, lv 8, 2500/2100: requires 1 "Elemental HERO monster + 1 Fire monster: Must be fusion summoned and cannot be special summoned in other ways. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: Draw 1 card.
First of all I would like to point out Konami's change in text. With this particular card it is very precise and simple to understand. Anyway we had Absolute Zero, Gaia and the Shining. We now have the fire fusion Elemental Hero and it can let you draw a number of cards if backed up with Seven Tools and Trap Stuns. It is a great ultra/ultimate rare.
10. "A Hero Lives" Normal Spell: If you control no face-up monsters; pay half of your life points; Special summon 1 lv 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck.
This is a solid card for heroes but shouldn't be so rare. This card played in a deck with Warnings, Judgment and Seven Tools can be risky. I wouldn't play it first turn because 4000 life points immediately taken away is a serious disadvantage. I would only activate this card late game when I don't have too many life points to halve. I think this card only qualifies as a super rare.
These are the 10 ultra/ultimate rares in the set and 7/10 deserve their rarity in my opinion. That statistic is pretty good considering Konami really fucked up some of the sets in the Synchro era. Tomorrow I will continue the post and give my opinion on the secret rare cards and we will get to see if Konami did well or if they fucked up this set after all.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The End Draws Closer
YCS Indianapolis concluded a week ago and the World Championships are now over. There are no more significant and exciting tournaments (outside of Belleville locals) in the current format. The end draws closer.
Speaking of Locals this week Jonathan came second place, I got sacked horribly early in the tournament by 2 Shi En, Gateway, Oppression and Solemn Judgment, and the winner was a baller who played Worms. The end draws closer.
Yesterday and today I gave some thought to how this crazy format worked. The person who explodes first turn wins 95% of the time. I like doing it to others but at the same time I believe it is incredibly unskilled and luck-based. Hopefully the ban list will address all of this crazy first-turn ridiculousness. The end draws closer.
Overall this format was enjoyable but at the same time annoying. The only things left this format are a couple of locals and getting some Generation Force cards. Next format will start and I will be hopefully starting university on a good note. In order to ensure that I will have to shift my primary thoughts on academics and then the card games will follow. I'm not saying I'm taking a break. All I'm saying is that the time spent on Yu-Gi-Oh while university will be half of what it is now: The cards will always remain by my side. The end draws closer.
I have nothing else to say for today but I have ideas for my next few blog topics. Until then remember... The end draws closer...
Speaking of Locals this week Jonathan came second place, I got sacked horribly early in the tournament by 2 Shi En, Gateway, Oppression and Solemn Judgment, and the winner was a baller who played Worms. The end draws closer.
Yesterday and today I gave some thought to how this crazy format worked. The person who explodes first turn wins 95% of the time. I like doing it to others but at the same time I believe it is incredibly unskilled and luck-based. Hopefully the ban list will address all of this crazy first-turn ridiculousness. The end draws closer.
Overall this format was enjoyable but at the same time annoying. The only things left this format are a couple of locals and getting some Generation Force cards. Next format will start and I will be hopefully starting university on a good note. In order to ensure that I will have to shift my primary thoughts on academics and then the card games will follow. I'm not saying I'm taking a break. All I'm saying is that the time spent on Yu-Gi-Oh while university will be half of what it is now: The cards will always remain by my side. The end draws closer.
I have nothing else to say for today but I have ideas for my next few blog topics. Until then remember... The end draws closer...
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Manipulating and Preparing: Cause & Effect
Cause & effect has existed since the beginning of time, no matter what you believe in. Cause & effect is universal and is present in day-to-day life.
Over the past week I've reflected on my life since grade 9. Cause & effect has played an enormous role in how my life has turned out. With many actions I committed I could immediately identify the effect caused and whether that effect is positive or negative. Then when I reflected on those negative effects I consider whether the outcome would've changed significantly if the action I committed was different at the time. I wondered whether it would've changed my entire life and if today my life would be different..
Before I merge Yu-Gi-Oh into this post I will share some examples to clarify. For example, for my grade 12 year I decided to move from my private school I was attending to a public high school. This changed multiple factors in my life: I changed my mind about what I wanted to take in university and I found my current girlfriend because I went to the public high school. If I remained in the same school would I be headed in the same direction regarding to university courses and would I have a girlfriend? Here's a different example: During the winter of grade 11 I became extremely depressed and as a result I started attending Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments to attempt to remedy my depression (because I had some cards). Of course then I was only a card-playing noob compared to all the better players. However during the next 12 months I only became a little happier. I then decided to become competitive to unleash my full potential and attempt to become ultimately happier. Now exactly 18 months later I'm one of the best players in my local area, I've topped a regionals and the collection of cards has extensively grown. I have become happier from playing this game although my depression isn't eliminated. Now if in grade 11 I was never depressed would I be playing Yu-Gi-Oh competitively or typing this blog at all...
Understanding cause & effect can allow you to make intelligent decks and make intelligent plays during a match. For example, let's say you are playing a Junk/ Doppel build. The effect of the deck is to swarm the field with synchro monsters while gaining advantage with T.G. Hyper Librarian. The cause that enables this, primarily, is Junk Synchron with a lv.2 or lower monster in your graveyard and a Doppelwarrior in your hand. In order to achieve this cause you can structure your deck in the building phase to gather the combo pieces to their appropriate and necessary area. Playing cards like ROTA, Tuning, One for One, Sangan and Foolish Burial all assist in gathering the necessary tools. You must as well consider defensive strategies to prevent your opponent from stopping your plays. Cards that you can use or MST, Giant Trunade, Dust Tornado and Seven Tools of the Bandit. Then you must prepare your sidedeck to fight off threats like D.D. Crow and Effect Veiler for example. Cards that help are Debunk and Prohibition. Utilizing cause & effect during a match requires on-the-spot thinking and common sense. Do I use my Solemn Warning on Junk Synchron, or do I wait until my opponent is successful in using Junk Synchron then use my Warning on the Librarian? This is a matter of common sense. Stopping Junk Synchron is the more intelligent play because it will almost always shut down the turn right there. Deciding to use a Solemn Warning on a Reborn Tengu or a Junk Synchron is a little more difficult and will require you to analyze the opponent's field and graveyard (possibly hand too) and then decide.
Learning how to manipulate cause & effect has made me a better player. I hope you consider this idea if you haven't already.
Mario
Over the past week I've reflected on my life since grade 9. Cause & effect has played an enormous role in how my life has turned out. With many actions I committed I could immediately identify the effect caused and whether that effect is positive or negative. Then when I reflected on those negative effects I consider whether the outcome would've changed significantly if the action I committed was different at the time. I wondered whether it would've changed my entire life and if today my life would be different..
Before I merge Yu-Gi-Oh into this post I will share some examples to clarify. For example, for my grade 12 year I decided to move from my private school I was attending to a public high school. This changed multiple factors in my life: I changed my mind about what I wanted to take in university and I found my current girlfriend because I went to the public high school. If I remained in the same school would I be headed in the same direction regarding to university courses and would I have a girlfriend? Here's a different example: During the winter of grade 11 I became extremely depressed and as a result I started attending Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments to attempt to remedy my depression (because I had some cards). Of course then I was only a card-playing noob compared to all the better players. However during the next 12 months I only became a little happier. I then decided to become competitive to unleash my full potential and attempt to become ultimately happier. Now exactly 18 months later I'm one of the best players in my local area, I've topped a regionals and the collection of cards has extensively grown. I have become happier from playing this game although my depression isn't eliminated. Now if in grade 11 I was never depressed would I be playing Yu-Gi-Oh competitively or typing this blog at all...
Understanding cause & effect can allow you to make intelligent decks and make intelligent plays during a match. For example, let's say you are playing a Junk/ Doppel build. The effect of the deck is to swarm the field with synchro monsters while gaining advantage with T.G. Hyper Librarian. The cause that enables this, primarily, is Junk Synchron with a lv.2 or lower monster in your graveyard and a Doppelwarrior in your hand. In order to achieve this cause you can structure your deck in the building phase to gather the combo pieces to their appropriate and necessary area. Playing cards like ROTA, Tuning, One for One, Sangan and Foolish Burial all assist in gathering the necessary tools. You must as well consider defensive strategies to prevent your opponent from stopping your plays. Cards that you can use or MST, Giant Trunade, Dust Tornado and Seven Tools of the Bandit. Then you must prepare your sidedeck to fight off threats like D.D. Crow and Effect Veiler for example. Cards that help are Debunk and Prohibition. Utilizing cause & effect during a match requires on-the-spot thinking and common sense. Do I use my Solemn Warning on Junk Synchron, or do I wait until my opponent is successful in using Junk Synchron then use my Warning on the Librarian? This is a matter of common sense. Stopping Junk Synchron is the more intelligent play because it will almost always shut down the turn right there. Deciding to use a Solemn Warning on a Reborn Tengu or a Junk Synchron is a little more difficult and will require you to analyze the opponent's field and graveyard (possibly hand too) and then decide.
Learning how to manipulate cause & effect has made me a better player. I hope you consider this idea if you haven't already.
Mario
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Generation Force Sneak Peak: What Happened that Day!
Mario here. Yesterday well Jon was building up credit for us in Belleville I travelled to a little bigger town for the sneak peek called Peterborough. My mission was to obtain the cards that I needed. So here's what happened that day...
I headed up to Peterborough with four other card players. The ride took a while because of the 3 different old people driving their cars at 80km an hour when it was a 100km per hour zone. Also we were afraid that the car was going to stop working at any moment and death could've been a resulting factor. That delayed our arrival a little bit but rest assured, after yelling and swearing at the old drivers and having faith in the car we finally reached our destination an hour and 50 minutes later...
We arrived at the card shop in Peterborough (I don't know the name) only to realize that they were out of spots for the actual sneak peek tournament. My Belleville groupies and I were upset at that disappointing news and I almost entered crying phase. Actually Konami fucked up because they only sent enough packs for 11 players to enter when the owner said they were suppose to deliver more. The shop had to turn away 15 people. Looks like Konami fucked up again, not surprising at the slightest.
This is the part of the story gets interesting. Normally I'm very quiet, shy and introverted but for the sake of advancing at a children's card game I broke through all my social barriers and exploded into a Yu-Gi-Oh nazi, whore and monster (those are what my Belleville colleges referred to me as throughout the entire day). I simply transformed into Super Mario for the day. In the time-span of 90 minutes I went through every person's trades, all 22 people that were in the shop excluding the people I came here with.
The best pulls at the sneak peak were an Orient Dragon and an ultimate Elemental Hero Nova Master. Within 20 minutes I had both of the cards and I even hugged the guy who I received the dragon from. By the end of the day I also traded for both Masked Heroes and a Vision Hero Trinity. It was unfortunate no one pulled a Steelswarm Roach or Leviair. Then I traded for various good cards and the last cards I needed to build.... WORMS!!!!
Overall I was the craziest, most successful person in the shop that day. The following is quoted from Facebook from one of my groupies yesterday witnessing my events: "he went nuts at one point he was trading 3 people at once. he hugged a guy cause he sold him a orient dragon. he was moving faster then any normal human being should" "ever see the faces little kids get when they pull cards we all know suck horribly but they think are so amazing........Mario had that look all day". This description is quite accurate. I did make sure however I only traded and bought good cards, not bad cards. Again, I simply transformed into Super Mario that day.
Afterward we went for lunch at the mall in Peterborough (again I don't know the name of this place). I wanted to relax and let loose after the event so my lunch consisted of four Big Macs and then I finished off someone's fries, scaring everyone I was with. I was hungry... Anyway after that we headed back to Belleville finally, did some final trades and I played a match with Richard (one of the guys who came with us to Peterborough). He played zombie plants and I played six samurais. I won the match 2-1 while crashing at the same time. I went home afterward, ate dinner and then exercised for like 3 hours to burn off all the food. The day was a good one indeed and the people of the Peterborough shop will never forget the face of Super Mario, the crazy Italian!
I headed up to Peterborough with four other card players. The ride took a while because of the 3 different old people driving their cars at 80km an hour when it was a 100km per hour zone. Also we were afraid that the car was going to stop working at any moment and death could've been a resulting factor. That delayed our arrival a little bit but rest assured, after yelling and swearing at the old drivers and having faith in the car we finally reached our destination an hour and 50 minutes later...
We arrived at the card shop in Peterborough (I don't know the name) only to realize that they were out of spots for the actual sneak peek tournament. My Belleville groupies and I were upset at that disappointing news and I almost entered crying phase. Actually Konami fucked up because they only sent enough packs for 11 players to enter when the owner said they were suppose to deliver more. The shop had to turn away 15 people. Looks like Konami fucked up again, not surprising at the slightest.
This is the part of the story gets interesting. Normally I'm very quiet, shy and introverted but for the sake of advancing at a children's card game I broke through all my social barriers and exploded into a Yu-Gi-Oh nazi, whore and monster (those are what my Belleville colleges referred to me as throughout the entire day). I simply transformed into Super Mario for the day. In the time-span of 90 minutes I went through every person's trades, all 22 people that were in the shop excluding the people I came here with.
The best pulls at the sneak peak were an Orient Dragon and an ultimate Elemental Hero Nova Master. Within 20 minutes I had both of the cards and I even hugged the guy who I received the dragon from. By the end of the day I also traded for both Masked Heroes and a Vision Hero Trinity. It was unfortunate no one pulled a Steelswarm Roach or Leviair. Then I traded for various good cards and the last cards I needed to build.... WORMS!!!!
Overall I was the craziest, most successful person in the shop that day. The following is quoted from Facebook from one of my groupies yesterday witnessing my events: "he went nuts at one point he was trading 3 people at once. he hugged a guy cause he sold him a orient dragon. he was moving faster then any normal human being should" "ever see the faces little kids get when they pull cards we all know suck horribly but they think are so amazing........Mario had that look all day". This description is quite accurate. I did make sure however I only traded and bought good cards, not bad cards. Again, I simply transformed into Super Mario that day.
Afterward we went for lunch at the mall in Peterborough (again I don't know the name of this place). I wanted to relax and let loose after the event so my lunch consisted of four Big Macs and then I finished off someone's fries, scaring everyone I was with. I was hungry... Anyway after that we headed back to Belleville finally, did some final trades and I played a match with Richard (one of the guys who came with us to Peterborough). He played zombie plants and I played six samurais. I won the match 2-1 while crashing at the same time. I went home afterward, ate dinner and then exercised for like 3 hours to burn off all the food. The day was a good one indeed and the people of the Peterborough shop will never forget the face of Super Mario, the crazy Italian!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Go through your commons! And pay attention to the ones that come out!
Jon here, I have some interesting ideas to share with you guys today.
I was going through my commons and found some interesting cards that you might find
worth trying out.
One such card is Proof of Powerlessness.
When you control a level 7 or higher monster, you can destroy all your opponents monsters that are level 5 or lower by giving up on your battle phase.
Like all traps that say, "you cannot conduct your battle phase this turn", just use it on your opponents turn.
Thats why its a TRAP.
This is a very interesting card that could gain momentum with
certain decks that easily pump out high-level monsters.
This format and the next coming will be about spamming as many
lower-attack powered and lower level monsters as tuners and non-tuners for synchro summoning and exceed summoning.
When an oppenment makes a Rescue Rabbit play, a Junk Doppel play,
a Kageki play, Blizzard play, pretty much any move that will allow you to turn smaller monsters into larger threats like Librarian, Scrap Dragon, Hope, Roach or anything else, this card will interupt that play just as well as book of moon, warning, judgement and torrential, without sacrificing cards to do so.
I use all four of those cards and they are certainly very effective, but for all you budget players reading this post, you may enjoy this trap.
If you are curious as to what level 7s or 8s to use that would help you drop this turn-stopping card on your opponent you can use:
Beast King Barbaros (about to be reprinted)
Black Luster Soldier (meh, maybe it will be unbanned)
Dark Armed Dragon
Dark Simorgh (also about to be reprinted)
Gorz
Machina Fortress
Malefics
Hyperion
Tragoedia
Tytannial
Obelisk (for the theme lulz)
and Wall Shadow (because Ryan will do it, won't you?!)
All of these cards I mentioned are easily attainable and they are easily summoned.
I left out all the synchros and crap because that much is obvious, get your big guy out, and trap them before they can counter your monster plays. Try this out in a budget stun deck!
Uhm, counter this card by removing the monster from the field before the effect can resolve.
Before I go, quick tourney report.
tl;dr? Skip to the bottom.
Mario didnt play today as well as 10 other people who were busy, going to the sneak peak, wanking or
sleeping in. Deck used JUNK DOPPEL because, well, herp.
Round 1 - Wesley - Red Eyes Metal Dragons
OO-
Wrecked by speedy plays, he had the opportunity to plus by using black rose to nuke my field but he didnt,
and also didnt attack my Zephyros. And when I summoned it, he asked me if I was playing blackwings. I totally should now.
Anyways I did that alot when I started out, opting to use its second effect to deal some damage, without realizing the game changing potential destroying the whole field could have.
Round 2 - Wes - Junk Doppel
OXX
Game one I went nuts, hitting the field running and he scooped due to horrible advantage.
Games two and three were all his. Im a little embarassed at myself for allowing myself to look dejected after my loss. That was unsportsmanlike, sorry Wes.
Round 3 - Stinky Man The Phoenix's Fart - Gravekeepers
OO
Game one he sets everything but one card and activates Necrovalley, so Im all like shiieet, he gonna first turn tribute me. So I mst the Necrovalley as soon as it comes out because I went first with a meh hand. Next turn was a set Dustie and he bribes it so I lose my hand, but still turn it around from there. Scrap Dragon is mean. Enh...he did wierd things. He likes to run Dark Armed...then forgets to play his necrovalley after abusing its effect. So I double avarice the next time like mad trying to gain the upper hand in game 2 and Scrap won out from there.
Round 4 - Bushman - Lightsworns
Nice guy, had a bie the first round so he had 6 and so did I.
OO
Both games I wasnt very nice. Playing a lot of cards and keeping his grave empty.
Game two I opened baaaad but was still able to Librarian into a Brio and Avarice with so many cards in hand I bounced his field of 6 cards and proceeded to win because he had an all monster hand.
Top 4!
Myself, Wes, Jason and Dave.
Jason gets herp derped and oppressioned so his Fabled-full hand dies horribly both game 1 and 2.
And I played Wes.
OXO
First game was dicklicious and second one was as well with Librarian plays, I think, cant remember.
Anyways, game three I have sided out my entire engine and gone into stun mode. He opens with all the counters to my engine and I open with all the counters to his counters and his engine.
Then I played Dave - Sames
(WHAT WAS THE RECORD?!)
Game 1
He opens three united and only one sam but I wasnt able to stop him from drawing six cards so lol I lost.
Game 2
I open meh, so does he, I play around and counter his plays enough that I am able to drop my Librarian and plus from there.
Game 3
Going into stun mode, we both open absolute shit, and neither of us have monsters, just backrows.
I knew he sided into Fissures so I sided out my puppet plants and just used Tengu and T-King and such.
He actually is able to wreck my control when I had tengu and T-King by having three more united, because he runs 10 in his deck. He is afeared of mirror force so he doesnt attack with a four monster field. I had dark hole in hand but he already used his magatama to negate my T-King when I tried to destroy his Shogun.
From there, even though he had a couple extra cards, I won the game.
XOO
Skip to here for the tl;dr folks.So first place, $25
I was going through my commons and found some interesting cards that you might find
worth trying out.
When you control a level 7 or higher monster, you can destroy all your opponents monsters that are level 5 or lower by giving up on your battle phase.
Like all traps that say, "you cannot conduct your battle phase this turn", just use it on your opponents turn.
Thats why its a TRAP.
This is a very interesting card that could gain momentum with
certain decks that easily pump out high-level monsters.
This format and the next coming will be about spamming as many
lower-attack powered and lower level monsters as tuners and non-tuners for synchro summoning and exceed summoning.
When an oppenment makes a Rescue Rabbit play, a Junk Doppel play,
a Kageki play, Blizzard play, pretty much any move that will allow you to turn smaller monsters into larger threats like Librarian, Scrap Dragon, Hope, Roach or anything else, this card will interupt that play just as well as book of moon, warning, judgement and torrential, without sacrificing cards to do so.
I use all four of those cards and they are certainly very effective, but for all you budget players reading this post, you may enjoy this trap.
If you are curious as to what level 7s or 8s to use that would help you drop this turn-stopping card on your opponent you can use:
Beast King Barbaros (about to be reprinted)
Black Luster Soldier (meh, maybe it will be unbanned)
Dark Armed Dragon
Dark Simorgh (also about to be reprinted)
Gorz
Machina Fortress
Malefics
Hyperion
Tragoedia
Tytannial
Obelisk (for the theme lulz)
and Wall Shadow (because Ryan will do it, won't you?!)
All of these cards I mentioned are easily attainable and they are easily summoned.
I left out all the synchros and crap because that much is obvious, get your big guy out, and trap them before they can counter your monster plays. Try this out in a budget stun deck!
Uhm, counter this card by removing the monster from the field before the effect can resolve.
Before I go, quick tourney report.
tl;dr? Skip to the bottom.
Mario didnt play today as well as 10 other people who were busy, going to the sneak peak, wanking or
sleeping in. Deck used JUNK DOPPEL because, well, herp.
Round 1 - Wesley - Red Eyes Metal Dragons
OO-
Wrecked by speedy plays, he had the opportunity to plus by using black rose to nuke my field but he didnt,
and also didnt attack my Zephyros. And when I summoned it, he asked me if I was playing blackwings. I totally should now.
Anyways I did that alot when I started out, opting to use its second effect to deal some damage, without realizing the game changing potential destroying the whole field could have.
Round 2 - Wes - Junk Doppel
OXX
Game one I went nuts, hitting the field running and he scooped due to horrible advantage.
Games two and three were all his. Im a little embarassed at myself for allowing myself to look dejected after my loss. That was unsportsmanlike, sorry Wes.
Round 3 - Stinky Man The Phoenix's Fart - Gravekeepers
OO
Game one he sets everything but one card and activates Necrovalley, so Im all like shiieet, he gonna first turn tribute me. So I mst the Necrovalley as soon as it comes out because I went first with a meh hand. Next turn was a set Dustie and he bribes it so I lose my hand, but still turn it around from there. Scrap Dragon is mean. Enh...he did wierd things. He likes to run Dark Armed...then forgets to play his necrovalley after abusing its effect. So I double avarice the next time like mad trying to gain the upper hand in game 2 and Scrap won out from there.
Round 4 - Bushman - Lightsworns
Nice guy, had a bie the first round so he had 6 and so did I.
OO
Both games I wasnt very nice. Playing a lot of cards and keeping his grave empty.
Game two I opened baaaad but was still able to Librarian into a Brio and Avarice with so many cards in hand I bounced his field of 6 cards and proceeded to win because he had an all monster hand.
Top 4!
Myself, Wes, Jason and Dave.
Jason gets herp derped and oppressioned so his Fabled-full hand dies horribly both game 1 and 2.
And I played Wes.
OXO
First game was dicklicious and second one was as well with Librarian plays, I think, cant remember.
Anyways, game three I have sided out my entire engine and gone into stun mode. He opens with all the counters to my engine and I open with all the counters to his counters and his engine.
Then I played Dave - Sames
(WHAT WAS THE RECORD?!)
Game 1
He opens three united and only one sam but I wasnt able to stop him from drawing six cards so lol I lost.
Game 2
I open meh, so does he, I play around and counter his plays enough that I am able to drop my Librarian and plus from there.
Game 3
Going into stun mode, we both open absolute shit, and neither of us have monsters, just backrows.
I knew he sided into Fissures so I sided out my puppet plants and just used Tengu and T-King and such.
He actually is able to wreck my control when I had tengu and T-King by having three more united, because he runs 10 in his deck. He is afeared of mirror force so he doesnt attack with a four monster field. I had dark hole in hand but he already used his magatama to negate my T-King when I tried to destroy his Shogun.
From there, even though he had a couple extra cards, I won the game.
XOO
Skip to here for the tl;dr folks.So first place, $25
Friday, August 5, 2011
Preparation for a New Generation
Mario here, noticed how my title rhymed? It's a beautiful piece of art!
Anyway tomorrow I am attending my first Sneak Peek tournament ever and it's obviously for Generation Force. Between Jon and I these are the cards absolutely required from this set:
2x Leviair the Sea Dragon
2x Steelswarm Roach
2x Orient Dragon
1x Elemental Hero Nova Master
1x Vision Hero Adoration
1x Vision Hero Trinity
1x Mask Change
1x A Hero Lives
1x Masked Hero Goka
1x Masked Hero Vapor
I believe Jon also wants some of the fish stuff. However this is the list of cards we absolutely need. The troubling part of this list is the fact that most of these cards are absolutely expensive, particularly the top 4 cards of the list. I've been checking Ebay the last few days and these prices have been really high.
I'm really hoping I pull some of these cards in the packs at the beginning because I'll enter deep-shit phase afterward regardless. Unfortunately I have had no luck pulling any decent cards at Regionals when you get the 5 packs at the beginning. One of two scenarios is going to happen at this Sneak Peek:
Scenario A - I will open my packs and pull nothing decent and then the people next to me will all pull Roaches, Sea Dragons, Orient Dragon and Hero fusions. I will then enter crying phase.
Scenario B - I will open my packs and the only really rare cards I will pull will be Number 17: Leviathan Dragon and Wind-Up Zenmaster (The tin promos that I will end up having lots of). I will then enter crying phase.
Hopefully my luck changes for once and these scenarios do not occur. Anyway I hope I can use my skillful intellect to manipulate people into trading me these expensive cards for a smaller value than they are worth. That's the only way I can see myself picking up these cards.
The other thing about this Sneak Peek that I will have to deal with is the miniture tournament where you can play a main deck of 20 cards + a 15 card maximum extra deck exclusively with the cards you pull. I'm unsure whether this tournament is mandatory or not but I would rather take the opportunity and trade a good amount with strangers I've never met before. The tournament aspect doesn't interest me at all.
The next time I post on this blog (in a day or two) I will post the events that occured at this Sneak Peek. Afterward I have a list of topics I can write about. These topics include the Heavy Storm vs Giant Trunade debate and the "Laquari + 2 backrow" situation in a format where Heavy Storm is legal. I also have neat little posts planned on "bad" players and a surprise tech card that is doing remarkably well. Please let me know what you want to see and I will pick the topics in order of most popular to least popular. Thanks for reading.
Anyway tomorrow I am attending my first Sneak Peek tournament ever and it's obviously for Generation Force. Between Jon and I these are the cards absolutely required from this set:
2x Leviair the Sea Dragon
2x Steelswarm Roach
2x Orient Dragon
1x Elemental Hero Nova Master
1x Vision Hero Adoration
1x Vision Hero Trinity
1x Mask Change
1x A Hero Lives
1x Masked Hero Goka
1x Masked Hero Vapor
I believe Jon also wants some of the fish stuff. However this is the list of cards we absolutely need. The troubling part of this list is the fact that most of these cards are absolutely expensive, particularly the top 4 cards of the list. I've been checking Ebay the last few days and these prices have been really high.
I'm really hoping I pull some of these cards in the packs at the beginning because I'll enter deep-shit phase afterward regardless. Unfortunately I have had no luck pulling any decent cards at Regionals when you get the 5 packs at the beginning. One of two scenarios is going to happen at this Sneak Peek:
Scenario A - I will open my packs and pull nothing decent and then the people next to me will all pull Roaches, Sea Dragons, Orient Dragon and Hero fusions. I will then enter crying phase.
Scenario B - I will open my packs and the only really rare cards I will pull will be Number 17: Leviathan Dragon and Wind-Up Zenmaster (The tin promos that I will end up having lots of). I will then enter crying phase.
Hopefully my luck changes for once and these scenarios do not occur. Anyway I hope I can use my skillful intellect to manipulate people into trading me these expensive cards for a smaller value than they are worth. That's the only way I can see myself picking up these cards.
The other thing about this Sneak Peek that I will have to deal with is the miniture tournament where you can play a main deck of 20 cards + a 15 card maximum extra deck exclusively with the cards you pull. I'm unsure whether this tournament is mandatory or not but I would rather take the opportunity and trade a good amount with strangers I've never met before. The tournament aspect doesn't interest me at all.
The next time I post on this blog (in a day or two) I will post the events that occured at this Sneak Peek. Afterward I have a list of topics I can write about. These topics include the Heavy Storm vs Giant Trunade debate and the "Laquari + 2 backrow" situation in a format where Heavy Storm is legal. I also have neat little posts planned on "bad" players and a surprise tech card that is doing remarkably well. Please let me know what you want to see and I will pick the topics in order of most popular to least popular. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A Rough Banned List for September 2011
I originally typed out my official banned list wants and explanations. Unfortunately my computer froze and it got deleted. So for right now I will write out a rough banned list of my initial thoughts for the September 2011 Format. After YCS Indy and the World Championships I will post a final banned list and explanations for my choices. Anyway here is what my rough thoughts and wants are:
Banned
Tech Genus Hyper Librarian - in an extensive synchro deck lots of advantage is gained
Monster Reborn - this card wins games
Giant Trunade - this card also wins games
Royal Tribute - this card can win games if played first turn and you deplete a significant amount of monsters
Limited
Formula Synchron - the draw from this card is too good and synchro summoning a Black Rose on your opponent's turn can be fatal
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - It is at 1 in the OCG so it is going to 1 in the TCG because it is a boss
Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En - this card is a Six Samurai boss that negates spells and traps and more than one on the field is a nightmare
Superancient Deepsea King Coelecanth - this is a boss that spams the field with lots of synchro summons
Fishborg Blaster - this card makes a Formula every turn with Treeborn Frog and it comes back for frequent synchro summons
Pot of Avarice - this card recycles your best cards and some cards should not be recycled...
Double-Edged Sword Technique - this card allows for an instant synchro summon or beatdown for Six Samurais
Shien's Smoke Signal - limiting this card will limit the instances Shi En will appear first turn
Six Samurai United - this card is a Pot of Greed and like Pot of Greed should be at 1
Master Hyperion - multiple Hyperions on the field can win a game (even one Hyperion wins games)
Gravekeeper's Spy - this is the main engine of Gravekeepers and should be hit since Recruiter cannot be hit
Heavy Storm - this card requires more skill and brain processing to properly utilize, compared to Giant Trunade, and this will also invoke fear into every player resulting in players not setting their entire hand turn 1
Ultimate Offering - this card spams so many synchro and exceed monsters, especially in Gadgets in the OCG (soon the TCG if this card isn't hit)
Super Polymerization - I will actually go into detail about this choice. First of all this card can't be negated so activating it is deadly. Secondly, by the beginning of October we will have in our TCG Elemental Heroes Gaia, Absolute Zero, The Shining, Nova Master and Great Tornado. Hero decks can abuse this card by stealing almost any significant monster the opponent plays and using it as fusion material for one of the above 5 fusion monsters. Additionally this card can enable a successful Dragon-Knight Draco-Equeste and possibly Supreme Arcanite Magician.
Semi-Limited
Royal Oppression - special summons win numerous games and something other than Solemn Warning should exist to defend against multiple special summons
Pot of Duality - this card sets up deadly combos and should be brought to 2 (unfortunately I don't think Konami will do this because they want to gain profit from the Collector Tins)
Reborn Tengu - the most broken floater of all time (this card probably won't be hit either because it is a TCG Exclusive)
These are my initial thoughts. When all the big tournaments remaining are finished I will present a final draft of my thoughts.
Mario
Banned
Tech Genus Hyper Librarian - in an extensive synchro deck lots of advantage is gained
Monster Reborn - this card wins games
Giant Trunade - this card also wins games
Royal Tribute - this card can win games if played first turn and you deplete a significant amount of monsters
Limited
Formula Synchron - the draw from this card is too good and synchro summoning a Black Rose on your opponent's turn can be fatal
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - It is at 1 in the OCG so it is going to 1 in the TCG because it is a boss
Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En - this card is a Six Samurai boss that negates spells and traps and more than one on the field is a nightmare
Superancient Deepsea King Coelecanth - this is a boss that spams the field with lots of synchro summons
Fishborg Blaster - this card makes a Formula every turn with Treeborn Frog and it comes back for frequent synchro summons
Pot of Avarice - this card recycles your best cards and some cards should not be recycled...
Double-Edged Sword Technique - this card allows for an instant synchro summon or beatdown for Six Samurais
Shien's Smoke Signal - limiting this card will limit the instances Shi En will appear first turn
Six Samurai United - this card is a Pot of Greed and like Pot of Greed should be at 1
Master Hyperion - multiple Hyperions on the field can win a game (even one Hyperion wins games)
Gravekeeper's Spy - this is the main engine of Gravekeepers and should be hit since Recruiter cannot be hit
Heavy Storm - this card requires more skill and brain processing to properly utilize, compared to Giant Trunade, and this will also invoke fear into every player resulting in players not setting their entire hand turn 1
Ultimate Offering - this card spams so many synchro and exceed monsters, especially in Gadgets in the OCG (soon the TCG if this card isn't hit)
Super Polymerization - I will actually go into detail about this choice. First of all this card can't be negated so activating it is deadly. Secondly, by the beginning of October we will have in our TCG Elemental Heroes Gaia, Absolute Zero, The Shining, Nova Master and Great Tornado. Hero decks can abuse this card by stealing almost any significant monster the opponent plays and using it as fusion material for one of the above 5 fusion monsters. Additionally this card can enable a successful Dragon-Knight Draco-Equeste and possibly Supreme Arcanite Magician.
Semi-Limited
Royal Oppression - special summons win numerous games and something other than Solemn Warning should exist to defend against multiple special summons
Pot of Duality - this card sets up deadly combos and should be brought to 2 (unfortunately I don't think Konami will do this because they want to gain profit from the Collector Tins)
Reborn Tengu - the most broken floater of all time (this card probably won't be hit either because it is a TCG Exclusive)
These are my initial thoughts. When all the big tournaments remaining are finished I will present a final draft of my thoughts.
Mario
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Mario's Ritual Armageddon 2
I regret not posting updates about this deck lately. I have done a lot of updates and changes on it since my first post. I did post a second video on Youtube a while ago with the changes at that time but things have somewhat changed again. Here I will share this decklist and the changes compared to the first blog post.
Monsters (25):
2 Relinquished
2 Demise, King of Armageddon
1 Ruin, Queen of Oblivion
1 Garlandolf King of Destruction
3 Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
2 Senju of the Thousand Hands
2 Djinn Presider of Rituals
2 Djinn Releaser of Rituals
1 Ritual Raven
1 Armageddon Knight
1 Sangan
2 Goblin Zombie
1 Mezuki
1 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Phantom of Chaos
1 Sky Scourge Norleras
Spells (12):
2 Black Illusion Ritual
2 End of the World
1 Ritual of Destruction
2 Contract with the Abyss
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Monster Reborn
1 Giant Trunade
1 Dark Hole
1 Preparation of Rights
Traps (3):
3 Royal Decree
Ruin is now included as an alternative target of End of the World. Every time it destroys a monster by battle it attacks again. It's a miniture version of BLS. Furthermore, if Djinn Presider of Rituals is a material for Ruin then I will draw many cards.
Ritual Raven counts as the entire tribute for ritual summoning a dark ritual monster. It has another technical use however. If I want to summon Relinquished with Contract of the Abyss I have to use Ritual Raven because Contract forces the ritual tributes to equal the exact same level as the ritual monster.
The Zombie engine exists to increase advantage a little since Rituals need as much monster advantage as possible. Tributing a Goblin Zombie while on the field adds either the second Goblin Zombie or Mezuki to the hand. Once Mezuki is in the graveyard you can remove it to summon a Goblin Zombie from the graveyard. This is useful because you can press for extra damage after the field is wiped by Demise.
Sky Scourge Norleras is in the deck because of its ability to send all cards in the hand and field to the graveyard (both players). The user follows up by drawing 2 cards. This card is actually summonable and it's also an 8 star tribute for Demise and Ruin.
Phantom of Chaos can copy any dark monster in your graveyard by removing it from play. I use this primarily with Sky Scourge Norleras but I can also use it with Chaos Sorcerer, Demise or Relinquished.
Contract with the Abyss allows for a ritual summon of any dark ritual monster as long as the levels of the monster(s) tributed exactly equal the level of the ritual monster. It helps when the particular ritual spell needed isn't around.
Preparation of Rites adds a lv 7 or lower ritual monster from your deck to your hand and a ritual spell from your graveyard to your hand. This will grab exactly what you need for another ritual summon.
Finally, the 3 Royal Decree are there to lock off traps for your ritual monsters to properly function (particularly Demise). The only other threats are Book of Moon, Effect Veiler, My Body as a Shield and Herald of Orange Light. Many people do not expect Royal Decree and it has caught many of my opponents off-guard.
This ritual build is my second favorite and was the build that I constructed while I gathered the cards for my final type of ritual deck. This build is complete (minus Pot of Duality x 2, but I will have those at the end of the month) and ready for battle. I believe it is the best of the three types of ritual builds I have created. I will post the decklist and strategies another day.
Monsters (25):
2 Relinquished
2 Demise, King of Armageddon
1 Ruin, Queen of Oblivion
1 Garlandolf King of Destruction
3 Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
2 Senju of the Thousand Hands
2 Djinn Presider of Rituals
2 Djinn Releaser of Rituals
1 Ritual Raven
1 Armageddon Knight
1 Sangan
2 Goblin Zombie
1 Mezuki
1 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Phantom of Chaos
1 Sky Scourge Norleras
Spells (12):
2 Black Illusion Ritual
2 End of the World
1 Ritual of Destruction
2 Contract with the Abyss
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Monster Reborn
1 Giant Trunade
1 Dark Hole
1 Preparation of Rights
Traps (3):
3 Royal Decree
Ruin is now included as an alternative target of End of the World. Every time it destroys a monster by battle it attacks again. It's a miniture version of BLS. Furthermore, if Djinn Presider of Rituals is a material for Ruin then I will draw many cards.
Ritual Raven counts as the entire tribute for ritual summoning a dark ritual monster. It has another technical use however. If I want to summon Relinquished with Contract of the Abyss I have to use Ritual Raven because Contract forces the ritual tributes to equal the exact same level as the ritual monster.
The Zombie engine exists to increase advantage a little since Rituals need as much monster advantage as possible. Tributing a Goblin Zombie while on the field adds either the second Goblin Zombie or Mezuki to the hand. Once Mezuki is in the graveyard you can remove it to summon a Goblin Zombie from the graveyard. This is useful because you can press for extra damage after the field is wiped by Demise.
Sky Scourge Norleras is in the deck because of its ability to send all cards in the hand and field to the graveyard (both players). The user follows up by drawing 2 cards. This card is actually summonable and it's also an 8 star tribute for Demise and Ruin.
Phantom of Chaos can copy any dark monster in your graveyard by removing it from play. I use this primarily with Sky Scourge Norleras but I can also use it with Chaos Sorcerer, Demise or Relinquished.
Contract with the Abyss allows for a ritual summon of any dark ritual monster as long as the levels of the monster(s) tributed exactly equal the level of the ritual monster. It helps when the particular ritual spell needed isn't around.
Preparation of Rites adds a lv 7 or lower ritual monster from your deck to your hand and a ritual spell from your graveyard to your hand. This will grab exactly what you need for another ritual summon.
Finally, the 3 Royal Decree are there to lock off traps for your ritual monsters to properly function (particularly Demise). The only other threats are Book of Moon, Effect Veiler, My Body as a Shield and Herald of Orange Light. Many people do not expect Royal Decree and it has caught many of my opponents off-guard.
This ritual build is my second favorite and was the build that I constructed while I gathered the cards for my final type of ritual deck. This build is complete (minus Pot of Duality x 2, but I will have those at the end of the month) and ready for battle. I believe it is the best of the three types of ritual builds I have created. I will post the decklist and strategies another day.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Crystal Beasts in the Future
Crystal Beasts have been around for a few years now but generally have been un-played. This format, people would much rather build Plants, Six Samurais or Gravekeepers. However the metagame will slow down in September and Crystal Beasts could have a chance to shine in the spotlight.
Crystal Beasts do have everything they need to be victorious. Here are the main cards:
Rainbow Dragon is the boss monster like Dark Armed Dragon or Master Hyperion. It doesn't destroy cards but it can win the game in one attack. Furthermore it can wipe the field completely. If you follow it up with an explosion you can win easily. This card, alongside Trap Stun easily wins games. Unfortunately it cannot activate these effects the turn it is summoned. The way around it is Rainbow Gravity. First of all you can activate this during your opponent's End Phase and summon Rainbow Dragon to use its effects on your turn. Secondly it can summon a Rainow Dragon from your deck or graveyard which enables this monster to be easily accessed. Rainbow Dragon wins games.
This monster is comparable to Elemental Hero Stratos and Machina Gearframe. It's meant to search a Crystal Beast that doesn't exist on your field or in your graveyard so summoning Rainbow Dragon is one step easier.
This is the card that allows you to draw 2 cards. Its conditions are fairly easy to follow. It's not limited like Destiny Draw and Allure of Darkness. It also doesn't have muliple downsides like Cards of the Sky.
The deck has a field spell as well. This is a good card and can allow for some extra draw power and defense which is necessary.
Now I will go into the most fun strategy of this deck and why I believe this deck is powerful (aside from Rainbow Dragon):
Crystal Promise can summon this innocent creature and then explode by summoning all Crystal Beasts in your Spell/Trap zone. You can either attack with them all or perform... Xyz summons!!! This deck is now playable because you can easily spam rank 3 and 4 Xyz monsters. However Crystal Beasts used as Xyz materials are not on the field or the graveyard so summoning Rainbow Dragon is a little more difficult. It doesn't matter though because the deck can win with this ridiculous Xyz spamming without summoning Rainbow Dragon.
This is a deck I am gathering the cards for and next format I will experiment with it when the metagame slows down. I will also have all the Pot of Duality I need thanks to Konami (right now I'm not that upset with Konami because of this factor). The Crystal Beasts shall rise again!
Crystal Beasts do have everything they need to be victorious. Here are the main cards:
Rainbow Dragon is the boss monster like Dark Armed Dragon or Master Hyperion. It doesn't destroy cards but it can win the game in one attack. Furthermore it can wipe the field completely. If you follow it up with an explosion you can win easily. This card, alongside Trap Stun easily wins games. Unfortunately it cannot activate these effects the turn it is summoned. The way around it is Rainbow Gravity. First of all you can activate this during your opponent's End Phase and summon Rainbow Dragon to use its effects on your turn. Secondly it can summon a Rainow Dragon from your deck or graveyard which enables this monster to be easily accessed. Rainbow Dragon wins games.
This monster is comparable to Elemental Hero Stratos and Machina Gearframe. It's meant to search a Crystal Beast that doesn't exist on your field or in your graveyard so summoning Rainbow Dragon is one step easier.
This is the card that allows you to draw 2 cards. Its conditions are fairly easy to follow. It's not limited like Destiny Draw and Allure of Darkness. It also doesn't have muliple downsides like Cards of the Sky.
The deck has a field spell as well. This is a good card and can allow for some extra draw power and defense which is necessary.
Now I will go into the most fun strategy of this deck and why I believe this deck is powerful (aside from Rainbow Dragon):
Crystal Promise can summon this innocent creature and then explode by summoning all Crystal Beasts in your Spell/Trap zone. You can either attack with them all or perform... Xyz summons!!! This deck is now playable because you can easily spam rank 3 and 4 Xyz monsters. However Crystal Beasts used as Xyz materials are not on the field or the graveyard so summoning Rainbow Dragon is a little more difficult. It doesn't matter though because the deck can win with this ridiculous Xyz spamming without summoning Rainbow Dragon.
This is a deck I am gathering the cards for and next format I will experiment with it when the metagame slows down. I will also have all the Pot of Duality I need thanks to Konami (right now I'm not that upset with Konami because of this factor). The Crystal Beasts shall rise again!
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