As I stated in my previous post, I would be sharing and explaining
my Mermail deck I utilize at YCS Toronto. I decided to not play the
"Aqua Spirit" version, which was extremely popular, because
I was more comfortable with the older version. Anyway, here we go
with the list, then I will explain some of my choices:
Main Deck (40):
3 Mermail Abyssmegalo
3 Mermail Abyssteus
1 Mermail Abyssleed
3 Mermail Abysslinde
3 Mermail Abysspike
2 Mermail Abyssgunde
1 Atlantean Dragoons
3 Atlantean Marksman
3 Atlantean Heavy Infantry
2 Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls
1 Deep Sea Diva
1 Fishborg Archer
2 Effect Veiler
2 Maxx "C"
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Salvage
3 Abyss-sphere
1 Abyss-squall
1 Solemn Warning
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
2 Call of the Haunted
Extra Deck (15):
2 Mermail Abyssgaios
1 Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack
1 Number 11: Big Eye
1 Bahamut Shark
1 Mermail Abysstrite
1 Wind-Up Zenmaines
1 Gachi Gachi Gantetsu
1 Crimson Blader
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Dewloren, Tiger Prince of the Ice Barrier
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Armory Arm
Side Deck (15):
1 Thunder King Rai-Oh
2 Tragoedia
1 Forbidden Lance
1 Dark Hole
1 Book of Moon
2 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror
2 Trap Stun
2 Debunk
Deep Sea Diva: If you are playing the synchro, there is no reason
to not play this card. I did face multiple people that were confused
why I played it...
Fishborg Archer: Again, I'm playing synchro monsters, so why not
play a tuner that's search-able by Abysspike? The fact that it
revives itself is very important.
Call of the Haunted: I've always known the surprise factor wins
games. I don't think I've seen a top Mermail deck list in the last 12
months that played this card, maybe because Monster Reborn was legal.
This card won me multiple games throughout the day. Either I would
make an necessary synchro or extra deck card, or I would flip after
the rest of my monsters attacked and summon a monster to finish the
game.
Thunder King Rai-Oh: Again, I sided this card for the surprise
factor. Nobody saw it coming when I summoned it game 2, and it
disrupted the opponent quite a bit.
Dark Hole: I didn't main this card because normally I would have a
solid field. I sided it against the decks that explode more, or the
decks where certain monsters just needed it to.
Just a quick note about my side deck before I conclude this post:
I decided to side staple and generic cards instead of others because
that would leave the opponent guessing what the side deck cards are.
I could have sided cards like Gozen Match, but I didn't feel it
necessary.
And that's my Mermail deck. I think I will probably try the Aqua
Spirit version of the deck, though. I want to compare it to this
version to really see its strengths.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
YCS Toronto 2013 Tournament Report
I've decided to start my blogging again. I like where the format
is headed, so I will continue to write until I get really annoyed, or
I'm too busy.
This is my tournament report for YCS Toronto. At the end of Day 1, I achieved 117th place with an X-3 record, qualifying for Day 2. I am quite pleased with my performance since this has been one my goals for quite some time. I would've liked X-2 or greater, but everyone has to start somewhere...
I decided to attend the event with Mermails. I believed the deck was still functional, considering the loss of Dragoons and Diva. The deck honestly feels as powerful as ever.
Round 1 vs Agents (2-0)
Game 1 he won the die roll and opened with Venus and Gachi. After a couple turns, I decided to make Number 11: Big Eye to power my own monsters, while dodging Honest (it turns out he did open Honest). When he summoned Hyperion, I feel he misplayed since he attempted to destroy my one face-down trap, which was Abyssphere. I special summoned Abysslinde, which was destroyed, then special summoned Abysspike. I discarded Hevay Infantry for the effect, and it destroyed Hyperion. This left him with 5 fairies in grave, and his hand consisting of Honest and Kristya was useless, so he scooped.
Game 2 he opened Earth, and I stopped its search with Veiler. Again, I did my best playing around Honest by summoning Catastor on my first turn. He then started to push with Hyperion and Jupiter. I won the game because I cleared his field, and had a face-down Call of the Haunted, which allowed me to attack for exactly game. He previously had 2 MSTs which he chained to both my Abysspheres, so COTH turned out to be amazing.
1-0
Round 2 vs Spellbooks (2-0)
Game 1 I won the die roll, which was crucial because it allowed me to Solemn Warning his Spellbook Magician of Prophecy. The only form of offence he contained was a High Priestess, which I easily handled with my Rank 7s.
Game 2 he opened with Spellbook Magician of Prophecy, and started with a solid opening, including Grand Spellbook Tower and a set Spellbook of Fate. I used Book of Moon on his Magician, then summoned Abysspike and ditched Abyssleed to search Atlantean Marksman. I discarded that, and a second one, for Abyssmegalo, to destroy his face-down magician and Fate. I won a few turns later because I had Call of the Haunted for exact battle damage.
2-0
Round 3 vs Hieratics (2-0)
Game 1 I had Veiler and Warning, which was timed perfectly to stop all his crucial summons. Call of the Haunted allowed me to make an Abyssgaios, and then he scooped.
Game 2 he took the Maxx “C” challenge on his second turn, and I drew the Tragoedia, so I won.
3-0
Round 4 vs Dragon Ruler Plants (1-2)
Game 1 was fairly back and forth. He eventually won because he drew a fire monster to discard with Blaster, which destroyed my Abyssgaios, then made Shooting Star Dragon and revealed 3 tuners with its effect...
Game 2 I had 2 MSTs for his 2 Dragon Ravines, and I barried him with card advantage.
Game 3, he flipped Return from the Different Dimension on his third turn, and brought back 4 dragons which attacked for game. Of course my next draw was Bottomless Trap Hole...
3-1
Round 5 vs Dragunity (2-0)
Game 1 I started with a set Abysslinde, MST and Abyssquall. He played Ravine and discarded Phalanx. At this point, I realized he was playing Dragunity, and decided not to chain the MST. He searched Dux, summoned it, and equipped Phalanx, which I destroyed with MST. He attacked my Abysslinde, and I summoned Abyssleed. He set one backrow and passed. On my turn, I summon Abysspike, ditch an Abyssteus, and grabbed Marskman. I discarded it and an Abyssgunde for Megalo, and the Marskman destroyed a Mirror Force. I won that turn...
Game 2 took a while, and we traded resources often. I eventually won because he didn't see Call of the Haunted coming, and I made a Dewloren, which bounced back a face-up COTH and Abyssphere, which I used next turn to kill him, after I severely devastated him that turn.
4-1
Round 6 vs Redox Machine Geargia (2-0)
Game 1 we kept trading cards to kill each other. I kept blowing up his face-down Geargiarmors with Marksman, and a clutch COTH won the game, where I needed a synchro material to make Black Rose Dragon. After it cleared the field, I special summoned Tidal and attacked for game.
Game 2 was quite long. He opened with Macro Cosmos, thankfully I had MST. I eventually made an Abyssgaios, but he kept defending with Redox and a Dimensional Fissure he drew a few turns in. I eventually one because I saved all my real spells and traps for his bigger monsters that weren't Redox, and he eventually ran out of Earth monsters to summon Redox, so I knocked him out.
5-1
Round 7 vs Spellbooks (1-2)
Game 1 I opened subpar, and he gained a lot of advantage with World of Prophecy. On my following turn, I killed it, but he swarmed me with double High Priestess.
Game 2 I OTKed him with the Megalo and Diva play.
Game 3 I opened double Veiler and all monsters, and he played Dimensional Fissure immediately, then summoned Spellbook Magician of Prophecy. After, he summoned a Priestess, it was over.
5-2
Round 8 vs Dragon Rulers (1-2)
Game 1 he OTKed me with Return on his second turn.
Game 2 I OTKed him on my second turn.
Game 3 he OTKed me with Return on his third turn, and I had no traps to stop it. I saw my next draw, and would've won if he didn't have Return. It was during this game where I wish I played Mist Wurm. If I could've played with a 16 card extra deck, Mist Wurm would've been that card. I would've won the match if I had this card, because I need to clean the opponent's field, and Black Rose wasn't an option.
5-3
Overall, the experience wasn't bad. This isn't the first event where I lost all my matches to uncontrollable factors... However, I do feel there is a significant amount of room in this format for skill, unlike last format. During the event, I played my best and outplayed my opponents. Of course, I did get those lucky hands, but regardless I still played my best.
My next post will feature the decklist I utilized and my reasoning behind it. Stay tuned!
This is my tournament report for YCS Toronto. At the end of Day 1, I achieved 117th place with an X-3 record, qualifying for Day 2. I am quite pleased with my performance since this has been one my goals for quite some time. I would've liked X-2 or greater, but everyone has to start somewhere...
I decided to attend the event with Mermails. I believed the deck was still functional, considering the loss of Dragoons and Diva. The deck honestly feels as powerful as ever.
Round 1 vs Agents (2-0)
Game 1 he won the die roll and opened with Venus and Gachi. After a couple turns, I decided to make Number 11: Big Eye to power my own monsters, while dodging Honest (it turns out he did open Honest). When he summoned Hyperion, I feel he misplayed since he attempted to destroy my one face-down trap, which was Abyssphere. I special summoned Abysslinde, which was destroyed, then special summoned Abysspike. I discarded Hevay Infantry for the effect, and it destroyed Hyperion. This left him with 5 fairies in grave, and his hand consisting of Honest and Kristya was useless, so he scooped.
Game 2 he opened Earth, and I stopped its search with Veiler. Again, I did my best playing around Honest by summoning Catastor on my first turn. He then started to push with Hyperion and Jupiter. I won the game because I cleared his field, and had a face-down Call of the Haunted, which allowed me to attack for exactly game. He previously had 2 MSTs which he chained to both my Abysspheres, so COTH turned out to be amazing.
1-0
Round 2 vs Spellbooks (2-0)
Game 1 I won the die roll, which was crucial because it allowed me to Solemn Warning his Spellbook Magician of Prophecy. The only form of offence he contained was a High Priestess, which I easily handled with my Rank 7s.
Game 2 he opened with Spellbook Magician of Prophecy, and started with a solid opening, including Grand Spellbook Tower and a set Spellbook of Fate. I used Book of Moon on his Magician, then summoned Abysspike and ditched Abyssleed to search Atlantean Marksman. I discarded that, and a second one, for Abyssmegalo, to destroy his face-down magician and Fate. I won a few turns later because I had Call of the Haunted for exact battle damage.
2-0
Round 3 vs Hieratics (2-0)
Game 1 I had Veiler and Warning, which was timed perfectly to stop all his crucial summons. Call of the Haunted allowed me to make an Abyssgaios, and then he scooped.
Game 2 he took the Maxx “C” challenge on his second turn, and I drew the Tragoedia, so I won.
3-0
Round 4 vs Dragon Ruler Plants (1-2)
Game 1 was fairly back and forth. He eventually won because he drew a fire monster to discard with Blaster, which destroyed my Abyssgaios, then made Shooting Star Dragon and revealed 3 tuners with its effect...
Game 2 I had 2 MSTs for his 2 Dragon Ravines, and I barried him with card advantage.
Game 3, he flipped Return from the Different Dimension on his third turn, and brought back 4 dragons which attacked for game. Of course my next draw was Bottomless Trap Hole...
3-1
Round 5 vs Dragunity (2-0)
Game 1 I started with a set Abysslinde, MST and Abyssquall. He played Ravine and discarded Phalanx. At this point, I realized he was playing Dragunity, and decided not to chain the MST. He searched Dux, summoned it, and equipped Phalanx, which I destroyed with MST. He attacked my Abysslinde, and I summoned Abyssleed. He set one backrow and passed. On my turn, I summon Abysspike, ditch an Abyssteus, and grabbed Marskman. I discarded it and an Abyssgunde for Megalo, and the Marskman destroyed a Mirror Force. I won that turn...
Game 2 took a while, and we traded resources often. I eventually won because he didn't see Call of the Haunted coming, and I made a Dewloren, which bounced back a face-up COTH and Abyssphere, which I used next turn to kill him, after I severely devastated him that turn.
4-1
Round 6 vs Redox Machine Geargia (2-0)
Game 1 we kept trading cards to kill each other. I kept blowing up his face-down Geargiarmors with Marksman, and a clutch COTH won the game, where I needed a synchro material to make Black Rose Dragon. After it cleared the field, I special summoned Tidal and attacked for game.
Game 2 was quite long. He opened with Macro Cosmos, thankfully I had MST. I eventually made an Abyssgaios, but he kept defending with Redox and a Dimensional Fissure he drew a few turns in. I eventually one because I saved all my real spells and traps for his bigger monsters that weren't Redox, and he eventually ran out of Earth monsters to summon Redox, so I knocked him out.
5-1
Round 7 vs Spellbooks (1-2)
Game 1 I opened subpar, and he gained a lot of advantage with World of Prophecy. On my following turn, I killed it, but he swarmed me with double High Priestess.
Game 2 I OTKed him with the Megalo and Diva play.
Game 3 I opened double Veiler and all monsters, and he played Dimensional Fissure immediately, then summoned Spellbook Magician of Prophecy. After, he summoned a Priestess, it was over.
5-2
Round 8 vs Dragon Rulers (1-2)
Game 1 he OTKed me with Return on his second turn.
Game 2 I OTKed him on my second turn.
Game 3 he OTKed me with Return on his third turn, and I had no traps to stop it. I saw my next draw, and would've won if he didn't have Return. It was during this game where I wish I played Mist Wurm. If I could've played with a 16 card extra deck, Mist Wurm would've been that card. I would've won the match if I had this card, because I need to clean the opponent's field, and Black Rose wasn't an option.
5-3
Overall, the experience wasn't bad. This isn't the first event where I lost all my matches to uncontrollable factors... However, I do feel there is a significant amount of room in this format for skill, unlike last format. During the event, I played my best and outplayed my opponents. Of course, I did get those lucky hands, but regardless I still played my best.
My next post will feature the decklist I utilized and my reasoning behind it. Stay tuned!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Aftermath of Tachyon Galaxy: Rise of the New Top Decks
The first weekend has passed since this set was released. All over the place, Regional tournaments transpired, and Tachyon Galaxy cards certainly stood out. More than 50% of the top decks were Dragon Rulers. Spellbooks were next and still dominated results. 5% or less of the top decks were anything else...
My beef with Spellbooks is very minute. Yes, there is a broken card than enable some overwhelming card advantage, a pretty good boss monster, and some nifty magic tricks. The deck does require a critical amount of skill to master, especially when you don't open broken. I'm honestly hoping I can actually finish this deck and master it the way I would like...
My beef with Dragon Rulers is huge. They obtain large advantage using Super Rejuvenation, Dracossack is broken compared to High Priestess, and the dragon monsters have tricks that remain consistent, but push for significant damage. Already, this deck is seemingly more powerful than Spellbooks, and Regional statistics can back this up.
My biggest issue with the deck is that the deck is completely auto-pilot. Anyone that can read cards and understand basics can pick up this deck and play it well. I honestly think I mastered it in 15 minutes after reading the cards. There is nothing difficult about consistently summoning Dracossack turn one, and then spamming rank 7s afterward. If you go first against Evilswarms, and summon Dracossack, what's Ophion going to do?
Here is a fun fact: I priced out a complete Spellbook deck and complete Dragon Ruler deck, and every card was at lowest possible rarity. Spellbooks costs $500 more to complete than Dragon Rulers. Basically, people will choose Dragon Rulers over Spellbooks because it's cheaper and easier (perhaps that's what Konami was hoping for...). Anyone that has Spellbooks build will probably want to complete Spellbooks before playing Dragon Rulers.
My goal is to complete Spellbooks, Dragon Rulers, Evilswarms and Mermail; and that way, Jonathan, Raymond and I will be able to pick from the best decks, as well as other random decks too. It would be nice to have all these decks at disposal, especially if Raymond and/or myself do go to Nationals.
As it stands, I'm working on completing, tweaking and mastering Spellbooks, while trying to assemble everything to finish the Dragon Rulers (this one will be the most challenging), Mermails and Evilswarms. Mermails and Evilswarms are good decks that can compete now, but Spellbooks and Dragon Rulers are the decks to beat. Particularly Dragon Rulers...
My beef with Spellbooks is very minute. Yes, there is a broken card than enable some overwhelming card advantage, a pretty good boss monster, and some nifty magic tricks. The deck does require a critical amount of skill to master, especially when you don't open broken. I'm honestly hoping I can actually finish this deck and master it the way I would like...
My beef with Dragon Rulers is huge. They obtain large advantage using Super Rejuvenation, Dracossack is broken compared to High Priestess, and the dragon monsters have tricks that remain consistent, but push for significant damage. Already, this deck is seemingly more powerful than Spellbooks, and Regional statistics can back this up.
My biggest issue with the deck is that the deck is completely auto-pilot. Anyone that can read cards and understand basics can pick up this deck and play it well. I honestly think I mastered it in 15 minutes after reading the cards. There is nothing difficult about consistently summoning Dracossack turn one, and then spamming rank 7s afterward. If you go first against Evilswarms, and summon Dracossack, what's Ophion going to do?
Here is a fun fact: I priced out a complete Spellbook deck and complete Dragon Ruler deck, and every card was at lowest possible rarity. Spellbooks costs $500 more to complete than Dragon Rulers. Basically, people will choose Dragon Rulers over Spellbooks because it's cheaper and easier (perhaps that's what Konami was hoping for...). Anyone that has Spellbooks build will probably want to complete Spellbooks before playing Dragon Rulers.
My goal is to complete Spellbooks, Dragon Rulers, Evilswarms and Mermail; and that way, Jonathan, Raymond and I will be able to pick from the best decks, as well as other random decks too. It would be nice to have all these decks at disposal, especially if Raymond and/or myself do go to Nationals.
As it stands, I'm working on completing, tweaking and mastering Spellbooks, while trying to assemble everything to finish the Dragon Rulers (this one will be the most challenging), Mermails and Evilswarms. Mermails and Evilswarms are good decks that can compete now, but Spellbooks and Dragon Rulers are the decks to beat. Particularly Dragon Rulers...
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tachyon Format
Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I've been a little busy. Hopefully I will be able to post consistently now...
The Tachyon Galaxy sneak peak was this weekend, and all these cards have been released that will change the format. This post will cover some points that everyone can use. I consider all of this stuff to be common knowledge, but for some, you never know...
I will start by highlighting the four decks that can will probably shine the brightest, as well as some basic information that basically sums everything up, regarding that deck.
1. Elemental Dragons (Dragon Rulers) - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 3/10
This deck will likely be the most played deck from this point on, at larger events. The deck is mostly common and rare, and the extra deck is the only financial wall. The only expensive cards in the entire deck/ extra deck are Dracosack and Big Eye. The intelligence level that this deck requires is 3/10 (1 indicating you don't need a lot of intelligence, to 10 indicating you need to know your shit). Playing this deck won't make you a better player, but you can still achieve great results. There is nothing hard about spamming level 7s, and blowing shit up with Blaster, and playing Super Rejuvination.
2. Spellbooks (Prophecy) - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 7/10
This will probably be the second most played deck in the upcoming format. Reason it will be second is because it is the most expensive: High Priestess, Spellbook Judgment Day, Big Eye, all of the shiny Spellbook staples... Intelligence level is 7/10. Opening Spellbook Judgment and gaining lots of advantage with it is broken; that's undeniable. It's also easy to search, which doesn't help. The skilled part is playing and revealing the right Spellbooks at the right time, playing defensively, and adapting your strategy based on what you think the opponent will do. You can use the Spellbooks to take control of any game, and it's a matter of outplaying your opponent. You need to be cautious because this deck can be OTKed easily, and destroyed easily (Eradicator Epidemic Virus...) compared to Dragons. This deck is a race against time, and the longer the game lasts, the more likely you will lose.
3. Mermails - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 8/10
This, tied with Evilswarms, will be the third most played deck. A lot of people already have the cards, so it is convenient for those who don't want to spend the money for the above two decks. It's ranked at 8/10 because this deck isn't as easy as it looks. Sometimes you open crazy and can OTK like nothing. However, when you cannot, you have to play your cards correctly to manipulate advantage, and prepare for an explosion. The deck will have a difficult time fighting Dragons because of their sheer strength, but I believe that skilled players can make it work.
4. Evilswarms - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 1/10
This deck is not as expensive to make as the other decks. This deck will be played because Ophion endangers Dragons, and annoys Mermails and High Priestess of Prophecy. This deck isn't hard to play: Summon and protect Ophion, stall until you can drop a rank 4, or pick a different rank 4 to summon if Ophion isn't the best choice. That's really it...
Other decks that will witness a respectable amount of play are: Fire Fists, Gadgets, Dark Worlds, Six Samurai, Dino Rabbit, and the following kind of decks I'm about to discuss. Normally I don't like sharing my secrets so soon, but I think it's appropriate, and I've been thinking about this since Spellbook Judgment Day's effect was first released...
I personally believe that the Alternate Win Condition decks can stand a chance. The four main decks don't have too much control over the opponent's hand, although Abyssleed is a serious problem. These mainstream decks like to hit for a lot of damage, and control the field, so they are definitely something worth considering.
That's really all I have to say. The upcoming months will be stupid for this game, but Konami has made it so everyone has a chance; intelligent or not...
The Tachyon Galaxy sneak peak was this weekend, and all these cards have been released that will change the format. This post will cover some points that everyone can use. I consider all of this stuff to be common knowledge, but for some, you never know...
I will start by highlighting the four decks that can will probably shine the brightest, as well as some basic information that basically sums everything up, regarding that deck.
1. Elemental Dragons (Dragon Rulers) - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 3/10
This deck will likely be the most played deck from this point on, at larger events. The deck is mostly common and rare, and the extra deck is the only financial wall. The only expensive cards in the entire deck/ extra deck are Dracosack and Big Eye. The intelligence level that this deck requires is 3/10 (1 indicating you don't need a lot of intelligence, to 10 indicating you need to know your shit). Playing this deck won't make you a better player, but you can still achieve great results. There is nothing hard about spamming level 7s, and blowing shit up with Blaster, and playing Super Rejuvination.
2. Spellbooks (Prophecy) - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 7/10
This will probably be the second most played deck in the upcoming format. Reason it will be second is because it is the most expensive: High Priestess, Spellbook Judgment Day, Big Eye, all of the shiny Spellbook staples... Intelligence level is 7/10. Opening Spellbook Judgment and gaining lots of advantage with it is broken; that's undeniable. It's also easy to search, which doesn't help. The skilled part is playing and revealing the right Spellbooks at the right time, playing defensively, and adapting your strategy based on what you think the opponent will do. You can use the Spellbooks to take control of any game, and it's a matter of outplaying your opponent. You need to be cautious because this deck can be OTKed easily, and destroyed easily (Eradicator Epidemic Virus...) compared to Dragons. This deck is a race against time, and the longer the game lasts, the more likely you will lose.
3. Mermails - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 8/10
This, tied with Evilswarms, will be the third most played deck. A lot of people already have the cards, so it is convenient for those who don't want to spend the money for the above two decks. It's ranked at 8/10 because this deck isn't as easy as it looks. Sometimes you open crazy and can OTK like nothing. However, when you cannot, you have to play your cards correctly to manipulate advantage, and prepare for an explosion. The deck will have a difficult time fighting Dragons because of their sheer strength, but I believe that skilled players can make it work.
4. Evilswarms - Intelligence required to pilot the deck = 1/10
This deck is not as expensive to make as the other decks. This deck will be played because Ophion endangers Dragons, and annoys Mermails and High Priestess of Prophecy. This deck isn't hard to play: Summon and protect Ophion, stall until you can drop a rank 4, or pick a different rank 4 to summon if Ophion isn't the best choice. That's really it...
Other decks that will witness a respectable amount of play are: Fire Fists, Gadgets, Dark Worlds, Six Samurai, Dino Rabbit, and the following kind of decks I'm about to discuss. Normally I don't like sharing my secrets so soon, but I think it's appropriate, and I've been thinking about this since Spellbook Judgment Day's effect was first released...
I personally believe that the Alternate Win Condition decks can stand a chance. The four main decks don't have too much control over the opponent's hand, although Abyssleed is a serious problem. These mainstream decks like to hit for a lot of damage, and control the field, so they are definitely something worth considering.
That's really all I have to say. The upcoming months will be stupid for this game, but Konami has made it so everyone has a chance; intelligent or not...
Monday, April 8, 2013
Double Regional Challenge: Preparing for Number Two
Well Saturday's Regional wasn't so shitty, receiving a Top 8 title and all... Now, I don't want number two to be complete shit. These are my serious deck options for the event:
Mono Mermails: Yeah, I am considering re-taking this deck. I have made a couple modifications that I would like to try.
Wind-Ups: I really like this deck. All the combos are pretty amazing. It really is the XYZ version of Plants...
Spellbooks: This deck is pretty legitimate right now. Only reason I stopped considering it for last Regional's was because I couldn't get enough practice in. I'm not quite comfortable enough to play the deck right now; I haven't even brought it to a Locals! If I get enough practice with it, I might bring it to Regionals in 5 days.
Chaos Anti-Meta: This deck is part of my pride-and-joy of Yu-Gi-Oh. 40 shiny cards, and is able to be adjusted to combat any decks. With my modifications, it goes 50/50 against Mermails, which is pretty good. I have yet to test it against the other mainstream decks, though. I'm assuming it will do well...
Those are my current options. I've decided to eliminate Dino-Rabbit and Fire Fist because I practically fused them together last Regional, and I don't really like playing the same deck two tournaments in a row. The above four options should keep me satisfied. I think the above options have the ability to get me a third-invite in a row, but honestly... I've already accomplished the two goals of this challenge: Receiving a second invite, and making Top 8. I think I can afford to relax a little... for number two.
Mono Mermails: Yeah, I am considering re-taking this deck. I have made a couple modifications that I would like to try.
Wind-Ups: I really like this deck. All the combos are pretty amazing. It really is the XYZ version of Plants...
Spellbooks: This deck is pretty legitimate right now. Only reason I stopped considering it for last Regional's was because I couldn't get enough practice in. I'm not quite comfortable enough to play the deck right now; I haven't even brought it to a Locals! If I get enough practice with it, I might bring it to Regionals in 5 days.
Chaos Anti-Meta: This deck is part of my pride-and-joy of Yu-Gi-Oh. 40 shiny cards, and is able to be adjusted to combat any decks. With my modifications, it goes 50/50 against Mermails, which is pretty good. I have yet to test it against the other mainstream decks, though. I'm assuming it will do well...
Those are my current options. I've decided to eliminate Dino-Rabbit and Fire Fist because I practically fused them together last Regional, and I don't really like playing the same deck two tournaments in a row. The above four options should keep me satisfied. I think the above options have the ability to get me a third-invite in a row, but honestly... I've already accomplished the two goals of this challenge: Receiving a second invite, and making Top 8. I think I can afford to relax a little... for number two.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Dino-Fire Fists Regionals Deck Profile and Looking Ahead
In this post, I will provide my decklist with some card explanations. Then, I will briefly discuss my thoughts on how Fire Fists will do in the future. I did make Top 8 so I'm assuming it's pretty good...
Monsters (16):
3 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear
1 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla
1 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon
2 Rescue Rabbit
3 Gene-Warped Warewolf
3 Sabersaurus
3 Jurrac Guaiba
Spells (13):
3 Fire Formation - Tenki
2 Fire Formation - Tensu
3 Forbidden Lance
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
Traps (11):
1 Fire Formation - Tenken
1 Fire Formation - Tensen
1 Solemn Warning
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Starlight Road
1 Fiendish Chain
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Torrential Tribute
Extra (15):
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Gagaga Cowboy
2 Abyss Dweller
1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
1 Steelswarm Roach
1 Diamond Dire Wolf
1 Number 50: Blackship of Corn
1 Photon Papilloperative
1 Number 16: Shock Master
2 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King
1 Evolzar Dollka
1 Evolzar Laggia
1 Number 39: Utopia
Side (15):
2 Thunder King Rai-Oh
2 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
2 Maxx "C"
2 Twister
3 Dimensional Fissure
1 Trap Stun
1 Fiendish Chain
2 Mind Crush
In regards to the monster line, I had to cut some of the Fire Fist line, and the Vorse Raiders, to make room for the dinosaurs. I actually found myself siding out Guaiba most matches, because I didn't feel it was necessary. I only used Guaiba's summoning effect once the entire tournament: It was mostly used to make Laggia and Dollka, and other rank 4s. I might choose the eliminate the Guaiba's, though I'm not sure.
As for the spells, I did play 3 Lances, when most people play 2 in this deck. I played 3 Lances in this deck, without the dinosaurs, and I loved it. The protection is pretty good. As for the traps, I think they are pretty standard. Some people don't play Torrential Tribute, though I feel you need it to stop all of the explosive plays. I like it better than Mirror Force, simply because you can stop an opponent at any summon, whereas Mirror Force makes you wait for the battle phase.
From the extra deck, the only monsters I didn't summon Friday or Saturday were Photon Papilloperative and one of the Tiger Kings. On Friday, I was playing Evigishki Merrowgeist and Number C39: Utopia Ray, and I never summoned those. The rest of the extra deck put in work, when required.
From the side deck, the only card I didn't use was Trap Stun. That was there for the random alternate win condition decks, though. Overall, no complaints.
Looking ahead, I believe this deck will be able to hold its own against Evilswarms. Bear gets rip of Ophion with its effect. And if they chain Forbidden Dress, I'll chain Forbidden Lance... I'm not too considered about this deck's match-ups against the rest of the decks that arise from HA07.
When Tachyon Galaxy is released, this deck might have a little trouble against Suppressor Dragons, but more particularly, Spellbooks. There aren't too many modifications the deck can make, but there are some pretty good options. I won't deny that this deck will struggle, though...
Monsters (16):
3 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear
1 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla
1 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon
2 Rescue Rabbit
3 Gene-Warped Warewolf
3 Sabersaurus
3 Jurrac Guaiba
Spells (13):
3 Fire Formation - Tenki
2 Fire Formation - Tensu
3 Forbidden Lance
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
Traps (11):
1 Fire Formation - Tenken
1 Fire Formation - Tensen
1 Solemn Warning
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Starlight Road
1 Fiendish Chain
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Torrential Tribute
Extra (15):
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Gagaga Cowboy
2 Abyss Dweller
1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
1 Steelswarm Roach
1 Diamond Dire Wolf
1 Number 50: Blackship of Corn
1 Photon Papilloperative
1 Number 16: Shock Master
2 Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King
1 Evolzar Dollka
1 Evolzar Laggia
1 Number 39: Utopia
Side (15):
2 Thunder King Rai-Oh
2 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
2 Maxx "C"
2 Twister
3 Dimensional Fissure
1 Trap Stun
1 Fiendish Chain
2 Mind Crush
In regards to the monster line, I had to cut some of the Fire Fist line, and the Vorse Raiders, to make room for the dinosaurs. I actually found myself siding out Guaiba most matches, because I didn't feel it was necessary. I only used Guaiba's summoning effect once the entire tournament: It was mostly used to make Laggia and Dollka, and other rank 4s. I might choose the eliminate the Guaiba's, though I'm not sure.
As for the spells, I did play 3 Lances, when most people play 2 in this deck. I played 3 Lances in this deck, without the dinosaurs, and I loved it. The protection is pretty good. As for the traps, I think they are pretty standard. Some people don't play Torrential Tribute, though I feel you need it to stop all of the explosive plays. I like it better than Mirror Force, simply because you can stop an opponent at any summon, whereas Mirror Force makes you wait for the battle phase.
From the extra deck, the only monsters I didn't summon Friday or Saturday were Photon Papilloperative and one of the Tiger Kings. On Friday, I was playing Evigishki Merrowgeist and Number C39: Utopia Ray, and I never summoned those. The rest of the extra deck put in work, when required.
From the side deck, the only card I didn't use was Trap Stun. That was there for the random alternate win condition decks, though. Overall, no complaints.
Looking ahead, I believe this deck will be able to hold its own against Evilswarms. Bear gets rip of Ophion with its effect. And if they chain Forbidden Dress, I'll chain Forbidden Lance... I'm not too considered about this deck's match-ups against the rest of the decks that arise from HA07.
When Tachyon Galaxy is released, this deck might have a little trouble against Suppressor Dragons, but more particularly, Spellbooks. There aren't too many modifications the deck can make, but there are some pretty good options. I won't deny that this deck will struggle, though...
The Battle of the Fire Types! Local Report and Regional Report (04/06/2013)
I decided on Friday that I would be playing Fire Fists, no matter what. I spent the majority of the day playtesting and experimenting thoroughly. I noticed that this deck completely loses to Mermails, which was kinda scary. It has good or decent match-ups against everything else, though.
The variant I brought to Locals wasn't much different than normal variants. I played 3 Vorse Raider and 3 Gene-Warped Warewolf because I played 2 Rescue Rabbit, and because strong monsters are good. I also decided to incorporate 3 Forbidden Lance. Every decklist I've seen utilizes 2, and I don't see why you wouldn't want to play 3. It has so much utility with Bear and Gorilla, and they can save you from basic spells/traps. Anyway, onto the Local report:
Round 1 vs Patrick (Lightsworn)
1 - I opened with 3 Vorse Raider and 1 Warewolf, as well as 2 traps. If he wasn't such a bad player, he probably would've been able to overcome what I had. Those 4 monsters made me a Tiger King with the first 2, and the other 2 made a Steelswarm Roach, to lock down his double Judgment Dragon plays.
2 - I just raped him with Bear shenanigans. I didn't need to make Roach to lock him down because I beat him so quickly.
2-0
Round 2 vs Anthony (Dark World)
1 - He became monster locked early on. I eventually made an Abyss Dweller for when he did have plays...
2 - This was pretty much the same as game 1...
2-0
Round 3 vs David Bui (Mono Mermail)
1 - I opened with Rescue Rabbit and summoned 2 Warewolf. Then I played Tensu and normal summoned my other Warewolf. I made Shock Master declaring Monster effects. On my next turn, I reduced quite a bit of his life points. On his next turn, he used Abyssphere to summon Abyssleed, and attacked over Shock Master. I attempted to weaken it with Forbidden Lance, but he responded with Solemn Judgment. Monster effects were still negated so he ended his turn. I used Bear's effect to destroy Abyssleed, and attacked for game, courtesy of Horn of the Phantom Beast.
2 - I don't remember the details, but he won because he eventually rushed me, and he already eliminated my answers with other cards.
3 - I lost because I didn't draw a single monster...
1-2
Round 4 vs Rori (Dark Worlds)
1 - He won because of ridiculous Dark World plays, and ripping almost my whole hand apart in the first 3 turns.
2 - His options were limited because of what he drew. I chose to use Solemn Judgment a crucial discard outlet, and that won me the game.
3 - He didn't have too many discard outlets, but he did have enough to do what he needs to do best... Fortunately I had answers, Dimension Fissure put in work. It ended up being a top-decking war, and I won by drawing a monster to make Gagaga Cowboy and burn for game.
2-1
Top 4 of this tournament was myself, David Bui, Kyle (Hunders) and Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK).
Round 5 vs Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK)
1 - He won the die roll and ended up making 2 Bureido, Stardust and Naturia Beast. He set Trap Stun, so the traps I set to help survive the onslaught were negated...
2 - I go first, and I have the traps to stop him from doing anything crazy.
3 - This was very similar to game 1, only he didn't make Stardust. So I set Fossil Dyna and 3 Backrow. On his turn, he switched Buerido's battle position and he drew 2 cards, then attacked into Dyna which killed everything. However, with the help of Trap Stun, he exploded again and I had nothing that time.
1-2
At this point, I decided to split with Kyle for 3rd and 4th. Then, I went home. I got ready for Regionals during the next 6 hours, then we left for Montreal.
During the car ride, I was having second thoughts about playing Dino-Rabbit, because Laggia and Dollka are too good. So I decided at the very last minute to do something completely crazy... I adjusted my deck and threw in 3 Sabersaurus and 3 Jurrac Guaiba, and threw in 1 Laggia and 1 Dollka into the extra deck. I tried some sample hands in the car and I enjoyed what I saw. So I took Dino-Fire Fists!
The Regional consisted of 161 players, and there would be 8 rounds with Top 24 receiving an invite. Onto the report:
Round 1 vs Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK)
Really... A Belleville player right off the bat...
1 - I won the die roll, and I summoned Rabbit, then 2 Sabersaurus, and I made Laggia and set 4. On my next turn I summoned Bear, and I won the turn after.
2 - He went first and exploded. I tried to fight it, but in the end, there was nothing I could do.
3 - I opened with Rabbit and made another Laggia with some set traps. Next turn, I followed up with Bear. I won shortly after.
2-1
Round 2 vs Karakuri Machina
1 - We spent this entire game trading resources, and then it turned into a topdecking war. I topdecked Tenki, and searched Bear. I won that war.
2 - He OTKed me turn 2 with Karakuri Plays.
3 - I opened Thunder King and kept control of the entire game. Playing those 3 Lances really came in handy this game...
2-1
Round 3 vs Heroes
1 - He summoned Beast King Barbaros and set 1 backrow. I set 2 and ended, because I had nothing if he had Skill Drain set. He draws, and flips Skill Drain, then plays Heavy Storm destroy my 2 traps. He summoned Thunder King and attacked for 4900 total, then set 1. I play Tenki and search and summon Bear. I attack over Thunder King with the assistance of Forbidden Lance. I searched another Tenki and set it. I use bear's effect to destroy Barbaros. He sets a lot of backrow and passed. I spent the rest of the game attacking with 2 Bears, since he didn't draw any monsters after all.
2 - He summoned Thunder King and set 2 backrow. I summon my Thunder King and killed his with my Forbidden Lance. He summoned Neos Alius, then he played Miracle Fusion and made Shining, which killed Thunder King. I summon Dragon, and activate Tensu. I used Dragon to set Tenken. I additional summon Gorilla, and Gorilla destroys one of the traps he had. I made Diamond Dire Wolf, and destroyed itself along with his Shining. After that, I killed him after a few turns because I drew Tenki, which got me a Bear...
2-0
Round 4 vs Alexander St. Louis (Mono Mermail)
1 - He opens Heavy Storm and proceeds to OTK me..
2 - This game I only drew 2 monsters. They were both normal monsters, and he got rid of them easily. Yeah...
0-2
At this point, the rounds of Swiss for half-completed. In order to get another invite, I would have to win 3 of the 4 rounds. However, I wanted to win the next four rounds and make Top 8 for the first time ever. I wasn't giving up now!
Round 5vs Steven Nepali (Chaos Dragons)
1 - He started with Tour Guide into Zenmaines, and he set one backrow. I summon Rabbit and make a Dollka. I attack over the Zenmaines, set a few backrow, and Dollka negates Zenmaines. He tribute the Zenmained for Darkflare Dragon, and I decided to use Bottomless on it, reading Dark Armed Dragon. He passed. I beat him down over the next few turns and won. At the end, he revealed his hand which contained Dark Armed Dragon, Chaos Sorcerer, Light Pulsar Dragon and BLS.
2 - I don't quite remember specifics of this game. I know that I opened Dimensional Fissure, and it remained on the field the entire game. This limited his options with his boss monsters, and I answers for the few he summoned.
2-0
Round 6 vs Unifrog Control Sea Lancer
1 - This shit was scary. He attacked me directly with a Unifrog, and hit for a good chunk of damage. I was able to comeback because I saved my Bear, but fuck...
2 - He won because he had Sea Lancer, and the Oh Fish! for when I attempted to negate its effect with Dollka.
3 - I open with Dimensional Fissure, and I have answers for his Unifrog and Sea Lancer plays.
2-1
Round 7 vs Spellbooks
1 - He opened mediocre, with no way to get a Spellbook of Secrets. I beat him down with Dragon and Bear the entire game. His biggest play was summoning High Priestess, using Spellbook of Power on it and attacking my Dragon, to add the Spellbook of Secrets. Fortunately, I weakened his monster with Lance, and strengthened Dragon with Tenses. I just beat the High Priestess, and that was the crucial winning point.
2 - He opened pretty crazy for the deck. Inevitably, he started spamming High Priestess everywhere...
3 - I open Thunder with 4 backrow. He passed. I summon Sabersaurus and pass. He sets a monster and passed. I summon another Sabersaurus and make Dollka. He eventually scooped because most of his hand was locked by Thunder King.
2-1
At this point, I'm X-1. I just received my second invite, which was definitely at par with my intentions and goals. However, the ultimate goal was one match away: Top 8.
Round 8 vs Hieratics
1 - We started with a deck-check, which added more suspense to everything. Afterward, he goes first and passed. I summoned a monster, set a backrow and ended. He special summoned Tefnuit, and activated Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. He proceeded to OTK me.
2 - I open with Rabbit, and he has the Veiler. I set 3 backrow and ends. He special summons Cyber Dragon and attacks, and I respond with Fiendish Chain. He summons Genex Ally Birdman and synchro summons Scrap Dragon, and I have Bottomless Trap Hole in response. Next turn, I made Dollka with Rabbit, and summon Thunder King. He scooped on his next turn.
3 - He draws, sets 1 and passed. and passes. I summon Bear and he has the Veiler. I attack anyway, then I set 2 backrow and end my turn. He immediately activates Royal Decree... He proceeds to explode a little, ending with a full-powered REDMD and a Photon Strike Bounzer, and attacks for a lot of damage. During my turn, I use Dark Hole, then Monster Reborn to summon Bear. I attacked for 1600, and set Tenki. On my Main Phase 2, I activate Tenki to search Gorilla. I summon it and send Tenki to the grave to destroy Decree. I make Steelswarm Roach and passed. He draws and passes. I summon Fossil Dyna and attack for 3100, which drops him to 1700 life points. He plays Heavy Storm, then Dark Hole. He normal summons Eset, then tributes it for Su, which summons Luster Dragon #2. Fortunately, since he REDMD was already used, he couldn't OTK me with an Atum play. He summons Force Focus and attacks for 2800, which almost kills me. I activate Tenki and search Bear, then I summon it and destroy Force Focus with Bear's effect and then attack directly. He draws and sets a backrow. I draw and attack for game.
2-1
At this point, I'm quite excited that I made Top 8, finally. I came in 4th overall after Swiss rounds, and no one went X-0. I received my mat, and then played my Top 8 match.
Round 9 vs Mono Mermail
1 - He goes first, summons Diva, then special summons Heavy Infantry, and he made Gachi-Gachi. Then, using Abyssmegalo, Abyssteus, and Abyssgunde, he ended up make Abyssgaios. I had nothing on Abyssgaios, and that card one the game.
2 - I only drew one monster, summoned it and set 2 backrow. He plays Heavy Storm, and deals a lot of damage. I can't recover so I lose.
0-2
Even though I loss, I'm just happy to finally make Top 8. Raymond did a lot of trading today which is really helpful. Overall, it was a great day for cards!
My next post will discuss my decklist, and just my thoughts on Fire Fists in general, after playing with them at a Regionals.
The variant I brought to Locals wasn't much different than normal variants. I played 3 Vorse Raider and 3 Gene-Warped Warewolf because I played 2 Rescue Rabbit, and because strong monsters are good. I also decided to incorporate 3 Forbidden Lance. Every decklist I've seen utilizes 2, and I don't see why you wouldn't want to play 3. It has so much utility with Bear and Gorilla, and they can save you from basic spells/traps. Anyway, onto the Local report:
Round 1 vs Patrick (Lightsworn)
1 - I opened with 3 Vorse Raider and 1 Warewolf, as well as 2 traps. If he wasn't such a bad player, he probably would've been able to overcome what I had. Those 4 monsters made me a Tiger King with the first 2, and the other 2 made a Steelswarm Roach, to lock down his double Judgment Dragon plays.
2 - I just raped him with Bear shenanigans. I didn't need to make Roach to lock him down because I beat him so quickly.
2-0
Round 2 vs Anthony (Dark World)
1 - He became monster locked early on. I eventually made an Abyss Dweller for when he did have plays...
2 - This was pretty much the same as game 1...
2-0
Round 3 vs David Bui (Mono Mermail)
1 - I opened with Rescue Rabbit and summoned 2 Warewolf. Then I played Tensu and normal summoned my other Warewolf. I made Shock Master declaring Monster effects. On my next turn, I reduced quite a bit of his life points. On his next turn, he used Abyssphere to summon Abyssleed, and attacked over Shock Master. I attempted to weaken it with Forbidden Lance, but he responded with Solemn Judgment. Monster effects were still negated so he ended his turn. I used Bear's effect to destroy Abyssleed, and attacked for game, courtesy of Horn of the Phantom Beast.
2 - I don't remember the details, but he won because he eventually rushed me, and he already eliminated my answers with other cards.
3 - I lost because I didn't draw a single monster...
1-2
Round 4 vs Rori (Dark Worlds)
1 - He won because of ridiculous Dark World plays, and ripping almost my whole hand apart in the first 3 turns.
2 - His options were limited because of what he drew. I chose to use Solemn Judgment a crucial discard outlet, and that won me the game.
3 - He didn't have too many discard outlets, but he did have enough to do what he needs to do best... Fortunately I had answers, Dimension Fissure put in work. It ended up being a top-decking war, and I won by drawing a monster to make Gagaga Cowboy and burn for game.
2-1
Top 4 of this tournament was myself, David Bui, Kyle (Hunders) and Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK).
Round 5 vs Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK)
1 - He won the die roll and ended up making 2 Bureido, Stardust and Naturia Beast. He set Trap Stun, so the traps I set to help survive the onslaught were negated...
2 - I go first, and I have the traps to stop him from doing anything crazy.
3 - This was very similar to game 1, only he didn't make Stardust. So I set Fossil Dyna and 3 Backrow. On his turn, he switched Buerido's battle position and he drew 2 cards, then attacked into Dyna which killed everything. However, with the help of Trap Stun, he exploded again and I had nothing that time.
1-2
At this point, I decided to split with Kyle for 3rd and 4th. Then, I went home. I got ready for Regionals during the next 6 hours, then we left for Montreal.
During the car ride, I was having second thoughts about playing Dino-Rabbit, because Laggia and Dollka are too good. So I decided at the very last minute to do something completely crazy... I adjusted my deck and threw in 3 Sabersaurus and 3 Jurrac Guaiba, and threw in 1 Laggia and 1 Dollka into the extra deck. I tried some sample hands in the car and I enjoyed what I saw. So I took Dino-Fire Fists!
The Regional consisted of 161 players, and there would be 8 rounds with Top 24 receiving an invite. Onto the report:
Round 1 vs Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK)
Really... A Belleville player right off the bat...
1 - I won the die roll, and I summoned Rabbit, then 2 Sabersaurus, and I made Laggia and set 4. On my next turn I summoned Bear, and I won the turn after.
2 - He went first and exploded. I tried to fight it, but in the end, there was nothing I could do.
3 - I opened with Rabbit and made another Laggia with some set traps. Next turn, I followed up with Bear. I won shortly after.
2-1
Round 2 vs Karakuri Machina
1 - We spent this entire game trading resources, and then it turned into a topdecking war. I topdecked Tenki, and searched Bear. I won that war.
2 - He OTKed me turn 2 with Karakuri Plays.
3 - I opened Thunder King and kept control of the entire game. Playing those 3 Lances really came in handy this game...
2-1
Round 3 vs Heroes
1 - He summoned Beast King Barbaros and set 1 backrow. I set 2 and ended, because I had nothing if he had Skill Drain set. He draws, and flips Skill Drain, then plays Heavy Storm destroy my 2 traps. He summoned Thunder King and attacked for 4900 total, then set 1. I play Tenki and search and summon Bear. I attack over Thunder King with the assistance of Forbidden Lance. I searched another Tenki and set it. I use bear's effect to destroy Barbaros. He sets a lot of backrow and passed. I spent the rest of the game attacking with 2 Bears, since he didn't draw any monsters after all.
2 - He summoned Thunder King and set 2 backrow. I summon my Thunder King and killed his with my Forbidden Lance. He summoned Neos Alius, then he played Miracle Fusion and made Shining, which killed Thunder King. I summon Dragon, and activate Tensu. I used Dragon to set Tenken. I additional summon Gorilla, and Gorilla destroys one of the traps he had. I made Diamond Dire Wolf, and destroyed itself along with his Shining. After that, I killed him after a few turns because I drew Tenki, which got me a Bear...
2-0
Round 4 vs Alexander St. Louis (Mono Mermail)
1 - He opens Heavy Storm and proceeds to OTK me..
2 - This game I only drew 2 monsters. They were both normal monsters, and he got rid of them easily. Yeah...
0-2
At this point, the rounds of Swiss for half-completed. In order to get another invite, I would have to win 3 of the 4 rounds. However, I wanted to win the next four rounds and make Top 8 for the first time ever. I wasn't giving up now!
Round 5vs Steven Nepali (Chaos Dragons)
1 - He started with Tour Guide into Zenmaines, and he set one backrow. I summon Rabbit and make a Dollka. I attack over the Zenmaines, set a few backrow, and Dollka negates Zenmaines. He tribute the Zenmained for Darkflare Dragon, and I decided to use Bottomless on it, reading Dark Armed Dragon. He passed. I beat him down over the next few turns and won. At the end, he revealed his hand which contained Dark Armed Dragon, Chaos Sorcerer, Light Pulsar Dragon and BLS.
2 - I don't quite remember specifics of this game. I know that I opened Dimensional Fissure, and it remained on the field the entire game. This limited his options with his boss monsters, and I answers for the few he summoned.
2-0
Round 6 vs Unifrog Control Sea Lancer
1 - This shit was scary. He attacked me directly with a Unifrog, and hit for a good chunk of damage. I was able to comeback because I saved my Bear, but fuck...
2 - He won because he had Sea Lancer, and the Oh Fish! for when I attempted to negate its effect with Dollka.
3 - I open with Dimensional Fissure, and I have answers for his Unifrog and Sea Lancer plays.
2-1
Round 7 vs Spellbooks
1 - He opened mediocre, with no way to get a Spellbook of Secrets. I beat him down with Dragon and Bear the entire game. His biggest play was summoning High Priestess, using Spellbook of Power on it and attacking my Dragon, to add the Spellbook of Secrets. Fortunately, I weakened his monster with Lance, and strengthened Dragon with Tenses. I just beat the High Priestess, and that was the crucial winning point.
2 - He opened pretty crazy for the deck. Inevitably, he started spamming High Priestess everywhere...
3 - I open Thunder with 4 backrow. He passed. I summon Sabersaurus and pass. He sets a monster and passed. I summon another Sabersaurus and make Dollka. He eventually scooped because most of his hand was locked by Thunder King.
2-1
At this point, I'm X-1. I just received my second invite, which was definitely at par with my intentions and goals. However, the ultimate goal was one match away: Top 8.
Round 8 vs Hieratics
1 - We started with a deck-check, which added more suspense to everything. Afterward, he goes first and passed. I summoned a monster, set a backrow and ended. He special summoned Tefnuit, and activated Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. He proceeded to OTK me.
2 - I open with Rabbit, and he has the Veiler. I set 3 backrow and ends. He special summons Cyber Dragon and attacks, and I respond with Fiendish Chain. He summons Genex Ally Birdman and synchro summons Scrap Dragon, and I have Bottomless Trap Hole in response. Next turn, I made Dollka with Rabbit, and summon Thunder King. He scooped on his next turn.
3 - He draws, sets 1 and passed. and passes. I summon Bear and he has the Veiler. I attack anyway, then I set 2 backrow and end my turn. He immediately activates Royal Decree... He proceeds to explode a little, ending with a full-powered REDMD and a Photon Strike Bounzer, and attacks for a lot of damage. During my turn, I use Dark Hole, then Monster Reborn to summon Bear. I attacked for 1600, and set Tenki. On my Main Phase 2, I activate Tenki to search Gorilla. I summon it and send Tenki to the grave to destroy Decree. I make Steelswarm Roach and passed. He draws and passes. I summon Fossil Dyna and attack for 3100, which drops him to 1700 life points. He plays Heavy Storm, then Dark Hole. He normal summons Eset, then tributes it for Su, which summons Luster Dragon #2. Fortunately, since he REDMD was already used, he couldn't OTK me with an Atum play. He summons Force Focus and attacks for 2800, which almost kills me. I activate Tenki and search Bear, then I summon it and destroy Force Focus with Bear's effect and then attack directly. He draws and sets a backrow. I draw and attack for game.
2-1
At this point, I'm quite excited that I made Top 8, finally. I came in 4th overall after Swiss rounds, and no one went X-0. I received my mat, and then played my Top 8 match.
Round 9 vs Mono Mermail
1 - He goes first, summons Diva, then special summons Heavy Infantry, and he made Gachi-Gachi. Then, using Abyssmegalo, Abyssteus, and Abyssgunde, he ended up make Abyssgaios. I had nothing on Abyssgaios, and that card one the game.
2 - I only drew one monster, summoned it and set 2 backrow. He plays Heavy Storm, and deals a lot of damage. I can't recover so I lose.
0-2
Even though I loss, I'm just happy to finally make Top 8. Raymond did a lot of trading today which is really helpful. Overall, it was a great day for cards!
My next post will discuss my decklist, and just my thoughts on Fire Fists in general, after playing with them at a Regionals.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Double Regional Challenge: Updates and Realizations
This weekend, I attended Friday and Saturday Locals. Jonathan was competing as well, while Raymond was in Toronto.
On Friday, I used Wind-Ups, and went 3-1, losing to Jonathan round 2. I beat Lightsworn round 1, Poseidra Frog Monarchs round 3, and Dragunties round 4 I entered Top 4 and played against Jim and his Elemental Heroes. I can say I finally lost to Jim... Game 3 I was haulted by Skill Drain for a good portion of the game. When I finally drew a way to destroy it, he had another one. He proceeded to draw 2 Miracle Fusions in a row to finish me...
On Saturday I used Six Samurai, and went 2-2... Round 1 I beat Blackwings 2-0. Game 2 I faced Richard and his Dragunities. Game 3 he goes first, and opens with an amazing hand, and I'm defeated by turn 3. Round 3 I faced Kyle and his Hunders. Game 1 he gains too much advantage, and I can't gain advantage at all. Game 2, the only reason I won was because I had my teched Safe Zone to protect my Kizan, which he never had an answer to. I then equipped Spirit of the Six Samurai to it and started to gain a little advantage. I also had the Mind Crush for when he used Thunder Seahorse to add 2 more, and that was the winning play. Game 3 I was just stomped. I didn't open anything amazing, so I couldn't maintain advantage, and I lost. At that point, I couldn't make Top 4. I proceeded to stomp Hieratics in round 4. Thankfully, Jonathan came in 2nd, obtain some store credit for us.
Now, this is the first time in a long time I didn't make Top 4. I was slightly disappointed, but then I started to think... I gave it my all, with the cards I had available. I'm ok with my Wind-Up's performance, so I'm going to discuss Six Samurai. These are the things I noticed and kept record of during the day:
- I didn't search a single monster with Gateway today. I never opened it, and I only drew it twice; both times it was too late.
- I only drew 2 cards with Six Samurai United once today. I couldn't even pitch it for one card because I didn't draw it that often. The few times I drew it today, it was always hit by MST.
- I play 3 Asceticism of the Six Samurai, and I only drew the card 3 times, out of 10 games. I used it once on either Kagemusha or Elder, to get the other one, and the other 2 times were on a different monster, and I couldn't use it to make Beast, Shi En or Barkion.
For some reason, the key cards of the deck didn't appear too often. I realized how difficult it is for the deck to win without those cards. The Rank 4s are great, and they won me quite a few games today. However, I needed to summon Shi En, Beast and Barkion more. I only summoned Shi En about 4 times, Naturia Beast once (to attack for game, not for its effect), and Barkion once. Would I have had better results if I drew Gateway, United and Asceticism more? Probably. But there was nothing I could do.
For this reason, I am taking Six Samurai off my list of considerations for this Regional. I need to take some time to perfect it, and make it more consistent, and find a build I like.
I am also taking Spellbooks off my list of consideration. I haven't had enough practice with the deck to feel comfortable with it. I was going to play it today, but that changed when some random person pulled a Mermail Abyssmegalo, and offered it for a Spellbook Tower and a Temperance of Prophecy for it... I didn't bring my spare Spellbook Tower so I couldn't play the deck today...
On Friday, I used Wind-Ups, and went 3-1, losing to Jonathan round 2. I beat Lightsworn round 1, Poseidra Frog Monarchs round 3, and Dragunties round 4 I entered Top 4 and played against Jim and his Elemental Heroes. I can say I finally lost to Jim... Game 3 I was haulted by Skill Drain for a good portion of the game. When I finally drew a way to destroy it, he had another one. He proceeded to draw 2 Miracle Fusions in a row to finish me...
On Saturday I used Six Samurai, and went 2-2... Round 1 I beat Blackwings 2-0. Game 2 I faced Richard and his Dragunities. Game 3 he goes first, and opens with an amazing hand, and I'm defeated by turn 3. Round 3 I faced Kyle and his Hunders. Game 1 he gains too much advantage, and I can't gain advantage at all. Game 2, the only reason I won was because I had my teched Safe Zone to protect my Kizan, which he never had an answer to. I then equipped Spirit of the Six Samurai to it and started to gain a little advantage. I also had the Mind Crush for when he used Thunder Seahorse to add 2 more, and that was the winning play. Game 3 I was just stomped. I didn't open anything amazing, so I couldn't maintain advantage, and I lost. At that point, I couldn't make Top 4. I proceeded to stomp Hieratics in round 4. Thankfully, Jonathan came in 2nd, obtain some store credit for us.
Now, this is the first time in a long time I didn't make Top 4. I was slightly disappointed, but then I started to think... I gave it my all, with the cards I had available. I'm ok with my Wind-Up's performance, so I'm going to discuss Six Samurai. These are the things I noticed and kept record of during the day:
- I didn't search a single monster with Gateway today. I never opened it, and I only drew it twice; both times it was too late.
- I only drew 2 cards with Six Samurai United once today. I couldn't even pitch it for one card because I didn't draw it that often. The few times I drew it today, it was always hit by MST.
- I play 3 Asceticism of the Six Samurai, and I only drew the card 3 times, out of 10 games. I used it once on either Kagemusha or Elder, to get the other one, and the other 2 times were on a different monster, and I couldn't use it to make Beast, Shi En or Barkion.
For some reason, the key cards of the deck didn't appear too often. I realized how difficult it is for the deck to win without those cards. The Rank 4s are great, and they won me quite a few games today. However, I needed to summon Shi En, Beast and Barkion more. I only summoned Shi En about 4 times, Naturia Beast once (to attack for game, not for its effect), and Barkion once. Would I have had better results if I drew Gateway, United and Asceticism more? Probably. But there was nothing I could do.
For this reason, I am taking Six Samurai off my list of considerations for this Regional. I need to take some time to perfect it, and make it more consistent, and find a build I like.
I am also taking Spellbooks off my list of consideration. I haven't had enough practice with the deck to feel comfortable with it. I was going to play it today, but that changed when some random person pulled a Mermail Abyssmegalo, and offered it for a Spellbook Tower and a Temperance of Prophecy for it... I didn't bring my spare Spellbook Tower so I couldn't play the deck today...
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Simplicity of Fire Fists
Oh goodness! This could be the simplest Tier 1 deck to ever exist in Yu-Gi-Oh! The deck plays itself, if you possess common sense. For the fun of it, I've been testing the deck on DN, and I haven't had to think of any complicated strategies (with the exception of one game, where on the outside it looked like a rather shallow hand, but after some thought I legitimately went +5 in one turn) and I've won all 16 of my games, fighting a variety of decks. I'm going to provide a guide on how simple this deck is, by discussing certain cards:
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear: If I draw this card in my opening hand, I win. If I have to add it with Fire Formation - Tenki, then it's not as powerful. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to summon Bear, attack (use an attack manipulation card if necessary, and search and activate Tenki during your Main Phase 2. It's gaining advantage for doing nothing.
Rescue Rabbit: Turn one, get your Beast Warriors and make Tiger King (or Abyss Dweller if you know you are playing Mermails, or something of the like), then search and activate Tenki to search another Fire Fist. Even if you draw it later, and need something different, it's easy to determine if you need to summon Gagaga Cowboy to attack over something, or Blackship of Corn to send a monster to the graveyard, or trigger Deck Devastation Virus...
Fire Formation - Tenki: If there is a monster that has to be destroyed, search Bear. If there is a spell/trap that needs to be destroyed, search Gorilla. If you want to explode, and have 2 Fire Formations, search Dragon. Also, sometimes I see people play their Tenki as soon as they draw it, and sometimes it is a misplay... Just saying.
These cards make the deck, and they aren't very hard to use. If I were to show up to a tournament one day, and I drank a lot (emphasis on "a lot") of alcohol, and I was wasted, this deck would be an option since it doesn't require any thought! I'm tempted to try it at some point...
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear: If I draw this card in my opening hand, I win. If I have to add it with Fire Formation - Tenki, then it's not as powerful. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to summon Bear, attack (use an attack manipulation card if necessary, and search and activate Tenki during your Main Phase 2. It's gaining advantage for doing nothing.
Rescue Rabbit: Turn one, get your Beast Warriors and make Tiger King (or Abyss Dweller if you know you are playing Mermails, or something of the like), then search and activate Tenki to search another Fire Fist. Even if you draw it later, and need something different, it's easy to determine if you need to summon Gagaga Cowboy to attack over something, or Blackship of Corn to send a monster to the graveyard, or trigger Deck Devastation Virus...
Fire Formation - Tenki: If there is a monster that has to be destroyed, search Bear. If there is a spell/trap that needs to be destroyed, search Gorilla. If you want to explode, and have 2 Fire Formations, search Dragon. Also, sometimes I see people play their Tenki as soon as they draw it, and sometimes it is a misplay... Just saying.
These cards make the deck, and they aren't very hard to use. If I were to show up to a tournament one day, and I drank a lot (emphasis on "a lot") of alcohol, and I was wasted, this deck would be an option since it doesn't require any thought! I'm tempted to try it at some point...
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Double Regional Challenge
As I've already mentioned on previous posts, I will be attending Regionals on April 6th and April 13th. Since I have my invite, I don't need to stress out or partake in extreme playtesting. Still, I'm interested in getting another invite, since I've never gotten two invites in one year. I intend on playing a serious deck, and these are the options:
Fire Fists - I was probably going to play this deck at the previous Regionals if I wasn't screwed over and backstabbed. I can only utilize this deck if my Bears actually come in; I've been waiting for about 5 weeks now, and it's under really suspicious circumstances... The deck though is really good. It's simple and doesn't require significant thought, though significant thought can make a tremendous difference. I haven't seen enough skilled action with this deck, besides my own playtesting, so I'm not even sure of the abilities that can be unlocked with a little thought.
Dino-Rabbit - This is the other Tier 1 deck of the format, besides Mermails and Fire Fists. Again, this deck doesn't require a significant amount of thought, though you need to be smarter with this deck: This deck punishes you if you misplay, unlike Fire Fists. Macro is pretty good, along with Laggia and Dolkka. I've said this numerous times lately...
Wind-Ups - This deck is still explosive, and is pretty good at maintaining and increasing advantage. It requires significant more thought and skilled combat, unlike the previous format. I swear, this deck is the ultimate XYZ toolbox just like how Plants/ Junk Doppel is the ultimate Synchro toolbox.
Six Samurai - This deck can consistently summon Shi En, Beast, and/or Barkion turn one. It gains significant advantage with Gateway and United, and it can main Macro. This deck is too controlling and explosive to ignore.
Prophecy - Currently, this deck isn't being heavily sided for, which makes it an interesting option. I'm also getting more comfortable with the deck; learning its plays. This deck does require a greater level of skill to pilot than any of the above decks, until Spellbook Judgment Day is released...
That wraps up this post. I will be attending Locals at least once this week, and next Friday for sure. I've already tested Six Samurai and Dino-Rabbit at Locals recently, so I'll likely select the other options to truly experiment with them.
Fire Fists - I was probably going to play this deck at the previous Regionals if I wasn't screwed over and backstabbed. I can only utilize this deck if my Bears actually come in; I've been waiting for about 5 weeks now, and it's under really suspicious circumstances... The deck though is really good. It's simple and doesn't require significant thought, though significant thought can make a tremendous difference. I haven't seen enough skilled action with this deck, besides my own playtesting, so I'm not even sure of the abilities that can be unlocked with a little thought.
Dino-Rabbit - This is the other Tier 1 deck of the format, besides Mermails and Fire Fists. Again, this deck doesn't require a significant amount of thought, though you need to be smarter with this deck: This deck punishes you if you misplay, unlike Fire Fists. Macro is pretty good, along with Laggia and Dolkka. I've said this numerous times lately...
Wind-Ups - This deck is still explosive, and is pretty good at maintaining and increasing advantage. It requires significant more thought and skilled combat, unlike the previous format. I swear, this deck is the ultimate XYZ toolbox just like how Plants/ Junk Doppel is the ultimate Synchro toolbox.
Six Samurai - This deck can consistently summon Shi En, Beast, and/or Barkion turn one. It gains significant advantage with Gateway and United, and it can main Macro. This deck is too controlling and explosive to ignore.
Prophecy - Currently, this deck isn't being heavily sided for, which makes it an interesting option. I'm also getting more comfortable with the deck; learning its plays. This deck does require a greater level of skill to pilot than any of the above decks, until Spellbook Judgment Day is released...
That wraps up this post. I will be attending Locals at least once this week, and next Friday for sure. I've already tested Six Samurai and Dino-Rabbit at Locals recently, so I'll likely select the other options to truly experiment with them.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
YCS Austin 2013 Analysis
In the end, Mono Mermails won the event. Is anyone really surprised by this... Here are the standings:
Top 16:
8 Mono Mermail
1 Karakuri otk
1 Geargia
1 Wind up
1 Dino rabbit
1 Heroes
1 Electrum OTK
1 Frog Monarchs
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
Top 8:
4 Mono Mermail
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
1 Wind up
1 Frog Monarchs
1 Dino Rabbit
Top 4:
2 Mono Mermail
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
1 Frog Monarchs
Top 2
1 Mono Mermail
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
There's no surprise that Mermails are the strongest deck right now. Currently, the Mono version appears to be superior (currently...). Once again, Fire Fists had a lackluster performance, though it did come simple. I'm not susrprised, though: It's a simple deck to play that requires little thought, and people know how to take advantage of that. Dino-Rabbit, the other powerful deck heading into the YCS, also didn't perform as well. People know how to combat it now, and certain decks are now properly prepared.
Frog Monarchs in top 4 was definitely a surprise. Then again, LADD is a pretty good card, though Mermails can play around it pretty easily. I'm sure Jinzo and Dark Dusk Spirit put in good work, and Caius is Caius, and will always be Caius...
Wind-Ups proved that their potential still exists, and people do have to watch out. It would be curious to see if this deck utilized Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear, over Summoner Monk.
Geargia Machina also surprised me, to an extent. There is probably a healthy number of traps to stop almost anything. The deck also has easy access to Shock Master and Number 11: Big Eye, which makes any deck good...
Karakuri OTK is just an explosive, lockdown deck. Enough said.
Standard Hero decks aren't a bad option. The deck has access to Gemini Spark, Miracle Fusion, Super Polymerization, and Shock Master...
Finally, Electrum OTK! In this particular version, the Blaze Fenix engine wasn't utilized. With Chain Material and Fusion Gate, you special summon one Electrum, return the materials to deck, then make another one. Return the materials to the deck, overlay the two Electrum for Gustaph Max and burn the opponent. Use the Gustaph Max and Electrum in the graveyard to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero the Shining, or Gaia. Use the proper materials to Fusion Summon the third Electrum. Then rinse and repeat. Worse case scenario, if the OTK can't be pulled off, it still packs a punch. Nothing wrong with an alternate win condition deck... I just have to determine if I like the Blaze Fenix version (which I currently have in sleeves) or this version.
That wraps up my summary for YCS Austin. Utilizing this information for the future, prepare always for Mermails, and expect to see some Heroes performing justice.
Top 16:
8 Mono Mermail
1 Karakuri otk
1 Geargia
1 Wind up
1 Dino rabbit
1 Heroes
1 Electrum OTK
1 Frog Monarchs
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
Top 8:
4 Mono Mermail
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
1 Wind up
1 Frog Monarchs
1 Dino Rabbit
Top 4:
2 Mono Mermail
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
1 Frog Monarchs
Top 2
1 Mono Mermail
1 Fire Fist Rabbit
There's no surprise that Mermails are the strongest deck right now. Currently, the Mono version appears to be superior (currently...). Once again, Fire Fists had a lackluster performance, though it did come simple. I'm not susrprised, though: It's a simple deck to play that requires little thought, and people know how to take advantage of that. Dino-Rabbit, the other powerful deck heading into the YCS, also didn't perform as well. People know how to combat it now, and certain decks are now properly prepared.
Frog Monarchs in top 4 was definitely a surprise. Then again, LADD is a pretty good card, though Mermails can play around it pretty easily. I'm sure Jinzo and Dark Dusk Spirit put in good work, and Caius is Caius, and will always be Caius...
Wind-Ups proved that their potential still exists, and people do have to watch out. It would be curious to see if this deck utilized Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear, over Summoner Monk.
Geargia Machina also surprised me, to an extent. There is probably a healthy number of traps to stop almost anything. The deck also has easy access to Shock Master and Number 11: Big Eye, which makes any deck good...
Karakuri OTK is just an explosive, lockdown deck. Enough said.
Standard Hero decks aren't a bad option. The deck has access to Gemini Spark, Miracle Fusion, Super Polymerization, and Shock Master...
Finally, Electrum OTK! In this particular version, the Blaze Fenix engine wasn't utilized. With Chain Material and Fusion Gate, you special summon one Electrum, return the materials to deck, then make another one. Return the materials to the deck, overlay the two Electrum for Gustaph Max and burn the opponent. Use the Gustaph Max and Electrum in the graveyard to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero the Shining, or Gaia. Use the proper materials to Fusion Summon the third Electrum. Then rinse and repeat. Worse case scenario, if the OTK can't be pulled off, it still packs a punch. Nothing wrong with an alternate win condition deck... I just have to determine if I like the Blaze Fenix version (which I currently have in sleeves) or this version.
That wraps up my summary for YCS Austin. Utilizing this information for the future, prepare always for Mermails, and expect to see some Heroes performing justice.
Tournament Report for 03/24/2013
Saturday was a very special day...
JONATHAN LYNCH IS BACK!!!!
SkillOverLuck is now complete, which is pretty awesome. He played Junk Doppel Plants and I played Dino-Rabbit, testing it for the upcoming Regionals. I'll go into a little detail about my scores, and I'll post Jonathan's standings afterward.
Round 1 vs Austin the Stoddart Bro (Genex Mermail) 2-0
Game 1 I opened Rabbit, Tour Guide and double Macro. That was the best opening I had all day... Game 2 was a little bit of a tight game. I had to use Monster Reborn on his Abyssleed, before he brought it back. I won that game with Abyssleed, though I had to fight for that victory.
Round 2 vs Andrew the Stoddart Bro (Noble Knights) 2-1
Game 1 I opened with a bunch of normals. I couldn't get a play going, and my only play was stopped by Honest. Game 2 I opened with Rabbit, and he couldn't deal with the Laggia. Game 3 was really close. With the use of Zenmaines and Spirit Reaper, he brought me to 0 cards on hand or field. I topdecked Tour Guide, made Leviair, summoned Rabbit which was already banished, then summoned 2 Sabersaurus. Those monsters attacked the Spirit Reaper for game.
Round 3 vs Jonathan (Junk Doppel Plants) 2-0
Game 1 I opened with Macro, Kabazauls, and 2 set cards. He special summoned Unknown Synchron, used Mind Control on Kabazauls, then normal summoned Synchron Explorer and destroyed my field with Black Rose Dragon. I summon Tour Guide into Tour Guide. One of them attacks, and he drops Gorz. I make a Zenmaines and set another Macro, which is activated immediately. We stall for quite a few turns, because I keep drawing backrow. Once I start drawing monsters, I draw 3 Guaiba in a row... I eventually made Dolkka, and Starlight Road saved my ass. Game 2 he didn't open too well, and I was able to take control of the game almost immediately.
Round 4 vs Richard (Dragunities) 2-1
Game 1 I opened only normals, and 2 set traps, which he destroyed with 2 MST and proceeded to OTK me. Game 2 I opened only normals, but going first, I was able to defend with backrow. After I stopped his turn one play, I destroyed his backrow with 2 MST. On my turn I summon another Normal dinosaur and make Laggia, and Laggia beat him. Game 3 he opened with 2 set cards. I play Heavy Storm, followed by Kabazauls. On his turn, he somehow permanently steals my Kabazauls and attacks with it. I summon Sabersaurus to kill it, then summon it back with Monster Reborn, and won shortly after.
Top 4 included myself, Jonathan, Richard and Chris.
Round 5 vs Chris (Karakuri OTK) 2-1
Game 1 he couldn't explode right off the bat. We grinded resources until I depleted his life points. He used Solemn Judgment on a Temtempo, paying 4000 life points. That helped... Game 2 he went crazy like a bag of cats on fire... Game 3 I prevented him from exploding, and then I won.
I split with Richard with Top 2, since people wanted to leave. Besides, going undefeated with Dino Rabbit is pretty good.
This is how Jonathan did:
Round 1 vs Austin (inzektors) 2-0
Round 2 vs Chris (Karakuri OTK) 2-1
Round 3 vs Mario (Dino-Rabbit) 0-2
Round 4 vs Jim (Heroes) 2-0 or 2-1, not sure.
Top 4 vs Richard (Dragunities) 1-2
Welcome back Jonathan!
JONATHAN LYNCH IS BACK!!!!
SkillOverLuck is now complete, which is pretty awesome. He played Junk Doppel Plants and I played Dino-Rabbit, testing it for the upcoming Regionals. I'll go into a little detail about my scores, and I'll post Jonathan's standings afterward.
Round 1 vs Austin the Stoddart Bro (Genex Mermail) 2-0
Game 1 I opened Rabbit, Tour Guide and double Macro. That was the best opening I had all day... Game 2 was a little bit of a tight game. I had to use Monster Reborn on his Abyssleed, before he brought it back. I won that game with Abyssleed, though I had to fight for that victory.
Round 2 vs Andrew the Stoddart Bro (Noble Knights) 2-1
Game 1 I opened with a bunch of normals. I couldn't get a play going, and my only play was stopped by Honest. Game 2 I opened with Rabbit, and he couldn't deal with the Laggia. Game 3 was really close. With the use of Zenmaines and Spirit Reaper, he brought me to 0 cards on hand or field. I topdecked Tour Guide, made Leviair, summoned Rabbit which was already banished, then summoned 2 Sabersaurus. Those monsters attacked the Spirit Reaper for game.
Round 3 vs Jonathan (Junk Doppel Plants) 2-0
Game 1 I opened with Macro, Kabazauls, and 2 set cards. He special summoned Unknown Synchron, used Mind Control on Kabazauls, then normal summoned Synchron Explorer and destroyed my field with Black Rose Dragon. I summon Tour Guide into Tour Guide. One of them attacks, and he drops Gorz. I make a Zenmaines and set another Macro, which is activated immediately. We stall for quite a few turns, because I keep drawing backrow. Once I start drawing monsters, I draw 3 Guaiba in a row... I eventually made Dolkka, and Starlight Road saved my ass. Game 2 he didn't open too well, and I was able to take control of the game almost immediately.
Round 4 vs Richard (Dragunities) 2-1
Game 1 I opened only normals, and 2 set traps, which he destroyed with 2 MST and proceeded to OTK me. Game 2 I opened only normals, but going first, I was able to defend with backrow. After I stopped his turn one play, I destroyed his backrow with 2 MST. On my turn I summon another Normal dinosaur and make Laggia, and Laggia beat him. Game 3 he opened with 2 set cards. I play Heavy Storm, followed by Kabazauls. On his turn, he somehow permanently steals my Kabazauls and attacks with it. I summon Sabersaurus to kill it, then summon it back with Monster Reborn, and won shortly after.
Top 4 included myself, Jonathan, Richard and Chris.
Round 5 vs Chris (Karakuri OTK) 2-1
Game 1 he couldn't explode right off the bat. We grinded resources until I depleted his life points. He used Solemn Judgment on a Temtempo, paying 4000 life points. That helped... Game 2 he went crazy like a bag of cats on fire... Game 3 I prevented him from exploding, and then I won.
I split with Richard with Top 2, since people wanted to leave. Besides, going undefeated with Dino Rabbit is pretty good.
This is how Jonathan did:
Round 1 vs Austin (inzektors) 2-0
Round 2 vs Chris (Karakuri OTK) 2-1
Round 3 vs Mario (Dino-Rabbit) 0-2
Round 4 vs Jim (Heroes) 2-0 or 2-1, not sure.
Top 4 vs Richard (Dragunities) 1-2
Welcome back Jonathan!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Evilswarms of the Cosmos
I've been experimenting with Evilswarms on Dueling Network for a while now. After testing multiple variants, I've determined this to be superior to other Evilswarm variants. This version is currently undefeated on Dueling Network (though that doesn't say much). This is my current build:
3 Evilswarm Heliotrope
3 Evilswarm Castor
3 Evilswarm Mandragora
3 Evilswarm Thunderbird
2 Evilswarm Azzathoth
2 Evilswarm Hraesvelg
2 Rescue Rabbit
3 Infestation Pandemic
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
2 Forbidden Lance
2 Macro Cosmos
1 Solemn Warning
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Starlight Road
1 Safe Zone
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Fiendish Chain
3 Evilswarm Ophion
1 Evilswarm Bahamut
1 Evilswarm Ouroboros
1 Evilswarm Thanatos
1 Lavalval Chain
1 Diamond Dire Wolf
1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
1 Gagaga Cowboy
1 Photon Papilloperative
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Number 16: Shock Master
1 Number 50: Blackship of Corn
1 Stardust Dragon
Now, I'm going to assume that you know what most of these cards do, and if you don't, you can search them. Aside from the usual standard line of triple Castor, Heliotrope and Thunderbird, I have played around with other Evilswarm monsters. I like Mandragora because it is a free special summon, and playing 3 of them ensures I will see it enough for it to be active. For defense, I'm playing 2 Azzathoth and 2 Hraesvelg because they bounce monsters, and have pretty good defensive stats.
I think the spells are pretty standard. I play 3 Infestation Pandemic because it is broken, and 2 Lance for the things Pandemic can't do.
In regards to the traps, I believe Macro Cosmos is mandatory. It hurts so many decks, particularly Mermails. The Mermail player won't be able to summon Undine, dump Heavy Infantry and destroy Ophion. Equivalent logic applies to Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear. My personal tech choice, besides Macro, is Safe Zone. People will use Dark Hole to destroy an Ophion, and if you don't have the Pandemic, Safe Zone is a nice equivalent.
Right now I'm content with the extra deck. I elected to play 1 Thanatos because of its immunity to other monster effects, which is pretty handy against Heavy Infantry and Fire Fist - Bear. I'm also playing 3 Ophion because it's good to have as many as possible, in case something goes wrong. The rest of the extra deck is self-explanatory.
In conclusion, I believe this should be the optimal build as soon as Hidden Arsenal 7 is released. I have no doubts that this will be the next, unquestionable Tier 1 deck. I believe that this deck will have to adapt to combat Tachyon Galaxy when it appears, however this is more than excellent for now.
3 Evilswarm Heliotrope
3 Evilswarm Castor
3 Evilswarm Mandragora
3 Evilswarm Thunderbird
2 Evilswarm Azzathoth
2 Evilswarm Hraesvelg
2 Rescue Rabbit
3 Infestation Pandemic
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
2 Forbidden Lance
2 Macro Cosmos
1 Solemn Warning
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Starlight Road
1 Safe Zone
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Fiendish Chain
3 Evilswarm Ophion
1 Evilswarm Bahamut
1 Evilswarm Ouroboros
1 Evilswarm Thanatos
1 Lavalval Chain
1 Diamond Dire Wolf
1 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
1 Gagaga Cowboy
1 Photon Papilloperative
1 Number 39: Utopia
1 Number 16: Shock Master
1 Number 50: Blackship of Corn
1 Stardust Dragon
Now, I'm going to assume that you know what most of these cards do, and if you don't, you can search them. Aside from the usual standard line of triple Castor, Heliotrope and Thunderbird, I have played around with other Evilswarm monsters. I like Mandragora because it is a free special summon, and playing 3 of them ensures I will see it enough for it to be active. For defense, I'm playing 2 Azzathoth and 2 Hraesvelg because they bounce monsters, and have pretty good defensive stats.
I think the spells are pretty standard. I play 3 Infestation Pandemic because it is broken, and 2 Lance for the things Pandemic can't do.
In regards to the traps, I believe Macro Cosmos is mandatory. It hurts so many decks, particularly Mermails. The Mermail player won't be able to summon Undine, dump Heavy Infantry and destroy Ophion. Equivalent logic applies to Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear. My personal tech choice, besides Macro, is Safe Zone. People will use Dark Hole to destroy an Ophion, and if you don't have the Pandemic, Safe Zone is a nice equivalent.
Right now I'm content with the extra deck. I elected to play 1 Thanatos because of its immunity to other monster effects, which is pretty handy against Heavy Infantry and Fire Fist - Bear. I'm also playing 3 Ophion because it's good to have as many as possible, in case something goes wrong. The rest of the extra deck is self-explanatory.
In conclusion, I believe this should be the optimal build as soon as Hidden Arsenal 7 is released. I have no doubts that this will be the next, unquestionable Tier 1 deck. I believe that this deck will have to adapt to combat Tachyon Galaxy when it appears, however this is more than excellent for now.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Tournament Reports for 03/15/2013 and 03/16/2013
Since I never got around to writing my report for yesterday's Locals, I decided to combine them together today. I'll also just list the highlights of the matches. Yesterday, I decided to play Mermails, since it was the only deck I had ready to go. Today, I played Exodia.
Friday (6 people, 3 rounds, no Top 4):
Round 1 vs Randy (Lightsworns) 2-0
Game 1 I opened pretty awesome, and he just immediately scooped. Game 2 he attacked for 7900, and had me locked with Decree. With the help of Dark Hole, and other Mermail plays. I cleared all his monsters, except for Zenmaines. Since I attacked Zenmaines, I made Number 11: Big Eye to steal it and destroy his Decree. He scooped as soon as he drew.
Round 2 vs Rori (Fire Fists) 2-1
Game 1 he beat me pretty quickly. Game 2 I beat him pretty quickly. Game 3 we ended up in a topdecking war. I ended up winning because I topdecked monsters and he didn't. Also, I had 50 life points remaining that game. Talk about all the low-life comebacks today.
Round 3 vs Kyle (Hunders) 2-1
Game 1 I OTKed him quickly. Game 2 he used Mind Crush on my only answer, and I drew nothing for my remaining turns. Game 3 I made Abyssgaios on my first turn, and he couldn't deal with it.
I came first place with Mermails. I didn't expect any less, honestly. I don't have too much to say, since I've already exhausted content on this deck.
Saturday (15 people I believe, 4 rounds with Top 4):
Round 1 vs Andrew the Stoddart Bro (Noble Knights) 2-1
His deck doesn't counter Exodia in any way, except with Spirit Reaper, which I made sure didn't discard any Exodia pieces. Game 2 he did win by using Mind Crush on a random Exodia piece I had.
Round 2 vs Austin the Stoddart Bro (Genex Mermails) 2-1
Game 1 he didn't draw anything to threaten me greatly. Game 2 he beat me because I ran out of defensive cards. Game 3 I won because I had the Solemn Judgment for the Moulinglacia.
Round 3 vs Ryan R. (Geargia) 2-0
Game 1 I opened pretty good, and won in a few turns. Game 2 he didn't open with anything amazing, and I eventually drew what I needed.
At this point, I am the only undefeated contender.
Round 4 vs Rori (T.G. Stun) 2-1
Game 1 I beat him by drawing Exodia fast enough. Game 2 I ran out of defensive cards. Game 3 was hilarious. I add one of the Exodia arms to my hand with Pot of Duality. A few turns later he activates Mind Crush, and declared the other Exodia arm, which I didn't have. Yeah, I won because of that...
Top 4 was myself, Andrew, Austin and Ryan K..
Round 5 vs Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK) 0-2
Game 1 he ends up with Naturia Beast, Landoise and Royal Decree. Game 2 I draw a lot of cards with Maxx "C", then activates Mind Crush on a random Exodia piece that I have.
Round 6 vs Andrew the Stoddart Bro 2-0
Game 1 I stalled him until I drew Exodia, which was on the bottom. Game 2 was similar.
I ended up coming 3rd, Ryan ended up coming 1st. In conclusion, Exodia is still pretty good, though it still has its weaknesses...
One final announcement: I should be attending Regionals on 04/06/2013 in Montreal, and 04/13/2013 in Oshawa. I'm happy that there is no pressure, but I will make a serious attempt to top these Regionals. Content on these tournaments will start eventually; I have a couple of things I want to blog about beforehand.
Friday (6 people, 3 rounds, no Top 4):
Round 1 vs Randy (Lightsworns) 2-0
Game 1 I opened pretty awesome, and he just immediately scooped. Game 2 he attacked for 7900, and had me locked with Decree. With the help of Dark Hole, and other Mermail plays. I cleared all his monsters, except for Zenmaines. Since I attacked Zenmaines, I made Number 11: Big Eye to steal it and destroy his Decree. He scooped as soon as he drew.
Round 2 vs Rori (Fire Fists) 2-1
Game 1 he beat me pretty quickly. Game 2 I beat him pretty quickly. Game 3 we ended up in a topdecking war. I ended up winning because I topdecked monsters and he didn't. Also, I had 50 life points remaining that game. Talk about all the low-life comebacks today.
Round 3 vs Kyle (Hunders) 2-1
Game 1 I OTKed him quickly. Game 2 he used Mind Crush on my only answer, and I drew nothing for my remaining turns. Game 3 I made Abyssgaios on my first turn, and he couldn't deal with it.
I came first place with Mermails. I didn't expect any less, honestly. I don't have too much to say, since I've already exhausted content on this deck.
Saturday (15 people I believe, 4 rounds with Top 4):
Round 1 vs Andrew the Stoddart Bro (Noble Knights) 2-1
His deck doesn't counter Exodia in any way, except with Spirit Reaper, which I made sure didn't discard any Exodia pieces. Game 2 he did win by using Mind Crush on a random Exodia piece I had.
Round 2 vs Austin the Stoddart Bro (Genex Mermails) 2-1
Game 1 he didn't draw anything to threaten me greatly. Game 2 he beat me because I ran out of defensive cards. Game 3 I won because I had the Solemn Judgment for the Moulinglacia.
Round 3 vs Ryan R. (Geargia) 2-0
Game 1 I opened pretty good, and won in a few turns. Game 2 he didn't open with anything amazing, and I eventually drew what I needed.
At this point, I am the only undefeated contender.
Round 4 vs Rori (T.G. Stun) 2-1
Game 1 I beat him by drawing Exodia fast enough. Game 2 I ran out of defensive cards. Game 3 was hilarious. I add one of the Exodia arms to my hand with Pot of Duality. A few turns later he activates Mind Crush, and declared the other Exodia arm, which I didn't have. Yeah, I won because of that...
Top 4 was myself, Andrew, Austin and Ryan K..
Round 5 vs Ryan K. (Karakuri OTK) 0-2
Game 1 he ends up with Naturia Beast, Landoise and Royal Decree. Game 2 I draw a lot of cards with Maxx "C", then activates Mind Crush on a random Exodia piece that I have.
Round 6 vs Andrew the Stoddart Bro 2-0
Game 1 I stalled him until I drew Exodia, which was on the bottom. Game 2 was similar.
I ended up coming 3rd, Ryan ended up coming 1st. In conclusion, Exodia is still pretty good, though it still has its weaknesses...
One final announcement: I should be attending Regionals on 04/06/2013 in Montreal, and 04/13/2013 in Oshawa. I'm happy that there is no pressure, but I will make a serious attempt to top these Regionals. Content on these tournaments will start eventually; I have a couple of things I want to blog about beforehand.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Looking Ahead with Mermails
Right now, the community is split between Genex Mermails and Mono-Mermails. However, which version is better, and how good will Mermails be the rest of the format? These are all questions I will try to answer in this post.
Current Format:
It would appear that Mono-Mermails, in my opinion, are superior to Genex Mermails. The explosive power this deck has is amazing against any deck that doesn't pose a serious threat, like Macro Rabbit. The sheer ability to spam level and rank 7s, and the advantage and OTK potential with Abyss-squall makes this deck an overwhelming force.
Genex Mermails are somewhat more controlling, because Undine is amazing at manipulating the situation. Though the deck isn't as explosive, or plays as many level 7s like Mono-Mermails, it can still OTK consistently.
Over the weekend, I couldn't help but overlook Genex-Mermail vs Mono-Mermail matches. From what I witnessed, and what topped, Mono-Mermails were performing stronger than the Genex Version. It would appear that for right now, Mono-Mermails are better.
Hidden Arsenal 7 Onward:
This set will be releasing everyone's favorite standalone XYZ monsters: Daigusto Emeral and Lavalval Chain. The set also enables Lavals, Constellars, and the terrifying Evilswarms, playable. Though Lavals and Constellar will be a powerful force, I will discuss Evilswarms because I believe that they will be the more powerful deck.
Evilswarm Ophion prevents anyone from summoning Abyssmegalo, Abyssteus, Abyssleed, and any Synchro monsters. This poses a serious threat to Mermails, and that Ophion needs to be defeated as quickly as possible. Besides the normal ways to deal with Ophion, Mermails have Atlantean Heavy Infantry at their disposal. While the Mono-Mermails have a couple methods of unleashing Infantry's destructive power, the Genex variant can simply summon Undine and send Infantry to the Graveyard like that, and boom goes the Ophion! Once Hidden Arsenal 7 is released, I believe Genex-Mermails will statistically be the better Mermail variant.
Tachyon Galaxy Onward:
Arguable the most broken set ever to be released in this game, Tachyon Galaxy creates a few Tier 1 decks because of certain cards in the set. The new, unquestionable Tier 1 decks upon release will be Spellbooks and Elemental Dragons, and they will rampage the format by storm. Other decks like Machina Gadgets, Dragunities and Madolches will receive a significant boost.
With the complete Tier 1 list of decks appearing to be Spellbooks, Elemental Dragons, Mermails, Fire Fists, Dino-Rabbit and Evilswarms, I personally believe Though Mono-Mermails have the explosive power to compete with Elemental Dragons and Spellbooks, I believe the deck will need more control to better compete against the other decks, especially Evilswarms.
Also, I would like to point out a couple things regarding Mermails in the OCG. First of all, they are playing 1-3 Tidal, Elemental Dragon of Cascades. Second of all, some players are utilizing a limited Spell count and Anti-Spell Fragrance to combat Spellbooks. Finally, the Genex and Mono-Mermail variants have an equal showing currently amongst each other. I wonder if one 1 variant will surpass the other in the end.
Final Thoughts:
Mermails will definitely be Tier 1 all the way until the end of the format, and the deck is definitely an option for me to take to Nationals (YAY I can say that!!). I personally believe that the Genex variant will be better in the long run, though anything is possible. I will definitely be giving Mermails attention for the next few months.
On a final note, at one point in my Regionals playtesting, I toyed with merging the two variants together, and it showed some pretty interesting results. Who knows, maybe I will work on this a little more and perhaps I can make it broken...
Current Format:
It would appear that Mono-Mermails, in my opinion, are superior to Genex Mermails. The explosive power this deck has is amazing against any deck that doesn't pose a serious threat, like Macro Rabbit. The sheer ability to spam level and rank 7s, and the advantage and OTK potential with Abyss-squall makes this deck an overwhelming force.
Genex Mermails are somewhat more controlling, because Undine is amazing at manipulating the situation. Though the deck isn't as explosive, or plays as many level 7s like Mono-Mermails, it can still OTK consistently.
Over the weekend, I couldn't help but overlook Genex-Mermail vs Mono-Mermail matches. From what I witnessed, and what topped, Mono-Mermails were performing stronger than the Genex Version. It would appear that for right now, Mono-Mermails are better.
Hidden Arsenal 7 Onward:
This set will be releasing everyone's favorite standalone XYZ monsters: Daigusto Emeral and Lavalval Chain. The set also enables Lavals, Constellars, and the terrifying Evilswarms, playable. Though Lavals and Constellar will be a powerful force, I will discuss Evilswarms because I believe that they will be the more powerful deck.
Evilswarm Ophion prevents anyone from summoning Abyssmegalo, Abyssteus, Abyssleed, and any Synchro monsters. This poses a serious threat to Mermails, and that Ophion needs to be defeated as quickly as possible. Besides the normal ways to deal with Ophion, Mermails have Atlantean Heavy Infantry at their disposal. While the Mono-Mermails have a couple methods of unleashing Infantry's destructive power, the Genex variant can simply summon Undine and send Infantry to the Graveyard like that, and boom goes the Ophion! Once Hidden Arsenal 7 is released, I believe Genex-Mermails will statistically be the better Mermail variant.
Tachyon Galaxy Onward:
Arguable the most broken set ever to be released in this game, Tachyon Galaxy creates a few Tier 1 decks because of certain cards in the set. The new, unquestionable Tier 1 decks upon release will be Spellbooks and Elemental Dragons, and they will rampage the format by storm. Other decks like Machina Gadgets, Dragunities and Madolches will receive a significant boost.
With the complete Tier 1 list of decks appearing to be Spellbooks, Elemental Dragons, Mermails, Fire Fists, Dino-Rabbit and Evilswarms, I personally believe Though Mono-Mermails have the explosive power to compete with Elemental Dragons and Spellbooks, I believe the deck will need more control to better compete against the other decks, especially Evilswarms.
Also, I would like to point out a couple things regarding Mermails in the OCG. First of all, they are playing 1-3 Tidal, Elemental Dragon of Cascades. Second of all, some players are utilizing a limited Spell count and Anti-Spell Fragrance to combat Spellbooks. Finally, the Genex and Mono-Mermail variants have an equal showing currently amongst each other. I wonder if one 1 variant will surpass the other in the end.
Final Thoughts:
Mermails will definitely be Tier 1 all the way until the end of the format, and the deck is definitely an option for me to take to Nationals (YAY I can say that!!). I personally believe that the Genex variant will be better in the long run, though anything is possible. I will definitely be giving Mermails attention for the next few months.
On a final note, at one point in my Regionals playtesting, I toyed with merging the two variants together, and it showed some pretty interesting results. Who knows, maybe I will work on this a little more and perhaps I can make it broken...
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Mono-Mermail Regionals Deck Profile
This post will be discussing the decklist I utilized at Regionals this weekend, that awarded me with 12th place. Anyway, this is the decklist:
Monsters (25):
3 Mermail Abyssmegalo
3 Mermail Abyssteus
1 Mermail Abyssleed
3 Mermail Abysslinde
3 Mermail Abysspike
2 Mermail Abyssgunde
2 Deep Sea Diva
3 Atlantean Dragoons
3 Atlantean Marksman
2 Atlantean Heavy Infantry
Spells (9):
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
1 Salvage
1 Pot of Avarice
1 Forbidden Lance
Traps (6):
2 Abyss-sphere
2 Abyss-squall
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Solemn Judgment
Extra deck:
1 Armory Arm
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
1 Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Gachi-Gachi Gantetsu
1 Wind-Up Zenmaines
1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1 Mermail Abysstrite
1 Bahamut Shark
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Number 11: Big Eye
2 Mermail Abyssgaios
Side deck:
2 Maxx "C"
2 Gemini Imps
2 Soul Taker
2 Twister
2 Royal Decree
2 Gozen Match
3 Mind Crush
Starting with the monster line-up, I only played 3 Abyssmegalo on Saturday because I borrowed one. When I found out I could borrow one, I had to take a card out of my deck. I was debating between 1 Abyss-sphere or Compulsory Evacuation Device. I honestly thought I was going to remove CED, but I decided at the last minute to take out Abyss-sphere instead. Since I can search it with Megalo if I need it, I thought the CED would be better, especially since there isn't much defense to begin with.
I barely had issues with my monster line. The only thing that I kept wishing for was a 3rd Abyssgunde. I wasn't drawing it enough. Though I'm aware you can add it with Abysspike, I have to discard a monster for abysspike, which usually wasn't Abyssgunde. Usually it was a monster where if I drew Abyssgunde instead of Abysspike, I probably would've done better.
I enjoyed my spell and trap line. I decided to play Forbidden Lance for extra defense and offense, since some players like Forbidden Lance in the deck. The 1 Forbidden Lance was perfect, and I would probably play another one, but deck-space is ridiculous. Salvage is a card that's starting to drop from decklists, but I still find it complete useful. I won a few games because of Salvage, and the extra advantage. The traps were fine, though I kind of want to throw in a 3rd Abyss-sphere for extra summoning power. Solemn judgment was a boss-card all day, it was awesome.
From my extra deck, I never summoned the following monsters: Stardust Dragon, Scrap Dragon, Armory Arm, Temtempo the Percussion Djinn and Abyss Dweller. I only summoned Dewloren, Gungnir, and Mermail Abysstrite once. All the other cards were summoned often, and put in a lot of work. The only extra deck cards I wish I had, at one point or another, were Black Rose Dragon and Mist Wurm. In the future, I might replace Stardust with Mist Wurm and maybe Abyss Dweller for Black Rose Dragon.
The side deck was fine. I had Gemini Imps in case I fought against Dark Worlds, and thankfully I didn't fight them. Everything else in my side deck was used at least once.
At that is the end of my deck discussion. Overall, I was quite impressed with this deck's performance, and I truly believe Mono-Mermails are the better option, at least right now. But that's a different discussion for a different day.
Monsters (25):
3 Mermail Abyssmegalo
3 Mermail Abyssteus
1 Mermail Abyssleed
3 Mermail Abysslinde
3 Mermail Abysspike
2 Mermail Abyssgunde
2 Deep Sea Diva
3 Atlantean Dragoons
3 Atlantean Marksman
2 Atlantean Heavy Infantry
Spells (9):
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
1 Salvage
1 Pot of Avarice
1 Forbidden Lance
Traps (6):
2 Abyss-sphere
2 Abyss-squall
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Solemn Judgment
Extra deck:
1 Armory Arm
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
1 Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Gachi-Gachi Gantetsu
1 Wind-Up Zenmaines
1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1 Mermail Abysstrite
1 Bahamut Shark
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Number 11: Big Eye
2 Mermail Abyssgaios
Side deck:
2 Maxx "C"
2 Gemini Imps
2 Soul Taker
2 Twister
2 Royal Decree
2 Gozen Match
3 Mind Crush
Starting with the monster line-up, I only played 3 Abyssmegalo on Saturday because I borrowed one. When I found out I could borrow one, I had to take a card out of my deck. I was debating between 1 Abyss-sphere or Compulsory Evacuation Device. I honestly thought I was going to remove CED, but I decided at the last minute to take out Abyss-sphere instead. Since I can search it with Megalo if I need it, I thought the CED would be better, especially since there isn't much defense to begin with.
I barely had issues with my monster line. The only thing that I kept wishing for was a 3rd Abyssgunde. I wasn't drawing it enough. Though I'm aware you can add it with Abysspike, I have to discard a monster for abysspike, which usually wasn't Abyssgunde. Usually it was a monster where if I drew Abyssgunde instead of Abysspike, I probably would've done better.
I enjoyed my spell and trap line. I decided to play Forbidden Lance for extra defense and offense, since some players like Forbidden Lance in the deck. The 1 Forbidden Lance was perfect, and I would probably play another one, but deck-space is ridiculous. Salvage is a card that's starting to drop from decklists, but I still find it complete useful. I won a few games because of Salvage, and the extra advantage. The traps were fine, though I kind of want to throw in a 3rd Abyss-sphere for extra summoning power. Solemn judgment was a boss-card all day, it was awesome.
From my extra deck, I never summoned the following monsters: Stardust Dragon, Scrap Dragon, Armory Arm, Temtempo the Percussion Djinn and Abyss Dweller. I only summoned Dewloren, Gungnir, and Mermail Abysstrite once. All the other cards were summoned often, and put in a lot of work. The only extra deck cards I wish I had, at one point or another, were Black Rose Dragon and Mist Wurm. In the future, I might replace Stardust with Mist Wurm and maybe Abyss Dweller for Black Rose Dragon.
The side deck was fine. I had Gemini Imps in case I fought against Dark Worlds, and thankfully I didn't fight them. Everything else in my side deck was used at least once.
At that is the end of my deck discussion. Overall, I was quite impressed with this deck's performance, and I truly believe Mono-Mermails are the better option, at least right now. But that's a different discussion for a different day.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Toronto Regionals Report 03/09/2013
This is it: The much anticipated tournament report! All my hard work and playtesting would now be put to the test, with a final objective of receiving my invite. Due to completely ridiculous circumstances, as anticipated, I was unable to play Fire Fists. Because of that, I decided to play Mono-Mermails. I will try and remember as much detail as required for this tournament report.
The tournament consisted of 475 participants, and 9 of them were from Belleville I believe. 9 rounds of swiss, and Top 48 would receive an invite. Finally, without further ado:
Round 1 vs Dino-Rabbit
1 - I OTKed him on my second turn with the standard Abyssmegalo + Diva play, after I spent my first turn baiting out his traps. He won the die roll, and didn't open Macro.
2 - He opens with 2 Dimensional Fissure, and 3 set spells/traps. I summon Diva and he uses his Fiendish Chain on her. I set 2 backrow and pass. He summons Rescue Rabbit, and summons 2 Sabersaurus, attacking with both, then making Laggia. On my turn, I flip over an Abyss-sphere, which Laggia negates, and I flip another one to special summon Abyssleed. Abyssleed attacks over Laggia and I set another backrow before passing. He plays Dark Hole, then Thunder King and attacks. I have to use Soul Taker on it, and when I summon Marksman, he activates Torrential to destroy it. He topdecks another Rabbit and I lose.
3 - I set 2 and end my turn. He sets a monster and 2 backrow. On my draw phase, he flips Macro, and I chain my set MST. My other backrow was Solemn Judgment, which countered his other trap, and I OTKed him.
1-0
Round 2 vs Lightraysworns
1 - As soon as I make my first Abyssgaios, that was his falling point, because he didn't draw Judgment Dragon. I eventually won.
2 - He summons Jain and mills 2. I opened with all 3 Megalo, Reborn, Abyss-sphere and Abyss-squall. I discard 2 Megalo for the 3rd and add an Abyss-sphere to my hand. I play Reborn to summon another Megalo. I attack over Jain and attack directly. I then made Abyssgaios and set my 3 traps. I completely OTKed him on my next turn.
2-0
Round 3 vs Genex Mermails (Matthew Bishop)
I knew ahead of time he was playing Mermails, since he beat Rori and his Fire Fists last round. That presented some pretty interesting conversation before our match started.
1 - I set Abysslinde and end my turn. He summons Undine, dumping Dragoons, searching Megalo and Controller. He passes with 1 set. I flip over Abysslinde and attack over Undine. I set 1 and he chains Abyss-sphere, to which I respond with MST. He made a pretty explosive play on his turn, but I used Complusory Evacuation Device on his Number 11: Big Eye, which completely hindered his play. I proceed to explode on my next turn, since I saved my resources until then. He scooped when he drew for his next turn.
2 - He sets a monster with 2 backrow. I play Heavy Storm; he chains Abyss-sphere and I chain Maxx "C". He summoned Abysslinde and I drew a card. Storm destroyed his sphere and Deck Devastation Virus, then he used Abysslinde to summon Megalo and I drew another card. I ditched Abyssgunde and Abyssteus to summon my own Megalo. I searched Abyss-squall and summoned Abyssteus with Abyssgunde. I had Abyssteus attack his face-down Abysslinde, and my Megalo killed his, with the help of Forbidden Lance. I end by making Abyssgaios and setting 2 backrow. He used MST on my Abyss-squall, and I had CED for his big push. After a few turns of attempting to fight back, he eventually conceded.
3-0
Round 4 vs Six Samurai
1 - He went first, and was able to summon Shi En and Barkion, followed with a few backrow. I set 2 backrow and pass. He attacks me for 5000 total and sets 2 more before passing. I activate Heavy Storm, which he negates with Musakani Magatama, and I negate that with Solemn Judgment. After destroying all his spells and traps, I ditch Abyssteus and Abyssgunde for Abyssmegalo. I searched Abyss-sphere and summoned Abyssteus. I opted to make Abyssgaios in this situation, and I ran over his Shi En. I set a monster and 1 spell/trap. He plays Shien's Smoke Signal to search Hand of the Six Samurai, and normal summons it. He also special summons Kizan. He tributes Hand to destroy Abyssgaios. His Kizan attacks and destroys my face-down Abysslinde, and I special summon Abyssleed. He sets 1 spell/trap and passed. I summon Diva, and special summon Marksman. Abyssleed destroys Barkion. I then activate Abyss-sphere to summon Abyssmegalo, and attack over Kizan. Marksman deals direct damage, summons Dragoons, and attacks for more damaged. He looked at his next card and scooped.
2 - He didn't open nearly as powerful as last time, but I had the MST for his Macro, and I beat him in 3 turns. I don't remember how.
4-0
Round 5 vs Dino-Rabbit
1 - He won the die-roll, opened Rabbit, Tour Guide and Macro...
2 - This was a really close game. He wasn't drawing too many monsters, but did draw Thunder Kings. I also had Macro, which didn't help. I had to use Soul Taker on the first Thunder King. I actually got rid of the second one by summoning Marksman, when I drew a Forbidden Lance. I attacked with Marksman, and he used Dimensional Prison, which I negated with Solemn Judgment. I used Lance at the damage step, and beat his Thunder King. Then I summoned Dragoons and attacked directly. After that, he only drew Kabazauls and Guaibas, which I could deal with individually.
3 - He summons Sabersaurus, and sets 2 backrow. He flips Macro and I chain MST. I summon Diva, which gets hit by the Fiendish Chain. Then I discarded Abyssgunde and Abysslinde for Abyssmegalo. I search Abyss-sphere and summon Abysslinde. I tribute Diva so Abyssmegalo can attack twice. I have Abysslinde attack into Sabersaurus, destroying her and leaving an Abyssteus in her place. Abyssmegalo attacks over Sabersaurus, then again directly, followed by Abyssteus. I end by making Abyssgaios and setting 2 backrow. Thanks to Abyssgaios, not even the Rabbit he drew could save him!
5-0
Round 6 vs Six Samurai (Bo Tang)
I'm at the point where I realize if I win round 6, I will automatically get my invite, even if I lose the last 3 rounds. Last time I fought Bo Tang at Regionals, I earned a 2-1 victory. We talked for a little bit before the match; he remembers our match as much as I do. This was going to be quite the match. Unfortunately, I can't recall a lot of specifics right now. There was a lot of skilled play between the two of us, and the match was over 40 minutes. It was my favorite match of the day.
1 - He performs an initial explosion which drops me down to 300 life points, quite early on. I would've lost if I didn't have that set Abysslinde. After he commits all those monsters to the field, I wreck his field with a lot of Mermail plays, and then I win.
2 - Basically, I didn't have answers for his playsthis time, and he eventually OTKed me, after a few turns.
3 - We both opened with some pretty messy hands. I had to summon Diva turn one, special summon
Heavy Infantry, and make Gachi-Gachi. I set 2 backrow as well. He sets 5 backrow. We spent a few turns drawing and passing. He eventually drew his first monster: Fossil Dyna. He summoned and passed. I also drew and passed. He drew and passed as well. Now that I've been saving my resources for a while, I'm ready to explode. I play Dark Hole; he chains Safe Zone on Dyna, and I chain MST on Safe Zone. His Dyna dies, and Gachi loses a material. My plays baited out most of his traps, and I had Solemn Judgment at the right time, though it cost me 4000 life points. It worked out because that turn I dealt 4800 damage. That turn, I also searched an Abyss-sphere, and I set 2 backrow before the end of my turn. He draws, and his finally able to mount a comeback by top-decking Smoke Signal, which searched Kagemusha. He summoned Kageki and activated its effect, and I responded with Maxx "C". He special summoned Kagemusha, then synchro summoned Shi En, and I was able to draw two cards. He ran over my Megalo, since Gachi had no more materials. After a couple more turns of back-and-forth plays, time was called during my turn, as I lower him to 800 life points, to my 3600. I could've won by stalling, but I top-decked Abyssmegalo with 2 Atlanteans in hand to seal the match.
6-0
Round 7 vs Mono-Mermails
At this point, I have my invite. I wanted to keep going as far as I could though, all the way top Top 8!
1 - I summoned the first Abyssgaios, and after he wasted all of his resources to get rid of it, I summoned another one with Abyss-squall. I won that game.
2 - Game 2 I was OTKed by Abyss-squall, double Abyss-sphere, and Deep Sea Diva.
3 - I made an Abyssgaios first turn, and this game was extremely similar to game 1. I won because of Abyss-squall.
7-0
Round 8 vs Inzektors
1 - He was able to mill his Hornet and Ladybug with Card Trooper, then next turn he won with Dragonfly and Monster Reborn.
2 - This game, he killed me on his first turn with Dragonfly, Hornet and Zektkaliber.
7-1
Round 9 vs Dino-Rabbit
At this point, I'm not completely discouraged. I entered the final round with a clear mind, and was prepared to give it my all.
1 - He wins the die-roll, and opens Rabbit into Laggia, set 3 and ended. He flipped a Macro. I had nothing to fight that with my hand, because I couldn't summon or set a monster the entire game.
2 - I have Heavy Storm to clear his field this time, and I OTK him.
3 - He opened the same as game 1, and as much as I tried to resist, I didn't draw any spell/trap removal, though I was successful in killing a field of Laggia and Dollka (because he opened 2 Rabbits). He beat me down with Thunder King until my life points hit 0.
7-2
As discouraging as it was that I didn't make Top 8, I did come in 12th and I received my invite. Raymond received his invite playing Six Samurai. Only the two of us, members of SkillOverLuck, topped this Regionals to represent Belleville!
I still find this whole situation hilarious, though: I get screwed out of playing Fire Fists, due to someone going against an agreement, and I pick a deck that brought me the most success at any Regionals I've ever attended. Irony is a cool thing, I guess.
My next post will go into the details of my deck, and a few other things regarding gameplay with the deck itself.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The Next Regionals - The Other Side
The main deck is definitely a challenge. However, the side deck is a different challenge. For each deck, I have thought of more than 15 cards I want to side. Prepare for a lot of copy-and-paste... This is what I'm thinking, for each deck:
Mermails:
2 Maxx "C" - Drawing the combo pieces to explode is quite beneficial. It's good against the mirror match, and other random decks like Wind-Ups.
2 Tragoedia - OTK prevention. Also good against the mirror match.
2 Snowman Eater - It's a water monster, so it has some synergy with Salvage. It helps fight Dino-Rabbits, Thunder King, and other random things.
3 Gemini Imps - I want to side this card to obtain an edge against the unfair Dark World deck. That's it.
2 Soul Taker - For random big monsters, Chaos Dragons and Heroes.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed.
2 Gozen Match - For the decks that incorporate multiple attributes to succeed. Dino-Rabbits are an example.
2 Royal Decree - For the decks that play more traps than average.
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device - It's a great trap card, especially against extra deck cards. It wins games.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
Total: 22
Fire Fists:
2 Thunder King - A lot of people wouldn't see this card coming in Fire Fists. This deck also has enough protection to keep it alive.
2 Maxx "C" - Good against the decks that special summon a lot. Enough said.
3 Dimensional Fissure - This will wreck Mermails and any other deck reliant on the Graveyard. Fire Fists can still operate under Fissure, unlike Macro.
2 Soul Taker - For random big monsters, Chaos Dragons and Heroes.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
2 Fiendish Chain - It has a particular edge over Mermails. It's also good in the mirror match, and other random decks.
2 Deck Devastation Virus - Since I'm playing Vorse Raider, I can afford to side this card in against decks that play multiple weak monsters.
2 Rivarly of Warlords - This deck is primarily filled with beast-warriors, so siding this cards against decks that multiple monster types is an advantage.
Total: 20
Dino-Rabbit:
2 Thunder King - Though it could conflict with Macro, it will still at least stop searching. The deck has enough protection to protect the King, so it's definitely noteworthy.
1 Snowman Eater - This card is amazing against the mirror match, and some other decks. It's a level 3 monster, so it helps manipulate rank 3 monsters, particularly Leviair.
1 Gorz - I would probably side in this card against decks with big monsters, unless I'm playing 3 Macro and Fiendish Chains...
2 Forbidden Chalice - More effect negation under Macro, and can be activated during Damage Step...
2 Soul Taker - For random big monsters, Chaos Dragons and Heroes.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed.
2 Royal Decree - For the decks that play more traps than average.
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device - It's a great trap card, especially against extra deck cards. It wins games.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
1 Macro - I'm probably going to use 2 in the main deck, so I have to side the 3rd for decks like Mermails, Fire Fists and Dark Worlds.
Total: 18
Dark Worlds:
2 Maxx "C" - Good against the decks that special summon a lot. Enough said.
2 Gemini Imps - Only 2 is needed against the mirror, and I would probably only side them for the mirror.
2 MST - I would need to side them for bullshit like Soul Drain and Macro.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed. Also, defense against Soul Drain and Macro.
2 Dark Smog - Another discard outlet that banishes monster in the grave...
1 Deck Devastation Virus - Because I only main 1...
1 Eradicator Epidemic Virus - Because I only main 1...
2 Gozen Match - For the decks that play different attributes.
2 Skill Drain - For the decks that heavily rely on monster effects activating on the field, like Fire Fists.
Total: 16
3 Old Vindictive Magician - This card is a method to destroy Thunder King, Naturia Beast, and other annoying monsters.
1 Breaker - For decks that play many annoying spells/ traps.
2 Maxx "C" - For the decks that special summon a lot of monsters.
3 Dimensional Fissure - This deck is unaffected by this card for the most part. It hits Mermails and Dark Worlds, and other random decks.
3 Compulsory Evacuation Device - It's a great trap card, especially against extra deck cards and Thunder King. It wins games.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
2 Royal Decree - I need to stop traps that could damage this deck.
3 Trap Stun - Read why I'm playing Royal Decree. Only difference is that MST can't be chained to it.
Total: 18
These are my side cards I'm consider. Please leave advice. I would like to know what should come out, or what other cards should go in...
Mermails:
2 Maxx "C" - Drawing the combo pieces to explode is quite beneficial. It's good against the mirror match, and other random decks like Wind-Ups.
2 Tragoedia - OTK prevention. Also good against the mirror match.
2 Snowman Eater - It's a water monster, so it has some synergy with Salvage. It helps fight Dino-Rabbits, Thunder King, and other random things.
3 Gemini Imps - I want to side this card to obtain an edge against the unfair Dark World deck. That's it.
2 Soul Taker - For random big monsters, Chaos Dragons and Heroes.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed.
2 Gozen Match - For the decks that incorporate multiple attributes to succeed. Dino-Rabbits are an example.
2 Royal Decree - For the decks that play more traps than average.
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device - It's a great trap card, especially against extra deck cards. It wins games.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
Total: 22
Fire Fists:
2 Thunder King - A lot of people wouldn't see this card coming in Fire Fists. This deck also has enough protection to keep it alive.
2 Maxx "C" - Good against the decks that special summon a lot. Enough said.
3 Dimensional Fissure - This will wreck Mermails and any other deck reliant on the Graveyard. Fire Fists can still operate under Fissure, unlike Macro.
2 Soul Taker - For random big monsters, Chaos Dragons and Heroes.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
2 Fiendish Chain - It has a particular edge over Mermails. It's also good in the mirror match, and other random decks.
2 Deck Devastation Virus - Since I'm playing Vorse Raider, I can afford to side this card in against decks that play multiple weak monsters.
2 Rivarly of Warlords - This deck is primarily filled with beast-warriors, so siding this cards against decks that multiple monster types is an advantage.
Total: 20
Dino-Rabbit:
2 Thunder King - Though it could conflict with Macro, it will still at least stop searching. The deck has enough protection to protect the King, so it's definitely noteworthy.
1 Snowman Eater - This card is amazing against the mirror match, and some other decks. It's a level 3 monster, so it helps manipulate rank 3 monsters, particularly Leviair.
1 Gorz - I would probably side in this card against decks with big monsters, unless I'm playing 3 Macro and Fiendish Chains...
2 Forbidden Chalice - More effect negation under Macro, and can be activated during Damage Step...
2 Soul Taker - For random big monsters, Chaos Dragons and Heroes.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed.
2 Royal Decree - For the decks that play more traps than average.
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device - It's a great trap card, especially against extra deck cards. It wins games.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
1 Macro - I'm probably going to use 2 in the main deck, so I have to side the 3rd for decks like Mermails, Fire Fists and Dark Worlds.
Total: 18
Dark Worlds:
2 Maxx "C" - Good against the decks that special summon a lot. Enough said.
2 Gemini Imps - Only 2 is needed against the mirror, and I would probably only side them for the mirror.
2 MST - I would need to side them for bullshit like Soul Drain and Macro.
2 Twister or 2 Dust Tornado - I would side one or the other. Dust Tornado is slower, but hits more than Twister. It's a decision, indeed. Also, defense against Soul Drain and Macro.
2 Dark Smog - Another discard outlet that banishes monster in the grave...
1 Deck Devastation Virus - Because I only main 1...
1 Eradicator Epidemic Virus - Because I only main 1...
2 Gozen Match - For the decks that play different attributes.
2 Skill Drain - For the decks that heavily rely on monster effects activating on the field, like Fire Fists.
Total: 16
3 Old Vindictive Magician - This card is a method to destroy Thunder King, Naturia Beast, and other annoying monsters.
1 Breaker - For decks that play many annoying spells/ traps.
2 Maxx "C" - For the decks that special summon a lot of monsters.
3 Dimensional Fissure - This deck is unaffected by this card for the most part. It hits Mermails and Dark Worlds, and other random decks.
3 Compulsory Evacuation Device - It's a great trap card, especially against extra deck cards and Thunder King. It wins games.
3 Mind Crush - A lot of decks search and reveal cards. It's pretty good.
2 Royal Decree - I need to stop traps that could damage this deck.
3 Trap Stun - Read why I'm playing Royal Decree. Only difference is that MST can't be chained to it.
Total: 18
These are my side cards I'm consider. Please leave advice. I would like to know what should come out, or what other cards should go in...
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Next Regionals - Much More Testing
My playtesting is increasing by the day. At work, I have nothing better to do than to play cards with myself. These are the current updates:
Mermails - After much discussion with peers, and testing, it seems I will be playing Mono-Mermails if I decide to take Mermails. I finally did get an Abyssleed, which is quite helpful, although I haven't actively tested it. I'm currently focusing on making the deck more explosive, but at the same time, not losing to Shock Master. Also, I don't have 3 Megalo, and I'm not 100% confident with 2 Megalo in this deck, for a Regionals. The extra deck is quite tight, and that will need some serious work.
Fire Fists - A couple days ago, I was pretty hot with this deck (no pun intended).. I'm pretty sure I've mastered at least 90% of this deck's combos. I've found the variant I would play, and the extra deck isn't questionable. I just need to finalize the deck list, and then I might take this deck to Regionals.
Dino-Rabbit - I slightly changed the variant for this deck. I've been testing Cardcar "D", in order to speed up the deck. After I resolve this card, I either lose on my opponent's next turn, or have a significantly higher chance of winning if I stay alive. Also, against Mermails and Fire Fists, there is a direct correlation between drawing Macro and winning, if Macro stays up the entire game.
Before I dive into the other possible decks, I feel the need to state the following about the above three decks: I've tested all 3 decks against each other, and they all have a 50% win ratio against each other. This isn't making my decision easier, however, I will probably end up taking one of those decks in the end.
Dark Worlds - This deck is still an option, because it is too broken. I can honestly say after watching people at Locals playing Dark World since the structure deck was released, I play the deck a lot different, and I'm better by default. There isn't a lot of room for complicated thinking and skill in this deck, but when it is an option, that's usually when I have game. I've also edited my variant once again, and this variant focuses on withstanding Macro.
Prophecy - A lot of people will probably wonder why I'm deciding to consider this deck. My reasoning is simple: A lot of people will not thoroughly prepare for this deck until Divine Judgment is released... That's really it. When the card is released, there will be an increase of cards to counter it. Right now, not a lot of people care. With Mermails and Fire Fists running rampant, Prophecy has a good shot since those decks bear very few counters to this deck, thus making it a decent choice.
That's it for now. My next post will likely entail side-deck discussion and whatnot. Like usual, please share any advice or feedback.
Mermails - After much discussion with peers, and testing, it seems I will be playing Mono-Mermails if I decide to take Mermails. I finally did get an Abyssleed, which is quite helpful, although I haven't actively tested it. I'm currently focusing on making the deck more explosive, but at the same time, not losing to Shock Master. Also, I don't have 3 Megalo, and I'm not 100% confident with 2 Megalo in this deck, for a Regionals. The extra deck is quite tight, and that will need some serious work.
Fire Fists - A couple days ago, I was pretty hot with this deck (no pun intended).. I'm pretty sure I've mastered at least 90% of this deck's combos. I've found the variant I would play, and the extra deck isn't questionable. I just need to finalize the deck list, and then I might take this deck to Regionals.
Dino-Rabbit - I slightly changed the variant for this deck. I've been testing Cardcar "D", in order to speed up the deck. After I resolve this card, I either lose on my opponent's next turn, or have a significantly higher chance of winning if I stay alive. Also, against Mermails and Fire Fists, there is a direct correlation between drawing Macro and winning, if Macro stays up the entire game.
Before I dive into the other possible decks, I feel the need to state the following about the above three decks: I've tested all 3 decks against each other, and they all have a 50% win ratio against each other. This isn't making my decision easier, however, I will probably end up taking one of those decks in the end.
Dark Worlds - This deck is still an option, because it is too broken. I can honestly say after watching people at Locals playing Dark World since the structure deck was released, I play the deck a lot different, and I'm better by default. There isn't a lot of room for complicated thinking and skill in this deck, but when it is an option, that's usually when I have game. I've also edited my variant once again, and this variant focuses on withstanding Macro.
Prophecy - A lot of people will probably wonder why I'm deciding to consider this deck. My reasoning is simple: A lot of people will not thoroughly prepare for this deck until Divine Judgment is released... That's really it. When the card is released, there will be an increase of cards to counter it. Right now, not a lot of people care. With Mermails and Fire Fists running rampant, Prophecy has a good shot since those decks bear very few counters to this deck, thus making it a decent choice.
That's it for now. My next post will likely entail side-deck discussion and whatnot. Like usual, please share any advice or feedback.
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Next Regionals - Considerations
My playtesting seems to be revealing more negatives than positives as time progresses. Perhaps it's because I'm more pessimistic by nature, I don't know. However, these considerations obviously need to be strictly address before selecting a deck. I will go into these negative considerations deck by deck
Mermails:
First of all, I haven't chosen a variant yet. This is insanely problematic, because time is running out. I want to swing towards the mono-Mermail version, but it requires 3 Abyssmegalo for consistency, and I only have 2. Also, I don't have an Abyssleed yet, but I think I can get one before the event.
In regards to its match-ups, it's common knowledge this deck loses to Macro. I've also discovered, the hard way, how badly Shock Master damages this deck. Since I play minimal defensive spell and traps, I find myself starring down a Shock Master until all of it's materials are gone. At that point, it's usually too late to make a comeback.
Fire Fists:
The obvious issue is that the deck might not be available to me, due to complete crap. I'm also not sold on a variant for this deck either. I want to play Vorse Raiders, because of DDV, but then I have to adjust my deck slightly to support that.
Otherwise, this deck faces a bad matchup to Macro. It also doesn't have the best matchup against Mermails. Other than that, this deck is strong and potent, doesn't require that much thought, and can sack really hard sometimes...
Dark Worlds:
Speaking of decks that sack really hard, I've chosen my template for this deck, and it's of original design. Now I just have to work out the kinks and weaknesses. I'm still testing secret tech cards, and my opinion on how many spots in the deck they should take up is still unknown.
This deck auto-loses to Macro. In my opinion, it has a worse match-up against Macro then any of the above decks. Also, the deck is really shitty when I don't open with a discard outlet (like half the time...). This deck also has a difficult with Shock Master, but since Grapha's special summon condition gets around Shock Master, it's not the end of world, right way anyway.
Dino Rabbits:
This is now the final deck I'm considering. No matter what, my version will be playing Macro, because it's strong right now. I'm contemplating between tech cards though, and I haven't tested these tech cards enough to be sold on them yet.
My only quarrel with the deck is that I open with Normal monsters frequently, usually multiples. However, the deck does open broken sometimes, which is unavoidable.
In conclusion, I've managed to knock down my decks to choose from to 4. I've discussed my issues I encounter with these decks, and I have just over 120 hours left to make a decision. Please respond with your advice; it is greatly appreciated.
Mermails:
First of all, I haven't chosen a variant yet. This is insanely problematic, because time is running out. I want to swing towards the mono-Mermail version, but it requires 3 Abyssmegalo for consistency, and I only have 2. Also, I don't have an Abyssleed yet, but I think I can get one before the event.
In regards to its match-ups, it's common knowledge this deck loses to Macro. I've also discovered, the hard way, how badly Shock Master damages this deck. Since I play minimal defensive spell and traps, I find myself starring down a Shock Master until all of it's materials are gone. At that point, it's usually too late to make a comeback.
Fire Fists:
The obvious issue is that the deck might not be available to me, due to complete crap. I'm also not sold on a variant for this deck either. I want to play Vorse Raiders, because of DDV, but then I have to adjust my deck slightly to support that.
Otherwise, this deck faces a bad matchup to Macro. It also doesn't have the best matchup against Mermails. Other than that, this deck is strong and potent, doesn't require that much thought, and can sack really hard sometimes...
Dark Worlds:
Speaking of decks that sack really hard, I've chosen my template for this deck, and it's of original design. Now I just have to work out the kinks and weaknesses. I'm still testing secret tech cards, and my opinion on how many spots in the deck they should take up is still unknown.
This deck auto-loses to Macro. In my opinion, it has a worse match-up against Macro then any of the above decks. Also, the deck is really shitty when I don't open with a discard outlet (like half the time...). This deck also has a difficult with Shock Master, but since Grapha's special summon condition gets around Shock Master, it's not the end of world, right way anyway.
Dino Rabbits:
This is now the final deck I'm considering. No matter what, my version will be playing Macro, because it's strong right now. I'm contemplating between tech cards though, and I haven't tested these tech cards enough to be sold on them yet.
My only quarrel with the deck is that I open with Normal monsters frequently, usually multiples. However, the deck does open broken sometimes, which is unavoidable.
In conclusion, I've managed to knock down my decks to choose from to 4. I've discussed my issues I encounter with these decks, and I have just over 120 hours left to make a decision. Please respond with your advice; it is greatly appreciated.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Tournament Report for 03/01/2013
It's been a long time since a tournament report has been written, by none other than myself. I was fortunate enough to actually be able to play Fire Fists at Locals, so I could test them for Regionals. You never know, maybe I will be able to play them... Anyway, the report:
Round 1 vs Hieratics
1 - I beat him by Turn 4, by spamming Tiger Kings and blowing up his bigger monsters with Bears.
2 - He misplayed during this game, by making an Adreus when he could've made a Tirus. Regardless, I would've won anyway, because he was facing a 3000+ Tiger King. I beat him by clearing his board with Bear and Gorilla, then making a Tiger King for the KO.
2-0
Round 2 vs Gladiator Beasts (Richard)
Richard had to go during this round, so I got the free win...
2-0
Round 3 vs Six Samurai (Raymond)
1 - I went first, and opened well enough to generate a +2 before his turn. I also had answers for every monster he summoned, so I won.
2 - On his first turn, he summoned Beast and Barkion, with the assistance of 3 Six Sam United. I just scooped...
3 - I opened in a similar way to game 1. He had to make Heroic Champion - Excalliber, to attack over my Tiger King, since it was so strong. Then Tiger King summoned a Bear and Gorilla from my deck. I ripped his field apart and make another Tiger King. He eventually ran out of options.
2-1
Round 4 vs Watts (Kyle)
1 - He opened double Messenger of Peace, Macro, and Wattcobra. I couldn't get rid of all those cards, since I only drew 3 monsters the entire game...
2 - I managed to resolve Deck Devastation Virus on a Vorse Raider, which left him monster-less for 3 turns. During those 3 turns, I destroyed all his crucial spells/ traps with Gorilla, and own.
3 - I opened pretty well, with Rabbit and multiple Fire Formations. I beat him in two turns, but he scooped before I could finish him, anyway.
2-1
Since everyone in Top 4 wanted to leave (Raymond, Kyle, myself, and Randy??), we just split and parted ways. I'm quite impressed with how Fire Fists function. The deck is simple to play, really simple. However, it does require a little thought to play properly. I thought a little, and won. Who knows, I might end up taking the deck to Regionals...
Round 1 vs Hieratics
1 - I beat him by Turn 4, by spamming Tiger Kings and blowing up his bigger monsters with Bears.
2 - He misplayed during this game, by making an Adreus when he could've made a Tirus. Regardless, I would've won anyway, because he was facing a 3000+ Tiger King. I beat him by clearing his board with Bear and Gorilla, then making a Tiger King for the KO.
2-0
Round 2 vs Gladiator Beasts (Richard)
Richard had to go during this round, so I got the free win...
2-0
Round 3 vs Six Samurai (Raymond)
1 - I went first, and opened well enough to generate a +2 before his turn. I also had answers for every monster he summoned, so I won.
2 - On his first turn, he summoned Beast and Barkion, with the assistance of 3 Six Sam United. I just scooped...
3 - I opened in a similar way to game 1. He had to make Heroic Champion - Excalliber, to attack over my Tiger King, since it was so strong. Then Tiger King summoned a Bear and Gorilla from my deck. I ripped his field apart and make another Tiger King. He eventually ran out of options.
2-1
Round 4 vs Watts (Kyle)
1 - He opened double Messenger of Peace, Macro, and Wattcobra. I couldn't get rid of all those cards, since I only drew 3 monsters the entire game...
2 - I managed to resolve Deck Devastation Virus on a Vorse Raider, which left him monster-less for 3 turns. During those 3 turns, I destroyed all his crucial spells/ traps with Gorilla, and own.
3 - I opened pretty well, with Rabbit and multiple Fire Formations. I beat him in two turns, but he scooped before I could finish him, anyway.
2-1
Since everyone in Top 4 wanted to leave (Raymond, Kyle, myself, and Randy??), we just split and parted ways. I'm quite impressed with how Fire Fists function. The deck is simple to play, really simple. However, it does require a little thought to play properly. I thought a little, and won. Who knows, I might end up taking the deck to Regionals...
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Next Regionals - Results of Playtesting
This is a follow-up post to my previous post, regarding the decks I was considering for Regionals. After some playtesting, these are my current thoughts:
1. Mermails - I've tested both variants floating around: The Genex Mermail version and the Mono-Mermail version. Mono-Mermails was definitely more consistent than Genex Mermails, but in regards to the Genex version, resolving Undine is monumental. Controller can be used for synchro summons. Also, Abysspike can add Undine to your hand... Being unable to pick a variant, I decided to merge the two variants together for playtesting and experimentation is showing that this version is really nice. Only more playtesting will truly reveal if this deck is the one. It doesn't help that everyone thinks I should play Mermails... This is the current decklist for Mermails:
Monsters:
2 Abyssmegalo
2 Abyssteus
2 Abysslinde
2 Abysspike
2 Abyssgunde
3 Undine
2 Controller
3 Dragoons
2 Heavy Infantry
2 Marksman
2 Diva
1 Tragoedia
Spells:
3 MST
1 Storm
1 Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Mind Control
1 Avarice
1 Salvage
Traps:
2 Torrential
2 Abyss-Squall
2 Abyss-Sphere
2. Dino-Rabbit - This deck has always impressed me, and I'm still impressed with it. Maining Macro is always good, and having access to Laggia and Dollka is amazing. I won't lie though: The deck was a little hurt with the banning of Sangan. However, I've bandaged it and moved on. I'm interested in this deck because it seems like a good meta call. This is the current list:
Monsters:
2 Rabbit
3 Kabazauls
3 Sabersaurus
3 Guaiba
2 Tour Guide
1 Night Assailant
1 Dark Mimic Lv 3
1 Spirit Reaper
Spells:
3 MST
1 Storm
1 Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Book of Moon
1 Soul Taker
1 Forbidden Chalice
3 Forbidden Lance
Traps:
2 Macro
2 Torrential
2 Bottomless
2 D Prison
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Warning
1 Judgment
1 Starlight Road
3. Six Samurai - Originally, I was considering Agents. However, I decided to drop Agents for Six Samurai. I feel Agents are a good deck, but not the best pick. Inspired by my teammate, Raymond, I am maining 2 Macro with 2 Vanity's Emptyness. Those two cards with Shi En is devastating and usually leads to defeat. Also, the deck's consistency slightly increased with Smoke Signal going to 3. Any deck that can consistently make a turn 1 Naturia Beast or Shi En is a good deck. This is my current decklist:
Monsters:
3 Kagamusha
3 Kizan
2 Kageki
2 Elder
1 Enishi
1 Zanji
1 Grandmaster
Spells:
1 Gateway
3 United
3 Asceticism
3 Smoke Signal
1 ROTA
2 MST
1 Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Book of Moon
Traps:
2 Macro
2 Emptiness
2 Bottomless
2 D Prison
1 Warning
1 Judgment
1 Starlight Road
4. Dark Worlds - This deck is truly disgusting. I've done everything from shredding my opponent's hand, to performing FTKs, with the right hands. Unfortunately, I've tapped every combo in the deck, and as I expected, this deck requires little thought. Honestly, a trained monkey can master this deck, an EVIL trained monkey... However, due this deck's incredible power, though it is completely luck-based, I still have to consider it. I will not be posting a deck list at this time, since my build is completely original and unique.
5. Fire Fists - This deck is really nifty. After testing multiple variants, I already know what cards I would play. This deck does require more skill than Dark World, but it is still quite simple to master. A trained monkey could probably play this deck too. I will not be posting my deck list for Fire Fists. Due to unfortunate, and quite ridiculous circumstances, this deck is, probably, no longer an option. I won't post the story hear to protect names, however, if you are curious of this story, feel free to ask. It is one of the most ludicrous experiences of my life...
Those are my thoughts, right now. Please respond with feedback, thoughts, or whatever is beneficial.
1. Mermails - I've tested both variants floating around: The Genex Mermail version and the Mono-Mermail version. Mono-Mermails was definitely more consistent than Genex Mermails, but in regards to the Genex version, resolving Undine is monumental. Controller can be used for synchro summons. Also, Abysspike can add Undine to your hand... Being unable to pick a variant, I decided to merge the two variants together for playtesting and experimentation is showing that this version is really nice. Only more playtesting will truly reveal if this deck is the one. It doesn't help that everyone thinks I should play Mermails... This is the current decklist for Mermails:
Monsters:
2 Abyssmegalo
2 Abyssteus
2 Abysslinde
2 Abysspike
2 Abyssgunde
3 Undine
2 Controller
3 Dragoons
2 Heavy Infantry
2 Marksman
2 Diva
1 Tragoedia
Spells:
3 MST
1 Storm
1 Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Mind Control
1 Avarice
1 Salvage
Traps:
2 Torrential
2 Abyss-Squall
2 Abyss-Sphere
2. Dino-Rabbit - This deck has always impressed me, and I'm still impressed with it. Maining Macro is always good, and having access to Laggia and Dollka is amazing. I won't lie though: The deck was a little hurt with the banning of Sangan. However, I've bandaged it and moved on. I'm interested in this deck because it seems like a good meta call. This is the current list:
Monsters:
2 Rabbit
3 Kabazauls
3 Sabersaurus
3 Guaiba
2 Tour Guide
1 Night Assailant
1 Dark Mimic Lv 3
1 Spirit Reaper
Spells:
3 MST
1 Storm
1 Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Book of Moon
1 Soul Taker
1 Forbidden Chalice
3 Forbidden Lance
Traps:
2 Macro
2 Torrential
2 Bottomless
2 D Prison
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Warning
1 Judgment
1 Starlight Road
3. Six Samurai - Originally, I was considering Agents. However, I decided to drop Agents for Six Samurai. I feel Agents are a good deck, but not the best pick. Inspired by my teammate, Raymond, I am maining 2 Macro with 2 Vanity's Emptyness. Those two cards with Shi En is devastating and usually leads to defeat. Also, the deck's consistency slightly increased with Smoke Signal going to 3. Any deck that can consistently make a turn 1 Naturia Beast or Shi En is a good deck. This is my current decklist:
Monsters:
3 Kagamusha
3 Kizan
2 Kageki
2 Elder
1 Enishi
1 Zanji
1 Grandmaster
Spells:
1 Gateway
3 United
3 Asceticism
3 Smoke Signal
1 ROTA
2 MST
1 Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Book of Moon
Traps:
2 Macro
2 Emptiness
2 Bottomless
2 D Prison
1 Warning
1 Judgment
1 Starlight Road
4. Dark Worlds - This deck is truly disgusting. I've done everything from shredding my opponent's hand, to performing FTKs, with the right hands. Unfortunately, I've tapped every combo in the deck, and as I expected, this deck requires little thought. Honestly, a trained monkey can master this deck, an EVIL trained monkey... However, due this deck's incredible power, though it is completely luck-based, I still have to consider it. I will not be posting a deck list at this time, since my build is completely original and unique.
5. Fire Fists - This deck is really nifty. After testing multiple variants, I already know what cards I would play. This deck does require more skill than Dark World, but it is still quite simple to master. A trained monkey could probably play this deck too. I will not be posting my deck list for Fire Fists. Due to unfortunate, and quite ridiculous circumstances, this deck is, probably, no longer an option. I won't post the story hear to protect names, however, if you are curious of this story, feel free to ask. It is one of the most ludicrous experiences of my life...
Those are my thoughts, right now. Please respond with feedback, thoughts, or whatever is beneficial.
Friday, February 22, 2013
The Next Regionals - Deck Possibilities
The next Regional tournament I will be attending is on March
9th. This post will detail the decks I’m considering for the event.
It really is a difficult choice; heading into a somewhat un-defined format.
Nonetheless, this is what I’m considering:
1.
Mermails – This deck wasn’t touched by the ban
list, so it will continue to be Tier 1. I’m currently contemplating between the
Genex Mermail variant and the pure Mermail variant. I’m use to the Genex
variant, and it is a more control variant. However, I can’t deny the pure
version is more explosive. I need to obtain 2 more Abyssteus and an Abysslead,
possibly a Megalo, to finish this build. Otherwise, the Genex variant will have
to do.
2.
Dino-Rabbit – The banlist barely hurt this deck.
Dark Mimic Lv 3 and any other spell/trap will replace 1 of 2 Warnings and
Sangan. Macro is still dominant when fighting most other decks, including
Mermails and Firefists. Also, Wind-Ups will decrease in play, which was the
deck’s biggest challenge.
3.
Fire Fists – If I capture 2 Tiger Kings, this
deck is an option. I enjoy the deck, and its manipulation using the Fire
Formation cards. My only issue with the deck is that I’m playing with a lot of
my cards revealed, and I’m not sure if that’s something I like.
4.
Agents – This deck served me well last time I
attended Regionals. I lost to factors out of my control, but I kept control of
most of my games. Also, BLS + Honest is broken.
5.
Dark Worlds – I truly despise this deck, with a
complete passion. However, I can’t deny that 3 Mind Crust with DDV, EEV and
Dragged Down is broken. Plus, Dark Worlds are stupid anyway, so why not
consider it.
If anyone has suggestions or information, please let me
know. I am trying harder than ever to top, and I need to pick the correct deck.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
YCS Miami 2013 Deck Discussion
In this post, I will display what decks were the most successful, and then my thoughts on those decks. Without further ado:
Top 2:
2 Wind-Ups
Top 4:
2 Wind-Ups
Mermail
Karakuri
Top 8:
2 Wind-Ups
2 Mermail
1 Karakuri
1 Fire Fist
1 Dark World
1 Macro Rabbit
Top 16:
5 Wind-Up
4 Macro Rabbit
4 Mermails
1 Fire Fist
1 Karakuri
1 Dark World
I'm not going to display Top 32 since I don't have the exact statistics, but from what I understand, the other 16 decks mainly consisted of Mermails and Wind-Ups.
I'm not going to discuss Wind-Ups thoroughly because they will lose a lot of power on March 1st, but they will still be playable. Just lots of broken stuff...
Mermails are clearly a great deck; it's been like this since they were released. Now there are 2 variants of Mermail decks as well. The first variant is the classic Genex Undine version. The other variant removes the Genex Cards and swaps them with Mermail cards from the Cosmo Blazer, and Mermail Abysslunge as well, from Abyss Rising. That's besides the point, though. Mermails have a great match-up against Fire Fists, along with any deck not maining Macro Cosmos.
Speaking of Macro Cosmos, Macro Dino-Rabbit had quite the showing in the top results, even though it didn't reach Top 4. This deck has a good match-up against Mermails and Fire Fists, because of Macro, along with Laggia and .Dollka. The only dominant decks that don't have an issue with Macro are Karakuri... and Wind-Ups.
Fire Fists have finally attended in their first YCS, and they certainly didn't overwhelm the competition. Everyone was prepared for them, and knew how to take them down. Water is Super Effective against Fire. The general consensus seems to believe Water has a good match-up against Fire Fists, which would makes sense. Also, Macro Rabbit does make this deck bleed a little, largely because of Macro.
On to the one Karakuri deck that made Top 4... I'm curious of what variant is was. I want to guess that it was a Macro variant, though I could be mistaking. Regardless, this deck has an OTK nature as well, and the monsters are usually big enough to destroy the Fire Fists, with all of their Fire Formation boosts.
The final deck I will discuss is Dark World. I despise the deck with a passion, however, the player may have known what he was doing. Mind Crush is either a discard outlet, or good against Mermails, Fire Fists and Wind-Ups; and more broken with Dragged Down and all of their virus traps. Deck Devastation Virus hurts Wind-Ups and Mermails, while Eradicator Epidemic Virus hurts everything. Finally, Card Destruction is broken. This deck might be two-dimensional, require little skill to master, and be hated by the majority of the community, but it was a good call for the event.
And that's it. This is the last YCS to take place in North America before this format ends. The event could provide good insight to the start of the next format, though, if you exclude Wind-Ups of course.
Top 2:
2 Wind-Ups
Top 4:
2 Wind-Ups
Mermail
Karakuri
Top 8:
2 Wind-Ups
2 Mermail
1 Karakuri
1 Fire Fist
1 Dark World
1 Macro Rabbit
Top 16:
5 Wind-Up
4 Macro Rabbit
4 Mermails
1 Fire Fist
1 Karakuri
1 Dark World
I'm not going to display Top 32 since I don't have the exact statistics, but from what I understand, the other 16 decks mainly consisted of Mermails and Wind-Ups.
I'm not going to discuss Wind-Ups thoroughly because they will lose a lot of power on March 1st, but they will still be playable. Just lots of broken stuff...
Mermails are clearly a great deck; it's been like this since they were released. Now there are 2 variants of Mermail decks as well. The first variant is the classic Genex Undine version. The other variant removes the Genex Cards and swaps them with Mermail cards from the Cosmo Blazer, and Mermail Abysslunge as well, from Abyss Rising. That's besides the point, though. Mermails have a great match-up against Fire Fists, along with any deck not maining Macro Cosmos.
Speaking of Macro Cosmos, Macro Dino-Rabbit had quite the showing in the top results, even though it didn't reach Top 4. This deck has a good match-up against Mermails and Fire Fists, because of Macro, along with Laggia and .Dollka. The only dominant decks that don't have an issue with Macro are Karakuri... and Wind-Ups.
Fire Fists have finally attended in their first YCS, and they certainly didn't overwhelm the competition. Everyone was prepared for them, and knew how to take them down. Water is Super Effective against Fire. The general consensus seems to believe Water has a good match-up against Fire Fists, which would makes sense. Also, Macro Rabbit does make this deck bleed a little, largely because of Macro.
On to the one Karakuri deck that made Top 4... I'm curious of what variant is was. I want to guess that it was a Macro variant, though I could be mistaking. Regardless, this deck has an OTK nature as well, and the monsters are usually big enough to destroy the Fire Fists, with all of their Fire Formation boosts.
The final deck I will discuss is Dark World. I despise the deck with a passion, however, the player may have known what he was doing. Mind Crush is either a discard outlet, or good against Mermails, Fire Fists and Wind-Ups; and more broken with Dragged Down and all of their virus traps. Deck Devastation Virus hurts Wind-Ups and Mermails, while Eradicator Epidemic Virus hurts everything. Finally, Card Destruction is broken. This deck might be two-dimensional, require little skill to master, and be hated by the majority of the community, but it was a good call for the event.
And that's it. This is the last YCS to take place in North America before this format ends. The event could provide good insight to the start of the next format, though, if you exclude Wind-Ups of course.
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