Shaddolls on the Rise

I noticed that quite a few Shaddoll decks floated around the top tables of Regionals. It would appear that the deck is more powerful due to everything else getting attacked on the April 1st Forbidden/Limited list. Shaddolls are currently at the point where they won't get worse in the recent future: Star Seraphs will be released in less than two weeks, and we are due for the Water-fusion in May.

I have written a deck list that I believe is almost perfect, without the inclusion of Star Seraphs (since that's just a different variant of Shaddolls). Here's the amazing list I've come up with:

1 Hedgehog
2 Falco
2 Squamata
2 Dragon
3 Beast
1 Farfa
1 Peropero Cerberus
3 Mathematician
3 White Dragon Wyvernbuster
1 Black Dragon Collapserpant
1 BLS
1 Thunder King

3 Shaddoll Fusion
3 El Shaddoll Fusion
3 Shared Ride
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Raigeki
1 Book of Moon
1 Foolish Burial
1 Mind Control
1 Soul Charge

2 Mind Crush
1 Shaddoll Core
1 Emptiness

In regards to the Shaddoll-part of the deck, I believe it's fairly standard. I need to evaluate whether or not I want the extra tuner and slow recovery, or another Hedgehog to search whatever I want. Ultimately, I believe I'd switch to 2 Hedgehog and 1 Falco. El Shaddoll Fusion is mandatory at 3, especially since it allows you to dodge Valkyrus.

3 Mathematician is really quite crucial now. It can dump Farfa and Peropero to deal with the Djinn lock, as well as any Shaddoll monster to further enhance my combos. Farfa and Peropero do put in work against every mainstream deck, so dumping them can always be an option.

Thunder King, Shared Rides and Mind Crushes are crucial against the Nekroz match-up. Thunder King is just an auto-win until they remove it, and Shared Ride is amazing because it'll dig for those combo pieces to unleash shenanigans. Mind Crush is at 2 in the main because Shared Ride is a better choice at 3, since this is a combo-based deck. I'd side in the 3rd Mind Crush against Nekroz, since it can automatically defeat your opponent... Raigeki and Book of Moon are also intended to deal with Nekroz; particularly the Djinn lock.

Everything else is fairly standard and almost essential. BLS, and the White and Black Dragons create additional field presence and allow you to easily hit 8000 life points. Soul Charge, Foolish and Mind Control also help in this aspect, and Allure thins the deck. Finally, I've included the one random Emptiness because I can, and should: It's an auto-win against many decks currently.

In regards to the extra and side deck, I'm still working out the correct 15 cards. Here's my rough draft of the extra deck and reasoning between these choices:

3 Construct - The beatstick of the deck, and that on-summopn dump is too good.
3 Winda - Assists in crippling certain decks, but I'm considering only playing 2.
1 Shekinaga - It puts in random work, here and there. The defense is huge. Finally, 3 Mathematician and Peropero enables it to be made often enough.
1 Lavalval Chain - Dumping and stacking is always good. In this deck, it may be unnecessary; I'm not sure yet.
1 Daigusto Emeral - In case you burn through resources too quick, Emeral is there.
1 Abyss Dweller - I don't need to explain: It hurts all of the best decks.
1 Castel - Random spot removal of something annoying.
1 Exciton Knight - Blows shit up.
1 Leo - Amazing against Burning Abyss, since that deck still exists.
1 Arcanite Magician - It'll destroy two cards, then you can make 
1 Black Rose or Black Rose Moonlight Dragon - I need to decide whether I'd want to blow shit up, or bounce cards that were special summoned.

Here are the other cards I'm toying with:

Vulcan the Divine - Bounces good cards away when synchro summoned. In the current format, it's better than Goyo or Psyhemuth
Armades - It can randomly go in for a perfect attack, which can randomly come in handy.
Rhaosody in Berzerk - That random little rank 4 can put in good work against Nekroz, and occasionally against other decks.

With this, I'll conclude today's post. Shaddolls do require a certain level of skill to execute the deck correctly. For those players that can't afford the better decks and want to achieve strong Regional results, I believe this is one of the decks for you, if you pilot it properly. Let me know what you guys think, and thanks for reading!

Nekroz 3rd Place Regional Report and Deck List

Hello readers, and Happy Easter (unless you don't read this on Easter...). As I'm really bored right around now, I figure I'd right out my Regional report from yesterday. I piloted Nekroz, of course, and achieved 3rd place. There were only 80 people, so there were 7 rounds where Top 8 obtained their invite, only... I suppose this tournament was top 8 or nothing.

Round 1 vs Burning Abyss (2-0)

This guy used to live in our community, so it was really refreshing. He automatically assumed I was going to win since I always defeated him, back in the day. Sure enough, our match lasted about 10 minutes. He opened strong with double Dante and some set cards. I opened Denko Sekka and enough cards to clear his field, then I won last turn. Game 2, opened double Dante with only one trap. His one trap wasn't anything too useful, and I played through his field and won in a couple turns.

Round 2 vs Nekroz (2-0)

He won the die roll and elected to go first. He opened the Djinn lock with Lavalval Chain on the field. My opening hand consisted of Manju, Farfa and some other cards. I summoned Manju to search Brionac and Valkyrus. Really, I could've lost if he was able to Trish me, but based on his first turn, I had a strong feeling he wouldn't be able to summon Trishula. On his turn, he did a couple things, but didn't have enough steam to summon Trishula, so he attacked into Valkyrus. On my turn, I summoned Farfa to eliminate his Djinn lock. He tried to use Book of Moon on Farfa so it wouldn't die, but I called a judge over to verify I was correct, and now I knew he had a face-down Book of Moon. I baited it out when I summoned Unicore, and then I proceeded to Djinn lock him with a Trishula somehow, then I won. Game 2 he started exactly the same. I opened Raigeki and he had nothing left to recover from my field.

Round 3 vs Shaddolls (2-1)

Apparently, this guy was one of Montreal's better players, so I knew I was going to have a skilled match. Our first game lasted about 25 minutes, and he won because he built a strong enough field, and topdecked Raigeki when he needed it. Game 2 was mostly in my favor, since I had the answer for everything he did; I essentially 1up'd all of his plays. With about 2 minutes left in time, he scooped since he wasn't going to win, and this would avoid an unpleasant draw. He started game 3 by setting a monster and a backrow. On my turn I set a monster and passed, since I didn't have anything better to do. I opened a Valkyrus which I knew would come in handy. His turn started, and after a few seconds, time was called. I believe his face down monster was Squamata, and flipped it up to destroy my monster. He summoned another monster and attacked. On my turn, I did a Manju into Unicore play, and attacked with both monsters, where he wasted his set Book of Moon on Unicore. This worked out perfectly, and in Main Phase 2, I made the Djinn lock. On his next turn, I believe he summoned Mathematician into Peropero Cerberus, attacked my face-down Unicore and then passed. I summoned Farfa and it died and banished his Mathematician. I switched Clausolas to attack mode, and attacked with it first. After some deliberation from my opponent, he used Peropero to destroy Clausolas, to eliminate the Djinn lock. I then attacked with Manju, set a card and passed. His Mathematician came back, and this was his final turn. He went through a series of plays, and I had the Valkyrus to stop his, then he gave me the handshake.

*Apparently, he made a misplay along the line, since he had El Shaddoll Fusion in his hand. If he left a Shaddoll on his field, he would've won by dodging the Valkyrus with El Shaddoll Fusion. However, A win is still a win.. Even if it went to turn 5, I had enough resources to come back and possibly win the game, regardless.

Round 4 vs Satellarknights (2-0)

Game 1 I OTKed him with Denko. Game 2, he kinda bricked, but I didn't open too strong either. Fortunately, I was able to control him with Denko and win after a few turns of complete grinding.

Round 5 vs Nekroz (2-0)

We started with a deck check to get things going. Afterward, I won the die roll and let my opponent go first. He started with Deskbot 003 into Deskbot 001, and he synchro summoned Herald of the Arc light. I assumed he was playing Nekroz at this point. On my turn, I summoned Thunder King and attacked his Herald. From this point, he could not remove the Thunder King and I won after a few turns of attacking. Game 2 was quite a grind game. He overwhelmed me in advantage for the first while, but I slowly came back into the game. Eventually, we got to the final turn of the game, and he had summoned an Artifact Lancea the previous turn. He attacked into my face down Farfa on that turn. On my turn I summoned Manju to search, and Farfa activated, where he did to chain his Lancea on the field. I knew he had a Valkyrus in hand due to Mind Crush, and because he used Lancea, he couldn't use Valkyrus. I needed a minute to think about it, but I was able to put enough damage on board for game. He realized he misplayed by using the Lancea, but it might not have mattered.

Round 6 vs Yosenjus (2-1)

Game I I didn't have enough cards to get through everything he had. Game 2 and 3 I Denko OTked him; not much to say.

Round 7 vs Satellarknights (0-2)

This match was just really depressing. I didn't have an answer to Emptiness during game 1, until it didn't matter. Game 2 his Mind Crush completely blew me out of the game. I spent a few turns trying to draw anything useful, and when I did, he had Emptiness.

After final standings, I had come 3rd place, which I suppose is better than nothing. I won another Shaddoll Top 8 mat and a fancy red deckbox. #woohoo

Anyway, I'll take this time to provide the deck list I piloted yesterday:

2 Brionac
3 Unicore
2 Valkyrus
1 Clausolas
1 Trishula
1 Decisive Armor
3 Manju
2 Shurit
1 Farfa
1 Shaddoll Dragon
1 Djinn releaser
2 Armageddon Knight
2 Denko Sekka
2 Maxx "C"
1 Thunder King

2 Mirror
2 Kaleidoscope
2 Cycle
2 ROTA
3 Shared Ride
1 Preparation of Rites
1 Book of Moon
1 Raigeki
1 Dark Hole

The MVPs of this build were Denko and Farfa. Those monsters put in a significant amount of work throughout the day. Denko even came in handy against Nekroz, which protected my Thunder King round 5 from his set card, which was probably Book of Moon. Farfa was great throughout the entire day. The random banishing of a card temporarily won me games, as my report will indicate. Honorable mentions go to Thunder King and Maxx "C". Thunder King was great the whole two times I drew it yesterday, and Maxx "C" always gave me at least one card when I had it, even against Yosenju (even though I lost that game). The rest of the deck was fairly standard, and did was it's supposed to. My side and extra deck wasn't anything special, so I don't really need to include it.

I do want to dedicate a few words to a random concept I considered yesterday. Originally, I had thought of including a random Tour Guide into the deck, now that it's at 1. After seeing how Farfa did yesterday, I almost want to include a mini Burning Abyss engine into the Nekroz deck. Rank 3s as well as Nekroz ritual monsters could prove to be powerful. To be honest, though, it seems like a terrible idea on paper. It would increase but decrease consistency at the same time. Maybe i'll try it out and see what happens. There are still other ideas that I'd rather playtest before a Burning Abyss engine.

Well, let me know what you guys think and let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks for reading!

Do you even Mind Game?

Greetings and salutations. Recently, I've composed numerous posts regarding deck lists, Nekroz theory (which indirectly helps other decks anyway) and tournament reports. Today, I'm not going to preach about "how to play card games": Rather, I'm going to provide some insight on "how to play mind games". The ability to master mind games is a crucial aspect of becoming a better player, achieving an invite at Regionals, and more. I believe that in order to be the very best, that no one ever was, you'll have to master deck building, Yu-Gi-Oh theory and mind games.

Personally, I've started seeing more success in tournament results once I've started incorporating mind games into my matches. I'm going to list and explain some of these "mind games" I've played on my opponent, that I've proven to be successful (at least a few times). Hopefully this article will provide you with some out-of-the-box strategies to increase your overall skill in Yu-Gi-Oh!

Keep in mind that some people with certain morals might find "mind games" to be dirty, low, disrespectful, etc. In all honesty, it's none of my business. Any legitimate advantage you can utilize to outplay your opponent is something you should consider. If you want to be a winner, it doesn't hurt to have a few tricks up your sleeve. After all, Batman wouldn't be such a powerful force without his utility belt.

The Set 5 Bluff

This is usually relevant during your first turn of the game. This weekend, I lost a die roll and was forced to start first ( I believe this was my match against Yosenjus). I didn't open a playable hand, and there was really nothing productive to do. My turn consisted of setting the 5 cards in the spell/trap zone, while holding them so I didn't commit to the play. I made it look I debated setting all 5 cards, but really, I only ended up setting 2. I used my body language to help strengthen this bluff, and I really made it appear like I wanted to set all 5 cards. On my next turn, I drew a Manju, and OTKed the opponent. My opponent took the time to tell me after the match he didn't think I was playing Nekroz, and didn't think I opened multiple monsters. This forced him to make a sub-optimal play due to the "fake" knowledge I leaked.

This wasn't the first time I've demonstrated this particular performance. More often than not, this tricks the opponent into making a different play that's not the best play. The reason this is so powerful is because it's simple to capitalize on a less-than-optimal play. To the opponent, they would have no immediate reason to think they are misplaying, and then you deal the critical hit that either wins you the game, or severely dismantles their advantage. In that instance, the Manju was the icing on the cake. I had a powerful play just waiting to be unleased, but there was no point doing it first turn.

The next time you open a terrible hand, or open a hand that doesn't provide solid options at the time, give this trick a try. There's absolutely no harm in making the opponent believe you have less, or more, then what you actually have.

Bluffing in General

The concept behind this is really basic: "I'm going to set Dark Hole to attempt to trick my opponent into believing I have a trap". Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. Personally, I wouldn't rely on this trick often, but it's a neat little mind game that could force the opponent to be too cautious, and then you can take advantage of this when you flip that face-down Dark Hole on your turn.

Facial Expressions

Almost all the "pro" players in Yu-Gi-Oh have written an article, or have done something similar, indicating how powerful facial expressions are. If you draw an opening hand that is terrible, and you let loose a facial expression, that's free information for the opponent. A good player will be able to identify multiple options that their hand can provide, and sometimes, they'll make a distinctive play based on a read that their opponent let "slip out".

PRO TIP: This section isn't limited to facial expressions, as any bodily expression can reveal information, but facial expressions are the easiest to break down.

Ever since the Montreal Regional occurred where I piloted Satellarknights, I've started to adopt a permanent "I'm just really pissed off" look during game 1. I might throw in a head-shake, some sounds of complete disapproval, and occasionally slam the table (lightly enough to not make a scene, of course). The number of people that have taken the time to tell me that they believed my hand was terrible is quite astounding. As I just mentioned, those looks of anger and disapproval telegraph a terrible hand. Therefore, outplaying the opponent based on the "fake" read I supplied is a successful trick.

Of course, something like this is strongest during game 1, when the opponent doesn't know your tendencies. Game 2, I usually revert back to a somewhat-regular face, but still display a salty face (like when you go to McDonalds and eat some fries, then realize there's just way too much salt on them...). If the game goes to game 3, I'll revert back to "pissed-off Mario form", and this will force the opponent into a state of minor confusion: The opponent doesn't really know what's going on with your hand, at this point, and can no longer make any plays based on facial expressions.

Someone that's extremely skilled at facial interpretation might see through this trick, but the majority of duelists won't. This is definitely one of my favorite strategies, since it almost always provides such positive results. Don't forget, there's nothing better than setting 5 spells/traps angrily, then watching your opponent walk right into Torrential Tribute or Mirror Force (assuming they don't have Denko Sekka).

Creating Distractions

I legitimately won a Nekroz mirror match this past weekend where this trick was probably the factor that sealed the deal. My opponent was working out a play (since he had a lot of options, Nekroz typically have this advantage) and he seemed really concentrated. While he was debating his play, I just simply asked "How much time is left in the round" and my opponent told me, since he was facing the clock. Afterward, the expression on his face was priceless: It looked like I completely ruined his train of thought. Once his turn ended, I evaluated the resources he went through, and determined there were stronger plays he could've made. Obviously I took advantage of this opportunity and he ended up losing the match shortly after.

There are smaller things you can do to distract an opponent. I've found that an average player can become distracted if you ask to look through his graveyard, or ask how many cards in hand. Clearly you cannot pull out a trumpet and start making noise; that would definitely get you a game loss. However, these little distractions can prove useful if you believe your opponent can defeat you on their current turn.

Asking the Opponent to side out a card, then side the same card back in...

I don't really need to go into this one, but I'm sure you all get it... *cough* Djinn *cough*

I feel I have provided you with enough tricks to try. I do have other mind games I utilize from time-to-time to assist me in winning games. However, if I unveil all of these, I'm not really putting myself at any advantage...

When should you use Mind Games?

Honestly, I'd hardly use any mind games at my Locals. I use Locals as an opportunity to practice with my deck, and observe how I can pilot the deck to overcome an obstacle. I want my opponent to be at their strongest, so it forces me to play stronger, and mind games would only diminish this. I need Locals and playtesting to build my general knowledge that will help me at a higher-tier event.

I'm pretty sure I incorporate mind games into every match I play at a higher-tier event; the more the merrier. There's no reason why you shouldn't try to provide yourself with free advantages.

Sometimes, I'll play someone at a Regional who tries a certain mind game with me. What becomes humorous is when I copy exactly what the opponent is doing. Not only will it aggravate the opponent (and could force the opponent to make mistakes), but now the opponent knows their mind games will be less effective, thus removing their free advantages. I've done this before, and I've oddly never lost a match where this activity has taken place...

Here's the point: Knowing how to play Yu-Gi-Oh isn't enough to win at Yu-Gi-Oh, and I've learned this the hard way. You could be the best deck-builder in the entire world, but go X-3 at Regionals because you lost to a mind game, or because you don't play any mind games. After all, Yu-Gi-Oh is a game. If you are 100% serious and are aiming for perfection, utilize every advantage that's available.

Let me know your opinions on this subject, and any tricks of your own you have. Of course, thanks for reading!

Feel the Wrath of the Chain Burn!

Today's post will be dedicated to the deck that everyone hates: Chain Burn. Recently, I posted my opinion on degenerate, helmet decks, and this deck may perhaps be the king of the helmet decks. You can obtain this deck with a $20 bill, get some change to spend on coffee, and pilot a deck that plays itself and win by inflicing cheap burn damage. If you're ever having a lazy day, and/or want to piss off your card community, play this deck and watch the vast amounts of salt accumlate! "Yes. The fire rises."

In all seriousness, though, this deck isn't terrible anymore. While deliberating the new ban list, I kept going over Ring of Destruction, and I got thinking about Chain Burn. I realized this deck has a great matchup against Nekroz and Qliphorts (if those are still around), particularly in game 1. Afterward, you just need to side appropriately to counter their counters, and you'll be fine. I'll discuss all of this in detail, shortly. First, I'll provide the build I've created:

3 cardcar d
3 swift scarecrow
2 santa claws

3 pot of duality
1 one day of peace
3 poison of the old man
2 chain strike

3 threatening roar
3 legacy of yata-garasu
3 reckless greed
3 accumulated fortune
2 ojama trio
3 just desserts
2 ceasefire
3 secret barrel
1 ring of destruction

Most of this deck's choices are self-explanatory, since Chain Burn variants usually play the same burn and draw engine. Santa Claws is my personal tech choice. In game 1, I prefer this monster over Lava Golem, since Lava Golem requires 2 tributes. My favorite part about Santa is that you'll draw a card during the end phase, which is amazing. Imagine playing against Burning Abyss, and they open 2 Dante with a Fire Lake. Santa Claws ruins their day, you'll draw a card at the end of the turn, and if the player is unable to eliminate Santa, they can't summon their Burning Abyss monsters under regular conditions. Santa is also an out to cards like Denko Sekka, Thunder King Rai-Oh, and others.

My favorite part of this deck is that it should always win in time. At a Regionals, you could utilize the strategy of ever-so-slightly stalling. When games 2 and/or 3 go into time, ensure that you are winning in life points due to burn damage, then protect yourself from taking damage.

Here's how the deck should be piloted against the following matchups:

Nekroz: Essentially, you don't want to feel the wrath of Trishula. This monstrosity is the reason why I will not utilize cards like Battle Fader, Magic Cylinder and Dimension Wall in the main: It makes Trishula's effect applicable. If you feel the opponent is about to summon Trihsula after activating a ritual spell, you should just be able to chain all of your traps. This way, Trishula will not be able to use its effect. Game 2 and 3, they may use Denko Sekka and Royal Decree. Santa Claws, Lava Golem, MSTs and Twisters deal with those threats.

*PRO TIP: If you can activate your set cards in the draw phase, before the opponent can summon Denko, they'll get no value from their Denko immediately.

Burning Abyss: In my opinion, this is the hardest mainstream (widely used deck) matchup for this deck. Fire Lake on your backrows the turn you set them can cripple you. Santa Claws and Ojama Trio will help game 1. Siding after game 1 can provide additional assistance. As well, this is the only matchup I may consider wanting to start first, just in case they open 2 Dante and Fire Lake.

Qliphorts: I believe this deck will still be played occasionally. This matchup should be an auto-win, unless they do some sort of Helix/Stealth play. However, if necessary, you can chain all of your cards before they have a chance to do this.

Of course, this deck falls apart when it doesn't draw cards to keep the engine going. As well, not drawing your outs to floodgates game 2 and 3 will force your defeat. This is why the deck will never be "amazing". It'll pop up from time to time, hoping to achieve some cheap wins. However, I truly believe that the player who creates the most consistent build will be able to pilot this deck successfully, and achieve great results.

Until next time, thanks for reading!