Tournament Report 08/31/2012

I'm currently at work, while I'm writing this (It really is quite simple). Anyway, I will no longer be able to attend Friday Locals because of my shift change. However, I will still compose a post for this evening's tournament.


I will post the records of three fellow card players:

Mason from SkillOverLuck (LightraySworns)

Richard the Gladiator (Gladiator Beasts)

Rori the Sack (Heroes)

Just a brief background on these players. Mason is actually a good player, and has been a team-mate for a good period of time. In terms of skill, he is approximately in the same range that I reside. Richard just re-entered the game, with a passion for Gladiator Beasts. He is an ok player. Rori is a sack (very lucky player). Lately, he top decks Miracle Fusion, Super Polymerization, or the exact card he requires. Then he wins. He always competes with Tier 1 or 1.5 decks, and normally it is the same deck for a lengthened period of time.

Now that their basic backgrounds have been revealed, this is the report:

Round 1:

Mason played someone using Exodia, and won that match 2-0 I believe.

Richard and Rori faced off and Rori won 2-0 I believe. Apparently Rori top-decked limited cards to win, unfortunately unsurprising...

Round 2:

Richard beat the Exodia player, from the previous round, 2-0. Apparently, Heraklinos is super effective against that deck...

Mason lost to Final Countdown 2-0, because LightraySworns would have difficulty in this matchup.

Rori beat a random Dark World player 2-0.

Round 3:

Richard and Mason played and Mason won the match 2-0.Rori beat the Final Countdown player 2-1.

The tournament was only 3 rounds, which means that Rori went undefeated. This Locals, wasn't anything special or meaningful, though. 6 people, and only 3 rounds: that's practice for YCS Toronto. I believe all the above players are contending tomorrow, along with myself.

Unfortunately, I still have no idea what deck I will participate with tomorrow. I'm stuck between Heroes, Chaos, Dino-Rabbit, Agents, Dark World and Lightraysworn (yeah, that's right). Heroes have a good match-up all around, because they play Skill Drain and Super Poly, along with random good cards like Gemini Spark, Hero Blast and Miracle Fusion... My Chaos Anti-Meta deck also has good match-ups all around. Dino Rabbit is just a good deck, although lately it's been a little unsatisfactory for my liking. It's definitely still a contender, though. Agents have the power to summon Hyperion, Kristya and BLS fairly easily. However, some hands can be a slightly crippling. Dark World is a funny deck. The more I test it, the more I like it. However, it does require you to have the correct cards, otherwise you almost automatically lose. Finally, an explanation on LightraySworn. I built the deck, earlier today, with Mason and Richard. Both Mason and I tested it extensively and we both seem to be quite fond of it. If Mason ends up using it, then I obviously won't. However, if he doesn't, it is definitely an option. The deck seems slightly better than standard Lightsworns, since it has the ability to drop multiple more boss monsters.

A side-deck for the event is still unknown. I want to side cards such as Macro Cosmos, Twister and Maxx "C". However, certain decks are unable to function with these cards (especially Macro). Oh well.

Thoughts Heading into the New September Format

I've done a lot of research and testing for the new format. These are just my initial conclusions:


Heroes are broken, tier 1, broken. Miracle Fusion is amazing, along with Super Poly. Other good cards include Bubbleman, Gemini Spark and Hero Blast.

Dark Worlds weren't touched by the list, so I believe it will be seen in greater proportions this format. I built the deck to playtest against, and when it draws amazing hands, you practically auto-lose. If I didn't despise this deck as much as I do, or it wasn't so combo and luck-based, I would play it in Toronto.

Dino-Rabbits aren't extinct in the slightest. People will compete with this deck in Toronto. I'm toying with a build maining Macro Cosmos now, since it disrupts Heroes slightly and Dark Worlds significantly.

Agents are back. Multiple boss monsters, and Honest. I haven't found a build I'm 100% confident in, but it is ridiculous.

Six Samurai will be played because it wasn't hit by the list, much like Dark World. This deck is quite luck-based, but I believe that is obvious.

Wind-Ups is an XYZ toolbox deck now, instead of a hand-looping deck. It is still a formidable force, in my opinion.

Geargia will see play in Toronto, because they are a new and promising Archtype. They also take on multiple forms (Geargia Karakuris, Machina, Gadgets, Scraps...). Expect this deck to make a showing in the Top 32 of Toronto.

Plant Synchro will also see play, because people will be dying to compete with this deck again. I know I want to, but I'm saving it for after Toronto, when there is no pressure.

Inzektors will probably still see some play, simply because we have 3 centipede. It is fairly simple to still complete the Dragonfly + Sword + Hornet OTK. I built the deck for this format...

Chaos Dragons/ Tefnuit DAD will likely see some play, simply because the deck is still fully functional.

I believe I will conclude this post now. My next posts will retain to particular match-ups, and the best cards for each match-up. If there is a specific deck you want me to cover, I will take it into consideration, most likely, if I didn't already plan on writing a post regarding that deck

Tournament Reports for 8/24 and8/25/2012

This week, I attended both my Friday and Saturday local tournaments. Normally I would write two separate articles, but since I didn’t have time Friday night to write one, I’ll present both reports now.

So Friday I go to the shop, expecting to play September 2012 format, since a number of card players agreed to this. However, the owner told us we can’t play that format, and would be disqualified if we did. Frustrated, I quickly edited one my September decks, to amplify how broken this format is. That deck was… Inzektors.

Round 1: vs Vayu Turbo (2-0)

Nothing complicated here. This deck doesn’t usual play that many defensive cards, so both games I destroyed him with Dragonfly + Sword + Hornet on my second turn, due to lots of searching.

Round 2 vs Gladiator Beasts (2-0)

I don't quite remember what happened, but I think I won quickly.

Round 3 vs Heroes (1-2)

Yeah. Now that the Dark Hero has been released, Inzektors get a little more screwed, ad that’s how I lost game 1. Game 2 I managed to OTK him. Game 3 I couldn’t deal with multiple Skill Drains so I lost.

Round 4 vs Inzektors (2-1)

Game 1 I was able to OTK by turn 3. Game 2 my opponent did the same. Game 3 I as able to OTK him first. That’s the Inzektor mirror match…

So I made the Top 4 cut with a 3-1 record, along with the Hero player from round 3, Blackwings and a different Inzektor player.

Round 5 vs Backwings (2-0)

I was able to OTK him with Dragonfly + Hornet + Sword within the first few turns game 1. Game 2 we both opened with horrible hands. Fortunately, I had Centipede. Therefore, I was able to do some searching and small damage until I had the resources to OTK.

Round 6 vs Heroes (2-1)

Game 1 I was able to OTK him quickly. Game 2 was close, but unfortunately he drew the Miracle Fusion in out top-decking war. Game 3 he dealt some damage initially, and I wasn’t drawing any Inzektor monsters other than Hoppers, and I drew no searching cards. Fortunately, I sided into Super Polymerization, and drawing 2 allowed me to defeat him.

So that was the Friday tournament. Afterward, 2 of my friend and I decided to hang out and playtest for YCS Toronto. Without realizing it, this lasted until 7 AM Saturday morning… (Yu-Gi-Oh!!!!!!!!!!) A couple of hours later, I hung out with another card player, and proceeded to playtest some more, and then head to the shop.

During this tournament, I decided to play a deck that I’ve been extremely interested in entering at YCS Toronto; Chaos Anti-Meta. My version contains cards I believe would handle the largest diversity of decks possible. I use Cyber Dragons because they effectively combat machines. I main Thunder Kings because they stop searching and a special summon, regardless of an active Skill Drain. Those are just some examples. Anyway, time for the report:

Round 1 vs Heroes (2-0)

Thunder King stops E-Call, Duality and ROTA. It put in quite the effort game 1. In game 2, I just had answers for his monsters.

Round 2 vs Inzektors (2-0)

I beat him rather quickly game 1 because all he had to work with was a Hopper and a Ladybug. Game 2 we went back and forth for a while. I was able to stop most of his explosions and attack over his creatures for enough damage. Thunder King also stopped his PODs.

Round 3 vs Heroes (2-1)

I beat him game 1 because I stopped everything he did, and because he didn’t have Super Poly. Game 2 he managed to OTK me once I ran out of traps. Game 3 we go back and forth for a bit. I had the D.D. Crow for his Hero Blast, so it didn’t resolve. Then I just beat him down.

Round 4 vs Dark Worlds (2-0)

I got paired down since I was the only undefeated player left. Game 1, BLS + Honest, and my Cyber Dragon ends the game rather quickly. This was turn 2 by the way. He discarded my hand with Card Destruction, which contained a Light and Dark monster, and I drew BLS. Game 2 I had a Crow for his Grapha, which he used Foolish Burial on, and he didn’t have much follow up.

I entered Top 4 undefeated. The other contenders were my round 2 and 3 opponents, and someone playing Geargia Machina (yeah, he was allowed to play this deck for some reason).

Round 5 vs Geargia Machina (2-1)

I had control of the entire first game with my Thunder King, traps to protect it, and a couple of other monsters including Cyber Dragon. Game 2 I eventually ran out of traps, and he swarmed me when I did, because that’s what deck does. I also didn’t draw Cyber Dragons of Thunder Kings. Game 3 I opened with BLS, and 5 spells and traps. I set them all. Apparently he opened with a lack-luster hand as well. I had the warning for an important play he made, and then started beating me down 1100 life points at a time. I eventually drew a Crow, which helped a lot because the next card he drew, and activated, was Pot of Avarice. Eventually I drew Honest, and I set it. He never did anything to it. I drew Thunder King and summoned it. Unfortunately it was hit by a Fiendish Chain, so I just returned Honest to my hand. He never got rid of my Thunder King. I ended up setting the Honest again a few turns later. Once my Thunder King was no longer present, I summoned Breaker, and I think I destroyed sometime with it. He had another Fiendish Chain for my Honest. I ended up Making Utopia, and then summoned BLS. Finally I activated Heavy Storm to trigger my Starlight Road. I attacked with everything for game.

Round 6 vs Heroes (2-0)

Game 1 I think he was low on monsters. He fusion summoned Absolute Zero early on, and I killed it with my Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind, after halving it. Next turn, I summoned Tour Guide and made a Leviathan Dragon to attack him. He got rid of it somehow. Eventually I summoned BLS and that ended up removing the rest of his life points. Game 2 I beat him down with Breaker, since he was low on monsters that game as well. I know I did have an answer for the one monster he did summon. I can’t remember, but Breaker might have cleared all his life points…

And I came first again. Coming first both of these tournaments, I have now come first place the last 21 Locals I have attended, which is pretty sweet. I’m quite confident in this Chaos deck, after watching it perform. It needs minor adjustments, but nothing complicated.

On a different note, I won’t be able to attend Friday tournaments anymore, due to my schedule changing at work. I will participate in the Saturday tournaments. Next week, I will be attending YCS Toronto, instead of Locals. So in 2 weeks, I will attempt to win my 22^nd Locals.

The Sack Factor

I will be starting this little segment called “The Sack Factor”. Basically, this is what it’s all about:


I intend on analyzing decks that have an extreme luck-based nature, and determine what it is that makes it luck-based. I will also analyze how often the sackiness (I think I just invented this term…) occurs. This will eventually become an in-depth analysis of how luck-based this game really is. It will also determines if the game, really is, more luck-based or skill-based.

Also, for my own humour, I will record all of the sacky moments, that take place at my locals. I will post their name, and what exactly happened. Eventually, I will create the “Sack Pack”, which is basically the players in my community that have the most of these moments.

I will occasionally write up a “Sack Factor” post, probably 1 a week, which will include a deck analysis and the random sack moments. It will be entertaining, and education. Sounds good to me!

Siding for the Next Format: Part 2

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, this is part 2. Today I’ll be suggesting side-deck choices for the more random decks that can make a difference…


Exodia – Typical side-deck choices for this deck are Royal Decree, LADD and Jinzo. However, you can be intelligent like myself, and side Card Destruction and Morphing Jar. Most Exodia players, unfortunately, don’t possess a method of retrieving pieces from the graveyard… You could also play Secret Barrels to burn them for more damage when they possess an enormous hand and field.

Chain Burn – The best cards here are Royal Decree, Trap Stun, Prime Material Dragon, Rainbow Life and Hanewata.

Final Countdown – Royal Decree, Spell Canceller and LADD are really powerful against this deck. Otherwise you can main random burn cards like Secret Barrel to burn them, since their life points will likely be low.

Frog Variants – Effect Veiler, Forbidden Chalice, Skill Drain and Soul Drain (depending on what Frog variant you are facing) can stop them from their random tribute summon shenanigans. You can also play some sort of banishing cards to banish the frogs (unless you’re playing against Sea Lancer…).

Chaos Variants – Light and Shadow-Improsining Mirrors will probably assist you. Again, depending on the variant though, some cards are better than others. Sometimes, Skill Drain shuts down the opponent, while sometimes Macro shuts down the opponent. Leeching the Light can help against decks that contain a greater focus on Light monsters. You could always side Chaos Trap Holes…

Hieratics – Mask of Restrict is mean… Other than that, Veiler, Skill and Soul Drain does evil things to this deck. You can also consider Bottomless Trap Hole and Chaos Trap Hole…

X-Sabers – I’m pretty sure there will be a random bunch of people playing this in Toronto. I currently have the deck built. Macro Cosmos, Thunder King, Skill Drain and Soul Drain do enough damage to this deck. Snowman Eater is also a funny selection.

Plant Synchro – Maxx “C”, Thunder King and Macro Cosmos will damage this deck. These cards always have….

Blackwings – Royal Decree and Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror are solid options against this deck. Or you could play Macro Cosmos…

Lightsworns – There will likely be a random group of people playing this deck as well. Leeching the Light, Dimensional Fissure and Macro Cosmos are excellent options to control this luck-based deck.

And at this, I will conclude Siding for September 2012. Over the last 2 posts, I’ve covered the best cards to tackle 20 different decks. We will see if the events of Toronto will bring to attention any other decks…

Siding for the Next Format: Part 1

I’ve been requested to create a post regarding to siding this upcoming format. So sparing a long introduction, I will just get right to it. I will list decks that will possibly be played this format, and list the better cards to side against them:

Dino-Rabbit – Effect Veiler is good to side against this deck (unless you are maining them). Stopping Rabbit and Tour Guide damages the deck more, now that those cards are at 2. Snowman Eater and Penguin Soldier are good for dealing with Laggia and other XYZs (except Dollka). Bottomless Trap Hole is obvious… Forbidden Chalice is also pretty effective, when they go to activate their Laggia or Dollka. Chain Disappearance is a good card against the deck too.

Inzektors – The side-deck choices are obvious: Veiler, Shadow-Imprisoning Miror, D.D. Crow (not as effective in my opinion) and Macro Cosmos.

Wind-Ups – Against this deck hand-traps (Veiler, Crow and Maxx “C”) are quite effective against the deck. Other random cards that cause issues for the deck are Cyber Dragon, Thunder King Rai-oh, Bottomless Trap Hole and Chain Disappearance (to remove Rats and/or Magician).

Chaos Dragons – Macro Cosmos definitely cripples this deck if the player has no answer to it. Other cards like Thunder King and Bottomless Trap Hole damage the deck.

Geargia Variants – Cyber Dragons will hurt only terrible players, majority of the time. Thunder King is definitely a powerful card against this deck, along with Bottomless Trap Hole. Veiler can disrupt this deck badly as well. I’ve tested Geargia on DN lately, so I know the deck inside and out, almost. (By the way, these cards also affect Gadgets, Machinas, Karakuris…)

Prophecy – This is the deck based around the Spellbooks from Return of the Duelist. Macro Cosmos, Thunder King, Light and Darkness Dragon, Spell Canceller and Naturia Beast deal with this deck well enough.

Heroes – Thunder King stops the searching in this deck, and random XYZ monsters. Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter deals with the fusions (especially Shining, making it miss the timing). It’s possible to side Macro Cosmos against certain builds, since it stops Miracle Fusion and Hero Blast. Kinetic Soldier and Puppet Plant do funny things… Bottomless Trap Hole also deals with the fusion monsters. Also, honestly, side Super Polymerization. It is absolutely hilarious. Steal 2 of your opponent’s monsters (assuming at least 1 is a Hero), and summon a Hero Fusion, by discarding a card in your hand. I think it’s a solid strategy…

Dark Worlds – Thunder King stops Snoww, and Dimensional Fissure/ Macro Cosmos/ Banisher of the Radiance cripple the deck, if left untouched.

Six Samurai – Veiler is good for chaining it against Shi En, Naturia Beast and Barkion, or the random Kageki play. Maxx “C” could allow you to draw numerous cards. Thunder King is good against this deck also.

Agents – Once again, Thunder King is good against this deck. Macro Cosmos makes it difficult to summon the boss monsters, and stops Herald of Orange Light, Veiler and Honest. Leeching the Light also destroys this deck. Bottomless Trap Hole is a good card against this deck.

I think 10 decks for this post is sufficient. I will definitely do a part 2 and follow-up. Leave any comments, suggestions, critiques, etc. I enjoy constructive conversation.

September 2012 Deck Discussion 3 - The Best Deck...

I am so happy to be writing this post, finally. If you can’t guess, this post will be all about…


Plants!!

The deck is now viable and playable, with 2 Debris Dragon, Dandylion, Lonefire and Spore. These are just automatic staples, regarding any variation of the deck. I’ll go into details about the array of variations available:

Quickdraw/ Junk variants – Junk Warrior, Drill Warrior, Junk Archer, Nitro Warrior, Junk Destroyer and Chevalier de Fleur are all amazing synchro monsters. If they didn’t require specific tuners, they would be staples. Quickdraw gives us access to those monsters, which is amazing. Quickdraw also has significant synergy with Dandylion, Level Eater, Quillbolt Hedgehog, and others. Then there is Junk Synchron. This cards is always a simple lv 4 or 5 synchro, and/or crazy combos with cards like Doppelwarrior. This variant is amazing.

Chaos Plants – I remember when this variant was extremely competitive. Now, we may only have 1 Chaos Sorcerer, but we do have BLS. There is also room for the Lightsworn draw engine (3 recharge and 1 charge). I can also squeeze in cards like Lumina. I remember when everyone in Belleville who knew thought it wouldn’t be amazing, and then it destroyed people. I’m looking forward to this.

Beast/ Earth Plants – This variant plays more Earth monsters to enable easy access to Naturia Synchro monsters (Nettles + Dandylion = Beast, Nettles + Super Mega Hamster = Barkion). There are many ways to mold this deck.

September 2011 Plants – I did enjoy playing this deck quite a bit. Although we don’t have 3 Tengu or Glow-Up Bulb, the deck is still usable, with minor modifications. This deck utilizes at least 2 Thunder King Rai-Oh. Thunder King is an excellent card.

Defensive Plants – This deck will play quite a few more Plant monsters than usual, and utilizes traps like Pollinosis and Wall of Thorns. I’m also going to squeeze in cards to this like Black Garden, The World Tree and Miracle Fertilizer. Without Brionac though, Miracle Fertilizer loses some utility, but Mist Valley Falcon is usable…

Water/Plant Synchro – Simple enough, this deck uses Treeborn Frog, and the Genex Undine engine to setup. Then monarchs and other threats appear for simple aggression. With the lack of Fishborg and Glow-Up, the deck is definitely weaker, but I believe it is still playable.
Those are the most of the playable variants, at least the ones I will attempt. Now the deck is obviously less powerful then before. We don’t have Brionac, Trishula or Glow-Up. Lonefire at 1 does hurt slightly as well. Also, this deck has difficulties with Maxx “c” and Veiler more often than not. However, when the deck explodes, it creates disaster for the opponent.

Plant decks are my favorites decks, and probably will be for a lengthened period of time. I thoroughly enjoy how there are many different plays, based on what you have. Usually, no two explosions are the same. This deck, in my opinion, is quite skilled-based. This is based on the assumption that there are multiples ways tackle a scenario, with the cards you possess, but picking the best play is difficult sometimes. I’ll share some combos I would typically perform:

- Lonefire + Monster Reborn – These cards can instantly make a Shooting Star Dragon

- Debris + Dandy + Trap Stun – A Black Rose that can only be stopped by Veiler, or Book of Moon. Originally, this was done with Cold Wave

- Quickdraw + Dandy + Debris – These three cards create the combo I like to call “StarDestroyer”. Summon Stardust Dragon, then summon Junk Destroyer, and destroy up to 3 cards.

- One for One + Dandy + Debris – You should win if you open with these 3 cards…

Anyway, this deck can perform many more crazy shenanigans besides the above ones. It’s always fun when the opponent uses a blind MST on your face-down COTH or Limit Reverse, and then you chain it and summon Sangan or Dandy… Or before the opponent enters their battle phase or end phase, activate COTH or Limit Reverse on a Formula Synchron, then synchro for Black Rose and destroy them. I personally find it hilarious.

I think I’ll conclude this post now. I’ve clearly demonstrated that I will be playing Plants this format. Sure, it may not be as powerful as it once was, but it doesn’t matter. It may not be Tier 1 anymore, but who cares. I’m quite grateful to Konami for allowing Plants to be playable.