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.
Monday, April 8, 2013
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)