A Rare Format... ka

http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/league/pegasus_league/index.html

I honestly have no idea what to make of this. My knee-jerk reaction is that it's a terrible idea because rares are the ugliest cards in the game as far as I'm concerned, but I guess I'll have to give it some thought. It's a lot more tolerable as a format than... say, double deck was.

YCS IL is a Go

Yessir, I've made it onto the judge staff for this event. You better believe I'm going to be there with bells on! Or buttons as the case may be. Whatever that Konami judge outfit is like...

I encourage anyone who cares to attend. You may even run into me on the floor.

More Screen Time Please

Random CaC because I don't have anything better to say at the moment

Morphtronic Screenen
Level 2/LIGHT
Machine/Tuner

While in attack position: Once per turn, you can declare one attribute. Until the End Phase, treat this card's attribute as the one you chose instead.

While in defense position: Once per turn, you can declare one card name. Until the End Phase, treat this card's name as the one you chose instead.

ATK/600 DEF/1200

Beep Bop Boop

//Monsters
3|Csoc|Morphtronic Radion
3|Csoc|Morphtronic Boomboxen
3|Crms|Morphtronic Boarden
3|Rgbt|Morphtronic Remoten
1|Rgbt|Morphtronic Scopen
3|Csoc|Morphtronic Celfon
1|Tshd|Genex Neutron
1|Mrd|Sangan

//Spells
3|Rds|Machine Duplication
3|Rgbt|Junk Box
2|Lon|United We Stand
1|Mrd|Heavy Storm
1|Mrl|Mystical Space Typhoon
1|Tlm|Brain Control
1|Wc5|Mind Control

//Traps
2|Lod|Bottomless Trap Hole
2|Psv|Dust Tornado
1|Psv|Call Of The Haunted
1|Mrd|Solemn Judgment
1|Dpct|Starlight Road
1|Lon|Torrential Tribute
1|Mrd|Mirror Force
1|Pgd|Trap Dustshoot

//Extra|Deck
2|Dp08|Armory Arm
1|Ha01|Ally of Justice Catastor
1|Tdgs|Magical Android
1|Ha01|Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1|Tdgs|Goyo Guardian
1|Anpr|Ancient Sacred Wyvern
1|Csoc|Black Rose Dragon
1|Rgbt|Power Tool Dragon
1|5ds1|Colossal Fighter
2|Tdgs|Stardust Dragon
1|Ha01|Mist Wurm
1|Anpr|XX-Saber Gottoms
1|Jump|Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

I can't believe it took so long to hit me, but Morphtronics do not generate advantage. Their best and safest moves using their own support just break even while Synchro Summoning sizable monsters.

"Machine Duplication" actually is a legitimate advantage engine, however, and is obscenely potent with Celfon and Remoten. Not so much Boarden. He's just sorta there out of convenience. Vacuumen loves Dupe too, but I really can't see myself playing him since he's the worst card ever to see in hand without Dupe.

Everything seems pretty set in stone except for that spell slot currently occupied by "Mind Control." "Limiter Removal" didn't seem to help a whole lot after testing. Morphtronics only function well in groups, and for Limiter to be potent, those groups have to be very specific, generally involving Boomboxen and a buff card with back row hate. It's just too combo-based in a deck that's going for stability.

"United We Stand," on the other hand, really shines on the stability front due to its universal compatibility, allowing anything I choose to swing over enemy monsters in battle. It makes pushing for game ridiculously easy as well thanks to Boomboxen or setting up "Ancient Sacred Wyvern." Considering the card hasn't done much in the meta, I can imagine "United We Stand" going up to 3 in September, and you'd better believe I'd be all over that with this deck. Power Tool would have added purpose!

What else can I say..?

I guess the most ineffectual cards in the Extra Deck are "Magical Android" and the "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon" that's really only there as a counter measure to an opposing "Cyber Dragon" that may or may not appear. Everything else has its place. "Armory Arm" is absolutely bonkers for its ability to turn anything into Flame Wingman, and it's really easy to drop with all those Level 3 tuners and Celfon. Catastor is solid hate against practically everything. Brionac clears the way while preparing grave oriented plays involving "Junk Box," Remoten, and Call. Goyo is way too big. Wyvern is a boss finisher. Black Rose makes for massive swings in card presence. Power Tool clocks in as the primary level 7 beater, making respectable use of United and Arm. Colossal makes for an OTK alongside Arm against an opponent foolish enough to leave a strong monster on the table. Stardust is... Stardust. Champion of the format. Wurm is somewhat situational, but easy enough to summon, so it's there for the niche situations that surface every now and then. The tech Gottoms is awesome to follow up on a Remoten + Dupe play.

I think I've rambled on long enough. You probably get it by now if you've followed past incarnations of the deck.

Scar-Red Nova Dragon

ENGRISH. Kinda like "Revenger." The word you're looking for is Scarlet, you dolts. :X

So apparently this guy is a level 12 Synchro that requires 2 Tuner monsters and "Red Dragon Archfiend" as Synchro materials.

A use for Diva again? Holy hell.

e-Mail is e-Fail

More so than myself.

Finally managed to get that follow up e-Mail to my application for judging YCS IL. Looking good for me so far. Here's hoping I make the cut.

Anywho, NeedsWork.Infernity.Dek hated me today. As did DMG. Grr.

Morphtronic.Dek with a tech "Genex Neutron" and 2 "United We Stand" is working about as well as one can expect from a tier 3 deck. "Dust Tornado" is super bad ass, but you probably knew that already.

Contemplating making something with Koa'ki Meiru, be it pure or Rock Stun.

I've been making and fixing a ton of typos in this post so far.

ONE LINERS FTW.

I'm totally not acting like Neuxcharge!

I haven't gotten that Ryko and "Necro Gardna" I traded for yet. RAGE.

I guess that's all...

Huh...

Well, maybe DMG isn't so bad, but it's hella slow compared to yvd... and I'm not convinced the randomizer is any better at all.

Speaking of which, "Infernity Randomizer" is amazing, yo. Use 1.

Playing on DMG. BRB.

Yeah.

Want Naturia Naoooo

Gah, I can't wait for further installments of Hidden Arsenal. The Naturia Synchros would add some serious bite to Morphtronics from what my testing has told me. Haphazard OTK deck becoming a stable control deck? I like.

Product-pushing at its best

http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/tin-2010w1-DKD.html

Oh my... I knew not trading for Dark Armed would pay off, but... oh my. I guess I'm buying a Draco-Equiste tin. Seems like DAD is sticking around for at least one more format.

I already have the Stratos and Chimeratech Fortress that the other two tins offer, so I'm hoping to see something more alluring in the future.

What happened to the first rule?

I dunno, but here's the second:

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Hero%27s_Rule_2

"Hero's Rule 2" has seen an uprising in side deck play lately, mostly in Infernities, occasionally in X-Sabers, and why not? It's quite a flexible card in such a grave-centric era.

People previously threw around the idea of using "Imperial Iron Wall" in the Infernity side deck, but it quickly became apparent that it's too passive a card for the strategy since it has to be able to sit on the field and has little disruptive power in its own right. It also disallows you from using your own copies of "Bottomless Trap Hole" and "Infernity Break" while active, and denying your own use of simple but powerful 1 for 1 cards such as these is painful. Sure, you could side them out to accommodate "Imperial Iron Wall," but is that really the best idea in most cases?

This is where "Hero's Rule 2" came into the picture.

On the offensive, you can use it to jam an opponent's "Infernity Mirage," "Infernity Necromancer," "Infernity Launcher," "XX-Saber Faultroll," "XX-Saber Ragigura," and more. On the defensive, you can block the likes of "D.D. Crow" or a "Gottoms' Emergency Call" that's trying to steal your monsters. Even better, it's a counter trap, so "Stardust Dragon" can't do anything in response! To top things off, it has no chance of messing with your own card choices, so it's easy to see why "Hero's Rule 2" has gained popularity and is an overall superior choice compared to "Imperial Iron Wall."

Use it.

Burn Cannot Exist!

A bunch of you probably already know about this card, but not its TCG name, which was recently confirmed to be "Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste," which is surprisingly close to the OCG equivalent.

He's the first in the "Synchro Fusion" family, and honestly, quite mediocre.

1 Dragon-Type Synchro Monster + 1 Warrior-Type Monster.
This card cannot be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck except by Fusion Summon. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Dragon-Type Synchro Monster in either player's Graveyard and have this card's name treated as that card's name and gain its effect(s) until the End Phase. Also, if this card is on the field in face-up Attack Position, Effect Damage to your Life Points as a result of an opponent's card effect is inflicted to your opponent instead.

There aren't many Dragon Synchro Monsters from which Draco-Equiste can borrow effects and use them properly. It only gets half of what makes "Stardust Dragon" and "Black Rose Dragon" really shine. It gets to skip the End Phase drawback of "Red Dragon Archfiend," but the ability to nuke a bunch of defenders at once isn't too special. "Iron Chain Dragon" often does more harm to your position than good.

If I wanted to hate on burn, I'd just summon "Black-Winged Dragon."

So what can this do that something else can't? I guess... remove an opposing Stardust from the Grave? To me, that's not enough to warrant playing Draco-Equiste.

The most redeeming thing about is its ridiculously high stats and the fact it can be dropped for a single card, but overall, the results and setup compared to something like "Elemental Hero Absolute Zero" are a joke.

But hey, no harm in trying it out if you want, since it's going to be a tin promo...

Apparently

"Until the end of the damage step" means "Until after the damage step."

8|

Inappropriate Joke Goes Here

Ehehehe. *cough*

Righto, I'm happy to see a new Morphtronic card, and it just so happens that this is one of the winners of a create-a-card contest that took place in Japan not too long ago (the others being "Splendid Rose," "Chaos King Archfiend," "Drill Synchron," "Drill Warrior," and "Bird of Roses"). It's not a bad design, although I get the feeling the kid had little to nothing to do with the card's stats or effect...

Let's face it; 0/0 stats suck, badly, especially when it has no built-in protection ala "Cyber Valley." The WIND attribute blows, and the fact that it has to be in face-up defense position to do anything hurts as well. It's no wonder I've been stalling when it comes to testing the card in my Morphtronic build. The continued insistence on integrating the theme with Equip Spells pisses me off too.

I guess it's not all bad, though. It's a pretty solid hit off of Celfon, and in tandem with "Machine Duplication" it essentially becomes a non-destructive "Lightning Vortex." Combos well with "Release Restraint Wave," among other things. Vacuumen will definitely have its moments.

I doubt it's a mainstay in the deck, however. "Genex Neutron" has a much better chance of achieving that.

CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

Am I the only one who's thoroughly amused with this card's name? Seems like you're meant to yell it upon activation...

Anyway, this is a fairly underrated card so far, at least in TCGland. I can't really blame anyone for that - giving up your battle phase hurts a lot with a theme as aggressive as Infernity. Even so, I think there's a lot of potential merit to a "Monster Reborn" and "Dark Hole" hybrid that can be used in threes. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not until several formats from now, but "ZERO-MAX" is definitely worth a second look due to its raw, unadulterated power.

Ruling Corner

The effect of "ZERO-MAX" targets the "Infernity" monster in your Graveyard.

"Stardust Dragon," etc. cannot negate "ZERO-MAX" because it is uncertain whether or not it will destroy cards.

"ZERO-MAX" cannot be activated from your hand. It must be Set, then activated while you have no cards in your hand.

"ZERO-MAX" destroys monsters after it Special Summons your "Infernity" monster. "Torrential Tribute," etc. cannot be activated because the last event was not a monster being summoned. This is true even if no monsters are destroyed.

You use the current ATK of the Special Summoned monster when destroying monsters.

"ZERO-MAX" can be activated as long as you have at least 1 free monster card zone, even if there are no monsters on the field.

YCS VA Top 32

7 X-Saber
1 Frog Monarch
5 Gladiator Beast
1 Herald of Perfection
7 Infernity
4 Quickdraw
1 Magical Explosion
2 Synchro Cat
1 Blackwing
2 Gadget
1 Lightsworn Monarch

*justasplanned.jpg*

Who called it? Well, okay, it didn't take much to realize that X-Sabers and Infernities were going to take the greatest number of tops (tied at 7 a piece, even), and I forgot to mention Gladiators in my predictions, but! Who else saw that Magical Explosion coming? :P

Now what really blindsided everyone was "Herald of Perfection"! I'll admit it; I didn't expect the deck to make it anywhere on a competitive level. Can you really blame me, though? It's a Ritual Monster of all things, and one with strict summoning requirements that needs ridiculous deck dedication at that! Apparently it doesn't matter when you can negate everything in sight, though... particularly since nothing that can be summoned without the help of an effect can get over that massive defense.

Blackwings, Gadgets, Cat, and Monarchs have continued to prove themselves as solid decks, although not at the top of the food chain. Quickdraw seems to be a cut above them in all this, having been the previously established deck of the format.

I can't wait to see how the YCS in Rosemont, Illinois unfolds!

How 'bout dat coverage...

http://www.konami.com/yugioh/blog/

It's rather... lacking. And loaded with Infernity hate.

I'm all for supporting other decks and good side-decking, but it feels like there isn't enough on the pro-Infernity side of the coin. At least explore some of the various options people are trying out in the deck that's supposed to be the deck to beat! :S

Anyway, it's not all bad. We're seeing a good show by X-Sabers, much to my expectations.

What's shocking is the utter lack of Quickdraw and Blackwings on the top tables. I've got no clue what happened with the former, but the latter I somewhat understand. Blackwings may be consistent, but they just don't have that... oomph recently. They run out of steam. Any deck that can slow down the game without losing cards, or just decks that constantly gain cards will give them trouble, with or without "Black Whirlwind" in the equation.

Not many other surprises, though, but I guess that's to be expected since the format has largely settled down.

YCS Chantilly, VA

Well, this certainly came up quick. It seems like only yesterday that the Yu-gi-oh! Championship Series was announced, and we'll be witnessing the launch tomorrow!

This will be the first major US event in which The Shining Darkness is legal, just days after the set's release. Because of this, we can expect to see a lot of new decks on the tournament floor, but the variants likely won't be perfect, and the showing of said decks might not be at its peak due to only the most dedicated of players having all the cards together this early.

Even so, X-Sabers, Frogs, and Infernities, especially, are huge threats for which to account. Plenty of rogue OTKs got a boost from the new set in the form of "Into the Void," so it wouldn't surprise me to see a fair share of those. Rock Stun, revitalized with "Koa'ki Meiru Sandman," might see play. Blackwings and Quickdraw will still be around as per usual.

There isn't much I can predict beyond that. I'm looking forward to seeing what the new prize cards are, though.

AKUSERU SHINKUROOOOOOO!!!

Shooting Star Dragon

Level 10/WIND
Dragon/Synchro/Effect

1 Synchro Tuner + "Stardust Dragon"

Each of the following effects can be used once per turn:
• Pick up the top 5 cards of your Deck. During the Battle Phase of this turn, this card can attack a number of times equal to the number of Tuners that were picked up. Then, return the picked up cards to your Deck.
• You can negate the activation of a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect that destroys a card(s) on the field, and destroy that card.
• When a monster your opponent controls declares an attack, you can remove from play this card to negate that attack. During the End Phase, Special Summon this card if it was removed from play by this effect.

ATK/3300 DEF/2500

Now that it's been confirmed, I'm trippin' balls. Okay, not really.

The first effect allows Shooting Star to attack up to five times if you reveal the nuts, which is cool, but if you activate it and reveal zero, it can't attack at all. You have to reveal at least 2 for it to matter. Feelin' lucky, punk?

Second effect is a rehash of Stardust's that doesn't require tributing itself. That seems pretty nice, but Stardust protects itself by doing that. Shooting Star leaves itself open by sticking around.

Negating an attack is okay.

So yeah, I can't see him going very far yet, BUT...

Formula Synchron
Level 2/LIGHT
Machine/Synchro/Tuner

1 Tuner + 1 non-Tuner monster

When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can draw 1 card. During your opponent's Main Phase, you can Synchro Summon if you use this face-up card as a Synchro Material Monster.

ATK/200 DEF/1500

This guy is hilarious. Well, I guess it depends on how it's ruled. If this effect is a Quick Effect, there are a lot of shenanigans to be had. If it's Continuous, you can only use it when you happen to have general priority during your opponent's Main Phase, making it totally useless. It could logically be either one of these things.

Can you imagine Synchroing Black Rose on your opponent's turn, though? Trishula? That's madness.

The trouble is actually summoning this guy, but you can readily do it with any level 1 tuner + a fluff or sheep token, which would probably be the preferred method... he refunds the extra card, though, so it's cool.

IN MUCH MORE RELEVANT NEWS:

Tuning
Normal Spell Card
Add 1 "Synchron" {Tuner} monster from your Deck to your hand and shuffle your Deck. Then, send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard.

Oh... my... gawd. That 1-shot plot hax card from 80 episodes ago that everyone was crying for is finally slated for release?! I am ecstatic! Yusei-inspired decks suddenly become viable... or in the case of Quickdraw, better than they already were.

I heart you, Starstrike Blast.

Stick to the Desert

By which I mean my deck!



Most of the time, this card is excruciating to see in the opening hand. Your graveyard isn't set up for it at that time, and probably isn't going to be anytime soon unless you drew the nuts (Double Launcher, Archfiend, Beetle, Barrier) to go with it. Not only that, but it also inhibits your ability to get anything out of your other cards until it is out of your hand. To put it bluntly, Mirage, in testing, has been the source of many instances that had me wanting to pull out my hair.

That being the case, using 1 seems to be ideal at the moment. Sure, you don't get to see it every game that way, and sure, you won't draw it after setting up anywhere near as often, but is that so bad? If a game drags on so long that you're able to summon 2 Mirage without the aid of certain OCG shenanigans (Stygian Street Partrol/Hellway Patrol), you're probably doing it wrong. If you really need it, you can search for a lone copy with "One for One" or Archfiend. The opening hand being playable should be your greatest concern, and Mirage rarely helps in that respect...

"Infernity Mirage" is no doubt a solid card, but I feel that it's grossly overestimated.

I got 4 Solemns, yo.

There's a reason everybody is going crazy over "Infernity Barrier," and if you aren't, you should probably start.

Consider for a moment what the Infernity theme wishes to accomplish: empty its hand in order to overwhelm the opponent with field presence. Should the opponent survive this ordeal, the Infernity player has left themselves (relatively) vulnerable, having placed everything they have on the table, where it can easily be stripped away without the proper protection.

This protection is none other than "Infernity Barrier," a single answer to any threat, free of charge. Sounds good, no? There's no catch, either; its activation requirement only demands that you be following the basics of the theme, anyway (have an empty hand, have field presence). As such, it's no more troublesome to use than any other Infernity card, and you can even use 3 copies to make sure anything and everything you do is safe!

To state the obvious, Barrier is at your beck and call if you so much as draw it or Special Summon "Infernity Archfiend," and that Archfiend will in turn meet the requirements to activate Barrier. This only adds to its ease of use.

But that's not even the optimal situation! Barrier is at its strongest when backing "Infernity Doom Dragon" and whatever other cohorts you can muster - the more, the better. Adding "Stardust Dragon" to the list makes your setup next to impregnable...

If that isn't good, I don't know what is.

Of course, Barrier does have its blind spots. When you draw during your Draw Phase, Barrier goes offline until you can get that card out of your hand, so your opponent can use any disruptive options they want at that time, like "Intercept Wave" or "Compulsory Evacuation Device." Its need to have a face-up attack position Infernity monster is also exploitable. For example, "Book of Moon" and "Book of Eclipse" offer an ultimatum: Barrier them, or be unable to use Barrier against the real threats. Either option is bad news, so exercise discretion.

The deck will inevitably be visited by the Forbidden and Limited list at some point in the future, most likely to dismantle its easy OTK ability. After this happens, Infernity players will have to shift gears to a more control-oriented style, and it's my firm belief that "Infernity Barrier" is the reason the deck will survive and flourish in such an environment.

It looks so awesome, too. DOOM DRAGON SAYS NO!

Where did Sunday go?

I swear something, like, ate it.

Naaah just somehow I ended up sleeping. When I woke up, it was dark, which made me not feel like getting up, so it just continued on like that until around... 5 am. I actually felt surprisingly refreshed around then. Usually sleeping for ages only makes you feel worse. Go figure.

Right, that deck. Still trying to iron out a few consistency issues with it, but more often than not it'll make an sizable to impregnable field on turn 1.

My field: Doom Dragon, Stardust, Archfiend, Necromancer, Barrier, Barrier, Break
Top of my deck: Archfiend

wat do

Aside from that, I'll probably be throwing Frogs together and dabble around in the new X-Sabers and Rock Stun. Maaaybe Koa'ki Meiru, I dunno.

I should hop on that Infernity video series...

NeedsWork.Infernity.dek

//Monsters
3|Ptdn|Dark Grepher
3|Wc09|Infernity Archfiend
3|Tshd|Infernity Beetle
2|Dp05|Destiny Hero - Malicious
2|Sovr|Infernity Necromancer
1|Tshd|Infernity Avenger
1|Tshd|Infernity Mirage
1|Tshd|Infernity Randomizer
1|Csoc|Plaguespreader Zombie

//Spells
3|Tshd|Infernity Launcher
2|Pgd|Book of Moon
1|Ptdn|Allure of Darkness
1|Sdy|Card Destruction
1|Lod|Reinforcement of the Army
1|Rgbt|One For One
1|Sdrl|Foolish Burial
1|Mrd|Heavy Storm
1|Mrl|Giant Trunade
1|Mrl|Mystical Space Typhoon

//Traps
3|Tshd|Infernity Barrier
2|Tshd|Infernity Break
2|Tshd|Infernity Inferno
1|Mrd|Solemn Judgment
1|Dpct|Starlight Road
1|Psv|Call Of The Haunted

//Extra|Deck
1|Dp08|Armory Arm
1|Wc10|Stygian Sergeants
3|Tdgs|Magical Android
1|Ha01|Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1|Tdgs|Goyo Guardian
1|Csoc|Black Rose Dragon
1|Tshd|Chaos King Archfiend
1|5ds1|Colossal Fighter
1|Jump|Hundred-Eyes Dragon
1|Tshd|Infernity Doom Dragon
2|Tdgs|Stardust Dragon
1|Ha01|Mist Wurm

In the Year 2000

This is just an attempt at a potential September 2010 ban list. Title not related.

Newly Forbidden

Limiter Removal
Rescue Cat

Newly Limited

Des Frog
Fishborg Blaster
Infernity Launcher
Infernity Necromancer
Judgment Dragon
Machina Gearframe
Mass Driver
Pot of Avarice
Royal Magical Library
Royal Oppression
Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
Stardust Dragon
Substitoad
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Tsukuyomi
XX-Saber Faultroll

Newly Semi-Limited

Ally Genex Birdman
Dimensional Prison
Flamvell Firedog
Gallis the Star Beast
Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
Mirror Force

Newly Unlimited

Demise, King of Armageddon
Goblin Zombie
Royal Decree
Skill Drain
Treeborn Frog
United We Stand


Flame as you will.

Into the Infernal Infinity

Allow me to take this opportunity to plug my Infernity guide again. I just spent a couple hours updating it with the correct TCG card texts as well as rulings I felt were relevant enough to bring to attention.

My primary goal in Yu-gi-oh! is to educate players in how the game works. This serves a lot of purposes, but it's mainly to avoid chaos and make sure people enjoy themselves. An informed player can make informed decisions and will be a lot less frustrated in the end, after all.

The "While you have no cards in your hand" brand of Infernity cards will resolve without effect if the player ends up with any cards in their hand ("Infernity Necromancer" is exempt from this since its Ignition effect does not have this restriction even though the Continuous effect that turns it on does).

The other variations of Infernity cards ("When," "If," "Activate under X condition") will resolve properly even if the player ends up with cards in their hand, with the exception of "Infernity Archfiend," who functions like those that use the "While you have no cards in your hand" clause. Blame that one on bad wording or a lack of foresight.

Also, the rulings for The Shining Darkness are up on the official website now, so go check those out if you have any doubts with respect to cards from the set.

Sensory Overload

Yeah, that's basically how my Wednesday went down. Just a bunch of people not leaving me the hell alone while I'm trying to do one thing or other. Q_Q

Not sure if want on this Duel Monsters Genesis stuff.

The Sun and the Moon

These things came to mind today after realizing the lengthening daylight hours, for which I have mixed feelings. For one, it's easier to stay out of the house for an extended period of time, but on the flip side, I really am more of a night person. The sun has never been kind to me in the past. It's the night that really makes the city shine.

Rhetoric aside, this is one of those themes that was destined for failure from square one. Requiring specific materials has a heavy impact on a Synchro Monster's playability, all the more so when the Tuner has mismatched levels for the job, and that's exactly the case here. Yes, we're meant to use "Oracle of the Sun" or even "Cyber Dragon," but that's exactly the problem; doing so is inefficient. Very inefficient. Cards don't come out of thin air, and losing one just for the sake of doing something quickly will often kill a deck's long-term endurance.

Beyond this, we have another problem: the dragons have impractical and illogical effects for their size. What can honestly challenge them in battle? Who would WANT to even if they could? Certainly you have better ways to address massive monsters?

Looping back into each other is nice, but I can think of a much simpler dude for the job that does all that and more...



Risk vs. Reward. Learn it.

Gravekeeper'seseses...

These guys seem to have a problem with actually breaking out and getting in some hits despite having a rather amazing engine at their disposal.

It's probably best to play the resource grinding game with them; use a ton of 1 for 1 removal cards until the opponent is exhausted.

That's of questionable reliability against the meta, though...

Scoopshoot

Use it.



Seriously. This card belongs in almost every deck, especially if you have an effective draw engine to reach it sooner. If used on turn one, it essentially auto-wins the game by crippling what your opponent can do and giving you the ability to counter every other option your opponent has left, since you have full knowledge of what's to come. I can vividly recall two of my own auto-wins off of Dustshoot, and I've tried my best to suppress the horrors of when it happened to me. It's that ridiculous.

In case you weren't aware yet, note-taking has been outlawed in TCG events for anything other than Life Points and what changed them, so be ready to commit your opponent's hand to memory!

Fear!

Fear!!!

Fear!!!!!

My... I have no idea.

I guess going over the fear factor would be good for today.

Fear is often caused by certain cards in the card pool, some deck-specific, some not, which can have catastrophic effects on a player's position in a duel if they don't take extra caution around said cards. The cards I'm primarily talking about are so potent, in fact, that decisions are influenced even if the card might not currently be in play or accessible.

"Mirror Force" makes it dangerous to attack when you have 2+ monsters capable of doing so.

"Torrential Tribute" makes it dangerous to summon a monster, especially if your opponent controls none.

"Heavy Storm" makes it dangerous to set multiple spell and trap cards that aren't immediately able to be chained or able to defend themselves and others.

"Icarus Attack" can strip away any two cards at will.

"Gladiator Beast Gyzarus" can do this too.

"Brain Control" might kill you if you summon a large enough monster late in the game.

"Starlight Road" punishes mass destruction with a very steep swing in tempo.

There are many more examples I could make, but it's important to not to lose your head over the possibility of one of these cards being played. They aren't to be ignored, of course; plan for the worst.

If Icarus seems imminent, play one card at a time, preferably one that can run over their lone Blackwing, so that if they want to destroy your card, they'd have to get rid of one of their own. Playing multiple cards is fine too so long as one or more of them reimburse you when destroyed, ala "Card Trooper" or "Sangan." You'll likely win the advantage race, and subsequently the game.

If Starlight might be down, don't derp derp that "Heavy Storm" of yours. Wait until you can ensure its effect goes off safely, usually by picking off Starlight first.

If Brain is out and about, don't play your strongest monsters. Play the ones that aren't desirable to steal. If you can, knock your opponent's life points to the 800 threshold to make Brain useless.

If Mirror rears its head, turn your most important monsters to defense position before entering your battle phase to lessen the effect Mirror might have.

If Torrential wants to ruin your day, summon your self-replacing monsters, or set those that might be helpful, like Ryko.

...yeah, it just goes on like this. Every card has its blind spots. If you take note of those weaknesses and use the proper evasive measures, you'll be in good shape.

Though it's pretty hard to trump a "Stardust Dragon" backed by "Solemn Judgment" and more no matter what you do.