A Duelist's Deductions

wat

2011-05-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

I use my 2 Batteryman AAA to Xyz Summon Number 39: Utopia.

Apparently.

Gambling, without proxies.

2011-05-09T18:58:00.001-05:00

Aw yeah.

3 Infernity Randomizer
1 Mystic Swordsman LV2
1 X-Saber Pashuul
1 Infernity Archfiend
1 Infernity Necromancer
1 Infernity Avenger
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
1 Spirit Reaper

2 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Double Cyclone
2 Offerings to the Doomed
2 Nobleman of Crossout
1 Monster Reborn
1 Dark Hole
1 Giant Trunade
1 Infernity Launcher
1 Foolish Burial
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Mage Power

3 Reinforce Truth
2 Infernity Barrier
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Raigeki Break
2 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Call Of The Haunted
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Infernity Force

Gambling, the good way.

2011-05-08T04:43:00.003-05:00

I can post! I just have to care!

2011-04-29T12:20:00.003-05:00

//Monsters (21)
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
3 Phantom Skyblaster
3 Genex Ally Birdman
2 Destiny Hero - Plasma
2 Destiny Hero - Malicious
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
1 Armageddon Knight
1 Necro Gardna
1 Plaguespreader Zombie
1 Sangan
1 Dandylion
1 Glow-Up Bulb
1 Cyber Valley
1 Treeborn Frog

//Spells (14)
3 Enemy Controller
2 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Scapegoat
1 Fires of Doomsday
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
1 Foolish Burial
1 One For One
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Destiny Draw

To further the token abuse, Scapegoat and Fires provide more fuel for the combos listed above, the almighty Enemy Controller, Cyber Valley, and Plasma. Applications of the rest should be fairly obvious.

//Traps (5)
2 Solemn Warning
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force

//Extra|Deck (15)
1 Formula Synchron
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Magical Android
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth
1 Ancient Fairy Dragon
2 Black Rose Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
2 Stardust Dragon
1 Locomotion R-Genex
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Ally of Justice Decisive Armor
1 Shooting Star Dragon

The combos, they burn. Birdman and Phantom Skyblaster make for so many demonic setups it's scary.

Summon Skyblaster, summon a token. Bounce Skyblaster for Birdman. Sync for Black Rose (1 card lost).

Summon Glow-Up Bulb (by its own effect, most of the time). Summon Skyblaster, summon 2 tokens. Sync with Bulb and 2 tokens for Trishula. (0 cards lost)

Summon Armageddon Knight, dump Malicious. Bounce Arma for Birdman. Remove Malicious for Malicious. Make Locomotion R-Genex (0 cards lost, opponent's biggest monster gained) .

Of course, there are many more shenanigans to be had between Formula, Plague, Plasma, and so forth. Improvising can be key, though usually you'll shoot for something like Trishula and Scrap Dragon in a very efficient manner to just steamroll your opponent.

Possible changes:

-1 Black Rose
+1 Scrap Archfiend
-1 Stardust
+1 other level 8, or Hope once TCG legal.

The precious

2011-03-24T18:39:00.000-05:00

IVs: 14, 15 / 31 / 20 - 23 / 28, 29 / 31 / 31

Pretty awesome male Smeargle.

I have the power!

2011-03-22T06:09:00.001-05:00

With the power training items in tow, I've moved onto bigger and better breeding projects, and HOLY FUCK.

Larvesta
Male
Flame Body
Timid

IVs:
HP: 31
ATK: X
DEF: 31
SP ATK: 31
SP DEF: 31
SPEED: 31

O_O

Pair of Joltik

2011-03-15T18:04:00.001-05:00

Male (Timid)
HP: 7 - 9
Att: 3 - 5
Def: 20 - 23
SpA: 23 - 25
SpD: 30
Speed: 27 - 29

Female (Timid)
HP: 0 - 9
Att: 0 - 5
Def: 20 - 22
SpA: 24 - 25
SpD: 30
Speed: 28 - 29

*shrug* Not perfect, but they'll work.

With the Pokey and the Man and the...

2011-03-12T02:36:00.002-06:00

Holy god my Terrakion's IVs are off the charts, and I didn't even soft reset over it.

Adamant
HP: 11 - 13
Att: 28 - 29
Def: 29
SpA: 26 - 27
SpD: 1 - 3
Speed: 25 - 26

Pull the Trigger

2011-02-21T04:04:00.004-06:00

Holy balls, there's news capable of bringing eGale out of hiding!

http://yugioh.faq.konami.jp/EokpControl?&event=IE0004&wid=60796&target=faq

What this is saying: As of March 19th, alongside the release of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal Starter Deck, there will be a slight change in the way Ignition effects work that will be applied to the OCG (there has been no such announcement for the TCG) from that date onward.

If you've been playing for awhile, you've probably become accustomed to using your Ignition effects immediately in response to your own summons, and this is what's changing; you will no longer be able to use them until after the summon response window has closed. The turn player's priority will not extend to the use of Ignition effects during the summon response window.

This makes cards such as Chaos Sorcerer, Card Trooper, Dark Grepher, Brionac, Scrap Dragon, and so forth a touch weaker in that you cannot activate their effects prior to Torrential Tribute and friends taking them off the table. Cards like Bottomless Trap Hole and Book of Moon become significantly more powerful.

Really sucks to be Plant and Infernity decks right about now, but most others don't care too much. Caius is still the bee's knees.

Still Feels Like Old Year to Me...

2011-01-01T00:04:00.002-06:00

But hey, we'll see what happens. That computer that takes job applications at the local K-Mart is finally working for the first time in ages, so I'll have to hit it up.

Would talk YGO, but do not have a topic in mind at the moment, so I'll have to pass on that.

Happy new years, all.

Dude Yes

2010-12-13T06:58:00.005-06:00

I finished my first Create-A-Card archetype, and I actually did some play testing to boot. The results were beautiful; the power level is right where I wanted it to be. Seems like a whack anti-meta deck more than anything else.

[Umbrella Ruling: An "Exos Fear" monster that is on top of a Zone is not on the field, nor in the hand, nor in the Graveyard, nor removed from play.]

Exos Fear - Creature Keeper
Level 4/WIND
Fiend/Effect

Activate by revealing this card in your hand. Place this card on top of an occupied Monster Card Zone. While this card is on top of that Monster Card Zone, the monster in it cannot attack, change its battle position, or activate its effect(s). This card is placed on the top or bottom of your deck when that Monster Card Zone becomes vacant.

ATK/1900 DEF/1200

[The first effect is an Ignition effect.]
[The first effect does not target.]
[If all Monster Card Zones are vacant when the first effect resolves, this card is sent to the graveyard.]
[The second and third effects are Continuous.]

Exos Fear - Wizard Silencer
Level 4/WIND
Fiend/Effect

Activate by revealing this card in your hand. Place this card on top of an occupied Spell & Trap Card Zone. While this card is on top of that Spell & Trap Card Zone, the effect(s) of the spell or trap card in it cannot be activated. This card is placed on the top or bottom of your deck when that Spell & Trap Card Zone becomes vacant.

ATK/1200 DEF/1900

[The first effect is an Ignition effect.]
[The first effect does not target.]
[The second and third effects are Continuous.]

Exos Fear - Runway Patrol
Level 3/DARK
Fiend/Tuner

Once per turn, while you control this face-up card, you can select 1 of your "Exos Fear" monsters that is on top of an occupied Monster Card Zone or Spell & Trap Card Zone. Special Summon that monster, then you can remove from play the card in that Zone.

ATK/1100 DEF/1100

[This effect is an Ignition effect.]
[This effect targets the "Exos Fear" monster on top of the Zone.]
[If the targeted "Exos Fear" monster is no longer on top of the Zone when this effect resolves, nothing happens, and you cannot activate this effect again this turn.]
[If you do not control this face-up card on the field when its effect resolves, no monster is Special Summoned, and no card can be removed from play.]
[You remove from play the card after Special Summoning the monster. If a card is removed from play by this effect, "Torrential Tribute" etc. cannot be activated.]

Rise and Regroup
Normal Spell

Return 1 of your "Exos Fear" monsters that is on top of a Zone or in your hand to your Deck, add an "Exos Fear" monster with a different name from your deck to your hand, then draw 1 card.

[Returning 1 "Exos Fear" monster to your deck is part of the effect of this card; it is not a cost.]
[None of these actions are simultaneous. "Drastic Drop Off" will only discard the drawn card.]
[If an effect is chained that would cause "Thunder King Rai-Oh" to be face-up on the field when this effect resolves, you will still return an "Exos Fear" monster to the deck and draw 1 card, but you will not add an "Exos Fear" monster to your hand.]

Exos Fear - Resonance Jammer
Level 3/WIND
Fiend/Effect

Activate by revealing this card in your hand. Place this card on top of an occupied Extra Deck Zone. While this card is on top of that Extra Deck Zone, cards cannot leave the Extra Deck in that Zone, except by card effects. This card is placed on the top or bottom of your deck during your 3rd Standby Phase after placing it on top of that Extra Deck Zone, or when that Extra Deck Zone becomes vacant.

ATK/1000 DEF/1700

[The first effect is an Ignition effect.]
[The first effect does not target.]
[If all Extra Deck Zones are vacant when the first effect resolves, this card is sent to the graveyard.]
[The second and third effects are Continuous.]

Exos Fear - Reinforcement Blocker
Level 3/WIND
Fiend/Effect

Activate by revealing this card in your hand. Place this card on top of an occupied Deck Zone. While this card is on top of that Deck Zone, cards cannot be added from the Deck in that Zone to the hand except by being drawn, nor can monsters be Special Summoned from the Deck in that Zone. This card is placed on the top or bottom of your deck during your 3rd Standby Phase after placing it on top of that Deck Zone, or when that Deck Zone becomes vacant.

ATK/1700 DEF/1000

[The first effect is an Ignition effect.]
[The first effect does not target.]
[If all Deck Zones are vacant when the first effect resolves, this card is sent to the graveyard.]
[The second and third effects are Continuous.]

Exos Fear - Sabotage Scout
Level 2/DARK
Fiend/Tuner

Once per turn, while you control this face-up card, you can select 1 of your "Exos Fear" monsters that is on top of an occupied Deck Zone or Extra Deck Zone. Special Summon that monster, then you can declare 1 card name. All copies of the declared card in the Deck or Extra Deck that was in that Zone are removed from play.

ATK/800 DEF/800

[This effect is an Ignition effect.]
[This effect targets the "Exos Fear" monster on top of the Zone.]
[If the targeted "Exos Fear" monster is no longer on top of the Zone when this effect resolves, nothing happens, and you cannot activate this effect again this turn.]
[If you do not control this face-up card on the field when its effect resolves, no monster is Special Summoned, and no card can be removed from play.]
[You declare the card name after Special Summoning the monster. If a card name is declared by this effect, "Torrential Tribute" etc. cannot be activated.]

Rush and Repel
Quick-Play Spell

Select 1 "Exos Fear" monster you control or that is in your Graveyard that can be placed on top of a Zone. Place it on top of an appropriate Zone mentioned in its text. Treat that "Exos Fear" monster as having been placed there by its own effect.

[This effect targets the "Exos Fear" monster you control or that is in your Graveyard.]

Great Exos Fear - Resource Striker
Level 5/WIND
Fiend/Synchro/Effect

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters

Once per turn, you can discard 1 "Exos Fear" monster to remove from play 1 random card in your opponent's hand.

ATK/2000 DEF/1300

[This is an Ignition effect. Discarding 1 "Exos Fear" monster is a cost.]

Great Exos Fear - Airspace Vanguard
Level 7/WIND
Fiend/Synchro/Effect

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters

Once per turn, if this card would be destroyed (by battle or by card effect), you can discard 1 Fiend-type monster instead.

ATK/2500 DEF/1800

[This is a continuous effect that is applied when the destruction would take place.]

Fell Skies Ahead
Normal Trap

Select 1 of your "Exos Fear" monsters that is on top of a Zone. Return it to your hand and proceed to the next Phase of this turn.

[This effect targets your "Exos Fear" monster that is on top of a Zone.]
[If the "Exos Fear" monster is not returned to your hand by this effect, the current phase does not change.]
[If this effect is activated during Main Phase 1, the Battle Phase is entered. If the Battle Phase cannot be entered, play proceeds to the End Phase instead.]
[This effect cannot be activated during the End Phase, as there is no phase in the current turn that follows it.]

Sample deck list:

//Monsters
3|Gale|Exos Fear - Creature Keeper
3|Gale|Exos Fear - Wizard Silencer
3|Gale|Exos Fear - Runway Patrol
3|Gale|Exos Fear - Reinforcement Blocker
3|Gale|Exos Fear - Resonance Jammer
3|Gale|Exos Fear - Sabotage Scout
3|Abpf|Battle Fader

//Spells
3|Gale|Rise and Regroup
3|Gale|Rush and Repel
2|Mrl|Mystical Space Typhoon
1|Lob|Dark Hole
1|Lob|Monster Reborn

//Traps
3|Gale|Fell Skies Ahead
2|Lod|Bottomless Trap Hole
1|Mrd|Mirror Force
1|Lon|Torrential Tribute
1|Mrd|Solemn Judgment
1|Psv|Call Of The Haunted

//Extra|Deck
1|Dp08|Armory Arm
1|Ha01|Ally of Justice Catastor
1|Gale|Great Exos Fear - Resource Striker
1|Tdgs|Magical Android
1|Wc10|Stygian Sergeants
1|Ha01|Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1|Tdgs|Goyo Guardian
1|Csoc|Black Rose Dragon
1|Tshd|Chaos King Archfiend
1|Gale|Great Exos Fear - Airspace Vanguard
1|5ds1|Colossal Fighter
1|Jump|Hundred-Eyes Dragon
1|Tdgs|Red Dragon Archfiend
1|Tdgs|Stardust Dragon
1|Ha01|Mist Wurm

Why is it...

2010-12-06T22:59:00.003-06:00

that all my favorite Youtube subscriptions get their accounts terminated? It's not fair, I tells ya. =(

Countdown to Pokémon Black and White

2010-12-05T18:13:00.002-06:00

Gravekeeper Format?

2010-11-21T16:35:00.002-06:00

Or America just sucks at YGO. We've never taken worlds, after all...

First through third at YCS Atlanta were GK decks. Pretty surprising, but understandable given what's been played lately. Guess those Noblemen will have to get ready for work.

On the flip side, no GK decks topped YCS Milan. Either it wasn't played by anyone good, or people were good enough to not lose to it. Who really knows?

I am slightly concerned myself, but I'm not freaking out yet.

Shameless Promotion

2010-11-20T14:47:00.002-06:00

I guess? I mean I essentially threw out a card review, so I may as well bring attention to it.

Clickeh!

Sigh

2010-11-16T21:03:00.003-06:00

And yet another TCG exclusive is ruled against precedent for no good reason.

Skull Meister can be activated during the damage step, folks. On one hand, this makes the card much better, but on the other... it simply doesn't make sense. FFFFFUUUUU-

Nothing to fear but fear itself

2010-11-16T18:10:00.002-06:00

No, this post is not going to be about a fucking evil annoying rat, but rather a relatively new Synchro that has been all over the place as of late: Scrap Dragon.

Having generic materials opens up the option to play it in any deck under the sun, and who wouldn't given its ridiculous size and combo potential? Eliminating a threat is always nice, and most decks will have something they can feed to its effect on a regular basis. Have a spare Fluff Token? Infernity Archfiend? Vayu? Perhaps even a Wulf you got for nothing? The possibilities are endless, and it becomes all the stronger a play when the card being blown to bits wants to be in the graveyard. Scrap Dragon sports a mean 2800 ATK and the ability to attack in the same turn it activated its effect, so it's similar to Dark Armed Dragon on the threat scale. Scrappy simply trades multiple destruction for ease of play.

But within the Scrap deck? Oh dear... this thing is like a train. Once it starts moving, it's not likely to stop. Scrap Dragon is vulnerable to Bottomless Trap Hole, Dimensional Prison, Grand Mole, Brionac, and eventually Trishula, but Bottomless is going to be only one of these that will stop it on the turn it enters play to any reliable degree. Since it doesn't care about its location of destruction, Scrap Dragon scoffs at the likes of Solemn Warning in that it's just going to revive a Golem, which will revive a Goblin, which will simply make another Scrap Dragon. What a waste, eh? Similarly, it can run head-on into Mirror Force and not give two shits.

Beyond that, its minions provide the best fodder imaginable to throw to its destruction effect - Scrap Beast and Scrap Goblin make you go +1 for your efforts in the form of a Chimera that'll make another Scrap Dragon or Scrap Archfiend when you need it. Barring those, you can use Treeborn Frog or Level Eater to get rid of cards entirely free of charge. Even a Scrap Searcher that's kicking around works, though that's more likely to pop out of the grave after having used the Dragon's effect for the sake of having another body to use.

Scrap Dragon is a good card in other decks, but within Scraps it's just obscene. I can definitely see a limit if they ever get out of hand.

Errata are good

2010-11-15T16:38:00.002-06:00

Click Meh!

Liberty at Last! works properly now. Have fun spinning stuff. The others are things we already knew for the most part, such as Prisma's dumping of a fusion material being a cost and MBaaS being able to negate effects of face-up cards.

Storm of... of... I don't even

2010-11-14T00:47:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I'm not dead, just hiding in fear of Ragnarok. Or something like that. Admittedly, I was overreacting when I saw Kizan, but man was that not even the half of it when it came to Samurai support... I don't even want to go over all the loops that archetype will have. Q_Q

Naturally, all of them stem from Gateway, so something is going to have to happen to that thing eventually. I have to wonder why they decided to release the thing if they were just going to make it a potential ban candidate.

The Nordic creatures and the Aesir are the other extreme, being nearly impossible to play in any functional manner. The TCG end seems to be trying to change that, but let's be honest, the theme probably needs several broken cards to be reasonable. The odds of pulling a good ultra are going to be 50-50 or less out of all ultras. Bleh.

Thankfully there are a bunch of fun cards in between, from token support to trap monsters to a flexible mini-archetype of tuners.

One way or another, Storm of Ragnarok seems like a money set. Get tons early and trade/sell like mad.

I'm a Pokémon Duelist too.

2010-09-22T08:14:00.014-05:00

What? Why are you looking at me like that? Sure, I haven't been playing for a majority of gen 4's tail end, but gen 5 is shaping up in such a way so as to make me give a shit again. Maybe I'll even end up somewhere near the top of the leader boards.

Okay, that's doubtful, but I really do like a large number of the new pogeys. These are my favorites of the bunch:

#530, Drills (Doryuuzu)

#553, Warubiaru

#563, Deathcon (Desukaan)

#567, Archaeos (Aakeosu)

#579, Rankles (Rankurusu)

#596, Dentula (Denchura)

#628, Wargle (Wooguru)

#637, Urgamoth (Urugamosu)

#647, Celdio (Kerudio)

Names are obviously subject to change upon US release.

I'm just so psyched about all the variety here... at least half of the new Pokémon are going to be OU capable out of the gates, and that's just fantastic. Most of the old favorites are getting ability updates via the Dream World so they can keep up, so they won't all be forced out of the picture as well. It's the dawning of a new age of... balance?

Well, maybe not with how incredibly OP things are looking, but it'll be fun for awhile.

Oh god YGO wtf are you doin

2010-09-16T02:46:00.003-05:00

http://up3.viploader.net/pic/src/viploader1201634.jpg

The True Six Samurai - Kizan
4 Stars/EARTH/Warrior-Type - Effect/1800 ATK/500 DEF
If you control a face-up "Six Samurai" monster other than "The True Six Samurai - Kizan", you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When you control another face-up "Six Samurai" monster other than this card, this card gains 300 ATK and DEF.

WELL THEN.

Anyone who cares better get their Six Sam crap THIS INSTANT because they're going to be an easy top tier candidate with much derp derp OTK potential at their disposal.

On that note, I have a Gateway of the Six I want to trade off. Any takers?

ffffffuuuuu-

2010-09-15T21:28:00.001-05:00

Why does Fly miss all the goddamn time?

Massive grind fest etc.

2010-09-15T17:44:00.000-05:00

Don't expect a nuzlocke update for a few days. Nothing of import is happening. Just gathering the pieces for the final showdown.

Victory is mine?

2010-09-14T20:55:00.002-05:00

At last, Victory Road. A legitimate place to level grind. Things should be smooth sailing from here, if not extremely tedious. If Take Off picks up enough Ultra Balls, I may have a go at getting Regice. In the mean time, I need to farm Sitrus Berries and hope to pick up Full Restores and the like.

Juan's Kingdra scared me. Thing was too bulky, man, but at least I had the answer to Double Team spam - Shock Wave AND Aerial Ace on Sora. lol

Down the Drain...

2010-09-14T20:11:00.002-05:00

Well, I lucked out and found a Relicanth underwater to go with my Wailmer.

The catch-22 is that I had to use all my balls on it, including the Master Ball. Take Off, be a bro and pick up over 9000 ultras, please.

Also, Liza and Tate bent over and took double Surfs ftw.

Shell Armor

2010-09-14T19:00:00.002-05:00

Immunity to critical hits.

This Crawdaunt might actually be more useful than I could have hoped.

Yet another casualty

2010-09-14T17:50:00.003-05:00

This time, Moar the Cradily took a heavy hit from a Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat (these things are bloody death traps). Stranger (Vileplume) will have to do for the grass slot, it seems. :/

Well, it's not all bad. Stranger DOES have Aromatherapy to help the party out of jams.

Now in the process of raising Crown the Crawdaunt to take on Liza and Tate. Kitchen the Torkoal, who came to me courtesy of the Magma Hideout, is also in the ranks, and hopefully will be pretty reliable due to her general bulk.

The grind... as usual.

2010-09-14T17:00:00.002-05:00

Yeahhh trying to raise multiple new party members takes time. That, and this excursion to the rapids west of Pacifidlog is proving to be a little painstaking when it comes to hitting everything.

Bowling fell to a Gyarados's Dragon Rage because he couldn't fucking finish the job. Good riddance to bad Pokémon, I say.

Touch of death

2010-09-13T22:04:00.003-05:00

Dammit, Mt. Pyre. You just have to jinx me, don't ya? A Wob Mirror Coat took out Ultros, cleanly. Sigh. There goes my Ice Beam.

Thankfully I have dudes to fill slots this time.

Also, the Shuppet I ran by killed itself with Curse. Great.

I believe I can fly

2010-09-13T21:11:00.002-05:00

Ultros (Tentacruel) - 39
Sora (Pelipper) - 47
Cancer (Crobat) - 44
Stranger (Vileplume) - 44
Take Off (Linoone) - 25
Bouncer (Wobbuffet) - 32

Yusss. My HM capability has been restored, and my movement is better than ever. Winona was completely decimated by Ultros using Ice Beam, and everyone in between was no trouble at all. The team is going places.

Oh yeah, and Coconuts the Tropius is in the PC, likely to never be touched, but who knows... maybe Take Off will go down somehow. Speaking of which, he's a real pal what with all the HM whoring and Pick Up. He's already gotten a Full Heal, Super Potion, and Rare Candy.

Back on course

2010-09-13T19:29:00.003-05:00

Alrighty, that little Surfing excursion led to some new pals and new treasures.

Team is now as follows:

Sora (Pelipper)(f) Lv44
Stranger (Gloom)(m) Lv42
Cancer (Crobat)(f) Lv42
Ultros (Tentacruel)(m) Lv32
Take Off (Every Zig, er... Zigzagoon)(m) Lv24
Wynaut Egg

Bowling the Voltorb is also currently boxed for later use.

Take Off will be particularly valuable for its Pick Up ability and access to Strength.

Other than that, Cancer has Return and Sludge Bomb, and as such is a complete powerhouse. I don't have any plans for Ice Beam or Thunderbolt just yet, but having them will make life easier for sure. Exp Share is working wonders.

Over the river and through the woods

2010-09-13T17:52:00.001-05:00

To wherever it is we go. Norman is down and out, with no casualties to boot! Surf brings access to many new areas, so the next report may be awhile.

Okay

2010-09-13T17:40:00.001-05:00

I know I said I wasn't going back to that gym until these dudes were at 42, but I'm bored as shit, so 40, 40, 41 will have to do. Wish me luck. :S

Protect > Slaking

Gotta sleep sometime...

2010-09-13T02:03:00.002-05:00

LV 36 Golbat (Cancer)
LV 30 Pelipper (Sora)
LV 29 Gloom (Stranger)

We have to grind in the land of underleveled midgets, for losing Shaggy and Skippy also lost all ability to use Rock Smash. No matter how you look at it, though... I can't risk going back to the damn old man's gym until everyone is at least at 42. Even then I don't like the odds against a Slacking that is so awesome it evolved before its evolution level.

Can't get worse? Yeah, right...

2010-09-13T01:00:00.003-05:00

And then Skippy fell at the hands of a Wigglytuff Double-Edge - a crit, obviously. How can I fucking level grind if everyone up and dies on me. ._.;

Of course, the Swords Dancing Zangoose spelled doom for Shaggy. FML.

I'm about to give up on this garbage at the rate it's going.

Grind moar fgt

2010-09-13T00:37:00.002-05:00

...I obviously didn't learn my lesson from the last time. Well, a random Kecleon Flamethrower took out a freshly recruited Machop - Plate - who was actually kicking ass despite being a newbie. Overheat from Flannery's Torkoal also caused a casualty, this one much more severe. Poor, poor Rexbolt. I mean, I have the elec coverage with Sora, but still, that's harsh, what with having banked on him to take down later leaders and elites.

This sucks. Badly.

Let's see what the desert has to offer...

Wattson and Winstrates and Whargharbles

2010-09-12T22:45:00.002-05:00

Wattson's puny lightning-flingers couldn't do a thing to Skippy. Even all his attempts at the threatening Sonic Boom managed to miss. Shock Wave was later thrown on Sora, since an electricity shooting pelican is funny, plus it offers better type coverage - always a good thing.

The Winstrates couldn't handle Skippy either. He's just way too massive for most trainers at this stage of the game.

On my trek up north, I encountered Shaggy the Numel. I couldn't say no to the stoner. Well, I wanted to, but that Torkoal fell to a random crit from Thief, so I had no choice but to keep Shaggy and hope for the best. It's not going so bad, actually. Magnitude is at least somewhat reliable even if Ember isn't.

Too much Smog on the way to Fallarbor. Thank god for the old lady's rest house.

The Double Teaming Swellow pissed me off something fierce. It could have been the end... hence my desire to actually use the otherwise garbage Shock Wave.

Bring it on, mountain place and Magma goons. Things couldn't possibly get worse.

Mauville is awesome

2010-09-12T22:13:00.004-05:00

...well, not so much since I can't have the Coin Case, but the outskirts of the city graced me with an Oddish, which I promptly caught and named Stranger. My Cut problems are solved! Bring it on, Trick Master. The trip down Cycling Road was worth the scare due to Sonic Booms.

The horror

2010-09-12T21:33:00.003-05:00

I was not prepared for that Grovyle... no, sir. Thankfully, Rexbolt held on with a berry he stole from some punk's Minun (Thief is awesome), but Pursuit almost did him in all the same. However, even if he fell, the paralysis was very important to throw down - without it, I doubt Sora would have been able to finish the job. Granted, she crit haxed with a Wing Attack, so it didn't matter much, but you have to plan for the worst.

Time to spam this spiffy new Item Finder. Thanks, May!

A glimmer of hope

2010-09-12T20:34:00.002-05:00

I knew I had to move on after the loss of Cloak the Nincada - it wouldn't do me any good to sit around moaning. So, I departed for Slateport. The beach bums couldn't hold a candle to Sora and Skippy, so I had no worries there. I put off visiting the refreshment house in favor of hitting up the Slateport Battle Tent, which was a cool place what with the rentals taking the stress off. Barboach and Plusle were pals, running through everything in their way. The result was a Full Heal - not bad.

Outside the city limits I happened across my Electrike, Rexbolt. He will no doubt serve me well in the future. I'm looking at you, Wallace.

Not sure what to do about the Cut dilemma yet, but I suppose that will come in due time. For now, I'll chill in the area - perhaps kick some Aqua ass.

Do the Dew

2010-09-12T19:52:00.005-05:00

The trip to Dewford went swimmingly, of course, minus the call from the old man. Briney is a pretty cool guy for helping a kid out.

Being the cool kid, I ventured through Dewford's nearby cave and delivered Steven's letter without Flash. Who needs it anyway? Sand Attack is more reliable...

Sora, Skippy, and Cloak were prepared to take Brawly in full force. Or so I thought... the poor little bug couldn't hang on in the face of a critical Vital Throw.

Oh, why did this have to happen... Cloak's lack of a good STAB move was a bit depressing, sure, but that bitchin' Silk Scarf made sure he could Cut things to ribbons in the meantime. Now what'll I do about random trees? I'll just have to find a replacement...

Maybe I should ask the trendy people in the area. They're good for something, it seems, what with having given me the Silk Scarf. But "Different Comics"? How can that be what's hip and happening? The world may never know.

R.I.P. Cloak.

Rustboro folk are rusty

2010-09-12T18:36:00.004-05:00

No difficulty here, though I must thank that little boy for the Premiere Ball - it snared a cuddly Nincada on the route beyond. Will it be a full-fledged team member? Only time will tell, but its ability to use Dig will no doubt be helpful in the long run, not to mention Cut right now!

Roxanne? A joke. Between my X-Defend and Skippy's mighty ground typing, she had no prayer.

Petalburg (Woods) Presents...

2010-09-12T18:13:00.004-05:00

A Wurmple. I must decline. It's better for the overall health of the group.

Team Aqua Grunt runs off crying like a little girl at the site of my overpowered bird. I would too, honestly.

Route 102 in all its glory

2010-09-12T17:36:00.003-05:00

After Sora utterly destroyed the fools thinking they could challenge me, I opted not to catch the Poochyena that decided to wander across my path. I would have named her Lassy, but let's face it; the dog just isn't that useful, and Pokéballs are a precious resource.

An unexpected turnaround

2010-09-12T17:17:00.004-05:00

Having been fortunate enough to not encounter a wild Pokémon on Route 103 on my way to May, I promptly returned after receiving my Pokéballs. Lo and behold, a lovely lady Wingull was there to greet me. A single Water Gun from Skippy set up the capture, and a lucky capture it is - I will be able to Fly, guaranteed. Welcome to the party, Sora.

Already off to a bad start

2010-09-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

Skippy the Mudkip is Modest.

Fuck my life.

Hijacking my own blog kthnx

2010-09-12T16:17:00.001-05:00

To record my Nuzlocke Challenge for Pokémon Emerald. My rules are as follows:

1. Release a Pokémon if it faints. Death is very real.

2. You may only catch the first Pokémon in an area, with events counting as their respective areas (not like there's much else in those places anyway). No Pokéballs? Bummer, dude.

3. Nickname all the Pokémon you receive. They are your friends, after all.

4. No trading. Not with people, not with NPCs.

5. You may use only the items you find or are handed; you cannot buy anything, as you are saving money to open your own gym someday. Exceptions can only be made for required items.

6. Set battles only. You're a man; act like it.

7. If everyone faints and none remain in the PC, your journey is over.

8. Save only to take breaks. No reset abuse. :/

Under the Sea

2010-09-08T08:23:00.002-05:00

In America!

2010-09-08T05:20:00.003-05:00

Wargle. I want it. Nao.

[/Pokéfaggotry]

Zero Still Kicking

2010-09-06T00:52:00.003-05:00

New Format Morphtronics

2010-08-20T01:56:00.002-05:00

I have to say this incarnation is working better than the deck ever has in its life.

x3 Cyber Dragon
x3 Genex Neutron
x3 Morphtronic Radion
x3 Morphtronic Scopen
x3 Morphtronic Boomboxen
x2 Honest
x1 Morphtronic Remoten
x1 Morphtronic Celfon
x1 Sangan
x1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

Lots of search and high power, be it standalone or with combos. A great improvement over Morph lineups I've used previously. I've finally seen the light one one Celfon; it's just more consistent that way, especially when reducing the Morph count to remove mediocre members of the team like Boarden, who serves as nothing more than a specialized OTK card.

x1 Dark Hole
x1 Monster Reborn
x1 Scapegoat
x1 Limiter Removal
x1 Giant Trunade
x2 Mystical Space Typhoon
x2 Pot of Avarice
x3 Junk Box

With the deck spamming Synchros via Scopen all the time and the boon of Honest, activating Avarice is easier than ever, and it certainly tends to pay off, often grabbing the last couple cards for the winning push. Monster Reborn and Dark Hole have only increased their power, and have done so more than Brain Control and Heavy Storm ever did. Goats is to make up for lacking defense and open up Naturia Synchro options.

x2 Bottomless Trap Hole
x2 Dust Tornado
x1 Torrential Tribute
x1 Solemn Judgment
x1 Trap Dustshoot

Bare essentials. Debating Dustshoot, honestly, since it's not seemingly great in such an aggro deck.

x1 Armory Arm
x1 Ally of Justice Catastor
x1 Naturia Beast
x1 Goyo Guardian
x1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
x1 Scrap Archfiend
x1 Black Rose Dragon
x1 Power Tool Dragon
x1 Ancient Sacred Wyvern
x1 Colossal Fighter
x2 Stardust Dragon
x1 Scrap Dragon
x1 Mist Wurm
x1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

Still fiddling with the extra; not sure if I want to use a second BRD or not, and if so, what it would go over. The second Stardust struck me as a necessity since Cyber makes level 8 synchros ridiculously commonplace, and if the Road is going to be mained/sided, so much the better. For the most part, you can just Pot things back. I'm just slightly concerned about Bottomless and D Prison hitting my 1-ofs.

I'm lovin' it

2010-08-18T04:35:00.003-05:00

So for those who haven't seen the changes to the list, at least on the OCG end...

Banned:

Rescue Cat
Heavy Storm
Brain Control
Substitoad

Limited:

Black Whirlwind
Royal Oppression
Infernity Launcher
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Monster Reborn
Dark Hole

Semi:
Mystical Space Typhoon
Chaos Sorcerer
Snipe Hunter
Ojama Trio
Magic Cylinder

Unlimited:

Black Rose Dragon
Goblin Zombie
Cyber Dragon
Treeborn Frog
Royal Decree
United We Stand

Quite impressive. All the demons that ruled the format have been knocked off their high horses (except perhaps Sabers, but without Heavy and Cat they'll be a lot more tame), and the various restriction easing leads to a road where there's even more diversity than we've been seeing.

Granted, a few of these are rather LOLWUT (Hole, Reborn, Sorc), but I'm not really complaining about any of this.

...okay, maybe I'm not happy about 2 MST, but that's it.

Satchel was here. Lyndis is a loser.

2010-08-04T03:18:00.002-05:00

...yeah this hack is starting to get there.

In YGO news... Storm of Ragnarok. The product details have me rather amped, but then, that's what they're supposed to do, no?

It's really the calm before the storm in the YGO world though... not much going on until the end of the month as people are getting sick of playing and looking forward to the coming format. That's probably why I've been working on Fire Emblem: The Seven Songs instead.

Cool Story, Bro.

2010-08-01T23:29:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been hacking Fire Emblem 7. The game play and script is completed through chapter 10. I'm sitting around waiting for graphical assistance so I can put the finishing touches on what I have so far.

Toy Store, Toy Store, Toy Store!

2010-07-19T01:05:00.001-05:00

Praise be to Neuxcharge

2010-07-17T23:06:00.001-05:00

Grow-Up Bulb

2010-07-14T12:55:00.003-05:00

Apparently, it's the last anime monster in Starstrike Blast.

Level 1/EARTH
Plant/Tuner

You can send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. You can only activate the effect of "Grow-Up Bulb" once per duel.

100/100

Hi, we're Konami, and we don't learn from our mistakes. Enjoy this new, universally splashable tuner!

I believe I shall! Naturally, this guy will fit better in decks like Lightsworn or dedicated Plants that can toss it into the grave quickly and effortlessly, cashing in on the synergy in the process.

Now the question is... Quickdraw Plants, or straight up Synchron? I don't even know.

US Nats

2010-07-11T17:37:00.001-05:00

Seems like Sabers finally got their win... dear lord I hope they get hit in at least some fashion on the September list, or otherwise we're going to be staring down another tier 0 format.

Right, I haz a blog...

2010-07-10T17:30:00.001-05:00

Nearly finalized September predictions.

Newly Forbidden:

None

Newly Limited:

Battle Fader
Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
Cyber Dragon
Dark Grepher
Infernity Inferno
Infernity Necromancer
Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
Royal Oppression
Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
Stardust Dragon
Substitoad
Treeborn Frog
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
X-Saber Airbellum

Newly Semi-Limited:

Dust Tornado
Infernity Archfiend
Infernity Launcher
Mirror Force
Swap Frog

Newly Unlimited:

Goblin Zombie
Gold Sarcophagus
United We Stand

First for Everything...

2010-06-23T23:02:00.002-05:00

I got hives.

Q_Q

My guess is the soap/shampoo from the hotel since it was really the only thing out of the ordinary I came into contact with over the weekend, but who can really know?

La Dee Da

2010-06-17T23:11:00.001-05:00

Random CAC today. I almost went overboard with it. Even now it might be a little over the line.

Blackwing - Swift the Storm Front
Level 2/DARK/Winged Beast/Effect

When this card is Summoned, Trap Cards cannot be activated. This card can attack twice during the same Battle Phase.

ATK/500 DEF/500

Your Head A Splode

2010-06-16T22:30:00.002-05:00

Completely off-topic, so sorry to disappoint anyone who might care about this lowly little blog, but...

I found a can of fruit and half a liter of Hawaiian Punch in my closet. That would explain the ants! ._.

So I dragged that trash out of there, threw it away, wiped up what I could, and gave that place a swift strike of Raid. Here's hoping that's the end of the invasion.

I dunno about you, but I certainly don't have an affinity for either of those things, let alone to the point where I'd actually hoard and store them, so it seems like I have all the more reason to disdain a certain pair of hell-raisers.

A Rare Format... ka

2010-05-28T23:19:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-28T02:45:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-28T00:07:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-26T18:49:00.003-05:00

//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

2010-05-26T12:58:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-25T21:30:00.002-05:00

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...

2010-05-24T23:45:00.000-05:00

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.

2010-05-24T23:05:00.000-05:00

Yeah.

Want Naturia Naoooo

2010-05-23T22:07:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-21T23:12:00.002-05:00

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?

2010-05-21T21:18:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-05-20T20:12:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-19T22:04:00.002-05:00

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

8|

Inappropriate Joke Goes Here

2010-05-18T20:36:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-17T21:39:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-16T22:02:00.003-05:00

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...

2010-05-15T22:47:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-14T22:03:00.002-05:00

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!!!

2010-05-13T22:55:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-12T13:52:00.003-05:00

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.

2010-05-12T00:22:00.003-05:00

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?

2010-05-10T18:09:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-08T17:30:00.001-05:00

In the Year 2000

2010-05-07T08:02:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-06T21:10:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-06T00:39:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-04T19:00:00.002-05:00

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...

2010-05-03T21:13:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-02T22:25:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-05-01T18:16:00.003-05:00

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.

Info Info Info

2010-04-30T17:59:00.003-05:00

Well, TSHD sneak kits were cracked (illegally as always), and stuff is up on eBay. As a result, all rarities for the set are known, as well as names.

"Into the Void" made the jump from common to Ultra this time, and understandably so since it was designed for Infernity, but also every FTK deck under the sun...

Joining it is "Cards for Black Feathers" for obvious reasons. It must be a law for themed draw spells to get upgraded.

"Genex Neutron" made it into the set as a secret rare. While the rarity depresses me, I can forgive; this was possibly my most wanted OCG-only card. It's going straight into my Morphtronic drafts.

"Chaos Goddess" is the first case of a core set card getting upgraded to secret rare in a long time. I don't mind so much considering how bad it is, plus it's tradition for fairies to be secret rare in the TCG. lol

The DT cards are mostly commons (including "Genex Controller!") with AOJ Light Gazer and "Hydro Genex" being supers.

In the midst of all the upgrades, "Koa'ki Meiru Sandman," "Morphtronic Vacuumen," and "Ronintoadin" seem to have been downgraded to commons.

I could go on, really. If there's anything you don't know that you'd like to ask, go ahead.

The New, The Nerfed

2010-04-29T21:08:00.002-05:00

Looking at cards like "Damage Gate" has to make one question the status of other cards at times.

It hasn't been a common practice lately, but around the GX era, it wasn't unusual to see weaker versions of overpowered cards being printed, either as a way to justify forbidding said overpowered cards, or to replace a card that was already forbidden. A classic example would be "Brain Control" taking the slot of "Change of Heart" in the legal card pool. Of course, this probably isn't the best example considering how ridiculous "Brain Control" is even with the added limitations compared to its senior.

"Damage Gate" just seems like it's setting up for one final ban on "Call of the Haunted," which is pretty depressing since Call has been a relatively healthy addition to the card pool lately, not even making full blown staple status.

If it happens, it happens, I guess.

Nnnothing

2010-04-28T22:26:00.003-05:00

I guess the folks over in the Konami office have been super busy lately what with the last Jump and all, since there hasn't been an article on the strategy site for a couple days now...

On that note, I can't really think of anything to say either. The calm before the storm, I guess?

TSHD this weekend.

Ruling Corner - Drill Warrior

2010-04-27T21:54:00.002-05:00

This guy is causing quite a stir, so I'd figure I'd let everyone know about a relevant situation that finally got an official answer.

Chaining "Book of Moon" to the effect of "Drill Warrior" to remove itself from play doesn't do anything. The face-down "Drill Warrior" is still "this card" and recognized by the game state as such. It will be removed from play (face-up as per default), and a card will be discarded.

This is similar to how "Judgment Dragon" and Demise do not destroy themselves with their effects if they are flipped face-down, as they are still "this card."

Cards that refer to themselves by name, or say they need to remain face-up, are obviously another issue altogether and behave a different way.

Meow Meow You Dai Nao

2010-04-26T22:13:00.002-05:00

Ban Cat. For the love of all that is good, ban Cat.

Cat becoming Hyunlei is already way over the top, but the fact that it pluses even more is ridiculous.

Otherwise I wouldn't have anything against the themed "Sangan."

Less QQ More Pew Pew

2010-04-25T20:25:00.004-05:00

The results are in for SJC Edison, and a total of 3 Quickdraw Dandywarrior decks made the top 16 and consequently the top 8.

Jeff Jones piloted the deck to a first place finish! Along the way he triumphed in the mirror match with what seemed like relative ease.

I have to say that I'm amazed. The deck is relatively young compared to those that have been topping regional qualifiers left and right since March, but it just goes to show that previous results don't mean anywhere near as much as many like to believe, since the deck just performed better than every other in attendance!

A price hike on key cards is inevitable now, as is a popularity spike. I can't blame people for that, though. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying that the deck is fun as hell. The fact it performs well doesn't change that.

Of course, the meta will see another shift in a couple of weeks with the release of The Shining Darkness. I have to wonder how the deck will hold up in the face of the OTK/FTK slant that's sure in coming.

Hopefully well enough to stay on the map. It'd be depressing if people gave up on the deck before the release of "Junk Destroyer" kicks it up another notch.

Obligatory Reporting Fail

2010-04-24T20:52:00.003-05:00

Somewhere in here.

"With Necrovalley protected, the boost to his monsters is secured and the effects of his opponent’s Drill Warrior, Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honor, Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow, Rekindling, Call of the Haunted, and Necro Gardna are shut down."

It may seem pretentious of me, but mistakes like these are made at every event, and it's incredibly irritating. People, for the most part, are very impressionable, especially kids, and they wouldn't bat an eyelash to take this all as fact. Not only does this lead to TONS of misinformed people, but it leaves judges needing to correct them.

I should probably explain what's the matter here.

In the TCG, Necrovalley reads and functions as follows:

"Negate the effects of Spells, Traps and Effect Monsters that target a card(s) in either player's Graveyard. Cards in either player's Graveyard cannot be removed from play. All "Gravekeeper's" monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF."

As such, cards that do not target are not affected by it. This means that "Rekindling" and "Drill Warrior" are free to do what they want. In the OCG, these effects would be negated, as they take other cards in the graveyard and move them elsewhere, but in the TCG, we have to play by TCG rules.

"Blackwing - Kalut the Moonshadow" is unaffected by "Necrovalley" in both CGs, as it does not target anything in the graveyard or remove anything in the graves from play. It's possible this was a typo intended to be "Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North," who will be negated in both CGs.

/bitching

Children's Card Game..?

2010-04-23T22:04:00.003-05:00

It's... not. I realize now how difficult it is to teach this game to kids. They forget even the tiniest of details, and... uhg. There's a whole world of difference between this and educating people with a high school reading level or greater, that's for sure.

I ended up throwing together a practice deck I thought was simple enough to follow, but maybe it's not?

x6 Gadgets
x3 Nimble Momonga
x3 Junk Synchron
x2 Legendary Jujitsu Master
x2 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
x1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
x1 Snipe Hunter
x1 Spirit Reaper
x1 Magical Merchant

x3 Smashing Ground
x2 Shrink
x1 Heavy Storm
x1 Mystical Space Typhoon
x1 Nobleman of Extermination
x1 Nobleman of Crossout
x1 Brain Control

x3 Trap Hole
x1 Torrential Tribute
x1 Trap Dustshoot
x1 Call of the Haunted
x1 Divine Wrath
x1 Dust Tornado
x1 Magic Drain

...yes, these all came out of my common and rare piles. Extra deck is... whatever.

No idea where to go next in teaching the nephew.