A sign of things to come - YCS Atlanta

Hi guys, YCS Atlanta is imminent with YCS Guadalajara finishing recently. The winner of the Mexican tournament was Oscar Zavala, piloting what many duelists now consider to be a weak deck - Six Samurai. I cannot say for sure why Six Samurais won in a format where Wind-Ups, Inzektors and Dino Rabbit are not hindered by the banlist, but I can probably hazard a guess and say that it's because Mexico doesn't have a hold of all the powerful, rare cards needed for the top decks. That's not to say that Six Samurai is a weak deck though, even with Gateway being limited, the Samurais have gained support in Asceticism of the Six Samurai that still pumps out the early Shi Ens. But this post is not about Six Samurais, rather what we can expect at YCS Atlanta.

We have talked about Maxx "C" and Effect Veiler already. I expect every meta deck that tops YCS Atlanta to run both, probably three copies of Maxx "C" and at least one Effect Veiler. The reason for this is Maxx "C" stops the Wind-Up loop cold, as it allows you to draw more cards than the Wind-Up player can mill from your hand. Veiler also prevents their Ignition effects from being used. Veiler also stops Inzektors, the other strong archetype of this format, as well as Dino Rabbit. Keep an eye out for the kind of plays that the top players initiate with these hand traps - the ubiquity of the cards means that some interesting counterplays will be seen too. One of my favourite plays to force out Maxx C is to Summon Tour Guide into Sangan, and simply set back row. I'll leave with my +1 while my opponent has dropped Maxx C just to draw another.

One of the most powerful cards of the format

It was interesting to see that in Top 16 at Guadalajara, 5, or just over a quarter of the decks were of the Wind-Up archetype. This was consistent with the 9 pure Wind-Up decks found in the top 32. However, no Wind-Up decks were found in the top 4, instead Inzektors represented two of the Top 4 decks, with one falling to Zavala and his Samurais in the final. I expect Wind-Ups to top Atlanta, however, as I feel that the North American Yu-Gi-Oh! community is much more aware of the power of the Wind-Ups.

Agents have always been the dark horse - people are aware of their power, and they are expected to be hit by the banlist due to the power of their boss monsters. However, the solitary Agent deck at Guadalajara was a Fairy-based one, as opposed to Chaos Agents or T.G. Agents. I think the Chaos variant will top Atlanta, since it does not care too much about the Wind-Up matchup. While Hunter is capable of killing 4 cards in hand (until Daigusto Emeral is released in the TCG), Chaos Agents are capable of topdecking strong cards like Tour Guide from the Underworld, Chaos Sorcerer, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Archlord Kristya and Master Hyperion, all of which can turn a duel around even with card disadvantage.

I am looking forward to the performance of Ninjas and Karakuris, considered to be second-tier decks. I feel that the Ninja engine hasn't been fully fleshed out yet, the fact that they have 3 Stratos equivalents in every deck should be enough to have them considered viable in competitive play.

It's hard to deny that with the release of Wind-Ups, the game is becoming a diceroll. However, smart players will be able to play around them, as seen at Guadalajara. I am very excited for YCS Atlanta, and as it is the last YCS in which Wind-Ups, Inzektors, Dino Rabbit and Agents are untouched, we should see what may be the last, most refined variants of those deck types. A lot of players couldn't find a way to improve Dino Rabbit after Ping Xiao's performance at Brighton, for example. However, the North American community should be able to build upon the knowledge they gained from Brighton and Guadalajara to give us a good show.

Agents

Monsters: 23
The Agent of creation- Venus x3
The Agent of mystery- Earth x3
Master Hyperion x3
Mystical Shine Ball x3
Archlord Kristya x2
Junk Synchron x2
Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the beginning x1
Spirit reaper x2
Thunder King Rai-Oh x2
Morphing Jar x1

Spells: 10
Smashing Ground x2
Pot Of Duality x3
Monster Reborn x1
Heavy storm x1
Dark hole x1
Mystical Space Typhoon x2

Traps: 7
Solemn Judgment x1
Torrential Tribute x1
Dimensional Prison x1
Mirror Force x1
Mind Crush x2
Trap Dustshoot x1

Extra Deck: 15
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier x1
Ally Of Justice Catstor x1
T.G. Hyper Librarian x1
Junk Warrior x1
Stardust Dragon x1
Junk Destroyer x1
Black Rose Dragon x1
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier x1
Leviair The Sea Dragon x1
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon x1
Number 39: Utopia x1
Gachi Gachi Gantetsu x2
Wind-up Zenmaines x2


Side deck is really your own preference.
I don't think I will post up my side deck list because as I said it really is your own preference and a wise duelist wouldn't reveal it until a YCS is over.

Deck discussion time:
The agent deck is a fairy themed deck based around the 'Agents'. With cards like Black luster soldier- Envoy of the beginning (BLS for short) and Master hyperion and Archlord Kristya as the boss monsters. The ideal start would consist of The agent of mystery - Earth or The agent of creation- Venus.

Your aim:
1. Use Venus and bring out all the Shine Balls. Form gachi gachi and watch as his presence applies pressure to your opponent.
2. GRAVEYARD CONTROL keep an eye on your graveyard and know exactly how many faries will be in there by the end of each play. It is crucial to have cards like Master Hyperion for fine graveyard control.
3. Clear any threats with cards like smashing ground and remove any cards in the back.
4. Drop boss monsters such as BLS, master hyperion and archlord kristya. Swing for game with certainty, Hyperion blows up any cards with his awesome effect. Kristya makes any chance of comeback almost impossible.

Try this out:
Summon Earth and add Venus to your hand. If your Earth is lucky enough to survive summon Venus and bring out all them shine balls and xyz for two Gachi Gachis. Next turn summon another level 3 such as Junk Synchron or Venus and xyz for Wind-up Zenmaines. Now you have on the field what I personally call, ' The Great Wall of China'. If you have ever faced down a Gachi Gachi or Wind-up Zenmaines you will understand the hell it causes. For those who don't understand those cards must be killed 3 times in total in most situations. The only realistic way to break through this wall is to use Neo spacian Grand mole or use multiple copies of Compulsory evacuation device.

Interesting Choices:
Junk Synchron:
I choose this card because this deck has little synchro potential and I believe synchros are too important to be written off just yet, even with the dawn of the xyz. Thinking beyond the synchro dimension, Junk synchron also helps xyz summoning, he's a level 3 which means more xyz material and the level 2 he brings back can be used as xyz material for gachi gachi. Junk synchron isn't the best card in my opinion and in majority of matches I will side him out for game 2.
Thunder King Rai-Oh:
Not really much of a personal tech some people run it. Summoning a Rai-oh can cripple an opponent before their turn has even begun. Those search cards just sit dead in the hand and more often than not Rai-oh will always force a 1 for 1 which is great. Just be careful not to have any earths or pot of dualities in your hand while Rai-oh is on the field.
Morphing Jar:
A recent addition to the deck. There is no real purpose he serves other than allowing more draw power because hand advantage can get low and Agents really struggle to come back if they don't have Hyperion. Also that level 2 makes him a Junk synchron target and gachi material.

Conclusion:
This deck performs well with it's strong openings and devastating late game potential. The only downfall to this deck is the chance of opening with 1 or more Mystical Shine Balls in hand. But that possibility happens to every deck, it's just this deck has it worse when that happens. Overall the plays this deck can make are great and Kristya really gives the opponent no options once he's dominating the field.
Deck rating: 8.5/10
Negatives: Slow openings for this deck can leave it very vulnerable to decks such as Rabbit Dino.