A guide to winning with subpar decks

So today I went to Paramatta with my girlfriend and we participated in the Sealed pack play that I talked about in my previous post. We both paid our $40 entry fee and received our 9 booster packs. I was rather disappointed with each pack I opened as I didn't get any extremely broken cards like Raigeki or Haripe's Feather Duster. But nevertheless I did pull good cards like Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness and Pot of Duality. My girlfriend (Jenny) pulled some pretty amazing cards such as Utopia, Raigeki, Soul exchange, Beast King Barboras, Forbidden lance, Fiendish chain. When I saw her cards I actually did lost a bit of hope of winning the tournament and felt like giving up but I built my deck in the end and even built hers for her.

This is the deck I ended up using in my tournament for sealed pack play.

If you recognise my cards you'll also realise it's not the best deck considering how many other cards were in the pack that I could've gotten. But like I said, this is a guide to winning. I cannot stress how important it is to maintain your composure and stay positive even while using a bad deck. Sadly this was not the case for me and I went into the tournament thinking, just ease up you'll never win with these kind of cards.

In my first round I actually lost my fist game then won 2 games straight by beating my opponent down with my level 4 monsters. My Caius the Shadow monarch actually managed to win the game for me.

After winning round 1, I was exhilarated and shocked. The guy had so many good cards and had a few chances to win the duel, but I guess I managed to time key cards like dark bribe at the right time.

Second round was a shocker. Despite winning I was paired with a person who lost their first round, even more surprising, it was Jenny. Nothing really special about this match it was a quick 2-0 win for me. But there was one rather good play on behalf where I was going to blast sphere her Mobius equipped with a united we stand for 4000 damage. But she used Darkworld shackles to lower her monster to 100 attack points and save herself for a while.

Going into round 3 I was definitely worried, the guy had amazingly broken cards like Pot of Greed and Gorz and Lance. After copping a quick beating in round 1, I was convinced my hopes of winning were crushed. But after some really intense clutch plays, I managed to win the duel. One crucial misplay on my opponents part cost him the match. This is an important part to the game, being able to see your opponents misplays and capitalise on them.

This was it, final round, the bubble. I was secretly mentally preparing myself for the finals but a part of me just couldn't help but feel like the first 3 rounds were all luck and luck can only get you so far. My friend Wayne showed up and we talked a bit about my deck and he thought I had a fighting chance considering the sort of players in the area. The finals began and Wayne was judging. My opponent managed to win a very intense game 1 with a well resolved Raigeki. Despite several misplays on both our behalves (which Wayne was only too happy to point out each time) we managed to get to a 1-1 state where the third game would decide it all. After many swings in momentum the game eventually settled down to me having a 2400 attack monster and the opponent having 2 monsters weaker than it. Unfortunately he drew an Offerings to the doom spell card and sealed the game with that.

So there you have it, my road to second place with an incredibly subpar deck. I don't regret too much because I'm simply so grateful that I managed to utilise my experience in Yu-Gi-Oh to carry a deck so far.  This could have just been a test to see how well I can duel under such circumstances. Jenny went 2-2 if you were curious, she lost 2 then won 2.  I won $15 prize money and used it to buy 2 packs of sleeves for my cards. This post wasn't intended to boast about myself but to inspire those who have bad luck with pulls at sneak peeks and sealed plays, I know I have really bad luck at these sort of events so today was rather special for me.

Battle pack: Epic Dawn

To be honest, when I first read about this 'Battle Pack: Epic Dawn" I was like it sounds crap. Then I heard that Tour Guide from the Underworld was going to be re-printed in it, I was like okay change of heart. (See what I did there?) Anyways, for those who are wondering what's so amazing about this pack, it's a pure reprint pack. A reprint is basically a card from a previous pack which has been printed again to make it easier to get. For the full list of cards in Battle Pack: Epic Dawn click on the link below

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_Pack:_Epic_Dawn

If you look through most of these cards you'll notice some familiar names and perhaps some you've never heard of. As a Yu-Gi-Oh veteran I didn't even recognise every card I saw. Obvious highlights of this pack would be stuff like Tour Guide from the Underworld, Gorz the Emissary of darkness, Fiendish chain, forbidden chalice and forbidden lance and a whole bunch of other goodies you might see fit for your current deck. This pack also brings with it a new interesting twist of its own. A whole new way to play called sealed pack play. What is this you might ask. Basically, the most simplest way to do this is buy an entire box of Battle Pack: Epic Dawn and split the packs amongst 2 other friends. What happens is each player opens a pack and selects a card then passes on the rest of the cards for the opponent to choose one. This happens until you have opened all the packs and everybody has their pool of cards. You can either choose to play with 40 cards per deck or 20. Sealed draft play is a new concept in Yu-Gi-Oh so I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on it since I have as much experience as any other person out there: 0. All I know is that it brings about a whole new exciting and fun way to play Yu-Gi-Oh.

There is also a new type of rarity in this set called the 'Starfoil rare'. This new rarity is inspired by Japan because they have their own version of this called 'Duel Terminal rare'. I took the liberty of buying a few of these packs myself the other day to share with you guys what the starfoil rare looks like. So here it is:

Big things coming!

I don't want to have to apologise for our recent delay in getting posts up, but the workload of the HSC is starting to get to me. However, Alex and myself are currently putting together two decks - a Lightray/Lightsworn hybrid, and a Chaos Dragons deck. We expect to be able to use these decks at a competitive level eventually, attending local tournaments and such.

I'll briefly talk about the merits of both decks: the first is, obviously, based around the Lightray archetype. The Lightray monsters, for those who are unaware, can be Special Summoned when enough Light monsters are banished. They have powerful effects and are strong beaters too. Their ease of use definitely reminds me of Chaos monsters in a way.

What's also cool is that all the cards are essentially corrupted, Light versions of other cards. We have Gearfried, Chaos Sorcerer, and even our old friend Daedalus with Lightray counterparts. Sort of like the Verz monsters, but more awesome.

The Lightsworn engine is used primarily to get Light monsters banished through use of Macro Cosmos and milling. I'm sure more alternatives will open up to us, but at the moment Lightrays look like a very promising casual deck, maybe even with some competitive potential.

Chaos Dragons, on the other hand, are also an inexpensive build, however they have had massive success at recent YCS tournaments. TCGPlayer and Alter Reality Games have some articles on this deck, so I won't go too much in detail. The key points to note about this deck are basically that it's the cheapest competitive deck available right now, and it wins by applying pressure through sustained use of beatsticks. Everyone loves a beatstick.

Decklists will be posted later when we finish the decks. Until then, take care!

Expanding your horizons

If there's one thing I've learnt in the past year or so where I've been playing yugioh at a competitive level, it is that you should always expand your horizons. Normally I hate different, I hate new and I'm afraid of the unfamiliar (no I do not have Cenophobia- I think) but in the case of Yugioh, you just have to embrace new ideas and concepts. Even if you don't want to embrace it at least familiarise yourself with them because you're bound to face them sooner or later and you don't want to pick up those 5 cards not knowing how to handle the situation. I'll give you an example. Chain burn. If you have ever faced this deck, you'll know how frustrating it is and how helpless it is to be in your position. I hated this deck with a burning passion (see what I did there?). My friend first used it against me sometime last year and to me the idea of using burn to win was cheap and a disgrace to the game. I cursed the player to innovated chain burn and said he ruined Yu-Gi-Oh for those who played it. But after weeks of hating on chain burn I decided to use it, not because I wanted cheap wins but because I decided that the only way to know the strengths and weaknesses of a deck is to pilot it yourself. Think about it: if you were piloting inzektors what would you fear? You'd be afraid of effect veiler, D.D crow and other effect negating cards. Now put yourself in the shoes of someone facing inzektors. You know exactly what your opponent is afraid of. You know which cards in their deck play the vital role and which ones are just support mechanisms.

My point is, in Yu-Gi-Oh those with perspectives have an advantage over those who focus on that one deck they like. By using decks you like and dislike, you will find out the strengths and weaknesses of each deck and how to adapt your strategy to best counter that deck. So next time a deck annoys you or you just dislike the way it functions. Do some research on it, see the playstyle is has and find out the weak points you can abuse. I shall capitalise on this post by discussing the top decks right now both tier 1 and tier 1.5 and how you should adapt your strategy to take them down! Until then, keep this quote in mind

"Good players play the format, great players define the format"

Understanding Dark bribe

 

It's Confucius :D

Dark bribe is a love hate card. You either love what it does or you hate what it does. It's simple enough to understand, negate an activation of your opponent's spell or trap and destroy it. Then they draw one card. In a straight forward situation and scenario this is a plus 1 for your opponent. This is exactly why Dark bribe is a love-hate card. Some people hate the plus1 it gives your opponent but others can appreciate what it does. I'm here to explain why I'm considering this card in some of my future deck builds.

In my experience Dark bribe is a card best played in the dying stages of the game. Meaning, play this card when the game is simplified to the point where you and your opponent are down to 1-3 cards each. A late game scenario typically looks like this:

The following scenario is not a very uncommon one these days. It's skill drain heros vs Dino rabbit. Skill drain puts Beast King Barboras at 3000atk and makes Laggia a simple 2400atk with no effect. Walking solemn? I don't think so. Now I (SynchroKnight) declares an attack on Evolzar Laggia and let's see how it plays out.

As you can see the opponent activated mirror force to which I chained Dark Bribe. Dark Bribe would then fetch my opponent an extra card but in return my Barboras is safe and his attack hits Laggia for 600 Life points. Which, as you can see at this point of the game is quite a big deal. The opponent then starts his/her turn with 3 cards in hand but has to face skill drain along with a 3k Beast.

Now let's explain how this scenario COULD'VE turned out if I didn't have a dark bribe set. I would have lost my Beast and be quite vulnerable to a counter attack the next move which would have finished me. In my opinion, Dark bribe works just like Solemn Judgment. The general notion is to play it late in the game where it's quite worth the cost. You wouldn't solemn judgment the very first card your opponent played when they have another 5 more in hand to back it up would you? Same thing with Dark bribe. You don't use it when your opponent has a plentiful amount of resources at their disposal. You use it late game where the effect is detrimental.

Yes, Dark bribe does give your opponent an extra card but think of it this way. You can only have one copy of heavy storm, monster reborn or Dark hole. Let's say you negated that with dark bribe, no matter what your opponent draws, it can't be one of those again. I won't deny that Solemn Judgment is a powerful card but there just aren't enough cards that can negate spells or traps. Especially in a format like this where spells and traps are so dominant. The key to dark bribe is just like solemn judgment.

KNOW WHEN TO ACTIVATE IT. 

To conclude, dark bribe is an advanced card that I personally think is only as good as the player. It all comes down to experience, ability to read and analyse the field and finally, a bit of luck. Why not try a copy or two of dark bribe in your next deck? Practice using it, when to time it and finally, what to negate with it. Perhaps with some luck, you will come to find (as I have) that it is a game changing card that hits opponents harder than they think.

March Musings

Sorry for not being very active lately guys, I've been busy with Year 12, but I promise to put out some posts during the school holidays, possibly concluding the Introduction to Yu-Gi-Oh! series. A lot has happened since my last post - we saw Six Samurais win Guadalajara, Dino Rabbit take out Leipzig, and now Dark World winning the 100th YCS in Long Beach. I'm going to do a metagame analysis as my next post near the start of the holidays, as I saw some very interesting things in the Long Beach reports.

The main deck I've been playing is Dino Rabbit. It's too good. It has no negative matchups, and any deck that goes out of its way to stop Dino Rabbit is going to be crushed by the Rabbit sideboard. The recent practice of running Forbidden Lance at 3 has really limited the options players have at stopping the Rabbit. We've also seen Kaiser Colosseum being sided in to Dino Rabbit - a first turn Laggia and Kaiser Colosseum not only stops the Six Samurais, Dark Worlds and other swarm-happy decks, but it also gives the Rabbit mirror a good kick in the balls. Of course, you always run the risk of it being Typhooned, but most of your set cards will cry to MST like Starlight Road, Warning and Torrential anyway.

I've also looked into Chaos Dragons. It's a tier 2 deck at best, but there are some fun lockdowns and it's very explosive. It's my favourite deck to play with by far, though I will admit it is inconsistent at times and gets hit hard by the Inzektor matchup.

I think Maxx "C" and Effect Veiler are still important cards. I would still run three of each (between your main deck and your sideboard), maybe 1 or 2 Veilers at most if your deck isn't worried about Inzektors or anything. Veiler is still really versatile. Maxx "C" stops you from getting looped by Wind-Ups, and is a good tech against the surging Six Samurais and Dark World decks.

Another cool deck is Hero Beat, which is back for the new format. It's now incorporating Skill Drain, which hits a lot of decks very hard, as always. I don't think we'll ever see a meta in which Skill Drain isn't effective. The high ATK of Stratos, Neos Alius, Rai-Oh and Beast King Barbaros just applies constant pressure. It's also fairly consistent, as the deck runs Skill Drain at 3 and there are five ways to search out a Neos Alius. Miracle Fusion antics are great as always, and Super Polymerization gets around the undisputed king of this format, Evolzar Laggia.

I'll just leave you with a picture I found rather humorous. I think it was taken at Long Beach. Thanks for your patience, we promise more to come!

Don't stay in the friend zone, Stay in the Safe zone

Today I'm here to talk about a very versatile trap card known as Safe zone

No fear Mirror force!!!

First of all let's do the usual thing with every card we talk about: Deconstruct it.

Activate by selecting 1 face-up Attack Position monster. That monster cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects, or be destroyed by battle. It cannot attack your opponent directly. When this card is removed from the field, destroy that monster. When that monster is removed from the field, destroy this card.

Activate by selecting 1 face-up Attack position monster. This seems simple enough does it not? Activate and target, done. WRONG! Does that line specify which monster to target? Does it say target one face-up monster on YOUR side of the field? No it does not. That means you can hook your opponent's monster up with this card. You may be wondering why you would want to help your opponent out with a card as powerful as this but I shall clear that up for you as the post progresses. 

That card cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects, or be destroyed by battle. Now how great is that? A monster that is practically invincible and you no longer have to fear spells or traps that would normally blow up your monster. The question from above still lingers though, why would you want to give your opponent such an advantage? I have yet to answer this question but fear not I will. Please note that your monster is not completely invincible, hence why I said practically invincible. The opponent can still use cards such as Caius the shadow monarch or Trishula, dragon of the Ice barrier or Brionac, Dragon of the ice barrier.

It cannot attack your opponent directly, sounds like a reasonable cost for making a monster near indestructible.
When this card is removed from the field, destroy that monster. When that monster is removed from the field, destroy this card. Seems simple enough, odds are the trap 'Safe Zone' is more likely to be destroyed than the monster that it's used on.

Okay time to explain why this card can work as a two way weapon.
Suppose your opponent activated Heavy storm to clear your back row, you could chain it to their monster and since safe-zone would be destroyed, so would their monster. Awesome right? Let's say your opponent just summoned their Black luster Soldier- Envoy of the beginning and is about to swing at you for 3k damage. You safe-zone their BLS and it can't scratch you. Next turn you can just use MST on safe zone and goodbye BLS.

There are many more ways to manipulate safe-zone but I haven't used it enough to experience all the different scenarios it can be used in.