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Viewing 1 - 6 out of 6 Blogs.
The Battlefield: Who's Jain?
Introduction
A few days ago I was helping a friend build a deck. As we gathered up all the staples and necessary components, I saw him stop and squirm a little. Two cards were laying in front of him: Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, and Card Trooper.
Let me explain the situation a little first. It just so happens that the deck we were making was a Six Samurai deck, and he didn't exactly want to play any run of the mill Six Samy swarm; he wanted to mill cards and then use Monster Reborn/Premature Burial/Cunning of the Six Samurai to bring whatever he needed back.
While looking at the two cards, one of them automatically seemed the right choice. But, as I delve deeper, the problem became much more complex:
Neither Card Fit
This was obviously a major problem.
Although Card Trooper seemed like the hands-down, no-brainer choice, it is Limited.
Ryko is also no help. Him having to be set facedown would greatly slow the tempo of his Six Samurai.
Sure you could run them both or just bag the idea, but neither would be a successful choice. I began sifting through online articles about Ryko and Trooper. Almost all of them came to the same conclusion: Ryko was better. Although I largely agree with this statement, It wasn't what I was looking for. The deck just couldn't be played with him.
With No Other Choice...
My friend ran both of them, afraid that Trooper alone would destroy consistency (which it would). Needless to say, it failed miserably. With Ryko facedown, the opponent would run it over, and Ryko would pop a card. Next turn, a dead draw of Ryko would kill. It also milled all his key spells, as well as his Shoguns.
He needed something with a bit more control and a lot more attack points.
Eventually, we turned up a card, that...well...no one wants:
Jain, Lightsworn Paladin
[Warrior/Effect]Lv.4, LIGHT
If this card attacks an opponent's monster, it gains 300 attack during the Damage Step only. During each of your End Phases, send the top 2 cards of your deck to the Graveyard
As you can see...
...Jain has a little more control by only milling 2 cards. Also, the 1800 attacks points with allow it fit in with the Six Samurai much better. Also, the 300 attack points gain gives it a hefty 2100, Wulf has almost nothing on Jain.
A New Option
For all those aggro decks that need something like Jain, this is a blessing. A lot of decks using her are not only faster, but more efficient. The Six Samurai deck that I helped fix is a lot faster, and twice as deadly.
On a side note, for anyone wanting to try Six Samurai/Jain, you must stabilize your initial assets before charging with Jain. She can kill your deck and turn good draws into game losing mistakes.
Closing
A select few Lightsworn has proven themselves in the current metagame. Ryko has been seen in several decks, and a few others are being used in affordable OTKs. Jain can be just as good as any of them, respectably. If given the chance, she can tear through both your deck and the field. You decide if that’s a good or a bad thing.
A Few Weeks Ago...
...I posted an article on the propect of control. In this article I focused on the different types of control and brought an example of hand control (from Metagame.com) to the readers. While hand control is effective, it just won't cut it against some archtypes. Total control must suffice. While there are a plethora of ways to accomplish this, one monster type has been better equiped by our friends at Upper Deck:
Spellcasters
Think about it. Dark Red Enchanter, Magical Marionette, even Royal Magic Library have been shown to consistently perform at tier level. Not top-tier, but close none-the-less.
But it's not exactly the Spellcasters that will get things the way you want them: it's the Spell Counters. Spell Counters initiate monster's effects while sprouting from the spells you and your opponent play. Also, Apprentice Magician and several other variants will supply Spell Counters.
Getting to What You Need
While Spell Counters are pleasant, spells with no monsters will obviously produce nothing. A solid draw engine is needed to produce neccesary recources.
To answer this problem, I looked at several meta-driven decks and even DAD, and Allure, Destiny Draw, and Cyber Valley seemed like a good fit (rofl).
Also, another card suprised me with it's accesibility and choice of option: Crystal Seer.
The Deck
Monsters:24
3 Dark Red Enchanter
3 Magical Marionette
3 Apprentice Magician
3 Crystal Seer
2 Cyber Dragon
1 Dark Magician of Chaos
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
1 Destiny Hero-Disk Commander
2 Destiny Hero-Malicious
1 Destiny Hero-Dasher
1 Destiny Hero-Plasma
3 Cyber Valley
Spells:14
2 Allure of Darkness
3 Destiny Draw
1 Double Spell
1 Reinforcements of the Army
1 Fires of Doomsday
2 Book of Moon
1 Monster Reborn
1 Premature Burial
1 Heavy Storm
1 Machine Duplication
Traps:2
2 Magician's Circle/Threatening Roar
The object is to get DRE or Marionette out fast enough for the plausiable allowance of control. Allure, D-Draw, Cyber Valley and Crystal Seer add much needed speed while the spells contrast them with a similar goal. The Magician's Circle make sense, but could be easily replaced.
Something like this will control not only your opponent's hand, but their side of the field. If you would like Kycoos could be inserted at the expense of Cyber Valleys or something.
I've play tested this deck for awile and it seems to work okay. The only thing that might pose a problem is Plasma Control (but thats what side decks are for, right?)
Conclusion
Spell Counters debuted in Magician's Force (if many of you remember can that far back), but still recieve support from various sets even today. While it may seem unorthodox and acentic, it does work.
The Battlefield: Trying Something New
Introduction
I know a lot of people who just play what wins. If DAD is winning, DAD is what they run. If Perfect Circle is just pulverizing the competition, there isn't a reason not to play it. This makes sense if your playing for money/prizes, but what’s better is to play for money/prizes, and for fun. What I mean by fun is contemplating, building, and testing a radically new something to you or to your Yu-Gi-Oh! environment.
Starting Out
One of the first things you want to do is to pick a theme. One of the best ways to do this is just to look through those shoe-boxes of spare cards. Find something interesting, and build onto it. If you run into a dead end, try something else. The possibilities are endless.
Step 2- Deck Building
One of the things most people get tripped up on when deck building is the card choice. Premature Burial and Mystical Space Typhoon aren’t necessarily staples. Threatening Roar could outweigh Mirror Force.
Keep a keen eye for cards that would be better utilized in the sidedeck. I always read through deck lists that main deck cards like Twister and Tornado. How often are you really going to need those?
In some cases, however, main decking side cards makes sense. Like at SJC Minneapolis, Paul Levitin main decked 3 Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror. It worked out fine because almost every deck there was Dark Armed Dragon Return. If it was Six Samurai of the like he would just side them out for more useable cards.
Step 3-Deck Testing
This is the biggest part. You'll want to reasonably test against a variety of decks and opponent skill level. What I'm trying to get across is don't just test against DAD, Six Samurai, Perfect Circle, and DDT. Test against Gadgets, Lightsworn, Jinzo, and plethoric masses of decks you might see. Even if you don't think there is a chance you'll get matched up against one, try is anyway; it might reveal a fatal flaw in your strategy.
It's Easy
Warrior Toolbox Return
Monsters:18
2 Elemental Hero Wildheart
1 Armed Samarai-Ben Kei
1 D.D. Assailant
1 Freed The Matchless General
3 Don Zaloog
1 D.D. Warrior Lady
2 Mataza the Zapper
2 Marauding Captain
1 Exiled Force
2 Giant Rat
2 Command Knight
Spells:18
2 Reinforcement of the Army
2 Mage Power
1 United We Stand
2 Lightning Blade3 Fusion Sword Murasame Blade
3 Axe of Despair
3 Divine Sword-Phoenix Blade
2 D.D.R.-Diffrent Dimension Reincarnation
Traps: 4
1 Return from the Different Dimension
3 Escape from the Dark Dimension
I made this deck a couple weeks ago with spare cards laying around. I tested it and it worked pretty well, even though DAD still beat the crap out of it. But with a little revision it might stand a meta-chance.
On another note, you really wouldn't expect a deck like this make a day 2 at an SJC. But what I'm getting at is that trying something new can not only help progress you as a player, but boost originality in the duelists around you.
Closing
I think a lot of the fun in this game is being kind of sucked away from it. People began the game in curiosity, but they slowly grew towards playing it only to dominate. I'm not in an way saying that playing this game to win or winning is bad in any way, but I think the element present when they first started needs to be re-presented to the players today. Try something unorthodox and acentric today, you might just create something amazing.
Tags: Deck Testing
A New Format?
Mid Format Changes
http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/community/forums/thread/1160322.aspx
What?!
This is real. Is anyone else as exicted as I am? I mean Dimension Fusion is gone and Return From a Different Dimension is slowed to 1. Allure is at 2, which dosen't seem like a big difference; we'll see though.
The biggest thing that comes from this change is the expulsion of a deck type. Yes, Kaiba FTK (Erin Diaz's Ohm/DMoC) is gone. Just gone. That accounts for about 25-50% of the meta. Thats amazing. Seriously.
Another deck type affected is DAD. With Dimension Fusion gone and Return limited, I think our favorite dragon is charging into a wall. Allure being limited just furthers it's loss.
You might be saying 'Dude, it's three cards. What is it going to change?'. These three cards arn't just three cards. They are three staples of DAD and many other meta decks.
A Chance?
With DAD being slowed and Kaiba FTK being obliterated, originality might just be able to bounce back. If you were playing back in the Chaos days, you might know what I mean. After Envoy of the End and the Begining were deemed unusable, a surge of new, exciting deck types were thrust forward.
Batterymen, Limit Reverse, Jinzo, Lightsworn, Macro and control are just some of the many types you can embrace.
Predictions
I believe that Lightsworn, Macro, and possibly Jinzo will begin to pick up. DAD will probably still dominate, and Judgement Dragon will still cost as much as DAD =P
I also think that Gadgets might stage a comeback. With Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo and other support from LODT, there really isn't a reason they shouldn't be able to. Also, Gadgets might be more effective if DAD is greatly affected.
Conclusion
I dont have alot to say. All I can say for sure is that this format is different.
I might just be over-stimulating these changes, or it could be as different as I predict. You decide.
Tags: Banlist
The Prospect of Control
Hand Control
What if you could control your opponents options? What if you got to decide what cards they got to keep and which ones they didn't? This is the prospect of control. Your opponent's options rapidly decrease while you capitilize on total control. Without their hand or field, you opponent obviously has nothing.
 
These three cards are the ones that will give your opponent the most pain. They allow certain flexibility (especially Drastic Drop-Off and Dark Red Enchanter) that win games.
Supporting cards are also important. Like how Appretive Magician can give spell counters to DRE, and Drop-Off might compliment Drastic Drop-Off.
With the immese base of hand destruction avalible, it isn't particularly hard to burn your opponents hand in one turn. Unfortunatly, this takes alot of cards. But, as I said, you shouldn't just being trying to destroy your opponents hand. You should also be progressing. Thestalos and DRE do this for you. They create field pressence while continually disrupting the game. That brings us to...
Field Control
Just controlling your opponent's hand isn't good enough. What if they drop a Darklord Zerato or Dark Magician of Chaos? Then, is dosen't matter what you can take out of their hand; they have all they need on the field.
Cards like Soul Taker and Smashing Ground will get the job done. Book of Moon and Enemy Controller are also things to consider.
Creature Swap and Soul Exchange will also come into play.
The graveyard is also something to fear. Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, D.D. Crow, and The Transmigration Prophecy aid this cause.
The Deck
Jerome McHale posted this deck on Metagame.com
I thought it embraced what I'm talking about and futhured the concepts of hand control.
Monsters: 19
3 Dark Red Enchanter
3 Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
3 Apprentice Magician
3 Crystal Seer
3 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
2 Cyber Dragon
1 Sangan
1 Treeborn Frog Traps: 8 3 Drastic Drop Off2 Dust Tornado1 Torrential Tribute2 Threatening RoarConclusion
Controling your opponent's effect on you will radify your effect on your opponent. One of the hardest things, however, is controlling the urge to go overboard and leave you opponent temporarally defenseless. Try control out, it's actually pretty fun.
Tags: Control
Our Format...
...needs help. DAD is trampling uncontested through hobby shops and SJCs from coast to coast. Some call the the new chaos, others call it a fad untill September.
But, September is a long way away. We need to stop DAD soon.
I'll Show You
How do we stop DAD? That has been the question since Dark Armed Dragon was first heavily played. Some say the key is in the tempo. If you slow the tempo, DAD will be forced to slow down with you. But, as you look into this strategy's entirety, you will see what I saw; even when DAD is slow, it is incredibly fast.
We are then left with one more option:
Being Faster Than DAD
Yes. I mean being faster than DAD. It dosen't matter how fast your opponent is if your'e faster.
As I was pondering what could possibly be faster than DAD, one card slowly crept into my mind:
The Dark Creator
[Thunder/Effect] Dark, 8 stars This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by having 5 or more DARK monsters in your Graveyard while you control no monsters. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 DARK monster from your Graveyard to Special Summon 1 DARK monster from your Graveyard.
How can...?
The Dark Creator could be the solution to all of our problems. Used effectively, Dark Creator Return (DCT) can 'outrun' DAD. From my first hand experience, DCT is faster than DAD in many respects.
One example lies in draw power. DAD uses 3 Allure of Darkness' and 3 Destiny Draw. DCT can proficienly utilize not only 3 Allure of Darkness' and 3 Destiny Draw, but also 3 Trade-In.
Although DCT seems properous, many people still doubt it because of The Dark Creator's summoning requirements and the overll luggishness of the deck. But, none-the-less, a good DCT deck can get 5 darks in the graveyard and have no monsters on the field in 5 turns. A great DCT deck can get it done in 1.
Key Cards
Once again, DCT can be fueled with 9 draw spells. Thats 33 cards from your deck (excluding the deck thining from Armageddon Knight and Dark Grepher).
But, your deck will revolve around your heavy monsters. These include Darklord Zerato, Dark Nepthys, Dark Magician of Chaos, D-Hero-Dasher, and Jinzo.
One more monster is needed, though.
Phantom of Chaos
I really can't emphisize how great this card is. The prospect of copying anything in the graveyard is staggering. Think about it. Discard The Dark Creator to Trade-In and summon Phantom of Chaos. Theres The Dark Creator, and fast. If nothing else, it adds to the attack thrust and speed of the deck.
The Supporting Cast
All great movies have good supporting protaganists. Not the supporting actors, but the supporting staff. The make-up people, the filming crew, the director and producer are all essential to the movie's production. Without them, nothing happens.
Now put that into Yu-Gi-Oh! terms. DCT is all about the supporting monsters. Armageddon Knight and Dark Grepher set The Dark Creator up to shine like the supporting staff sets the main character up to look and be good.
Destiny Heros are who set the stage, however. Destiny Hero-Dasher, Disk Commaner, and Malicious where music to my ears a week after play-testing DCT. Destiny Draw makes them even better. Destiny Heros would be good in DCT without Destiny Draw. Remember that when playing this build:
The Deck
Monster:20
3 The Dark Creator
1 Dark Magician of Chaos
1 Darklord Zerato
2 Dark Nepthys
1 Jinzo
2 Destiny Hero-Dasher
1 Destiny Hero-Disk Commander
2 Destiny Hero-Malicious
2 Phantom of Darkness
2 Dark Grepher
2 Armageddon Knight
1 Elemental Hero-Stratos
Spells:15
1 Reinforcement of the Army
3 Trade-In
3 Destiny Draw
3 Allure of Darkness
3 D.D.R.-Different Dimension Reincarnation
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn
Traps:5
3 Threatening Roar
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Crush Card Virus
Note: If you don't have a CCV, remove 1 D.D.R. and add 2 Dark Bribe
How The Deck Works
I wish I could make one of those plastic 'How To Play This Deck' pamplets that come in the starter decks, but I guess words will do.
Everything is kind of self-explanitory. Use Destiny Draw, Trade-In, Armageddon Knight, and Dark Grepher to send your biggest darks the the graveyard.
But for the advanced play mechanics, hold on the the Threatening Roars untill your opponent springs a DAD return combo. Then explode with a giant surge of field pressence in one turn.
I wont go into every card's explanation, but if you would like to know why something is included/excluded just PM me.
Alot of the cards in here are preferance oriented (if you would rather add another Armageddon Knight and Grepher insted of a Stratos and Reinforcement of the Army, I wouldn't advise otherwise). Kycoo originally had a spot in here, but he didn't make the final cut.
Also, Waboku could be added to increase the DAD protection.
D.D.R. may seem a little weird, but with Allure and The Dark Creator removing stuff right and left It starts to make more sense.
Overall...
This deck is extremly different. The hardest part is keeping your field empty for The Dark Creator. This means that if your the kind of duelist who is easily paranoid about lifepoints (or you would use a Threatening Roar to ward a Stratos off of your Armageddon Knight) then this deck isn't for you. Part of the deck mechanic is having no field pressence alot of the time, so you must get used to that before success will follow.
But, don't forget that my build is only one such strategy. You could make one focused around lower level monsters like Blue Thunder T-35 and Kycoo, The Ghost Destoyer. I would like to point out, though, that my build has performed quite well and was proven it can contend with DAD.
A New Hope (Closing)
I've been play-testing DCT for awile, and I am confident to say that DCT could be the chance we've been waiting for to break DAD's chains. The Dark Creator presents a new hope in the form of something completely different and fast. Alot of people have been showing recent interest in The Dark Creator. I hope this means DCT is becoming less of an archtype and more of a mainstream strategy. Honestly, I wouldn't be suprised if DCT won an SJC in the near future.
Tags: Dark Creator DAD DaD
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