If you can't beat them...

"Gravekeeper's Visionary"

As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.

This format is proving to be extremely hostile already, and for those of you who know me, you'll know that I'm loving every second of it. The omnipotent Legendary Six Samurai have already taken center stage for this format, followed closely behind by Gravekeeper's and, more likely than not, X-Sabers. Of course, in such a format I wouldn't dare to play anything that loses to any of these meta decks. Hence I will be keeping Infernity as a casual deck and a casual deck only.

So, you may be thinking, "What on earth is Valafar up to this time?". If the image wasn't obvious enough, I will be playing Gravekeeper's. My tastes point me towards control decks, and Gravekeeper's are the best control deck that has seen the light of day in years. With the ability to ruthlessly shut down your opponent's plays and mercilessly pummel their opponents into dust, Gravekeeper's were my deck of choice.

Whilst my second and third copies of "Pot of Duality" will be annoying to attain, I will have completed this deck within the next 2 or 3 months. Moving on, here is the deck list I intend to use.

--

Monsters [15]

[3] Gravekeeper's Recruiter

[3] Gravekeeper's Spy

[3] Gravekeeper's Commandant

[3] Gravekeeper's Descendant

[3] Gravekeeper's Assailant

Spells [14]

[2] Royal Tribute

[2] Mystical Space Tyhpoon

[3] Pot of Duality

[2] Gravekeeper's Stele

[1] Dark Hole

[2] Necrovalley

[1] Book of Moon

[1] Allure of Darkness

Traps [11]

[2] Solemn Warning

[1] Solemn Judgment

[1] Torrential Tribute

[1] Mirror Force

[2] Bottomless Trap Hole

[2] Dimensional Prison

[2] Starlight Road

Extra Deck [9]

[3] Stardust Dragon

[3] Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

[3] Cyber End Dragon

--

There are a few changes I may make to the deck list. I may drop "Torrential Tribute" in favor of "Compulsory Evacuation Device" like many other GK players. Additionally, depending on how it tests, I may also drop the third "Gravekeeper's Assailant".

If any of you have any tips or suggestions, please leave them below. Please leave a comment and don't forget to click the follow button. =)

~Valafar123

A Twitter Account (Written by a Twit?)

As some of you may have already found, Team Mental Warfare now has a Twitter account!


Found here~

I can't speak for the other members, but I'll be using it to keep people updated on interesting cards, nice decks and some updates purely for my own amusement. Feel free to follow, for it is sure to be interesting, if nothing else!


~A. Assiduity

Perfecting Infernity 6 - Format Alterations and Meta Changes

Hello, fellow Bloggers. Valafar123 here actually making a post for once. As you may guess from the title, today's topic will be about Infernity and what changes need to be made for the upcoming Forbidden and Limited card list. Not only that, but I'll be talking about how the ban list actually benefited Infernity in a big way.

For all of you who have not yet seen the new list, follow this link.

The ban list has been losses all round, nobody really gained much from it. The only major benefit of the list is the fact that other decks lost more than we did. Unfortunately, Six Samurais will continue to dominate in both the OCG and TCG, forcing Infernity to alter their play style tremendously. They only lost two copies of "Gateway of the Six", which ultimately did very little. Additionally, in EXVC, they will gain a replacement in the form of "Shien's Dojo". Samurais are a threat that needs to be addressed urgently.

"Gozen Match" seems to be the best option. It limits their capacity to produce "Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En" whilst hardly affecting the Infernity main and extra deck. "Dark End Dragon" also does an excellent job of bypassing "Musakani Magatama".

Blackwings took a surprising turn for the worst. With "Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow" finally out of the way, your attacks with "Infernity Archfiend" will become more powerful. Blackwings will decrease in playability with the losses they took, which is somewhat ironic considering they are one of Infernity's easiest match ups. It is unnecessary to side for them any longer, but beware of chaos variants.

On the topic of chaos, "Chaos Sorcerer" finally took the final step from Forbidden to Unlimited. This will most likely cause a surge in chaos decks. This could become problematic very quickly considering we only have 1 "Book of Moon" at our disposal now. Of course, an experienced Infernity player will have their own removal counters in the side deck, so this may not be that much of a problem.

Debris Plants took a harder hit than expected with the re-limitation of "Dandylion" and the semi-limitation of "Debris Dragon". The deck will now be forced to rely on "Junk Synchron" and "Dopple Warrior", meaning that we are much less likely to incur a "Black Rose Dragon" nuke. "Royal Decree" will still be an annoyance, but don't forget there are ways to exploit "Royal Decree" for your own advantage. Most level 5 Synchros are harmless to Infernity, so we benefited a lot from this deck's weakening.

Gravekeeper's remain strong. "Pot of Duality" is still at 3, as is "Necrovalley". The deck did lose a "Royal Tribute", but sadly that didn't do very much to Infernity due to either (a) the low monster count or (b) being handless. "Solemn Warning" is semi-limited. This doesn't really affect Infernity that much, but at least your combos are more likely to be successful. With so many match-ups involving continuous cards, it would be wise to side 2 copies of "Dust Tornado".

X-Sabers. among other decks, lost "Cold Wave". This is immensely beneficial to Infernity. We no longer need to fear nukes since we have the capacity to stop them, and we no longer need to worry about being forced to have a hand. X-Sabers still pack triple "Trap Stun", so if Sabers see a surge in play, it may be wise to swap our mained "Trap Stuns" for "Seven Tools of the Bandit". "Goyo Guardian" and its "Infernity Archfiend" stealing powers are no longer a threat to use either, which is a nice touch.

It is bittersweet that "Book of Moon" is now limited. It makes out "Trap Stuns" more powerful, but it weakens "Infernity Archfiend", making "Bottomless Trap Hole" and "Dimensional Prison" much more threatening. Unbeknownst to many players, Infernity was granted a replacement in STOR in the form of "Forbidden Lance". This card is wonderful support for us. It makes "Infernity Archfiend" a lot more likely to survive effects. Additionally, it makes big monsters like "Stardust Dragon" smaller than Archfiend, meaning we can just Lance them and run their monster over.

We are the last remaining deck in existence that can produce "Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" three times in one turn. It isn't confirmed, but it is speculated that Trish, much like its predecessor "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier", will be unlimited from release. This could mean that Infernity may once again see the light of day.

Monarchs are still Monarchs. Continue to play against them as normal. Sided "D.D. Warrior Ladies" or "Banishers of the Radiance" normally do the trick. Not much else to say about them.


That's all for today's post. If you feel that I am missing anything, please leave a comment below. Don't forget to follow this blog! =)

~Valafar123

Teching in Technology

Or, to be blunt, using Machines in other decks. While I use a lot of Machine decks, it's clear that quite a few of the cards have uses in a lot of decks - of course, expect me to refer back to my Machines a lot, haha. 

Genex Ally Birdman

I'm sure several of you have already noted this card. Basically, Level 3 Tuner with an effect that bounces your own monster back to your hand to summon it. It's not really that great, you may think.

If you do, two words: Six Samurai. You can use this card on Kizan/Grandmaster with pretty much no negative consequences; furthermore, if you've got Gateway/United/other Bushido-Counte-generators, Birdman gets you a few more of those. Plus, he's a Tuner, so you can go into Level Sixes (Mizuho/Shinai/Kageki - Level Nine if you've got two of them), Level Sevens (Kizan/LSS - Enishi) or Level Eights (Grandmaster). He can't go for Shi En, certainly, but he's a Bushido Counter assistant and generally good card.

Of course, he works with other stuff just as well - anything that's good at swarming and would like a Tuner can use it. He's good in, for example, Chaos decks - he restocks your Breaker, and can be tuned with Chaos Sorcerer for Locomotion R-Genex.

Genex Ally Duradark

This is a surprisingly underrated card, which may be past it's prime. Level 4 DARK Machine, 1800/1200. Once per turn, it can forfeit it's attacking rights to destroy a monster with the same attribute as it, provided it's on the opponent's side of the field and in attack position. Instant +1.

First point of interest. DARK Machine, and thus Black Salvo bait. Second, at 1800, it can contend with Shura, should Blackwings remain viable. But it doesn't need to contend with Shura; for no cost, it can just destroy it. And it can do the same to Dark Armed Dragon, Chaos Sorcerer and Malefics, should they see use. Basically, it punches out a lot of DARK beatsticks with it's effect.

Now, to me, the most obvious use is against Blackwings... but they took a hit in the banlist, so nobody loves them any more. Sirocco, Shura, Armour Master... basically, everything in the deck is vulnerable to it, with the possible exception of a Spirit Reaper/Greenkappa. Dark Armed Dragon can be easily taken down; but he can be used in the SalvoDAD decks as well!

I mainly considered it in the context of Black Salvo. Thanks to Salvo, it can simply destroy a DARK monster and then be tuned into a Level 7 Synchro. For me, this'll tend to be a Karakuri. The monster removal is a handy bonus, wouldn't you say?

Nevertheless, the main use of Duradark is a handy little stab at DARK monsters, while working in synergy with them. With Chaos Sorcerer breezing in, this guy'll be a good way to take them out if you can't overpower them.

Meklord Emperor Grannel

This does, I admit, stretch the definition of "tech" a little; Grannel's strong enough to be the base of a deck. There's been Scrap Grannel decks in the OCG for some time; as the Scraps routinely destroy each other, getting a Grannel or two on the field is no trouble.

Anyway. Level 1 Machina, zero attack and zero defence. It can only be summoned from the hand when your face-up monster is destroyed by a card effect. It gains attack/defence equal to half of your life-points. Once per turn, it can equip an opponent's Synchro monster to itself as an Equip card and gains it's attack. Once per turn, it can put an equipped Synchro onto the field onto your field in defence position.

But he can work fine as a common-or-garden tech. Play a monster, activate Torrential Tribute. Or, better still, let your opponent do the same. Whether by Mirror Force, Torrential, Bottomless, it's all the same to Grannel. It can then steal your opponent's Synchros and put them on your field - thanks for that Brionac/Goyo/Stardust!

While it depends on the deck in question, Grannel could be worth using in a lot of decks, even as a simple tech choice. The main issue is, of course, his attack score. Basically, Warning/Judgement saps his attack strength by a lot, meaning you'll have to play quite conservatively, or try to go into him early in the game - a double-edged sword indeed.

Meklord Emperor Wisel

Let's try this again. Wisel is much like Grannel: it can only be summoned when a card effect destroys a face-up monster, and it can "absorb" Synchros. The difference is that Wisel cannot "dispense" them like Grannel can; when Wisel's in play, only it can attack and once per turn, it can negate a Spell. It's also got a fixed attack of 2500.


First point: no playing conservatively. You can use those two Solemn Warnings, both Seven Tools and your Solemn Judgement, putting you on a princely 1000LP (unless you used Judgement first, then it's -2000. Which is a sign that you're doing it wrong)... and Wisel still has 2500ATK. Secondly, that tantalising effect to negate spells is great; negate Dark Hole and Monster Reborn  away, and force your opponent to waste spells trying to make you use that negation at the wrong time. At the very least, they're dropping a spell to bluff you; all the better if it's something like Dark Hole, which has a hefty opportunity cost strapped on to it, thanks to the Limit. If they have to drop their only Book of Moon/Dark Hole to stop one monster... you're doing well.


The issue of only being able to attack with it are it's biggest problem; it makes big pushes quite difficult, outside of Scraps, where they simply call on Scrap Dragon to destroy Wisel for you. While it's got a potent effect, not all decks can readily get it off the field; and not all can summon it consistently in the first place.

Card Trooper

That's right, it's this guy. Going up to two per deck, let's do what we can while we have it.

For the uneducated: EARTH Machine, 400/400. You can send up to three cards from your deck to the grave to increase Card Trooper's attack by five hundred per card until the End Phase and upon destruction, you draw a card.


The benefits here should be obvious. It thins the deck by four simply by having it on the field for one turn. 1900ATK (it's total after it mills three cards) is plentiful for destroying many common threats. While it's a sitting deck on your opponent's turn, with only 400ATK, the destruction of Card Trooper lets you draw an additional card, so even it's destruction gives you advantage.


Depending on the deck, the milling could be either positive or negative. Decks which use Debris Dragon can resurrect Card Trooper, thin the deck, and then explode the field - it would help to get that one Dandylion into the graveyard, where Debris Dragon can abuse it more.

Cyber Dragon and Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

There's so little difference between them, that I may as well lump them together. These two cards should be a regular sight to Machine duelists; and to non-Machine duelists also. I won't go on for ages about these, as readers should be quite familiar with them.


These two cards are the most handy anti-Machine cards you could ask for. Not only do you wipe the field of a Machine-player, you get a beatstick who's strength rises with the card advantage it gives. If it's a +1, 2000. A +2, 3000. Cyber Dragon by itself is no slouch, being able to pummel a lot of common cards away with it's effect... but that runs the risk of your opponent making their own Chimeratech off it.


In short, Chimeratech is a fantastic anti-Machine card, and almost certainly the reason why most Machine decks these days tend to gravitate towards OTK standards - Chimeratech is just too much of a threat to allow it to go unimpeded.

Karakuri Gadgets -First Draft Decklist-

Some may have sighted me talking about this build before. Here is a beta build, which uses cards from the OCG - but to make it TCG-able, I guess you could swap a Cannon for a Machina Force, and the two Komachis for a third Soldier/Strategist. In short, the idea of the deck is a combination of the Gadget archetype and the Karakuri monsters, of which I am a big fan. I've yet to playtest this, so I am expecting more than a few bugs, haha.


Monsters [24]
[3] Machina Gearframe
[2] Machina Fortress
[1] Machina Cannon
[1] Glow-Up Bulb
[2] Green Gadget
[2] Yellow Gadget
[2] Red Gadget
[2] Karakuri Watchdog mdl 313 "Saizan"
[2] Karakuri Ninja mdl 919 "Kuick"
[2] Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 "Ninishi"
[2] Karakuri Strategist mdl 248 "Nishipachi"
[2] Karakuri Soldier mdl 236 "Nisamu"
Spells [10]
[1] Limiter Removal
[1] Book of Moon
[2] Pot of Avarice
[2] Mystical Space Typhoon
[1] Monster Reborn
[1] Dark Hole
[1] Giant Trunade
Traps [7]
[3] Ultimate Offering
[2] Seven Tools of the Bandit
[1] Solemn Judgement
[1] Solemn Warning
[1] Mirror Force
Extra Deck [15]
[1] Ally of Justice Catastor
[1] Naturia Beast
[1] Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
[1] Black Rose Dragon
[1] Naturia Landoise
[1] Ancient Fairy Dragon
[3] Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 "Burei"
[3] Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X "Bureido"
[1] Stardust Dragon
[1] Colossal Fighter
[1] Scrap Dragon


Obviously, this is a work in progress - the idea is that the Gadgets, as Level 4 monsters, make good Synchro Material. The Karakuri tuners (Watchdog 313, Strategist 248, Komachi 224) can then tune with them to form Shogun 00 or Steel Shogun 00X. While I'd love to go on about this in a meandering fashion, here's an example scenario - here, it's done with three Watchdogs. The third'd be in the Side Deck, most likely. You still get advantage even if, in Step 6, you get Strategist instead - it's just less. You also end up with two Burei's.


On field: Ultimate Offering. In hand, a Gadget and Watchdog 313.


1. Summon Watchdog 313.
2. Activate Ultimate Offering, pay 500LP.
3. Summon Gadget, search out another.
4. Watchdog + Gadget = Steel Shogun 00X, who summons a Watchdog 313 from the deck.
5. Pay 500LP, summon Gadget, search out another.
6. Watchdog + Gadget = Steel Shogun 00X, who summons a Watchdog 313 from the deck.
7. Pay 500LP, summon Gadget, search out another.
8. Watchdog + Gadget = Steel Shogun 00X, who summons a Strategist 248 from the deck. Strategist shifts it's own battle position; draw three.
9. Pay 500LP, summon Gadget, search out another.
10. Gadget+Strategist = Burei, who summons out another Level 4 Karakuri from the deck. TCG players can grab a Muso 818 or something.


That's the deck's primary principle. Thanks to the Gadgets, you +1 every time you Synchro Summon, and you then get three draws from the three Bureido draws. As for the build... Seven Tools are subjective. Basically, anti-negation is good, since this deck can't really run Trap Stun or Giant Trunade. Thoughts on the build?

Tangentially Related

Speaking of Gadgets, the above build was made when considering if a Exceed Gadget build was possible. Ultimate Offering makes summoning three Rank 4 Exceed Monsters a breeze with Gadgets.

Beyond February 2011

So, as the September 2010 format nears it's last full week, we simply must ask ourselves - what awaits us in the next six months?


Well, I cannot claim to be omniscient. We will likely be welcoming in the Exceed Monsters - in the OCG, this is no less than a month away. Starter Deck 2011 will be released into the public, bringing the Exceed monsters with it - and a month after that, Generation Force descends. And just two weeks before, the banlist arrives, striking Gateways from the decks of Six Samurai players everywhere.


This is all quite obvious; will we see Synchro Monsters squabbling with their Exceed counterparts for space in the Extra Deck? But of course. But this is natural - it will resolve itself, I am sure.


But first, I'd like to examine the some of the topping decks in the OCG for a moment - the banlist has hit them all, as I'm sure you'll agree.

The Legend of the Six Samurai

As the Shien's Dojo support card blows in, Gateway blows out. Or two of them do - with a single Gateway, the Six Sams remain strong, while not being as awesome as they once were.

Yet, with the choice of cards they have... the Samurai's Synchro Summons seem to have not faltered too much. Shien's Dojo has great potential; by summoning a single Six Samurai, you may call Shien's Squire to the field. If you summon two, it's a Kagemusha. While Shien's Dojo is not open to the antics that Gateway causes, it's still potent in it's own right. But, as before, Truth Reinforce could do that - it was just slightly slower. Know this: Six Sams are still a potent threat. While the TCG will not be seeing Shien's Dojo for some time, it still has to contend with the Six Samurai - that alone is a daunting task.

The biggest issue for Six Sam users now is really quite obvious - hand advantage. Gateway made all forms of shenanigans possible; but with a single Gateway in the deck, Six Samurai are going to need to be careful to not simply run out of resources. And of course, defending one's Gateway is now something of a priority, because Six Samurai decks cannot get it back at present. Musanaki Magatama will likely become something of a commodity now - destroying Mystical Space Typhoons before they rip that Gateway to shreds.

Blackwings

Now, if I may be blunt... they took a beating. It seems that Konami has finally tired of seeing Blackwings around and has taken a swing at them. Most "basic" Blackwings decks probably lost over an eighth of their deck with the banlist, and that's not accounting for the change in the metagame. Blackwings have been kicking around for a while now - despite their losses... I can see the deck staying on. It'll have to re-energise itself and perhaps mix up their playstyle a little more.

My thoughts on these guys are more brief than I'd hoped them to be, but I simply don't have the experience with them.

Agent Angels

Now, something pure TCG players may not be so familiar with. In short, this is a deck type based around LIGHT Fairies. It's a lot more potent than it sounds.

The main issue with this deck is that it's been largely overshadowed by the Six Samurai, who had a much more rapid pace, even if this deck had the power to seal off special summons. If you're wondering why Honest got Limited, and Archlord Kristya Semi-Limited... it's this deck.

While the loss of Honest must sting (the Semi-Limit on Kristya isn't too big a deal - not all Agent Angels ran triple Kristya), the deck is, all in all, fairly strong. They still retain plentiful strength of force and destruction thanks to Master Hyperion, Kristya isn't that hard to scour for (triple Pot of Duality and Treasure of Heaven is a lot of draw power, and they can always start adding Upstart Goblins) and easy to summon. Master Hyperion is a... master at graveyard control.

It is still a Control Aggro deck, which has been weakened a little on both fronts - but not majorly. The Agent of Mystery - Earth searches out The Agent of Creation - Venus. Venus' effect lets you drop 1500LP to summon three Mystic Shine Balls, which are used for White Elephant's Gift or Synchro fodder with Earth. And if you do use them with Earth for Synchro fodder, go into a Level Eight. Why? That's four Fairies in the grave - call up Kristya, if you want. Or you can RFP Earth for a Master Hyperion - or remove Venus and keep four Fairies in the grave to summon Kristya.

I am of the belief that the future looks bright for Angel Agents; with Blackwings and Six Samurai's weakening, perhaps they can shine just a little brighter.

Debris Dandy

A very similar set of restrictions here - a Limit on one card, and a Semi-Limit on another. Debris has gone to two, Dandylion to one.

Yet, like a hydra, I doubt the deck is dead - or, rather, the concept behind the deck. Partially severing this head lets another grow - I personally think the Junk Doppel concept looks particularly strong, but time will tell for this one. Debris Dandy has taken a hit to consistency, as has Plant Synchro - but whether the players will soar like the phoenix and rise from the ashes, I am unable to tell at this time.

Signing off a lengthy first post, Allan Assiduity.

2011 Spring Ban List

With the Japanese ban list released, we now await our TCG counter part. Let us give an overview to the OCG list.

BANNED!
Goyo Guardian
Cold Wave
Mass Driver

Starting with the Restricted List, we see that Goyo has unexpectedly been banned. This is not a terrible thing. The card was extremely powerful and in all honesty deserved a ban. 2800 ATK with a theft ability, broken on my watch. This gives cards like Gaia (who now has the highest attack of the level six Synchros), and Flamvell Urquizas a chance to be used. While making Brionac even more relevant to the meta.

Next is Cold Wave. In my opinion this was a great move. Cold Wave is a OTK enabler and I despise fast games. Backrow based decks should not be punished for being so. This evens out the game for Control decks.

The final ban is Mass Driver. Finally this card is gone. F/OTK enabler right here. It get rids of all future problems for any infinite loop. Thank you, Konami.

Limited
Honest
Dandylion
Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
Book of Moon
Gateway of the Six

First up to be Limited is Honest. Over powered card that needed to be at one from the start. The ability to run over anything that gets in your way is too much.

Dandylion takes a hit and I’m glad that it wasn’t Debris Dragon or Black Rose Dragon. This Limit allows the deck type to live on, albeit with a power drop.

Kalut is the same reasoning behind Honest. While not as powerful as Honest, he still provides too large of a boost.

Book of Moon is kind of unexpected to be Limited by me. It is a powerful card and incredibly versatile. People will find a replacement fast, so I’m not worried. I use Enemy Controller in my Monarchs, so it doesn’t really affect me too much anyway.

The last Limit is Gateway of the Six. This gives a much needed power cut to this overpowered archetype. Maybe now people will be less inclined to complain about the deck.

Semi-Limited
Card Trooper
Archlord Kristya
Spirit Reaper
Debris Dragon
Royal Tribute
Overload Fusion
Megamorph
Solemn Warning
Icarus Attack

Card Trooper makes its way up to two. Previously being Limited for the mass abuse with Machine Duplication. It is a Debris target and a powerful milling tool. I don’t mind it being at two.

Archlord Kristya is quite the powerful card and while not being used much, needed semi’d anyway.

Spirit Reaper. Allows stall and a possibility of hand destruction. With Goyo gone I imagine more people will be using Urquizas, so this at two is no problem.

Debris Dragon deserved this. Being limited to only Dragon type synchros wasn’t a downside in anyway. With Black Rose and Gungnir at three, he needed to be hit.

Royal Tribute gives Gravekeeper’s that much needed advantage over Aggro decks. This was their trump card. At two it still allows GK’s to be a top deck, but reduces how lucksacky they are.

Overload Fusion makes Chimeratech slightly more viable, but still probably unreliable. Shouldn’t effect the meta much, if at all.

Megamorph I don’t really see as being a problem. Mage Power and United We Stand are more powerful equip cards in my eyes.

Solemn Warning at two is gonna piss off a lot of people who sold their souls for three. At three it was crippling to whoever got hit with it first. At two it just reduces the chances of drawing it.

Icarus Attack is a great choice for a Semi. It makes Blackwings less powerful, which was needed in the OCG meta.

Unlimited
Chaos Sorcerer
Snipe Hunter
Demise, King of Armageddon
Dewloren, Tiger King of Ice Barrier
Gold Sarcophagus
Skill Drain
Ultimate Offering

Chaos Sorcerer at three beckons the return of Chaos. Which I am all for. With the power of the current decks, a Chaos deck wouldn’t be overpowered as it was. And with the release of Chaos Hunter, the deck will be kept in check.

Snipe Hunter at three will have no effect on the meta at all. It wasn’t a problem at all.

Demise decks are also making a comeback. Same with Chaos Sorcerer, the meta can deal with this deck with ease. Especially with Solemn Warning. Opening up more deck types is a great choice.

DeLorean… I mean Dewloren comes back to three. With the banning of Goyo, this card is a candidate for his replacement. I will be running Urquizas over him though.

Gold Sarcophagus at three isn’t a problem either. The card is slow and will only be run at two by decks that already use it.

Skill Drain decks making a comeback is going to be fun. With all the backrow destruction that we have now, it won’t pose too much of a threat.

Ultimate Offering at three should make a little difference, but nothing game breaking. Good choice to come back.

And that is it for the new OCG list, I’ll have my opinions on the TCG list when we receive it. Have fun testing this list everyone!

-Lonefire333

March 2011 Ban List Confirmed by Shriek

[Source: http://shriek.twoday.net/stories/14638234/]


Only changes have been listed. I will go into a deeper analysis later.


Forbidden

• Goyo Guardian
• Cold Wave
• Mass Driver

Limited

• Honest
• Dandylion
• Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
• Book of Moon
• Gateway of the Six

Semi-Limited

• Card Trooper
• Archlord Kristya
• Spirit Reaper
• Debris Dragon
• Royal Tribute
• Overload Fusion
• Megamorph
• Solemn Warning
• Icarus Attack

Unlimited

• Chaos Sorcerer
• Snipe Hunter
• Demise, King of Armageddon
• Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
• Gold Sarcophagus
• Skill Drain
• Ultimate Offering

Exceed Monsters: Confirmed Card

"No. 39, Aspiring Emperor Hope"

Rank 4 LIGHT

Warrior / Exceed / Effect

2 Level 4 monsters

When a monster declares an attack, you can remove 1 Overlay Unit from play to negate the attack. If this card is selected as an attack target while it has no Overlay Units, destroy this card.

ATK 2500 DEF 2000

As mentioned in my previous post, Exceed Monsters do not have Levels, instead they posses a Rank. Roughly speaking, 1 Rank is worth approximately 2 Levels by normal monster standards. They also posses a very nice black coloration. Their layout reminds me a lot of the unreleased Dark Synchro Monsters (mainly due to the positioning of the Rank and the coloration).

I am not certain if ranks are treated the same as levels. For example, could one use an Exceed Monster as a Synchro Material Monster? How would "Gravity Bind" affect an Exceed Monster? Konami will need to release some rulings before we all get a headache. >.<

Anywho, on to the monster itself. "No. 39, Aspiring Emperor Hope" reminds me a lot of Synchro Monsters when they debuted, in the fact that they were much easier to summon than their predecessor. The big difference is that Synchro monsters didn't have much support when they were released in the Started Deck, so they saw little initial play. The same is not true for Exceed monsters. "No. 39, Aspiring Emperor Hope" will most likely see immediate play due to the sheer ease of summoning.

Most decks will be able to produce No. 39 with a lot of ease, so if you aren't currently using a dedicated Extra Deck, there is no reason not to use this guy. Dedicated Extra Decks may also incorporate this card as it does not require anything specific. No tuners or an equivalent, just some basic monsters.

That's it for my thoughts concerning Exceed Monsters. Here's a quick glossary of terminology:

Exceed Monster A category of monster that has a black background. They do not posses levels, but have Ranks instead. They are located in the Extra Deck.

Exceed Summon The process of Special Summoning an Exceed Monster from your Extra Deck. This is done by overlaying the summoned monster over the Exceed Material (all in one Monster Card Zone).

Exceed Material The monsters that are used in order to Exceed Summon an Exceed Monster. These monsters are not sent to the Graveyard, they are overlaid by the summoned monster.

Overlay Unit This is what an Exceed Material monster becomes after it has been used to summon an Exceed Monster.

Rank The Exceed Monster equivalent to a level. 1 Rank is 2 Levels in normal monster terms.

I will continue to update this blog with information once more is released. Please leave a comment below. =)

~Valafar123

Exceeds Monsters: Confirmation by Shriek

"No. 17, Revise Dragon" - Manga Artwork

Looks like our speculation is over.

[Source: http://shriek.twoday.net/]


Exceed Monsters and Exceed Summoning:
- Exceed Monsters are colored black and reside in the Extra Deck
- Instead of a Level, they have a Rank. This Rank is depicted as a row of stars extending from the left-hand side of the card (opposite to where the level is normally depicted).

No. 39, Aspiring Emperor Hope
Rank 4 LIGHT
Warrior / Exceed / Effect
Material: 2 level 4 monsters
<>

No. 17, Revise Dragon
Rank 3 WATER
Dragon / Exceed / Effect
Material: 2 level 3 monsters
<>

I'm not certain how the overlay mechanic works, but I can say without a doubt that Exceed monsters will be a prominent force within the metagame. I can think of a few decks that can produce these guys with ease.

Comment below with your thoughts.

~Valafar123

This didn't surprise me...

"Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En"

http://www.konami.com/yugioh/blog/?p=5172

Well, there's the top 32 deck lists from YCS Dallas. As expected, Six Samurai totally dominated the playing field.

Here are the to 32 decks.

[1] Anti-Summon
[9] Blackwing
[3] X-Saber
[1] Plant Synchro
[12] Six Samurai
[2] Machina Gadget
[1] Infernity
[1] Monarch
[1] Lightsworn
[1] Gravekeeper's

Alistar Albans' Anti-Summon deck looks viable, and I'm sure his recent top will verify that. It's interesting how he dropped the Gadgets from the standard Anti-Meta line up. I can assume that he encountered difficulties when it came to speed, hence lack of Gadgets. I'm liking "Mind Crush" mained a lot. The ability to cripple searches is becoming increasingly important, so I'm surprised more people aren't maining it these days. Additionally, it aids greatly in defense against obvious "Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow" plays. Kudos to you Alistar.

I've also noticed the surge of Blackwing decks in the metagame. I have no idea what has caused this, but I have reason to believe this may be short lived. Fair enough, Blackwings are a good deck in their own right, but I don't fully grasp why they held such a large percentage of top 32. Correct me if I'm wrong, but "Pot of Duality" may be the reason for this. Considering how prolific "Pot of Duality" is in Japan right now, I have a logical reason to conclude that it may be hit, even if it is only a semi-limit. Of course, that is down to interpretation and I could be mistaken.

Astonishingly, X-Sabers and Plant Synchro decks failed to hold a large chunk of the top 32. This may be due to Samurai dominance, or simply down to lack of popularity. The same could be said for Gravekeeper's.

The most bizarre Infernity deck saw some success, managing to get in to top 32. Congratulations, Weston Lundgren, for your success with a dying archetype. I will most likely analyze his build at a later date. The most astonishing thing about his build is the extraordinarily high monster count. Whilst most Infernity builds and variants are minimalist with their monster line-ups, Weston went all out maining a whopping 19 monsters (as opposed to the normal 15). He clearly favors aggression (as evident from maining 3 copies of "Trap Stun"), which seems to be the only way to survive the relentless onslaught from the Legendary Six Samurai. Though I do not approve of the methods used, I still feel huge congratulations are in order for Weston from the entire Infernity community.

Brandon Ogbonna succeeded in topping with Lightsworn, a deck that was supposedly crippled back in 2009. His monster line up isn't anything phenomenal, but his trap line up is. Brandon used a more commonplace trap line up instead of the typical 3 "Royal Decree". This may have been the cause of his success and I most certainly wish to probe further into his reasoning behind his traps.

The only Gravekeeper's deck that managed to top belongs to Traviis Messengale. This does show that the surprise factor utilized by Gravekeeper's at previous is no longer present, and different play styles may be needed for this deck to function. Regardless, Gravekeeper's are still a threat and need to be treated as such.


That's it for this relatively short post. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I want to improve this blog as much as possible, so please leave a comment below with your thoughts on either YCS Dallas or the presentation of this blog.

Wishing you a good day,

~Valafar123

Theory-Oh: Control Vs. Aggro

The fundamentals of this card game have been debated endlessly since the release of this game. Card Advantage, synergy, F/OTKs, Control Vs. Aggro, consistency, tech, and the Ban List are all major subjects that are constantly discussed. The problem with using these theories is that in practice, they don’t always come out producing results. In this edition of Theory-Oh, I will be discussing a topic that spans over all games and sports. Of course I am talking about Control Vs. Aggro; should we play quickly and throw caution to the wind or should we play with conservation and defense in mind?


Is Offense always the best defense? Aggressive decks have to deal with the possible counters the opponent will have and try to keep a level head to not over commit. The reason aggressive decks are generally favored in Yu-Gi-Oh is generally caused by the card pool being Aggro based. There are less Control cards and Control themes than there are Aggro. Decks like Six Samurai, Tele-DAD, Zombies, Debris-Hime, Lightsworn and Quickdraw Dandywarrior are or were popular Aggro decks when they were prominent. They generate countless card advantage and swarm the field with huge beat sticks. This makes them fast and dangerous, but easy to misplay or over commit.

Switch decks are decks that can be ran as either Aggro or Control. Absolute Zero, Infernity, Hero Beat, and Gravekeeper’s. They have the option of having builds that support either Aggro or Control builds. Currently Gravekeeper’s are being ran as Control by the populous and Absolute Zero is being run as Aggro. Both decks can do very well as the opposite though. Gravekeeper’s have the swarming and card advantage that Aggro decks have, with a great natural Control piece in Necrovalley. Where Absolute Zero can be ran as a Control variant using Paradox Fusion, Snowman Eater, and Reese the Ice Mistress. These deck types tend to move from one play style to another as formats change.


Toolbox decks are famous for always having exactly what they need, when they need it. Warrior Toolbox, Ratbox, Gladiator Beasts, and Blackwings. These decks are always fun and prominent in formats due to their reliability and small learning curve. Gladiators have had many variations since their inception. Ranging from Prisma Glads, Dimensional Glads, Tiger and Tigerless, Counter Glads, and Anti-Meta Glads. All strong decks in the formats that they were used in. While Blackwings have been fairly consistent with their builds, apart from the number of copies of X to run. Vayuturbo, OCG Blackwings, and TCG Blackwings are the variants that they fall into and rarely break those stereotyped deck lists.


Control decks are damn annoying and are the cause of many rage quits. Decks that control the opponents moves and slowly take a hit on the opponent are always popular. These decks include Yata-Lock, Goat Control, Clown Control, Counter Fairies, Gadgets, and straight up Anti-Meta decks. Being able to slow down the tempo of the game and destroy the opponent with a calm and persistent approach. These decks are easily overwhelmed by Aggro decks if you cannot set up fast enough. This is the most common risk of running Control based decks. It comes down to if you can slow the game down before they explode with pluses in card advantage.

Overall the player decides what they best run. I myself run Control decks much more smoothly than I run Aggro decks. You shouldn’t run a deck because it is winning, run it because you enjoy its play style. That is how you should determine which to run.

- Lonefire333

Temporal Machine Gods

If you have been watching the anime, you know what these guys are. They are a series of very powerful, level 10, FIRE attribute fairy monsters. One of them has been confirmed for OCG release (and presumably later TCG release), and another has been shown in the anime.

There are a total of 10 Temporal Machine Gods, with an 11th one being speculated. They are used by ZONE in the anime. For once, Konami made decent (and perhaps more than decent) god monsters.

"Temporal Machine God Metaion"

Fairy / Effect

Confirmed Effect:

"This card cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck. If you controlno monsters, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. This card cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects. You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this face-up Attack Position card. At the end of the Battle Phase in which this card battled, return all other monsters on the field to the hand(s), and inflict 300 damageto your opponent for each monster returned. During your Standby Phase, return this face-up card to the Deck."

ATK 0 DEF 0

You read correctly, it is totally indestructible. Its only weak spot is to removal, and its own weak spot.

I'm not certain how effective this card is at the moment, but I'm certain that it will eliminate the need for "Neo-Spacian Grand Mole". It could also be used in Monarch decks as an alternative to "Dark Dust Spirit", especially if you do not have "Treeborn Frog" at your disposal. If this thing gets support, it will be very powerful. You could also use "Book of Moon" to prolong this card's existence.

"Temporal Machine God Razion"

Fairy / Effect

Anime Effect:

"This card cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects. You can reduce any Battle Damage from battles involving this face-up Attack Position card to 0. If this card battles, return all monsters your opponent controls and all cards in your opponent's Graveyard to the Deck. Inflict 1000 damage to your opponent when they draw a card during the Draw Phase. You cannot Summon monsters. During your Standby Phase, return this face-up card you control to the Deck."

ATK 0 DEF 0

Presumably, this card will have the same effect that "Temporal Machine God Metaion" gained (the Sirocco-esque effect) if it gets released. This thing is berserk. It shuts down most decks, and is unimpeded due to the fact it is invincible. One usage of this will probably win you the game. It ruins your opponent's chance to set up. Moreover, if you are playing a Graveyard-centric deck and this card is summoned, it's game over. I like to compare this card to "Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier".

I will continue to update this post every time a new Temporal Machine God is confirmed, or has its effect confirmed. 

Don't forget to rate this post, leave a comment and click the follow button. =)

~Valafar123

Perfecting Infernity 5 - Combatting Removal [Part 1]

"Infernity Archfiend"

Now, we all know how deadly removal is for this deck. The fact that the deck relies so heavily on the Graveyard is the prime culprit for this. Moreover, if combos get disrupted, you will find yourself in a very sticky situation.

However, that doesn't mean the deck can't exploit its weaknesses and totally dominate the game.

The deck, per se, has in-built methods to counter and combat this fatal flaw in the deck.

And that is what I shall cover today; the in-built anti-removal cards the deck has at its disposal.

This is unarguably the best way to counter reactive removal. By using this card, you can spare your "Infernity Archfiend" from the likes of "Bottomless Trap Hole, "Chaos Sorcerer" and "Dimensional Prison". Moreover, this card is very versatile in its own right. With "Black Rose Dragon" becoming omnipresent, "Book of Moon" has become more important than ever.

One may ask, "How does Book of Moon stop Black Rose Dragon?". The answer to that, lies in the process of Synchro Summoning itself. As I'm sure you are aware, the Material for a Synchro Summon must be present in the field in a face-up position. If you detect a "Black Rose Dragon", use "Book of Moon" to flip the newly summoned monster face-down before they get a chance to use it as material. You essentially delay "Black Rose Dragon" by a whole turn, thus giving you a chance to destroy to the material with your own cards.

These are very important plays for an Infernity player to make, and without them games can and will be lost.

Quick recap of events (BTH/D-Prison dodging):

1. Link 2: "Book of Moon" resolves, flipping the summoned monster face-down.
2. Link 1: "Bottomless Trap Hole" attempts to resolve, but the target no longer exists, so the effect disappears.
3. All appropriate cards are sent to the Graveyard.

I'm not certain how many other players use it, but the double search technique with "Infernity Archfiend" is very powerful. This play eliminates "Bottomless Trap Hole" from the equation completely.

You are special summoning "Infernity Archfiend". "Infernity Archfiend" goes as chain link 1 due to TPP, your opponent then uses their priority to chain "Bottomless Trap Hole" as chain link 2.

The chin resolves in reverse order as normal. Firstly, "Bottomless Trap Hole" eliminates the summoned "Infernity Archfiend". Then "Infernity Archfiend" resolves, searching another copy from your deck. 1 died, but you have replaced it. "Bottomless Trap Hole" has slowed you down, but it has not shut you down.

This works because "Infernity Archfiend" selects the card being searched at resolution, not activation. This ruling is important. Make sure you declare what you are searching at resolution, not activation.

Quick recap of events:

1. Link 2: "Bottomless Trap Hole" resolves, removing from play and destroying "Infernity Archfiend".
2. Link 1: "Infernity Archfiend" resolves, adding another "Infernity Archfiend" to the hand.
3. All appropriate cards are sent to the Graveyard.

This is another way to exploit ruling knowledge. Once again, you have activated a card (in this case, we shall say "Infernity Necromancer" is trying to revive "Infernity Archfiend"). Your opponent responds by activating "D.D. Crow", adding it as chain link 2. This is the clever part. You then chain "Call of the Haunted" or "Archfiend's Roar" to "D.D. Crow", selecting the same target.

The chain resolves per normal.

1. Link 3: "Call of the Haunted" revives "Infernity Archfiend".
2. Link 2: "D.D. Crow" attempts to remove "Infernity Archfiend" in the Graveyard, but the target no longer exists, so the effect disappears. (cost was paid at activation)
3. Link 1: "Infernity Necromancer" attempts to revive "Infernity Archfiend" from the Graveyard, but the target no longer exists and the effect disappears.
4. All appropriate cards are sent to the Graveyard (none in this case).
5. "Infernity Archfiend" misses the timing to activate its effect because the resolution of "D.D. Crow" and "Infernity Necromancer" interrupted the opportunity to activate the effect.

This is the most simplistic way to deal with "Bottomless Trap Hole" and "Dimensional Prison". "Seven Tools of the Bandit" is equally effective. Just fire this off in response to a removal card to have its effect negated. Simple.

That's all for today. Don't forget to click the follow button and leave a comment. =)

~Valafar123

Puppet Plant vs. Six Samurai

"Puppet Plant"

Plant / Effect

By discarding this card from your hand to the Graveyard, take control of 1 face-up Warrior or Spellcaster-Type monster your opponent controls until the end of this turn.

ATK 1000 DEF 1000

I have the most bizarre feeling that this card may start seeing slots in the main deck. With the omnipresent and omnipotent Six Samurais becoming more and more prolific, this is the perfect time to capitalize off of our pseudo-"Brain Control". I'm certain you all know what "Brain Control" does and why it is currently forbidden. This is why I recommend this to anybody struggling against their Tier 0 match ups.

Of course, only main this if you intend to maximize the output this card allows you. Therefor, if you are not playing Synchro or Tribute monsters, you'd best find an alternative.

That said, this card is more generic than one would first assume.

I'm certain that everybody has had to stare down the throat of a daunting X-Saber field. This card may be your knight in shining armor, so to speak. X-Sabers are well known for leaving "XX-Saber Fulhelmknight" and "XX-Saber Pashuul" exposed under the assumption that they wont die. This is where you capitalize off of that critical error and place yourself in a very advantageous position.

Not only have you +1'd yourself, you have also left a huge gap in their defenses, allowing for massive game changing plays.

Essentially speaking, this card is equally as effective against X-Sabers as it is against Six Samurais.

Also, let's not forget about the strategic plays "Brain Control" offered. One can completely dominate and/or end the game by stealing your opponent's "Arcanite Magician", "Colossal Fighter", "Goyo Guardian" and who knows what else.

Dare I say it, this card is probably more effective than "Mind Control".

But of course, only time will tell.

~Valafar123

Steelswarm Deck: First Draft

"Steelswarm Moth"

Hi, it's Valafar here again. I thought I'd do a quick first draft of a Steelswarm deck.

For all you Pojo users out there, I have created "The Official Steelswarm Guide and Discussion Thread [01] - Inverse by Nature". I highly advise that you go and join it if you are interested in this archetype. You will find all effects there.

Moving on, here's my prototype build.

Monsters [22]
[3] Steelswarm Caller
[3] Steelswarm Caucstag
[3] Steelswarm Girastag
[3] Steelswarm Mantis
[2] Steelswarm Moth
[2] Steelswarm Scout
[1] Steelswarm Sharp
[2] Dark Grepher
[2] Stygian Street Patrol
[1] The Dark Creator

Spells [13]

[1] Monster Reborn
[2] First Step Towards Infestation
[1] Dark Hole
[1] Giant Trunade
[2] Mystical Space Typhoon
[1] Cold Wave
[1] Allure of Darkness
[1] Reinforcement of the Army
[1] Foolish Burial
[1] Recurring Nightmare

Traps [5]

[3] Invasive Means
[2] Invasive Ripple

Extra Deck [3]
[3] Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

Don't forget to leave a comment and click the follow button. =)

~Valafar123

Trishula at 3?!

"Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier"

Dragon / Synchro / Effect
"1 Tuner + 2 or more Non-Tuners"
When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can active this effect to remove from play up to one card each from your opponent's hand, field and Graveyard. (The card in the hand is chosen at random.)
ATK 2700 DEF 2000

This bad boy just got released in the TCG in Duel Terminal 4. Currently, it is not legal for play. However, it will be released around April (just after the March Ban List). This guy is obviously going to have a huge effect on the metagame.

But that's not why I thought I'd draw attention to this guy. The main point I want to make is that "Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" is being released after the ban list. Now, knowing Konami like I do, I have a sickening feeling that this guy will be released at 3. My logic behind this comes from his brother in arms, "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier". When Konami released Brio in the TCG, Brio was released at 3. Of course, it sold like wildfire due to how prolific Zombies were at the time. Brio survived a whole ban list untouched.

Many decks wont be able to spam this. Plant variants can produce 1, maybe 2 a game. However, there is 1 deck that is well known for being able to produce multiple level 9 synchros in one turn.

That deck is known as Infernity. We all know how debilitating the "Infernity Launcher" limit was, but I think the archetype has found salvation. Considering how easy this guy is to summon, I think the aforementioned limit becomes trivial.

Most players can take a hit from Trish, but 2 or 3 hits with this thing will kill you without question. There is the problem of "Solemn Warning" & Co, but most Infernity players these days use "Giant Trunade", "Trap Stun" and/or "Seven Tools of the Bandit" for such reasons.

If you guys have any Infernity stuff, I highly suggest you hold on to it.

As always, leave a comment below with your thoughts and opinions, and don't forget to follow this blog.

~Valafar123