It's that time of year again, when the harsh winter begins to draw to a close and the warm, refershing spring breaks forth from beneath the snowy drifts and fills our hearts with love and warm...
Well, not really. Here in Newfoundland, it's still cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey (bonus points to anyone who can tell me the meaning of that phrase), it's wet and slushly, and spring doesn't come until sometime in late April to early May.
However, one thing that we all share in common as Yu-Gi-Oh players is that March marks the beginning of a new format that will define how the game is played for the upcoming six months.
Now, I won't post that banlist here, since it's a little long, but I will go over the changes and tell you how I feel about them, and what effect I think they will have on the new format.
First off, these cards were limited to one:
Chaos Sorcerer: Personally, I think this could've still worked fine at two, but no matter how you look at it, it's a somewhat overpowered card that's easily splashable in anything that runs 5+ Light and Dark monsters (each mind you). Having this card back to one will hamper Twilight decks (although Chaos Sorcerer at one is the least of their worries with this list).
Tragoedia: It took a long time for people to realize this was a more useful, more versatile version of "Gorz the Emmisary of Darkness". It's summoned very easily, it can steal monsters with a discard, and it can copy levels for Synchro Summoning. Around the latter half of the Septemeber '09 format, this was mained or sided in well over half of competitive decks that could utilize it. Overall, this was a good choice, since a lot of people played this at two, meaning Semi-Limiting it would've been pointless. It's now resting peacefully at one next to it's cousin Gorz.
Necro Gardna: Yes, it's one of the best forms of Battle Phase disruption in the game, it's highly versatile, and it's reusable with "Burial from the DIfferent Dimension", but I still think putting it to one is a little excessive. Two would've been just nice, but it's not really a card that's all that useful at one. I still expect to see a copy in Lightsworn, but really, whether it's in there or not doesn't make a huge difference on the deck like it does now.
Necroface: One word, er, I mean acronym: OCG. This card would've been abused to the endth degree in the OCG this upcoming format if it was left at one. It should be more managable at one. Doesn't really affect the TCG all that much.
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier: Ah, the bain of a card that uses the game's "bounce" mechanic to the fullest, and is, by far, the best user of said mechanic in the game. It can dump, and it can mess up the opponent's field. This was at one in the OCG last format, since they got it earlier than us (but hey, what's new?). This format the TCG simply followed suit. In the upcoming format, Brionac will remain an Extra Deck staple, and will be used much the same way it has been this past format. With Zombies taking a hit from this banlist, Zombies need Brionac to still function at a level remotely close to what they did in previous formats.
Mezuki: Putting this to one effectively cripples half of the Zombie deck's engine. It was easily abusable last format, and by rights, it will still be easily abusable, but not nearly as often as it once was. This was a good decision in my opinion.
Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner: Despite common opinions, it is this card, as well as "Charge of the Light Brigade" that makes Lightsworn the top tier, explosive and dangerous deck that it has been all this format past. Putting her to one decreases the chance of a Lightsworn player pulling off their "Charge into Lumina into Garoth" play that was ever-so-common in the past. Not only that, but it makes reusing milling Lightsworn quickly much more difficult. Lightsworn still have Beckoning Light at three, which they will have to use to it's fullest to compete in the new format.
Burial from the Different Dimension: The other half of the Zombie engine (and a few others. I'm looking at you, Vayu Turbo) that got crippled by this list. Putting this card to one was perhaps one of the best choices on this list. It makes the drawbacks cards like "Mezuki", "Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor" and "Necro Gardna" actual drawbacks, and not just an easy way to reuse them. Nice work Konami, this will make the new format a lot less focused reusing a select few broken cards.
Foolish Burial: Sure this can be abused and is very useful in a lot of decks, but personally, I think it could've stayed at two. With this card at one now, decks like Hopeless Dragon that need to get specific cards in the graveyard take a minor hit. As always, good players will find alternatives to this card, or more specifically, alternative ways to get cards into their graveyard, which is becoming increasingly important in today's game.
Destiny Draw: Another good choice. With so many other previously fast decks getting slowed down majorly from this list, the D-Hero draw engine would simply be too good to leave alone. A lot of people don't like this choice, but it's for the good of the game.
Charge of the Light Brigade: Arguably the most essential card in a Lightsworn deck (yes, it's more essential than Judgment Dragon believe it or not. If you don't agree, playing a Lightsworn deck without Judgment Dragon, then play one without Charge, you'll see). A free three-card mill and a search effect a la "Reinforcement of the Army", this card needed to get hit, and did. Like any free tutor card, it should be limited in some way, which it is. With this card at one, Lightsworn lose their free answer to any situation three times in one duel, now only getting that answer once (and that's only if it doesn't get milled).
Allure of Darkness: With the advent of new Blackwing and Infernity support, along with the domination of Dark monsters in the current metagame, hitting their staple draw card seems appropriate. With Allure at one, Dark decks lose just enough speed to let them drive on the same stretch of highway right next to the rest of the meta.
Mind Crush: "Trap Dustshoot" and similar cards are what make this card just a little too good. Granted it was an excellent countermeasure against cards like "Honest" and "Blackwing, Kalut the Moon Shadow", it was a little overpowered if you saw your opponent's hand, or if your reading skills were above-par (and I don't meaning reading, as in reading this article). With Water decks on the rise thanks to the recent release of "Codarus" and "Elemental Hero Absolute Zero", their psuedo-Dustshoot, "Spiritual Water Art - Aoi", combined with two copies of Mind Crush would be absolute devastating, since Aoi itself can be ran in threes.
Magical Explosion: The source of many different FTK (First Turn Kill) variants, especially in the OCG (my their a creative bunch, aren't they?), putting this card to one prevents the over abundance of first and second turn kills via this card. A good choice, but not one that affects the TCG all that much.
Now, that covers everything that was put to one. Don't worry, theirs still more. On two the Semi-Limited cards:
Honest: Really, protection from an opponent's attack should come from the field, not the hand, which, I think, was Konami's logic behind putting this card to two. In my opinion, if it were only usable in Lightsworn decks, it would've been put to one, but since it's generic Light support, two works just fine. Again, Lightsworn takes a hit here, but so do other decks that run this card for protection.
Cyber Dragon: With so much Cyber Dragon themed cards coming out, it only seemed natural (and profitable) to bring this card back to two. Really, it should have never went to one in the first place, but I guess Konami figured it would be abused too much in Synchro based decks. With Machines getting a lot of new support cards, this card makes them even more deadly. Expect to see our old friend (or nightmare), "Chimeratech Overdragon" make it's triumphant return to competitive play once more.
Demise, King of Armageddon: Making Ritual decks more playable, one genocide at a time, Demise once wrecked the metagame pre-Phatom Darkness, and may rise up to do so again along with it's partners in crime, "Dark Master Zorc" and Ganondorf "Garlandolf, King of Destruction". Overall, a good choice to make Ritual decks playable again.
Dandylion: Really, this card was never all that broken, but that doesn't mean it's not good, or easily abusable. As an upcoming reprint in Absolute Powerforce: Special Edition, Konami's decision to put this back at two was, I believe, largely to increase sales of said product. Regardless, Plants and any other deck that can put this card's tribute fodder to good use get a nice boost.
Black Whirlwind: The mainstay card of Blackwings, putting this to two hits the deck harder than most will notice at first. Their chances to draw double Whirlwinds decrease quite a lot, meaning that kind of a broken opening play will be seen less (especially since if the Blackwing player drops both Whirlwinds on their first turn, they can lose them to spell and trap removal very easily). A good choice that will bring Blackwings down a notch, and limit their ability to generate easy advantage, especially post-The Shining Darkness.
United We Stand: This card should've been back to two long ago. Yes, it can give a 4000 ATK boost at it's peak, but if you can pull that off (not counting an odd time when you have one monster and a field of Goat Tokens), you'll probably win with or without. However, it gives swarm decks another tool to play with, which is always nice.
Royal Decree: A decent choice, which limits the tricks decks like Gladiator Beasts can pull off by siding these (at least for the builds that do so). Two is a nice number for a card that negates, in essence, one third of the game's cards.
Royal Oppression: With the speed of a lot of decks taking a hit from this list, Oppression at three, especially in Blackwings, would've been too good for the format to handle. While a lot of Blackwing players don't play more than two anyway, this choice prevents them from doing so just in case.
Skill Drain: With so many decks that can abuse this card (Stardust/Assault Mode, Inca and a few others), Skill Drain at two fits nicely so that it can't be abused quite as easily.
Almost done, now for the two cards that were unlimited:
Smashing Ground: One time, this card was able to cause massive disruption, but now, when several summons a turn occur extremely often, it's a nice one-for-one removal card that belongs at three, right next to Fissure. Gadgets and Stun variants will enjoy this card at three.
Mask of Darkness: Finally, this is back at three. Traps are slow, and Flip Effects are slow. With Crush Card Virus still banned (much to the baine of many, many players), this card works well at three, and can do what it does best. This won't affect the game a lot, but Counter Fairy decks can reuse their "Solemn Judgment" as much as they want now.
And that's all he wrote folks. You have my opinions on the new list, and you have yours. Feel free to express those opinions as much as you want as comments. I'll try and read them when I get the chance. I'll be back again soon with a review on two new archetypes that Absolute Powerforce gives us. What will they be? Keep checking back to Yu-Gi-Oh Newfoundland with Dave on the Rock to find out.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Game Within the Game - Defining a Format
While many other Yu-Gi-Oh writers in the dueling community right now are busy reviewing new sets and cards, and speculating about the new March 1st 2010 banlist, I'm going to be going over something completely different that still relates to the topic everyone is raging about - the new format. First off, no, this isn't the umpteeth article about the new list you've read this week. I'm not going to go and reiterate how "Tsukuyomi" and "Magician of Faith" aren't broken anymore, how "Dark Hole" will be a balanced equalizer with "Starlight Road" on the horizon, or how "Plaguespreader Zombie", "Burial from the Different Dimension", and "Judgment Dragon" are broken and need to get hit. No, I'm here today to talk about formats themselves - what defines them, how you can classify them, and what kinds of decks benefit from those different kinds of formats.
To me, there are three major factors that affect a format - the number of Top Tier decks, the speed of the format, and how OTK-heavy the format is. Depending on these three factors, certain decks may succeed or fail competitively. It's not really about what specific cards are legal, it's about how the legal cards change the game state as a whole. If you still don't get it, I'll explain each of the three factors in way that anyone can understand.
The number of Top Tier decks affects three things - what people tech, what people side, and how viable Anti-Meta decks are competitively. The September '09 format for example, is one where people can tech and side deck anything that involves Graveyard distruption, like "Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer" and "D.D. Crow". Because the top decks of that format rely on the Graveyard and Monster effects so much, Anti-Meta is fairly viable. To make things short and sweet, the larger the number of top decks there are in a format, the harder it is to tech and side against the meta, and the less effective Anti-Meta decks are. If we look back to the days of Chaos Return and Goat Control, teching, siding and running Anti-Meta were all very easy things to do, since everyone and their brother was playing the meta cookie-cutter deck.
The speed of the format largely determines what decks succeed and what ones don't. I'll use this current format, September '09, as an example again. To put it simply, it's a fast format. Not as fast as the days of Tele-DAD and the like, but still fast. As such, decks that are very powerful, like, Monarchs, Samurai and even Spellcasters, lose out to the top decks simply because they are too slow to set up against them. Right now, the speed at which Lightsworn, Blackwings and Zombie variants can set up and OTK is crazy. Most decks, while effective normally, can't fight that kind of speed. In a slower format, such as September of '07, when Apprentice Monarchs were one of the top decks, a lot of decks were viable competitive simply because of the slower speed of the format. Picture the metagame like a race. If there are three or four sports cars that can hit 300+ kmph, then the average 180-220 kmph cars just won't be able to keep up. However, without those sports cars, the average car would have a better chance to win the race.
The last factor is OTK presence. The reason is this important is simple - the larger the presence of OTK decks, the more every deck needs to tech/side against them, even if they only play against them once in a 8-9 round tourney. This is because not being prepared against an OTK deck can give them an easy win. Think back to the days of Demise OTK. For those of you who weren't playing back then, it was a time when decks running "Advanced Ritual Art" used "Demise, King of Armageddon", "Megamorph" and "Doom Dozer" to easily end games in one turn. Back then, if you didn't main deck or side deck anything against this deck, you could forget going undefeated for a few rounds of swiss, no matter how good of a player you were. It was nothign strange for decks to run multiple copies of "Waboku" or "Threatening Roar" in their side, with some people going as far as to run copies of "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell" to prevent the use of "Advanced Ritual Art". To make matters even worse, that deck had nothing on the infamous "Cyber-Stein OTK", which used "Cyber-Stein" to summon a monster like "Cyber End Dragon", double it's attack score with "Megamorph" or "Limiter Removal" and attack for game. Overall, OTK really affect a format in a negative way, since they take little skill to pull off correctly (unless you're talking about decks like Diamond Dude Turbo, but that's a different story), which is why Konami tends to cripple them as soon as possible.
Overall, formats can be classified by their speed, and the number of top tier decks, with OTK presence being more of a lingering threat. The current format is a fast one with only three or four top decks. The previous one (March '09) was faster still, but had more top decks. Back when "Chaos Sorcerer" was the single most powerful card running around, the format had only one top deck, and was fairly slow. As you can see, every format is easily classifiable.
Now, the question remains - "What will the next format be like?" Well, since I'm not part of the team at Konami who can sit down and work on the new list, I can't tell you (and even if I was, I'd likely be on a contract that prevented me from telling you anyway :P ). What I can answer though, is "What should we expect from the next format?". Personally, I'm expecting a slower format with a wider variety of top decks. Lightsworn, Blackwing and Zombie variants will still be something to watch out for, but if the new list does at it should and brings these beasts down a notch in terms of explosive power and speed, then decks like Gladiators, Samurai, Monarchs, Spellcasters, Gravekeeper's, Fortune Ladies and many more should be at least a little closer to that ever-elusive Top 16 Decklist position that they've all been craving to see more of.
March 1st is still about three weeks away, but hopefully we'll start seeing some hints about the banlist within the next two. Once that time comes, I'll share my thoughts and opinions on the new list, but until then, be patient, and enjoy the last of this format while you can. Change is coming, and it's going to be big.
-Dave on the Rock
To me, there are three major factors that affect a format - the number of Top Tier decks, the speed of the format, and how OTK-heavy the format is. Depending on these three factors, certain decks may succeed or fail competitively. It's not really about what specific cards are legal, it's about how the legal cards change the game state as a whole. If you still don't get it, I'll explain each of the three factors in way that anyone can understand.
The number of Top Tier decks affects three things - what people tech, what people side, and how viable Anti-Meta decks are competitively. The September '09 format for example, is one where people can tech and side deck anything that involves Graveyard distruption, like "Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer" and "D.D. Crow". Because the top decks of that format rely on the Graveyard and Monster effects so much, Anti-Meta is fairly viable. To make things short and sweet, the larger the number of top decks there are in a format, the harder it is to tech and side against the meta, and the less effective Anti-Meta decks are. If we look back to the days of Chaos Return and Goat Control, teching, siding and running Anti-Meta were all very easy things to do, since everyone and their brother was playing the meta cookie-cutter deck.
Who ya gonna call?
No, not that kind of fast.
The last factor is OTK presence. The reason is this important is simple - the larger the presence of OTK decks, the more every deck needs to tech/side against them, even if they only play against them once in a 8-9 round tourney. This is because not being prepared against an OTK deck can give them an easy win. Think back to the days of Demise OTK. For those of you who weren't playing back then, it was a time when decks running "Advanced Ritual Art" used "Demise, King of Armageddon", "Megamorph" and "Doom Dozer" to easily end games in one turn. Back then, if you didn't main deck or side deck anything against this deck, you could forget going undefeated for a few rounds of swiss, no matter how good of a player you were. It was nothign strange for decks to run multiple copies of "Waboku" or "Threatening Roar" in their side, with some people going as far as to run copies of "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell" to prevent the use of "Advanced Ritual Art". To make matters even worse, that deck had nothing on the infamous "Cyber-Stein OTK", which used "Cyber-Stein" to summon a monster like "Cyber End Dragon", double it's attack score with "Megamorph" or "Limiter Removal" and attack for game. Overall, OTK really affect a format in a negative way, since they take little skill to pull off correctly (unless you're talking about decks like Diamond Dude Turbo, but that's a different story), which is why Konami tends to cripple them as soon as possible.
Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell - Showing you just how far people will go to win against rogue OTKs.
Overall, formats can be classified by their speed, and the number of top tier decks, with OTK presence being more of a lingering threat. The current format is a fast one with only three or four top decks. The previous one (March '09) was faster still, but had more top decks. Back when "Chaos Sorcerer" was the single most powerful card running around, the format had only one top deck, and was fairly slow. As you can see, every format is easily classifiable.
Now, the question remains - "What will the next format be like?" Well, since I'm not part of the team at Konami who can sit down and work on the new list, I can't tell you (and even if I was, I'd likely be on a contract that prevented me from telling you anyway :P ). What I can answer though, is "What should we expect from the next format?". Personally, I'm expecting a slower format with a wider variety of top decks. Lightsworn, Blackwing and Zombie variants will still be something to watch out for, but if the new list does at it should and brings these beasts down a notch in terms of explosive power and speed, then decks like Gladiators, Samurai, Monarchs, Spellcasters, Gravekeeper's, Fortune Ladies and many more should be at least a little closer to that ever-elusive Top 16 Decklist position that they've all been craving to see more of.
March 1st is still about three weeks away, but hopefully we'll start seeing some hints about the banlist within the next two. Once that time comes, I'll share my thoughts and opinions on the new list, but until then, be patient, and enjoy the last of this format while you can. Change is coming, and it's going to be big.
-Dave on the Rock
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