Black, White, And Grey Zone

Back into the rogue decks edition. Agents has been known to be the most dominant deck before Inzektors were released and, of course, before the September 2011 banned list decides to punish T.G Striker and The Agent of Mystery-Earth. Though it is no longer a popular deck in the current format, Agents or T.G Agents are still very much a force to be reckon with. With or without preparation. It is a deck that seems to have every aspect of meta decks right now. The deck is capable of swarming, blowing things up and control the field. Sounds familiar? With so much more new generic Exceed support, how true is it to no longer consider Agents a part of our format? That is up to you to decide I suppose. 

PLAYER PREFERENCE ENGINE

Having Earth and Striker at one, this deck has to adopt a new fashion to be able to compete in the highest of level. True to say players are no longer able to plus off Earth right away, however, the structure of the deck itself is something very flexible. Being able to accommodate plenty of tech cards, the limitation of Striker and Earth almost seems like a blessing in disguise. Player preference is what Agents are all about at the moment and the ability to fit in cards like Tragoedia, Photon Thrasher, Ghost Ship, Lightray Sorcerer and Spell Striker is almost as rewarding as before. It is no surprise to see the deck played in a more Chaos-oriented built. That aside, Gachi Gachi Gantetsu were one of their best weapon before and now we have Wind-Up Zenmaines. Having a Turn 1, Gachi Gachi and Zenmaines proves to be a hassle to deal with. All of that coming from Venus and Warwolf. Which in a lot of ways also means setup for Chaos plays. Simply detach a Shiny Ball and Warwolf when needed and you are good to go. With that amount of support, the deck has the ability to control the pace very well. Most importantly, according when you need to do so. What happens if Maestroke comes into the picture?

When it comes to hand traps, Agents have access to Herald of Orange Light. Additional Effect Veilers. Depending on what you prefer, the deck itself can be a certain combination between both choices. How well would they work together depends on how well you draw, so to say. However the fact is, Agents have plenty of selection when it comes to hand traps. It can be from Orange Light to Effect Veiler, Maxx “C” or even Herald of Purple Light to Herald of Green Light. Some of them may not be the best of choice but they are indeed available.

With Trishula gone, Synchros are beginning to see less play in competitive means and with that Agents has yet again lost another powerful weapon. Though many has come to forget of an existence that can spell disaster in many ways, Ancient Sacred Wyvern. A huge beater and a monstrosity capable of reviving itself, Ancient Sacred Wyvern is a strong offensive and defensive measure against decks that rely solely on huge beaters to end games. Being able to include unfamiliar techs also means Agents can be used as an Exceed engine. The basic line-up being The Agent of Creation-Venus and T.G Warwolf. When equipped with tech cards like Photon Thrasher, Agents find themselves receiving tremendous boost. Not to mention, access to further Ranks of Exceed monsters. Again, that is up to the player piloting that deck to decide. Whether you want them to be control-based, a spam engine or beat-down formed, Agents can easily switch between the structure and main strategies according to your needs. 

MASTER HYPERION, ARCHLORD KRYSTIA

Boss monsters, every deck has one and most of the time they are your win condition. Or something like that. Agents ruled by not one but two boss monsters that are well-known to assist in changing the tides of your match. Krystia provides soft-lock and it has colossal stats to prove that also not to forget it has a pseudo-recurring ability. Achieving that early is no impossible feat with Valhalla present. Valhalla can be a dead card but it can also be a card that would slap your opponents hard enough. May it be to Special Summon Krystia early or to use it as extra leverage to provide more field control by means of Special Summoning Venus followed by Warwolf and into Gachi Gachi Gantetsu and Wind-Up Zenmaines. After that, you can proceed with a Normal Summon. In a control-based Agent deck, having Krystia during your first turn together with back-row protection usually means the end. Though you can argue on that point but truth be told, it is a bitch of possibility. 

Master Hyperion, used to be everybody’s best friend. A monster capable of coming out for free with the ability to blow things up and hold your field with 2700 ATK does not require much explanation I suppose. Graveyard manipulation can also be achieved by this fellow and works pretty well together with the previous boss, Krystia. Imagine having six fairies in your Graveyard, spend one for Hyperion’s appearance and another one for him to fire upon command. That leaves you with four which also translate to Krystia. Either way, the synergy between boss monsters in this deck is pretty amazing. They complement each other as well. You either bait with Master Hyperion or Krystia and allow the other to hit the field. Sounds specific but not a fantasy.  All and all, Agents still have the backing of The Soldier. Yes, Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning. Even Tragoedia can be a boss monster.

BANISHER OF THE RADIANCE

Macro Cosmos is wrecking the Meta as always and Agents does lack behind when it comes to powerful traps like such thus why Banisher of the Radiance exists I suppose. A pseudo-Macro the least to say and it is also part of the Fairy family. Going back to Valhalla and the over-extending, imagine being able to set up a field consisting of Gachi Gachi Gantetsu, Wind-Up Zenmaines and Banisher of the Radiance. A 2k beat-stick screaming “Smash the Insects!” Of course, Dark Hole still exists but what are the odds. That formation works even better with back-row insurance. Right after that, now imagine a field consisting of Krystia and Banisher during the first turn with back-row protection. Sounds like fun isn’t it? Whatever Banisher’s drawbacks are, it replaces with strong control. Unless you prefer to be crazy and include Macro Cosmos into your side-deck, Banisher is the best option Agents have to go against the Meta. Apart from Krystia that is. 

VALHALLA, HALL OF THE FALLEN

Not that much on the fallen part, as seen above, Valhalla proves to be an important piece when constructing and playing Agents as of now. The amount of leverage it provides help reduce the negativity it has in its name. Though such is said, this card is prone to MSTs and stuff like that. But it rewards the pilot with bombastic plays when it does hit the field. Depends if you want to run it or not, again, Agents are now a deck that functions according to its pilot’s wishes. I believe there is no longer a standard built for it.

We have come to an end of another huge wall of text. Agents have the potential to innovate and improve in my opinion but at the end of the day it relies on who is running and building the deck. A deck can afford to be ‘techy’ sounds like a bad choice but it does promise a lot of things if you know what you’re doing. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post.  Remember to play smart, fight hard or go home a loser. Thank you for dropping by!

You're Scared Because You Don't Know

Power cards, yes, power cards. Yugioh has entered an age where players have an over-abundance of cards that are, in their own way, power cards. May it be themed or generic ones. Though that isn’t the issue this post is getting to. The problem is, should Konami allow such cards to exist in the game and are players utilizing them well enough? Is it healthy for the community? Mind that, I’m not here to judge or insult anyone. I’m merely here to discuss about a disease that has been spreading for quite some time but few see the need to cure it. Or maybe, don’t even realize they are infected? Whatever the case is, a majority of players are not putting in enough thought on how to play their power cards PROPERLY. Yes, too much abuse going on. Mindless, thoughtless abuse. A part of your growth as a Yugioh player, or any type of TCG player, is learning how to think and consider the best of options you are presented with. Planning and learning are essential points as well. You can build or own the best deck but if you do not have the fundamental basics of knowing when-to-do-what, it makes no difference to be honest.

I believe I’ve mentioned about MSTs in the past. Mystical Space Typhoon, to me, is one of the strongest power cards that shouldn’t be at three. A card that instantly removes a threat and it is even capable of serving as an effective preemptive strike. It is a card that players need to understand better in my opinion. MSTs not only solve problems it also opens up a lot of plays for you. Do not waste it mindlessly, learn how to save your resources to deal with possible impending threats. Similar to that, Konami has recently given players the luxury to play two copies of Torrential Tribute. Well not as obvious as Typhoon, players are beginning to forget the importance of Torrential Tribute. Being allowed of main-deck two copies doesn’t mean you should abuse the card as you please. Previously, it was one of those cards that differentiate good and lesser players. Why shouldn’t it stay that way? Torrential Tribute is a card that has the ability to be flexible and versatile at the same time. I urge that you put in more thought before flipping this card up on things that don’t matter much. You can do so much with it and it will remain a card capable of turning the tables. I’ve seen people throwing out Torrential as soon as their opponents summon monsters that are obviously back-row bait. Yes, I agree there are times when you’re forced into activating this card. No doubt. Things like Card Car D and all. But do not waste them!

Monster Reborn. Well, there really isn’t much to say about this card. We all know it is outright broken and I personally think players shouldn’t be allowed to use it. Reborn is so ridiculous it breaks so many well-played games. Enough on that, let us proceed to Dark Hole. First of all, I no longer consider Dark Hole a staple and it shouldn’t be an auto-decided main deck card. In the current format, Dark Hole is at best a one-for-one trade off. However, it doesn’t mean you should Dark Hole the field for no apparent reason. It is dangerous to abuse such a card in an unproductive manner. Remember, it is called a power card. If you do not have a play to follow-up, do not attempt to waste important resources. Dark Hole when you feel confident to go for game because if you can’t keep the advantage Dark Hole generates you have just wasted a card for nothing. The same can be said for Heavy Storm. Do not simply activate Storm because your opponents have more than one back-row. Learn how to use it properly and bear in mind that you should have a solid follow-up, a critical play which can change the pace to your best interest. Learn how to use such power cards to create and maintain pluses. What happens if your opponent sets two back-rows, ends, and on the following turn you activate your one and only Heavy Storm to find that those cards aren’t worth it? Meanwhile, they proceed to set three more back-rows knowing that you’ve just wasted an important game-changing power card. That has cost you a game, possibly a match. 

Effect Veiler has recently seen rise due to the sudden need of its aid in the current format. While it isn’t the most broken among all cards it has come to be recognized as one of the new power cards in our current format. How well would it stay purely depends on the state of the game, on the mechanics as well. This is one is slightly tricky because you need to have a good understanding on how rulings work. It can be difficult but worth spending time on. The same as all power cards, Effect Veilers are receiving the same treatment. Abuse, abuse and more abuse! Not in a good way but in a more negative way. I’ve seen players actively toss out an Effect Veiler as soon as their opponents summon a monster. Of course, it is good to deny a plus off your opponents by negating their monsters’ effect but it isn’t exactly productive to do it without consideration. There are some cards that don’t require you to consider, stuff like Inzektor Damsel or Card Car D per say. However, it doesn’t mean you should waste Veilers on cards that give out pluses, like Gadgets for example. Know and understand timing. It can be beneficial at times to negate a Gadget’s effect but in general they don’t pose much of a threat. Unless you’re absolutely sure then do not waste Veilers in such a manner. Pay attention to the flow of the game you are in.

Imagine being in a gunfight holding a gun with minimum amount of bullets left and instead of aiming and shooting at your target you blindly open fire. I’m pretty sure you know what happens next. Many players are not aware of the fact that wasting power cards are one of their reasons why they keep on losing. Drawing terrible is another thing. But if you know how to play a terrible hand and consider your options properly, it is going to pay off as what you deserve. Bottom-line, power cards opens up opportunities and opportunities are capable of leading you to victory. Appreciate them and play them accordingly, most importantly properly. I hope this post has made some sense and taught readers something. Once again, thank you for dropping by!

Breaking The Curse, 2

Regardless last week’s results, I was hoping to do better in this week’s Seed tournament. In a way, I did. However, I don’t feel this is the best I can be. Having said that, today’s tournament has given me plenty of insights on how to fix and bring my deck to a further level. Managed to test out some of the techs I have in mind and all. Disappointing but rewarding.

WCQ Seed Tournament

Format: Swiss (Asia)

ROUND 1 (INZEKTORS)

Game 1: Drew double vanillas and POD into triple REDMD. Couldn’t do much with that kinda hand.

Game 2: Bouncer and Macro Cosmos controlled the game and my opponent had no outs to my tactics. Most of his key cards died to my CED and Macro combo. Bouncer FTW!

Game 3: Basically did the same thing. But my opponent managed to rip a Dark Hole and cleared my Bouncer off the field. The game dragged on long enough as I had Macro Cosmos on the field and he couldn’t do anything until he was rewarded for his patience with a top-deck Heavy Storm. That didn’t kill me and I had Tfeni, Aset and Emerald Dragon in hand, rip my ace REDMD but Veilers were apparently stronger. Couldn’t turn the tables, Inzektor popworks killed me the next turn.

XOX

(0-1)

ROUND 2 (INZEKTORS)

Game 1: He surprised me with a well-played Zektkaliber Rush OTK combo. I was afraid of committing on the field as I had no back-rows.

Game 2: Bouncer and Macro Cosmos held the fort long enough. He had no outs to my desperate plays of spamming big monsters. OTK later on.

Game 3: Same thing happened and yet again my opponent managed to top-decked a Heavy  Storm to clear my Macro Cosmos. He Dark Holed  my Bouncer  and proceed to rush me. I had Tfeni in hand and I drew into a vanilla next turn, did what I had to do but Veiler denied my efforts.

XOX

(0-2)

Off to a terrible start and I was clearly dissatisfied with how I performed so far. Not sure whether if It was me playing bad or my opponents having the time of their tournament. Man, you don’t know how desperate I was to overcome this situation. Regardless, I cleared my head and looked ahead. 

ROUND 3 (LIGHTSWORN)

Game 1: I drew a decent hand for the first time during this tournament. Man, was I happy as a hippie. So, yeah, he flipped Royal Decree up and all I had to do was OTK him.

Game 2: Had a few turns of draw-and-pass. It wasn’t that long until I drew all my required pieces to OTK. My attempts were denied with an Honest and shortly after that a Dark Hole. Well, life goes on.

Game 3: Bouncer, Drago and Macro Cosmos denied all my opponent’s efforts. Bouncer is definitely my ace today. I LOVE YOU BOUNCER! LOL! First win in this tournament!

OXO

(1-2)

ROUND 4 (CHAOS DRAGONS)

I don’t remember clearly how it went but my opponent couldn’t catch up with how I played. As soon as I saw Future Fusion I knew he was playing Chaos Dragons. I only had to make Atumus and Special Summon to keep the field locked. In one of those games, he was able to break apart my Atumus+Drago combo with a Dark Hole but Solemn Judgment and Photon Streak Bouncer proved too much for him to handle. Also, I disrupted his plays a lot of times with Electric Virus and ended up killing him with his own Light Pulsar Dragon and REDMD.

(2-2)

ROUND 5 (???)

My opponent didn’t want to play me. It was initially a no-show but he showed up a couple of minutes later and said he wasn’t in the condition to play against me. Not sure what was going on but, yeah, a win is a win. I think he was running Machina Gadgets. Remembered him watching a few of my matches and smiled at me a couple of times. Weird moments. 

(3-2)

At this point, I was sure I made a good come-back in my record and pretty sure I would squeeze in the tops. Soon enough my prediction were shattered and as I placed 10/11^th in the standings. Salty much. Missed the Top 8 spot by a few points. Here comes another end in my attempt to top once again. Honestly, I’m desperate to regain my topping and winning streaks. Time to make a trade with the big boss above for better luck. Also, congratulations to Andrew Ng for winning and qualifying to Top 32 of WCQ Qualifiers. There is still some time and I’ll be sure to make the best out of it. Thank you for reading!

Digitalist Profile, 3

OOPArts is something I’ve been working on whenever I have spare time. The archetype right now is not exactly at its best and obviously not suitable for competitive play. However, they are an interesting bunch whereby most of them are utility-based. Though they only work among themselves. OOPArts make a really good toolbox deck in my opinion. You can easily vomit out Exceeds over Exceeds to deal with various scenarios. My main objective was to build this deck to be flexible and versatile very much similar to Plants.  An Exceed version of Plants. It is still an ongoing experiment and I must say they make a very fun deck. Consistency-wise, it really depends how well you mix things together. Bear in mind this is not the best build out there.

OOPArts Exceed

OOPArts Crystal Skull x3

OOPArts Crystal Bone x3

OOPArts Golden Shuttle x3

OOPArts Moai x3

Card Car D x2

T.G Werewolf x2

Ghost Ship x2

Photon Trasher x2

Effect Veiler x2

Genex Ally Birdman x2

(Monsters-24)

Pot of Duality x3

Mystical Space Typhoon x3

Minimum Guts x2

Book of Moon x1

Heavy Storm x1

Monster Reborn x1

Mind Control x1

(Spells-12)

Torrential Tribute x2

Raigeki Break x1

Solemn Warning x1

Solemn Judgment x1

(Traps-5)

EXTRA DECK:

Gaia Dragoon x2

Machu Mach x2

Crimson Shadow x1

Tiras, Keeper of Genesis x1

Volcasaurus  x1

(The rest is up to you.)

OOPARTS  GOLDEN SHUTTLE and OOPARTS  MOAI

These are the two keys cards of this deck. Most of you combos should revolve around them. Golden Shuttle manipulates level and Moai is a free summon when you’ve another OOPArts monster on the field. They make a good start-up and can help you hold the fort long enough. Of course, depending on what situation you’re stuck with. Golden Shuttle and Moai gives you instant access to Rank 5 Exceeds, the most important ones in this deck. One of the win condition here is to make Machu Mach combined with Minimum Guts to burn, boost and kickass. So, Shuttle and Moai are your best buddies. Say hello to Crimson Shadow, Tiras and Volcasaurus. That means Gaia as well.

OOPARTS CRYSTAL BONE and OOPARTS CRSYTAL SKULL

Crystal Bone equals Cyber Dragon Level 3 and it gives you an extra summon when you need it.  Helps you recycle your monsters and combos well with T.G Werewolf. Crystal Skull searches out the cards you need when you need them. Similar to Crystal Bone, Skull gives you that recycle-factor.

GHOST SHIP and PHOTON THRASHER

Ghost Ship is another free summon when you’ve LIGHT targets to banish in your Graveyard. It works well with the basic Golden Shuttle+Moai combo and can possible open up new routes for you simply because you do not need to waste Shuttle’s effect and save the shiny dude for other Rank Exceeds. It works better compared to Cyber Dragon, you do need to wait for opponent to have a monster to Special Summon it. Similar case with Photon Thrasher. Free summon and LIGHT target plus he is a 2100 beatstick. Thrasher can come in handy depending on what situation you are in. Either Special Summon it for Exceed purposes or to act as a beatstick.

CARD CAR D and GENEX ALLY BIRDMAN

This can turn into an OTK-based deck given the right hand and Card Car D helps you get your pieces faster. It isn’t something you need but something you can use in here. Good side-out option as well. Genex Ally Birdman, probably my favourite Tuner in the game. Again, free summon and Birdman helps you go into Synchro plays when you need it. Good ‘ol Black Rose Dragon or Stardust Dragon. It gives the deck an added push when it needs it. One of the notable plays is to summon Golden Shuttle, Special Summon Moai, bounce Moai for Birdman, Special Summon Maoi again. Another toolbox purpose card.

General Deck Strategies:

Make Rank 5 Exceeds that cannot be destroyed by card effects or in battle. Tiras and Crimson Shadow is your general go-to Rank 5 Exceeds during Turn 1. Machu Mach is your win condition. Minimum Guts combo. Aim to rush with the deck more then OTK. For the rest of the game, feel free to spam different types of Exceed Monsters to help you beat, lock or stall. Aside from Minimum Guts, Alchemy Cycle is a fun tech that also combos well with Machu Mach and Crystal Alien.

Side-Deck Strategies:

If your initial spam tactics doesn’t work well, you can always side in more Trap cards to help you hold your ground. The deck can transform into a trap-based deck and still work if you keep the OOPArts engine. Or you can play the typical hate-game.

Feel free to mess around with the deck and I guarantee you it is a very fun deck to play outside of competitive means. I’ll be updating a better version when I have time to modify it. Also, Tour Guide works well in this deck. Special Summon Crystal Bone, Special Summon T.G Werewolf, Special Summon some other stuff with Bone’s effect, normal summon Tour Guide, Special Summon Sangan or whatever. You get the picture. Do remember you easily over-extend with this deck so be sure to think before you explode. Unless it is clearly time to go for game. I hope you enjoy today’s post and feel free to drop questions if you have them. Thank you for reading!

Rolling With The Top Dogs, 9

We are back again for another session of Rolling With The Top Dogs. Let me introduce yet another top player from Japan. If you follow Shriek, i'm sure you've heard of his name. This duelist right here has made his presence known by piloting Vayu Turbo like a God. No joke, he is a beast with Vayu Turbo! Continuing from the Japanese Crusade, I now introduce NANA to you. Another one of the big names we see frequently in Shriek. I would again like to thank Satoshi Kato-san for helping me get in touch with top players in Japan. Greatly appreciated! They will certainly be hard to locate without your help. Get right into it!

NANA

Notable Achievements:

Nationals Champion 2010

Nationals Top 16 2011

Japan Championship 3^rd 2012

How is the meta in your country performing at the moment?

Currently Inzektors are the dominant force in Kanto area. Even with Geargia as the new member in our Meta, everyone built their decks to combat against Inzektors. They are still very strong.

Do you think TCG exclusives provide positive changes in OCG's meta and competitive environment?

I personally think they make an impact in OCG meta. But they would need to be strong to do so.

Has Yugioh's progression gotten better and do you enjoy playing the game as of now?

I don’t like the recently release of cards since they are rather theme-based. I prefer cards that can be played in a variety of decks. Cards that can act as toolbox measure and of utility-based. But I’m still enjoying game of course!

How do you prepare yourself upon entering a major tournament?

I seek advice from good players. We need to be open-minded if we want to win. Insights and criticisms are important factors to determine how you would perform and progress as a player.

How do you usually choose which deck to play? Is it by meta-preference or passion?

I analyze my deck of choice and consult trusted associates about it. Consider the advantages and disadvantages before making my mind up. From there I decide whether I like the deck or not. I prefer Trap-based decks like Vayu Turbo. Those are mainly my choices of deck to run.

Passion-wise, my favourite deck is Vayu Turbo and it has access to one of my favourite cards, Icarus Attack. That card is so good. It can be use for offensive and defensive tactics.

What is your major focus when it comes to side-decking?

I usually side cards that works well against a majority of decks in my Meta. Side-deck needs to be flexible and strong against everything. I believe my side-deck should be able to deal with everything I meet. To be able to change my deck for every match-up, that is my main focus.

What is the best or fastest way to improve yourself as a player, in your opinion?

For me, I choose to study and analyze top players’ decks. You can learn a lot from them Analyzing their skills is also important because you can learn to improve your own skills. Lastly, always play-test seriously and concentrate when you do so. It brings a lot of benefits to know what to do in tournaments. Also, be fearless and try anything!

If you were given the right to ban a card, which card(s) would it be? Why?

Rainbow Life. (NANA did not specify any reason for naming this card. I hope he is not trolling us. LOL!)

If Konami would allow you to unbanned a card, which card(s) would it be? Why?

Metamorphosis. The Extra Decks nowadays are so full and I don’t see how this card can be generally abused.

Apart from banned list, if you were given a chance to change something in Yugioh, what would it be?

I  would like it if we have more big tournaments like Shonen Jump Championship!

We have come to the end of another interview. I'll be looking to improve on the quality of my interviews soon enough and be sure to stay tune for more interviews with great players. Hope you've enjoyed this one! If you think i should interview any specific player, drop a comment below and i'll try to get onto it. Thank you for dropping by!