Rolling With The Top Dogs, 12

YGO has been pretty much same ‘ol, same ‘ol lately and I have been rather busy with work. Regardless of that, play-testing is in progress everyday and everything leading to WCQ next week is going very well. Now going into today’s interview. I have mentioned many times my definition of a top player is someone that has the potential to be a great player and is a good role model. This time, meet Wesley Seek from Singapore.  An interesting fellow and this is going to be worth reading. Trust me on that. So, go ahead and enjoy today’s interview!

Wesley Seek

1.Let's start of by introducing yourself. Please tell us a little bit of who you are.

Hi guys I’m Wesley from Singapore. Played back from 2004 to 2006, and recently came back end of 2010, and once again begun immersing myself fulltime in the competitive scene mid 2011 till now. Some other interests of mine aside from everyone's favourite card game include tennis, food, all sorts of music, food. Hopefully to make myself sound a tad bit credible haha, some of my YGO achievements include Top 8 at 2006 Singapore World's Qualifier using Macro Monarch, 4th place at 2012 Singapore Asian Championship Qualifier with Inzektors and I’m currently Top 16 qualified for the Singapore World Championship Qualifier!(Hope to go far...). I’m LambySeries on Dueling Network(and many other social networks), so let’s play a game sometime.

2.Before going into serious business. Do you've a favourite deck, which deck(s) is it?

Favourite deck, without a doubt would be Junk Doppel. I've always favoured combo based decks, and at its prime the deck had a great multitude of options available and you were rewarded for making the right plays. It was also my favourite deck for the simple fact that it had so many variations and almost every Junk Doppel player had their own say on what’s good in the deck or not. All in all, a deck that encompasses some luck along with unparalleled options for victory. Pity the deck is quite dead now, I might still be playing it now if the banned list left my plant friends untouched.

3.This is a 'lil something everyone wants to know. Are there any YGO cards you especially like? I mean, favourite card(s).

My all time favourite card would be Trishula. For its effect of course, but also for its art. Currently, my favourite cards in each category would be Sangan, Book of Moon, PWWB and No.61 Volcasaurus.

4.Okay, going into business. How long have you been playing YGO and what is your personal opinion on the state of the game right now?

Goes to show i don’t read all the questions before i answer them lol. As mentioned above, I played from 2004 to 2006, and came back into the game in 2010 till present. I would say about a good 5 years or so. The game right now I would say is a lot more varied. It has been like this since Synchros were introduced I feel, probably the best thing that has ever happened to YGO. Exceeds are slowly becoming really amazing too. It’s easy to get into the game and be semi competitive too, given that the Structure Decks beginning with the Machina structure deck all allow new players to enter the game with a decently built deck to play and learn with. 

5.Apart from improving skills, being competitive means understanding the current situation of the format. What do you think of the format as of now and how is the Meta in your country performing at the moment?

The game now has too many power cards, too many good top-decks. Plays requiring elaborate thought can easily be trumped by drawing said power cards. Games are also a lot faster now. Living past the first few turns against Meta decks would be usually a luxury and not a given. Having said that, I do enjoy this format a lot as it is very important to analyze your plays in advance, preferably taking into account the ability of the opponent to use or possess said power cards. Setting up your board or plays to effectively neuter the threats your opponent can pose, as well as figuring out how to effectively expose weaknesses and openings in your opponent's play are very crucial in the current meta, where one slip up could easily cost you game. 

It does suck at times when your opponent just has that much of a better opening hand or simply draws better than you, but that has always been a given in any game that requires luck. How you play out of such situations defines how good you are. Many may argue that innovation is dead, to some extent to be competitive it does require you to play the Meta decks most of the time. However innovation in the form of tech to suit your play-style and give you the edge over your opponents has never been more important (maybe except during Tele-DAD era which I was unfortunately not around for), as with the skeleton for top decks being so similar a slight variation in the norm could break your opponent's game plan up rather easily. 

After mentioning so much about Meta decks, the meta in Singapore for Asian Format would consist mostly of Inzektor, Hieratic, Rabbit, Machina, possibly including Dark World and Samurai. Among the above mentioned decks, Inzecter and Machina I can foresee to be the major picks as they are cheap and relatively easy to start using. For general play, Hero Beat is going strong, and is winning a lot over here.

6.What deck are you running at the moment and how is it performing in the format, in your opinion? And, just out of curiosity, why do you choose that deck as your weapon of choice?

I am currently main-decking Inzektors. They are the top deck over here right now and of course, is performing like what a top deck should be doing - winning. I had my doubts when I begun using the deck as it seemed extremely auto pilot. I don't deny that its plays are usually basic and easy to pick up, but being the top deck it does receive a generous amount of main and side deck hate as such being able to outplay such hate, along with the mirror match, is something I feel requires a lot of thought into. Summoning the right exceeds, searching the right cards as well as even popping the correct cards are some of the things I realized do matter a lot even though it may seem so simplistic at times. 

Simply put, Inzektors are so hated on that it even defines the main deck choices of the Meta, therefore being able to combat this with your main and side leaves room for quite a bit of skill to be involved. I have also begun taking an interest in Hieratic variants, and possibly Chaos Dragons. Both play similarly to Junk Doppel in that there are a multitude of options as well as many, many special summons!

7.This is a personal interest of mine. Do you think TCG exclusives are capable of making an impact in the OCG competitive scene by the time they arrive? Will they be positive or negative changes?

By TCG exclusives everyone just has Tour Guide on their mind, and possibly the Wind-Up stuff and Dolkka. I foresee by the time we get them (Extra Pack 5) Tour Guide would be hit by the List. Maybe for the short time that it isn’t, then yes it will be used in almost everything over here too. With that said, exclusives are severely overpowered in my opinion and could drastically pollute this already extremely fast format. I would definitely use them if they were to be released and still relevant in the Meta, but also really dread being on the receiving end of these exclusives. Actually combating the hordes of exclusive abuse on DN has been quite taxing on my rating already LOL.

8.YGO is serious business nowadays. Are there any specific preparation taken by you to get yourself ready for major events? How does it help you?

I tend to think a lot. Which translates to high amounts of testing and theory-oh. Often I will make my card choices based on the Meta, but more importantly I have to play a deck that I am comfortable using. Getting ideas off of sites, opinions from friends and playing minor tournaments all help in preparing for a major event.

Being a tennis player myself, I stress that nothing replaces real tournament experience when it comes to preparation for big events. Being able to have the "best" deck means nothing if you misplay like a fool in live matches and tournaments where others are watching you, along with the raised stakes of prizes and recognition. Play many tournaments, be it a win or a loss you learn. Losing just makes it so that you learn more, winning builds your confidence. Personally, I generally do a lot better if I am confident in my deck and myself, and should be not too much different for many others out there. Health wise, always get enough rest, as a lack of sleep puts you on tilt very easily, or leads you to misplay. I feel that misplaying is the worst way to lose, as you are in control of that aspect. 

9.Side-decking has always been an important part of the game and many players still aren't familiar with it. What do you focus on in your side-deck and how do you decide on which card is effective enough to be included?

Side decking is one of the things which I place extreme importance on when I play in tournaments. It has probably come up many times for all of you before that there is just that one card you are not sure to side in or not, and subsequently what to strip from your main deck. Being clear and concise as to what you need against certain matchups and what is unnecessary is important, saving time during the process as well as allowing you to stay confident during the match, especially if you have lost a game. My side-decking thought process usually involves trying not to conflict with my main deck as much as possible, while also being able to handle the threats or improve the match up in my favour.

The more you side, the more inconsistent your deck becomes as such over-siding will be the downfall of many who are not familiar with what they actually need. Side decks are also not universal. Certain decks can side certain cards more effectively, while other decks cannot. Side decks are also highly player preference, what may be good for me may seem like trash to you, as such the whole 15 cards in your side deck need to be justified by you and only you at the end of the day.

10.Continuing from the question before. Side-decking sometimes reduces the synergy in your main-deck. Do you side in a specific order to prevent that from happening, is there a formula you apply while side-decking?

I won't say that there is a specific order for side-decking, but I use a very simple method of siding that has helped me quite a bit. Every card removed from my main deck will usually be replaced by a card from my side with the question in my mind being "if card A was card B instead, how would this affect the situation?". I also try not to change the Monster/Magic/Trap ratios too drastically as mentioned above, the more you side the less consistent your deck gets, as such siding in uneven ratios just serves to push that fact even further.

11.I'm sure a lot of players are interested in your methods of seeking improvement as a competitive player. What do you do exactly to be a better player?

See point 8. In all honesty, nothing at all can beat actual playing experience. That is without a doubt how a lot of pros win and continue winning, aside from general skill levels. Knowing your cards, and what your opponent's cards do is key to winning and playing well too. Reading your opponent's cards during a match is just a big sign saying "exploit my lack of knowledge"

By knowing your cards, I don’t just mean knowing the effects. You have to know all the timing issues as well as card interactions that can possibly occur during respective situations. Again, this can only occur with a lot of play testing and tournaments. Theory-oh-ing just serves as the basis for improvement. Another point to note would be that you have to be open. Allow others to criticize you and your plays. Being all stubborn when someone provides you advice only serves to make you seem like a snob and lead to a lack of exposure with situations and cards which may end up being helpful to you. 

12.The banned list has always amused us. So, let's say Konami gave you the right to ban a card, which card(s) would it be? Why?

Monster Reborn. Because in this format every Meta deck that draws this card can comeback from unwinnable situations. Nuff said.

13.By banning a card, what if Konami again gave you the chance to unbanned a card, which card(s) would it be? Why?

Unbanned Tsukuyomi. It is too slow a card to use effectively and there are no real flip effect monsters that it can really abuse without adequate setup and even so it will still be slow. Killing Dark Armed Dragon should be the least of Konami's concerns.....lol.

14.Apart from the banned list, if you are given an opportunity to change a part of YGO, what would it be and why?

Unify both TCG and OCG Meta. This would mean no more exclusives or having said exclusives be available to both sides at the same time. Also with such unification, tournaments can be more international and allow players worldwide to see things on common ground.  I would like for greater YGO coverage too, like what Wizards are doing with MTG. Heck, simply getting back something similar to the old metagame.com would be decent and spark more interest in competitive YGO.

15.Last question, are there any players out there that you think should be in this section? Who do you think Digital Mortal should interview next?

I would have recommended Jeff or Baha but they have already been done lol. I particularly like the coverage you did of the European players so hopefully more of that. After reading some old metagame.com coverage I am quite interested on what Jerry Wang would say on the current format and state of the game though. He by far seemed to be one of the best and interesting players I have read about.

We are at the end of today’s post and hopefully it has given readers something to think of. I would also like to thank Wesley Seek for his time and efforts put into this interview. Thank you and best of luck in WCQ! And that is all for today. Thank you for spending time here and stay tune for more updates! Remember play smart, fight hard or go home a loser.