Going Green With Benjamins

It goes to say the biggest news for now is the announcement of M7 and Ouroboros reprints in the month of November. Not to forget, Verz Ophion is entering the Asia Advanced Format. This again changes the Meta and competitive scene in multiple ways. Perhaps Hieratics might see more play now. Hopefully we get to see Verz Rabbits in action. Give me M7 and Verz Thunderbird I’ll be the happiest duelist alive! Putting that aside, in the previous article I picked a few cards and discussed their importance in the current format. Those were Monsters and today I would like to continue on the topic reviewing Traps that will be popular picks this format. First spot goes;

STARLIGHT ROAD

 

While Road was a card commonly seen in the TCG scene last format, it was the opposite in OCG. The biggest factor ruling out Starlight Road was the dominance of Inzektors and the lack of arsenals for us to run Dino Rabbits. In some a lot of obvious ways THE BEST deck during March 2012 in OCG was pesky bugs. It came to a point whereby you would have to run the deck if you wanted to stay competitive. Not in the case of experience and good players but many chose to rely on the viciousness of Inzektors last format. That is history and the progression has led us to worry about Heroes, Mermails, and Wind-Ups.

Back-rows has always been a big part of Yugioh and by reviewing this format it is clear a colossal part of the game will go back to the importance of having Spells and Traps as defensive and offensive maneuvers. If such is the case, Starlight Road in the eyes of many will immediately be nominated as a staple in order to protect their line of sorcery. It handles mass destruction and comes with a free 2500 beater with the ability to negate destruction in case there is a second wave. Frankly speaking, it is not a good card but at the same time not a bad card. A late Starlight Road isn’t exactly functional and playing multiple copies doesn’t guarantee anything as well. Considering the pros and cons I must say a means to protect your board against two of the power trinity (Heavy Storm and Dark Hole) while throwing in a free Stardust Dragon is indeed tempting. Thus why, by popularity, Starlight Road will be getting more spot-light this format in Malaysia. 

CALL OF THE HAUNTED

Living Dead has always been a popular power card. Not to mention it has been one of the most cunning power cards in the history of Yugioh. The myriad of tactics it opens up is nothing short of amazing and annoying in the face of your opponents. With ever popular targets like Sangan and Card Trooper seeing more and more play, Call of the Haunted is something you should be wary about. Simply wasting a Mystical Space Typhoon and having it hit Call while your opponent chains to revive likely targets like the ones mentioned above for a plus practically shortens your chances of being victorious. With search power being a major trend in every competitive deck, Call of the Haunted and T-King plays breaks a ton of game plans. 

I do not need to list down all the possibilities this card has to offer to make people understand this card is not overrated. Three copies alone can revive a so-called “dead deck” like Inzektors alive. Simply find a means to dump Damsel into Graveyard and do a Call stunts makes you wish you still Main-Decked those Veilers. It fits into a variety of deck nonetheless so being cocky while knowing the existence of this card means you shouldn’t be playing competitively. People barely get away with misplays in this format. Call of the Haunted, it could be the card that saves you or the card which made you scream “FUCK!” inside your head.

MIND CRUSH

 

What can I say? Mind Crush has never exactly been sidetracked nor has it ever been played as much as other cards. I am a little bias with this card as I believe Mind Crush is probably one of the most massive turn-around-cards in the hands of an experience player. Now I am not implying that only good players play this card but I am merely suggesting that Mind Crush is not something you can slap in your deck strategies and hope it turns out “as you planned.” No! It requires an uncanny ability to read the correct cards at the appropriate time. If one is not confident in that aspect of their game, stay away from this card. Unless if you are playing a deck which complements Mind Crush namely Dark Worlds.

It may not be the most popular card in the format but it is one of the most reliable countermeasures in our current Meta. Tons of searching going around and at times it plain simple to flip a Mind Crush up and name a card. Of course it doesn’t work all the time. However, the fact that good players are considered good players for a reason I predict this card to be one of the most popular Side-Deck card among reputable players. Mind Crush is not five star format or Meta defining material but it is a thing which stands out among all techs. Versatility and reliability with whatever can be said about this mind blowing card.

COMPULSORY EVACUATION DEVICE

 

To start off, i think it is fair to state that CED has never been this popular nor has it ever been considered a good problem solver as it is right now. The versatility and flexibility of this card in the current format needs no introduction. Probably one of the best ways to deal with Number 16: Shock Ruler the moment it hits the field. With the game moving towards the Extra Deck direction, Compulsory Evacuation Device is a stellar card that shines brighter than anything else. 

An amazing card that allows you to boot away your opponent's Face-Up or Face-Down monsters for aggression or defensive measures is nonetheless worth the minus when it comes to maintaining or building field control. You may find Compulsory often being the card that decides the flow in this format. Why? The answer is obvious enough. It is a chainable and reactive Trap card that shits on the face of MSTs and Heavy Storm so generally played back-row hate isn't exactly the best gun to blow it off. Bottomless Trap Hole, Dimensional Prison, and Solemn Warning are all hallmark traps but in a fast exchange format waiting to react don't pay off as much as being available at all times. Simply put CED doesn't crack under removal pressure. 

The level of complexity this card introduces may not seem like much in first impression but it capitalizes on an entire chain of tactics that only really existed in some formats as a single Book of Moon. Boot a Synchro or Exceed monster to gain a hefty plus, use it in Chain Links to allow important effects to go through, keeping it in for combo plays, whatever the reason is Compulsory Evacuation Device will hardly disappoint in the current format. Having Compulsory around justifies how well a player plays his Typhoons and Storms. Truly, this card deserves more attention and credits. If you're not a believer, i suggest you make it compulsory to do so. A big part of Malaysia's format will revolve around this one card. And with that, i end today's post. Next time i'll cover on Spells that have made a big influence in Malaysia's Meta. I hope this has been a good read. Thank you for reading!