Obsessions Is Such An Ugly Word

Yugioh has made me a lot of things. Naturally, you learn to be a better strategist as you progress deeper into the competitive scene of the game. To a certain extent, you become very good in scheming and such. No doubt there will always be a positive and negative side to every aspect in life. Overall, players learn to make the right choices and decisions as those are the essence of your success. Sometimes that could be a factor to keep you alive in the competitive scene. Yugioh like everything in the modern age progresses and evolves fast. Today the top deck might be this but the fact is those elements changes as fast as cell-phone models. Tomorrow it is another deck that defines the Meta. Adapting to new trends, conditions, and challenges is the definition of fun behind this game. So, yeah, you learn to be a better person in your own definition.

Going back to the topic, Yugioh has taught me a lot. Blogging has taught me as much. It has come to a point where I understood more values in life by playing this card game and by writing and sharing my thoughts about it compared to a session in the lecture hall. As much as this game has taught me, it has yet to explain hypocrisy to me. Now, I know we deal with it in our daily lives but, hey, that doesn’t mean one has to practice it. Voluntarily or involuntarily. Of course, it is easy enough to point fingers and such but what’s the point really? People are entitled to their own beliefs and their proposed truth. I don’t intend to make sense in this post but I trust my readers to get the point of this jumbled up article. But I’m intending to clear my mind of some issues. All and all, I do realize I am the kind of person who rather fall and start again than be a coward who cannot accept failure.

Here’s the thing, I see plenty of common players in Malaysia buying new products every time Konami releases one. Following the trend and changes in the Meta and all but surprising enough there are experience and good players who top with decks like Agents during premier events. How does spending-to-top apply to those set of players? Having said that, of course the majority of the Meta is filled with the ‘new shits’ since that is unavoidable, however, most of the players who top here in Malaysia are familiar faces who have enough credentials to back them up. I don’t see the relevance of top players being only people who spend a fortune on Yugioh. There is only so much one can argue about overpowered cards, luck, and sacky formats. So in a nutshell, the players who top and win in my country are still players that deserve those credentials. Some do it with Meta decks, some with random decks. I personally don’t spend a bomb when it comes to personal use in YGO but I’m making very much a huge leap in my record in the competitive scene. So, I can’t see myself agreeing to that theory. Unless RM100 tops (approximately 32 USD, 26 Euro, and, 40 SGD) per month is considered a huge fortune. 

Granted Yugioh credentials aren’t something you can include on a job resume or your curriculum vitae but it is still a return of investment to players who work their way to achieve what they have in the competitive scene. Plus, there is no point in doubting or discrediting the legitimacy of their so-called success. Difference in terms of player-skills caliber will always exist no matter what we say or think. No one is the same. Like it or not, a top/win is a top/win regardless the player’s deck of choice or however the fuck he or she earned it. The random joes who spends like an idiot don’t win or top and the ones who spends wisely tops and wins. At least, that’s how it is in Malaysia. Well, I am only speaking from what I observe in my country and I am aware that we do not have as much premier events as other countries do so traveling cost or whatnot is definitely not a big deal. That’s all for now. Thank you for dropping by!

Breaking The Curse, 9

Today was an important date to Team Dark Stallion. All of us came to an agreement that if we scrubbed again it was time to call quits on team tourney. It wasn’t worth the time. Although it sounds as if we are a team formed for only a sole purpose (winning), we needed that motivation and desperation to propel our game. At least, I needed to that sort of environment. I’m familiarly new in the competitive scene and I am thirsty for better credentials. All and all, let us get started with the tournament report. 

Asia Plus Qualifiers

Format: 3 Rounds of Swiss cut to Finals (Asia Advance)

Deck Used: Teleport Hieratics

ROUND 1 (Agents Angel, LCW)

Yes, LCW plays Yugioh. No joke. 

 

GAME 1: I controlled the board with Gaia Dragoon and Koa’ki Meiru Drago for quite awhile until he showed me Dark Hole and continued with an Archlord Krystia. Is this a sign for me to get myself prepared to combat the bullshit Agents have in them once again? Yes sir, it is. Proceed to Game 2.

GAME 2: Once again I held my ground with Drago. Rush for damage with Drago, Psychic Commander, and Krebons only to meet Dark Hole. He summoned Master Hyperion to deal some damage. Tried to do some stunts but was killed by expected Herald of Orange Light. I summoned Eset to prevent me from taking more severe damage so I could turn the tables when I was given the chance but during his turn he showed me Electric Virus grabbing my Eset. That was cool until he summoned fucking Victoria. Offered a  handshake and scrub. I was holding Wattaildragon, Hanzo, and when I checked my next draw it was Lightpulsar Dragon. I had REDMD in my grave and Hanzo as fodder. LOL!

                                         

XX

TEAM RESULTS:

Leader (Sean): O

Player A (Izzat): X

Player B (K’yde): X

(0-1)

Now that wasn’t a very motivational start ain’t it? 

ROUND 2 (Dark World, Yap Zian)

I was rather nervous with this one. The thought of constant Dragged Down and Card Destruction haunted me for quite awhile until I managed to regain my balls of steel. 

GAME 1: He set two cards and ended. I was holding Eset, Su, Seal of Convocation, REDMD, Hanzo, and I drew into Night Shot. Needless to say it was time to fulfill the responsibilities of that given hand cards. OTKed him with Gaia Dragoon, Gaia Dragoon, REDMD, and Wattaildragon. I was fucking relieved. 

GAME 2: I played cautiously the first two turns to check out what he has. When I confirmed he had no staples or such cards, it was time to play with comfort. I made Force Focus and Void Ogre Dragon to control the board. All of that came from Hanzo. It came to a point where he managed to get his hands on double Grapha with no Gates. Void Ogre went to Hell, dude Exceed into Heliopolis to kill my Force Focus but was met with a Damage Step Forbidden Lance. The next turn was basically GG.

OO

TEAM RESULTS:

Leader (Sean): O

Player A (Izzat): X

Player B (K’yde): O

(1-1)

There was still a chance for us to make the cut at this point. All the sudden we got a bye for round 3 and that was kind of confusing but we got no choice but to wait out. It was slightly annoying to be put in a position whereby your future is decided by another person’s failure. 

O

(2-1)

ROUND 4 (Dark World, Yap Zian)

Somehow Dark Stallion made the top cut and it was a rematch of Round 2’s game. With mixed feelings I went into the finals with nothing in mind but to win. As mentioned earlier, this was Team Tri-Cat’s revenge match and the crowd was basically buying them to win today’s qualifiers. That’s a good thing to know before your match starts. LOL!

This match was no different from round 2. Hanzo and Emergency Teleport put in a lot of work when I had no way to close the game quickly. It was Gaia Dragoon, Force Focus, Void Ogre Dragon, and Stardust all the way. Yap Zian played well but I do not scrub to Dark World. I had plenty of time to train against them last year and at that time I actually scrubbed plenty of times against DW. But no longer that the case, I finished first and was playing the waiting game once again. Sean played a fucking amazing finals and drew Godlike. 

OO

TEAM RESULTS:

Leader (Sean): O

Player A (Izzat): X

Player B (K’yde): O

(3-1)

So, Dark Stallion won today and I guess that means we are not meant to disband. We bumped heads against each other often but at the end of the day we each knew what was important to get us through thick and thin. Congrats to my teammates for fighting to the end and we shall prepare for the real deal while waiting for other teams to qualify. That is all for today. I will be playing this variant of Hieratics for the rest of the year and I am currently taking time to experiment on a built that utilizes Deep Sea Diva. If you are interested in the deck list do leave a comment or so and I’ll write a post about it. Thank you for stopping by!

Baby Left In A Bus

          (Please Kindly Be Patient And Wait For Your Turn!)

The world of Yugioh is filled with curiosity and confusion. I supposed it’s the way it is and will always remain as it is. Now when you think of it that is probably the best attraction point any trading card game has to offer. Duelists or rather contestants are constantly forced to participate in a race of never-ending assumptions and speculations to only realize there is only this much one can race passed through. In a nutshell, you will almost at every time finish short or realistically get slapped in the face with dissatisfaction. Yes, Yugioh is all about reality check these days. Ever since it entered the open era that is while you and I might go on wondering when exactly has Yugioh entered the open era. As a matter of fact that is indeed irrelevant information as of now. 

Let us proceed to the topic. The purpose of this article is to serve as an answer to all my readers that has been spamming my inbox and such likely media asking why, why is Tour Guide semi-limited before reaching OCG? Extra Pack 2012 is in October so why hit it now and not wait until the March 2013 banned list? Why would Konami hit the highlight of their future product? Indeed, why? To be honest and it is fairly obvious to see Digital Mortal is not affiliated to Konami as a partner or whatever legal title society has for such positions. With insurances bought, I will now present to you my reasoning and personal answer to those who have been dying to understand the logic behind Konami’s actions. Extra Pack 2012’s purpose is not to promote Tour Guide let me be clear even if that is the idea and reasoning to many Yugioh players in the OCG preparing to purchase it, including myself. 

Tour Guide is the main attraction of the set but most of us mold our minds into replacing the idea and concept of Extra Pack 2012 to an approach we all understand. A means to justify our own actions and decisions. When you think again Tour Guide is but another card in the set in Konami’s eyes. They are aiming to sell a whole product not a single piece of Tour Guide. That is the overall objective to achieve. Now this is the part where most of everyone reading this article going “But Tour Guide is THE reason why players would buy Extra Pack 2012! You said it yourself!” Off with your hats people! Not heads. I am not going to deny the fact that I have the same initial thinking as everyone else looking forward to the arrival of Extra Pack 2012. But this is not Tour Guide or should I say this is not how Yugioh is made to be.

If I had to compare Yugioh to anything in the world right now the most accurate reference would be fashion. Why? (Here comes the benefit to asking WHY all the time.) Simple, it won't be finished. That's the point, the way fashion is never finished. I am talking about the idea of it and I am saying it's never finished. It never ends. Just like Yugioh. First we get Fusion, than we get Synchro, after that we get freakin' Exceed. It's endless. God knows what comes next. Well, not only God but Konami as well. Though in many ways Konami is THE GOD of Yugioh. That brought me to understanding why putting Tour Guide in Semi-Limited before being released in OCG made sense and doesn't change a thing. As simple as it is, we forget that TGU is broken. At three, two, or one. Consumers will still buy the fucking card regardless of the status of TGU itself because she is notorious in the world of Yugioh. And she works. Probably all that matters. 

Malaysia has an average growth in terms of Yugioh players by 50-60 head counts per month. (Based on Duelist ID registration and information from a friend of a friend.) That is a rough amount of numbers but it’s good enough to serve as a benchmark and let us price EXP2012 at RM100 (Distributor price). Now based on the data provided calculate the amount of profits and sales number. That’s right. This is my answer to why Tour Guide went to two despite having debut in OCG versions. In a long run, semi-limiting Tour Guide doesn’t do a shit to their account books. Not even the initial sales of the product. Trust me, I know what I am saying. Normally you would expect a slight drop in sales but that isn’t the case with EXP2012 or should I say Tour Guide? Why, because like I mention earlier it is a fucking broken card! No matter the status or rarity of the card itself players are going to buy a play-set or maybe more. It is the same as how some players are STILL purchasing Dark Armed Dragon or Sangan or Scrap Dragon up till today. With more new consumers joining the game it is a matter of time before they demand for results and achievements. When they do, they are going to gun for cards that serve a role in defining the Meta. Power cards. Again, simply because it’s good and it works! The principle of demand and supply is everything to my answer.

                   (Urm...Are We Forgetting Something?)

Eight hundred and ninety words and I have only covered on Tour Guide, what about the rest? There is Dolkka, Shadow of the Six Samurai, Adreus, Wind-Up Shark, Wind-Up Rabbit, Tour Bus, and Reborn Tengu not accounted for. Let’s calculate that too! LOL! No, I’m done with today’s article. No more wall of text for you to endure. A reminder, Extra Pack 2011 or Extra Pack Volume 4 was awful yet it scored a substantial amount of sales just because of Maxx “C”. To all my readers and friends who have been looking for my perspective in the Tour-Guide-Going-To-Two-Before-Entering-OCG-case this is my answer. It is my personal opinion. You may agree or disagree. Either way, I hope you have found this article interesting and helpful. Thank you for reading!

Muffin Man

Coming from the announcement of the new banned list, every duelist in this world are probably wondering what is going to happen to the Meta. While there isn’t exactly a clear sign on what is the dominant force at the moment some decks retain a high level of competitive play despite having slammed by the ban hammer. One of those decks would be Heroes I believe. Even having A Hero Lives, E-Emergency Call, and Pot of Duality going to two, Heroes as they always have been are a versatile bunch which can easily adapt to the current Meta-condition. Heroes may have lost some important pieces but with Stratos still at their aid there is no way that deck should be rule out as one of the best contenders. One-Turn-Kill or control, Heroes are alive.

Now, depending on which direction the game moves towards to it is hard to decide which deck would be Tier 1. Except maybe Lavals for not suffering any hits at all. Rekindling and Molten Transmission Field are both at three so the rest is really obvious. Next, would be Mermail. This deck is picking popularity fast and it has solid plays to offer so the One-Turn-Kill trend is pretty much still alive despite the banned list bringing back a variety of lower Tier decks like Agents that leans towards grinding and control aspects. Having said that, Agents are capable of closing the game swiftly similar to any OTK decks we have seen so far. Daigusto Phoenix, Ancient Sacred Wyvern-either way we will be seeing mister Hyperion back in the competitive scene as a nasty top-deck. 

                                                             (Hi! Miss me much baby?)

With Heroes, Laval, Mermail, and Agents called-what about Six Sams? We have seen glimpse of Six Samurais on and off in the previous format and whether the format sway toward OTK or Control, Six Sams Is a good pick. Naturia Beast, Naturai Barkion, and Legendary Six Samurai-Shi En will be giving problems either way and to top that up they have Heroic Champion Excalibur and Blade Heart as well. Samurais might have lost both Trishula and Brionac but that doesn’t change the fact that they are strong contenders. No wacky loops that’s all. Every time Konami decides to give Warriors support (generic-wise) I suppose Six Sams receive a boost as well. With or without Gateway, samurais are something to be remembered about. 

Has the year of the dragon come to an end? Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon going to one hurts every kind of Dragon decks out there not only Hieratics and Chaos Dragons. But, of course, Disaster Dragons aren’t a big deal over in Asia still they are worth a mention. First with Hieratics, the deck is not dead! Yes, REDMD and Hieratic Seal of Convocation got hit not to forget Gustkraken but with a little tweak Hieratics are still very OTKish. For those who rely on Gustav Max, go and talk to Tragoedia. Consistency-wise, it is not uncommon to play triple copies of Tefnuit, Su, Eset, and Nebthet. If you don’t draw them God probably thinks you don’t deserve to win. Card Car D is at three for you to draw into whatever you need. REDMD at one? Run triple Atumus in your Extra Deck and work your way from there. Hieratics also have secondary support like Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo and Lightpulsar Dragon. 

In Chaos Dragons’ case, getting REDMD isn’t really a problem and the deck plays around Special Summons so I don’t see how it is a problem to recycle that single REDMD.  Talking about Eclipse Wyvern of course. Atumus is also an asset for that deck. In any unfortunate case, run Tefnuit and Wattaildragon as back-up? Malicious isn’t a bad call as well if you are going the Exceed path. Losing Chaos Sorcerer sucks though. It was a level 6 easy out card for the deck with nifty tricks up its sleeves. Aggro-wise, this deck still has its touch. Going into decks that don’t self-touch that much, Dino Rabbits’ consistency might become an issue and people might end up drawing bull but I doubt it’s a gone case. If the Meta does sway to a more Control environment, I assume more people will play Gravekeepers and Machina Gadgets. Agents go into that bunch too. Regarding Plants/Junk Doppel, I honestly do not know. However, I do have a deck that I am keeping an eye to. Dragunities! Just out of curiosity of course. Vajrayana, Atumus, and double Stardust Dragon seems to be a legit threat until they meet Dimensional Prison that is.

Coming to an end, cards like Effect Veiler and Thunder King Raioh are going to continue to be useful. Maxx “C” and D.D Crows as well. So, do not go selling them off. I am sure everyone has heard about Wind-Ups OTK-ing. One way or another, I’d like to observe how the Meta will form in Malaysia and around the world before making more posts. This format looks really fun at the moment. Side-decking might become a headache with so many decks running around but what the fuck. I hope you have found this article interesting and helpful. Remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser. Look forward to how the Meta grows. Thank you for reading!

Rolling With The Top Dogs, 17

Back with another segment of Rolling with the Top Dogs, I’ve been interviewing with a lot of foreigner players and it is about time I include some local top players into the list of Top Dogs. Time to give Malaysia more love. This time please welcome Shahmir Roshidi from Malaysia! Shahmir is one of the most consistent top players in Malaysia that has been making it to the top tables in every major tournament we have in the country. Currently ranked as the number 2 player in the country, he is an aggressive duelist with skills to back up his words. So, without further ado, please enjoy the interview!

SHAHMIR ROSHIDI

Notable Achievements:

Malaysia Top 16 for World Championship Qualifier 2010

Malaysia Top 8 for World Championship Qualifier 2011

Malaysia Top 8 for Top Shop Championship Qualifier 2011

Malaysia Top 8 for Asia Championship Qualifier   2012

Malaysia Top 16 for World Championship Qualifier 2012

Malaysia Ranking Number 2 2012

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

Hi, my name is Shahmir Roshidi, I'm 21 years old and from Penang in Malaysia. I’m taking "Computer Science-Programming" and work as a Free Lance Web Programmer at the same time. I like to travel, meet new people and enjoying my life I've been playing Yu-Gi-Oh! since 2007 and I'm a proud member of the "Team Ragnarok".

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

Oppression TeleDad and Dad Returns

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

My favourite card would be Dark Armed Dragon as I’ve been using "him" since its first appearance in Phantom Darkness.

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?

I've been playing ygo competitively since 2008 and the game state now is freaking fast as there’s a lot of combo based decks and OTK decks. I love Aggro decks especially TeleDaD, DaD returns and Chaos Dragons.

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?

Mostly its full with insects! But in OCG we do have a lot of decks running around such as Dino Rabbit, Heroes, Hieratics, Wind-Up etc.

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?

Currently I’m running Chaos Dragons, it suits my play-style well. The deck is just way too good as there’s a lot of ways to toy around with opponent's card as the deck is full with bosses.

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?

Absolutely, it will shift the current Meta a step ahead and I can’t wait for the Girl from the underworld =)

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?

Before going into any events especially big one such as WCQ, I’ll do research on current meta and ways of countering them. Seeking advice and criticisms from teammates and good players is damn important as it will widen our way of thinking.

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?

For Side Decking, I will just side in 3-4 cards as I don’t want side decking destroy the stability of the deck. Usually, I’ll try to read what opponent will side against me and counter it.

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?

By having cards that is good against multiple deck is very important Eg:Electric Virus-U can just ditch it to take control of opponent's Machina fortress or Dragon. I’ll side out anything that doesn’t work much against that particular deck.

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?

I believe "In order to survive, one must strive to be the best." That is my method to better myself. 

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?

Windup Hunter, as that card is ruining everything either OCG or TCG. Without Effect Veiler or Maxx C, you can say Hello To Next Game.

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

Obviously it will be Dimension Fusion. I've been abusing that card in DaD returns and it should come back for Chaos Dragon too and there’s no DMOC/Magician of Faith to spam that card again and again now.

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

I would remove those OCG and TCG exclusives as its unfair for both sides. Especially for us(OCG),we need to wait for a year for tour guide and 2 years for Tengu itself, and when it arrive in OCG Land, its already been limited or semi.

15.Before we head to the last question, being a Malaysian duelist yourself. What do you think the Yugioh community of this country needs in order to reach a new level of competitiveness? What improvement does the community need in your opinion?

A lot of improvement should be made on the big event itself:

-Single Elimination should be change into Swiss Round, as Malaysia got a lot of good and potential players. Even with skill and experience, a good player might lose due to unlucky match-up.

-By applying Swiss format, qualifier is not needed as it seems to be unfair for players that is far from the local itself.

16.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?

Jerry Wang, Adam Corn, Paul Levathin, Shane Scurry from Team Overdose as they are epic! Thank you for sharing my thoughts and best regard to everyone!

Here comes the end of another interview. I hope readers have found this post interesting and have enjoyed it. The banned list has been confirmed and maybe I’ll do a review of it tomorrow in a few days time. Please let me know if there is anything you would like me to write about and that’s all for today! Remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser. Thank you for spending time here!

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Everyone has probably seen the latest plausible September banned list by now. How many players believe it to be real? And how many feel skeptical about it? Certainly there are those who are like me. Those who prefer to wait for the actual list to be announce by Konami and V-Jump. There is only a few more hours to go before someone in the internet spread the actual shit. Maybe a few more days to go? Whatever it is I am sure plenty of players are looking forward to play in the September format. Perhaps it is no longer as luck-sack as the March format. We will live to decide and pass our own opinions. To those who have yet to lay eyes on the so-called actual list, here you go.

FORBIDDEN:

Future Fusion

Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

LIMITED:

Inzektor Hornet

Inzektor Dragonfly

Gishiki Gustkraken

Chaos Sorcerer

Ultimate Offering

Spore

Wind-Up Zenmighty

Tsukuyomi

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon

SEMI-LIMITED:

Mirror Force

Hieratic Seal of Convocation

The Agent of Mystery-Earth

Reasoning

Rescue Rabbit

E-Emergency Call

A Hero Lives

Pot of Duality

BF-Kalut of Moon Shadow

Debris Dragon
Tour Guide From the Underworld

UNLIMITED:

Emergency Teleport

Marshmallon

Necrogardna

Destiny Draw

Magic Cylinder

Sword of Revealing Light

Level Limit-Area B

At this point, if this is the real deal, I am scratching my head to pinpoint the coming Meta of Malaysia. I am positive that plenty of duelists here will sell of their Inzektors, Chaos Dragons, and Hieratics cards due to the sudden limitation of Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Hieratic Seal of Convocation. However the turnout might be, i will probably stick with Hanzo Hieratics for a couple more months. The deck is not dead. Plenty more ways to spit out OTK moves. So, let us await a dawn of a new format. Whichever day it may be and I end today’s post right now. Stay tune for more articles to come after the banned list has been confirmed. Thank you for spending time here!