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!

Because Fuck You That's Why

Somehow the title represents how I feel about August every year. August marks the month where every duelist waits eagerly for the announcement of the new banned list. It also signifies the month where Yugi-trolls have the most fun. As we all expected, tons of fake banned list being circulated around the community. I am not going to write much today. All I am going to do is share the latest banned list or fake list or whatever people call it to you guys. Well, to be honest, I don’t have anything to write about lately and the needs to be updated somehow. To those who haven’t seen the current so-called “banned list” being circulated around, here it is. Enjoy! 

FORBIDDEN:

Brionac, Dragon of The Ice Boundary

Dark Armed Dragon

Card Destruction

Mind Control

Sangan

Wind-up Hunter

Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the beginning

E-Hero Electrum

Monster Reborn

LIMITED:

Rescue Rabbit

Dark Magician of Chaos

Super Polymerization

Inzektor Centipede

Witch of the Black Forest

Ultimate Offering

Solemn Warning

SEMI-LIMITED:

One For One

E-Emergency Call

Legendary Six Samurai-Shi-En

Gladiator Beast Bestiari

UNLIMITED:

Necro Gardna

Primal Seed

Formula Synchron

Funny choices? It is up to readers to decide yourself whether to believe or not to believe in this list. Frankly, I wouldn’t bother since we never know for sure what Konami does with the banned list. Fake or real, you just need to adept to it. That’s how it has been for the good players. But hopefully the real list is somewhat effective since it is the start of a new format. So, I hope you have found this list entertaining. This is all for today. I’ll do my best to put up more contents. Do let me know if there any topic that you would like me to cover on. Thank you for dropping by!

Rolling With The Top Dogs, 16

We had Oliver Parle as a guest yesterday. Today I would like to introduce yet another World Championships representative. Coming all the way from Greece and doing well in his first major tournament debut, let us welcome Michail Paraschos! He is a deserving player and also an interesting individual to talk to. This is to all the readers who have been requesting for Michail’s appearance in Digital Mortal, here is to you guys. Now without further delays, go ahead and enjoy yet another interview from this duelist.

MICHAIL PARASCHOS

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

Well, not much to say, I’m a 19-Year old university student from Thessaloniki, in Greece, and I spend a big part of my free time playing CCGs like YGO and Vanguard, I might even pick up Magic The Gathering, lol.

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

I don’t really have one particular favorite deck, there are decks from different formats though, that I really like, the “French Twilight” of Vincent Ralambodiana, the one with the 3 copies of Tragoedia, the “Quickdraw” deck of Jeff Jones (and generally many Plant variants but this one was my favorite, Drill Warrior ftw :D) and the X-Saber deck, for every format it played, with or without Rescue Cat. But there’s a deck that holds a special place in my heart, one of the first decks I used in this game, a “Hopeless Dragon” deck, which was indeed hopeless (I ran stuff like Dark Horus and Prime Material Dragon!).

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

Hell yeah! Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon! The reason I had built the “Hopeless Dragon” deck, back then, was that I really loved this card. I sure miss my 3 ultra rare copies! L The thing with the deck was that REDMD was a good card but it didn’t really have any good targets. Lightpulsar Dragon was like a gift from the gods for me, it changed everything.

4.First of all, congratulations for qualifying as Greece’s representative in the upcoming World Championships. How do you feel about it and in your opinion how do you think the Meta will be like in Worlds?

Well, there’s a little pressure, because Greece has won the World Championship in the past and suddenly people expect a lot from me. At European, I wasn’t nervous because no one was expecting anything from me! But of course, despite all that, I feel great about it. I mean I get to travel to Tokyo, the capital city of the country that produces all of my beloved anime series. It’s like a dream come true. Now about the worlds meta, with the lack of TCG-exclusives there’s going to be a lot of diversity, granted if Inzektors and are probably the big favourite, but so far everything, I mean literally EVERYTHING,  can take this. Heroes, Final Countdown, Hieratics, Dark World, Gravekeepers, even decks like Six Samurai or Karakuri, everything is relevant. It’s going to be a hell of an event, that’s for sure!

5.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 enjoyed playing YGO ever since I was a little kid, I started playing at my locals though in 2008, when “The Duelist Genesis” was released and the Synchro era began. It took me some time though to actually start messing with the top tier decks, I mean everything was so expensive at that time, and I guess most of us started in this game playing a random (you can’t even call it rogue :P) deck. But I worked hard, learned from my mistakes, I was also taught a lot of things by good players from my locals and I eventually reached a satisfactory level. 

Now about the game itself, I won’t deny it, YGO pretty much sucks right now, Inzektors can OTK, Wind-Ups can take your hand away and under some circumstances they are also able to OTK, Chaos Dragon can OTK, Dino Rabbit suffocates you with walking Solemn Judgments and Divine Wraths protected by multiple back-row cards and a couple of hand traps too :P, hell, even Heroes, once a slow paced control deck, can OTK right now. But I’m still optimistic, I believe the banned list is going to make things better, I mean, after one of the worst banned lists of all time, this has to be at least a better list, I sure hope so at least.

6.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?

So true. The understanding of the current Meta-game is crucial if you want to perform well at big events. Right now, there are three decks which are prevalent, Dino Rabbit, Chaos Dragon and Wind-Ups. To be honest, I rarely ever use it because I don’t really like it, but I think Dino Rabbit is the best deck. Sure it has a tough time against Chaos Dragons, but it can still win against almost any match up. Laggia and Dolkka are that broken, and the deck has a really flexible side deck too. 

About the Meta in my country, unfortunately, in Thessaloniki, the city I live in, most people can’t afford the top tier decks or they are just casual gamers, so you can’t really gain any valuable information about the Meta-game for the TCG, by watching the Meta-game in Thessaloniki. In Athens though, the capital city of Greece, there’s actually a very healthy and competitive Meta-game scene. Since I don’t live in Athens, I don’t know that much about what decks they’re using right now, but I’m pretty sure it’s mostly Dino-Rabbit, Chaos Dragon, Wind-Ups and Inzektors.

7.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 don’t play that much right now, just waiting for the banned list, but I when I play, most of the times I use my Chaos Dragon deck. I just use it, because it’s my favorite from the current top decks, and it performs quite well, you just have to make a few adjustments, depending on the Meta-game of your local area.

8.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?

Well, we have some pretty powerful TCG exclusives. So yeah, they can certainly impact the game when they get released in OCG but unfortunately in a negative way too. If Tour Guide, for example, isn’t hit by the September banned list, I think that we are going to see many OCG players running a full play-set of these little bitches. :P

9.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?

Well, first of all, play-testing is a big part of my personal preparation. Then it’s what I’d like to call, “Meta-game Research”, hours of surfing on the net and reading things in forums, like “Duelistgroundz”. You have to know what you’re up against, so that you may optimize your Main and Side deck according to the Meta standards.

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

Side-Decking is crucial especially in a format with so many different decks. I believe the trick here is to find cards that can be used against multiple match-ups that have a certain level of versatility. Then you have to take in account your own deck too, which matchups are you afraid the most? You don’t have to over-side for a match-up that may be relatively easy, save some space for cards that can be good against your hardest match-up. Fifteen precious card slots, use them wisely. ;)

11.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?

Well, what’s important with Side-Decking is to keep the general consistency of your deck. You try to side in cards that are useful against your current opponent, and of course side out cards that aren’t that useful, and sometimes you also have to side in cards to deal with cards that your opponent will side against you. This might sound a little bit tricky at first, but if you practice different combinations you will eventually find what works best for you and your deck. Play-testing, serious play-testing, will help make your choices. One last thing, try not to overdo it! For example, I’ve seen players side out a lot of their monsters and end up with a really awkward hand in Games 2 & 3. 

12.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?

Learn from your mistakes and try not to make them again. That’s what’s most important for me. At the end of each game, regardless of the result, I always go back and think about my plays, and try to figure out if I made the optimal moves or not, so when a similar situation may occur in another game, I will be ready to make the best choices. In the end though, I believe that everyone knows their own weaknesses better than anyone else. Self-criticism is important.

13.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?

Right now there are actually some worthy candidates for the ban-hammer in the Advanced Format, but I’ll focus on two specific cards: Wind-Up Hunter and Future Fusion. Playing with no hand is just hideous; any combos like these have no place in this game. Future Fusion on the other hand, enables so many combos, many of them leading to OTKs or a huge card advantage. Both of these cards are IMBA and I’m sure lots of players would love to see them go.

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

If a card’s in the banned list, there is or at least was a good reason for it to be there. I guess I could bring back a card which I don’t consider a serious threat that would affect the game in a negative way, but to be honest, if Konami ever gave me that right, I wouldn’t use it. I just can’t take that risk!

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

Card design. YGO has become a game about super special awesome herp-derp OTK combos. A balanced format with balanced cards would be nice for a change. :P

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?

Simon He, Vincent Ralambodiana, Peter Gross, Michel Gruner, Stephan Sluis, Claudio Kirchmair and many more, so many names come to my mind, an interview with any of them would be really interesting to read.

We come to the end of another interview. Before anything else, I would like to thank Michail Paraschos for his participation and contribution in Rolling with the Top Dogs segment here in Digital Mortal. Thank you very much! Best of luck in Worlds! This has been a good and fun interview. I hope readers enjoyed today’s interview and if you have any suggestions feel free to leave them in the comment box. At this point, there isn’t much to write about and the most important parts of the game relies almost entirely on the September banned list. Will Konami give us another surprise? Good or bad, no point thinking too much about it. Top players adapt and that’s all to it. So, once again, remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser! Thank you for dropping by!

Rolling With The Top Dogs, 15

We are back with another segment of Rolling with the Top Dogs. For the next coming weeks, i will dedicate this segment into introducing a few of this year's World Championships participants. If everything goes well, you might be able to see all of them here. This is to all my readers that have been requesting for this duelist to appear. One of Oceania’s Worlds representative and coming all the way from New Zealand, Oliver Parle! Let see what today’s guest has to offer and I hope readers enjoy this one. Let’s start!

OLIVER PARLE

Notable Achievements:

1^st Oceania WCQ 2012

3^rd Oceania WCQ 2011

2^nd New Zealand National Championship 2011

(+ a fair amount of tops/wins in things like regionals and cash tournaments etc.)

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

I’m Oliver Parle, I’m 17 and from New Zealand.

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

My favourite deck of all time is probably Strike Ninja, back when it ran 3 Don Zaloog 3 Creature Swap 3 Mystic Tomato etc. I really wish that deck would come back, but the format is way too fast for it now.

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

I collect Sonic Duck, I have about 150 of them. Others would be Strike Ninja and Frost and Flame Dragon.

4.First of all, congratulations for qualifying as New Zealand (Oceania)’s representative in the upcoming World Championships. How do you feel about it and in your opinion how do you think the Meta will be like in Worlds?

I’m expecting a lot of Inzektor and then a bunch of random decks like Dark World, Six Samurai etc. There’s also the chance that Final Countdown will be big, even though the rounds are 60 minutes long which makes it significantly harder to win in time.

5.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 played on and off since 2006, and currently I think the state of the game is pretty bad. Since last years’ plant format (which is one of the best formats I’ve ever played in) it seems to have gone downhill. Every deck has a ridiculously unfair power play, and there are more cards than usual that shouldn’t exist/need to be hit. One Day of Peace and Future Fusion would be at the top of that list.

6.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 format is interesting because there are four main decks to prepare for (Chaos Dragon, Rabbit, Wind-Up and Inzektor), but they all do something completely different. I think big part of this format is knowing how to play against all four, and knowing them all inside out. This is important in every format but I think the variety in the top decks makes it even more so now.

7.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?

At the moment I’m testing for Worlds format, which has no Tour Guide, Dolkka, Wind-Up Rabbit/Shark etc. I don’t think I’ve played a game where either player used Tour Guide in about 3 weeks. But testing for Worlds format pretty much means testing every possible deck and making a decision, so I don’t have a main deck at the moment. If I wasn’t testing for Worlds I would probably run Chaos Dragon or Wind-Up because I think those are the two best decks. Chaos Dragon mostly because the Lightsworn engine gives it natural answers to a lot of problem cards with Rykos and Lylas.

8.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?

I think Tour Guide will definitely make an impact when they get it if it isn’t limited/semi-limited by then. They’re probably better off without it though, a one-card Xyz toolbox is pretty bad for the game.

9.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?

Hand sanitizer before the tournament and after every round. It sanitizes my hands. No I’m not a clean freak.

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

Having cards that are good against multiple decks is extremely important. Cards like Snowman Eater and Forbidden Chalice (for example) can be used against so many decks, so in effect you have more than 15 slots. Also knowing exactly what you’re taking out of your main deck is equally as important as knowing what to put in. I see people losing to a deck, building a side deck with 10 cards just for that deck, and then being forced to take out important cards and messing up the flow of their deck.

11.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 sort it all out beforehand, knowing exactly what to side in and out for each match-up. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s difficult, like if I’m playing against Chaos Dragon I can easily just take out my MST’s and Heavy Storm, but against some decks it isn’t that simple. Planning before the tournament and not just winging it is key.

12.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?

Test a lot, and try to get familiar with every single deck. When you know the ins and outs of a deck you’re playing against you can make far better plays and not get sucked into making bad plays.

13.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?

One Day of Peace, Future Fusion, Black Luster Soldier, Card Destruction, E-Hero Stratos, Leviair the Sea Dragon, I can’t pick just one. There are a lot of problem cards right now.

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

Tsukuyomi or Sinister Serpent. Probably Tsukuyomi more than Serpent, but tributing Sinister Serpent for Spiritual Water Art – Aoi is really appealing.

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

I wish they would go back to having dots on duel terminal cards instead of that horrendous-looking shard pattern. But apart from the banned list I’d say they’re doing ok.

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?

Definitely Yugi Muto, I hear he’s the King of Games.

A bit of a troll ain’t it? LOL! Alright, we have come to the end of yet another segment of Rolling with the Top Dogs. I hope readers have found this interview interesting and informative. Before we end today’s post, I would like to wish Oliver Parle best of luck in Worlds. Hopefully he does well to represent his country. To readers, feel free to let me know if you have a request and suggestions regarding topics I should write about and I’ll do my best to work on them. Until next time remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser! Thank you for reading!

Breaking The Curse, 8

Saturday is Yugioh Day for me and once again I have embarked on a journey to my locals to become a true duelist. Upon registering for yet another Top Store Qualifier, I found out I was not allowed to participate because I have previously won a seat for the upcoming big event. I was devastated! But luckily enough Mike showed and decided not to participate in today’s duel to the death. And thus I enrolled myself in as Michael Jonathan Ting. Also known as Mikhail Think. I did not want anyone to confuse me with Mike so I had to come up with a different version of the name. But do remember Mikhail Think and Michael Ting is actually the same person, from the same place, and of the same personality. In a way, however, that is of no importance. Let us listen to the great tales of Mikhail Think!

Top Store Qualifier

Format: Four Rounds of Swiss Cut To Top 4 (Asia Advance)

Deck Used: Hanzo Hieratics

ROUND 1 (Inzektors, Muhammad Izzat)

Mikhail Think is aware that Izzat is one of the Dark Stallion. He is a good friend of K’yde and a threat. And so the legends begin!

GAME 1: Izzat started off with Card Trooper mills and a set back-row. Mikhail Think had a sub-par hand until he drew into Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo! Mikhail proceed to summon Hanzo to net a Super-Transformation. No Veiler was present so Hanzo was safe from the pesky little she-male, vice versa. BATTLE PHASE! Izzat drew a card from Trooper’s effect as Mikhail Think declared Main Phase 2. He activated Pot of Duality to reveal Card Car D, REDMD, and Torrential Tribute. Sir Think thought for a moment and went with his heart choosing REDMD. Before ending his turn, the gallant sir Mikhail set two copies of Super-Transformation. The gladiator Izzat challenged his fate and drew but he had a frown on his face instead of a smile and thus Mikhail knew the Dark Stallion has failed to defeat his fate. Inzektor Centipede was summoned! Super-Transformation was activated and the mighty Hieratic Dragon of Su made his appearance. The rest was history as Mikhail craved his way to victory by invoking the destiny within him. All it took was another Hieratic Dragon to seal the first round. 

GAME 2: Once again the gladiator Izzat went first and again he summoned Card Trooper to fill his Graveyard with cards of mass destruction. It was déjà vu for Mikhail Think with a slight twist. Two back-rows this time, Mikhail’s turn came and he drew into the almighty power of Mother Nature, HEAVY STORM! But he needed to consider his moves as Mikhail only had Tefnuit, Su, and Eset in his hands. An OTK was not possible. He soon realized he was holding the key to victory, Forbidden Lance and Macro Cosmos. Mikhail summoned the power of nature and stormed the field blowing both malicious traps away and he continued on by Special Summoning Tefnuit into Su and into Atumus. The great dragon king roared and commanded the alliance of Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon! REDMD calls upon Wattaildragon and Mikhail ordered Eset’s co-operation. Photon Strike Bouncer and Gaia Dragoon soon joined the battle. Trooper crushed and two back-rows were set. Come the next turn Izzat summoned Inzektor Damsel but Mikhail was fearless. With the power of the universe and Bouncer’s ferocity, Izzat could not continue on. It was a brave fight!

OO

(1-0)

ROUND 2 (Inzektors, Yin)

This child was named the future of Malaysia’s Yugioh. He had potential and strength but the question remains if he had what it takes to emerge victorious against the great Mikhail Think. 

GAME 1: Mikhail opened with a hand of Eset, Su, Seal of Gathering, Card Car D, and REDMD. He prayed hard for the forces of nature to support his conquest and indeed the merciful God answered his humble servant. God gave the brave Mikhail a MST! It was an amazing gift! The valiant Mikhail summoned Card Car D to provoke the sly spellcaster that could not decide whether he or she was male or female. Effect Veiler stopped the speedy blue chariot and it decided to ride with the wind, disappeared and never was seen again. Cost away! Mikhail ended. Yin’s turn for action, he drew, set two cards and ended. Little did Yin knew, Mikhail was ready in every aspect. Mind, body, and soul! DRAW PHASE, Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo came to aid the soon-to-be-famous Mikhail Think! But Hanzo was not needed he was merely another form of reinforcement. Sir Mikhail activated Mystical Space Typhoon, waited for his opponent’s reaction and tore Solemn Warning apart. The holy combo began as Mikhail summoned Eset and continued on until he had a field of double Gaia Dragoons, REDMD, and Focus Force. Another victory for sir Mikhail Think from the holy land of Sarawak.

GAME 2: The power of this vast universe was so strong Yin’s Inzektors got lost! It was a tale of Macro Cosmos. Yin decided he could no longer see the possibilities of victory against Mikhail Think’s clear mind. It was simply too mysterious! Yin conceded. So it seems the young child has much to learn before he can challenge the great Mikhail Think.

OO

(2-0)

ROUND 3 (Inzektors, Zack Teoh)

The narrator is currently taking a rest and we will be right back after a commercial break!  He left an important note saying Zack Teoh’s Monster Reborn robbed Mikhail Think off his third consecutive victory but the gallant warrior remained strong to continue his journey. Mikhail was tired and ashamed but destiny calls. He was a man made of steel, a man of the jungle, and a wild beast within a man. That was all he needed to accept. The legend continues after our commercial break! Visit Gamers Arena in Sungei Wang for up close and personal excitement and joy! There is no better place to duel to death other than Gamers Arena! *Jingle music away*

XOX

(2-1)

ROUND 4 ( Hanzo Raggia, Mohd Alif)

We are sorry to announce that the narrator is currently still unavailable. But he did left and important note saying this was sir Mikhail Think’s most grinding match but with the help of Electric Virus and a Royal Decree Mohd Alif’s trickery failed to snare Mikhail off the righteous path of the strong and brave. Dinosaurs turned into dragons in this match. It was yet another mighty duel to the death of epic proportions! Upon the end of this duel, Mikhail honored and touched by Mohd Alif’s courage in challenging the titan himself, he decided to share his spoils of fame with the dinosaur warrior Alif and gave him the right to Top 4. Mikhail Think retired.

OO

(3-1)

Well, that is what happened today. I returned Mike his Duelist ID and stayed to watch the remaining matches. Top 4 was filled with bugs except for me and I wasn’t too eager to continue repeating the same thing I did today. Killing bugs with fire was no longer fun. It became a tedious and boring job but if I did chose to continue on I was sure the final match would be Zack Teoh against me once again. Whether I win or lose the match, Zack will qualify for Top Store since I have already earned myself a spot few weeks back. Nevertheless, congratulations to Zack Teoh for winning today’s tournament. YOU FINALLY JOINED THE CLUB! He was the only man that could rival the great Mikhail Think today and Zack won the tournament with style. Full wins! So, again, congrats on the win. Maybe Mikhail Think will embark on another journey of epic proportions next week. But that is another tale to wait for. This is all for today and hopefully you enjoy reading! Sir Mikhail Think says remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser. Thank you for stopping by!

Just A Simple Story About Killing People

This is just a simple story about killing. Nothing more, nothing less. I don’t suppose it is nice to talk about killing other living organisms for entertainment and sadistic satisfaction to make it clear as well this article isn’t about anything related to living, breathing creatures. For starters, this is another one of those random introductions I have to fill in the blanks instead of being the same all the time. It was yesterday when LGQ invited me for a couple of play-testing matches in DN and I decided to run Machina Gadgets for a change while he ran his TeleDAD Zombie deck. Check it out in his blog and I must say it is capable of making a lot of interesting plays. But we are not here to talk about that we are here to discuss about Machina Gadgets itself. Yes, the robotic massacre from the distant future which may become our reality in a matter of time. 

Previously I introduced Drastic Drop Off as a means of out against decks that tells you what cards are in the duelist’s hand and we know that Fiendish Chain puts in a fair amount of work against Machina Gadgets, also the subsequent variants they can transform to.  Than we have Mind Crush which is a popular Side Tech in the current Meta. Aside from all those cards, Bottomless Trap Hole and Dimensional Prison has always been a go-to-card when it comes to combating Machina Gadgets especially to deal with the big boss Machina Fortress. While experience players piloting that particular deck have grown used to countering those traps, what other means do we have to go against this merry go round? Here is something you can try out.

  (You Get Back Into The Kitchen!)

D.D. Designator is, in the history of Yugioh, one of the best underrated cards to have been created. Though it is a Normal Spell and it isn’t as flexible as Speed 2 spells and traps, Designator is an annoying tech to deal with and most importantly unexpected. Similar to Mind Crush, you get to look at opponent’s hand cards but instead of discarding them to the Graveyard you remove them from play making Designator a very effective tech against decks which searches a lot. Again, I am aware it isn’t a card you can activate during your opposition’s turn. However, against decks like Machina Gadgets which requires Gearframe and Gadgets setup, utilizing Designator when your turn comes hurts them fairly enough to slow down the momentum and advantages they are gaining. You never know when you get lucky and remove more than one card from play. But the scary part with Designator is much like Dragged Down into the Grave, in a way. Because you are most likely to hit a card due to their help and I heard knowing what your opponent’s hand cards wins you matches. So, what if you combine Designator with Mind Crush? You probably get the picture. Picking away power cards…LOL!

Apart from Machina Gadgets, Designator is capable of dealing with a handful of decks that functions in similar ways. Whether or not it can be considered a generic tech card, I reckon. Despite having said so, D.D. Designator is still a very good gamble with power cards like Leviair and Tour Guide From the Underworld around. There are a handful of plays, combos you can come up with the help of Designator but whether they are consistent or effective enough is another food for thought for next time. And with that said, we have come to an end for today’s topic. Let me know what you think and stay tune for more segments of Rolling with the Top Dogs in the coming days. Remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser! Thank you for reading!

Icarus' Frail Wings

In today’s world of competitive Yugioh, gaining pluses is no longer a problem. It is something very easily achieved through theme-support cards or generic ones. Take Pot of Duality for example. While this is nothing new to the community, most duelists sometimes ignore the fact that such cards can change the flow of the game whether to your benefit or a cause to your demise. Revealing three cards and having the privilege to switch Pot of Duality for a card that could change the entire story of how you can or should play your hand cards is definitely not something to be taken lightly. Similar to other cards such as Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo or Elemental Hero-Stratos, the ability to immediately gain an enormous leverage against opponents not only increases the probability of one’s success but it also allows a higher level of mind games to be applied making it harder for the opposing side to proceed with their very own plays. Remember those days when Earth searches out Venus and shit happens if you don’t have anything to counter with? Yeah. Good players learn and remember, most players forget. 

Of course, with more usage of such cards means you are more than likely to be able to guess what is going on with your opponent’s hand cards but without the proper countermeasure it does not change the fact that you are forced into a situation whereby your opponent controls how you play. MST and miss Super-Transformation equals to your combos being stopped while Hanzo is face-up on the field. While I am aware that hand traps are a big thing in the current state of the game sometimes you do not have enough cards to deal with all the threats on the field. We haven’t got into potential threats off the field. Now if you are a smart player or simply talented Mind Crush is going to be very useful as it is, in a way, your forte. But what if you aren’t as bright as the minority of players that has the ability to predict and name cards which will fuck you up? While it may sound stupid, against certain decks, guessing wouldn’t do you much good. Decks like Hieratics have the ability to continuously search out combo pieces after baiting out opponents’ solutions. With cards like Mind Crush, its bravo if you call out the right cards but sucks to be you if you call the wrong ones. Again, sometimes even calling out the right cards does not mean you are safe. I’m pretty sure you get what I mean. So, are there any better solutions? While lucky enough there is one card that might come in handy. 

 (And They Came Crashing Down!)

Drastic Drop Off is, in my opinion, a safe version of Mind Crush. It does not give you the unfair advantage of looking at your opponents’ hand cards like Trap Dustshoot or Mind Crush but it is a card that goes off most of the time and grabs you a nice prevention thus no need for the cure. Now, I know this card is a one-for-one and a minus at times but put in certain situation against certain cards, Drastic Drop Off becomes quite a dangerous card. Situations like having a Raioh on field which prevents search cards from being activated. So, what about it? During such times, if your opponent has an out to Raioh than there is nothing that can be said but what if they do not and clearly relies on their Draw Phase to give them hope? At such moments, Drastic Drop Off spells drastic pretty damn well. Even if in reality that draw wouldn’t provide them with an out, you still retain control of the situation. Having said that, drawing DDOff during top-decking situation could spell F-U-C-K loud enough your mind explodes from within. 

Apart from that, this tech can be quite devastating against decks like Hieratics or Machina Gadgets. It is common for Hieratic players to bait with their first summon or Special Summon than opt to go off when opponents have one less back-row to hurt them. Again, in a match-up like this, having the ability to drop an important combo piece off your opponent’s hand immediately slashes off the idea of them closing the game this turn buying you more time and advantage. We all know Hieratics over-extends often enough. In the hands of inexperience players that automatically gives you a secured win. Maybe not. In the case of Machina Gadgets, I find Drastic Drop Off really useful against Machina Gearframe. With DDOff you save a Veiler and a Warning for later usage against their army of Gadgets. Discarding Fortress off could generate enough advantage for your side as you combat the never-ending plus from their constant summon of robotic massacre. Throwing Machina Fortress often enough results to a minus as it requires a total level of eight to Special Summon Fortress back from the Graveyard. If they have Machina Cannon or Machina Force, just rest your case. Though that ain’t bad as well when you think about it. Worst case scenario, they show you Double Summon or flip up Ultimate Offering. Then again you might just have enough resources to deal with those threats thanks to Drastic Drop Off. There are also other ways of making this card useful, for example, discarding a Sangan search or things like that. Honestly speaking, quite rare but the possibility is available.

Now coming to the end of today’s post, Drastic Drop Off is a useful and surprising tech against certain match-ups. Not forgetting that it is a Spell Speed 3 trap card. We are competing in an age where such pluses are game breaking. Perhaps this might be a good way to work around it. Let me know what you think about it and until next time remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser. Thank you for dropping by!