The same card with two different faces

August 31, 2009. One final day before the September List gets implemented. One final day to use one of the most used staple in the game. Monster Reborn barely needs skill as its effect is simple and strong. What has caught my attention in this card is how it looks like in the TCG and OCG. Heck, even the names are different.

Here is how it looks like in the TCG


And for some unknown reason, in the OCG, this is the same card and this card is called 死者蘇生, read as Shisha Sosei which literally means "Raise dead"

Some of you might not even know the reason why they did not print the same picture in both cards. The reason for that is partially because the TCG is marketed towards the younger kids. A huge chunk of the parents over at the US are conscious of what to let their child play with, and since the original Japanese picture depicts an ankh, there might be certain religions that would be affected by the picture and Konami thinks they will surely be pressured by the parents for teaching their kids about magic and other anti religion practices. This is also true for Dark Magician. The true name of the card is Black Magician but that sounded too evil for kids over at the US so they changed it to what its name is today. Why its called Monster Reborn instead is because they did not want necromancy terms with their cards and Raise Dead sounded something like that.

The problem with these naming conversions, apart from they screw up the names, is that they affect gameplay of these said cards. One of the most common and early conversion problem is with Summoned Skull. This card is supposed to benefit from the effect of the Archfiend Archetype like Pandemonium, but since its named as Summoned Skull without the Archfiend name, most players will assume that the card won't affect Summoned Skull, where its supposed to. Although Konami stated that it should in their website.

Another card naming disaster is Sonic Chick. Because Road Runner is already a trademark over at the US, they had to change its name to something that sounds unnatural.

I also hate to see how they will mangle Savior Star Dragon on the upcoming SOVR set. Since savior references religion, its name is going to be undoubtedly mangled.

Konami is forgetting the fact that not only kids play their card game.

Random pulls from Tins and Special Edition boxes

My friend from the US gave me a present-2 Collector's Tins and 2 The Duelist Genesis Special Edition boxes. I was surprised to have pulled Charge of the Light Brigade from one of the packs, and upon inspecting its price in eBay, it was worth over $45, and for a financially challenged person like me, this is really worth a lot. A big thank you to Paul Ray Zimmer for the present.


Other pulls from those other packs are as follows:
1 Emergency Teleport
1 Nitro Warrior (UtR)
1 Hand of the Six Samurai (Was surprised I got 2 Secret Rares from just 16 packs total)
2 Lightsworn Sabre
1 Sinister Sprocket
1 Elemental Hero Storm Neos
... and other non-useful Rare cards.

I was praying for a Judgment Dragon or Honest on those two Light of Destruction packs. Unfortunately, I was not able to get them. Sigh. It is really hard to reach for my dream card.

I hope that I can soon craft my very own Lightsworn deck in pure OCG, in preparation for in case Konami will finally start to host sanctioned locals in our country. Yu-Gi-Oh is really one heck of an expensive game, if I say so for myself.

The ultimate bouncer

...and I'm not referring to those ones that can be found on night clubs.

One of the most used locks in Yu-Gi-Oh is with the utilization of Neo-Spacian Grand Mole. His effect is intriguing as he is capable of locking your opponent's Monster Zone quite easily. This is one of the best examples of a card that packs a nasty punch in such a small package.


With mediocre initial stats at 900 ATK and 300 DEF at Level 3, Neo-Spacian Grand Mole truly shines when you are either completely winning or completely losing. One of this card's obvious uses is to take care of your opponent's Fusion, Nomi or Synchro Monsters with ease to regain momentum. Another is to bounce an opposing Monster for your own to attack directly. Always put into mind that he activates his effect before damage calculation, so those nasty Flip Effects won't activate when he bounces them off to your opponent's hand.

He can also slip through your opponent's Bottomless Trap Holes and can be quickly searched by either Cross Porter or Sangan. This makes this card nearly splashable in every deck. Finally, this card is a valuable part of the Neo-Spacian monsters, allowing this card to benefit from the Effects of Support cards like Convert Contact.

Remember that you can only run one copy in your deck, so use this card carefully if you choose to run this card in your deck.

The most controversial set in Yu-Gi-Oh history - Crimson Crisis

Crimson Crisis, the third set to feature cards on the Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's series, endured intensive corporate lawsuits and extensive delays before it was available to the public on approximately March 10, 2009. The set was the first to introduce /BUSTER or /Assault Mode concepts for the Synchro Monsters and also introduced one of the most strongest archetype to ever exist-The dreaded Blackwings.



Like before, I will be discussing the highlights of this set: its top 3 cards and my opinions regarding the set in general.

Top 3 cards

3: Gladiator Beast Samnite (R)

With the restriction of Gladiator Beast Bestiari, the Gladiator Beast archetype was bound for doom because that significally slowed down the deck. With Gladiator Beast Samnite introduced, this gave the Gladiator Beasts a burst of speed with the help of Rescue Cat. Technically, you could Special Summon two copies of this card with the Effect of Rescue Cat and attack to 'tag' for 2 different Gladiator Beasts, usually Gladiator Beast Bestiari and Gladiator Beast Darius, assuming Gladiator Beast Laquari is in your Graveyard for a quick Fusion. This card and Test Tiger is also another option for Special Summoning with Rescue Cat's Effect. Lastly, this card's own Effect isn't half bad, too.

2: Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind (R)

More information about this critter can be found by clicking here. The very fuel that runs the now-critical condition Blackwings deck. The fact that he was put to Limited status deserves him the spot on this list. Nuff' said.

And the best card is obviously without a doubt...

1: Dark Strike Fighter (SR)

This card that shoudn't have been made. Part of the now-deceased Synchro Cat archetype, this card made games end too early by Synchroing for two with the help of Summoner Monk and Rescue Cat to OTK fairly quickly, usually in two to three turns. This card is also one of the easy win condition of other decks such as the Blackwings. This card is officialy dead come September 1.

Honorable Mention:

Black Salvo

I was having difficulty choosing over this card and Twilight Rose Knight, but after observing more Salvo-DADs roaming around the tournament scenes than Plants, I choose the former. He makes Synchro Summoning easier while at the same time, help fuel Dark Armed Dragon for the win.

Verdict: With a crapton of Ultra Rares and a rather useless /Assault Mode feature, this set's castoffs are compensated by the overpowered cards on this set's lineup. This set was brutally mangled by the September 1 list as well. Lastly, the Ghost Rare is totally bad, too. The only saving grace for this set is its amazing Synchro Monsters lineup with Arcanite Magician, Blackwing Armor Master and Dark Strike Fighter. Nevertheless, this set is still essential to form those tournament caliber decks. Avoid this set and if you can and just try to get those single cards from e-bay. If you are still interested, don't hesistate to contact me for pricing and availability if you are interested to purchase a Booster Box or two.

Junk & Debris deck as requested by my elder brother

Monsters
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
1 Card Trooper
1 Cyber Dragon
1 Dandylion
2 Debris Dragon
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness
3 Junk Synchron
1 Krebons
1 Max Warrior
1 Psychic Commander
2 Quillbot Hedgehog
3 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
1 Shield Wing
2 Tuningware
1 Turbo Synchron

Spells
1 Brain Control
1 Emergency Teleport
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mind Control
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 Synchro Blast Wave
1 The Warrior Returning Alive

Traps
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Dark Bribe
1 Graceful Revival
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Mirror Force
1 Scrap Iron Scarecrow
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Torrential Tribute

Extra Deck
2 Ally of Justice - Catastor
1 Ally of Justice - Field Marshal
1 Armory Arm
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Boundary
1 Goyo Guardian
2 Iron Chain Dragon
2 Ancient Fairy Dragon
1 Red Dragon Archfiend
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Thought Ruler Archfiend
1 Turbo Warrior

Side Deck
2 Legendary Jiu-Jitsu Master
1 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
1 Magnetic Mosquito
2 Malice Dispersion
1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
2 Royal Decree
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Trap Stun
1 Malevolent Catastrophe

At a glance, this deck looks like a bunch of random throw-ins, but when you actually try and test it out, it works like a charm. The goal is to first set up and stall with Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter or Card Trooper at the start of the Duel to fill up your graveyard with those Tuningwares and speed up the deck, then Synchro Summon them with either Junk Synchron or Debris Dragon.

This is actually the deck I am using in my Yu-Gi-Oh Stardust Accelerator 2009 for the DS, minus Ancient Fairy Dragon and Max Warrior(I run Speed Warrior instead). I am actually thinking of running Necro Gardna but seeing that Black Rose Dragon is going to be Limited on September 1, Synchroing for it with Debris Dragon will be limited, although Ancient Fairy Dragon is going to replace it as the easier 'Dragon' level 7 Synchro.

On a last note, the deck is actually modeled to somehow replicate Yusei's Deck on the anime, hence the existence of Turbo Warrior, which in turn is a coincidentally a good Monarch counter. Also, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow works wonders against Gladiator Beasts, especially on the early game.

Random Twilight on September 1, 2009

Monsters
1 Celestia, Lightsworn Angel
1 Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon
1 Jain, Lightsworn Paladin
2 Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress
2 Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior
2 Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
1 Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
2 Wulf, Lightsworn Beast
2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
2 Judgment Dragon
3 Necro Gardna
1 Sangan
2 Honest
2 Chaos Sorcerer

Spells
3 Solar Recharge
2 Charge of the Light Brigade
1 Cold Wave
1 Lightning Vortex
2 Foolish Burial
1 Monster Reincarnation
1 Magical Stone Excavation
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon

Traps
2 Royal Decree
1 Mirror Force

Random Gladiator Beast on September 1, 2009

Monsters
3 Gladiator Beast Samnite
2 Gladiator Beast Darius
2 Gladiator Beast Equeste
2 Gladiator Beast Laquari
1 Gladiator Beast Bestiari
1 Gladiator Beast Hoplomus
1 Gladiator Beast Secutor
1 Gladiator Beast Murmillio
1 Gladiator Beast Retiari
1 Rescue Cat
2 X-Saber Airbellum
3 Test Tiger
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness

Spells
1 Cold Wave
2 Book of Moon
1 Enemy Controller
1 Brain control
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Giant Trunade
1 Shrink

Traps
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Call of the Haunted
2 Gladiator Beast War Chariot
2 Dark Bribe
3 Waboku

Extra Deck
3 Gladiator Beast Heraklinos
3 Gladiator Beast Gyzaurus
1 Ally Of Justice - Catastor
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Gaia the Force of Earth
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Boundary
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
2 Ancient Fairy Dragon
1 Thought Ruler Archfiend

Side Deck
1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
2 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
2 Jowls of Dark Demise
2 Lightning Vortex
3 Dimensional Fissure
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
3 Trap Stun

Predictions for the new format

With the new Ban List being effective on September 1, and Ancient Prophecy being released at the same time, the metagame will undergo a huge evolution. Most of the Tier 1 decks on the previous format are either crippled or toned down and some decks who were cycled out is now expected to return and terrorize the tables. Monarchs and Zombies get a new lease in life while Synchro Cat dies. Some decks see a significant increase in power-specifically the Skill Drain Deck, with its newest addition: Beast Machine King Barbaros Ur.

Beast Machine King Barbaros Ur

Beast-Warrior/Effect
You can Special Summon this card from your hand by removing from play 1 Machine-Type monster and 1 Beast-Warrior-Type monster from your hand, your side of the field, or your Graveyard. When this card battles, Battle Damage to your opponent becomes 0.

Most Skill Drain based decks run Beast King Barbaros and Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast together as their primary beat stick for the simple reason that they are regular easy summons with whopping 2800 and 3000 ATK both. Skill Drain basically locks down most decks. Gladiator Beasts can't tag out and Lightsworns can't use their self-mill Effects, aside from their main Effects, thus slowing them down. With Beast Machine King Barbaros Ur being released on Ancient Prophecy, This will add another easy summon 3800 ATK beat stick that's tremendously easy to Special Summon, adding to Skill Drain's asernal. Coincidentally, Beast King Barbaros and Fusiller Dragon are both the requirements for the Special Summoning of this massive beast. Finally, running Trade-In as this deck's engine will speed it up drastically, with more candidates for discard, and maybe probably use as fodder to Special Summon Ur.

The limit on Bottomless Trap Hole and Solemn Judgment helps this deck too. The limit on Counter Traps will pave way for your massive beat sticks to push forward. Breaker, the Magical Warrior's effect cannot be activated while Skill Drain is active on the field so he can't be used as a counter to this deck.

Expect this archetype seeing more tournament play this coming format.

Advantage of memory in a Duel

One of the basic rules of Yu-Gi-Oh is you need your deck to at least Set some Spell and Trap cards. This is a prerequisite for them to be activated on your opponent's turn.


However, sometimes, you sometimes set more than one Spell/Trap card(s). What I was wondering about is: How do people handle their Face-down cards? Do they remember the cards when they Set it and activate them in responses to their opponents' moves quickly? Do they have to "peek" every time their opponents plays or activates a card? I am imagining that it is mandatory to memorize your Set cards in major tournaments or big events like the World Championships, but as for casual play, I think it helps memorizing and quickly activating your cards at the right moment.

I see some players peek on their Spell and Trap Card Zone every time their opponent plays a card. In my way of thinking, the disadvantage on this is that you will give away or at least drop a clue on what those face down card is/are. If they see you peek at your Traps while they play a Monster card, they can easily assume that it is a Bottomless Trap Hole. Thinking for too long after a Spell card is activated might let your opponent think that your Set card is a Dark Bribe or Solemn Judgment, with you taking your time to decide whether to let that card "go" or negate it.

It is helpful to set up a poker face while playing the card game as this might give your opponent the element of surprise and uncertainty. You could Set a random Spell Card and your opponent might think it as a Solemn Judgment, downing his aggressive play a bit(assuming he plays safely). Although the payback for this is that you run the risk of those Set up "decoys" being ruined by Card Effects though such as Gladiator Beast Bestiari or Heavy Storm.

So, how do you handle your Set cards?

A Card packed with Synergy

Yu-Gi-Oh's deckbuilding is all about synergy. One of the cards that has caught my attention today is King Tiger Wanghu. I find it very odd rarely seeing this card on competitive decks. This card has a lot of synergy going on with it.


One of them is that this card works exceptionally well with Burden of the Mighty. This almost ensures all the Face-up Attack Position monsters your opponent plays, if he does, gets destroyed by this cards's effect. A level 4 1900 Attack Monster will get its attack reduced by 400, settling it to 1500 which is an easy kill for Wanghu. Anything below that is simply destroyed by this card's effect. Top it off with Light of Intervention to ensure destruction every time your opponent plays or Special Summons a monster.

This card also works with Banisher of the Radiance, as every monster destroyed by this card is removed from play instead, ensuring decks that rely on cards like Dark Armed Dragon or Judgement Dragon is rendered useless. Banisher of the Radiance can also benefit from Burden of the Mighty as this allows him to stay longer in the field (Banisher of the Radiance only has 1600 ATK).

But this card needs protection for it to work effectively. You never know when your opponent has prepared a card like Smashing Ground to easily destroy this card. Cards that destroys Spell and Trap cards like Heavy Storm might ruin your pace. Mass destruction cards like Icarus Attack ruins the whole combo, rendering it useless. Ultimately, the powerful effects of your cards doesn't matter if you don't protect them carefully. Also, card effects works best if they are well played with other card effects working with them.

It is finally official: the September 2009 list

This is the new September 2009 list based on the latest V-JUMP (OCG):


Banned:
Dark Dive Bomber/ Dark Strike Fighter
Monster Reborn
Card of Safe Return
Crush Card Virus

Restricted:
Demise, King of the Armageddon
Summon Priest/ Summoner Monk
Blackwing - Gale of the Hurricane
Black Rose Dragon
Mental Master/ Mind Master
Rescue Cat
Mind Control
Cold Wave
One For One
Solemn Judgment
Call of the Haunted

Semi-Restricted:
Chaos Sorcerer
Dulauren, Tiger King of the Ice Boundary
Mezuki
Lonefire Blossom
Bottomless Traphole

No Longer Restricted:
D.D. Warrior Lady
Raiza the Storm Monarch
Breaker the Magical Warrior
Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest
Fissure
Destiny Draw

Source and full credit for the images: http://manjyomethunder.twoday.net/

As expected, most of the metadecks today are hurt by this new list. It is interesting to note that Lightsworns/Lightlords aren't touched even one bit. Blackwings will lose out with Dark Strike Fighter being banned and Gale being limited to one. Gladiator Beasts will have difficulty pushing now with only one Cold Wave to run and so as one Rescue Cat, which Synchro Cat got hit with too.

With Monster Reborn is again replaced by Call of the Haunted, and Mezuki back to Semi, we would probably see Zombies roaming all over again in this next format. Plants will run slower with less a Lonefire Blossom and it also seems like Monarchs would have a comeback, seeing Raiza the Storm Monarch and D.D. Warrior Lady is now unlimited.

Dark Bribe would probably replace Solemn Judgment. It lacks the capability to stop Monsters, though.

This list would probably be effective as early as this coming September 2009. In the end, my wish with the new lists is that it should give way to other archetypes so we could have the chance to see more types of decks being used in major tournaments. It would be interesting if the metadecks weren't limited to just five staple types.

Phoenix Wing Wind Blast versus Raigeki Break

Since the poll ended yesterday, I think now is the time to explain why I set up that poll in the first place. The reason why I decided to compare those two cards is to determine how duelists who voted for their specific card thinks behind how he/she uses his/her cards to his/her advantage.

Both cards are Traps, which require discarding a card as its cost for activation and both mainly get rids of the immediate threat. The difference between the cards is that one destroys it and puts it into the Graveyard(Raigeki Break) while the other puts the targeted card on top of it's owner's deck(Phoenix Wing Wind Blast). Raigeki Break ensures the destruction of its target, while the latter might just delay the threat and ruin your opponent's Draw Phase.

On some occasions, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast can prove to be more useful than Raigeki Break assuming it targets something that returns to the Extra Deck or a card that needs difficulty in playing-Tribute and Synchro monsters to be specific. The tradeoff for this though is Raigeki Break is almost sure to be more effective in destroying Spell and Trap cards than Phoenix Wing Wind Blast as you don't always target these cards on Duels and you never know when you might need to activate the card.


Phoenix Wind Wind Blast is better on the metagame in my opinion as the ensured one turn delay it provides is sufficient enough to turn the tides and score victory at least, whreas Raigeki Break will prevent any slip-ups, in case your strategy gets ruined by your opponent. In the end, its the choice of potency over stabilization. Whatever you choose to run in your deck if you ever do, is entirely up to you.

The winner for the previous poll was Raigeki Break. Thank you everyone for responding with the previous poll. The poll was closed with a total of six votes all in all. For those who did not participate, I hope that you take time in voting and I hope we get more results with today's new poll.

Two cards for the price of one

With a few more days left before the new format's foundations are formed, people all over the world await the new September list. Fake and unreliable Ban list spoilers frequent the internet, with people discussing what cards make it and what cards get left the dust.


What do we have here? Good ol' Gale, one of the most essential pieces of the Blackwings' lineup and part of the world's strongest deck today. Initial stars aren't so bad. 1300 ATK and 400 DEF at level 3, Winged Beast and DARK attribute and finally, a Tuner. What's terrifying about this card is that it can be Special Summoned when you control another Blackwing monster that's not Gale. Aside from this effect, he also has a built-in Shrink with him, which allows this card to permanently halve an opponent's monster's ATK and DEF. This makes for it being one of the key engine in whittling down your opponent's Monsters and charge through. This effect can be activated once per turn, every turn(not including your opponents'). This card is also the perfect candidate for search in Black Whirlwind and allows for fast Synchro-ing. Perfect candidates are Black Rose Dragon, Dark Strike Fighter and Blackwing Armor Master. Level 8 Synchros aren't impossible, too.

But that's not all. This card is splashable. He is Sangan friendly, can be bought back by Dark Eruption and searched by Mystic Tomato all at the same time, making him somewhat splashable in any DARK based deck. Just his Shrink Effect is enough to get him enough attention and get him to be run in nearly every deck. Two good cards played at the price of one. Expect to see this card get hit in the coming September list.

Swords of Revealing Light: still a good card?

As the game evolves, staple cards phase in and out to keep up with the rapid changes in responses to metadecks. A good solid card run way back then was Swords of Revealing Light. This card basically is an effective three copies of Threatening Roar in a single card. Despite its effects being as good as it is, why is it not run so much as opposed to way back then?


This card will prevent attacks for three consecutive turns and it forces your opponent's Face-down monsters to Flip Face up. If they have flip effects, their effects resolve. The reason why this card is not doing so well in today's metagame is because there are a lot of easy ways for players to destroy Spell and Trap cards with Monster Effects. Some common ones are Dark Armed Dragon, Celestia, Lightsworn Angel and Gladiator Beast Gyzarus. Its so hard to keep this card for three whole turns to begin with. This card lacks the versatility Threatening Roar has because it can be activated on your opponent's turn does this in surprise while this card screams destroy me the moment it touches the table.

But it still has its uses. Given that your opponent are lacking cards in hand and cards controlled on the field to destroy this card, you can get the full benefit of three Threatening Roars. There are also plays where in you top deck this card from your deck at a game where you are facing utter demise to delay it and get the chance to turn the table, much like how Yugi draws and use this card in the anime, although this rarely happens in a professional duel.

This uncertainties in the card might have caused this good card to drop from staple status to semi-staple. The card still has its uses but don't always count on this card staying for that three turn period. Bottom line is, when you play your cards, play them in proper times and think about the consequences for each card played.

Five common misconceptions in the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG/OCG

I am flustered about people knowing what Yu-Gi-Oh is but does not have a single clue whats it all about. Misconceptions give a false image with the franchise and this might be one of the reasons why there are only a few duelists in the Philippines. Here is my top five list of the most common misinterpretations in the game by anyone who knows its existence.


Common misconception #5: Yu-Gi-Oh is a kid's game or is meant for kids only
Although it is true that the TV show/anime is marketed in the English speaking countries as a kid's show, with products like Collector's Tins aimed as gifts for kids, the card game is definitely not for kids. A regular kid's head might explode with rulings and card effects. A regular kid might not be even aware that he is doing misplays left and right. It takes true skill and experience to really master the game. With card prices as high as $100 for a single card, I doubt a kid's pocket money is sufficient for making competitive decks(unless maybe he/she is the son/daughter of a rich person).

Common misconception #4: People got into the card game because of the TV show/anime
A huge chunk of the professional player population started the game first and did not even watch the TV show at all. Watching the TV show is definitely not required to play the card game although the show helps identify future cards that would be printed in the game.

Common misconception #3: The TV show/anime's cards are the same as the ones in the TCG/OCG
Although there are similarities, some cards are made as they were shown in the TV show/anime, Konami changes and modify some of their effects for them to be playable. Some cards do not even make it to the card game because of their outrageous effects(either too good or too bad). It is also good to note that most of the time, the lead character's(Yugi, Judai, Yusei) cards are not as strong and used in the real card game.

Common misconception #2: Life Points is the main concern with deciding who has the upper hand in the game
This is not true, as Life Points are heavily stressed in the TV show/anime of great importance, it is the other way around in the card game. Although keeping a certain amount would be useful and advantageous, it does not always equate to higher Life Point means upper hand in the game. OTKs(one turn kill) are there to finish out that full 8000 in a single turn.

Common misconception #1: It takes zero skills to play the card game so why bother
Although this might be partially true back on the days when bigger monsters are what mattered, this is not the case after the lists were implemented. It takes heavy skills to perfect decks. It takes keen analysis to truly understand how the card works in a deck. It takes practice to perfect dictating paces for duels. It takes patience to complete and perfect various deck builds. It takes hard work to play test decks. Most importantly, it takes great sportsmanship to accept defeats in duels.

Singapore rules Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship 2009

Benjamin Hong Hwee Tan of Singapore took the victory over his opponent Yen-Jui Chien from Taiwan! Congratulations to Singapore for winning the Worlds this year! In the final showdown between the Blackwings and the Gladiator Beasts, Blackwings ultimately came in the end and triumphed. (Source: http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/events/championships/World_2009/index.html)

According to our local forumer, darkworldduelist and Skyler91 from Pojo(his source), top 8 finishers of the tournament gets the following prizes:

Very happy that it was an all-asian finals. And even more pleased it was the Singaporean representative who ultimately became the champion. Got a chance to talk to Benjamin last night and found him to be a very humble and shy 16 year old kid.

The Konami General Manager of the card department kept on pointing to the stage while the finals was ongoing. Despite the language barrier, we all know what "Philippine people next year" means. So good luck to all of us. Hope a player will make us all proud. Go Pacman! Ay mali...
- Courtside, Official Philippine Yu-Gi-Oh OCG Distributor
Source: http://z3.invisionfree.com/ygocgph/index.php?showtopic=2962&st=30

I hope that next year, our country has the chance to send a representative over to the Worlds and compete. All we can do for now is wait, anticipate and see if our local duelists from the Philippines can level ground with the rest of the world. Mabuhay, Philippines! (Long live the Philippines)

Threatening Roar versus Waboku

The game sometimes has two or more similar cards with almost the same effect, but a different concept in performing certain tasks. A card might be designed to remove something from the field but another card might have similar effects but different aspect in doing so. A famous example is the current poll for this week-Phoenix Wing Wind Blast and Raigeki Break. Both of these cards require a discard as a cost, and stop an immediate threat that you are currently facing. I will not be discussing about that but another set of cards with almost the same or similar end effect result but differ from methodology and play.



Both can give good responses to regular Spell and Trap card destruction effects from cards like Mystical Space typhoon or Gladiator Beast Bestiari as these cards can activate the moment they are selected as targets while face-down (except when they are targeted on the turn they are Set). They both prevent destruction of monsters by battle and they both help stop your opponent's assault for a turn. The question is, what card is better running in a deck?

First and foremost, Threatening Roar entirely prevents attacking with monsters. Some monsters activate their effects via conducting battle such as the infamous Gladiator Beasts. Waboku, on the other hand, just prevents card destruction via battle and damage recieved from attacks. Using one if you control a Flip Effect monster would help trigger the effect and at the same time, saving it from destruction for a synchro summon or tribute summon next turn. On deciding which card you are adding to your deck, first you have to consider the pros and cons of each and weigh them down according to the playstyle of your deck. Do you have cards like Morphing Jar or any other Flip effect monsters on your deck? Do you want to prevent Gladiator Beasts from activating their effects? These two are one of the many two or more similar cards with similar effects but play differently.

Random Dark Simorgh Deck

Original Wind Winged Beast type by far is one of the many unsupported monster types in the OCG/TCG along with Sea Serpents, Dinosaurs and others. I wonder when will be its turn to see some light in the tournament scene?

Dark Simorgh

Winged Beast/Effect
This card's Attribute is also treated as WIND. You can Special Summon this card from your hand by removing from play 1 DARK monster and 1 WIND monster in your Graveyard. You can remove from play 1 DARK monster and 1 WIND monster from your hand to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. Your opponent cannot Set (or flip face-down) any cards.

Monsters
2 Wind Effigy
1 Whirlwind Prodigy
2 Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry
1 Prime Material Falcon
2 Dark Simorgh
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
2 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
2 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
2 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
1 Sangan
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness

Spells
2 Allure of Darkness
2 Swallow's Nest
2 Book of Moon
1 Ancient Rules
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Monster Reborn

Traps
2 Anti-Spell Fragrance
3 Solemn Judgment
1 Mirror Force
1 Threatening Roar
1 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
2 Bottomless Trap Hole

Extra:
2 Black Wing Armor Master
1 Black Wing Armed Wing
1 Black Rose Dragon
2 Dark Strike Fighter
1 Red Dragon Archfiend
2 Stardust Dragon
1 Thought Ruler Archfiend
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Magical Android
1 Iron Chain Dragon
1 Armory Arm
1 Psychic Lifetrancer

Side:
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
3 Mirror of Oaths
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Icarus Attack
1 Dust Tornado
2 Royal Oppression
1 Legendary Jiujitsu Master
1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
1 Brain Control

Basically the goal of the deck is to quickly summon Dark Simorgh and lock down your opponent's Spell and Trap cards with the help of Anti-Spell Fragrance. Synchro Summon Black Wing Armor Master as soon as possible with Anti-Spell Fragrance set and use Swallow's Nest for Dark Simorgh. Activate Anti-Spell Fragrance afterwards. Hopefully that would put an end to the duel with victory in your hands.

So, what do you guys think should I add or drop in this deck? As I do not have the all the cards, I cannot try and test the deck in actual duels. Constructive comments and criticism is greatly appreciated.

Compulsory Evacuation Device plus Synchro monster equals?

The OCG definitely has a bigger cardpool, specifically with the available synchro monsters. Competitive decks in the TCG include Gaia Knight, The Force of Earth on their Extra Decks for the simple reason that it has a huge ATK of 2600, despite having zero monster effects and that's in an easy level 6 synchro. One of the better alternatives for it, if not replace it, is Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, part of the Ice Boundary archetype, which is not yet introduced in the TCG.

Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

For those non-Japanese empowered people, this card reads as:
Sea Serpent/Synchro/Effect
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Discard any number of cards to the Graveyard. Then, return cards from the field to its owner's hand equal to the number of cards discarded.

Although this card does not boast heavy ATK and DEF stats, this card can prove to save your hide on certain duels as it has the effect to bounce any card on the Field back to its owner hand. Perfect targets for this card are Gladiator Beast Heraklinos and Dark Armed Dragon and almost every synchro monster existing today, as this card bounces them back in the Extra Deck. Don't forget that his effect is an ignition effect and you can use it as many times as you can and as you want, provided that you have the cards in your hand to discard for its cost. Just don't expect this card to be effective against certain cards like the Monarchs, for example, as you will help give your opponent an extra devastating monster effect, sometimes to destroy even more of your cards, including this card.

This alone makes this card worthy to put in every Extra Deck when the time comes that this card is released in the TCG.

Cold Wave: adding insult to injury

Tired of getting your strategy ruined by cards like Mirror Force, Solemn Judgment and Dimensional Prison? It is really annoying when you are dominating the field and they play these cards to reverse the table and put you on cold water. Apparently, there is card that would solve these problems and when played at the right moment, will ensure complete dominance throughout the duel.


This card will pave way for your army of Blackwings or keep your Gladiator Beasts safe to ensure victory as this card prevents your opponent from activating Spells and Traps for two turns (yours and your opponent's following turn). This card can also protect your monsters for two turns from the deadly effects of Spell and Trap cards. Just remember that this card needs to be played properly for it to be effective-You can only play this Spell card on the beginning of your Main Phase 1. Make sure that this is the first card effect you activate on your Main Phase 1 or else you can't play this card for that turn. Also, always keep in mind that this card prevents the activating and setting of Spell and Trap cards not only your opponent, but also you. Just don't expect this card to save you in a pinch.

The Duelist Genesis: dueling redefined

In 2008, the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game introduced a new set based on the newest Yu-Gi-Oh TV show 5D's. This set drastically changed how the TCG is played with more additions to the young synchro summoning system and added two new deck archetypes (Piece Golem and Psychics) and further support to the long forgotten Spirit monster cards. The first set to ever feature cards from 5D's-this set is The Duelist Genesis.



I will be discussing the highlights of this set: its top 3 cards and my opinions regarding the set in general.

Top 3 cards

3: Krebons (C)

This card is a all-in-one card with so-so initial stats of 1200ATK and 400 DEF at level 2. It is DARK based, which can be splashed around on any decks revolving in this type, at the same time, it runs as a Tuner aside from its primary type, Psychic. This card can take in any punishment from monster attacks and live to tell the tale, regardless of its attack power if you activate its effect. It can survive a turn or two for just paying 800 Life Points for every monster that attacked it. This card is also searchable by Sangan, Mystic Tomato and Emergency Teleport (more about this card below), it serves as an immediate solution to aggro decks. This card can also be be special summoned with Graceful Revival for a quick emergency tuner. Played carefully, this card can prove to annoy your opponent and bring the lashing with a synchro summon the following turn.

2: Emergency Teleport (UR)

This card took a serious hit with the March list, restricting it to 1 per deck. There has to be a reason why this card was sanctioned. One of them is that this card is a quick play spell card, which can be activated at the Battle Phase and your opponent's turn and combo it with a Book of Moon to cancel out its destruction effect. Another is that it can be activated to aquire and easy tribute fodder for your regular tribute monster. Lastly, this card can easily summon a Krebons or a Psychic Commander for an easy tuning. If you somehow run an Urgent Tuning in your deck, you can abuse this card with it and do massive damage. This card also thins the deck by one card.

And the best card is... *drumroll*

1: Goyo Guardian (UR)

Easy synchro requirements. Conveniently level 6. Massive base stats of 2800 ATK and 2000 DEF. Brain Control effect every time it destroys a monster. No wonder every Extra Deck that has synchro summoning has this card in it. This card is so good that it was changed to Limited status in the March list.

Honorable Mention:

Gladiator Beast War Chariot (SR)

This card is never without in a Gladiator Beast deck because of its easy requirements(Having any Gladiator Beast monster on the field) and massive game breaking effect. With the current meta revolving around monster effects more than anything else-Judgement Dragon? Gotcha. Dark Armed Dragon? Na-ah. Rescue Cat? I don't think so. A simple card with a simple purpose-annoy the living out of your opponent.

Verdict: This set contains essential cards that are staple on the current metagame. With other game breaking cards like Izanami, The Tricky and synchro monsters like Red Dragon Archfiend, Thought Ruler Archfiend and Stardust Dragon, this set is a must for every competitive player, and collector alike. And the best part of it all is that this set runs for the cheapest among all the sets available today. Don't hesistate to contact me for pricing and availability if you are interested to purchase a Booster Box or two.

Scaling defined

Ever wonder why you always get those regular rares and miss out all the holo cards from booster packs you buy from regular hobby stores no matter how many packs you buy? Be aware, you might be the victim of scaling.


Full credit goes to JerichoPojo from YouTube. I did not make any part of this video at all.

Our regular hobby stores might be scaling their packs before they put them for sale. What do I mean by this? When you buy a booster box and open it up, you can each individually weigh the packs and find out which ones has the Super and Ultra rares even without opening the booster packs. In this case, the store might have already acquired the holos of the box even before the regular customers has the chance to pull them from the packs.

Buying factory sealed Booster Boxes will help circumvent this problem because you are assured that the products are not searched yet and you still have the chance to pull those hard to find holos. The disadvantage to this is that you are forced to open up more packs than you should and get many useless copies of commons for that particular set instead of buying multiple packs from different sets.

There are other methods of finding out where the rare cards are and some of them are freezing, foiling, but the most rampant method used is scaling. This does not apply only to Yu-Gi-Oh but also to different card games.

When buying booster packs, always keep this in mind. Let the buyer beware.

Mind Control: outright broken card

Back then, when people were still enjoying nuking the field with their Raigeki and Dark Hole, one of the outright strongest spells was Change of Heart. This card allowed you to literally steal your opponent's monster and either tribute summon with it or clear your opponent's field for an easy direct attack, sometimes resulting in an easy win. What made matters worse was this spell could also target face-down defense position monsters, destroying any hope of surviving for your opponent for one more turn in case he/she is wishing to stall with a defense position monster.



Good thing we don't see Change of Heart on tables anymore today, but what we do see is Mind Control. At a glance, this card doesn't do anything quite useful at all aside from Change of Heart's monster stealing effect. You could also use the effect of a monster you took control off, for example, Dark Armed Dragon's effect. But your opponent is still safe and is assured that the monster you stole would come back to him at the End Phase and at the same time, it can't attack you and it can't be used for as a tribute.

With the introduction of 5D's, synchro summons were introduced. So what does this have to do with this card? Basically, even though you can't use the stolen card as a tribute nor attack with it, you could use it as a part for synchro summoning-almost the same as using it as a tribute! With a prep-ed up Extra deck of a mixture of level 5 to 9 monsters, whatever monster your opponent throws at you, you can still use it for a synchro summon. What's even worse is that this card is still in unlimited status, meaning you can have 3 copies of it on your deck. Oh, and let's not conveniently forget about this card being able to target face-down defense position monsters too. Having a change of heart?

I am eagerly waiting for the latest list and definitely, this card is one of those cards that are sure to get hit, at least in my opinion.

The Destiny Engine defined: an essential for every Dark deck

In this topic, I will be discussing the Destiny Engine, its components and how it works.

I. Defining the Destiny Engine
The Destiny Engine is a set of cards that will speed up a deck provided that is is mainly dark-type monster based, in which the Blackwings, one of the top meta decks today for example, can utilize.

II. Main Components

Monsters:
2 Armageddon Knight
2 Destiny Hero - Malicious
1 Destiny Hero - Dasher
1 Plaguespreader Zombie

Spells (select 3 of any combination of):
1-2 Destiny Draw
1-2 Allure of Darkness

Optional engine support components:
1 Krebons
1 Psychic Commander
1 Emergency Teleport

III. Destiny Defined

Destiny Hero - Malicious

At a first glance, this monster seems to be a junk card, sporting only 800 on both sides at level 6. While the base stats are disgusting as it is, this card has lots of uses. First of all, this card works well with Allure of Darkness and Destiny Draw as it can serve as fodder for these spell cards to activate. Another good combo with this card is that it can be combo-ed with Armageddon Knight's effect, choosing it as the card discarded. As this card's effect only works in the graveyard and not in the hand, it can easily special summon another copy for an instant tribute or level 6 fusion. Lastly, if this card and Plaguespreader Zombie is in your graveyard, you can easily do a level 8 synchro by activating both their effects and bring out beasts like Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend with ease, provided that the other copy is still in your deck.

Destiny Hero - Dasher

Another card with seemingly useless auto-defense position effect, this card does not stand out because of its mediocre 2100/1000 attack and defense at 6 stars. What is really good about this card is that its third effect works when it is in the graveyard, which allows you to special summon any monster you draw on your draw phase. Like Malicious, this card also works very well with Allure of Darkness and Destiny Draw. Lastly, its first effect can be used to generate ammo for Dark Armed Dragon's destructive effect if you manage to protect him carefully.

The three optional psychic related cards included are based on fast synchro-ing. You never know when your opponent unleashes powerful monsters like Judgement Dragon or Dark Strike Fighter in surprise. Mind Control and Emergency Teleport can net you an easy level 6 or 7 synchro in an instant if you manage to take control of a level 4 monster from your opponent. Krebons can help delay those regular damaging attacks and can prove to last long in duels. As these monsters are Dark-based, they can also help you dish out your strongest monster: Dark Armed Dragon!

Always keep in mind that cards should be in harmony for them to work properly.

Purchase Yu-Gi-Oh TCG in the right price locally

Being sick of the availability and choices of the TCG offered in the Philippines, I will help fellow TCG collectors acquire their cards at the right selection and prices. I will accept orders of any Yu-Gi-Oh TCG products like Booster boxes, Duelist Packs and Collector Tins. This will ensure that you get your TCG at the right condition, quantity, specifications and price. A 30% downpayment is required to ensure that there are no orders going to be made for the sake of just ordering and actually not going to purchase the products. All you have to do is tell me which set(s) of cards you want to buy and I will contact you back for pricing and other further instructions. I will guarantee that these products are kept factory sealed and unsearched in any way possible.

Interested people can e-mail or add me on my Yahoo! Messenger (camille7688@yahoo.com). You can also reach me through my handphone: 09173558194. Minimum orders should be at least a booster box or two tins or any combination of both.

The difficulties of purchasing the TCG in the Philippines

There are only two major outlets who majorly sell the TCG in the Philippines, namely Hobbes and Landes and the official distributor which is Courtside. Both of them sells the TCG at outrageously expensive prices with limited selections. For example, a simple UDE The Duelist Genesis booster pack runs at regularly $2.99 per booster pack in most retail stores in the US. The same booster pack is available at these outlets for $6. Another example is a Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus Tin.


This tin runs for rougly $14 on Amazon. Here in the Philippines, it is retailed on the country for as high as $40 (PhP2000). This makes it hard for local TCG collectors to acquire certain cards. Top that off with the regular OCG using locals and near zero TCG community support, its really a pain to create even a simple deck-in this case a simple crystal beast deck.

OCG or TCG?

Alright, as we all know, the Yu-Gi-Oh card game runs at multiple languages, being English and Japanese the most prominent ones. EN tagged sets can only be used on the eastern part of the globe whereas the JP and the newly introduced AE sets can only be used for the west.

Here is the regular TCG - EN tagged card "Black Rose Dragon"


This is the Japanese version of the card



Moving on, the only difference between the two cards is obviously the language used to tell what does the card do. They are both authentic and both tournament legal in their respective countries. This is where the problem arises. The Philippines, the country where I'm from, is majorly an English speaking country aside from its native language which is Filipino. Konami is forcing our country to play cards that belong to the OCG with incomprehensible text, at least for me and everyone who is not Japanese literate. So if a duelist from my country wants to play the game locally on organized play, he should cough up a deck in an unknown language.

As a collector and a casual duelist, I prefer my cards to be readable as a matter of personal preference. I have nothing against the OCG but hey, at least give us the chance to pit with our English cards. Language barriers aren't supposed to be part of the challenge in playing Yu-Gi-Oh right?