The Finale

I will be selling my "Blackwing" deck tomorrow.

With that, this truly marks the end of my "Yu-Gi-Oh!" experience. It was one hell of a ride.

Come to think of it, the blog somehow met its goal of introducing sanctioned play in the Philippines. I am glad my rantings did not fall on deaf ears. Truly, it was a pleasure.

The website would be kept as it is for achieve purposes. Who knows, I might be able to update it one day or another. I just hope that through the small hole that is this blog, the meta of the Philippines was introduced throughout the world and would be regarded as a very competitive one.

I would like to thank all the followers and you, dear reader, for constantly reading my rants.

Keep dueling guys!

Duelist ID

Awesome. Konami's site now accomodates duelist ID registration from the Philippines.

My new duelist ID is: 333-232-323.

I guess this means that sanctioned events will come under our way.

Thoughts on Baneslayer Angel

There was one time in the game where in "Serra Angel" struck Planeswalkers in fear and awe due to her basically being a 4/4 flyer for just 2W3 making her resistant to removal spells like "Lightning Bolt". If this was not enough, She had vigilance to boot, which made her capable of offense and defense at the same time.

But as in all TCG, and "Magic: the Gathering" is not an exception, there will come a time where old cards will not be able to match up to the speed and strength of recently introduced cards. A clear example of this situation is "Cancel", replacing good ol' "Counterspell" for Blue mages.

In M10, the latest core set introduced in Magic: the Gathering, "Serra Angel" was clipped its wings and former glory, became short as only an uncommon in the set. She was replaced by the bigger, better, badder and nastier beasty babe-"Baneslayer aka Walletslayer Angel".


Literally having the same casting cost as the former, outclassed angel, she packs more features to boot. A 5/5 flyer with added First Strike and Lifelink. And just for kicks, protection from Demons and Dragons.

'Power creeping' has never been blatant since this card was made. It literally outclassed poor "Serra Angel" in all aspects. Two successful swings instantly spell the word 'game' to your opponent. To make things worst, this beast is not only capable of slaying your opponents, but your wallet as well. at over $30 a piece, both the owner and the opponent lose to the card both literally and figuratively.

At least "Serra-san" still wins in art. At least the old version. =D

x-2 Scrub Monthly Report

Thinking about what cards I can use to replace my third "Black Whirlwind" and second "Allure of Darkness" with, I opted to change the build by adding "Dark Grepher" with a slower format in mind. Decided to swap "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness" for "Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind" due to synergy issues. Anyway, here's what I ran:


Monsters (20)
3 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
3 Blackwing - Bora the Spear
3 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
2 Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
2 Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
1 Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind
1 Dark Grepher
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spells (9)
2 Black Whirlwind
1 Black Feather Treasure
1 Allure of Darkness
2 Book of Moon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control

Traps (11)
1 Trap Hole
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
3 Icarus Attack
1 Solemn Judgment
2 Royal Oppression

Extra Deck (15)
1 Magical Android
2 Ally of Justice - Catastor
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
2 Blackwing Armed Wing
2 Blackwing Armor Master
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant
1 Dark End Dragon
1 Mist Wurm

Side Deck (15)
3 Dimensional Alchemist
1 D.D. Crow
1 Morphing Jar
1 Book of Moon
1 My Body As A Shield
1 Nobleman of Crossout
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
3 Delta Crow - Anti Reverse
1 Trap Hole
1 Trap Dustshoot

Woke up at 10:30 only realizing that this is the first time I will ever be playing in the new March 2010 format, tournament or casual. Got in the place very early and play tested against a "Fabled" deck with Paul Santiago. The build was working wonderfully. He then opted to use his "Blackwings" after a few rounds. Pairings for Swiss rounds was then posted and we immediately went to our respective tables.

After the brief announcement by Irwin, the head judge of the tournament regarding the upcoming sanction coming to the country, I was then ready-or not, for my first match with Gadgets.

Round 1: "Blackwing" vs. Gadgets
Game 1: I double "Black Whirlwind", but he was able to destroy every "Blackwing" monster I play, resulting in me getting mobbed by his Gadgets.

Game 2: His field is clear and I summon "Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North". He activates "Solemn Judgment". I respond with my own "Solemn Judgment". I summon "Stardust Dragon" and his deck has no answers against it.

Game 3: He brought out "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" and bounced my "Goyo Guardian". I got smashed afterwards my field being clear after that. What a bad way to start the tournament.

1-2, x-1

Round 2:"Blackwing" vs. "Lightsworn"
Game 1: You really can't come back after two successful "Icarus Attack"s.

Game 2: He plays "Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner" I activate "Royal Oppression". He tries to Summon "Celestia, Lightsworn Angel", I respond with more "Icarus Attacks". "Blackwing - Bora the Spear" made quick work out of him.

2-0, x-1

Round 3:"Blackwing" vs. Anti-Meta
Game 1: He cannot find a way to destroy my "Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame" with a "Black Whirlwind" in the open. His "Tiger King Wanghu" was smashed to pieces.

Game 2: I drew all the small "Blackwings" with him having a "Tiger King Wanghu" throughout the duel.

Game 3: Match proceeded to become a top deck war. He suddenly tops "Cyber Dragon" and destroys my "Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind" with him having only 800 life points left. I top "Mirror Force". He tops "Caius, the Shadow Monarch". Good game.

1-2, x-2

Ughh tournament not looking so good at this point...

Round 4:"Blackwing" vs. Petit Inmato plants
Game 1: He synchros so much monster I was not able to respond properly, with my "Royal Oppression" being chained with his "Mystical Space Typhoon".

Game 2: He accidentally screws up and reveals his Face Down "Mirror Force", thinking it was "Bottomless Trap Hole", which he had in his hand. Given this knowledge, I synchro for "Stardust Dragon" and proceeded to win the duel.

Game 3: He gets double "Stardust Dragon" in the field with a "Goyo Guardian" to boot. He got them through "Mark of the Rose" targeting my "Blackwing Armor Master" with the help of "Spore". Too bad I had "Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor" in my Graveyard. I brought out "Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant" and a "Blackwing - Bora the Spear" from my hand, destroyed both "Stardust Dragon" with the help of "Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn". Ultimately in the end, I ended up with 3 different Synchro Monsters and he couldn't come back from it. This match was clearly the best game I had in the whole tournament.

2-1, x-2

Round 5: "Blackwing" vs. Horus lv 8
Game 1: He brings out "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8" and attacks. I activate "Mirror Force". He flips "My Body as A Shield", I chain "Solemn Judgment". He scoops.

Afterwards he kept muttering about facing another "Blackwing" and opted to drop the whole tourney. How rude.

1-0, x-2

Round 6:"Blackwing" vs. Fader Monarchs
Game 1: He runs out of options fast as my "Shura - the Blue Flame" keeps ramming up his "Treeborn Frog" and "Battle Fader"s. I often respond with "Book of Moon" with his "Raiza, the Storm Monarchs", resulting in more "Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame" Special Summons.

Game 2: He opens with 6 different kinds of Monarchs in his hand and I was able to easily win the game and the match.

2-0, x-2

Closing Thoughts: Ended up taking 19th spot over 51 players. Pretty bad since almost all of the players I defeated had horrible standings and they were not able to push me up in the Swiss Rounds. Ultimately, Jomer Flores won the whole tournament, running "Lightsworn". It was a so-so experience overall.

Props:
Brought a very cheap "Blackwing Armor Master" for just $8. Thank you Tim Vivit!
Brought Oran-rief, the Vastwood for just roughly $1 (Yes, I play Magic: the Gathering as well)
Playing polite people
Play testing with Paul prior to the tournament
Playing against Chunky and his Plant deck
Playing personally with Irwin and his Flamvell Cat
Dark Grepher

Slops:
A lot of misplays where I fail to drop "Dark Armed Dragon" properly
Playing rude people
Scrubbing
Paul, William, Chunky and Dann scrubbing as well
Major headache after the tournament
Shelling out more money for "Yu-Gi-Oh!" than intended
Unable to sell cards to break even from total cost
Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind

Sleeves for Nationals

In yesterday's Monthly tournament that I participated in(which will be covered in an upcoming post), Irwin, our official Judge, made some announcements in regards to the upcoming Nationals this June.

Aside from the usual stuff like card pool issues and the exact date of the said event, one more important issue was raised.

Apparently you can only use official "Yu-Gi-Oh!" sleeves in the Nationals. Ultra Pro, Player's Choice and any other type or brand of sleeve are absolutely forbidden.



And yes, I am referring to the "Majestic Dragon Sleeves" or the upcoming "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Sleeves" for the TCG.

This is kind of perplexing because if I heard correctly, they don't allow the official sleeves on official tournaments in TCG areas due to them becoming easily mark-able. The sleeves also have a huge tendency to split in between edges. Needless to say, double sleeves are absolutely forbidden as well.

They come off expensive at Php300 for 50 pieces. Probably more than double the price for regular Ultra-Pro ones. Plus you need two sets to be able to completely sleeve your Side Deck as well for a grand total of Php600 (US$12). Good thing my deck is already sleeved properly prior to this announcement.

List of Forbidden Cards in Worlds

1. All Duel Terminal cards, potentially even cards included in "Hidden Arsenal". (Good thing "Ally of Justice - Catastor" and "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" does not belong in this category because they have OCG Gold Series reprints)


2. All cards that are unobtainable via regular packs. (Cards from the Limited Edition packs such as "Dark End Dragon", and possibly "Mezuki" belongs in this category. I am not sure about this one.)


3. Promo cards bundled in other products, video games, manga and magazine ("Thunder King Rai-Oh", "Infernity Archfiend", "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness", "Starlight Road", "Elemental Hero Absolute Zero" etc.)


4. TCG exclusives not included in EXP2 (All TCG exclusives from "Raging Battle" and up)

I do not know if they will allow reprinted versions of cards from disallowed sets. ("Duel Terminal" versions of "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier", "Goyo Guardian" or "Book of Moon", etc. or promo versions of "Beast King Barbaros" or "Dandylion", etc.)

Keep these information in your head as you plan out your build for the upcoming Worlds this June. There might be something wrong here but I think this is the complete list of cards that are forbidden in the said event.

From the Behind Victory

From Sherjack, the official distributor of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in the Philippines.

"The Philippines is back in the Yugioh map baby!!!


Just got this wonderful news and I could not contain my excitement. It's 1:30 am now but I can't wait to share this to all of you. Konami is giving us the LOVE. We will have a Philippines representative for the World Championship to be held in Los Angeles this coming August 14. Our Nationals this June will determine who we will send to represent us all. Details will follow as things and venue has still to be worked out.

I've been ranting in this forum and to some of the players in person. Honestly, I was worried that what we promised last year about us going to the Worlds will never become a reality. I was very down and was thinking of giving up. Sales and tournament support from the players were nothing to brag about. But I guess the amount of products (specially the Asian English) we got were enough for Konami to give us a chance. Our reputation is at stake here that's why our company was willing to take a big risk of getting so much products. A lot of you know we're still stuck with a lot of the boxes. But I still can't thank enough those of you who were very supportive with your time and money. This Worlds achievement is for all of us. Yahoo!!!

Hope you can all spread the word. We still need all the help we can get in terms of outright sales and tournament support. We would not want our participation in the world stage a one and done. With everyone's help, we can make this an annual thing. "

Source: http://z3.invisionfree.com/ygocgph/index.php?showtopic=4076&st=0&#entry3853951

Consecrated Light

Great.

Only after 5 months and a few weeks did I know that players can still Flip Summon DARK monsters while "Consecrated Light" is on the field.

The Wall: Passable?

Most often than not, a duelist who choose to play "Yu-Gi-Oh!" competitively will encounter a, for a lack of a better word, wall. This wall is something that needs a lot of time and patience to be conquered. This so-called wall will block most aspiring duelists and it is also the one who segregates the "scrubs" from the "pros".

As I browse Pojo looking for SJC Nashville results (which is already irrelevant as I post this), I saw Roy St. Clair top SJC Nashville with "X-Sabers". Now this is something.

Then I recalled some posts at Pojo. I remember the threads dismissing "X-Sabers" as a deck without any potential. I also remember the posts that "X-Sabers" are totally outclassed by everything, in fact, the posts that says everything bows down to "Lightsworn" last format. As I laughed, I also saw a Space Fighter deck that topped along with "X-Saber" which intensified the whole experience.

This only proves that "Lightsworn" was not unstoppable last format. There were other decks capable of bringing it down. It was just the people that smelted the thought "Lightsworn">all in their heads after all. And sadly, one of them was me.

And an OCG player(Satoshi Kato) came out on at the whole event in the end. So much for "poor card choices" and "inefficient builds".

I think, in my current state, I am in front of the wall. It is just a matter of me going to attempt at crawling past it or stay in front of it. I have yet made my decision.

At Last

I've had it.

After getting x-4 in the February Monthly Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament in which I had to pay an additional P50 (roughly $1) just because I did not preregister, I check the online website for the Southeast Asia "Yu-Gi-Oh!" website because they have already made an online application form for duelists to be able to acquire the Duelist ID. About time.

To my dismay, the website only has the following countries accepted for registration:

There was no chance of the Philippines becoming sanctioned in the first place after all.

I guess this totally wraps up my "Yu-Gi-Oh!" journey. I hope you have enjoyed reading through my experience in this blog.

This might be the last turn for me and this blog.

Machina Control by The Perplexed Duelist

Effect Monster (24)
1 Boot-Up Soldier - Dread Dynamo
1 Card Trooper
2 Green Gadget
2 Machiner Force
2 Machina Fortress
3 Machina Gearframe
2 Machina Peacekeeper
1 Oilman
1 Quick-Span Knight
1 Quillbot Hedgehog
2 Red Gadget
1 Scrap Recycler
2 Shreddder
1 Tragoedia
2 Yellow Gadget

Spells (11)
1 Brain Control
3 Creature Swap
1 Heavy Storm
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Limiter Removal
3 Machina Armored Unit
1 Mystical Space Typhoon

Trap (5)
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Royal Oppression
1 Solemn Judgment

Extra Deck (15)
1 Ally of Justice - Catastor
1 Ally of Justice - Decisive Arms
1 Ancient Fairy Dragon
1 Blackwing Armor Master
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Magical Android
1 Naturia Balkion
1 Naturia Beast
1 Naturia Landoise
1 Red Dragon Archfiend
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Thought Ruler Archfiend
1 Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

Yesterday, I posted an article regarding how amazing the new Structure Deck would be. With a couple of hours play testing in the new Nintendo DS game "Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia", I was able to tweak and adjust certain techs in the deck that makes it a lot more effective than what I had conjured yesterday.


The first card that needs explaining in this build is "Machina Force". Basically a dead draw early game, its purpose is just to become a discard fodder to Special Summon "Machina Fortress". The card is perfect for searching with using "Machina Gearframe", when you already have one "Machina Fortress" in your Graveyard. This might sound like a lame tech, but Special Summoning "Machina Fortress" by just discarding just one card is a force to be reckoned with.


"Machina Peacekeeper"'s count in the deck is reduced because it ends up becoming dead draw when drawn together in the open. The card is perfect at two for the right balance of being "Creature Swap" fodder and "Machina Gearframe" target. "Machina Sniper" and "Machina Soldier" were removed to make room for the better search candidate in "Machina Force". Be careful with timing issues faced in the deck with multiple search effects activating all at the same time-this will be discussed later in this article.


I personally wanted a Synchro Mechanic in the deck, so I teched a "Quick-Span Knight", the best EARTH Machine tuner in the whole game. He is a good search target for "Machina Armored Unit" after all. Coupled with it is "Quillbot Hedgehog", which can be sent from the Graveyard from the deck via "Scrap Recycler" as well as a "Machina Armored Unit" target, it also serve as boost for "Quick-Span Knight" for emergency Syncho-ing. With nearly every monster in the deck being EARTH attribute, "Naturia" Synchros are very easy to make. Since the TCG does not have "Quick-Span Knight" yet in their cardpool, they can opt to use "Iron-Chain Coil" as replacement instead. Hey, it runs over "Sangan". These sets of tech can be truncated if you wish, as I sometimes encounter it clashing with my face up "Royal Oppression".


With an a very large hand size all the time thanks to easy +1s, "Tragoedia" is a no brainer and is definitely a great addition to the deck. Those Gadgets can help feed "Tragoedia"'s effect to steal your opponent's level 4 monsters for free. He also stops OTKs as well. Three copies is definitely great in the deck, but with March 1's list, I left it at 1.

Since most of the deck's cards effects to search each other out are not mandatory effects, they might clash each other with timing, often one card missing the timing. A way to play around this is by choosing which effect you want to activate, and purposely missing the others. Please be careful on what effect you wish to activate. Also, "Machina Armored Unit" can only activate its effect once per turn. This is also worth noting to avoid making certain misplays.

Machiners for March 1, 2010

Effect Monster (23)
1 Boot-Up Soldier - Dread Dynamo
1 Card Trooper
2 Green Gadget
2 Machina Fortress
3 Machina Gearframe
3 Machina Peacekeeper
2 Machina Sniper
1 Machina Soldier
1 Oilman
2 Red Gadget
2 Scrap Recycler
1 Shreddder
2 Yellow Gadget

Spells (11)
1 Brain Control
3 Creature Swap
1 Gold Sarcophagus
1 Heavy Storm
1 Limiter Removal
3 Machina Armored Unit
1 Mystical Space Typhoon

Trap (6)
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Royal Oppression
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Starlight Road

With the new March 2010 list annihilating "Lightsworn" dominance, seats for the next top meta decks are again for the taking. In a slower format compared to the last two, this format gives ample room for Gadgets to rise from the grave. With "Structure Deck 18: Machina Mayhem" being available pretty soon, EARTH Machine type monsters get a tremendous boost far beyond what is expected of it.


First things first. Machina utilize their own version of "Elemental Hero Stratos", "Machina Gearframe". This baby comes in a 1800 attack body that searches any "Machina" Monster from your Deck to your hand. This alone warrants the deck huge amounts of +1 for feeding to the archetype's new boss: "Machina Fortress"


And you thought Structure Deck boss cards suck. This boss revolutionizes the Ultra Rare from Structure Decks and puts the others to shame. This boss is easily Special Summoned by discarding itself and a, say, Gadget(which you conveniently got from another Gadget to begin with). The card is almost a guaranteed one for one. Destroying it by battle results in a card in your opponent's side of the field gone, and destruction via effect means a card in his hand is discarded.

Machines get their own version of "Black Whirlwind" in "Machina Armored Unit". This card allows your monsters that hits the Grave via destruction through battle be a ticket to be able to Special Summon from the deck any EARTH Machine type monster with less attack than it. Never again will "Creature Swap" become +0 with this card. In fact, after destroying your own swapped creature, you can still search a Monster from your deck since the monster destroyed will hit your grave. And if the monster is "Machina Peacekeeper", its effect activates and you get a Machine monster from your deck, with a "Card Trooper" or "Oilman" Special Summoned free of charge. The deck generates +1s like crazy, its not even funny.

"Shreddder" serves as an accurate "Snipe Hunter" when needed, with the flipside that it cannot destroy cards in the back row. "Oilman" is a good "Machina Armored Unit" target, which helps the cards flowing to your hand and protecting your monsters all at the same time. As usual, "Royal Oppression" wrecks "Gladiator Beast" and other match ups that rely too much on Special Summoning.

Last but not the least, this deck is a budget deck player's best friend. The deck just needs three of those Structure decks to almost complete with a little added tech here and there. That's definitely one thing to look forward to.

Feel free to change and add or remove personal techs that you might think are useful. Here are some quick suggestions: "Shrink" helps your gadgets plow through high attack monsters. "Dark Bribe" protects your significant back row from harm. "Starlight Road" might be essential and helps contribute to the theme, which is to generate as much card advantage as possible. "Smashing Ground", coupled with "Fissure" would turn the deck around to traditional gadgets. A myriad of possible card choices are available for this theme. The rest is up to you to figure out.

3-01-2010

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y47/physc...5868817_184.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y47/physc..._3002146966.jpg

Pictures.

Restricted
Chaos Sorcerer
Tragoedia
Necro Guardna
Necroface
Mezuki
Lightlord Summoner - Lumina
Burial from a Different Dimension
Foolish Burial
Destiny Draw
Charge of the Light Brigade
Allure of Darkness
Mind Crush
Magical Explosion

Semi Restricted
Honest
Cyber Dragon
Demise - King of Armageddon
Dandelion
Treeborn Frog
Black Whirlwind
United We Stand
Royal Decree
Royal Oppression
Skill Drain

Unrestricted
Mask of Darkness
Smashing Ground

List.

The end of Lightlords.

*Credits are due to whoever took pictures*

Sideboard Superstar: "The Shining Darkness"

The usual trend on how Konami handles their Spell and Trap card creations is that they are totally unplayable unless they give draw power simply because of the fact that they are totally outclassed by the usual staples and that there aren't a lot of space that can be offered for them. "The Shining Darkness" might break that trend by introducing Spell and Trap cards that are Side Deck worthy. But are these Side Deck worthy cards really meta breaking?

Some of the obvious ones are "Corridor of Suffering". But take note that "Gladiator Beast Gyzarus" might still be able to destroy it quite easily. This might not warrant it to replace "Royal Oppression". Bottom line for this card is that it still might work but I am not sure about how it will fare.

Another obvious Side Deck choice is "Crack of the Different Dimension". This card obviously is able to ruin Zombies and "Necro Gardna" given "Lightsworn" is still a top deck in the newly molded meta. The thing that people might not see about this card is that it requires two cards of the same attribute, which might mean that it can't remove just 1 "Necro Gardna", but you have to wait for two for you to be able to activate it. Along with that, "Necro Gardna" can still be chained to it, rendering it useless. "Graveyard Seal" serve a similar purpose and looks good on paper, but it automatically sets you up for a -2. This might be a good card to activate to push through a game but for the steep cost of getting it as a dead draw early on.

"Chaos Hole" might ruin those surprise "Chaos Sorcerer" or anything that is based on LIGHT and DARK but its neck breaking 2000 Life Point cost is still a huge price to pay. Nonetheless, the card is worth testing with the current format totally dominated by "LIGHT" and "DARK" monsters either way. With plants getting a huge boost in this pack, I doubt that it would be main-ed into decks.

In the other totally unrelated note: "Tribe Infecting Virus" won't come back for the simple reason that "Darkness Hunter" is the obvious tweaked version of it.

The Rants of a Perplexed Duelist

Time flies really fast.

It has already been a whole format since I started going back to playing "Yu-Gi-Oh!". At first, I was unaware that the TCG is totally incompatible with the OCG. I began starting rants about the two not being interchangeable despite being the same all in all. After finally understanding that both entities cannot simply coexist in tandem, I was forced up to spend a lot of money to convert and build my deck from the OCG. This was the start of my long and tedious journey.


Next stop was to find a place where people gather and play. As I found out the local forum in which people from the Philippines who play "Yu-Gi-Oh!" flock, I signed up for an account. I was unaware of what was in store for me. I found out that Organized Play support for the Philippines was nonexistent. As I checked other forums such as Pojo, I found out all about the Konami and Upper Deck lawsuit and was convinced that it was because of that that there is zero support for Organized Play in the Philippines.

But I was wrong. Dead wrong.

It so happens that there was no support even before the lawsuit. Also, even if it was affected in any way because of that, it would not have any effect at all in the first place since the Philippines is OCG territory, meaning that Upper Deck has nothing to do with anything at all in regards to handling tournament support here. I was flustered, and started ranting in the local forum regarding them selling the products here but is not officially sanctioned by Konami.

I was then calmed down by the post of the store owner that said that the Philippines is due for tournament support soon. This made me believe that support for the Philippines will be present for this format or the next. After all, what is the use of playing competitive "Yu-Gi-Oh!" if there is nonexistent support in the first place. Might as well roll dice and see who rolls a higher number to determine the winner.

I patiently waited. Six whole months of casual unsanctioned tournaments with the local folk. As a consolation prize, most of them were cool and fun to be with so I guess everything was not so bad.

From now, in a few more weeks' time, a new format will emerge. Singapore and Malaysia's regionals were already finished. Multiple Shonen Jumps and regionals were already held at the West. But there is still no sign of official tournament support coming from the local store.

Promises are made to be broken, I guess. How much longer do I have to wait for the much awaited support? It is starting to be bothersome and I seriously do not want to partake in any more unsanctioned tournaments that are going to be held. The whole idea is pointless.

When September comes and official support is still nonexistent, it is time to abandon ship.

My Take on the Upcoming March List

Here is my hopefully unbiased take on the upcoming March Ban List. Do take note that this list is entirely my speculation and is in no way connected to the official list that will come out.

Newly Banned:
BRAIN CONTROL
ELEMENTAL HERO STRATOS

Newly Limited:
BECKONING LIGHT
JUDGMENT DRAGON
BRIONAC, DRAGON OF THE ICE BARRIER
TRISHULA, DRAGON OF THE ICE BARRIER
CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
RYKO, LIGHTSWORN HUNTER
BURIAL FROM THE DIFFERENT DIMENSION
MEZUKI
TRAGOEDIA

Newly Semi-Limited:
BLACK WHIRLWIND
EMERGENCY TELEPORT
BLACK ROSE DRAGON
DEMISE, KING OF ARMAGEDDON
REINFORCEMENT OF THE ARMY
GLADIATOR PROVING GROUND
GUARDIAN EATOS
HONEST

Newly Unlimited:
GOLD SARCOPHAGUS
SMASHING GROUND
THE TRANSMIGRATION PROPHECY
LONEFIRE BLOSSOM
GOBLIN ZOMBIE
CHAIN STRIKE

Deck Analysis: Zombies

Welcome to the last and final part of the "Deck Analysis" series for this format. Now it is time to discuss about the final top tier deck that is dominating this format. I have already discussed "Lightsworn", "Blackwing" and "Gladiator Beast". The only deck type left to finally complete the set is the old but still effective type-one of my least favorite, hence it took time before I was able to post, the last but not the least among them, called Zombies.


Back from the dead in the previous format, Zombies were given a new lease in life with the Semi-Limiting of one of its key components "Mezuki". The only deck out of the top four that is not really an official theme, Zombies slowly take charge in the battlefield, accumulating +1s here and there and then finally explode from one card in the hand to a full field of Synchro Monsters is the deck's key strategy. Zombies have the inherent ability to bring something from either the Graveyard or the Deck to play or hand, hence requiring a very conservative play style. Zombies are able to maximize their potential with what "Crossroads of Chaos" has brought to the deck type. A card called "Plaguespreader Zombie".


Given its much needed support, "Plaguespreader Zombie" is a Tuner. The card allowed Zombies to tap into future game elements such as Synchro. It was then abused with the help of other Zombie members such as the ever powerful "Mezuki", which allows any zombie from the Graveyard rise to your side of the field by removing itself from your Graveyard to the game. This card is usually what makes the deck have the explosion tendency, catching your opponent in a surprise with a sudden burst of speed and power. "Burial from the Different Dimension" was used to repeat the whole process which would ultimately end up with a horde of monsters out of nowhere. Deemed too powerful, the deck was castrated to the point that it was deemed unplayable, with "Mezuki" and "Plaguespreader Zombie" taking huge hits in previous formats. Konami then decided to bring the terror back into the tables hence the reason it is one of the most formidable decks played in this format.


But what really gave Zombies the final push of power was the introduction of "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" to the United States metagame, as it allowed Zombies to be thrown from the Hand to the Graveyard to return cards to opponent's hands while at the same time amassing insane amounts of Synchro Monsters capable of OTKing an unsuspecting player anytime. This, coupling with Zombies' natural ability to generate advantage and you have for yourself a winning deck.


At first, Popular techs were "Destiny Hero" cards that were splashed to the deck to take advantage of "Destiny Draw" for increased speed, and the ever useful "Destiny Hero - Malicious", which wonderfully works with "Plaguespreader Zombie" and other level 2 Tuners. In the end, "Deep Sea Diva" was introduced to the mix, which gave the deck its much needed Tuners to enable the explosion happen more frequently. It also allowed level 6 Synchro Monsters to go to level 8 without losing any form of advantage. "Absolute Zero" also made its way in the deck with the help of tech-ed "Miracle Fusion".


Zombies are often crippled by "Royal Oppression", due to its inherent nature to always rely on Special Summoning monsters to the field. Also, since the deck itself is played defensively, waiting for an opening to explode, it is often outrun by the faster and more formidable deck choice, also referred to as "Lightsworn". Being the second best deck this format, Zombies once again proved to the meta that they are one of the best decks to be ever played. Also, as the oldest type of deck to still exist in the meta today, it has once again proven its endurance over the test of time.

I hope that you have enjoyed this series of Deck Analysis that I have wrote as much as I enjoyed typing them out.

Deck Analysis: "Gladiator Beast"

Welcome to the continuation of the series of Deck Analysis of the blogger regarding the top tier decks of this format. And now, it is time to analyze the third Archetype that has rose from the dead: "Gladiator Beast". I somehow predicted that at least one deck of this Archetype would make it in the top 16 of the Shonen Jump Los Angeles and it turns out I was correct. There was still some spine left in the nearly forgotten deck type after all.


"Gladiator Beast" monsters rely heavily on successfully attacking for their Effect to activate. For each successful attack done, without them getting destroyed, they can 'tag out' for other "Gladiator Beast" monsters in the deck and the newly Special Summoned "Gladiator Beast" will have a proper effect based on what the player needs at a given situation. This system clearly makes the archetype the most consistent deck ever made in the history of "Yu-Gi-Oh!". Able to use the deck as its own toolbox, "Gladiator Beast" rely on other "Gladiator Beast" for Effects that control the board and put the situation in your favor. There is a corresponding "Gladiator Beast" for each needed Effect: Card advantage, Monster, Spell and Trap Destruction, Special Summoning, from huge beatsticks to walls.


But what makes "Gladiator Beast" shine the best is because of their own themed boss monster "Gladiator Beast Gyzarus". This Contact Fusion monster requires one "Gladiator Beast Bestiari" and any other "Gladiator Beast" as its ingredients. Basically what it does is destroy up to 2 cards in the field upon hitting the field. If that was not enough, it comes in a 2400 Attack body and just like any regular "Gladiator Beast", it can 'tag out' for not one but two other "Gladiator Beast", resulting in heavy card advantage.


With decent "Gladiator Beast" support as well as tech cards like "Rescue Cat" with "X Saber Airbellum", as its backbone, "Gladiator Beast" also has the potential to tap into future game elements like Synchro-ing, despite it being one of the oldest archetype ever designed. The deck has anti-meta feel in it as it is created to control the field and accumulate advantage slowly but surely. Popular tech cards now are "Thunder King Rai-Oh" to eliminate "Black Whirlwind" as well as Special Summoning compressed in a 1900 Attack Body, removal cards like "Dimensional Prison", and now seeing some play, "Icarus Attack", as "Gladiator Beast Equeste" is also a Winged-Beast and is an eligible tribute fodder for it.


The biggest obstacle a Gladiator player will encounter is "Royal Oppression", as all of the Gladiators requires to be Special Summoned from the deck in order for them to have their Effects. Their lack of speed is also a major problem, making them have a difficult time keeping up with the rest of the Tier 1 archetypes. Despite these weaknesses, they are still holding ground, considering they are the oldest archetype that is still considered competitive up until today.

With "Gladiator Beast" being the weakest among the top tier decks, it is very unlikely that they will get hit by the March ban list. In fact, they might get even more support with "Holy Light" in the side come Absolute Powerforce. With this in mind, hang on to your Gladiators for now as they might be in the spotlight again. Always remember that this archetype is the most consistent one ever made in the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" Card Game.

January 16 Weekly Tournament Report

Saturday is "Yu-Gi-Oh!" day for me, and January 16 is no exception. Came in locals a tad bit early and handed down the payment for the usual Saturday weekly. Pairings were announced and I was fully prepared for the 3 rounds of Swiss. Then I realized I still don't have "Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer" in my Side Deck. Uh oh.

Tournament was healthy all around with more than 15 participants. Here's what I ran:


Monsters (19)
3 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
3 Blackwing - Bora the Spear
3 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
2 Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
2 Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spells (12)
3 Black Whirlwind
2 Allure of Darkness
2 Book of Moon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control
1 My Body as A Shield
1 Giant Trunade

Traps (11)
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
3 Icarus Attack
2 Royal Oppression
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Solemn Judgment

Extra Deck (15)
1 Magical Android
1 Ally of Justice - Catastor
1 Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
2 Blackwing Armed Wing
1 Blackwing Armor Master
1 Black Rose Dragon
2 Stardust Dragon
2 Colossal Fighter
1 Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant
1 Mist Wurm

Round 1: "Blackwing" v.s. Flamvellsworn
Game 1
Started getting straight advantages from "Black Whirlwind" and "Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame". Midway through he used "Rekindling" and swarmed me.

Game 2
The deck pretty much got crippled since I was able to flip "Royal Oppression" early.

Game 3
Somehow he didn't have "Honest" in his hand and my Goyo proceeded to steal all his monsters. Trap Dustshoot on the first turn removed that only "Honest" he was supposed to have in his hand. Plus I knew his hand cards.

2-1, 1-0

Round 2: "Blackwing" v.s. Zombies (Chester)
Game 1
He has a "Breaker the Magical Warrior" in play but he over extended and used up all his resources because he felt confident that I couldn't return anymore. Sad for him I "Brain Control" his Breaker and destroyed the "Swords of Revealing Light" and proceeded to Synchro for game.

Game 2
I made a huge misplay on the first turn, summoning "Blackwing - Bora the Spear" without playing my "Black Whirlwind" first. I asked him if I was able to redo my turn but he declined. He got this game.

Game 3
I drop "Dark Armed Dragon" to wipe his field. He Summons "Snipe Hunter", tried to destroy my "Dark Armed Dragon". Unfortunately, he rolled in a 6 and I respond with "Bottomless Trap Hole".

2-1, 2-0

Round 3: "Blackwing" v.s. "Gladiator Beast" ("The Beast" Jovic Leovis)
Game 1
I erase all his Monsters from the field and was able to harass further with my "Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn". He was forced to set all his hand cards. I worked my way up to finally take game with a swarm.

Game 2
He Summon "Gladiator Beast Heraklinos" and I use up 2 Traps to destroy it, turning the duel into a top deck war. Turns out he topdeck what he sided against me: "Holy Light". Good game.

Game 3
"Royal Oppression" really hurts "Gladiator Beasts".

2-1, 3-0

Top 8: "Blackwings" v.s. NecroChaos
Game 1
I "Trap Dustshoot" early to remove his "Battle Fader". I saw Tragoedia though. He "Gold Sarcophagus" for "Necroface", removing a lot of cards from his deck and mine. He beat me down with "Dimension Alchemist" and finally got game with the "Caius the Shadow Monarch" from his hand.

Game 2
I was able to double "Black Whirlwind" early on and he couldn't recover from all the advantage I was able to obtain. He scoops.

Game 3
I Dustshoot again and removed the only summon-able monster from his hand, "Cyber Dragon". The rest were "Dark Armed Dragon", "Chaos Sorcerer", "Caius the Shadow Monarch" and "Dimensional Alchemist". Without any Spell or Trap in his hand, my "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness" destroyed him.

2-1

Top 4: "Blackwing" v.s. Twilight (Kai)
Game 1
He use up his deck, dropped "Judgment Dragon" but I flipped "Royal Oppression". I Synchro for "Blackwing Armor Master" and he was running out cards in his deck.

Game 2
He FTK me with 2 "Judgment Dragon" and "Chaos Sorcerer"

Game 3
I got scared of him having "Heavy Storm" and did not set my "Royal Oppression". He FTK me again with the same setup from game 2.

Closing Thoughts: Jovic won over Kai in the end, making him the Champion yet again. I could have stood a chance at becoming a Champion if I did not hesitate to set my "Royal Oppression". Part of this logic was because this is the first time I was able to face a "Lightsworn" deck and did not know how to play around them. I was playing conservatively not knowing that they can OTK at any given time. Firsthand experience at tasting the reason why "Lightsworn" and friends has got to go this coming March.

Props
Undefeated in Swiss
4th Place in locals
"Trap Dustshoot" is a beasty tech

Slops
Was not able to buy my "Dark End Dragon" due to lack of funds
Double OTK
Crap from Booster Packs
Was not able to find any "Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer" to complete my deck

Stay tuned for the upcoming post: Deck Analysis: "Gladiator Beast"

Deck Analysis: "Lightsworn"

Welcome to the second part of the series of posts I decide to write that are all about the top tier decks that have proven themselves this format. This deck type is arguably the strongest among the rest with a rich background regarding its history and mechanics. The popular deck type we all know as "Lightsworn".


Most "Lightsworn" Monsters all have the inherent ability to discard cards from the top of your deck every turn. This mechanic alone allows for easy +1s with the help of milling out the cards that are best off in the Graveyard to begin with, such as "Necro Gardna" or "Plaguespreader Zombie". Along with their very high Attack, "Lightsworn" monsters have a myriad of assorted effects that give the player flexibility at his disposal. A card that can Special Summon another "Lightsworn" Monster, A Monarch type card, A themed "Breaker the Magical Warrior" and so on.


Since the theme is LIGHT, they are one of the best abusers of "Honest". With the nature of dumping DARK monsters into the Graveyard, they are also one of the abusers of "Chaos Sorcerer" and "Dark Armed Dragon", which will transform the deck's type into Twilight.


Being an archetype that is around for more than a year already, "Lightsworn" support are so abundant that its not even funny. They have a Draw Spell, their own themed version of "Reinforcement of the Army", "Call of the Haunted" and so on. The cards are called "Solar Recharge", "Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Glorious Illusion". With the nature of the deck type, all have their ways on dumping cards from the top of the deck to the graveyard.


What makes the theme badass all in all is because of one card: "Judgment Dragon". This card serve the purpose of the archetype milling itself out in the first place. As if you have four or more "Lightsworn" names in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon "Judgment Dragon" and activate its devastating-and usually game ending effect: "Pay 1000 life points. Destroy everything in sight except itself."


"Dark Hole" and "Heavy Storm" attached in a 3000 Attack body is not to be taken lightly. In case everything goes wrong, "Beckoning Light" will bring those unwanted "Judgment Dragon" mills straight back to your hand. It can also serve as "Honest" refill. Whichever floats your boat. Popular techs nowadays are "Archlord Kristya" to disable Special Summons and acts as some sort of reload mechanism in the deck. "Gold Sarcophagus" is now a viable option since the format is not as fast as the previous one.

The only thing that makes "Lightsworn" lose is its own double-edged nature; milling all your guns pose as a risk to you, making you miss that one important "Heavy Storm" that you were hoping to draw thus costing you the game. This unique nature of the deck is also why the deck has little to no Trap cards mained outside "Royal Decree", which disables Traps in the first place.

Being the strongest deck in this format, "Lightsworn" is one of the decks that will take a huge beating this coming March list. Expect the deck to be mangled. Some predictions are "Judgment Dragon" to 1, "Charge of the Light Brigade" to 1 and "Beckoning Light" to 1. Whatever they decide to do with the archetype, its not gonna be smooth.

Deck Analysis: "Blackwing"

Four different types of decks have proven themselves over the myriad of events that have happened in this format. Let us focus on one of them namely "Blackwing". I have decided to post my thoughts about the metagame before the format is changed this coming March. I hope that these series of articles about the "Tier 1" decks is going to be helpful for people to better understand and have a grasp on how the deck plays out in general and how what I think will be made to them in the upcoming March list.


In a nutshell, "Blackwing" play aggressively, usually taking in control of the role of aggressor in a duel. With the help of "Black Whirlwind", they can easily take a "Blackwing" monster with a lower Attack than the one Summoned out of their deck and add it to their hand everytime a "Blackwing" monster is Normal Summoned. After which, they can easily Special Summon different "Blackwing" monsters from their hand and swarm the field with ease. As a back row reliant deck, they rely on multiple copies of "Icarus Attack" and "Royal Oppression" to ensure that the field is in their favor. While they generally have medium to low Attack points, "Blackwing - Kalut the Moonshadow" is there to ensure that they do not lose in terms of brute force.


The deck easily becomes potent just because of "Black Whirlwind", as it allows for easy +1 for each copy in the field, meaning if you have two copies in play, you get to add to your hand two "Blackfeather" monsters. "Icarus Attack" is there to control the field and since the theme does not rely much on regular Special Summoning , "Royal Oppression" pins down your opponent's Special Summons while you continue to abuse your own kind of Special Summon-"Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor" can still activate and Special Summon a Monster even with "Royal Oppression" in the field. "Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame" can even use its effect even with "Royal Oppression" on the field, as the effect triggers at the Damage Step, which "Royal Oppression" can't be chained to.


The deck has pretty much reached its maximum potential, as only a few techs are added and removed from the core. Some people prefer to add cards like "Mind Control", "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness" and "My Body as A Shield", but the tech choices are usually just a matter of personal preference of the duelist running the deck.

Problems encountered are when you start a Duel with no 'big' "Blackwing" monster in your hand, or start out with five Monster cards in your hand, without "Black Whirlwind", things can get ugly. They also lack options to cycle through the deck outside of "Allure of Darkness". It also becomes a problem when your back row becomes pinned down by your opponent with cards like "Stardust Dragon" or "Royal Decree".

I predict that if ever "Blackwings" get hurt in the March list, the card that would be hit are: Black Whirlwind to 2 This will make the deck more inconsistent than it was. Since "Blackwing" fail to sweep Shonen Jumps consistently and is arguably one of the weakest ones among the top tier decks, they might be out of sight in the ban radar.

SJC LA

It has finally been concluded.

Shonen Jump LA was finally concluded yesterday with over 1500 participants. This hallmarks the biggest ever single card game tournament in history, at least according to Konami.

With a staggering 11 rounds of Swiss before the cut to the top 16, players dueled until midnight to show what they've got. In this event, the saying 'no pain no gain' proved itself.

Over 1500 participants and just a cut to the top 16-this simply means that doing x-2 or worse would automatically mean that you are in the red zone. Even x-1 players are not guaranteed to have a spot at the top 16 due to the humongous amount of participants in this mind blowing event.

Rogue decks are present here and there and Dimensional Eatos and other deck from the East has also participated in the event. Unfortunately, none of them were able to prove victorious.

The top 16 was full of "Lightsworn", Twilight and Zombies, with only one "Blackwing". Surprisingly and as I predicted, "Gladiator Beasts" make a comeback in this jump, proving once again that they deserve to be on the Tier 1 spot.

This event insured that both "Lightsworn" and Zombies will take a huge hurt in the ban list coming this March, as both took all the top 4 spot of the tournament. Two "Lightsworn" decks competed for the Championship and so it has been concluded that "Lightsworn" has officially won the tournament all in all.

With a few more events remaining for the format, one thing is for sure: This is a "Lightsworn" tailored format.

Goodbye

Goodbye and goodluck to Rauzes, owner of the Gaijin Duelist. Junk and Debris was really enjoyable.

Gold Series 2010 Wish List

One of the most anticipated booster set in the OCG, the Gold Series 2010, is nearly due for release on January 23. Reprints of popular cards such as "Solemn Judgment", "Call of the Haunted" and even "Judgment Dragon" are one of the few cards announced in the set. Here is my biased Gold Series 2010 spoiler, rather, how I would want it to be. This can be considered as my Gold Series wish list.

The list follows the previous Gold Series setup, with 10 Effect Monsters, of which 1 is a Synchro. Then followed by five Spells and five Traps. Normal rares are both Effect Monsters.

Effect Monsters
1. Gladiator Beast Laquari
2. Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness (NR)
3. Lyla, Lightsworn Summoner
4. Celestia, Lightsworn Angel
5. Magician's Valkyria
6. Mezuki
7. Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
8. Dark Armed Dragon
9. Judgment Dragon
10. Ally of Justice - Catastor (NR)

Spells
1. Book of Moon
2. Fissure
3. Lightning Vortex
4. Brain Control
5. Allure of Darkness

Traps
1. Call of the Haunted
2. Solemn Judgment
3. Royal Oppression
4. Threatening Roar
5. Waboku

Second Deck

First post for the new year.

I actually borrowed and played a Zombie deck from a person today, and felt like it had the potential to do devastating plays here and there. That was the first time experience in handling Zombies in the card game.

But in the video game, I am having fun playing Gladial Beasts and I think that the deck type is the most consistent ever in the whole history of "Yu-Gi-Oh!".

Aside from my main deck which is Black Feather, I think I want to come up with a new deck type to study and play. I am currently torn between Gladial Beasts and Zombies.

Any suggestions on what deck to build? Lightlords are out of the picture due to scarcity and price.