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!

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.

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.

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.

The Official Ask The Perplexed Duelist Anything Post

I got entertained reading the Official Ask Julia Thread over at Pojo. I think she is doing a fantastic job for the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" community. Julia is the the person who is one-halve of Organized Play for the TCG if you didn't know.

Because of that, I want to create an Official Ask The Perplexed Duelist portion in this blog. Besides, its about time I handle interviews which other blogs seem to be producing anyways.

Questions you might have for me might range from the regular "Yu-Gi-Oh!" stuff, my take on certain things revolving around the game, stuff that you might have in mind and want an answer to. Maybe other stuff I do aside from "Yu-Gi-Oh!". Anything under the sun.

However, that does not mean I am willing to answer every question. It is still up to me whether you get your answer or not. The rules are simple: the less profane and rude, the better odds. The less real life stuff gets involved, The less other people get involved, the better chances. I can do multiple questionnaires at once no problem. I will get discouraged answering if you throw too many questions at one given time. Keep it clean, people.

Here is how to qualify-Just put your questions in the form of comments in this blog. Alternatively, you can also e-mail me some and I will post them in this blog. I will try to answer them as humanly fast as I can and to the best of my knowledge and interest.

May this post open a good start for me and this blog come 2010. Happy New Year in advance!

Invitation to the Philippines

Duelists out there, I am inviting people from all over the world to challenge our meta, and see for yourselves if it is potent or not. I figured out that people in the US are willing to travel great distances for SJCs and other events anyway. Why not take a long journey to the East and test your skill and beliefs in the Philippine meta? After wards, you can continue your trip to the other parts of the Asian countries, including Japan, to continue and hone your abilities and for the experience? Sounds fun right?

In light of this, I will be answering any queries you might want to know before you plan your long journey here regarding our meta, the community or anything you might have in mind that you wish to know about the country.

I will post up the frequently asked questions, and questions you might have that are not posted here can be e-mail to camille7688@yahoo.com. You can also use an Instant Messenger Program and communicate with me there as well. I will try with all my the best of my knowledge and understanding as possible to answer your question(s).

Frequently Asked Questions
1. I heard that your country is struggling with wars, internal conflict and strife. It's unsafe in your country.
The Philippines is segregated in three main areas. The capital, Manila, is located in Luzon. All the strife and conflicts you see in your newspapers and TV happen in Mindanao, which is over ten thousand miles from the capital, Manila. While poverty is still present, in the tourist areas, which the locals is near anyway, these are almost non-existent. If there are insurgents present, the worst you can encounter are pickpockets, which are very rare anyways, at least in crowded areas like Malls.


Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is very far off from all the terror and conflict, which happens in Mindanao.

2. How is the English there?
Almost everyone is English literate. At the very least they can understand English. At best they can converse with you fluently and without problems at all. More than three fourths of the players in the locals can speak English.

3. What are the things you need to be able to go?
First, a Philippine VISA. Getting one isn't too hard. Obviously you'll be needing a plane ticket as well. Ask your local travel agency for this, or if you're still not in the proper age, ask your guardian.

3. How about cuisine? Any suggestions on where to dine?
Based on my experience, restaurants in the Philippines serve better Chinese food compared to the US. But if you don't believe me, Ruby Tuesday's, TGI Fridays, Burgoo and all those casual American family restaurants are present in the same mall in which the locals are located.

4. Any good suggestions for lodging?
If you come in a tight budget and just for Yu-Gi-Oh!, then you can stay at the Crown Plaza of Robinson's Galleria. Details can be found here.

Why there? It is conveniently in the same building with the locals. Literally you only have to go down one escalator from the lobby of the Hotel to the locals. Very convenient right? Plus the fact that its literally connected to the mall-means dining, gifts and everything else is taken care of.

I'll post the next series of FAQ later or tomorrow. Just a reminder, any additional concerns are welcome. Just IM or e-mail me at camille7688@yahoo.com.

Philippine Meta

Welcome to the Philippine meta. Where every card choice is labeled as poor and unreasonable, at least according to Shriek.

Place
Locals are held in Robinson's Galleria located at Pasig City. Regular weekly tournaments are always held twice every Saturday of a week, with two batches. Registrations are up as early as 9:00AM and the tournament proper starts at 12:00NN. Depending on the number of participants, the second tournament start between 3:00PM to 4:00PM. Entrance fee for both tournaments are PhP150, or USD$3.

Prizes are inconsistent and depends on the number of participants per tournament. You are guaranteed one OCG booster pack of Asian-English "Raging Battle" per entry.

The venue itself has 7-8 tables, always full prior to the tournament until the actual tournament. There are always people in the sidelines who, even though does not join the tournaments, hang out there to trade cards and talk.

Every month, there is also a so-called Monthly tournament being held. This will replace the regular weekly one and is better attended and organized. Prizes are a notch higher too.

Products
Useful cards are rare to come by, as only few people are buying booster packs. Speaking of booster packs, one is retailed for PhP150 or $3. Packs of this price is the OCG. TCG packs are also sold but for double the price.

The reason why there are only few people who buy booster packs is because people think they aren't guaranteed to get what they want in the packs unlike when they look for them via trading or buying from other people directly, which is usually the cheaper and much more convenient alternative. I also have the same belief.

"Light of Destruction" has long since been out of print. In this case, the shop is also sold out. This makes Lightlord cards very hard to come by and if they do, they are usually very expensive.

Meta
The meta itself is full of people who play cards conservatively, hence the reason for the card choices. Lightlords and Black Feathers are present but they are outnumbered by the Anti Meta and Zombie decks. Needless to say, part of the reasoning behind this is because the cards needed to create Anti Meta is much more accessible and cheaper while having good results all at the same time. The control concept is king in this turf. Gladial Beasts still in the meta is a testament to this.

Be ready to side in that "Trap Hole" and "Royal Decree" as a lot of people run Gadgets and Anti Meta. "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness" is always present in every deck. Hybrid themes are common. "Black Brutdrago" cards that work around it are also a local personal choice.

Watch Out
Last December Monthly, people who joined were handed out official Konami Duelist ID information sheets.

Worlds, here we come.

December Monthly Results

The Philippine December Monthly is over with a staggering amount of 84 total duelists who attended.

As usual, players from all over the world are mindlessly criticizing the top 8 decks over at Shriek.

Here's what I hope to happen: Some five to ten people from the TCG regions bringing top tier decks pay a visit in the Philippine meta and see and participate in one to three tournaments. I know this is a long shot, but I am seriously curious about what will be the results.

After which then we'll see who is finally right.

Top 8 Deck Lists for the December Monthly can be found here.

Congratulations to the top 8 and Chan Discipulo for winning that PSP and getting first place!

Format Synchro... and something more

Yes, the title of the post is not reversed.

Ever imagined what would happen when both the TCG and the OCG's cardpools combine to together to form an unholy alliance? A format where "Naturia" Monsters duke it out against Blackwings that utilize "Swallow's Nest"? Maybe "Fiend Roar Deity"s against complete "Koa'ki Meiru"s?

That's how the format here in our country works.

But wait, what about "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier"? A conflict in both card games is that the card is Limited in the OCG but unlimited in the TCG?

The roots of the game are followed and Brionac stays at 1 as the principle region our meta is loosely based on is the OCG.

Pretty convenient huh?

With pretty virtually much all the playable cards printed out by Konami, whether for the East or West is usable in this format.

In the other news...

One more day for the well-awaited December Monthly in our country. Sad that I cannot participate in it due to me and my non "Yu-Gi-Oh!" friends planning to enjoy the best and most important Massively Multiplayer game entitled "Outside".

Random Ramblings From The Blogger

Its nearing the half of the current format. By now, we already know what works. In the beginning of the format, people thought that Blackwings is already incapacitated due to the limiting of Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind. People also thought that Gladiator Beasts still has a chance in this format.

Now is the perfect time to evaluate the metagame. With only 1 more set coming out in the OCG and possibly 2 more for the TCG, the card pool is already scrutinized to the point that today's metadecks does not have enough room left for innovation.

Discussion about the game has also fallen to stagnant status as most topics revolving around the meta has already been too heavily discussed in forums everywhere.

Whatever deck you might be running at the moment, might it be Blackwings, Zombies or Lightsworn, I hope that the decision you have made in choosing your path in this format was because of your desire to have fun and win at the same time.

It is also the Christmas season coincidentally, it is also nearing this blog's first 10,000 unique hits. I hope that people continue to read the blog and I will take the opportunity right now to thank everyone for the hits and an advance Merry Christmas!

I'll be saving the Happy New Year in another post. Till then!

Shriek Flame Wars

The deal
After our Monthly held on 21 November, a fellow duelist, William, from the Philippines has managed to convince Shriek to post the Philippines' deck list in his website. Everything proceed smoothly and the decklists then were posted.

I was actually expecting people would flame and argue over how the Filipinos build and run their decks. After reading both sides, I came about to a conclusion. Flaming was already given and was always a trend over at Shriek anyways.

The link to the website and article is here.

For those people who are actually too lazy to browse and read the whole flame war, in a nutshell, people are arguing that builds were bad and were as they think they were-scrubs. This was to be expected.

The facts
Let us dissect the two parties arguing and narrate their key points.

My fellow duelists were arguing that the decks were made because they think that 'netdecking' is unoriginal and boring, and they would not want to spend over $200 for a simple kid's game. They also argue that they were just playing for the fun of it.

While some people posted that the decks were indeed creative and was a new fresh breeze in the card game, some posters pointed that 'netdecking' is actually going to the most efficient build, and people from the Philippines cannot afford the cards and that is basically the reason, if anything else, why the decks were made as that. They also argued that people can have fun and win at the same time. They then prove their point by comparing them to the SJC builds and compare how original decks were made there. Finally, they also argued that original does not always mean better, or good.

The things to keep in mind

• While it is somewhat true that people have limited access to cards, this can and cannot be the reason at the same time. As this is a major event here in the Philippines, most of the 'incomplete' decks do not participate in here. Simply put, most of the decks in this list are considered to be complete by their owner's standards.
• The reason why Lightsworns are nonexistent in the top 8 is because the cards are way too impossible to acquire. Needless to say, they are also expensive. As mentioned by one of the posters there, there are only 4 complete Lightsworn decks and only 1 was able to join the event.
• I also participated in the event with a decent SJC-inspired Blackwings(Togores) and was cut in the top 8 by the guy who had Priestess of Ohm in his Blackwing deck. Call this chance but a win is a win.
• The country is playing a hybrid format, which means that we can access both the TCG and OCG cardpools both at the same time.
• Gladiator Beasts are still doing great in our meta.

The verdict
While I do not agree that netdecking is a very unethical decision in deck building, as I netdeck myself, I believe that arguments should be unbiased for both parties. You cannot expect your original decks would automatically better than SJC proven ones and vice versa. It is also very unprofessional to criticize one deck just because you have not yet encountered one in your metagame. The problem with the elitist attitude in some duelists are what changes the game from casual fun to Serious Business.



Although to give wowowee a point, the reason why the Filipinos attempted to post their decklists to Shriek and the fact that they spend a lot of money in the card game means that they are not just 'playing for fun'.

The Conclusion

• If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything.
  
• Netdecking is not a bad practice.
• People can win and have fun at the same time.
• What works for one meta does not always mean it works for another.
• Don't criticize the deck before actually testing them yourself.
• Original and innovative decks does not always mean they're better than time tested ones.