New side-decking options

With Drillplants topping SJC and starting a new "Bandwagon Effect" and Infernities arriving this weekend, we are going to have some new side decking options as well as new anti-meta options to be running.

So what do we focus on?

Drillplants and Infernities both take great advantage of the graveyard, so anything to put their own graveyard against them can work:

D.D. Crow - Classic option for any Dandylion or Infernity in the graveyard.

Soul Release - Remove the above said cards and a few other threats like Quickdraw from being recovered.

Banisher of the Radiance and Dimensional Fissure/Macro Cosmos - No graveyard is a good way to let these decks flop in their strategies, just beware of the Dust Tornadoes and Smashing Grounds.

Kycoo - Slowly remove their arsenal. Dandylion, Quickdraw, Infernity Beetle, Infernity Archfiend, and others can quickly be gone before you know it.

However, these 2 decks also have something else in common...small monsters, so:

We could use Chain Destruction and Chain Dissapearance (gets Infernities, Quickdraw, Dandylion) as an option.

And then there's siding against Infernities alone. Infernities need no hand to win.

As I mentioned before, The Bistro Butcher could be an unorthodox method of getting this done. But there's also Compulsory Evacuation Device and Dark Bribe as ways to keep Infernity players with something at hand.

Those are just a few options for the moment...more options as the game progresses.

The Final Shonen Jump Championship

It has been announced that this SCJ tournament in New Jersey was going to be the final one in order to make way for a new kind of tournaments.

“The biggest change is that the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series is going to be a global program.” That means Duelists from Latin America and Europe won’t have to travel nearly as far to compete in YCS events.

Finally! Now it's just a matter of time until other countries get the tournaments they have long been waiting for. And...let's hope one of those tournaments comes home!

Side Decking VS Infernities: Bistro Butcher

Well, the countdown towards the arrival of the Infernities draws closer and closer to it's release. Many are preparing for their arrival, others are simply quitting the game while this format is up.

Bueno, el conteo final hacia el dia en cual salen los Infernities se está acercando. Muchos estan preparandose para su llegada, mientras otros se estan quitando del juego mientras estarán activos en el formato.

For those who are going to take them head-on (like me), I'm going to share some good options to use against them.

Para los que van a luchar contra ellos (como yo), voy a compartir con ustedes algunas buenas ideas para usar contra ellos.

It's common knowledge that Infernities depend on having zero cards in hand, and having at least 1 can screw them up. Well, many have mentioned Compulsory Evacuation Device as an idea, allowing your opponent to always have something in hand. But now...another idea in the form of a monster...

Todos conocen que los Infernities dependen de tener cero cartas en mano, y al tener solo una carta en mano les puede dañar su estrategia por completo. Y aunque muchos han hablado de "Compulsory Evacuation Device" como forma de devolver cartas a la mano, hay otra idea en la forma de un monstruo...

The Bistro Butcher / El Carnicero del Bistro

The Bistro Butcher will force your opponent to draw cards upon any kind of damage. Now, most of you are wondering, "why should we let our opponent draw even if it's against Infernities?"

El carnicero del bistro obliga a tu oponente a robar cartas al cualquier daño a los lifepoints. Ahora, muchos se pueden preguntar, "porque debemos dejar a nuestro oponente robar aunque sean Infernities?"

The answer is simple, by allowing your opponent to have a hand, you ruin many of their plays, especially cards like Infernity Barrier or Infernity Guardian.

La contestacion es simple. Dejando que tu oponente tenga cartas en mano, le puedes arruinar muchas de sus jugadas, especialmente cuando hay que considerar cartas como Infernity Barrier o Infernity Guardian.

By preventing your opponent to make plays at the cost of giving them cards, you will maintain a slight advantage. It's quite risky, but it can be rewarding if done right.

Al prevenir que tu oponente pueda hacer jugadas, aunque sea al costo de hacerlos robar cartas, mantendras una ventaja durante el juego. Es una jugada con cierto riesgo involucrado, pero puede valer la pena si se juega bien.

Nimble Sunfish

At last, this could have been the support many of us Fish players have been waiting for. For a long time, our options for Coelacanth involved either StarFish (consisting of the Star Blast version, which is the most consistent version), or Genex Fish (which has stirred some debate over it being the best version or not).

Nimble Sunfish not only helps speed the deck, it also helps you dump any fish you want into the graveyard, namely Coelacanth. Why Coelacanth? It can open the doors to some reverse toolboxing if you are running Symbols of Duty in the Genex variant, or it can open the doors to Phantom of Chaos if you choose to run it (also stirred some debate over it's use, but I won't leave the information out...the use is up to the player).

However, dumping fish into the graveyard can also be beneficial for StarFish variants, as it could help feed Pot of Avarice for a second swarm, or prepare that first swarm if the setup was previously prevented.

Sunfish also allows for consistent deck thinning, and combined with Treeborn Frog and Fishborg Blaster, Coelacanth can have enough tributes to be summoned without having to spend any lifepoints, which is quite the plus for StarFish decks.

And last, but not least...Sunfish gives all fish decks the long awaited consistent way of summoning synchro monsters of levels other than those in the 7-9 range. Since Sunfish is level 2, Royal Swamp Eel can help you achieve that much needed level 6 synchro into a Goyo or Brionac.

To conclude, Nimble Sunfish is just what fish decks needed. It speeds up the deck in more ways than one, and facilitates the summoning of our ace card. Once TSHD is released, I will definitely be running to get myself a playset of these and bring back my Fish deck.

New toy for Elves

As if Elf Decks didn't already produce enough mana as it is. Now we have one that will give you tons more mana as it's levels keep increasing. Now, that seems a little out of reach (it might not live to see it's full power), however...if and when it reaches level 5, the army of elves you have managed to assemble in the meantime will bring about something deadly!


Even without Joraga Treespeaker, this hydra will find it's home in many elf decks. With most elves being low mana cost, bringing this thing out will be a walk in the park. Besides, even though their stats are small at first, I have seen those elves grow bigger than the creatures in my Naya deck at times! So beware, elves just got 2 new toys that can wreck face...

I'm on a MTG role tonight it seems...

Mortician Beetle

This card is just screaming for it to be used in a Jund deck. With all the sacrificing you need to do to feed some of the main creatures, this little bug can turn into a menace if you're not careful.

Heck, you can even use it against a player who has a Jund deck just for kicks...since it's basically any player.

I would hate to be the opposing player when this little guy is out in a mirror match!

New options for the Kor

Rise of the Eldrazi delivered some new Kor cards to further add to the theme. Worldwake left me wanting more and made my deck go into hybernation. However, this new set gave the deck a whole new spin on how to run their equipments. Up until now, Kor decks focused on using their artifact equipments to gain strength, but no more. One card changed it all...Kor Spiritdancer.


Kor Spiritdancer has now opened the door for a whole new arsenal of weapons to the Kor in the form of Auras. However, since this is the only Kor that is meant to work with Auras, it doesn't necessarily turn the entire deck into one that depends on Auras. However, even though Auras work similar to equips in the terms that they provide boosts to a creature, they are still completely different. So your Armament Master won't gain anything from an Aura.

The benefit of using Auras in Kor combined with this card? Some of the new aura cards have a low mana cost and can work great with the Kor theme. So even if you have a Kor Duelist equipped with everything you need, an Aura could give it that extra boost you need to get the job done.

Not only that, using Auras along with Spiritdancer can give you a slight draw engine if you think about it...

Just sharing a few thoughts on another card I found interesting...too bad it's a mythic rare.

Interesting Tech...Paradox Fusion

Activate by removing from play 1 face-up Fusion Monster you control. Negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card or the Special Summon of a monster and destroy it. During the 2nd End Phase after activation, return the monster removed for the activation of this card to field in face-up Attack Position.

Well, looks like Hero decks gained a new weapon by indirect means. While it does help the new fusions from DREV, the E-Hero fusions will benefit the most from these.

Why, you ask? Easy...

Absolute Zero

Activate Paradox Fusion, negate spell/trap/summon, remove Zero, clear opponent's field.

Even though City Decks aren't too focused on fusions, perhaps there could be the creation of a new "Zero Hero Control" deck which can take advantage of this card. However, I'm quite certain "Zero City" already exists...if that's the case, then this deck will love this card.

Oh...and I haven't forgotten another pair of fusions that can take advantage of this card...

Gyzarus and Heraklinos

Glads are already have a control aspect to them, so why not add that extra degree of control? Could be interesting to see them using it too...

Seems DREV has me inspired...

Pot of Greederosity

Look at the top 3 cards of your Deck. Select 1 of them, and add it to your hand, and return the rest to your Deck. You can only activate 1 "Pot of Greederosity" and you cannot Special Summon during the turn you activate this card.

Now, this is quite the interesting card coming out in The Duelist Revolution. As it says, you show the top 3 cards of your deck and add one of those to your hand. Quite simple and efficient.

It seems generic support has come out in the form of this card. It adds some search value to many decks that need it.

However, you cannot special summon the turn you use this card and it can only be activated once per turn. Well, it balances out it's use...so why not?

So how about using this card in decks that don't special summon? Mostly in Control or Oppression decks.

Activate Pot of Greederosity and perhaps add a Gadget to your hand, or maybe a Fissure/Smashing Ground. Need a specific monster that can adapt to the situation? This card can help you out. But what if I get a trap, won't my opponent know what's coming?

Yes, and no.

Let's say you get Widespread Dud, Royal Oppression, or any other useful trap from the card's effect, and set it. Your opponent might try to destroy it to keep you from doing it, but what if you use this knowledge in order to set an elaborate trap?

Searched a Royal Oppression? Why not set Widespread Dud for mind games? Have your opponent waste their removal on a bluff so that you can be safe to set the searched card afterwards.

However, this card is still vulnerable to such cards as Dark Bribe, Magic Drain, and even Rai-Oh.As mentioned in G-Ray's blog, he stated Rai-Oh could be this card's most common enemy. And it just might as well be, since it's such a commonly played card in today's meta.

However, despite the card's downside of not being able to special summon or it's vulnerability, it's still a great card that could very well support multiple decks (even Anti-Meta decks) in more ways than one. The possibilities with this are numerous, and many have yet to be discovered...

Coming soon, more thoughts on other aspects in the yugioh world...

HS-Unleashed Pre-Release Promo...

Well, May is almost upon us and it's time to look ahead to the next expansion! This time around, the promo to the next set is Blastoise.

(Credit to Pokebeach for the image)

It's a Stage 2, 130HP Water pokemon with a retreat cost of 3 and double weakness to electric.

It's Poke-Power is "Washout" and it's effect reads...

You can use this power any number of times during your turn. Move 1 Water Energy attached to one of your Benched Pokemon to your Active Pokemon. This power can’t be used if this Pokemon is affected by a Special Condition.

This is quite a good card to have if you want to distribute your energy supplies between the benched and active pokemon. Combined with Feraligatr Prime, it can be quite effective. Why combined with Feraligatr? Let's see it's main attack..."Hydro Launcher"

For 2 Water and 2 Colorless energy cards you return 2 Water Energy attached to Blastoise to your hand, and do 100 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon without applying weakness and resistance for those pokemon on the bench.

Combined with Rain Dance, you can be guaranteed to do 100 damage every turn. Quite good, huh? Let's see where this idea goes...

Ninetales...Burning Draw Support

Even though HS-Unleashed is around the corner, there is one card from the HGSS set that is worth mentioning.


Ninetales has been one card that's suddenly taking the game by storm. It's being searched in nearly every place I go to (the search for Dark Armed Dragon suddenly turned into a Ninetales hunt). So what makes this card incredible? Let's take a look...

It's Poke-Power allows you to draw 3 cards by simply discarding a fire energy card from your hand. The cost is easily obtainable, it can be activated from the bench, and allows deck flow. What's not to like?

If you are running a fire deck, then this card is definitely worth running. Combined with Fisherman, you could have one great consistent draw engine.

Sarkhan the Mad

Well, Rise of the Eldrazi is almost here...and I'm still not hooked (mostly due to just 1 card came out for my Kor deck). However, it is full of some interesting stuff. First off, the introduction of the colorless cards (the Eldrazi), the Level Up mechanic, as well as a few new things.

However, one thing that caught my attention was one of the newer planeswalkers...



Sarkhan the Mad, this thing looks pretty suicidal at first glance. However, I quickly reverted to see how incredible it could be in a Jund deck. Since Jund has an abundance of powerful dragons in it's arsenal.

Despite the fact that Sarkhan is pretty suicidal in this version (hence the name), it's final effect isn't one to take lightly. Heck, you can even bring this planewalker out after you have gotten rid of the previous version of Sarkhan, having a pretty good setup with various 4/4 Dragon Tokens at your disposal.

Even though I'm not a Jund player (Naya FTW!), this card can seriously pack some serious heat for those decks.

That's all the MTG I got for today...

Update...Gravekeeper's Archetype Analysis Correction.

Back in the Gravekeeper's article I had written that Necrovalley negates Stardust Dragon returning from the graveyard.

Due to some investigation I had done, it turns out it can't be negated, since Stardust doesn't target itself in the graveyard.

Just wanting to post the fix.