Karakuri

Since I began to test the deck out, the possibilities it gives me are awesome.

I can play Pure Karakuri (won't due to no synchros)

I can play Machina Karakuri (current deck)

Or I can play Karakuri Town (wanna try it so bad)

I wonder if there's a way to use elements of all into something new. Either way, Karakuri have become my main focus for now. Looks like this year I will be all machines.

Tournament Report: Wizard Locals 2/26

End of the format locals, oh it's on. I was struggling with which deck would go. I had Fish, Blackwings, and Gravekeepers all ready to go. My Blackwings were losing 3 Kalut, Goyo and 1 Book, Fish losing a Book, Goyo and Cold Wave, while my Keepers just lost 1 Book and 1 Tribute.

Decided with my keepers in the last second.

Round 1: vs Karakuri

Tough match indeed. It was a battle for who was going to keep using the respective field spells. All in all, forgetting to side deck System Down and bad draws led to my first defeat of the day.

0-1

Round 2: vs Samurai

First duel my friend got a bad hand, so it kinda sucked. Duel 2 I managed to gain control with Gozen Match (main deck) to pick up a quick win.

1-1

Round 3: vs Geartown

Another duel where control for the field spell was going to be crucial. However, this time I had the upper hand with Rai-Oh and a few other cards, as well as Royal Tribute sending the main Ancient Gears to the graveyard so Geartown couldn't get them.

2-1

Round 4: vs Chaos Stun

Very slow duel. We both had dead hands during most of the match, so it was kinda slow. We had a good laugh at our misfortunes on this matter, but overall, I managed to pick up the win thanks to Recruiter saving my ass in the last 2 duels.

3-1

In the end, I came up 5th for the second time. Noticing I'm mostly placing between 4th and 5th consistently each week. On another positive note, the Karakuri that beat me in round 1 is now under my possession...yeah! So it's time to test Karakuri Machina.

New Format, New Decks

With the current format coming to a close, it's time to test some new decks for the new format, especially with another regional coming up on March 5th.

Deck of current format:

1. Fish OTK

2. Blackwing

3. Gravekeeper

4. Machina

And now my ideas for the new format...

1. Vanity Gadgets 2.0 or Machina

2. Diva-Spy

3. Level Monarchs (at last, I have the tools to make it)

4. Anti-Meta Blackwings

Perhaps Fish might come back for the Regional due to it being my signature deck, but it all depends. But for now, those decks are my choices.

New Ruling Change

After checking a ver various sources, it seems there will be indeed be a ruling change effective March 19th concerning ignition effects. While it has already been announced for the OCG, it is currently unknown if this issue will be addressed in the TCG at the same time or at a later date.

Notice as to a change in the way Ignition Monsters work
Thank you Yu-Gi-Oh! Patrons for playing the game.

For those who play the Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game, we always wish to improve the game so that our customers can enjoy an exciting Duel at any time. Though we commonly change the rules of each card we make for the concerns of Game Balannce, at this time, we would like to announce we are changing the way monsters' Ignition Effects work.

Date of the Ruling Change being applied
Saturday, March 19, 2011

This ruling goes into effect on Saturday, March 19th, 2011, which is the same date as the release of our Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Official Card Game "Starter Deck".

- The Point of the Rule's Change:
Before:
Monsters with Ignition Effects could activate their effects at the same time they were Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned.

After:
Monsters with Ignition Effects cannot activate their effects at the same time they were Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned.

A monster's Ignition Effect basically becomes an effect that can be activated during the Main Phase so long as there is nothing else going on at the same time. So now, if another effect or action is resolving, you cannot activate an Ignition Effect until the timing of that specific effect has ended.

You can continue to use the old ruling of using Ignition Effects when you Normal, Flip, or Special Summon until March 18th, 2011 ends. Afterward, it is forbidden to do so from March 19th, 2011 onwards.

This will indeed have an impact on the game as we know it, since some of the big power cards are indeed ignition effect monsters.

Here is a brief list of notable monsters affected by this ruling...

Card Trooper
Dark Armed Dragon
Dark Grepher
Demise, King of Armageddon
Dimensional Alchemist
Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg
Master Hyperion
Mind Master
Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth
Tragoedia
Worm King
Worm Queen
Worm Zero
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
Judgment Dragon
Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
Chaos Sorcerer
Lonefire Blossom
XX-Saber Faultroll
XX-Saber Gottoms
Scrap Golem
Scrap Dragon
Scrap Twin Dragon
Ally of Justice Decisive Armor
Ancient Fairy Dragon
Armory Arm
Dark End Dragon
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Junk Archer
Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 Burei
Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
Infernity Mirage
Hundred-Eyes Dragon
Infernity Doom Dragon
Hand of the Six Samurai
Legendary Six Samurai - Mizuho
Gravekeeper's Descendant
Elemental Hero Prisma
Test Tiger

And those who aren't...

Black Rose Dragon
Green, Red, and Yellow Gadgets
Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
Stardust Dragon
Monarchs

Tragoedia

With the new Exceed Monsters coming out, Tragoedia is going to be a key card in many decks.

Summon Tragoedia

Discard monster

Modify level to one you took control of.

Proceed to Exceed Summon.

And people thought Trag was dangerous for Synchros...

Just wait until Exceeds come out...

Xyz Monsters and Xyz Summoning

As stated before, the Xyz Monsters reside in the extra deck, much like Synchros and Fusions. However, these new monsters have a unique new mechanism as well.

Xyz Monsters have Ranks instead of levels, and the rank is stated in the left side of the card. Their rank normally (for now) states the levels the monsters must be in order to summon. In order to perform an Xyz Summon, you must have 2 monsters of equal level (which indicates their rank) and place them together in the same monster zone below the newly summoned Xyz Monster.

Those monsters are now Xyz Material Monsters and used accordingly with the new monster's abilities. When a material must be removed, it is sent to the graveyard.

Here's a look at another Xyz Monster

Since it's Rank 3 it lets us know it needs 2 Level 3 monsters for it's summoning condition.

There are still some unknown details concerning these new monsters, along with unknown ruling issues that will be notified once released.

But for now, this is all we know of these new monsters.

Fallen Heroes: Goyo Guardian

It seems now that Goyo got the boot with this new banlist.

When it first came out, Goyo was an insane synchro that managed to reverse the game at an instant, which is why it got limited sometime later. And it was fine at 1.

But with the news of the upcoming Exceed Monsters, Goyo was going to become an even bigger threat. It was going to become an Exceed gathering machine. Perhaps this is why a once beloved kabuki theater warrior became a future threat.

This is the only reason I can think for Goyo getting banned. And if it's so, then we will find out once Exceeds do indeed get here.

But for now, we keep looking for a replacement for Goyo...

New Banlist...

Forbidden:

Goyo Guardian

Cold Wave

Mass Driver

Limited:

Honest

Dandylion

Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow

Book of Moon

Gateway of the Six

Semi-Limited

Card Trooper

Archlord Kristya

Spirit Reaper

Debris Dragon

Royal Tribute

Overload Fusion

Megamorph

Solemn Warning

Icarus Attack

Unlimited:

Chaos Sorcerer

Demise, King of Armageddon

Snipe Hunter

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier

Gold Sarcophagus

Skill Drain

Ultimate Offering

Now that the new list is up, we can begin to prepare for the format ahead...

Here's a few things I observed.

1. Goyo Guardian was quite unexpected, since it wasn't doing much of an impact itself. But could this ban be a preventive one with the new Exceed Monsters coming out? If so, they just killed my favorite synchro!

2. Gravekeepers got affected by the limit to Book and semi limit to Tribute and Warning, so it's time to see how they can keep up.

3. Book of Moon at 1 really hurts a whole ton of decks. It will be the biggest impact of the entire list by far.

4. Gateway to 1 was expected, but Kalut and Honest to 1 really took me by surprise.

5. Dandylion went back to it's rightful place.

This upcoming format will surely be an interesting one, as we enter the new Exceed era during the summer...

New Exceed Monsters

It seems we can now have our first look at Exceed Monsters. The card will be black, with stars on the left side of the card instead of the right. But instead of levels, these monsters will now have ranks. Also, they will have a place in the Extra Deck.

Here's a look at the first one...

More info soon...Perhaps tomorrow once I get my marketing exam over with.

Samurai Win YCS

Everybody saw this coming a mile away. I guess it was just inevitable. However, I'm a bit upset how the coverage was handled. It felt like the whole event was just a marketing strategy for the Samurai stuff...

But on good points, Gravekeeper's still did quite well, with one deck making it to the Top 8.

Impressed to see a rise in Blackwings again.

Is it me, or are Sabers fading off into the sunset?

Tournament Report: Wizard Locals 2/12

Another week, another tourney. But with the new Samurai released, it was hard to pick which deck I would take. But I inevitably decided to use Blackwings for once.

Round 1: vs Macro

Curses...

I managed to play one of the kids from the store that we took under our wing to help him improve. And improve he has, this isnt a pushover. This kid came at me hard with early Dimensional Fissure and Survivor plays. He maintained field presence and controlled the game so well, I was happy to see how he improved. But all in all, I managed to work around Macro to win the match, but it wasn't easy. It's good to help kids get better at this game, because then you have rewarding matches like this.

1-0

Round 2: vs Plant Synchro

Such a torture to play. Was playing against one of my teammates, and a heavy thinker at that. Game 1 was back and forth, with him summoning LADD first turn. Managed to work around all his threats and beat him for game. Game 2 was so intense, with a back and forth duel that got stalled with his Consecrated Light going against my Armor Master. Time ran out and by then he had more life than I did, and we had no time for a third game. So it was declared a draw.

1-0-1

Round 3: vs Scrap

All I can say...curse that Scrap Dragon! Game 1 was over pretty quickly thanks to a quick Shura swarm, but Game 2 had me losing quite fast thanks to Scrap Dragon. Game 3 was pretty much like the first, but back and forth with a quick Icarus Attack determining game.

2-0-1

Round 4: vs Blackwing

First mirror match ever...pretty difficult. Game 1 was over quick due to opponent having bad hand. Game 2 was a pretty much even match that I ended up losing due to a misplay with a Book of Moon and Rai-Oh. And Game 3 was just over too quickly to tell.

2-1-1

Overall, it wasn't so bad. I ended up placing 5th which is still not bad. I saw a few fixes I had to do here and there, but overall it was quite fun.

Dealing with Maxx "C"

So Maxx "C" is going to be a popular side-deck choice now thanks to swarm decks like Six Samurai, Fish, Sabers, and others. However, some will main it. As we know, Maxx "C" will try to force the opponent to stop special summoning if he/she doesn't want to allow you to draw a lot. But what if you could use that effect to your advantage instead and turn the tables?

Maxx "C" va a ser una carta popular en los side-decks ahora gracias a los decks como Six Samurai, Fish, X-Sabers, entre otros. Y algunos lo usaran en su main deck. Como ya sabemos, Maxx "C" tiene el fin de forzar a tu oponente a parar de seguir invocando monstruos para no darte una gran mano. Pero, que pasa si podemos usar el efecto de Maxx "C" en contra del mismo jugador?

There's a card for that.

Hay una carta para eso.

Greed!

Each time a player draws cards because of a card effect, they take 500 damage during the End Phase for each card drawn by the card effect.

So now when your opponent uses Maxx "C" to try and gain the upper hand, use Greed as a reversal to punish your opponent for each card drawn this way. The more you special summon, the more damage you make. Great way to turn the tables if damage has already been done. But keep in mind, your opponent will still draw, so it's a risk...but too fun to pass up. Swarm decks may want to side this if they see a heavy use of Maxx "C" in their area.

Ahora puedes tener una solucion para cuando tu oponente usa Maxx "C" para ganar ventaja. Usa Greed para castigar a tu oponente por cada carta que robe, cuanto mas monstruos mejor. Es una gran manera de cambiar el rumbo del juego si ya has hecho daño previamente. Pero recuerden que su oponente todavia roba sus cartas, asi que tiene su elemento de riesgo, aunque es muy divertido de ignorar. Decks que invocan mucho pueden usarlo en su side deck si ven un gran uso de Maxx "C" en su area.

Tournament Report: Wizard Locals 2/5

Well, we couldn't have a Sneak Preview event due to the shipment being unable to arrive on time...cursed blizzards. But oh well, at least we managed to have another tournament.

This week I took my Gravekeepers

Round 1: vs Blackwing

My opponent expected me to bring back my Fish from last week's Top 4 round. But surprise, surprise! Game 1 I maintained early control with Valley and Rai-Oh, while allowing Descendant to clear backrow and Royal Tribute eliminating my Kalut worries. Game 2 pretty much went the same.

1-0

Round 2: vs Worms

Now this was a real treat for me, since it was my first time facing the deck. Offering to the Snake Deity kept slowing me down in both games, but ultimately Necrovalley and Recruiter helped me achieve game by controlling the Yagan/Xex combo to eliminate his field presence.

2-0

Round 3: vs Infernity

Oh dear, against my teammate and one of my best friends...AGAIN!!!! He eliminated my Fish last week and he did so this week too. Game 1 I maintained control, but a lucky Trunade allowed him to OTK. Game 2 was just shameful for me, horrible hand. But oh well, perhaps next week I can finally beat him. Beat him in casuals, but in tourneys he's freakin Yusei.

2-1

Round 4: vs Lightsworn

And if I face one of my best friends in one round, I'm bound to run into the other not too far off. Game 1 was won due to him taking advantage of my Tribute plays and followed with a quick JD after being searched by Sarcophagus. Game 2 I managed to control him the entire game, so he didn't have a chance to summon JD since it went away with Tribute. Game 3 pretty much went like game 1, but losing most of my control to Royal Decree.

2-2

Overall it was a pretty good tourney. Ended up 4th again, so I felt pretty satisfied with the results. Next week it's time for Blackwings to get some action, perhaps they might take me to 3rd place and above!

Intercept Wave

Good side deck option against many decks being used in today's meta.

Buena opción de "side deck" contra varios de los decks del meta de hoy.

Useful against Fish OTK, Plant Synchro, X-Sabers and even Blackwing decks.

Útil contra Fish OTK, Plant Synchro, X-Sabers y Blackwings.

While it's only baiting a Hyunlei play, or waiting until the "Scrap Wurm OTK" is set in place, Intercept Wave can help even the odds.

No importa si sea una jugada de Hyunlei o esperando para el OTK "Scrap Wurm," Intercept Wave puede ayudar cambiar el paso del juego.