Neko Mane King...Wind-Up Weapon?

During your opponent's turn, when this card is sent to the Graveyard by the effect of your opponent's Spell, Trap or Monster Card, your opponent's turn ends.

Right away, my first thought upon discovering this card amongst my pile of extra stuff was that this could be really fun to use against Wind-Ups. I mean, it stops their loop dead in it's tracks even worse than Effect Veiler or Fiendish Chain can. However, there is the element of risk since it has to be discarded. But if you are successful with this card, just imagine how open your opponent might have left himself. Gives you pretty much an additional turn to do your things before the dreaded loop is attempted yet again.

While I doubt many will use this due to it's high risk scenario, it's certainly a fun card to use against Wind-Ups. So who knows?

Casual Dueling

In these last few days, I have noticed that players everywhere are trying to protest against Konami (yet again) due to the banlist. People are threatening to quit or switch to another game, and that's their decision. Heck, I have switched to MTG last time around but it's because I got tired of the players involved in the very YGO game. However, I haven't quit. Why? Because I actually enjoy this game for what it's originally supposed to be, just a fun game with friends. And yet, players out there aren't discussing about just playing casually (many are, but you get my point).

And I gotta say, there's nothing wrong with casual play. To go even further, I would say that I would never go back to competitive play just because casual games are too much fun. I have played competitively a few years back, mostly during the early times of this very blog. However, I always kept coming back to casual dueling. It wasn't because of the format changes, because I was a bad player, or any other thing like that. I kept playing casually because I believe that's where the real heart of the game lies. You can play any aspect of the game, whether it be casual or competitive, and that's fine. But a lot of people will tell you that with casual, they have the most fun.

First off, we get to play whatever deck we want. I have had casual duels with opponents ranging from Ice Barriers all the way up to Wind-Ups. The most fun aspect of casual for me is that you never know what you're gonna get. You might face a familiar archetype or deck, but perhaps they add a different spin on things. Perhaps you face some decks that give you nightmares, and others that make you laugh. For me, casual isn't about winning or losing, but about how fun a game can be. I would rather have a pretty close game where it's back and forth, than to constantly be making my opponents scoop consistently every game.

No matter what way you look at it, casual dueling is one of the ways a player can really get the most out of any card game. So before you go about trying to boycott a company or consider quitting because of a horrible format, stop and think about what this game really means. Because if you truly enjoy this or any card game for what it is, then you will continue to play casually. And if you quit because of a format change, then perhaps you don't enjoy the game as much as you thought.

To end on a lighter note, just have fun with it. After all, it's just a game. No reason to riot over something we do for fun. And if you want to quit from competitive play to just play casually every now and then, power to you. And if you just wanna quit and never come back, then power to you as well. Just don't make such a big deal about it.

Banlist Denial

Ever since the list was confirmed to be real, one of my friends keeps calling me to verify it's validity. Why? Because everybody back home is still making up bogus statements regarding the list and he always has to be 500% sure, so he calls me.

I swear, sometimes I wish I were still at home so I could smack some sense into those people who still keep making bogus statements regarding the list. Just accept the list for what it is and move on.

*end rant*

Thoughts on the March Banlist

First of all, I'm not going to do any complaining or ranting today. I see a lot of people going off in anger about how it's all about money and the format is ruined and all that. Instead, I'm just going to look at the effects the list will have and share some of my thoughts.

First off, seeing the Plant Synchro deck get hit was no surprise. However, I had no idea they were going to bring out the weed whacker on it and kill it completely. I'm all for bringing down decks if they are too OP, but at least keep them to the point where they can still be functional for casual games. That's why I still run Blackwings, I got no problem with the deck being nerfed but still being able to function well. That said, the Plant deck was the hardest hit in this list (losing 2 main tuners and one Tengu). More on Tengu for another day, since a curious note merits an article on it's own.

Trishula getting banned was really no surprise, since it was a problem solver for Agents and any other deck that could summon it quickly. And yes, it has a lot of counters, but it's still a pretty powerful card. So I understand why they took it down. Same thing when it came to Trap Dustshoot, it was pretty much a problem solver early game and it determined the winner way too quickly at times. Sure, Dustshoot could sometimes not work as well as you wanted to, but that's not the point. Despite both cards having many weaknesses or counters, they still had a heavy influence on determining the outcome of a duel.

The limits were less than expected, to be honest. Seeing Earth limited is no surprise, since it's both a tuner and a searcher. Same thing with TG Striker, but this one did strike me as a surprise. However, since TG Agents were going berserk, they decided to axe the tuners.

Now that I think about it, this list has been quite the massacre for tuners in general. Bulb, Spore, Striker, and Earth all either limited or banned. Someone really wants to push Xyz monsters and watch Synchro monsters become the new Fusions. There are other ways to go about this. But again, I see what their purpose is quite clearly at this point.

Play Xyz, don't play Synchros. I should have seen this coming back when Goyo got the axe, but I didn't know it was going to be this strong. Anyways, moving on...

Lumina, Emergency Teleport, and Smoke Signal going back to 2 gives a helpful boost to their respective decks. Psychics and Psychic Hybrids will be a bit more viable now, as well as LS /Twilight due to an essential card going back up. So we will see how this impacts the current metagame. And no, I'm not leaving Samurai behind. I know they can put up a good fight too.

And then there's Torrential Tribute going up to 2 as well. This is quite fun, seeing as how it shows more punishment for overextension and helps protect you against massive swarms. So now there will be 2 of these, along with 2 of Warning/Bottomless and 2 Compulsory to have some good field control. Not bad.

However, the list didn't address any of the newer decks (Rabbit, Wind-Up, Inzektor) and it's no surprise people are complaining. No doubt that it will truly be a very expensive metagame, as well as a very insane one. I understand why people are saying it's going to be dominated by those three alone, but it's too early to tell. Who knows? Perhaps another deck rises to the occasion? That hasn't stopped players before. And yet, the format makes me happy that I've been playing just casually for almost a year now. To be honest, I wouldn't last half a round at a tourney in this format. And that's alright with me. I know that competitive play is no longer for me (besides, there's also MTG).

So take the list for what it is. Don't complain, but rather prepare. But I gotta admit, I fear where the game might head if it keeps going this way. It's reasons like the banlist that remind me why I stick to casual decks, because sometimes it's better to just invest less in decks you will enjoy using with friends rather than to spend a fortune and lose it a few months after.

I think that covers tonight's article on the banlist. Hope you enjoyed this article.

March 2012 Banlist

Edit: List is 200% legit, so this time there won't be any revisions.

Well, it looks like the original list I posted and then deleted turned out to be the real list after all. However, I'm still skeptical about it, due to all the shenanigans it's caused in the last few days (created a bit of disbelief due to post/delete/post process). So I'm just going to post the list and then save my analysis for later, when I make sure the list is 200% legit. But from the looks of it, it's already being confirmed as the real one due to other V-Jump scans being put alongside it.

So here we go...again!

"Seems Legit"

Banned:
Trishula
Glow Up Bulb
Spore
Trap Dustshoot

Limited:
The Agent of Mystery Earth
TG Striker

Semi-Limited:
Marshmallon
Lightlord Summoner Lumina
Emergency Teleport
Shien's Smoke Signal
Level Limit Area B
Torrential Tribute
Ultimate Offering
Reborn Tengu

Unlimited:
Call of the Haunted

Analysis to come later, once all this mess is sorted out.

Banlist Mishap

A few hours ago I posted an article concerning the new format list for March. However, I got a call from a friend and was told that Shriek had accidentally published a list that wasn't completely confirmed. So I did the logical thing...

I DELETED MY ARTICLE...Why? I felt a bit foolish just keeping it there, I'm not going to lie about that.

So the wait for the real list is still ongoing. So I apologize if any regular visitor from my blog found out about the list from here and spread it. I don't like to post fake lists, so I thought this one was the real deal.

But as soon as the real one comes out and it's 250% confirmed, it will be posted here.

Until then, keep having fun with your duels and don't go crazy with speculation. And remember, Shapesnatch might just get banned...lol

Downfall

I'm starting to realize how the lack of real duels can affect a player. I thought dueling my friends every once in a while via DN was gonna keep my duel senses in tact, but I'm starting to see it's the opposite. I'm making a lot more misplays, making bad judgments in the game, and overall losing to anything.

I better find some people to duel with soon, or else I'm gonna go back to being just a very bad player overall.

Fake Format Lists

It's that time again! Time for fake lists to hit the web and drive the YGO world insane. That, and people claiming that they know what's going to happen. So here's what I'm going to do in this post...

No predictions for me, but I'm going to give advice. Take everything you hear regarding the ban/restrict list with a grain of salt and just ignore it. Because when it comes down to it, none of us know what's going to happen. And if we do, nobody would believe us anyways, so it's not worth it.

The list comes out in a few weeks, I think. So until then, rather than going insane with all the lists out there, just enjoy the chaos all the speculation brings. Because when that real list comes out, everyone's going to be complaining and saying how the previous format was better.

Happens every time.

Xyz Reborn

Target 1 Xyz Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it and attach this card to it as an Xyz Material.

I was talking about this card with a friend today and figured it would be a worthy topic for today's post. Let's see...a themed trap card that revives Xyz monsters and turns into an Xyz Material in the process? Not bad at all.

So of course, this card opens up some crazy shenanigans right off the bat, both offensively and defensively. On the defensive side, you can use it to block an attack with Utopia and save yourself. Bring back Wind-Up Zenmaines and not only keep a monster, but blow something up for a defensive and offensive play at once. Bring back Adreus or Tiras for a surprise offense. Perhaps you want to bring back Zenmaity to further the loop.

So which ever way you put it, Xyz Reborn can be a game changer. However, having a card limited only to Xyz monsters is a bit risky. Then again, if your deck is capable of bringing many of these guys out, one or two copies won't hurt.

Xyz Reborn, use it wisely. I may just change the tide.

Battle Pack: Epic Dawn

So Konami finally made a set that's ideal for sealed play! News article here. What I'm loving is that it's only $1.99 for a 5-card pack (contains one rare, 3 commons, and a foil card). The set contains 220 cards in total, so it seems like a fun and cheap way to get new stuff and have fun at the same time.

But what really caught my attention are some of the cards revealed for this set:

- Gem Knight Pearl
- Doomcalibur Knight
- Forbidden Lance
- Gorz, Emissary of Darkness
- Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon
- Tour Guide of the Underworld

That's right! Tour Guide gets a reprint. Pretty good, if I say so myself. But there's still more to be revealed from this set. Since it comes out in May, there's still plenty of time to see what more goods it will bring.

But for now, I'm loving that I can finally try out sealed play in YGO at last. And as a bonus, I can finally buy a cheap booster and not feel bad about it.