Impressive YGO Artwork: Prophecy Destroyer

My friend just called me screaming that he had found the most insane artwork in a YGO card. I was a bit skeptical when I first heard this, but then after seeing the card I was quite impressed.

Gotta say, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Looks intimidating, you know...for a yugi card. I might even get this once it comes out, just for collection of course.

Also, he can now shut up about the card seeing as how I gave into his request and posted about it here. Yeah, he's trying to bring me back into yugioh somehow. Part of me wants him to succeed, but he can't do it alone.

Crossroads

Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I've posted, but it's becoming harder to do nowadays. I haven't played any serious YGO games since before I moved to PA. So far, I haven't had any luck finding a place nearby that plays, or seen any players. With my new job on the horizon and Grad School looming in August, I'm wondering how much longer I'm gonna be active in this game.

Yes, I have used Dueling Network to somehow keep my game alive but it somehow isn't the same. I'm always gonna like this game as a fun hobby, but the lack of local players has kinda made me take a distance from this game. However, I'm still available from time to time in Dueling Network for a casual game if anybody wants (username: Gizer).

I have tried to keep up with my posts as much as I could, but I started to notice they were somehow declining in quality as I kept going. It's almost like I was trying to postpone the inevitable. But now, I'm at a crossroads. I could just stop posting and keep the blog open for archiving, or I could combine this blog with another one of mine (bringing into this one posts about videogames, sci-fi, and anime/manga). Still not sure.

However, after years of blogging, it looks like it's time for Gizer's Deckbox to take a break. I've been really grateful for the audience and those who keept me blogging. I'm not saying this is the end, because I might just come back in a few months playing YGO in full force all over again. I'm not sure what the future will bring, but right now I can't just force myself to keep making YGO posts when I'm just out of it.

Thank you all for supporting this blog, and I hope to see you guys soon (perhaps in my other blogs?). And who knows? I might come back sometime in the future. But for now, this is where my card game ride ends.

Lightrays

In my attempt to catch up to what's been going on in YGO, I have stumbled upon the Lightrays. Now, these have quickly caught my attention, especially now that Lightsworns are once again strong (two Luminas and Gardnas) and Hieroglyphs are taking the OCG by storm. So it got me thinking, could we see some Lightray usage in this deck? It might be more viable in Twilight decks, but can still be used in LS or Glyphs as well.

So the first two Lightrays that came to mind are Sorcerer and Diabolos.

Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) when you have 3 or more banished LIGHT monsters, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn: You can shuffle 1 of your banished LIGHT monsters into your Deck to target 1 face-up monster on the field; banish that target. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.

Now, 3 or more banished LIGHT monsters might seem a bit too much for a standard LS deck, but if you use Envoy and Chaos Sorcerers, your chances might increase to use it. Not really a bad choice, since it helps recover some LIGHT monsters back into the deck and remove a monster. And if you're not running Twilight, then it can still be a fun card to try as long as you combine it with the following Lightray:

Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by having 5 or more LIGHT monsters with different names in your Graveyard. Once per turn: You can banish 1 LIGHT monster from your Graveyard to target 1 Set card your opponent controls; reveal that target, and return it to either the top or bottom of the Deck.

Lightray Diabolos fits in quite well in Lightsworn mostly because it's a huge beater you can summon easily, especially since you can meet the requirements with little to no difficulty. And even if you don't get to use it's effect, it's still a good card to have. Now, by being able to banish monsters you can both manipulate your graveyard for Lightray Sorcerer and then recycle them back to the deck.

And as for Hieroglyphs, it's a Dragon type that can summon itself quite easily as well. So it seems like a great fit in either of these two.

You can either use one or both, but I think these two have what it takes to run along with Lightsworns/Glyphs and only improve their arsenal. Who knows? Perhaps these cards end up improving the deck or adding new twists to it. Only time will tell.

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.