HERO vs Psychic

In the longest video yet, fellow teammates Juancho and Flash duel each other with their ace decks.

Gizer (Blackwing) vs Flash (Psychic)

Another rare duel video is up, so feel free to watch.

Gizer (Fish) VS Flash (Psychic)

Back with another video duel, after possibly a format of not filming. First duel back is a clash of ace decks between myself and my best friend. This time around, it's a test of speed.

Hopefully there will be more videos to come in the future. Gotta check if I have the time. Also, if anybody knows how to film duel network battles let me know.

Psychics VS Tech Genus

Back for a bit during my hiatus. Been away mostly due to finals and other projects I have been working with. Another reason I haven't blogged in a while is due to a slight decrease in interest in this game. But now that I got some free time, I might get back into it...who knows.

But yes, on to the main point. I captured yet another video for the blog during yesterday's tournament (which was full of losses for me) between my 2 teammates.

Naturia VS Infernity

After a small hiatus from filming, I'm bringing another featured match from this week's local tournament.

End of the Format Duel: Karakuri vs Blackwing

It's been a while since I posted a video here. So since it's already the start of the format, I would like to post the last video recorded from the previous format. Karakuri (underdog of this new format) taking on Blackwings (top contender in previous format). The old meets the new in this round 3 tie-breaker.

Hook Line and Sinker, Gone Fishing

For many years, Fish have been the laughing stock of the Yugioh world (along with Thunder and Sea-Serpents) as the least supported types in the entire game. But now they are getting some noteworthy attention and could make an impact in the future metagame, under the right circumstances of course. Plus, they have been one of my favorite types for years now.

This is Archetype Analysis: Fish

Learning to Swim

Back during the "First Era" of Yugioh, the only Fish that ever saw use was Terrorking Salmon and 7-Colored Fish in ALO Beatdown. The rest were just spares that barely got to anything (Soul Eater, Flying Fish, Tongyo) by being just too weak to even try any kind of beatdown strategy during that era. There were other Fish released with effects, but they were mostly lackluster or not fitting any particular strategy. This was the bane of Fish for many years until we got a miracle in Tactical Evolution.

Tactical Evolution finally brought a meaning for Fish, and that was to cause destruction and have some sort of control. Cranium Fish was meant to destroy face-downs, Abyssal Kingshark dodged non-targeted destruction, and the others somehow just had a level of synergy between them. But all in all, it still wasn't enough to make a solid Fish deck. That is, until the godsend arrived a few packs later.

Super Special Awesome Deepsea King Magikarp is Here!

While it is true that Phantom Darkness brought the game a ton of powerful cards, there was one that was quite overlooked until now. It was where the world came to know of Coelacanth's existence as the boss of all Fish. However, the giant was here, but still barely had an army to lead. The deck by then became a simple swarm-control deck, using Coelacanth and Cranium Fish as the main attackers while keeping the field full of Fish for Golden Flying Fish to destroy. Little did people know that this king of fish was soon going to become a force to be reckoned with...

An Exclusive Ocean, How the TCG Boosted Fish

But even with the presence of Coelacanth, Fish were still feeling incomplete in their arsenal. That is, until TCG Exclusives began spitting out new toys for Fish. They first gave us our first tuner, Royal Swamp Eel. At an instant, the deck turned into an OTK deck just by being able to swarm 4 fish that gave access to 2 level 8 synchros and could go for 8000 damage. But it wasn't done yet, we got the ability to recycle our fish via Metabo-Shark and a way to speed the deck up via Nimble Sunfish.

Frogs and Temples, How Fish are Making an Impact

Once all our support finally arrived, we had a full school of fish at our disposal. And so, we created various versions, but only 2 have known great success: Froggy Fish and Mausoleum Fish.

Froggy Fish consisted in using the Frog engine (composed of 3 Swap Frog, 1-2 Treeborn and 1 Ronintoadin) to not only thin the deck, but also set up tributes for both Coelacanth and Monarchs alike. While it's a slower paced deck, it can be quite explosive under the right setup, but it's always keeping field presence and runs more like a Frog Monarch deck due to this.

And then there's Mausoleum Fish (my current variant). It's more of a control build, allowing for Mausoleum to grant access to cards like Vanity's Fiend, LADD, End of Anubis, and the usual Coelacanth. It tends to use cards like Snowman Eater and Thunder King Rai-Oh sometimes in the main deck to counter strategies directly from game 1. It's a whole lot more explosive than Froggy Fish, but allows for a larger degree of control. Currently it is the newest and fastest growing variant out there, but both Froggy Fish and Mausoleum Fish are strong contenders and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Here's an old video on my old Froggy Fish build, along with a tiny guide of how it plays out. Note: it's a build from the previous format.

And here's my current Mausoleum Build:

Monsters: 21

Coelacanth x3

Vanity's Fiend x2

Gorz, Emissary of Darkness

Thunder King Rai-Oh x2

Royal Swamp Eel x3

Tongyo x2

Metabo-Shark

Oyster Meister x2

Nimble Sunfish x2

Golden Flying Fish

Fishborg Blaster

Morphing Jar

Spells: 16

Mausoleum of the Emperor x3

Moray of Greed

Card Destruction

Terraforming

Giant Trunade

Pot of Avarice

Mystical Space Typhoon x2

Book of Moon x2

Gold Sarcophagus x2

Monster Reborn

Dark Hole

Traps: 3

Call Of The Haunted

Royal Decree x2

Extra Deck: 15

Shooting Star Dragon

Formula Synchron

Stardust Dragon

Scrap Archfiend x2

Mist Wurm

Colossal Fighter

Black Rose Dragon

Magical Android

Goyo Guardian

Iron Chain Dragon

Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

X-Saber Urbellum

Thoughtruler Archfiend

Mojaturia

A new deck has been reportedly been doing well in my area, and it's a concept that I suggested to my friend long ago. A mixture between a Moja beast deck and add the control aspects of Naturia, which gave birth to a deck I officially call "Mojaturia."

While I don't have time right now to post a guide for Mojaturia (have to go to work soon, and got lots of studying to do), it will be up soon.

However, here's a video of the deck in action so you can see how it works...

End of the Format Duel Video

While this video was filmed during the summer break, it was by far one of the best duels of the summer. And what better way to close out the format than by a very good X-Saber vs Diva-Spy duel.

Tournament Report: GW Local

Well, it looks like the local tournaments are making a comeback, even though it might be slow. While I did find out about it last minute, I decided to enter with my Blackwings to give them a try.

Round 1: VS Gato (Infernity)

Game 1 I opened with Thunder King and Oppression, so I pretty much had great control through the entire duel.

Game 2 was quite the opposite, got the OTK and bad...

Game 3 was pretty much back and forth, but in the end his Infernities proved to me too much for me to handle there...

Match 2: VS Lightsworn

A blast from the past, I faced the deck I once destroyed every week when I had Vanity Gadgets. I wanted to see if my Blackwings could take them on.

Duel 1 was a quick victory for me, but the other 2 duels weren't exactly the best games I have played.

The third round I won by bye, so it was pretty much 1-2 for the day. Not the best tourney, but that happens from time to time to everyone...

But I wasn't the only one down on luck...Casper managed to make it to the final round, but would his luck prevail?

Duel Video: Psychics VS Fish

In this edition of duel videos, Casper finishes his new psychic deck and sees if it can bring down my Fish.

Pokemon DS Tournament Report

Well, the inaugural Pokemon DS Tournament at Game Wizard is behind us and it's time to report.

Bueno, ya el primer torneo de Pokemon serie DS en Game Wizard ha pasado y es tiempo para reportar.

For all those players in Puerto Rico who are seeking to battle their pokemon, this is the place to go on saturdays.

Todos esos jugadores en Puerto Rico que buscan un lugar donde batallar sus pokemon, este es el lugar para ir.

Now then, time to report...

Ahora, el reporte...



As you can see in the video, my team and I were prepared. However, a new wave of pros turned the competition to a new level.

Como ven en el video, mi equipo y yo llegamos preparados. Como sea, nada nos preparo contra la nuva ola de jugadores profesionales que crearon un nuevo nivel para esta competencia.


While only 2 of us made it into the Top 4 (not me), Casper finished the tournament at second. Therefore showing to be the surprise factor of the group.

Mientras solo 2 de nosotros llegamos al Top 4 (yo no llegue), Casper termino segundo en el torneo, demostrando que es el factor sorpresa del torneo.

Let's see if the following weeks are just as intense.

Vamos a ver si las proximas semanas siguen igual de intensas.

Diva-Spy

After my best friend took back his Rai-Oh, I had to temporarily put down KillSwitch (Gadget/Rock Stun) since I didn't feel all to good with just 1 Thunder King. It's like playing with a handicap.

So then I decided to take my other spare decks (Genex Fish, Gravekeeper's, Blackwings) and work them out and see which one could jump to main deck.

The one that did best was Gravekeeper's, so I decided to upgrade it a bit. Why the upgrade? Gold Series 3 gave this deck a reason to be in the form of a single card...


Reese the Ice Mistress was the key card I needed in order to complete this deck, mostly because it's a level 2 Sea-Serpent tuner. Meaning...this makes Deepsea Diva a lot more relevant. Now Gravekeepers can run 3 Divas without having to worry about the last one being a dead draw.

So how can we take full advantage of this? Simple. The first Diva searches for Reese, making sure you don't draw Reese at any time during the game.

You can combine this combo with double Spy for 2 level 6 synchros, as well as with a single keeper for a massive level 8 synchro summon. Your choice. Remember, Stardust Dragon doesn't target itself in the graveyard, so it gets around Necrovalley!

This deck is still a control deck, despite there being no Royal Oppression in the main deck. How? Necrovalley does all the work. Most decks today once again rely on the graveyard. Let's take a look at them:

1. Infernities: Simply put, these guys need their graveyard for Launcher and Mirage, as well as their ever so famout loop. Cutting access to their graveyard is all you need to keep them locked.

2. Frogs: Treeborn can still revive itself (doesn't target), but Ronintoadin is rendered useless as long as Necrovalley is on the field. Also, Spear Soldier (if you choose to use it in this build, I just don't have any but want to) makes quick disposal of all the frogs.

3. X-Sabers: Now, these are the trickiest of them all. You can control them to some degree with Necrovalley because it prevents their revival via Faultroll and recovery via Ragigura. However, you completely cut off Gottom's Emergency Call (big plus). Sadly, we don't get 100% control over this deck mainly because they can still swarm from the deck and hand. If Sabers are giving you some trouble with this build, then siding Oppression can easily help.

4. Blackwings: Same as Sabers, except that Necrovalley prevents their Vayu and Blizzard plays.

Now then, Diva-Spy has a few other tricks...

3 Gravekeeper's Stele go in the deck mostly due to the discard cost (Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Brionac, Divine Wrath) or recycling of monsters after a synchro or two.

Phoenix Wing Wind Blast / Divine Wrath add another degree of control. Either one is good for this build. Stele will keep your hand with enough discard fodder. Either that, or discard that spare Diva that you drew for a bad hand.

Sangan is mostly used to search for the first Diva, but don't be afraid to use it to get that Spy if you want to. It all depends on the draw.

Brionac combined with Stele is complete win.

Iron Chain Dragon can mill away those useful cards to the graveyard, where Necrovalley keeps them unavailable.

Now then, here's more or less what Diva-Spy looks like.

Monsters: 17

Deepsea Diva x3
Reese the Ice Mistress
Gravekeeper's Spy x3
Gravekeeper's Descendant x2
Gravekeeper's Assailant x3
Gravekeeper's Guard
Gravekeeper's Commandant x3
Sangan

Spells: 13

Necrovalley x3
Gravekeeper's Stele x3
Royal Tribute x2
Book of Moon x2
Mystical Space Typhoon
Allure of Darkness
Giant Trunade

Traps: 10

Trap Hole x2
Bottolmess Trap Hole x2
Torrential Tribute
Rite of Spirit x2
Phoenix Wing Wind Blast x2
Dark Bribe

The extra deck can be anything you want, just make sure to have a Brionac if you want to go crazy with some plays this deck can do.

Last, but not least...here's a clip of the deck in action.



That's all I got for now...be back soon with another update.

Duel Video: Chino VS Gizer

In this video duel, I take on my friend's Hopeless Dragon deck with my Froggy Fish deck.

Duel Video: X-Sabers (Casper) VS Gadgets (Gizer)

This was another casual duel I managed to tape before last Sunday's Regional Qualifier. As usual, we were still quite sleepy, since we were dueling at 1am, but it's all good.

Hopefully more videos to come!

Duel Video: Casper VS Gizer

Yea, it's my first duel video!

Este es mi primer video de duelo!

It was recorded at about 1am this morning, all while preparing for a Regional, so we were a bit off from time to time...

Se grabó a las 1 de la mañana en la madrugada de hoy mientras nos preparabamos para el torneo regional, so verán que estamos fundidos en partes del juego.



In this game, I play my best friend as he prepares his Monarch deck for the tournament, while I simply test a new Fish build discussed by a few players in the Fish Strategy Thread.

En ese juego, estoy en un duelo con mi mejor amigo mientras el prepara su deck de monarca para el torneo, mientras yo experimento con un deck nuevo de peces cual ha sido mencionado en el foro estrategico.

Finding something interesting...

This video drove me nuts when I first saw it. As a fish player, it made me want to try something like that out, but sadly, some of the key cards aren't here yet.

Este video me volvió loco la primera vez que lo vi. Como un jugador de peces, me inspiró a hacer algo parecido a lo que vi en el video, pero algunas cartas todavía no han llegado.

The strategy involves around having Genex Undine and Genex Controller move the deck, while dumping water monsters to the graveyard, while adding Controller to your hand. This deck also uses a good amount of normal monsters, which allows for Coelacanth's recovery from the grave via Symbols of Duty for a quick swarm.

La estrategia del video involucra usar el efecto de "Genex Undine" para mover el deck, botando un monstruo agua al cementerio mientras añades a "Genex Controller" a tu mano. El deck también usa un buen numero de monstruos normales, cual le da uso a "Symbols of Duty" cual puedes usar para revivir a Coelacanth del cementerio para llenar el campo de peces rápidamente

However, the strategy may be a bit unorthodox to some. The deck carries over 20 monsters, which is common only in Lightsworn. It's overly aggressive and meant to work fast, despite the deck size. It has lots of backup solutions for protection and could be a new way to run fish once the Genex cards arrive over in our side of the world.

Pero, la estrategia del deck se puede ver como una rara para algunos. Este deck lleva sobre 20 monstruos, una característica común solamente en Lightsworn. Es bien agresivo y hecho para funcionar rápidamente, considerando el tamaño del deck. Tiene muchos resuelves para protección en forma de otros monstruos y puede ser una nueva forma de correr peces cuando las cartas "Genex" lleguen a nuestra parte del mundo.