Qualifier at Full Yen

I used this decklist today testing out with Terraforming as a more selective substitute for Toon Table of Contents. 

Similar to last week this was a Single Elimination tournament, and there were about 40 players, 47 I think....

By the Top 8 there were

3 Dragon Ruler/E-Drag

2 Evilswarm/Verz

2 4-Star Fire Fist

1 Prophecy/Magical

Unlike last week, there was a decrease in Magical play, with it only landing one spot in the Top 8, Verz play increased and the surprise appearance of not 1 but 2 Fire Fist in the Top 8 made for an interesting mix, surely something that we have not seen for a long time.

The presence of Fire Fist could be due to the imminent rise in Verz play with the deck know for its poor matchup against the Beast Warrior deck, with a few lucky pairings in this 5-6 round tournament, with some Fire Fist only having to win twice to reach the Top 8.

The cut to the Top 4 was

2 E-Drag

2 Verz

The No.2 deck of the format was wiped out by the Top 4, and an E-Drag mirror at Top 8 ensured that 1 would drop, there were no mirror matches at this point, which led to the "much dreaded" Verz matchup for the E-Drag players.

By the final, a Verz mirror match saw 3 quick games seal the deal, in what seemed to be a "whose monsters can hit harder" faceoff.

As for the how to fight EEV as Magical article, weeeeeellll I lost the last 6 games in which I got EEV-ed, and I realised the only reason that I could beat others who have done the same is because they just aren't very good. When EEV is put in the hands of someone who understands what they are doing the Magical player is fucked. I don't think I need to explain how to beat bad players who deplete their entire hand on the first turn as E-Drag.

Qualifier at SG Cardmart

I brought this decklist to the event with a couple of changes.
I dropped the Cresent for the Kycoo in the side deck as well as sided in an extra Maxx "C"
That's all, for Mr Sherpro who was into my decklist.

Back to the important stuff.
This was a single elimination tournament in which the winner would gain automatic seeding into the Top 16 of the main event.
There were a total of 48 players.

By the time it was cut to the Top 8 there were:
4 Prophecy/Magical
3 Dragon Ruler/E-Drag
1 Mermail/Mermail

Surprisingly, the dominate force of E-Drag seemed failed to secure more Top 8 slots than the so called No.2 deck of the format. This was likely due to mirror matches leading to the Top 8 that caused many E-Drag players to drop.

There is an obvious void in the Top 8 and I think the term is 'Evilswarm/Verz'. LOL, the deck is simply not that good this format as E-Drag players find even more and more counters for it. Even the 'foolproof' Maxx "C" has been countered with Droll & Lock Bird.

Anyway, there was a Magical mirror match in the Top 8, which ensured at least 1 Magical to proceed onward to the Top 4, there were however no E-Drag mirrors.

Top 4 consisted of:
3 E-Drag
1 Magical

BOOM BOOM BOOM, just like that, the Dragons retained their dominance in the Top 4, and the ability to utilise EEV can really fuck them Spells yo. There are ways to beat E-Drags after eating an EEV, but those hands are quite specific and I will go into detail about that in a later post.

In the final, E-Drags once again bested Magical as what seems to be the story of the format.

I tested out the D.Fissure in main deck and realised that it was not bad, but really doesn't help the deck's main strategy if you draw 2, let alone 3. Simply put it is a Toon Table of Content that can't get Droll-ed.

The deck used was purely experimental, I figured out a few things here and there, such as which of my side deck cards were really useful. and whatnot. As for the Exchange that the Japan side has been using recently, will not rely on that too much as you have to give them something, and the only thing you would really want from them is the Droll or Veiler.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't really see Exchange being a thing in the mirror, rather it is to ensure that all dem Drolls are fucked.

How to play around Droll & Lock Bird using Prophecy

Droll & Lock Bird's existence is both a bane and a blessing to Prophecy decks, as they can be splashed easily into the deck as well as significantly hurt the deck's engine.

Here's an example:
Activate Judgment
Activate Upstart
Activate Upstart
"Thanks for the 2000LP, here's a Droll & Lock for your troubles."

This results in a:
1 for 1 exchange (Judgment for Droll & Lock)
2 new cards in hand
2000 extra LP for your opponent

Naturally this exchange would favour your opponent, as Droll & Lock has done its job and ensured that Judgment doesn't. The 2 extra cards were also probably nullified by the Droll & Lock Bird.

Does this make Droll & Lock Bird the most OP side against the deck?
Probably not....

The problem with Droll & Lock is that its design is suppose to ensure that it gives a -1. To utilise this design, we should give as many windows for Droll & Lock as possible before activating the Judgment. A crucial timing to drop Droll & Lock is when the Master is added to hand. If that goes through, we could then decide if we need to risk giving them that window for an extra count on Judgment.

All this being said, it is time to DROP ALL THE TOON TABLE AND UPSTART, 6 windows to Droll & Lock can easily be filled with Star Halls or even additional Towers, as these cards give counts on Judgment as well not providing windows for the dreaded birdy. Reason that OCG still maintain these is the lack of Star Halls in our meta, which could easily take 3 slots after its release.

So in order to play around Droll & Lock, we should try to ensure a -1 on every window as much as possible. That's basically it ya.

Or you could maindeck Dimensional Fissure LOLOLOL.

I'm back. Kinda

Only because I have found ways to win whilst going second.

Let me get something straight. Going first is pretty advantageous this format, especially if you're using one of the Big 2. Judgment and Reju allow you to plus off on Turn 1 and put you in the driver's seat if you utilise them PROPERLY. (Less than 10% of players in the world I believe)

Going second and being able to win has shown, to some extent, that I am winning based on two key factors:

1. My opponent drew shiddy.

2. I played better than my opponent.

You can go on about any argument that I opened broke, as far as I'm concerned if my opponent doesn't have the hand traps to stop me he opened shiddy. And really opening shiddy consistently means the problem lies with the build, which is ultimately defined by none other than, the player.

That being said, the format, believe it or not, is a healthy one. Yes it is pretty much a two deck format, with the occasional surprise of an Infernity or Gadget a.k.a first turn Shock Ruler, but the better players have been able to tech their decks in such a way that overextension and mindless predictable plays can be easily punished.

As far as I'm concerned, bad players are losing. That is to me a sign of a healthy format. Occasionally they are going to open broke and derp on you making 20 mistakes on the way, but if that happens too often, which I sometimes feel it does, it goes to show that your consistency levels and openings could be further improved on. That is something you have to look back on and reflect upon YOURSELF.

To be honest, these decks that Konami have made have so much potential to make some really innovative plays, but all we do with them is derp. Every week something new about them could possibly be discovered, and more innovations and all that good jazz.

As for now, anyone complaining about the format needs to take a good long look at whether or not they have been a significant contributing factor to their own losses. Innovation is what is lacking to propel oneself to victory, and I dare say innovation is scarce even among some of the better known players around the world.

My advice is simple, play YOUR own game. Don't go around copying this build or that build and don't play Wave Motion Cannon. Sure, some tards are really doing that with their BS (like playing RUM in Infernity WTF), but what is most important is to keep an open mind to new POSSIBILITIES. Cause after all that's what defines the great from the best.

Anyone who gonna give me BS that Drago-LaDD opening is OP, needs a serious reality check.