So about Wind up Zemaines

Goddammit konami. For a company who was trying hard to fix this format from going through from what we had last format this is not a way to kick things off. Anyway Hey Guys! So of course if you could not tell from the pic I am going to talk about the latest in konami logic! Wind up Zemaines and how I think that this card will have major repercussions in the game.

First off with the release of this card tour guide now becomes the most dynamic and best toolbox we have seen in this game. Tour guide can officially adapt to any situation, aggro with levathian, special summon removes monsters with levair, or defend with this guy. While on the topic of tour guide has any one noticed that tour guide is slowly creeping up the power ladder once again. It has not reached the level of pre Xyz ruling change but it is slowly making its way back there, it is a staple in dark worlds and now this guy. Gacchi gacchi imo was already over powered, you would waste a lot of resources and put a lot of resources on the board just to get rid of it ex: a early BlS drop. Now with this guy building up resources is near impossible as at least one card is going to be destroyed. Smashing ground becomes terrible and one for one's become neg 1's. Lets look at at this way you have 3 ressources you could use to get rid of zemaines and you use all three not only are you over extending but one of those resources is now gone.

If you haven't noticed by now ressources are becoming more and more precious which imo is good for the game as only good players know when to use their cards effectively and if those cards are precious then getting the most bang for your buck becomes a staple way to play. Thus rewarding smart and conservative play. But my problem arises from to two places. First did it really take the making of this card just to reward smart play? Second if you play your cards smart and get rid of this card you are still going to lose 1 card in the end phase so no matter what way you play you still lose something. Simply put this card is counter productive it makes smart play take the forefront but it hurts either play style all the same. They should have made Gacchi Gacchi and then stopped with those kinds of effects. In another time this card might not have been so bad but in the end we still have tour guide and making that card more of a tool box more than it already is, is always a bad thing to do. On a final note konami is sending me mixed signals it seems they wan't to reward smart play but don't want the little kids to feel left out either so they still print sacky cards. So my theory is that this was konami's answer to find a happy medium unfortunately it still leans toward the sacky side.  So if at the end of this post I am sending you mixed signals about what I think about this card then let that be no longer: this card is bad for the game and makes tour guide a one card toolbox.
-Cameron

Why YCS Toronto is irrelevant

Hey guys! So I am having a problem keeping schedule of late but I am trying to rectify this problem. So today I am making quite a bold statement(I think it is bold): YCS Toronto is irrelevant. Why you ask? Well allow me to explain. YCS Toronto merely confirmed my suspicions.

Agents are the best deck of the format.... right now. They have access to the best boss monsters and they are very consistent.  So why did I not say that plants were the best deck even though they won the event? I just don't think that plants are a lasting trend. They are still good but they lost alot on the last ban list more than alot of people think. Having only one avarice means that most of the time they can only do their shenaganis once in a duel. Right now the shenaganis are good enough that they only need to be done once in a duel, but later in the format the winds of change are coming, more on that later. Currently boss monsters rule and I don't see that changing any time soon. Kristyia and hyperion, and BLS, all of these cards are very good, and with some people refusing to run generic removal these cards just get better, the hand traps do nothing to get rid of these monsters so those are not an option. But decks coming later in the format have built in removal.... more on that later. Talking about plants winning the YCS decks have a history of winning the first major event in the format after the one they were good in. A recent example of this would be YCS Charlette( I know wrong spelling) where Six sams won right after they had just won YCS Dallas. Sure six sams only lost 2 gateway in between those events, but looking at the base 5 card plant engine plants only lost 1 lonefire, avarice was merely a way to get back that engine so you could do it all over again.

But that last sentence disproves my comment of plants aren't a lasting a trend. But this is where we look to what eventually happened to six sams. For the next few events up until nationals six sams had 4 spots in the top 32 of YCS charlette, 6 spots in YCS Anaheim, and 5 spots in YCS Providence, so actually six sams had more spots in the top 32 then in charlette which was where they won, the reason for this was people were not sure if six sams were still good after they lost 2 gateway, then when they won the YCS they got a slight boost in numbers. Then suddenly at North American Nationals six sams were nowhere to be found, it was all tengu plants and T.G, ( and some GK) people had discovered something far more dangerous than six sams, tengu plants were more explosive and had much more consistency compared to the luck sacky six sam. T.G capitalized the fact that heavy storm was not in the game. the results proved these theories. Only two six sams made it to the top 16 at WCQ Europe, again proving that there were much more dangerous things that that format has to offer(very important sentence alert!). Finally at the very last event of the september format( YCS indy) there was no six sams that topped 16 at the event. The event was dominated by "synchro monster" decks(aka tengu/tour guide deck, lol konami).

So my whole point of writing about this is that plants are not going to last, sure they are still good but this format has so much more to offer than a rehashed deck that was tier 1 last format. In just a few weeks we will have dark worlds, which will change the game, they will be tier 1 this format, also with grapha not only being one of the if not the best boss monster thanks to its ability to turn every dark world into a floater, it also gives the deck generic removal which is so key this format. Also snow allows you to search for this boss monster, and their field spell generates way to much advantage. I foresee agents having a tough time with this matchup, imo whatever agents can do dark worlds can do better, they both have 2700 beaters that pop stuff, but grapha can be spammed and even though hyperion can use it s effect every turn, grpaha can still be spammed. Agents have earth dark worlds have snow, earth searches for venus which allows you to make NEXT TURN a gachi gachi which pumps up venus and fills the grave for hyperion and kristyia. Snow searches gate which immediately makes grapha bigger than any other boss monster the deck has, and it also allows you to search grapha, need I say more?

Later in the format(november) we will get photon shockwave which has Rescue rabbit, I know that some people still doubt the rabbit's power but it is only a matter of time before that card is broke and even so that rabbit is too dangerous to be left alive( lol) it is just plain bad card design. Also I have heard some rumors about dark world tcg exclusive(s) if that rumor is true, knowing the tcg card design team they make dark worlds all the more broken.

All in all my basic point is that plants are not going to last sure at YCS columbus there will be alot of people playing plants but that tend much like six sams will slowly die out. I will make a prediction: by 2012 WCQ: North America plants will have gone off the radar. If I am wrong well so be it but I truly believe that plants will not last, I will stick to my word on this. This format is very young potential is overflowing. On a final note I am not saying that this format is bad just that this format is truly undefined as of right now.

Thanks for reading!
-Cameron

Back to regular posting schedule(kinda) and a format discussion

Hey guys! So I am have some free time and I will try to post on a regular schedule. Anyways I have been demoralized ever since I went 1-3 at my regional and 2-2 at my local. I have tested so hard in the past 2  months, so that is such a disappointment to see that record. I do suppose that since it was the beginning of the format I wasn't expected to do great. but still. I actually blame all of this on myself, for some reason I feel like I can't concentrate fully when I am playing. Maybe it is just a passing storm(I sure hope so!) but nevertheless I will continue to push forward in hope of getting out of my rut.

In regards to YCS toronto(full review once decklists are up!) I honestly wasn't surprised in the least. There has been talk of plants still being good recently and agents taking the most spots should be no surprise to anyone.

In regards to my personal deck choice I think for the next few weeks I will return to my roots and play Blackwings. Sure they lost oppression but they gained an icrus. I kind of want to utilize BLS and since I already main 2 veiler that really shouldn't be such a hard goal to achieve. I will have a decklist up once I make a good list. Sabers are good but they are just to slow to be ran in this format(though the same could be said for blackwings).

So this is kind of a half assed post on second glance, like I said I haven't been in tune with the game so to speak so you can't expect my normal quality of posts. Thanks for reading!
-Cameron

About not posting in a while

Hey guys! So I haven't posted in a while. Why? Well school has now started so I am busy busy busy, I have been keeping up with yugioh related manners though, so i guess I will have a YCS recap on toronto, from what i here plants did good. No comment.... yet. Also I have been very demorlaized as of late. At me last regional I went 1-3 before dropping and I have not fared very well at locals either so that can be a reason for no posting. More posts will be up soon I just need to find time. Thanks for reading and I will start posting soon once I find free time. Also 3,200 pageviews wow thanks a alot readers you guys are the greatest!
-Cameron

Early format review/discussion

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts. School is starting soon and I have been very busy preparing for it. Anyway the main point of this post is for me to give you my observations and review of this format as of right now before YCS Toronto.

I have done extensive playtesting with my teamates and friends and have played in a local tourney(I can't find my notes so don't expect a local report, sorry!) and here is what I have found out.
SIDE NOTE: All of the following paragraphs are taken from my point of view and I was playing X-Sabers so just know that I have taken this info from a X-Saber standpoint.

Currently the best deck of the format is Agent for a few reasons. First they have the most boss monsters of any deck, and those boss monsters can turn the tempo of any game and ruin a setup. On the topic of boss monsters the most important card in that category is kristyia. Once that card hits the field your sole prority is to get it off the field. it can shift games around and is they get back honest with its effect you are restricted to using card effects. Since the only real out to kristyia is to remove it and our remove from play options quite limited ex: d-prision, karma cut(if you really want to.) all of those options either are not chainable or make you lose advantage. so now we turn to destroying kristyia which is not a permanant solution unless you can manipulate the graveyard. This is where the bad players are seperated from the good players. The whole test this format is if you can keep the graveyard clear or a card that restricts your opponents acess to the graveyard. Your opponent could have 6 faries in grave and have a hyperion and kristyia in hand. Your opponent is just a hyperion drop away from dropping kristyia( you remove one fairy to summon then remove another to pop a card 6-2=4). So that leads to the question of how do you control the graveyard? Well playing smart is one thing but having the right cards can help as well. The card that I personally found to be one of the best cards this format was kycoo. He restricts your opponents access so that your opponent can't drop hyperion or any other choas monster(BLS or choas sorc.) al,l the while allowing you to drop whatever monster you want. Other good side deck cards are cyber dragon cause big beaters are good and rai-oh cause big beaters are good and big beaters with good effects are even better. Also getting back to the point of agents being the best deck is because no two agent decks are exactly the same. Some builds might have the tour guide engine some might have the vallhalla engine, some could be just straight agents, I even faced a agent deck that splashed the d-hero engine. Diversity among top tier decks is a very good thing. That is part of the reason that six sam fell out of the picture late last format all of the builds had little to no differenation.

Tech cards are returning to full form this format. In almost any deck now days you are bound to have room for 2-3 tech cards that can often win you games. It is important to test out these tech cards and see is they work or not. The same goes for the side deck choose cards that attack the meta, right now agents are the only deck that is defined tier one so they are the meta right now side alot for them. But never forget to side heavily for rouge matchups, some cards are already good against those matchups rai-oh and cydra are always good. With agents being the meta it all bois down to how fast can your deck ge rid of kristyia and how well can it recover after it has been dealt with. The point of this post is to say that kristyia is a format defining card and a decks viablity will be determined by how well it can utilize it or if it can't utlize it how well can it handle it.

Part of the reason kirstyia is such a format defining card is that when people( myself included) looked at the banlist many thought that all non chainable backrow was dead. That is not true. Some power cards are just to powerful to be ignored. Mirror force is one of those power cards. Sure it can die by mst but this card can generate such huge swings in tempo it is nothing to scoff at. It allows you pick yourdelf back up dust your self off and try another time to comeback from what was thought to be certain defeat. Also it allows you to set up for kristiya since you know that is what your oppnent will draw next turn putting you in a very powerful situation. Also some people will not be expecting it and walk right into it because they think that nobody plays it anymore. Imo the three main traps you should be running are mirror force, torrential, and dustshoot. On occasion a first turn dustshoot can win you the game.

Moving on to the main card of the format. Dark hole. Yes Dark hole. If you draw this card in your opening hand consider yourself very lucky. You cannot underestimate the value of dark hole this format. Never use dark hole as a one for one(the same goes for mirror force) dark hole can get you out of any situation period. This is what also seperates good players from bad, how well they use their power cards. As a final note play conservatlity(really bad spelling lol) never waste any power card and never go aggro until you are 100% sure you can win the game, that is what defines this format. Thanks for reading!
-Cameron