A Look Toward the Ban List

Since we're only about a month and a half away from seeing a new format, I thought I'd type up a few ideas as to what we might see (or what I'd like to see, anyway).


Banned
We'll most likely lose one of the "Big 3". Dark Hole, Monster Reborn, and Heavy Storm are always good candidates for a ban, but with the game the way it is today, these cards may be necessary to keep duels moving. Heavy Storm stops the "Set 4, pass" of last format, Dark Hole is a looming presence over attempts to swarm for game, and Monster Reborn is the most generic form of revival we have.

With all the negation and OTK potential we have now, maybe these cards just aren't as broken as they used to be.

Limited

Rescue Rabbit: This card absolutely needs to go to 1. Rescue Cat went from 3 in 2008 to 2 to 1 until it was ultimately banned in Sept 2010. The card was an OTK machine, starting with the Gyaku-Gire Panda OTK when Last Will was legal up to the Dark Strike Fighter OTK. Even after Last Will and DSF were banned, Rescue Cat continued to enable OTKs in Cat Synchro and X-Saber decks.

Rescue Rabbit is not much different, aside from not being as splashable. One Rabbit gets you 2 1900ATK beaters that become a 2400ATK Solemn Judgment. Rabbit can be reused with Tour Guide from the Underworld, which brings me to my next point.

Tour Guide from the Underworld: This is a splashable 4-card engine that generates huge advantage and easily enables Chaos Monsters to be used anywhere. One Tour Guide lets you Special Summon Sangan from your deck, which nets you a card when it's sent to the Graveyard, or it's an instant Rank 3 Xyz.Take a look at the top decks from any YCS since the release of Generation Force, and you should have no trouble seeing why something needs to be done about this card. Limiting it might seem a but harsh, but with Tour Bus from the Underworld being released soon, you'll be able to recycle Tour Guide anyway.

Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 “Ninishi”: You might have stopped reading after that, but hear me out. Karakuri is a powerful deck that can generate massive amounts of advantage with this single card. Being able to Summon again, getting the effect of the summoned card (if any), and getting an easy Sycnhro is good, but what happens after a Karakuri Synchro is the crazy part which ends with them having several 2600+ATK beaters on the field while replenishing their hand. Ninishi is also searchable, so hitting this won't totally kill Karakuris.

Fishborg Blaster: Formula Synchron is at 1, so this card isn't as problematic as it was before. Even then, Fish OTK decks only popped up here and there.

Royal Oppression: There was really no reason to ban this card in the first place. With Heavy Storm and 3 Mystical Space Typhoon, it would be harder than ever to keep it on the field anyway.

Tsukuyomi: Many people have been wanting this card back for a long time. The supposed argument is that it's a continuous Book of Moon. If this were still a Monarch format where the game was slow enough to actually use Flip Effects, I might agree, but that's no longer the case.

Semi-Limited

Master Hyperion: Tour Guide being at 1 makes way for Agents to take over. Hyperion at 2 might not change much, but you know how Konami has to semi-limit boss monsters before limiting them.

Shien's Smoke Signal: Six Samurai took a huge loss this format with both Smoke Signal and Shi En going to 1. It's still a good deck, but they need a little something to push them back into competitiveness. Another Shi En would be too much, but giving them an extra bit of search power helps without breaking them.

Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner: This would help Lightsworns so much more than a thrid sacky boss monster.

Judgment Dragon: With the added consistency of a second Lumina, they would no longer need 3.

Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind: This gives Blackwings a nice shot at coming back, even more than an additional Kalut.

Mezuki: With Burial from the Different Dimension still at 1, this isn't overpowered, but is good enough to give Zombies a much needed boost.

Emergency Teleport: Without Mind Master, Psychics have lost their OTK. Bringing Teleport to 2 might help them out, but we would most likely see TeleDAD attempt a comeback, but the game has evolved so much since the addition of Synchros that it probably wouldn't even make tier 2.

Infernity Launcher: This could either give Infernity enough of a boost to hit tier 1 again, or overpower it.


So there it is. Leave some comments and let me know what you'd like to see next format.

Quick Post: New Stuff!

The reason I haven't been posting much lately is a combination of no internet for a few weeks and very little to no motivation to do anything Yugioh related. I should be getting around to posting some new meaningful articles soon, but for now, here's a look at what new products we're getting in the near future.

January 2012
 Jan 24 - Booster Set: Order of Chaos (Sneak Preview Jan. 14-15)
 Hidden Arsenal 5: Special Edition

February
 Feb. 7 - Structure Deck: Dragonic Legion
 Feb. 21 - Ra Yellow Mega Pack

March
 Mar. 20 - 2012 Premium Collection Tin
 Order of Chaos: Special Edition

May
 Booster Set: Galactic Overlord

Hawt Tech: Black Horn of Heaven

Finally, I'm back with something I was working with a couple weeks ago in my Six Samurai deck; a main decked Black Horn of Heaven. Let's take a look at that card, shall we?

Black Horn of Heaven

Counter Trap

Negate the Special Summon of 1 of your opponent's monsters, and destroy it.

Very simple, but very powerful. This card works a lot like Thunder King Rai-Oh and Steelswarm Roach as it won't negate a Special Summon that is the result of a Spell, Trap, or Monster Effect. What it does take care of is Synchro Summons, Xyz Summons, and boss monsters. 

Solemn Warning is a pretty amazing card because it can stop ANY summon, whether it's from a card effect or not. Black Horn of Heaven lets you save your Warning (and 2000 Life Points) for something like Gorz the Emissary of Darkness or a game-winning Monster Reborn. 

You might say that Bottomless Trap Hole is better since it can stop Normal Summons as well and banishes the monster, but with the TCG's priority ruling, that Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning or Master Hyperion can still get their effects off with Bottomless Trap Hole. Since Black Horn negates the summon entirely, that means your opponent won't be able to Special Summon that BLS, Synchro Monster, or Xyz Monster from the graveyard.

Upcoming Shonen Jump Magazine Promos

We know the next 6 Shonen Jump Magazine promos, so in case you were wondering, here's what we're getting..

Subscription Promos

Sephylon, the Ultimate Time Lord
LIGHT/Fairy/Effect/10
Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by having 10 or more monsters in your Graveyard, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Level 8 or higher Fairy-Type monster from your hand or Graveyard. Its effect(s) are negated, and its ATK becomes 4000.
ATK/4000 DEF/4000

Shooting Quasar Dragon
LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro/Effect/12
1 Tuner Synchro Monster + 2 or more non-Tuner Synchro Monsters
Must be Synchro Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card's maximum number of attacks per turn equals the number of non-Tuner monsters used as its Synchro Material. Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated: You can negate the activation and destroy it. When this card leaves the field: You can Special Summon 1 "Shooting Star Dragon" from your Extra Deck.
ATK/4000 DEF/4000

December 2011 Issue

Endless Decay
DARK/Zombie/Effect/5
If you have 2000 Life Points or less, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: This card's ATK becomes half the opponent's Life Points.
ATK/? DEF/0

Januruary 2012 Issue

The Supremacy Sun
DARK/Fiend/Effect/10
Must be Special Summoned by its own effect and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. If this face-up card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, during the next Standby Phase: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.
ATK/3000 DEF/3000

March 2012 Issue

X-Saber Souza
EARTH/Warrior/Synchro/Effect/7
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "X-Saber" monsters
You can Tribute 1 "X-Saber" monster; this card gains 1 of these effects until the End Phase:
● If this card battles a monster: Destroy that monster immediately with this card's effect (without damage calculation).
● This card cannot be destroyed by the effects of Trap Cards.
ATK/2500 DEF/1600

April 2012 Issue

Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction
WATER/Rock/Xyz/Effect/3
2 Level 3 monsters
During each of your Standby Phases: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card or take 2000 damage. If this card has no Xyz Materials, it cannot attack. While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot Special Summon.
ATK/3000 DEF/3000


We have some great cards to look forward to. Shooting Quasar definitely has the potential to make a huge impact on the TCG. You can read my article about it HERE, but keep in mind that it was written early last format. Souza will be a huge help for X-Sabers, making Boggart Knight more versatile. Acid Golem is a unique monster. It's easy to summon, and you have 3 battle phases to use this 3000 ATK beater before it tries to burn you.

Locals Report: Back on the East Side Pt.2

I barely made it to the locals today, but I'm glad I did.

Round 1 vs. Black Jason (T.G. Agent)
Game 1, he won, I won the second game, and in game 3, I drew terribly.
0-1

Round 2 vs. Dimensional Eatos
Game 1, he opens with Macro Cosmos and I couldn't do anything. Game 2, I summoned Trishula early and I made a 1st turn Trish in game 3.
1-1

Round 3 vs. Lightsworn
Game 1 went back and forth. I summoned Trish, and held onto my Gorz until I was at 3300. My opponent was at 1400. He summoned Judgment Dragon and I dropped Gorz and wrapped it up with a Hyperion next turn. Game 2, he opens with Charge of the Litght Brigade into Lyla and ended his turn. I grabbed Venus with Earth, and set Threatening Roar. He MST'd and set a monster. I summoned Trish next turn to remove his Neco Garnda from the field and Honest from his hand.
2-1

Round 4 vs. Vayu Turbo
Trishula and Threatening Roar really stopped him from doing anything. Game 2, The same happened, except sided Kycoos also tore his game apart.
3-1

Round 5 vs. Frog Monarch
Game 1 was close. I was down to 300LP before I was able to come back and win. Game 2, he passed a few times and I hit a few times with Venus. I summoned another Venus and Special Summoned 2 Mystical Shine Ball. I Xyz Summoned Gachi Gachi Gantetsu and tributed the 2 Venus for Krystia at 3200, which was exactly how many Life Points he had remaining. I attacked and he activated Enemy Controller, but I had Solemn Judgment face down.
4-1

Top 8 vs. Machina Gadgets
I won game 1, keeping his monsters down with Herald of Orange Light. He won game 2 with a surprise Limiter Removal. In game 3, I was at very low Life Points, but was able to come back thanks to Hyperion.

Top 4 split and I got 2 GENF:SE packs to pull one of each promo and an Ultimate Rare Number 17: Leviathan Dragon.

Locals Report: Back on the East side

I'm currently on the East coast visiting family and friends and ended up going to a local (and hopefully another tomorrow). This is what happened.

Round 1 vs a little kid
He was using the Lost Sanctuary deck with some random cards. I didn't feel good about it, but my Hyperion loved his Sanctuary in the Sky.
1-0

Round 2 vs Destiny Genus
First, I saw Destiny Heroes, then I saw T.G. monsters. Plasma is a huge inconvenience. I misplayed and he won. Game 2, I kept his monsters out of the grave with Kycoo and Crow, and was able to overpower him. Game 3 was extremely close, but he got me in the end. This deck looked really fun to play, so I think I'll try it out when I get some Warnings to replace the ones I traded.
1-1

Round 3 vs Morphtronic
This Suprisingly, this guy was the only one of the 4 people that went with me that I played against. Game 1, I opened Earth and Roar. He opened Birdman and a handful of Equip Spells. Game 2 I opened Venus/Birdman for a first turn Trish.
2-1

Round 4 vs. X-Sabers
I opened Earth, Venus, Roar, Hyperion, Monster Reborn. He opened 2 Faultroll and all Traps (including Dustshoot and double Mind Crush). He Dusted my Hyperion and Mind Crushed Venus and Reborn -_- The only monster he drew was Pashuul, so I let him burn himself a few turns before I Mind Control/Synchro ftw. Game 2, he was able to pull out Emmersblade and Pashuul, but Herald of Orange Light took care of that.
3-1

There was no top 4, so I came in 3rd. The Morphtronic user pulled an ulti Dark Armed Dragon from his Turbo Pack (much to the dismay of the other 3 people in our group) but overall, it was a good day. I was able to trade for most of the cards I need for the Six Samurai and HERO decks I want to build.


Deck: 40
23
3x Master Hyperion
2x Archlord Krystia
1x Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
3x The Agent of Mystery - Earth
3x The Agent of Creation - Venus
3x Herald of Orange Light
3x Mystical Shine Ball
1x Genex Ally Birdman
1x Sangan
1x Gellenduo
1x Honest

10
1x Heavy Storm
1x Monster Reborn
1x Dark Hole
1x Book of Moon
1x Mind Control
1x Cards from the Sky
2x Pot of Duality
2x Mystical Space Typhoon

7
1x Trap Dustshoot
1x Solemn Judgment
2x Bottomless Trap Hole
3x Threatening Roar

15
1x Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
1x Gachi Gachi Gantetsu
1x Leviair the Sea Dragon
1x Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
1x Steelswarm Roach
1x T.G. Hyper Librarian
1x Ally of Justice Catastor
1x Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1x Orient Dragon
1x Ancient Sacred Wyvern
1x Black Rose Dragon
1x Ancient Fairy Dragon
1x Scrap Dragon
1x Stardust Dragon
1x Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

15
1x Maxx "C"
1x Cyber Dragon
2x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
2x Thunder King Rai-Oh
2x Herald of Green Light
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
2x Chain Disappearance
2x Gozen Match
2x Mind Crush

Small Legendary Collection 2 Update!

A few of the Mega Pack rarities were revealed, and some pics were put up.

Secret Rare
Destiny Draw
Gladiator Beast Laquari
Yubel the Ultimate Nightmare

Ultra Rare
Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid
Proto-Cyber Dragon

Super Rare
Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus
Destiny HERO - Dreadmaster

Rare
Gladiator Proving Ground

Common
Card Trooper
Grandmaster of the Six Samurai
Judgment Dragon

Click for full article

Locals Report: 9/7/11

Yesterday was the start of weekly Wednesday tournaments at Bamm's Collectibles in Hayward, CA. Since I go there all the time anyway, of course I was going to enter. I've been trying to get my pure Agent Fairy build to be the best it can before next month's regionals, so that's what I used. I'll try to remember as much as I can.

Round 1 vs. Blackwing
I don't remember much about game 1, but I opened with a set MST and he activated Black Whirlwind next turn. I activated Mind Control on his Gale to Synchro Summon Ancient Fairy Dragon in defense position, and I was able to summon Kristya and he couldn't do anything about it.

Game 2, I was trying to control his Graveyard with Kycoo, but he was still able to get a Vayu and Sirocco to Special Summon Armed Wing. He attacked Kycoo, but Forbidden Lance lowered Armed Wing's ATK. He was able to summon a couple monsters, but I was able to swarm with boss monsters and win.
1-0

Round 2 vs. Six Samurai
I wasn't really expecting to see too many of these decks, but I was prepared. Game 1, I attacked his face-down Kagemusha with Sangan. I eventually drew into Birdman and Venus while I had Mind Control in hand. I went for the Gachi Gachi combo, took his Kagemusha, and Sycnhro Summoned. He couldn't come back.

Game 2, I drew a few of my side decked cards. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but he had Shi En and another Samurai on the field to my Gachi Gachi and 2800 ATK Hyper Librarian. I summoned Sangan, activated Puppet Plant to steal his Shi En, attack with everything, then returned Sangan to my hand to Special Summon Birdman and Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon. Next turn, I activated Monster Reborn and he scooped.
2-0

Round 3 vs. Six Samurai
He opened with Dimensional Fissure both games and I really couldn't do anything.
2-1

I came in second, but I pulled a Leviair from my 2 prize packs, so everything worked out. The deck I used is below. There are a few things about it that I'm going to change.

Cards: 40
Monsters: 22
3x Master Hyperion
2x Archlord Kristya
1x Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
3x The Agent of Mystery - Earth
3x The Agent of Creation - Venus
3x Mystical Shine Ball
2x Genex Ally Birdman
2x Herald of Orange Light
(-1)1x Effect Veiler (+1 Herald of Orange Light)
1x Honest
1x Sangan

Spells: 12
1x Monster Reborn
1x Heavy Storm
1x Dark Hole
1x Book of Moon
1x Mind Control
2x Mystical Space Typhoon
2x Forbidden Lance
(-1)3x Pot of Duality (+1 Cards from the Sky)

Traps: 6
1x Torrential Tribute
1x Trap Dustshoot
(-2)2x Bottomless Trap Hole (+1 Card from the Sky, +1 The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter)
2x Call Of The Haunted

Extra: 15
1x Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
1x Gachi Gachi Gantetsu
1x Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
1x Number 39: Utopia
1x Armory Arm
1x Ally of Justice Catastor
1x T.G. Hyper Librarian
1x Gaia Knight the Force of Earth
1x Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1x Black Rose Dragon
1x Ancient Fairy Dragon
1x Stardust Dragon
1x Scrap Dragon
1x Red Dragon Archfiend
1x Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

Side: 15
1x D.D. Crow
2x Thunder King Rai-Oh
2x Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
1x Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
1x Ally of Justice Core Destroyer
1x Cyber Dragon
1x Puppet Plant
1x Effect Veiler
1x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Smashing Ground
2x Mind Crush
1x Swallow Flip

2011 Collector's Tins Wave 2 Update

It's been confirmed that the "popular trap card available in both tins" is Solemn Warning. This is great news for anyone who doesn't have one already, but in my opinion, the card isn't as good as it was last format. It's still a great reprint, which is more than I can say about the other two confirmed cards, which are The Tyrant Neptune and Malefic Stardust Dragon. Stardust isn't so bad, but if they wanted to release Neptune to the European market, it could just as easily have been a Gold Series 4 common.

Samurai Assault: Special Edition

There's a new product coming out featuring the Six Samurai, and /Assault Mode, apparently. Check out the press release below.

With the rise in popularity of Samurai decks among the gaming community we have create a unique opportunity for consumers to jump start their efforts to built this powerful new deck style with the release of Samurai Assault Special Edition. This distinctive new item offers consumers booster packs that are available again for a limited time only in Samurai Assault SE. Player can combine the Samurai cards they get from Samurai Assault with more Six Samurai cards available in Extreme Victory booster packs and in the Legendary Collection 2: The Duel Academy Years Mega-Packs.

Each deck of Samurai Assault will contain 1 pack of Strike of Neos, 1 pack of Crimson Crisis, 1 Pack of Storm of Ragnarok, and 1 Super Rare

 The Strike of Neos pack is totally unneeded with LC2 having the old Samurai cards in there. I suppose you could end up pulling an ultimate D.D. Crow or Dark World Dealings, but still...The Crimsons Crisis pack is just ridiculous and is only there to justify the word "assault" in the product's title. The Storm of Ragnarok pack is the only one that makes any sense, but STOR:SE are still available for purchase, and 2 STOR packs are included in each wave 1 tin. The Super Rare Elder of the Six Samurai isn't really much incentive to buy this, either. By the way, this is coming out on December 6th; just in time to make a very unwanted Christmas present.

Quick Post: The Rise and Fall of Tour Guide from the Underworld

Finally, we get an official ruling on the Xyz Material Monster questions that have been driving players and judges crazy since the release of Xyz monsters; Do cards like Sangan and Reborn Tengu get their effects when they're detached from an Xyz Monster? The answer is officially no. The official Yugioh rulebook (link here) has been updated to include this ruling. If you'd like a more in-depth answer to why the price of your $200 card is plummeting, click here to read the full article on Konami's Strategy Site.

Deck Construction: Fiend Comedian is No Joke

A random card popped into my head, and as I usually do, I started thinking of ways to use it in a deck. That card is an old trap from Legacy of Darkness, Fiend Comedian.

Fiend Comedian

Trap Card

Toss a coin and call it. If you call it right, all of your opponent's cards in the Graveyard are removed from play immediately. If you call it wrong, send a number of cards equal to the number of cards in your opponent's Graveyard from your Deck to your Graveyard.

In the upcoming format, this card's first effect looks amazing. You banish your opponent's entire Graveyard. That means your opponent will have a hard time summoning their Judgment Dragon, Black Luster Soldier, or Master Hyperion. One of the best things about this card is that it's chainable, so if your opponent activates any card that targets or effects a card in the grave, they lose out big time.

At first look, risk outweighs the reward. What happens if you mill through most of your deck? Well I'll answer that question with another: What deck thrives on milling? Lightsworns, of course! There are several ways to retrieve your important monsters, such as Beckoning Light and Monster Reincarnation, so going through multiple JDs or your BLS shouldn't be a problem. 

I'm going to go backwards this time and list the Trap cards first. I usually don't like to max out on cards that aren't guaranteed to help, but for the sake of testing, we'll use 3 Fiend Comedian. With so much potential milling, we'll also have 3 Beckoning Light.

• Fiend Comedian x3
• Beckoning Light x3

As for Spell Cards, we'll include the usual staples and Lightsworn support. A single Monster Reincarnation should suffice since we have 3 Beckoning Light as well.

• Monster Reborn
• Heavy Storm
• Dark Hole
• Charge of the Light Brigade
• Book of Moon
• Pot of Avarice
• Monster Reincarnation
• Gold Sarcophagus
• Mystical Space Typhoon x2
• Solar Recharge x3

That's 19 cards so far, but since we'll be milling so much, we can go a little over 40. The monster line-up is pretty standard, except for the Wulfs. I usually don't like the inconsistencies that card brings, but it can be Special Summoned if milled off Fiend Comedian, so we'll max on it. I've also cut out Ryko altogether because it seems a bit too slow for this deck.

• Tragoedia
• Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
• Judgment Dragon x3
• Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
• Celestia, Lightsworn Angel x2
• Wulf, Lightsworn Beast x3
• Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress x2
• Jain, Lightsworn Paladin x2
• Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior
• Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
• Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid
• Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
• Necro Gardna x2
• Effect Veiler x2
• Glow-Up Bulb
• Plaguespreader Zombie
• Honest

And there it is. 45 cards of fast milling, Special Summoning, hinder your opponent sackiness. Trimming it down to 40-42 cards would probably make it more effective, but that's what testing is for. Enjoy :)

Deck Profile: Lucksworn

Lightsworns got a nice boost from the new ban list by unlimiting their ridiculously powerful boss monster, Judgment Dragon, semi-limiting Necro Gardna, and bringing BLS from 0 to 1. These cards don't make the deck any more consistent, like semi-limiting Lumina or Charge would, but they make the deck more explosive and luck based. The earlier you can summon JD/BLS, the sooner you'll win.

Yesterday, before locals, I threw together a quick Lightsworn deck for the September format, just to test some things out. Out of the 16 or so games I played, I won 13 of them, and most of the games ended with multiple Judgment Dragons and a Black Luster Soldier. The deck doesn't even include Tour Guide (due to it being $150+), so just imagine if that were in here.

• Celestia, Lightsworn Angel x2
• Wulf, Lightsworn Beast x2
• Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter x2
• Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress x2
• Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
• Jain, Lightsworn Paladin
• Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior
• Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid
• Ehren, Lightsworn Monk

Lightsworn Monsters
These are (obviously) the main cards of the deck . They knock around your opponent until you can explode with your multiple 3000 ATK monsters. I'm not sure how I feel about the Wulfs. It's always bad when you draw them, but when they're milled, you get free 2100 ATK beaters. I'd replace them with Tour Guides if I could. The rest is the basic LS line up.

• Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
• Judgment Dragon x3

Boss Monsters
These are the cards that will end the game. Judgment Dragons are summoned for free, and you can summon as many as you want per turn. Just use your first one to blow up the field, and feel free to swarm.

• Effect Veiler x2
• Necro Gardna x2
• Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
• Tragoedia
• Honest
• Plaguespreader Zombie
• Glow-Up Bulb

Filler Monsters
Using so little traps and the explosiveness of the upcoming format makes Gorz pretty essential. Tragoedia is used for the same reason, to stop OTKs. Veiler is necessary to keep the opponent's Tour Guides and such from giving them too much advantage. As the best Graveyard-based Tuners, PSZ and Bulb fit in nicely and gives you access to Synchros like Trishula.

• Heavy Storm
• Dark Hole
• Monster Reborn
• Charge of the Light Brigade
• Book of Moon
• Pot of Avarice
• Gold Sarcophagus
• Solar Recharge x3
• Mystical Space Typhoon x3

Spell Cards
We have the basic staples, and the LS cards, Charge and Recharge. Avarice helps in the off chance that you mill all your Judgment Dragons and Beckoning Lights, or if you just need to draw something new. Gold Sarc is not only good for grabbing your big monsters, but also for setting up your OTK by grabbing Heavy Storm, or other cards that will help you. I feel there is no reason not to use 3 MST in decks based on swarming with huge monsters.

• Beckoning Light x2

Trap Cards
 This is the only trap you need. You can dump your unneeded cards, and grab your milled JDs or BLS.


This deck is very easy to use, as long as you open with a decent hand.

A Time for Chaos [Ban List September 2011]

When a new ban list is first revealed, it turns the Yugioh world into chaos, but this time that's a bit more literal. Take a look.

Newly Banned

• Fishborg Blaster

This card is pretty ridiculous, and used in the right deck, it makes OTKs. Some TCG players might not understand why Fishborg got hit so hard, but we don't have Shooting Quasar Dragon like the OCG does. It just sucks for those who pulled the Super Rare version from Turbo Pack 6.

• Mind Master

Another instant Shooting Quasar Dragon. This card was at 1 to deter OTKs, but with Quasar being so powerful, and all the new Psychic cards making it easily accessible,  this needed banned.

• Giant Trunade

You know what this means, right? Trunade is a very powerful Spell card that gets rid of your opponent's Spells and Traps for a turn so you can swarm safely. Since it doesn't destroy anything, the only way to stop it is to have something that negates any Spell card.

• Royal Oppression

Personally, with the way the rest of the list is, I feel this should have stayed at 1. Stun decks won't necessarily miss it since they still have 3 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, but other decks could use this after they've swarmed the field to prevent their opponent from doing the same.


Newly Limited

• Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning

"OMG WTF SHENANIGANS!!!!!" Is what the entire player base may have cried a few years ago, but we've seen even more powerful monsters come and go since this guy was the boss. The big threat here is that any deck with a few dark monsters and Ryko/Cydra/Veiler can splash this beast. Btw, Chaos Sorcerer is still at 3, so expect to see a lot of banishing going on.

• Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En

Everyone knows how frustrating it is when your opponent goes first and summons 2 of these guys. You have to waste so many resources to even stand a chance. Samurai players won't have much trouble adapting, as they can easily go into Naturia Beast or Barkion to back Shi En up.

• T.G. Hyper Librarian

Every deck based around this card is too powerful, so what does that tell you? It was much too easy to make 2 of these and multiple Formula Synchron for seemingly infinite pluses. It's still a great card at 1, but not so overpowered.

• Debris Dragon

Plants is one of the most troublesome decks in the OCG and TCG, and this card makes an instant Black Rose Dragon or Trishula. I think that's enough of a reason to limit it.

• Formula Synchron

With Fishborg and Mind Master banned, Librarian and a lot of Plant support at 1, isn't it a little harsh to limit this card? Absolutely not. As long as there are easily accessible level 1 Tuners, this card with be a problem.

• Lonefire Blossom

The heart of the Plant engine, this card needed to go to 1. Without the OCG priority ruling, there's nothing to stop this card, besides negating its summon.

• Heavy Storm

When this card was legal, everyone wanted it banned. When it was banned, everyone wanted it legal. The difference between this and Trunade is that you can stop this with cards like Starlight Road, the Stardust Dragon family, and Musakani Magatama. With this and Dark Hole being legal, Starlight Road may just become a staple.

• Primal Seed

Wait, what? What the hell does that card even do? Oh yeah! It lets you add the Effect Veiler you removed to summon BLS to your Hand. This is actually a smart move by Konami that I'm sure many players wouldn't have thought about.

• Shien's Smoke Signal

If RotA is at 1, this should be at 1 as well. Every Smoke Signal is an extra Kageki or Kagemusha that you can use to summon a 1st turn Shi En.

• Pot of Avarice

The final nail in Plants' coffin? This also hurts Piper Chaos, Fableds, and other decks that relied on recycling. It also makes Reborn Tengu a smaller threat than it was.


Newly Semi-Limited

• Summoner Monk

With Rescue Cat gone, this isn't the instant OTK it once was, but it's still a powerful card. It's a Level 8 Synchro for the cost of a Spell Card. I would definitely use this in Scraps. It's an instant Scrap Dragon, and gives access to Arcanite Magician.

• Tragoedia

Not much to say about this. It's easily summoned, can steal your opponent's monsters, and can be used to summon any level Synchro with the right cards in your grave. Gadgets will have fun with this at 2.

• Necro Gardna

Another reason to use Twilight (the deck, not the awful book/movie). This gives Lightsworn a small boost, but doesn't compare what some other cards on the list give them.

• Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier

There's a complicated OTK using this card. I'm not 100% sure if it's still viable with this list, but I bet that's why this is back to 2.

• Destiny Draw

Give D Heroes a chance! The Destiny Hero engine was what everyone splashed before Plants were cool. D Draw being at 1 killed it. Now with all the new HERO support and the crippling of the Plant engine, maybe we'll see these cards rise back to the top.

• Swords of Revealing Light

Konami sure likes to throw some curve balls at us. With the game currently being whoever wins the dice roll wins the game, maybe this is an attempt to slow it down a bit.

• Mind Crush

With so much searching in the game, this is a great side deck card.. There's really no reason it should have been at 1 anyway.

• Call of the Haunted

Remember what I said about curve balls? I have no idea what to even think about this. I guess putting a lot of important monsters and Avarice at 1, they figured a little extra recursion won't hurt.


Newly Unlimited

•  Judgment Dragon

Really guys? You took one of the sackiest decks and made it more sacky? Special Summon JD, blow everything up, Normal Summon, Special BLS, gg? This is another reason to main/side Starlight Road.

• Spirit Reaper

Whatever happened to "This game should be about monsters destroying other monsters"? Something along those lines was said when Reaper went to 1. Not a big deal, but things could get really annoying really fast.

• Overload Fusion

Heavy Storm, Future Fusion, Overload, gg? Effect Veiler/Battle Fader/Starlight Road/Stardust all exist, so this isn't as likely as it was way back when.

• Mystical Space Typhoon

Heavy Storm AND 3 MSTs? What kind of sorcery is this!? The kind that hates you setting 4 backrow on your first turn.

• Megamorph

Nobody cares. It wasn't used at 2 anyway.

• Gravity Bind

Oh, Gravity Bind, ok.......WHAT???? I remember a time when all stall cards were getting limited because the game was too slow. Now, we're getting 2 Swords, 3 Reapers, and 3 Binds. I guess that explains the 3 MSTs.

• Icarus Attack

It's about time Blackwings get something back after losing so much to the last few lists. Yet another reason to main/side Starlight Road ;)

So that's it! If we follow the pattern Konami has set, this will be our list, plus Trishula at 1 to match the OCG. There is, however, a chance we'll get our own list, seeing how the TCG and OCG have different rulings on Ignition Effects and Xyz Material Monsters. The only way to know for sure is to wait for Konami of America to post the official TCG list on yugioh-card.com. Feel free to share your thoughts below.

Quick Post: Release Dates

Just popping in quick to list the release dates of all the great products we're getting this year.

August 2 - Hidden Arsenal: Special Edition
August 4 - Turbo Pack 6
August 16 - Generation Force
August 30 - 2011 Collectible Tins: Wave 1
September 20 - Generation Force: Special Edition
October 4 - Legendary Collection 2
October 18 - Structure Deck: Gates of the Underworld
November 1 - 2011 Collectible Tins: Wave 2

I have a few ideas for new posts, but I won't be able to get them out until Monday, so check in then for updates.

Generation Force Sneak Peek: What to Look For

 With the GENF SP just 2 days away,  most players already know what the chase cards are and will be trying to rip everyone off for them. The bulk of this new set doesn't really interest me, but we're going to take a look at the cards that do catch my eye. Feel free to leave comments and tell me which cards you're looking forward to most.

The Wind-Up Archtype
This archtype has a Black Whirlwind that you can run in 3's, and the monsters have varied effects that can either help you, or hurt your opponent. These cards may get overlooked, so pick them up while you can. The aforementioned "Black Whirlwind" card, Wind-Up Factory, is a Super Rare, and that will probably be the highest rarity these cards will reach, except for their boss monster, Wind-Up Zenmaister.

Blue-Blooded Oni (Super Rare)

With the few Zombie support cards in this set, I can see some players trying to bring the deck back to the top tiers. This card will most likely go for around $4, but if Zombies do take off, it could reach around $7-$10.

  

Pain Painter (Secret Rare)

This is what makes Zombies interesting again. If you don't believe they'll make it back near the top, trade this immediately while the hype is up. 

Orient Dragon (Secret Rare)

As a Plant player, this is the card that interests me the most. Currently, the only level 6 Dragon-type Synchro we have is Iron Chain Dragon, and it's milling effect is terrible against decks that revolve around the Graveyard like so many of today's decks do. With most (all) Plant decks using Debris Dragon and either Ryko or Doppelwarrior, this is a 1-card out to cards like Shi En, Stardust Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon, and every other Synchro monster that doesn't negate effects (looking at you, Shooting Quasar). Expect this to reach near Tour Guide prices.

Smashing Horn (Secret Rare)

This card can turn the game around. Don't you hate when you make a big play just to have your opponent use Solemn Warning? This card turns that Warning into a waste of 2000 Life Points. Not only that, but this card can also destroy cards like Thunder King Rai-Oh and Steelswarm Roach when they try to negate your monster summons.

HERO Support 

The Masked HERO and Vision HERO cards finally make their way to the TCG, and they are bound to be sought after by all the HERO players out there. Vision HERO Adoration has the highest rarity at Secret Rare, so watch out for those, and the Ultra Rare Elemental HERO Nova Master.

Steelswarm Roach (Secret Rare)

This is another huge card from this set. It can be used in almost any deck, and can negate 2 of your opponent's Special Summons. This is already looking to be even more expensive than Orient Dragon, so this is definitely the card to look for.

Legendary Collection 2 Promo Pack

A few days ago, I posted the contents of LC2's Promo Pack, but I didn't have much time to get very into it, so today I'm going to review the 10 Ultra Rare cards.

First, we're getting the Darklord cards that were previously only available as YCS prize cards. These monsters have some pretty good effects, and when used with all the Fairy support, they can hit the field fast and hard. It's nice to finally get a reprint of these, and the GX manga promo, Darklord Desire is also in LC2 so everyone can have a complete set of Darklords.

Cyber Larva

LIGHT/1/Machine/Effect

When this face-up card on the field is selected as an attack target, any Battle Damage you take during this turn becomes 0. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Cyber Larva" from your Deck.

ATK/400 DEF/600

The only possible use I see for this card is in some kind of Cyber Eltanin OTK since this helps get Light Machines to your Graveyard while also stalling your opponent.

Lion Alligator

WATER/4/Reptile/Effect

While you control another Reptile-Type monster, during battle between an attacking Reptile-Type monster you control and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the Reptile-Type monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

ATK/1900 DEF/200

Spawn Alligator

WATER/5/Reptile/Effect

When you Tribute a Reptile-Type monster(s) to Tribute Summon this monster, Special Summon 1 monster that was Tributed for this monster from your Graveyard during the End Phase of the turn this card was Tribute Summoned.

ATK/2200 DEF/1000

Here we have a mini archtype of Reptile Monsters. Lion Alligator a decent sized beater that gives all Reptiles a Piercing effect, and Spawn Alligator is basically a free 2200 beater if you tribute a Reptile to summon it. There aren't many reptile decks out there, unless you count Worms, and they already have their beater in Worm King.

Elemental HERO Great Tornado

WIND/8/Warrior/Fusion/Effect

1 "Elemental HERO" monster + 1 WIND monster
This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. When this card is Fusion Summoned, halve the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters your opponent controls.

ATK/2800 DEF/2200

Now we're getting to the better stuff. This is another option for the E HERO decks to fuse into. The card itself is a better than Gaia, and it's an excellent way to get rid of the opponent's Stardust Dragon or Shooting Star Dragon with Super Polymerization.

Parallel World Fusion

Normal Spell Card

Return your removed from play monsters that are listed as Fusion Material Monsters of an "Elemental HERO" Fusion Monster to the Deck and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This is treated as a Fusion Summon). You cannot Special Summon other monsters this turn.

This is a great (and long awaited) addition to the HERO deck's arsenal. If you Miracle Fusion into an E HERO monster, you can use this card to bring out another Fusion Monster using the same material you just removed. This is great, unless you planned on retrieving those monsters using Elemental HERO The Shining's effect.

Dragonic Tactics

Normal Spell Card

Tribute 2 Dragon-Type monsters. Special Summon 1 Level 8 Dragon-Type monster from your Deck.

This card could see some use in Dragon builds using Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, but other than that, it's pretty usesless. Too bad the cost is 2 Dragons, or this could be useful in other decks to easily summon Light and Darkness Dragon.

Coat of Justice

Continuous Spell Card

If you control a face-up Level 1 Fairy-Type Monster, you can Special Summon 1 Fairy-Type monster from your hand. This effect can only be used once per turn.

Unless you want to use a card like Arcana Force 0 - The Fool or Hanewata, this card is pretty useless, although I'm sure you could make an interesting Fairy build with The Fool, Coat of Justice, Valhalla, and some strong Fairy-type Monsters.