MOAR GOLD?!?!? No, just crap...

The rest of the Gold Series 4 cards were recently revealed, and there's almost nothing of interest there. First, let's take a look at some of the previously unreleased/long out of print cards

• Millennium Shield
• Pendulum Machine
• Goddess of Whim
• White-Horned Dragon
• Genesis Dragon
• Orichalcos Shunoros
• Eternal Drought
• Eradicating Aerosol
• Graceful Dice
• Sage's Stone
• Skull Dice

Here, we have a good amount of old video game promos, McDonald's promos, Jump subscription cards, and a few new cards to the TCG. Eternal Drought and Eradicating Aerosol finish up the old "Type-based Raigeki" cards for us, and Genesis and Shunoros are there for the UK market. Now, we'll look at some old Tournament Pack cards, some of which were reprinted already in Dark Beginnings 2. These are all fusion substitute monsters.

• Goddess With the Third Eye
• Beastking of the Swamps
• Versago the Destroyer

 A decent chunk of the confirmed commons are secret rares from the late GX-era sets. This includes the rest of the cards from the Japanese Surge of Radiance and Curse of Darkness structure decks that haven't been reprinted yet. Even though, none of them are very playable anymore, it's nice to see them reprinted, and to have an easily accessible Magic Formula for collectors who don't want to spend $90 on an unplayable card.

• Meltiel, Sage of the Sky
• Radiant Jeral
• Diabolos, King of the Abyss
• Lich Lord, King of the Underworld
• Prometheus, King of the Shadows
• Mormolith
• Magic Formula
• Recurring Nightmare
• Sword of Dark Rites

 We'll end the article with a look at some wtf cards with a few decent ones thrown in there.

• The Wicked Worm Beast
• Injection Fairy Lily
• Toon Dark Magician Girl
• Soul Exchange
• Toon World
• Trade-In
• Robbin' Goblin
• Xing Zhen Hu
• Deck Devastation Virus

Toon Dark Magician Girl was released twice within a short time of each other, and Injection Fairy Lily isn't so easy to come by, but we have many versions of  Soul Exchange and Toon World. I really see no reason to reprint Robbin' Goblin and Xing Zhen Hu, and seriously, what's the deal with Wicked Worm Beast? Trade-In and DDV are nice, though.

Things That Make You Say "meh" - Gold Series 4 Preview

Since a few weeks ago, Konami has been gradually spoiling the list for the new Gold Series. At first, this set had potential. Could this be an answer to the poor duelist's problems? With reprints like Tytannial, Five-Headed Dragon, and Doomcaliber Knight, things were looking good. Now that we have a full list of gold cards, this just looks like a way for players to bling out their deck more.

Let's take a look at some cards that needed reprinted.

• Doomcaliber Knight: The money card of the set. This great anti-meta card only has 2 previous printings, and both were limited.
• Five-Headed Dragon: This card has only been printed once, and the only way to get it was to buy the otherwise pointless Dinosaur Structure deck.
• Gladiator Beast Gyzarus: With Gladiator Beasts seeing more play, this is a great move. Gyzarus is one of the deck's best cards, and it's only been printed once.
• Tytannial the Princess of Camellias: Plants have been a popular deck for quite some time, and while Tytannial isn't that expensive, it's nice to have a reprint.
• Obelisk the Tormentor: It's not a great card, but only being released with Shonen Jump means the rest of the TCG world outside of North America can't use it. I'm sure other countries would like better cards, like Elemental Hero Shining, Absolute Zero, or Malefic Stardust.

That's about it. I'm not saying those are the only good cards in the set, but those are the ones that needed the reprint the most. This next chunk of cards are ones that haven't been printed in a while, but aren't that hard to find or really that popular.

• Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning: The ruler of chaos and the 2004-2005 formats. We haven't seen this guy printed in a while, but that's probably because he's still banned. Maybe this means he'll finally come off the list.
• Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: This came out alongside Gyzarus and hasn't been reprinted since, but it's still only a few dollars, and Lightsworns aren't even good right now.
• Toon Table of Contents: This card is currently a $10 common, and also came as a super rare. It's nice to have a reprint, but the gold rarity isn't necessary.
• Summoner Monk: If this was still Cat-Synchro format, this would be just as sought after as DCK. Again, it needed a reprint, but there are so many other good (expensive) cards that could've been in this spot.
• Darklord Zerato: Older and rarer than Gyzarus and Celestia, but not as good. Even though this was one of the main cards in the Dark Armed Return deck that wrecked the meta years ago, it's just not good anymore.  

To finish off the article, we'll look at the cards that are just thereto be gold.

• Gravekeeper's Spy: If it wasn't for the recent reprint in Structure Deck Marik, this would be up top, but we already have several common versions, and a super rare. If they wanted to help holo-out Gravekeeper decks, why not make Descendant or Recruiter a gold rare?
• Royal Oppression: This almost made it into the list of cards that need reprinting, but we already have 2 rares and a common version. It's still a $6 card, and it's nice to have a holo version.
• Chaos Sorcerer: This just got printed as an ultra, but as a Turbo Pack holo, it's not so easy to get a hold of. This card has also been being used more often lately.
• Morphing Jar: Even though it was recently reprinted in DL form, the super and ultra rare versions of this card are very expensive. It's nice to have an easily obtainable holo, even if the card's not used very often.
• Trap Stun: It's nice to have a holo reprint, but this card is actually going down in popularity, and being replaced by Seven Tools of the Bandit.
• Spirit Reaper: Another card with an expensive holo version. Now being at 2, it's nice to see another holo version of this card.
• Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter: Being a $10 super and $5 common, this card did need a reprint. This card is used in so many decks right now, and it's a great pick for a gold rare.
• Pot of Avarice: This card already has 5 different incarnation, but the 3 holo versions are still highly ought after. With the gold version, this card now comes in Common, Rare, Super Rare, Ultra Rare, Ultimate Rare, and gold, giving Cyber Dragon a run for the most different rarities of a single card.

Cards aren't all that comes with this year's Gold Series. They come in this neat box!

Oh yea, almost forgot, these sweet-ass mats

The Triumphant Return of Online Dueling

And the return of me :) I've been out of the game for awhile, but the recently opened website, Dueling Network, has brought me back in full swing. Don't get me wrong, online dueling has been around since the beginning of the game. I remember playing on the Apprentice program, which was made for Magic: the Gathering, but was easily used for other games, like Pokemon, Dragonball Z, and of course, Yugioh.

Most players have been using programs like this (YVD and KCVDS included), which you had to download and update yourself, then look online for opponents. Routers make this a hassle, as you have to bypass your firewall and IP address. However, the "invention" of browser-based dueling outlets made things very convenient, and now we have one that is (mostly) stable and easy to use.

Online dueling is great for many reasons. Not only can you duel with a friend from a distance, but you can duel players from anywhere in the world. This lets you get practice against a variety of decks in your free time, and prepare yourself for any tournament you may go to. You can strengthen the way you play your own deck, or try out any other type of deck.

Dueling online isn't a sure fire way to make yourself "America's Next Top Duelist" (patent pending), as winning at this game requires more than just cards and knowledge. You need to be able to read your opponent and know how to bluff, which is nearly impossible when facing a computer screen. The best thing you can do is learn the ins and outs of your own deck while also learning what other decks can do and how to counter them, then use that experience against friends or players at local tournaments and work on your psychological game.

If you come across CrashLove37, hit me up for a game, and remember; Online experience+Real life experience=gg.

...that's a terrible way to end an article.......um......Peace Out, Bitches!