A Great Day for Budget Players!

Usually when the holiday tins come around, there are a few great cards included that were originally pretty hard to come by. Last year we got great reprints like Stratos, Battle Fader, Vayu, and Dark Armed Dragon, but a single card from this year's tins blows away all the others combined. Here is what we know so far.

Number 17: Leviathan Dragon Tin
1 Secret Rare Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
2 Packs of Storm of Ragnarok
2 Packs of Extreme Victory
1 Pack of Generation Force
1 Super Rare Pot of Duality
1 Super Rare Dark Simorgh
2 Super Rare cards

Wind-Up Zenmeister Tin
1 Secret Rare Wind-Up Zenmeister
2 Packs of Storm of Ragnarok
2 Packs of Extreme Victory
1 Pack of Generation Force
1 Super Rare Pot of Duality
1 Super Rare Elemental HERO Gaia
2 Super Rare cards

That's right! POT OF DUALITY! These tins are a huge step in the right direction by Konami. There is no reason one card should cost anywhere near $100. Not just Duality, but Gaia was a $50 card, and it can only be played in one type of deck. Simorgh was another somewhat expensive card, being priced at around $35.

These tins are being released on August 25th, and there are still 4 unknown cards included. My money is on Kristya as one of the supers. I'll update once we get some more information.

Deck Analyzation: Tegu Synchro

Reborn Tengu is one of the most useful exclusive cards we've had in a while. When it's removed from the field, you Special Summon another one from your deck. As long as the Tengu wasn't face down when it was removed from the field, or it was sent to your deck, you'll get a free monster. Tengu has made a very strong showing at the last 2 YCS Championships since its release, and we're going to take a look at the winning deck from YCS Providence.

Monsters: 20
2x Lonefire Blossom
3x Reborn Tengu
2x Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
2x Effect Veiler
1x Sangan
1x Blackwing – Zephyros the Elite
1x Glow-Up Bulb
2x Caius the Shadow Monarch
1x Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1x Spore
2x Debris Dragon
1x Card Trooper
1x Dandylion

First, there's the popular Plant engine. This allows easy access to Formula Synchron using Glow-Up Bulb/Spore and Dandylion Tokens. This also lets you get multiple level 5 Synchros with Tengu. Debris Dragon revives any monster with less than 500 ATK (read Dandylion) for instant Synchros. Effect Veiler and Gorz cards that can turn the game around when in your hand.

This deck is based on using monsters from the Graveyard, and Card Trooper and Ryko can put them there while using their effects to pressure the opponent. Zephyros is a nice beater, and can be easily Special Summoned from the Graveyard. With Zephyros and Glow-Up in the Graveyard, a Tengu on the field means a free Trishula. Since most of the monsters in this deck have less than 1500 ATK, Sangan can grab what you need to turn the duel in your favor, and a pair of Caius takes care of monsters that you otherwise would not be able to get rid of with destruction (Stardust, Shi En, etc).

Spells: 12
2x Pot of Duality
2x Pot of Avarice
2x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Dark Hole
1x Monster Reborn
1x Book of Moon
1x Giant Trunade
1x One for One
1x Foolish Burial

There's the standard set of staples with the Plant engine Spells, Pot of Avarice and One for One. Avarice is great in this deck, as it lets you reuse your Tengus.

Traps: 9
2x Solemn Warning
1x Call of the Haunted
1x Torrential Tribute
1x Mirror Force
1x Limit Reverse
1x Solemn Judgment
1x Dust Tornado
1x Dimensional Prison

Again, pretty standard trap line-up, if not a bit much for a deck that tries to mill monsters. Limit Reverse can grab most of the monsters in this deck, and can plus off an opponent's MST if you target Dandylion, Trooper, or Sangan. Dust Tornado is a nice choice. Not only does it take care of Necrovalley and Oppression, but with Plant decks running so few traps, there's a good chance you'll hit a Solemn. I'll leave out the Extra Deck because it's basically the same as any Plant-Synchro deck, and Hyper Librarian wasn't legal at the time.

Side Deck: 15
2x Cyber Dragon
2x Thunder King Rai-Oh
1x Dust Tornado
1x Nobleman of Crossout
2x Chain Disappearance
1x Bottomless Trap Hole
1x Royal Oppression
2x Puppet Plant
2x D.D. Crow
1x Ally Salvo

Cyber Dragon is a good side choice against decks like Gladiator Beasts and Gravekeeper's that have monsters you'll have a hard time getting over, and wrecks any Machine deck with Chimeratech Fortress Dragon in your Extra Deck. Thunder King keeps your opponent from adding cards to their hand, so it shuts down cards like Duality, Gadgets, Darksoul, and Stratos. It can also negate inherent Special Summons like Synchros, Contact Fusion, and Faultroll. Nobleman of Crossout can take a big chunk away from your opponent's deck if you hit a Ryko or GK Spy.

Chain Disappearance works kind of like Crossout. If you hit a card like Darksoul, Ryko, or Treeborn Frog, your opponent loses some very important cards. Bottomless Trap Hole is good against Glads, GKs, and the new Agent deck. Once you have your field set up, Royal Oppression can lock down your opponent so they can't come back. Puppet Plant steals opposing Warrior (Samurai) and Spellcasters (Gravekeepers), and you can do whatever you want with the monster.

Crow is a great side choice all around. The Graveyard is a very important part of most decks, and this card can stop your opponent's plays dead. Ally Salvo works against Agents if it's destroyed by battle, but with Hyperion around, that won't always be the case.

What's Next?

One of the best parts about this deck is the easy access to T.G. Hyper Librarian. With just Tengu and Glow-Up Bulb, you can make 2 of these in 1 turn, giving you an instant +1. With Formula Synchron being so easy to summon as well, you can easily gain advantage over your opponent. Next time, we'll look at a deck very similar to this one, but also very different. They both have the same goal, but have different ways of getting there.

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!

It's That Time Again :D

Yes, that special time that only comes twice a year. A time when your either full of elation or rage. Ban list time. Let's get started right away with a look at the newly banned cards.

• Goyo Guardian
• Cold Wave
• Mass Driver

Goyo has the highest ATK of any Synchro Monster under level 8. He's easy to summon and permanently steals your opponent's monsters when he destroys them in battle. It's a poorly designed card that's been limited for so long for a reason. Nowadays, you would usually just go for Brionac anyway, so it's not like Goyo was a huge problem.

Cold Wave is a huge nuisance card that is arguably more harmful than the banned Heavy Storm. Locking down your opponent's Spell/Traps for 2 turns is a game changing move, especially if followed by something like Black Rose Dragon or XX-Saber Hyunlei. Cold Wave can't be stopped by cards like Starlight Road or Stardust Dragon either, so if Heavy Storm is banned, this should be as well. The only reason for Mass Driver's existence is to otk, and no one likes being otk'd. Good riddance.

Now for the newly limited cards.

• Honest
• Dandylion
• Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
• Book of Moon
• Gateway of the Six

It looks like Konami has realized that damage step killers like Honest and Kalut are a bad idea. Two of the top decks in Japan right now are Blackwings and Agent Fairies so it's really no wonder these cards were cut to 1. Blackwings still have plenty of tricks, but this is going to hurt them. Dandylion at 1 really hurts Plant decks. Even if you only need 1 to keep reviving with Debris Dragon, it only takes 1 D.D. Crow to shut you down. Book has been all over the list since it's release and now we're back at 1. This card alone can shut down combos and Synchro Summons. It's also a great attack stopper that's not affected by Trap Stun.  Many decks will miss this card, especially X-Sabers. Gateway is the reason Six Samurai is the top deck right now, and with Shien's Dojo coming out, it can stay at 1 forever.

Or newly semi-limted cards are....

• Card Trooper
• Archlord Kristya
• Spirit Reaper
• Debris Dragon
• Royal Tribute
• Overload Fusion
• Megamorph
• Solemn Warning
• Icarus Attack

Trooper is something that should have gone to 2 a long time ago. Long gone are the days of Troop-Dupe-Scoop, and at 2, it's not worth running the otherwise dead card, Machine Duplication. Kristya is a huge free beater with a built in Oppression, and again, Agents are tearing up the OCG right now. Spirit Reaper is very surprising. It helps out slower decks wile hindering decks like X-Sabers that don't have much monster destruction. Debris at 2 isn't a huge hit to Plants since they can be recycled with Avarice, but this in combination with Dandylion at 1 is really bad for them.

Royal Tribute is a big part of what makes Gravekeeper's such a disruptive deck. I don't see this affecting them too badly, but it's nice to know you can only lose your hand twice per game now. Overload at 2 isn't as bad as it seems at first. Sure it's automatically a huge monster that can attack every monster your opponent has, but you're going to need to clear the field of all disruptions, and with only 2 MST and 1 Trunade, good luck with that. Megamorph at 2 is also surprising, especially with Demise at 3. Solemn Warning is a very debatable card. Some say it's balanced, while others say it needs to go to 1. I believe it's balanced. By paying a fourth of your life points, you get to negate 1 summon, which may have won your opponent the match. It's one of the best traps in the game right now, and it's good at 2. Icarus Attack was a big disruptor in Blackwings. With Kalut going to 1, did they really need to hit this?

Now for the cards that leave the list

• Chaos Sorcerer
• Demise, King of Armageddon
• Snipe Hunter
• Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
• Gold Sarcophagus
• Skill Drain
• Ultimate Offering

Sorcerer is an easily summoned card with a great effect. The last time this card was at 3, Chaos Return was the main deck. Now, it can easily be taken down by almost any Synchro Monster. Demise at 3 really doesn't change anything. Maybe the 2nd Megamorph will have people trying out the old Doom Dozer combo. Snipe Hunter never belonged on the list at all. Discard a card for a chance to destroy a card. Without Premature Burial, there was little reason for Dewloren to be at 1 anyway. Sarcophagus at 3 doesn't change anything. It's still a slow card. Skill Drain could make a comeback with this. If only Destiny Draw got bumped up, maybe we'd see a resurgence in that deck. And lastly, Ultimate Offering at 3 doesn't mean anything for anyone.

There's our next 6 months of Yugioh. Samurai and Blackwings get hurt while X-Sabers are left virtually untouched. We might see some chaos decks pop up, and maybe even Infernity will make a small comeback.

Deck Construction: Skulls

^That's a Misfits reference btw^

I recently acquired a playset of the new Skull Servant support card, Wightmare, and I think it's a great time to build the deck.

We'll start with the base of the deck, Skull Servant support!

• Skull Servant
• King of the Skull Servants
• The Lady in Wight
• Wightmare

I'll be using 3 of each of these cards. Max Skull Servant seems bad, but there are plenty of ways to dump them in here.

• Armageddon Knight
• Mezuki
• Sangan

Armageddon Knight can send a Skull Servant to the graveyard whenever it's summoned, and that's very important. We really don't want to draw those little guys. Mezuki is a decent ATK beater and acts as a Monster Reborn for your Zombies. Sangan simply searches any card in the deck except Mezuki and King of the Skull Servants.

Moving along to Spell Cards, these are the basic staples that will go in. 

• Monster Reborn
• Dark Hole
• Mystical Space Typhoon

Since this deck has decent potential to OTK, we'll add some enablers. Also since King is a level one monster, we can use an Equip Spell to let him attack directly. One for One lets us discard a useless monster from the hand to Special Summon a King from the deck. Allure is draw power for all the dark monsters, and RotA searches out Armageddon Knight. Gold Sarcophagus lets us search any component of the OTK. Foolish Burial works like Armageddon Knight, and Book of Life revives any of the Zombies we send to the graveyard. And finally, Burial from a Different Dimension puts back any Skull Servants that might have been removed with King's effect or Allure, along with a used Mezuki.

• Giant Trunade
• Cold Wave
• Foolish Burial
• Allure of Darkness
• Burial from a Different Dimension
• One for One
• Reinforcement of the Army
• Gold Sarcophagus
• Opti-Camouflage Armor
• Book of Life

Moving on to the Traps, we have some basic staples and that's about it.

• Mirror Force
• Torrential Tribute
• Solemn Judgment
• Bottomless Trap Hole
• Call of the Haunted

So, for the final deck list, we have
Monsters: 17
3x Armageddon Knight
3x Skull Servant
3x King of the Skull Servants
3x The Lady in Wight
3x Wightmare
1x Mezuki
1x Sangan

Spells: 17
1x Monster Reborn
1x Dark Hole
1x Giant Trunade
1x Cold Wave
1x Foolish Burial
1x Allure of Darkness
1x Burial from a Different Dimension
1x One for One
1x Reinforcement of the Army
2x Mystical Space Typhoon
2x Gold Sarcophagus
2x Opti-Camouflage Armor
2x Book of Life

Traps: 6
1x Mirror Force
1x Torrential Tribute
1x Solemn Judgment
1x Call of the Haunted
2x Bottomless Trap Hole


This is only one way to run the deck, maybe next time I'll build a faster version using milling cards like Magical Merchant.