Belfast WCQ Top 8 decklists

Good Afternoon everyone,

As you all know Yu-Gi-Oh! Belfast World Championship Qualifier has been and gone and we here all hope you had a great time, either as a repeat competitive player or as a first time competitor. We hope the experience was positive and we can attract you to compete in more events of a similar nature.


Now I (Adam) apologise for the delay in the top 8 decklists being posted, I was extremely busy with other obligations over the Decemeber/early January period. We, the admin staff, promise to bring you more, regular content, over the next few weeks.

Now, here are your top 8 lists. Enjoy!

Winner: Adam Stanex
3 Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Graff Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Tour Guide from the Underworld
2 Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
2 Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning
(21)

3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Foolish Burial
1 Raigeki
1 Good and Evil in the Burning Abyss
1 The Beginning of the End
(8)

3 Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss
3 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
2 Karma Cut
2 Vanity’s Emptiness
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
(11)

Extra:(15)
3 Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss
3 Downerd Magician
2 Virgil Rock Star of the Burning Abyss
2 Number 47 – Nightmare Shark
1 Ghostrick Alucard
1 Number 20 – Giga Brilliant
1 Wind-Up Zenmaines
1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1 Number 30 – Acid Golem of Destruction

Side:(15)
3 Maxx “C”
3 Fairy Wind
2 Puppet Plant
2 Majesty’s Fiend
2 Ojama Trio
1 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Vanity’s Emptiness
1 Snatch Steal




2nd – Conor McLaughlin

3 Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Graff Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Tour Guide from the Underworld
3 Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
2 Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning
(21)

2 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Enemy Controller
1 Night Beam
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Foolish Burial
1 Raigeki
1 Snatch Steal
1 Soul Charge
(10)

3 Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss
2 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1Karma Cut
2 Vanity’s Emptiness
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
(9)

Extra:(15)
3 Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss
2 Downerd Magician
2 Virgil Rock Star of the Burning Abyss
2 Number 47 – Nightmare Shark
1 Ghostrick Alucard
1 Number 20 – Giga Brilliant
1 Mechquipped Angineer
1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1 Number 30 – Acid Golem of Destruction
1 Number 49 – Fortune Tune

Side:(15)
2 Maxx “C”
2 Dark Hole
3 Fairy Wind
2 Puppet Plant
2 Vanity’s Fiend
2 Non-Fusion Area
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Ojama Trio



3rd: Barry McGuinness
3 Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Graff Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Tour Guide from the Underworld
1 Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
(21)

3 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Eney Controller
2 Dark Hole
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Foolish Burial
1 Raigeki
1 Book of Moon
1 Snatch Steal
(12)

3 Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss
3 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Solemn Warning
(7)

Extra:(15)
3 Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss
2 Downerd Magician
2 Virgil Rock Star of the Burning Abyss
2 Number 47 – Nightmare Shark
1 Ghostrick Alucard
1 Number 20 – Giga Brilliant
1 Number 49 – Fortune Tune
1 Temtempo the Percussion Djinn
1 Number 30 – Acid Golem of Destruction
1 Mechquipped Angineer

Side:(15)
2 Maxx “C”
3 Fairy Wind
2 Vanity’s Fiend
2 Ojama Trio
2 Chaos Trap Hole
2 Twister
2 Flying “C”




4th: James Quinn
3 Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Graff Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Tour Guide from the Underworld
2 Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
2 Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
2 Maxx “C”
1 Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning
(24)

3 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Enemy Controller
1 Foolish Burial
1 Raigeki
1 Good and Evil in the Burning Abyss
(8)

3 Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss
3 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
2 Karma Cut
(8)

Extra:(15)
3 Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss
3 Number 47 – Nightmare Shark
2 Downerd Magician
2 Virgil Rock Star of the Burning Abyss
2 Ghostrick Alucard
1 Number 20 – Giga Brilliant
1 Wind-Up Zenmaines
1 Number 30 – Acid Golem of Destruction

Side:(15)
3 The Monarchs’ Stormforth
3 Majesty’s Fiend
2 Fairy Wind
2 Vanity’s Fiend
2 Ojama Trio
2 Royal Command
1 Snatch Steal





5th: Alex Davidson

3 Volcanic Rocket
3 Volcanic Shell
3 Volcanic Scattershot
3 Royal Firestorm Guards
2 Volcanic Counter
2 Fire Hand
2 Ice Hand
1 Volcanic Doomfire
(19)

3 Pot of Duality
2 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Foolish Burial
1 Blaze Accelerator
(7)

3 Vanity’s Emptiness
3 Magic Cylinder
3 Blaze Accelerator
2 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Solemn Warning
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Bottomless Trap Hole
(14)

Extra:(15)
2 Lavalval Chain
2 Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer
1 Number 80 – Rhapsody in Beserk
1 Gagaga Cowboy
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Daigusto Emeral
1 Evilswarm Exciton Knight
1 Diamond Dire Wolf
1 Number 50 – Blackship of Corn
1 Infernal Flame Vixen
1 Number 103 – Ragna Zero
1 Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight
1 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon

Side:(15)
3 Vanity’s Fiend
3 Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror
3 Fairy Wind
2 Maxx “C”
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Volcanic Counter
1 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Book of Moon




6th: Scott Murdoch

3 Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Graff Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
3 Tour Guide from the Underworld
2 Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
2 Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
2 Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
2 Max”C”
1 Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss
1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning
(23)

3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Allure of Darkness
1 Foolish Burial
1 Raigeki
1 Good and Evil in the Burning Abyss
1 Rank-Up Magic – astral Force
1 Enemy Controller
(9)

3 Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss
3 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
2 Karma Cut
(8)

Extra:(15)
3 Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss
2 Downerd Magician
2 Virgil Rock Star of the Burning Abyss
1 Number 47 – Nightmare Shark
1 Ghostrick Alucard
1 Number 20 – Giga Brilliant
1 Wind-Up Zenmaines
1 Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut
1 Number 30 – Acid Golem of Destruction
1 Constellar Pleiades
1 Number C69 – Heraldry Crest of Horror

Side:(15)
3 Vanity’s Fiend
3 Fairy Wind
3 The Monarchs’ Stormforth
2 Puppet Plant
2 Ojama Trio
1 Majesty’s Fiend
1 Snatch Steal





7th: Mark Morrison

3 Satellarknight Deneb
3 Satellarknight Altair
2 Satellarknight Unulkalhai
2 Satellarknight Vega
2 Honest
(12)

3 Reinforcement of the Army
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
2 Pot of Duality
1 Snatch Steal
1 Raigeki
1 Book of Moon
1 Soul Charge
(12)

3 Call of the Haunted
3 Stellarnova Alpha
2 Oasis of Dragon’s Souls
2 Fiendish Chain
1 Breakthrough Skill
1 Solemn Warning
1 Soul Drain
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
(16)

Extra:(15)
2 Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer
2 Stellarknight Triverr
1 Heroic Champion Gandiva
1 Daigusto Emeral
1 Constellar Omega
1 Number 103 – Ragna Zero
1 Evilswarm Exciton Knight
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Stellarknight Delteros
1 Bujintei Tsukuyomi
1 Gagaga Cowboy
1 Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight
1 Number 101 – Silent Honor ARK

Side:(15)
3 Maxx “C”
3 Twister
3 Battleguard Howling
3 Royal Command
2 Ojama Trio
1 Fairy Wind




8th – Andrew Herbison

3 Mermail Abyssteus
3 Mermail Abysspike
3 Mermail Abyssgunde
2 Mermail Abysslinde
2 Mermail Abyssmegalo
2 Atlantean Heavy Infantry
2 Atlantean Marksman
2 Genex Controller
2 Genex Undine
2 Aqua Spirit
1 Mermail Abyssleed
1 Mermail Abyssturge
1 Atlantean Dragoons
1 Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls
(27)

3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Book of Moon
1 Snatch Steal
(5)

3 Abyss-Sphere
2 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Bottomless Trap Hole
(8)

Extra:(15)
2 Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree
2 Number 11 – Big Eye
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Mechquipped Angineer
1 Leviair the Sea Dragon
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Lavalval Chain
1 Evilswarm Exciton Knight
1 Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer
1 Downerd Magician
1 Number 11 – Silent Honor ARK
1 Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack
1 Mermail Abyssgaios

Side:(15)
3 Creature Swap
2 Maxx “C”
2 Fairy Wind
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
2 Shadow Imprisoning Mirror
2 Black Horn of Heaven
1 Atlantean Marksman
1 Atlantean Heavy Infantry

Chain Links - A Detailed Explanation

We’ve had a number of requests for an article of how to arrange your chain links – this second piece in our new article season aims to do just that.

Let’s play the game:

 SEGOC: Chain Links and other Hi-Jinks

Chains and chain links are an essential part of this game, and understanding them fully is a key part of taking yours to the next level. The intricacies in how chains are built and resolved may not be relevant a great deal, but they’re absolutely back breaking if you get them wrong when they are.

We all understand the basics of activating cards in response to our opponent’s cards/effects. A chain like the below (from the basic Rulebook) is easy to understand:

Player A: Raigeki -> Chain Link 1

Player B: Magic Jammer -> Chain Link 2

Player A: Seven Tools of the Bandit -> Chain Link 3

The Issue occurs when two or more effects try to activate simultaneously. Which effect is chain link 1? Do both effects resolve at the same time?

Questions like these are common in Mirror matches, where both players will often attempt to activate the effect of the same card simultaneously – “Mermail Abysslinde” being a prime example.

I can tell you now that no two activated effects will ever resolve at the same time during a Yu-Gi-Oh! Game, that’s just not how game mechanics work.

So how do we decide what goes first?

Fortunately, there are rules to determine the order. We call these rules SEGOC:

Simultaneous Effects Go On Chain

These rules determine the order in which simultaneous effects are put onto the chain. That order looks like this:

1. Turn Player Mandatory Effects

2. Non-Turn Player Mandatory Effects

3. Turn Player Optional Effects

4. Non-Turn Player Optional Effects

If you’re having difficulty, just remember:

Turn player before non-turn player. Mandatory before optional.

The easiest way to get the hang of this is to look at some examples:

A Fishy Problem

Conor controls a face-up ATK position “Mermail Abysslinde” and a set “Debunk”. He’s playing a Mermail mirror match against Scott, so he should be in pretty good shape. I’m not so sure though…

Scott summons his own copy of “Mermail Abysslinde” and attacks Conor’s with it. Both monsters are destroyed at the same time, so we need to use SEGOC to determine which one will resolve first.

Both players are activating “Mermail Abysslinde” – an optional effect, so Mandatory before optional isn’t much help here. We’ll have to use Turn Player before Non-Turn Player.

Scott is the turn player here, so our rules make his effect chain link 1, while Conor’s Abysslinde is forced into chain link 2.

Conor would like to activate “Debunk” here to negate Scott’s Abysslinde, but his own copy of Abysslinde is at chain link 2, and Debunk can only respond to the highest chain link (like most Counter Trap cards). In effect, Conor’s own Abysslinde has protected Scott from his Debunk!

As you can see, by manipulating chain links, you can protect your effects from your opponent’s cards. So what happens when all the effects are yours?

Big Shark, Small Pond:

Adam controls a face-up “The Grand Spellbook Tower” and a set “Spellbook Magician of Prophecy”.

His opponent Michael discards “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman” to activate the effect of “Mermail Abyssmegalo”. Adam has no response, so Abyssmegalo is special summoned.

Now, in this case, 3 effects have met their triggers: “Mermail Abyssmegalo”, “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman”. So let’s apply the rules and determine the order they go on the chain.

The effects all belong to Michael, so turn player before non-turn player isn’t very helpful, and we’ll have to rely on mandatory before optional.

Abyssmegalo’s effect is optional, with the effects of “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman” being Mandatory. This means that Abyssmegalo MUST be link 3 (as it cannot go before either of the Mandatory effects).

What order do “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman” go in though?

Well, since they’re both owned by the same player, that player may choose what order they’re placed on the chain. In this case Michael doesn’t want Adam to get the effect of his “The Grand Spellbook Tower”, so he makes “Atlantean Marksman” chain link 1 and “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” chain link 2 – our final chain looks like this:

Link 1: Atlantean Marksman

Link 2: Alantean Heavy Infantry

Link 3: Mermail Abyssmegalo

But Wait! There’s More…

There’s one more rule used to determine what order effects go on the chain, and it’s incredibly important:

“Effects that meet their triggers first go on the chain first”

That is to say that if a player has two or more effects that activate simultaneously, but one met its trigger before the other, that effect MUST become chain link 1.

Again, it’s easiest to learn by Example:

Hey, that Bee Broke my Sword!

Dean controls “Inzektor Dragonfly” equipped with “Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber”. He activates Dragonfly’s effect and equips it with “Inzektor Hornet” from the Graveyard.

He then activates “Inzektor Hornet”’s effect, destroying Zektkaliber, and wants to activate all of his effects – 2 Dragonfly triggers and ZektKaliber.

What order do these effects go on the chain?

“Inzektor Dragonfly” is optional and “Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber” is mandatory, so the solution is obvious, right?

Wrong. In this case the effects didn’t all meet their triggers at the same time. The first to meet its trigger was Dragonfly (when Hornet was sent to the Graveyard to pay its own cost), then the second Dragonfly trigger and Zektkaliber are simultaneous (since they were both triggered when Hornet resolved and destroyed Zektkaliber).

So since Dragonfly’s first trigger happened before anything else, chain link 1 has to be Dragonfly’s effect - in accordance with our new rule. (Note that this is true even though Zektkaliber is Mandatory, and overrides the usual SEGOC rules).

After that, Zektkaliber is Mandatory and the second Dragonfly effect is optional. These were both triggered simultaneously, so they follow traditional SEGOC rules, and our final chain is:

Chain Link 1: Inzektor Dragonfly

Chain Link 2: Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber

Chain Link 3: Inzektor Dragonfly

If we revisit our watery friends from earlier, we’ll see another situation in which this is relevant:

Fishiness Foiled!

Adam and Michael are at it again. With the situation the same, Michael devises a plan to remove “The Grand Spellbook Tower” safely once again.

He activates “Mermail Abyssmegalo”, discarding “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Mermail Abyssgunde” to pay its cost.

Now all he has to do is make Heavy Infantry Chain Link 2, and…

Whoops! I’m afraid Michael’s chain isn’t going to work out as he planned this time! Can you see why?

That’s right – “Mermail Abyssgunde” is an OPTIONAL effect, meaning that only “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” is mandatory.

Since Heavy Infantry and Abyssgunde were triggered at the same time, they have to follow SEGOC rules – Heavy Infantry MUST be link 1, with Abyssgunde at link 2. Following that, Megalo (whose effect was triggered afterward) is forced into link 3 again by our new rule.

With Heavy Infantry as link 1, “The Grand Spellbook Tower” will be able to special summon a monster from Adam’s deck. If Michael’s Abyssgunde can’t find a good target then he might be in trouble!

So SEGOC and chain rules have played a pretty heavy role in the game in the past.

But these mechanics are equally as important now as they’ve ever been, though you won’t see many copies of Abysslinde in a Shaddoll deck…

Let’s have one more example to show how NECH’s “El Shaddoll Fusion” will make knowing this especially important:

Dante’s Fuse-ferno:

It’s Alex’s turn, and while his newly drawn “Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss” isn’t that helpful, his face-up “Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss” and set “Raigeki Break” and “Different Dimension Ground” should help him hold the field.

On the other side of the Table, Richard has “White Dragon Wyverburster” and “El Shaddoll Winda” which has been cutting off Alex’s Tour Guides (he’s currently holding 2). It’s backed up by 3 sets: “Shaddoll Falco”, “El Shaddoll Fusion” and “Super Polymerization”.

Alex decides he wants Winda gone. He activates Dante’s effect, detaching his last material - “Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss” - to pay it’s cost.

When Richard has no response, he chains “Different Dimension Ground”.

Richard knows that’s bad, so in response he activates “El Shaddoll Fusion”.

Alex doesn’t really want to see “El Shaddoll Construct”, so he chains “Raigeki Break”, discarding Cir, and targets Wyverburster.

Richard would quite like a Construct though, so he chains “Super Polymerization”, discarding “Shaddoll Fusion”.

When the Chain resolves, “Super Polymerisation” fuses Winda and Dante into “El Shaddoll Construct while “Raigeki Break” destroys Wyverburster.

“El Shaddoll Fusion” then fuses Falco and Construct into another Winda.

Then “Different Dimension Ground” Resolves, and Dante resolves without effect.

Following this, EIGHT new effects will activate. Can you identify them and determine how the chain is built?

So, what do we know about chains? Well, effects that trigger first always go on the chain first – so what was the first effect to trigger?

That’s right, “Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss” (which was detached from Dante), followed by Cir (which was discarded for Raigeki Break’s cost). Those 2 effects met their triggers as the chain was built, so they have to be links 1 and 2.

After that comes resolution. Dante and Winda were sent to the Graveyard simultaneously by Super Polmerization and are both Optional, so Dante (who is the Turn Player’s effect) is link 3, with Winda as Link 4 (SEGOC, remember?)

Next, Construct was summoned. With nothing else happening at the same time, its “on summon” effect claims link 5.

Following that, the resolution of ”Raigeki Break” triggers Wyverburster - which occupies chain link 6.

Lastly, Falco and Construct are fused into Winda. Since both of their “Sent to the Graveyard” effects are optional and owned by a single player (Richard), that player gets to choose what order they go on the chain in.

As general best practice (to avoid summon negation), Richard puts Falco at link 7 and Construct at link 8:

Chain Link 1: Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss

Chain Link 2: Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss

Chain Link 3: Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss

Chain Link 4: El Shaddoll Winda

Chain Link 5: El Shaddoll Construct

Chain Link 6: White Dragon Wyverburster

Chain Link 7: Shaddoll Falco

Chain Link 8: El Shaddoll Construct

Wow, that’s a hell of a chain. Can you follow the resolution through?

I think it’s pretty clear who’s going to come out on top, since Richard will control Winda and Falco with 2 Shaddoll Spells/Traps and Collapserpent in hand (and maybe more with Construct’s effect) after it resolves, while Alex will be left with a single Burning Abyss monster (since the other summon will be prevented by Winda!)

Ouch, let’s hope Alex’s Tour Guides do some work over the next few turns!

I hope I’ve succeeded in clearing at least some of the mist surrounding chain links here (and not scared you off with the last example) as they really are important to improving as a player.

If you have any questions about this article you can reach me at yugiohbelfast@hotmail.com or via Facebook

Until next time, I’ll leave you with this question:

If I attack an Attack Position “Mathematician” with “Brotherhood of the Fire Fist– Bear” and my opponent wants to summon “Tragoedia”, what order do the chain links go in?

Happy Puzzling!

Luke

Blog Revamp: Welcome back Card Players!

Hello everyone! 

 

I’d like to welcome you back (or introduce you) to the Competitive Card Playing blog. It’s undergone a bit of a transformation and is now the hub of the “Belfast Yugioh” group! 

 

We’ll be producing and posting (hopefully) weekly articles on various topics that we hope will help you improve your game at a competitive level. 

 

This week you have me (Adam) producing the first new article for the group -

I hope you enjoy it! 

 

So without further ado, let's dive in:

 

Going on Tilt: Causes, Avoidance and Recovery

 

If you're not familiar with the term 'tilt', let me give you an explanation of what it means; 

 

 

 

 

"Allowing the circumstances to affect your judgment, causing you to play sub-optimally."

 

Tilting plays a part in all kinds of gaming, be it video games, cards, or even professional sports. When your judgement is affected you enter a downward spiral - which in turn leads to more anger and frustration. It’s hard to think perfectly when the pressure is on - believe me, I've been there. Having been a reasonably good player from a pretty young age, people used to watch me play a lot.

 

And I HATED it.

 

I use to despise when people watched me play my games. I couldn't stand the pressure of people watching me play and criticising me. It used to throw me off my game and cause errors that I’d never have made when playing by myself.

That is, until I realised that criticism is a fundamental part of growth as a player, and as a person. Thinking back on it now, it was kind of ridiculous and if anyone can tell you about tilting and how to overcome it, I’d like to think it’s me.

You have to cool down, take a deep breath and play your game. 

 

In Yu-Gi-Oh! you’re most likely to go on tilt when you get "sacked". – for example,  when victory is snatched from you by a freshly drawn “Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning”, or when your opponent happened to have that second (or even third!) copy of “Bujingi Crane”.

The most common result of this is misplaying, or taking a line of play that is incorrect for the current board state. We all do it - its human nature, and no one is perfect (regardless of their claims).

 

So what's the problem if everybody does it?

 

The problem is that you get embarrassed and angry at yourself – which causes you to stop thinking altogether. You need to avoid this at ALL costs, it’s not helpful in any way, and causes you to crash and burn in games you should rightly have won.

 

The key is to slow down, acknowledge your mistake and begin to evaluate the current situation. That’s the current situation, not the one you just left – the situation AFTER the misplay has taken place. Take a look at the available options, the way in which the game has changed, and determine the best play you can now make. Reassessment of the situation is your best (and often ONLY) option, I don't think I can stress this point enough. 

 

I remember in school, in run up to Exam Season, one of my teachers would always say in class; 

 

"Read the question, underline the key words, and plan your answer." 

 

Although it isn't exactly the same, the base meaning is highly relatable:

At any time in a game, when the board state complicates, you must evaluate all of your options. Barrelling in with no forethought often only serves to create the kind of horrible situation that your opponent was planning all along. This is extra important when you’re on tilt.

 

Let’s look at an example:

 

You summon a “Coach Soldier Wolfbark” and use its effect to special summon a “Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Bear”. You know you want to summon a Rank 4 Xyz monster, and have narrowed your decision down to” Diamond Dire Wolf” or “Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer”. You go through several scenarios in your head and decide that “Diamond Dire Wolf” would be more advantageous to you - allowing you to safely conduct your next play and secure a dominant position.

Sounds easy, right?

 

But as you’re reaching for your Extra deck, you’re distracted by one of the spectators making a remark. You turn you attention back to the game, and confidently place “Castel, The Skyblaster Musketeer” onto the field.

 

Oh Dear.

 

So instead of the originally intended “Diamond Dire Wolf” you realise that you’ve made a mistake. How do you react? Do you begin to panic and continue to mess up? Maybe they’re just better than you… I mean, you might’ve just thrown the game away!

OR do you stop and think? 

Stop, relax and reassess the board state. Ask yourself some questions:

 

How does your Castel advance your position?

Can you remove another problem card your opponent controls?

Can you turn your opponent’s monster face-down to avoid a potential 'Honest'?

 

What can Castel do that Diamond Dire Wolf cannot, and how does it help you win now? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself when you find yourself in these situations. 

 

Remember that your opponent makes misplays too, and capitalising when they do can help to take you off tilt – it makes them feel that maybe you’re just better than they are, and that level discrepancy can really put you at an advantage. Much like in poker, your opponent’s mental state is an incredible resource if you can use it correctly, effectively allowing you to reverse the tilt back onto them!

 

That’s not the only way to tilt though - let’s look at some of the more common ones, and ways to avoid them: 

 

When your opponent draws ideally

 

This can happen once, or a few times in a row. It’s irritating, believe me -VERY irritating. That's a part playing cards though, the element of luck and variance. It sucks when they work against you, but do remember that for ever bad beat there’s a good run. I'm pretty sure I've won entire regionals with just incredible openers and huge topdecks. I’ve also played in events in which I drew nothing and my opponents had all the answers.

There are certain things you just don’t have control over, and you need to be prepared for that. Sometimes there’s nothing you could have done (though this is rarely the case). Sometimes you couldn't have changed the outcome no matter what you did or drew.

 

Personally, I try to calculate my opponent’s possible draws before passing my turn – that way if they get one, I’ve already considered it and prepared myself.

 

"May the odds be ever in your favour" - Yeah, Right

 

Carrying over a loss from the previous round

 

So it happened, your opponent drew Shaddoll Fusion and you lost. You want to go cry in a corner?

This is one of the easiest ways to throw rounds away. You simply cannot let go of the loss or stress, and you carry it over to the next round.

Unfortunately, you’ve got other things you need to be thinking about in the next round – your current game for example. Considering how you lost the last game isn’t going to help you there.

It’s especially dangerous when your opponent ripped something off the top. If you lost your last match to a freshly drawn Shaddoll Fusion, what happens if you encounter the same situation again? Are you going to make a different move because you lost last time?

That’s a dangerous road, and thoughts of previous rounds are better left until the event is over. Put them in a box and open them once you have time to work out what went wrong.

 

“Judge Rules… No Foul!”

 

I am a large advocate of knowing your card interactions, especially if they are cards that you’re playing. These minor interactions are often key in winning obscure situations.

Unfortunately, you just can’t know everything. Sometimes you’re going to be wrong, and sometimes your opponent’s going to call you on it. Having this happen at a critical time can be devastating to your mental state, leaving you questioning just how well you understand your own deck.

It’s important to understand that this happens to judges too. As much as you would like to believe that all judges are perfect bastions of knowledge, not all floor judges are well equipped to answer your questions. That’s why we have the appeal system in place in order to guarantee a fair field. 

If you’re certain that you right, but the head judge rules against you, ask if they can take some time outside of the game to explain to you how the interaction works. They may not have time (Head Judges are busy people) but can often find someone to run you through it, and your friends can probably help if the judges are busy.

 

Trash Talk

 

This is an easy way for an opponent to get under your skin and affect your play during a game, and is incredibly common among testing and/or friendship groups. Sometimes it’s a bad day, or you’ve lost too much, or you ate something bad for breakfast… but whatever the reason, it gets under your skin and affects your mood, which in turn affects your gameplay.

You don't want to let this type of unsportsmanlike conduct to affect your game, it will tend to make you more aggressive, less strategic and more prone to overextension. This allows your opponent chance to capitalise on these mistakes, stealing games that should’ve been yours.

 

The first point to make here is that if it becomes extreme, call a judge. That’s not to say that you do so if your opponent calls you silly names, but being overly aggressive towards your opponent is a violation of Konami’s Tournament Policy, and can result in a penalty.

For this reason it’s important not to become aggressive back in this situation, as you may bring said penalty on yourself.

 

For minor things though, try to drown out the external noises when you are playing at tournament level, whether this be 'getting into the zone', listening to music (if your TO/opponent don’t mind), or training yourself to focus on what’s important..

One of my friends that’s incredibly well-versed in this Luke Smythe. It’s difficult to throw his concentration mid-game, and that’s one of the things I admire and respect about his card playing abilities. 

 

You’ll notice that most of these involve how you’re feeling and your general mental state. Find a method of keeping your composure even when things go wrong - not everything goes as planned.

 Remember, you‘re not aiming to win every game, you’re aiming to play every game perfectly. Accomplish that and the wins will follow.

 

So how can you stop yourself tilting?

 

Understanding that feedback and criticism are helpful and useful tools helps you overcome your tilt. 

In order to test effectively and prepare optimally for an event, you need to be playing your best. Receiving feedback and criticism from your testing group is incredibly helpful, being one of the best ways to improve your game, feel less pressured when being watched, and generally be more comfortable playing.

Please note though, that “Hurr durr, you’re terrible” is not very helpful. Constructive criticism is preferred.

 

For the same reasons, having people praise your game play is a great way to prevent tilting as it improves your confidence. Remember that as far as tilting is concerned, knowing you’re playing correctly is just as important as actually playing correctly.

 

Remember, tilting can happen to anyone - from new players to the most hardened veterans, and learning to overcome tilt is imperative if you want to advance your game.

 

I hope you enjoyed the read and can take something away from it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at yugiohbelfast@hotmail.com or contact me via Facebook. 

 

Remember, assessing the situation is the key to success. 

 

Dragon Ruler: A mirror story

YCS London is wrapped up and I would like to congratulate my good friends Luke Smythe and Richard Thompson on their Top 16 and Top 32 performances respectively. Well done to the pair of you.

Today I’d like to share with you an article by Claudio Kirchmair, a UnitedGosus stalwart with multiple Premier Tops to his name. His insight into the current format will no doubt be incredibly helpful in performing to the best of your potential:

Today I’ll share some thoughts on the Dragon Ruler mirror match. The main question being how to approach the match-up - there are a number of different views. The deck’s standard variant concentrates on maintaining and utilizing Dragon Ravine.

CENTRAL STRATEGY

Recently, a number of players have begun using Terraforming to increase their chances of opening Ravine. The deck thinning this causes improves the chance of drawing into Mystical Space Typhoon, Raigeki Break and the like to keep Ravine on the field (when the opponent decides to play his/her own copy). Moreover, the thinning removes the need for Card Trooper - requiring only one slot for Debris Dragon fodder in Trigon. Why play Trooper if you can have Ravine, right?

Three copies of Raigeki Break or Phoenix Wing Wind Blast and the two strongest cards of the format (Return from a Different Dimension and Sixth Sense) form the defining part of this deck’s Trap Line. If that’s not enough then the deck’s draw power in Sacred Swords of Seven Stars and Cards of Consonance allow for more than enough opportunities to get at them.

In other words, Dragon Ruler is the new Tele-DAD. If you don’t believe me, then please go and check out the latest YCS Coverage from London and see how many Dragon Ruler decks made it to Day 2. The Top 4 consisted solely of Dragon Ruler, with the deck taking 7/8 Top 8 slots and 14/16 Top 16 slots, showing its absolute dominance.

So now the question is: Why did Patrik Rieder win with his particular Dragon Ruler build? When we look we see that it was a little bit different from the rest (2-4 cards different to be precise), since the remaining 36-38 cards of the main Dragon Ruler deck are pretty much set in stone - just like Tele-DAD. To answer this question I will try to explain the game plan for mirror match and how Patrik achieved it.

THE MIRROR

Personally, I think the Dragon mirror is all about good resource management. That’s something most players fail to achieve - you have to think about how to come out on top both in card advantage and in damage as those are the deciding factors in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Let’s take a look at how each of our Dragon Ruler cards interacts with this goal:

Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos

So how do we deal damage without losing card advantage? One simple rule suggests that if you summon a big Dragon then you have to deal damage. Blaster is the best dragon for this - being the biggest one he killed by the others except in Kamikaze attacks. Consider that when one player initiates the Blaster war, the other player won’t be able to deal any damage because his Blaster cannot pass his opponent’s – which has already dealt damage. Blaster is the safe Dragon Ruler and should not be used mindlessly.

Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls

Next up is Tidal: with enough attack to be dangerous he only gets killed by Blaster. Tidal is one of the two Dragon Rulers that are risky to summon, as your opponent can clear your back-row and summon Crimson Blader to lock you out of Dragons for a turn. It’s worth considering however that this should only happen if you have no protection whatsoever, and in that case it would not be the best idea to summon Tidal anyway.

These two Dragon Rulers (Along with Xyz and Synchro monsters) are the deck’s primary source of damage - the biggest goal of which is to drop your opponent’s life total to 3200 or lower. Why? Simple: Star Eater. Star Eater’s effect prevents it from being affected by Swift Scarecrow – the Dragon Ruler player’s last line of defence, and we all know how often Dragon Ruler players hide behind Scarecrow.

Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders

In the WCQ Dragon Ruler format, players tended to summon Redox in defence position to avoid getting OTK’d. This format summoning Redox for defence is detrimental to your game plan – you lose resources (by way of one potential Dragon summon) without dealing any damage. Your opponent can now simply establish his field/graveyard and wait until next turn.

So when should we summon Redox? Mainly when we have Maxx “C” in the graveyard and are going to perform a Synchro or XYZ summon. Our opponents are unlikely to respond to Redox with Maxx “C” because they cannot push on the next turn should you just stop. They will therefore allow Redox through, and you will have made a Synchro Summon with no risk of Maxx “C”.

Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms

Tempest is the last of our Dragon Rulers, and the other half of the “Risky to Summon” pair that Tidal started. Tempest’s WIND attribute means that he’s essentially another Debris Dragon if needed. Tempest mostly ends up being banished by Sacred Sword or banished to summon another Dragon Ruler. In doing so he helps us keep our draw engine consistent.

To conclude: “A Dragon summon should deal damage”. Failure to follow this rule will lose you resources, and possibly the late game.

Dragon Ravine

I want to take a moment to talk about the Field Spell mindset. My opinion is that I don’t care if my opponent has faster access to Dragon Ravine, as I’ll just wait with my Ravine until my opponent plays theirs. Why? It is a simple plus one - if they want to protect Ravine then they’ll lose their Mystical Space Typhoon, or even key monster removal Traps like Phoenix Wing Wind Blast or Raigeki Break. In other words, if you play Ravine first, then you’re making a big commitment to the board. That can be a bad spot in my opinion.

I also love to summon Debris Dragon and use Trigon or Card Trooper to summon Ancient Fairy Dragon for the free life gain and my own Field Spell. If you use your Break/PWWB on my Ravine before then you take the risk that my Debris play will end you.

Mystical Space Typhoon

Sometimes I wonder if MST is only there for turn one - to remove opposing back-row before committing any cards to the field, or to kill Ravine. I think that’s pretty weak - playing your own Ravine afterward or going into Ancient Fairy Dragon seems much better. You do not want to MST an opposing back-row if you have set cards, as you risk them chaining Raigeki Break/PWWB on your Ravine/back-row and wasting your MST. This again is reminiscent of Tele-DAD, where your push had to kill your opponent or you lost when they handled your board on the next turn.

Trooper and Trigon

Why should you run Card Trooper? He’s the best level 3 monster besides Trigon, the downside being that you can’t send him to the grave with Ravine. When you summon him with Debris you can activate his effect to mill three additional cards, which can swing the game heavily in your favour. Yes he can be hit by Crimson Blader, but you can protect him with Traps and still get to draw a card if he dies. Trooper is even better during Games Two and Three, where Debunk creates a Dragon lockdown. Dragons will often not even hit the field and your Trooper gives you access to free resources – a mill for two or three colours with Trooper can end the game by itself.

The Trap Game

Now it becomes obvious how we play our removal Traps: we kill opposing monsters so we can hit directly with our Dragons. The fact that we didn’t use any of our Traps on Ravine means that we have more such Traps than our opponent. Conserving your removal is important - a lot of the time you don’t have to kill something immediately because it’s not a real threat.

Why Trap Stun? Because Return from the Different Dimension and Sixth Sense are absurd. Resolving one or both of these cards often just wins you the game. If you look through the Dragon Ruler deck lists you will usually see seven to nine traps - most of which are chainable. Every one of these can be negated by Trap Stun. It is the only card besides Solemn Warning which can negate Return, and the only card full stop that can negate Sixth Sense. Trap Stun breaks boards when your opponent feels safe and helps you to defend if he/she wants to push for the game. It also creates safe ways to resolve Crimson Blader’s effect. Let’s not forget that Trap Stun into Black Rose Dragon will seal the deal for you in most Non-Dragon Ruler matchups.

A short side note on Solemn Warning: I like this card because it’s strong in the Spellbook and Evilswarm matchups. It’s also one of the few true removal Traps, with the 2000 life points cost often being nullified by Ancient Fairy Dragon’s life gain. Its ability to counter to Black Rose Dragon and Return alone is enough to warrant consideration for a slot.

The Synchros

The age-old question: which Synchro monster do I summon? The answer here depends on the state of the game and on your opponent’s deck. Stardust Dragon with protection is the choice if your opponent favours Raigeki Break and Mystical Space Typhoon, Colossal Fighter can prevent a Dragon beatdown and Angel of Zera can be helpful in the late game for getting over Ancient Fairy Dragon or Redox. The popularity of Ancient Fairy Dragon has made Orient Dragon a strong choice, warranting a spot in my Extra Deck simply because of that.

Looking Forward- Mermail

Today we are going to be focusing on the Mermail archetype, and I have a special article from a good friend of mine Luke Symthe. So without prolonging this anymore, here we go; 

So let’s talk about Mermail.

I'm sure you've seen the Aqua Spirit Xyz build that took both Bobby Barone and Sorosh Saberian into the Top Cut of YCS Toronto (With Saberian barely missing out on the crown itself) and is very quickly becoming the standard Mermail build for Tier 2 Events.

Are we likely to see this version of the deck take down the format? Probably not – the deck handles a resolved Crimson Blader quite poorly, though not for the reasons you might expect (more on that later) and simply isn’t well enough equipped to deal with a stream of resources that is (for all intents and purposes) endless…

Does that mean that Mermail won’t win any events along the way? Not at all. In fact, I’m of the opinion that the only Matchup in which Dragon Ruler is superior to Mermail is Dragon Ruler. That’s right, I’d rather be playing the Mermail deck in EVERY other matchup (well, except maybe Infernity Game 1, but that’s always a bit of a coin toss).

Let me explain what I mean:

Mermail’s versatility is unmatched

The Dragon Ruler deck tends to start all its moves in the same way, and they all tend to take the same form (Summon a Dragon or Two, swing, end/Dracossack – maybe Debris Dragon on a particularly inventive turn).By comparison, Mermail can start from effectively any monster with Mermail in its name and go literally anywhere their controller wants to. This makes Dragon Ruler relatively linear when compared to Mermail. That in of itself should speak worlds for Mermail, since Dragon Ruler is one of the most adaptive and versatile decks ever devised...

Be it Abysslinde making a suicide attack, the Normal Summon of Abysspike or the activation of Abyssteus, the Mermail deck performs in the gear that its player wants it to at all times, and shifts between those gears flawlessly when ready to dish out massive damage, break an opposing lock, or simply put the game in a position that’s impossible to come back from.

What does that mean for the rest of the Meta? Simply that the Mermail deck is incredibly difficult to mitigate without its direct counters (Graveyard prevention). Mind Drain preventing Abyssteus and Abyssmegalo in the hand? Abysspike -> Atlantean Heavy Infantry. Relying on those Spell/Trap cards to get you through? Atlantean Marksman says you’d better hope they’re chainable. They are? Abysslinde thinks the damage step is a different story.

Your field is never safe against Mermail. Not ever. The more cards you put onto the field, the more cards you stand to lose.

While the Atlanteans are the main reason behind this, it’s the Mermail monsters, specifically Abysslinde, pulling the strings from the background.

Abysslinde creates a situation in which a player might be physically able to attack, but they’re actually prevented from doing so by a face-down Abysslinde. Why? Because a set Abysslinde is an implied Abysspike, which in turn is an implied activation of Atlantean Heavy Infantry or Atlantean Marksman. At best it’s an implied 2700ATK monster, and between the 2 there are Abyssgundes and Tidals that just generally prevent you from gaining anything out of an attack.

Did you set something that you should really have saved for later? Too bad, now if you attack you leave it vulnerable to Marksman.  Your failure to be efficient with your cards has cost you your battle phase not only this turn, but every turn until you’re able to deal with Abysslinde.

Your opponent has a Spell/Trap card? Same situation – can you deal with a surprise Abysslinde during the battle phase? If you can’t then your attack will force you to choose - lose your set card or be unable to set Spells/Traps this turn.

And that’s without even mentioning Abyss-Sphere or Tidal (by name, anyway…). I could write entire articles - maybe even a Thesis - on why Abyss-Sphere is such a fantastic card. How its interaction with both players not only defines how the Mermail deck is played and played against, but changes the way those players look at and play the game as a result. Cards like that don’t come about very often, and maybe one of these days I’ll write that article.

Mermail’s Dragon Ruler does what only Dragoons could do better

However, right now we need to look at Tidal, because it’s the main reason that Mermail stands head and shoulders above all non-Dragon Ruler decks. A simple quote from Patrick Hoban explains this better than I can with an essay:

“Activating Traps costs you cards. Dragon Rulers don’t cost you cards”

Tidal is a completely free Special-Summonable Level 7 monster in a deck full of easily Special-Summonable Level 7 monsters. Look no further than Dragon Ruler to see how ridiculous that is. It provides the Mermail decks with not only the kind of semi-endless resource that non-Dragon Ruler decks can only dream of (in the form of a 2600ATK stick no less), but a way to turn a used Abyssteus or Abyssmegalo into Mermail Abyssgaios or Dracossack.

This gives the Mermail deck an element of the endless resource benefit that the Dragon Ruler deck has, with an added bonus – Tidal’s WATER attribute makes it a high-class discard for any Mermail that needs that particular cost (i.e. virtually all of them). The ability to discard Tidal to another card’s effect and then special summon it back from the Graveyard is reminiscent of the Baby Dragons of last format. That makes every Mermail monster the same kind of effect as Stream, Dragon Ruler of Droplets.

Can you imagine if Tidal had Blaster or Redox’s secondary abilities? By which I mean the “Discard this card and a FIRE/EARTH monster to do X” abilities. Doesn’t bear thinking about, does it? Redox’s is the most ridiculous, since it would effectively read [Discard this card and 1 “Mermail Abyssgunde”: Target 2 “Mermail” monsters in your Graveyard; Special Summon them.] Take a moment to think about that, I’ll wait… How about if another WATER Dragon-Type monster with a relevant effect existed?

This is why Tidal had to be the worst Dragon Ruler in a vacuum.

Mermail’s threat to end the game is ever-present

While the Dragon Ruler deck rarely runs out of resources, it doesn’t usually inflict lethal damage in a single turn (barring Return from the Different Dimension). The loss of Speed from the banning of the Baby Dragons means that it’s not that easy to assemble 8 Dragons to remove for a huge swing, and often not a good idea if you can - remember that Dragon Ruler only plays 17 Dragons, so removing 8 of them uses up nearly half its Dragon ruler summons for the game (with the exception of Redox, who can munch on Maxx “C” and Card Trooper).

What this means is that you usually get a turn of preparation before you have to face the draconic horde, a turn to set traps and summon monsters to keep it at bay.

Mermail isn’t interested in giving you that turn of preparation – a normal summoned Abysspike may well be a thinly-veiled threat to end you right now in a flurry of Sea Serpents (and maybe the odd Dragon…)

While the Mermail deck is fantastic at playing the control game - with its Atlanteans making profitable trades and its Mermail monsters controlling the board - it can just outright win the game from virtually any position if you give it even a hint of a weakness in your defence.

That intrinsic, constant threat that you may simply lose the game on any given turn is a huge part of why Mermail is what it is.

Abyssocea has added to this ability in a huge way. It’s not quite the same as the Atlantean Marksman-Atlantean Dragoons relationship that governed the Pre-Tachyon format, but it still means that Abyssteus and any WATER monster can put as much as 4200 damage on the table. That leaves the Mermail player 4 cards to find the other 3800.

Add Tidal to this mix and you’d better hope that they can’t feed him a Level 4 monster…

The deck may not even wait until its own turn to deal with opposing Spells/Traps/Problem monsters. An Abyss-Sphere at the end of the Main phase puts the Mermail deck in a position to special summon both Abysspike and Abyssturge at the end of the opposing turn (Assuming one or the other is in the Graveyard and Abyssgunde is in hand) and also destroy an opposing Spell/Trap card.

That scenario trades Abyss-Sphere for an opposing card and 2 monsters totalling 3300ATK, netting +2 in the opponent’s End Phase and setting up for a turn of unimpeded Mermail shenanigans.

So with all its fantastic matchups, why isn’t Mermail ruling the game? Well, like I said earlier, the problem rests with Dragon Ruler having endless resources that take the form of large Dragons. There’s another reason though, so let’s look at that.

The Problem of Crimson Blader

Yeah, this guy.

Remember earlier, when I said that this deck doesn’t recover well from Crimson Blader? There are a number of reasons for that, but oddly enough the stopping of Level 5 or higher (Specifically Level 7) monsters isn’t the main one. The issue is that Crimson Blader’s effect starts a chain.

What that means is that simply setting an Abysslinde isn’t an answer to Crimson Blader. Under normal circumstances you’d have access to Atlantean Heavy Infantry, which would mean that either of Abysslinde or Abyss-Sphere can get rid of any monster your opponent controls – Abysslinde fetches Abysspike or Abyssturge, which discards the Heavy Infantry to remove the threat from the board.

This does not work with Crimson Blader…

Why? Because Crimson Blader’s effect is a mandatory Trigger Effect, While Abysslinde is an optional Trigger Effect. That makes Crimson Blader link 1 in any chain that results from it destroying Abysslinde in battle (regardless of which monster is attacking), which in turn means that an Abysspike summoned from Abysslinde will not be able to activate. Crimson Blader not only cuts off the top end of the Mermail deck, it also prevents the deck from using its standard method to search for outs. This twin-pronged attack on the deck’s problem-solving engine is the real issue that Crimson Blader presents.

The Maxx “C” Achilles Heel

Wow this little guy hurts a lot.

While the Dragon Ruler deck tends to shrug off Maxx “C” by simply summoning Blaster or Redox first, the Mermail deck doesn’t have it so easy. While Tidal can help to lure the insect out early, the best players will hold it for the best case scenario if they have a choice.

That scenario is that you just discarded Abyssgunde for Abyssmegalo - not only will Maxx “C” replace itself from the Abyssmegalo summon, but you’ll be forced into one of 4 horrible plays:

1.     Just end, leaving Abyssmegalo vulnerable to attack and wasting Abyssgunde.

2.     Trigger Abyssgunde to give your opponent an extra card, and leave both Abyssmegalo and the Abyssgunde target vulnerable.

3.     Make Abyssgaios, giving your opponent 3 draws, but removing your attack vulnerability.

4.     Try to swing for the game. If you fail you will likely lose.

None of those is a great play, especially with Dragons threatening Crimson Blader on the next turn.

The fact is that the Dragon deck’s monsters are generally so much less vulnerable to battle than Mermails are, and its ability to both handle the insects better and dish them out itself is a pivotal reason why the Dragon matchup is so poor for Mermail.

The Future

So how does the deck go forward from here? Finding a way to deal with Dragons that doesn’t hurt your game plan against other decks would be best, but that’s easier said than done.

I’m not sure Hand-Traps are the way to go with this. As we’ve already discussed, Dragons have a level of invulnerability to Hand-Traps that makes it hard to find a correct time to use one.

Hand-Traps also tend to create hands that don’t contain enough Water monsters to make a reasonable push. In Game 1 Mermail wants all its cards to be pushing its game plan forward. That means less reactive cards/defensive cards, and more cards that make Mermail do what Mermail is meant to do.

Not forgetting of course that with all the different decks that see play this format, a Hand-Trap is not going to be useful the majority of the time. Think about the number of decks that people play at YCS Events:

Dragon Ruler

Dragunity

Mermail

Prophecy

Fire fist

Evilswam

Constellar

Infernity

Geargia

Herald

STUN

Blackwing

Madolche

Inzektor

Chain Strike Burn

How many of these decks is Maxx “C” useful against? Half? Less?

How about Effect Veiler?

Even the Dragon Ruler decks nowadays are starting to move to less hand Hand-Trap and more hard-counters like Vanity’s Emptiness and Skill Drain. It remains to be seen whether this will continue as we approach the final 3 YCS Events of 2013 in San Mateo, London and Turin.

The Mermail deck is more than capable of playing hard counters in the maindeck too (Torrential Tribute is already quite common). Finding which ones work best is the issue.

We may see Deep Sea Diva return to play, since it’s an excellent way round an already resolved Crimson Blader – simply search for Abyssleed from the Abysslinde that was destroyed, then drop Diva for Armory Arm and Equip. You’ll even get 3700 damage out of the equation.

Realistically, Armory Arm is almost a good enough reason to play Diva on its own, since surprise damage wins so many games nowadays. Access to Armades just cements the deal further – giving you a way to deal with problematic monsters unopposed or simply to force opposing Lances for no value.

Let’s not forget Armades’ impact on the mirror… That out to Abysslinde you were looking for? Look no further.

Whether Dragon Ruler will rule the meta or not, Mermail is still a hell of a deck, and is definitely worth a play for anyone that wants to understand Chain and End Phase mechanics better, or just wants to have a go at something new.

Beware though, that with Atlantean Dragoons and Deep Sea Diva limited you’ll not be getting any Abyssmegalo/Atlantean Dragoons auto-win hands.

Nowadays this deck is as good as its player makes it.