Finally my ban list prediction

As you can see for my post frequency, my life has been harder and I really have nothing worth to be post it. In fact, I barely have time to play yugi a few hours each week. Anyway, back to the issue of this post. I'm going to post my banlist prediction:

Forbidden:

Card Destruction

Sangan

Monster Reborn

Wind-up Zenmaines

Trishula

Wind-up hunter

Limited:

Agent Venus

Rescue rabbit

Dragged down to the grave

Inzektor dragonfly

Laval volcano Handmaiden

Karakuri Ninishi

Dark magician of chaos

Semi-limited:

Book of moon

Emergency Teleport

No Limited:

Call of hunted

Tragoedia

Now I'm going to explain how this list will change the game:

Tengu-Syncro-plant: Without Sangan, Tour guide become less versatile. Also, is almost impossible to search for LooneFire Blossom and without Trishula there is no generic syncro monster that worth all the effort you need to play this deck. Book of moon will make things harder for this deck, as for the rest of syncro decks in the game (Laval, Karakuris, etc)

Dark World: I think the problem here is not the monsters themselves, instead the banlist should hit the easy discard system like Card destruction and Dragged down into the grave. That will let the deck only with the field spell card (that you can't always easily active) and dark world dealing and dark world lightning (both with hard drawbacks). Reborn was usually a +1 on this deck.

Agents: Hyperion is too good, so the agent monster shoudn't be so damn good. Venus has been a problem since the appeareance of xyz monsters on this game and that have go. Also, summon T.G. Striker or Earth usually means a possible easy trishula and Kristia in the same turn. This is another reason to ban Trishula.

Inzektors: Dragonfly is probably the most difficult inzektor monster on the game because you can't use bottomless on him, and his huge defense makes book of moon a little useless. The lack of zenmaines will make this strategy and tour guide itself weaker. However inzektor won't die, it will evolve into a rank 4+ strategy.

Wind-up: Without hunter and zenmaines, the deck is not so strong as before. It is however an excellent deck that we will fear still the next format.

Karakuri: In general, the problem of this deck is the huge combo that refuels his own hand all the time. However the only meta competitive version of the deck is based around a huge backrow field and Naturia beast. The only way to stop both things is hitting KK ninishi.

Laval: Probably the best option is limiting rekindling, but I think konami will hit an OCG card, so it won't appear on the TCG ban list and TCG player will have time to use deck at his full potential. Handmaiden is part of the easy engine that helps the deck to full his grave, that's why the card should be banned. Also, the usual laval strategy is focus on quasar, not in trishula. So the main purpose of the strategy will be intact.

Rescue Rabbit deck: Laggia and Gemknight have been abusing of this card a lot, I probably don't need to say anything else about it.

That's all for today, feel free to comment if you think I left something behind.

Probably more important than the Ban List

Febrery 18 is the released of galactic overload, we will see the total set that is coming for the next format. It is the first set that won't be affected by the banlist. So, if you are trying to buy card for the next format, probably you don't need to wait until the ban list. You only need to see what is coming in galactic overload and buy according to that.

Probably the evol strategy is going to be completed.

The end of Rank 3

With Tour Bus released on the TCG, we get the last support card for rank 3. Konami have been trying to push this since the begining of the format but wasn't really successfull, the number of YCS players down a lot, and the number of player leaving the game increased. Konami finally understand that the whole rank 3 strategy have been a disaster and have to be stopped. The first step was the release of zenmaines on the OCG, the second step was the early release of order of chaos in the TCG, The third step is the reprint announced of Tour guide of the underworld (a totally useless card for the next format). And the final step will be banlist, a new format without zenmaines, Sangan and rank 3 support. A new format which skill drain decks will have advantage.

Tour guide will be still on the game, but it could be only useful on Dark World decks and some fiend and chaos decks. Also, Effect veiler reprint will be totally useless on skill drain format.

And I was right about holy carved

Holy carved are capable of summon Thunder end Dragon and others Great XYZ monsters. In fact, it looks like an excellent meta deck, but not like we have seen before.

Holy carved is a clearly a Combo Deck since most of the effects active tributing or in sinergy with other monster. A combo strategy at this point of the game is imposible, as I already explain on previous posts. The game right now is based on Boss and Floaters. However, Holy carveds solve that problem because they are not only a combo strategy, they are also heavy beater monsters with drawback so you will be force to go for the combo, or wait behind a strong monster. Holy carved is the break point between Combo and single-card play. This also give us a few more conclusion:

1.- Holy Carved are strong beaters with drawbacks. So if you try to stop them with veiler, you will eliminate the drawback, and will potentially be swarm by the opponent.

2.- Holy Carved can play Skill drain. At this point, there are two meta decks capable of maindecking Skill drain (holy carved and Dark World). So, the presence of Heavy storm and MST at 3 is key to stabilize the Metagame.

Holy Carved Dragon

Holy carved Dragon - shiyudragon

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by Tributing 1 face-up "Holy Carved Seal of the Divine Dragon" you control. Once per turn: You can Tribute 1 "Holy Carved" monster, except "Holy Carved Dragon - Shiyudragon", you control or in your hand to target1 Spell or Trap Card your opponent controls; destroy that target. When this card is Tributed: You can Special Summon 1Dragon-Type Normal Monster from your Deck, hand or Graveyard, and make its ATK and DEF 0.

Holy carved seal of the divine dragon

Normal lv8 monster

Thunder end Dragon

2 Level 8 Normal Monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card;destroy all other monsters on the field.

Yes, I know there is still no combo between these cards. However I think it will be a combo in the new dragon deck. Also, Thunder end dragon looks a little spherical, maybe it is product of Holy carved seal. Who knows....

Sorry for the lack of posting. I'm having a really hard week and it doesn't look to be better. I guess my next post will be a banlist prediction...

Boss monsters in structural decks

There are a few things in common between Machina Fortress, Master Hyperion and Grapha. Easy special summon, high atk and free destruction effect. Today I want to establish a good comparison between them.

Machina Fortress lv7 = 2500/1600

"You can discard Machine-Type monster(s) whose total Levels equal 8 or more to Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard." This part means that you can summon this monster almost at any point of the game, just like Grapha, however you probably will have to spend two or more cards to bring him from the grave (-1). While Grapha means an instant +1 in your game. The best part of the effect is the hand or grave thing, the surprise factor is amazing and it is something that grapha don't have. If grapha is in the grave and DW is on the field, is clear what is going to happen. The surprise factor is present in Master hyperion too, However Hyperion can only be summon it once by his own effect and It must be from the hand. So, you can not abuse of him like Fortress or Grapha.

"When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, select and destroy 1 card your opponent controls." A free destruction effect is always great, however this one is not actually free. You have to die in battle, which means you probably will waste the effect on destroy the other battle monster. The advantage here is that Fortress has surprise factor and a easy special summon ability, which means that you can pontentially destroy 1 card on the field without your opponent be prepare for that at any point of the game. Master hyperion has a better destruction effect, because you only need to remove a fairy, but also because you can do it again the next turn. The problem here is that hyperion can not come back from the grave easily, so if you waste hyperion, you probably won't be able to destroy anything until you get the next hyperion. This problem becomes bigger if we think about Grapha, in fact you can't summon grapha without waste his destruction effect, of course you always have something to destroy... or not?

"When this face-up card you control is targeted by an opponent's Effect Monster's effect, look at your opponent's hand and discard 1 card from their hand." This is something exclusive of Fortress, is a backup effect in case your opponent is trying to get rid of Fortress easily. Great effect but ironically is bad against Dark world.

His 1600 def means that it can be destroyed by tengu. At this point, fortress could be an old fashion boss monster.

Master Hyperion lv8= 2700/2100

"You can Special Summon this card from your hand by removing from play 1 "The Agent" monster in your hand, field, or Graveyard." Totally easy to summon, and the surprise factor is huge, but it can not come back from the grave like Fortress or grapha. When you summon this card, it create any mathematical change on the game like Fortress (-1) or grapha (+1). However the free destruction effect can create an instant +1 for you. His attack is enough to make it a game changer card.

"Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster from your Graveyard to select 1 card on the field, and destroy it." Everybody read this effects and think on DAD, and it is true, is just like DAD, however it can only destroy one each turn, and it can not be splashed on any deck like DAD.

His 2100 def means that it can not be destroyed by tengu, but also can not be destroyed by any GK monster. This makes hyperon more prepare for the meta.

Grapha, Dragon lord of Dark World lv8= 2700/1800

"You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by returning 1 face-up "Dark World" monster you control to the hand, except "Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World"." Totally predictable summon, also, you expose one card of your hand, so your opponent can see what is coming next. In the future, this will become the easiest deck to beat. The main advantage of Grapha is that it is a (+1) 3000 atk floater, something probably unbeatable on battle on this game... ever. This is something that Hyperion or Fortress can not score.

"If this card is discarded to the Graveyard by a card effect: Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target, then, if this card was discarded from your hand to your Graveyard by an opponent's card effect, look at 1 random card in your opponent's hand, then, if it was a monster, you can Special Summon it to your side of the field." Yes, a free destruction effect was never so easy on this game. However, it also means that you have to use it before put grapha on the field. What if your opponent don't compromise any card on the field? Are you willing to waste Grapha effect? Of course you are, because right now the deck has enough +1 to make those kinds of sacrifice, but it won't be capable of do it on the future, and it will be his major weakness.

The meta environment effect

In the past format, many of us thought gravekeeper spy was going to be limited, included me. And of course we fail, we believed the banlist should hit all the meta decks directly to decrease their strength. But that is not the only solution, another important tool to decrease the power of a meta deck is the meta environment. A lot of decks have been smashing by this effect and today I want to talk about it.

Gravekeepers: The absence of Heavy storm and the slow speed of the game gave a lot of power on this deck. After the activation of royal tribute, the opponent was on topdeck mode. And the meta environment worked under a two cards combo, so topdecking LS Kageki or spore didn't make you win. Today we are on a different environment, Heavy storm and the absence of royal oppression make impossible protect a backrow field. While the number of boss monster on the game has increased a lot, now a 2000atk beater is not worth it.

Dragunity: This deck became the best syncro generator of the game. It was fast, consistence, and strong, sadly the deck fail to syncro summon Trishula easily and right now there is not lv8 syncro capable of dominate the field on his own.

X-Saber: Gottoms is not has good has it was due to the great topdecking cards and to the presence of Dark Worlds, while Hiunley doesn't destroy anything right now due to the increase of chainable cards, warnings and veilers. The deck also fail to summon Trishula easily and the main engine (emmersblade and darksoul) is too slow in comparison to others engines (venus and earth).

Any of these deck had touch the banlist on the last format, however all of them have been left behind due to the changes on meta environment and incapacity to abuse of new broken cards (Tour guide for example).

Do you wonder how the meta is going to change on the next list? Which of the current decks could be smash by this effect?