Expansion on the Previous Post

This is not E for once, its actually Michael and seeing what E had to say I'm just going to expand on that concept of understanding the meta appropriately in meta-heavy tournaments (i.e. Regionals, YCS', or even highly competitive locals).

A great place to start is to find someone you're well acquainted with who runs the deck you have questions about, and ask them to explain it to you from the person playing the deck's perspective so that you can be better equipped to play against it when you see it elsewhere. This is easier if you have a "team" as they have been dubbed and I will be breaking down that concept in an entry on our tumblr page within the next few days.

The next step is maybe building the deck based on a popular build or maybe a build that topped the most recent major event as it will be net decked pretty thoroughly as players will take out a card here and there in favor of another here and there as tech for the meta they expect to experience. I'm not saying go out and buy all the cards, but proxies work fine for test-play amongst friends. And if you can get your friend or someone you know to play your deck against this meta deck you will pilot it can help you to see the strengths of the meta deck and weaknesses of your own deck. Sometimes these weaknesses can't be fixed in the main deck, but a well constructed sideboard can help you turn these weaknesses into strengths within the match-up. This is especially a problem with the way the meta is shaping up. Dino Rabbit, Wind-Ups, and Dark Worlds punish you for leaving too many cards in your hand as you will either not have the necessary negation on field when you need it, lose them to the grave one by one as they loop you, or have your opponent picking and choosing problem cards and taking them from your hand. Against these decks field committing with protection is a good idea. Against Inzektors this is the worst thing you can do. Once they get the combo rolling its pretty much over and you field committing makes it much easier for them to make +1's at every turn. If you don't know what you're playing its tough to know what to do turn one sometimes, and this can cost you, so here's some things I suggest.

1) Play effect veiler in the mainboard!!!!

- If you're asking why its because its still good, and with torrential at 2 it actually got better.
- Example Scenario that I playing 2 Effect Veiler and 2 Forbidden Chalice as well as 2 Torrential run into somewhat frequently. They have Laggia up with materials you say? That's fine. They summon monster, I don't care what activate torrential, if they don't stop it with a spell/trap but rather Laggia's effect you chain veiler and now the laggia trying to negate can not as the chian resolves backwards and Torrential destroys everything. They could chain a lance on top of your Veiler but then they have a 1600 ATK Laggia that may be immune this turn, but next turn its pretty much a vanilla in a deck that already runs too many anyway, so all is good. Seems pretty boss to me, you know just saying. Veiler works very well against Barkion or a Shi-En as well. Not so much against Beast as most times your spells are on your turn instead of theirs.
- People say it sucks against Rabbit, you're wrong. Tour Guide is the win condition of the deck unless they draw double rabbit before they draw 3 vanillas to ruin the possibility of double rabbit without Avarice. Veiler their tour guide and what do you have? A 1000 ATK VANILLA MONSTER! Make their monsters vanillas. The deck plays a pretty good game of protect the vanilla, or Evolzar, and you need to make them burn up those cards when they don't want to to put yourself in a position to win.
- He also ruins the Wind-Up loop when used properly (When Zenmaity Special Summons is the proper time in my opinion as they are now stuck with a simple 1500 ATK monster as lance will not save them, and a Book of Moon will still allow the loop but a smaller version that pulls one less card from your hand.
- Veiler also punishes bad Inzektor players. This deck is extremely hot right now due to its consistency and relatively low price. Its very annoying but knowing your rulings here helps. When they say effect to equip an inzektor to dragon fly (Hornet) don't negate with veiler, just say ok. Then as they bring it down from their hand say the dreaded words inzektor players do not want to hear. "At resolution I use effect veiler." The only thing holding the equip on is the inzektor who no longer can hold it on, so it falls off and neither effect of the inzektors acritvates. Veiler is usually a -1, but in the prior situation regarding using it at resolution, you actually make them lose a card as well as their normal summon due to your veiler if you already have monster presence that can trump their likely tiny monster at 1000 or 1600.

2) Be able to remove cards from the game
- Players don't realize how crucial this is. No current metagame strategy deals with RFG cards very well unless they were banished by their own effects. Yes Shining can add some back, but what about if you take them out of the grave so they never get to make their shining? Its an important thing to think about when you are working on your strategy in both your main and side deck.
- Even in match-ups you think its not great in its better than you think it is. Lets take Rabbit. Seems awful right? Wrong. When they avarice use D.D. Crow on one of their targets probably an exceed monster as it can not be re-summoned by a leviair, and they don't get to recycle their monsters the way they want to. It also goes about negating monster reborn, and I guess that's a good card to negate also.
-Another ruling for the Inzektor matchups. They say effect and you chain DD Crow to that 1 hornet in the grave. If they don't have another inzektor in grave they have to equip something due to the way the cards are worded. If they have any inzektor in hand they have to equip it, if they don't they must show you their hand to prove so and everyone likes knowing whats in your opponents hand.

3) Play Compulsory Evacuation Device
- Its the new Book of Moon for extra deck cards. It gets rid of answers at no cost and very consistently. It kills the shining and zenmaines, without effect. Its a good call for the metagame. Even use it on a dinosaur after a rabbit summon and watch the other one have to pop itself at the end of the turn.


The whole gist here is to be smart and thorough in your preparation and assess the major strengths and weaknesses of the meta and how can lessen their strengths and breakdown their bad matchups. There's a site out there that has a phrase I don't really care for as it gives the game a bad connotation so I'm going to coin my own because I can and that's what I want to do.

Play Smart and Have Fun.

Do the first every time and make sure you still enjoy the game. If you've stopped enjoying the game, step back and make sure you are still playing for the right reasons. Don't get me wrong I love winning and the competitive part of the game, but its important to still enjoy it too so that you don't find yourself fading away as time wears on, but instead growing a deeper bond with the game we all love to play. Don't ever miss an opportunity to learn something new either. Its important to learn the cards that the metagame will try and win with and use against you, and know how best to fight them.

Until next time, play smart and remember to still have fun,

Michael