YCS Dallas

So this was something I mean to post before going to Dallas, oh well I guess. A lot of this has to do with how I feel one should prepare for a big event like this and how you some of your decision making processes go. The mainr eason I wanted to post it was for predictions and I really regret not doing it. I almost nailed the top 4, just one deck off, nailed the winner, and nailed the final round. If you watched our video on our Youtube channel, the first thing I said was to watch out for Lightsworn engine in different decks as that deck gives Dino Rabbit fits, and it almost finished the job but fell just short in game 3. Don't look for this deck to pick up a lot of steam, I see it going the way of Dragunity. Dragunity was really solid upon release and did well at a couple of regionals and YCS', but once the playstyle was learned by most players and people pinpointed major weaknesses, the deck fell by the wayside.

This next part will be what I had typed out and saved in a Word document last Monday morning, I just forgot to post it is all.

 So this blog is going to be all about YCS Long Beach and YCS Dallas and the effect the former is going to have on the latter. 

What we saw at Long Beach was by all means an anomaly, but in a 4300 player tournament it’s the perfect environment for rogue decks to slip through the cracks and make it to the top, and that’s exactly what we all saw. If you aren’t aware of the results, Piper Chaos and Hero Beat-Skill Drain made top 4 and ended up in the tie for 3^rd, with Dino Rabbit coming in 2^nd, and Dark Worlds taking home the trophy. All of these are decks most duelists have some good experience against, except for Piper Chaos that is. That reason, that most duelists had limited experience against it, was a major factor in how it finished out at Long Beach as players didn’t know what to expect from the deck when playing against it, or if they were equipped to side against it, they may not have known how best to go about it. When preparing for Dallas these results are important to notice, as they will have a great impact on the field in Dallas, but don’t get too carried away preparing for them, there weren’t any new broken combos introduced that are just downright lethal. The only deck packing a new punch is Inzektors and they didn’t break the top 4, so they clearly can be tamed.

Next point I need to make. Don’t just go changing your deck at the last minute! Be prepared and create the skeleton of your deck you want to play. Find the cards that absolutely have to be in there and the ones that don’t and work towards making that final build. Don’t just switch from Lightsworn to Hero Beat at the last minute or something similar. You likely won’t have the experience needed to be able to pilot that deck properly, and even if you have the best build possible a misplay can lose you a game and possibly a match. Also to be noted, the play styles of different decks can cause you trouble if you’re used to playing one way such as with Lightsworn and the aggro style it uses and then last minute switching to a control based deck like the aforementioned Hero Beat. Decide what deck you are going to play way ahead of time. Test it against as much of the meta you can find, and also some rogue decks to see if it can adapt properly to nonconventional matchups. Don’t get discouraged when your deck gets beat by an opponent who draws the nuts, its Yugioh that happens sometimes, and its why you play 2 out of 3 with a side deck. You will most likely play more games with a side deck than without one, as in the worst possible scenario you would play exactly the same with and without, so make sure your side deck gives you the advantage you need against those bad game 1 matchups. 

You need to know how you will side against the meta you expect to see. A lot factors into this. Are you going first or second in the upcoming game makes a big difference. If you’re going second against wind-ups, you better bring the hand traps in, but if you’re going first don’t worry about those hand traps as much, as you will have a turn to put a set-up down to stop their shenanigans. er HHHHDon’t side more than a couple of cards per matchup. The most I would say is acceptable is 6 in a regular deck for 1 particular matchup as any more will change the flow of your deck too much. There is the idea of transformational siding and that’s okay at times, but if you are doing well in a tournament word will spread about what you’re doing, and your element of surprise will be ripped from you. 

Now I’m going to peer into my crystal ball and project some results. First place will be Dino Rabbit finally breaking out and winning in the US, a feat they have yet to accomplish. You will either see Inzektors or Dark Worlds in the top 4, but probably only one or the other not both. Look for Wind-Ups to do about the same as they did in Long Beach cracking the top 16 but not getting any further. The deck is good, but the player count is down for that deck. They will benefit from the trend of decreased hand trap usage, but Dino Rabbit is still going to play 2-3 Maxx C and that will be enough to keep them out of contention. Look for another rogue deck to crack the top 4, and probably fall victim to Dino Rabbit in the final matchup. Something like a chaos build could have great matchups all day long, as well as Six Samurai or maybe even X-Sabers as they have seen increased play since March ban list. So to summarize:

·         Rabbit takes first over a rogue deck in the final match.

·         Either Dark Worlds or Inzektors will break the top 4 but won’t be able to finish it out.

·         Look for Wind-Ups to be a presence but not that big as the deck is too linear to win.

      So I almost got it, but regardless get ready for Galactic Overlord and all that has to offer the game, and until next time happy dueling.

      Michael