Hey guys, Chief Siddharth here. With the much coveted April 2015 Ban list in the TCG finally out, it’s time to make a few predictions for this format. This post will not only involve blatant predictions, but look at a lot of releases this format, and look at the potential implications it has for our card game.
This is a 2 part series, with the first part looking at important cards in our new metagame, and the second part will look at the decks that will dominate our metagame.
Note: I’m going to build on basic predictions, like the Qliphort conundrum.
Prediction 1: Mystical Space Typhoon Will Stay Mained At 3
Before you begin, I recommend that you understand more about why we mained 3 of this card in the first place:
Read this: The Advent of MST
Maining three of this card has been the standard for a while now, apart from the odd rebellious professional. The demise of Qliphorts in terms of play is ineveitable considering their major stun cards are down from 6 to 2 in total. Yet there are various reasons for which this card must stay at 3.
- When one falls another arises. To think Qliphorts are the only good pendulum deck we will ever see is arrogant thinking. The fall of Qliphorts brings about a ton of new pendulum archetypes. The first one being Different Dimension Devils. The DDD, played by my good friend, are the latest of many potential tricks Konami has up their sleeve. Their release date should fall within this format. They don’t have the ability to run stun cards like skill drain, nor do they suddenly popularize any old continous traps. But this deck comes with far more search power, and a new continous trap which offers 1 for 1 removal during either player’s turn. Qliphorts were good, but my belief is that this deck is, yes you read it right, better. 3 Mystical Space Typhoons was enough for qlips, but against DDD you will need even more.
- Who said pendulums are for specific archetypes? Our worst nightmare seems to have arrived… in the form of Zefras. Tellarknights, Ritual Beasts, Nekroz, Shaddolls and Yang Zing are among the decks which will recieve their own pendulum scales…… tailor made for them. The fact that such support is even released is beyond me, but more reasons to use our typhoon. The struggle is real, pendulums are all over the place.
- Yosenju are popular too. At this point, maining 3 MSTs is uniform at the least. Yosenju run their own pendulums, but they also run cards like macro cosmos and dimensional fissure. Nobody likes a spoilsport, especially the one that doesn’t let you play. MST is needed to combat these creatures even more.
With the bundles of pendulums now ready to release over the course of the format, Mystical Space Typhoon is more or less as important as before, if not more.
Prediction 2: Breakthrough Skill To Quadruple In Importance
Before the Secret Forces, monster effects were a hit and miss. Once again, Qliphorts made a big difference in the format, nullifying the importance of monster effects. But back then, the meta had decks like Burning Abyss and Shaddolls, with cards like Dante having mills as costs, and graveyard play was the name of the game. Now we see a new format, and Breakthrough Skill will be needed to stand a chance.
Some reasons-
- Our Heroes are back…. again. In January, post Hero Strikes, we saw Heroes make their ultimate comeback. Dark Law was our love, Dark Law was our life. Much was hyped of the deck that garnered a few tops over the course of regionals. But it simply wasn’t their time. Nekroz came out, they dominated the Yugiworld, and the format came to a close. But its a new month, and the release of the World Superstars pack brings with it the new Elemental Hero Blazeman. Blazeman can be compared to an errata’d, once per turn Elemental Hero Stratos. That’s not all, in another pack release we see the arrival of Masked Hero Dark Law’s bigger brother (by stars), Masked Hero Anki. The heroes will no longer be susceptible to their weaknesses witnessed in early February, and this time they’ll be back for real. They’re impending increase in popularity means everybody will be tripping over their heels to get them. Click here to learn more about Heroes. But all the Elemental and Masked Heroes are based on one thing: monster effects. Breakthrough skill is more than useful against these guys. Using it to negate a shadow mist’s effect, then making a push late game by banishing it and negating a Dark Law’s effect is an ideal use for it. With so many Monster Effects dominating our game, Breakthrough is necessary.
- Yosenju are still irritating. I mentioned this before and I’ll mention it again. Yosenju are major players in this format, their stun style has succeeded like none other, and their swarming revolves all around that first normal summon. Negate it and it’s all over. Breakthrough is excellent in this situation, although veiler would be slightly better.
- Chaofeng is almost here. Crossed Souls is a hearbeat away from it’s release in our trading card game, and it brings with it the most powerful of the Yang Zings yet, Chaofeng. Yang Zing decks always lacked that extra little push to become a great deck, then they started maining Skill Drain. With Skill Drain at 1, they will depend on all their monster effects far more. Chaofeng and Baxia are two of the most deadly synchro monsters yet, and failure to negate their effects multiple times may spell disaster.
- If Neptabyss releases, we’re done for. Atlanteans are the meta in the OCG. Neptabyss the Atlantean Prince has made the deck punch far above it’s weight, and according to many it’s a one card OTK macine. It’s searchable too. In order to stop this onslaught, Breakthrough skill will once more prove useful.
Ultimately, this format will become more conducive to monster effects, and this will result in an exponential growth in breakthrough skill’s value and importance. It’s reusability in the grave means that it can trump effect veiler and fiendish chain in this contest too.
Prediction 3 Standards to side against Nekroz will be available
In other words, people will crack the Nekroz code. With the number of rogue decks rising, I feel like the code has already been cracked. It’s only a matter of time before people realize how to side against these dragon tamers. Nevertheless, here are a few cards which are generally solid against Nekroz, the price of which should soar.
- Shared Ride– prevention is better than cure, but it’s hard to prevent Nekroz from searching without being run over. Particularly when they side in cards. Shared Ride against Nekroz is lke Shadow Imprisoning Mirror against Burning Abyaa. Not in the literal sense, but that it’s the best of not one of the best counters against Nekroz. Considering that Nekroz tend to search 3-6 times per turn, you will end up cutting your opponent’s plays short. Unless they OTK you of course. Side this card at 3, and buy it before it’s price exceeds the ‘meager’ 10 dollars it is now.
- An anti-Nekroz floodgate! Anti-Spell fragrance wrecks Nekroz. It puts and end to their massive power plays and, provided you have the removal necessary, it can stop their strategy entirely. If you believe in this card, side at 2 or 3.
- A monster floodgate too! We’ve seen Vanity’s and Majesty’s Fiend, which stop all the special summon and monster heavy strategies nowadays. We’ve seen Jinzo, the ultimate answer to traps. But have you all heard of Spell Canceller? Spell Canceller is Jinzo for spells, and virtually shuts down Nekroz. Considering Nekroz decks’ outs to the Djinn lock are spells too, Spell Canceller basically wins you the game.
Of course, there are disadvantages to the entrance of cards that topple Nekroz. If, as predictions say, rogue decks are given more play, everyone will look for the aforementioned cards. Shared Ride in particular will double in price. Catch it while you can.
That brings us to the end of part 1. I myself have prepared myself for the new format by purchasing those cards, and I recommend you follow suite to escape the inflation.
Stay tuned for part 2, which will discuss the decks which will see major play, and look at the new support that enables them to. It’s going to be a tier list, composed of all the important decks that should or will see play.
Tactical Fouling 