Hey everybody! Jeremy McBride again, and I'm glad to be back! We've seen articles already pertaining to how and what to sidedeck, and I'm hoping to steer away from that by rather looking at a few various cards, be them sided or mained, and where their place fits in the current and future meta. Remember, around the Yu-Gi-Oh community I go by the name dummerjmm, so if you see that name on sites like Dueling Network or YouTube, be sure to come say Hi!.
The first thing you need to have a good comprehension of is what the current meta is made of. Right now for instance, we have decks like Synchrocentric, Dino Rabbit, and Agents. Also on the scene are decks like Hero, T.G., Dark World, and the occasional Gladiator Beast. With a generalized idea of what to expect, the question becomes "How do I deal with all of it?"
The answer to that question lies within the answer to what cards you can utilize to help in multiple matchups, be that main boarded or sided.
The first, and possibly the most important, card to consider is Thunder King Rai-Oh. Arguably the best card in the game of Yu-Gi-Oh, Thunder King Rai-Oh is virtually splashable in every deck, and is a stand alone card forcing your opponent to waste valuable resources if they wish to make any worthwhile play. If they don't have the resources to waste, coupling him with any number of backrow is more than enough to scare your opponent into a conservative stance while you build up a hand advantage that will let you explode for victory when the time is right.
The second card to look at is Doomcaliber Knight. At first thought, using a card such as Doomcaliber Knight in many decks of this, and arguably every, meta seems counter productive. But just as with the afore mentioned Thunder King Rai-Oh, Doomcaliber Knight will either force a play from your opponent if they wish to get rid of him, or buy you time while preparing your own big play. While Doomcaliber Knight does have a few free weaknesses, such as Glow-Up Bulb or Necro Gardna, a more typical response is a wasted Effect Veiler or Maxx "C" to clear him from the field.
Next up is D.D. Crow, and maining 1 D.D. Crow should almost be a staple. Why? D.D. Crow is essentially infinitely versatile in almost every matchup. D.D. Crow will remove the single light or dark from a graveyard to prevent a Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning play, or the 3rd dark to prevent Dark Armed Dragon from hitting the field early in the game. It will destroy your opponents Monster Reborn or Call of the Haunted plays, and break apart plant combos by removing a pesky Spore or Glow-Up Bulb. Once Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World is in the grave, get rid of him for good. If the next play for your opponent is to use Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor, or Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North, D.D. Crow will stop them in their tracks. If Miracle Fusion is played with the minimum needed targets in grave, make it fizzle. When your opponent wishes to recycle their Reborn Tengu engine with Pot Of Avarice, you can fizzle that entire effect too by removing one of the targets.
The final monster I feel should be discussed is Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. While fulfilling a lot of similar plays as D.D. Crow, Kycoo is also preventing cards like Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Chaos Sorcerer, and Miracle Fusion from ever being played. One copy of Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer has even made its way into my main deck recently, because if you find yourself siding into something virtually every match up, logic concludes that you should main it.
Unlike the previous 4 cards, these final 2 are probably only going to be found within a side deck: Leeching the Light, and Chain Disappearance.
With boss monsters such as Master Hyperion, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, and Elemental Hero The Shining running rampant, extra copies of pseudo Honest will be a big help to get them off the field. Similarly, Leeching the Light will help as an extra out if a Thunder King Rai-Oh is what is plaguing you.
Chain Disappearance on the other hand is designed to stop your opponent from ever making their way into bigger plays. For example, with every copy Mystic Shine Ball, Tour Guide from the Underworld,T.G. Striker, Swap Frog, XX Saber Darksoul or Treeborn Frog removed from the game, key pieces of your opponents game winning engine cease to exist, making it very hard for them to create the combos they rely on to win. Once you've disrupted them that badly, you are almost assured the win. Let's not forget the upcoming Inzektors and Wind-Up's too. Chain Disappearance is going to be a nightmare players of those decks will have to worry about going into every play they make.
And a final thought: Choose one card you tend to loose too, and main it. For me, that became Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. I am usually a strict advocate of a 40 card lineup, and even without the room, I broke that rule to make Gorz my 41st card. Even with my 8 count trap line up, I found myself dropping Gorz at least once in almost every match to help me sway the duel in my favor.
Keep your mind sharp, and play smart!
Brownsburg, IN
The Dugout & Castle Comics
Latest posts by Jeremy McBride (see all)
- 9/1 Is Coming… - July 30, 2013
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