So I’ve been wanting to write this article for a while now, especially since it keeps coming up as a topic of discussion between my group of friends. We all have different views on the classic [ccProd]Mystical Space Typhoon[/ccProd], which has been around for seemingly forever in Yu-Gi-Oh, but no one has a clear cut answer on its effectiveness in this particular format. I’m going to go over the pros and cons of maining it right now, and maybe you guys will be able to provide some input on your experiences with it, too.
I feel like this is the first time, ever, that the game has placed such high importance on who can keep his field spell the longest. It even looks as though the future formats will be greatly influenced by them, too. In any event, [ccProd]Mystical Space Typhoon[/ccProd], or MST, as it will be referred to in this article, is the simplest and quickest method of dealing with opposing field spells. If that weren’t enough, we are also seeing a massive resurgence in trap cards as the format progresses. People are running anywhere from eight to ten traps in their dragon decks, and rightfully so, since they can single-handedly win games.
One of the biggest pros for maining MST would have to be its effectiveness against rogue decks, and by rogue I really just mean Evilswarm and Constellars. They play some nasty traps in their main deck, like [ccProd]Imperial Iron Wall[/ccProd],[ccProd]Mistake[/ccProd], Vanity’s Emptiness, [ccProd]Safe Zone[/ccProd], etc. A timely MST against those decks can give you exactly what you needed to establish a field and lock them out of the game. Against Prophecy, it can prevent them from ever seeing that extra draw phase from [ccProd]The Grand Spellbook Tower[/ccProd], or from breaking up your plays with [ccProd]Spellbook of Fate[/ccProd]. Most of the time you will blatantly know where the Fate is set, anyways.
In the Dragon mirror match specifically, MST can do a couple of things for you. It can catch the most powerful cards—[ccProd]Return From the Different Dimension[/ccProd] and [ccProd]Sixth Sense[/ccProd]—on the end phase of the turn in which they are set. It protects your own Dragon’s Ravine when they try to play theirs over yours, which is probably the best thing it can do, honestly, and that is not to undermine it, either. It can help you to dodge [ccProd]Swift Scarecrow[/ccProd] if you use [ccProd]Stardust Dragon[/ccProd] to attack for game. It can stymie your opponent’s desperate Ravine play when he or she discards something that isn’t a Dragon Ruler, or even if it is, sometimes he or she really needed to send that one extra dragon to the grave to make a move. I won’t lie, there are times when I pitch for Ravine and cross my fingers, hoping that nothing happens to it or else I might flat out lose the game.
Another great point for MST is how well it shines in the Dragunity matchup. That deck is extremely dependent upon [ccProd]Dragon’s Ravine[/ccProd], and if you take it away from them, it will lead to a swift victory. It can also stop double [ccProd]Reckless Greed[/ccProd] from going off, which is a win condition in itself for Dragunity Rulers. In rare instances, you can even use it to thwart their Dux play by using MST on Phalanx. I recommend that move when you want to set up a Crimson Blader play. It will most likely require you to let their Ravine stay on the field that turn. The only problem with that is if they have Mystletainn, which is why you really have to know what you’re doing to pull it off.
One of the problems I have with MST is that I think [ccProd]Raigeki Break[/ccProd] is strictly better at the moment. Obviously, MST can be used as soon as you draw it, but it’s so rare that you ever need to do that nowadays. It’s more important that your cards can deal with BOTH monsters and spells/traps. I would hate drawing into it when I really just need a defensive card to stop my opponent’s next turn. I would also hate drawing it while there are no backrows in sight. Games aren’t as slow as they used to be, so you don’t have the opportunity to draw dead too much. Because of this, I would recommend playing no more than two copies of it, and if I had to be honest with myself, I could only play just one of it.
The release of [ccProd]Castle of Dragon Souls[/ccProd] has thrown a bit of a wrench into the effectiveness of the “blind MST.” Typically, you could narrow it down to just a [ccProd]Raigeki Break[/ccProd] or [ccProd]Phoenix Wing Wind Blast[/ccProd] in the opposing backrow, but now you could get absolutely destroyed if it’s a facedown Castle. The opponent will chain it and claim his free Dragon, putting it straight onto the field. This can get really tricky if you’re trying to go for game but want to avoid cards like [ccProd]Torrential Tribute[/ccProd], [ccProd]Mirror Force[/ccProd], or anything that would stop your push really. This is why it’s very important to make good reads on the backrows as the duel progresses. I’ve noticed that Castle can rest facedown for a long time before it springs up, and in many situations it would have been used already if it were anything else. Strangely enough, most traps that are being played are chainable, too, not just [ccProd]Castle of Dragon Souls[/ccProd]. This means you have to be careful with MST while you have your own backrows. You don’t want to be forced into using them early.
All in all, I think it just comes down to personal preference on whether or not you want to use the card. I don’t think we’ll look back one day and say, “Wow, we were all so foolish back then for not immediately maining three copies.” It’s possible, but I doubt it. I also believe that it really comes down to the player, too. A good player will make the most use out of whatever cards he is maining, so it won’t negatively affect him. So how do you feel about maining MST in this format? Let me know in the comments below!
Remember, Play Hard or Go Home!
-Frazier Smith
Latest posts by Frazier Smith (see all)
- Know The Power Of Demise - June 2, 2016
- Viability of the Subjugated – Water - February 22, 2016
- The Problem with Monarchs - February 11, 2016
Get
Connected