Unlike many Kaijudo players, I did not play Duel Masters when it was around years ago. So when I started playing Kaijudo it was a fresh start for me and I really had no idea of the strategy or what the right moves to make were. Let me tell you, I was pretty bad. The more I kept playing though and watching other people, the more I learned and eventually was able to get a good concept of the game and move all the way to the top as number 1 ranked in Kaijudo. I am not saying I am the best Kaijudo player who ever lived, I am just pointing out if you put your mind towards something and never give up you can reach your goal.
The main reason I am writing this article is because it seems some people are getting discouraged by this game because they keep losing and nothing they do seems to work. One thing to know is that there will always be someone better than you and you will lose from time to time. You cannot avoid losing; it is just something that happens. Losing feels terrible, I know, I have lost one too many times on the bubble at major tournaments. The key to losing is to not letting it affect you. It is hard for me sometimes. I just want to yell and give up on the game because there is no point in playing if I just lose to Bottle of Wishes! A technique I am trying is after you lost give yourself 10 seconds to be angry. Only 10 seconds though, no more. Do not let losing ruin your whole day or your whole card game experience. (If any of you watch Lost, hopefully you will catch the reference.) Doing this will not only make you feel better but hopefully other people will catch on and it will make the game more fun to play for everyone.
Tips on becoming a better Kaijudo player:
Practice – This is probably the most obvious one. The principle does not only apply to sports, but card games as well. During the Kaijudo Master Challenge season, me and my friends would meet up and play test 3-4 times a week and play in every tournament we could play in. We tested every type of deck against every type of deck until we found one that we believed was best suited for all match-ups.
Watch Others – Watching others may be boring, but you can learn a lot from it. Seeing how people use decks that you use and the decisions they make may help. You may see them play a card in their mana and wonder why they did that, and if they are not in tournament, you can ask them why and you might see something you haven’t seen before. Do not watch them and judge their plays but let them make the play and see what happens because of it.
Listen to Advice From Others – this is probably the most difficult one to do. Majority of the time we think we are right and everyone is wrong and they just do not understand because they aren’t playing my deck. The best help comes from a 2nd perspective on situations. Do not feel afraid to ask in a casual game for a friends help to see what they would do. If someone buts in on your game and says you should do something, though it is annoying, don’t immediately dismiss them but analyze what they said and it might be a better play than what you were going to do.
Putting the Right Card in Mana – This is very crucial now that we have multi-civ cards to use. Normally it is good to put multi-civ cards in the mana in early game that way you don’t have them clogged in your hand later when you need the mana in order to play a card. Also if you are going first and you do not know what your opponent is playing, you have an Aqua Strider and another Light card, but no Water, it might be a good thing to put the Light card in mana first, that way if you draw a Water card you can play Aqua Strider turn 2, in case you are playing against rush. Another situation I see people do is they have Skull Shatter in hand, with 7 or 8 mana and 2 creatures on the field and the opponent has no cards in hand or field. They put Skull Shatter in mana and either pass or attack with the creatures. My favorite thing to do in that situation is keep the Skull Shatter and then attack with the creatures. That way they will have 2-4 cards in hand at the start of your next turn, since they will probably need to focus on stabilizing the field as oppose to focusing on your hand and you can just Skull Shatter them next turn and put them in almost the same position they were already in, except with less shields.
Playing Around Cards – Do not just be linear with your deck and go through the same motions every single game. Analyze your opponent’s deck and play around cards they use. People from my locals complain about Herald of Infernus. It is only a problem if you make it a problem. If you know they use it or have one out on the field, it is probably not a good idea to play something that has less than 5000 power. A fun thing I like to do in the Water/Dark/Light mirror match is trying my best to set up my hand against Mesmerize and Razorkinder Puppet. If I have a Keeper of Dawn or Crystal Memory, I keep them in my hand unless I absolutely need to play them that way their discard cards will do almost nothing. Just because you have cards to play, does not mean you need to play them. It is okay to just pass and keep some sort of hand advantage. Also in the mirror match keep Skull Shatter and Squillace Scourge in your hand at all times if you can. Because if they top deck a King Tritonus, you are going to need it.
Play With What You Are Comfortable With – This is very key. Just because some deck won a Kajudo Master Challenge does not mean it’s the best deck and if you build it and use it you will win every game. People win with their decks because they build it to their play style and use it in a very specific way which is probably a lot different from yours. Do not just give up and use Mono-Red Rush because you can’t ever win. You can use it if you like the deck and enjoy it. But do not make it a cop-out because you just do not like feeling putting effort into deck building and just looking for a lucky win rather than a skillful win.
So if you are one of those people who just can’t seem to win, I hope these tips help you and make you a better duelist because of it. They only thing I ask is not to give up and do not let anything bring you down. Let the game be about fun and not just winning all the time. Losing is a part of life and card games.
See you on the other side of the veil!
Bobby Brake
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