So, a lot of people have been wondering about the Demise Kozmo deck that I just made Top16 with at YCS Providence. Before this event, the only decks that played the card were Qliphorts, Gravekeepers, and Statue Stun. Unfortunately, all of those decks suck. The difference between those decks and Kozmo is that Kozmo actually has a lot of power on both players’ turns, and has a much better/relevant engine. It does not NEED to draw Card of Demise for it to function. It is also correct to say that no one would even play the other decks without Card Read more

With the advanced forbidden/limited list now in effect, many decks have become viable that were once borderline unplayable in full-power Pepe format. I think we can all agree that seeing twenty-nine of the same deck in Top32 of YCS Atlanta was not healthy for the game. It is acceptable for a deck to be the best, but it does not need to be absolutely uncontested. Think about Nekroz format where you had Burning Abyss as a strong second. Both decks won their fair share of events despite Nekroz having the stronger engine. Players were forced to innovate constantly to keep Read more

The monarch structure deck was highly anticipated, but failed to deliver when it was time for YCS Atlanta. We can attribute this to many factors, whether it be a lack of consistency, a mechanic too ancient to keep up, or the relatively “fair” plays when viewed side-by-side with full power Pepe. In this article, I am going to go over what I feel are the main issues with Monarchs and what the future holds for the deck. Brick by boring brick This is nothing unknown to the world. The deck draws unplayable a lot. Like, a lot a lot. I Read more

The pendulum mechanic has finally been fixed. The recent release of Breakers of Shadow has brought us some of the most anticipated and powerful cards that we have seen in a long time. If you remember, my biggest gripe with pendulums was the fact that it essentially reduces your hand by two cards. Going first emphasizes that flaw even more. Now, however, the scales generate advantage from just being in the pendulum zone. In this article, I am going to analyze Pepe post BOSH and go over some of the other strong influences in the new meta. Let’s start by Read more

Nothing could have brought me out of a writing hiatus as fast as the release of the Pendulum Magician deck this past Friday. I had some time to play with it over the weekend, and I love the overall consistency it has when compared to PePe. Perhaps there is something about having six good search cards again that makes me enjoy the prospect of the deck, or maybe it has something to do with the Spellcaster theme? Either way, I have a list, and I want to share it with you since we do not have much time left before Read more

ARG recently announced some changes to its custom format, which will be used at the next Circuit Series in Indianapolis. As always, some decks were nerfed while others were buffed, but most importantly more decks are playable. Allow me to share my thoughts. Banned Raigeki Apoqliphort Towers Restricted to 1 Nekroz of Unicore Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier Restricted to 2 Compulsory Evacuation Device One for One Elemental Hero Bubbleman El Shaddoll Fusion Monster Gate No Longer Restricted Debris Dragon Rescue Rabbit Tragoedia Artifact Moraltach The biggest deck in Yu-Gi-Oh at the moment is none other than Nekroz. This Read more

“…the funny thing is, I think his fake confidence gets overpowered and reversed by real confidence,” he said as we laughed over cocktails. “Yeah, I totally agree, like there’s no way I would ever be intimidated by him. I’m not intimidated by anyone at this point, Pat. I’m pretty sure all of his talking and nonsense only works on people who think he’s good because they don’t know him.” “Yeah for sure. Like imagine if we did that to people—just said things out loud with the intention of getting into their heads. It doesn’t even matter if they respond to Read more

Now that there have been two events in ARG format, I wanted to take the time to discuss the popular decks that we’ve seen so far and how they stack up against one another. I think it’s important to understand how cards interact across all matchups, so let’s dive right in, shall we? Satellarknights I had the pleasure of playing this deck at the first ARG format event in Charlotte, North Carolina. While it wasn’t my first choice, I am still happy to have gained the experience from using something other than Nekroz for once this year. I think this Read more

Last week, ARG released its very own Forbidden/Limited list. The community has been in an uproar ever since; some people love it, some people hate it, and others are indifferent, but I think we can all agree that it feels good to have options. Think of it like your extra deck— you may never have to actually use it, but it’s there just in case. Also, I am a firm believer in the theory that playing different games/formats can/will make you a better player overall. In fact, the same year that I started playing Magic the Gathering was the same Read more

A week before the Circuit Series in Syracuse, I went to the one in Edison and played a super ignorant build of Nekroz. I mained three copies of Solemn Scolding and two copies of Secret Village of the Spellcasters. Essentially, I wasn’t trying to duel…at all. I won my round one mirror match where I opened both games with the Djinn lock and Scolding, but the tournament didn’t quite stay that way. In round two, I played against what had to be my worst matchup—Nekroz Shaddolls—and I got 2-0ed fairly easily. I played my second least favorable matchup in round Read more