'Eavy Sturm

Everyone runs Heavy Storm.

Oh! That one deck out of two hundred that doesnt run Heavy Storm? It runs Giant Trunade.
And, the other 4 decks the same person owns runs...

Thats right! Heavy Storm.

Everybody loves backrow wipes. So, whats stopping you from using more than just one or two?

Yeah "Starlight Road". But One or two starlight roads isnt enough to tackle 4 or 5 heavy storms, is it?

Well, if one Heavy Storm goes, players will take that into account and not fear storm again, letting them set heavily.

This is where more than just one heavy storm really helps.

Today I'd like to go over each "Destroy Entire Backrow" and discuss how to run them.

Today's post will not take into account Giant Trunade and other cards that bounce the backrow. Why? Because theyll be there next turn.

Lets start:
Heavy Storm

The classic. We all know heavy storm, right?

Why dont people use it?
Its Limited.

Why DO people use it?
And you DONT?

Next.

Wingbeat of Giant Dragon.

Essentially, a Heavy Storm that isnt limited. However, it comes with a drawback: You need to bounce a level 5 or more dragon from the field to your hand.

Dragon decks in general suffer greatly from the standard meta cards: Opression, Dimension Fissure, and Royal Wall.

Hence, why not just blow it all up at once?

The problem with the card is that you need to bounce a high leveled monster. Why bounce a high leveled dragon that you spent so much effort summoning?

There are other options!

For example: Bouncing a Vandalgyon or Dragon Knight is fun.
If you use monsters such as Vice Dragon or Dragon Ice, suddenly the heavy cost and hard to summon Dragon monster is not so hard to get back out!

The final option is to use recruiters to grab out Excelion or Twilight Zone Dragon and bounce that.

Also when using this card, remember that returning the monster to your hand is part of the effect.

Which in turn means that a mind controlled Stardust Dragon can be sent back to the extra deck to trigger this card!

Unfortunately theyre not too many good Dragons with a "When Normal Summoned" effects that are good, so the use of this card to re-use said Dragon is a bit limited.

Next Card:
Cyclone Boomerang.

First: Its a specific equip card. For Wildman.

Also, the decks that use Wildman are trap heavy anyhows. If hes being used anymore at all.

General Consensus: It sucks. Just use some of the other heavy Storm alternatives being shown today.

Benefits: Can be searched by Arms Hole
Gives Attack Buff.
Deals Damage!(Very little though.)

Cons: Everything else
Needs to be destroyed by effect.


Gigantes

Gigantes is an easy to summon 1900 beatstick.
And not only is it just summoned, its special summoned with near zero cost!

However, Gigantes has two drawbacks:

It requires a number of Earth monsters in your deck.
To be honest, a lot of Earth monsters downright suck.

And it needs to be Destroyed by battle to get its effect off.

In Core Chimail decks that use Creature Swap for Core Chimail Rock, its possible to use Gigantes for its backrow clearing effect, even if you arent using it just as a 1900 beatstick.

Of course, sending it to its doom just to trigger its Heavy Storm effect works too.

Also, it becomes a high priority target for Dimension Prisons and Mirror Force. Destroying it by battle just isnt an option sometimes.


Sacred Pheonix of Nephtys.

This dies to everything IN the meta and everything AGAINST it.

Long story short, even if you do get it out, and DESTROYED by an effect, chances are, itll never get its effect off.

Because it not only demands a backrow light deck, to ensure you dont get demolished by yourself, but a backrow heavy deck, to ensure you DO get to demolish something, the conflict causes either an imbalance of deck balance or a really bad deck.

It dies to Trishula, D.D.Crow, etc.

Also, it dies to the things people use additional heavy storms to get RID of.


Alongside Gigantes and Wingbeat of Giant Dragon is Malevolent Catastrophe.

Malevolent Catastrophe is, unlike Wingbeat, costless, and unlike Gigantes, almost controllable by you.

However, unlike Heavy Storm, Malevolent Catastrophe is used when youre being attacked.
Most of the time, you will want to get rid of spells/traps when you're attacking, instead of coming under attack.

Oh, and it works well with Mirage Dragon or Black Warewolf. The opponent wont be able to respond with Counter Traps!

Also, because it doesnt see much play, some players have yet to learn to set during Main phase 2.


Thats all for today.

Tommorow(?): The other options for dealing with pesky backrow!

/Rauzes

Konami Card Game Center Free Match session

Deck Used: Cyberdark Beat(I didnt bring my own cards so I had to borrow Rau-chan's)

I pretended I didnt know Japanese. It. Was. Hilarious.

Some people didnt know what priority is.
Also lots of people dont know what a battle step is.
Also lots of people dont know how to read the card.
Also lots of people dont know Laevatiien can be summoned by removing a Cyberdark. :D

Overall record: 8 Wins straight. Was going for the 9th win, but it passed 5:30(hence you have to stop re-lining up for matches if you lose), and got hit by Simochi + 3X Gift Card. :(

How "Free Match sessions" Work:

There are a certain amount of tables, and a line. Two people sit down per table, and duel.
The winner stays, and the loser goes to the back of the line. Wins/Losses are marked.
Once the winner earns a certain number of wins(wins, not wins in a row), the winner leaves too, making the whole table empty, and the next 2 in line will go and duel.
Only 1 game. Time limit is 10 minutes per game. This ensure the circulation of both good and bad players.

A certain number of wins will give you a certain prize.


I played against 3 or 4 Black Feather decks.
I had players try to use Shura + Kalut on my Cyberdarks. :D
I summoned my Black Bomber one game... then realized I didnt have Synchros with me. I still won.
Book of Moon on a Vayu. The next turn, slam a Cyberdark Horn with Hunter Dragon into it. Open Limiter Removal for game.

I played against Infernities one time. 3 Compulsary Evacuation Device rocks.

I played against Dragunity. 3 Phalanx is pretty useless. Also, teched Crack rocks. :)
The advantage Cyberdarks have over Dragunity is that I can summon Laevatiien almost relentlesssly. They can only do so for the first 6 times.

I dont remember how or why I won Quickdraw Dandy.

I played against a Frog Monarch deck.
Once again, teched Crack wins.

I played against Rau's Monarch deck
Opening play: Summon Aclys, special summon Aclys, and set Compulsary Evac device.


\*End Script
\*-Soliel

Paradox Fusion and Absolute Zero

So: Paradox Fusion with Absolute Zero.

Paradox Fusion is an all purpose negation counter trap... with the condition that you remove from play one Fusion monster for two turns.

Great! Lets use it with Absolute Zero! Every time you whip out your counter, you get to nuke the opponent's field!

But tried and tested, it doesnt quite work: Heres why:

First, because Absolute Zero needs to be summoned one way or another, Without losing Advantage, these ways are limited to pretty much Miracle Fusion, and maybe one Paralell World Fusion.

That is, if you run three Miracle Fusions at all.

Although an engine running Polymerization/King of the Swamp/Debris/Gugnir allows for much advantage gain, as well as Absolute Zero summoning, it wont be always that you will have an Absolute Zero on the field.

In fact, with that engine most people are dropping the third Miracle Fusion alltogether!

So lets take a look at a rather standard modern build for Absolute Zero: One that uses: Three Miracle Fusion, 1 Paralell World Fusion, and 1 Future Fusion. The Super Fusion is completely optional.

This build, in the OCG, utilizes not only Zero, but Shining, Tornado, and Gaia as well.

But also in this build, Zero and the Fusions are not your main fighting force.

Paradox Fusion demands not only drawing it well, alongside Fusion cards(which doesnt really work out), but having something to actually protect.

In most situations, if youre not blatantly overextending, your field wont have too much on it to particularity protect.

And yes, "interupting enemy's comboes" counts as protecting yourself. Nine times out of ten, said combo will end up blowing you up.

Also, the fact that you have an Absolute Zero on the field alive means that it will be applying beatdown and destroying things by battle, hence leading to the opponent having less monsters to blow up.

So, most of the time, you'll be staring down a field devoid of monsters or only 1 or two, with only Absolute Zero and one Paradox Fusion on your own field.

In this situation, Absolute Zero's nuking effect doesnt really do much. Destroying the occasional one monster TOPS.

Whats more is that itll probally be chained to something to get RID of Absolute Zero. 2500ATK isnt something to be laughed at.

Its not like Absolute Zeros so new that nobody knows how to play around it.

So by using Paradox Fusion, youre banking on dead draws and obscure comboes to do not much more than what Interdimensional Matter Transporter already does.

Also Interdimensional Matter Tranporter can help with Ocean and Airman plays.

Thats all for today.

G-Ray Out.

Cloudian Turbulence

Cloudian Turbulence
Water/Fairy/4/800/0
-Indestructible by battle
-Basic Cloudian effects
-Can use Fog counters to summon Cloudian Smoke Balls

Cloudian Turbulence is often likened to Phantom Skyblaster because it can spawn something else when its normal summoned, an almost instant +1.

However, said +1 usually ends up doing nothing, like Phantom Skyblaster. Simply using his effect and spawning something will end up being rather stupid.

In emergencies, he can be used to generate some blockage, but Turbulence alone should be enough, right?

The best use is definately to release it for something. Good things include Enemy Controller and Spiritual Water Art - Aoi -, and Symbols of Duty. Being a normal monster and water allows the use of the latter two.

Being a monster, it leads to Pot of Avarice, Deck thinning, and allows for being sent to the graveyard as a cost, things that Tokens creted by Phantom Skyblaster cannot. This allows for the summoning of Arkana Force EXs.

Also, if you only summoned one Cloud, you can tribute both for Draconic Tactics or Ice Blizzard Master.

Compared to Skyblaster, you can generate the floating monster any time you want, instead of when Turbulence is summoned, allowing for "invested field presence", field prescence that can be called on upon whim.

With two Cloudian Squalls, this card can efficiently generate two or even three Smoke Balls a turn, giving even more tribute fodder faster than Treeborn Frog, for fueling cards such as Arkana Force The World.

With Turbulence being easily Salvagable with Salvage, this advantage gaining ability is used in conjunction with Monarchs(as well as Turbulence's tribute fodder generating ability) in Cloudian Monarchs.


\*Script End*
\*-Soliel

Sin Stardust in Dragunity

Possible?

Protects your Dragon's Valley, as well as provides outlets for playing against Skill Drain based decks.

Thats all for today.

G-Ray Out.

Red-Eyes Wyvern

In the TCG it can revive Hundred-eyes Dragon

\*Script End*
\*-Soliel

Cyberdark Beat

So after designing the previous Cyberdark Beat deck, I've since made it and put it through some tests...

And it doesnt work.

Why?

Well, simply put, the deck depends far too much on Aclys.

Without it, the deck doesnt move. At all.

Hence, with some playtesting, and even more tampering, I've revamped Cyberdark Beat to work. Well.

Heres the new and updated Cyberdark Beat:


Cyberdark Beat
サイバー・ダーク・ビート

Monsters/モンスター/20
3 Cyberdark Horn/サイバー・ダーク・ホーン
3 Cyberdark Edge/サイバー・ダーク・エッジ
2 Cyberdark Keel/サイバー・ダーク・キール
3 Dragunity Aclys/ドラグニティーアキュリス
2 Dragunity Arms Laevatiien/ドラグニティーアームズ－レヴァテイン
2 Dragunity Dux/ドラグニティードークス
1 Dark Armed Dragon/ダーク・アームド・ドラゴン
1 Sangan/クリッター
1 Dark Salvo/ブラック・ボマー
1 Hunter Dragon/ハンター・ドラゴン
1 Dragunity Legion/ドラグニティーレギオン

Spells/魔法/12
3 Dragon's Valley/竜の渓谷
3 Book of Moon/月の書
2 Terraforming/テラフォーミング
1 Limiter Removal/リミッター解除
1 Mystical Space Typhoon/サイクロン
1 Heavy Storm/大嵐
1 Allure of Darkness/闇の誘惑

Traps/罠/8
3 Compulsary Evacuation Device/強制脱出装置
2 Bottomless Trap Hole/奈落の落とし穴
1 Torrenetial Tribute/激流葬
1 Mirror Force/聖なるバリアーミラーフォースー
1 Solemn Judgement/神の宣告

Well, as you can see, a lot more deck space is devoted to first getting Aclys in the graveyard, as Laevatiien can wait.

2 Terraforming and 3 Dragons Valley for Field Search. Helps the Aclys -> Laevatiien in the graveyard happen much faster.

Oh, but is that all?

Nope. Also hidden plainly in sight is Dark Salvo.

When playing the deck keep in mind that Ancient Fairy Dragon can destroy a field spell to search out a new one. Dark Salvo isnt just there for Black Rose Dragon!

Not to mention becoming Allure of Darkness food to fuel some mild drawing.

Also, the number of Cyberdarks have been upped since the last version?

Why?

Cyberdarks are just that much better.

The only thing thats stopping them from being outright broken is that they only get their effects when normal summoned, and they rely too much on their effects to do anything.

But seriously? Cyberdarks have been, and will always be, some of the biggest and baddest level 4 and lower monsters to grace the game.

With Aclys, they become 1800, a fomidable number, almost as high as Dux, all off a normal summon and with the ability to drag down another card with it.

Lets take a quick look at Dux VS Cyberdarks.

Dux:
Can get bigger and bigger... if it lives.
Can be searched with Dragon's Valley
Can be used for God Bird Attack.
With Phalanx, can make Dragunity Knights.

Cyberdarks:
You can run nine.
It wont get hit by bottomless trap hole.
You can use Limiter Removal.
Theyre DARK.
They come with Direct Attack/Trample(/Burn also but nobody cares about Cyberdark Keel)
Dark Salvo Support. Instant Field nuke or nuke of Field.
They can survive losing a battle... then destroy the monster that beat it.

Any questions are welcome here.

Thats all for today.

/Rauzes

Chain Building

How the chain is made can come in rather handy. Having a good understanding of what card goes on which chain block, and more importantly, what effects CAN go on each chain block, is very important.

Using this knowledge to your advantage:

The enemy has 2400 Life. He has 6 fairies in hand and 1 Perfect Declarer on the field.

You have a face down Sangan. You top a Raiza.

You've just won.

If you tribute Sangan for Raiza, two compulsary effects will have to go on a chain. Because perfect declarer is optional, it cannot be triggered before both said compulsary effects have triggered and targeted.

So:
Tribute Sangan, summon Raiza. Stick Raiza on chain 1, and Sangan on Chain 2. Because all compulsary effects have triggered, Optional effects can be triggered.

Because Perfect Declarer can only counter the previous chain, Raiza clears the field whislt Sangan gets negated(if at all).

On a similar note, Divine Wrath cannot be used on Raiza. Why? Because the game rules demands that both effects go on the chain, and spell speeds will screw that up.

Of course, if you dont have this prior knowledge, you will get screwed over.

Also, note that optional effects can be effectively shut out with the good timing on Divine Wrath.

Example: You have 5 backrow. One of said Backrow is Divine Wrath.

The opponent tributes Sangan for Mobius.

Because Sangan is compulsary, it will get stuck on the chain before Mobius. Now, turn player priority switches to you, and you can activate your Divine Wrath.

Thus, because it is spell speed 3, Mobius cannot be activated, since it would mess with spell speeds, and the opponent will not even get the chance to target.

Now you have to deal with a 2400 Beatstick.

Heres the reverse side of the same play:

You tribute sangan and summon Mobius.

Sangan gets stuck on chain 1. The opponent has a chance to respond(also to Mobius's summon).

This is the timing that most people will open Bottomless Trap Hole.

Perfect. chain link 3 will then be Mobius, and you can target the other two facedowns

Other uses of this chain block abuse:

Dragunity Aclys equipped to a Monster, which is fed to Dragunity Arms Laevatiien.

Laevatiin's equipping effect(its summoning, like Machiners Fortress, doesnt start a chain), and Aclys's destruction effect goes on the same chain: With Aclys as 1(compulsary), and Laevatiien as 2(optional, if the enemy has no response).

Well the point is there: For your own betterment and not being rule sharked, and for not looking like an idiot when you act like youre being rule sharked but you're actually an idiot, learn how chains are formed, and the general rules that must be followed.

Thats all for today.

G-Ray Out.

Vanity Fiend

With Cold Wave.

its brutal.

Try it.

Thats all for today.

Malevolent Catastrophe

Maindecking three can prove interesting.

Although it can limit what other traps you play, it proves very effective.

Thats all for today.

G-Ray Out.