The Sin City Conundrum

In a few short hours I will be on a plane to one of the most exciting cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting in Las Vegas.  With YCS Las Vegas quickly approaching, it is important to keep the metagame in mind and to think about not only what is the best deck one should play for the event, but to think about what other players will be playing and what specific cards to use to tweak their deck for maximum performance in an eleven-round gauntlet.  Last format, we saw decks like Fire Fist and Mermails dominate events later in the format, but it was not before Hieratic Rulers made a splash at the very beginning.  While Hieratic Rulers did not suffer much from the ban list, Fire Fists and Mermails both took significant blows with the limiting of Coach Soldier Wolfbark and Mermail Abyssgunde respectively.  Before deciding what to play for an event, one must consider what they themselves are proficient in playing and what is relevant in the current metagame.  Ideally, you should know your deck’s combos inside and out, as well as, nifty plays that will catch unsuspecting players off guard and give you the much needed upper hand in the match.  Sometimes it is not about the matchup or how you draw, but all in how you play your opponent.  There have been a number of matches where my opponents have handed me games on silver platters because of their own missteps.  Do not make the same mistake.

Mermails for instance will have changed vastly in how they are played now than before.  Players will have thought of new tricks, using cards that were rarely seen in competitive builds of the deck, until now.  The limitations of Mermail Abyssgunde and Coach Soldier Wolfbark are actually quite similar, in that they both constantly allowed the respective decks to summon powerful XYZ monsters each turn consistently with little cost.  While it affects the Mermail matchup in a way of having to play different cards that may outlet new entire combos and charades, Fire Fists will not play too many cards that you are not already familiar with, even if they are not playing a build that features Spirit and Rooster. 

Other competitors that previously utilized Fire Fists or Mermails may flock to a new deck, that was less or unaffected by the list, convinced that their deck has been hit beyond repair or that another deck is simply a better option for the upcoming event.  This sort of mindset can be dangerous if the player is making a rash decision, does not have a competitive build of the new deck, or simply is worse at playing that deck than the latter.  As evidenced by the results this past weekend in Mexico City, Mermails is still a deck to be reckoned with, taking 7 of the top 32 spots, followed closely by Bujins and Geargias, both placing 6 in the top 32.  This means heading into YCS Las Vegas, many players may flock towards these three decks.  Of course there will be a fair distribution of other decks that will make up the rest of the field including, Fire Fists, Karakuris, Spellbooks, Harpies, Dark Worlds, Hieratic Rulers, Mythic Rulers, Swarms, Spirits, and Raccoons.

By expecting the presumed top decks to be Mermails, Bujins, and Geargia we can determine that it may be better to side or main different cards dependent on how they matchup against them.  For instance, one may decide to side deck Light-Imprisoning Mirror and DNA Surgery, rather than just siding one, because they are expecting to encounter a large amount of Bujin decks throughout the tournament.  Conversely, they may decide to run a completely different deck that performs well against all of these decks.  Upon deciding on what to run, based on your own personal preferences, you should construct a side deck that combats not only these decks, but a collection of cards that combats rogue matchups as well.  These cards should be good against a number of matchups, such as additional backrow removal, graveyard hate, or stall depending on what your deck is able to run given its own constraints.  In conjunction with the construction of your side, you should also decide on maindecked hate for matchups that could be difficult for you.  For instance, when Evilswarms were first legal for YCS play, a number of Mermail players began playing Mermail Abyssturge when they had not previously.  They used this to recycle previously used Infantries to get rid of the Ophions that they were so afraid of.  Both this and the construction of your side deck are what will differentiate your deck from the average.  This is important, as it will once again create difficult and unexpected situations for opponents.

In short, play something that you are comfortable with, but have researched and discovered ways to set you apart from the rest of the pack.  With whatever you decide, remember to know what all of your cards do specifically, you do not want to get caught in a nasty situation before it is too late.  Remember to read your opponent’s cards if you do not know what they do, instead of relying only on their explanations.  After your decklist is handed in, all you can do is take it one match at a time.