X-Tapirs

So one of my favorite decks of all time is X-sabers:

• Their monsters have some of the best effects in the game.
• They can run higher numbers of spells and traps.
• They create a certain amount of pressure that is great in this format. You know, staring down a first turn monster that you really wish your opponent didn't have.

In my opinion, Sabers dance the fine line between what is balanced and what isn't. It has an excellent boss that you can't really run 3 copies of and it has excellent monsters that have a very broad range of Attack and Defense. Out of the many cards that you can splash into X-sabers, none of them are excessively powerful in this format. Konami also loves X-sabers, and has pumped out a number of reprints to make the deck more playable than ever. The coveted Emmersblade can be found in Hidden Arsenal Special Edition and we can find Darksoul in the new Number 10: Illumiknight Collectible Tin. Faultroll was reprinted as a rare in Turbo Pack 3 and Fulhelmknight is easy to find too. Basically, the only difficult card to get is XX-Saber Hyunlei.


So why didn't I build X-Sabers? Besides never holding onto their key cards for more than a week, I could not find a build I like. I can't simply build the decklists from YCS champions, my local version would have to be original. This format is also a little more difficult for Sabers as they can't out-sustain all the deck choices on the market. Because of this, a lot of people aren't actually playing X-Sabers, which is the perfect time to play it (who wants to play something that everyone else is?). I decided to go back to my fun, imaginary deck: X-Tapirs.

X-Tapirs uses beast support to confuse and out-sustain the enemy. Darksoul is the key component to this, so looping him is the way to outlive your opponent. Darksoul can't win by himself, so we have another X-Beast to get us cards: Garsem. Garsem hits the field at 1600 and goes up by 200 for every Saber. In this format, he is more likely to die from battle than an effect, but if your opponent wants to play Dark Hole, Torrential, or Mirror Force, they will have to give you an X-Saber from your deck. Along with Garsem, Airbellum eared a spot back into the deck. With these Beast attackers and Boggart Knight as the Beast-Warrior, Horn of the Phantom Beast has obviously made its way into the deck.

The Beast support doesn't end there. Mega Hamster is still one of the best 1st turn sets in Yugioh and gets you Darksoul or Airbellum right out of the deck. What can you do from there? Anything really. Enemy controller, Mind Control, Faultroll, Horn, and many other cards that aren't in my build can capitalize on Hamster. After Hamster, I HAD to include my 2nd favorite beast support in the game: Dark Desertapir. Desertapir and Gold Sarcophagus is a 5 card commitment to the deck. X-sabers already have plenty of room for cards, so running 2 extra Monster Reborns is a lot of fun. In X-sabers, Desertapir can give you plays that otherwise would not have happened:
Punish your opponent's Torrential by "Tapering" Airbellum to the field and attack directly.
Get a 2nd X-Saber for Faultroll.
Bait out Solemn Warning. Taper for any beast.
Tribute Darksoul for Enemy controller to take a tuner. Taper it back to synchro and get 2 monsters in your end phase.
Drop Gottoms and use Dark Desertapir to allow another discard through Gottom's effect.

What strays other players away for running this engine is finding something to do with used Dark Desertapirs. This is where the real hilarity ensues as Gold Sarc isn't the only card that can activate Dark Desertapir's effect. My favorite for this format is main decking Soul Release. The current errata on Soul Release is that you can remove up to 5 cards from all of the graveyards. This means that if your opponent milled well with Card Trooper, you can synchro Airbellum with Desertapir to make Naturia Beast. Then you can use Soul Release to remove Desertapir, remove their Veiler and Gorz in the graveyard, and summon Airbellum back to the field. The goal is to not minus yourself for playing Soul Release in the main deck. Even if you get back Darksoul or Hamster, you will have removed important cards from their grave to summon a Darksoul, Hamster, or Garsem to the field.

There are not many matchups that this deck cannot beat. The worst is probably gravekeepers, which will shut down Soul Release, Desertapir, Gottom's and Faultroll. Luckily, we can attack over their best monsters with Horn of the Phantom Beast on Boggart Knight and Garsem. If all else fails, the side deck will overcome any disadvantage X-Tapirs had. A few choices I had in mind were:
-Creature Swap for decks like Gravekeepers that summon 1-2 monsters at a time. You lose the search from Darksoul if you give it to your opponent, however, Gravekeepers have a hard time destroying an opposing 2500DEF Spy.
-Caius/Mobius. Sounds silly yes, but Caius and Mobius will ALWAYS bait out Solemn Warning and Judgment. In X-tapirs, it is easy to keep a monster on the field during your opponent's end phase, especially if you have the first move against Gravekeepers. You can flip Hamster to search out Darksoul. Afterward tribute Hamster or Darksoul for Caius and eliminate at least 1 card from their field.

There are many options for this deck and all of them are a lot of fun. I may actually give this a try in November and report back to you guys afterward.

Demo Showcase Euploria

It has been a while since I tested a demo randomly from the Playstation Network. With so many games that are waiting to be played, the last thing I need is to find ANOTHER game to add to the backlog. Playing demos is a good way to test the waters to see what is fun among the 5 A+ titles we get a year. I'm sure everyone has the friend that is still playing 2 year old games and doesn't even know of the existence of others. As fun as it is to only play the same game all the time or to only buy heavily advertised titles, it is important to take advantage of demos.

Last week, the demo for the PSN version of Euploria was released. Euphloria is a PC game that was released in 2009 and is now available for the PS3, App stores, and a few other places. Like many "indie" games of late, Eufloria has a relaxing tone with smooth visuals and lax music. If you stay awake for long enough after experiencing the atmosphere, you are presented with an RTS game. Like other RTS, the goal of Eufloria is a expand your territory throughout the surrounding area. This is done with Seedlings that grow from flowers planted on your asteroid(your home base). When you get a certain amount of seedlings, you can float to other asteroids(neighboring bases) and attempt to plant more Flowers onto them. If you are successful in implanting your seedlings into the asteroid, it will become part of your territory and produce more seedlings. This continues until you clear the objective; usually to take complete control of a certain area.

Our favorite real-time strategy games have obstacles to overcome. Euphloria is no different. You will encounter enemy seeds that must be eradicated. If you allow them to flourish, they may invade your territory and eliminate your forces. The only way to prevent this is by invading them too! When 2 forces are growing at the same rate, there is no real way for either side to create an advantage. In this sense, you cannot simply grow a force of 10 seedlings and fight the opposing 10(plus whichever ones are born during the skirmish). To get ahead in Euphloria, the player has to take over unoccupied asteroids quickly to generate more seedlings. Each asteroid has a stat value for speed and strength, so there is some strategy in deciding the path your army should extend. Like other RTS games, the best players are those who can micro-manage their forces into smaller groups. It is easy to grow 10 seedlings on 2 asteroids and send them all away to fight an enemy. But what if they flank your team during the attack? This is where RTS games, and Eufloria actually becomes fun.

Perhaps the best part about Eufloria is the Fast-forward feature. Without this, Eufloria would be far too boring to actually call relaxing. There are times you will turn it off, such as to counter an invasion. For many players, FF will be the default playing speed and turning it off could be called a "slow-down" option. Other features of Eufloria include the ability to zoom in and see intricate details in the level. Is this necessary for combat or strategy? No; actually it is more difficult to navigate between asteroids when the camera is zoomed in. You do get some visuals on how seedlings actually kill a flower, but nothing much besides that. In later levels, your seedling arsenal will actually change. Based on the flowers you plant, you can develop seedlings with additional speed, power, health and other goodies. The flowers you plant may also have their own abilities, like defensive plants the will fight back against the seedlings. Unfortunately, the Demo will only give you a small taste of how intricate the game will be in the later levels.



Patience is the key to liking Eufloria. It will be slow to start, and the visuals probably won't help those with short attention spans. It does have very entertaining moments though, so let's not dismiss it entirely. On our home consoles, we do not get many games like Eufloria to play. For those who like to dip their gamer thumbs into different experiences, Eufloria may actually be a lot of fun for you. Above all else, it costs you nothing but time(and some harddrive space to try the demo for yourself.

Yu-Gi-Oh 2011 Part 4 - The Reprinting

Back in July I started these YGO 2011 posts to bring up all the cool things happening this year.
We got a new form of monster, the awesome toolbox known as Xyz.
We got new World Premiere cards from packs that are some of the most powerful and splashable cards in recent years.
We got a banlist that hit overly consistent strategies.
We got a format filled with powerful boss monsters that turn the tide of any duel.
Then of course, we got the best reprints any of us could have asked for. And those reprints aren't stopping either. Legendary Collection 2 was released this week and we have a new set of Holiday tins coming in November. If you thought you were done spending money, I think you will like what these have to offer.

The Legendary Collection is a huge opportunity for casual players and those competitive players who need to bling out their decks. The set is pretty large, so the rarity ratios are actually good in terms of card value. Not only that, but the high retail price of the binder should make some choice cards in the set very valuable to collectors. Before we get into those, there are lots of guaranteed cards in every binder that some of use have been itching to play.

Darklords - I've talked about these guys long ago and now people can actually try them in a deck. I am not a big fan of Edeh Arae, and Superbia has a very specific play style that I do not like. However, Asmodeus is one of my favorite monsters in the game. The classic Phantom Darkness style of Dark Attribute deck is very similar to how you can play Darklord Asmodeus. Since Asmo cannot be summoned from the graveyard, you have to play him from your hand or from the Banish zone. Luckily, Dark monsters have tons of Banish support, removing themselves from the game and summoning themselves at no cost. You can even go so far as to run 3 Gold Sarcophagus to remove Asmo from the game and summon him in the same turn with Miraculous Descent.

Sacred Beasts -
Uria, Lord of Searing Flames
Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder
Raviel, Lord of Phantasms
Casual Yugioh players have been aching to play these for a long time. You could get them from Collector's Tins, but these binders are a much better value. Competitive players can have fun making them work in the real world, such as with the new and improved Crystal Beacon deck or even splashing a Raviel into Crashbugs. The costs of Raviel seem a little unreasonable, but there are plenty of cards to spend on its special summon. Any combination of Crashbugs, Fires of Doomsday and Tour Guide with Sangan will let you summon the giant 4000 ATK beatstick. In this format, most monsters will actually stay on the field for at least one turn. All you really have to do is summon it without investing too many cards and it will usually pay for itself. You could even play the D-Boyz and have more tribute options.

Elemental HERO Great Tornado and Parallel World Fusion - These 2 have been out in Japan for a long time. Great Tornado fills the void of not running monsters like Catastor and Scrap Dragon. It is designed for getting over monsters with more than 3200 ATK. Though most decks won't summon anything that strong (except for Nordics) you still need to run 1 Tornado. We've all been in this situation: You are staring down a Stardust Dragon. You didn't draw very well; you have a Stratos in the Graveyard because of Solemn Warning and an Ice Edge in your hand alongside Miracle Fusion. You can't make Absolute Zero because Stardust will negate the destruction effect. Your only other option is Great Tornado with Miracle Synchro. You could even Super Poly your opponent's Stardust into a Great Tornado if you don't want to make Draco-Equeste. Once you use Miracle Synchro, Parallel World gives you ANOTHER play. Alongside Gemini Spark, Hero Blast and Super Poly, Parallel gives HEROs more options than ever before. Some even say that the Fusion Gate version of the deck is Superior to the TCG's "Light Hero Beat."

Dragonic Tactics With Alexandrite Dragon and Rescue Rabbit, Dragonic Tactics may actually become playable. What can you summon with Dragonic Tactics?
Clear Vice Dragon in Clear World Control
Dragunity Arma Lavaetinn for instant LADD shenanigans.
Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon
Tyrant Dragon to clear the field of low level monsters.

Besides the guaranteed cards, there are lots of fun reprints to dig out of your packs:
Secret Rare:

Banisher of the Radiance Chimeratech Overdragon Cyber Dragon (alt. art) Cyber End Dragon Cyber End Dragon (alt.art) Cyber Twin Dragon Dandylion Dark End Dragon Darkness Destroyer Destiny Hero - Disk Commander Elemental Hero Avian (alt. art) Elemental Hero Neos Alius Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (alt. art) Elemental Hero Dark Neos Elemental Hero Flame Wingman Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer Elemental Hero Sparkman (alt. art) Evil Hero Malicious Edge Gallis the Star Beast Gladiator Beast Bestiari Gladiator Beast Darius Gladiator Beast Equeste Gladiator Beast Hoplomus Gladiator Beast Laquari Gladiator Beast Murmillo Gladiator Beast Secutor Great Shogun Shien Necro Gardna Neos Wiseman Phantom of Chaos Phantom Skyblaster Test Tiger Winged Kuriboh LV9 Yubel Yubel - Terror Incarnate Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare Destiny Draw Dimensional Fissure Fifth Hope Power Bond Skyscraper 2 - Hero City Super Polymerization Gladiator Beast War Chariot

Ultra Rare:

Armityle the Chaos Phantom Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid Card Blocker Cyber Dragon Cyber Phoenix Cyber Valley Elemental Hero Chaos Neos Elemental Hero Divine Neos Elemental Hero Electrum Evil Hero Infernal Sniper Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior Gladiator Beast Lanista Gladiator Beast Octavius Hydrogeddon Ice Queen Jain, Lightsworn Paladin Kasha Light End Dragon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner Proto-Cyber Dragon Rainbow Dragon Rainbow Dark Dragon Shutendoji Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes White Night Dragon Wulf, Lightsworn Beast Crystal Release Crystal Tree Dark Fusion Future Fusion Instant Fusion Magical Mallet Miracle Fusion The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh Defensive Tactics Dimensional Prison Kid Guard Macro Cosmos Mirror Gate

Super Rare:

Card Ejector Clear Vice Dragon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus D.D. Crow Darklord Desire Destiny End Dragoon Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude Destiny Hero - Dogma Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster Destiny Hero - Plasma Elemental Hero Aqua Neos Elemental Hero Darkbright Elemental Hero Grand Neos Elemental Hero Inferno Elemental Hero Magma Neos Elemental Hero Mudballman Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster Elemental Hero Tempest Elemental Hero Terra Firma Elemental Hero Woodsman Enishi, Shien's Chancellor Evil Hero Dark Gaia Evil Hero Inferno Wing Evil Hero Lightning Golem Evil Hero Malicious Fiend Evil Hero Wild Cyclone Gladiator Beast Heraklinos Rainbow Neos Vennominon the King of Poisonous Snakes Clear World Rare Value Hero Ring

Rare:

Destiny Hero - Defender Elemental Hero Glow Neos Elemental Hero Knospe Elemental Hero Necroshade Elemental Hero Ocean Elemental Hero Poison Rose Elemental Hero Steam Healer Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy Bubble Shuffle Burst Return Crystal Abundance Crystal Beacon Crystal Blessing Crystal Promise Dark Calling Fake Hero Feather Shot Gladiator Beast's Respite Gladiator Proving Ground Gladiator's Return Grand Convergence HERO Flash!! Neo Space Over Destiny Overload Fusion Rose Bud D - Time Destiny Mirage Swiftstrike Armor Terra Firma Gravity

Common:

Card Trooper Chamberlain of the Six Samurai Cold Enchanter Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger D.D. Survivor Destiny Hero - Blade Master Destiny Hero - Captain Tenacious Destiny Hero - Dasher Destiny Hero - Departed Destiny Hero - Doom Lord Destiny Hero - Dread Servant Destiny Hero - Double Dude Destiny Hero - Dunker Destiny Hero - Fear Monger Destiny Hero - Malicious Elemental Hero Avian Elemental Hero Bladedge Elemental Hero Burstinatrix Elemental Hero Bubbleman Elemental Hero Captain Gold Elemental Hero Clayman Elemental Hero Flare Neos Elemental Hero Lady Heat Elemental Hero Marine Neos Elemental Hero Mariner Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman Elemental Hero Neos Elemental Hero Plasma Vice Elemental Hero Prisma Elemental Hero Sparkman Elemental Hero Storm Neos Elemental Hero Stratos Elemental Hero Heat Elemental Hero Thunder Giant Elemental Hero Voltic Elemental Hero Wildedge Elemental Hero Wildheart Elemental Hero Wild Wingman Evil Hero Infernal Gainer Gladiator Beast Andal Grandmaster of the Six Samurai Grave Squirmer Grinder Golem Hero Kid Ice Master Judgment Dragon Mezuki Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin Neo-Spacian Dark Panther Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab Neo-Spacian Glow Moss Neo-Spacian Grand Mole The Six Samurai - Irou The Six Samurai - Kamon The Six Samurai - Nisashi The Six Samurai - Yaichi The Six Samurai - Yariza The Six Samurai - Zanji Thunder King Rai-Oh Winged Kuriboh Winged Kuriboh LV10 Wroughtweiler Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins Clock Tower Prison Cunning of the Six Samurai Cyclone Blade Cyclone Boomerang D - Formation D - Spirit Dark City E - Emergency Call Fusion Recovery Gateway of the Six H - Heated Heart Hero's Bond Hero Heart Instant Neo Space Light of Redemption Hero Mask Neos Force O - Oversoul R - Righteous Justice Skyscraper Space Gift Spark Blaster System Down Transcendent Wings Venom Swamp Change of Hero - Reflector Ray Clay Charge Crystal Pair Crystal Raigeki D - Chain D - Counter D - Fortune D - Shield Destiny Signal Double-Edged Sword Technique Edge Hammer Elemental Recharge Feather Wind Hero Barrier Hero Blast Hero Counterattack Hero Signal Hero Spirit Miracle Kids Non-Fusion Area Offering to the Snake Deity Rainbow Gravity Rainbow Path Return of the Six Samurai Rise of the Snake Deity Success Probability 0%

Now I know what you're thinking. Where's the Fossil Dyna? Those Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo was in Light of Destruction it did not make the cut for this reprint set. However it made it into something very, very good.

The Wave 2 Holiday Tins are just as awesome as the wave 1 tins Leviathan Dragon and Wind-up Zenmaister.
Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon
Tin Contents:
2 packs of Storm of Ragnarok
2 packs of Extreme Victory
1 pack of Generation Force
1 Secret Rare card: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon
1 Super Rare card: Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
1 Super Rare card: Guardian Eatos
1 Super Rare card: Malefic Stardust Dragon
1 Super Rare card: Solemn Warning

Number 10: Illumiknight Collectible
Tin Contents:
2 packs of Storm of Ragnarok
2 packs of Extreme Victory
1 pack of Generation Force
1 Secret Rare card: Number 10: Illumiknight
1 Super Rare card: Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
1 Super Rare card: XX-Saber Darksoul
1 Super Rare card: The Tyrant Neptune
1 Super Rare card: Solemn Warning

As you see, each tin comes with 1 Super Rare Solemn Warning, matching the Super Rare Pot of Duality from the wave 1 tins. Lots of players still don't have Solemn Warning and this tones down the power creep you may be experiencing in your locals. After that, each one has powerhouse reprints to be excited for.

Galaxy-Eyes comes with that much needed Fossil Dyna, allowing use to side against some of the most popular decks. I have been waiting for Fossil Dyna to side into Koakis for a long, long time. Guardian Eatos is used in one of the most fun decks ever invented: Dimensional Eatos. It is a mixture of anti-meta and explosive power in the form of Dimensional Fissure and a Cherokee Princess(with wings). Finally, Malefic Stardust rounds out the tin for people who weren't willing to buy the movie packs. Malefic Stardust, for most competitive players, is a side deck option against Gravekeepers and Dragunities. You lose out of a possible 4000 ATK monster in Malefic Cyber End Dragon, but you gain 1-2 side deck spots(as you won't have to commit the original Cyber End Dragon into your build.

The Illumiknight Tin has to be my favorite with the Darksoul reprint. I have always wanted to play my own build for X Sabers, and now I finally can with this reprint. Any player can build Xsabers now while only requiring Hyunlei as an expensive card. For those who don't know, "X-tapirs" uses X-Saber Garsem and additional beast-themed effects to add variety to the deck. Alone, Garsem is a high ATK level 4 monster that most current decks can't Normal Summon and kill. Ehren makes up the other good slot in the tin. Originally a World Premiere card(TCG exclusive), Ehren is ually the best choice after Lyla and Ryko for milling.

After all of these awesome cards, we have Photon Shockwave on the horizon. I haven't done a booster pack review in a while, and that is because I didn't really connect with those new cards. Photon Shockwave has an awesome lineup prepared for us and deserves a look from everyone.

Beat 2 Format

There are many mixed feelings about this format. If you look at YCS Toronto and YCS Ecuador, it is clear that we have a format with 2 main decks to beat. Those are Chaos Tengu Synchro and Agents. The majority of the top 32 in both of these events were made up of those decks with some variances between one another. Despite the popularity of those 2 decks, we can look at YCS Ecuador for evidence of what our format is really about. "If you can beat those 2 decks, then your deck is playable."

Of course, if you were in Toronto, you may have had to play against a LOT of Chaos Tengu Synchro. This is a card game and when you play against so much of the same deck, you do have increasing chances to lose against it. However, this may not mean that your deck is bad. CTS(as I will be calling it for now on) has many "god hands" that are very difficult to outplay. Short of drawing into your side, an opening hand of Reborn Tengu, One for One, Gorz, Veiler, BLS, or any combination of those can spell doom for most players. When you get right down to it, if your deck has answers to zany early-game plays like this, you can call it competitive, Tier-1, etc. This is not to say that CTS and Agents are Tier 0 or Tier 0.5. Let's call them an entrance exam to top 32. If you can get through that door, you get to play OTHER decks that aced the entrance exam too; and THAT is when the game really starts getting fun.

So if you aren't playing CTS or Agents, then what else is there? Let's take a look at Ecuador:
Six Sams
Frogs
Gravekeepers
Dragons
Glads
Blackwings
TGs
CTS
Agents

If you thought the format wasn't diverse, then you may be having trouble with CTS and Agents. Believe it or not, it really is possible to beat the decks, even though everyone seems to be playing it and it IS a tough match. Toronto players didn't have it as easy with their top 16:
1 Anti-meta
1 TG
1 Karakuri
Everything else: Agents and CTS

It really is unfortunate that so many people played the deck. If you are playing on the Local level, don't get discouraged as your deck may still be competent with good tech and an appropriate side. There are many decks(not posted above) to choose from and all of can make it past the entrance exam:
Scraps
Monarchs
Rekindling variants(Flamvells, Jurracs)
Heroes
X Sabers
Infernity
Quickdraw
Machina Gadgets
Nordics
Gigavise
Fabled
Zombies
Of course some of these decks have an easier time with the exam than others. With luck, your side deck can overcome that disadvantage.

I like to believe that the format is defined by the number of plays your deck can make, and the number of your plays your deck can stop. CTS is known for having "plays for days." Unlike slower decks, they can place cards on the field without really making a push for game, and still call it making a "play." A good example of this is setting Sangan or summoning Card Trooper to make more cards in their hand live. Other decks can do this too, like Heroes, Sabers, and Machina. Agents don't have as many plays as CTS, but it has excellent cards to stop plays. Unlike antimeta monsters Banisher and Thunderking, Agent cards that stop plays, also generate them. Whether it is your first turn Gachi or dropping Hyperion, followed by Krystia, they will slow the duel down to their pace until you can't compete with their bosses. Other YGO decks have a lot of sustainability too like Zombies and Monarchs.

You can extend this to tier 2 and 3 decks too, increasing the amount of plays available or slowing the competition down to your level. Let's look at something like Crash Fiends that we talked about in this dark post. Crash Fiends can be designed for the "plays for days" philosophy. Pushes that your opponent manages to stop, are fuel for boss monsters. Three plays can be stopped using Gorz and Effect Veiler, backed by BLS.

Don't think that the only decks in the format are Agents and CTS. Don't think that you have to play those 2 decks because nothing else can come close to their power. Take a look at your deck and try to extend the amount of things it can do in random situations. If your deck is lacking sustainability(it runs out of steam too easily.), think about ways to get your best cards back through things like Monster Reincarnation and Fabled Leviathan. If your deck can't stop much, think about fitting in Maxx "C", Gorz, Enemy Controller or Scapegoat. Don't let YCS Toronto discourage you from at least testing some of your favorite ideas. Also look forward to Photon Shockwave. Only a month way, we get Evols, more F!sh support and a brand new Rescue Rabbit to abuse.

Classic fun - Koa'kis

I have been waiting for this format and certain key reprints for a while. Pot of Duality, Heavy Storm, emphasis on monster cards and their effects; all of these are good reasons to run beatdown decks and anti-meta. Of course, this is me we are talking about. I had to give Koakis their long-awaited retry.

The last time I played Koakis at locals was in 2010, back when Six Samurai were the prevalent deck. At that time, I only had my 1 Duality, so getting off Urnight plays were heavily dependent on my opening hand. Some builds resorting to using Morphing Jar, others used 3 Gold Sarcophagus. If I was lucky enough to get Shi En off the field and survive Trishula, I could usually win. A lot of the matches weren't in my favor, so that is what we call an inconsistent deck. My current build seems to respond fairly well to other decks, so here is hoping we can improve upon it.

Monsters: 19
3 Koa'ki Meiru Urnight
3 Koa'ki Meiru Crusader
2 Koa'ki Meiru Boulder
2 Koa'ki Meiru Guardian
2 Genex Ally Birdman
1 Summoner Monk
1 Neo-Spacian Grand Mole
1 Koa'ki Meiru Maximus
1 Koa'ki Meiru Sandman
1 Koa'ki Meiru Wall
1 Koa'ki Meiru Tornado
1 Maxx "C"

Spells: 12
3 Pot of Duality
2 Gold Sarcophagus
2 Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru
2 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Dark Hole
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn

Traps: 9
2 Call of the Haunted
2 Solemn Warning
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Mirror Force
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Bottomless Trap Hole

Extra: 15
Your choice of Synchros
1 Arcanite Magician
1 No. 39: Utopia

Side Deck: 15
3 Leeching the Light
2 Soul Release
2 Light Imprisoning Mirror
2 Shadow Imprisoning Mirror
2 Koa'ki Meiru Drago
2 Cyber Dragon
1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
1 Mystical Space Typhoon

Cards that work well:
Call of the Haunted is probably the best answer to Solemn Warning this format. Even with all the Mystical Space and Heavy Storm, Call can bait out their spells, help you survive the turn, or even allow you to win the game. Koakis aren't built to mill monsters, or to needlessly expend resources because you have survival tools (there is a Koaki build that can do that!). Call is always meant to be an answer to your opponent's destruction effects.

Summoner Monk creates amazing combos if you have 1 Iron Core and 1 of any other spell card in your hand. I am only running 1 in the deck, or perhaps I should say that I only own one. The typical play for Monk is to discard a spell card and summon Urnight. You can then use Urnight's effect to summon another Koaki from your deck. If your opponent has no response, you will have 3 monsters on the field for the cost of 2 cards in your hand. Monk and Urnight cannot attack, so you can overlay them into a Utopia if necessary. A lot of the time, I will keep them both of the field. It really depends on the matchup, as some decks will resort to effects to clear your monsters rather than attacking. Most people say that Summoner Monk is not good because of the spells you have to pitch. I like to believe that the Koaki Deck solves this problem with Iron Core, Duality, and Gold Sarc. Anyone can easily discard a Pot of Duality to summon an Urnight. The most fun however is using Boulder, Duality, or Gold Sarc a turn prior to the Monk play in order to get 2 Iron Core into your hand. Two Iron Core, 1 Monk, and any card to protect your invest (such as Compulsory) is a very powerful play. If your opponent cannot rid you of the Summoner Monk, you can add the discarded Iron Core to your hand during your next draw phase and have 5 monsters on the field without normal summoning.

Koa'ki Meiru Guardian was ran in 3's in the VERY beginning, and then it was bumped down to 2. When I remade the deck a week ago, I originally had 1 Guardian and 2 Sandman (which makes no sense at all). It is obvious that Effect Monsters are very important in this format. Some people run 3 Effect Veiler, some run Fiendish Chains, and so it is only natural to play Guardian in 2's or 3's. It may be ideal to Run 2 in the main deck and side in a 3rd when playing against low trap-count decks. Like Doomcalibur, Guardian forces plays out of your opponent. Be it wasting powerful spells and traps to destroy 1 monster or forcing you to use the effect prematurely. Many of the top decks rely on key effects to "get their ball rolling" and to keep them from using them is very important.

Perhaps the best part about the Koaki deck is the ability to side against any other deck. If you look at my side, I appear to have a major grudge against Light decks. You may opt for a more universal side. In my opinion, the main decks to beat are Chaos Synchro, Agents, Hero Beat, and TG variants. The first 2 are handled by the heavy amount of anti-light cards and soul release. The latter 2 are handled by Cyber Dragons and an additional Space Typhoon.

Now this isn't the end-all beat-all version of a Koaki deck. There are many routes to choose from if you want to give it a try. You can add a Synchro element using TG Striker and TG Warwolf. You can put in a miniature Miracle Fusion in the form of Gaia Plate. Some people also want to run Effect Veiler in the deck, alongside Guardian; it locks out many effects without the need to play Skill Drain. There are many Koaki themed cards to choose from too. Just be very careful as many of them have lost power in this format (Reckoned Power). There more you try to fit in, the less consistent the deck will be, so if anyone wants to try out Negaton or Overclock, I suggest not running too many other themed spells and traps.

Happy Beating!