T-Report: Old Asia Format 9/30/12

I say Old Asia format since until now we aren't allowed to use promo cards. Hope we can get to do so for the team tournament qualifier this end of October. Tried Gadgets so I can have a good feel if it is valid for me to use in the coming qualifiers.

Deck Used: Offering Machina Gadgets
Participants: 16
Single Eliminations

Round1: BYE. opp didnt show up. Lucky to have free win. Unlucky to get no practice

Round2: vs. Chiro Morillo (Six Samurai) 0-0-
G1 = No 1st turn Shien but he used a lot of Fiendish Chains. He misplayed with his Heavy Storm (3-2 exchange, his loss) which enabled my Chain'd Fortress to move again.
G2 = He ended with only a set card. Me did the same (Ultimate Offering). He used Gateway and United and used Ascetism with his normal summoned Hermit. I activated my f/d Offering before he had a Shien and used MaxxC. I drew 10 cards with him completing a field of Excalibur, 2 Kizans, Shien, Grandma. He attacked but I summoned a 6000 ATK Trago, gg.

Round3: vs. Vincent Lim (Agents) X-0-0
G1 = Both of us were farming 5-6 cards in hand while still able to commit considerably on the field. But in the end I was the one who first got to spend more cards early since a Catastor and Hyperion is hard to kill without Dark Hole.
G2 = Venus+Gachi got over my Gearframe. I killed Venus back with Photon Slasher, summon Gadget, then made a Maestroke to defend. Both of us had def monsters and it went back and forth but I think he had subpar draws so I got game.
G3 = Venus+Gachi but killed by Photon Slasher again, lol. Slasher is a success, haha. I set 2, he used Storm, I chain Complusory to get rid of his Gachi. Tried to push for game a few turns after and won. Looks like he got no more monsters to press with.

Finals: vs. Brian (Chaos(?) Machina Gadget) 0-0-
G1 = He set a Ryko, it destroyed my f/d. Though it was a tech but next he summoned a BLS to directly attack me but I summoned a 3000 atk Tragoedia. Nxt turn it went over BLS and it was smooth sailing to victory.
G2 = He used Mind Crush to send my Green Gadget to GY but I had a Red Gadget and Ultimate Offerring. He bluffed two cards f/d but I pushed and got game.

My impressions of today:
-Photon Slasher owns. haha. Kills a lot of turn1 biggies like Venus, Kizan, Gearframe
-Mirror Force is so good.
-Gagaga Gunman! haha, its not safe to leave 500 LP when paying for Ultimate Offering.
-Tried to use Chaos Hope to end the finals but fail. No achievement. :(

Pros of the deck if I use it in team:
-doesn't use Duality, so I can give it to someone else
-doesn't use other Xyz besides Rank 4 and only uses 1 of each xcept Giganto
-doesn't require to use power staples such as Reborn and Heavy Storm
-lots of good cards that you can use even without a couple of staples
-can side in hate cards like Cosmos and other continuous traps

Cons:
-lots of traps
-predictable deck, one-trick pony deck, Many expect the deck to be used in the tournamnet
-easily dies to a well-planned or crazy-drawn OTK
-has problems dealing against 2500+ monsters and esp. Catastor/Tiras/Crimson Shadow
-easily locked by Raioh


Got my prizes and left the store to go to our friend's house for a birthday party. haha.

Zexal Weapons + Utopia

Let's lean back and relax a bit from the rush of the competitive scene and let's look at some new cards from the upcoming Cosmo Blazar booster set. The Flame Dance archetype reminds me of the Shakugan no Shana anime with a mix of Chinese elements. However, it's not them that I want to mention today.

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/ZW_-_Lightning_Blade

= add 1200 atk + all ZW indestructible by effects + sub-destroy by effects to a Utopia monster

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/ZW_-_Tornado_Bringer

= add 1300 atk + untargetable by effects + sub-destroy by battle to a Utopia monster

You remember how Gigamantis attaches itself to any Inzektor and, well, these cards do the same thing barring they can only be equipped to a "Utopia" monster. So far, that's Utopia itself and Utopia Ray (perhaps we'll see more non-Xyz Utopia monsters someday?). Tornado Bringer is my choice over the two since it's better to be untargetable once your Utopia is already on the field. Generic traps out there like BTH and Torrential guarantee that your Utopia is already destroyed way before it can be equipped with anything, so, barring Mirror Force and Dark Hole, there should be nothing else that is a staple that can kill something that is untargetable. Also, you can use/side in Lightning Blade against kill-all decks like Lightsworn and Anti-meta.

Xyz Utopia is easy to summon nowadays. Photon, Gadgets, etc., maybe we can see Utopia decks in the future that uses these new ZW cards since a 3800 ATK Utopia that cannot be targeted by anything SHOULD be able to troll anyone.

Trading Etiquette vs. Morality

Just because of ME???

Its funny how everyone panics over the recent news about promo cards being legal for the asia format. I saw in our Facebook trading group that 2 persons were quarelling over the sale of a Thunder King Raioh. 

PlayerA had set up a deal to buy a set of Raioh from PlayerB later this afternoon. They made this agreement before the new legality issue was around.

Now, when Raioh is legal to use, PlayerB wanted to cancel their deal because he wants to use the Raioh for himself. PlayerA does not want to cancel but PlayerB insists, so PlayerA reported him to the admin in the "bad trader thread". PlayerB gets banned from the group but before that he and PlayerA had bickered and foul-mouthed each other over the whole evening resulting with them supposedly having a confrontation later this afternoon. LOL

Well, FYI, we have strict rules in our trading group regarding cancellation of deals and it is very simple.... there is no cancellation. I understand this is to prevent bad deals and all and I have no problem with this rule. Except, there should be a limit to how you can apply this rule. I believe that cancelling because of the sudden legality issue is valid. Its common for us to sell cards that we cannot use. If I were selling Raioh before because I wasn't able to use it and I want to use it now since I can, I believe I have a right to do so because it is MY CARD. They can argue that this goes against good trading etiquette since I already said Yes to the buyer, but still, it is against your moral obligation to another person to take advantage of him because of it!

To better see my point, let's take this example. 

Before the Sept2012 banlist was announced, let's say Jon has arranged a deal to buy a DT Brionac from Snow; but, a day after this, the banlist came out saying Brionac is newly banned. Of course, Jon wanted to cancel the deal since he cannot use the Brionac anymore but Snow insists that he buy it because of the trading group rule (using it to his advantage because his Brionac is now worthless). If you were the admin, would you force Jon to continue the deal, and if he doesn't, it will result with his perma-ban from the group?

See what I mean? Ppl can make use of things like rules and trading etiquette to their own advantage. They tend to forget the little bit of morality in things when it comes to cards and money. If you want to rip off someone, please be at least decent enough to let him back out of the deal once he realizes he is being conned. If he doesn't realize it and you finish the deal, then lucky you. But if he does, you can't force him to be ripped off using pressure from other ppl. Just let it go man. We're not kids anymore. 

With Gadgets being run by most ppl here in the Philippines, it's not uncommon to see everyone looking for Raioh to use against them. In my perspective, that PlayerA is so desperate to find his own Raioh set that he doesn't care about the other person's MORALLY CORRECT reason and takes advantage of the group rules to get what he wants. Well, this is just my two cents anyway. I'm not an admin of that group so I can't meddle with it but, if one of the admins come to read this, I hope this can change how they'll judge things next time.

Oh, btw, i'm in no way PlayerA nor PlayerB. I'm just ranting because I saw their irritating and very long bickering at the group. haha

And quoting Karlo, "it'll be funny when those who are now buying lots of promos realize that the news is not applicable to the Philippines." hahaha

Thanks for reading!

Offering Gadget's Xyz monsters get legal!

I said before that I'll post about my best bet in the new asia format (pre-EXP2012) which is Offering Machina Gadgets. It has consistency in its draws, apply of pressure, trap power, albeit in the Asia format it loses its boss Xyz monsters and one of its best support monsters - Tinplate Goldfish.

HOWEVER...

It has been going around that Konami lifted its ban of promotional card products for use in the Asia format except for the exclusive Duel Terminal cards that were only supplied to Japan. This news came from DSummon of DuelingDays whom is also a Konami Asia Judge so we might as well believe this is true.

http://duelistcodex.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/card-legality-asian-restriction/

This solves the biggest problem in Asia format Gadgets which is what Xyz monsters to use in situations that Giganto X and Machina Fortress cannot solve. This was the limiting factor to Asia-legal Gadget decks. There's no other move besides spamming Fortress with insane advantage and hiding behind traps.

Now, they are not limited to summoning Giganto X and the mediocre Hope, Maestroke, Butterfly Assasin, Gunman, Gagagigo, etc.. (I say mediocre 'coz they dont accomplish much).

They now have access to powerful Rank 4 monsters such as Shock Ruler, Black Corn, Kachi Kochi, and Inverz Roach. They are still missing Emeral, Merrowgeist, Gem Parl, and Ouroboros since these are DT exclusives, but still, having even just Shock Ruler changes the gameplay of Asia Gadgets.

Now the next problem would still be the loss of Tinplate Goldfish. 

This monster + Giganto X were the ones responsible for Gadgets getting to Tier 1. 

Put Dual Summon into the mix and you add more consistency in having that GigantoX on your 1st turn. 

Plus, Tinplate + Dual Summon is a sure way to summon that Shock Ruler! It can also fetch you a Fortress on your 1st turn even if you didn't draw a Gearframe. There are a lot of moves you can make with 3 normal summons in a row. This is why having a good Extra Deck is important.

Without Tinplate Goldfish, you still have that Dual Summon. But now you have less chances to do your 1st turn GigantoX and, without Ultimate Offering or Monster Reborn, it's unlikely that you'll be able to summon that Shock Ruler from an empty field. We'll need a replacement for it... there's two things i have: a simple answer; and a complicated one.

1. Photon Slasher

This card was used before GigantoX was around as you don't really have a reason to use Goldfish. It is easy to summon and with great ATK. This is way better than Cyber Dragon in this deck. You cannot use it to make a GigantoX but you can save it for when you'll need problem-solver Xyz monsters or to spam 3 Lv4s in the field. ALSO, remember that Thunder King Raioh is now legal too and Slasher is an easy out to it.

2. Chain Summoning

This card lets you summon 2 more times in the same turn. OP, right? However, it has a hard requirement as it needs to be in Chain Link 3 or higher to be played. You can do lots of moves to reach Chain Link 3. Remember that when you summon a Gadget and activate its effect, you are already in CL1. You only need something to chain to your Gadget then use Chain Summon. 

Let's simulate some chain builds.

CL1 Gadget >> CL2 Opp's Veiler >> CL3 Chain Summon. (This is a cool play as long as you have another Gadget or Gearframe inhand)

CL1 Gadget >> CL2 Your MST >> CL3 Chain Summon. (Let's just hope that what you targeted by MST does not negate Chain Summon or disrupt your combo)

CL1 Gadget >> CL2 *insert trap here* >> CL3 Chain Summon. (Such as CED, Torrential(???) haha)

CL1 Gadget >> CL2 Emergency Teleport >> CL3 Chain Summon
*thanks to Wslasher for reminding me* Now we're talking some crazy sh1t combos with Machines. Making Burei to spam more Burei/Bureido using those extra Normal Summons isn't to be taken lightly. :)) It'll take a lot of testing to make a good mix of Gadgets and Karakuris though.

From Karakuri >> KMP >> Geargia >> now Gadgets? will our combos never end??

There's a monster that can also help you build CL3 and it is Kagetokage. This monster will chain its own summon on the Gadget effect and from this you can play your Chain Summon. This monster IS dead on its own unlike Photon Slasher but, considering you are using Chain Summon, you'll need all the free chain links you can get. Goblindberg can also be used to make easy Rank 4s but I didn't like it since it lets you miss the timing on your Gadget effect. 

You can also rely on Turn 2 strategies to make Xyz with the help of Tragoedia, Giant Rat, or even Machina Armored Unit (believe me, I tried using this, haha). But we are aiming to make GigantoX on turn1 to make a bigger impact.

These cards can help you make that Rank 4 you need

So that's it! For me, the Rank 4 Xyzs are the strongest of all the Xyz monsters and, currently, the Gadget deck is the best deck to abuse them. Well, that goes only until EXP 2012 gets released though, haha, as Wind-Ups will take the cake on spamming Lv 3 and 4 monsters at will. Enjoy Offering Machina Gadget!

Thanks for reading!

Inzektors: Still trying?

Inzektor Damsel

Inzektor Hornet

The consistency of the Inzektor deck is down because of this. Some may argue that they still have 2 Limit Rebirths and 3 Call of the Haunteds to reuse Damsel, however, the chances of pulling the lone Damsel (not to mention the lone Hornet too) from the deck by drawing then putting it in the grave are slim. Without Damsel, you can only rely on Centipede to gain a +1 which is NOT that great at all compared to other fast decks around.

There are ways to get them out though.

1. Card Trooper / Card Car D

The staples of an Inzektor deck. We all know already what these do.

2. Mystic Tomato 

If not beaten by battle, *most of the time* it becomes a waste. Well, you can input more stuff here to combo such as Creature Swap since most of the Grufs you'll likely draw would be dead without Hornet too.

3. Armageddon Knight 

Useful for Hornet dump. You can dump Damsel just to use your revival cards for it though this move can be easily read by your opponent. You can put Zephyros too for other cool moves. Its also another floater that you can use your Swap on. 

4. *soon* Tour Guide + Sangan

As soon as EXP 2012 arrives, the broken TCG exclusive gives another chance to get Damsel or Hornet out. However, Sangan requires to be killed again first and that means either you'll wait for you opponent to do something, make suicide, or Swap it again. 

OH BTW, while you are putting a lot of effort into getting Damsel/Hornet out of your deck into your graveyard for your revival tricks, you may also want to consider the ONLY move your opponent needs to do to make your life miserable and that is...

Before, DD Crow isn't so much of a big deal since we can just make Leviair and counter-attack. But now, the black bird is like a finisher since without Damsel nor Hornet you cannot make Leviair easily unless you spend like 2-3 cards for it.

Think it through, what if...

1. You have Damsel, but no Hornet?

Just make a Rank 4-5 Xyz with Gruf, of course. But does that accomplish much? No since next turn you only have Centipede in hand.

2. You have Hornet, but no Damsel?

What? Get +1 using Centipede to fetch... Centipede again? Lame.

3. You dont have Hornet nor Damsel.

GG... Centipede justs replaces itself with no real advantage.

and the worst of all...

4. You have Gruf in hand... but no Hornet...

Sad.

This just means that Gruf is only useful when Damsel is around. It doesn't work that well with Centipede. Drawing any combination of Inzektor without either Damsel or Hornet available is basically dead without help from other cards. This is what we mean when we say inconsistent and this is also why Inzektors would prove to be a bad choice in the current meta. 

Even though this was my deck of choice the previous format and would have liked to still give a chance to it, I cannot do so because testing new stuff for it would spend a lot of time and this is what I currently don't have. So I have no choice but to use a different deck to take to Asia Plus.

Next time, we'll discuss about a deck that is THE pioneer of consistency and is currently, imo, one of the top decks but suffers under the Asia format. No... its not Wind-Ups.... we'll be talking about Offering Machina Gadgets and how we can try to cope without the use of Tinplate Goldfish and the badass Rank4 Xyz monsters not legal in Asia format. 

Start again in the New Format!

It's a new format and I'm back from a very long hiatus. Was busy at career-related things and still am today and for the next coming months but I think I'm a bit settled now and would be able to at least play on DN and on the local shop when i get back to Manila for a free weekend.

 A lot has happened in the past 5 months that i want to share....

First of all,
Thanks to all the friendly players from Singapore that we met and hung out with last Asia Champs 2012! You guys were great and accomodating and congratulations to the 2-time champ Jeff. Sold a lot of Asia cards to buy what I need haha. I guess I'll choose not to upload the pix of what happened coz it's already sooo late for them.

Next,
Wslasher told me that he'll be teaming up with someone else for Asia Plus 2012 this coming Oct or Nov. Looks like I'll need to make or join a new team for the event. Calling anyone there who wants to team up with me? haha. Even though I wasnt able to play in tournaments for the last few months, I still think I have my game with me as i can still win most of the time when I'm playing with my friends in their local mini tourney. Haha, btw, I would like to have teammates that I know and can trust (can carry me to the finals when i scrub haha) just like my previous team. Thanks!

Well, I'll be cutting this post up to here since it's starting to be a wall of text. I'll just share my thoughts on my next posts.

Thanks for checking my blog again and welcome to the new format!