Hey guys, one of the interesting side events I did during Yugioh TCG Nationals was coverage of a Team Battle between ten of the best players in the game currently. The format was two team captains and eight other players in the pool. The two captains alternated picking players and a 5v5 endurance team battle was set.
The battle included big names such as: Billy Brake, Adam Corn, Jeff Jones, Ryan Spicer and others.
You can read coverage of each Yu-Gi-Oh! duel on the Pojo main page:
Also I finished wrapping up my series “Getting There” on TCGPlayer. As you know, I rarely link to my YGO media articles. But I think these are very valuable to beginning players and players who have taken a long break from the game. I basically analyze every big meta strategy in this format (except Herald of Perfection).
Many of you have seen the two videos I recorded for my Yu-Gi-Oh! Youtube channel regarding X-Sabers. That Ryko/GEC strategy was actually what I was using to sweep multiple Yu-Gi-Oh! local tournaments. The theory behind it was to swarm Infernity quickly while retaining an edge in the mirror due to powerful face-down monsters and triple Emergency Call. Unfortunately, as I tested with Saber players I began to realize that the edge against the mirror was relatively minor. It would still come down to who drew the Faultroll and Cat to explode.
As I dropped matches to players making noticeable misplays, it began to dawn on me that using this variant of Sabers would only give me a rough 60/40 edge in the mirror (without factoring in a skill gap).
Potential Yu-Gi-Oh! Nationals Deck #2: Anti-Meta?
I had been play-testing constantly with Yu-Gi-Oh! legends Evan “Sandtrap” Vargas and Wilson “Mr. Shonen Jump” Luc. Wilson and I built an incredible anti-meta toolbox that had very sharp matchups against Infernity, Herald, and Gladiator Beast.
Unfortunately during this testing, we were unable to stabilize the matchup against Frog Monarch and X-Sabers. We had a problem consistently defeating those two prevalent strategies. I predicted the Nationals metagame would be swarmed with X-Saber and Frog variants. (Boy was I wrong. I saw numerous duelists use a number of outdated decks at the biggest tournament of the year, from Lightsworn to Quickdraw to others that did nothing to stop or counter the expected metagame).
Because our Anti-Meta was only about 50/50 game one against these expected strategies (game 2 and 3 would be a lot easier against Frogs), it didn’t seem like a wise choice. While Wilson moved on to Gladiator Beast, as of the Friday evening before Nationals I did not have a finalized decklist.
Settling on a Mediocre Yu-Gi-Oh! Strategy
Here is the decklist I piloted to a 6-3 finish. My losses came to Infernity, Frog FTK, and Gladiator Beast (in round 9).
Welcome to live updating of US Nationals.
As expected, Sabers are the top pro pick.
Lost in last rnd of day one to gb.
R8 jae kim vs jay quick. Will I get outplayed AND outjayed?
There are two rounds of swiss remaining. I am told a variant of my Diva Frog is 7-0 along with Alex Mitchell’s Spaceships!
I am five-two with losses to infernity and frog ftk.
My good friend and multiple day twooer Jonny Nagel, from Colorado, is x-1 with Gravekeepers!
After round 4, players in contention:
B. Brake: 4-0
A. Corn: 4-0
R. Spicer: 4-0
C. Bowling 2-2
J. Holloway 3-1
J. Kim 3-1
R. St. Clair 3-1
Turbo pack 3 Confirmed:
Apologies. Four unreliable sources. Find them at yugioh card.com
Confirmed: Star player Stephen Silverman is disqualified for allegedly marked cards and cheating.
Top picks:
Saber
H. Adame
C. Bowling
B. Brake
S. Bui
E. Diaz
A. Herrera
J. Kim
A. Kulman
F. Luna
M. Matheu
R. Newburn
T. Poonsombat
J. Samek
R. Spicer
S. Silverman
News:
Reliable sources have indicated Peter Cheng, YCS Virginia champion and Andrew Scovern have received bans. It is also rumored that others are also banned. I will confirm this later.
We finished a five on five team battle featuring the best of the usa yesterday. Look for it on pojo.
More updates to come.
Thanks for being a loyal reader. In the past year, despite the break I took, we’ve managed to turn this blog and community into a strong site with 150,000+ visits and over 350,000 page views! I’ll be continuing to try to grow the brand. Any support you can give through subscribing and clicking ad sponsorships will go back to this site and to you.
I’ve recently started a Youtube channel and an E-Bay store. When I come back from the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Qualifer for the USA, I will be revealing exciting new information (including a boatload of prizes and contests for all of you readers).
Don’t forget there will be constant live updating at Nationals. If you are frustrated with the speed of coverage, visit my blog to find out how all of your favorite players are doing during swiss and day two!
I was never really concrete on the exact math until I used this probability calculator. Now that you can run some of the surprising figures for yourself, let me just lay out the quick pros and cons of each approach.
40 Cards:
- The closer to 40, the more consistently you will hit the key cards to your strategy. While going to 42 cards only lowers your chance to open with Rescue Cat by 1.5%, this effect is amplified every draw phase. The figures can quickly add up, especially over a long tournament.
42 Cards:
- For many games, there are certain undesirable cards that must be used regardless. Good examples include Pot of Avarice, Spined Gillman in my YCS Rosemont Frog Monarch build and all of the extra Frogs that are required in Frog FTK. Running cards above 40 decreases the chances of drawing clumps of these cards.
- Because you only lose slight percentages by increasing the size, this loss can be outweighed by the fact that using 41+ Yu-Gi-Oh! cards gives you more room for your sidedeck when you duel. This factor is less important when sides are not tight for space. In this metagame, side-deck space is at a premium and every extra slot is precious.
Example: If you were to main-deck two of your generic side cards (think Dust Tornado) that provide moderate gains against a matchup, those two free slots can now be used on two specialized tech picks(think Mirror of Oaths) that provide immense gains against another matchup!
Introducing a Probability Calculator through Youtube!
So here is my first Youtube Video. It will probably be linked through Pojo.com as well. I apologize if the video is a bit boring or technical; it can’t be helped with a probability calculator. My next videos will feature YVD matches/analysis, interviews, and actual human contact.
I was surprised when I ran some figures through this calculator. I hope it helps your game as much as it has helped mine!
Recent Comments