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Article 44: Go down in hell, randomness...

I cannot help myself anymore, not reading decklist after decklist in SJC.

You may start flaming me saying that "I'm not a tournament player" and "you didn't win any SJC, so WTF are you doing flaming our decks?", but either way, that does not stops me from flaming 99% of the top 8 SJC decks out there.

First is some "standard" TCG deck lineup for majority of the tournament deck:
Monster:
2x Dekoichi (and latest: Skelegal)
1-2x Mobius (or other Monarchs)
2x Spy
2-3x Cyber Dragon
1-3x Reaper
(1x Goldd)
1x Treeborn Frog
1x Merchant
1-2x Chaos Sorceror
(1x Sandmoth)
(MS LV2)
(1x (seriously, 1x) Tomato)
Add in some of the standard stuff: like DDWL or DDA.Breaker, etc.

OK, they may think this lineup is godly, but here's my take on WHY it's not...
1. Dekoichi/Skelegal (and like)
2. Goldd/Sandmoth tech
3. Frog
4. Reaper + Cyber Dragon
5. Randommmnnnesssss

I would explain it here:
1. Dekoichi/Skelegal does nothing
OK, you can say that "Dekoichi gets me +1".

But WHAT THE FUCK is "+1"?

For one thing, they're not bad cards (not really good, however). Flip effect is one of the most powerful mechanics in the game (since it take opponent by a big "surprise!!!"), and in addition, you may not have to take damage (except from the horrifying lack of Piercing usage). However, Flip effect hurts the tempo of a true Control deck (since most of the time is 1-for-1 trade).

But I forgot people just set and set and set a bunch of monster until someone take the initiative to summon Mobius (and like)...my bad.......(seriously, get THIS: setting a bunch of monsters onto your field is not a very good tactics in an Aggro-Control variants)

2. Goldd/Sandmoth tech
I had seen many decks including 1x Goldd or 1-2x Sandmoth in their side deck, but MAIN DECK?

Seriously...again, WTF?

Reasoning behind people putting in Goldd: "If Goldd got reaped by Reaper, it's godly"
Reasoning behind Sandmoth: "If Sandmoth got killed by MS LV2, it's 2000/1000 --> "advantage""

I can say it clearly: topdecking those cards CLEARLY does not give people any advantage. Instead, they waste their draw and have to relied on opponent's Magical Fingers to reap the Goldd, or smack the Moth.

What surprise me is also the way that the "elites" treating [Sand Moth] as a "Tier 1 card". TIER 1?? ARE YOU SERIOUS?

3. Frog
Here's the #1 eye-bleeding card in ANY SJC DECKLIST.

Just WTF is Treeborn Frog doing in this type of deck?

1. If Reaper and Spy is not enough tribute baits, I don't know what is
2. If those decks have something that is WORTH to be TRIBUTE SUMMON, I don't know what's "not worth"

Except Mobius, most of the decks have absolutely NO OTHER CARDS that is worth to be sacrifice summon. Chaos Sorceror? It does not need to be sacrifice summon. CyDra? Just who in this world tribute summon it?

Oh yeah, using this card as A WALL, right??

I would not even start to talk about how their Trap lineup does not even make Frog special summonable, but what a Frog wall can do? Advantage? My ass.

4. Reaper + Cyber Dragon
For those who cannot see the problem with this, OK.

This is call "lack of balance". True, both cards are good cards, but don't people see that Reaper stop Cyber Dragon to its full potential?

You may say "we drop CyDra then Reaper", but what is the chance that they're the same time at your hand? Slim.

True, it's "kind of deadly", but if people use it right, and not tribute summon [Cyber Dragon] by sacrificing a Reaper, that is...

5. Randomness
This problem is just NEVER fix. Even with the restriction list prohibit most decks to stop the "1x ---, 1x ---" madness, what about cards that is NOT restrict?

Just answer this questions...
1. What can 1x Tomato do? Well, it may search out a bunch of monsters from your deck, but if so, why not put more? (Not to mention, Recruiters are #1 target of 1-for-1 removal, and in term, they waste it)
2. What can 1x Merchant do with only 1x Pot AND 1x Sorceror? Well, Pot of Avarice + Merchant is indeed a good combo, but that is if the deck itself is BUILT to support it. Same with Sorceror, adding in random Light/Dark monsters just to play a not-so-deadly card (nowhere close to the forever-king and queen Soldier and Dragon, that is) does not give you much advantage.

The 1x, 1x problem may not be so obvious (since it's not as bad as before), but that does not mean a deck is not random...sometimes, the inclusion of other cards that make no sense (not even in situational combo) makes me puke.

1. Gravekeeper's Spy: Not that it's not a bad wall or deck thinner, however, in most deck, that stops here. Spy is not going to hurt opponent (defensively) due to the low attack, and Spy is a situational searcher that can (in most deck) search nothing but...Gravekeeper's Spy.
2. Tsuku-lock (vanish after 3/1 or 4/1 ban/restriction list, of course): The ever broken lock is nothing new. It's used by Mike Rosenberg N years ago. But looking at Mike's deck, and looking at those SJC decks, they're different for a reason: Tsuku-lock deck control the tempo so the lock can be pull, while the lock will seriously hurt the tempo in an Aggro-Control.
3. Strike Ninja/Return from DD: Return from DD?? Did I ever said that deck is good? If the deck itself (build around RfDD) is not very consistent, a deck that include it RANDOMLY would not be consistent either.
4. Chaos Sorceror: As I said above, people treat this card as like they're using Soldier. NO NO NO NO NO. 1x/2x Sorceror (or even 3x) cannot win the game. True, this card can serve as surprise to opponent, but that is, if someone's Graveyard allows them to create that surprise.
5. Pot of Avarice: It's not a bad card, however, only if a deck depends on Recruiters and want to reuse them as much as possible. With the horrifying LACK of recruiters in their deck, why people use it?? No idea, except to depend on the luck of the draw and thinking Pot of Avarice IS Pot of Greed.
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Stalling...is...godly...
Here's my second topic on those decks.

From what I had read from many match reports, people play VERY passively.

You may ask, is it a problem playing passively? My answer is no, ONLY IF YOU HAVE DECKS THAT CAN PLAY PASSIVELY.

If looking at the "standard Trap lineup", or, the 10 Traps that include 7-8x (total) of Ruins, Armor, and Bottomless Trap Hole, and the standard two CoH/TT. 4 out of those 5 cards are seriously passive cards, and seriously dead weight if opponent does one of the two:
1. Use Royal Decree/Jinzo
2. They do not have an "attacking deck" (or, staller, GhandiPants, etc.)

In addition, for the monster lineup above, why people play the game like there's no chance they would not win without stall their ass off? Purely setting millions of cards would hurt the tempo. Not that face-down hate can do much overall (there're only 2x Nobleman and the cannot-destroy-much-thing MS LV2), but seriously, cards like Cyber Dragon and DDA are extreme Aggro card, yet they play their deck in Turtle pace...
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Card Advantage??
Seriously, people have to redefine the words "card advantage".

I had seen many misconception that "you have advantage if you have more card(s) on field/hand than opponent" (or, counting numbers).

Of course, it's wrong. It's about if those card can actually do SOMETHING for your favor. It's like setting a [Sandmoth], if opponent do not have MS LV2, you may have a monster on your field, but it's a freaking NORMAL monster.

Please...if they want advantage, people have to LOOK BACK AT THEIR DECK and change cards up so that their cards actually DO something actively.
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Last Word
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm against people using cards like CyDra or Sorceror, nor I'm against people building decks in their way. However, I'm doubting that if those so call "expert" and "winner" seriously knows what they're doing. From what I see with their way of playing, they can easily done WAY better and not depend to god drawing (which they don't because they make their decks so one misplay can kill themselves). This game is not suppose to depend on the next card you draw or how much card(s) you draw, but how people SHOULD USE THEIR COMMON SENSE to utilize the card. If anyone is a true winner, it's those players that build decks not to be reactively/passively anti-metagame, but knowing how to utilize each and every card in their own deck WITHOUT DEPENDANCE ON WHAT OPPONENT WILL DO NEXT.

I would stop here. If you want to feedback, do so. Seriously, I would not argue against anyone that flame against me, nor I would not care about anyone looking at me like I'm idiot.

- Baron, 4/8/2006

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