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Extra Tutorial: ID Ten T's Guide, by Kotaro Fuma (D.D. Crazy Man)
I decided to do a little "tutorial", hoping to convert n00bs/newbs to better players. I'll explain what is "ID Ten T" at the end of the article.
How to build a decent deck?
1. Choose a theme for the deck. A deck will NOT work if it only consists of random cards thrown together. Why? I’ll use a simple theory to explain.
A force applied/directed at a single point will produce much more impact then the same amount of force applied/directed at many different points at the same time.
You must choose that particular point of weakness in your opponent and attack it relentlessly to achieve best results and cripple the opponent. Select cards/combos that revolves around the theme. ie. Using prenegators (hand disrupters) like Confiscate to attack opponent’s hand in a Control deck.
A deck can also be a hybrid of two main themes that can work hand-in-hand with each other. Hybrids offer more versatility in the deck. When one tactic fails, at least you have another back-up plan. However, it is difficult to determine the best proportion of how your deck should be built. Should you focus more on tactic A or B? Unable to achieve equilibrium may result in a sub-par deck. Be careful when choosing themes for a hybrid as they MUST work well together and not disturb the flow of either theme. More than two themes in a hybrid are strongly discouraged. Hybrids are only recommended for advanced players.
2. Usage of recommended cards. There are some cards which are “staples” or highly recommended cards to use for most decks. Note that all the cards listed are restricted to one per deck.
-Jar of Greed (Pot of Greed)
-Early Burial (Premature Burial)
-Tempest (Heavy Storm)
-Cyclone (Mystical Space Typhoon)
-Change of Heart
-Theft (Snatch Steal)
-Distressing Choice (Painful Choice)
-Mercenary Troops (Exiled Force)
-Exclusivity Virus (Tribe Infecting Virus)
-Magic Warrior Breaker (Breaker the Magical Warrior)
-Cry of the Living Dead (Call of the Haunted)
-Destruction Ring (Ring of Destruction)
-Tidal Wave (Torrential Tribute)
3. Consider the deck ratio. The deck ratio determines the quality of draws the player is expected to encounter. Make sure your deck is as close to 40 cards as possible. Many players may argue that big decks are not necessarily inferior. Sad to say, the way this game is built, there aren’t many good top-deck cards around. Most good top-decks are either too broken and being banned, or they are most likely being restricted. Using the better cards gives you an edge over the opponent. The odds of drawing a good card in a 40-card deck are definitely higher than that of a 45-card deck.
Monster/Spell/Traps ratio: This depends on what type of deck you’re playing. Fine tuning of the deck ratio comes with play-testing of the deck.
Monsters – The most important element of the game. They are your army, your war machines to protect your life-points and attack the opponent. However, you may only Normal Summon one monster per turn and playing too many monsters will clog your hands and slow the deck down when compared to Spell/Traps which you can play as many as you wish per turn. Running too few monsters will also pose a problem whereby you have nothing to protect yourself or attack the opponent. The common mistake of many people is running too many monsters (around 20, most beginners do this), following the “basic rule of the thumb” in the rulebook, or running too few monsters (14 or less, most TCG “experts” do this) thinking they can strictly rely on Spell/Traps to win the game. My recommended ratio for normal decks is 16-17 (18 at most) monsters.
Traps – The slowest mechanic of the game but provides the opportunity to act during opponent’s turn which is valuable. The 9/1 ban gives traps a massive boost after Cyclone (Mystical Space Typhoon) is restricted to one. This allows more room for traps to work. However, keep in mind some cards like Android Pyscho Shocker (Jinzo) and Imperial Control (Royal Decree) may be played by the opponent to shut down your traps completely. Do not overplay it. My recommended ratio for normal decks is 5-8 traps.
Spells – The fastest mechanic of the game and the most difficult to counter. However, after the 9/1 bans, most powerful/broken spells are being banned/restricted and their usefulness has decreased. There aren’t many good top-decking spells around so be careful not to overload with useless spells. The ratio of spells should be determined by the ratio of both Monsters/Traps since they provide better top-decking options and offence/defense. Spells are normally less game-breaking nowadays. ie. After selecting your Monster/Traps, the remaining slots in the deck should be filled by Spells.
Play-testing your deck and understanding the game
1. Understand the rules and mechanics of the game.
2. Read up on the card effects of every single card in existence. Although it may not be possible, but the more you know, the better you become.
3. Know your meta (playing environment) and be familiar with your own deck. Know thyself, half the battle is won. Know thy enemy, victory is assured.
4. Develop your skills and judgment. (This will be acquired throughout the course of the game.)
5. Troubleshooting your deck. (This will be covered in more detail in the next section.)
Troubleshooting your deck
The question people like to ask is: “Why isn’t my deck working?” Even after they “fixed” their deck, it still may not work out. I will explain how to systematically troubleshoot your deck.
Some common causes for the downfall of the deck:
1. Lack of skill/sound judgment in playing. (Duelist problem)
2. Bad Luck (External factor)
3. Deck lacks flow: slow (lacking speed), bad draws, bad top-decks, cards within deck that don’t help each other or worse yet, work against each other, conflicting strategies. (Deck problem)
4. Determine flaw of the chosen theme and rectify it. (Theme-dependent. Deck problem.)
5. Lacking an important element in the game. (Theme-dependent. Deck problem.)
6. Usage of inferior cards. (This is extremely difficult to correct if you lack analytical skills. Deck/Duelist problem.)
7. Opponent playing a deck/some cards that counters/cripples your strategy. (Meta problem)
Solutions
1. Sorry, I can’t help you here.
2. Pray harder.
3. Speed depends on a few things – Deck ratio, number of tribute monsters, special summoning ability, drawing capability
Deck Ratio: If you followed my recommendations previously mentioned, you shouldn’t be too far off the optimum ratio. Do keep in mind that some unique decks may need different ratios then normal, for example OTK decks.
Tribute Monsters or Monsters requiring special conditions: If you have no efficient method of summoning them, don’t overplay it. They slow the deck down, constitutes bad draws and top-decks as well. Some cards can be included to aid the summoning of such monsters, for example, Devil’s Sanctuary provides tribute fodder to tribute summon your high-level monsters. Remember, Monsters with more than 6 stars require 2 tributes. Refrain from using them unless there’s some special way to get them out.
Special Summoning ability: Cards that allow you to special summon monsters speeds up the deck because while normal summon is limited to one per turn, you can have as many special summons as you wish. Cards like Cyber Pod (Cyber Jar) and Troop Commander (Marauding Captain) are useful in this aspect. Summoning many monsters in a turn is also known as swarming. With the lack of mass removal in the current game (new ban), swarming can provide massive advantage.
Drawing capability: Drawing cards is always useful as it provides more options for you and gives you card advantage. Cards like Heavenly Knight Perseus (Airknight Parshath), Mirage of Nightmare, Sixth Sense, Metamol Pot (Morphing Jar #1) are useful here.
Bad draws and bad top-decks can be minimized by choosing the right cards and using the correct ratio. Deck-thinning and serchability are also very important here.
Deck-thinning: Reduces deck count or removing bad top-decks will increase the chances of drawing a useful or much needed card. For example, Distressing Choice (Painful Choice) lets you select 5 cards from your deck – one to be added to your hand, four others sent to graveyard. This enables you to select all the cards that would be dead-draws (useless) late game and remove them in advance.
Note: Some people like to use Distressing Choice to select 5 cards that will help them instantly. I do not recommend this as it will remove the better cards from your deck, leaving you to top-deck the useless ones. You may of course do so if it will ensure your victory in the current turn. Also, try not to use it too early in the game (unless your strategy involves sending some cards to the Graveyard) as it will be difficult to determine which will be dead-cards at the beginning.
Searchability: This helps to thin the deck as well as enabling you to draw what you want at the specific time. Searching out cards that are bad top-decks will minimize chances of bad draws later on. It also enables you to get important cards to enhance your strategy. Cards like Calling Reinforcements (Reinforcement of the Army), Terraforming, Killer Tomato, Giant Rat etc. are useful here.
Combos or deck synergy is important. Use cards that work together and help each other instead of cards that work on their own. Using cards that work against each other is catastrophic. Remember, United we stand, Divided we fall. Also refrain from using combos that are too elaborate and difficult to pull off. This requires basic common sense which I see many people lacking.
4. Some deck themes have specific flaws. You must determine them and think of ways to rectify it. For example, Scientist FTK/OTK decks are basically god-draw decks. They are extremely luck dependent on drawing certain cards. To minimize the flaw, cards like Hand Obliteration (Card Destruction) or Reload can be introduced to recycle the hands and provide an extra shot at getting the right cards.
Field card dependent decks are helpless when the field card gets destroyed so you must either protect the field card or reduce reliance on the field card.
5. The two most important elements of the game are Monster removal and Spell/Trap (S/T) removal. Lacking monster removal will enable the opponent to swarm you easily and remember the rule: the more monster removal, the better.
Some recommended cards in this department (besides “staples”):
- Twilight Zone Female Warrior (D.D. Warrior Lady)
- Apostle of Genocide (Nobleman of Crossout)
- Shield Crush
- Reactive Armor (Sakuretsu Armor)
- Explosive Claymore Mine
With the restriction of Cyclone (MST), many people will struggle to maintain sufficient S/T removal against the increase of trap usage. Some recommendations (besides “staples”):
- Sand Tornado (Dust Tornado)
- Thunder Break (Raigeki Break)
- Imperial Control (Royal Decree)
- Ice Emperor Mobius
- Android Psycho Shocker
Some theme decks also have theme-cards that aid this, for example, Dragons have Stomping Crash, Harpies have Harpy Hunting Ground etc.
Note: Do not attempt to use Apostle of Destruction (Nobleman of Extermination). It is not worth the effort.
Hand Management is also worthy of mention. Without fear of Yata-Locks, it doesn’t mean you have to neglect this element. It will help you maintain card advantage in the long run. Cards like Killer Snake (Sinister Serpent) and Abyss Assassin (Night Assailant) fit this category.
Defense should not be overlooked or over-emphasized. Some defensive cards like Sealing Swords of Light (Swords of Revealing Light) and Scapegoats are good top-decks and can save your life if a tight situation. However, do not overplay it as it will stall the game and may produce a huge gap in card advantage in favor of the opponent. Such gap is difficult to breach later on. For example, Emissary of Harmony (Waboku) may save your life for one turn but your opponent will gain the upper hand afterwards. A basic rule is Removal > Stall. You should have an offensive mentality because attacking and reducing opponent’s lifepoints will win you the game faster, not stalling. (except certain decks like Stall Burn) Being Offensive > Defensive.
Techs are also an important aspect of the game. They provide versatility and help to work out certain situations in your favor. Techs are slightly more advanced and beginners will not be able to appreciate it much. However do not over-tech and neglect the importance of Monster/Spell/Trap removal. Some examples in this category:
- Book of Moon
- Enemy Controller
- Forced Transfer (Creature Swap)
6. Some cards are essentially similar but one may work better than the other. Such depends on the player himself to determine. An analytical mind is needed. For example, Emissary of Harmony and Magic Cylinder both stall but Magic Cylinder deals damage to the opponent and may work better.
Some cards may seem to be useful but actually isn’t. For example, Magic Drain may seem to work out well but think of it from another point of view.
If opponent chooses not to discard, Drain will negate opponent’s spell. Drain vs. Negated Spell = one for one card = no advantage
If opponent chooses to discard, opponent’s spell will go through. Drain vs. Discarded Spell = one for one card = no advantage
However, the outcome is determined by the opponent and Magic Drain is a bad top-deck and non-game-breaking. (Since most broken spells are banned) The cons outweigh the pros.
Try to prevent decking too many (2-3) of certain cards that do not provide substantial advantage or in essence, do not overkill on playing some cards. Reactive Armor may be good removal but playing 3 makes you prone to trap-negation. Wabokus do not provide substantial advantage so it would be foolish to deck three of them. Overkilling cards also makes your deck easy to predict and counter.
Keep in mind that banned cards do not necessarily require you to replace them with similar cards. Think of the deck as a whole and how the cards will work out.
7. Your opponent may be playing some cards that are detrimental to your strategy. You have to think of ways to counter his strategy. For example, your opponents may be trampling over your Scapegoats and a viable solution would be to side-deck the Scapegoats or not play it at all.
You must be prepared for certain cards that will kill your deck. Proper side-decking is important. If your Meta sees lots of Burn decks, cards like Magic Effect Arrow, Imperial Control, Holy Life Barrier etc. will be good to side-deck.
Counter-Meta Strategy: Try to use cards that will work against what most players are playing in your area instead of following them. Unprepared players will definitely be unable to handle your new strategy.
Loser’s Mentality
The attitude one should have is to have fun, not only just to win. Once you establish the correct attitude, you can enjoy the game more and be more willing to try new cards/decks. Only by trying new stuff will you ever improve. Who knows you may get new inspirations to improve your deck? Winning isn’t everything.
Even when you have mastered your deck, you shouldn’t be complacent. People who don’t seek improvement will never improve. If you’re not humble enough, how willing are you to improve yourself? Remember, there is no best out there. Don’t ever become arrogant or egotistical and look down on new players. People who think they’re 1337 are the true losers in my book. I brand them under the category of Loser’s Mentality.
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