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Tech Update: Anticipated Deck
With the new September 1 Forbidden and Limited list, it’s anybody’s guess as to which Decks will emerge triumphant this weekend. Here are some of the Decks that seem to be most widespread going into the event.
Lightsworn remain one of the most popular Deck types in the game, with some of the biggest and fastest monsters around. Their ability to repel attacks with “Necro Gardna” and “Honest” can also make this Deck very difficult to take on. The threat of “Judgment Dragon” always looms over the opponent, and the new card “Shiny Black “C”” from Ancient Prophecy can be used from the Graveyard to destroy an opponent’s Synchro Monster. Many Duelists expect big things from Lightsworn here today. A strong Lightsworn showing will help boost this Deck’s popularity, which is already being fueled by the announcement this week of the upcoming reprints of “Charge of the Light Brigade” in Stardust Overdrive Special Edition and “Honest” in Twilight Edition.
Many Gladiator Beast Duelists are hoping that this new format will be slower than the previous one, giving their Gladiator Beasts time to implement their combos and strategies. With “Solemn Judgment” now Limited to 1 copy, “Gladiator Beast Gyzarus” no longer has to fear triple “Solemn Judgments” used by the opponent. However, the Trap-heavy Gladiator Beast theme may be more vulnerable without its own “Solemn Judgments” to protect its cards. Some Duelists are bringing back “Dimensional Fissure” in their Gladiator Beast Decks, to stop opposing Decks from getting their monsters into the Graveyard. Tested in countless Gladiator builds before, it may finally be the perfect choice for tournaments here in the United States.
Zombies are back from the dead! With “Mezuki” now moved from the Limited List (1 copy per Deck) to Semi-Limited (2 copies), undead enthusiasts are looking to swarm the field with a flurry of Special Summons. “Pyramid Turtle” is a strong defensive choice, and is an example of the simple combos that are a Zombie specialty and can result in big Synchro Summons. Some Duelists are trying a Lightsworn / Zombie variant that may prove deadly, using “Charge of the Light Brigade” and a handful of Lightsworn to load up the Graveyard.
A number of Duelists are attempting to revive LIGHT and DARK Chaos Decks, now that “Chaos Sorcerer” has moved from the Limited List to Semi-Limited. One version is a beatdown-heavy build piled high with high ATK monsters with strong effects, like “Thunder King Rai-Oh,” “Doomcaliber Knight,” and “Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer.” The removal of “D. D. Warrior Lady” and “Breaker the Magical Warrior” from the Limited List also helps this Deck, resulting in a fast, simple deck full of LIGHT and DARK Level 4 monsters.
With Ancient Prophecy, Blackwing Decks can build new Decks using “Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor.” This new Tuner monster allows Synchro Monsters to be Special Summoned using Synchro Material Monsters in the Graveyard, instead of on the field. The range of possible Blackwing Decks is very wide now. We might see anything from familiar all-Blackwing builds, to Decks packed with “Dark Grephers” and “Armageddon Knights,” using very few actual Blackwings. But all of the Blackwing Decks can drop high-Level Blackwings like “Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn” and “Blackwing - Elphin the Raven” to the Graveyard alongside Vayu, then Special Summon a bunch of Synchro Monsters, and use “Burial from a Different Dimension” to recycle it all and do it again. This is Vayu’s first appearance in a big tournament, so everyone’s eager to see how it does.
Finally, X-Sabers really came into their own with Ancient Prophecy, with their ability to force the opponent to discard the cards in their hand. X-Sabers have huge Synchro Monsters that can devastate your opponent’s hand, they have Special Summon effects that bring monsters back from the Graveyard for free, and they have the high-impact destructive power of Saber Slash. X-Sabers could make a big impression on this tournament.
All of these Decks and many more are in contention here today – including a variety of other Decks that few Duelists could have guessed at!
reported by
Jason Grabher-Meyer
