Anaheim, California
April 25, 2009
Tech Update: Round Eight
We are eight rounds into today’s ten round competition, and there are definitely some standout tech cards here at this event. Here are the top four popular picks we’ve seen in a variety of Decks here today.
Book of Moon:
Hands-down everybody’s favorite tech pick, “Book of Moon” is stealing main Deck slots from cards like “Mystical Space Typhoon” and even “Brain Control” in many Decks. Against Gladiator Beasts, “Book of Moon” stops attacks that would result in Special Summons. Against Lightsworn it will stop aggressive pushes while also cutting the Lightsworn Duelist off from his all-important End Phase effects – fewer cards in the Graveyard means less utility for “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner,” and dead copies of “Judgment Dragon.” And then there are Synchro Summons, which are largely impossible when your Tuner is suddenly face-down. The massive numbers of this card seeing play today is really one of the big things keeping Blackwings and Darkstrike Fighter under control (barely) – cards that might otherwise be walking all over this tournament’s metagame.
At the same time, “Book of Moon” turns monsters with high ATK scores to vulnerable Defense Position, making them easier to attack – even better if you happen to be playing Gladiator Beasts, in which three Books seem to be a must-run in the minds of all Duelists. Book is flexible: it can be used as a defensive card or an aggressive one, and serves particular niche uses in a variety of Decks. Duplicate Flip Effects, bait attacks into “Legendary Jujitsu Master,” block “Brain Control” – it’s got a million uses, and we’re seeing them all here today. The final tally of the number of Books in Day 2 should be quite telling.
Blackwing – Gale The Whirlwind:
Granted, “Book of Moon” isn’t keeping “Darkstrike Fighter” off the tables – it’s just keeping “Darkstrike Fighter” from ending every single game like some Duelists were half-expecting. The reason for Darkstrike’s dominance is largely this little fella’, the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s TRADING CARD GAME’s latest powerhouse Tuner. Following in the footsteps of splashable “play them anywhere” tuners like “Krebons” and “Plaguespreader Zombie,” “Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind” is breaking hearts all over this tournament, appearing in everything from Dark Synchro Decks to Gladiator Beasts and Gadgets – Chris Schwarz ran the latter. I had the opportunity play against Schwarz’s Gadgets last night myself, and it was interesting to see a slow, grinding control Deck that could all of a sudden dish out 4000 or more damage at the drop of a hat. Cool stuff!
Gale’s flexibility comes from its awesome effect, which permanently (yes, permanently; I checked that one a good half dozen times) halves the ATK and DEF of any single targeted monster once per turn. Coupled with Gale’s own 1300 ATK, the effect lets this little Blackwing take down Monarchs, “Stardust Dragon,” “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel,” and any number of smaller beatstick monsters. Even if you’re just using Gale to Synchro Summon a monster and don’t actually need the effect to swing over something, halving the ATK of your opponent’s biggest monster guarantees more damage anyways – the effect’s free: you might as well abuse it whenever you have the chance. In many cases it’s just like getting a free “Shrink” thrown in with your Synchro Summon. Generally a good deal.
In an actual Blackwing Deck, Gale is of course even better, flapping onto the field with its Special Summon ability to create “Dark Strike Fighters” and “Blackwing Armor Masters” out of nowhere. The ATK reduction enables big offensive presses, leveraging the over-extension with Gale into both immediate damage against smaller monsters, and OTK opportunities in situations that would otherwise by blocked by big ATK and DEF values. But it’s the flexibility of this card that’s led it to see so much play here today – I’m not convinced everyone understands how versatile it is, but if it makes a few Day 2 showings everybody will catch on pretty quickly.
Summoner Monk:
The other big enabler of Synchro Summons at this event has been “Summoner Monk,” the release of which has finally pushed “Rose, Warrior of Revenge” into the spotlight. You saw Rose and “Summoner Monk” go to work in Tomas Mijares’ Deck earlier today in his feature match, but that’s just one of the Synchro Decks Monk is seeing play in – there’s a huge variety of Dark Synchro and Chaos Decks playing the Monk. On top of that it’s also seeing play in Gladiator Beasts (where it’s traditionally used to dig out “Rescue Cats” and Summon them from the Deck), Spellcaster Decks, Aliens, and even at least one Crystal Beast build.
“Summoner Monk” has infinite potential, and it’s one of those cards that’s simply going to get better and better as time goes by and more monsters compatible with its effect are released. As it stands, the card hasn’t yet seemed to define any front-running Decks quite yet, but it’s been splashed in a variety of popular archetypes, and may feature in several Day 2 Decks.
Divine Wrath:
Finally, this singular Counter Trap has changed every matchup its appeared in. A key lynchpin for the Team Illusion Counter Fairy Deck, “Divine Wrath” is also seeing a ton of side Deck play and main Deck use in slots once reserved for cards like “Phoenix Wing Wind Blast.” This format is all about monster effects – from Gladiator Beast tricks, to Blackwing – Gale’s “Shrink”-type ability, to “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner’s” Special Summons and beyond – we’re back in a format where games are almost always determined by monster effects. That, combined with the speed of the format (which is simply more forgiving of those instances in which your Counter Trap isn’t useful) has created an environment that’s exceptionally friendly to “Divine Wrath.”
Of these four cards, I’d expect to see “Book of Moon” in virtually every Day 2 Deck here this weekend. Gale also seems destined for multiple Day 2 placings, while “Divine Wrath” should appear in multiple Side Decks, if not mained. If “Summoner Monk” doesn’t make the Top 16 (which is definitely a tossup right now), it’ll still be a card to watch over the coming months. All four are worth considering for the Decks you build in the future, so consider what they could do for your builds, and what new strategies they might unlock!
-Jason Grabher-Meyer
