Gusto Dragunity

Hidden Arsenal 7 will be, without question, the most demanded HA set since HA04. HA05 and HA06 have been rather lacking, but with Lavalal Chain and Daigusto Emeral I can't imagine people choosing to pass HA07 up. These two cards promise to be outright amazing, but their impact on Dragunity is marginal. Since this article is about Dragunity, I must be referencing another HA07 card...right? Yeah, you got me. Today I want to discuss the impact Gusto Griffin will have on the Dragunity strategy.

Gusto Griffin

Simply put: Griffin lets you special summon any Gusto monster from your deck when it's discarded. Yes, any. And yes, whenever it's discarded. Griffin won't miss timing if used as a cost for something like Lightning Vortex or Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. More importantly, it will still activate if it's discarded for Dragon Ravine. With Griffin, Volcanic Shell and The Fabled Cerburrel are now mostly obsolete. Why? Because this guy is a much better alternative for two reasons: one, the cards it grabs as a result of its effect are much better (as opposed to Shell searching new copies or Curburrel summoning itself) and two, it can be searched via Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg.

Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg

With Gae Dearg you can effectively trigger Gusto Griffin's ability during any point of the duel. If it's in hand, you can dump it with Dragon Ravine. If it's in the deck, you can yard it with this Synchro. In both cases Griffin will summon a Gusto monster, though unfortunately its effect is limited to once per turn. Anyways, all of this is worthless if you're not summoning something worthwhile. Let's shift our focus to targets. What exactly can Griffin summon? We have an interesting choice of cards including tuners, but our best target by far is Windaar, Sage of Gusto.

Windaar, Sage of Gusto

Windaar has a weak 2000 ATK for a level six, but it is a free card after all. Griffin will allow us to summon it straight from the deck, and if it destroys a monster by battle we'll be able to summon Griffin right back to the field! Not too bad, but our reasons for using Windaar are better than that. It's a great out to Thunder King Rai-Oh, or at least a way to bait traps away from a Dux/Legionnaire play. 2000 ATK means that Dragunity can put a lot of damage on the board very quickly...at almost no cost. Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana w/Aklys and Windaar allow you to do up to 5800 damage in one turn using one card from your hand (Dragunity Dux). Oh, and you destroy an opponent's card with Aklys, so it's a +2 overall. Good stuff, and you can Xyz into Photon Strike Bounzer during the Main Phase 2. Speaking of which...

Photon Strike Bounzer

Dragunity decks using Griffin and Windaar can now summon a Photon Strike Bounzer (or any generic Rank 6) at the cost of 1 card. Here's the combo:

Have Phalanx in the Graveyard
1. Summon Dragunity Dux. Equip Dragunity Phalanx to it.

2. Summon Phalanx, and Special Summon Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg.
3. Activate Gae Dearg's effect to send Gusto Griffin to the graveyard. Special Summon Windaar.
4. Overlay Windaar and Gae Dearg for any generic Rank 6 Xyz monster.

Not only is this play possible from the first turn of the duel, but it's completely repeatable at nearly any point in the game. Having just Dragon Ravine (or Terraforming) as well as Dragunity Phalanx (or Dux) means you can start your turn 1 with Bounzer on the field. This is possible in more than half of your openings, but doesn't need to be done turn 1. You're certainly welcome to play Stardust Dragon before that, which is usually the better play anyways. Cheap Bounzer, Force Focus, and Exa-Beetle access makes the Dragunity Extra Deck even stronger, while the Gusto engine also helps apply extra pressure to the opponent (a Bottomless Trap Hole or Torrential Tribute used on a Windaar summon, is a trap not being played against Dux). Making plays before the normal summon is huge in a deck like Dragunity, and the Gusto Engine is a perfect fit. My one complaint is that Windaar can't be used to help summon Atum, but it does help that loop end with a strong field (REDMD, Stardust, Bounzer/Force Focus).

This is the future of the Dragunity deck. There's no doubt in my mind that Dragunity will become as associated with Strike Bounzer as it has with Stardust Dragon.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Analysis

Mecha anime is clearly Gainax's forte. With Neon Genesis and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, the studio has shown that they can create incredible masterpieces that provide enough emotion to match the scale of the very machines driving the action. NGE shows a particular affinity in its psychological and philosophical narrative, though many fans likely found it difficult to digest. My initial reaction to the last two episodes of the series was a long list of questions, though none were related to Shinji Ikari's internal struggles. Like most viewers, I was still wanting a more complete resolution to the plot in the 'real' world. Sure, the Angels were defeated, but what was left for NERV? More importantly, what was the source of the conflict anyways? The End of Evangelion cleared up most of these questions, though there are a few loose ends. We'll have to wait and see what Rebuild--a remake of the series--does to finally close out NGE with (hopefully) a satisfying ending for everyone. It's important to realize that the intent of this anime to have the Human-Angel conflict as a backdrop to the psychological and philosophical elements.

Much like NGE itself, I'm going to focus on only one aspect of the story for the sake of time and clarity. The psychological drama that unfolds over the course of the anime is perhaps deceptively simple. Shinji is often referred to as a mirror character, one who provides an point of comparison for the viewer .We can see ourselves, our flaws especially, in his personality and actions. That's not to say that the story is only concerned with Shinji. Certainly, the other characters share their time in the spotlight. What's more; they portray the same faults as the protagonist.

The core theme of Evangelion is the fear of loneliness and how individuals cope with it. This theme is pervaive throughout the entirety of the series in every character, conflict, and situation. Everyone is defined by their ability or inability to handle being alone. Biologically, humans as a species must stay together in order to continue their survival. Separation makes reproduction and teamwork impossible, thus a fear of being alone is a defense mechanism put in place to give humanity the best possible shot for continuing as a species. Interestingly enough, we find during NGE that humans are not the only life form capable of loneliness. The Angels are, in fact, alone as well. We'll get back to that in a bit though, for now I want to focus on the three children: Rei, Asuka, and Shinji.

The Pilots

As I mentioned already, every character suffers from loneliness. The Eva pilots are no exception, and in fact they provide an even deeper analysis of this fear. If you are unfamiliar with Freud's theory of the unconscious, now would be a good time to study up. The three children represent the three parts of the unconscious mind. Rei is an example of the Super Ego, Asuka represents the Id, and Shinji matches best with the Ego. While Rei and Asuka are polar opposites, Shinji's own personality lies somewhere in between. Rei is obsessed with her orders, duty, and Commander Ikari, to the point that she exists only for his purposes (considering she is a clone created by Ikari for that reason, it's no surprise she acts as such). Asuka has no interest in orders unless it suits her, and she is highly aggressive without concern for others. Shinji struggles to please his father and others around him, but he's also prone to selfishness running away rather than doing what needs to be done.

With Rei, she is forced to live a life build from the ground up by Ikari. Her entire life is devoted to him, as planned, and she becomes a warning for Shinji. This is what awaits him if he only pilots the Eva because he must. When the Eva is no longer needed, neither will he. Shinji is warned several times to not define himself only by his duty as a pilot, and Rei is the perfect example of what happens if he does. Asuka, on the other hand, is abrasive and arrogant to hide her own fears. Her mother's suicide had a huge effect on Asuka's sense of self-worth (a problem she shares with Shinji). Due to this she must constantly reaffirm her own purpose "prove that I exist" by piloting Unit 2. Her world is destroyed when she can no longer Synch with her unit, and she finds herself unable to continue living.

Shinji is more complicated than Rei or Asuka...entirely because he shares so many of their qualities. Losing his mother and leaving his father began a cycle of constantly running away from life's problems. To avoid loneliness, he simply avoids attaching himself to other people. This self-defense mechanism is addressed as early as the first episode, and he is still attempting to flee until the last moments of the movie. He tries to escape but always ends up back at NERV, usually to save the day again. This repeats until, you guessed it, the movie, where his inability to act nearly destroys the human race. We can classify Shinji's issues as Avoidant Personality Disorder. He is shy, sensative to rejection, and suffers from inadequacy. His father's approval is something he initially seeks, much like Rei. However, he learns not to depend on it, and instead focus on his friends. However, this ends up being his downfall.

During the second half of the series, Shinji is bombarded with psychological and emotional trauma that breaks his will and leaves him shattered. Beginning with the near murder of Touji Suzuhara he begins to feel renewed resentment towards his farther. Rei's death further pushes him into depression, and his discovery of her being a clone certainly does not help. Asuka's mental collapse finally leaves him friendless, save for Kaworu Nagisa. Unfortunately, Shinji is forced to kill Kaworu when he is revealed to be the last Angel. This destroys his mental state and leaves him feeling completely alone and isolated.

Other Characters

While not quite as complex as the Eva pilots, several of the other series' characters have issues with loneliness.

-Gendo Ikari begins the Human Instrumentality Project in order to be ruinited with his dead wife, Yui.
-Misato Katsuragi drowns her own lonliness in her relationship with Ryoji Kaji and struggles to maintain balance between being a commanding officer and a parental figure to the Eva pilots.
-Ritsuko Akagi attempts to kill Gendo when she becomes jealous of Rei's attention.

The Angels and The Human Instrumentality Project

The decedents of Lilith are not the only ones who are struggling with their loneliness. The reason for the Angels' attacks on NERV is to be reunited with Adam, one of the two Progenitors of Life. Likewise, SEELE is attempting to achieve a similar goal by merging with Lilith. Human Instrumentality is, itself, an attempt to completely erase the pain of being an individual. If all are one, then one can never be alone. It is Shinji's choice to end Instrumentality and return everyone to their original state. His decision to continue existing in a state of individualism is an acceptance of the pain that goes along with it, but also the promise of some form of happiness down the road. Those that are strong enough to go on living will inevitably rise from the L.C.L, while those that enjoy the blissful state of being a collective will continue to do so.

Shinji Ikari's final decision is a positive one, but slightly more difficult to accept in the movie as opposed to episodes 25 and 26. By devoting two episodes to his final moments, his reasoning is more fully realized and his final understanding more satisfying for the viewer. Still, the outcome is the same. Rather than eliminate pain, he comes to understand that feeling nothing at all is even worse. He strikes a balance between his Super Ego and Id, and continues to move on with life. The ending to the story itself is tragic, but Shinji's outcome is positive...though perhaps only a very small glimmer of light among a sea of blood.

RFW FAQ

Q: What is RFW?

A: RFW stands for 'Race For Wool'. It is a competitive game played using custom maps in Minecraft, and pits teams of four against each other in a race to see who can collect wool the fastest.

Q: How is RFW played?

A: Games are played on a variety of maps, each with their own set of rules. Generally one team must collect their wool before the opposing team can do the same. In addition, each side can interact with each other from a distance using bows.

Q: What do the maps look like?

A: RFW maps are usually divided into two lanes, each about a chunk (16 blocks) or a half chunk wide. Between the two sides is the area known as the 'void lane', in which neither team can enter. This is about a chunk wide as well. The maps are set up to challenge players to get the wool, and feature dungeons, traps, obstacles, and often quite a few mobs to guard them.

Q: Is RFW PvP (player versus player)?

A: RFW maps are balanced to be about half PvP, and half PvE (player versus environment). You will spend some time fighting mobs, and some time fighting enemy players. Some maps have little to no mobs, and others make it difficult to fight the enemy team. It's all up to the map maker.

Q: How long to matches usually last?

A: A match can last as short as fifteen minutes or as long as a few hours. Certain maps take longer than others and the actions of both teams can have a huge effect on completion time.

An Analysis of the Power Creep

This was initially going to be a fuller article, but I gave up on it. Still, I put some work into it so I thought I'd leave it here.

One of the fundamental problems with any TCG is the concept known as the ‘power creep’. In order to drive players to buy new cards, Konami needs to do one of two things. First, they can create more diversified cards that allow for a greater number of play styles and more deck diversity. Second, and perhaps more obviously, Konami can develop more powerful cards. Convincing players to drop their previous decks is as easy as releasing a new deck that is even stronger. It’s simple stuff, though there is one problem: some players don’t want to switch decks.

Spending money is…well, expensive! This hobby can get very pricy if you jump from deck to deck; following the trends set by the rest of the metagame. In a perfect world players would find a strategy they enjoy using and stick with it. However, that outlook isn’t ideal for Konami. In order to make more money they need to convince players that they haven’t bought enough product. Again, it’s all about releasing more powerful and diversified cards. The problem is that this trend can’t continue forever.

Solutions – Lists and Counters

In order to keep competitive play from being oversimplified into FTKs, the forbidden and limited list is Konami’s most powerful tool for maintaining balance. Cards that are detrimental to the game are completely removed, while those that are simply too powerful at three per deck are knocked down to two or one. It’s simple, effective, and kills two birds with one stone. In addition to balancing, the list also promotes large swings in the metagame. The return of Heavy Storm had a strong influence throughout all levels of competition. Running nearly ten traps was common before the September 2011, but afterwards it was rare to see more than five. More importantly, these changes in the direction of the game help to push product. It’s hard to deny that Konami had a secondary agenda in limiting and banning four of the best tuners and one (if not the) best synchro in the game. Xyz monsters, and cards that support them, are much higher in demand as a result of the March 2012 list.

There are two aspects of the banlist that negate the power creep:

11.       The banning of a card that is simply too powerful to remain legal

22.       Introducing inconsistency by limiting the number a card or its supporters

I already mentioned the first part, so I’ll focus on the second. Lightsworn is a great example of balancing via inconsistency. Judgment Dragon is absurdly strong, but it requires a great deal of luck to summon it. This is compounded by the fact that Charge of the Light Brigade and Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner are on the banlist. Both cards were placed there in order to make Lightsworns inconsistent. It certainly worked, and the deck rarely tops at highly competitive events. Most of the time hitting a critical combo piece or a card or a key recruiter will drop the consistency of a deck dramatically. Notice that some of the best cards that let you search your deck are somewhere on the list. Things like Reinforcements of the Army, Stratos, Emergency Teleport, and Sangan are good examples of this.

The final way that Konami fixes the power creep is to introduce counters. Special summoning decks were countered with Royal Oppression and Maxx “C”. Monster Effects lose to Skill Drain, Fiendish Chain, and Effect Veiler. I could go on with examples, but needless to say nearly every aspect of this game can be countered in some form. Given enough ways to counter a card, anything can cease to be a threat. Decks rise and fall based on what counter-techs are popular at the time. Players tend to exaggerate the effects of this balancing method. Strong, consistent strategies will naturally rise to the top of the metagame. Those decks become a target for players to try and beat by running specific counter-tech, usually in the side deck. In fact, the side deck has become increasingly important over the last few formats. Back in 2010 players were calling that summer a ‘side-deck’ format. Interestingly enough, having counters on the side that would completely dismantle opposing strategies was a relatively new phenomenon.

The Flaws of Konami’s System

Let’s recap: The power creep is the result of Konami needing to convince players that they need to buy new product, and thus more diverse and incrementally stronger cards must be developed. To solve the problems presented by the power creep, the forbidden and limited lists remove extremely problematic cards from the game and reduce the consistency of other strategies. In addition, new cards are released that counter existing strategies in an effort to weaken them.

Unfortunately, these solutions overlook something very important: luck. The ways that Konami tries to balance this game do not account for random chance that helps a player. Let’s go back through the methods listed earlier. To start with, creating artificial inconsistencies would be a great way to limit the effectiveness of a strategy…in theory. Real life results are often very different. Cards like Gateway of the Six and Black Whirlwind were limited to reduce the likelihood that players would open with them. Yet, it’s still possible for a Samurai duelist to star the duel off with United, Gateway, and an easy way to get Shi En. A Lightsworn player can still mill Wulf consistently and drop Judgment Dragon whenever they like so long as they are lucky enough.

Remember that the second method for creating balance is to introduce counters. There’s a catch here too: if you don’t have that specific counter then you’re out of luck. Sure, there are a number of cards that can stop a first turn Wind-Up loop. Effect Veiler, Maxx “C”, D.D. Crow and a few others can put an end to it. But what happens when you don’t open with those cards? Yep, you’re down to one card in hand. Likewise if other heavily combo-oriented decks like Infernity or Inzektor go off and you lack the appropriate counter, you’re going to lose. There’s nothing you can do about it, the plays are just too good. You cannot crack an Infernity setup which has Infernity Barrier, Void Ogre Dragon, and other backrow. It’s been said before, and it needs to be said again: counters are not a valid argument when discussing the power of a card. Chaos Emperor Dragon loses out to Effect Veiler and Bottomless Trap Hole, but I’d be hard pressed to find someone who would argue that it should be legal.

This poses an important question. Why should I be punished because I didn’t draw into a hand trap in the first two turns? The first six cards you draw are the most important, even more so than the rest of your deck. Skill is minimized in the place of luck in many cases. Power cards require only that you draw into them, and explosive combos make themselves available randomly rather than through planning. One analogy that I’m found of is the power weapons in Halo (yes, as in the video game). Weapons that dominate the battlefield and give a huge advantage to the team that controls them are not randomly distributed. Instead they are claimed by players who have the best planning and skill.

Sure, being a better player is going to get you more wins overall, but how many matches will the better player lose to sheer luck? Yes, this is a card game and luck will always be a huge factor but minimizing it should be Konami’s biggest priority.

Patching Holes

In order to reduce luck as much as possible Konami needs to do two things: ban more cards, and introduce more game mechanics that promote resource management or acquisition rather than OTK combos. Making more cards forbidden helps to deter the luck factor of drawing into those ‘game-winners’ like Black Luster Soldier, Monster Reborn, Dark Hole, Heavy Storm, or Future Fusion. A Dragon player who opens with Future Fusion will almost always win against one who does not. It’s just that good. Once again you have a player being punished because he/she was not lucky enough. By eliminating those cards altogether the opening hand decreases in importance.

Drawing cards is simply too slow for the current metagame. In fact, it was never really a viable option for players. If you want to win, you’re going to have to generate advantage on your own. This causes conflicts with the idea that counters help to balance other powerful cards. If you don’t draw the counter you’re bound to get stomped on. Many combos are only stoppable through unsearchable.

Out of the Lane #1

Belief is a powerful tool for the foolish, but a dangerous trap for the wise. A man who believes the sun will rise each day is shocked when it does not. A man who believes he will live forever is likewise surprised by his finite life. Truth is difficult to determine, and perhaps impossible given the limitations of human perception. We cannot know, and must believe. Ideas are forged to explain a phenomenon, but it is the belief in an answer that ultimately becomes true. Yet, sometimes those beliefs are disproven. This is the trap of believing what you cannot know: it becomes possible to dismiss arguments against your belief. A strong will allows people to hold on to something even if it is wrong. To believe in something, or someone, is to close off the posibility of doubt. If it is true, then you are successful. If not, then you are in danger of beling close-minded .

Post GAOV Dragunity

I like lurking around Pojo strategy forums. Good stuff all around. Generally. Unfortunately the Dragunity thread is mostly filled with off-topic discussion...to the point where nothing of real value is discussed. Though, there was a moment where their combined attention became focused on one thing: the OTKs possible with Dragunity on DNET. I'm no fan of playing there since you tend to get what you paid for (mhmm) but it sparked some interest in me so I started to investigate.

Most of the emerging strategy revolves around Hieratic Dragon King of Atum. It's a Rank 6, requires two dragons, and can once per turn detatch to grab any dragon from the deck. The downside is that Atum can't attack, and the summoned monster is 0/0. The upside? Atum can summon REDMD from the deck. That's very important. You can OTK with this by combining it with that absurdly named rank 10, though there is no sign of that coming to the TCG soon. Clearly it hasn't stopped people from fooling around with it on DNET though.

OTKs are nice and all, but that's not what I'm looking for in a competitive deck. Sure, if I can include the option, then I'll do so. Trident Dragion is generally fine for me and it's very easy to get of an Atum play. Many players have gone so far as to include cards to specifically facilitate the OTK, like Mist Valley Baby Roc. Seems decent...until you realize that you're murdering your consistency. Roc has no purpose other than to feed the combo which, let me remind you, is easily shut down by even a single Veiler.

So rather than turn my field control deck into a 'herp-derp' dive-bomb OTK/FTK, I am instead trying to take the Hieratics and incorporate them in a way that benefits the existing Dragunity strategy. Let's look at a few of these cards, shall we?

To reiterate: Atum is the linchpin of the Neo-Dragunity strategy. With this card a huge variety of plays become possible, and it's very worthwhile to summon. Grabbing REDMD is just the icing on the cake too. This guy can also grab a few other cards that can really put the pressure on the opponent. We'll get to those in a bit. In the meantime there is a very important question to answer: how do we summon Atum? Dragunity is based around 8s after all. Well, it takes 6 to get 8...

The most effective way to summon Atum can be done from the first turn. Zephyros is essential, and by discarding it to search Phalanx through Dragon Ravine, you can bounce Ravine and discard Phalanx to search Dux. Summon Dux, grab Phalanx, then make a Vajrayana. Get Phalanx, and make a second Vajrayana or a Gae Dearg (to dump Aklys, usually) with your on-field Zephyros. Bam. You have two level 6 monsters and possibly a Phalanx on the field if you wanted to go that direction. The best part is that it only cost you one card. From here you can summon Atum, detach for REDMD, bring back one of your materials, and summon Stardust Dragon. You end with Atum, REDMD, and Stardust. Not bad at all for one card.

This is all great, but it's a one-trick pony. Zephyros will only work once per duel, so if you want to summon Atum again, you'll either need Xyz Reborn...or a new build direction. Here's a card that might remind you of last year...

Mystletainn was to be the ultimate out to Effect Veiler. You summon Dux, it gets negated, and then you summon Mystletainn to grab your level 8 anyways. If D.D. Crow and Maxx "C" weren't seeing play, I would be running this guy right now (especially with Bottomless Trap Hole falling in play). It even lets you circumvent Fiendish Chain which is very popular this format. However, it's just inconsistent enough to keep it out of my main deck for now...but it is a level six. Think back to our earlier combos. Instead of using Zephyros, make Vajrayana with Dux, and then use the extra Phalanx to summon Mystletainn.You can end with the very same field, though it costs you an extra cards. You're still ending up with a three card hand, so it's fine anyways.

But Mystletainn isn't the only non-extra deck level 6 we can run...

Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King is TCG-exclusive, and it's a very interesting one to boot. The other seal (yes, that level 8 normal dragon) is generally what people think of in regards to Hieratics. This seal is so much better for one key reason: it's two levels lower. In fact, it's actually designed to summon Atum as you can probably tell by the name. Unfortunately it has one major drawback...it's a Gemini, and not a true normal. This means it can't be summoned from the deck by most Hieratic effects. This means we'll have to get it to our hand, or put it in the graveyard. Sounds a bit tough, right? Well it would be if Hieratics didn't have a spell card that searches every archetype member. Yep, it's a big deal (note the bold, that will be on the test). Oh, and then there's Dragon Ravine, which can put this card in the graveyard from either the hand or the deck. Synergy, bro. Think of this as a Destiny Hero-Malicious for Dragunity.

Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit is yet another level six, searchable by Hieratic Seal of Convocation like every other Hieratic monster, and it makes summoning Atum even easier. It has a Cyber Dragon-like summoning condition, and when it's tributed, it will grab the Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King from the graveyard. The really unfortunate part of Tenfnuit is that it can't attack when summoned. It's not quite the Rai-Oh killer that I want. On the plus side:

+Easy level 6 allows you to summon Phalanx/Aklys along side it and make Stardust with NO fear of Veiler or Crow.

+Baits BTH, Torrential, and other cards to keep your Dux play safe.
+Perfect fodder for REDMD

It's easy to see how Tenfuit goes beyond just facilitiating easier OTKs. It gives Dragunity the one thing it wants so desperately: a way to play around it's 'one normal summon per turn' weakness. With such powerful searching abilities Hieratics are poised to make a splash in the metagame, but more importantly, they are quite capable of making Dragunity far better than it currently is. In the next blog post I'll talk more about the rest of the seals and how they expand the strategy. Until next time then.

Piper Chaos in the March 2012 format.

You know how sometimes there is that deck you take one look at and say "wow, I really want to run that!" For me, Piper Chaos wasn't that deck. In fact, Dragunity was the last theme/strategy to suck me in and turn me into a die-hard player. I enjoy summoning Dux way too much, and it has become my favorite deck of all time (second would be Debu Hime, which sadly had a short life). Mystic Piper, to me, was a stupid card with a dumb effect that wasn't broken and didn't do good stuff. Okay, that's an exaggeration. I just wasn't interested, especially in the format that it was released. EXVC was all about T.G. for me.

Fast forward to the current banlist, and I'm now sitting on a nearly complete Piper Chaos deck wondering where to go from here. The format is still very young, and the competition is steep. I have no desire to give up Dragunity, but I feel that branching out would be a good thing, especially given the hugely varied play styles of both strategies. More on that in a bit. At any rate, Piper peaked my interest about two months ago and I've been toying with the idea of running it ever since then. Now, with this new format, I'm thinking that Piper might actually be even better than people give it credit for.

Piper Chaos: T1.5?

There are three main reasons why this deck is not only great this format, but near top tier (if only people would play it).

1. It's a defensive, low field-commitment deck.
2. Many plays are difficult to disrupt
3. Counter-tech is easy to run

Playing Goalie

If I could describe Piper Chaos in one word, it would be 'defensive'. The deck, much like Lightsworns, is based around keeping your lifepoints safe and interacting with the opponent only when you want to. In the case of LS, you are waiting to summon Judgment Dragon. With Piper, it is Caius and your Chaos monsters putting in most of the work. Battle Fader, Tragoedia, and Gorz serve as a defensive wall that keeps opposing monsters from dealing too much damage, while at the same time allowing you to keep most of your cards in hand. Even if your field is destroyed, you still can block attacks and make a strong play next turn.

This is almost exactly the opposite of Dragunity, where protecting your field with Stardust Dragon is the basic strategy. Committing large numbers of cards to the field is a necessity, and board control is your win condition. Piper doesn't care if it has a field or not, it just wants to stay alive and make plays. It's interesting to note how the two decks differ. Is one more well suited for the format that the other? Last format we saw Courtney Waller win a YCS with a deck that plays very similarly to Piper Chaos. 

With the prevalence of Xyz monsters Tragoedia has lost some of its luster. Alternatives like Threatening Roar come to mind, but Enemy Controller is probably just as useful at times. Other options like Reckless Greed or Forbidden Lance open up plays to beat out most Xyz monsters through sheer attack, and make Tragoedia very threatening again. You can actually use it for your own Xyz summons too, or make Utopia with their level four monsters by discarding, then targeting in the grave, one of your own. It's certainly an interesting card that few people are playing.

Battle Fader is simply amazing in Piper Chaos. At level one it fulfills Piper's effect and will occasionally net you an extra draw. It is also great food for Caius, a devastating card this format if you can dodge Effect Veiler. The key to playing Fader is to wait until the opponent tries to secure a field position. Caius and the Chaos monsters mop up opposing positions pretty easily, and it's almost too funny to watch the opponent run out of outs just as you drop another heavy hitter. Fader lets you keep cards off the field and out of Hornet's reach. It forces the Rabbit player to summon Dolkka, and leaves them exposed to Creature Swap and Smashing Ground.

"I Got Nothin"

Yes, Kinka-Byo loses to Veiler, Chain Disappearance, Fiendish Chain, and to a lesser extent, D.D. Crow and Maxx "C". On the other hand, the bigger monsters in the deck can easily follow a failed Kinka-Byo play and are often much less susceptible to those counters. If the opponent wants to put another dark in the grave, they certainly can. The beauty of this strategy is that you don't have to rely on that basic play. It's not your win condition. Even if the opponent counters you that turn, the deck packs enough defense to hold out until next turn. Rinse and repeat.

"I Got Everything"

Effect Veiler and D.D. Crow are so easy to run in Piper Chaos that it seems as though this format was made for them. I can easily see a Piper deck running two each of the three major hand traps. This gives the deck most space to side, and more mained outs to the top tier (and most rouge matchups). It can also run Rai-Oh effectively, a card that has fallen out of play due to many of this format's decks either not needing it, or being unable to run it themselves. Rai-Oh is still as good as ever and is simply underplayed. Nothing stops Xyz monsters better than the Thunder King himself.

It's late so I'll have to wrap this up quickly (I've got a lot to write tomorrow too, so I can't wear myself out). tl;dr, Piper Chaos has a lot of potential this format, mostly because it plays very differently (and advantageously) than many of the other decks commonly used. Until next time then.

Hello World!

Welcome to my new blog! I'm transitioning away from Tumblr for a number of reasons, namely to get away from those annoying .gifs.

There are a few things that I'll discuss here:

1. Yugioh strategy (anything I don't want to submit an article on)

2. Minecraft info (RFTW, personal projects, tutorials)

3. Personal stuff (probably not too much of this)

Anyways, let's get this started!