It’s hard to pick favorites when your staring down over 4500 individual cards and counting. These ten cards represent a little about where I come from as a duelist and what I like about the game. It’s a lot less technical than you would expect. My favorites are cards that are unique in what they mean to me personally.
The Banned List Arrives
Thank you Japan!
Since the beginning of February, we duelists have been bombarded by fake list after fake list. Each, somehow, increasing in credibility but ultimately being outed as a Photoshop mockery – Japan gets first dibbs on the list through their monthly V-Jump magazine – or a blatant impossibility.
Many of us saw the “fake” (but actually legit) banned list that was posted on Shriek. Even though Shriek is one of the most reliable sources we have for early info, not even they could escape the chaos. The discussion that followed in the comments was pretty wild.
Card Review – Evoltile Odonto
Evoltile Odonto
LV2//Fire//Reptile//500//1200
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 “Evolsaur” monster from your hand.
LV2//Fire//Reptile//500//1200
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 “Evolsaur” monster from your hand.
- Summons 4 Monsters from Photon Shockwave
- Summons 2 Monsters From Order of Chaos
Overview:
Evoltile Odonto is a somewhat frustrating monster from the Evol Archetype that asks you to invest heavily onto the field. At present, with Photon Shockwave as the latest release, the climate is not quite temperate enough for starting a play with Odonto.
With 500 attack and 1200 defense, it is not a monster that anyone would want to summon or set without good reason. Since its effect leaves it vulnerable to attack, and therefore punishment, one would expect a reasonable return for such an investment. The results are somewhat worth the investment, let’s take a look.
HEROs Are (Not) Normal
I have long wondered how to break Elemental Heroes. It seems that every time they “advanced” it was in the Neos Alius category, and that deck type was about controlling the pace of the game and doing it consistently – not very exciting.
I want true HERO spam all over the table, a relentless affair with power. I have some ideas, two idea fragments really, of themes that could benefit HEROs.
Card Review: Phantom of Chaos
Any Battle Damage your opponent takes from battles involving this card becomes 0. Once per turn: You can target 1 Effect Monster in your Graveyard; banish that target, then, until the End Phase, this card’s name and ATK become that monster’s name and ATK, and it gains that monster’s effects. You must control this face-up card to activate and to resolve this effect.
Phantom of Chaos is in a unique position this format. There are a TON of great cards to be removed (I thought of one right now), meaning this card is very splashable.
Deck Building: Keep Lists
It’s very common for me to make a mental note of cards I like, ones that go well together, and ones that may become useful in the future. But, there are those times where I’ll be forgetful of those cards, or unaware of ones I have that could gel with the current deck I’m building. There has to be a better way.
The Tricks Of The Trade
Trading is a strange, yet core part of card games that allow players to get to the cards they want or need. A benefit of these card games is that you learn how to trade, barter, and understand the value of things based on concepts like demand and playability. So, how does one trade effectively and walk away feeling confident?
How To Shine In All This Chaos
As a duelist, I feel that the current state of the game is both the most favorable time to play in and the most overwhelming. We have plays that can end games by doing 8000 life points. We have Synchro Summoning and Xyz Summoning, two powerful game mechanics that seem very unique to our game and add to its overall flavor. We have a card pool of over 4,500 cards, with only a handful that are forbidden or restricted. We’re getting new archetypes and cards frequently, and old cards are becoming more and more playable. It is truly a great time to be a part of the game.
That being said, how does one manage all the activity going on? Between building competitive decks and dealing with a tough and adaptive meta, where does one find the time to pioneer into uncharted territory? There is a quote from one of my favorite movies that I believe best applies here: “Who has time? Who has time? But then if we do not ever take time, how can we ever have time?.”
Matt played Yugioh in California
Lightsworn Synchro’s Tournament Debut
Hey guys, I wanted to fill you in on part of my adventure upon my return from sunny California, and it’s an update on my Lightsworn Synchro Deck!
While in Annahiem, California, we happened upon a card store (http://www.team3j.com/). It’s a habit of mine, whenever I visit a new place I look for one. I like seeing those familiar glass cases filled with cards, and how each card store caters to its own customers. Some shops are strictly card stores, some branch out to comics, and some board games. I always find it interesting. This one in particular focused very heavily on Yugioh, while sports cards and Magic took somewhat of a backseat.
On our Friday Free Day, Justen and I headed down to the shop, both of us mainly looking to play around with the two Duel Terminals that were there. I pulled a Lavalval Dragon and Gem-Armadillo, plus some other stuff. Justen spent close to $20 and bounced back between playing the game and just getting a card. The Duel Terminal was surprisingly entertaining. It had the original voices of all of the cast, from the original series to 5ds. Playing against Pegasus and the Pharaoh was really fun.
While we were zoned into the game, more and more people started showing up. Once we found out they were showing up for a Yugioh Tournament, Justen and I couldn’t help but sign-up. A opportunity to play Yu-Gi-Oh with actual people in another state was too compelling to pass up.
Justen had quite a few half built decks, as he had been testing a lot of stuff before (and during) the trip. He settled on
Shopping for Cards Online
Shopping for Cards Online
Are you in the market for a new deck? Maybe some new cards to add to your collection? The good news is there’s really no trick to building cheap decks. The bad news is that the best way to make a deck suited to your preference (casual, competitive) is to figure out what you are interested in and go from there. So the problem, is choice.
If you are interested in going the competitive route, there’s Debris, Alius, Anti-Meta, Tengu, and Archytypes (Agents, Six Sams, etc.). Depending on the amount of publicity (aka wins) the deck in question is getting, the more inflated the prices.
On the other hand, there’s the casual route that Archetypes and “Rouge Decks” run. It is a place where ultimate freedom exists. Some casual decks even get run competitively, it all depends. But the distinct difference is the amount of individuality or experimentation that can be had.
I think the first thing for newer players is to gather some of the stronger cards in the game and then build decks around those for confidence building and practice.
Buying Online
I have never had a bad experience buying cards online. I also have the good fortune of living relatively close to the Cardhaus.com card shop. I always shop around and wait a little before I pull the trigger to make sure my interest in the cards will last, and I try to use Paypal whenever possible.
(Paypal.com is a service that enables you to pay, send money, and accept payments without revealing any financial information. )
There are a few sites that I check regularly for card prices:
Trollandtoad.com
This site is always trying to beat the competition. Of course, they have to make their money too, so some cards might fluctuate a little above what you might expect. I would suggest checking this site before any others.
Strikezone.com
After I check Trollandtoad, I check Strikezone. They sell a variety of “mint condition” to “somewhat played” cards and are usually a little above TrollandToad in terms of price, but sometimes below. Sometimes I just want the card for a low price, and I don’t care about the condition it is in, as long as it is playable. I have always felt that Strikzone caters to that attitude somewhat.
Cardhaus.com and Yugiohmint.com
When I want to check the relative value of a card (about how much it is “worth”) I go to these sites and compare them with the above sites. They price a little to somewhat significantly higher than the previous sites. I also use these sites if TrollandToad and Strike are out of what I am looking for, and of course:
Ebay.com
“Ebay has everything” is generally true. So if the cards you are looking at buying are a little too expensive at any of the above sites, there is also Ebay. Expect to see a lot of “playsets” (3 of a kind) for sale. Ebay tends to be in between Strikzone and TrollandToad in terms of card price, and is ceaper in many cases.
Don’t forget to check both Auction Only and Buy It Now – Lowest Price. With the Auction, you might be able to get a card by bidding for a little less than it is worth.
Buy It Now – Lowest Price offers you the cheapest price that you’ll be able to get it for at that time – including shipping. A lot of the time, you will see a low “Buy it Now” price, but make sure to check the Shipping underneath. Ebay charges their users when they use their system to make a sale, so users put the bulk of the cost into the Shipping in order to save money on these small purchases.
Ebay Buy It Now is frequently used to judge card prices for trades that are being compared on cash value.
Deck Price Comparison
Trollandtoad and Strikezone will be compared. Cardhaus, our third option, will not be discussed because…the prices will probably be too high.
FABLEDS
The Fabled Cerburrel – $4.99TT – $6.04SZ
The Fabled Ganashia – $0.79TT – $0.56SZ
The Fabled Catsith – $0.99TT – $0.66SZ
Fabled Grimro – $11.99TT – $12.48SZ
Fabled Krus – $5.49TT – $5.30SZ
Fabled Kushano – $1.99TT – $1.28SZFabled Ragin – $3.99TT – $3.87SZ
Fabled Valkyrus – $7.49TT – $7.32SZFabled Final Value:
Trollandtoad: $37.72
Strikezone: $37.51A $0.21 difference in favor of the underdog, Strikezone! What a close race.
GLADIATOR BEASTS
Gladiator Beast Laquari – $4.19TT – $3.48SZ
Gladiator Beast Bestari – $0.49TT – $0.28SZ
Gladiator Beast Equeste – $0.29TT – $0.24SZ
Gladiator Beast Darius – $1.49TT – $0.33SZ
Gladiator Beast Murmillo – $1.47TT – $2.74SZ
Gladiator Beast Gyzarus – $4.89TT – $6.04SZ
Gladiator Beast War Chariot – $3.84TT – $4.68SZ
Gladiator Beast Essedarii – $7.99TT – $7.90SZ
Gladiator Beast Heraklinos $1.99TT – $1.67SZ (SE)Gladiator Beast Final Value
TrollandToad:$26.64
Strikezone: $27.36Here we have a surprising difference of .72 cents in favor of TrollandToad.
DEBRIS/JUNK/DOPPEL
Debris Dragon – $1.74TT – $2.72SZ
Dandylion – $5.99TT – $5.33SZ (SE)
Spore – $.29TT – $0.16SZ
Glow-up Bulb – $54.99TT – $44.99SZ
Lonefire Blossom – $10.99TT – $10.34SZ
Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter – $9.79TT – $13.31SZ
Card Trooper – $1.49TT – $2.55SZ
Junk Synchron – $0.49TT – $.031
Sangan – $2.09TT – $2.09SZ (surprising)
DoppelWarrior – $1.99TT – $1.99SZ (again)Debris/Junk/Doppel Final Value:
TrollandToad: $88.11
StrikeZone: $83.79Some way, StrikeZone pulls out another victory against TrollandToad.
Both of these top sites have very competitive card prices. For those looking to build a deck, it is worth pricing out every card. One site might have a lower value for the bunch even though one might seem cheaper for individual cards.
Recently, several huge announcements have created a very positive forecast for card prices. Powerful cards like Elemental Hero Absolute Zero, Pot of Duality, Dark Simorgh, Archlord Krystia and more are being reprinted at lower rarities. This will drastically drop their prices, effectively making them 5 to 10 dollar cards.
Latest Card Reprints
Elemental Absolute Zero in Generation Force Special Edition – [LINK]
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon Tin – (Duality, Dark Simorgh, Stygian Street Patrol, Unknown) – [LINK]
Wind-Up Zenmaister Collectible Tin – (Duality, Krystia, EHERO Gaia, Unknown) – [LINK]