Dilemma of Dilution - Baneful
June 2014

 

Cards like Upstart Goblin and Reckless Greed have been used to speed up decks.  This primarily happened a few months ago but now people aren't doing this as much.  This is for a combination of different factors.

 

First, archetype decks have their own internal search/speed engines.

 

Second, decks aren't really reliant on one combo anymore like they used to be.  You're not trying to draw into your one boss card but rather you have several options waiting for you.

 

Third, its a trap-heavy format.  In the past, with monsters less powerful, Traps weren't as necessary.  Spells were what won duels.  Now that monsters have become increasingly stronger, we need traps to rein them in.  With Wiretap being ran at 3 in many decks, Traps are often used for the denial of other Traps.

 

And this creates the dilemma of dilution.  Adding draw power to your deck can often be like adding water to soup.  It tends to dilute it.  You can run 3x Upstart Goblin and 3x Reckless Greed to improve the speed and consistency of your deck, but it will detract from your power.  You'll have less slots in your deck for removal and Special Summoning, the two of the biggest aspects of the game.

 

The choice is yours.  Right now with cards like Soul Charge or Wiretap, the game leans towards power rather than draw power, at least in decks with searchers.

 

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