Current Yugioh Meta-Game-- by Vespasian

Current Meta-Game of Yu-Gi-Oh

The Meta-Game of Yugioh, as we all know, is a rapidly changing, dynamic strategic card game.  There are many categories of types of decks that can be constructed, among them Exodia, Burn, Deck-Out, Life-Point Gaining, Hand Destruction, and, of course, Beatdown.  There are also many Sub-types, such as Umi/Water decks, Gravekeeper/Necrovally decks, Zombie decks, Warrior decks, and, although I've never tried to build one (although I would really like to), Lava Golem burn decks.  In the following section, I will explain why Beatdown decks have been, are, and will continue to be one of the most popular deck types.

In a rapidly altering game, where in one set a certain type of deck may prevail, then the next another, and the one after yet another, Beatdown is a lighthouse, a shining beacon and a glimmering light of hope.  Beatdown is a very stable archetype, with very few weaknesses and many advantages over most other deck types; Beatdown is very, very well-rounded.  In addition, beatdown is relatively easier to put together into a functional deck than most other, higher-maintenance decks, such as Umi/Water decks or tournament-worthy Burn decks.  This doesn't mean that any novice can put together an effective Beatdown deck without any planning of some sort; it does actually take a certain amount of intelligence (yes, I said intelligence) to construct a good, solid beatdown.  Throwing three GAF, three Giant Orc, three Spear Dragon, and a Jinzo into a deck with an odd number of Magic (Spell) and Trap cards and expect it to work are being disillusioned.  Although this strategy could win you some disparately dispersed (couldn't resist) duels, it isn't a very stable strategy for constructing one's Beatdown Deck.  That would be a Suicide Beatdown, which I don't consider to be a true Beatdown deck.  This type of deck is the type of deck that new players ("nOObs" is a disrespectful term, and remember---- we were ALL new players at one point in time) fall into the trap of making.  I'm probably one of the first people in my neighborhood to start playing Duel Monsters (in April of 2002, just a few weeks after the game was launched), and now realize how much of a novice I was at the time.  But now I know many (but nowhere near all) of the rules of the game.  I'm now getting into studying Priority in phases of gameplay, and other such complicated rules and concepts, and can now proudly call myself an intermediate level duelist.  The "experts" are Edo, many of the Pojo staff, and a select few others.  But the point of this is that ALL duelists, if they strive for it, may become great duelists who are capable of constructing well-rounded, tournament-level decks. 

Back to as to why Beatdown is (and will most likely always be) one of the top tournament contenders is because of its Adaptability.  In this card game we call Duel Monsters as in the real biological world, the ability to adapt to a quickly changing, tumultuous environment is key in surviving.  This is the ability that Beatdown possesses.  It is an enviable asset that most other deck types do not possess, and the users of these other deck types take all their pent-up anger out on the continually successful Beatdowns.  Don't get me wrong, there are several other deck types that are just as adaptable as Beatdown, and just as successful over long periods of time on the tournament scene as Beatdown has been, but I am not an expert in these and will not discuss them presently. 


In summary, the reasons that a well-constructed and thought-out Beatdown deck is, and will continue to be, a dominant force on the tournament scene are many; first, Beatdowns are relatively easier to construct than most other tournament-level deck types; secondly, Beatdowns are consistent, meaning that their core composition alters very little over time, including the fact that they have very little weak points to exploit and are well-rounded; finally, Beatdowns are adaptable, which is probably their greatest asset.  Beatdowns are a flexible constant in a sea of variables.




RDV320CL@aol.com
Robert V.