Subject: The Ultimate Deckbuilder's Guide- Gygin The Ultimate Deckbuilder's Guide 1.DECK TYPE There are many deck types in the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game. The most favord one, of course, is the All-Around deck. However, a few people have kept to a real theme to their decks. These decks are centered around a certain type(s) or certain cards. For example, the Exodia deck has cards that let you look for the pieces of Exodia to win the game. These cards could include Witch of the Black Forest and Sangan. I'll go into that and many more decks later, but let's continue, shall we? First, you should choose the aim for your deck. Do you want to get Exodia parts quickly? then you should use cards like Last Will and Sangan to look for the parts quickly. Do you want to attack your opponent's life points? then you should use cards like Catapult Turtle or Ookazi to directly attack your opponent's life. It is better to have an aim in your deck than have a mess of cards. For example, in a Beatdown deck (monsters with attack of more than 1700), it is not wise to have cards like Last Will in it, since you have very little or no cards with 1500 attack. However, no matter your deck type, all decks MUST include the top 5. These cards are Pot of Greed, Raigeki, Monster Reborn, Change of Heart, and Mirror Force. I was told the last card was Dark Hole, which is a good card, but Mirror Force cancels that out, due to its devastating effect. Dark Hole destroys all monsters on the field, including your own. That could be the saving grace during a battle, but Mirror Force kills only your opponent's monsters, and its a trap, which means it could be used during your opponent's turn. The only problem with Mirror Force is that it destroys monsters only in attack mode, meaning that defense monsters are immune to this card. However, I would rather kill my opponent's attack monsters and leave his defense monsters alive than kill all of my monsters. The only excuse you should have for not having these in your deck is the fact that you don't own the cards yet. 2.DECK NUMBER Next, you should consider the amount of cards in your deck. If you pay attention to the rulebook, you should see that your monster to magic ratio should be 1:1. It doesn't matter if you have the best monster cards in your deck or if you have the best magic cards in your deck, because too much of anything isn't good. The biggest difference you should have is 5 cards. For example, if I have 40 cards in my deck, then the least amount of monster/magic cards is 15. Any lower than that is not advised. Monster cards are needed to defend your life. It hurts me when on the first turn my opponent has no monsters to send out, leaving his life points vulnerable. Next, you should consider your entire deck size. 50 cards should be the maximum number of cards in your deck. Any higher is too high. Your cards also should have consideration before you put them in. Cards that have little or no effect are called 'space wasters'. For example, cards like Reaper of the Cards isn't a good card. It may look good, but you must tribute for such a mediocre effect. It also has low stats. Let me get this out of the way: JUST BECAUSE IT'S RARE OR HAS AN EFFECT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THE CARD IS GOOD. This can be proven in many cards. For example, the Dragon Piper has the flip effect to destroy the Dragon Capture Jar card. However, this card is an example of a 'space waster'. There is a very rare chance your opponent will have Dragon Capture Jar on the field when you draw this card. Therefore, this card is not advised to be in your deck. Another principal rule is not to have cards with attack lower than 1600 unless they have an effect. Also be careful of your high-level monsters. You'll want to keep them at an all-time low in your deck, because I hate it when I see good high-level cards in people's hands when they're playing and they can't send them out because they have no tribute. I also advise that your upgrade cards are at a minimum. I hated it when I needed a card to help me win, and I only got an upgrade card, which only helped me half the time. Only use equip magic and field magic if your deck is centered around a specific type. It's better to use equip cards that apply to any type (Sword of Deep-Seated, Germ Infection, etc.) for better chances of winning. 3.CARDS YOU SHOULD AVOID In Yu-Gi-Oh, there are many cards you shouldn't use. Although some cards are better in different decks, there are a few that shouldn't be present no matter what deck you are using. I often see these cards in other people's decks, which I think really shouldn't be in there. These cards are listed below: Curse of Dragon: Everyone thinks this card is good. It isn't. Now with Metal Raiders out, most cards can now take this out with ease. First of all, no matter how many upgrade cards you have, it is still pretty bad. Wouldn't you use your Sword of Dark Destruction on Summoned Skull rather than this waste? I think the only thing worse than this creature is the fact that you have to tribute for it. Gaia the Fierce Knight: Everyone thinks this card is good, too. Well, it isn't. It is horrible. You could get SO many more good cards for two tributes. A card like this is just asking for loss. Even though it's ultra-rare, dont put this card in. You could get 200 more attack with half the tribute if you use Summoned Skull, instead. A good substitute for this card is Judge Man. With only 100 less attack, but half the tribute, and being the same types, Judge Man is a keeper until better cards come out. Gaia the Dragon Champion: Well, we have the two cards, so why dont we fuse them? NOT! This card is admired so highly by fans of the show. Using 3 tribute (2 for gaia, 1 for curse) for only 2600 attack is insane. Not only that, but the polymerzation card can be countered by Magic Jammer. If you managed to get past these obstacles, a fissure, mirror force, dark hole, or raigeki can be waiting in your opponent's field. In my opinion, save yourself the trouble of fusing anything until good fusion cards come out. Swordstalker: Everyone thinks this card is good. It isn't. Now with Metal Raiders out, most cards can now take this out with ease. First of all, no matter how many upgrade cards you have, it is still pretty bad. Wouldn't you use your Sword of Dark Destruction on Summoned Skull rather than this waste? I think the only thing worse than this creature is the fact that you have to tribute for it. Gate Guardian: This card almost made it. However, I would rather this not be in your deck for many reasons. One reason is the fact that it requires three tribute. The cards that are needed for tribute are good, but the three of them together is not good. I suggest that you only use Sanga of the Thunder, because it has the highest attack. Back to Gate Guardian, the tributes are too much. Basically, you are using 10 tributes to send this thing out: 2 tribute for each monster, and then 3 of those monsters for Gate Guardian. Those monsters can be trap holed, fissured, raigekied, dark holed, and mirror forced, destroying your chances of getting this thing out. Also, once you DO get the tribute for it, all your effort can be destroyed with trap hole, fissure, etc. In that case, you lose 11 monsters. Also, 3750 attack isn't that good when you know that Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has 750 more attack and only 3 tribute. It also is defended from trap hole, because it is a special summon. The only combo with this card is to have it in your hand and then using card destruction. You can then use monster reborn for a trap-hole free special summon. Dark Magician: Don't be intimidated by this card. It isn't that good. It can be upgraded by Book of Secret Arts and Yami, but it's a waste to give 2 tribute for this card. You could use the same amount of cards to upgrade Summoned Skull, which only requires half the tribute. Dark Magician almost made it, but there are better cards out there. Celtic Guardian: I want to smack people when they put this in their decks. I can't believe that 1400 attack is even acceptable as a super-rare. I think the only reason this card is rare is that its defense almost matches the attack, or that it seems good in the show. However, with the same defense, and 200 higher attack, Ryu-Kishin Powered is only a common card. Avoid putting this card in your deck at all costs. Reaper of the Cards: Don't put this card in your deck, either. It may seem good, but you could get Trap Master for the same effect but without tribute. Yes, I know that 1930 defense looks tempting, but for a tribute is a waste. Lord of D.: This card may seem good, but it isn't. Only use this card if you have more than 2 dragons in your deck. Other than that, the chances you'll have a dragon with this card is very rare. Also, it won't be out on the field that long, with only 1200 attack, it's an easy target for your life points. Flute of Summoning Dragon: Again, only use this card if you have a large number of dragons in your deck. Other than that, this card is a waste of space. There is such a rare chance that you'll have 2 dragons and this card in your hand, while Lord of D. is on your field all at the same time. Just wait until you have like, 4 dragons before you throw these two in your deck. Kuriboh: People (who can't read card text) put this card in their decks. This card may seem good, because it blocks all life damage done by an opponent's monster. However, this rule applies to only one monster. Also, if you actually read it, it says that it blocks only life damage. That means your opponent could still destroy your monsters, just not do damage to your life. Its better to put Waboku in your deck, which can stop all damage from an opponent's monster. Waboku can still be used during your opponent's turn, too, because it's a trap. I know that there are many more cards that are not necessary in any deck, but these are just a common few that appear in many decks. 4.THE 4 FOUNDATIONS OF YOUR DECK Your deck relys on four basic foundations. Every deck must have these foundations, and also must have the foundations evened out. Keeping careful observation of your deck, types, and foundations, you are sure to a perfect deck and many, many victories. Force Force is the main foundation of any deck. Without monsters, your life points are completely open for attack. You must have force, too, not just a space waster. I suggest no lower attack than 1600, unless the monster has an effect. Of course, force does not mean just attack. Force can also mean powerful defense. These cards are deadly in Defensive decks, and can be very lethal combined with cards like Shield and Sword. Monster Removal Monster removal is the next foundation in your deck. These cards could include Man-Eater Bug, Raigeki, and Dark Hole. These cards leave your opponent's field completely open for attack on his life points. However, most of these cards are restricted to one per deck, which is very hard to play with. However, it IS fair, since a card like Raigeki wouldn't be fair if 3 were allowed in a deck. These cards are good in any deck, but are preferred in a Direct Damage deck. Magic/Trap Removal The next foundation is magic/trap removal. This should be a basis in your deck for many reasons. The main reason is to remove magic cards like Raigeki to defend your monsters and/or life points. Other reasons is to get summons out, like using a Trap Master on Trap Hole to send out a strong monster. These cards include Heavy Storm, Magic Jammer, DeSpell, Remove Trap, 7 Tools of the Bandit, and a few effect cards, like Trap Master. However, many effect monster cards are weak and seem to waste space. Unless you are using them in a combo, rely on magic and trap cards to destroy other magic/trap cards. Drawing In the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game, you are only allowed one draw per turn. Cards that increase your drawing opportunities could help you win the game. There aren't that many cards out there that increase your drawing other than Pot of Greed and Card Destruction. However, these cards could be the saving grace of a battle, so mke sure you could put in as many of these as possible. Pot of Greed is limited to one card in your deck, and Card Destruction is limited to two cards in your deck. 5.DECKS There are many variations of decks in the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game, and many ways to build these decks. Below is a list of the many types of decks, the deck's aim, and the key cards in the deck. Defensive Direct Damage This deck revolves around defense monsters. The monsters are there to defend the user's life points, while the user attacks. How can this feat be accomplished? The user could use cards like Aqua Madoor, use Shield and Sword, and then use Catapult Turtle to deal 1000 points of direct damage. Basically, you defend your own life points while you attack your opponent's. Offensive Direct Damage This deck revolves around strong attack monsters. Cards like Ookazi and Tremendous fire attack your opponent with a fierce force. Other cards could attack your opponent's life, too, like Cannon Soldier and Catapult Turtle. Basically, you send out a strong force of monsters to crush your opponent's life quickly and directly. Beatdown This deck mainly bases on powerful monsters. Basically, the aim for the deck is to take down your opponent with powerful level 4+ monsters. These cards could include La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp and Blue-Eyes, White Dragon. Also, there are very few (or none at all) effect cards. All-Around This deck is ever-popular. Hence the name, this deck includes a variety of cards strategically placed in a deck to work together. Many of these cards are powerful restricted cards and other cards that do good no matter what deck they are in. These cards could include Swords of Revealing Light and Change of Heart. Exodia This deck revolves around finding the Exodia pieces. Cards like Witch of the Black Forest, Sangan, and Last Will help you find the five pieces of Exodia quickly. Other cards are there to just defend your life points until you can draw the five pieces. Fiend/Spellcaster(aka Dark) This deck revolves around the specific types of Fiends and Spellcasters. In this case, equipment and upgrade cards are acceptable. Cards like Yami could upgrade just about all of the cards in your deck. Earth These decks are taking a strong rise in the game of Yu-Gi-Oh. With cards like Jirai Gumo and Steel Scorpion out, combined with Judge Man, Man-Eater Bug, and Giant Soldier of Stone, thses decks can be very powerful. Remember, this deck is revolved around a certain type, so cards like Invigoration and Sogen will power up your monsters. Dragon This deck revolves around dragons. Dragons have had a powerful start, showing that cards like Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Tri-Horned Dragon, Barrel Dragon, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon can dominate the field. These are the times that you use Lord of D., The Flute Of Summoning Dragon, Mountain, and Dragon Treasure to help yourself while your opponent bows to the overwhelming power of dragons. There are definitely many more decks, but these are the popular ones right now. Other decks can revolve around many more types and may combine two types to make a stronger deck. It is all up to you. 6.BUILDING Now that you know what deck type you have, start building. First, you need to make a list. It saves time, and if you feel that you lost a card, you can check your list for references. A diary or a log is advised, but not mandatory. You can know what you've changed in your deck and what your record is if you keep a diary or a log of your deck, though. A computer is probably the best place to store your list and log, because you can lose your papers and such. Next, you should determine the key cards of your deck. The key cards are NOT the top 5 listed above. They are the cards that can help you in the specific deck you are using. Some of the key cards in your deck are listed in the decks above. However, these are not the only key cards in the decks. It's up to you to decide the other key cards. That's the fun of deck construction. Now that you have your main cards in, it's time to put in the rest of the cards. These cards revolve around the deck's theme, aim, and key cards. For example, if I am using a Feind/Spellcaster deck, then one of my key cards is Dark Energy, and a card that revolves around this is theme is Summoned Skull, because it can use the key card and it revolves around the deck type. Also be sure to include the four foundations and a good balance of it Pretty easy, huh? 7.RINSE,LATHER,REPEAT Now the best part of all, dueling! Duel as many people as you can, constantly changing your deck to your advantage. Dueling will help you improve your deck vastly. If you lose, you have to go back and see where you went wrong in your deckbuilding. Then continue dueling until victory. If you win, see what cards could have helped you earlier or later in the game. Keep improving your deck no matter what. If you are winning with your deck, and you have no one to duel, then keep your deck and check your lists and logs. Between duels, you should write entries in your log, because you have to remember if you lost or won, and what improvements were made. Repeat these processes over and over when new expansions come out. New cards may change your deck completely, which is why the deck is ever-changing. If you ever need to contact me to complain about my opinions, e-mail me at gyginreaper666@hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com