YuGiOh The Players and the decks - Kai ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "K Vanderwege" <Covar920@swbell.net> Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 12:41:52 -0600 Yu Gi Oh The Players and the Decks I am back for a second time with another article. Once again I am afraid I am going to have to focus on the matter of Originality vs Creativity and also on the matter of 'player attitude'. Attending an anime convention this last weekend a small Yu Gi Oh Tournament was held. It would be in Round Robin Format and the winner would receive two packs and the second place 1. Playing through the rounds my friend Sam (Warrior) was faced off against a cosplaying Yugi Who apparently had qualified at the top 8 in Texas this past season. My friend Sam lost but as per helping bolster one another we discussed the competition strategies, playing styles, and deck styles. what did this Yugi play? None other than the chaos metagame. Reaching the top both he and I were undefeated. I was ready to test my water decks' steel once more with the likes of the meta game but I had to go because of the cosplay contest Sam and I were registered for. The result? We had to drop out of the game despite the fact I was guaranteed second place or better. Later that evening I encountered 'yugi' again but when I offered up a challenge to see 'who would really win' he gave excuses as to why he didn't have his cards with him, how they where in the hotel room and some stupid reason why he couldn't go get them. This on its own would not have been so bad except that later I found this same cosplayer bragging online about his 'victory' at the tournament. if you can call winning because your opponent is running late for something very important and HAVING to withdraw winning (PS I was not running late because of my duels taking to long it was bad organization by the hosts). am I upset? Yes. To long have I seen pompous self confident players use cheap 1 turn win combos and power house cards without any skill only to brag about what wonderful players they supposedly are. I have no national ranking, is this because I am a bad duelist? No it is because on Sunday I give my time to God rather than a card game. I am not saying the top 10 at nationals are 'bad' or that they are not good players. But what counts now a days? Are they better than those who have no ranking? I have been playing this game since before it was out in English and in my career of 'unofficial' tournaments I have only lost once (to a 1 turn jowgen last turn deck) I do not think my water deck is perfect. I do not think my DD deck is perfect. But what sets these decks apart from the meta game? The meta game consists of cards that on their own are powerful and they are thrown into a deck to work well together. I see people sending in requests for 'fix my fire theme deck' and be told "well put breaker, sangan, and sinister serpent into it those are staples" the term staple has become an excuse. the idea that powerful cards are to be used irregardless of how 'original' or creative you are trying to be. Am I against Chaos? No. I know someone who played chaos when it first was released but he played ALL chaos. It wasn't the metagame chaos. If you compare last years world top 10 you realize their decks where only different by 2 cards each. it became seriously more a game of luck. True each player plays their cards differently and two people with the 'same deck' will use it different. But not enough. If you throw two burn / stall decks at one another I guarantee it will be luck of the draw. Not who plays their cards better. This is the point I am making against the meta game. The new sets that are released in the OCG and CCG are to give a broader card pool; to help people developed themed decks and new combos. Do they? No. You don't see top contenders at the nationals with a spirit deck or a machine deck. I see posts saying 'play what wins' I say play for yourself. It is one thing to build a deck and only later does it become the metagame, it is another to go online look up the 'best' deck and duplicate it. People defend this by saying "when people do that they won't play the deck well" There is no strategy to the metagame and it is near impossible to mess it up if you have even a basic understanding of the game. It revolves around using singularly powerful cards to pull out a win. I see the card review of the day people insult some cards just because it isn't as good as something already out. I see the term 'useless' thrown about. I guarantee there are less than 50 TRULY 100% useless cards out their. (Cards that combo with nothing and have no positive side) The psychology of the metagame is to win. Yugi is not about winning. It is about playing a game, learning to be a good sportsman, and be a better person as a whole. We can quote back to Pegasus at the beginning of duelist kingdom "Create your decks with care, creativity, and cunning" do we see any of those at the world tournaments? Again I do not think illy of the players as general. They are playing to win.. What I cannot stand is that the majority is showing a lack of creativity by just playing what everyone else is because it is powerful and thinking they are 'great' because of it. I had a clown deck once that lost but only after holding its own at 300 lp and wittling the other person from 10,000 down to 1000 and they only won because of a ring of d that there was no chance of negating. Does this make me a bad duelist and them a good one? My final words on the matter, if you really only understand and play the metagame and it is your style fine, if not then get creative. It is better to loose with an original deck than just follow the heard and think you're good because of it. And those that think I am whining about this and want me to 'get over it' why do you play the cards you do? Is it because you have a personal fondness for them or is it because they are just powerful and helpful? Write me and let me know what you think or message me on AIM Heero Yuy920 Covar920@swbell.net PS This is a shout to ObnoxiousCelt@aol.com I run a DD deck and the staples I use are Pot of greed One DD warrior lady (DD fits theme) Exodia Pot of greed (Drawing) Graceful charity (Drawing) So do not start ty rading that 'original' people use the same staples in everything. I do NOT use scapegoat in all my decks, I do NOT use Sinister serpent outside water. I Do NOT use breaker outside of my dark magician deck. This is referring to those who just use powerful cards cause they are powerful and that is what the meta game is, it isn't chaos, or burn, it is cards that are powerful on their own and so people use them.