From: JohnnyBQuick
Subject: Explanation of Grand Format - Johnny Tek

 

                                        Explanation of Grand Format

 

        Since some players who are used to playing by simple restriction

guidelines in the Traditional and Advanced Formats will find understanding Grand

Format a bit of a headache beyond the first few lines of text, here is an

explanation of the design of Grand Format.

        Grand Format is designed for use by experienced Yu-Gi-Oh! players in

High-Level Tournament Events. It is not meant to replace the Advanced Format

system. Both the Traditional and Advanced Format systems are actually necessary

in order to learn the fundamentals of Deck-building and game mechanics and

becoming familiar with card versatility. Grand Format then provides players with

the challenge of using everything they learned in the previous two Formats to

develop their own personal strategies and playing styles on a level

discouraged in the previous two Formats.

        Grand Format is designed to eliminate the practicality of copying

other Decks as well as eliminating the concept of a "Deck Staple" altogether. As

a result, players are forced to come up with original card combinations and

Deck strategies, many of which would be improbable if not impossible to execute

successfully in the previous two Formats.

        The main feature of Grand Format is the total capacity restriction on

restricted cards. Only up to three Limited Cards (one copy each) and up to

five Semi-Limited Cards (up to two copies each) may be used in the Deck and Side

Deck combined. Since this total capacity restriction counts the number of

copies for the Semi-Limited Cards (two copies of one card counts as two cards

towards the limit of five), the total combined capacity restriction is eight

restricted cards in the Deck and Side Deck combined. (This opens up a lot of space

in the Deck and Side Deck combined for innovation and originality.)

        As a result, a player must choose his/her restricted cards based on

whether they work well in combination with each other as well as the other

cards in his/her Deck and Side Deck combined instead of whether they simply work

well. This prevents any one card from appearing in every competitive Deck and

Side Deck combined, eliminating the concept of a "Deck Staple". (Unless the

entire global population of Yu-Gi-Oh! players adopt the same brainwave pattern.)

        Another result of the total capacity restriction is that card

playability for many different cards had to be re-evaluated. With less Monster Card

removal being used, activating card effects that affect ATK and DEF values,

playing monsters with difficult summoning conditions, and Tribute or Fusion

Summoning with two or more monsters become viable game play tactics. With less

Spell/Trap Card removal being used, Field Spell Cards, Equip Spell Cards,

Continuous Spell Cards, and Continuous Trap Cards are now likely to stay on the field

long enough for full use to be made of them.

        In order to address the changes in card playability, the list of

restricted cards for Grand Format had to be based completely on game play

mechanics and card interactions. Even though this makes the list of cards considerably

longer than those of the previous two Formats, the list also becomes much

more stable. Cards on the list are very unlikely to move from where they are and

any change in the format would most likely be the addition of a few cards with

each booster set so most Deck strategies in the Format would not be affected.

        Some players may argue that the restriction list for Grand Format

will shrink the card pool. However, there is less than 9% of cards available

worldwide on the list (with over 2,000 cards not restricted) and players are now

able to make competitive use of cards that were not competitive in the previous

two Formats. As a result, the effective card pool is actually much larger in

Grand Format than in both the Traditional and Advanced Formats combined.

        In order to maximize the efficiency of the card restriction in Grand

Format, the Forbidden Cards List was transformed into a "metagame buffer

system". Use of Forbidden Cards can be made possible through fulfilling special

conditions in the Deck and Side Deck combined. These special conditions prevent

card combinations that are too powerful (ex. Last Turn and Jowgen the

Spiritualist) and balance the competitive natures of the most powerful cards. (ex.

Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End can not be used with Limited Cards.) In

addition, copies of only one card from the Forbidden Cards can be used in the

Deck and Side Deck combined. (That means that both "Envoys" will not be

appearing in the same Deck and Side Deck combined as in Traditional.)

        If any "broken combos" or "broken power" cards appear, the

restriction system in Grand Format is designed to "fix" them without eliminating the use

of them altogether.

        Ritual Monsters become much more useful in Grand Format. With the

appropriate Ritual Spell Card in hand, a player can Ritual Summon his/her Ritual

Monster from hand, Deck, or Graveyard. Since the actual card text on a Ritual

Monster or Spell Card does not specify that a Ritual Monster has to be in a

player’s hand to be Ritual Summoned, this does not create any card text

conflicts. As a result, use of Ritual Monsters may be seen in competitive game play

using Grand Format.

        Monsters can be Normal Summoned in face-up Defense Position in Grand

Format. This allows for immediate use of certain card effects and creates a

strategic option that will make players think more carefully about monster

placement. For example, an opponent Normal Summons a Normal Monster in face-up

Defense Position with a DEF of 0 and Sets one Spell/Trap Card face down on his/her

side of the field. Did the opponent Set a card whose effect will trigger when

you designate his/her monster for battle? Is the opponent bluffing?

Psychological Dueling takes on a whole new level.

        Any player that can construct a Deck and Side Deck combined using

Grand Format shows skill and patience. Any player that can construct a

competitive Deck and Side Deck combined using Grand Format shows mastery.

        It takes more effort, but the only way to achieve the full experience

of Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is through Grand Format.

        Players are reminded that Decks using Grand Format will generally not

play as well against Decks using Traditional or Advanced Formats. Players are

also reminded that unless one has actually played with a Grand Format Deck

against at least several other Grand Format Decks, it is not possible to make a

respectable assessment of Grand Format.

 

As written in an earlier submission, you can e-mail your questions about

Grand Format and Project R (no Decklist submissions please) to JohnnyBQuick@aol.com