February 2006
Deck Versatility, Power & Consistency
by GeneralZorpa
Don't be scared by the title of this article. It is
rather simple to understand
First I will define versatility, power and
consistencyas I know it to be true in the TCG.
-Versatility is the ability of a deck to adapt to
other decks and situations that it is playing.
-Power is thewin conditionof the deck, monsters,
burn cards and special win conditions as well as the
speed at which it accomplishes that.
-Consistency is the ability of the deck to win a
large amount of the time using one of the win
conditions present in the deck also includes card
synergy.
A deck sure needs to have all of these 3 features
but some do it better than others. Here are some
current popular deck types and how they rate in each
category as well as an explanation of why that is.
(ratings are out of 10)
Monarch Control
Power(7) Versatility (6) Consistency (7) These are
pretty high numbers for a deck. The monarchs have a
lot of power due to the amount of tribute monsters
that they run. The versatility comes from those
monster's effects, with each of the five (Jinzo
counts as a Monarch IMO) doing a specific job and
you can pick the monarch you need based upon the
situation or opponent. For example A Thestalos is
decent against another Monarch deck, but useless
against a Dark World deck. As far as consistency
goes the deck is a gem. You can use any of the
popular cards to pull out your Monarchs (Treeborn
Frog, Brain Control, Soul Exchange), as well as
tributing self replacing monsters (Giant Rat, Mystic
Tomato, Apprentice Magician, Nimble Momonga) to
bring havoc to the field.
Chain Burn
Power (9) Versatility (1) Consistency (7) Unlike the
Monarch deck the Chain Burn deck allows for the user
to have high power due to it's speed and relative
uncounterability in the first game of the match. The
burn spells are relatively hard to stop adn unless
you are main decking decrees or Jinzo, or just get
lucky, you will likely lose. As far as versatility
goes this deck is horrible. If you get any of the
counters out it is pretty much over. Jinzo, Spell
Canceler, Horus, Decree and Des Wombat all shut down
the deck very easily, so Chain Burn is pretty much a
one trick pony. As far as consistency goes it is
prone to bad hands, but whatdeck isn't. If there are
none of the above counter cards in your opponent's
arsenal, you will be fine and most likely win.
Chimeratech OTK
Power (10) Versatility (4) Consistency (7)
This deck is all about speed. The power rating is
the highest due to the fact that it is almost as
fast as Chain Burn and much more frightening for
your opponent. A 10 Billion Attack point
Chimaeratech Overdragon is much scarier than taking
lifepoint damage. This can make your opponent off
balance and thinking in terms of defending
themselves and not attacking. This causes this deck
to have a higher versatility than Chain Burn as the
opponent is less likely to be aggressive, afraid of
the next turn Chimeratech flop. As far as
consistency goes, this deck does one thing and does
it well, which is of course, win.
Warrior Toolbox
Power (5) Versatility (10) Consistency (7)
I must say that this is one of my least favorite
decks to play against. The power is low due to the
relatively low speed and ATK points of the warrior
cards, with the highest ATK of the cards being from
Strike Ninja, Freed the Brave Wanderer, and DD
Assailant. The warrior toolbox shines of course
because of the ability of it to adapt to almost any
situation. Reinforcements of the Army and Last Will
are able to fetch most of the cards needed for this
deck to function as well as comboing well with
Exiled Force, and any other warrior monster that is
good. Due to it's versatility this deck has a high
consistency as it can counter most for what your
opponent plays by fetching Exiled, Don Zaloog, or
Mystic Swordsman LV 2. The little guys do get run
over often, so an aggressive opponent can likely end
the game quickly.
*In the above decks, the consistency is the same.
This is to say that of all of these very powerful
decks, they all have the same win rate. So until we
find a higher consistency, it stays at 7
So what do you as a player do to try and influence
these numbers in your deck? I have taken the liberty
of assigning certain cards to certain aspects of the
deck's function. So adding these cards will add more
of a certain aspect to your deck in theory.
Power
Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
This card oozes power as it has high ATK as well as
destroying a monster as it comes into play. A power
card if I ever saw one.
Chimeratech Overdragon
A Machine withpossibly unlimited ATK point potential
as well as being able tobe summoned quickly makes
this guy powerhouse #2.
Versatility
Reinforcements of theArmy
The fact that this card can get any level 4 warrior
is insane. Exiled, MS Lv 2, Don Zaloog and even
Goblin Attack Force make this card the most
versatile card in the game IMO.
Last Will
Last Will is not far behind. Being able to summon
any monster with 1500 ATK or less is amazing and it
can even search out many of the same cards as
Reinforcements. Problem is it is little bit more
situational, requiring the death of a monster to
activate.
Consistency
Mystic Tomato/ Apprentice Magician
These card are inexorably linked in every duelist's
mind due to the success of the Spicer/Lazarro
Monarch Build. This card combo is the reason that
that deck was so consistent as no counters at it's
debut were known. It also is very versatile to
search out whatever it needs.
Cyber Dragon
This card belongs in most aggressive decks. Period.
It is a free summon, tribute fodder, removal magnet
and generally a threat even in the graveyard thanks
to Chimeratech. It falls short of being godly due to
it's limit of you having to have a clear field to
summon it, but is still one of the most consistent
powerhouses in the game.
Play around with these cards in order to find the
right balance for your play style and you will
probably be successful in playing this game. So go
have fun.
Until my next article, raptor1k@hotmail.com for any
comments or flames.
GeneralZorpa
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