Hey guys, it's me again, Ryan Peddle, and I am bringing you yet another
analysis on the up coming Strike of Neos TCG set and its contents from Dark
Paladin's spoiler! This set is bringing many cards into the meta that will
recreate the tech cards and the deck choices among many duelists. We are
also getting the new March 1st Ban List when this set becomes legal to UDE's
sanctioned tournaments. Yes, that means this set will be allowed at SJC
Houston-Texas - 3 days after the ban list becomes official, but unfortunately
not at SJC St. Louis.

Every once and a while, I see players go beyond the boundaries of the "same
old" and create something new or try and tech a card that is specifically
against the meta. Most cards this format read "when this card is
successfully normal summoned -(and then include the effect of putting a
counter/search your deck for/destroy up to/remove from play). To avoid these
effects, players have teched 'Forced Back', 'Solemn Judgment', and even
'Horn of Heaven' to avoid the advantage effects of these 'when summoned'
popular cards. But trap cards like these come at a pricey cost and have the
bad outcomes as we all know. Paying half the life points, sacrificing a
monster, and even bouncing back the monster won't do a whole lot, because it
loses you advantage already, with any of these cards.

The trick in building a new deck towards the meta is picking the right
cards that won't theoretically lose you the game (due to the massive
disadvantage you put yourself into). That is why cards like Solemn Judgment
go in and out of style. It either wins you the game fast, or it loses you
the game faster. Personally, I believe the card should be sideboarded for
when you lose, that way you start the game with the +1 advantage (on your
turn), that way you can set up to 4 cards by your third or fourth turn, to
lock your opponent into making bad decisions or mess up there game state.
Solemn Judgment can also counter early/mid-game cards that would usually
lose you advantage of the game. But my theory isn't correct on all levels.
For example, Gadgets need this card to fend almost all the cards they will
have trouble running over if they hit the bad luck. Royal Decree and Jinzo
are sometimes problems for gadgets that just arn't drawing what they need to
see. Cards like Smashing Ground or Overload Fusion can delude you and your
opponents Hydrogeddon/Gravekeeper's Spy can be a brick wall, especially
under the power of a face-up Royal Decree. Other decks that support the
Dimensional Fissure/Macro Cosmos with D. D. Survivor and its friends. These
varient decks rely on Solemn Judgement to prevent cards like Breaker,
Mystical Space Typhoon, Dust Tornado, and most of all, Heavy Storm from
wiping there strategy right off the board.

The card I have been viewing today is a counter to the most confusing decks
we play today. A spiral in the meta was created on January 17th, when the
official release of gadgets was in stores. People would build gadget decks
to counter the Lazaro Bellido/Ryan Spicer monarch decks that so many play.
Then once the Gadgets take over, the Anti-Gadget builds step into the scene
to cure the meta of gadgets. But then once Anti-Gadgets take over, the
Monarch decks kick back in to eliminate the Anti-Gadget builds. With the
never ending triangle, players build decks like Dark World hybrids, Chain
Burn and Macro Cosmos to avoid the meta all together (somewhat anyways).
However, all these decks have a sidedeck to help counter the meta, or change
there strategy for the element of surprise. But instead of sidedecking this
new card, we will all be maindecking it:

STON-JP060
Pulling the Rug
Trap - Counter
Negate the activation and the effect of an effect monster that activates
when it's successfully summoned, and destroy that monster.
Rare

This card is simply amazing. I had to read it twice before I got my hopes
up. For all you duelists out there who refuse to play Gadgets, Anti-Gadgets
and Monarchs, you have been given a gift.

Let me break the card down for you by naming these monsters:

Red Gadget
Green Gadget
Yellow Gadget
Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
Mobius the Frost Monarch
Granmarg the Rock Monarch
Breaker the Magical Warrior
Apprentice Magician
Sacred Pheonix of Nephthys

All of these cards can have there effects instantly negated and destroyed
once brought onto the field. This card doesn't need alot of explaining, but
the 3 deck types I explained above all use this cards counter.
First of all, almost everyone will be using Breaker, so that's a given. But
against Gadgets, this card will counter the decks 7-10 monsters out of the
40-45 card in the deck. That is a great ratio, as you will almost always be
seeing a gadget each turn, starting from the first few turns you are against
them. Being a gadget player myself, I can truthfully say having my cycle of
Green, Red, and Yellow being broken is an annoyance to the deck, and can
stop and unsuspecting gadget player right in there tracks.

Next we have Anti-Gadget. This card may not seem as great towards this type
of deck, but it actually is. You see, the Anti-Gadget build figured out that
Vampire Lord is a weaker decision than Sacred Pheonix or Brain Control/Soul
Exchange tribute for Mobius/Thestalos. Using these cards instead allows us
to counter them both and let the +1 advantage off of the control/monarch not
to gain any advantage whatsoever. That means both Brain Control and Soul
Exchange + any monarch will not gain them advantage - instead it will put
them at the disadvantage. You see, losing a combo the deck relies on to win
the game (through advantage) makes the deck slower than usual. Treeborn Frog
went out of style since the release of gadgets. Looking at SJC Olrando's Top
8 deck lists, you can see why I would say this. Gadgets are simply faster
than Treeborn Frog. Duelists realised this, and switched a couple traps and
Treeborn Frog for a play set of Royal Decree, to help counter the massive
protection that surrounded the gadgets introduced into the metagame, and
just stuck to 2 or 3 Brain Control with Thestalos/Mobius, with Zaborg at 1
in the main deck and the rest in the side deck. Without Treeborn Frog's will
power to pump the monarchs engine, 'Pulling the Rug' makes your opponent
waste more cards than he or she has to.

And the same goes for Bellido/Spicer Monarch's. The deck will crash and
burn if they run into the Rug. The deck runs 2 Apprentice, 1 Breaker, 6
monarchs, which all suffer to this card.

Pulling the Rug is an excellent main deck card of choice and can devastate
the 3 main decks used today. The 'trinity' of these decks might change due
to the next ban list, but I have a feeling this card isn't going anywhere.
It's here to stay for the next format, and will see tons of play in either
the main or side board.

Not to mention, if the translation is accurate (which you never know it
could not be), then Pulling the Rug can destroy flip summons too. When a
Gravekeeper's Spy flip summons, it activates its effect to start the chain.
Therefore, when you chain 'Pulling the Rug,' you should be able to negate
the effect and destroy GK Spy, without it searching for another. I did not
mention this before because a card this powerful is too good to be true.
There will be an errata, a restriction, or simply a translation error with
the text. But trust me when I say this; the meta has changed, deck building
will be different, and side deck choices have altered, all due to this cards
power.

*And remember!*
Sacred Pheonix of Nephthys may be destroyed by this card when it attempts to
activate its 'Heavy Storm' ability (allowing you to counter in the first
place), but that does not mean it will not come back next standby phase.
Since the card has already reached the field when 'Pulling the Rug'
activates, the Pheonix will reborn once again.

Thats all for now, I hope enjoyed reading.

Imagination
Ryan Peddle

MSN/E-Mail me at: imagination436@hotmail.com AIM me at: imageNation436