February 2009

 

The Buyer's Guide to Yugioh Part 2 of 5-Crzydrvr

 

What's up? Today we have an in-depth look at the Starter and Structure decks that line our store shelves. Which should you get? This time we'll look at which decks are musts, and which are busts. First off, our card review. Sorry for last week's mishap, forgot it was incomplete, therefore we will finish up last week's review:

 

Gigaplant
 
Attribute: EARTH 
Types: Plant/Gemini
Level: Level 6 
ATK/DEF: 2400/1200
Number: 53257892
Card Effect Type(s): Summon/Ignition

This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect:
● Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Insect-Type or Plant-Type monster from your hand or Graveyard.

 

Crzydrvr: Not a bad card by any stretch, I'm being lazy today so I'll give this a 3.5/5.

 

Anyways, we begin our look into the best (and the worst) of the Starter and Structure Decks available (prices may vary):

 

Starter Deck 2006 (YSD)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $64.99/box of 10

Exclusive Card: Elemental Hero Bladedge (Ultra)

1.5/5

Starter Decks give you a beginner's collection of cards, and though this deck may seem like a bad deal, there are some much-coveted staples in there too. Plus the holos look nice in your trade binder.

 

5D's Starter Deck (5DS1)

43 cards, $10.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Junk Warrior (Ultra)

2.5/5

The deck is worth the $11 it costs. Junk Warrior is a fantastically underrated card in my opinion, and there are some great cards here that go unnoticed (Scrap-Iron Scarecrow has saved my butt plenty of times). Great gift for gamers.

 

Starter Deck Jaden Yuki (YSDJ)

41 cards, $9.99/deck, $74.99/box

Exclusive Card: Elemental Hero Necroshade (Ultra)

1.5/5

The standard staples are here, but the rest of the deck is weak. Perfect for beginners making E-Hero decks, but personally I'd try to stay away from the boxes of these.

 

Starter Deck Syrus Truesdale (YSDS)

41 cards, $9.99/deck, $69.99/box

Exclusive Card: Expressroid (Ultra)

2/5

The cards here are slightly better than the Jaden decks. For Syrus lovers the deck is perfect, as it contains most of his non-Fusion monsters. If you have to choose then this would usually be the better choice.

 

The Dark Emperor Structure Deck (SDDE)

40 cards, $12.99/deck, $99.99/box

Exclusive Card: Caius the Shadow Monarch (Ultra)

4/5

The best pre-made deck to date, this deck has everything you need to take that next step. The deck has awesome staples, previously hard to acquire cards, and some great monsters like its cover card. Don't hesitate to buy in multiples.

 

Rise of the Dragon Lords Structure Deck (SDRL)

40 cards, $11.99/deck, $99.99/box

Exclusive Card: Felgrand Dragon (Ultra)

3.5/5

The deck itself is probably a local-worthy deck and nothing more, but the sheer number of coveted cards is astounding. From Trade-In and Foolish Burial to Darkblaze Dragon and Tyrant Dragon, this deck is good for building up your trade binder.

 

Machine Re-Volt Structure Deck (SD10)

40 cards, $10.99/deck, $89.99/box

Exclusive Card: Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon (Ultra)

3/5

Also great for nabbing trade bait, the Gadgets are tradable and there's a bunch of difficult to find staples in there. It's not a bad choice for machine users either. Limiter Removal and other machine support makes this deck a solid choice.

 

Dinosaur's Rage Structure Deck (SD09)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Super Conductor Tyranno (Ultra)

1/5

This deck is pretty much just there. Unless you use dinos (not a common thing in this meta; you might see 1 once every 2 years), this deck will not appeal you. Trade bait that no one wants, plus none of the staples we often collect. A disaster of a buy.

 

Lord of the Storm Structure Deck (SD8)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Simorgh, Bird of Divinity (Ultra)

2/5

Wielding a less common bounce effect to its advantage, SD8 isn't as bad as it appears. Some staples and trade bait attract people, plus the fact it's got a good blend of staples and uncommon cards. Not a bad or good choice.

 

Invincible Fortress Structure Deck (SD7)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Exxod, Master of the Guard (Ultra)

1.5/5

The deck has a plethora of good flip effect monsters and is actually relatively playable out of the box. Some staples round out the deck, and isn't a bad choice. But the fact it's got little to no trade bait is a turn-off.

 

Spellcaster's Judgment Structure Deck (SD6)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Dark Eradicator Warlock (Ultra)

2/5

Staples galore and good amount of trade bait. Hard to see how the deck is good with no specific strategy but for those Dark Magician/Spellcaster lovers this thing is a definite.

 

Warrior's Triumph Structure Deck (SD5)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Gilford the Legend (Ultra)

2/5

The deck is pretty good, with some good staples and some previously hard to find cards. But the deck itself is questionable, as Equip decks aren't exactly the big thing at the moment. Warrior decks obviously need this.

 

Fury from the Deep Structure Deck (SD4)

40 cards, $8.99/deck, $74.99/box

Exclusive Card: Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedulus (Ultra)

2/5

Some good cards mixed in with some pretty average ones make this deck. Pretty much the only reason this deck is buyable is for copies of Mobius and some staples inside.

 

Blaze of Destruction Structure Deck (SD3)

40 cards, $8.99/deck, $74.99/box

Exclusive Card: Inferno Flame Emperor (Ultra)

1.5/5

Thestalos is the big draw in this deck, and he doesn't even see frequent play anymore. Staples can be found in any other deck, so unless you like Pyros or Burn decks, stay away.

 

Zombie Madness Structure Deck (SD2)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Vampire Genesis (Ultra)

1.5/5

Not much to say about this one. Mediocre at best and most of the cards have very little trade value. Better luck next time.

 

Dragon's Roar Structure Deck (SD1)

40 cards, $9.99/deck, $79.99/box

Exclusive Card: Red Eyes Darkness Dragon (Ultra)

1/5

Probably the worst deck available, other than Dino's Rage. All cards are mediocre except for a few common staples. Best to avoid this money-sapper.

 

Zombie World Structure Deck (SDZW)

40 cards, $14.99/deck, $109.99/box (all preorder)

Exclusive Card: Red Eyes Zombie Dragon (Ultra)

3/5

The jury's still out on this one, but preorder sales seem to suggest that it's a hit. A largely upgraded version of the Zombie Madness deck fit to today's meta. Nothing to do but find out.

 

That's all for now! I'm afraid I will be cancelling the reviewer applications due to lack of turnout, thanks to those who did apply, i have kept your names and emails so that if I'm in need of a reviewer, I will drop you a line. If you need to talk Yugioh, then drop me a line at crzydrvr1995@gmail.com. Look for my next article on the Collector's Tins dating back from 2006. Until next time!

 

-Crzydrvr