The Issue of Prevention - by Baneful
May 2014

 

One dilemma in YGO is the issue of prevention.  Prevention versus removal.  Do we want to remove threats once they are out or do we want to negate them from happening entirely.

 

Prevention

Pro: Remove the threat before it can activate its effects

Con: If the threat is already there, it's too late

 

Removal

Pro: It's not situational.  It's more flexible.

Con: It's slower and the damage is already done

 

So, prevention is the high risk/high reward.  Removal is the hedged middle ground.

 

Examples

 

Twister vs. Dust Tornado.  MST does both but which should you side deck?  Dust Tornado destroys Set cards, preventing them from ever happening.  But once they are out, you have to wait a turn.  Twister destroys them immediately, but only destroys face-up Spells/Traps. 

 

So, Twister gives you speed but Dust gives you more options.  Me, I'll go with Twister because it will help me make an offensive push.

 

Black Horn of Heaven vs. Compulsory Evacuation Device.  BHOH negates the summon and eliminates more than just Extra Deck monsters, but once the opponent already summoned it's useless.  Cards like Compulsory Evacuation Device can handle the threat at any point.  Maybe not as well, but its a safer bet.

 

Luck

 

This is the issue with side decking.  I could side deck in 2 Black Horn of Heaven against a Special Summon heavy deck.  They could be super-good if I draw them first turn or really awful if I draw them mid-game.

 

This dilemma makes the cards evenly matched and gives us a serious debate on which one we should be using.  The problem though is that it is essentially a rock-paper-scissor thing where each side is only evenly matched because it is determined a good bit by luck.

 

Take the good with the bad I suppose.

 

Contact: banefulscolumn@gmail.com