Redefining Toolbox - by Baneful
July 2014

 

Toolbox used to be popular "back in the day".  Ratbox, featuring Giant Rat, got you Exiled Force (for removal) and Injection Fairy Lily (for raw attack power).  Tomatobox got you Spirit Reaper (for defense), Don Zaloog (for hand control) and Snipe Hunter (for removal).  Today, the Extra Deck more resembles a toolbox than our main deck.

 

In the archetype driven meta, decks are about fueling their own engine and getting out their own combos so they can trigger powerful effects.  The XYZ is left to take care of different things.  The difference is that back then, all decks had a diverse set of monsters we needed a diverse set of monsters to take them out.  Exiled Force could handle threat monsters like D.D. Warrior Lady.  Injection Fairy Lily handled powerhouses like Jinzo.  

 

Back then, every deck was like a fruit basket with all different kinds of fruit.  The player with the most diverse amount of fruit won.  Now, decks today are more like a basket with 20 apples or a basket with 20 oranges.

Today, decks operate on one main strategy and its about punishing that one strategy.  Extra Decks nowadays don't run 1 of each monster for any given strategy.  They figure out the greatest threats they can possibly face and run 2 of each card to punish people.  Ragnazero isn't for a moment where the opponent happens to summon a bolstered up monster.  It's to punish entire decks that boost up their monsters.  EEK is not built to be for that inevitable moment in every duel when your opponent has a huge setup.  It's purely for stopping decks that do make big setups.

 

We seek for options to punish entire decks, not just get us through a particular situation.

 

contact: banefulscolumn@gmail.com