Hey everyone! Today’s article will be a quick one. I’ve got a couple announcements and some predictions on what will emerge in the Top 8 SJC ATL. 

DJ’s not playing in SJC Atlanta!? 

You read right. I will not be participating in SJC Atlanta. Why you ask? Well, it’s because I’m not prepared that’s why. With so many options and no clear indication as to what will be popular, it was hard to decide what is best to run at SJC Atlanta. The metagame in Orlando isn’t exactly the best when it comes to competition. My only testing partners come from my own group of friends and the guys at Obelisk Blue. Even then, all the test-playing in the world will only serve as speculation until we see what emerges on top of the rest.  

Despite my own disappointment in myself for not competing, I think I have chosen a much better alternative: I have decided to join the Judge staff and judge the competition. There are many benefits to his decision and I don’t think I regret making it. First off, I get see the competition from a calm and objective perspective. I get to see what is being played, what is winning, and why. I get to watch hundreds of duels being played which would give me an excellent advantage in gathering information for myself and my post-SJC Atlanta article. I won’t be worried about winning or losing and it gives me a chance to meet/greet the players. Those of you who have been to the events that I’ve judged will particularly enjoy the friendly banter between my fellow judges and I that has become common. I’m positive the rest of you will be easily entertained by the trash-talk fest.  

Second, I get one of those ultra-cool judge mats. I’ve always wanted one of those you know… On top of that; I get a cool deck box too. I’m not too sure if it will be different from last year’s special edition boxes, but we’ll see. Thirdly, I get to judge the Top 8 matches! That’s my favorite part about judging folks as these matches are the most intense. In any case, not playing in SJC Atlanta won’t be so bad since I’ll be getting so much more out of the event by not competing.

DJ’s got a challenger! 

A buddy of mine who is also a member of Obelisk Blue is Team Hunger Force’s Manager, Ameen Bahar. He and I will be having a money match with $20 on the line (It’s not much, I know…) sometime during the day. So if you see me sitting down to play, most likely I’ll be playing Ameen; so watch for that match! I’ll be getting someone to record this match or put it in writing as I play. Care to cover it for me Jae Kim? Also, at the end of the day I’ll be able to sit down and play some friendly matches with anyone who’s up for it. Don’t be shy; just sit down, shake my hand, and play the game!  

The “Decks to beat” at SJC Atlanta 

At this event I expect to see anything from Fiends to Water decks. However, there are a few distinct deck archetypes I think will be the most played and the most effective: 

·Zombies
·        Toolbox Warriors
·        Aggro
·        Chaos
·        Horus
·        Tomato Control

 Zombies, Aggro, and Toolbox Warrior decks should be the most popular deck archetypes present at this weekend’s event.  

Zombies - Zombies have revival, near-broken search, immunity to removal, big beat-sticks, stall power, and discard power. It’s a deck that you can’t particularly prepare well for since it places pressure on you from so many different directions. Don’t kid yourself; Bottomless Trap Hole will NOT stop a Zombie deck. I’m just making that clear before I move on. I would expect Ryu Kokki to have more priority over Vampire Lord in Zombie decks simply because of the Cyber Dragon threat. The best way to deal with this deck is to slow it down. Never give a Zombie player a chance to use Pyramid Turtle’s effect. Even then, it’s a toss-up. 

Toolbox Warriors - Toolbox Warriors will be particularly annoying for anyone to play against since they will always have an answer to your threats. That’s just how Warriors are. Expect to see Cyber Dragon, D.D. Assailant, D.D. Warrior Lady, Mystic Swordsman LV2 or LV4, Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, D.D. Survivor, Exiled Force, Don Zaloog, Zombyra the Dark, and even Big Shield Guardnas in your typical Toolbox Warrior deck. Be warned though, these are just the Reinforcement of the Army targets. You should expect to see some Drillroids and perhaps a Mobius or two. 

Aggro - Aggro decks are the decks that I expect to be the MOST popular of all. Try 3 Cyber Dragons, 3 D.D. Assailants, an Injection Fairy Lily, then 2 Spirit Reapers and you’ve got yourself an Aggro deck; splash as many other monsters as you please. The formula is simple. The strategy behind Aggro is simple. Get your opponent to 0 before he/she can do ANYTHING. Wave-Motion Cannon will be a nice addition in Aggro decks, along with some Berserk Gorillas.

Chaos, Horus, and Tomato Control decks will be some of the most effective decks in the playing field. I’m not saying that the previous decks aren’t effective, but I think these decks have a lot going for them that most people won’t realize until it’s too late. 

Chaos is still playable!? 

Of course Chaos is still playable. Try this. Pull up your old Warrior/Chaos deck list from your computer then perform this quick fix: 

-1 Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning 

+1 Chaos Sorcerer 

I’m being sarcastic…but I AM trying to make a strong point here. The only quality Chaos decks have lost is an “I WIN” card so now they are forced to run a more balanced form of BLS. Wow…that’s TOO bad. I expect a majority of our popular players to be using Chaos decks utilizing 2-3 Chaos Sorcerers. He’s a great top-deck, an auto +1 when he hits the field, and boasts 2300 ATK and 2000 DEF. Not too shabby; me thinks. Chaos was never the easiest deck to play CORRECTLY, so those of you running Chaos better know what you are doing. Chaos Sorcerer is NOT Black Luster Soldier, do NOT play carelessly with him.  

Horus exists!? 

Yes, Horus decks will see a rise. The amazing lockdown combo of Horus LV6 or LV8 + Royal Decree is too good to pass up. Everyone I’ve spoken to about the new format expects instant removal cards like Smashing Ground and Hammer Shot to rise in popularity. Also, Creature Swap becomes amazing in this format for obvious reasons. Horus isn’t touched by any of these cards and then some. Horus LV4 can hit a Pyramid Turtle and “Level Up!” to LV6 while they get a Vampire Lord. Not a bad trade there. And if your opponent is Zombie savvy, he’ll be using Ryu Kokki. In this case, they get Kokki you get Horus LV6. But before you end your turn, you can lay down a Messenger of Peace for Mr. Kokki there. Nice deck… 

Tomato Control is back! 

Tomato Control has been a favorite of mine since the 2003 World Championships. Within the past 2 years, many players have come up with about fifty or more ways to play build this deck. I’ll give you two. Sure it lacks Yata-Garasu, but it will still be deadly.  

Dark Scorpion Style – Tomato Control can be splashed with the Dark Scorpion monsters and Reinforcement of the Army. Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn is easily the best Dark Scorpion available. When she does Battle Damage you can search for a Scorpion or get one from your Graveyard. Search and revival built in a monster is impressive. Her solid 1800 DEF is perfect for fending off DDAs, and DDWLs.  

Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow is another solid weenie monster to utilize in Tomato Control. He can bounce an annoying Royal Decree or anything for that matter. In my opinion, his best use is for fixing your opponent’s draws. You get to look at your opponent’s top card and leave it there or put it on the bottom (Plus they don’t get to see it). Looking at the top is a sweet reconnaissance tactic and eliminating that potentially awesome top-deck is even better. 

Lastly, we have Cliff the Trap Remover or more properly named Cliff the Bluff Remover. He’s an excellent choice for destroying enemy stall cards like Level Limit Area-B, Messenger of Peace, and Gravity Bind. More importantly he destroys anything that has an infinity symbol with relative ease. Want an answer to Royal Decree or Wave-Motion Cannon? Try using Reinforcement on an open field; Don Zaloog isn’t the only searchable open-field-hitter you know… 

Messenger of Peace Style – This variant of Tomato Control relies on draw power and stalling. An example of this variant can be found on Leon’s column: http://www.pojo.com/yu-gi-oh/FeaturedWriters/Leon/2005/10-4.shtml Check it out! 

There are many more choices… 

Don’t get me wrong, there are TOO many decks out there that are easily playable. Mono-Attribute decks are very effective right now. Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Light decks can be effective…and I’m not just saying that to be nice here. Each Attribute’s respective Elemental searcher becomes a deadly Swiss-Army Knife that will highlight the strengths of each individual deck. I wouldn’t be surprised if a saw a Mono-Attribute deck take SJC Atlanta. It all depends on the individual player’s deck build and skill. 

Until next time everyone, remember to play hard, think about your moves, and most importantly…have fun!