The first the Article in a While: Staples (#7)

        Ohayo! (good morning- thanks for the corrections). I changed my name to "Aurora Borealis" instead of "Silver Suicune." I think I change "Silver's Corner" to "Aurora's Alcove." I don't know, just a thought. ^_~ I prefer Ben to both of those names anyway.

        So, the staples. The staples are the -7- cards that have little if no drawbacks that can fit into any deck. They are probably the most broken cards in the game. But do all decks need them? You don't need staples to read a magazine, even though it provides a better foundation and support for the book/magazine. Think of book/magazine as a deck and the staples as the -7- staples. They help IMMENSLEY in any deck, but if you feel you don't want/need them then that's a decision you'll have to make on your own.

        Before going any further, the current, commonly used staples are Raigeki, Dark Hole, Harpie's Feather Duster, Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, Change of Heart, and Monster Reborn. The reason these cards are considered staples are because they are pretty much non-situational cards with no drawbacks. One other thing to note is that these are all magic cards. Why? Because the game is generally based on speed, which monsters and traps lack without magic support.

        Over time, some staples "fall out" and get removed from the list. Swords of Revealing Light is an example. Yet some cards are "not quite" staples like Heavy Storm. What causes this classification of cards? Usually when a card is removed from the list, it is called "obsolete" by good/popular players. Deny it if you want, but most, if not all players follow the big dogs. There's no shame in it- you do what's best for you as a player. You want to win right? If you are too arrogant to not play at least one staple, you're not being original- you're being stupid. >_< To get put on the list, the card has to be extremely broken with no drawbacks. It was easy to find staples at the beginning because there wasn't much to compare to. But now, we have so many alternatives and counters that it would seem as though a true staple won't pop up until the ice caps melt.

        Lately, a lot of players have been calling Pot of Greed the one and only staple. In my mind, that is incorrect. Thinking in such a way basically creates a wall between you and creativity. Even in a Speed Exodia Deck, Raigeki is still highly recommended. You won't always get the perfect hand, so you need cards like that to stop that Don Zaloog from pummeling you into the ground.

        What about the new OCG banned list? Some very important cards are on that list. I personally love seeing people squirm without their Raigeki's and HFD's. Besides that, a lot of "obsolete" cards will make a return. With the new list, 4-5 slots are now open in people's decks. Though it may not seem like much, there are a lot of different cards that can fill those spaces. People are so bugged out about the list, but they are just afraid of a change. The list might even be lifted as it changes every 6 months. The OCG players are beta testing basically.

        People will play what works. If the staples for whatever reason don't work for them, then they'll find other cards that suit them. There is no rule that says you have to play the staples, but there is no rule that says you don't have to. This game encourages a certain degree of freedom when it comes to deck building. Tomorrow's article is on Burner Decks.

Questions? Comments? E-mail at Suicune@optonline.net.