YCS Atlanta - Brief Review

Okay, so I don't wanna get into huge detail about this YCS because I think it was a fluke. Apparently NOBODY thought Gravekeeper's might be a contender? Seriously? I'll give a rundown of the top 8 decks and then the deck that won.

So the top 8 table looked like this:

3x Gravekeeper's

1x Quickdraw Plants

1x Volcanic Quickdraw

1x X-Sabers

1x Blackwings

1x Lightsworn

Blackwings are the only deck that took me by surprise. It's odd that this deck topped since Royal Decree has grown in popularity and we all know that Blackwings rely on their trap line-up.

X-Sabers are still a good deck in my opinion and deserved a spot in the top along with both plant variants.

Lightsworn made me proud and kept hope alive for the deck.

Now, the main deck we all want to hear about is Gravekeepers. After reviewing the deck list, I learned a few obvious reasons why the deck won. First of all, aside from the Necrovalley & Recruiter combo which wrecks decks in the first place, the combination of Royal Tribute and Gravekeeper's Stele was the most effective; stripping someone of their hand then replenishing yours generates a lot of pluses. HOWEVER, this whole Gravekeeper fiasco could have been avoided if Quickdraw and Blackwings would have just main decked 1 simple card:

Ancient Fairy Dragon

*******

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters
Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level4 or lower monster from your hand. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activatethis effect. Once per turn, you can destroy aField Spell Card. If you do, gain 1000 Life Points, and you can add 1 Field Spell Card from yourDeck to your hand.

That's all I have to say about this.

Contest Winners!

So guys, after watching over 20 videos and looking at over 40 written deck lists, I have the winners. All of you guys did an amazing job and don't be discouraged if you didn't win. Make sure to PM me so I can send out your prizes. Without further ado, here are the winners:

1st Place - YGOTeamCandJ - Gravekeeper's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtblbmM5jCs

These guys had an amazing deck list and after listening to their explanation of Book of Moon, I felt like this was the most competitive of all the decks. Congrats guys!

2nd Place - ninjamasterht - Morphtronics

I really liked this deck, and although he didn't post a video response, I felt like he incorporated each one of my rules to the tee. I tested the deck out personally and found it to be really fun. Good job bro.

3rd Place - TeamEVOBurst - Elemental Hero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPht8b5oHkA

I based this off of video view counts, and these guys had the most. I really liked the deck and I've always been a fan of E Heros. Congrats guys, I'll be subscribing!

Remember to PM me for your prizes guys and hopefully no one was discouraged. I loved everyone's deck lists, but a lot of people didn't follow my rules correctly. I'll have another contest up soon! Thanks a lot guys!

A Look Into the Past - Lightsworn Deck Profile

Hey guys, so it feels like yesterday when I was running 3 Lumina, 3 Necro Gardna, 3 Charge and 3 Tragoedia. Man, those were the days. Anyways, I have a new deck list for Lightsworn, so hopefully it proves to be extremely effective.

Monsters:

[2] - Judgment Dragon

[3] - Celestia, Lightsworn Angel

[3] - Wulf, Lightsworn Beast

[3] - Lyla, Lightsworn Sorcerer

[2] - Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter

[1] - Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner

[1] - Arukus, Lightsworn Druis

[1] - Ehren, Lightsworn Monk

[1] - Jain, Lightsworn Paladin

[1] - Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior

[2] - Honest

[1] - Card Trooper

[1] - Gorz

[1] - Plaguespreader

[1] - Necro Gardna

Spells:

[3] - Solar Recharge

[1] - Charge of the Light Brigade

[2] - Gold Sarcophagus

[2] - Mystical Space Typhoon

[1] - Cold Wave

[1] - Giant Trunade

[1] - Foolish Burial

[1] - Monster Reborn

[1] - Dark Hole

Traps:

[1] - Solemn Judgment

[2] - Threatening Roar

[2] - Beckoning Light

So yeah, that's the deck. Seems simple enough, right? Basically, I wanted to focus purely on Lightsworn, and NOT a twilight version of the deck. I feel that this build is a lot more consistent and lets you pull off your combos more often.

For the mechanics of the deck, I'll break down a few of the cards I play and why I more multiple copies of certain cards.

3 Celestia & 3 Wulf

The point of this is simple; the ratio keeps things consistent and gives me more win conditions. This is pure Lightsworn, so I have more chances to tribute a monster for Celestia this way. JD is not always going to be my win condition and--in some cases--I never get my JD's. Because of that, I can win by swarming with Wulf and constantly ridding the field of threats via Celestia.

3x Ryko & Card Trooper

I tested this deck for a while and came to the conclusion that I need to be able to mill more often while creating advantage at the same time. Since every other Lightsworn monter other than Celestia mill at the end phase, I'm not always guaranteed to mill. With Ryko, I can mill 3 while blowing up a threat on the field at the same time which has become more and more important for me. Card Trooper is a 1900 beater who mills 3, gets under Bottomless, and gives me a +1 when he's destroyed. Self explanatory.

Mystical Space Typhoon

I struggled with the importance of this card for a long time, and realize now that it's extremely important. This card doesn't serve purpose in a lot of other decks because getting rid of an opponents s/t blindly is bad. However, Lightsworn can get rid of back row almost every turn, via Lyla, Celestia, Ryko, Cold Wave, Trunade, etc. Because of that, MST is good because my opponent will usually only have 1 or 2 back rows anyways after all of my shenanigans.

Threatening Roar

I chose to play this over Mirror Force and TT. While Mirror Force and TT can generate a lot of advantage, I care more about my apparent combos. Mirror Force and TT aren't chainable and I need to ensure that my monster will survive an extra turn so I can Celestia. Plus, it's my only defense against Sabers. That's pretty much why I run this card.

So yeah guys, that's it. I hope this helped you understand why I feel this is the best current version of Lightsworn. OH! Contest Results will be up tomorrow, so make sure to stay tuned =]

Contest Time!

Hey guys, so it's time for another contest in honor of me getting 1,500+ subscribers. I'm really excited for this contest because I think it'll be the most creative one yet. Before I tell you guys the rules, here are the prizes:

- Nintendo DS Lite (White) - $70

Comes with charger & 4 games

- Regional Topping Absolute Zero Deck (Complete) $100

Deck list will be posted at the bottom

- 6 Mini Deck Boxes $30

Go to my previous blog to see what they look like

1st place will be given the choice of which prize they want, 2nd gets second choice, and 3rd gets the remaining prize. This way, people get what they want.

Now then, HERE are the rules of the contest:

Create a deck list based upon a theme (Aliens, Amazons, etc.). Try and make the deck as creative as possible, but also make it competitive. You MUST use theme related cards and CANNOT use generic power support. You CAN'T use cards such as: Dark Armed Dragon, Chaos Sorcerer, Solemn Warning, Pot of Duality, etc. This keeps the contest fair for who people who have creative minds but play on a budget.

Decks you cannot use:

-Blackwings

-X-Sabers

-Lightsworn

-Geminis

-Gadgets

-Gladiator Beasts

Record a video of your deck and post it as a video response to my video on Youtube that brought you here. If you have no way of recording, write the deck list in a comment here on my blog. But remember, video responses get priority. So that's the contest. Please be creative guys and have a lot of fun, because I know I'll have fun looking at them. Contest ends next Friday (November 12th).

Absolute Zero Decklist (Regional topping)

1x Elemental Hero Stratos

3x Elemental Hero Alius

3x Gemini Lancer

3x Cyber Dragon

2x Cyber Valley

2x Honest

1x Mobius the Frost Monarch

1x Card Trooper

3x Book of Moon

3x Gemini Spark

2x Miracle Fusion

2x Mystical Space Typhoon

2x Gold Sarcophagus

1x Future Fusion

1x Monster Reborn

1x Dark Hole

1x Giant Trunade

1x Reinforcement of the Army

1x E-Emergency Call

2x Skill Drain

1x Solemn Judgment

1x Torrential Tribute

1x Hero Blast

Deck Boxes for Sale!

Hi guys, so I wasn't gonna do this, but I've gotten WAY too many messages, lol. After you've chosen acolor and how many you want, send me a message on my Youtube channel with your address, at which point I will give you my PayPal information. I am only accepting payment via PayPal simply because it's faster. Shipping will be $1-$2 depending on where you live.

Deck Boxes - 2 for $5

Colors (You CAN mix colors, but it will cost an extra dollar)

- Purple

- Black

- Red

- Teal

- Blue

- Smoke (Sorry guys, this is actually black)

- Clear

Example Pictures:

Each order will come with 2 boxes that hold your main deck, side deck and extra deck. Make sure to follow my blog and subscribe to me on Youtube. Oh, and check out my older blog posts. Thanks guys.

Blackwing Tutorial (Various Match-ups)

So, before I start, I wanna say that I can't legally tell you to CLICK THE ADDS ON THE SIDE. Anyways, on to the blog.

Since Blackwings are one of the best decks in the format right now, I feel as though a tutorial is in order. I'll be teaching you guys how to play the deck and some play scenarios that may occur against certain match-ups.

To blatantly put it, the goal of a Blackwing player is to force your opponent to minus themselves heavily and run out ofoptions while you continue to have "all the outs."

Blackwings are one of the few decks that hasversatile and effective destruction & advantage:

I apologize for how uneven this looks, but I'll start explaining.

Icarus Attack: We all know this card is good, but I commonly see players make the same mistake with this card. If possible, you never want to play this card as a "one-for-one." Usually, Monsters are important in Blackwings, and unless you're blowing up 2 back row because you have a big explosive play next turn, try not to play this card as a one-for-one; try and play it as a chain if possible. When you're opponent tries to bottomless, mirror force, etc., then play it.

Delta Crow: I like this card. Nobody plays Starlight Road anymore, so this card serves a high purpose. There's nothing better than your opponent setting 4 back-row then you Delta Crow at the end phase. Plays like that make me happy. Anyways, play this card, it's a Heavy Storm.

Black Whirlwind: Every time I draw this card, I remember how broken it was to play 3 of these. It's important to play Dualities in this deck so you can get to this card faster. Not a lot of people play MST anymore because they don't like going blind. Because of that, this card will usually survive more than 1 turn and give you a lot of pluses.

Blackwing Shura: Almost every deck has a few floaters in it; Lightsworn, X-Sabers, Zombies, Absolute Zero, etc, and because of that, Shura wrecks. Plus, almost no monster can get over 3,200 (Shura + Kalut). This card usually searches a Vayu for me and sets up for Icarus Attack plays. But it's versatile in the sense that you can search for Gale, Vayu, or Kalut--which in a lot of cases helps me synchro for 6's and 8's.

Dark Armed Dragon: This is probably one of the most underrated cards this format. Wow, I never thought I'd say that DaD is underrated. I think that this card is way too good and any deck that can run him, should. It's a win condition and an extra pain in the ass for my opponent to deal with.

I have the deck list on my channel, but I figure I'd post it here too so you guys can get a visual of it. I don't plan on talking anymore after this--because frankly--I'm really tired, lol. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading, and here's the deck:

Monsters: 19

3x Blackwing - Sirroco

3x Blackwing - Shura

3x Blackwing - Bora

3x Blackwing - Kalut

3x Blackwing - Blizzard

1x Blackwing - Gale

1x Blackwing - Vayu

1x D.D. Crow

1x Dark Armed Dragon

Spells: 9

3x Book of Moon

2x Pot of Duality

1x Allure of Darkness

1x Black Whirlwind

1x Dark Hole

1x Monster Reborn

Traps: 12

3x Icarus Attack

2x Delta Crow - Anti Reverse

2x Bottomless Trap Hole

2x Solemn Warning

1x Torrential Tribute

1x Royal Oppression

1x Solemn Judgement

Card count, advantage, and running conflicting cards.

This is probably one of my more serious entries, but important nonetheless. Don't get too bored, okay? Stick with me on this one and I'm pretty sure you'll get a lot out of it. Alright, let's get started.

One of the most important components of becoming better in this game has to do with the concept of card count, advantage and the art of running conflicting cards within the same deck. A lot of players try to beat their opponent in the mile instead of trying to win the race.

Some times taking damage from a direct attack is not always a bad thing. For example, you're opponent has a Stratos out on the field; you have a Thunder-King in hand and a face down Dimensional Prison. I know a lot of players who would remove the Stratos from play with D-Prison instead of making the smart play--take damage and run over the Stratos next turn with Thunder King. Although you'll take 1800 damage, you save a valuable resource for later in the game. Damage means less than advantage in the long run if you're able to keep a good position, right? Right.

A player also has to understand when going plus and minus is important. It's okay to minus if it will cause you to break even or plus in the next turn. For example, Book of Moon is obviously an immediate minus. But if it leads to you destroying an opponent's monster via an attack, then it becomes a plus which breaks even.

Pete Navaro's deck is a great example of plus and minus. He ran 3 Volcanic Shell, which allowed him to plus throughout the game and allowed him to be able to minus when it was necessary. When you're up in advantage, minus cards such as Effect Veiler become 10x better for the simple fact that you have room to minus, which is an important concept to understand.

The next thing I want to talk about is the idea of running conflicting cards in the same deck, which is something that a lot of good players know how to do. Obviously, a Lightsworn deck revolves around special summoning, so why would a Lightsworn player play cards like Royal Oppression? Here's why: A good player knows how to set up their field and when to play certain cards. First of all, in a 44 card Lightsworn deck chances are that you will hardly draw the Oppression or it will get milled throughout the duel. However, if you do end up drawing it a good player will first create a powerful position on the field (via special summoning and etc.) then sit on Royal Oppression and wreck their opponent. As long as you know when to play certain cards you should be fine. A BAD player will set Royal Oppression first turn, activate it next turn, then realize how screwed they are because they can't special summon. Don't do that, okay? Not smart, not smart.

Other common decks that run conflicting cards are decks like Gadget Stun. 3 Thunder-Kings are usually staple in this deck; if you guys didn't already know, Thunder-King doesn't let you search with your Gadgets. So why would you play them both in the same deck? The simple fact that TK usually is a 1st turn opener makes it a good card in Gadgets. More than likely it will be removed from the field the next turn anyway and clear the way for your gadgets; if it doesn't get removed then let it act as a beat stick until it's gone. Seems easy--I'd say.

The last thing I want to talk about are cards that instantly create a plus or force your opponent to waste resources to break even. The first and best card that comes to mind is Breaker the Magical Warrior.

Breaker the Magical Warrior ATK/1600 DEF/1000

When this card is Normal Summoned, place 1 Spell Counter on it (max. 1). This card gains 300 ATK for eachSpell Counter on it. You can remove 1 Spell Counter from this card to destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field.

I'm pretty sure I didn't need to display what it does, but I did it just incase someone might not actually know. Plus, I'm way too lazy to copy and paste a picture of the card. But I do digress. Basically, this card is either an instant +1 or breaks even. Haha--breaks even. Get it? I guarantee you that one of two things will happen when you normal summon this card:

A) You're opponent will waste a Bottomless, Book of Moon, Solemn Warning, etc. on him just so they won't go minus in the long run.

B) You will actually get to use his effect and blow up a spell or trap thereby going plus.

BEST case scenario you will run over an opponent's monster THEN blow up a face down and +2 as a result. That's always fun. Most people don't understand that going plus early in the game can almost always determine the winner. Why do you think winning the dice roll matters?

But yeah, that's all for today. I talked a lot and wasn't visually appealing to anyone due to lack of pictures. But hey, my words can be just as entertaining sometimes. Definitely go check out my Youtube channel. I have over 1,000 subs now. Awesome much? I appreciate everyone who has followed me since my measly 300 subscribers. Thanks for reading guys =]

Oh yeah, I should probably post a link to my channel; it might help: www.Youtube.com/tyl3n0lpm

What REALLY happened at YCS San Jose

So, I apologize for uploading this late but blogspot screwed up my post, so it's not my fault.

Instead of writing a detailed description of what happened, I'll just lay out the basics.

Nothing important happened all day, seriously--well, until the fight. If you guys haven't seen the fight yet, go check it out on my channel www.youtube.com/tyl3n0lpm.

Aside from that, the only special news is the deck that ended up winning, which was an Anti-Meta Gemini deck. Most people don't know what the deck list consisted of, so here it is:

Angel Flores (1^st – Gemini)

Monsters: 16

1 Elemental Hero Stratos

3 Elemental Hero Neos Alius

2 Honest

2 Effect Veiler

1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

2 Doomcaliber Knight

2 Thunder King Rai-Oh

2 Cyber Dragon

1 Banisher of the Radiance

Spells: 15

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Nobleman of Crossout

1 Allure of Darkness

2 Book of Moon

1 Nobleman of Extermination

1 Reinforcement of the Army

1 Monster Reborn

1 E – Emergency Call

3 Pot of Duality

3 Gemini Spark

Traps: 10

3 Solemn Warning

2 Bottomless Trap Hole

2 Dimensional Prison

2 Hero Blast

1 Torrential Tribute

Side Deck: 15

1 Solemn Judgment

1 Royal Oppression

1 Mind Crush

2 Starlight Road

2 Gottoms’ Emergency Call

1 Super Polymerization

2 System Down

1 Nobleman of Crossout

2 Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo

2 Consecrated Light

Extra Deck: 15

2 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

1 Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste

1 Elemental Hero Gaia

1 Elemental Hero Absolute Zero

1 Cyber Twin Dragon

1 Black Rose Dragon

1 Flamvell Uruquizas

1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

1 Ally of Justice Catastor

1 Goyo Guardian

1 Magical Android

1 Mist Wurm

2 Stardust Dragon

Notice that he main decked 2 Effect Veiler, 3 Solemn Warning, and 3 Pot of Duality. I'm extremely surprised that Blackwings lost to this deck because they should have a good matchup against any Anti-Meta type of deck. Anyways, that's the end of this. Stay tuned for the next post tomorrow. It'll be interesting, I promise.

YCS San Jose Decklist - Chaos Return

Alright, so I usually post deck profiles on my Youtube channel, but I had so much to talk about with this deck that I decided to blog about it. Sorry for all of you guys who actually like my videos, but it's worth the read. So, I'm considering running GB's for YCS San Jose, but I'm kind of leaning towards this deck. I believe that X-Sabers will be the most common deck played next to Lightsworn & GB's, which this deck has a pretty good matchup against. Here's the deck list as of right now (it'll probably change before YCS)

Monster: 23

2x Chaos Sorcerer

3x Cyber Dragon

2x Thunder King Rai-Oh

2x Dimensional Alchemist

2x Honest

2x Effect Veiler

1x Dark Armed Dragon

1x Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

3x Caius the Shadow Monarch

2x Battle Fader

1x Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind

1x Plaguespreader Zombie

1x Sangan

Spells: 9

3x Book of Moon

1x Enemy Controller

1x Cold Wave

1x Giant Trunade

1x My Body As A Shield

1x Mystical Space Typhoon

1x Monster Reborn

1x Dark Hole

Traps: 7

2x Bottomless Trap Hole

2x Trap Stun

1x Solemn Warning

1x Solemn Judgment

1x Torrential Tribute

1x Return From the Different Dimension

Alright, so before I talk about certain tech in the build, I want to point out that the deck is 41 cards. Not a lot of people like it, but I feel like that extra card just gives the deck a little more advantage. Now let's talk about the deck.

The monster count is at 23, which I think is key. In this deck, it's important to draw monsters since you have the ability to spam the field. 3 Cyber Dragon really helps you make aggressive pushes early on & baits out Bottomless, Thunder King, and will help against the occasional Machina deck. The light:dark ratio is 11 light : 10 dark (8 if you count out Fader). However, Chaos Sorcerer will end up adding to your dark count as long as it doesn't get bottomless'd. If you notice, the majority of the 'power cards' are mainly light monsters, while the dark monsters require more of a set up. 2 Thunder Kings are great first turn and make your opponent go out of their way to get rid of it; summoning him first turn puts stress on an X-Saber player who likes to play aggressively. Now, here's where the deck gets 'techy'.

Effect Veiler - I like this card at 2. A lot of people say that it's best played at 1, but I think 2 will ensure that you draw it more often. It stops Boggart, Hyunlei, Faultroll, DaD, Caius, etc. Plus, you can use it with Gorz to synch for a level 8 if you absolutely have to.

Honest - I usually open with Cyber Dragon & either Thunder King or Alchemist. Honest just surprises my opponent and lets me get over stupid things like Gottoms and randomness. Also, it protects you when your opponent plays Cold Wave or Trap Stun, which are staples in every deck now.

Caius - The fact that I run Caius isn't a tech choice, but the fact that I'm running 3 is. Everyone is hesitant to play this card at 3 because of Effect Veiler. Here's how I look at it. The majority of the time, they won't have an Effect Veiler in their hand when you drop Caius. But if they do, then your Caius just became a Thestalos. Aside from this deck, Effect Veiler makes most players go -1 in advantage when they use it on cards like Caius.

Plaguespreader - Good card right now. It helps with graveyard control and is extremely helpful when you play RFTDD (Return From the Different DImension).

Now, on to the spells; Book of Moon has to be ran in 3. It's chainable and stop your opponent from synchro'ing, and stops X-Saber combos. Enemy Controller is a very underrated card right now. Trap Stun is being main decked at 2 in almost every deck, so this card really helps. Plus, it's good against GB's and can stop X-Saber combos. (If you haven't noticed, I like stoping X-Saber combos). If you noticed, I chose to only play 1 MST. I don't like blind MST'ing, and I run a Cold Wave, Trunade, My Body, and 2 Trap Stun. My Body As A Shield is in here as appose to Starlight Road. SR doesn't really have a purpose anymore b/c Heavy Storm is gone & Trap Stun is becoming more popular. My Body protects you from all the same things as SR but can also negate Smashing, Fissure, and other 1-for-1 removal. I'm not worried about Hyunlei because a smart X-Saber player will always Cold Wave first, so SR is useless.

The traps are pretty self-explainatory. Trap Stun is too good not to play right now. It turns off Oppression & other nonsense for a turn. I only play 1 Solemn Warning because I run Solemn Judgement and a RFTDD which are both high LP costs. Playing 2 always ended up a dead draw at some point. I might add a 2nd one though, so I'm not sure.

Basically, the deck has a lot of synergy and never really opens bad. It doesn't let me opponent make big pushes b/c I will always have an answer, especially against X-Sabers. If you guys have any suggestions, please drop a comment either here or on my channel. And again, sorry for those who enjoy my videos but I had WAY too much to talk about. So yeah, follow me on here and subscribe to my channel: www.Youtube.com/Tyl3n0lpm

Thanks for reading guys =]

Tech choices for the format (After reviewing YCS Toronto)

The beginning of every format os all tricky because no one knows what will be played at the next big event, which was the huge question before YCS Toronto--especially in my mind. A lot of speculation of the format took place, and the word around town was that X-Sabers were still good. I also want to mention that I did a deck profile on Sabers two weeks before YCS and told everyone that they were better than ever. Was I right? Anyways, I do digress. Point being, most players wait until the format begins to unveil itself before deciding which decks will be good.

As historyin this game hasshown us, the deck that usually wins the first SJC/YCS does not gets it's name in the spotlight anymore. I think that Sabers will fall in line with the past. Lazaro Bellido won YCS, we all know. However, I believe it was because of his interesting tech choices that no one expected: Effect Veiler, Debris Dragon, Pot of Duality, 2 Faultroll.

Everyone expected Boggart Knight to be played at 3 with the loss of Rescue Cat. I found Lazaros build to be very interesting, seeing how he played Sangan--a card which I thought lost it's purpose without Rescue Cat. However, he abused the ability to search for Effect Veiler and Debris Dragon. Just an interesting thing to keep in mind. In any event, I have a few ideas on cards to tech for the new format.

Last format, there were no questions asked about the battle between this card and Starlight Road. With Heavy Storm around, Starlight Road was a necessity. But this format, what does Starlight Road do that MBAAS can't do better? (For those of you wondering, MBAAS means My Body As A Shield.) Sure, Starlight Road summons a Stardust Dragon for you, but can't negate 1-for-1 removals such as Smashing Ground, Fissure, Bottomless, Thunder King, etc. I believer that this card should be main decked over Starlight Road, but SR should definitely be side deck

ed for match-ups like Blackwings and the occasional X-Saber deck.

This card has been seeing more and more play. I do like this card; the ability to negate any summon, inherent or not, is a great thing. However, I do not like the card being ran in two's if you are running Solemn Judgement also. If Solemn Judgment activates first, then one of your Solemn Warning's become dead. (I know, I used the word "solemn" a lot.) However, I veliever that this card could be played at 1, and another could be side-decked.

The last card I talk about will not need a picture. It's Trap Stun. I've always liked this card, and decks like GB's and whatnot have always used it. However, I've noticed how much of a necessity it is now. With Heavy Storm gone, this card has become a 2nd or 3rd Cold Wave. The only card this thing doesn't get around is Book of Moon. But that really isn't a huge card to worry about. I believe that Trap Stun should be main decked at at least 1--2 at the most. The card however, can be tricky to play. Sometimes, you want to make a push, then chain Trap Stun to their Mirror Force, Bottomless, etc. However, I think the smartest play is to always activate this card at the beginning of the turn. The only time that will be a problem is if they have a set Threatening Roar or Wobaku, but then again, who the hell main decks that?

Yeah, that's all for today's blog. Go check my Youtube Channel out. I have a GB deck list coming out. By the way, isn't it funny how I did a QuickDraw deck list for regionals, then EVERY major YugiTuber did a video on the deck? Ehh, it's just a coincidence, but some times I like to think that they copied me. Hehe. Dueces.

Pokemon card wants!

No reverse holos please. PM if you plan on sending.

Treecko EX Ruby and Sapphire 75 / 109
Grovyle EX Ruby and Sapphire 31 / 109
Sceptile EX Ruby and Sapphire 11 / 109
Torchic EX Ruby and Sapphire 73 / 109
Combusken EX Ruby and Sapphire 27 / 109
Blaziken EX Ruby and Sapphire 3 / 109
Mudkip EX Ruby and Sapphire 59 / 109
Marshtomp EX Ruby and Sapphire 40 / 109
Swampert EX Ruby and Sapphire 13 / 109
Poochyena EX Ruby and Sapphire 63 / 109
Mightyena EX Ruby and Sapphire 10 / 109
Zigzagoon EX Ruby and Sapphire 79 / 109
Linoone EX Ruby and Sapphire 38 / 109
Wurmple EX Ruby and Sapphire 78 / 109
Silcoon EX Ruby and Sapphire 43 / 109
Beautifly EX Ruby and Sapphire 2 / 109
Cascoon EX Ruby and Sapphire 26 / 109
Lotad EX Sandstorm 66 / 100
Lombre EX Sandstorm 45 / 100
Ludicolo EX Sandstorm 7 / 100
Seedot EX Sandstorm 76 / 100
Nuzleaf EX Sandstorm 48 / 100
Shiftry EX Sandstorm 12 / 100
Taillow EX Ruby and Sapphire 72 / 109
Swellow EX Ruby and Sapphire 46 / 109
Wingull EX Ruby and Sapphire 77 / 109
Pelipper EX Ruby and Sapphire 19 / 109
Ralts EX Ruby and Sapphire 66 / 109
Kirlia EX Ruby and Sapphire 34 / 109
Surskit EX Hidden Legends 76 / 101
Masquerain EX Hidden Legends 20 / 101
Shroomish EX Ruby and Sapphire 69 / 109
Breloom EX Ruby and Sapphire 16 / 109
Slakoth EX Ruby and Sapphire 45 / 109
Vigoroth EX Ruby and Sapphire 47 / 109
Slaking EX Ruby and Sapphire 12 / 109
Nincada EX Dragon 66 / 97
Ninjask EX Dragon 18 / 97
Shedinja EX Dragon 11 / 97
Whismur EX Hidden Legends 82 / 101
Loudred EX Hidden Legends 39 / 101
Exploud EX Hidden Legends 6 / 101
Makuhita EX Ruby and Sapphire 56 / 109
Hariyama EX Ruby and Sapphire 8 / 109
Azurill EX Sandstorm 31 / 100
Nosepass EX Ruby and Sapphire 18 / 109
Skitty EX Ruby and Sapphire 44 / 109
Delcatty EX Ruby and Sapphire 5 / 109
Sableye EX Sandstorm 10 / 100
Mawile EX Sandstorm 9 / 100
Aron EX Ruby and Sapphire 25 / 109
Lairon EX Ruby and Sapphire 36 / 109
Aggron EX Ruby and Sapphire 1 / 109
Meditite EX Dragon 37 / 97
Medicham EX Hidden Legends 10 / 101
Electrike EX Ruby and Sapphire 30 / 109
Manectric EX Ruby and Sapphire 9 / 109
Plusle EX Dragon 8 / 97
Minun EX Dragon 7 / 97
Volbeat EX Sandstorm 53 / 100
Illumise EX Sandstorm 38 / 100
Roselia EX Dragon 9 / 97
Gulpin EX Hidden Legends 62 / 101
Swalot EX Hidden Legends 50 / 101
Carvanha EX Ruby and Sapphire 51 / 109
Sharpedo EX Ruby and Sapphire 22 / 109
Wailmer EX Ruby and Sapphire 48 / 109
Wailord EX Ruby and Sapphire 14 / 109
Numel EX Ruby and Sapphire 61 / 109
Camerupt EX Ruby and Sapphire 4 / 109
Torkoal EX Dragon 12 / 97
Spoink EX Dragon 73 / 97
Grumpig EX Dragon 6 / 97
Spinda EX Hidden Legends 48 / 101
Trapinch EX Sandstorm 82 / 100
Vibrava EX Dragon 22 / 97
Flygon EX Dragon 4 / 97
Cacnea EX Sandstorm 57 / 100
Cacturne EX Sandstorm 2 / 100
Swablu EX Dragon 75 / 97
Altaria EX Dragon 2 / 97
Solrock EX Sandstorm 13 / 100
Barboach EX Dragon 51 / 97
Whiscash EX Dragon 48 / 97
Corphish EX Dragon 52 / 97
Baltoy EX Sandstorm 32 / 100
Claydol EX Hidden Legends 2 / 101
Lileep EX Sandstorm 42 / 100
Cradily EX Sandstorm 3 / 100
Anorith EX Sandstorm 27 / 100
Feebas EX Hidden Legends 61 / 101
Milotic EX Hidden Legends 12 / 101
Castform EX Hidden Legends 30 / 101
Kecleon EX Sandstorm 18 / 100
Shuppet EX Dragon 43 / 97
Banette EX Hidden Legends 1 / 101
Duskull EX Sandstorm 61 / 100
Dusclops EX Sandstorm 4 / 100
Tropius EX Hidden Legends 27 / 101
Chimecho EX Hidden Legends 17 / 101
Absol EX Dragon 1 / 97
Wynaut EX Sandstorm 54 / 100
Snorunt EX Dragon 44 / 97
Glalie EX Hidden Legends 34 / 101
Spheal EX Hidden Legends 74 / 101
Sealeo EX Hidden Legends 47 / 101
Walrein EX Hidden Legends 15 / 101
Clamperl EX Hidden Legends 58 / 101
Huntail EX Hidden Legends 19 / 101
Gorebyss EX Hidden Legends 18 / 101
Relicanth EX Hidden Legends 24 / 101
Luvdisc EX Hidden Legends 40 / 101
Bagon EX Dragon 23 / 97
Shelgon EX Dragon 20 / 97
Salamence EX Dragon 10 / 97
Beldum EX Hidden Legends 28 / 101
Metang EX Hidden Legends 21 / 101
Metagross EX Hidden Legends 11 / 101
Regirock ex EX Hidden Legends 98 / 101
Regice ex EX Hidden Legends 97 / 101
Registeel ex EX Hidden Legends 99 / 101
Latias ex EX Dragon 93 / 97
Latios ex EX Dragon 94 / 97
Kyogre ex EX Hidden Legends 94 / 101
Groudon ex EX Hidden Legends 93 / 101
Rayquaza ex EX Dragon 97 / 97
Jirachi EX Team Magma VS Team Aqua 97 / 95
Kricketune Mysterious Treasures 27 / 123
Luxray Diamond and Pearl 7 / 130
Burmy Plant Cloak Secret Wonders 78 / 132
Wormadam Plant Cloak Secret Wonders 41 / 132
Mothim Secret Wonders 33 / 132
Vespiquen Diamond and Pearl 39 / 130
Pachirisu Diamond and Pearl 35 / 130
Shellos East Sea Secret Wonders 106 / 132
Gastrodon East Sea Secret Wonders 8 / 132
Ambipom Mysterious Treasures 3 / 123
Honchkrow Mysterious Treasures 10 / 123
Glameow Diamond and Pearl 83 / 130
Purugly Diamond and Pearl 36 / 130
Bronzong Mysterious Treasures 6 / 123
Spiritomb Legends Awakened 16 / 146
Garchomp Mysterious Treasures 9 / 123
Munchlax Diamond and Pearl 33 / 130
Lucario Diamond and Pearl 6 / 130
Toxicroak Mysterious Treasures 36 / 123
Magnezone Diamond and Pearl 8 / 130
Lickilicky Secret Wonders 12 / 132
Tangrowth Great Encounters 10 / 106
Togekiss Great Encounters 11 / 106
Yanmega Legends Awakened 17 / 146
Leafeon Majestic Dawn 7 / 100
Glaceon Majestic Dawn 5 / 100
Gliscor Legends Awakened 5 / 146
Mamoswine Legends Awakened 9 / 146
Porygon-Z Great Encounters 6 / 106
Gallade Secret Wonders 6 / 132
Probopass Legends Awakened 13 / 146
Dusknoir Diamond and Pearl 2 / 130
Froslass Legends Awakened 3 / 146
Rotom Great Encounters 7 / 106
Uxie Mysterious Treasures 18 / 123
Heatran Legends Awakened 6 / 146
Regigigas Legends Awakened 15 / 146
Giratina Legends Awakened 4 / 146
Cresselia Great Encounters 2 / 106
Phione Majestic Dawn 12 / 100
Darkrai Great Encounters 3 / 106
Shaymin Platinum 14 / 127
Shaymin Platinum 15 / 127
Arceus Arceus AR5

Lightsworn may have a little 'light' left in them

First of all, before I start, I'd like to point out the fact that it's 4:17 in the morning. Oh, and go to my Youtube Channel, please! www.youtube.com/tyl3n0lpm

Thank you, now on to the blog =]
_________


Okay, so as a former Lightsworn player, I know how badly the deck was hurt by the ban list. The deck was not only ruined by the removal of 1 or 2 cards, but 5.

1. Lumina - Limited to 1
2. Charge of the Light Brigade - Limited to 1
3. Honest - Limited to 2
4. Necro Gardna - Limited to 1
5. Tragoedia - Limited to 1

When an average deck gets hit by the ban list, 2 cards usually fall victim; never 5. As mad as everyone was about Charge and Lumina getting limited to 1, I was more concerned about the other cards being limited. Obviously, Charge & Lumina were the soul of the deck. However, the deck is extremely playable with those cards at 1. In my opinion, the real damage was done when Necro Gardna, Honest, and Tragoedia were limited.

Lightsworn was a very good deck because it had the ability to run only 2 trap cards--both being Beckoning of Light--and a lot of monster support. A Lightsworn player would not have to waste space on cards like Mirror Force, TT, Bottomless, etc., because it already had more than enough protection. Necro Gardna allowed a Lightsworn player to feel comfortable and think strategically. Honest was a great card to be used offensively and defensively. Although it was only dropped to 2, that extra Honest made a huge difference. The ability to keep Lumina alive was a huge part of the deck. I understand limiting Lumina to 1, but restricting Honest and Necro Gardna were a finishing blow. Lastly, we have Tragoedia. I always ran 3 in my build, but the majority of players ran 1 or 2. I never really counted Tragoedia as a monster because I used it for defense 90% of the time. I would drop him as early as possibly and use him to synch, control, and run over my opponent's threats. Limiting him was a heavy hit to the deck.


However, not all hope is lost. With the ban list the way it is, certain cards should be considered for your Lightsworn build;












Card Trooper is important because it is a resourceful draw and mill engine. It can get 3 cards in your graveyard fast and give you a quick +1, which is something Lightsworn builds need. Magical Merchant can mill through a good portion of your deck, then give you a spell/trap you need. It helps your JD count as well. Pot of Avarice has always been a good Lightsworn tech, but it's never been better. With Charge at 1, Lightsworn players need ways to recycle their Luminas and Honests. Lastly, dimensional prison is just another basic form of defense for the deck. Since we are missing are common forms of defense, Dprison has the ability to efficiently run over any problematic card.


Anyways, that's my short blog. I wanted to keep it succinct and informative. Lightsworn players still have hope, so look to see a few decks at the top tables soon. That's all folks. Oh yeah, don't forget my Youtube channel and my Twitter =]

www.youtube.com/tyl3n0lpm

www.twitter.com/tylenolYT

The concept of "Anti-Meta"

Today, we'll be talking about the schematics of an 'Anti-Meta' deck. Generally speaking, an anti-meta deck consists of cards to shut mainstream and top tier decks down consistently by revolving around constant negation. Anti-Meta decks usually revolve around a few ideas:

• A constant flow of monsters
• Quick 1 for 1 monster destruction
• Easy protection

With the exception of the Machina version, basic Gadget decks revolve around these concepts. Gadget decks have a consistent flow of 6 monsters; I say 6 because--generally--2 copies of each gadget are used. They run heavy monster destruction such as Smashing Ground, Fissure, and Lightning Vortex. However, people commonly ask the question: Can I run an Anti-Meta deck without gadgets? Let's look at a few cards that benefit this deck type:



These cards are all very key into building a successful anti-meta deck. As you can see, a lot of anti-meta decks have a lot of special summoning control. It's very important in the current meta to negate special summons as much as possible, seeing as how every top tier deck can't function without special summoning. By shutting that aspect of a players deck down, it puts more pressure of them to make risky plays and waste valuable resources on cards you have replacements for.

In an anti-meta deck, your main goal is consistently have an answer for each of your opponents plays, and constantly bring back reoccurring problems that they have. For example: If I have Thunder King on board with a lot of protection in my back row, I'll force my opponent to negative himself either -1 or -2 in card advantage to get rid of my monster in order for them to special summon. However, by that time, I will already be able to further negate special summons with cards like Royal Oppression or Fossil Dyna. I've seen plenty of players become frustrated and lose the game as a result because they can't get rid of my constant obstacles.



This card is very key in an anti-meta deck because of it's ability to keep your back rows alive, and should be ran at 1 or 2 at all times. Since the average anti-meta player runs 16-18 monsters, your back rows become extremely important to winning each game.

Here's a few things do and to STAY AWAY from when playing an anti-meta deck:

- Do not run cards that conflict with your theme. If you're running a lot of special-summon-negation, don't too many cards that require a special summon. I've seen many players run in to this problem.

- Keep your negation general. Don't run specific themed anti-meta cards like Consecrated Light, Light Imprisoning Mirror, System Down, Swallow Flip, etc.

- Keep your card count low. 40 cards is generally a solid number; this will keep your draws consistent. 42 is not that bad of an option either, but I'd suggest checking out Jae Kim's video about probabilities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv7NCkGcViY&hd=1
_______________


In concluding, anti-meta decks have the potential to wreck any top tier deck. Obviously, it will never be a tier 1 decks because it's purpose it to kill top tier decks. It will always be a tier 1.5. I will post my anti-meta deck very soon. Stay tuned for many more blogs. Thanks for reading. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!! Also, check out my Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TyL3N0Lpm