Star Battle

No, I'm not talking about my Starship deck.

I am talking about a Starcraft 2 custom map game.

It involves a ton of air battles, and I must say, is just as intense as the normal League games.

I've played it a few times, and it's crazy fun!

There is a reason it's the most played Custom map on the EU servers.

~~~

Something yugioh-related to end this.

While we are talking about the Europeans, and I'm sure you have already heard this, but it's always good to reinforce this point.

In official competitions in Europe, the Shonen Jump promotion cards are not available for use.

Meaning Hundred-Eyes Dragon cannot be used.

Goodbye Infernities.

In Europe at least. =\

Gravekeepers vs Blackwings

When a Blackwing deck already naturally pack triple Icarus Attack and double MSTs, really, what is there to fear from the GK deck besides a first turn Royal Tribute?

Side decking options extends to Thunder King Rai-oh, Cyber Dragon, Banisher of the Radiance, and Mind Crush.

Honestly, what is with all the hype about this deck?

Change of Direction

Well, first of all, sorry for no post yesterday.

I was rather distracted with homework and such and such.

Second, I was thinking of shifting the direction of my blog.

While Yugioh is interesting to talk about, information about the TCG and OCG game doesn't last forever.

So I'll be talking a little bit about some of my other interests as well.

It'll provide a different read to my bloggers, and hopefully it won't bore you until you sleep.

I'll make some posts about Maplestory, Starcraft 2, both games I play and very much enjoy.

Look forward to these posts in the future!

-MonarchVV ; #9

Premium Pack 13

10 New Cards, all from either the Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5Ds manga.

I expect more of the Planet Series to be printed in this.

I am also hoping for new Blackwings in this, as Crow used some pretty cool ones in the manga!

Yugioh 5Ds World Championship 2011

Another DS game is coming on in Japan sometime in 2011.

Perhaps I should look into buying it, as I did skipped over 2010.

I wonder just how many cards will be in it this time...

As well, just what will the promo cards be? Some more stuff from the anime?

Yu-gi-oh 3D Bonds Beyond Time -Movie Pack

Looks like the movie is finally being released to North America, come February 23rd, 2011.

Although, I'm sure people will be looking forward to buying Storm of Ragnarok around that time.

The five secret rare cards that are being released with the movie set could really be any thing from it, although more than likely, it'll be cards that have already been printed in the OCG but not in the TCG.

Elemental Hero Neos Knight comes into mind then, as well as Sin Red Eyes.

The others, I'm not so sure about, but all information will come out eventually.

-MonarchVV ; #9

YCS Atlanta

I have yet to address this, so I will.

The Top 3 spots are belonged to three people who all ran Gravekeepers.

Honestly, I didn't expect them to be such a hit.

However, I honestly think it is only the surprise factor that really caught a ton of people off guard.

Now, I think they won't stand out much more than before.

X-Sabers, Blackwings, and Quickdraw can all stand up to the deck with the proper side deck.

On that note, Dust Tornado, Mind Crush, and Nobleman of Crossout stand out to me as the cards to side.

Oh, and TKRO for that annoying Pot of Duality and Commandant.

EDIT: And also Recruiter.

XX-Saber Fulhelmknight

Looks like this baby is getting a Super Rare reprint in the new TCG product, X-Saber Powerup.

It comes with 2 Ancient Prophecy packs, 1 Stardust Overdrive pack, and 1 Hidden Arsenal pack.

Funny thing is, even though it calls X-Saber Powerup, XX-Saber Emmersblade was in Absolute Powerforce and XX-Saber Darksoul as in The Shining Darkness.

Go figure.

Sunday Locals Report

Well, I slept in and missed my chance to enter early.

Great.

It's been a while since I've taken a Round 1 loss.

But anyways, I decide to enter, because I had a new fun deck I wanted to try out.

It was LIGHT Beasts, and while it did well in testing last night, I wanted to see how well it would do in a tournament.

~~~

Round 1: Loss

Well, I was late, so I couldn't do much about it.


Round 2: XX vs. VayuSworn

Game 1: Never, ever, summon Voltic Bicorn against this deck. It ended up costing me the game because I milled 14 cards for him. =\

Game 2: Voltic Bicorn failed me again. I really should synchro for Scrap Archfiend instead.

Near the end, I was in control with Yellow Baboon and Elephun facedown and Rykos removed, but he tops a Sirocco after I had killed one the previous turn. No cards to stop an attack means I lose due to him having a Vayu in his grave. Sirocco pumping for the lose.


Round 3: OO vs. Exodia (?)

Game 1 & 2: It was easy wins really. This was the only time where I got a chance to bring out Thunder Unicorn and Voltic Bicorn in one duel.


Round 4: XX vs. Dark Fairies

Game 1: He sets up his grave, and then rushes me with Superbia, and Kristya with Honest in hand.

Game 2: Same deal as before, except this time after I used my sided D.D. Crow, he goes Orange Light. Then he follows with Trunade, Monster Reborn Superbia, bring out some Fairy, bring out in hand Kristya. Honest in hand also doesn't really help.


Round 5: BYE

While I had a bye, I had the best time since this morning just playing Blackwings. I switched my deck back because I was pretty sure I wasn't going to top anyways.

Playing my BW deck against my friend StormKing's old school (Hamsters) Quickdraw deck was fun. We had a good time!

~~~

So unfortunately, I go X-4, and totally scrubbed out.

The deck I built has potential, but really, without Summoner Monk and Rescue Cat, the deck isn't really worth playing.

Oh well.

I'll stick with Blackwings for a little while longer I guess.

Thanks for reading this post as usual.

-MonarchVV ; #9

LIGHT Beasts

It's just an experiment, but I'll be taking my new deck idea to a local tournament.

Tomorrow will be two posts, one about how my deck did in the tournament, and the decklist itself.

Look forward to it!

-MonarchVV ; #9

Karakuri Synchros

I never noticed this, but the Synchro requirements are

"1 Tuner + 1 or more Machine-type monsters"

Perhaps they need a second look at...

-MonarchVV ; #9

Divine Punishment

Counter Trap Card

Activate only if "The Sanctuary in the Sky" on the field. Negate the activation of an opponent's Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster's effect, and destroy it.

Kinda reminds me of that other card...doesn't it?


You got to wonder just what exactly is Konami up to this year.

-MonarchVV ; #9

Skull Meister

Looks like this card has receive a ruling which will sort some things out about this card.

From Konami Employee Jerome McHale

An update for everyone: Skull Meister's effect CAN be used during the Damage Step. This will be added to the Starstrike Blast Rules Booklet on the official website in the very near future.

Looks like this card just got a major boost in its usefulness.

I still don't know how well it'll be used, with Six Samurai coming up soon and having nothing to do with the graveyard, but it'll still be used well against Plant Synchro decks and Darksoul searches.

Ehh just how important is the graveyard nowadays?

- MonarchVV ; #9

Turbo Pack 4

I think I talked about this before, but here is the actually list.

Ultimate Rare:
Tragoedia

Ultra Rare:
Gottoms' Emergency Call

Super Rare:
Debris Dragon
Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
Deep Sea Diva
Compulsory Evacuation Device

Rare:
Dunames Dark Witch
The End of Anubis
Psychic Commander
Advanced Ritual Art
Bark of Dark Ruler
Swallow Flip

Common:
Wattkid
Oscillo Hero
Mokey Mokey
Key Mace
King of the Skull Servants
Dark Hole
Amazoness Spellcaster
Gladiator Proving Ground
White Hole

~~~

Tragoedia being reprinted means that it can now be used in the European countries, which is a good plus for them

Compulsory Evacuation Device should of been Cold Wave, for it is deserving of a rarity bump.

The rares and commons are just plain trash.

Doesn't help people at all to get them.

Well, besides collectors.

- MonarchVV ; #9

True Six Samurai

Ideally, what is the best counter to it?

More than likely, Gateway of the Six and mass destruction.

Both are the Six Samurai greatest weakness.

Without Gateway, suddenly Six Samurai are not so scary.

With mass destruction, nothing a Six Samurai player can do will bring them back into the game after losing so many cards.

However, both are countered by the Magatama of Musakani.

=\

Oh that, and Royal Decree hurts a ton too.

~~~

I propose Dust Tornado to strike up in popularity.

And Kinetic Soldier.

Effect Veiler

Just so you know.

If you use Effect Veiler on a monster, say Hyunlai, and your opponent chains Book of Moon to flip it face down, expect to see all your Spells and Trap cards gone.

I didn't know that the "Skill Drain" avoiding trick works on Effect Veiler also.

The tricks you learn every day.

-MonarchVV ; #9

Forbidden Holy Lance

Quick-Play Spell Card

Activate by selecting one face-up monster on the field. Until the End Phase, the selected monster loses 800 Atk, and it is unaffected by the effects of Spell and Trap cards other than this card.

~~~

Looks like Gladiator Beasts have a new card to play with.

The implications are simple.

Dodge everything that would make you lose those important monsters.

Well, short of running them into your opponent's monsters because of the attack decrease.

Gyzaurus combos really well with this card however.

- MonarchVV ; #9

Frozen Fitzgerald

DARK Tuner + 1 Beast-type non-Tuner monster.

At first it looks restrictive.

But let me translate that as "Junk Synchron + Ryko."

It ain't so bad now, is it?

Junk and Debris just got an badass Level 5 Synchro.

It also has a respectable 2500 Atk.

Take a look at it for yourself.

- MonarchVV ; #9

Six Samurai Post-STOR

Okay, we all know the story already.

Six Samurais are making their comeback.

A big one at that.

And you know, this new set is definitely going to break them.

Adding a destruction negating card, a Synchro monster, and some crazy loops in addition to powerful effects, beatsticks, special summons, and a search engine.

Now doesn't this seem a bit too much?

Expect a dominating metagame of only one deck type again.

That is, unless X-Sabers, Blackwings, and Quickdraw pull through somehow.

The Agent of Mystery - The Earth

Seems like he might be a pseudo-Stratos for the Agents.

With the fact that it's a Level 2 Tuner, in addition to being LIGHT, if he does have Stratos auto-add effect, he'll definitely be worthy in the deck at 3.

Good call Steve by the way.

Turbo Pack 4

http://shriektcg.twoday.net/

It's finally announced!

I believe that X-Saber reprints are coming in for us.

BF - Zephyros The Elite

This card is amazing in my opinion.

And yet, I haven't seen it at all in any recent Blackfeather decks.

Is there a reason why? =\

Starstrike Blast Sneak Peek Day

And this day has finally come!

While at first I decided that I wasn't going to enter, someone kindly offered to pay for my entry fee, which means in the end that I am entering. He would get all the good cards he wanted, and I keep the bad commons.

Oh well.

Out of the five packs I pulled, I got the Super Rare Dragunity Knight, The Fabled Rubyrada, and Mischief of the Yokai.

Pretty bad pulls in my opinion.

My brother entered with his own money, and he managed to get the Dance Princess as well as Skull Meister!

We just made our money back, which made me rather happy!

For the sneak peek, the mats were given out randomly, while the Top 8 would get Turbo Pack 3 packs.

Ehh, it was okay I guess.

In the end, neither me or my brother topped, both with 2-3 records, and we didn't win the random roll though.

However, my Infernity deck is now near completion! I managed to obtain the second Stygian Street Patrol, as well as my second Dark Grepher. The only cards remaining are the Infernity Barriers...T_T

I got two Ko'aki Meiru Walls for my brother's Rock Stun deck, so I'll be looking forward to playing against that deck again.

This post is kinda short, but it's been a long day for me.

Thanks for reading as always!

Enjoy the post.

-MonarchVV ; #9

STBL Sneak Peek TCG Exclusives

Well, tomorrow is the day of the release of Starstrike Blast packs.

Rather than do the last preview, which are getting kind of dry by now, I want to take a quick look at the new TCG exclusives.

Archfiend Empress - Ehh, pretty bad in my opinion. It helps Fiends for sure, but who plays Fiends these days?

Skull Meister - Now this is a useful card. It fits into the group of cards that drop from your hand, and it does stop a lot of things in the game, notably Dandylion, Darksoul, and Sangan.

Droll and Lock Bird - While not as spammable as Skull Meister, DL Bird still serves a niche purpose. He'll be seen every now and then. This card says GG to Machina Gadgets though.

Spellstone Sorcerer Karood - Designed to work with Power Sink Stone, but two card combos are looked down upon often. Its weak attack doesn't really compensate for its effect.

Scrap Mind Reader - A free special summonable Tuner from the graveyard, and its effect works darn well with Scraps itself. We shall see how effective this card truly is in the future.

Gravekeeper's Recruiter - Mandatory effect, adds certain useful cards. It's too bad it doesn't add Gravekeeper's Spy.

Psi-Blocker - I honestly don't understand the constant Psychic support. With Mind Master and Emergency Teleport limited, they'll never get higher than Tier 3.

Koa'ki Meiru Wall - Good support card for Rock Stun, rounding out the Trinity of the card-negating KM monsters.

Karakuri Barrel mdl 96 “Shinkuro” - I have no idea about Karakuri monsters, so I don't know what this support does.

Mischief of the Yokai - Situational card is situational. This card isn't worth it.

Darn, I didn't expect there to be so many cards to look at. O_O

Well, that's should do it for today.

Enjoy reading this post.

Look forward to tomorrow's review of STBL!

- MonarchVV - #9

Starstrike Blast Preview #4

It's almost hear! The STBL Sneak peek!

And promptly so!

Now onto the preview.

Today's card is....

Tuning

Normal Spell Card

Add 1 "Synchron" Tuner monster from your Deck to your hand. Then, send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard.

Well, it's a spell card.

And there really isn't much to say about a normal spell card.

Except that it rocks so much in certain decks!!!

Tuning is a card that lets you add a Synchron Tuner from your deck to your hand, followed by some milling.

As such, this card is compared to Reinforcement of the Army.

However, the difference between RotA and Tuning is the fact that you can run THREE Tunings in a deck.

Thus your search power has increased greatly!

Running a 37 card deck does seem smart...

The decks that I foresee using this card will be Junk and Debris, of course, and Quickdraw Plants.

Being able to add Quickdraw Synchron in Quickdraw Plants at will to your hand will speed up the deck for sure, but then again, he is your only target. The milling is only a plus for the deck as well.

A one-of tech or two Tunings could possibly be used there, but never three.

Of course, if you're running Junk and Debris, spam three. You want those free Synchros out as fast as possible.

All things considered, this card is definitely limited in what decks get direct support from this card.

However, the support is gets is so immense, that I think this card's potential is just great.

This card gets 3.5/5 for just being cool and for being useful.

~~

Well, that was short, but a Spell Card is a Spell Card.

Anyways, with one day left to go, the last card to be previewed is tomorrow!

Look forward to it!

- MonarchVV ; #9

Starstrike Blast Preview #3

Alright! Third day is here!

Which means the countdown to the Starstrike Blast sneak peek is 3 days! (on Sunday)

And I have chosen a card before I started my blog! For once!


Glow-Up Bulb

EARTH / Plant / Tuner / Effect / 1 Star / 100 Atk / 100 Def

You can send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard and Special Summon this card from the Graveyard. You can only use this effect once per Duel.

Now this is one crazy card!

Let's begin the analysis.

The EARTH isn't so important, but what is important is the fact that it is a Plant!

This means that Lonefire Blossom, Spore, and other such and such decks will get a new toy to play with!

In addition, notably, is its Tuner status. This opens the realms of possibilities as Synchro Summoning is one of the defined mechanics of this game.

If you don't take advantage of the Synchros, then your opponent will.

Being 1 Star means that it is a Level 1 Tuner, resulting in many different Level Synchros coming out.

The 100 Atk and the 100 Def isn't so important, as this card's main purpose is definitely for Synchro Summoning.

Its effect is basically saying "Free Synchro for You!"

You can send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard and Special Summon this card from the Graveyard. You can only use this effect once per Duel.

Now, as you can see, if it's in the graveyard, you can bring it back for no cost at all.

Essentially, this is a "plus 1" in terms of card advantage, which balances out the Synchro Summon you are going to perform, as Synchros can considered a "minus 1" usually.

This card can be seen similar to Junk Synchron and Debris Dragon therefore.

However, the loads of support this cards gets is far superior compared to those two cards.

Synchroing with Level 7s for 8s, good synergy with Foolish Burial, and so on.

If the last condition on this card wasn't there, this card would be ridiculous.

As well, Glow-Up Bulb is usable in practically any deck at all, even if they don't run Plants.

The advantage this card can bring you in a single move is devastating.

Certain decks can run this better than others however, such as Debris Plants and Quickdraw.

Overall, this card receives a 5/5 from me!

Great card, good support, all around general excellent.

~~

And that wraps up Day 3!

With two more to go, Starstrike Blast gets ever closer and closer.

Thanks as always for reading this post.

- MonarchVV ; #9

Starstrike Blast Preview #2

The second day is here, which means that there's only 4 more days until the STBL Sneak Peek!

And we move onto the second card to look at which is....


Gaia Drake, The Universal Force

EARTH / Beast-Warrior / Fusion / Effect / 10 Stars / 3500 Atk / 2800 Def

"Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth" + 1 non-Effect Synchro Monster

This card cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effect(s) of an Effect Monster.

And it's one of the new Synchro Fusion monsters!

Thankfully Konami has not totally given up on them yet, right?

And this card is what we're looking at today.

Gaia Drake, The Universal Force.

To be honest, I think "Gaia Drake, Knight of Sky and Earth" sounded much MUCH cooler.

The name means nothing in regard to the card, except that it belongs to the family of Gaia cards, which Yugi used. Not much support for those group of cards though, unfortunately.

Now usually, I would go into detail about everything in order, but as this is a Fusion, stuff must be done in order to make sense of this card.

Before even considering its Atk and its Def, we want to look at the number of ways it is possible to summon this guy. Because, if you can't bring it out fast, then there's no point in using him.

"Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth" + 1 non-Effect Synchro Monster

Well, isn't that...restrictive.

There are only three ways to bring this guy out given its fusion materials.

Gaia Knight + Gaia Knight.

Gaia Knight + Natural Leodrake.

Gaia Knight + Scrap Archfiend.

Hmm..not looking too good so far.

However! The card lacks certain features other Fusion monsters have had in recent times. This card can be special summoned from the Extra Deck not only by Fusion, but also by Special Summon!

The only cases that I can think of this working would then be The Earth - Hex Sealed Fusion, Metamorphosis, and Summoner of Illusions.

In addition, Fusion substitutes are viable as there are no clauses on what has to be used as the material. King of the Swamp and The Earth - Hex Sealed Fusion make the summoning of this guy much easier then.

With the fusion substitute material summoning though, you still require another non-Effect Synchro monster on the field.

The printing of Miracle Synchro Fusion and Synchro Fusionist makes bringing this guy out simple as well.

With so much support to summon this guy, I think there are more than enough viable ways to bring him out.

On to the Atk, Def, and Effect.

3500 Atk / 2800 Def

This card cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effect(s) of an Effect Monster.

Now that is one impressive effect. Destruction and targeting are negated when it comes from a monster, and boasting a great 3500 Atk, and an huge wall of 2800 Def, getting through this monster will seem impossible without the effects of Spells and Traps.

While this format may appear to be Spell/Trap heavy, bringing this guy out means that you won't have much to fear from monsters.

Its effect is also the reason Summoner of Illusions work great with him: he won't be destroyed by the Summoner's effect during the end phase.

~~

Being a Fusion does have its negatives, but this monster makes up for it in brute force.

With great power, not much can stand in this card's way once it is on the field, in terms of monsters at least.

Combined with a card such as Royal Decree or Trap Stun, this is one card you will definitely have to fear.

Perhaps non-Effect Synchro monsters may potetially see more play, who knows?

And now to wrap this up.

This card, while it appears weak at first, is rather impressive compared to what recent Fusion monsters have been like.

I give this card a 3/5.

And hey, its art is great to look at too. 5/5 on that.

With this, another card is previewed, and another post is up.

Thanks for reading as always.

The third card will be up tomorrow!

- MonarchVV ; #9

Starstrike Blast Preview #1

And so the long list of previews begin!

To start off, we shall roll a die and see which card I am going to preview!

And so, pretend I'm rolling a die.

This card shall be first!

Delg the Dark Monarch

DARK / Spellcaster / Effect / 6 Stars / 2400 Atk / 1000 Def

When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can select and remove from play up to 2 cards from your opponent's Graveyard. For each card removed, send 1 card from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard. This card cannot attack during the turn it is Normal or Special Summoned.

~~

And thus, we begin with the latest Monarch, Delg!

While its name does not provide any special keepsake to it, the Monarchs have always been classified as a strong group of cards.

Now for the detailed stuff.

Its attribute is DARK, which means it already wins a ton of bonus points. Good support in the form of Dark Armed Dragon, Allure of Darkness, etc, etc.

As well, you can synchro with this card for specific Synchros that require dark monsters (coughDarkEndcough)

Being from the spellcaster type, that means cards such as Hidden Village of the Spellcasters won't affect it, although a Monarch deck should already be fine against that card... Regardless, the typing isn't all too important, as there isn't any worthwhile Synchros that require a non-spellcaster type monster as the non-Tuner material.

6 Stars, 2400 Atk, and 1000 Def. These are the standards of the Monarch lineup. Nothing really to expect more from a card that has Monarch in its name.

Book of Moon makes this card easy fodder to run over, while its 2400 Atk hits the line for one-tribute monsters.

Lastly, it's time to look at its effect.

Delg's effect clearly targets the opponent's graveyard. So to compare, it would be kinda like D.D. Crow. However Delg can remove up to two cards versus the one Crow can remove, and Delg still has that 2400 Atk to use if it survives your opponent's turn.

Ideally, this card would hurt FrogNarchs and Quickdraw the most, both decktypes who are reliant on their graveyard. The occasional Infernity player would also cry.

The milling part of Delg isn't so spectacular, so i'm going to ignore it.

The effect triggers whenever it is special summoned or normal summoned. Therefore, some tricks can be played on your opponent's turn with such cards as Call of the Haunted, etc. etc. However, some good / pre-emptive summoning has to occur if you want to remove a card like Dandylion if you know they have Debris Dragon in their hand.

The last sentence of Delg's effect is probably the worst part. Even though Delg can rip apart your opponent's graveyard, if they still have a field that can eliminate your monster, then you'll probably would of wanted to summon that Caius instead.

Waiting one turn to attack makes Delg rather weak in the eyes of many.

Overall though, he still has the qualities of a Monarch to make him fearsome. A good card to side in FrogNarchs, as his effect is rather strong, especially in the Frog vs Plant / QD matchup.

I expect some decks to run one if their metagame is filled with Quickdraw / Plant decks and Frogs decks.

Otherwise, this card can still be sided as great tech in certain matchups.

This card gets 2.5/5 on my rating list.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that Delg looks like one BAMF.

~~

And that's the first review done!

Hopefully I didn't do too poor with my analysis, although who is judging really?

Just my viewers...(-__-;)

Tomorrow, another card gets picked, and until the STBL sneak peek, enjoy this post!

- MonarchVV ; #9

Starstrike Blast

With the STBL Sneak Peek coming out next week, I believe that a few card analyses are in order.

It's been a while since I've done them, although I'm sure I said how blogging is so nostalgic for athe longest time now.

In the next five days, I'll be choosing five cards at random, and we'll get a closer look just at what these guys can do.

.
.
.

Actually, I believe it would be better to just take a look at 5 of the BETTER cards coming out in this set.

The cards that more than like that I'll be previewing will be

Grow-Up Bulb
Delg the Dark Monarch
Gaia Drake, The Universal Force
Formula Synchron
Tuning

Look forward to these previews!

-MonarchVV ; #9