You don't even need to play them! ™ (Fisting in a E-Drag metagame and why you should consider playing them)

 Gone are the days of 9/1/12 when you could simply out-advantage your way to an easy victory. The limitation of Wind-Up Magician has drastically affected the viability of so many decks. Look around: so many top decks rely on a linear path to victory (Monster effects via E-Drags and spells for Prophecy, so on and so forth). The sheer stopping power which comes from Shockmaster + Solem would have resulted in a very different metagame had Zenmaity and Magician not been hit as hard. With so many linear decks being released in LTGY and JOTL, it is no surprise that they had to kill the Shocklock. Right now we're playing the game the way Konami intended for us to play, and we're all aware of it. Now because Wind-Ups are out of the picture and are no longer shaping the metagame: Fire Fists have been pushed out of Tier 1

You're probably sitting here bouncing off the walls thinking, "Neo has lost it, how can a deck that is SO broken be OUT of Tier 1?" It's quite simply really. The strength of Fire Fist comes from its ability to hit the opponent's sources of card advantage while bolstering your own. However, this ability was greatly exaggerated because of how softly everything in the 9/1/12 metagame could plus. Yes, there is such a thing as a soft and hard plus. We've gotten to this point in Yu-Gi-Oh where sometimes a +1 just isn't enough. Now is this alone the reason why Fire Fist isn't as good as it used to be? No, not at all. Even if your opponent could out-advantage you, you could always rebound and whether the storm and eventually claim a win in explosive fashion -- whittling down whatever your opponent had to stop you. No, this is more than just simple arithmetic that is weighing this deck down. It's more than that, absolutely more than card advantage. You see, the ability of other decks to match and surpass Fire Fist's ability to plus is just a contributing factor as to why this deck has had to change in the manner that it has. 

Like I said earlier, if it was strictly on card advantage alone -- Fire Fist could outlast the opponent and explode. However, decks in the 3/1 metagame can match and surpass Fire Fist's ability to plus AND they have the added ability to rebound just as hard as they can if not better (See: Spellbook of Life, Fate, and an E-Dragon graveyard). Even with access to this neat little card, Rekindling, the deck still takes the path for all other Rekindling decks before it. A degenerate card in every sense of the word, but the deck which uses it is inferior to the current metagame. This is the golden rule for Rekindling and Konami has masterfully played to this golden rule.

                     Why Fire Fist should still be played in 3/1

I first found this image several days ago via HighLevelGaming. It somewhat perfectly describes the state of our pre-JOTL metagame in TCG/OCG (Dueling Network meta). Elemental Dragons of course take up the bulk of decks being played out there, with Prophecy a close 2nd. Both of which have a solid win-rate against the other depending on the coin flip and the inherent ability to lock each-other out (Jorgan via Judgement Day to put Dragons in a soft-lock combined with Fate to stop the babies and EEV via Big Eye.). Verz of course is the natural enemy of these two decks (Although a favorable matchup vs Prophecy and E-Drags, it is not an instant win.), and is seeing more play as we continue through the format. In fact, Verz players are making a heavy showing at multiple ACQs right now, with one taking it all in Malaysia. Expect Verz to take it all in Taiwan on the 30th as well. Now with all this Verz hype in the metagame right now: Fire Fist, which thanks to this neat little chart we have here, being a natural counter to Verz can easily take advantage of the matchup thanks to cards like Blaster, Bear and Tensen. 3axis keeps Verz in check, it's what is keeping this meta together right now and is the main reason why Verz isn't across the board at the moment. 3axis Fire Fist was overhyped at conception and ended up losing a majority of matchups to E-Dragons in Singapore mainly because they were maindecking cards such as EEV, 2 Gyokkou, 3 MST (not that you shouldn't be using 3) and some even using Night Beam of all things! All of which are DEAD facing E-Dragons. It has taken a while for 3axis builds to adjust to the E-Dragon matchup, but I am confident that even though the matchup is unfavorable is it very possible to win even when facing LaDD.

Long story short, when Verz succeeds you will succeed

Analysis of 3-axis pre-ACQ Singapore and post-ACQ Singapore

Our friends over at HighLevelGaming were kind enough to supply the dueling world with their builds for ACQ Singapore. Thankfully their deck choices were diverse with Prophecy, Verz and 3-axis all used for ACQ.  Now the first thing I want you all to notice is the inclusion of a maindecked EEV and the inclusion of TT, along with Night Beam and Gyokkou at 2. Now coming into ACQ Singapore, they were expecting 3-axis and Prophecy to make the biggest showing. Despite this, the Prophecy showing was equal to E-Dragons within the top 16 -- with 3-axis only topping ONCE and losing in the first round to E-Dragons. This was that build. Notice how nearly 30% of his deck is dead for the E-Dragon matchup. 

Now I want you to see my own build, a post-ACQ Singapore build which focuses less on s/t removal and more so on effect negation. I'm not claiming to have the best build, I'm merely giving an example on a 3-axis deck which has been shaped according to the metagame. Notice the exclusion of the 2nd Gyokkou, the removal of nearly all forms of traditional stun  (TT) and the removal of Dark Hole. Now Dark Hole has been seeing less and less play due to the metagame right now. DragoSack makes Dark Hole relatively useless, and Verz/Prophecy can simply chain their tutorable "Forbidden Lance". Fire Fist can merely rebound from Dark Hole via Spirit so the card is more or less mediocre in the current meta. What makes this deck inherently capable of taking on E-Dragons is the inclusion of 2 Fiendish Chain, Book of Moon and Maxx C. Of course, all of which you would have to draw into, but more or less makes the matchup easier if not more favorable. Now I'm sure you're asking yourself, "Is Maxx C viable for this meta? Should it be used at all?" Look at the E-Dragon decks that are topping right now, a vast majority of which are using 2 Maxx C. In this matchup in particular you want to draw into your LaDD counters in Book of Moon and Fiendish Chain, at the very least they decide to stop summoning after you chain to one of the effects which special summon and Maxx becomes a +0 -- OR they decide to go full retard and allow you to go +3 or more. This card is also good for everything else in the current metagame aside from Verz -- though it is not particularly useful vs Prophecy and should be sided out. In this particular deck, where you don't even have to draw your cards to play them™, drawing is winning. Draw into Rekindling? Game. Draw into Fiendish Chain? Game. Draw into Book of Moon? Blaster? Game. LaDD out? No problem. Now again, you're probably asking why Fiendish Chain is so good in this deck at 2. No problem, that's a legitimate question and I'm here to give you a legitimate answer. Our top scientists have been working day and night to explain as to why Fiendish Chain is so good in this deck and the answer is simple:

                                         

Based God Vulcan (via Wikia)

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monstersWhen this card is Synchro Summoned: Target 1 face-up card on each side of the field; return those targets to the hand, but you cannot activate the effects of those cards or cards with the same name for the rest of this turn. You can only use the effect of "Beastlord Volcan" once per turn.

This guy is the MVP of the E-Dragon matchup. Play Fiendish Chain, use Volcan to Bounce whatever was the target of Chain (ie Dragosack) and Chain itself -- rinse and repeat. After two turns of this, you'll be able to put them in a form of soft lock which can only be remedied by removal such as Blaster and MST(Which is rarely maindecked and often sided at only 2!!). Sooner or later you will be able to use basic plays on 1-card fields such as a lone Big-Eye or Dragosack via Chicken into Bear into Tensu Hawk OTK and so on and so forth. Normally Dragosack would prevent such a thing from happening, but gladly Based God Vulcan and his Pimp Chains will   prevent this almost entirely. This combo is the bread and butter of what one should do in the matchup vs E-Dragons, expect to see it WAY more often than you need to. 

Thanks for reading my quaint little article, I hope this sheds some light on Fire Fist's role in the current metagame or affirms some thoughts you may have had about the archetype. Here is the final bit, the sideboard analysis.

Sideboard analysis and formulas

Matchup: Prophecy

Formula: -2 Blaster as removal is not imperative to this matchup and you should cut Blaster as Hunter fills its niche for grave setup along with single-handedly controlling the field. Can be used to combo with EEV. Can be used vs Elemental Dragons but I would advise only doing so when Blaster has been expended and they ss a monster that is less than 2400 (Tempest) -- but I would not advise this if you are going to be using Gozen Match and depending on circumstances can easily die to removal or a baby effect summoning an XYZ. So be wary not to summon this unless you need the grave setup or you can protect it with Fiendish Chain.

Matchup: E-Dragons, Mermail, Madolche, Gustos/Psychics any other rogue matchup such as Hieratics

Formula: Use personal discretion -- remove all s/t removal in the Dragon matchup

Matchup: Mirror match, Six Samurai, Dragunity, Alive HEROs, Infernities, Karakuri, Hieratics and mostly rogue matchups

Formula: Use personal discretion

Matchup: Prophecy (primarily)

Formula: -2 Maxx C

Matchup: Verz, HEROs, Prophecy, E-Dragon, Counterside vs Macro decks

Formula: Use personal discretion

Matchup: Prophecy (primarily)

Formula: -1 Book of Moon -1 Hawk

Matchup: E-Dragons (primarily)

Formula: Remove all s/t removal. I prefer to use this over Mind Drain as 2nd turn this is not as useful, and will at the least cause them to spend resources putting dragons on the board.

Remember to remove all s/t removal FIRST when siding for E-Dragons and Prophecy, the rest is ultimately up to your discretion.