LTGY cards

Green Duston
0/1000
The controller of this card cannot Fusion Summon, Synchro Summon or Xyz Summon. When this card is destroyed, the player who controlled this card returns one S/T to their hand.

Chouseishi Raizuberuto (Romanization, should be (?)star Master Raizuberuto)
800/800
Level 3
WIND/Psychic
When Special Summoned: You can target 1 face-up monster on the Field. Increase its Level up to 3 Levels until the End Phase.

Dragonfang Transmigration
Normal Trap Card
Target 1 of your Banished Dragon-Type Monsters; Add that target to your Hand.

Aww shit yo, we synchro summon now. The ability to change levels on special summon, AND being an Emergency Teleport target makes this something to watch.

Kingremlin

DARK/Reptile
Rank 4
2300/2000
2 Level 4 Monsters
Once per turn: You can Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; Add 1 Reptile-Type Monster from your deck to your hand.

This one's for you Giga.

LTGY-JP072
Xyz Block
Counter Trap Card
When the opponent activates the Effect of an Effect Monster: Detach 1 Xyz Material from a monster you control; Negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that monster.

Turning Pearl into a Dolkka? It's also searchable due to Generation Force, which sounds great in theory.

Moeagaru Daikai
Normal Trap Card
{If you control a Level 7 or higher WATER or FIRE monster activate one of the following effects:
• WATER: Special Summon as many WATER monsters who were sent to the Graveyard to activate the effects of Effect Monsters, then, destroy 1 monster you control.
• FIRE: Destroy 1 monster on the field, then, if you have 1 or more cards in your hand, discard 1 of them to the Graveyard.}

The art on this card is really cool, the Water effect is much better than the Fire in my opinion, but the Fire one is for fixing jank hands when you don't have Trade-in or whatever you run to dump Garunix.

Saikyou no Tate (Strongest Shield)
Spell Equip
Equip only to a Warrior-Type monster. Apply the following effects based on its Battle Position.
-Attack Position: It gains ATK equal to its original DEF.
-Defense Position: It gains DEF equal to its original ATK.

Bigass Warrior monsters, not much else to say.

Dotedotengu
Wind Fiend / Effect
LV3 0/800
If this card is sent to your Graveyard by your opponent's card effect: You can target 1 card your opponent controls; return that card to the hand.

Starfish
Water Aqua / Effect
LV3 300/300
Once per turn: You can have all "Starfish" you control gain 1 Level.

Shinkaiou Triden (Deep Atlantean Triden)
Water Sea Serpent / Effect
LV3 1600/800
You can Release this card and 1 other Sea Serpent-Type monster you control; Special Summon 1 "Atlatean Dragon Poseidra" from your Deck or hand. Then, have all monsters your opponent controls lose 300 ATK.

En'ou Juu Garudonix (Fire King Avatar Garunix)
Fire Winged Beast / Effect
LV3 700/1700
If a face-up "Fire King" monster you control is destroyed by a card effect (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is destroyed by your opponent and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 "Fire King Avatar" monster from your Deck.

Mental Drain
Trap Continuous
Pay 1000 Life Points. Monsters in the hands cannot activate their Effects.

Tatakawa Knight
Earth Warrior / Effect
LV4 1500/0
If your opponent negates the activation of a Spell/Trap Card you control: You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard; inflict 1500 damage to your opponent.

Geargiagia
Normal Trap Card
{Special Summon 2 "Geargiano" monsters from your Deck. Their levels are increased by 1. Only 1 "Geargiagia" can be activated per turn."}

These guys are adorable, and also go to Lv4 due to this card. I've seen a few people run Geargianos because they recycle Armor from the grave, and this card nets you 2 Geargiano. You can summon 2 of the first Geargiano, who can tribute himself to summon a level 4 Machine monster from the grave, and grab Armor for further shenanigans, or go rank 4 with your 2 new level 4 Gianos. Gear Gigant X (pronounced Cross) special summons a Geargiano when he's sent to the grave, which is really Mag-fucking-neato since this card can make him EZ-PZ with 2 Giano. You detach to search one card, then when Cross hits the grave, special summon a Geargiano Mk-1 and tribute him for Geargiarmor. It's pretty cool. Funny enough, this is the only trap support Geargia have.

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Changing the Meta, one Side Deck at a Time

You should know the story by now. You've been playing a game of Yu-Gi-Oh, and occasionally been having a fun time. However, there's that one time, THOSE times rather, where you DON'T have any fun whatsoever. In fact, it's almost as if you never got a chance to properly play the game at all.

Shhh, it'll all be over soon

Set 5, GG(Get good)

You seem upset

The names might have changed, but the game has stayed the same. CONTROL, and the monsters that facilitate CONTROL are a huge part of the game and the phrase "neg" will forever be etched into your memory by now. There's not much you can do about Konami making monsters like Laggia, Beast, and Mr. Shi En, that's just how they make their money. To be fair though, there are players who like the monsters that give them a huge degree of CONTROL(I actually am going to keep doing that over the course of this article so I'd suggest just getting used to it) over the pace of the game, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's really that way in a lot of games.

There's at least one thing I'm sure a lot of people can agree on though. Yugioh CONTROL is most often defined by the monsters. Some might say it's the traps, some might say it's certain continuous spells or field spells that also play a big role, but let's not kid ourselves. When we see "Set 5" the thing that makes our gut drop the most is "Summon Rai-Oh". When we see first turn "Summon Magician, trigger Shark" we fear the inevitable "Activate Shock Master, Spells, set 3" that follows it up. The cards in the back row might be a big issue, but it's ALWAYS the cards in the front row that make it worse.

But, don't scoop just yet, because even though CONTROL is a major part of the game, there IS a way for you to fight back. Just Keep Calm, Carry On, and drop a Lava Golem on their stupid, smug faces

That's a solid board state you have there. Be a shame if something happened to it

That's right, the monster that was first used by Yami Marik against Joey Wheeler in the classic Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, and finally appeared in card form all the way back in Pharonic Guardian (that's 2003!), Lava Golem is once again (or should be) making it's triumphant return to relevance in the form of one of the best hard counters in the game.

"BUT WAIT", you might be saying to yourself, "Lava Golem has always been a part of the game, but he's always been used in things like Chain Burn and stuff". Well, where do ya think I got the idea to use the card from anyway my friend? Just read the card and really think about it

• This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field by Tributing 2 monsters they control. You cannot Normal Summon or Set the turn you Special Summon this card. This monster's controller takes 1000 damage during each of their Standby Phases.

You spotted the part in particular I was talking about yet? Of course you did, I know you know how the card works, come on now it's friggin old. By tributing 2 monsters that your opponent controls, you special summon Lava Golem to their side of the field. Are you starting to put two and two together now? By utilizing Lava Golem, you'll never have to worry about staring down a death field ever again because you can simply tribute the problem monsters and continue on your merry way. The best part about this is, not only do YOU get to select which monsters get tributed, but if you understand how costs work (which if you're playing YUGIOH: The Lawyers game, you really should, but I'll still explain in a little bit) you'll understand why them not even being able to do anything about it is so important.

Another great thing about Inherent Summons is that,

since they don't start chains, they can't be affected by cards

like Dolkka, Herald of Orange Soda, and Naturia Landoise (who

even uses Landoise?) since it's not an effect that actually activates

Always keep this in mind, Lava Golem is an INHERENT SPECIAL SUMMON. Meaning that when you special summon the monster, or at the very least reveal it to your opponent (since you're still going to have to put it on their side of the field anyway), your opponent can NOT chain an effect to it. They can RESPOND to the summon with an appropriate response afterwards, but they cannot chain to something which builds no chain. Remember, INHERENT SPECIAL SUMMONS do not start chains, so if your opponent wants to get cute and tries to chain Maxx "C" or chain Mind Crush, please tell them to put that shit back.

And this is truly one of the more beautiful things about Lava Golem that should really be getting your attention. Because of basic game mechanics, tributing the 2 monsters is considered a COST, basically meaning that before anything else can be done, two monsters MUST be tributed from your opponents side of the field before the gamestate processes whether or not the attempted special summon is successful or not. So while it's true that your opponent can negate the summon of Lava Golem with things like Laggia, Rai-Oh, Warning, and Judgement they can only do that AFTER the monsters have been tributed. Don't get this confused however, should you just so happen to tribute a Laggia and a Rai-Oh for your Golem, there's not much they can do since they'll have already been sent to the grave or where ever via game mechanics.

It gets even crazier once you realize that because of
 game mechanics, once again, you can actually cause cards like
Lightpulsar and The Shining to miss the timing on their effects!

So you get the idea now right? If your opponent gets cocky and decides they want to drop a pair of best friends on the field like Shi En and the Gang, Laggia + Dolkka, Beast + Barkion, ShockLockn'Drop, or just any assortment of NO FUN CONTROL monsters, you can actually punish your opponent and rip right through their otherwise solid defenses. And lets not get it twisted. This card isn't just good for breaking locks, it also functions as monster removal period. So don't fret if your opponent has two set monsters in play or even just two big monsters on the field, you can still tribute those bad boys out the way to drop a nasty card like Golem on them.

But lets not start getting too crazy here though. Remember, every card isn't without its drawbacks.

You read the effect from earlier right? Well, lets take another gander at it shall we?

• This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field by Tributing 2 monsters they control. You cannot Normal Summon or Set the turn you Special Summon this card. This monster's controller takes 1000 damage during each of their Standby Phases.

"You cannot Normal Summon or Set the turn you Special Summon this card" is a dozy  It might not seem like much but if you know Konami rules, you'll realize why this is a big one. "The turn" or "during the turn" basically means that BEFORE and AFTER you activate the card, or execute its condition, or whatever, you cannot do X. So think of it like Pot of Duality and how it also shares the same wording in order to avoid silly loopholes. This can actually be a huge downside if your particular deck needs that normal summon in order to get things started. What good is breaking through your opponents defenses if you can't even set up your own afterwards?

Lets not also forget that even though Golem is ripping through your opponent and burning them for 1000 life points every standby phase, they STILL have a 3k beater that throws around most monsters in the game, and you did give it to them after all. This can of course be circumvented by using one of your own traps or handy monster removal spells/monsters to get rid of it, but this is more a matter of gamestate, so I won't dwell on it as if its not that big of an issue for you or your particular deck.

OK then, we've talked about how it prevents you from normal summoning/set in that turn, and how its also a 3k beater for your opponent, and that all might not matter much to some (especially if you're already playing a particular sort of burn), but what about one of the most important things to consider?

Not every deck has to be Wind-Ups to
play Shock Master after all

WHAT IF MY OPPONENT SIMPLY DOESN'T PUT TWO MONSTERS ON THE FIELD FOR ME TO TRIBUTE?

It is actually not all that uncommon for some people to come swinging with one monster. In fact, it's actually the sign of a great player if they choose to with hold from throwing up monsters on the field if they fear your Golem, or simply feel more than comfortable enough with beating your face with a single monster. Lava Golem is readily rendered useless since it NEEDS to tribute two monsters in order to be put on the field at all. So if your opponent decides to sit on Laggia and nothing else, they're GOING to sit on Laggia and nothing else and there's not much that Lava Golem is going to be able to do about it. Also keep in mind that Lava Golem can't even be Normal Summoned or Set on YOUR side of the field either, so if your opponent has only one monster and they choose to sit on it, you're pretty much left with an all around useless card

However, there IS another card for you to consider if your opponent decides to come to the party with one creature

If you look close, there's actually a chick on top of that Dragons head. Some dudes mom, I dunno
Either way, she seems pretty HOT

Volcanic Queen! Now while I can't go into much detail about the card since it does just about the exact same thing Lava Golem does, and shares some of the same downsides (can't be normal summon or set, can't normal/set during the turn you want to special or after you special it), there are upsides to it as well

1. This card only needs one monster to tribute in order for it to be special summoned. So even though Lava Golem is more devastating, Volcanic Queen is just as good at breaking apart locks and punishing CONTROL.
2. This card only has 2500 ATT/1200 DEF as opposed to the beefier Golem, and is therefore MUCH easier to run over if you don't have the removal, or simply don't want to use the removal, in order to clear it off the field afterwards
3. It's particular effect takes on two sides, burning for 1000 OR tributing a monster on your opponents side of the field. So if your opponent is put into a situation where taking 1000 life points might actually put them in danger of losing the game, they are basically forced to tribute another monster they control, playing heavily into the Mind Games™ aspect of Yu-Gi-Oh

So now that we know pretty much everything there is to know about these two cards, let's review these gems shall we?

 PROS

• Two of the strongest monster removal cards in the game. Nearly uncounterable in terms of what your opponent can do to stop it (only things that pop to mind in the time of writing this are things like Gozen, Rivalry, and Mask of Weakness and that's more or less preventing it than anything else), and can get rid of nearly impossible to deal with monsters like Shooting Quasar, Red Nova, Axon Kicker, Hazy-Flame Basiltrice, Watt Hoppers(they both shatter the entire lock in fact) Herald of Perfection and even something as durable as Vennominaga!
• Completely unpredictable, almost on the same level of hand traps, and because of the nature of the card, can COMPLETELY throw your opponent off his entire game. While there are ways to actually play around things like Maxx "C" and Veilers, believe it or not, there's a huge impact on the opponents psyche when they get a fat poop stain on their field that burns them every turn. Speaking of which...



Life points are getting pretty low
there partner. Be a shame if my green guns
did something tragic to 'em

• BURN DAMAGE. It might not seem like much, but chunks of 1000 lifepoints every turn can add up if your opponent isn't too wary. There's more than enough ways to kill your opponent should they ever happen to fall under 2000, and Queen and Golem exacerbate that fact greatly
• Game mechanics can actually cause certain problem cards like The Shining and Lightpulsar to miss timing (it can even cause cards like Shooting Quasar to miss timing!) making already strong pieces of monster removal even better in terms of what they are truly capable of.

CONS

• Both cards prevent you from normal summoning or setting during the turn you use/want to use them, limiting their usage. Like I've explained previously, there might not be much point in breaking a solid, CONTROL defense if you can't even set up your own afterwards
• Even though they can be clunky and burn your opponents life points every turn, they are still both 3k/2.5k attack monsters that might end up benefiting your opponent should you not have a way to deal with them immediately,and the burn might not always be a good thing. I've seen people win games sackier ways. Hell, Volcanic Queen can even be used by your opponent to hit YOUR life points should they ever get wise, so be wary.
• VERY stunted in their overall use. While they are more than terrific at breaking apart CONTROL locks, they really don't have much use outside of that. Yes, I've explained multiple times in the article that they can also be used to clear the field of big monsters or other problem monsters in general, but you have to remember that there are other cards that can do nearly the same thing, but NOT at the cost of your Normal/Set for that turn. You have to be realistic with certain cards, and lets be real, there aren't that many situations where you're going to use Golem or Queen JUST to win more.
• Can't hit everything. While it's true that they break apart most locks, they still can't deal with cards like Kristya, Fossil Dyna, and just about anything else that prevents special summons. Remember, they're both SPECIAL SUMMONED to your opponents side of the field, and everything and anything that prevents special summons makes those cards dead in the water, since they can't be normal summoned to your side of the field as general beaters. It's a sad truth, but it's still a truth

Don't forget about Synchros and Boss monsters gu...
Oh wait

All of that aside, I truly believe that Lava Golem and Volcanic Queen will have their place in the upcoming metagame. Even with the newest Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy set coming out in Japan, they still have more than a couple uses in getting rid of problem creatures like Leadblow, Phantom Beastcraft Drago-Sack, and Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon. And while it's true that they might not have that many uses outside of breaking locks, they are still DAMN good at doing their job and offer the strongest ways to break past annoying monsters. If your deck can actually afford to not worry about normal summoning, I couldn't possibly think of  better cards to use in the side deck for you. Remember, nothing says you can't special summon for that turn

(I can already think of several decks that could abuse Queen and Golem)

So while CONTROL and the tactics that follow suit will always be a part of the game, don't let that fact sour your experience. No matter what might be thrown at you, if you look at the cards, you'll ALWAYS have a chance to make a comeback!

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Problem-Creating Card Text

Most of you know what this is about.

http://www.konami.com/yugioh/articles/?p=2962

• For any card that targets, if the effect text (after the semicolon) still refers to a ‘target’, you have to double-check that any targeting requirements are still met.
• Otherwise, if the card refers to the target using any other word (like ‘it’) in the effect text, the targeting requirements only had to be met when the target was originally targeted.

Monster Reborn [Spell Card]

Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.

Special Summon it

There is no implication here. Everything is explicit, in words straight from Kevin Tewart himself. "It" means that Monster Reborn's target does not need to remain a valid target when Monster Reborn resolves. Monster Reborn's new text says that Monster Reborn's target no longer needs to stay a monster in the Graveyard to be Special Summoned when Monster Reborn resolves. As illogical as it sounds improving one of the most powerful cards in Yugioh, other cards have seen significant change before this.

There is no "but that's how it always was" in Yugioh. Cards can have ruling changes. This is most noticeable when TCG cards land in the OCG; XX-Saber Darksoul and Inzektor Hopper being examples which were prominent enough to affect the meta. This doesn't just happen when the OCG gets a card and decides how it actually should work, though; for about a week, TCG Leviathan Dragon didn't lose its ATK gain if its effect was negated after the original activation. Beyond that, cards can have very large mechanics changed. Necrovalley has had three or four such changes, and Armory Arm is another very good example.

Necrovalley is a mess of a card that I won't go into too much detail over but, based on old card text, at different points in time TCG Necrovalley negated Treeborn Frog's Special Summon and Tragoedia's level-changing effect. Obviously, the current card text does none of that. Necrovalley's previous card texts can be found here on Wikia:

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Card_Errata:Necrovalley

Armory Arm
4/LIGHT/Machine/Synchro/Effect/1800/1200
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn, you can either: Target 1 monster on the field; equip this card to that target, OR: Unequip this card and Special Summon it in face-up Attack Position. While equipped by this effect, that target gains 1000 ATK. When that target destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster in the Graveyard.

Aside from being changed from old text to PSCT, Armory Arm had a very important change in this line: "Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster in the Graveyard." Previously, Armory Arm said this: "inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK."

In case the difference and what it means aren't so obvious, the old Armory Arm did not need the destroyed monster to stay in the graveyard while the new Armory Arm does. The ruling was official in the OCG and the TCG, and then it changed to what it is now. Look up the Armory Arm OTK if you're interested.

So, things change. What does this mean for the meta? After you're done considering the few relevant cards which disrupt Monster Reborn without negating it, consider this: Monster Reborn isn't actually changing. But look at all these other cards that did change! Kevin Tewart himself explained how the new problem-solving card text works! If only Yugioh was that simple.

Monster Reborn can't follow its target out of the graveyard because of a rule which is applied frequently, and which a lot of players actually understand. Here are a few examples: A single Infernity Necromancer can use its once-per-turn effect, leave the field, then return and use its effect again. Why? Even though it's the same physical card, the game state treats it as a separate instance of Infernity Necromancer.

This second example is going to be a little closer to what we're after: Destiny HERO Dasher activates its in-grave effect. If Dasher is Special Summoned back to the field then sent to the graveyard a second time, it will be able to activate its effect again. Why? Because Dasher is treated as a separate instance of itself when it leaves the graveyard.

Applying that logic, what happens when Monster Reborn's target leaves the grave before Monster Reborn resolves? That card becomes a separate instance of itself, and Monster Reborn doesn't know what happened. Konami wants Yugioh to be a game that anyone can pick up and know how to play immediately. Problem-solving card was was announced as a "pillar" supporting this ideal but it has already seen major changes, and will probably see more.

That might be another post. Don't get lost in Yugioh's ridiculous maze of rulings, DNG

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Toy Story 4: The Future of Wind-Ups

1. 
   

     If you’d ask me, this has probably one of the most overall balanced formats that the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has had in a long time. There are only a handful of clearly defined “Tier One” decks, and each one has some very specific weaknesses that the rest of the meta can prey upon. To be quite honest, I don’t think we’ll see a single banned card on the March 2013 Forbidden/Limited list, we’re at that peaceful of a point in the game.

     However… if you’d ask any opponent on the other end of my table at locals this entire format, we’ve had a problem deck that is almost irrefutably “broken” and needs to be hit. I’d disdainfully have to agree. As much as I love my Wind-Ups, it needs to be understood that such a powerful deck won’t be left unchecked, and limitations for the deck are almost guaranteed for this banlist. But as many of you will remember, these were the same words that players spoke in August of 2012, shortly before the Limitation of Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity to One per deck. Wind-Ups have had their factory broken into, but as we’ve done before, we can rebuild. And build them better at that.

     I could go on and on about the existing Wind-Up combos, but what I’d like to focus on in today’s article are several different scenarios. The problem with trying to limit Wind-Ups is that each card is a different piece of the puzzle. There isn’t anything inherently broken about Wind-Up Magician and Wind-Up Shark, but together they make arguably one of the most versatile two-card combos in the game, you can “Wind Up” with multiple Xyz monsters of various Ranks just by having them. The same can be said for Wind-Up Factory and Wind-Up Rabbit, the list goes on and on. But anyways, let’s not toy around, I’ll cover these scenarios one by one.

     The first scenario for Post March-2013 Wind-Ups is one that I’m sure we’ve all heard (or in most cases, said) is the Limitation of Wind-Up Magician. No doubt it would hurt the deck, after all, the most popular OTKs involve utilizing two of them throughout various stages of the combos. But what needs to be understood is that Limiting Wind-Up Magician is barely a kink in the Wind-Up Key, so to say.

     Magician’s primary function is a combo piece for the deck, you don’t just summon one on the first turn, ask for a response, and then pass. Magician’s utility is determined by the Wind-Ups that can assist her, including fellow Magicians. What we’d be seeing in a “Magician to One” format is simply alternative ways to use Magician. Magician and Shark without other Magicians can still net you a Shock Master, Zenmaity and supporting Xyz monsters, and many more possible outcomes. A two-card OTK becoming a three-card OTK isn’t as big a deal as it sounds, especially when you can tutor out all of your combo pieces with ease. Magician and Shark combo, but Magician and two Shark can make use of a recurring Magician. For example:

     Summon Magician, reveal Shark, bring out Rat, make Papilloperative detatching Magician for Rat, bring back Magician with Rat. Reveal Second Shark, bring out Rat, banish that Magician and have Rat and Rabbit form a Leviair. Levi grabs Magician, Shark turns level three and brings out a level three Wind-Up with Magician, make Zenmaity who will give you Shark to make Abyss Dweller with Magician. 1500+1700+1800+2100+1000 from Abyss Dweller is a nice 8100 on the board. And keep in mind that’s just when you’re going for a kill, Magician and Shark can still make whatever you need from the extra deck with Magician Limited.

     Now let’s discuss the other likely course of action, a Limited Wind-Up Shark. Shark is the fuel that keeps the Wind-Up Keys turning, but even Limited, he just needs a little help from his friends. I’d like to remind everyone that despite how Rat/Rabbit/Magician/Shark/Factories has been the traditional Wind-Up engine, they have many other members of their archetype available. And unlike some archetypes that I won’t mention (cough, Inzektors, cough), the “non-meta” Wind-Up cards pack a ferocious punch. Take Wind-Up Warrior for instance. Level Four, and can raise the level of any Wind-Up on the field by One. That’s any Wind-Up. He can make a Rank Four when brought out by Rat and can be a valuable asset alongside Shark for Rank Four and Five plays.

     Wind-Up Rat, bring back Wind-Up Magician, reveal your One Wind-Up Shark, bring out Wind-Up Warrior. Zenmaity and a Shock Master, Zenmaity and a Rank Five, Two Rank Four Monsters… Shark is never truly alone when used properly.

     I’d like to go into one last scenario, and after seeing the previous banlist, it’s what I believe to be the most likely outcome. Multiple Wind-Up hits. A Wind-Up Factory Limitation and a Shark Semi-Limitation could easily happen, and what this results in is hurt consistency. But rather than looking at it like that, I see it as more room for other options. I’ve been advocating for Wind-Up Warrior as an upcoming star for the deck next format, yet in a current build, I could barely find the room to include one. More open space also means room for new elements in the deck. Wind-Ups weren’t always as trap heavy as they are now back when Zenmaity was unlimited. Players nowadays who don’t have room for cards in their Wind-Up deck such as Pot of Duality, Compulsory Evacuation Device, or Thunder King Rai-Oh now have room to try out alternative playing styles. A blanket hit on the deck like I described in this section wouldn’t mean the end of the deck, but rather, a new beginning.

     What will happen to the deck? None of us know for certain, but all I can say is that nothing short of banning Magician, Shark, Rat, Rabbit and Factory all together would kill it (I shouldn’t have said that out loud, you never know with Konami). Again, if you ask me personally, just Ban Zenmaity himself, he’s unfortunately been behind all of the decks OTKs, loops, and so on, but I doubt that’ll ever happen. Wind-Ups have historically shown that even after losing key cards, the deck can continue to function, and the players will come up with new strategies. Until the day the banlist is announced, none of us will truly know how to play the new deck, but until then, one should always be prepared, and of course, unwound.

- thecheese103

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Windrose the Elemental Lord

LTGY-JP0(??) 
Windrose, the Wind Spirit God 「風霊神ウィンドローズ」
WIND/Bird - Effect/8/2800/2200
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except when you there are exactly 5 WIND Monster in your Graveyard. When this card is successfully Special Summoned, destroy all Magic and Trap Card your opponent controls. The effect of "Windrose, the Wind Spirit God" can only be used once per turn. If this card is removed from the field, skip your next turn's Battle Phase. Read more...

You don't even have to draw them! ™

Before we begin, I just want to get two things out of the way:

-We are NOT going to insult your intelligence by giving you builds that are untested or “undertested”. You don’t deserve it and we don’t have the nerve to do it to you; some YGO columnists will but we won’t. I’ve played over three-hundred RATED matches with this archetype in DN’s 1400+ metagame, so I can safely say I know what I’m doing. At Yugibro, we won’t write about it if we don’t know about it. It’s as simple as that.

- We here actually understand that every player has their own accustomed style. We’re not telling you to copy us card for card; we’re giving you some ideas to build from. Take what you want to from what we give you, that’s how we do things around here. We’re not going to write pretentious crap about how you need to up your “mind games” or become a zen “draw master”. We aren’t going to tell you to take a shower before regionals, or how the latest steaming pile of dung will become tomorrow’s metagame (Quite a few self-proclaimed deckbuilders going around hyping Haze Beasts lately). We’re writing articles about YGO, for YGO players. That’s all there is to it.

I’ve been very reserved for the past couple of weeks ever since Chicken was released in the OCG. Even though I have tested the deck to what feels like perfection, I felt as though I should wait and see what the OCG Overlords do with Chicken and Wolfberk. The result was not pretty. Granted, my first level 3 build looked similar to what is commonly played in the OCG as of today, but over time with some solid advice and proper testing I gained a pretty good understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

Now as I said earlier, I’m not writing this so you can copy my build card for card. In fact, I’m saying quite the opposite. You should play what you feel MIGHT work, but also be aware that certain things shouldn’t be touched (3 Chicken and 3 Spirit are staples in level3 fists! Snake is a waste of space! Don’t mess with what works!).

                                      CORE PLAYSTYLE
 

(If you are already familiar with this deck please don’t bother reading this section, it’s not required to read at all. This is for those who are unfamiliar with the deck, or are still skeptical about it.)

Alright now this is something I’ve been meaning to address for a long, long time. I’ve been playing this archetype since November of last year and it was pretty clear what the core playstyle was. However, as more cards were released (ie Chicken and Wolfberk), the dynamics of the deck changed overnight. Now there really is no definite playstyle, as the options just radically opened up for the level 3 build.

If I had to REALLY narrow it down for you though, it would be to build advantage with Chicken while hitting the opponent’s sources of card advantage with Bear, Monkey, Beastgod and Cardinal. Or alternatively, if you have knowledge of what your opponent is playing, just flat out put them in soft-lock by dropping Swallow on the board. Cards like Kongo, Tenken, and Tensen can be classified as deterministic cards, because if you set them directly from the deck your opponent obviously knows what is coming. The point of those cards is to limit the options your opponent has. Setting Tensen from the deck will prevent any attempt to gain advantage from battle (Even if they use a card like Forbidden Lance, it will not matter as much. Consider them using Lance and as solid minus, especially if you are trying to setup your grave for Spirit.), Tenken will prevent any effects MP1 that will put you in a compromising position (Dark Hole, BLS effect, etc.), and Kongo will almost always shine if your opponent merely sets a single card. If their memory fails them, you can always take advantage with these cards. This is a great deck for those that like to aggressively control the game without too much setup.

My build which I have affectionately dubbed: "Horsecock Turbo" (Rekindling version is jokingly called OMEGA, because Rekindling is a 1 card OTK! Once you see that card, it's the end for you!)

The combo with nothing on the field is Spirit into Leopard/Chicken into Sirius into Rekindling into Horse into Chicken or Leopard depending on what was summoned via Spirit into Bear or Monkey then use Leopard or Chicken to get Tensu on the board.

2400+2200+1500+1600+400= 8100 dmg and this is only with one dance spell active and absolutely nothing on the field before Spirit into Sirius

                     

                                              "Tech"

Hawk should be considered a staple at 1 in the Chicken build, but because many still doubt this card even with easy access to Horse, I’ll have to explain why.

2800 Horse MINIMUM, which will get you over anything the meta can throw at you within reason granted you cannot destroy the target via Bear.

Gets his effect under Macro Cosmos

Puts on average 1k-2k extra damage on the board, which is enough to OTK with an extra Fire Fist or give you enough damage to swing for a win.

Swallow is decent sideboard material. Putting him on the board is easier than people think. Simply search for him with Chicken, and if you don’t have Spirit in hand just synch for Horse into Raven to tribute summon Swallow. On summon he will net you a +2 granted you tribute Raven (the entire combo is a +4). His continuous effect will push your opponent into a soft-lock, and in some matchups this card is a win condition (To name a few: HEROs, Merlanteans, Inzektors, Verz Rabbit). Keep in mind this card also alleviates the problems this deck has with Effect Veiler and Forbidden Lance. The fact that this card is level 5 puts a lot of people off, but honestly…why would you want to get rid of this card? This is a 2-3k beater with a hexproof effect, you don’t want this removed from the field.

For those that aren't aware:

Prerequisite- Tensu or Fire Formation on the field, Chicken in grave, Spirit in hand

Now…Spirit into Chicken, Chicken into Swallow, Chicken into Tensu if you don’t already have it out, Horse into Raven, Raven into Swallow, both effects will trigger and pull a Tenki(Of course all tutors are situational…you may want a Kongo!) along with whatever protection you may need; a very easy play with a very easy +4. Congrats, you are now hexproof!

Fire Formation - Kongo

Wikia’s effect: When this card is activated: Target 1 face-down Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls; it cannot be activated while this card is face-up on the field. Your opponent cannot activate the targeted card in response to this card's activation. All Beast-Warrior-Type monsters you control gain 100 ATK.

Not a lot of players are talking about this. That’s disappointing, because I absolutely LOVE this card. Depending on your opponent’s field, you might want to switch out a dead Tenki for this using Chicken, or summon Panther through Horse to bring this out. It is absolutely killer in lategame, and if used in conjunction with Monkey or MST you can really do some serious damage to your opponent. The best part, I mean the absolute BEST part about this card is that you can prevent Gorz when you opponent tries to bluff it or bring it out by setting Compulse or DP. A large percentage of DN’s playerbase are unaware that gamestate is open when you set a card, so you might get away with a few things here and there if your opponent isn’t that knowledgeable. What I mean by this, is when you use Chicken to set Kongo from the deck they have a window of opportunity. If they pass it up, then you’re free to do some damage. I can’t begin to count how many times someone has passed up the chance to activate Threatening Roar when I set this card from the deck. Hopefully those of you unfortunate enough to see this on the board can respond accordingly now.

Run this at 1, just because you can search it out. If it had the words “When this card is activated: You can…” I would run 2. The reason being, you can use it in conjunction with Chicken 1^st turn to set you up for Spirit. Unfortunately the effect is mandatory so you have to use it when your opponent has a card set in the s/t zone.

                                            Matchups

I’ll save you guys some time and list the best and the worst from what is currently relevant, rather than giving you the full blown rundown.

Best:

HEROs –Swallow can be considered a wincon here. Very easy to outadvantage HEROs, Tenken and Kongo can throw the HERO player out of rhythm. Anything they have maindecked can be run over by any of the beaters under the influence of Tensen.

Chaos – Bear hits their sources of card advantage. Their opening play, set 1 go, is easily answered with Bear. Tensen/Hawk makes Horse large enough to not be run over by their big monsters and Swallow shuts the Chaos player down ENTIRELY.

Prophecy – Unfortunately for Prophecy, the game is played on the field not in the hand. Any defense they may have such as Trag, easily answered with Bear. Monkey can hit sources of card advantage such as Tower, and Prophecy have a natural weakness to OTK decks since they cannot commit to the field on turn 1 or most likely run little protection. Once you go hexproof with Swallow, there isn’t much the Prophecy player can do.

Merlantean- Once again, Tenken shines in this matchup. It will throw the Merlantean player out of rhythm, and doubles as being bait for Marksman. Monkey will cause Abysspike to miss timing if summoned by Abysslinde, and Bear once again will hit whatever they commit to the field. Once you go hexproof, the Merlantean player can only run over Swallow or blow up the field with Blackrose. Luckily, Tensen and Tenken shine in both situations respectively.

Verz Rabbit- Bear, Swallow, and card advantage. All I have to say. We have access to Rivalry in the sideboard, the stun created by Ophion is laughable at best, and 1950 is the least of our worries. If you are in endgame and you have Spirit in hand with Chicken in the grave, you’ve already won.

Worst:

Chain Burn- This duel is like watching a dog bleed to death. Just use standard Chain Burn tactics, and game 2 try to get Rivalry up to prevent Lava Golem.

Anything that makes use of Skill Drain- Unlike Macro Cosmos which can be easily countersided against with IIW, my only sideboard to make use of this matchup is Malevolent Catastrophe. So I pretty much have to wait until I draw into MST, Heavy, or Malevolent to counter this card.

                                             Sideboard

Chain Disappearance is making a comeback. Expect this card to see a lot of play in the LTGY meta. It hits many common matchups like Prophecy (though don’t bother using this vs Prophecy, there is a better side I will explain later), Six Samurai and even the mirror match! Expect this card to be used against you when you are playing against a deck that cannot afford to use Skill Drain or Macro Cosmos. It also hits rogue matchups like Dragunity, Karakuri, so on and so forth. With so many decks relying on graveyard setup, this is shaping up to be great sideboard material.

I know what you’re thinking. “Oh but Neo, Fire Fist relies on backrow! This card is suicide!” Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t. The level 3 build, now more than ever, can give you formation production from absolutely NOTHING. Panther, like Chicken, has once again changed the dynamics of the deck. Before you had to summon Raven/Hawk via Horse and crash into a monster to get some formation production, now it’s easier than ever. The net loss from this card is negligible; just remind yourself that with this deck…every loss for your opponent is an even greater gain for you. There are some pretty neat combos with Bear/Gorilla and Tensen with this card as well, granted you would have to activate Tensen in response to the attack. The faster you push into endgame with this deck, the easier it is to out-advantage your opponent and dismantle whatever hope he may have left.  Always remember this.

I have never met a backrow I agreed with. I absolutely hate crashing into backrow. Any backrow heavy deck such as Gravekeepers, HEROs, even Wind-Ups and Dino/Verz Rabbit to an extent will hate this card. I’ve used it in hundreds of duels, and it has a lasting effect once it is used. I know I said I wouldn’t give you any “mindgames” malarkey, but this card can actually give you a legitimate psychological advantage. Once they see it, they will try and play around it. Whether it be setting less, or simply not attacking into it. This can work to your advantage, as mentioned earlier you can easily dismantle a “set 2 go” with MST/Gorilla and Kongo. I usually side this in if I am playing a backrow heavy deck and the rest of my sideboard cannot hit it OR when I go 2^nd in the next game vs a deck like Wind-Ups. Always take turn order into account when you side!

I love this card, I really do. This has worked so well in the mirror, vs Prophecy and Merlantean as well. As you guys already know, you can chain this to Priestess or Megalo’s effect. I use this in conjunction with Imperial Iron Wall when playing vs Prophecy. You can also pull off some pretty clutch defensive plays in late game if you need to!

This card is primarily used to counterside vs Macro Rabbit, and decks that can make use of Macro. It also doubles as protection vs DP/BTH, so it has some generic use as well. This card can stun the Prophecy player, but not to the point where he can do nothing.

Soul Drain and Rivalry are self-explanatory wincon cards; I don’t think I need to explain why they are in the sideboard at all. You guys are good enough to know. Gemini Imps is just preference; I prefer to have them in there because Dragged Down to the Grave gets me salty.

My Dueling Network username is Neodasus

If you want to see the deck in action, I usually duel from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM PST. Spec me as I try to make it to the #1 spot for matches! Maybe I’ll try to get a deep YCS run after the next set, we’ll see!

Alright guys, I hope I've been of some help to you. Maybe you changed your mind about something, or maybe you learned something new? Either way, thanks for reading.

Believe in the will2skill, and flame on!

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