Monday, September 24, 2012

YCS Indianapolis 2012 Top 16 Decklists (So far)

Not gonna make too much comment on the results of this YCS; after reading the final outcome on DGz during the drive back from Seattle, it was a very "face-palm"-y car ride to say the least. I remember shaking my head several times thinking about what I can expect at subsequent locals.

Anyways, decklists. I decided I'd dip down to top 16 this time. More will be posted as found.

Status: 12/16

1st Place
Junior Dorcins (Six Sam)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPTmYyH8WPs

Monsters: 15
1 Grandmaster
3 Kizan
1 Enishi
1 Zanji
2 Kageki
1 Irou
3 Kagemusha
1 Elder
2 Maxx C

Spells: 13
1 Gateway
3 United
3 Asceticism
2 Smoke Signal
1 Rota
1 Heavy
1 Reborn
1 MST

Traps: 12
2 Warning
1 Judgment
2 Magatama
2 Compulse
2 Bottomless
2 DPrison
1 Double Edge Sword Technique

Extra:
1 Chimeratech
1 Shi En
1 Catastor
1 Beast
1 Barkion
1 Mist Wurm
1 Decisive Armor
1 Excalibur
1 Shadow of Six Samurai
1 Utopia
1 Blade Armor
1 Shock Master
1 Zenmaines
1 Temtempo
1 Adreus

Side:
3 Rivalry
3 Puppet Plant
2 DFissure
1 Kamon
2 Cydra
2 Shadow Mirror
1 MST
1 Veiler

------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Place
Kris Valters (Wind-Up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiqPuY7fv6E

Monsters: 19
2 Tour Guide
1 Sangan
2 Snowman
3 Rabbit
3 Rat
3 Shark
3 Magician
2 TKing

Spells: 9
1 Avarice
1 Reborn
1 Hole
1 Heavy
2 MST
3 Factory

Traps: 13
2 Mirror Force
2 Compulse
2 DPrison
2 Warning
1 Judgment
2 Bottomless
2 Torrential

Extra:
1 Chimeratech
1 Shock Master
1 Papilloperative
2 Zenmaines
1 Giga-Brilliant
1 Leviathan
1 Zenmaity
1 Leviair
1 Utopia
1 Adreus
1 Tiras
1 Zenmaister
1 Maestroke
1 Temtempo

Side:
2 Needle Ceiling
1 MST
2 Messenger
2 Soul taker
2 Cydra
2 Decree
2 DFissure
2 Nobleman of Crossout

------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Place
Robbie Kohl (Machina Gadget)
http://articles.alterealitygames.com/?p=15664

Monsters: 19
2 Red Gadget
2 Yellow Gadget
2 Green Gadget
2 Maxx C
3 Machina Gearframe
3 Machina Fortress
1 Machina Cannon
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
2 Tragoedia
1 Grandsoil the Elemental Lord

Spells: 9
1 Dark Hole
1 Heavy Storm
1 Monster Reborn
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Pot of Avarice
2 Pot of Duality

Traps: 13
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device
2 Dimensional Prison
2 Fiendish Chain
1 Solemn Judgment
2 Solemn Warning
2 Torrential Tribute

Extra:
1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
1 Evigishki Merrowgeist
1 Fairy King Alverdich
2 Gear Gigant X
1 Gem-Knight Pearl
2 Maestroke the Symphony Djinn
1 Number 11: Big Eye
1 Number 16: Shock Master
2 Number 39: Utopia
1 Number C39: Utopia Ray
1 Photon Papillopertive
1 Steelswarm Roach

Side:
2 Cyber Dragon
2 Kinetic Soldier
1 Snowman Eater
2 Thunder King Rai-Oh
2 Soul Taker
2 Gozen Match
2 Macro Cosmos
1 Mirror Force
1 Dust Tornado

------------------------------------------------------------
4th Place
Parker Roberson (Hieratic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5zf66OMcjc

Monsters: 26
3 Cardcar D
1 REDMD
3 Su
3 Tefnuit
3 Nebthet
3 Eset
1 Wattail
1 Luster Dragon
1 Gorz
2 Trago
3 Birdman
2 Maxx C

Spells: 13
2 Duality
2 Convocation
1 Heavy
1 Hole
1 Reborn
3 MST
3 Lance

Traps: 2
2 Compulse

Extra:
1 Zenmaioh
1 Adreus
1 Exa-Beetle
3 Atum
3 Gaia Dragon
2 Bounzer
1 Force Focus
1 Stardust
1 Scrap
1 Blood Mefist

Side:
1 Cydra
3 Gemini Imps
1 Maxx C
1 Nobleman of Crossout
3 Smashing Ground
2 Night Beam
1 Dust Tornado
3 Decree

------------------------------------------------------------
Top 8
Billy Brake (Inzektor)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkVJaOtEk0s

Monsters: 19
1 Hornet
1 Dragonfly
3 Centipede
1 Giga-Mantis
3 Ladybug
2 Veiler
2 Maxx C
2 Mystic Tomato
1 DAD
1 Sangan
2 Trooper

Spells: 13
2 Zektcalibur
3 MST
2 Duality
1 Reborn
1 Heavy
1 Book
1 Foolish
1 Hole
1 Lance

Traps: 8
2 Bottomless
3 Call
2 Warning
1 Judgment

Extra:
1 Gachi
2 Leviair
1 Leviathan
2 Zenmaines
1 Giga-Brilliant
1 Temtempo
1 Acid Golem
1 Utopia
1 Tiras
1 Crimson Shadow Ninja
1 Bounzer
1 Exa-Beetle
1 Gaia Dragon

Side:
1 Veiler
3 DFissure
2 Level Limit
3 Messenger of Peace
3 Gozen Match
2 Decree
1 Needle Ceiling

------------------------------------------------------------
Top 8
Steffon Bizzell (Chaos Dragon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJpuKlT-cCA

Monsters: 31
3 Lightpulsar
3 Darkflare
1 REDMD
1 DAD
1 Eclipse Wyvern
3 Ryko
3 Lyla
2 Trooper
1 BLS
1 Sorcerer
2 Guide
1 Night Assailant
1 Sangan
1 Gorz
2 Trago
2 Maxx C
2 Veiler
1 Dimensional Alchemist

Spells: 10
3 Recharge
2 MST
1 Hole
1 Reborn
1 Heavy
1 Allure
1 Charge

Traps: 0

Extra:
1 Leviair
1 Leviathan
1 Acid Golem
1 Temtempo
1 Zenmaines
1 Giga-Brilliant
1 Queen Dragon Djinn
1 Maetroke
1 Adreus
1 Zenmaioh
1 Bounzer
1 Exa-Beetle
1 Gaia Dragon
1 Black Rose
1 Scrap

Side:
3 Gemini Imps
1 Maxx C
2 TKing
1 MST
2 Prohibiton
2 Soul Taker
2 Compulse
2 Decree

------------------------------------------------------------
Top 8
Anthony Eckroth (Wind-Up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIrxtlSvitk

Monsters: 20
2 Maxx C
2 Tour Guide
3 Shark
3 Rat
3 Rabbit
3 Magician
1 Hunter
1 Sangan
1 TKing
1 Trago

Spells: 13
3 Factory
3 MST
1 My Body
1 Avarice
1 Hole
1 Book
1 Reborn
1 Heavy
1 Mind

Traps: 9
2 Torr
2 Bottomless
2 DPrison
2 Warning
1 Judgment

Extra:
1 Zenmaity
1 Zenmaines
1 Zenmaioh
1 Shock Master
1 Adreus
1 Giga-Brilliant
1 Papilloperative
1 Temtempo
1 Leviathan
1 Utopia
1 Maestroke
1 Tiras
1 Acid Golem
1 Leviair
1 Chimeratech

Side:
2 Cydra
1 Trago
1 Veiler
1 TKing
2 Snowman
2 DFissure
2 Messenger
2 Decree
2 Needle Ceiling

------------------------------------------------------------ 
Top 16
Chris Lofton (Bubble Beat)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bga_3R4IQY

Monsters: 12
1 Stratos
3 Alius
2 Bubbleman
3 Thunder King
1 Honest
2 Maxx C

Spells: 16
3 Miracle Fusion
2 E Emergency Call
2 Gemini Spark
2 Duality
2 MST
1 Book
1 Reborn
1 Hole
1 Heavy
1 Super Poly

Traps: 13
2 Warning
2 Bottomless
3 DPrison
2 Compulse
1 Hero Blast
1 Starlight Road
1 Judgment
1 Torrential

Extra:
2 Shining
1 Gaia
1 Nova Master
1 Absolute Zero
1 Escuridao
1 Great Tornado
1 Chimeratech
1 Stardust
1 Excalibur
1 Blade Armor
1 Utopia
1 Papilloperative
1 Maestroke
1 Roach

Side:
2 Shadow Mirror
2 Skill Drain
2 Decree
2 Rivalry
2 Nobleman of Crossout
1 MST
1 System Down
2 Cydra
1 Snowman Eater

------------------------------------------------------------
Top 16
Joseph Presnell (Wind-Up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze1duomGTxs

Monsters: 19
3 Shark
3 Rabbit
3 Rat
3 Magician
2 Maxx C
1 Sangan
2 Guide
1 Snowman
1 TKing

Spells: 12
3 Factory
3 MST
1 Mind
1 Book
1 Avarice
1 Heavy
1 Hole
1 Reborn

Traps: 10
3 DPrison
2 Torrential
2 Bottomless
2 Warning
1 Judgment

Extra:
1 Tiras
1 Adreus
1 Zenmaioh
1 Papilloperative
1 Maestroke
1 Zenmaister
1 Shock Master
1 Giga Brilliant
1 Temtempo
1 Leviathan
1 Leviair
1 Acid Golem
2 Zenmaines
1 Zenmaity

Side:
1 Snowman
1 Hunter
1 Maxx C
2 System Down
2 DFissure
1 Soul Taker
3 Messenger of Peace
1 Dust Tornado
2 Decree
1 Compulse

------------------------------------------------------------
Top 16
Nathan Steadman (Machina Geargia)
http://duelistgroundz.com/index.php?showtopic=147022

Monsters: 21
2 Veiler
3 Geargiaccelerator
1 Geargiano Mk2
3 Geargiarmor
3 Geargiarsenal
2 Birdman
1 Machina Cannon
3 Machina Fortress
3 Machina Gearframe

Spells: 9
1 Hole
1 Heavy
1 Reborn
3 MST
1 Avarice
2 Duality

Traps: 10
2 Bottomless
1 Compulse
2 DPrison
1 Judgment
2 Warning
2 Torrential

Extra:
1 Chimeratech
1 Ancient Fairy
1 Black Rose
1 Burei
1 Scrap Archfiend
1 Scrap Dragon
2 Gear Gigant X
1 Leviair
1 Maestroke
1 Big Eye
1 Acid Golem
1 Utopia
1 Papilloperative
1 Zenmaines

Side:
2 Cydra
2 Gemini Imps
1 Kinetic
2 Maxx C
2 Soul Taker
2 Mirror Force
2 Decree
2 Shadow Mirror

------------------------------------------------------------
Top 16
David Miles Jr (Wind-Up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq-Fy8Y0puY

Monsters: 18
1 Sangan
2 Tour Guide
3 Magician
2 Maxx C
1 Snowman
3 Rat
3 Shark
3 Rabbit

Spells: 10
1 Reborn
1 Heavy
1 Hole
1 Avarice
1 Mind
2 Factory
3 MST

Traps: 13
2 Warning
1 Judgment
2 Torr
2 Compulse
2 Dprison
2 Bottomless
2 Trap Stun

Extra:
1 Temtempo
1 Leviair
1 Zenmaity
1 Giga-Brilliant
1 Shock Master
1 Adreus
1 Zenmaines
1 Acid Golem
1 Zenmaister
1 Leviathan
2 Papilloperative
1 Utopia
1 Maestroke
1 Tiras

Side:
2 Nobleman of Crossout
2 Soul Drain
2 DFissure
2 Level Limit
2 Soul Taker
1 Dust
1 Needle
2 Tking
1 Maxx C

------------------------------------------------------------
Top 16
Jeremy Gosnell (Chaos Dragon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_IxkIk7C7s

Monsters: 28
1 BLS
1 Sorcerer
1 DAD
3 Darkflare
3 Veiler
1 Gorz
1 GK Guard
3 GK Spy
3 Lightpulsar
3 Lyla
1 Night Assailant
1 REDMD
3 Ryko
1 Sangan
2 Tour Guide

Spells: 14
1 Allure
1 Charge
1 Hole
2 Gold Sarc
1 Heavy
1 Mind
1 Reborn
1 Avarice
2 Duality
3 Recharge

Traps: 0

Extra:
1 Adreus
1 Gaia Dragon
1 Exa-Beetle
1 Leviair
1 Maestroke
1 Shock Master
1 Leviathan
1 Acid Golem
1 Utopia
1 Papilloperative
1 Bounzer
1 Queen Dragon Djinn
1 Temtempo
1 Tiras
1 Zenmaines

Side:
2 Cydra
3 Gemini Imps
3 TKing
3 MST
3 Soul Taker
1 Chimeratech

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Off to Regionals (Seattle edition)

Not quite yet (leaving tomorrow but I won't be posting again til Sunday at the earliest), but I've been busy packing and getting things together for my group and me. The past week or so has also been hectic, trying to get in as many tourneys I can just for more practice with my deck. There are a lot of minor nuances in the main that I'm still not quite sure what's technically the best to go with, but I just have to go with the mindset of trying to minimize drawing into dead cards/hands as often as possible. As for my side, I think all I can go with is trying to tailor to what the popular decks may be, although knowing how many of which deck I play is virtually impossible. For example last format I played quite a few Inzektor mirror matches at the regional, while my teammates played like none lol.

After the regional I get to sell off what ever expensive cards I have, because this reprint stuff is gettin pretty cray!

Good luck to all participating in YCS Indy! I'll probably post typed-up decklists again as I find them. Also if you're going to straight-up Youtube the decklists I type up, please give the blog a shoutout :) I know I'm just getting the lists from like Underworld or mkohl40, but I do physically type them out myself and I did give credit where credit is due. I just ask for the same consideration.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

End of an Era; Start of Anew

No, this isn't a "I'm quitting YGO for Magic" post lol. On the contrary, I'm personally liking the format a lot - my only gripe is Gateway, and I can't talk about Wind-Ups because no one has "wind-up'd" me yet. I think the deck is just starting to get some recognition around here...yea, shows what our meta is like. Samurai makes up a reasonable chunk of our local meta, and like I've went on about before, any idiot can go Gateway derp-derp win. I find it intriguing that most of the Chaos Dragon players simply went to Samurai, from one sack deck to another.

What I'd like to talk about in this post is the death of competitive YGO for the Spokane area, and where we, both in terms of the team, and the area, go from here. The issue has been lingering I'd say ever since Link, Danny and I topped Seattle regionals a few months ago. We all knew the game was in an unhealthy state, people were getting Future Fusion'd and hand-looped left and right, every deck you made had to deal with the question "how would this do against Inzektors?" and "what can I do against Laggia + 3 backrow?" I didn't enjoy it, and after regionals, the game didn't seem to matter due to the unenjoyable-ness of the format and since the ban list was coming up anyway. I got more of a kick out of playing our fake-traditional format than anything else at the time, similar to how the rest of the YGO community seemed to be playing Goat Control. All of the rest of the team members didn't play as well, so this was the team's "downtime" and theoretically when people could come out of the woodwork to play in tournaments where we weren't around. I had told people that we were all taking a break but once the new format started up again we'd be back in full force. The Northtown tournaments seemed to be increasing in number week after week, hitting unprecedented levels (for our area), and I made it a mission that that tournament would be ours when we started up again.

When the new list came out, I was very excited and started researching what decks would be good. The transition was a little awkward where I went one direction and basically turned right around to start from the beginning, but the matches I played between the list-reveal to now have been mostly fun. Sure there are OTKs and some derpiness, but I've come to accept that that will always exist in this game.

Fast forward to last Sunday, which was supposed to be the box tournament at Gamer's Haven. I had been telling people that if people didn't show up by 12:30, I would go to Northtown (so I could at least play in a tourney) and furthermore be done with trying to coordinate box tourneys in general. In the back of my mind I knew that directly competing with Northtown's tourney wouldn't bode well, but I did not expect quite the sheer poor turnout that occurred. Basically it was just Danny and me, and people that we had agreed would be joining the team on this day anyway. The Yakima crew couldn't come for what ever reason, but a part of me was relieved because I wouldn't have wanted them to drive all this way for there to be like a 10-man tourney. None of the other team members came as well, between work and God knows what. So at this point, Danny announced that there would be no more box tourneys at the Haven, and we welcomed the new team members Junior, Schroeder, Roy, Vampire, and put Shiggs back on. We have always said, what's the point in having a team of players that never play; our presence had become minimal, motivation stagnant, and nothing was going on even in this brand new format. It was finally time to expand our horizons and take the team in a new direction to adapt to what our area had become.

On this day marked the end of competitive YGO for our area, in which the old mindset of "playing to be the best" was no longer. I posted this on the Facebook page for Gamer's Haven:

"This is the difference between the old generation and the new - back in the day if you wanted to get better, you had to grind it out for weeks/months to improve. Lord knows I've had my share of ass-whoopin's in this game. Rather than get frustrated and say "I can't win I'm just gonna quit", I put in more time and more effort to improving. I watched those that were better than me to see how they played or their plays in general. Nowadays people want things handed to them or just get the easy FuFu/Gateway/Card Destruction type of wins. Peoples' attitudes nowadays are "well there are too many good players at this tourney, let's go somewhere easier" instead of "hey there are a lot of good people here, maybe I can learn how to get better.""

People not showing up for the box tourney to instead go to the "little kid" local only cemented my thought process for me. I don't blame people for wanting to get that easier prize support, hell we all do, but what kind of satisfaction comes from that. Where does improvement occur, and how do you grow as a player? Those are the things that come to my mind, but perhaps it's true that this generation no longer cares about that kind of stuff. I know there are others that share my thinking and all, but that is my "in general" observation. Some people think "well I know I have no shot so what's the point of spending my $10", which blows my mind. So if people go to a YCS where Alistar, Billy, Jeff, Dale, Lazaro, and Frazier are all at, they should just be like "pfffft what the fuck's the point all these guys are here" ? No, I don't believe in that. That attitude does not get you anywhere, in several different aspects. I would love to get my ass kicked by Jeff Jones or any of those guys, because I know there are things I would learn about what I'm lacking and what they have. If I beat them, well hey I get bragging rights right? :) All kidding aside, that is how true improvement occurs: play against people better than you, take a piece of humble pie, and eat it. Don't just eat it, understand what you're eating and why. It doesn't happen by playing against little kid/random Timmy Johnson and stomping his ass week after week. This is my ideology, the old way of thinking. The competitive way of thinking. For our area, the death of competitive thinking. 

So what happens now, for the "old dog" in the "new playground". How does the new "pack" function and what does the new playground bring about? For this old dog, it means integration but keeping my way of thinking. I view every game as a final match and I know I have what it takes to beat you. If it's not my day and you win, well hey I guess it just wasn't my day. If my side was crap, I'll fix it. Like I've told people, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Have no issues takin' their prize support." I guess my worst habit is splitting for first more often than I should. I always have. As a married man on a leash, sometimes I really do just need to gtfo. While I am competitive, I am economical and logical moreso. I understand the sackiness of this game in which any random can get the literal nuts and win out, and some people construe that how they want, as fear or what have you. I don't fear anyone in this game and at this point I don't feel I have to prove anything. I just want my cut because economically I can do more by ensuring I get my share, rather than gambling it and losing out because my opponent opened Gateway/FuFu/insert other sack card here. 

As for the pack, the team; it is the time for change, acceptance, and adaptability. Having the 1992 Olympic Dream Team for a roster doesn't mean shit if no one on it plays. I can accept that Alan will still probably only get to get his "once a month" in and that's about it. I feel your pain lol. I can accept that people have girlfriends, jobs, and life stuff to deal with in general and sometimes YuGiOh just isn't a priority anymore. People move on to bigger and better things. I can also accept that we all don't need to be at the level of "the best" - the genuine passion and motivation to become better, and helping those around you is what should be admired. With the right state of mind, getting better is easy. I've witnessed it, and coached people to go from local random to regional topper. Those that are hungry, will eat. The hard part is finding those people with that state of mind. The team will always be composed of only those people - those with the right attitude, the drive to always become better, and play to the best of their ability. We are the hungry- those with the insatiable appetite to become better than we were the day before.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Post-Toronto Market Watch

Well it has been a crazy past few days on the card value front with the past YCS- I made my eBay purchasing decisions on Saturday after reading Konami's coverage and of course DGz's Toronto thread. Some of the notable price hikes include:

1. Grandsoil
At first I was skeptical about picking up copies of this after reading Jeff Jones was 6-2 with the deck. I remember him doing about the same at a previous YCS with Nordics, and although I was going to go ham on buying up Nordic stuff, I just decided to (thankfully) pass, for what ever reason. Since he didn't end up topping, Nordic prices didn't really go anywhere. I was hoping this wouldn't be a repeat performance but I took the gamble anyway. This time around, getting 2nd place with the deck is basically just as good as when he famously won with Quickdraw back in the day. Over night, Drill Warrior's price went from like $5 to $30+. I purchased two Grandsoil @ basically $13 (hopefully the sellers actually send them lol) and currently the cheapest Buy-It-Now's are $45. Completed's have show their range from like $37-45.
Future outlook: Well chances are that we don't have to worry about a reprint any time soon, however I'm not sure if he'll keep the high value he currently has since he's rather specific in decks he can be ran in. My recommendation would be to sell while he's so high. He's good but no Tour Guide in terms of splashability.

2. Shock Master
Personally I was valuing mine at around $25 for quite a while, and my copies basically sat in my binder ever since I got them. I traded one, sold one, and purchased one for like $15. With current Wind-Ups being able to make this guy with ease (and OTK to boot), he also has seen quite the boost in value. Cheapest Buy-It-Now is hovering around $70 and Completed's range from $43 to 93 lol.
Now I hate to sound preachy and don't want to seem like I'm talking down to people, but basically since the introduction of Shonen Jump promo cards (both magazine and subscription), it has always been worth it to subscribe. In the printed days, most of the times the magazine promos you got throughout the year paid for the subscription, and when you take into consideration the subscription-only promo, it's just plusses. REDMD and Hyper Librarian saw some really high values. Ever since Shonen Jump moved to digital, it was obvious that the days where you could just walk in to your grocery store and nab up the latest promo were long gone. This should've been a huge flag for people- track record has shown that subscription promos have always paid for themselves. Would it be completely unrealistic of Konami to release a tourney-worthy promo in a digital-only magazine? Absolutely not. If you are someone that seeks to make profit off this game, subscribing to SJ for $26 a year is one of the easiest things you can do. For that price you could've had 2 Shock Masters (this may have been a slip-up on their part though, or perhaps an intentional one), rather than trying to pick them up for what they are now. I personally pay for 2 subscriptions, myself and for my sister, but realistically I should sign up for more.
The thing about Shock Master, is if you had asked anyone 3 months ago if they thought he'd see much play in anything outside of Offering Gadgets, they probably would've said no, as I would've as well. Vampire used to like going into him so much last format with Wind-Ups and I thought he was crazy for doing so - guess he stumbled onto something before the vast majority!
Future outlook: Wind-Ups aren't going anywhere unless it gets hated out on to an extreme (I'm talking beyond Maxx C and Veiler). There are some murmurings that Shonen Alpha promos may be reprinted at a faster rate than what old Shonen promos were, but nothing has been confirmed to verify that yet. Due to the nature of the source, the amount of copies of this guy are very limited and will undoubtedly stay in high-demand. Again, it may be wise to sell while it's high though due to the phenomenon known as reprints. Wave 2.5 tin perhaps?

3. Gear Gigant X
This guy was touted as the "money card" of Return of the Duelist and guess what, it is. Right after the sneak copies were dipping down to around the $45 mark, but due to the overall successful debut of Geargia, cheapest Buy-It-Now is $75. Completed's range from $55-90.
Future outlook: I am fairly confident that Machines will continue to be popular in the early part of the format. The thing about Machines though is it is easy to hate out against them in the form of Cydra+Chimera, and System Down. However Gigant X helps the various Machine variants with card advantage so much that it's basically an archetype staple and anyone running Machines will want this guy. I expect him to relatively maintain its value until a reprint. I've picked up two copies for my teammates, it is probably too late for me to hop on this moneytrain.

4. Geargiarmor
Card advantage is an understatement when it comes to Geargiarmor. Being a Super rare, he can be seen as the "Hornet" of Geargia since I believe he's also the heart of the Geargia lineup. I purchased two sets at about $7.50 per copy, and now Completeds show them at anywhere between $10 and 15. Hoping they hit that Hornet peak range of $25-30 :)
Future outlook: Anyone with an intent of running a Geargia variant will need a full playset. Usually cards that fall into this category keep a good value, especially when it belongs to a competitive archetype. I'd personally be happy to sell them at $20 a copy if it's fortunate enough that they go up that high.

Those are the cards that I've either personally picked up or seen dramatically rise in value. Pick 'em up if you can!




Sunday, September 2, 2012

YCS Toronto 2012 Top 8 Decklists (So far)

First and foremost, congrats to Josh Graham for taking the first YCS of the format and cementing Wind-Up's status as still a tier 1 deck. This post will be dedicated to having typed-out decklists of the top 8 (I ain't gonna sit here and type out all 32 lol). All credit goes to Underworld6667's Youtube, which I got the decklists from. Sorry for the shorthand on some of the cards- just don't feel like typing out the full names and you should be able to infer what I'm talking about lol.

Status: 5/8 decklists

1st Place
Josh Graham (Wind-Ups)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1TGNt9ckEA

Monsters: 20
3 Shark
3 Rat
2 Magician
3 Rabbit
2 Maxx C
2 TKing
2 Snowman
2 Tour Guide
1 Sangan

Spells: 11
1 Reborn
1 Heavy
1 Dark Hole
1 Avarice
2 MST
2 Duality
3 Factory

Traps: 11
2 Mirror Force
2 Torrential
2 Bottomless
2 DPrison
2 Warning
1 Solemn

Side:
1 Snowman
1 Hunter
1 Maxx C
1 MST
2 DFissure
2 Soul Taker
3 Messenger of Peace
2 Fiendish Chain
2 Dust Tornado

Extra:
1 Zenmaity
1 Shockmaster
1 Tiras
1 Giga-Brilliant
2 Zenmaines
1 Zenmaister
1 Adreus
1 Leviair
1 Acid Golem
1 Temtempo
1 Leviathan
1 Papilloperative
1 Zenmaioh
1 Maestroke
------------------------------------------------------
2nd Place
Jeff Jones (Psychics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_MAQHyJq5g

Monsters: 25
3 Grandsoil
3 Serene Psychic Witch
2 Tragoedia
2 Silent Psychic Wizard
2 Giant Rat
2 Psychic Commander
2 Card Trooper
2 Psychic Jumper
2 Maxx C
2 Veiler
1 Gorz
1 Esper Girl
1 Grand Mole

Spells: 15
3 E-Tele
2 MST
2 Duality
2 Miracle Synchro Fusion
1 Avarice
1 Dark Hole
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mind Control
1 Creature Swap
1 Reborn

Traps: 1
Psychic Overload

Side:
1 Maxx C
2 Cyber Dragon
1 Chimeratech
1 MST
3 Royal Decree
2 Gozen Match
2 Crevice from DD
2 Needle Ceiling
1 Kinetic Soldier

Extra:
1 Naturia Beast
1 Naturia Barkion
1 Magical Android
1 Psychic Lifetrancer
1 Psychic Nightmare
1 Catastor
1 Black Rose
1 Scrap
1 Thought Ruler
1 Gaia Knight
1 Leviathan
1 Soul of Silver Mountain
1 Zenmaines
2 Ultimate Axon Kicker
------------------------------------------------------
3rd Place
Jordan Kornntoff (Geargia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_mJ8pzrQzQ

Monsters: 15
3 Geargiarmor
3 Geargiaccelerator
3 Machina Gearframe
2 Machina Fortress
2 Geargiarsenal
1 Machina Cannon
1 Machina Peacekeeper

Spells: 10
2 Duality
1 Book
1 Lance
1 Avarice
1 Heavy
1 Dark Hole
1 Soul Taker
1 MST
1 Reborn

Traps: 15
2 Warning
2 Torrential
2 Bottomless
2 Mirror Force
2 Starlight
1 Solemn
1 Fiendish Chain
1 DPrison
2 Compulsory

Side:
1 Chalice
1 Lance
1 Smashing Ground
2 DFissure
2 MST
2 Fossil Dyna
1 Light Imprisoning
2 Shadow Imprisoning
2 Rivalry of Warlord
1 Maxx C

Extra:
2 Gear Gigant X
1 Vylon Disigma
1 Papilloperative
2 Utopia
1 Utopia Ray
1 Maestroke
1 Pearl
2 Stardust
1 Big Eye
1 Roach
1 Shock Master
1 Merrowgeist
------------------------------------------------------
4th Place
Peter Tran (Wind-Ups)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilJVpdpEN2s

Monsters: 19
1 Veiler
2 Maxx C
1 Sangan
1 Gorz
2 Tour Guide
3 Rabbit
3 Rat
3 Magician
3 Shark

Spells: 12
1 Dark Hole
1 Reborn
1 Heavy
1 Mind
1 Book
1 Avarice
3 Factory
3 MST

Traps: 9
2 Bottomless
2 DPrison
2 Torrential
1 Solemn
2 Warning

Side:
3 Snowman
1 Kycoo
2 Crow
3 Dust Tornado
2 Trap Stun
2 Threatening Roar
2 Mirror Force

Extra:
1 Leviathan
1 Temtempo
1 Tiras
1 Acid Golem
1 Papilloperative
1 Giga-Brilliant
1 Zenmaioh
2 Zenmaines
2 Utopia
1 Zenmaity
2 Leviair
1 Adreus

------------------------------------------------------
Top 8
Joseph Truong (Dark World)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xby_DPXexa0

Monsters: 14
3 Grapha
3 Snoww
3 Broww
1 Beigge
2 Tour Guide
2 Trance Archfiend

Spells: 18
3 Gates
3 Upstart
3 Dragged Down
2 Dealings
1 Hole
1 Heavy
1 Foolish
1 Book
1 Allure
1 Reborn
1 Card Destruction

Traps: 8
3 Reckless
2 Torr
1 Starlight
1 Dark Smog
1 Solemn

Side:
3 MST
2 Twister
2 Decree
2 Skill Drain
1 EEV
1 Light Imprisoning
1 Dark Smog
1 Dealings
1 Fabled Raven
1 DDV

Extra:
1 Stardust
1 Ancient Fairy
1 Heliopolis
1 Utopia Ray
1 Utopia
1 Maestroke
1 Papilloperative
1 Pearl
1 Zenmaines
1 Leviair
1 Leviathan
1 Acid Golem
1 Temtempo
1 Muzurhythm
1 E-Hero Shining


Upcoming Box Tourney, Toronto Day 1

First I'd like to officially announce the box tournament for next week at Gamer's Haven. I even made a flier for this one :) Hope to see people there!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So much to my surprise, Wind-Ups ended up being a more popular deck choice at Toronto than I had initially thought. I've been checking DGz's Toronto thread on and off for most of the day, and it seems that Wind-Ups, Geargia/Karakuri, and Hero are making the biggest impact. Obviously we know there's a Chain Burn at the top as well, by the feature match. Jeff Jones apparently went 6-2 with a Psychic deck running 3 Grandsoil, and his article for his deck can be found at ARG. Machines are undoubtedly the breakout deck from this tourney, as it wasn't really talked about among the community, at least compared with the other decks. This kind of surprises me because Geargia didn't do a whole lot in the OCG last format, compared to even Heroes. I'm eagerly waiting to see what ends up topping and winning tomorrow, and of course decklists.

What will win? Will it be




Or something else?