Spikes & Baron Duel Monster Comet - The #1 Yu-Gi-Oh OCG Site and Community

Article 56: Ban or Break

After 3 fake ban lists on NBBS (you know, the forum that we all love for their confirmed infos and hate for how much unconfirmed one), finally, the real deal...

Anyway, as usual after each of the changes, I would try and explain why the cards are ban or not. Of course, there's also my "always wrong" predict-the-meta and some "what they did wrong".

Anyway...

Banished:
Devil Franken - Didn't see this coming? You think Konami and Upperdeck would not want this card gone? Too bad...
Victory Dragon - Well, as I said in my last article, I have no idea why they unban this card. Maybe they never think that with most of the stallers gone, players can still think of way to create a "lock". Not that this card is any problem, it's just that the whole lock deck is annoying and boring.
Saint Magician - Well, we all know how much stuff this Mage can get back and we all know how easy it is to search for her. When games end at why lucksack and flip MoF first to get back their more broken Magic cards, it's a problem.
Magic Warrior - Breaker - Some pros had long complained about just how good this card is. 1600 monster, 4 stars, ability to destroy a M/T ANYTIME you want. Finally, the 303/MFC Trio (Breaker, Scientist, TIV) are ban.
Angel's Gift - This card makes Dark World good. When decks are create to make this card screaming card advantages, it's bad.
Will - I don't know. This card is "Critter on drugs" anyway. It's not hard to fulfill the condition, and this card actually special summon the monster. The question now is, the biggest target of this card, Franken (Stein), is gone, so why the ban?

Restricted:
E-Hero Airman - This card is the most used card right now in the Japanese metagame. Just about any deck can find a use of this card. Standard (balance)? 3x of this card for thin, D-Hero? It search D-Hero...either way, restriction makes this card does exactly what it should do: belong to Hero deck ONLY, not to the other. BTW...surprisingly, this card is a E-Hero, and we all laugh at how bad they are...
Emissary of Hades - Gorz - Game swinging, period. That is why this card is so heavily use in the first place: even if you're down very bad, losing very bad, suddenly this pop up and boom...opponent have no answer. It encourage bad playing (i.e. leaving empty field on purpose) and that's NO GOOD for this game.
Neospacian Ground Mole - Well, some people question this card's restriction, but to most of the Asian players, it's a good call. This card is purely annoying. You summoned one, next turn it's back to hand. Opponent just stall over and over and make you have open field. Oh yeah, opponent don't take any damages or pay much cost in this process either (of course, he have to waste a summon, but who cares, he don't need extra arsenals)
Overload Fusion - Look at the latest SJC, and you will see why this card is also dead. Lucksack Future Fusion --> Overload = bad. Chimera OTK is lame, purely lame. Restriction leave this card as a good "extra end-game card", not a card that you would BUILD your deck around.
Dimensional Fusion - 2000 lifepoints is huge, but since recently the players finally found a way to abuse this card (this card had been good and always good, just nobody abuse it since it's not the best), no way this would be left alone.
Chain Strike - Although Chain Burn is a VERY fair deck, the deck kills opponent in no time (usually on 3rd or 4th turn) if play right. This card is the main weapon (even if the deck can win without this card), and players side cards just for the deck. Think Chain cards goes nowhere? Think again, here's a good one...OK, maybe the only good one.
Golden Chest of Sealing - The best tutor in the game, period.
Theft - Players are questioning this decision. However, cards rotated...I don't like the luck-sackness and unfairness of this card, but that's why this card is on the list...
Hurricane - I have no idea...seriously, the only deck that actually bother to use this card is Chimera OTK, and we all know that deck is officially dead. Maybe they also fear that people would use this card to get back their [Gem Beast]...but I thought they want to be in M/T zone...
Mind Crush - I have no idea. Players use this card because of how easy it is to name cards: Gadgets, Airman, Gorz (from Chest), etc. Now those cards are gone, why this card is also gone? I have...no...idea.

Semi-Restrict:
D.D. Assilant - This card was restricted back at the "D.D. Control" era. Now, not as much...but bringing back two copies of this card means this card would actually be used again.
Mask of Darkness - This card is mainly used in Locks anyway. This card never deserved restriction anyway, bringing back to 2 is "just right".
Metamorphosis - No TER = half of this card's target is gone. The other half? Well, Cyber End Dragon (via Metal Reflect Slime), but the deck is very unstable.

Off:
Injection Angel - Lily - Because nobody used this card. Even if so, it's stupid to use more than 1...
Phoenix God of Nephthys - Finally...the whole "Vampire Lord" effect is not as good as before. However, some will argue on how easy this card can be special summon (Guide), and how this card, unlike Vampire Lord, would actually have triggered effect that is good every time it comes back. Well, this change gives the player the "skilled" winning condition back
Hoodlum Mercenary Troops - You actually pay some cost to destroy a monster...but is this card good? Well...yes. Restriction-worthy? Well, no idea...
Rich Goblin - I seriously have no idea why they take THIS long to finally gets back to three.

Just what they did wrong?
1. No MoF, no Time Seal, 1 Drop Off, still 0 Tsukuyomi...
2. Gadget, untouched.
3. Theft, always hate this card, doesn't matter back in 3x Cyclone day or now
4. Chain Strike, they just killed a balance deck that takes SKILL.
5. Still overextending at their decision on the list...

Now, the metagame...one is almost every top tier deck in the Japanese OCG is affected by this list, the other is there's no way I can name all the good decks...and there're new cards coming out.

Tier 1:
Cy-Cali variants
Gadget Control variants

Tier 1.5:
Light-Dark variant (i.e. Light-Dark Baboon)
Horus
Undead
Mix-Burn

Tier 2:
Most good Type/Attribute Beatdown deck
Counter/Permission
Gem Beast
Sky Devil Lord

Tier 12832721
E-Hero (Airman is gone!)

- Baron, 2/18/2007