Article 4: What are they thinking?

*Note: Anyone who cannot tolerate harsh criticism should stop reading and spend your time elsewhere.

I am writing this article because it simply struck me while I was reading the Gen Con So Cal coverage by Metagame.com.

First of all, congratulations to the winners of the event. Now let's get to the point. 6 of the top 8 at the event were *drumroll..........* you've guessed it: CHAOS decks. (Duh!!) The other 2 were Earth Beatdown and Scientist OTK respectively.

The result reflects the current state of the game in TCG. Before the ban (or Advanced Format) came to reality, 95% of tourney decks were Chaos. Right now, even though we are seeing different varieties appearing at the tournament scene, the top places still went to those who were unoriginal and stuck to their beloved Black Luster Soldier.

So am I going to whine about Chaos decks and cry out loud for originality?
Yes and no.

I do not oppose people running Chaos. I simply despise them.
(Voice from nowhere: Get a life! They only wanted to win...that's why they used Chaos.)
Now shut up! That reason has been overused. It is crap and total bull.
Is Chaos the ONLY way you can win??
Sadly, the answer is yes to most people. They are simply INCAPABLE of playing other decks.
Should I respect people who copy others and pass off as their own work?
NO!!
(Voice from nowhere: Chaos won the games/tourneys so they are good/unstoppable!! The results are proof!!)
That is because people are too retarded to run decks, other than cookie-cutters, effectively. That is why those decks lost to Chaos. I myself have beaten countless Chaos decks (both TCG and OCG) and I can tell you one thing: OTHER DECKS CAN BE AS GOOD AS CHAOS. IT IS NOT THE ONLY DECK IN THE WORLD.

I am thoroughly unimpressed with decks of the TCG game. (Gen Con So CAl included) Most people copy each other and their selection of cards are roughly the same.
(Voice from nowhere: That's because it is the best selection of cards available!)
Is it true? Don't make me laugh. Enough of my rants. Let's take a look at which cards are hot right now in the TCG environment whereby almost everyone runs them. (Damn copycats)
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Waboku
Normal Trap
Any damage inflicted by an opponent's monster is decreased to 0 during the turn this card is activated.

I have criticised Waboku for so long that I've become sick of talking about it. I'll leave it at that. People never listen. It is still the reigning "God Card" in TCG... >_>
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Magic Drain
Normal Trap
You can activate this card when your opponent activates a Spell Card. If your opponent cannot immediately discard 1 Spell Card from his/her hand, negate the activation of the Spell Card and destroy it.

This is also another card which I have criticised a lot.
(Voice from nowhere: What are you talking about? Either way, it gives you advantage.)
Let me speak, insolent fool! Your thoughts are the same as the ignorant mass.
Situation one: Opponent doesn't discard => Drain vs. Negated Spell = 1:1
Situation two: Opponent discards a Spell => Drain vs. Discarded Spell = 1:1
Is this reliable? No. Opponent chooses the outcome. Advantageous you say?
Is this a good top deck? Horrible....
Is Spell negation necessary? Not a bit. Game-breaking spells are mostly banned/restricted. Even if you "Drain" a good spell, opponent can simply discard a useless Spell card to "negate" your Drain. How's that?
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Bottomless Trap Hole
Normal Trap
When your opponent Normal Summons, Flip Summons, or Special Summons a monster with an ATK of 1500 or more, the monster is destroyed and removed from play.

This is the hottest card right now in TCG trap selection. It isn't all that bad I agree BUT...
1.This cannot deal with Spirit Reaper, Injection Fairy Lily, Change of Heart'ed Monster, Monster already on the field (summoned previously)....you get the idea.
2.Bad top-deck.
Yes, BTH removes the Monster from game and can deal with Mobius, Breaker etc. but the two cons I mentioned make this only a so-so card. Sakuretsu Armor is better due to it being a good top-deck.
Is the top-decking factor really that important?
Yes. Only good players appreciate its importance. Yet people are running three BTH everywhere.
I wouldn't even run three Sakuretsu Armor... BTH is simply out of the question.
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Mirror Wall
Continuous Trap
Decrease the ATK of all your opponent's attacking monsters by half. You must pay 2000 Life Points during each of your Standby Phases. If you cannot, this card is destroyed.

Yet another trap that is selling like hotcakes. Most people use this with Don Zaloog. (Opponent attack Zaloog, activate Mirror Wall and they suffer.)
What a joke. With it's crazy upkeep, you'll most likely use it as a condom (one-time use and disposal). If it's a one time use, heck, even [Shrink] owns this. So TCG don't have [Shrink]? Even then, it is unchainable AND situational. Why did I say situationall? It is pretty useless if you don't have a Monster yourself. (You will understand if you ever play people like me who pack lots of Removal)
Even if you are crazy (or should I say stupid?) enough to pay the upkeep, it makes it so much easier for me to kill you later. XDDD
Again: Top deck factor? Sucks hardcore.
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Covering Fire
Normal Trap
If an opponent's Monster attacks a Monster on your Field, you can activate this card during the Damage Step. Increase the attack strength of your Monster that was attacked by the attack strength of another face-up Monster on your Field.

Another trap card that is becoming quite porpular. I even heard people saying that this is broken. I can tell you one thing: THIS IS TRASH AMONG TRASH! (If you treat Mirror Wall as trash...which I do) XDDD
Unchainable trap that is EXTREMELY SITUATIONAL!! Opponent has to attack AND YOU NEED TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO MONSTERS ON YOUR FIELD! How the hell are you going to use it?
(Reminder: I pack lots of removal so you want to swarm me??)
Top-deck factor? I really don't want to say it.... -___-
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Monster Reincarnation
Normal Magic
Discard 1 card from your hand. Put 1 Monster card from your Graveyard into your hand.

This is again not really that bad BUT....people are running three of these suckers everywhere. 2 cards for one Monster in your GY? How very advantageous... I don't care if you need to get back [The Creator] or if you're using [Night Assailant], running three is unacceptable.
Top-decking? You got it baby...

So can we blame people for unoriginality? I guess not. They have already proven themselves to be brainless copycats. Originality will kill them.
(Heck, even those cookie-cutters aren't really good.)