Schrödinger's Format: An altered game for your consideration

[CrabHelmet]

I am sure you are all familiar with the thought-experiment of Schrödinger's Cat, in which a cat in a box with a device that might or might not kill it is simultaneously both alive and dead until the box is opened and an observer sees that it is in one state or the other. You are doubtlessly also familiar with how this crops up in quantum mechanics, with particles assuming a probability curve of all possible states until an observer locks them into a single one.

 

Schrödinger's Format in Yu-Gi-Oh! uses this as its basic principle: every physical card you have is simultaneously every card in the game, and it is not until that card is revealed to the opponent that it is locked into a single state.

 

Here's how it works: Players play with decks of forty cards each. All of those cards are blank, and a player can declare them to be any card they wish. Once a card's identity has been revealed, it is stuck with that identity for the rest of the game.

 

To illustrate this, consider a simple demonstration game. Each player begins with five blank cards in his hand. The game starts. Player 1 draws a sixth blank card, Sets one of the cards in his hand face-down in his Spell & Trap Card Zone, and ends his turn. Player 2's turn begins with him drawing a sixth blank card. He declares one of the blank cards in his hand to be, say, Don Zaloog, Normal Summons it, enters the Battle Phase, and attacks.

 

Player 1 has a variety of options. He can just take the damage, but that would be a bad idea. He can activate his Set card and declare it to be Dimensional Prison, removing Don Zaloog from play. He can declare that one of the cards in his hand is Kuriboh and discard it to negate the damage. He can activate his Set card and declare it to be Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, discarding a card from his hand - and he must identify the discarded card, since his opponent can see its identity and thus it is locked into a single position - to spin Don Zaloog. He can take the damage and use it to Special Summon a card he declares to be Tragoedia from his hand. And so on, and so on. However, he cannot take any move that would normally be illegal - for example, he cannot activate his Set card and declare that it is Dark Coffin, and use it to kill Don Zaloog, since Dark Coffin does not activate that way - and he cannot declare his unknown cards to be anything that contradicts known information about them - for example, he can't declare his Set card to be Left Leg of the Forbidden One, since you can't Set that in your Spell & Trap Card Zone, and if he had Set a monster without Tributing, he can't reveal it to be Light and Darkness Dragon or Judgment Dragoon, as neither can be Set without Tributes.

 

Methinks this would be a very interesting format, albeit one requiring an unusual banlist - after all, every player having every card in existence at their disposal makes ridiculous combos easy, but it also makes countering them easy (to the point where Counterability Does Rather Imply Balance Actually, since if a player wants to have a counter available then they definitely do).

 

Anyhow, discuss.

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

How Yugioh should be played. Ban lists in the real game should also be based on ban lists in Schrodinger's format.

[Guest Chaos Pudding]

Well, the acceptable list for this format is a lot different than even a 3-0 list. Sure, Exodia the Forbidden One needs to be banned outright, as there is no counter if one just declares that all 5 cards are the pieces of Exodia, as well as things like Exchange of the Spirit. But, for things such as Scientist FTK and such, there are quite a few cards that counter the FTK, namely Hanewata for Scientist FTK.

 

All in all, I would be interested in playing a format such as this.

[VolTama]

I suppose Exodia would be banned then?

 

Edit: Gah. Above beat me to it. >_<

 

Huh. I'm curious to see how a duel in this format would actually go. People could have one hell of a time this way.

[Docomodake]

So is Exodia null and void in this format, or...?

 

lol, already been beat by 2 people.

 

I take it that Lightsworn becomes incredibly easy, as you can mill the cards you want. :/

[Guest PikaPerson01]

I am sure you are all familiar with the thought-experiment of Schrödinger's Cat' date='[/quote']

 

... Really?

 

Edit: Just read the post. I've played this game with friends a hundred times. One of the weirdest things I've done was activate "RoTA", then physically pick up my deck and search through for cards, before I realized that I could pick literally any card and declare it to be the Stratos I wanted. It was rather funny because we like, all realized it at the same moment and broke out laughing.

 

... Good times. (Also, we played with backwards sleeved cards BTW.)

[CrabHelmet]

Exodia is most definitely very banned.

 

At first, I thought Mind Hax0rs might be overpowered, but on second thought the victim can just reveal a hand of +0 draw cards that will replace themselves with blanks, so it really isn't a problem.

 

I am sure you are all familiar with the thought-experiment of Schrödinger's Cat' date='[/quote']

 

... Really?

 

At the very least, they should have heard of it through pop-cultural osmosis.

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

So is Exodia null and void in this format' date=' or...?[/s']

 

Exodia being banned should be a given even for regular-game lists. [/contradictingmyselfagain]

[Guest Chaos Pudding]

Alright, let's start compiling a small list of obvious choices before we start playing:

 

Forbidden:

Exchange of the Spirit

Exodia the Forbidden One

 

Limited:

 

Semi-Limited:

[daboss144]

This would make tons of cards utterly useless. Ominous fortunetelling, mind crush, etc. And wulf would be uber-banned.

[-Lightray Daedalus-]

Exodia is most definitely very banned.

 

At first' date=' I thought Mind Hax0rs might be overpowered, but on second thought the victim can just reveal a hand of +0 draw cards that will replace themselves with blanks, so it really isn't a problem.

[/quote']

 

What about Exchange or Fensheng Mirror.

Or Ordear of a Traveler.............XD

[daboss144]

Hmmm, glad beasts would also become very interesting.

[Guest Chaos Pudding]

Posted it on lolPojo, because, for some reason, they're pretty open about wanting to try new formats and stuff. Hope you don't mind, salty. I gave you credit.

[CrabHelmet]

Exodia is most definitely very banned.

 

At first' date=' I thought Mind Hax0rs might be overpowered, but on second thought the victim can just reveal a hand of +0 draw cards that will replace themselves with blanks, so it really isn't a problem.

[/quote']

 

What about Exchange or Fensheng Mirror.

 

On third thought, Mind Hax0rs and Fensheng are broken, since once you've locked your opponent's possessions you can easily construct an OTK from your own cards.

 

Exchange might have to be banned just because I haven't a clue how it would work, since the two players would need to somehow reveal simultaneously. Also, there's still the problem of set most of hand, play Exchange, remove opponent's counters, win.

[Guest Chaos Pudding]

Exodia is most definitely very banned.

 

At first' date=' I thought Mind Hax0rs might be overpowered, but on second thought the victim can just reveal a hand of +0 draw cards that will replace themselves with blanks, so it really isn't a problem.

[/quote']

 

What about Exchange or Fensheng Mirror.

 

On third thought, Mind Hax0rs and Fensheng are broken, since once you've locked your opponent's possessions you can easily construct an OTK from your own cards.

 

Exchange might have to be banned just because I haven't a clue how it would work, since the two players would need to somehow reveal simultaneously. Also, there's still the problem of set most of hand, play Exchange, remove opponent's counters, win.

 

I think that, with a little thought, you can think up a hand that has at least 1 counter to every OTK your opponent can think up.

 

Exchange: You can have each player write down the contents of their hand before revealing?

[CrabHelmet]

This would make tons of cards utterly useless. Ominous fortunetelling' date=' mind crush, etc. And wulf would be uber-banned.

[/quote']

 

Eh, Wulf isn't as bad as he seems when everyone can pull out field-wipes at will and is expected to do so... but the idea of being all "Card Trooper, mill 3, ohai they're all Wulf" is still pretty silly.

 

This format takes the idea of balance and snaps it over its knee, though, so preconceptions of what is and isn't fair need to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Posted it on lolPojo' date=' because, for some reason, they're pretty open about wanting to try new formats and stuff. Hope you don't mind, salty. I gave you credit.

[/quote']

 

Shouldn't have given me the credit; I stole this from somewhere else, which in turn had stolen it from somewhere else. I didn't give anyone credit because I can't even find where I first saw this idea and the chain's long enough at this point that tracking down its origin is pretty much impossible.

 

Exodia is most definitely very banned.

 

At first' date=' I thought Mind Hax0rs might be overpowered, but on second thought the victim can just reveal a hand of +0 draw cards that will replace themselves with blanks, so it really isn't a problem.

[/quote']

 

What about Exchange or Fensheng Mirror.

 

On third thought, Mind Hax0rs and Fensheng are broken, since once you've locked your opponent's possessions you can easily construct an OTK from your own cards.

 

Exchange might have to be banned just because I haven't a clue how it would work, since the two players would need to somehow reveal simultaneously. Also, there's still the problem of set most of hand, play Exchange, remove opponent's counters, win.

 

I think that, with a little thought, you can think up a hand that has at least 1 counter to every OTK your opponent can think up.

 

Exchange: You can have each player write down the contents of their hand before revealing?

 

Eh, all the opponent has to do is pull out a Mind Crush or D.D. Designator and they've removed your counters. Then they remove you.

 

That sounds like too much work. >_>

[-Lightray Daedalus-]

Cards of Sanctity will be broken as well.....

[Toffee.]

This "List", more like an idea, seems interesting.

 

IMO: Though I think it defeats the purpose of any legit 'skill', seeing as how you could just be a tard and say that your whole hand contains Honest.

At which, you would ALWAYS have.

 

Crab, you would have to come up with your own list, to make this game more balanced.

[CrabHelmet]

Cards of Sanctity will be broken as well.....

 

Eh, not really. Considering how valuable your Blank White Cards are, Card of Sanctity's cost is incredibly high. A card becomes far less valuable once it is locked into one form.

[burnpsy]

Ridiculously situational cards would actually become useful. :P

 

Anyways, the banlist for a game like this will be HUGE.

[Docomodake]

Magical Explosion FTK anyone?

 

play Reasoning: "OH JEEZ WOULD YOU JUST LOOK AT THESE SPELLS AND TRAPS A-WHOOPS GUESS I JUST WON"

[CrabHelmet]

This "List"' date=' more like an idea, seems interesting.

 

IMO: Though I think it defeats the purpose of any legit 'skill', seeing as how you could just be a tard and say that your whole hand contains Honest.

At which, you would [i']ALWAYS[/i] have.

 

Crab, you would have to come up with your own list, to make this game more balanced.

 

Trip-Honest would certainly be a problem. Kill Honest, then.

 

Ridiculously situational cards would actually become useful. :P

 

Anyways' date=' the banlist for a game like this will be HUGE.

[/quote']

 

I think this format could have a much smaller list than any ordinary 3/0 list, possibly even smaller than Advanced. When all cards are always available, we can actually allow brokenness to counter brokenness to some extent - and, in fact, that's pretty much out only option when combos are always available.

 

Magical Explosion FTK anyone?

 

play Reasoning: "OH JEEZ WOULD YOU JUST LOOK AT THESE SPELLS AND TRAPS A-WHOOPS GUESS I JUST WON"

 

And then your opponent reveals Hanewata or whatever that Effect Damage version of Kuriboh is called.

 

And then you scoop.

[Toffee.]

This "List"' date=' more like an idea, seems interesting.

 

IMO: Though I think it defeats the purpose of any legit 'skill', seeing as how you could just be a tard and say that your whole hand contains Honest.

At which, you would [i']ALWAYS[/i] have.

 

Crab, you would have to come up with your own list, to make this game more balanced.

 

Trip-Honest would certainly be a problem. Kill Honest, then.

Same with Kalut and Gorz.

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

We'd have to ban anything that mills. =s

[Guest Chaos Pudding]

This would make tons of cards utterly useless. Ominous fortunetelling' date=' mind crush, etc. And wulf would be uber-banned.

[/quote']

 

Eh, Wulf isn't as bad as he seems when everyone can pull out field-wipes at will and is expected to do so... but the idea of being all "Card Trooper, mill 3, ohai they're all Wulf" is still pretty silly.

 

This format takes the idea of balance and snaps it over its knee, though, so preconceptions of what is and isn't fair need to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Posted it on lolPojo' date=' because, for some reason, they're pretty open about wanting to try new formats and stuff. Hope you don't mind, salty. I gave you credit.

[/quote']

 

Shouldn't have given me the credit; I stole this from somewhere else, which in turn had stolen it from somewhere else. I didn't give anyone credit because I can't even find where I first saw this idea and the chain's long enough at this point that tracking down its origin is pretty much impossible.

 

Exodia is most definitely very banned.

 

At first' date=' I thought Mind Hax0rs might be overpowered, but on second thought the victim can just reveal a hand of +0 draw cards that will replace themselves with blanks, so it really isn't a problem.

[/quote']

 

What about Exchange or Fensheng Mirror.

 

On third thought, Mind Hax0rs and Fensheng are broken, since once you've locked your opponent's possessions you can easily construct an OTK from your own cards.

 

Exchange might have to be banned just because I haven't a clue how it would work, since the two players would need to somehow reveal simultaneously. Also, there's still the problem of set most of hand, play Exchange, remove opponent's counters, win.

 

I think that, with a little thought, you can think up a hand that has at least 1 counter to every OTK your opponent can think up.

 

Exchange: You can have each player write down the contents of their hand before revealing?

 

Eh, all the opponent has to do is pull out a Mind Crush or D.D. Designator and they've removed your counters. Then they remove you.

 

That sounds like too much work. >_>

 

Meh, now that I think about it, it does put the starting player at a pretty big advantage. I say ban Haxorz and Fengsheng Mirror.

---

Forbidden:

Exchange of the Spirit

Exodia the Forbidden One

Fengsheng Mirror

Honest

Mind Haxorz

 

Limited:

 

Semi-Limited:

---

This "List"' date=' more like an idea, seems interesting.

 

IMO: Though I think it defeats the purpose of any legit 'skill', seeing as how you could just be a tard and say that your whole hand contains Honest.

At which, you would [i']ALWAYS[/i] have.

 

Crab, you would have to come up with your own list, to make this game more balanced.

 

Trip-Honest would certainly be a problem. Kill Honest, then.

Same with Kalut and Gorz.

 

Maybe Kalut, but not Gorz. Actually, on second thought, Honest isn't a problem. Kuriboh during the opponent's turn, Reverse Trap/Mind Crush during your turn.