Archetype of the Week: Blackwings

[Agro]

[spoiler='Article on how to Balance Blackwings']Today I begin my first of many travels down the road of creating balanced archetypes. In these articles, I will explain what cards in any given archetype are bad design, what are on the edge, what are good design, and what we can do to fix them.

As fixes, I will offer that we can either ban a card without consequence, or we can ban a card and print an immediate replacement (which I have suggested time and again as a sort of "Ban Pack", a pack that could be released that gives us more balanced, well designed versions of cards that shouldn't exist and should be banned.)

I hope you enjoy and are able to give arguments and discussions for what should and should not be rid of because of bad design, as well as what kind of replacements we would like to see.

As well, discuss the archetype in general, both as it is in the current format as well as what it could be if ideas I have put out there could become reality.

This Week's Archetype:
[size=8][u][b]BLACKWINGS[/b][/u][/size]

[u][size=6][b]Bad Design[/b][/size][/u]
[center][img]http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110803025903/yugioh/images/thumb/8/85/BlackwingKaluttheMoonShadowDL11-EN-R-UE-Blue.jpg/300px-BlackwingKaluttheMoonShadowDL11-EN-R-UE-Blue.jpg[/img][img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091027193317/yugioh/images/thumb/7/73/BlackWhirlwind-TU01-EN-SR-UE.jpg/300px-BlackWhirlwind-TU01-EN-SR-UE.jpg[/img][img]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111002193556/yugioh/images/thumb/3/34/BlackwingVayutheEmblemofHonor-CT07-EN-SR-LE.jpg/300px-BlackwingVayutheEmblemofHonor-CT07-EN-SR-LE.jpg[/img][/center]

These, my friends, are the three worst designed cards in Blackwings. Kalut, as you all know, was recently put back to 2 on the banlist, which in my opinion, was an absolutely terrible idea. And Black Whirlwind has been at 1 for a few formats now. Now let's go over why these cards are poorly designed. Vayu is unarguably a free +1 Synchro that only gives you either a beatstick or +0 Synchro.

We'll begin with [b]Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow[/b], which may not be obvious to those who first look at it. After all, ATK gain isn't really the top notch effect of most formats. Especially these days when wiping your opponents field of monsters is as simple as a flip of a trap card.

However, Kalut has 2 things going for it. First, it activates in the hand. This means that not only can it not be destroyed before activation, but it also has almost no chance of being negated. (sure Debunk, but honestly, it's not used all that much) In other words, it's almost impossible to counter. That's issue #1.

Number 2, and what will be an argument you'll see me throw out several times in my explanations, is that it does too much. 500 ATK is okay. 800 ATK is okay. 1000 ATK is pushing it. But 1400 ATK out of nowhere is just stupid, especially when you can't even counter it. And let's not forget how it can be searched and used later by cards like Blizzard and Zephyros.

Speaking of searching,[b] Black Whirlwind[/b] is stupid. It turns every single Normal Summon in the Deck into a +1 search from the Deck. Frankly speaking, I for one believe that if ANY card should be allowed to +1, it at least needs to include player interaction. (Exhibit A: The new Firestars) There are a few areas where I let that pass, however, and I'll point out one later, but still, unlimited Stratos-esque searching is just absolute bullsh*t.

[b]Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor[/b]is on the edge for me. But leaning more towards bad design, as you can see, by my placement of it here. Like many of the cards that I'll be talking about today, it's a +1. Like many of the cards, what it brings out is going to take setup. But most importantly, what it brings out is not meant to balance a -1 Synchro or Xyz summon.

No, what it brings out is meant to do one thing and one thing only: Beatstick the living sh*t out of the opponent. That's it. That's all what it summons is supposed to do. It's supposed to be a Normal Monster. It's supposed to be a +1 summon that just sits there and attacks. Personally, I don't like that, but as I said, he's on the edge, so feel free to argue against me, since in all honesty, I originally had Vayu be on the safe side of this argument.

[size=6][u][b]On the Edge of Bad Design[/b][/u][/size]
[center][img]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120612112204/yugioh/images/thumb/f/f7/BlackwingZephyrostheElite-BP01-EN-C-1E.png/300px-BlackwingZephyrostheElite-BP01-EN-C-1E.png[/img][img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110703163904/yugioh/images/thumb/b/b7/BlackwingGaletheWhirlwind-DP11-EN-R-1E.jpg/300px-BlackwingGaletheWhirlwind-DP11-EN-R-1E.jpg[/img][img]http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110703165536/yugioh/images/thumb/d/d7/BlackwingBlizzardtheFarNorth-DP11-EN-C-1E.jpg/300px-BlackwingBlizzardtheFarNorth-DP11-EN-C-1E.jpg[/img][/center]

Alright, this is where even I get a little edgy when explaining my reasoning for why these cards aren't poorly designed, and I gladly welcome any argument to them. In fact, I can accept any argument stating that these are stupidly broken as valid… even if they aren't sound. I do however, accept anyone's opinion that any of these cards should be on the list at 1 or 2.

In my opinion, the most edgy one of these cards is [b]Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite[/b]. As you know, Zephyros can Special Summon itself from the Graveyard simply by returning a face-up card on the field to the hand. If you're not counting, that's a +1. And with Blackwings (and many other decks, mind you) you can easily take that +1 and turn it into a +whothehellcaresbutsh*tifthatisn'talargenumber.

It's a once per duel effect, which a lot of people have problems with as they don't think it balances it for s***. I argue that it's not as bad as it could be, and the real reason you would even use this effect is in an attempt to not make a -1 Xyz or Synchro summon. I honestly have no problem with +0 Synchro and Xyz summons. That is, of course, only if it requires prior set up. Anything past that is absolutely stupid. (Exhibit B: Tour Guide from the Underworld)

[b]Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind[/b] is a bit of a nuisance. I mean, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the guy, wouldn't mind seeing him move up in the banlist, but that effect… Well first off, it's basically going to run over anything you can put on the field. And if it doesn't , it's going to put out something that can. (Exhibit C: Armor Master)

It and Bora make up quite a tandem, and with Shura being able to search for him, it can cause a whole bunch of shenanigans. But you know how Blackwings are. Personally, I'm iffy on it legitimately being @3, especially in a format where every archetype is well designed. (which I'm basically going to be offering as I progress through these) I dunno. I'd like a discussion on Gale's placement on the list. It's fairly balanced, but does it do too much like Kalut does?

The final card of this set is [b]Blackwing - Blizzard the far North[/b]. I know many people will have arguments against this. Just like people will have arguments against Zephyros. It's a +1. We know that. But remember, as I mentioned with Zephyros, Blizzard's sole reason to +1 is to go into a -1 Synchro Summon. That's it. And it takes a bit of setup to get it the materials it needs… sort of.

Still, let's look at its available targets. Level 6 Synchros are no longer anything special now that Brionac is finally off the map. We all know that this is its main use, especially because of all the Level 4 Blackwings the deck runs. And you can't really tell me that Level 5 Synchros will be a problem.

I mean, look at the available materials… we have Kalut, a card I've argued shouldn't exist, Damascus, Kalut's more balanced sibling that no one wants to run, Ghibli, the retarded child of the Blackwing Family, Etesian, the worthless outcast of the Blackwing Family, and Gladius, the only one out of them that seems worthwhile to play.

Sure, you can make arguments for running Gladius and Damascus. And more power to you! I have no issue with you doing that. And those cards are fine in their own right, but I still disagree that it's enough to ban Blizzard. But like all arguments here, I'll gladly hear the other side's argument.

[size=6][u][b]Balanced Blackwings[/b][/u][/size]
[center][img]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110703164016/yugioh/images/thumb/5/50/BlackwingBoratheSpear-DP11-EN-R-1E.jpg/300px-BlackwingBoratheSpear-DP11-EN-R-1E.jpg[/img][img]http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110703165636/yugioh/images/thumb/0/09/BlackwingShuratheBlueFlame-DP11-EN-R-1E.jpg/300px-BlackwingShuratheBlueFlame-DP11-EN-R-1E.jpg[/img][/center]

It is here that I now give my opinion on how to make the most balanced of archetypes. In my opinion, a balanced archetype should make sure that every play it can make is a +0 at most. And if it is a +1, then that should either require player interaction, or the +1 must come at the expense of a fundamental -1.

[b]Blackwing - Bora the Spear [/b]is a +0 in every regard, and with a piercing effect, it was designed for player to player interactions. And it does all this while being unique and fitting in perfectly with its own archetype! It's meant to swarm just like Blackwings were originally intended to do, and it does it well! In my opinion, this is excellent card design.

[b]Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame[/b] makes a lot of +1's. Sure. I said that all plays a balanced archetype makes should be +0 at best, and I also said that it can be a +1 if it involves player interaction or is designed to balance out a fundamental -1. Shura does both. It needs to destroy a monster your Opponent controls, which inherently means it requires player interaction. Secondly, the monster that it brings out is almost always going to be used in an Xyz or Synchro summon, a fundamental -1. Shura is definitely the kind of balanced card making I like to see.

[size=6][u][b]How to Balance the Archetype[/b][/u][/size]
Here's the part I explained in the Intro. This is, of course, only my idea for a fix, and of course, is rather impossible based upon how Konami does things, but I will now offer what we should ban, and if there should be any replacements for anything.

We should ban [b]Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow[/b] without replacement. That is what I've come to decide. We already have a "replacement", and I don't feel Blackwings need anything more. However, if one wants a replacement, here's one idea:

[quote='Agro']Blackwing Shadow Strafe
Trap
Target 1 "Blackwing" monster you control; the targeted monster gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase.[/quote]

Basically, we make it so that the increase is not as much as it was previously and, as a trap, make it so that the card is able to be countered. I am, however, doubtful that a card like this would be used, and therefore I don't think it's really necessary to make it.

The only other card I would see banned is [b]Black Whirlwind[/b]. While I see Vayu as a possible threat, I do not believe that it necessarily would break the archetype. It takes a bit of setup and I'm not sure how much it would really do. Whirlwind, on the other hand, can be banned and replaced. Here's my suggestion:

[quote='Agro']Black Tornado
Spell / Continuous
Once per turn, when a "Blackwing" monster you control destroys an opponents monster as a result of battle: You can add 1 "Blackwing" monster from your Deck to your hand with an ATK equal or lower than the ATK of the destroyed monster.[/quote]

My other suggestion would be that the monster added could have an ATK equal to or lower than the attack of the Blackwing monster that destroyed another monster in battle… actually, I would have had that, but at the time or writing this, I blanked on how that would be written.

In any case, I added one idea to the Black Whirlwind mix here that I feel completely balances the card, whether a +1 still or not: there is now player interaction. The player must destroy an Opponent's monster to get the +1.

While this may feel a bit like a slippery slope sort of deal, especially if the monster you're using is Shura, at least every move in here is reliant upon what the Opponent does. What if the set card is a Ryko? Suddenly that +3 became a +0!


So that's the article, everyone. Now let's get down and dirty with the dirtybirds themselves.[/spoiler]

[size=5][b]Discuss Blackwings.[/b][/size]

(and the article if you so choose)

[Lunar Origins]

I don't like your face or your article.

Blackwings deserve a bit better than they are at right now.

[Agro]

A little extra note:
The issue with having poorly designed cards make an archetype is that they're liable to be hit. If you have a very balanced archetype with balanced cards, you're more likely to keep those balanced cards, and still have a competitive Deck.

That's exactly Blackwing's issue. They have poorly designed cards in Whirlwind and Kalut, and as such, those cards are at 1 and 2 on the list respectively. If there were more balanced versions of those cards instead, they would most assuredly be at 3, and the archetype itself would probably prosper because of it!

[Synchronized]

Blizzard isn't OP'd at all. Nearly every archetype has a card that works in a similar way.

[Agro]

[quote name='Thunder Spark' timestamp='1348448796' post='6030644']
Blizzard isn't OP'd at all. Nearly every archetype has a card that works in a similar way.
[/quote]Normal Summoning a Synchro is the main argument against it. Synchros and Xyz are supposed to be inherent -1's that yield you more advantage down the road. BBlizzard makes the advantage immediate.

Also, would like to make the point that if every archetype had its own TGU, all those TGU's would still be obscenely broken.

Not to say Blizzard should be banned, as I argued against that in the article. I just don't think that that specific argument is valid. :S

[Synchronized]

i'm on my phone so i can't write blocks of text

but what i mean was whether or not you're normal'ing a fetcher (idk, best i could come up with) that is a tuner or a non-tuner, plenty of cards like this exist, such as Salvo, etc., and they haven't really posed much of a problem

on top of that blackwings have barely any consistency as it is with Whirlwind and Gale hit to the point where the only chance they have to be "competitive" is a card like that

with brionac banned there aren't many good targets you can bring out with this at all, save maybe Catastor (but I can't even think if there are any Blackwing non-Tuners that are Level 3)

[Not-so-Radiant Arin]

salvo is bad

[/byakk text]

[byak]

[quote name='みゆきサン' timestamp='1348452132' post='6030679']
salvo is bad
[/byakk text]
[/quote]

[Agro]

[quote name='Thunder Spark' timestamp='1348451915' post='6030677']
i'm on my phone so i can't write blocks of text
but what i mean was whether or not you're normal'ing a fetcher (idk, best i could come up with) that is a tuner or a non-tuner, plenty of cards like this exist, such as Salvo, etc., and they haven't really posed much of a problem
[b]Well, the article does point out that I would want to do this with every other card/archetype, so whatever balancing that comes to blackwings would also come to everything else. A card may not necessarily be an issue in the current meta, but that's also not the point, see?[/b]

on top of that blackwings have barely any consistency as it is with Whirlwind and Gale hit to the point where the only chance they have to be "competitive" is a card like that
[b]Well I also offered changes to Whirlwind to make it more balanced in an attempt to get 3 of them so that Blackwings can prosper.[/b]

with brionac banned there aren't many good targets you can bring out with this at all, save maybe Catastor (but I can't even think if there are any Blackwing non-Tuners that are Level 3)
[b]I listed them in the article... did you read it?[/b]
[/quote]

Just in general, I should like to remind anyone who has read this that what I'd do here, I'd want to do to every archetype. As such, every archetype would be more balanced, less derpy, and in a sense, the whole format would slow down quite a bit. Obviously none of these changes would make Blackwings the best deck THIS format, but if every other card/archetype were given similar treatment, I feel, the placement would certainly change.

[Not-so-Radiant Arin]

[quote name='βyakk' timestamp='1348452487' post='6030682']

[/quote]

:3

Anyways, out of all of the things wrong with this article, the only one that I can fully agree on is Black Whirlwind. Even playing Blackwings two formats ago, it's still ridiculous that the amount of searching the Deck can pull off can usually break it even further. No one cares about Vayu because you can chain D.D. Crow to it anyway. Gale is a cool motherf***er and can almost bring down a Grapha, and Blizzard is a +-0 Synchro Summon. But when that +-0 turns into a +3 from DAD, THEN it becomes a problem.

[Synchronized]

i did read it but i didn't see any specific non-Blackwing examples and the Manga-only Blackwings are terrible

[Toffee.]

Solution to fixing Blackwings: Crow dies before Season 2 of 5Ds starts.
Seriously, Season 2 just riddled his archetype with so many un-needed cards >__>

[Agro]

[quote name='みゆきサン' timestamp='1348453070' post='6030689']
No one cares about Vayu because you can chain D.D. Crow to it anyway. Gale is a cool motherf***er and can almost bring down a Grapha, and Blizzard is a +-0 Synchro Summon.
[/quote]Being a cool motherf*cker isn't a good enough premise to draw a conclusion on whether it's good design. It's a level 3 monster that can take out frankly anything (since you're likely to synch after using its effect), which doesn't exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy about a card. Long story short, there's a reason it's on the list.

And I wouldn't say that one other card's existance is enough to make Vayu balanced, Crow isn't exactly Inzektor Hornet. Plus, weren't people just talking recently about how bad a card Crow is? Of course, this is all assuming a different type of format, so I suppose Crow could be 10x better in such a format, however even if that's the case, you have as much evidence as it being good in such a format as I have for it being bad, which is to say, none.

And your argument for Blizzard does nothing to argue against my conclusion, as you seem to assume it does. I said both that Blizzard is a +0 Synchro summon and that Synchro summons are supposed to be inherent -1's. Of course, I also argued that +0 Synchro summons are just fine.

In other words, I've yet to see what exactly you think is so wrong with the article when all you've done is pose unsolid arguments or premises that lead to my same conclusions.

[Love of Ghibli]

Well I disagree with a lot of things in the article I think the only one that I find odd is your solution to Kalut...a trap that boost 1k. Would you really ever use that? I mean wouldn't Lance be the more appropriate choice in practically any scenario that would require such? And sense you did say that such a card would not be made why not just make Kalut a less powerful hand trap?

As for Zephryos I'm confused is he bad because he is a +1 for blackwings or just a +1 in general?

[Zeppeli Gyro Supreme]

Never really liked blackwings. From what I remember, they were designed as OTK cards in the anime, with anti-burn of course being the other purpose.

Having pretty much only Special Summoning monsters in the archetype makes it ridiculous.

[Toffee.]

[quote name='slayer_supreme' timestamp='1348454714' post='6030708']
they were designed as OTK cards in the anime[/quote]
No no no, it was only Crow's first appearance that had them like that.
After that, his deck became "normal".

[Agro]

[quote name='Beginning446' timestamp='1348454695' post='6030706']
Well I disagree with a lot of things in the article I think the only one that I find odd is your solution to Kalut...a trap that boost 1k. Would you really ever use that? I mean wouldn't Lance be the more appropriate choice in practically any scenario that would require such? And sense you did say that such a card would not be made why not just make Kalut a less powerful hand trap?

As for Zephryos I'm confused is he bad because he is a +1 for blackwings or just a +1 in general?
[/quote]He's a +1 in frankly anything. But not enough, I feel for any real action against it, just like anything on the edge.

As for the solution to Kalut, I even stated in like 4 different places, that I don't think that sort of replacement would be any good so there may as well not be one at all, and that we already have one in the form of Damascus.

Seriously, are you guys just skimming or actually reading?

[Love of Ghibli]

But see there in lies the problem. You just tend to go back and forth on yourself here.

Kalut: You think its bad and can't be balanced, yet you still make a balanced (albeit useless) trap card out of it. Shouldn't the latter make people think that you thought it could be balanced, but wait you follow that up with a statement that the trap has no real use. Also you bring up Damascus twice, once as some quip in litany of blizzard targets and again as purposeless trap solution so its not really a blatant fact that people couldn't miss.

Vayu: I'll summarize this one the paragraphs start as "its on the edge" to "leaning towards bad design" to "he's on the edge." Is it any wonder why you are getting pushback on Vayu?

To me, the article comes across as a back and forth rant with yourself and everyone has to read it and its logical that people will skim ramblings.


As for the Blackwing Archetype it was one of the first herp derpers with all of the searching and special summoning and leading into Dark Strike Fighter. I have to tip my hat to it. Though I can't see how anything outside of Blackwing Tamers or manga Crow's super spam cards can really help the set out. Their are more archetypes now that can do what they do just without the loss of hand.

[Agro]

[quote name='Beginning446' timestamp='1348457066' post='6030754']
Kalut: You think its bad and can't be balanced, yet you still make a balanced (albeit useless) trap card out of it. Shouldn't the latter make people think that you thought it could be balanced, but wait you follow that up with a statement that the trap has no real use. Also you bring up Damascus twice, once as some quip in litany of blizzard targets and again as purposeless trap solution so its not really a blatant fact that people couldn't miss.

[b]I use the balanced trap as an example as to why it's pointless for us to try and balance it.[/b]

Vayu: I'll summarize this one the paragraphs start as "its on the edge" to "leaning towards bad design" to "he's on the edge." Is it any wonder why you are getting pushback on Vayu?

[b]I offered up the reasons for as to why Vayu can be considered bad design, but that I'm not entirely sold on it.[/b]


To me, the article comes across as a back and forth rant with yourself and everyone has to read it and its logical that people will skim ramblings.
[/quote]It's not as much of a rant as it is an explanation as to what exactly constitutes as a broken card. I attempt to give both sides of the argument, unless of course, I believed the card to be so blatantly obvious that it should be banned.

Kalut and Whirlwind were the only two, at the end, that I explain deserve to be rid of.

[newhat]

I read the article, and I'm'a skip a bit on the reply because I wanna get to the "speed" stuff.

[quote]In my opinion, a balanced archetype should make sure that every play it can make is a +0 at most. And if it is a +1, then that should either require player interaction, or the +1 must come at the expense of a fundamental -1.[/quote]

I think that is simplifying a bit too much. There are things like field presence, field advantage, hand advantage, lockdowns, damage and alternate win conditions to deal with. What do you think would be a "fundamental -1"? [url="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Sangan"]Losing that monster from your field[/url]? [url="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Ravine"]Discarding any card[/url]? [url="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Reckless_Greed"]Potential loss of future cards[/url]? [url="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Spellbook_Magician_of_Prophecy"]Normal Summoning a laughably small and mostly un-Exceedable monster[/url]?

[quote]The final card of this set is [b]Blackwing - Blizzard the far North[/b]. I know many people will have arguments against this. Just like people will have arguments against Zephyros. It's a +1. We know that. But remember, as I mentioned with Zephyros, Blizzard's sole reason to +1 is to go into a -1 Synchro Summon. That's it. And it takes a bit of setup to get it the materials it needs… sort of.

Still, let's look at its available targets. Level 6 Synchros are no longer anything special now that Brionac is finally off the map. We all know that this is its main use, especially because of all the Level 4 Blackwings the deck runs. And you can't really tell me that Level 5 Synchros will be a problem.[/quote]

Blizzard is not Black Salvo. Blizzard has 1300 ATK, which isn't big in Dragonland but means you won't always need to Synchro, and you can use Icarus Attack. Sometimes people revive Gale, cut something in half, and run over it with Blizzard, or just sit on Shura for a turn. Zephyros also works with Blizzard for beautiful Xyz and Synchro combos (my favorite is free Verz Nightmare with the proper Graveyard for DAD). However it clogs at any amount so I think it's fine as it is.

[quote][b]Blackwing - Bora the Spear [/b]is a +0 in every regard, and with a piercing effect, it was designed for player to player interactions. And it does all this while being unique and fitting in perfectly with its own archetype! It's meant to swarm [i]just like Blackwings were originally intended to do [/i][[color=#800000]emphasis added[/color]], and it does it well! In my opinion, this is excellent card design.[/quote]

I don't know what other people do, but I stopped using Bora. Yes, it's a completely free Summon and has enough ATK to more or less function on its own. It is a target for Black Whirlwind and for Blizzard. But what does Bora usually achieve? It joins another Blackwing to deal extra damage. It is used with Zephyros for Rank 4 monsters or for giant black-wing swings. There's no strategy, just toss and boss. Xyz for something? Gem-Knight Pearl? Black Corn? Without Kalut and the inherent +1 effects you said aren't OK, Blackwings don't have any reason to swarm if they can't blitzkrieg or self-revive; they'll do more damage in a grind game with Shura and Blizzard.

[quote][b]Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame[/b] makes a lot of +1's. Sure. I said that all plays a balanced archetype makes should be +0 at best, and I also said that it can be a +1 if it involves player interaction or is designed to balance out a fundamental -1. Shura does both. It needs to destroy a monster your Opponent controls, which inherently means it requires player interaction. Secondly, the monster that it brings out is almost always going to be used in an Xyz or Synchro summon, a fundamental -1. Shura is definitely the kind of balanced card making I like to see. [/quote]
Another common use is to bring out a Vayu and Tribute it to Icarus Attack for 0, yielding a net +1 and maybe another +1 later from Vayu's effect. Flamvell Firedog doesn't usually do this. Jurrac Guaiba used to do this through Evolzars (raptors are jerks).

Without Vayu, Shura would be relegated to subpar targets like Gale and Breeze the Zephyr for Synchros. That messes up consistency a bit and takes out a lot of the "punch". I guess it depends how you feel about Firedog and Guaiba.


Am I the only one with Sirocco?

[Agro]

So out of all of you, newhat poses the best and most supported argument? Suddenly newhat becomes one of the best members, s***.

Anyway, here's my response.
1. Maybe oversimplifying it, but I'm having a hard time finding cards where this isn't even close to the case. field presence and hand advantage both have to do with that, though there's certainly more weight put on hand advantage over field advantage. Lockdowns, by nature, take away a part of the game, which many people have argued is terrible for the game, though I think there may be a few instances where it may be fine. That will have to be done on a case by case basis. And as far as burn and alt wins are concerned, which I probably didn't get across well enough, if there's no player interaction then it, then f*** it all.

Either way, a fundamental -1 is a mechanic of the game that the player does which automatically nets them a -1. Which, basically, is going to be Tribute, Fusion, Ritual, Synchro, and Xyz summons.

2. Blizzard is certainly more versatile than Salvo simply because of the archetype it's in, so I suppose that also argues against those that say it's bad. It may clog, but if you think about it, a more balanced Black Whirlwind would also give then the ability to search the cards they need (that would most likely be targets of said Blizzard) much more easily. In this way, Blizzard could be dangerous. So that's the main issue with keeping it around, especially considering the format we'd be dealing with.

3. Bora has seen less and less use because it was only really good when Gale was at more than 1. And technically speaking, would be much much better in what I'm proposing.

4. That's an excellent point. And I do really like to see as much pro-Vayu arguments as possible. I mean, honestly people. I'm basing all this placement on the philosophy I'm trying to develop. Vayu was a +1 that doesn't do much more than beatstick so naturally, it'll find itself in the bad design section. But I didn't feel it was completely deserved so I left it out when talking about what to actually do. So yes, people. Come up with as much as you can to get Vayu out of the hole.

Also, props to newhat for making the best argument in the thread.