How Do I Play Yu-Gi-Oh! And Not Play Solitaire?

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

I'm really tired of everything in this game being designed to make the opponent unable to play anything.
Where's the fun in preventing your opponent from playing?'
Why can't I have some casual play with a bit of competitiveness, instead of one or the other?
Because I don't want to always win. I just want to play and try out interesting deck concepts and combinations.
Is that too much to ask around here?

[ihop]

Play goats.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Play goats.

Huh?

[ihop]

Goat control. 2005 format which is really fun, interactive and rewards playing well. Doesn't tick the interesting decks and combinations box but overall it's really cool.

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

Go back in time and play HAT.

[Althemia]

The only answer that you can give to this question is to play an older format. Which one it is is up to you, but I would assume you wouldn't be able to find what you want in today's game.

[evilfusion]

Players also tend to hate the forced mindset of "lock opponent or lose". There's a reason people hate the floodgate cards.

 

But if they don't use them, they'll lose to a player who does. It's more fun to use floodgates and win than it is to get caught in one and lose.

 

The trick then is to avoid competitive level play. Which can only get you so far, sadly. This is why I don't play on DN much (other than time and sporadic interest). I don't want to go through the hassle of gambling with meta Decks or players who don't know what they're doing/don't know certain rulings.

[Resident Fascist]

Go back in time and play March 2013 Dragon Ruler*

 

ftfy*

 

But yeah, if you dislike the current state of the game, wayback machine tournaments and stuff are always pretty fun, I don't mind playing some of the older formats, particularly Perfect Circle to early Synchro era decks, if you want to play those any time. 

[Βyakuya]

Goat control. 2005 format which is really fun, interactive and rewards playing well. Doesn't tick the interesting decks and combinations box but overall it's really cool.

 

I totally agree with this notion. By using a variety of decks you can play during that era, you can have a fair paced duel with a lot of player interaction that generalizes more on player skill to become victorious.

 

I've made some builds on DN and I even have an IRL build whom I play with friends; the core of it dwells with Scapegoat=>Metamorphosis=>Restrict, but there's so much else you can do around that and the unbanned/banned cards of the era.

[Toffee.]

Players also tend to hate the forced mindset of "lock opponent or lose". There's a reason people hate the floodgate cards.
 
But if they don't use them, they'll lose to a player who does. It's more fun to use floodgates and win than it is to get caught in one and lose.

'Cept the irony is that said floodgates tend to force two-faced ideals.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

TIL I am the only human being who does not get upset when I am floodgated

To be perfectly honest, Yugioh is not an interactive game anymore, and it feels unlikely that it will become one in the future. If you want to play an interactive game without using a past format, this is not the game for you.

I know you have at least some knowledge of MtG, and if possible, it is worth it to commit more heavily to that game. It isn't cheap, but the metagame is loads healthier than what ygo has going on. (Currently, standard is not very interactive by comparison to the past, but it won't take long to improve).

Long story short, the only real solution to your problem is to quit Yu-Gi-Oh. (This is opinion, so nobody crucify me for this statement)

[Just Crouton]

TIL I am the only human being who does not get upset when I am floodgated

To be perfectly honest, Yugioh is not an interactive game anymore, and it feels unlikely that it will become one in the future. If you want to play an interactive game without using a past format, this is not the game for you.

I know you have at least some knowledge of MtG, and if possible, it is worth it to commit more heavily to that game. It isn't cheap, but the metagame is loads healthier than what ygo has going on. (Currently, standard is not very interactive by comparison to the past, but it won't take long to improve).

Long story short, the only real solution to your problem is to quit Yu-Gi-Oh. (This is opinion, so nobody crucify me for this statement)

 

Yeah it is. I mean, competitive decks are $200+, but budget decks are like $5-20, assuming you play Standard.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

I meant competitive. Fetches and tasigurs and all that stuff.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

TIL I am the only human being who does not get upset when I am floodgated

To be perfectly honest, Yugioh is not an interactive game anymore, and it feels unlikely that it will become one in the future. If you want to play an interactive game without using a past format, this is not the game for you.

I know you have at least some knowledge of MtG, and if possible, it is worth it to commit more heavily to that game. It isn't cheap, but the metagame is loads healthier than what ygo has going on. (Currently, standard is not very interactive by comparison to the past, but it won't take long to improve).

Long story short, the only real solution to your problem is to quit Yu-Gi-Oh. (This is opinion, so nobody crucify me for this statement)

Honestly, I'd rather stick with a game that has all of the effect text printed on it without many keywords.
That, and I don't really like the mana system of M:tG. Duel Masters/Kaijudo does it better.

[BANZAI!!!!]

Honestly, I'd rather stick with a game that has all of the effect text printed on it without many keywords.
That, and I don't really like the mana system of M:tG. Duel Masters/Kaijudo does it better.

As someone who plays both on a semi-competitive level (semi being the operative word, as i'm a budget modern scrub), Mtg is actually much, much easier to pick up and a much more interesting game due to the variety of cards and the complexity of deck building. Mana is actually the absolute best thing about magic, because it makes the game so much more stable and not prone to being broken wide open by new things. Don't knock it till you try it.

 

As for yugioh, as other people have said, just stay away from the meta. Lower tier play currently has a lot of variety to it (lots of decently good decks running around). There's still fun to be had.

[EndUser]

  The answers are many, but they all share one thing: The fact that nothing will be simpler anymore.

How can you respond to this? Well, there are two main solutions: Quit. Play anyway. Do the first and you'll be relieved. Do the second, you have to bear with it, however much you avoid it. Whatever you do will be a pain. 

  I think I know what you'd choose so here's an advice: Play whenever you want, with whoever you want, the way you want. Simple as that. I understand it's not easy when the game's joy is ruined, but when it's about something you really like doing then you try to keep it alive, not throw it away. It's like Counter-Strike (a First-Person-Shooter game) and all the newest FPS games. Although being a 15+ year-old game, people still continue playing it (and there are still tournaments going on). It's a very different kind of game, but you get the idea...

 

  If you're playing online, state your conditions and/or play with people you know or accept your conditions. Being with people face-to-face makes the matter easier of course. Being in a tournament? Floodgate-style! Being with friends? Enjoy!

(Many of us don't lke floodgate-styles, but do use them for winning matters. Notice, for "winning matters" , not for "fun". However, there are cases you can have fun by playing with a strong deck you enjoy. ;) )

  I myself have trouble playing against stupidly quick-swarming Decks. Not because I can't but because most of the time I like just dueling. There's a difference to knowing how to play and knowing how the game is played.

 

  Hopefully, from all this monologue you were helped at the slightest. 

TL;DR   Just be yourself.

 

P.S. You can duel some of the YCM members at times. Since most of them are similarly concerned, they will possibly like that kind of dueling for a change.

[VCR_CAT]

Can't help but comment here, but I'm a player who loves to advocate player interaction vs. lock-down decks. So over the years, I've sought to keep that mindset true in how I play my decks, and I follow this with a few key personal rules: I don't run floodgates, I don't run cards like BTH, Warning, and I try to keep really sacky cards to a minimum.

My key go-to deck has been Trains, and I've built a really good build where the only "lock" card is Royal Decree. Royal Decree and Trap Stun are two cards that I kind of make an exception for regarding "lock" strategies. These cards bring the gamestate to a place where both players are forced to play off of their monsters and spells, and rely a lot less on cards that prevent the opponent from playing (namely, trap cards).

I don't play official competitive because my locals happen at a dumb time and none of the decks I want to play are out in the TCG yet. But, this doesn't mean I'm not willing to play against meta strategies and see how I fair. My success has been pretty good against them, and with that I give this wisdom:

Play with player interaction in mind, and have that in mind when building your decks. With any deck, including the meta decks such as Nekroz, you CAN build them in ways that promote player interaction and reduce lock strategies. It's totally possible to play without solitaire strategies and still be fairly successful, but it takes a challenge. Of course, that's a challenge I really appreciate since it feels REALLY GOOD to overcome a big meta field using only my own strategies and cards.

So be yourself; play what you want to play and strive to make it as good as you can. You will lose (as will everyone), but the fun in the game isn't in the winning (contrary to popular belief); the fun in the game is seeing your own creativity come to fruition in your strategies and from overcoming challenging situations. All of my best duels have been tug-of-war duels full of interaction, and I've never had fun steam-rolling opponents.

I honestly don't know why people strive for victory over interaction in duels. It seriously is not fun if not much is happening in a duel.

So yeah, keep playing this game like a two player game and don't let the losses get you down. Find a deck you really like, and own it.

Also another good thing to have is friends who are similarly skilled in the game. On Devpro I have a good group of friends who are really good at the game, but we all really enjoy trying to make a casual mindset (interaction first) more competitive and viable. You can have some REALLY intense duels if you have friends like that.

[Resident Fascist]

Honestly, I'd rather stick with a game that has all of the effect text printed on it without many keywords.
That, and I don't really like the mana system of M:tG. Duel Masters/Kaijudo does it better.

 

If you prefer Kaijudo, the actual question is why aren't you playing that game more than this one. It's not like you are explictly into yugioh for the tournament level play, in which case, a smaller card game might suit your needs better. Although from what I heard, Kaijudo is ludicrously expensive.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

If you prefer Kaijudo, the actual question is why aren't you playing that game more than this one. It's not like you are explictly into yugioh for the tournament level play, in which case, a smaller card game might suit your needs better. Although from what I heard, Kaijudo is ludicrously expensive.

And dead. :(

[Resident Fascist]

And dead. :(

 

Have you tried Z/X? It's not entirely like Kaijudo but it's pretty similar. The only issue is that there are no English cards and the game is 3 years old, so it looks like there will never be a translation for it.

[Bringerofcake]

If you try your luck with randoms, most of the time they want to win no matter what, so they'll go hard with all the no fun allowed decks. Your best bet is to play against people you know, who share similar ideas to you about how the game ought be played.

[vla1ne]

If you ever do want slower games, try putting up messages for duels on DN against non meta decks. Most of the non meta players I know on DN are pretty fun to play against when the players know what they're doing.

I personally enjoy games where both players keep making solid plays down to their last few cards, because i can't see what's enjoyable about winning in 2-4 turns when you barely even get to play your deck. The meta itself is terrible if you want fun games, but most people i know outside of DN actually carry meta and non meta decks for fun and competition respectively.

If you can manage a close circle of friends that enjoy slower play styles, the game becomes that much better, and you'll keep your hair in as well.