OCG January 1st Speculation Banlist

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

Seeing that this list should be leaked in the V-jump on Wednesday, I thought I'd get to it now.

 

 

 

So this is were OCG stands.

 

1,092 - EMEm (49%)
468 - Burning Abyss (21%)
218 - Monarch (10%)
62 - Infernoid (3%)
38 - HERO (2%)
324 - Others (15%) 
2,202 - Total (100%)

Others ; including 
26 - Qliphort 
23 - Artifact 
21 - Atlantean Mermail 
17 - Majespecter 
13 - Super Quantum 
10 - Nekroz 
10 - Raidraptor 
10 - Shaddoll 
8 - Barrier Statue Beat 
7 - DD 
5 - PSY-Frame 
5 - Graydle 
5 - Deskbot 
4 - Yosenju 
3 - Ritual Beast 
3 - Train 
154 - Other stuff like Infernity, Bujin, Six Samurai, Tellarknight, Galaxy, Volcanic, Speedroid, Phantom Knight, etc. 

 

28 Tournaments including : 

The 108th ALANN CUP (I), The 23rd Aichi CS (I), The 5th Adachi CS (T), The 3rd Trade Market CS (I), The 27th Harike CS (T), 
Kyoto CS with Harike CS (T),The 109th ALANN CUP (I),The 25th Sheltie game (I),The 32th Card King (Card-Oh!) CS (I),M2CS (I), The 1st Osaka CS (I,) The 2nd Atsu CS with Harike CS (T), The 4th Gifu CS (T), The 6th Manzoku (Satisfaction) Cup (I), The 3rd Chitose CS (T), The 110th ALANN CUP (I), The 10th Goyururi CS (I), Gaccha CS R - November Ranking Competition (I), Hinoki Cup (I), The 24 Harike CS (I), The 24 Harike CS (T), The 25th Harike CS (I), The 3rd Go-KEN! CS (I), The 1st Shimonoseki CS (I). The 15th Kanto Championship (T), The 4th Trade Market CS (I), The 1st Atama Cup with Harike CS (T), and Invitational Match (I)

 

 

Honestly the situation is almost exactly like Dragon Rulers.

 

The dominant aggression deck that seems to have plays for days and can +' out of the extra (instead of the grave) and hold about 50% of the Metagame (pepe).

 

The secondary, amazing deck, that reinvented itself to be a don't play deck(BA), with the Solemn Brigade, Skill Drain, and Dark Law (21% of the Meta)

 

and the final tier 1 deck, a deck that makes sure no Tier 2 decks that may have a good match up vs pepe or BA can stand and fight, this would be monarchs now, and Verz back in the age of the rulers (10% of the Meta)

 

So let's get right into this:

 

EMEM:

 

Tackling EMEM fight is an ideological one after a point. The primary hit that most people agree on is Performapal Pendulum Wizard

 

This card is the main one that allows EMEM to make the +2 searches and is effectively the rejuvenation of the format, most people want to this to 1, rightfully.

 

Here is where the river splits. A great many people want Joker limited. Some want Shock, and Utopia the Lighting (UTL) banned. Others want Juggler limited or Wavering Eyes limited.  And finally some people want Dracoslayer limited. Mix and match combinations depending on how much you dislike EMEM

 

I personally want both Juggler and Eyes limited to 1, let me explain why. People are even playing two monkey into Beatrice to get Juggler out fast(er?). That show's how warping the card is, it's also your easy access into Mascot and Mirror conductor and also what makes you confident enough to survive battles. Limiting to 1 doesn't weaken the Lavaval Chain play, it just weakens the late game and Flame Mascot (or Plushfire as he's known). In addition, the deck would not have an easy out to battle damage anymore. Furthermore, it would require you to play either Psy-Frame Omega or Bujinki Amaterasuto get it back, both which would put pressure on an already tight Extra deck. In addition, limiting Juggler allows for construct to be limited again.

 

However, at this point, wavering eyes loses it's main counter, wavering eyes is much like Gold Sarcophagus in ruler format, it's not expressively meant to be broken, it can just turn any pendulum scale into a ROTA for the deck. But limiting both is akin to banning both Duo and the card to "counter" it, sinister serpent. In addition, wavering eyes has the sad phenomenon of reacting with another copy of itself quite poorly and making who'ever drew it first ahead in the game promoting a Dice Roll Format.

 

Now the Crobat people. Limiting Corbat seems questionable when it helps Magicians and Odd Eyes and Performapals have a new starter deck coming out. Monkey would be the better limit if any, but it suffers from being too new.  

 

Shock and UTL are both not the problems, shock isn't all that great vs BA, or most of the new age meta because of how varied the decks are (run all three colors). If anything it serves as an anti-pendulum mechanic just like Anti-Spell Fragrance would. Yes something like Shock-Rafflesia is annoying, but that is more the problem of the deck that can make that field and still have juice to go. How many decks have been able to make something like that regularly? EMEm, Heros, Star Seraphs....notice a trend? All high tier 1 decks.

 

ULT has the weakness of needing a middle step in Utopia. Unlike Ptolo, the only XYZ banned in OCG, neither Shock nor UTL can respond to something on their summon and even for EMEM going -2 is devastating.

 

About Dracoslayer. Amorphages need him. Clash is too new. Nuff said.

 

So my EMEM hits, are: Performapal Pendulum Wizard, Performage Damajuggler, and Wavering Eyes to 1.

 

Now to BA. Hitting this is complicated as. Primarily because of the reprints OCG is doing. December 10th, yesterday? TGU got reprinted in the DD/D structure deck. Also the extra pack, which imported all the BA monsters, has been restocked and nearly resold. 

 

Solemn Notice escapes this list, simply because BOSH is too new

 

A Dante semi-limit would nice, weakening the late game Beatrice plays as well as the Cir-Dante loop. But Dante is the main cash crop of the deck and OCG's poster boy for the EMEM resistance.

 

Skill Drain and Mask Change Second are both basically floodgates BA can run for free, MC2 is just terrible design anyway, both of these should take a limit in my opinion. Although yes, skill Drain has taken a decrease in popularity recently, maybe it's been replaced by notice. But if you remove two MC2 spots, people will happily dumb down the game to rootbeer float all over

 

For the main deck monster limits, either the DDD reprint be damned and TGU take a limit. Or they could hurt BA's longevity in the form of Cir. Do both. BA can and were running Reborn and Soul Charge. Make them go back to those days where they had to slightly tech their decks.

 

Personally, I would support a Cir-TGU-MC2 limit.

 

Monarchs have been largely irrelevant recently, but not really undeserving of a hit sadly, next list in a weakened PEPE format, I think it might have some potential to get hammered, but Pantheism of the Monarchs to 2 is a small slap on the wrist to keep people happy.

 

Now the fun part, the boosting and unbans.

 

OCG has two cards banned that have no business being banned there, I am now speaking of Goyo Guardian and Magician of Faith.

 

DMoC is at two, and outside of a 1-2 of in post-construct dolls, sees no use. Magical Stone Excavation at 3, no use. MoF is slow in that it has no secondary effect like Dolls, could some bad FTK empty jar be possible? Maybe.  Could it maybe see use with Construct? Doubtful. 

 

Goyo is just outclassed. Red Wyven just has a better form of removal. Also BA and Pendulum's make Goyo's life hard. The 2800 attack alone cannot carry it through the OCG metagame.

 

Shaddolls:

 

OCG fan fav deck of year, maybe tied with Heros. Konami  unfairly hit Construct, the random plays with getting BLS and CED in the same hand were rare, and clowns after the other hits (Math, El, Bandit to 1) wouldn't have been enough to save dolls. The powerscale has also changed a lot from April anyway.

 

Many people want super-poly to 2 post noden ban, but I'm still nervous if not for dolls, heroes, and if not for heros, the future.

 

Bandit can go to three though, it's no longer the idea play for Dolls even with Con, cause "ep chain el-shaddoll" is still very unlikely to do with El-Shaddoll Limited.

 

Also Sinister Shadow Games to 3, after is movement and rather minor impact at 2, it can't be terrible for the deck to garner a third copy.

 

Dragons:

 

They've been easing up on the Dragon Triforce (Ravine, Shrine, Rejuv) kinda? I mean, shrine went to 2 on the Oct list, Rejuv and Ravine are still at 1.

 

Rejuv has the problem of being annoying if you draw into another copy, so I think it's place at 1 is merited.

 

Ravine, foolish burial every turn for dragons isn't all that strong without the rulers. It going to 2 would only help Dragunity, maybe Blue Eyes, and likely the new Dragon Lord deck out a little.

 

Shrine should go to 3 to boost BEWD.

 

And finally, I feel REDMD should come to 2. This isn't the same age where a glass-cannon, hieratic deck can make gustav-max and win, with so many more traps and hand traps in the game, that era is over. Also REDMD is clearly not in the same class of game winner that BLS or Trishula are in.

 

Gold Sarcogus can return to 3 in my opinion. Outside of bad plays with Necroface, and mediocre plays with Leviar, it's got nothing

 

Heros: People want Shadow Mist to 2, Heroes have been topping even with the mist limit....so why? Maybe next list, just to be safe. Destiny Hero Malicious to 3 would be rather nice though.

 

Nekroz: Prep to 2? I'd say OK, Nekroz have been dead since the Shruitt limit, and while the Djinn lock is awful, Djinn IS still at three. I'm a little apprehensive about helping them after it took 3 list to put them down, maybe next list.

 

Inzektor: Hornet has been at 3 for a while, no impact, Wind-Ups are back to March 2012 levels, moving Dragonfly to 2 won't be that devastating in my opinion, and can't be any more dangerous than Gateway to 2 lolol

 

Plant Synchro: Deck will not work anymore. Agreed with the sentiment of Tengu to 3 and Dandylion to 2

 

Zombies: BOSH deck didn't work. Mezuki to three is fine.

 

Random Movements: CCV to three, it's not like Doom Virus Dragon is any good, rarely any deck plays CCV as it is.

 

So my list:

 

Forbidden:

 

None

 

Limited:

 

Perfomapal Pendulum Sorcerer

Performage Damage Juggler

Tour Guide from the Underworld

Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss

Magician of Faith

El-Shaddoll Construct

Goyo Guardian 

Wavering Eyes

Mask Change Second

 

Semi-Limited

 

Dandylion

Inzektor Dragonfly

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon

Pantheism of the Monarchs

Dragon's Ravine

 

Unlimited:

 

Mezuki

Reborn Tengu

Destiny Hero Malicious

Kuribandit

Gold Sarcophagus

Dragon's Shrine

Sinister Shadow Games

Crush Card Virus

[Delibirb]

I don't understand why monarchs aren't getting played more when the pepe matchup isn't terrible.

[Ryusei the Morning Star]

I don't understand why monarchs aren't getting played more when the pepe matchup isn't terrible.

It's not awful, but PEPE/EMEM have consistency up the wall, and you need to be able to beat both BA and PEPE interchangeably to survive in this metagame.