Bluffing....revised...

[Silencerleader]

It is common logic sometimes what your opponent would play during the mid-part of a duel. He/she may be bluffing! This...is defensive...and useful. Sometimes I lay down a card f/d and my opponent(s) sometimes don't attack or activate some cards until the field is "safe". Do you bluff in a duel? Is it useful? Is it a terrible strategy when you have to face the inevitable?

[Abstract [Atrocity]]

Bluffing sometimes can help, but all the good players I duel don't care if I'm bluffing, they always seem to have the right cards if they lose monsters,whatever. Although, Gorz is a good bluffing card, because it's more fatal than other cards , and can leave your opponent guessing for a while.

[The Dark One]

I've personally never had success with bluffing. That's probably because my RL friends are all bad enough at Yugioh that they don't pay attention to their opponent's movements and reactions.

 

Still, on the tournament level, bluffing is not to be discounted. Making a successful read, that is, determining what is in your opponent's hand, or whether they feel confident, or whether they think they can pull off a play- basically gleaning any data about your opponent's game state that you don't have immediate access to, is a huge part of Yugioh. That is probably one of the main things that separates successful "pro" players from the average player.

 

By extension, giving your opponent false information, making them interpret your actions in a way other than what is true, can give you a huge advantage.

 

One example of a highly useful bluff is what was called the "pro storm." You set Heavy Storm, your opponent, seeing your set card, would believe it safe to set up to 2 cards on the field. If you played Heavy Storm from your hand, card advantage would be maintained. However, since the set card is itself the Heavy Storm, your opponent would lose 2 cards for your 1. This +1 has the same effect on card advantage as the activation of Pot of Greed. (Though admittedly, card advantage isn't nearly as important as having access to a larger portion of your deck, at least in this format.)

[Zeppeli Gyro Supreme]

All of the duelists I go up against are dumb. Even if they only have 1 monster on the field, a few face-down s/t cards, and a few cards in their hand they wont attack half the time when I have a SINGLE face-down spell or trap card.

[CrabHelmet]

Everyone knows my only trap is Mirror Force, so bluffing doesn't help me much.

[pizzaman]

Everyone knows my only trap is Mirror Force' date=' so bluffing doesn't help me much.

[/quote']

Pretending to switch cards with your side deck...?

Honestly, I don't know.

 

I'm bad at bluffing. Apparently I'm smiling every time my field is clear and I have Gorz in my hand.

[CrabHelmet]

Everyone knows my only trap is Mirror Force' date=' so bluffing doesn't help me much.

[/quote']

Pretending to switch cards with your side deck...?

Honestly, I don't know.

Doesn't work for my deck.

[JesusofChaos™]

Bluffing=u already lost

[tonisanoob]

the buggest bluff ive ever done is pretend for 2 turns my hero fusion deck as big city as i drew all the appropriate cards lol

 

but i find that if you dont bluff your opponent, will know that you have somthing plnned thus be reluctant to attack

 

if anyone bluffs with me i.e sets 4 s/t in 1 turn wheas thelast turn set 1 thus had all thoose cards in his hand in the first place ikno its safe to attack

 

because the last card in his had is most likley a tribute monster

 

and the facedowns are most likley to be pot of avarice (yes i was up against gadjets he bluffed and entire feild and when i used heavy storm they wer all spells, thus the second dule i trounced him as i knew he didnt really have much in the way of defence)

 

i jope that was readable >.<

[MasterOfMagicians]

Not necessarily JesusOfChaos, The Dark One brings up a very good point.

 

If you are dueling someone who is moderately experienced, bluffing is an excellent means of defense. They will most likely have their powerful monsters in attack mode and their weaker ones in defense mode until the field is "safe". You could place a few cards to bluff with. They won't attack, especially if they know you have cards like Mirror Force, Magic Cylinder, and Draining Shield.

 

More experienced opponents will keep a pretty level field. If they don't have anything to quickly recover from a devastating loss of powerful monsters, they'll usually keep 1 in attack mode, 1 in defense (face down or face up) and 1 in reserve (their hand). That way, being susceptible to devastating moves drops significantly. Very few people will activate a mirror force on only 1 monster. Magic Cylinder is usually saved for monsters with 2500 atk +, as to not waste a good opportunity to deal massive damage (unless they are running out of options and make desperate grabs at your lifepoints). And Draining Shield isn't much of a threat, just a stall tactic, meaning they are already losing and need to buy some time.

 

Lesser Experienced Duelists don't require any form of bluffing because they most likely aren't paying attention to 70% of what's going on anyway. They know you set a monster and 2 cards, but don't care what those 2 cards can do compared to more experienced duelists.

 

Another good bluff tactic, let your opponent attack a few of your monsters while there is a mirror force or some other damaging card face down on your side of the field. Once they get a few monsters on the field and are confident you have nothing, activate it (they'll have their monsters in attack mode). The tactic only works once per duel, and you have to mix it up a bit each duel, but the effect is the same. 3+ monsters destroyed, and your lifepoints safe.

[JesusofChaos™]

Bluffing causes u to lose hand advantage. If your deck is properly made all cards in your deck should have a use so wasting them with a bluff jus throws away advantage. Also draining shield gives me lolz

[MasterOfMagicians]

I don't see how hand advantage has much to do with a duel unless you are talking about using cards that require a discard (Lightning Vortex, Magic Jammer, Curse Seal of Forbidden Spell, Double Spell). Everyone runs low on cards every now and then, its all about having the cards readily available on the field. 1 or 2 cards on the field for a bluff isn't going to do any harm. I once held a guy off for 3 turns with a Polymerization face down on the field, just because my other two face-down cards that had been activated two turns before were Magic Cylinder and Mirror Force. He wasn't about to risk another frontal assault without first destroying that face-down card.

[tonisanoob]

^best point ever

 

also it game lolz as well

 

but he did make a point with it (i was suprised)

[JesusofChaos™]

if you make a good deck every card should have a use at the time it is drawn and you shouldnt be wasting them. Things like poly shouldnt be run in competitive decks

[tonisanoob]

i totally agree

 

also why i dont run poly lol

[MasterOfMagicians]

It was just an example JesusOfChaos.

And the cards do serve a purpose in the deck, but putting them on the field for a turn or two as a bluff won't hurt anything. If the deck is built properly, your cards should overlap. By that I mean, if you have 1 card that, for example, destroys a monster (ie, lightning vortex), then you should have another card that does the same thing, or something similar as a reinforcement to your deck. That way, if you are looking for LV and only draw something like...a fissure (this is an example, don't take it to text that Fissure adequately replaces LV) then you put the fissure down as a bluff, until you get the card you need. It will only work a turn or two, but that may be all the time you need.

[Cyber Altair]

bluffing is good if you play against someone whom you dont know cause many people who dont know your deck might not know if your face down card is Mirror Force or something crappy forcing them to use a card to make sure that the field is safe for them.

 

Bluffing is good only if you are good at bluffing, if you are a 9 year old who laugh every time he is going to make a prank or something like that, they will blow your cover and know your bluffing so for god's sake don't go and make a fool out of your self.

[JesusofChaos™]

that fissure you just set could destroy a jinzo and your wasting it by setting it

[Orochi]

you have to know when to bluff...

[JesusofChaos™]

thats precisly my point how do you know that card you are bluffing with could in usefully later on or some time

[Cyber Altair]

sometimes you just have to take the risk.

[Orochi]

thats precisly my point how do you know that card you are bluffing with could in usefully later on or some time

 

 

same for the card your opponent wasted falling on your bluff...

 

remember, there's only 1 MST and 1 heavy storm...

[JesusofChaos™]

3 dust tornados

[Orochi]

3 dust tornados

 

and 3 mobius... your point is??

[JesusofChaos™]

also bluffing isnt going to help you when the opponent hits you with DAD or an OTK