Yu-Gi-Oh Grasp Duel is in an unbearable place proper now. It’s dominated by a small group of extraordinarily irritating decks, Konami’s ban lists aren’t hitting the suitable playing cards to make it any higher, and making a meta-viable deck is getting costlier with each new archetype added to the sport.
Gamers are pissed off, and participant counts on Steam are dropping, slowly however absolutely. The onus is on Konami to repair these issues and encourage gamers to return again, however there’s a strategy to make the sport extra enjoyable within the meantime.
However first, let’s set the stage. Yu-Gi-Oh Grasp Duel’s issues come down to some main points, however most of them revolve round three present meta decks: Maliss, Ryzeal, and Mitsurugi. The specifics of those decks aren’t necessary, however all of them share a couple of key elements: they’re extraordinarily highly effective, endlessly versatile, and really troublesome to interrupt.
In case you’re taking part in towards one in all these decks, you want two issues to win — it’s essential win the pre-game coin flip and play first, and it’s essential draw precisely the proper playing cards to not solely arrange your board, however have sufficient interplay in your opponent’s flip to close down their performs. In case you’re going second, you lose. In case you can’t work together in your opponent’s first flip, you lose. Even when each of these items occur, you continue to might lose, as a result of the pliability these decks enable means they’re prepared for nearly all the pieces.
The explanation these decks are as highly effective as they’re is right down to multitudes of complicated determination making during the last yr or so, however in Grasp Duel particularly plenty of the issue is that they’re largely untouched on the ban checklist. Each the OCG – Japan and Korea’s buying and selling card format – and the TCG launched these archetypes in waves, with older, extra highly effective playing cards getting restricted whereas extra versatile however lower-powered playing cards take their place.
Grasp Duel launched these decks of their entirety, not in smaller waves, and on the time of writing only a few of the important thing items of the decks are restricted in any method. Meaning gamers have entry to the absurdly highly effective playmaker playing cards, in addition to the extra versatile playing cards that make decks extra constant, multi function super-powered deck that’s each highly effective and intensely constant.
The answer, for many gamers, is one in all two issues. You both decide up one in all these decks, spending a truckload of gems and even real-world cash to acquire the very high-rarity playing cards wanted to place one collectively, otherwise you give up and are available again to the sport when the meta has evened out a little bit bit. Understandably, loads of gamers have chosen the latter, and the sport has seen a discount in gamers month after month for nearly a yr now.
However there’s a third choice, and it’s one thing plenty of Grasp Duel gamers in all probability don’t wish to hear: it’s essential play, and it’s essential lose lots. And the easiest way to do this is to start out pet decking. For individuals who aren’t savvy to the lingo of buying and selling card video games like Yu-Gi-Oh, a pet deck is a sub-meta deck that isn’t essentially highly effective, however is one thing you take pleasure in taking part in nonetheless. Perhaps it’s received a enjoyable useful resource loop, otherwise you just like the paintings, otherwise you simply discover the names of the playing cards humorous. In any case, pet decking is while you double down on that deck, understanding that it’ll seemingly by no means be a tier-0 deck.
For me, that deck is Dwell Twins. I’ve spent nearly a yr taking part in completely a Dwell Twins deck, partially as a result of I believe the idea – a band of thieves who use V-tubing as a canopy for his or her crimes – could be very neat, however largely as a result of the gameplay loop of the deck could be very satisfying to me. I attempted out the deck’s Solo Mode and immediately fell in love with the gameplay, and right here I’m, nearly a yr later, with 1000’s of video games below my belt.
Proper now, within the present meta, I lose lots. My win price is a little bit over 60%, however when going up towards a Ryzeal, Maliss, or Mitsurugi deck, that price plummets to one thing extra alongside the strains of 10-15%. Dwell Twins just isn’t a terrific archetype, but it surely’s not horrible both, with an honest quantity of flexibility and plenty of interactivity in your opponent’s turns. It additionally crumbles when confronted with multiple negate, and could be very vulnerable to bricking.
But it surely’s enjoyable. Even after I’m dropping, it’s so extremely enjoyable that I can’t actually be mad that I’m dropping. And I’m studying lots within the course of. By pet decking this one particular deck for such a very long time, I’ve discovered precisely what its strengths are, but additionally what its weaknesses are. I’m keenly conscious of each card in my deck, what they’ll do, how they work together with most different decks, and when it’s time to name it a day and give up.
I’ve change into a greater participant due to it, too. After I first began taking part in Dwell Twins, my abilities had been suboptimal, to say the least. I made plenty of errors and misplays, my deck was poorly constructed, and when issues went sideways I didn’t know what I may do to get better. Now, I’ve refined my deck into its most potent type via a means of taking part in, dropping, and iterating, and I can consider methods to get better and win even essentially the most unlikely matchup.
These abilities do translate throughout to different decks, too. I just lately put collectively an Orcust deck – which is far more meta-viable however nonetheless nowhere close to the facility degree of the large three – and after a couple of teething points, I’m beginning to really feel comfy with it. However I hold going again to Dwell Twins, as a result of I’m having fun with it a lot.
And, regardless of my low win price towards these behemoth decks, I’m beginning to win increasingly more towards them. It’s nonetheless an exceptionally dangerous matchup, however there are many individuals taking part in these decks as a result of they really feel that they should, not as a result of they know the deck effectively and even wish to play it. Lots of it’s nonetheless going to return right down to pure luck, however with hand and all else equal, , passionate Dwell Twins participant can win towards a nasty or disinterested Maliss participant. It usually takes some exhausting galaxy mind performs and plenty of tight focus, however Maliss might be countered in Grasp Duel, and it’s very satisfying when you’ll be able to pull it off.
I perceive why some gamers don’t really feel like they’ll proceed taking part in below the present state of the sport. Profitable is a hell of much more enjoyable than dropping, and for those who’re dropping a number of video games in a row, and also you don’t wish to play these three irritating decks, it seems like there’s no different choice however to sit down issues out and hope it will get higher sooner or later.
Personally, although, I believe the easiest way to repair Grasp Duel for your self isn’t to give up, or to offer in to the dominant meta, however to discover a strategy to have enjoyable and study, even while you’re dropping. There are over 10,000 playing cards in Grasp Duel, with dozens of archetypes to select from — you’re nearly sure to search out one thing you take pleasure in taking part in amongst them for those who do a little bit of digging. And sometime sooner or later, when Konami lastly will get round to fixing the issues on the core of Grasp Duel’s meta, you’ll be a greater duelist with a deck you like taking part in that may really get to outlive for greater than a flip or two.
