Subject: Good Cards or Good Duelist Before I get started this is to clarify a well debated topic in this so called metagame There's alot of confusion regarding what makes a duelist good... not to rant or rag on the more financially secure duelist because when it comes down to it just plain luck and convenience and a keen eye for trading is what gets the good cards now-a-days (but that's besides the point right now). Here's a clarification between a "Good Duelist" and having "Good Cards" A good duelist can make a good casual or tournament worthy deck out of a few spare cards -- sometimes disregarding the "staples" and just being unique. Some of the better cards in the game that require actual strategy are commons and with the more elaborate booster packs the commons are coming back into play. I've seen a talented duelist lose in the first round of every tournament for 2 months straight playing the basic beatdown deck (a close friend of mine) simply because of the power it took and the simplicity of it. This game is far from simple though and later on that same friend of mine took the difficult feat of creating a final countdown deck, a huge revolution deck and even an amazoness deck -- actually making the everyday metagame player sweat it out. I've come to believe that there are no bad cards... just duelists with bad imaginations. A duelist with good cards will basically pack every holofoil card they have without regards to a solid strategy... not to say that most beatdowns consists of good cards, but having those "good" cards will help it evolve more smoothly. I classify good cards as anything that will benefit the duel for one turn and leaving yourself completely bare when it's time for your opponent to draw because quite simply there's no strategy in the cards being used... of course you have those one hitter quitters, but honeslty how many of these "good cards" are crammed into a deck because they "look cool" or "have a sweet effect"? The so called metagame is being formed from these good cards and even the so-so duelists can't recognize the true potential of those cards. Like I said before there are no bad cards in my opinion -- only duelists with bad imaginations. A good duelist will recognize the potential and purpose in any and every card even basing a deck around that particualr type that will make it shine... instead of some duelists who will pack in a reflect bounder that doesn't work in that type of deck... dark magician girl simply for the art work... and great magu garzett because of it's high attack capabilities. My advice is for duelists (good and bad, new and experienced) to do their homework and understand what secret and ultra rares have not just potential in their decks but PURPOSE -- common cards are more than just daily coasters and throw aways -- this game has more strategy than any other game I've played (and I've played alot), but for some reason most duelists ignore all of that for the value of shiny cards... does a mask of restrict belong in every deck? No, but if it's used against you by a good duelist I'll guarantee you'll give the one in your binder a second look... is cease fire worthy in a beatdown? Maybe and maybe not... can Dragged down into the grave make a difference in the meta game -- ask a GOOD duelist. Dont worry about having the rarest cards just the cards that make the biggest bang for your buck (no matter how big or small that buck is) and what you want to accomplish in this game that we play. Complaints? Compliments? A few well written words can be sent to nalij_xclusive@yahoo.com or crash_override_2g@hotmail.com