Art of Dueling - phoodstamp
                    THE ART OF DUELING
                                                           by phoodstamp
 
 
 
 Over two thousand years ago, a man presumeably named Sun Tzu (that's pronounced Sun SOO), wrote a book called THE ART OF WAR. That book is still one of the most comprehensive books on military affairs today. This timeless work conveys every aspect of generalship; from espionage to open war. Many of these aspects can be applied to daily life as well as deck construction and playing strategy. As such, I have taken it upon myself to impart the wisdom I gained from reading Sun Tzu to my fellow duelists.
 
          I.
                                                         Employing Troops
 
 The most famous tale of Sun Tzu is how he became employed by the emporer (although none are certian when he lived or which dynasty benefitted from his wisdom). The story starts with Sun Tzu meeting with one of the emporer's vassals wanting a demonstration of how well he could employ troops. Sun Tzu, in a move to solidify his stature, took the emporer's concubines and formed a platoon. He instructed them that when a drum beat a certian amount of times, they were to move as he specified beforehand. After several drills and instuction sessions, he paraded the concubines for the emporer. At the sound of the first drum singaling movement, the women laughed and dropped thier weapons. At this he said: "If the troops are given instructions and fail to act, it is the generals fault." After more drills and instructions, he again paraded the concubines for the emporer. When the drum sounded, again they laughed and dropped weapons. This time Suz Tzu said: "If instructions have been given, and the men know what to do, yet still do not act, it is the captians fault," and had the kings favorite concubine beheaded. When the drill was started again, all moved in unison and with expert timing.
 This tale also holds true when constructing a deck. The monsters you use are in essence, the concubines. None have skill without proper command and instruction. When choosing what monsters you need, make sure they contribute to one another, and that they will not put you at too bad a disadvantage. If one has a weakness, find a card that can offset that weakness; or turn it to your advantage. Gravity bind decks are an excellent example of this rule. While level 3 monsters are usually weak, the gravity bind gives them field advantage. As such, one can defend against many. If a card costs you a duel more than a few times, cut it. It may be your favorite card, but is it worth the loss to use it? A wise gerenal delegates the jobs to the men who are best for them.
 

                                                                  II.
                                                         Supplying The Army
 
 "If a war is waged a thousand li from home, for every soldier, 7 houses will be in upheaval." Understanding the needs of an army for supplies is crucial. What good is an army that is stronger than an oppenents if they are starved and weary? Your deck is your supply train in dueling; bringing aid and reinforcements to the battlefield. While Swords of Revealing Light may be a good card, it cannot win a duel for you alone. Be sure to only include cards that will strentghen your troops and bring you the advantage. Take steps to insure your supplies will not be stopped. Leave at least one monster in your hand at all times, so long as not setting one doesnt cost you the duel. Yata is a formidable card to be sure, but it has its limits. almost any monster will stop it in its tracks. Wait to set that mirror force until you have sustained a major blow. The opponent will think you are bluffing. The well supplied army will always beat a weak and starving force, even if only half its size.
 

                                                                 III.
                                                      The Enemy's Situation
 
 "The wise gereal shapes his enemy, without being shaped himself." Do your best to find out as much as possible about your opponent before a duel. What deck he runs, what his favorite combo to pull is, even his personality traits come into play. Send a kid you know over to ask for deck help and take a look at his deck for you. Is it sneaky and underhanded? YES! Lets be real though, war by nature is subvesive and devious. Dueling is no different. If he is calm, upset him. If prone to rage, antagonize him. If covetous, temp him with material goods. I am in no way saying cuss out your opponent or in any means demean him! There are several subtle ways to upset and antagonize, some people only need a cocky look to rattle thier cages. Others you can exclaim joy when drawing a card. It doesnt have to be the card you wanted at all, but they dont know that. As for tempting, ask on your turn if they have any good trades, or what they think about a new card you got.This will put thier attentions somewhere else but the duel. Only ask on your turn though, because otherwise the ruse is completely transparent.The prenegators (Confiscation, Delinquent Duo, The Forceful Sentry) are also VERY helpful in learning what your opponent is trying to do. If you peer into thier hand and see a combo coming, take the most versitle card in the combo, not the KEY card. This sours thier morale. Understand what kind of deck your opponent runs as quickly as possible! When they pull a card from thier deck via witch/sangan/etc and show it to you, this should immediately tell you what kind of deck they run. Very rarely will they pull a monster that you cannot tell thier deck type, as most decks revovle around a central theme. If they pull a yata, you know you can start playing offensivly as long as there are no magic/traps in the backfield. A goblin attack force, set something that can take a hit and frees you to decimate them on thier turn.
 
                                                          
                                                                 VI.
                                                          Terrian Advantages.
 
 Terrian in a duel (to me anyways) signifies the magic/trap zone. This is what you must take into account before starting your main phase. How many traps are set? In a tournament enviroment, nobody will set more than 2 traps without having an imperial order down. One trap and no monsters on thier field? Most likely a Waboku, or a Torrential Tribute. One weaker monster and two traps, better believe one is probably a mirror force. Making thier terrian clear and uneffective is very key. Control decks are notorious for gaining field advantage through the backfield. If no monsters and one trap, set a monster and wait for some removal next turn. Over 3 traps down, no magic until you have an MST in your hand. As for you side of the field, if there is a Magic/Trap card down, set a trap that wont affect your strategy too much to make sure it isnt an MST. after that feel free to set your key traps. The goal is to disrupt thier advantages and put them on the defensive. If you hold the initative, keep it at all costs. A man who keeps the initative usually wins. Draw your opponents best cards out as quickly as possible. No one likes to have to rely on topdecking. Just make sure to keep in mind the rules of supply and you should have your opponent sweating.
 

                                                                 V.
                                                             Deception.
 
 "The wise general tells his troops where and when to advance, but even they cannot fathom his plans." Deception is a way of life for duelists, like it or not. Control decks rely hevily upon misdirecting thier opponents. There are several ways you can use deception in a way that you will not be ostricized by your fellow man. One example is a trick i have used several times. In a Lava Golem burner, if an opponent had a monster that i didnt want out any more, I would lay the Lava Golem on that monster. Even if they have more than two, they most likely will still sacrifice that one because you layed the Lava Golem on it. When they do realize what happened the duel will have progressed to a point it cant be taken back. If they start to argue, just tell them you only laid it over on thier side, they picked the monsters that went to the graveyard. Also, set cards that arent helping you at the moment in a duel. Change of Heart may be a crucial card in a duel... but still situational. Set it and draw out some magic removal, or take thier monster next turn. At the begining of a duel, set only one card in the backfield. You can take the early hit if they call your bluff. Confidence (or lack of) are the key to deception. "If far, appear near." What this means is if you cannot engage your opponent at the moment, make it seem as if you want him to attack. Set a monster, then act like you are trying to hide a smile and tell them to go. They will think twice before doing anything. They might even set a different monster to aviod losing their main attacker. "If capable, feign incapacity." What this means is to draw out your opponent by giving him signals that make it seem you cant counter. If you have a Trap that could take out thier monsters, wait until they normal summon before triggering it. Wait on playing a good topdeck. Act as if it was useless. If you get a Raigeki in your hand and act as if its a shield and sword, you gain an extra monster when you sweep their field.
 
 
 

 While there are exceptions to every rule, being "shapeless" is the best strategy. If you have cards that can mold to any situation and gain you an advantage, no matter how slight, you will be unstoppable. If cards mire you down and have you conform to specific conditions to utilize them, you will be defeated. While this is in no way as comprehesive as Sun Tzu's book, it is meant as a guideline. I highly reccomend reading THE ART OF WAR. If youre still reading this, i hope it helped you. Remember, there is advantage and risk in all moves; weigh each situation independently.
 
 
 
                                            Any comments, email me
                                                knewtch@hotmail.com