Melos's Tactics - Yourself and Your Opponent


11.20.06 Article 19: Yourself and Your Opponent

Welcome everyone to Melos’s Tactics. Even though I didn’t write a single article over the past two months, I have returned to fulfill the promise I made... It may seem crazy or even impossible, but I'm going to attempt to have twenty-four articles completed by the end of the year. That means I have 5 left to write while I struggle to keep up with college and my life. Wish me luck, because I'm going to need it. However, I was not entirely slacking from the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG during the past couple of months. I’ve even made it a habit to keep up with all the new changes in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG during my absence. I've been mainly working on a Trample Deck, which is nearing its completion stage. In a couple more weeks I should have that Deck Analysis up for you guys and gals. Today’s article may not be a Deck Analysis, which I've been getting some pleasant reputation for, but it should give you some insight with your game.

Sun Tzu's book, the Art of War, is probably the most famed book on military strategy in existence. It was written in the early 500's BC by the Chinese General Sun Wu and it still talks to people today. Generals, scholars, businessmen, leaders, and even students read it for the philosophical views on tactics that relate to more than just warfare. It has great insight and it's worth a read if you ever get the chance.

How does this relate to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG? Well, the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is really a strategy game deep in heart. A lot of people believe that luck is more of a factor in this game, but I firmly believe that this is not the case. You can't get lucky if your Deck does not have the cards you need to win and you don't even know how to use them. I had a lengthy explanation on this subject in my 17th article so check it out if you haven't yet. It’s a great article to read in my opinion.

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." - Sun Tzu (孫子)

In the quote above, Master Sun is stating a very important point that he broke down into three simple sentences. First, you cannot expect to win unless you know both yourself and your opponent. In other words, only if you truly know yourself and your opponent, you can expect to win. It may sound simple, but many questions will come up if you just ponder about the meaning for a minute. How are you sure if you know yourself? What does it mean when you know your opponent and how are you sure if you actually know your opponent? How can I obtain the ability to know both my opponent and myself?

I'm sure some of you are thinking that you already know yourself and your opponents. I'm sure that some of you know your opponent's name or even what kind of Deck they are using. You might have taken a look at their Deck before the tournament. It's as simple as just asking them before the Match right? Some of you probably think that knowing yourself and your opponent will not help you at all. However, how many of you guys and gals actually win 90-100% of the Matches you play? Or more strictly speaking, how many of you guys and gals fear not the result of a hundred Matches? Do you already know ahead of time that you will win or lose before you play?

Master Sun is really talking about foresight in this quote. If you know yourself and what you can defeat, you can decide whether or not to win based on the situation. What do I mean by deciding whether or not to win? Well, if you truly know how bad you are and you know that everyone at your local tournament is better, than you can simply not play there until you are sure you can win. You can practice elsewhere, fix your Deck, etc. and not lose the entry fee and your reputation. If you know you are going to lose, you can still play at the local tournament if you wish for practice or other reasons, but that's your choice. If you know you will lose, you can't expect to win. It’s as simple as that.



Master Sun said, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." This means that if you truly know yourself and what you will face, and you know you will lose, you have the option to don't play so you won't even lose! It's as simple as choosing your fights if you take his quote this way. Also, you do not fear the result of the battles due to you already knowing what the results will be! How can you fear losing if you already know you will lose? Now, if you know what types of Decks the competition at the local tournament has, their tactics and skills, your Deck is in the perfection stage, your at the top of you game, and you are certain you can win, then you will probably win the tournament. I say probably because many factors can actually lower your game and as much as I hate saying it, luck is still a factor in every Duel. There is always a chance of anything going wrong in life, so I wouldn't worry about losing a game solely on luck. It can even be said about the guy that knows he will lose. He might get lucky and actually win, but you should never count on it.

When Sun Tzu talks about knowing yourself, most people say, "Of course I know myself. How could I not?" but they fail to realize that they really don't. If you go play at a tournament to see how well you do or if you think you just might pull a win but aren't exactly confident, then you really don't know yourself. You’re actually testing yourself if you go to a tournament to see if you can win. Even if you know everything about your opponent, know what cards they have down through gut instincts, what type of Deck they are using, what tactics they are known for, etc. but you really don't know your own Deck inside and out, then you really should only expect to win some and lose some. You know yourself when you know your Deck inside and out, what cards can create combos, why you have every single card in that Deck, what cards have weaknesses and how to reduce their negative effects, when to play the right cards at the right time, what to expect to draw at (in)opportune times, etc. If you are relying too much on luck, it's a good sign that your Deck is either not built well or you are expecting to draw certain cards and not others. That means that you really don't know how your Deck truly functions. If you know your Deck, you expect to draw any card in there in any given situation and not just the only card that can win you the game at the right time. Luck plays as a factor in each Duel, but it also doesn’t discriminate between you and your opponent. Don’t expect Lady Luck to win games for you and only you.

Knowing your opponent is a little easier than knowing yourself, in my opinion. Knowing your opponent means that you know what cards they have through gut instincts, what type of Deck they are using, what tactics they are likely to use, how to tell when they are not confident, etc. It also means you know when they are feinting a face-down or having a "Magic Cylinder" down to seal the Duel. Most importantly, it means how to estimate them. If you play against a guy running an Elemental Hero Deck, you probably think n00b and play easy on him. You make moves that you would normally never do, thinking that it makes no difference here. Do not underestimate your opponents especially if you really don't know anything about them with the exception of the Deck they are using. If you overextend and your opponent doesn't turn out to be the beginner that you originally thought, you can lose with a bang. There was an Elemental Hero Deck that toped 8 in a major event during the past month or so, largely due to everyone underestimating him. In his tournament report, people were saying he was just lucky for beating them and getting so far. They did not really know their opponent until after they played against him, and some still didn't realize that luck was not really the factor for all his wins.

The same can be said about overestimating your opponent. If you play against someone older than you, or someone with a certain amount of reputation, you can overestimate them and make mistakes by playing too cautiously or holding back waiting for a killer counterattack. You could be stressing and just waiting for a miracle play from your opponent that really would have never came if you made your plays against him like you normally would. Overestimating and underestimating are sure signs that you don't know your opponent. If you know yourself but you don't know your opponent and thus underestimate or overestimate them, it can really go either way. You will win some and lose some, until you actually get to know them.

In conclusion, knowing yourself and your opponent can make the difference in a Duel. Actually knowing yourself and your opponent can be difficult, but rewarding. Excuses like “I was luck sacked” or “I just didn’t draw the card I needed” should not be made if you really want to play competitively and win. Hope you enjoyed this article and feel free to leave suggestions for future articles. I need as much help as I can get .

Want to give me feedback? Just post it here or PM me on the forums .

Until next time…

-Melos Woodlanders