Guess these cards got way too generic for their own good. Hello Pojo Readers, Crunch$G here to talk about the latest Forbidden & Limited List update for the TCG. If you are in North & Latin America, then this list will go into effect on April 15th. In the EU, Middle East, Africa, and Oceania regions, however, the list will go into effect on April 22nd. Either way, the list goes into effect pretty soon. Coming out of this format, we notice FIRE Decks are taking off as the clear cut best strategy, thanks mostly to the power of the Snake-Eye archetype. There are other options like Voiceless Voice and Runick variants, but the Deck to beat is Snake-Eye and Snake-Eye Fire King. So, how does Konami address this problem? Let’s take a look.
Linkuriboh
From Unlimited to Forbidden
We start things off with the list of banned Link Monsters growing ever so, with Linkuriboh being the latest Link Monster to get banned. This was mainly banned since you could just simply Link away a Snake-Eyes Poplar to get it into the Spell & Trap Zone for Original Sinful Spoils or other Snake-Eye effects while also being able to tribute your Level 1 Snake-Eyes monsters as a Quick Effect so you can dodge an Imperm or a like card when you activate its effect. It also helps protect something like a weakened Apollousa by making an attacking monster turn to 0 ATK. Now, I don’t know if this was a banworthy card in actuality, but if you aren’t hitting Snake-Eyes directly, this or Worldsea Dragon Zealantis were some of the best options to hit the Deck indirectly. Now you mostly just can’t dodge Imperm with your Snake-Eyes by just using Linkuriboh to tribute them off to bring this card back. I see this card returning one day, but I guess it’ll sit banned for now.
Baronne de Fleur
From Unlimited to Forbidden
For one of the most shocking hits on the list that I don’t think many saw coming, Baronne de Fleur is now banned. I’m sure Baronne needs no introduction. It’s a generic Level 10 Synchro that comes with a built-in omni-negate once while it’s on the field, and it can return to the Extra Deck to revive a Level 9 or lower monster to make other plays like potentially resummoning the Baronne. You could also use S:P Little Knight to banish this card and bring it back with the negate live once again. Considering every Deck that could make a Level 10 Synchro went to this immediately, a ban does make sense. This should make the end boards for most Decks not as powerful and it’s a counter to Nibiru that’s gone for combo strategies. We also can’t forget that Baronne can destroy a card on the field once per turn, which is really good. I can appreciate the way Konami wants to stray away from easy to summon and generic negates in favor of those harder to summon or ones with a bigger downside, so Baronne taking the ban isn’t all that bad.
Borreload Savage Dragon
From Unlimited to Forbidden
Speaking of generic Synchros with omni-negates, we now talk about Borreload Savage Dragon also being banned. This is basically the same as Baronne, only Borreload Savage is more exclusive to Synchro strategies that also can Link climb so you can get a Link into grave to equip to this. Savage does become a fairly big body, and can negate multiple cards over multiple turns if it stays on the field. Being a generic Level 8 Synchro also makes it extremely easy to summon, and most Decks that could summon this should be able to alongside getting a Link into grave to equip onto this for the Counters that offer your negation. Snake-Eyes were a great strategy to use both this and Baronne if you opted to run Jet Synchron for Synchro lines in that Deck. Banning this alongside Baronne forces Snake-Eyes to a pure Link variant and makes Decks that summoned these generic Synchros have to rely more on their archetype or other, potentially less generic monsters that they can summon for their end boards.
Summon Limit
From Unlimited to Forbidden
The last ban of this list is yet another floodgate joining the list. However, unlike Gozen, Rivalry, and TCBOO from the previous list and another floodgate we’ll talk about in the Limited section, this dodged going to 1 and was outright banned. Summon Limit, with that said, is arguably more powerful than the other floodgates that simply went to 1. It’s basically a weaker Vanity’s Emptiness, locking each player to only 2 summons per turn. You could simply just do your full combo and then set this at the end to activate it on the opponent’s turn so they can’t summon as many monsters as you did during your turn. It also doesn’t affect Decks that don’t summon a ton like Runick, so it’s perfect for strategies like that. Summon Limit being gone should allow players to be able to play the game on their turn to counteract the opponent better, and is certainly the most welcome of the bans on this list in my opinion.
Archnemeses Protos
From Forbidden to Limited
We now get to the limits, where 5 of the 6 will be unbans off the list, and the first of those cards to get unbanned is Archnemeses Protos. This was initially banned when Swordsoul was at its prime to lock the opponent from playing the game via stopping Special Summons of monsters with a certain Attribute. The problem with Swordsoul now is that Baronne just got banned, and that’s the only omni-negate the archetype had access to. The Deck is highly prone to Nibiru now, and the end board for Swordsoul isn’t as good without having Baronne in their arsenal. This is likely the reason Konami decided to give Protos back to the Deck. Now, there will for sure be other ways players can make use of Protos that are yet to be seen, and those will be interesting once they arise. For now it feels like Protos is safe to come back, we’ll just have to see what happens.
Majespecter Unicorn – Kirin
From Frobidden to Limited
Now this was shocking that it didn’t come back in January when the Majespecter support was brand new, but better late than never for Majespecter Unicorn – Kirin. Kirin was very good for its time in just about every Pendulum Deck under the sun since it could bounce any of your Pendulum Monsters alongside any monster the opponent controls. The protection from targeting and destruction effects also added a bit of difficulity in outting this card, so it was banned in 2017 and it was for sure the right call at the time. Now, I’m sure most Decks should be able to play around Kirin and still do their thing, especially since Pendulum Decks did lose Baronne and Savage to help back the Kirin up. Kirin will still be a good card to play for Pendulums, especially with the new Majespecter support, and trust me when I say Pendulums need everything they can get as long as Heavymetalfoes Electrumite remains banned.
Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls
From Forbidden to Limited
It took a long time, but the TCG can finally play all 4 Dragon Rulers, even if they are just at 1 for now. Tidal was the last Dragon Ruler we needed to be released from the list, and probably the one that has a bigger guarantee of having a home Deck to be played in, with modern Mermail Atlantean still likely being willing to play this card. Tidal, just like the other Dragon Rulers, isn’t as broken as it was when it was released 11 years ago, so it’s about time the card returns. With potential WATER support coming down the line with the recent core set announcement after The Infinite Forbidden, Tidal is going to be nice to have for the Atlantean Mermail Deck. The only thing we now have to wait on is the Dragon Rulers coming to multiples, which honestly should happen soon and the game shouldn’t break because of it.
Thunder Dragon Colossus
From Forbidden to Limited
Yet another relic from the January 2020 F/L List that was banned and is now coming back, the Thunder Dragon archetype finally has their main win condition back with Thunder Dragon Colossus finally being at 1. Colossus still remains a good card with its protection effect and the ability to prevent the opponent from adding cards from their Deck to their hand. It still remains easy to summon as well with the Thunder support that is out there. With Colossus back, you will probably see Thunder Dragon variants being played in some capacity again. I doubt pure cuts it anymore, so expect stuff like Bystials and Horus to carry them. You might see a small Thunder engine or Nemeses Corridor in some Decks just to summon Colossus, but that shouldn’t be the end of the world. Colossus, while strong, isn’t impossible to out and is honestly fine to be in the format.
Chicken Game
From Forbidden to Limited
The last of the unbans is another draw card to join the Upstart Goblin that went to 3 on the last list, Chicken Game. Chicken Game is an interesting card since both players can activate the effect while the other can’t respond to it. The ability to also prevent the player with lower LP from taking damage also makes it hard for the other player to win, but Chicken Game has the part of the effect with the 1000 LP cost to just destroy itself so you or the opponent don’t have to worry about that if you need to destroy it. Otherwise, you are most likely using the 1000 LP for a draw 1, which was strong when this was at 3 and could be used with Pesudo Space to potentially draw up to 6 cards. At 1, Chicken Game is fine, though I would be concerned with multiples in case the Magical Explosion FTK comes back. Even if the Deck is easy Droll bait, an FTK in the format is still no fun. We’ll see what happens with Chicken Game in the future, but I doubt it ever gets banned again.
Anti-Spell Fragrance
From Unlimited to Limited
The final limit of the list, and the only one that is coming from 3 to 1, is Anti-Spell Fragrance. The 5th floodgate to get hit between the last two lists, Anti-Spell Fragrance was broken for its power to force the opponent to have to Set their Spells just to then make them have to wait a turn before they can use them. Sure, it affects you as well, but you likely went first and did everything you needed to before activating this. Anti-Spell Fragrance is pretty similar to Imperial Order in its power for countering Spell Cards, and honestly this probably could have been a card they banned instead of just limiting and not many would have batted an eye. Putting this card to 1 is at least a step in the right direction, since you’ll see it less often, but it’s still a very strong card.
Armageddon Knight
From Limited to Semi-Limited
We now look at the clean-up on this list by starting with the 2 cards to go to 2, starting with Armageddon Knight. Armageddon Knight still remains a pretty good card for being able to send any DARK monster from Deck to grave on summon, allowing for some strong combos. Right now, however, DARK doesn’t seem like so much of a threat that Armageddon Knight has to remain at 1, hence the small boost to 2. I don’t expect the DARK Attribute to become so broken any time soon that we’ll need to hit this card again, so I expect this to come to 3 on the very next list. You also can’t Isolde for 4 to summon this directly from the Deck, which means you rely on drawing this or searching it off of Reinforcement of the Army. Good card, but doesn’t need to be limited right now, so it deserves to peel off.
Purrely Delicious Memory
From Limited to Semi-Limited
The other semi-limit is for Purrely Delicious Memory, which is fitting with how powercrept the Deck has quickly become. Purrely was a great Deck over a year ago for being able to get a ton of materials on Epurrely Plump just so you can summon a giant Expurrely Noir for bouncing multiple cards in a single turn while it has its protection. Delicious Memory going to 1 make it super inconsistent to see off something like My Friend, Purrely, so now with 2 you got a better chance of hitting the card. It’s still not a guarantee since you have to reveal 3 cards and you only get 2 Delicious Memory still, but we take the consistency where we can get it. Any way to make Plump easier to summon so you can get to your Noir as fast as possible will help the Deck, and soon I guess all the Memories for Purrely can come to 3 and the Deck will still be rogue at best.
Destiny HERO – Malicious
From Semi-Limited to Unlimited
We finally reach the 4 cards to come to 3, and the first one is infamous for making the semi-limited section his home on and off for many years at a time: Destiny HERO – Malicious. Malicious was put to 2 mainly when DARK Warrior Decks were popular since Malicious could be 2 free bodies for them. HERO Decks would also play as many Malicious as they could, but HERO as a whole hasn’t been anywhere near Tier 1 for over a decade, so they do deserve to have this boost. You could also use this in something like Tearlaments to help make Beatrice, which Tear is in a fine spot where a small boost like this won’t break the Deck. Mali could always end up going to 2 again in the future, but for now I don’t see any issues keeping the card at 3, HEROes do deserve it.
Orcust Harp Horror
From Limited to Unlimited
It took way too long to get Harp Horror to go from 0 to 1, so thankfully we are quick in putting the card straight from 1 to 3. You really only need 1 Harp Horror for Orcust, but the extra copies are going to be welcome so you aren’t so reliant on shuffling the lone copy back into the Deck with something like Galatea. Orcust combo isn’t as scary as it used to be, so the Deck being at full power minus the access to Knightmare Mermaid is fine for 2024. The archetype needs legacy support if they want any chance at being anything beyond the rogue tier, to be honest. It’ll still be a fun Deck for sure, and I assume you’ll see Horus and Runick variants pop up now with the card being at 3, but there’s better things to do with both archetypes than Orcust variants.
Speedroid Terrortop
From Semi-Limited to Unlimited
Last list we saw this card come to 2, and thankfully it didn’t end up like how it did when the OCG tried it a few years ago where it was still broken, so now we have 3 Speedroid Terrortop. This is a great boost for many different Rank 3 Decks like Goblin Bikers, Phantom Knights, and Burning Abyss to get to your Rank 3s or Cherubini as soon as possible. It’s also another boost to Speedroid with having the extra copy of Terrortop for searching and comboing off with Synchro plays, which now said Deck can’t go into Baronne de Fleur, so there’s a trade-off. Nothing that uses Terrortop right now is close to being Tier 1, so having 3 Terrortop isn’t the end of the world. Still a great card, though.
Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage!
From Semi-Limited to Unlimited
We end the list off with Sky Strikers getting one of their main cards back to full power, with you now once again being allowed to play 3 Engage. Engage has always been major consistency for Sky Strikers with all the options it can get you to in the Deck. The problem still remains with 3 Engage as it did with 2, 1, and 0 when it was at those spots where Sky Striker cards alone just don’t do enough to stand out as being one of the best Decks. The Deck can still be rogue tier, and it has a massive fanbase, but Sky Strikers need more than 3 Engage to be able to compete with the modern format. You’ll likely never get Hornet Drones back, otherwise Sky Striker becomes an easy engine to play again, but the Deck has support coming to boost it, but it’ll likely still be rogue after that.
In Conclusion
Well we didn’t do anything to directly affect Snake-Eyes, just took away a Link tool for the archetype and prevented the Synchro varaint from making Baronne and Savage for the negates. The latter two being banned will likely force more of a unique identity to Decks that prevously tried to turbo Synchro Summoning into them instead of being the generic negate boards that most Decks could make. The floodgate hits are nice, though we still have 3 Skill Drain. All the unbans and other releases from the list are welcome changes to boost other Decks, since none of them are really going to compete in the current format against Snake-Eyes. The only hope really is that the next list goes much harsher on the Snake-Eye archetype than what we saw here, cause now we likely have 3 more months of Snake-Eye being the best Deck, but at least Tenpai Dragons are coming to give the format yet another option.
Thanks for reading,
Crunch$G
