Breaking Down the Yu-Gi-Oh January 20th, 2020 F/L List
Crunch$G
Sometimes, you just want to watch the whole meta burn. Hello Pojo Readers, Crunch$G back here to talk about the latest F/L List and the first one of the new decade. For over a year, it has felt like we’ve had the same archetypes at the top of the food chain and many have gotten sick of that. Thankfully for most, Konami was sick of it as well and decided to go all out in trying to change the format and hopefully make their new archetypes more meta relevant. What did Konami do? Well let’s take a look and see, cause there’s a lot to take in.
Orcust Harp Horror
From Unlimited to Forbidden
Well looks like Orcust didn’t get off lightly. Harp Horror was easily the best monster in the Main Deck when it came to the Orcust strategy considering it could get any other monster you needed from your Deck while also being recyclable via cards like Gallatea and Longrisu. This was a card that really got the Orcust engine going and without it, I imagine it gets much harder to make any sort of plays in the Orcust Deck. Now, I don’t think it’s impossible for Orcust to play without Harp Horror, but the Deck is going to feel less powerful without it. This could be the nail in the coffin for the Deck in the meta, but I’m sure it could survive as a Top Tier Deck potentially, especially after Eternity Code gives the Deck more support.
Thunder Dragon Colossus
From Unlimited to Forbidden
Probably the biggest reason Thunder Dragons were meta for so long to begin with was due to how good Colossus was. It was basically a Thunder King Rai-Oh in the sense that it prevented your opponent from searching and the card could easily protect itself by banishing any Thunder monster, which in turn would of triggered a Thunder Dragon effect. Colossus was going to need to be hit before the new Master Rule, and banning it might be the best approach to try and get Thunder Dragon out of the meta. Unless Thunder Dragons can evolve into Titan Turbo and make that idea good, I imagine this Deck is going to be done as a Tier 1 strategy.
Heavymetalfoes Electrumite
From Limited to Forbidden
I guess if you’re going to hit the rest of the meta, you might as well go for the next best options to make sure they aren’t the oppressive ones, in this case Pendulums. Electrumite was extremely powerful for any Pendulum Deck upon release, especially when Astrograph Sorcerer was legal. Electrumite basically got you to any Pendulum you needed by putting it in the Extra Deck and then letting you pop a face-up card to grab a Pendulum from the Extra Deck. If that wasn’t enough, it also let you draw a card when a Pendulum left the Pendulum Zone and that was the only effect they thought needed to be a hard once per turn I guess. Electrumite got Pendulum Decks really going and without it, it’s going to be much harder to play anything Pendulum related, though not completely impossible I guess. Probably won’t be meta, though.
Ib the World Chalice Justiciar
From Unlimited to Forbidden
If we aren’t allowed to have Denglong in the game, there was no way we were going to be able to keep the much more generic version of Denglong in the meta for long, therefore we have the inevitable banning of Ib. Ib was such a powerful combo card for any Deck that could use it considering it searched for any World Legacy card upon summon, likely Succession or Guardragon for a revival, and it summoned a World Chalice from the Deck or grave when it was sent to the grave by any means, which was probably a Link Summon or even a Synchro Summon considering Ib was also a Tuner. Combo Decks definitely get more balanced without Ib letting them go off, and it’s a good preliminary hit before Halqifibrax hits the TCG.
Tempest Magician
From Unlimited to Forbidden
The second we got new Spell Counter support, most would of probably expected more FTKs with Tempest Magician assuming they remembered the card. It helped you generate Spell Counters on your side of the field while also removing said Spell Counters to deal massive burn that added up with 500 per counter, and with a lot of great cards able to generate these counters at a rapid pace, Tempest Magician was going to have an easy time causing an FTK. I’m always for these burn cards that cause FTKs getting banned, so seeing Tempest Magician go is more than fair, no matter how much you hit the other Spell Counter cards.
Outer Entity Azathot
From Unlimited to Forbidden
A card that prevents your opponent from doing much of anything is most certainly a card I’m sure players don’t want to deal with in the meta. Even though we couldn’t really use it on the opponent’s turn anymore during the last months it was legal, it still stopped your opponent from using hand traps and guaranteed your plays to go through, and that doesn’t seem like fun for the opponent to have to sit there while you combo off. Azathot was going to get much easier to use considering you could put it in a Main Monster Zone again soon, so having it banned now feels great.
Salamangreat Miragestallio
From Unlimited to Forbidden
Salamangreat weren’t getting off easy, as they lost one of their best play-making cards in Miragestallio. Considering it was basically an M-X-Saber Invoker for the Deck that had a restriction that wasn’t really much of a restriction in Salamangreat, while also bouncing a card just for being Link Material, Miragestallio did a lot for the Salamangreat archetype. Without it, it’ll be harder to get Jack Jaguar setup to use with Sunlight Wolf, which in turn would take much of the recoverability of Salamangreat away. I’m sure the Deck is still playable and they could figure out something to remain meta relevant, but Miragestallio is a huge loss for the Deck.
Brilliant Fusion
From Limited to Forbidden
This seems kinda sudden to be honest, though it could be preparing for April when we can summon it without having to worry about the Extra Monster Zone, and the Predaplant engine still made that fairly consistent even when it was at 1. Brilliant Fusion also helped Gem-Knights with their FTK involving Lady Lapis, so there’s another good reason for this card to get hit. Now, while I would of preferred Lady Lapis and Seraphinite to get banned instead of what they actually did to hit Gem-Knights and that Double Summon engine, I guess they didn’t want Brilliant Fusion in other Decks trying to make use of the other Gem-Knights that matched the type. I guess this is a solid hit, even if I still preferred a different approach to hitting anything Gem-Knight related.
Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage!
From Unlimited to Forbidden
Now here’s a hit I feel the most confident will take the Deck it supported far from meta relevance. Engage was the biggest reason Sky Striker had great longevity considering it searched the whole archetype, could potentially add another draw onto that, and was easily recoverable with Multirole and Kagari. With it gone, you either need Shizuku for that End Phase search, Area Zero for that random search, or you need to hard draw the card you need, and with their best cards at 1 with Widow Anchor, Hornet Drones, and Multirole, I imagine it’ll be extremely hard to play Sky Striker, at least in a competitive light.
Danger! Nessie!
From Semi-Limited to Limited
Back to hitting anything Danger related once again, this time taking away another copy of Nessie. Nessie was arguably the best Danger to hit considering it searched the whole archetype if the opponent still managed to hit the Nessie out of your hand while letting you draw and summon it if they missed the Nessie. Now Dangers are still more than playable in many different Decks, especially while Tsuchinoko and Jackalope are still at 2 and the rest get to remain at 3, the hit to Nessie just limits the consistency of Danger a little more than it already was.
Dinowreslter Pankratops
From Unlimited to Limited
Well it seems like modern-day Cyber Dragon is getting limited just like Cyber Dragon did back in the day. Dinowrestler Pankratops was a very good card considering how easy it was to summon and how it could disrupt the opponent on either player’s turn by destroying a card just by tributing itself. This was a card that was getting thrown into many Decks for how generically good it was at being a big body while at the same time being able to destroy any card, bar a card that has protection. I imagine players will still play the 1 Pankratops they’re allowed to, and Dinosaurs can still search it, but now you got to use your 1 copy wisely.
Servant of Endymion
From Unlimited to Limited
Well if Pendulums didn’t take big enough of a hit already, now they lost their best way to get to negation with Servant now going to 1. This makes playing an Endymion package much harder considering you probably won’t want the brick of the Endymion boss just for 1 copy of Servant unless you know you could Pendulum Summon said Endymion boss without an issue. This also makes it to where you can’t just summon Jackal King from the Deck, but that card is still playable considering Master Cerberus is still a thing. Servant takes away a lot of consistency and power of any Pendulum strategy now that it’s at 1, but the most dedicated of Pendulum Decks could still make good use of it I’m sure.
True King Lithosagym, the Disaster
From Forbidden to Limited
Once you see another hit, this going to one will make a little more sense, but either way Lithosagym going from 0 to 1 isn’t going to make the biggest difference in the world, even without that other hit. Sure, you could still destroy 2 baby Dinosaurs to summon this and get more Dinos from your Deck while also letting the Deck be able to access True King of All Calamities and banishing 3 cards from the opponent’s Extra Deck, and while powerful, it probably won’t make Dinosaurs that much more broken. Lithosagym is a great card to have back for the Dinosaur strategy and any other EARTH-based Deck, but it isn’t broken anymore I feel.
Card of Demise
From Unlimited to Limited
This feels like something players asked for years ago, but it’s still a hit I feel is warranted considering how good Card of Demise can be. The right Deck that can make good use of it was able to get easy plusses off the card considering it could get you a max of 3 new cards that you could maybe set to the Spell and Trap Zone or maybe get you to a monster you could summon. Anything that can let you draw potentially 3 new cards is something players will try to find a way to break and abuse, and now that it’s limited you won’t see it as often, but I’m sure the Decks that liked running it are still going to run it while it’s legal.
Dragonic Diagram
From Unlimited to Limited
Seems like this is something that could of happened a few years ago as well, considering how good anything related to True Draco and True Kings was, but with those strategies still being fairly playable, it does warrant Dragonic Diagram being limited. It being able to pop a card to search for the True King/Draco archetype while letting you get off an effect of whatever card you destroyed was extremely good, making this one of the best Field Spells in the game. Players will still try to use this card at 1 I’m more than sure of, and it being limited does allow for more True Draco cards to come off the list maybe, just now you can’t rely on seeing it in your opening hand as often with Metaverse, Terraforming, and Set Rotation all at 1 as well.
Into the Void
From Unlimited to Limited
If Konami didn’t like 37 card Decks with Upstart Goblin at three, I didn’t expect them to feel any different about 37 card Decks with Into the Void at three. Into the Void was fairly easy to activate as long as you had a decent amount of cards in your hand, which is probably when you are going to get your combos started, and the discard effect at the End Phase won’t matter if you already use every single card in your hand, or at least the cards you know you’ll need. Into the Void now being at 1 does limit the consistency of combo Decks a lot more, but I’m sure players will fit the 1 copy in just like they do with Upstart Goblin at times.
Pot of Avarice
From Forbidden to Limited
Looks like the times of Konami having to replace Pot of Avarice with Jar of Avarice in every Structure Deck we import over from the OCG is finally over now that we can also play with Pot of Avarice once again, though at 1 unlike the OCG having 3 of it. Pot of Avarice can be a decent card in many Combo Decks that fill the grave with monsters easily with it being able to put 5 of them back to the Deck and letting you draw 2 more cards to extend your plays, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that it can also be a massive brick in your starting hand if you can’t get the proper setup for it. Decks can still utilize this card without any issue I’m sure, but it isn’t a card for every Deck that’s for sure.
Sekka’s Light
From Unlimited to Limited
I mean, I don’t think Monster Mash like Decks were doing anything of much, but I guess they didn’t want them trying with every other Deck under the sun taking a hit. Sekka’s Light is basically Pot of Greed in Decks that are running only monsters, excluding Sekka’s Light of course. Now with it limited, I wouldn’t say it’s worth building your Deck around anymore, but Decks that already liked playing a Monster Mash Style will still try to fit in the copy they’re allowed considering it’s still Pot of Greed that can remove itself from the grave to get you another draw.
Red Reboot
From Unlimited to Limited
Anybody playing a Trap-heavy Deck probably did not enjoy seeing this card used on them considering it stopped them from doing literally anything to the opponent while they made their plays. Red Reboot probably wouldn’t of been as big of a problem for these Decks if it wasn’t for the fact it was a Counter Trap that could be used from the hand, and the LP halving and Trap Set for the opponent didn’t matter when you OTKed your opponent or made a board their Traps can’t out. With this at one, Trap Decks can once again play without as much fear of being stopped for the rest of their turn, though that one-of will probably feel more sacky if you are playing a Trap Deck and this is used against you.
Deep Sea Diva
From Limited to Semi-Limited
With the impending Deep Sea archetype on its way, I’m sure most could of expected us getting Deep Sea Diva back slowly, but surely. It’s an interesting card to start bringing back off the list though considering how strong the card could be by summoning any Level 3 or below Sea Serpent from the Deck, most likely Neptabyss, and letting you combo off with your WATER strategy. It’s a fairly strong card for Decks that can use it, but I’m sure we’ll be fine with this card at two once again and I’m sure it can come to three later on.
Tour Guide from the Underworld
From Limited to Semi-Limited
Burning Abyss, the Deck that never seems to die off, got a little bit of a boost with Tour Guide now being at two. I wouldn’t of expected this to be an approach either format would of taken considering how strong Burning Abyss can still be in 2020, though here we are. Tour Guide at 2 will probably be a nice addition for any Deck that can make good use of it since it’s an immediate Rank 3 or a Cherubini play. Burning Abyss will especially love this, though I’m sure we’d all like to see the Deck get Graff and Cir back to three as well like the OCG has it, but Tour Guide is a good start to make Burning Abyss much better and it does feel like a welcome addition to the game again at 2.
Mind Control
From Unlimited to Semi-Limited
A hit like this feels like one that doesn’t do much. Mind Control was obviously a powerful card with Link Summoning being a thing and how generic that is, and with Synchros and Xyzs going to be able to play at full power again, Mind Control allowed you to use your opponent’s monsters for your own plays. It’s a card I feel could of went to one if not straight out banning it, but here we are at two to see if it becomes less consistent enough to not be a problem, but I’m sure we’ll at least see it go to one. The card is still so good, just like most other cards that steal the opponent’s monsters, which is why most of those are still banned to this day.
Dark Armed Dragon
From Semi-Limited to Unlimited
We saw it come to two last list and now here we are once again with three Dark Armed Dragons. Once again, the summoning requirement can be unreliable considering it needs exactly 3 DARKs in the graveyard, but having this once again at three copies does at least give you the chance of seeing it in your hand while you’re able to keep only 3 DARKs in the graveyard, and while the popping effect it has is nice and not a once per turn, that effect isn’t the force it once was in 2008. It’s a welcome addition back to three and it’d be interesting to see what Decks make good use of this card.
Lady Debug
From Limited to Unlimited
I guess Konami felt good about their hit to Salamangreat considering they were willing to already bring back Lady Debug straight to three. I’m sure this is going to be fine considering Salamangreat are going to be struggling in the new format and we are getting the @Ignister archetype extremely soon. Lady Debug once again being at three will be a great consistency piece for any Cyberse-related Deck that makes use of lower level monsters, and if Salamangreats are still meta then I’m sure there’ll be other hits to limit the power of that Deck if you wanted in the future.
Morphing Jar #2
From Forbidden to Unlimited
Oh boy, talk about random. Morphing Jar #2 is once again at three in the TCG and that’s kinda terrifying for anybody that wants to play Empty Jar once again. Now, I don’t feel like Empty Jar is going to take over the TCG metagame with this all the way back at three, but the Deck is once again extremely viable and being FTKed by Deck-Out isn’t fun. This is just a rare case of a card that’s probably fine to be back at three, though it isn’t something people exactly want to be back at three.
Performage Damage Juggler
From Semi-Limited to Unlimited
At two, Damage Juggler didn’t matter and we don’t really have signs of Plushfire coming back into the game, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue whatsoever. With Brilliant Fusion also being banned, it’s kinda harder to use the Performage engine in anything outside of a Shaddoll or Lightsworn Deck considering Nekroz evolved past that with Impcantations. Damage Juggler is still an extremely good card and being at three does allow for some fun things, it just won’t be the force that makes Performages and Pals a Tier 0 Deck once again.
Tribe-Infecting Virus
From Forbidden to Unlimited
It took a while longer than it maybe should have taken, but we now once again have Tribe-Infecting Virus back at three. Sure on paper the effect looks extremely powerful since it can destroy a ton of monsters with the same type while not being threatened by itself due to having a more obscure typing in Aqua, unless you’re against a WATER Deck, but it does cost a lot of resources to destroy cards in Decks that use many different types and the payoff might not be as good as it was in 2005 considering you could trigger floating effects. Sure, Mermail might like this, but they also got some better cards to trigger Atlanteans. Tribe-Infecting Virus isn’t terrible, but it isn’t something that’ll be staple.
Sky Striker Ace – Kagari
From Limited to Unlimited
I mean, they just lost the card that made the Deck consistent whatsoever, so getting back Kagari to three just feels like throwing the Deck a bone to make sure it isn’t completely dead in the water. This isn’t going to matter that much without Engage at the game, but at least the Deck has some more recovery for the three other cards they previously had limited. Sky Striker is still somewhat playable as a Deck if you can hard draw the cards you need, I just don’t expect it as a Top Tier strategy either as its own Deck or an engine.
Book of Moon
From Limited to Unlimited
Feels like we’ve begged for this for years, but now we finally have Book of Moon at three. Book of Moon can still be a great card considering it’s very hard to use any monster that is set face-down, but it doesn’t allow for any insane advantage to the point where it needed to be limited. Sometimes you can really stop your opponent in their tracks with this card, but other times they can just play straight through it without hassle. It doesn’t help that Link Monsters are unaffected by this as well. Book of Moon is still a very good card and one that might see play at three, but it isn’t broken to where it needed to stay at one for as long as it did.
The Phantom Knights’ Rank-Up-Magic Launch
From Forbidden to Unlimited
No more Bardiche and no more Azathot means there’s no real way to abuse this card anymore. The only real reason it was banned anyways was Azathot and without that, there isn’t really a broken play that this card allows for anymore. The searchability off Bardiche didn’t matter as much as the Azathot part, but it was another good use for the card. This being back at three means Phantom Knights can use Dark Requiem once again, which will be nice with the Master Rule update, but it won’t be something that makes Phantom Knights some of the best cards to use like Bardiche made them out to be.
Solemn Warning
From Limited to Unlimited
If we can have Solemn Strike and Solemn Judgment at three, there’s absolutely zero reason that Solemn Warning needed to be limited as well. Like many other cards I talked about, Solemn Warning is most certainly still a good card, but the LP cost of 2000 LP when you might also be playing three Judgment and three Strike means you are not going to be able to afford to pay the LP for all of them unless you play Counter Fairies and use Guiding Ariadne. It’s a great card to have back at full power for any Trap Deck, though. It’ll be fun to see Solemn Warning back at three to make sure the opponent can’t combo off too much.
Soul Drain
From Limited to Unlimited
The last card to talk about is the brother of Skill Drain once again being at three. Soul Drain is an excellent floodgate against any Deck that likes to use their graveyard or banished zone to trigger monster effects, but it isn’t a floodgate that’s so powerful that it needs to be limited. We arguably have many better floodgates in the meta right now that are fine to be at three, so Soul Drain can now join them being at multiples and I’m sure many Decks will try to fit it into the Main or Side Deck, just not every Deck since it does affect you as well.
In Conclusion
All of the meta took a big hit each, but I’m sure some of the Decks that were hit might still find a way to play. Orcust, while losing Harp Horror, will probably find ways to replace said Harp Horror to continue on if they want to be meta. Salamangreat will need to find new ways to make good use of Sunlight Wolf as well as new ways to get to Jack Jaguar. Thunder Dragons would need to make the best use out of Thunder Dragon Titan as possible if they want to consider remaining meta, though Titan Turbo might not be something meta worthy. Pendulums are going to struggle with only one Servant and no Electrumite. True Dracos lost a lot of consistency. The only thing is all of those Decks feel feasibly playable still, while Sky Striker took the biggest hit of them all in my opinion now that they have no Engages to speak of, which I feel now out of all Decks hit it’ll be Sky Striker that’ll be the hardest to try to make meta still. We also got a lot of cleaning up as well with cards that didn’t need to be in the spots they were in on the list anymore, and that’s always welcome. I’m expecting a whole new meta with this list in effect, though some of the Decks might still survive enough to be contenders. We’ll just have to wait and see how these Decks are optimized.
