Grade 1 Rush Mythbusting

 

This week, Saikyo guides the lost lambs on the myths regarding probably the most broken deck.

   

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not against the idea of playing casually in anything: it's the reason I've been collecting Yu-Gi-Oh cards lately, because I want to reconstruct anime decks, not because I want to be National Champion or anything. I'm fine with it as long as whoever said it made it pretty fucking clear from the start. So I understand if you want to keep playing your godforsaken Gear Chronicle. But you'll get no sympathy from me if you think that they can evenly match the bork that is Grade 1 rush.

 

I have to hand it to Bushiroad for managing to basically sucker everyone (including me for a time) into buying their latest shiny shit by releasing several Grade 1s that only served to be boosters, so that when the big attackers hit no-one paid attention to them because OMG vanilla sucks. But there is a way to make vanilla suck considerably less: if you can get the opponent to play under the same conditions as you against their will. Then if you have more power than them, you've got them. Milk the Gen Break lock for all it's worth. Drink their tears.

 

But anyway. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding low Grade cheese, and simply because I wouldn't want anyone to wallow in ignorance forever I might as well burden you with my knowledge and make as many people as possible totally miserable for THAT reason instead. Just to be clear, I'm basically listing all the most common and the dumbest claims made concerning Grade 1 rush (mostly against Grade 1 rush) so I can debunk them. It should be fine as no-one at my locals reads my shit. I'm pretty sure they don't even know who I am.

 

Myth 1: Twin Drive's better than just attacking!

 

Reality: This comes from the perception that Twin Drive gets you more cards and triggers and therefore can evenly match Grade 1 rush in card advantage. But that's Mid Game. Grade 1 rush does not give two shits about Mid Game. Their whole point is to make use of the opponent being on a lower Grade and less likely to guard with higher Grade shit and opening up a ludicrous damage gap. Most of the time by the time you can even reach Grade 3, you're at a point where everything needs to be dropped for guard or you will die. It isn't just Twin Drive though. A normal deck has to -1 twice on average to reach Grade 3 (Forerunner washes a Grade 1 ride so that doesn't count) which eats up available guardians and also restricts what can be called to fight back. Grade 1 rush only needs to wash with one ride and that's it.

 

Best way to demonstrate it: Call everything, even triggers if there's nothing else, and swing at the Vanguard. Most of the time you'll devour just as many if not more, cards than they can get.

 

Myth 2: Attack the rear-guards, that'll shut them down!

 

Reality: Ahahahaha, you fucking wish, pal. People assume that if the number of attackers can be chopped down, they won't get attacked as strongly and they can hold out. The reality of the situation however is that it's probably the fastest way to lose against Grade 1 rush. I've already explained last year that every attack on a rear-guard is an attack that isn't aimed at the vanguard, so more power to me. But the idea of attacking rear-guards in the hope it loses steam is total bullshit. The deck is essentially nothing BUT steam. There is basically nothing you can attack that the Grade 1 rush player cannot replace, either with a column that's just as good, or simply by having enough good columns that it does absolutely nothing. To be honest if you don't intend to use any of that time to actually take the opponent to 6 damage, you're going to struggle with your Twin Drive's chance at a sudden Critical being your snowball's chance in hell. As for the idea that it can shave down attackers through sheer card advantage, so the fuck what? A draw and a Drive check = the two front row units you murdered. And a negligible damage count because you wouldn't focus on the vanguard.

 

Best way to demonstrate it: Again, call triggers if you must. As long as 2/3 columns can reach 16k+, then one column being only able to force 5k should be fine too. Also, before Grade 3, using thing like Marron as boosters lets you preserve them for when front row units start dying.

 

Myth 3: Limit Break can overcome the Generation Break weakness!

 

Reality: it would have to be something extremely specific and not at ALL meta/viable against anything else, like Tempest Bolt Dragon or something. Most other Limit Breaks are otherwise nothing more than a desperation play: you'd have to be nearly dead to even proc one Limit Break skill in the first place. After that, they live, inflict the last 2 damage needed, by hook or by crook, and then they win.

 

In fact, off the top of my head, I can only name like 2 decks that could match Grade 1 rush after a bit of adapting that could be described as meta: Raging Form Dragon (only after quite a bit of alteration for such a matchup though) and the Blaster engine with Floral Flogal, G2 Llew, etc. Aside from not needing Generation Break or Legion, their Grade 2 presence is really good, with multi-attacks and retirement and calling and shit. But that'll only put you at about a 50:50 split, since it all comes down to who can get their gambit off first, and the non-G1 rush player has to not brick, which isn't something that happens as often for a deck with like 30 cards of a single Grade.  I should also point out I'm going off an educated guess, and to be honest I don't know if that's the case, because almost all other supposed G1 rush killers have some sort of flaw that will crap all over their theory. But since G1 rush is equally as viable yet considerably cheaper, it makes sense to go for that one instead. Which leads me very nicely to Myth 4...

 

Myth 4: X counters Y!

 

Reality: Unless you shadowboxed at least 50 times, excuse me if I don't believe you. Your local shop buddies have nothing useful to contribute to science.

 

I’m taking requests for articles if there’s something about Vanguard you need to gripe about. Email ideas at saikyocardfighter@outlook.com. Or drop a message on my Twitter account!