From: Josh Herzog [mailto:basil_koriander@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 11:46 AM

Subject: A Ban List Rant and a Combo - JK-47

Howdy once again to all those in Pojodom. Like every other Tom, Dick, and Harry out there I have thoughts on the upcoming ban list. And like most people, I too hope that it is just a bad dream, and when we wake up on April

first, the North American Banlist will reflect not only the Japanese game, but our own as well. Essentially, all that I want to say about the new ban list is that not enough has been done to balance the North American game. I do not want any of the cards that are newly banned to come back, nor am I upset about the restrictions, with the possible exception of Level Limit Area B. That one hurts. All I think is that the North American ban list should reflect the way the game is played here as well. For an example, let's look at the combo I am also submitting.

The combo involves inferno reckless summon, a method of special summoning (premature, call, or shining angel or uforoid), and a Proto Cyber Dragon.

This combo doesn't need any explaining, simply clarification. Because Proto Cyber Dragon, hereafter referred to as PCD, has the stats that fit inferno reckless summon, hereafter called IRS (hmmmm), you can special summon monsters of the same name from yourhand deck or graveyard. Because PCD is called Cyber Dragon when it is on the field, with IRS you can go get 3 Cyber

Dragons.

This is sick and wrong. Although it does provide a reason to still run Jowgen. Jowgen hurts Cyber Dragons. Unfortunately, Jowgen is puny, and will not stay on the field for more than one turn, ever.

Anyhow, back to the ban list rant. As the above combo indicates, Cyber Dragons are simply too powerful, and with the release of PCD, it would have been extremely possible to restrict the actual Cyber Dragon, and still be able to regular fusion summon the big bad Cyber Fusions. Unfortunately, because the ban list does not reflectthe North American game, we are stuck with 3 Cyber Dragons and 3 Reapers, and 3 Dons, and 3 Mobiuses, and 3 Mystic

Swordsmen Level 2s (A personal annoyance of mine). The thing is, if the ban list did reflect the North American game, some new tricks might be learned overseas.

For example, when I first read the OCD ban list, I had never thought of the Mask/Tsuku/Time Seal combo, and while admittedly Victory Dragon is the key to winning with that deck, I'm still buzzed about that combo. There's one tourney left before the new list takes effect, and I am taking a deck with that combo to it. Seeing those cards listed and banned, without a real reason why, my brain began to work, and realized the combo. It took them being banned, or restricted in the case of mask, for me to see their potential. Now I have no idea what the current game environment is over in Asia, but I have to assume that since Reaper and Dragon and Don (Oh My!!), are all remaining unrestricted, that they are not abused anywhere near as much as they are here. Perhaps by restricting them in North America, there will be an Asian person who will look at them, realize their potential, and change the meta of Asia completely. Or perhaps these cards are being blatantly abused in Asia as well, and Konami is really that freaking blind and numb. Either way, there was not enough banned or restricted with this new list, and while taking cards like cyber jar is a step in the right direction to more original and creative play as players scramble to find place holders that wind up being used as a permanent solution, the trip to unique gameplay is a long one.

So, that's pretty much all I wanted to say about the ban list, that it was a

good start, but not enough. We can keep the same banned cards as Asia, but should also modify the list to reflect the environment. That being said, here's my proposed ban list, not that anyone besides the faithful readers of

Pojo will ever see it.

Banned:

Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of The Beginning Butterfly Dagger - Elma Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of The End Cyber Jar Dark Hole Delinquent Duo Exchange of The Spirit Fiber Jar Harpie's Feather Duster Imperial Order Last Turn Magical Scientist Mirage Of Nightmare Mirror Force Monster Reborn Painful Choice Pot Of Greed Raigeki Ring Of Destruction Sinister Serpent The Forceful Sentry Tribe-Infecting Virus Witch Of The Black Forest Yata-Garasu

I actually like what they banned this time, although I would not have unbanned Mirror Force, as the list indicates.

Restricted:
Change of Heart
Makyura the Destructor
Time Seal
Book of Moon
Breaker The Magical Warrior
Call Of The Haunted
Card Destruction
Ceasefire
Confiscation
Cyber Dragon
D. D. Assailant
D. D. Warrior Lady
Dark Magician Of Chaos
Drop Off
Exiled Force
Exodia The Forbidden One
Fissure
Graceful Charity
Heavy Storm
Injection Fairy Lily
Jinzo
Last Will
Left Arm Of The Forbidden One
Left Leg Of The Forbidden One
Lightning Vortex
Limiter Removal
Mage Power
Magic Cylinder
Magician of Faith
Mask Of Darkness
Metamorphosis
Mirror Force
Morphing Jar
Mystical Space Typhoon
Night Assailant
Pot Of Avarice
Premature Burial
Protector Of The Sanctuary
Reckless Greed
Right Arm Of The Forbidden One
Right Leg Of The Forbidden One
Sacred Phoenix Of Nephthys
Sangan
Scapegoat
Smashing Ground
Snatch Steal
Spirit Reaper
Swords Of Revealing Light
Thousand-Eyes Restrict
Torrential Tribute
Treeborn Frog
Tsukuyomi
Twin-Headed Behemoth
United We Stand

Change of Heart, Maykura and Time Seal don't really need to be banned.
Fissure and Smashing Ground would work better in cooperation, rather than in

threes by themselves, and with this list there would be only one of each.
Magician of Faith is powerful at one, and if Mask is Restricted, so is MoF.

Semi-Restricted:

Apprentice Magician
Creature Swap
Deck Devastation Virus
Emergency Provisions
Good Goblin Housekeeping
Gravity Bind
Level Limit Area B
Manticore Of Darkness
Nobleman Of Crossout
Reflect Bounder
Reinforcement Of The Army

Okay, so the Level Limit thing is a personal Bias, but one is not enough. As

for Upstart Goblin, if my opponent wants to give me 3000 life to waste 3 of their cards to gain 3 new cards, fine. I'll just use Cyberstein's effect twice.

Thanks to all who have read this. Send mail of any kind, be it hate or otherwise, to basil_koriander@hotmail.com

Peace,

JK-47