December 2008

 

Winning In Yugioh Part Two: Spell/Trap Removal, Monster Removal, and Hand Management

 

     Welcome to part two of my article about winning in Yugioh. This time we will discuss spell/trap removal, monster removal, and hand management. They are the fourth, fifth, and sixth most important card factors in the game, respectfully. As with other factors, there will always be players who neglect them. I've seen decks with a great monster foundation and strategy that fall flat on their face because they lack good spell/trap removal. It's something you have to really explain to new players. Other decks leave out good monster removal, thinking high ATK monsters will suffice. They run into something like Marshmallon or Krebons and get shut down. Something that takes a long time to master is learning how to manage your hand. So many players burn through their cards too fast. They expose all of their resources, leaving them vulnerable. Good players know how to both conserve their resources while eliminating their opponent's. It's a delicate process that demands skill. If you can master how to balance all of this, you will be a great player.

     Ah, spell/trap removal. Don't you just love attacking when that zone of your opponent's field is clear? You should. The term spell/trap removal would actually work better as trap/spell removal. On the field, traps are almost always a greater threat than spells. Oftentimes, late game, they determine who wins. Even though their effects are powerful, their vulnerable and slow nature force players to limit their use. Still, if you run into a trap like Mirror Force or Torrential Tribute, it can kill you. Even smaller ones like Magic Cylinder, Compulsory Evacuation Device, Sakeretsu Armor, and Draining Shield can bite. Traps are dangerous. As for spells, they can also be quite threatening. Look at Necrovalley, United We Stand, Enemy Controller, and Swords Of Revealing Light. If you don't destroy these cards, your opponent can gain a brutal advantage over you. Swords of revealing light can stop your attacks for three turns. If you don't destroy it, it's like your opponent used threatening roar on you three turns in a row! United We Stand can give your opponent a 1600 ATK boost, which can mean 1600 less life points for you. By now you should see how important spell/trap removal is, both defensively against spells, offensively against traps, and sometimes vice versa. Now we can look at the actual cards used to destroy spells and traps. The best card for this right now is hands down Heavy Storm. It is one card, with no cost, and the potential to destroy up to five other cards. Some of the other good ones are Mystical Space Typhoon, Breaker The Magical Warrior, Mobius The Frost Monarch, and Dust Tornado. Cards like Twister and Royal Decree can be useful in the side deck if your opponent plays a lot of spells and traps that stay on the field, or more traps than normal. Another aspect of spell trap removal that is important is spell/trap negation. Jinzo, Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV 8, and Solemn Judgement are all good at this. As for the amount of removal to use, a typical deck could benefit from a lineup like this: Mobius The Frost Monarch x3, Breaker The Magical Warrior x1, Heavy Storm x1, Mystical Space Typhoon x1, Dust Tornado x2, and Dark Bribe x2. An underrated card that is useful against traps is Seven Tools Of The Bandit. It has advantages over Royal Decree and Solemn Judgement because it won't negate your traps and it has a more balanced cost. Offensively, it can win you games. The only decks that don't really need spell/trap removal are Exodia, Burn, Stall and a few other unconventional builds. Otherwise, pack some serious spell/trap removal unless you want to lose.

     Along with powerful monsters that can destroy other monsters in battle, you need alternative methods of removing monsters. This is where monster removal comes into play. If you can eliminate a monster and attack directly, or save yourself from a swarm of monsters, you have made a positive play. Destroying both face-up and face-down monsters is important, but face-up ones are more of a threat in general. It goes hand-in-hand with spell/trap removal for the strategy of wiping your opponent's field clear to win the game. Monster Removal basically lets you get rid of monsters faster than you would by attacking. But it also lets you remove monsters that you normally couldn't kill. Two basic ways of removing monsters are A) Destroying them, and B) Bouncing them. There are also other ways, like removing them from play and taking control of them, but the first two work best because they have more card support. I recommend using cards from all four groups for a well-rounded, versatile mix of removal. You should use mostly destructive removal, though, because it is the most powerful. Use cards like Smashing Ground, Fissure, Lightning Vortex, Exiled Force, Zaborg The Thunder Monarch, Bottomless Trap Hole, Torrential Tribute, and Mirror Force. Other removal cards that work well are D. D. Warrior Lady, D. D. Assailant, Caucis The Shadow Monarch, Raiza The Storm Monarch, Compulsory Evacuation Device, Neo-Spacian Gran Mole, and Brain Control. If you don't use several different types, certain monsters will overwhelm you. Use enough monster removal, and it will cripple your opponent's field advantage.

     Finally, let's discuss hand management. Have you ever started running a race really fast, but lost in the end because you didn't pace yourself? If so, then you should understand what happens when you use up your hand too fast in Yugioh. It may give you an initial boost, but it will usually cost you resources that should have been saved for later. Any card that involves discarding cards can leave you prone to hand disadvantage. Making foolish plays like using Smashing Ground on a Tune Warrior can also do it. The trick is to fight your opponent with only a little ammo at first, and save the big guns for later. You have to resist the impulse to play cards left and right. If you have Mirror Force and Trap Hole in your hand, set Trap Hole first. If you have Shining Angel and Compulsory Evacuation Device, set only Shining Angel.  If  you have Enemy Controller and Book Of Moon, play Book Of Moon first. It's simple. Start small and gradually build up your strategy from there. Don't come out guns blazing right away, trust me. It took me a long time to learn to play conservatively. This is a hallmark of some of the best players. They know how to maximize their resources, and do not waste a single card. Practice is the best way to acquire this skill. Teach yourself when to "hit" and when to "stay". You have to know when to use cards and when not to use them. Practice, practice, ad practice some more. It will generate you more card advantage and greater field presence when you get good at it. Include cards that don't burn up your hand fast. The more options you have, the more tasks you can accomplish. This is one of those factors that resides both in the player and that cards they use. It's the most commonly neglected factor and the most difficult to master. Yet, you can learn to do it if you put the effort in. Hand management protects your resources and keeps you strong at the same time. Learn it, and use cards that support it.

     That's it for part two of this article. Thank you for reading, and I hope you pick something up from this. Get ready for part three: Draw Power, Speed and Versatility.

 

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