[Trooper Format] Pt. I -
Card Pool, Ban List and Staples 

“Troop Dup Scoop” was a common phrase back in the day.  The format certainly had it’s overpowered moments, but it should also be celebrated for its diversity.  Decks in the format include DHERO, Monarchs, DHERO Monarchs, Demise OTK, Gadgets, EHERO, Beasts, Diamond Dude Turbo, Banish, Gravekeeper, Dark World, Six Samurai and Burn.  Not all of these decks were healthy for the game, but it’s a far greater diversity than most formats.

 

 It’s better accommodated for power cards like Cyber Dragon and Monarchs than the 2006 format and it has a more enjoyably quick pace than the 2005 Goat format.  Card advantage certainly matters in this format, but field advantage matters a lot too.  Being a card behind the opponent is not the end of the world, especially if you have 2 strong monsters on the field.  Card Trooper at 3, Dimension Fusion and a few other cards can end the game very quickly.  However, the game would be stale without some lethality.

 

Most basic rules of the format:

1.    Card Trooper + Machine Duplication = card advantage + OTK.

2.    With that, Cyber Dragon at 3, Chimeratech, Future Fusion and Overload Fusion, machines were viable.

3.    With Magician of Faith and Tsukuyomi gone, Flip Effects (aside from Morphing Jar) aren’t as great as they used to be.

4.    Declare the amount of cards you intend to send (i.e. 3) for Card Trooper before using its effect.

5.    Brain Control was usable at 3 due to more face-up monsters, and more tribute monsters could be used with that in mind.

6.    Raiza is king of the tribute monsters.

7.    Trap Dustshoot is very strong.

8.    DHERO engine is very fast.

9.    No, this is not the Perfect Circle format yet.  Light and Darkness Dragon didn’t come out yet.

 

 

Ban List

 

This format comprised the Spring and Summer of 2007.  It uses the March 2007 TCG Forbidden Limited list.  I will sum up the list below, but this summary is a simple reference point and not exhaustive.

 

For those familiar with Goat Format, keep in mind that the following cards have been Forbidden since 2005: Breaker the Magical Warrior, Chaos Sorcerer, Cyber Jar, Cyber-Stein, Magician of Faith, Sinister Serpent, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, Tsukuyomi, Delinquent Duo, Graceful Charity, Pot of Greed. 

 

The following cards have also been limited to 1: Spirit Reaper, Book of Moon, Dimension Fusion, Giant Trunade, Level Limit Area B, Limiter Removal, Nobleman of Crossout, Scapegoat.

 

The following cards are have been semi-limited (to 2): Apprentice Magician, D.D. Assailant, Mask of Darkness, Metamorphosis, Reckless Greed, Deck Devastation Virus.  Newly unlimited (to 3) cards include Injection Fairy Lily, Exiled Force, Upstart Goblin, Lightning Vortex and Sacred Phoenix.

 

Compared to 2004-2006 formats, this list was created to foster more diversity.  With Sorcerer banned, all 3 Chaos monsters are gone and now players are free to run EARTH, WATER, WIND and FIRE monsters at no penalty.  Metamorphosis is fine at 2 with Thousand-Eyes Restrict gone.  With Magician of Faith banned, Nobleman of Crossout was no longer a “necessary evil” at 2.  Hits on cards like Breaker the Magical Warrior (and other staples) removed dominating strategies and allowed players more room to edit their decks.  Hitting these cards allows more balanced cards like Smashing Ground, Enemy Controller, Shrink and others to be equally worth contenders for a player’s deck. 

 

Staples

 

Sangan is still a staple.  Cyber Dragon at 3 is very fair in this format because there are more outs to it in this format.  Players often run 2-3 copies of it.  Morphing Jar is debatable but many players will want to use it.  Snipe Hunter is also a very commonly used card as versatile removal.  Card Trooper is at 3.  You’re free to use anywhere from 1-3 but many players used it because it was capable of being a 1900 ATK beater that replaced itself when destroyed (and it fueled graveyard power for numerous decks).

 

The 5 power spells are Confiscation, Snatch Steal, Mystical Space Typhoon, Heavy Storm and Premature Burial.  Book of Moon (at 1) is also very viable.  Brain Control is allowed at 3, and in this format, it’s far more viable than it was in Goats since players use more face-up monsters and there are more good tribute monsters.   Pot of Avarice is used in any deck that can fill up their graveyard and benefit from recycling their monsters.

 

The 4 trap staples remain: Ring of Destruction, Mirror Force, Call of the Haunted and Torrential Tribute.  Trap Dustshoot is at 3, unfortunately; it’s seen by many players as overpowered and inconsistent.  Hand knowledge and precluding any monster before it hits the field is strong enough for many players to feel like they’re forced to use 3, but it also puts the player at risk of dead drawing it late-game.  Crush Card Virus is legal at 1, although it was a very expensive card at the time; but players in this format often agree to not use it.

 

Extended Card Pool

 

Below is a list of the most playable cards released in the sets from late 2005 to mid 2007, for players who want to know what options they have for deck building without searching through hundreds of cards.  For those who do not know, most of the cards released in this time period were terrible.  This list is inclusive but not exhaustive.

 

·         Tactical Evolution – Hunter Dragon, Alien Shocktrooper, Necro Gardna, EHERO Neos Aloius, Crystal Seer, Frost and Flame Dragon, Desert Twister, Zombie Master, Double Summon, Summoner’s Art, Common Charity, Il Blud, Counter Counter.

 

·         Shadow of Infinity – Disciple of the Forbidden Spell, Tenkabito Shien, Gokipon, Saber Beetle, Treeborn Frog, Doom Dozer, Sand Moth, Demise King of Armageddon, Ruin queen of Oblivion, End of the World, Karma Cut, Generation Shift, Damage Condenser.

 

·         Force of the Breaker – Crystal Beast cards, Volcanic Rocket, Volcanic Shell, Blaze Accelerator, Warrior of Atlantis, Gravekeeper’s Commandant, Harpie’s Queen, Zeradias Herald of Heaven, Archfiend General, EHERO Captain Gold, Sky Scourge Enrise, Sky Scourge Norleras, Mei-Kou Master of Barriers, Raiza the Storm Monarch, Lich Lord King of the Underworld, Mist Archfiend, Plague Wolf, Eradicator Epidemic Virus, Prometheus King of the Shadows, Wild Fire.

 

·         Strike of Neos – Six Samurai cards, Gene-Warped Warwolf, Frostosaurus, Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, Reign-Beaux Overlord of the Dark World, Electric Virus, Puppet Plant, D.D. Crow, Dark World Dealings, Twister, Advanced Ritual Art, Card Trader, Skyscraper 2 – Hero City, Hero’s Medal, The Transmigration Prophecy, Birthright, Cloak and Dagger, Pulling The Rug, Nova Summoner, Gellenduo, Ancient Rules.

 

·         Cyberdark Impact – Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Edge, Cyberdark Keel, Snipe Hunter, Vanity’s Fiend, Vanity’s Ruler, Barrier Statue monsters, Instant Fusion, Chain Strike, Justi-Break, Dimensional Inversion, Accumulated Fortune, Cyber Shadow Gardna, Black Horn of Heaven.

 

·         Power of the Duelist – Sabersaurus, Neo-Spacian Dark Panther, Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin, Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab, DHERO – Double Dude, DHERO – Dogma, DHERO – Dasher, DHERO – Fear Monger, Black Ptera, Black Stego, Bitelon, Chimeratech Overdragon, Overload Fusion, Future Fusion, Mausoleum of the Emperor.

 

·         Enemy of Justice – DHERO Diamond Dude, Cyber Gymnast, Cyber Phoenix, Victory Viper XX03, Harpie’s Pet Baby Dragon, Majestic Mech – Ohka, Bountiful Artemis, Banisher of the Radiance, E – Emergency Call, R – Righteous Justice, Dimensional Fissure, Icarus Attack, Macro Cosmos, Forced Back.

 

·         Promos/Other: Magician’s Valkyria, EHERO Stratos (at 1), EHERO Ocean, Green Baboon Defender of the Forest, Red Gadget, Green Gadget, Yellow Gadget, Shrink, Crush Card Virus, Five-Headed Dragon, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Spell Striker, Exploder Dragon, DHERO Disk Commander (at 1), Hunter Owl, DHERO Malicious, Destiny Draw.

 

Revisionist Ban List

 

I will propose a revisionist list for players who want to play a more refined version of the format.  This list exists in addition to the already established March 2007 TCG list.  This list is designed to smoothen the inconsistencies and annoyances of the format rather than structurally change it.

 

Forbidden:

·         Crush Card Virus

·         Dimension Fusion

·         Trap Dustshoot

 

Limited:

·         Accumulated Fortune

·         Advanced Ritual Art

·         Dimensional Fissure

·         Macro Cosmos

·         Skill Drain