Dark Maltos

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Dark Maltos's Dueling Dome
Increase your dueling technique in 7 steps (pt 3)
The Field
June 30, 2006

So, we’ve covered the Deck, and more recently , the hand. What’s left now Maltos, I hear you cry, THE FIELD? . Well actually yes my sarcastic, hypothetical little reader.

The Field is in my opinion the most vital area in dueling. Its where all the action takes place . Where everything happens, where Tomatoes and Turtles alike are sent to their untimely deaths, so that Sangan or Vampire lord can squeeze their way in. Where wars are thrown and creatures and spells obliterated, and just generally, everything in the entire game commences. Sweet huh? In order for a duelist to be a success they must be familiar with everything on it.

For a long time the field has been an unstable, disastrous place to be in, especially for monsters. The high speed, mega death destruction that commences gives each monster played a life span of at maximum 2 turns. It’s a high octane, win takes all zone of massive proportions.

The main focus of the field is to have as much going for you at any given time in comparison to the opponents resources. This includes their hand specifically, as we all know that’s where the major guns are usually hiding.

The field is split into 2 zones, as im sure you’re all aware, the monster zones, and the s/t zones. Combining this with the existing zone of the hand and that makes 3. These 3 zones are the most important aspects to acknowledge before making any moves. By taking into account the significant tips put together in this article hopefully your dueling technique will increase by bringing the ideas you already have at a subconscious level into your conscious mind where they can be further developed.

The Monster Zones :

This zone is also divided into 2 key areas, face up and face down.

Face up cards for the most part are not much of a threat. Normally they either consist of smaller monsters or larger monsters depending on an opposing strategy , and expose their own weaknesses by revealing everything about themselves. These monsters are the easiest to kill as they show us their stats and effects, giving us the opportunity to destroy them by either attacking or through an effect, depending on the card.

As long as a card is face up , it exposes itself to a lot of removal like Smashing Ground , lightning vortex and controlling cards like Snatch Steal.


Also, I think its noteworthy that generally high attack monsters have a much higher attack than defense, so targeting their defense is their weakness. Hence the reason Tsukuyomi is that damn good.

Face down monsters are often more of a cause for concern. You don’t know anything about them. Their stats, effect, name , nothing. They are a complete mystery. Exercise caution when approaching these. Often they pack a powerful punch like a Magician of Faith or could be an irritating wall like Spirit Reaper. OR, they could just be a useless Berserk Gorilla, forced into defense as a last resort. Face down monsters completely switch the momentum of a duel quite often, from Attack based to a stalling contest.

Good counters to face downs are essential to any deck’s success. That’s why most pack 2 Nobleman of Crossout if they are specifically aggro based.

When using your own monsters, never completely extend and fill up your field. Conserve some resources, otherwise a well placed Mirror Force or Torrential could send you crying home to your mother. The key is to play aggressively , yet conservatively , never pushing for more than 3 monsters at a time, unless you have a safety net like Jinzo lying around.

Safety nets are essential for good field control. They protect you from the nasty’s the opponent is cooking up with negation effects or lockdown, limiting what the opponent can respond with and essentially winning the game. Having good control over the field is essential for a players success, and controlling masterful effects is the best way to do this.

The S/T Zones

The back wall of dueling. Something to fear, and something to use masterfully. The spell and trap zones, much like the Monster zones are divided into 2 separate areas. Those who can master both are amongst the best in dueling. A good knowledge of both will guarantee your ascension from beginner to duelist elite.

Face up spells are normally scarcely used. They have continuous effects that normally remain active throughout the course of their existence on the field. Most dominantly used for stalling, face up s/t’s are normally the target of s/t removal, but if they do last are incredibly effective, and quite powerful.

Face down spell and traps on the other hand are definitely something to be feared. They are the plague of a duelists career. They end games, they decide duels. They are the backbone of a duelists Arsenal. A face down s/t has a sense of mystery about it, and aura of uncertainty. It could be anything, s/t removal, a deadly trap or simply a bluff, but there is almost no way to figure that out.

A good duelist packs a lot of s/t removal in order to counter the opponents, as well as a lot of cards to deal with opposing monsters. A good duelist will also be aware of the importance of the back field and approach any move with caution when the s/t zone is applied. They will never set all of their resources at once, and really should never have more than 2 cards in them at any time. A good duelist will always assume the worst of a card in the opponents zone, and will push themselves to get around it.

Which brings us to the hand. As explained in pt 2, the hand is an essential part of a duelist‘s game.
The size of an opponents hand should indicate the risk of performing a move. A larger hand should push you back to using only one monster at a time. A small hand will let you throw caution to the wind. Combine this with a small opposing field and you’re set, with no real threat to worry about, but if it’s the reverse then watch out.

Well that’s it from me again guys, I hoped you liked it. As always,

Toddyhole@aol.com

Have a good one guys.