JAELOVE's Smooth Journey

Article #5: A BAD System

7.06.04  Today, we're going to take a break from deck-building for a while and focus on another important subject. There are nearly two thousand Yu-Gi-Oh! cards out there! Amidst this vast menagerie of monsters, spells, and traps, a call for some sort of organizing force is heeded by my new invention. I propose a new system of rating cards, termed A BAD system. This A BAD system is designed to fairly organize and rate cards to distinguish the good ones from the bad. It is a new way to lay to rest all debates over the merits of a card, and to expose both overrated and underrated cards in today's environment. Using a non-biased, objective outlook, A BAD system will be composed of four distinct categories.

Advantage F/H: Yu-Gi-Oh! is a game of capitalizing upon advantages. A player with five cards in hand is far more dangerous than one who is topdecking. The F/H component refers to two distinctly important categories: field advantage and hand advantage. Basically, this category analyzes the advantages that are afforded by the use of this card. Does it provide field advantage and control? Will it lead to reduced options for your opponent? What type of advantage does it provide?

Best Draw for the Situation: Yu-Gi-Oh!, like all other card games, has a significant element of luck as well. In closely-matched duels versus other skilled duelists, the luck of the draw will likely be the deciding factor. This category rates how happy you would be to see this card drawn, whether it's when you are losing, winning, topdecking, or even when drawn in the opening hand. 

Attributes/Effect: For monsters, this category will rate searchability, stats, and the monster effect. For spells and traps, the effect of the card will be analyzed, in regards to achieving its stated aims.

Dependability: So Mazera DeVille has a gamebreaking effect. Big whoop I say! Is he dependable? No sirree! This category rates the dependability of a card in achieving its aims. Will it be there for you when you need it? Does it have unconditional all-forgiving love for you like mommy? Or is it slightly cold and apathetic like your great uncle? This we will probe.

All categories will be scored out of 10; the sums will be added and divided over forty.

Let's put A BAD system to the test!

A Perfect Card: Pot of Greed

Advantage F/H: Pot of greed is the clearest cut example of card advantage in the game. One card for two! More options equals more opportunities for both field and hand control. 10/10.

Best Draw for the Situation: Pot of Greed will give you two more options. You never want to NOT draw it. It's almost always the best draw for the situation, and is 100% of the time at least the second best draw. It's also the best opening hand draw, and the best late game topdeck. 10/10.

Attributes/Effect: One of the top five or so best effects of any card in the game. Arguably the best effect. Your drawing power is limited; this is the best draw engine in the game. 10/10.

Dependability: Before or after the bans, the only commonly played counter to it is Imperial Order. Magic Jammer and Spell Canceller are substandard cards that won't really see much play, ever. Magic Drain is an effective, but rarely seen counter. Basically, you'll always be able to use this card. 10/10.

Overall Score 40/40 = 10/10.

A Near Perfect Card: Yata-Garasu

Advantage F/H: Yata-Garasu is a method of maintaining card advantage over your opponent. While it does not translate directly to field control, a successful attack with the bird will drastically cut off your opponent's options. Because of his powerful effect, Yata provides a psychological advantage, coupled with one of the best card advantage effects in the game. It does have weak stats, but his effect will often lead to more options for you. It can be set as a monster, thus his score is a 9/10.

Best Draw for the Situation: Yata-Garasu is not something you'll want to draw without the advantage. It's a horrible topdeck, unless both of you are topdecking. However, it can actually be a good draw if you have the advantage. It also has tremendous power if drawn in conjunction with a good opening hand. A 7.5/10.

Attributes/Effect: Weak attack/defense, yes, and a spirit monster! Unfortunately for your opponent, those limiting factors are actually strengths in your favor! Searchable by both witch of the black forest and sangan, and unable to be killed by spell cards and monsters, Yata-Garasu also possesses the most powerful monster effect in the game. Yata has the potential to end duels single-handedly, a feat that few other cards can boast.

10/10.

Dependability: Yata-Garasu is unable to be killed by spell/monster cards. Its chief aim is to lock your opponent. In this task, only traps can stop him. His pesky nature is probably the reason Yata-locks are the most feared finishers in the game. Traps can kill him, though, giving him a 9.5/10.

Overall score 36/40= 9/10.

A Good Card: Tribe-Infecting Virus

Advantage F/H: Tribe-Infecting Virus is a clear-cut example of the relationship between hand and field advantage. Basically, you are directly losing card advantage to translate into hand advantage. Each card you burn will presumably burn one of your opponent's cards. Because he is also a decently strong 1600 monster, Tribe will earn an 8/10.

Best Draw for the Situation: Tribe-Infecting Virus will save you quite often. Although he isn't a great topdeck, his effect does allow for the killing of any monster. This means Jinzo, Black Luster Soldier, Chaos Emperor Dragon, and even Dark Balter the Terrible all fall prey to him. He's not a stellar opening hand draw, but Tribe-Infecting Virus will usually help, provided you have cards in hand. A 9/10.

Attributes/Effect: Tribe has a powerful effect, and stacks a searchable 1600 attack/1000 defense attribute upon him. It is important to note that he is an Aqua type, meaning that his effect won't kill himself very often. Decent stats coupled with one of the best monster effects in the game gives this guy an 8.5/10.

Dependability: Two points here. One, Tribe depends on other cards to combo, and does not receive an effect if you have no cards in hand. Two, priority allows him to get his effect off at LEAST once. These two points, one good and one bad, give him an overall score of 7.5/10.

Overall score 33/40= 8.25/10.

An Average Card: Gemini Elf

Advantage F/H: Gemini Elf, once the champion of the metagame, has slowly fallen out of favor. A searchable 1900/900 four star attacker, the card has been replaced by less powerful monsters with better effects. Gemini Elf can control the field by virtue of her powerful attack, but does not contribute to any other form of advantage over your opponent, earning an average 7.5/10.

Best Draw for the Situation: When losing, you rarely want to draw an effectless monster. You also rarely want to play a powerful monster on the first turn, revealing to your opponent your game plan. Gemini Elf, like all effectless monsters, is a card that is rarely needed, but never entirely unwelcome. Another average 7/10.

Attributes/Effect: She gets several points in her favor for being searchable by Witch of the Black Forest, and being a Spellcaster with a very high attack. However, points are taken off for lack of effect and low defense. I believe the points even out, giving her the average score of 7/10.

Dependability: Gemini Elf is simply an effectless monster without built in protection. This automatically garners her the baseline score of 7.5/10.

Overall score 29/40= 7.25/10.

A Sub par Card: Dark Magician Girl

Advantage F/H: Dark Magician Girl is a tribute monster with subpar attack that relies on other cards for her effect. She directly contributes to a loss of hand advantage, and a slight, at best, hold on the field. Her score is a subpar 5/10.

Best Draw for the Situation: Tribute monsters are never your favorite draw when topdecking frantically. You rarely want to draw them in the opening hand either, unless you're packing a change of heart. You don't want to draw Dark Magician Girl in the opening hand because she won't be boosted. Another weak 3/10.

Attributes/Effect: With the right type of support(not currently seen in the English game), Dark Magician Girl can actually be a threat on the field. She is also a spellcaster and a dark type. Unfortunately, her current status in the game is wretched, and she has no hope of ever being played by any competitive deck. 6/10.

Dependability: Dark Magician Girl depends on other monsters for her bonus, reducing her OWN dependability. In addition, as a normal monster without protective effects, coupled with her status as a tribute monster, she earns a 2.5/10.

Overall score 16.5/40= 4.125/10.

A Disgustingly Inferior Card: Skull Servant

Advantage F/H: Skull Servant is a waste of room because of his pathetic stats. He's only good for a defensive set, giving him a 1/10.

Best Draw for the Situation: You never want to draw him period. 0/10.

Attributes/Effect: His searchability is negated by the fact that you'd rarely ever want to search for him! However, skull servant does have some redeeming qualities. One, he is a dark type, which is chaos fodder. Two, he can be metamorphosized into Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Unfortunately, his pathetic stats and lack of an effect plummet him down into the lower depths of the review system. 3/10.

Dependability: He is effectless. You won't ever depend on him for anything. 0/10.

Overall score 4/40= 1/10.

Well there you have it! The system works! We have just concluded this instructive exercise by fashioning a card review method that will try to organize the worth of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards! I will use A BAD method each week to review a random card at the bottom of each article. In addition, future articles will include Overrated and Underrated cards in the game.

I look forward to hearing feedback from all of you. As always, e-mail me with decks, questions, and even cards you want me to review at pojojaelove@yahoo.com.