Pook

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Hasta La Vista, Yugi
Or
Rise of the Machines
 
By Pook
August 22, 2006

            Greeting all.  As you all know, there have been two huge revelations announced within the span of two weeks, and that’s the release of the new Banned/Restricted List, and the release of Power of the Duelist.  Thankfully, one of the most potentially dangerous cards has already found its way onto the updated Restricted List (Future Fusion), but I fear that this preemptive strike may not be enough.  Folks, there is a dark cloud looming over the heads of all of us, and sitting pretty in the cloud is the Chimeratech Overdragon, new king of the one-turn-kill, and quite possibly, the end of Yu-Gi-Oh as we know it. 

            Before I go on, I’d like to thank all of those who sent me emails regarding my last column (“Where Have All the Duelists Gone, or, I Don’t Need a Hero).  Much to my surprise, I didn’t receive the flurry hate mail I was expecting, but instead, nearly unprecedented support.  Some writers even thanked me for pointing out the so-called “elephant in the room” – the thing that everyone sees but doesn’t want to talk about – in calling out the Heroes.  With that being said, I am willing to take another chance with this article, and I risk my own reputation, both as a duelist and as a Yu-Gi-Oh writer.  But hey, without a few risks, life would be boring. 

            Chimeratech Overdragon.  What a card.  This monster has already been reviewed by the Card of the Day staff, so I won’t bore you with details, but man, is this thing trouble.  Two weekends ago, I know a few people who attended the Power of the Duelist sneak preview event, and the following weekend, one of the best players I know had already constructed the most evil deck of all time.  A deck so evil, Marik himself would shutter.  It was a machine-heavy deck, with full support of Overload Fusion and Future Fusion.  The goal was simple – give me my Chimeratech Overdragon, and give it to me NOW.  Tt worked.  It worked on a level previously unimagined.  Now I thought I’d seen it all with the Cyber-stein/Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon/Megamorph combo, but the Power of the Duelist deck even puts that to shame.  Here’s why. 

            Cyber-stein was a calculated risk.  5000 life points is nothing to smirk at.  You play that combo wrong, you’re dead.  Magic Cylinder, Mirror Force, Bottomless Trap Hole, Compulsory Evacuation Device, etc., and you’re done.  But Chimeratech Overdragon is an unholy creature.  That isn’t to say I didn’t giggle like a schoolgirl when I saw it in all its glory.  But I fear what this card combo will do to the game as a whole.  Now thank goodness that it can only attack as many monsters as used to summon it, and it can’t necessarily attack you five times directly, but there are enough support cards to turn this beast into a one-turn killer.  Fairy Meteor Crush is easily the best choice, but cards that change your opponent’s defense position monsters into attack position work just as well.  Heck, chain a Ceasefire to this monstrosity and you won’t even have to worry about hitting flip effects!  The fact of the matter is that this game is practically going to become a one-turn kill game because of this set. 

            Now getting back to what I said earlier, about the fact that there has been a bit of damage control already done.  Future Fusion is limited to one, but honestly, all you’re going to need is one.  You play Future Fusion to get Cyber Dragon and 4 of his Machine friends into the Graveyard, knowing full well that you don’t have the patience to wait 2 turns to bring out Chimeratech Overdragon.  So instead you play Overload Fusion, remove those 5 cards from your graveyard, bring out the big boy right away, chain that to Return from the Different Dimension, get back 4 of your 5 out-of-play monsters, play Polymerization, and bring out ANOTHER Chimeratech Overdragon.  You don’t even need the second one, but hey, it’s there, so you might as well.  And all of this on your first turn (odds are these decks will want to go second rather than first).  Now do you see the dread building?  At this point, you have yet to Normal summon a monster!  If you’ve got the right hand, you might find a way to get back some of the life points you just spent on Return from the Different Dimension, or if you didn’t play that and instead still have all of your pretty little life points, you can bring out Cyber-stein and he can do his thing.  At this point you’d better pray there isn’t a Mirror Force or something equally as nasty sitting on the other side of the field, because odds are your opponent is looking down the barrel of a particularly nasty shotgun. 

            I want to pose a serious question, even if it comes across as silly, but if you were to watch this duel, either in real life or in the anime, would you be entertained?  Yes, it’s cool to see wicked combos come to life, but isn’t this all a bit one-sided?  Even with their ability to stretch the most seemingly basic duels, do you think the writers of the anime could turn this one match-up into an entire half hour episode?  I don’t, and I’m a writer!  The most interesting games are the ones with a good back-and-forth – tennis, ping pong, even the Shaman King card game.  When it looks like one player has the advantage, the other can come back in a great play and totally turn the tables.  But the one-turn kill?  It’s unsportsmanlike.  They don’t make movies about the unbeatable sports team who go all the way and win the championship; they make movies about the underdog!  If this game turns into a true one-turn killer game, it could very well be the final nail in the coffin.  The signs were all there – giant killer machines coming to destroy what we hold near and dear – The Matrix, The Terminator, I, Robot, the signs were all there, we just didn’t heed the warning. 

            So I am begging all of my readers to not embrace this style of gameplay.  Yes, begging.  And tell your friends.  Tell your enemies.  Tell the shop owners and tournament players.  Tell whoever you can to not turn this game into an OTK game.  I’m not saying don’t play the new cards, because frankly, there is a lot of potential out there.  The essence of drama is conflict, and the heart of this game is overcoming the odds.  I know I’m preaching gaming anarchy here, but I’ve always tried to be the voice of descent.  Remember, I’m the guy who still plays his Fire/Burn deck competitively.  I’m the guy who has never owned a Jinzo or Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning.  I’m just a guy who loves this game, but if it becomes a battlefield for “Let’s see how quickly I can win”, this may be the end, not just for me, but for all of us. 

            I’m sorry if this looks like a bleak future, but again, I think back to the Terminator movies.  Think of me as the lone soldier sent back in time to put a stop to the rise of the machines.  And if we can win this battle, then, most assuredly, I’ll be back.  Happy dueling.