Destiny Hero - Malicious is one of the most powerful cards right now. Being able to combine itself in both monarch decks and combo-based decks, makes the Malicious what it is worth today. Everybody scrambling to get there hands on a play set and more for trading others. And they are right to do so.

 

But Malicious will only last for so long. Diamond Dude Turbo will only last for so long. Kris Perovic revived "DDT" from the ashes where everyone left it, bringing it to 2nd place in Houston. Then a 1-card variant has made Marc Glass place 3 times in a row, finally finishing off Columbus with 1st place. DDT will bounce in and out of style, just like Demise OTK will. The same can be said for gadgets, everyone will live the fear of these 3 deck types in there main or side decks.

 

This is exactly why I chose to run "Malicious Monarch's" in SJC Columbus. Finishing with a 7-3 record (81st) out of a total 600+ participants, I'd say I did well for the deck I thought wouldn't work out that well. In a lot of my articles, I explain constantly that consistency is they key to making a deck work. I wanted something more consistant than all those other deck types. For exmaple, giving a deck the consistency means keeping cards like 'Snatch Steal' and 'Ring of Destruction' in your deck no matter what, because they are "staples" and have devastating effects in every game. These cards have countless great top-decks, outs, and game-deciders.

 

Destiny Hero - Malicious is not one of these cards. It isn't a good top-deck and I can't end games with it. The only thing it was used for was Metamorphosis and monarchs. This makes the consistency of Malicious Monarch's terrible. Having my deck based around something so inconsistent was a bad idea. I did win the majority of my games, but that wasn't good enough. The deck type is inconsistent because if I was in a rough spot, Destiny Hero - Malicious was the last thing I wanted to see. And in some of my games, I couldn't draw it until I had only 3 cards to deal with a monarch. Malicious could only be counted on if I drew it in the opening hand, and had Snipe Hunter or easy tribute bait coming soon. Malicious was a risky idea to begin with. Even though this trip did pay off (my team mate Lazaro Bellido came 2nd), I still would have lost money on gas, hotel and entry fee.

 

Basically where I am going with this is, I should have played with something safer, something I knew I was confident in. If I had played gadgets or monarchs, I could have guaranteed myself with a better place, whether or not I made the top 16. I have been playing monarchs (familiar to Lazaro's build) or my own gadget build for a long time, switching back and forth, and sometimes playing gadget-monarchs. I knew how to play these deck types more consistently then something fancy like Malicious. I deserved to go 7-3 because I had not practised enough with a risky deck type.

 

So you can take it from me. The next time you enter a premier event like Regional's or SJC's, play what you have always played with. Put confidence into your deck type, and practise against opponents your rarely face. You can always switch up some cards in the deck for others you want to try out or just plain love to play, but always stick to your gut.

 

I am hoping my performance in SJC Montreal will be better. I know I am definitely going to play with something a bit better, and something I am a whole lot more comfortable with.

 

And hopefully I won't have to face my team mate (Lazaro Bellido) in the 1st round again. That sucked big time.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Ryan Peddle

 

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