Many people took the opportunity
after I posted my last article to
explain to me how wrong I was. It
seems that Last Will does NOT stay
on the field after its effect
resolves - a fact that simply eluded
me these three years. Kudos to all
who explained this to me. Even
though I did not believe many at
first, my thick head eventually gave
way.
Letting this topic be cast aside,
onto the actual article. Under the
current dueling environment, many
decks are of the same theme, due to
netdeckers and worse. Considering
this thought, it is in fact the
style in which a person duels that
allows one to win, rather than the
player’s deck. Although there are
scores of themes, possibly hundreds,
over half of the environment’s
competitive players use a Chaos
theme. Some may say that it is the
slight differences within the deck
that win games, but I disagree: I
believe that the duelist’s play
style makes all the difference.
Sometimes, players will just get
lucky and draw everything they need
to beat their opponents. Usually,
this isn’t the case, and players
either play well or play horribly.
Cards that have field clearance
effects should be saved until they
are needed by the player, and used
only when that person is forced to
use them. Knowing when and when not
to use cards is only half of the
struggle; decisions must also be
made regarding battle tactics and
more. Sure, you may wait until your
opponent has five Spell and Trap
cards on the field to activate Heavy
Storm, but if your Life Points are
low enough, chances are you’ll lose
anyways.
From my experience, I have learned
that it is often disadvantageous to
play cards as though the opponent
has no way to counter them. Always
understand that a topdecked Nobleman
of Crossout or Heavy Storm can ruin
plans that you may have to
synthesizing an effective defense,
and furthermore, if the opponent has
more resources, the higher chances
they have to hindering your
attempted maneuvers. Try to
anticipate any possible counter to
your offensive, and consistently
monitor your and your opponent’s
resource count.
Hardly anyone plays imaginative
decks anymore, thanks to the blemish
which the set Invasion of Chaos
created in March of 2004. Although
it can become increasingly more
difficult to eliminate decks which
seem to conjure advantage, there are
solutions to effectively destroying
the competition. If you utilize all
parts of the duel as one gigantic
manifestation of your very own game,
you will be able to play better and
understand which cards to play and
which cards not to play. Realize
that bad hands are simply a way of
life, just as much as death follows
birth. You cannot combat bad luck,
but by knowing what you have and
what your opponent has, you can
understand which maneuvers produce
the best possible outcome.
Decks are but the tool through which
a player wins, but if you play your
cards right (no pun intended), it
doesn’t matter what your opponent
does to try and defeat you. If you
have a balanced and effective deck,
you should have no problems whenever
your opponent brings you to your
knees. Carry your Monsters to
victory with efficient maneuvers to
eliminate all opposing threats,
while considering the possible
options for your opponent as well.
Knowing your and your opponent’s
resources is just the first step,
but if you think methodically, you
can make swift decisions as to what
cards you should play. Surely, if
you think about which maneuvers you
should play, you will win.
Until next time, Big Brother is
watching…
~SiphonX~
