DeathJester's Dojo
Marauding Captain and the Aggressive Style: Can You Keep Up???
Bryan Camareno a.k.a. DeathJester
May 11, 2005 

Hey everyone! I’m back again to discuss the other side of dueling that most players seem to ignore for the wrong reasons. Before that however, I would like to remind all of you that Rhymus Lizo and Anthony Alvarado’s interviews will be up very soon. A hectic week has prevented me from dedicating the large amounts of time needed for these writings. After I finish interviewing Team Overdose’s members, I will begin interviewing members from Fire & Ice and have one of them interview me. This installment of my interview series will give you access to some of the secrets of our success in Florida and introduce you to the hearty group of people that I talk to so much about. Also, this is an opportunity to see me get put on the spot and get a little info on my methods of success. Since I’m the one that picks at the brains of many of the top players in the world, it’s only fair that I’m subject to my own methods of interrogation.

Afterwards; if Mr. Jaelove of Team Savage is interested I would like to interview him and his creative chaps as well. After all, my interviews aren’t limited to people I know. I think it’s highly beneficial to all of us to get a little info on the competition at Nationals this year. I think the guys from Team Savage have an informative perspective on the game and can bring to competitive play…a side of YuGiOh that hardly gets recognized; the creative aspect of the game. I would like to extend an invitation to Team Savage to see if they would like to be interviewed by me, so that way all of you can get to know me and the some of Pojo.com’s best players and writers. What’ll it be Savage? Now allow me to get back to the main topic of today’s article.

Marauding Captain doesn’t discriminate with his effect; he can Special Summon any Level 4 or lower monster from your hand when he is Normal Summoned successfully (meaning not negated by Solemn Judgment or Horn of Heaven). This double-sword wielding, blonde-haired warrior is the very definition of “swarm”. Most of us prefer to swarm in the late game with recursion cards like Premature and Call for the final push to win the game. Also, BLS augments any deck’s swarming capabilities since he is a Special Summon, allowing more monsters to hit the field after he is summoned. However, swarming is not a viable strategy to most duelists in North America; since it burns out your hand pretty quickly and it can leave you open for a field sweep. Most duelists would rather not shell out 3 cards in one turn for a simple attack. The underlying truth is; most of us do that already.

Control is a deck archetype and play style that has become TOO popular in both Europe and North America. It’s easy to say that it’s the safest strategy in YuGiOh since you don’t have to use too many cards to gain any significant advantage. This “Control” play style can also be referred to as conservative play. There are hardcore conservative players and there are semi-conservative players. Being conservative with your resources is very important in this game and properly using your cards will make sure you don’t over-extend when you don’t have to.

Then, there is the shunned aggressive style of decks and play. Novice Control players will always argue that aggressive decks are easy to deal with since they are so methodical and easily dealt with. This is a highly popularized opinion since the majority of duelists can’t stand to play with anything outside of a Control-type deck. It’s very safe and secure, but what happens when an experienced Aggro player easily breaks your defenses and whittles you down faster than your conservative play-style can handle? You lose the game. Why? Because you got too comfortable with your situation; any real experienced Control player is well versed in the ways of aggressive decks. It’s the type of deck they most prepare for. Why? Because Aggro decks are MUCH faster than Control decks; Aggro has a strong momentum from the start while Control takes at least 4-5 turns before they build up any solid ground in the duel. Hence the over-stocking of Scapegoats and monster removal in the main deck; to stall until the “threat removers” show up.  

Marauding Captain can give the user a double boost in momentum by breaking the summoning rule and bringing two threats to the field at once. This means the ever-reliable Scapegoat tokens will only last a maximum of 2 turns instead of the usual 3 or 4. Mirror Force, Torrential Tribute, Lightning Vortex, and Tribe-Infecting Virus only come along so often. Statistically you’re guaranteed to draw one of them, and an aggressive player will know this and prepare adequately for it. Despite popular opinion, Marauding Captain can easily end a game with his broken Special Summoning ability. Yes, I said BROKEN; broken because 2 monsters a turn is too hard to deal with unless you overload yourself with monster removal, and who really does? Though he is a lack-luster turn 1 play and top-deck, he really shines after turn 2 and can really put the hurt on your opponent in the middle to late-game when removal is scarce. An aggressive player who knows how to conserve resources is the deadliest type of player in YuGiOh. This type of player brings uncertainty to the comfortable Control player and brings fear into the mind of a reckless Aggressive-only player.

The English YuGiOh game is probably the only metagame that shuts out aggressive deck types and styles. The hardly mentioned Asian metagame is very favorable of Aggressive decks and Control decks. The playing field in that part of the world is 50-50 between Control and Aggro. In fact, the top deck-types in Asia right now are Aggro (Beat-down, Goat Control, and Chaos/Control; followed by Zombies, Gadget-Rush decks, and Burn/Stall. Marauding Captain is certainly recognized as a threat for the right reasons. He makes your Normal Summon into a double summon and has a nifty protection effect that prevents other Warriors from being attacked. Also, his protection becomes a much better stall tactic than Scapegoat when used properly. Marauding Captain isn’t an unsafe play either. When MC brings out another monster to his side, the user doesn’t have to worry about both of his/her monsters being destroyed in battle on the following turn. Since the opponent will most likely NOT be using Captain, his/her one monster cannot destroy both of yours in battle. So, on the following turn you can then Normal Summon another monster and eliminate your opponent’s monster. Since the majority of game-play in YuGiOh revolves around keeping a monster on the field, Marauding Captain accomplishes this goal very well.

In terms of card advantage, Marauding Captain might be thrown out of the lime light. His stats of 1200/400 aren’t exactly studly, but imagine if he was printed as a solid 1800? Not so puny anymore eh? Marauding Captain costs you 2 cards for 2 monsters. It’s essentially a neutral advantage, but excels in damage potential. Aggressive decks have a bit more lee-way when it comes to card advantage since their accelerated tempo calls for damage as the #1 priority. Aggro relies on knocking an opponent down and keeping him/her there before they can recover; at the same time the higher ATK monsters and the over-abundance of removal eliminates a recovering opponent’s options. When Life Points are below the half-way mark, the Aggro deck starts to become a bit scarier and summoning a monster may seem like a futile effort. The offensive pressure that Marauding Captain can place on you is more than enough to keep you on your toes.

Captain isn’t good on his own; this makes him a bit dependent on what you have in your hand. Having a higher monster total in your deck can supply you with enough options to have Captain perform at optimum efficiency. MC can combo pretty well with any 4-star monster in your hand, and is a beautiful card to use with Creature Swap. It will take 3 cards to do, but your opponent won’t have any monster advantage when you’re done. MC can easily be compensated for in overall deck construction and a smart player should know that a turn that involves MC will cost 3-cards, but it will almost always give you immeasurable offensive advantage.

On a final note, Marauding Captain’s lack of play, in my opinion, is merely due to a lack of experience with the card; or an over-abundance of distasteful experiences because of an innumerable amount of misplays. Playing an aggressive deck or with an aggressive style doesn’t necessarily mean that Marauding Captain is a must use card. All I am saying is that MC is a card that accomplishes the goals of an aggressive deck very well and deserves a second look. Aggressive decks and styles of play are viable and deadly; as I am well-known for my aggressive and calculated play-style, I can say that it works because it outlines the majority of my success as a player. I AM an Aggro player and I know when to strike hard and when to conserve, this is the basis of the Aggressive style of play. Learn it, analyze it, or hate it, because Aggro is a major threat.

Until next time everyone, remember to practice, stay focused, and most importantly…have fun!