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Weej's Different Perspective
Concepts to Duel by:
1-for-2’s are nice
Article #4 | 9/05/05

            In the game of Yu-Gi-Oh!, cards that give you a one for two card advantage are nice and are almost always used. Just like in real life, when you insert your coins into the vending machine to get a soda, suddenly getting two through an error in the machine. You payed your $1 wanting to get 1 soda, but you were surprised and overjoyed, because now your $1 has given you 2 of your favorite sodas. Indeed, life is good when you have 1-for-2’s. 

The concept of 1-for-2 cards are simple when it comes to being economical about hand and field advantage: the card allows you to get more resources for less effort. It’s like comparing the back-breaking work that farmers had to do in the 1700’s compared to the technologically sound machines that can do it for us today in the 21^st century. Of course, it was slaves that did the majority of the agricultural contribution at that time – it is something that should never be forgotten, as America wouldn’t be the same place it is today without their forced contribution. Anyway, I’m sure you can get the general of idea of what I’m saying: 1-for-2’s are good.  

Most of the more ridiculous 1-for-2 cards have been banned from the game. While they didn’t provide situations of a 1-for-2 trade inherently, cards like Raigeki, Dark Hole, and Harpie’s Feather Duster did allow for potential 1-for-2 trade offs when situations presented themselves. This is important to note, because we’re going to go over cards that could be a potential 1-for-2 later on in this article. First, we’re going to go over cards that immediately give you a 1-for-2 advantage. 

Pot of Greed:

While the concept of the 1-for-2 may make since, it actually isn’t so. You see, Pot of Greed technically doesn’t give you +2 hand advantage, it gives you +1. This is because you must actually activate the Pot of Greed itself, making you lose –1 card from your hand. Once you draw 2 cards, you get over that –1 deficit, and then draw an additional +1. Of course, it doesn’t always seem this way, especially when someone increases their hand count from 4 to 6, just because of 1 Pot of Greed.  

This 1-for-2 is so basic that it shouldn’t even need to be explained. You drop this sucker onto the field, and you’re getting two cards for your one card. 

Delinquent Duo:

This nasty little number will soon be banned come time for the new format, so get your 1-for-2’s while you still can! At the cost of 1000 Life Points and the Delinquent Duo itself, this knocks off 2 of your opponents cards. What some people fail to realize is that this card can create actual hand advantage, thus giving you more card advantage at the same time. Those narrow-minded enough to think that, in order to gain hand advantage, one must draw cards directly off the deck, have my sincerest regards. Where have they been all this time? Has hand destruction not ravaged the game enough to make them realize the truth? If you and your opponent have 6 cards respectively and you play Delinquent Duo, you lose 1000 Life Points and –1 card from your hand. That leaves you at 5. Then your opponent gets hit, leaving them at 4. While it may not seem like much, that gives you a +1 card advantage over your opponent until he or she draws a card during the next Draw Phase.  

Mobius the Frost Monarch:

Most people don’t realize this is a 1-for-2 off the bat. This is one of the less obvious 1-for-2 cards we have available. The card says that you can destroy up to two of your opponent’s Spell or Trap Cards, but most people get confused and don’t realize it’s a 1-for-2 because Mobius is a Tribute Monster. Let me clarify this a bit: Mobius is a 6 Star Aqua Monster that has priority to activate it’s effect when successfully Tribute Summoned. This means that unless they negate the effect of Mobius, your opponent will have to chain their Spell and Traps if they don’t want them to go to waste. Sometimes the Spell and Traps will be chained and the opponent will be able to benefit from it one way or another. Sometimes the activation will not be correct, and they will lose cards like Sakuretsu Armor or Mirror Force. If they somehow destroy your Mobius, then it was a solid 2-for-2 exchange: 

You Lost:

Tribute Bait

Mobius the Frost Monarch

They Lost:

2 Spell or Traps

This, in my opinion, is why Mobius the Frost Monarch should be in every Side Deck in every Yu-Gi-Oh! deck in the world.  

Potential 1 for 2 Cards:

There are certain cards in the format that won’t be able to give you 1-for-2’s right off the bat. Some of them will require more skill and timing to be executed properly. Once you are able to gain an additional cards worth of advantage from them, however, is when you position yourself at being able to secure the game, because that additional card that your opponent lost will be catching up to them as the game progresses into it’s later stages. In other words, they’ll wish they never lost it. 

Heavy Storm:

Heavy Storm, when used to take out a single Spell or Trap on your opponent’s side of the field, simply has the power of a Mystical Space Typhoon. Compare the two card names: “Mystical Space Typhoon”, and “Heavy Storm”. Which one seems the most powerful? Which one is the most powerful? This is obvious. In order to get the most out of this card, you must get 1-for-2’s or higher with the card. If you can get a 1-for-2, you’re getting an average gain out of the card. If you get a 1-for-3 or higher, you are gaining a huge advantage through Heavy Storm. There will be situations were your opponent will be able to chain through the Heavy Storm and be virtually unaffected through cards like Scapegoat. This is where you counter that by having cards like Asura Priest, Enraged Battle Ox, and Airknight on hand to slice through those Sheep Tokens.  

Mirror Force:

Activating Mirror Force against one of your opponents monsters is a sub-optimal move at best. If you are only able to take out one of your opponents monsters, it simply becomes a regular Sakuretsu Armor. Seriously, you should have subbed the Mirror Force out of your deck and put in Sakuretsu Armor, because you’re not getting the most out of the card either because:  

A: You don’t know how to time Mirror Force’s activation properly. (You’re a n00b.)

or  

B: You had no choice because you were about to lose. (This is more understandable.) 

Most people won’t play more than 2 monsters on the field, excluding Sheep Token. Get the most out of this by taking out 2 of your opponents monsters with your 1 Mirror Force.  

1-for-2 Cards in a non-literal aspect:

There are certain cards out there that can give you multiple advantages just for the one card. 1-for-2 “card advantage” doesn’t have to necessitated by having physical cards. If it’s late in the game and you have 1 card in your hand and 1 facedown Nobleman of Crossout as a bluff, and you watch your opponent go into their turn and decide not to attack because they bought the bluff and were afraid to lose their monster, you just got a 1-for-2. The 1 Nobleman of Crossout that was a mere facedown bluff allowed you to increase your hand size by 50%, or 2 cards. 50% more choice(s) sounds a hell of a lot more than just a single CHOICE, does it not? There are many cards out there than can do this, the only one I’ll bother to mention is Wave-Motion Cannon because of how incredibly effective it is, but there are many other cards that can give you that same “advantage”. What kind of cards that can do this can you think of?

Send questions, comments, hate mail or fan mail to mrweej@gmail.com. I’d love to hear your opinions on my articles.