Yu-Gi-Oh Grasp Duel is in an unbearable place proper now. It’s dominated by a small group of extraordinarily irritating decks, Konami’s ban lists aren’t hitting the precise playing cards to make it any higher, and making a meta-viable deck is getting costlier with each new archetype added to the sport.
Gamers are pissed off, and participant counts on Steam are dropping, slowly however certainly. The onus is on Konami to repair these issues and encourage gamers to return again, however there’s a option to make the sport extra enjoyable within the meantime.
However first, let’s set the stage. Yu-Gi-Oh Grasp Duel’s issues come down to a couple main points, however most of them revolve round three present meta decks: Maliss, Ryzeal, and Mitsurugi. The specifics of those decks aren’t necessary, however all of them share a couple of key elements: they’re extraordinarily highly effective, endlessly versatile, and really troublesome to interrupt.
In case you’re taking part in in opposition to certainly one of these decks, you want two issues to win — it’s essential to win the pre-game coin flip and play first, and it’s essential to draw precisely the proper playing cards to not solely arrange your board, however have sufficient interplay in your opponent’s flip to close down their performs. In case you’re going second, you lose. In case you can’t work together in your opponent’s first flip, you lose. Even when each of this stuff occur, you continue to could lose, as a result of the flexibleness these decks permit means they’re prepared for nearly every thing.
The explanation these decks are as highly effective as they’re is all the way down to multitudes of advanced determination making over the past 12 months or so, however in Grasp Duel particularly a number of the issue is that they’re largely untouched on the ban checklist. Each the OCG – Japan and Korea’s buying and selling card format – and the TCG launched these archetypes in waves, with older, extra highly effective playing cards getting restricted whereas extra versatile however lower-powered playing cards take their place.
Grasp Duel launched these decks of their entirety, not in smaller waves, and on the time of writing only a few of the important thing items of the decks are restricted in any method. Meaning gamers have entry to the absurdly highly effective playmaker playing cards, in addition to the extra versatile playing cards that make decks extra constant, multi function super-powered deck that’s each highly effective and intensely constant.
The answer, for many gamers, is certainly one of two issues. You both choose up certainly one of these decks, spending a truckload of gems and even real-world cash to acquire the very high-rarity playing cards wanted to place one collectively, otherwise you stop and are available again to the sport when the meta has evened out somewhat bit. Understandably, loads of gamers have chosen the latter, and the sport has seen a discount in gamers month after month for nearly a 12 months now.
However there’s a third choice, and it’s one thing a number of Grasp Duel gamers in all probability don’t wish to hear: it’s essential to play, and it’s essential to lose rather a lot. And the easiest way to do this is to begin pet decking. For individuals who aren’t savvy to the lingo of buying and selling card video games like Yu-Gi-Oh, a pet deck is a sub-meta deck that isn’t essentially highly effective, however is one thing you get pleasure from taking part in nonetheless. Possibly it’s received a enjoyable useful resource loop, otherwise you just like the art work, otherwise you simply discover the names of the playing cards humorous. In any case, pet decking is if you double down on that deck, figuring out that it’ll seemingly by no means be a tier-0 deck.
For me, that deck is Dwell Twins. I’ve spent nearly a 12 months taking part in solely a Dwell Twins deck, partially as a result of I feel the idea – a band of thieves who use V-tubing as a canopy for his or her crimes – may be very neat, however largely as a result of the gameplay loop of the deck may be very satisfying to me. I attempted out the deck’s Solo Mode and immediately fell in love with the gameplay, and right here I’m, nearly a 12 months later, with hundreds of video games below my belt.
Proper now, within the present meta, I lose rather a lot. My win charge is somewhat over 60%, however when going up in opposition to a Ryzeal, Maliss, or Mitsurugi deck, that charge plummets to one thing extra alongside the strains of 10-15%. Dwell Twins shouldn’t be an amazing archetype, however it’s not horrible both, with an honest quantity of flexibility and a number of interactivity in your opponent’s turns. It additionally crumbles when confronted with a couple of negate, and may be very inclined to bricking.
But it surely’s enjoyable. Even after I’m dropping, it’s so extremely enjoyable that I can’t actually be mad that I’m dropping. And I’m studying rather a lot within the course of. By pet decking this one particular deck for such a very long time, I’ve realized precisely what its strengths are, but in addition what its weaknesses are. I’m keenly conscious of each card in my deck, what they will do, how they work together with most different decks, and when it’s time to name it a day and give up.
I’ve turn into a greater participant due to it, too. Once I first began taking part in Dwell Twins, my expertise have been suboptimal, to say the least. I made a number of errors and misplays, my deck was poorly constructed, and when issues went sideways I didn’t know what I may do to get well. Now, I’ve refined my deck into its most potent kind by way of a strategy of taking part in, dropping, and iterating, and I can consider methods to get well and win even probably the most unlikely matchup.
These expertise do translate throughout to different decks, too. I just lately put collectively an Orcust deck – which is way more meta-viable however nonetheless nowhere close to the ability degree of the massive three – and after a couple of teething points, I’m beginning to really feel snug with it. However I preserve going again to Dwell Twins, as a result of I’m having fun with it a lot.
And, regardless of my low win charge in opposition to these behemoth decks, I’m beginning to win increasingly in opposition to them. It’s nonetheless an exceptionally dangerous matchup, however there are many individuals taking part in these decks as a result of they really feel that they should, not as a result of they know the deck properly and even wish to play it. Numerous it’s nonetheless going to return all the way down to pure luck, however with an excellent hand and all else equal, an excellent, passionate Dwell Twins participant can win in opposition to a nasty or disinterested Maliss participant. It usually takes some exhausting galaxy mind performs and a number of tight focus, however Maliss may be countered in Grasp Duel, and it’s very satisfying when you’ll be able to pull it off.
I perceive why some gamers don’t really feel like they will proceed taking part in below the present state of the sport. Successful is a hell of much more enjoyable than dropping, and when you’re dropping a number of video games in a row, and also you don’t wish to play these three irritating decks, it looks like there’s no different choice however to take a seat issues out and hope it will get higher sooner or later.
Personally, although, I feel the easiest way to repair Grasp Duel for your self isn’t to stop, or to offer in to the dominant meta, however to discover a option to have enjoyable and be taught, even if you’re dropping. There are over 10,000 playing cards in Grasp Duel, with dozens of archetypes to select from — you’re nearly sure to seek out one thing you get pleasure from taking part in amongst them when you do a little bit of digging. And sometime sooner or later, when Konami lastly will get round to fixing the issues on the core of Grasp Duel’s meta, you’ll be a greater duelist with a deck you like taking part in which may really get to outlive for greater than a flip or two.
