Monday, June 25, 2012

Card Review: Mind Control

Earlier today I've had the pleasure of testing my patience with what might have been the most annoying person I have ever dueled, via Dueling Network. I probably would have written a noteworthy story for the duel, but the only that would have been interesting, or mindlessly amusing rather, is how this inexperience child freaked out over how I operated the dueling simulator, given he had the impression that he knew how to actually play. Beside the point, in that duel that I was just waiting to end quickly, the card that helped me finish off my opponent was a Spell Card called Mind Control.

So lets examine this useful card. Mind Control is a Normal Spell Card that allows you to gain control of one monster that your opponent controls until the end of the turn. Like any card, Mind Control has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. Its disadvantages include being a Spell Card and the fact that the Monster you gain control of cannot be Tributed or declare an Attack. Inherently, not much is lost especially considering that Mind Control is a great card for any tactical Duelist. (I say that Mind Control being a Spell Card is a disadvantage because it can easily be negated, will only be used once, only has Spell Speed 1, and you'd have to undergo a totally different card in order to use Mind Control in your Deck. If there is one thing I have learned in my Economics class, it is that "The Opportunity Cost is the next best thing lost"). The advantages that Mind Control has are not directly listed on the card, contrary to the draw backs the card carries.

In the original season of Yu-gi-oh!, that so many people remember from a decade ago, there was a card that was capable of taking control of an opponent's monster called Change of Heart. That card has long since been added to the Forbidden List due to it's potency and lack of restrictions/drawbacks other than lasting only one turn. Brain Control was a slightly watered-down version of Change of Heart, but it only required a cost of 800 Life Points. Mind Control was made to sort of emulate the effect of Change of Heart or Brain Control, but its restrictions, such as the monster card affected being unable to declare an attack balance it out for fair play. Although Mind Control cannot match the power of Change of Heart, it does have certain advantage over another card that manipulates your opponent's monsters to shift over to your command, Creature Swap. Mind Control does not require you to have a Monster on your side of the Field in order to use, and best of all (my favorite part of the card is that,) Mind Control is not restricted to only targeting Face-Up Monsters, unlike Brain Control, the Battle Position does not matter when using this card! Creature Swap does not allow the Monster Cards affected to change their Battle Position, but since Battle Position does not really matter, you can Flip Summon a Monster card that you gained control of through the use of this spell.



So what makes Mind Control so useful? For starters, sometimes all that stands in your way would be just one monster, one that might even have immunity to destruction by battle. Mind Control will allow you to move one of your obstacles out of your way in order to deal attacks. The Monster that you gain control of can even be used as Materials for a Fusion Summon, Ritual Summon, Synchro Summon, and even an Xyz Summon; so, although the monster cannot be tributed (for a tribute summon or for the cost of a card effect) it  can still be used as a resource to build your arsenal. In the case of my duel Earlier today, I gained control of my opponents only monster, which was in Face-Down Defense Position, I Flip Summoned and used it as Synchro Material, and then I had an extra monster to attack with to finish the Duel; with that one play, I got rid of a monster and gained another in return.

Because of its potency, Mind Control is currently on the Limited List, which means only 1 Copy is allowed per Deck in the Advanced Format for tournament use. Mind Control is available in Gold Series 2 Booster Packs and is included along with the Warrior's Strike Structure Deck. I would consider this card a "Staple".



Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Envoy of the Beggining

It's Summer, and that means that many people will have extra time on their hands to select a new past time to partake in. However, most that choose dueling as their new favorite activity will find themselves quickly overwhelmed. Without guidance, these people will have a difficult time learning how to duel and allow their skills to grow as their knowledge of the game expands. Sure, knowing the rules of the game is crucial, but it takes more than just knowing how each turn moves along to become a great duelist. A skilled duelist requires lots of experience, which is also important for any upcoming duelists that desire the ability to compete against others. Today I provide my advice to anyone seeking to learn more about this popular game or to anyone seeking to teach others how to get started as a duelist. Half of entire game is dependent on your deck building, so I will focus on that first.

What most new duelists have in common is that they are unsure about what kind of deck to use. It hardly makes a difference whether the newcomers to the game are people that used to collect cards a few years ago or people whom have never owned a single Yugioh trading card in their life. So much has changed in dueling since Yugi and his friends were the only stars on the show that fought with Duel Monsters, and so many new cards have been introduced that it is easy for anyone to become overwhelmed with the sheer number of possible selections. Nevertheless, the most important thing to remember is: Have fun, and enjoy the game with your friends. I cannot stress this enough, but the most important thing to remember is that dueling is all about having fun and enjoying the leisure time you share with your companions. So, with that in mind, lets help a new duelist build a their own deck.

[It is possible to Play Yugioh without needing to buy a single card, thanks to Dueling Network. However, for the sake of simplicity, let's also assume that the theoretical duelist in question has a decent amount of money to buy a few sets of cards and accessories.]

To get started, a player should seek what type of deck they would like to use. They can browse on the internet for popular cards or watch other players. (I highly recommend watching other people play first to see if it is something you would enjoy.) But, if a newcomer should start buying cards, the best place to start off with a deck: either a Starter Deck or a Structure Deck. Starter Decks contain a wide range cards but only provide a general taste of what dueling is really like; they are very basic and are meant for beginners. Structure Decks are more "structured", focusing on a group of Monster Cards with similar Types, Attributes, or play styles; Structure Decks are effective teaching tools for new comers because they can immediately show players how one card relates to another which can lead to powerful combos. 

[This was pretty much the "Choose Your Starter" of the 5D's Era; except, these weren't 
Starter Decks. These are Structure Decks]


Alright, so once you've decided on what kind of deck you'd like to make (Be it, Spellcasters, Warriors, Machines, Fairies, or a deck of a certain Archetype) the next important part is researching the cards! That's right, great duelists actually take their time to study the cards that they will use and beyond! My advice to anyone who wants to play or just understand how the cards work is: "Read your cards at least four times before you use them." Sometimes the amount of ignorance some duelists display confounds me, but as G.I. Joe says, "Knowing is half the battle", and this is most certainly true (especially in dueling). Besides, reading a small trading card is nothing compared to reading long novels assigned as by school teachers. Understanding exactly what the card says is crucial to running your deck, and as long as you are able to explain to others precisely how it works, you are fine; but there is more! After learning how the cards work from the Starter/Structure Deck you bought function (For those of you who will use Dueling Network, instead of buying the Decks you can easily search online for the complete deck list) Look up other cards that might work well with your Deck. If some cards work better than others that you already use, you can always replace them. (Remember what the SIDE DECK is for! It is a pile of 15 cards that you can swap with your Main Deck in between duels, during a match.)

Now that a duelist has chosen their preferred deck type, they must also understand the premise or the goal that their deck should achieve and how it should be achieved. A player's deck may consist of one type or attribute, but the play style and mechanics of the deck may differ from an other player with a similar deck. Although there are other ways to win a duel besides reducing the opponent's Life Points down to zero, the most common method is indeed reduction of life points, mostly through battle. With that said, decks may achieve their goal by summoning Powerful monsters quickly, summoning many monsters to withstand a barrage of attacks, utilizing powerful attacks, holding high reserves in resources by having plenty of "draw power", negating attacks, effects, or cards and summons altogether, destroying opponents cards, etc.. You'll have to ask yourself what you want your deck to be capable of doing. Would you want powerful monsters to over power your enemies with physical force? (Beatdown: having high ATK) Or, would you like to use explosive cards that deconstruct the battle plans of your opponents? (Utilizing card effects that Destroy other Cards.)  There are so many possibilities, but that is what overwhelms new players early on. The best thing to do is to narrow down the focus of your deck. A novice mistake that lots of people make is packing their deck with as many cards as possible: 60. The smaller the deck, a minimum of 40 Cards, increases the chances of drawing much needed cards. So, focus on what you want out of your deck, and build upon that premise. If you play more constructively, you will use cards that support your Monsters, but make sure they are efficient. If you play more destructively, you will use cards that ruin your opponent's deck, but makes sure that your own monster will still be able to support and protect you if something goes wrong.

After you've got a built deck, the next important step is to use it! But before you rush into any duel, it is crucial that you completely understand how the game works. A rule book and an interactive demo can only teach you so much, although it is a great start, but I highly recommend dueling against a friend whom already understands dueling quite well. Should such a friend not be available, you can always learn more about dueling online, through forums, or through my favorite source, The Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia. There, you can read the official rulings for cards, read more about the mechanics of a duel with greater detail, and find out more about the different decks, booster packs, and archetypes that are available. Extensive studying and practice rounds earn you the experience you need to become a great duelist. The better guidance you have, the better your first impressions and experiences of dueling will be.

But always remember the most important part about dueling: Having fun. If the game isn't fun then it won't be engaging and it will just make everything worse. Having good friends to play with and teach you will certainly make things better, and if dueling is fun, you will find yourself "studying" cards without realizing that you are actually researching something. Remember the simple steps: Pick a deck you'd like to make/use, work on it, test it out with a friend who can teach you more rules on dueling, and always review your cards, your deck, and keep an eye out for other possible cards to add to your deck.

For the official rulebook, click here: http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/rulebook/
For an tutorial on the rules, click here: http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/gameplay/demo.html