The new March 1st Metagame
27 Feb 2010 | Will Chan
As almost all of you are aware, the next ban list is upon us, and with it, a nice change to the previous format which seemed to be very fast. As with any ban list, there are certainly going to be limitations to the many of the top tier decks.
For reference, here is the new ban list:
Limited
Blackwing – Gale The Whirlwind
Card Trooper
Chaos Sorcerer
Dark Armed Dragon
Elemental Hero Stratos
Exodia The Forbidden One
Gladiator Beast Bestiari
Gorz The Emissary Of Darkness
Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
Marshmallon
Mezuki
Mind Master
Morphing Jar
Necroface
Necro Gardna
Neo-Spacian Grand Mole
Night Assailant
Plaguespreader Zombie
Rescue Cat
Sangan
Snipe Hunter
Spirit Reaper
Summoner Monk
Tragoedia
Left Arm Of The Forbidden One
Left Leg Of The Forbidden One
Right Arm Of The Forbidden One
Right Leg Of The Forbidden One
Black Rose Dragon
Brionac, Dragon Of The Ice Barrier
Goyo Guardian
Advanced Ritual Art
Allure Of Darkness
Brain Control
Burial From A Different Dimension
Card Destruction
Charge Of The Light Brigade
Cold Wave
Destiny Draw
Emergency Teleport
Foolish Burial
Future Fusion
Giant Trunade
Heavy Storm
Level Limit – Area B
Limiter Removal
Megamorph
Mind Control
Monster Gate
Mystical Space Typhoon
One For One
Overload Fusion
Reasoning
Reinforcement Of The Army
Scapegoat
Swords Of Revealing Light
Call Of The Haunted
Ceasefire
Gravity Bind
Magic Cylinder
Magical Explosion
Mind Crush
Mirror Force
Ojama Trio
Return From The Different Dimension
Solemn Judgment
The Transmigration Prophecy
Torrential Tribute
Trap Dustshoot
Wall Of Revealing Light
NEW: Chaos Sorcerer; Tragoedia; Necro Gardna; Necroface; Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier; Mezuki; Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner; Burial from a Different Dimension; Foolish Burial; Destiny Draw; Charge of the Light Brigade; Allure of Darkness; Mind Crush & Magical Explosion
Quote:
Semi-Limited
Cyber Dragon
Dandylion
Destiny Hero – Malicious
Goblin Zombie
Honest
Judgment Dragon
Lonefire Blossom
Treeborn Frog
Demise,King Of Armageddon
Black Whirlwind
Chain Strike
Gold Sarcophagus
Magical Stone Excavation
United We Stand
Bottomless Trap Hole
Royal Decree
Royal Oppression
Skill Drain
Ultimate Offering
NEW: Cyber Dragon; Dandylion; Demise, King of Armageddon; Treeborn Frog; Black Whirlwind; United We Stand; Royal Decree; Royal Oppression & Skill Drain
No new bans. A majority of the “draw 2” spells are limited to 1, with the only big exception being Solar Recharge. Lightsworn took a massive hit with Necro Gardna, Lumina and Charge of the Light Brigade, but this archetype is not dead, as I will discuss later.
I’ll be going through most of the big decks that will rear their heads as March 1st occurs:
Blackwings:
Blackwings was definitely in and out of last format, but was consistently having solid finishes. The latest ban list has only hit a single Black Whirlwind, an Allure and, if you were game enough, the 3rd main decked Oppression. This deck is definitely a power force as the engine is still present and the power level has only been slightly altered by the removal of the 3rd Black Whirlwind. I imagine a large amount of players to be running Blackwings for the new format, most probably packing more D.D. Crow’s and some other tech monsters/more Vayus. Expect the mirror if you run this deck, and you may want to tech your deck for this matchup specifically with cards such as Dust Tornado or additional copies of My Body As A Shield. Hold your Siroccos in the mirror; they greatly increase in value as the game goes on. Don’t burn your Icarus attacks early either, as they are quite damaging to your opponent’s board presence late game. Hold your Oppressions against LS and Gladiator Beasts, their value increases exponentially as the game draws on. In my rankings of decks for March 1st, I expect this to be the 3rd best deck at the start of the format.
Lightsworns:
Lightsworns may have taken the greatest hit from the ban list, though I don’t think the deck is dead. On the contrary, this deck is still unbelievably good, but will require more skill to play well. Judgment Dragon was not hit by the list, which means that the deck’s overall power is still amazingly high. Lumina/Charge of the Light Brigade/Necro Gardna being limited means that the turn one Lumina/Garoth play is more unlikely and means a more fair start to the game. Most modern lists are running one copy of Reinforcements of the Army, Jain and Bottomless Trap Hole. I actually believe that Judgment Dragon increases in value now, as the variety of Lightsworns increases because of the limitation of Lumina. Archlord Kristya is clearly a mainstay in the deck, as it has proven its worth by locking down games through its special summon negation. The 3 Beckoning Lights even out the consistency in the deck which is also helped by not having hands clogged by multiple Necro Gardna. Be more conservative with LS next format, your deck doesn’t have as much power and your threat concentration decreases. As for my ranking of this deck in the next format, it places 2nd, but only marginally. Hold onto your Judgment Dragons if you have the slightest interest in LS, as the deck will still shine.
Zombies:
Dead deck is dead. This deck has been completely destroyed by the ban list, almost unfairly in my eyes. Mezuki/Burial from the Different Dimension/Brionac are all limited, which means the deck cannot function like it used to. There was definitely a ridiculous explosiveness within the deck between Mezuki and Brionac, but I don’t think they needed to hit both cards. Unless someone works out how to break Miracle Dig or something, this deck is best left in the trade binder.
Gladiator Beasts:
They’re back. Welcome to the club. Every man and his dog seem to believe that Gladiator Beasts are going to be huge next format… and I have to agree. Though I may have a bias towards the deck, almost every card that the ban list hit has increased the playability of gladiator beasts. The deck is very good now, and because of Necro Gardna’s limitation to 1, even LS no longer has such a favourable matchup. The deck will be a power force, even with the addition of Starlight Road, which can be played around quite easily. Waboku greatly reduces its value if many players run the deck, as Waboku in the mirror is as good as Sparks against a life gain deck. Sandbag your Bestiari, try not to have it exposed to a Bottomless Trap Hole, attempt to contact fusion it by setting it, and do not play too aggressively into the 1 face down spell/trap. Almost every deck runs Bottomless, but if your Bestiari never gets hit, you should be okay. It will be the best deck in the format for the first few weeks, but I can imagine LS taking over soon after.
The ban list has affected many decks, but the only deck that got completely destroyed was Zombies. Lightsworn is still good, and Gladiator Beasts are even better. Blackwings pretty much stays where it is in the format, but can improve in value. Hold Sirocco, Oppressions and Bestiaris in this format, and remember it will be a lot slower than before. Enjoy the new format and hopefully I’ll post another article in a few weeks.
Will Chan.
For discussion.