Mike “Domino” Powers is working his way towards a breakout showing, one event at a time. One of the most respected deck builders in North American online communities, his impact was felt at SJC Hamilton, but, as of yet, the glory of a Top 8 spot has eluded him.
It can handle Stein too, both dedicated builds and single-Stein tech. Since the deck plays to such an aggressive pace it can smash through the threat of Cyber-Stein, quickly trading off cards and life points on both sides of the table if necessary in order to make Stein a dead draw. All the monster removal is good for more than just field control and tempo establishment too: when Powers claims cards through battle, he can then simplify the game with its flurry of monster removal, forcing the game into topdecking situations that he can stabilize to his own advantage. The consistency created by UFO Turtle and Phoenix can be deadly in such a situation.
In fact, looking at the rest of the cards present one sees even more stabilizers. Three Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive allow Powers to slow the fast tempo he generally intends to create and widen the gap between him and his opponent. They’re especially valuable against conservative opponents who play defensively to try and fend off Powers’ aggression: in that case a flipped Dekoichi or two can give Powers the extra cards he needs in order to press for simplification. Once he gets a defensive player on the ropes and minimizes his or her options it’s practically game over, as a single Turtle or Cyber Dragon can end the game swiftly. Scapegoat also functions as a last-ditch stabilizer, though quite frequently Powers’ monster presence will keep it from seeing play anyway. It’s a valuable panic button for when he plays aggressively, reduces the scope of the game, and then happens to see some bad luck on his draws. It’s also got great synergy with Enemy Controller and the single copy of Creature Swap.
Call of the Haunted is worthy of note as well, simply because it can be abused so well with Cyber Phoenix and Jinzo. Eric Herdzik, who made contributions to the deck’s design, preferred a second main-decked Creature Swap, but in Powers’ own words the Call was just “too good to not use.”
For weeks Powers has made statements about playing around the current metagame. With a pace that matches and defeats conventional aggro beatdown, tech for the Monarch matchup, and face-smashing capabilities threatening enough to eliminate Stein players, he may have done it. His side deck is equipped to handle everything from conservative play styles to Hydrogeddon, and he keeps his own options open: the deck can turn into a Swap-heavy control or a Stein-centric OTK machine. The latter can take deadly advantage of the simplification that the deck is capable of producing, and allows Powers to get even more utility out of the main-decked Limiter Removal he’s already running.
It’s flexible, versatile, fast, and seemingly well-prepared for expected matchups. If Powers can’t make Top 8 here it will probably be because of all the other innovative strategies we’re seeing. Still, he just polished off SJC Top 8 alumnus Michael Bueno in Round 1, and seems to be gaining momentum! This weekend could be all about Mike Powers!