Let me address those two points in order.

1. A “tech” card is an innovative single card (or sometimes a pair of cards) placed into a deck, usually to address a specific matchup or need. It is sometimes completely incongruent with the deck, but is often just a departure from accepted convention.

2. You didn’t need to look hard to find tech at this event. Freakin’ outlandish choices were being made everywhere, and they were intelligent ones to boot. For instance, what the heck is this?

2 Mystic Swordsman LV2

I mean, really. Running a pair of Mystic Swordsman LV2 would have been considered insane by many just a few weeks ago. But in a metagame where so many top players are running multiple copies of Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive and Magical Merchant, several duelists packing a pair of Swordsmen have made it to the top tables.

The entire top table environment here today is far slower and more conservative than most probably would have anticipated. Players have obviously come to understand that Sakuretsu Armor, Widespread Ruin, and Smashing Ground just can’t hit face down monsters, and as a result they’re setting more than ever before. I’ve had several feature matches where it seemed like more monsters were being played face down than face up, a definite shift from previous Shonen Jump Championships in the current format.

Even with two copies of Reinforcement of the Army in their main decks, players are running two Mystic Swordsman. With Magical Merchant and Dekoichi allowing duelists to see more cards in their deck, and with average game tempo being slower than before, the impact of drawing into a Swordsman at an inopportune time has been somewhat mitigated. It’s a slightly safer play than it would have been three months ago, and duelists are acting on that fact in a logical fashion.

Mysterious Guard

Speaking of Dekoichi, Magical Merchant, and of set monsters in general, Mysterious Guard has been seeing play as well. Warrior Toolbox is still a popular choice here today, though it isn’t seeing as much top-table success as it once did, so lots of duelists are splashing one copy of Guard. Its pumped up flip effect is a quick card of advantage and provides draw disruption, plus it gives a second piece of field advantage. The ability to knock two monsters off the field in one shot can really disrupt a duelist’s plans, and it’s especially good in an environment packed with Merchant and Dekoichi.

The reason? Since duelists are playing slower, the average duelist running Mysterious Guard has a far better chance of being able to keep two monsters on the field long enough to trigger the Guard’s second effect. Players just aren’t being as aggressive as they once were. In addition, the impact of bouncing a Dekoichi or Merchant back to the deck or hand is quite strong. Not only have you bumped two monsters out of the way and gained some raw card advantage, you’ve also disrupted the opponent’s ability to gain advantage through Dekoichi and Merchant’s effect. You turn a relatively secure position (that being the position of a duelist with two monsters, at least one of which is Dekoichi or Merchant) into a really terrible one, and you’ve done it in a surprising and unexpected fashion.

It’s good stuff, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this card takes off. It’s conditional, but even at its worst it’s still a 1-for-1 trade that can provide draw disruption. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World

Yup, the random single copy of Goldd, Wu-Lord of Darkness has returned to a countless number of main decks here at Durham. Is it spotty and unlikely to be drawn when you need it? Sure. Is it a horrible idea from a theoretical standpoint? Probably. But that hasn’t stopped a ton of people from running it, and when it works you turn a -1 advantage into a +2 advantage and a free beatstick. Then, you win the game.

Again, the slower rate of play that’s permeated this metagame has allowed Goldd to see some success. Players have a longer amount of time in which to draw it, and they’re not under a constant hail of fire in every match, meaning they can draw a momentarily dead card and not get totally destroyed because of it. I’m not sure if this one is an anomaly or if we’ll actually see it in more tournaments.

Deck Devastation Virus

Two rounds into the day, I’d done two feature matches. In both of those matches, Deck Devastation Virus was activated. I don’t know about you, but I for one didn’t see that coming.

With monsters like Chaos Sorcerer and a large portion of the zombie population serving as tribute fodder, the primary strength of Deck Devastation Virus is its ability to be chained to Sakuretsu Armor or another 1-for-1 in order to tribute a monster that was going to be destroyed anyways. It cushions the blow of losing the Virus itself, which would otherwise be a voluntary -1 in strict terms. Destroy one of the opponent’s on-field monsters and the trade becomes a 2-for-2 that that can start earning card advantage as the opponent draws over the next three turns. If the opponent had two small monsters on the field, well, you’re already gaining a card right there. Everything else is just gravy.

What’s cool is that the sudden shift towards Magical Merchant and Dekoichi rewards the playing of this card quite well. As more and more duelists play these two cards in increasing numbers, Devastation Virus just gets more potential targets. With three Spirit Reapers and D. D. Warrior Lady being vaunted as staples in the minds of many duelists, Virus is definitely a strong card when used properly. Thus far today, I’m not sure any one has managed to do that. But they’ve been running it, and it’s been winning games.

I honestly don’t think we’ll see Deck Devastation Virus being tested in the coming weeks, but if anyone does, they might like the results they get. Zombie and Fiend decks can make great use of it, so if you run either, consider adding the Virus to your arsenal.

Other tech was present as well today. I was happy to see Rush Recklessly getting some play, and Exarion Universe saw a surprising amount of table time on some surprisingly high tables. That said, the above four items on the list were the most successful that I saw, and each deserves attention. I just came from Round 8 Feature Match coverage, and both Jerry Wang and David Bustillos were packing their Random Copy of Goldd™. It was pretty shocking, and it’s interesting to see that Dark World is still getting so much attention. Depending on how the upcoming April Forbidden List pans out, Goldd could actually prove to be worth more than its weight in gold.

And now that I’ve gone out on a pun, I’m going to go hang my head in shame and cover our final round of the day!