It’s November 12th, and duelists across the globe are starting to feel the impact of one of the best monsters ever to be released—Light and Darkness Dragon. Fueling the Dragon are Foolish Burial and Trade-In, thanks to the release of the latest structure deck.
Rise of the Dragon Lords is Out!
After a few brief delays in North America, the newest structure deck, Rise of the Dragon Lords, has made it to hobby outlets everywhere. I was able to get mine at my local game and comic store on Wednesday, but according to a lot of friends, they’re selling out fast, so be sure to call your home store first if you’re interested in picking up a few copies. Currently, it seems as if some “big box” retailers like Wal-Mart and Target have Rise of the Dragon Lords in stock, while others have not.
Rise of the Dragon Lords features seven new cards, as well as a reworked structure that makes it more playable than its Japanese counterpart. With reprints like Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 and Tyrant Dragon, it’s got some cool previously rare cards, plus a lot of playable material like Snipe Hunter and Brain Control. If you’re going to be competing in the post-Light and Darkness Dragon environment, you’ll definitely want to pick up a few copies of the new structures.
This Week on Metagame.com
Today I kick things off with a look at yet another world-debut card from Gladiator’s Assault. Last week I dissected Royal Firestorm Guards, but this time around I’ll be analyzing one of the most powerful spells in the set—Veil of Darkness. On its own, the Veil isn’t much, but with the right combos, it has immense power: enough to make multiple new decks playable. Which decks are they and why is the Veil so good? Click on over to find out.
On Tuesday, Jerome McHale builds one of the more all-out fun decks from Gladiator’s Assault: Gladiator Beasts. There’s been a lot of debate about just how competitive the Beasts can be, so if you’re looking to put your copies of Test Tiger and Gladiator Beast Octavius to work, then this might be the article you were waiting for. Jerome has a ton of insight into what makes the strategy a deceptively competitive entry into major events, and you may be surprised at the strength of his build.
As Light and Darkness Dragon continues to ravage everything in its path, there’s been a lot of confusion about the limitations of its negation effect. What can it negate, and what does it fail to stop? More than that, what happens to the cards it negates? Curtis will answer these two questions with some helpful examples in this week’s Duel Academy.
Earth Rush has been a popular deck on and off for at least the past year. Gigantes and pals made Day 2 at a Shonen Jump Championship and placed highly in multiple big tournaments in Europe, while several Metagame.com writers have given their take on the theme in recent formats. Thursday, Matt Murphy will join the ranks of Earth deck article veterans as he looks at (and improves) a deck called Earth’s Assault in The Apotheosis.
On Friday, Bryan Camareno will show you how to fix up a couple of copies of Rise of the Dragon Lords, and turn them into a theme-heavy tournament powerhouse good for at least your local throw-downs. Since most of us either bought or plan to buy multiple copies of the structure just for Foolish Burial, how about turning the rest of those cards into a playable deck? Bryan will show you what to do!
Dimensional Fissure decks had a notable impact at Shonen Jump Chicago, and after a brief respite from high-profile success in Durham, the strategy is sure to return thanks to the new metagame we’ll see in San Mateo. Looking back to the recent past for inspiration, Matt Peddle will examine David Duran’s Top 8 deck from Chicago to see what made it so successful.
Finally, on Sunday, Ryan Murphy will join us with his own take on Diamond Dude Turbo—and since Sunday is time to honor the Forgotten Format, Ryan’s build is constructed for the Traditional format. A good deck gets even better this time around, as Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude gets some obscenely strong new tricks.
And that’s it for now! The weeks are counting down to Shonen Jump San Mateo, and as the days and hours tick by, we’ll be looking at the cards and strategies that will have an impact on that event. Head back in another seven days for more news and article previews.
As always, thanks for reading!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com