Welcome to the first edition of a new bi-weekly column here on Metagame. If you’re a long-time reader, you might remember my State of the Game articles, where I’d break down current trends to show you how the format got to where it is. Trends ‘N’ Tactics borrows from that concept: I’ll be using it to examine patterns at the top SJC tables as well as the rest of the tournament. But I’ll be doing a lot more than that: each article will also include a section on specific tactical issues that you can use to your advantage. Certain plays can define a format on the micro level, so while I want to give you a ground-floor look at what’s going on at big tourneys, I also want to break down those trends and show you how they relate to your own play habits. The end result? You’ll gain insight into the format that you might not get anywhere else, as well as some pointers to improve your game.

So let’s start by looking at where we are right now, and how we came to be here. With the new Advanced format well underway, and Shonen Jump Championship metagames now established on the East, South, and West extremes of the U.S., it’s a great time to start breaking things down.

Cyber Dragon and Hydrogeddon Define The Format’s Pace

Even in relatively conservative tournaments like Shonen Jump Championships, we’re seeing aggressive play trends like never before. Aggression is always common in the first Jump of a new format: faced with an open field and no established metagame, many duelists revert to a relatively simple Beatdown deck due to its high utility and stable consistency. Beatdown decks win by pressing on the opponent and claiming cards and life points in battle, so it was no surprise that Boston was a hugely aggressive event on the whole. But that aggressive trend has endured through three Shonen Jump Championships now, and the main force behind it is two of the game’s most flexible monsters: Cyber Dragon and Hydrogeddon.

Both monsters play interesting roles, because while it might be fair to say that Cyber Dragon did nothing except make Chaos decks stronger in the last format, the same can’t be said for this one. Sure, Vampire Lord and Berserk Gorilla are still tricky to play thanks to Cyber Dragon’s 2100 ATK, but the number of decks that are made playable by Cyber Dragon really seem to outweigh the slight inconvenience for Zombies and Beasts. Slapping two or three Cyber Dragon cards into virtually any combat-based deck is going to make it faster—supporting tributes and letting you recover when your field is wiped. Considering how often that happens in this format, it’s a valuable thing for virtually any strategy, whether you’re netdecking a Top 8 list or trying to add some extra punch to your Spellcaster build.

Hydrogeddon is similar, except that it sacrifices a portion of Cyber Dragon’s potential as a comeback card or tribute fodder for more raw aggression. A single opening can let you turn one monster into three, creating huge swings in tempo and generating unexpected reversals of momentum. The aggressive pace of the format and the general popularity of Monarchs has made Treeborn Frog far more common than it ever was before, and Hydrogeddon is one of the few cards that utterly punishes Treeborn users. If you’re building a themed deck that just needs a little more oomph, three Hydro cards can often be just what you need.

With many players running three copies of both, they really go a long way towards defining the format. Not only do Cyber Dragon and Hydro expand the range of viable deck options, but the tech created to shut them down is also formative. Double Asura Priest cards were all over , mowing down fields of Hydrogeddon cards and bouncing off the table just in time to leave their controller’s field empty, rendering Cyber Dragon a dead card. Asura Priest made the main deck cut in almost half the Top 8 lists, and Top 4 competitor Chris Moosman sided a second. Keep your eye on double Asura in the coming weeks.

Utility Is King

With that aggressive pace comes a greater emphasis on utility. If cards are being exchanged and used at a faster tempo, then each remaining card becomes more important. Dead cards are far more difficult to play around in an aggressive environment than a passive one, because the first person to run out of useful options immediately starts taking damage. As a result, several cards have seen less play this format than they previously did.

At the top of the list is Creature Swap, a card that had a frighteningly small presence at Boston and . While Swap can be a game-ender, it’s also deeply rooted in synergy and remains an exceptionally low-utility card. Not that it’s bad, but it requires a combo to be useful in an era where synergetic plays are difficult to build. It did see more play in Seattle, and I suspect that its slight resurgence was due in part to the huge presence of Asura Priest. Whether or not this will be a regional trend remains to be seen, but for now, there’s still a lot less Creature Swap than there was in the last half of the Chaos era. The increased popularity of Enemy Controller, which can often be used to outplay Swap on the chain, just makes it even riskier.

Beyond that, several cards that many would have once considered staples for high-level competition are being dropped. Call of the Haunted was only main-decked by three Top 8 duelists in Seattle, and that trend was reflected well on down the rankings during Day 1. While Mystical Space Typhoon was seen in every Top 8 deck in Boston and Seattle, two didn’t run it in Austin, and there have been plenty of X-2 decks in recent SJCs that have opted to forego it. Though Typhoon is usually a high-utility card on the surface, it’s become a lot harder to use given the increased number of chainable spell and trap cards that players are setting. Just look at the Top 8 feature matches from last weekend and you’ll see several examples where Mystical Space Typhoon was chained, costing its controller a card and accomplishing very little in return. A lot of experienced players are actively reconsidering these cards, as well as several others that would have once been auto-ins for virtually any strategy. 

Now With More Misplays!

One glaring trend I’ve noticed, both on Day 1 and Day 2, is the exceptional upswing in regrettable plays. A bigger variety of cards are being main decked, and we’re seeing more difficult face-down monsters (like Treeborn Frog and Sandmoth) as well as more chainables. The difference between a good tactical player and a truly great one has become far more pronounced over the past couple of months. This format is a lot more dynamic than the last one: Cyber Dragon and Hydrogeddon create big swings and comebacks while Enemy Controller cards and carefully calculated Sangan/Treeborn/Torrential plays catch opponents off guard. Most games in this format can change at the drop of a hat, which creates a high-intensity situation that’s more difficult to play in. More possibilities to consider, more pressure to withstand, and more top-level deck choices make it harder to consistently succeed.

In fact, the most common misplay I’ve seen in this format will be my tactical focus for this inaugural edition of T ‘N’ T. Behold, the number-one error made by Top 8 duelists and 0-2 drops alike!

The Move: Exiled Into A Facedown

The recent move of Exiled Force from a Limited card to semi-Limited status has resulted in everyone and their mother running it. It’s a great equalizer, the perfect trigger for Last Will, and a stupendous complement to Cyber Dragon that often lets you punch through the opponent’s defenses for 2100 damage on turn 1.  It’s an outstanding card with a lot of versatility. Unfortunately, it’s also the source of the biggest repeated misplay I’ve had the groaning displeasure to witness, over and over. I’ve seen the following about a hundred times now…

Player A draws an opening hand, sets a spell or trap, then sets a monster.

Player B draws for his or her turn, summons Exiled Force, and tributes it to destroy the opponent’s face-down Sangan or Treeborn Frog.

Player A does a little dance while Player B moans in pain, feeling like he or she just got punched in the stomach.

Now, this play scenario is frequently played out mid-game too, but the frequency with which we see it on turn 1 is frightening. Treeborn Frog is seeing more use now than it ever has before, and Sangan is still included almost everywhere. There’s never been a worse time to blindly Exile a set monster, and yet players are doing it more than ever before. I’m not just talking about inexperienced local players either: Tristian Patillo managed to do this at least once on his way to claiming SJC gold at Austin, and several other Top 8 feature matches involved similar moves.

My tactical tip for this week? Don’t tribute Exiled Force to destroy a set monster unless you have a really great reason, or can practically guarantee that you won’t be losing your Exiled to a Sangan or Treeborn. While it can be tempting to keep the opponent off the field and press through some damage, you’re just hurting yourself in the long run. Wasting Exiled not only costs you a card, but also the field presence you could have had if you’d used your summon on another monster instead. That hurts.

While I try not to dictate absolutes, here are some examples of what I consider great, borderline decent, and flat-out bad reasons to Exiled a face-down card early in the game.

Great Reasons:

“I have Last Will, Cyber-Stein, and Megamorph in my hand!”

“I used Confiscation at the beginning of my turn and I know my opponent didn’t set Sangan or Treeborn.”

“I used Graceful Charity to discard a big hitter, and if I Exiled this turn I could swing for 4000+ damage thanks to Cyber Dragon and Premature Burial.”

Decent Reasons:

“My opponent didn’t set a back-row card, so I know if I special summon Cyber Dragon and then summon and tribute Exiled, I’ll definitely be swinging for 2100. My deck plays to that kind of tempo.”

“My opponent didn’t set a back-row card, so I know if I tribute Exiled Force and play Last Will I can bring out Reaper or Don for a quick shot. I have Sakuretsu Armor to reinforce my aggressive play.”

Bad Reasons:

“I thought my opponent had Dekoichi set.”

“I didn’t want to take more damage next turn.”

“I was trying to simplify the duel as quickly as possible.”

Note that the “Great Reasons” section is filled entirely with completely safe, or game-winning moves. To be honest, I’m not even sure that anything but the instant win would be enough to make me pop Exiled on turn 1. The list of “Bad Reasons” are actually taken from feature match players who will remain nameless. If you know for sure that the opponent’s set monster is a flip effect that you would like to eliminate, by all means, send Exiled Force after it. But if you don’t know for sure, save yourself the potential embarrassment and attack with something else instead.

Also, both of the examples in the “Decent Reasons” section have long-term qualifiers that legitimize the decision: the first involves a deck that wants to establish a highly aggressive tempo, while the second looks a turn ahead to see the worst-case scenario and prevents it. In tough-call scenarios like these, try and put extra thought into the long-term ramifications of the move you’re considering. Usually that will give you a clear answer as to whether or not you should press with Exiled. If the sequence of moves you’re setting up doesn’t leave you in a position where you can afford to hit Sangan or Frog, then don’t pull the trigger. Simple as that.

On the other hand, if you’re playing someone who has a reputation for being a loose cannon (or shall way say, “less than perfectly disciplined”), set Sangan or Treeborn on turn 1 whenever possible. While Mystic Swordsman LV2 and Nobleman of Crossout present a slight risk, Sakuretsu Armor can balance that factor, and the potential payoff is huge. You don’t just gain an edge: you also demoralize the opponent and set the tone for the rest of the game. Sometimes you win the game on the table, other times you win it in your opponent’s head and the cards just follow suit.

That’s it for today, but check back in about two weeks when I’ll be on hand to discuss the trends that arise from Shonen Jump Championship Anaheim. The format’s biggest showdown yet is right around the corner, and I’ll give you the inside scoop on everything you won’t see in the live coverage, fresh off the tournament floor!

—Jason Grabher-Meyer