Feroze Ramcharan’s Top 8 performance at Shonen Jump Championship Los Angeles didn’t go unnoticed. One-Turn Kill decks had been virtually swept off the Tier 1 radar with the removal of Magical Scientist a few years back, and since then the OTK strategy hasn’t been popular. Ramcharan’s Top 8 showing was a dose of hope for many duelists, and with a 3-0 record thus far today, he’s well on his way to another Day Two qualification.
Today he’s using a revamped version of his Cyber-Stein OTK. He said his goal was actually to create a more balanced version of the deck. “This one can win with Cyber-Stein, but it’s also got a lot of burn and more beatdown potential.” When asked about the recent Italian OTK build that had emerged a few weeks ago, he said he was unimpressed. “I really don’t go for the total Cyber-Stein dependency any more. I’m trying to create something that can be more flexible and win in different ways.”
The addition of Giant Rat is indicative of the sweeping changes being made to the deck. “Giant Rat is just great. I can bring out Injection Fairy Lily, Exiled Force, or Kinetic Soldier with it, and it’s really been paying off.” Fitting the Machine theme, the pair of Kinetic Soldiers in the main deck can lay a massive beating on the average player. They’re great defensive cards thanks to their high DEF, and because they’re machines they can always join in on a Limiter Removal Blitz. The Rat can also fetch Nimble Momonga. It’s great not only as a method of clogging the field to prevent direct attacks, but they can also act as tribute fodder for Cannon Soldier. They thin themselves from the deck, which is important, since Ramcharan is using 42 cards total in his main deck. They can even bump up his life points, often allowing him to use Cyber-Stein’s effect when he otherwise wouldn’t be able to pay for it. They can even be exploited in conjunction with Enemy Controller. Cool stuff!
Ceasefire, and the renewed interest in Cannon Soldier, played a big part in Ramcharan’s success. “So often, I can burn away for a few turns and take a player by surprise, either with a few big attacks and Limiter Removal, or a Cyber-Stein attack. It gives me many more options.” The problem with any OTK deck is the random losses. Those games where you just can’t draw the right cards, or draw multiple copies of synergistic cards that you only need one of. Ramcharan aims to expand the focus of his deck in order to minimize the number of games in which he just completely collapses.
The divided focus also makes it difficult for his opponents to side deck against him. The standard side deck rotation for the OTK matchup for most players is Solemn Judgment, since it can cut cards like Cyber-Stein and Morphing Jar off at the knees and disrupt an entire deck. Most combo players go for the win the moment they draw the appropriate cards they need, so taking just one element out of the equation usually spells total failure. Ramcharan can mitigate that fact and actually take advantage of the life point loss that duelists are forced to suffer when they activate Solemn Judgment. After all, every bit of burn damage you take is amplified when you have fewer life points. With Scapegoat, Nimble Momonga, and Cyber Jar often creating huge sums of damage with Ceasefire, this deck can take a total rejection from Judgment and still dig out a win.
While most OTK decks look to score a win as early as possible, this one can be a bit more tricky. Injection Fairy Lily, Kinetic Soldier, and Giant Rat can each hold their own on the field in their own unique ways. The versatility of this build is its greatest strength, and its testament to Ramcharan’s experience with the deck type.
In fact, I’m sitting here trying to break down exactly how the deck would be played in the opening, early, mid-, and late games, and it’s pretty difficult to pin down. Cyber Jar, Nimble Momonga, and Giant Rat are obviously good openings, but the deck also has randomk turn 1 set options like Kinetic Soldier. From there on out its play pattern is amorphous: it can hang tought with fast Warrior or general Beatdown decks, but it can also keep the pressure on decks like Flip Flop Control and TTDBAPLAP*, forcing them to use cards like Widespread Ruin and Sakuretsu Armor early on. That leaves slower decks wide open in the mid and late game, when Cyber-Stein can summon something to finish the opponent off.
Again, personal style is really showing through here. Like how Paul Levitin and Dale Bellido brought their experience and signature cards to what was essentially the same deck, Ramcharan continues to dedicate himself to exploring a certain type of deck and a certain pool of cards. On one hand, whatever makes the Top 8 tomorrow is going to be netdecked. On the other, if we continue to see major duelists explore and develop their own styles it could be a good thing for creativity as it exists in the game today.
Always thinking outside the box, Feroze Ramcharan is one of Team Nexus’s greatest assets. Accompanied by teammates like Franklin Debrito, and Shonen Jump Atlanta Champion John Jensen, he’s got a lot of strong duelists supporting him. In a field with lots of set monsters and a generally slower rate of play, he could have just what he needs to get to the top of the heap this weekend.
*That Thing Dale Bellido And Paul Levitin Are Playing