Hello readers! Thanks for coming to see the first article on my blog “The Cheet Sheet”! I’m going to start off talking about a topic that is probably one of the most asked questions in any card game ; what are the “staple” or “top” cards of the format. This question has many answers, and I’ll go over a few of them and the reasons why the following cards are as good as they are. So without further ado, lets get started with one we all should know :
Tour Guide of the Underworld
What is there to say about Tour Guide? Upon release in EXVC, not many people thought this card would be good. Many saw that you couldn’t synchro with the monster you brought out with her effect but that all changed once people began to see the power of Xyz (Exceed) monsters! With the ruling given at the time, which was thankfully changed, Tour Gudie was a powerful card. It allowed you to go first turn into Sangan, then into Number 17 Leviathan Dragon, detach the Sangan, and search for any monster for any situation you may see (most of the time, an Effect Veiler or a Maxx “C”). But, with that ruling changed, she just became a quick route to Sangan and Leviair the Sea Dragon, making players cut her from a lot of decks. But that didn’t stop people from playing her, allowing that Sangan to give them the monster they needed and put pressure on the opponent. Now, with the Dark World structure deck being released soon, she is even more playable. Summon her to pull a Broww out of the deck, then bounce the Broww for Grapha, and use a discard effect to plus off of the Broww. She also allows for Leviair the Sea Dragon plays to bring back monsters you may have removed with Gate of Dark World. All in all, I feel that upon the release of this card, it was underrated. But after people got to play around with her, they realized her power and began splashing her in nearly every deck, ranging from Agents to Plants and everything in between.
Archlord Kristya
I honestly can’t tell you how many games I have lost due to this card. I’ll be holding Gorz or a combo tha involves a lot of special summoning (Lonefire Blossom and Monster Reborn/Dandylion and One For One), and I’ll be devastated by them dropping a Kristya when I simply have no out to it. I feel that this card makes Agent/Fairy decks what they are. Master Hyperion is cool and all, but possibly the best followup to destroying your opponent’s field or bating out that Solemn Warning is a huge Royal Oppression with legs that nets you a Fairy from your graveyard. Just the fact that nearly all of the top decks of the format so far involve massive amounts of special summoning to accomplish their goals makes this a great card, especially if you can get it onto the field and throw a Safe Zone on it or have Herald of Orange Light in hand to stop effects like Grapha, there is little to nothing the opponent can do to stop her.
Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World
This guy right here, along with the new field spell Gate of Dark World, is the reason why Dark World is back and will be a force to be reckoned with. The opportunity to destroy any card your opponent controls is pretty amazing. It helps get around locks that this deck has trouble with, and afterwards you can bounce a Dark World monster on your field to your hand for a free 2700 beater (3000 with Gate on the board) and start swinging away. I mentioned him briefly in the explanation for Tour Gudie, which is a pretty gruesome combo involving Broww and Grapha to plus off of a plus and then swing for potentially 4300 damage with Guide and Grapha. I see this deck being widely played in the coming months just because of its accesibility and consistancy. Grapha may just be what Dark World decks needed to come out from the underworld and battle with the creatures of the daylight again!
TG1-EM1/Creature Swap/Enemy Controller
In a format with big monsters hitting the field, deck that play a bunch of beaters under 2000 ATK will get stomped on very easily, especially if your backrow isn’t there to support them and help deal with the big threats. The above mentioned cards began seeing play early in the summer and grew in popularity since, stealing Kristyas, Hyperions, Synchros, Black Luster Soldiers, and as of late, Graphas. If you’re able to win because of gaining that monster, remove it from the field while you have it, or simply plus off of it (like tributing a Reborn Tengu or Dandylion for instance), the play is well worth it, even more if you have a followup play to plus even further. The possibilities with these cards are endless, and I have often seen people win games because of these cards in T.G., Tengu Plant, and Mystic Piper decks. You know what they say, if you can’t beat em, take em!
Trap Dustshoot/Mind Crush
With the unbanning of Heavy Storm, a lot of people are beginning to cut back on how many backrows they set in the early turns of a game. With this happening, their hand count stays high and makes Trap Dustshoot a live card a lot of the time. I believe someone said that if you first turn Trap Dustshoot, you have an 80% chance of winning that game, and paired with Mind Crush, it can make your opponent enter their Scoop Phase. Some people get too happy with their Dustshoot though and flip it as soon as the opponent draws, which isn’t always bad, it just depends on what kind of deck they’re playing. Against a Hero deck for example, I would hold my Shoot/Crush until they pay E-Emergency Call or Reinforcement of the Army to get a key piece of their strategy. Getting rid of a card that they need in rotation throughout the game early on can be devastating against a deck that only plays 16 or less monsters, especially if they have no way of getting it back at the moment and you are given the opportunity to mount a counter for their attempt to. I feel that even Dark Worlds will benefit from these cards, allowing them to be played alongside Deck Devastation Virus and Eradicator Epidemic Virus. Watch your hands people!
Reborn Tengu
The one that never dies! Reborn Tengu is a nuisance to get rid of, because when you do, another replaces the first one. This card was extra annoying when Pot of Avarice was at 3, but even with Avarice at 1 this card still stays on the field for the long haul. There are so many combos with this card that it’s not even funny. Summon a Deep Seav Diva for a Spined Gillman and pair it with a Tengu for an easy Trish, tribute for a monarch and bring out another Tengu, Enemy Controller it to take your opponents monster and bring out another Tengu and Xyz/Synchro with it, the possibilities are near endless! I really have questioned why this card was ever printed, but then I look back on how it can be stopped and find it to now be somewhat balanced. The fact that he is Horn of the Phantom Beast compatible and is a Wind type for Dark Simorgh are also little perks, but this card is mainly used in Tengu Plant decks. It can literally be splashed in almost anything though, making it my favorite card of the format(s) it has been played in.
Thunder King Rai-Oh
The last card on our list for the format! Thunder King is one hell of an opening in any duel, shutting down the opponents searching capability is huge ina format like this. Agent of Mystery – Earth, Pot of Duality, Reinforcement of the Army. And many other cards are useless while he is face up on the field. His built in negation effect is also a game winner, stopping threats such as Grapha, Master Hyperion, Archlord Kristya, Black Luster Soldier, and many many others. I have rode this card all the way to the win numerous times, often having my opponent get rid of him, only to have a Call of the Haunted or Monster Reborn waiting in the wings to revive him. Even with his mass release in GLD3 and LCGX, he still remains a $10 common and a $25 secret rare, and for a good reason. This card single handedly demolishes decks, and in my opinion, is a staple in nearly every deck that can play it.
Well guys, those are the cards of the format so far. As always I appreciate you taking your time to read this and remember I’m always open to suggestions about topics for articles. And who knows? Submit a good topic and you may get a featured writer spot on that article, a shoutout on my channel, or maybe even a cookie. Remember to always tune in to The Cheet Sheet and my Youtube account (HolyCheetos) for more content on the game and how you can become a better player, hone-in on your skills, or just gather useful information. Remember guys, life is hard, so is Yu-Gi-Oh, sometimes all you need is a little Cheet Sheet. Until next time, peace out!
