I'm starting to think that...

[Protect-Ya-Neck]

This format is one of the most tempo controlled based formats we have had in a long time. The very flow of the duel this format is decided pretty much by who can win the opening dice roll, therefore being able to dictate the tempo of the game in there favor. Just take a second and think about it, the strongest plays right now are plays that help you control the tempo, for example a Thunderking and a Bottemless set can be deadly, because you've already put the tempo in your favor by limiting your opponents options, for example, if your playing a dark synchro deck, they can't go first turn stratos, because they can't activate stratos's effect, and stratos itself is just going be eaten up by either TKRO or bottemless. If they try to go D-Draw discarding Malicious, and then special mali, tkro is gonna just negate the special summon, and then you have a bottemless left as an out to whatever other play they may try that turn. Then next turn you can explode with a play of your own, whether it may be Grepher ditching Plauge and Mali into Stardust, or a Cold Wave Rescue Cat play discarding your opponents hold hand. Either way you've set the tempo into your favor, and put your opponent in a situaution they can't come out of unless they topdeck godly. This is also a reason why cards like Battle Fader and Gorz are so strong right now, they neutralize the tempo and give you a chance to fight back.

This is also the reason why right now, I prefer Pro-Active cards as opposed to Reactive cards. Recruiters such as Sangan and tomato just don't cut it right now, reason being they don't do much in terms of tempo, and in order to get there effects your opponent has to have done a tempo play themselves in order to destroy them by effect or battle. They also set you a turn back from doing something that may have stopped that play to begin with. (E.G. A TKRO as opposed to Sangan set) The other reason I don't like the cards right now is that there is so much destruction that battle recruiters won't get there effects, therefore causing you to lose tempo, for example, lets say your opponent put themeselves ahead in advantage by wrecking your first turn play of a Tomato and Bottemless T-Set by going Cold Wave monk into cat, getting arcanite popping 2 and getting a discard off airbellum, you just got a -3 and your opponent has the tempo in their favor. And next turn the only thing you'll really be able to do is set a monster and end, because you can't activate spells and traps to try and come back. By then your opponent might sack Arcanite for a cauis, or play avarice and do the play all over again, therefore putting you back in advantage even more.

Basiclally, my main point here is that tempo is huge right now, and that the majority of plays you should be making need to be more aggressive and pro active, because you need to be able to put the tempo in your favor, or at least have a neutralized game state.

Anyway, thats it for this rant, let me know what you think by posting your thoughts here!

Additional Comment:

Bumpage......

[9demnx]

That's something I've thought about as well. It's quite an interesting part in my opinion, most that some people don't see. I agree with you that pro-activeness has and is now the current defining of duels. This "tempo" as you've put it can be set fast almost instantaneously favours the one who does so. It's rarely seen now where both players are set back to no cards and the tempo is stagnant. I do like the fact that the format has taken this fast pace. When Yu-Gi-Oh first came out around Australia (speaking for myself here), around 2002 somewhere, the format was not exactly fast but just heavy hitting. Now, although the strongest cards are now Forbidden etc, the format has become both fast and powerful. It is more exciting this way.

Mine turned out weird too. :P Props for invoking a good conversation.

[Protect-Ya-Neck]

Hmm, I see.
And thanks :P

[Lucrify0fSky]

Nice write up. It's just like playing against a deck which u are weak against, it's best that u start first to set up a swarm of monster because if yr opponent starts 1st, TRKO, Royal Oppression is gonna spoilt the whole deck.

[Protect-Ya-Neck]

@ Herald, precisely.

[Lucrify0fSky]

And a OTK deck would wanna go 2nd xD

[Protect-Ya-Neck]

lol .

Additional Comment:

Bumping this up :D

[Grim_Angel]

Wanna talk about Final countdowns=)?

[Protect-Ya-Neck]

Lol what? XD

[Grim_Angel]

The fact that every single card they run (ok, minus the FCs and the Sacrophaguses and the camels) kills the tempo and drives people mad with frustration=)

[Protect-Ya-Neck]

That is true

[TacoDepot]

That was a very good analysis of the current format and how things are working right now. The whole game right now seems to be about gaining advantage and maintaining it through consistency, which probably contributes towards the rise of destruction cards in current decks. This is also probably why cards such as Mirror Force and Solemn Judgment are in such value to top-tier players, if I've deduced correctly, due to the fact that they are the only reactive cards that can change the tempo of the game through their very powerful effects consistently. Therefore, a lot will concur in a majority of pro-active cards than reactive ones to control the tempo, but if they lose the tempo, Mirror Force and Solemn Judgment will help them gain it once more.

Bottom Line: preference of pro-active cards is good, but reactive cards will always be necessary, therefore the scenario of merely rolling a die to tell who wins will almost ever be possible as long as powerful reactive cards EXIST.

Nonetheless though, if these already limited cards (as well as others such as Ojama Trio and what not) are banned, then the game will be entirely pro-active. But if these cards are more intensely endorsed, then the game will be entirely reactive. A current problem as the balance of the very game itself is being weighed, no?

[Grim_Angel]

FC decks only need to stall to win, so every card interrupts the opponent's strategy/tempo. Meanwhile, burn decks need to do the same but also whittle down the opponent's LP.
So, for FC decks, simply keeping the tempo at 0 is how they work, but for burn decks, they need to drag it down to 0 with basically half the stall cards a FC deck runs, and try to establish their own tempo with the other half of the deck-the burn cards.
One pulls the tempo to 0 and keeps it down, while the other has to pull it down and then raise it to their level. That's 2x amount of effot involved, mainly because how FCs have nothing to lose (they're at 0) while all other decks have to re-stage all their lost cards and pick up their speed again.
FC'd just need to clear the field with BRD and set a TR, when other decks would need to strike back with a formation after clearing.

Guess that's why FC decks see more play than burns. Even though both the user and the opponent get bored after a few matches- -

[Protect-Ya-Neck]

oh i see .

[Slashtap]

Indeed, March 2010 was a very dice-roll based format.

[Meliadoul2k]

Indeed, March 2010 was a very dice-roll based format.

It still is. Whoever goes first has the opportunity to set up first without the fear of Heavy Storm, which in most circumstances can mean the game.