Life at the Bottom

The convention among tournament Yugioh players is to drop after two or three losses.  Why stay in if the dream of topping is out of reach? You might as well trade, hang-out, and most of all avoid going X-4 or X-5.  

An X-3 or worse record will get you assigned to the bottom tables, a place with a decidedly different vibe.  While the top tables carry a cool, competitive ambiance and those on the bubble smack of desperation, the lower tables are more jocular and care-free.  Most know their day’s record is not stuff for a Pojo tournament report. Nevertheless, they play on for the love of the game and that’s not bad company.  

So for those that may have dropped out too soon, here is my guide to life at the bottom tables.

The Noob is an enthusiastic newcomer to the game.  They often have no mat, fumble with their cards, and divulge way too much information.  You know you are playing a noob when you hear them say, “I really need to get a BLS for this deck”.  Uh –huh.  They usually play recent structure decks without the competitive cards.  Chaos Dragons was a favorite though more noobs are showing up with Cyber Dragons.  Consider this an easy win, but be gentle. 

The Veteran plays the right deck at the wrong time. I’m not sure why but they seem irrevocably wed to certain archetypes. Samurais and Blackwings are the most popular.  Occasionally they’ll be flummoxed by a new card as if they stepped out of Yugioh! GX.  However, most of the time their experience will make for a challenging duel.  

The Party Boy is a rather incongruous addition to Yugioh Tournaments.  He would appear to be more comfortable in a frat house than the nerdfest of card games.  He’s loud, boisterous, and uninhibited.  If you’re facing the party boy, expect to play Lightsworns

The Troll usually opens with some back-handed way of telling you that he doesn’t really belong at these lower tables. He’s just playing a degenerate, solitaire-like deck as a joke.  Ha, ha. My most memorable troll was a fellow who showed up with a metal brief case. He looked like he was bringing a ransom payment for a drug lord. Instead he pulls out his Dragon Draw Exodia deck. Konami does its best to vanquish the trolls as evinced by their treatment of Gishki FTK, Empty Jar, and Final Countdown.  However, they’ll be back.  Fortunately, they are not too hard to beat and it feels good when you do.  

While thinking about this post, I realized that I did not fall into any of these categories.  Then it hit me – the final category

The Old Guy somehow eschews the embarrassment of the lower tables for the love of the game.  They consider playing Yugioh superior to doing yard work, repairing the home, or running errands. Their decks are usually about five cards away from being perfect meta decks. For example, they may still play one Gearframe and one Fortress in their Geargia deck … or so I’ve heard. 

The April 2014 Forbidden & Limited List EXPLAINED!

Ever wonder how Konami makes decisions about the forbidden and limited list?  Wonder no more – all is revealed below.

1. Most decks are not degenerate … there also not that good.  Say hello to all the decks from Gagagas to Gadgets.

2. Here lie the ruined dreams of Gishki OTK, Self-Destruct Button, and Final Countdown. We can now welcome Jackpot 7.

3. No one can touch Exodia!             

4. Now Mermails and Fire Fists can join Dragon Rulers and Wind-Ups.  Our apologies to Lavals, they were just caught in the cross-fire aimed at the uppity Fire Kings. The Infernities are also here.  It was an honest mistake. No one really believed releasing Barrier would make that much difference.

5. Bujins have a little more time.

6. Do you want to know why Geargias and Madolches were left untouched?  Look at the next set of cards.  Their descent to #4 is coming.

7. What is the most important characteristic of a Yugioh card? The answer is the ability to take money out of your wallet.

8. Iconic cards get old players back in the game.  This is why Malicious and BLS came back and BOM remains at one.

9. Hmmm … a Hero structure deck is coming out … and Stratos is pretty iconic.  Buck-up Heroites , your favorite monster may be coming back after all.

 

Why your dad is bad at Yugioh

There’s nothing like spending eight days in Haiti to put all things back in perspective.  Medicine is always challenging.  Now add differences in language, culture, and climate.  In the words of some of my younger Yugioh friends, the stuff got real … or something like that.  

It may take me a little while to get back into the game.  In the meantime, I have been thinking about another challenge – the challenge of age and Yugioh.  With that in mind, here are my reasons why your dad may not be so good at Yugioh.

1.  He can’t see the cards. Do you want to know what it’s like to be an old Yugioh player?  Take an old pair of sunglasses, smear them with Vaseline, and try to read your cards.  PSCT is great until you can’t tell the difference between “:” and “;”.
2. He likes his own ideas too much.  Your dad is may be reasonably accomplished.  He probably has had his share of successes.  Furthermore, he may believe the “For six years old and older” label on the card box.  So he comes up with his own deck and refuses to listen to the common wisdom.  We all fall victim to this problem.  When a combination we like works, we remember it; when it doesn’t, we blame that failure on something else.  As a result, we reinforce our own bad thinking.  Believe me young people, old people do not change quickly.
3. He has money but no time.   There are advantages to age.  Yugioh cards may seem expensive, but it’s a cheap hobby compared to many others.  Do you know how many cards you can buy for one boat payment?  Have you looked at the cost of golf clubs? Travel of snow skiing?  Replacement parts for a Harley?  You get the idea.  What he doesn’t have is time.  You may be off doing the DN thing while he is trying to figure out why there is water on the kitchen floor. 
4. He’s self-conscience. I can often forget that I am the oldest guy in the room.  I am fortunate to play with guys who neither coddle nor take advantage of me.  Once (and only once), I was called “pops” by some impertinent doolist.  Nevertheless, I can’t get through a big tournament without being aware of my age at some point.  Older players stick out – it’s inevitable.  How would you play if you were forced to wear a dress?  It could affect your concentration. 
5. He doesn’t want to be “that guy”.    “That guy” is the rule shark or more simply “the jerk”.  I usually fold to such people instead of getting into a heated argument.  It’s unseemly to fight with someone who is literally half your age over a children’s card game.  For example, I was playing an Evilswarm player during a regional flight.  He attacked (by picking up his card, moving it towards my monster and saying “attack”).  I said “Damage step” and flipped up a Forbidden Lance.  At that point, he said I had to announce battle substeps before I could enter into the damage calculation.  At which point, I said “huh?” Sure, he wanted to play Pandemic and knew he couldn’t do so in the damage step.  I think I had a good case but I caved.  I would rather be known as a good sport than a winner.  I suspect your dad would do the same.  

Dads play this game because they want to spend time with their sons.  That’s why I started. If given the choice, I would rather lose with my son around then win without him.  But, I don’t get to make either of those choices.  

I suspect there are some sons out there that would rather have a dad that loses than no one at all.   

If Football was Yugioh ...

A weekend at YCS Atlanta forced many of us to miss the big game.  As it turns out, we didn’t miss much.  Nevertheless, listening to the game on the ride back inspired our car pool to compare football and Yugioh.  Sure, the NFL has elite athletes … and Yugioh, not so much.  Still, both are competitive events that often pit large young men against each other.  Here’s how we imagined the Super Bowl would be played if it was more like a YCS

The Broncos would have scooped at half-time and said “Game 2?”

The Broncos would have played Rekindling and special summoned another 11 players on to the field.

The Broncos would have overlayed two players and summoned Exciton Knight to blow away the Seahawks. 

The Broncos would have sided-in Poisonous Winds

The Seahawks would go home worrying if Malcolm Smith would appear on the next banlist

The Seahawks would have said “GG …. and enjoy the Win-A-Mat”

I'll post my thoughts and experiences on YCS Atlanta later this week.