QQ: How will you beat turn 1 Shi En?
QQ stands for Quick Questions! The field here today looks more diverse than those at recent Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series tournaments, but 1 big opening is still on everybody’s mind: first-turn Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En. When your opponent goes first and brings out a card that can negate almost any Spell or Trap you have, it changes the pace of the entire Duel: you’d better have a plan. We hit the tournament floor to ask the pressing question: “How will you beat turn 1 Shi En?”
“I Main Deck Neo-Spacian Grand Mole – that’s a pretty easy way out of it!”
-CJ Krause
“Going first, I have Main Decked Torrential Tribute to try and punish their followup. Going second it’ll be Side Decked Puppet Plants and Effect Veilers.”
-Ben Parker
“Most Samurai Decks don’t run defensive traps, so turn 1 Shi En can be easily beaten with Dodger Dragon and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon.”
-Richard Clarke
“I’ve got the ability to Summon Worm Xex and Special Summon Worm Yagan, for its effect. I’ve got lots of Chainable Traps too, like Offering to the Snake Deity and Compulsory Evacuation Device.”
-Alex Reynolds
“Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter. You never want to flip Ryko on your own: you just let them attack into it, in case they have Solemn Warning. I can Synchro over it, too, since I’m playing Doppel Plants.”
-Jeff Lang
“Grand Mole! I’m playing X-Sabers, but I’ll run Grand Mole in almost anything at this point.”
-Elijah Gersten
“How am I NOT gonna beat a first turn Shi En?! I have Effect Veiler, and umm… Trishula! I’m playing Ultimate Offering with Gadgets and Tuners, so I’m going to Trishula it.”
-Alex Vansant
“Exploder Dragon is a big play for that. I can Summon Dodger Dragon, remove it for Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, and either run over Shi En or Special Summon Exploder Dragon as well to make sure Shi En gets destroyed.”
-Zackery Biscardi
“I’m gonna go into Cyber Dragon and Junk Synchron, and Synchro Summon Colossal Fighter.”
-Greg Cohen
“Turn 1? I’m gonna go, ‘Set Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, go!’”
-Chris Rodriguez