This will be the first YCS in the United States since the Forbidden & Limited Cards List was updated on March 1. Since the start of this month, Regional Qualifier attendance across North America has skyrocketed, with many locations reporting an increase in players of 50% or more from their previous events. Yu-Gi-Oh! is on a roll!

Since this is a brand new format it’s tough to say which Decks will be most dominant. But Duelists here this weekend are making predictions and teching out their Decks to beat the three Decks that were most popular at the end of the last format: Inzektors, Wind-Ups, and Dino Rabbit. Take a look at some of the most popular tech cards at previous YCS events, and see how they translate into the new tournaments under the March 2012 Forbidden & Limited List.

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Chain Disappearance

Chain Disappearance became a popular Side Deck card at the end of the last format because it was able to banish a player’s key monsters. Inzektor Hornet, Wind-Up Rat, and Tour Guide From the Underworld are all vulnerable to Chain Disapperance.  Lots of Duelists here this weekend are still Side Decking Chain Disappearance for the same reason. Small monsters are the key to big Decks, and banishing all copies of those monsters can leave a Deck without a functioning strategy.

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Macro Cosmos

Macro Cosmos has replaced Dimensional Fissure in most Side Decks, partly due to the popularity of Xyz Monsters. Dimensional Fissure only banishes monsters; it won’t banish Xyz Materials or Spell Cards that are sent to the Graveyard. Macro Cosmos, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same limitation. Macro Cosmos banishes any card that’s sent to the Graveyard, even if it’s an Xyz Material. This means that a Wind-Up Hunter that’s detached from Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity while Macro Cosmos is face-up will be banished from the Duel, leaving the Wind-Up Duelist unable to finish the “Wind-Up Hunter loop” and send all of his opponent’s cards to the Graveyard. An Inzektor Duelist won’t be able to use Inzektor Hornet’s effect while it’s an Equip Spell Card, either, while Macro Cosmos is on the field, since the Inzektor Duelist won’t be able to send Inzektor Hornet “to the Graveyard”.

Macro Cosmos is also a popular Side Deck choice against Dark World Decks. Dark World monsters need to go to the Graveyard in order to activate their effects. While Macro Cosmos is face-up, all the Dark World monsters are powerless to use their powers.

While Macro Cosmos is face-up, Duelists also can’t send cards from their hands to the Graveyard to activate those cards’ effects. That makes 2 of the most popular cards in the format – Maxx “C” and Effect Veiler – nearly useless while Macro Cosmos is face-up.

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Skill Drain

Like Macro Cosmos, Duelists have been using Skill Drain to take down the most popular Decks. Inzektor and Wind-Up Decks are heavily reliant on the powerful effects of their low-ATK monsters. Inzektor Decks make big plays by using the effects of their Inzektor monsters to equip those monsters with other Inzektors. Wind-Up Decks use the effects of Wind-Up Rat, Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity, and Wind-Up Hunter to take the lead in a Duel. While Skill Drain is face-up, none of this is possible. Instead, the Inzektor and Wind-Up Duelist is left with low-ATK monsters that have trouble holding their own in a Duel.

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Snowman Eater

Lots of Duelists have also been Side Decking Snowman Eater recently. Snowman Eater can destroy any face-up monster with its Flip Effect, and since it has 1900 DEF, it will usually stick around after it’s flipped. Since it’s a Level 3 monster, it’s also the perfect Xyz Material for the Xyz Summon of a popular Rank 3 monster like Wind-Up Zenmaines or Number 30: Acid Golem. But one of the biggest reasons Duelists are Side Decking Snowman Eater is to take down Dino Rabbit Decks.

Dino Rabbit Duelists easily Xyz Summon Evolzar Laggia, but Laggia can be tough to defeat. Laggia negate Spells, Traps, and Summons. But it can’t negate a Flip Effect or Flip Summon. If an opponent has Evolzar Laggia on the field – even with 2 Xyz Materials attached to it – Snowman Eater can destroy Laggia with its effect. Most Decks run lots of cards that can destroy Evolzar Dolkka before triggering Dolkka’s effect (for example, Dark Hole and Mirror Force), but a lot of Main Decks can’t take down Laggia without triggering its effect first. Snowman Eater can be one of a Deck’s few direct counters to Evolzar Laggia.

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Jurrac Guaiba

Jurrac Guaiba has also seen a rise in popularity, corresponding with the rising popularity of Evolzar Laggia and Evolzar Dolkka. Jurrac Guaiba is a Level 4 Dinosaur that Special Summons another Jurrac (Level 4 Dinosaur), including another Jurrac Guaiba, whenever it destroys a monster in battle. That means you’ll have 2 Level 4 Dinosaurs on the field whenever your Guaiba wins a battle. That’ll immediately set you up for the Xyz Summon of Evolzar Laggia or Evolzar Dolkka – each a card-negating powerhouse that can only be Summoned by combining 2 Level 4 Dinosaurs.

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There’s a lot to be discovered this weekend, as we begin the first YCS of the format, and the biggest Trading Card Game tournament of all time. Stay with the coverage to watch new trends emerge and see which cards bring some of the Duelists in attendance to the top!