QQ: Your Deck And Your Match-Ups
Barring some big upsets, the top strategies in competition today are widely recognized; whether you want to play them or play against them, you need to know those Decks and how your Deck stacks up.
Unless you’re going to Worlds yourself, your World Championship Qualifier’s the most prestigious and demanding tournament of your Dueling year. Nobody just walks into a WCQ: whether a Duelist qualifies through Regionals, Nationals, or an OTS Championship, everybody earns their way into this event, and that means the average level of play is higher than you’d find in other tournaments.
With all that in mind we asked a slew of Day 1 competitors from all different walks of life two Quick Questions: what they were playing, and how they felt about their biggest match-ups. Here’s what they had to say.
“I’m playing Nekroz. I think it’s the best Deck available, and I’m Side Decking pretty heavily against Qliphorts and Burning Abyss. Though I think Nekroz is strong against all the big strategies, what I’m really looking to do is counter their hate cards – the cards they run to beat Nekroz.” Galileo Mauricio De Obaldia Soza ~ Panama – Former World Champion
“I’m running ‘tellarknights, with some Main Deck tech to stop some of the biggest Decks. For instance I Main Deck Anti-Spell Fragrance to stop Nekroz and Qliphorts. I feel Qliphorts are my toughest match-up.” Angel Ernesto Alonso de los Santos ~ Guadalajara, Mexico
“Playing Shaddolls, I’m naturally most concerned about Nekroz and Qliphort. I think I have an advantage against ‘tellarknights and Burning Abyss, but I think the Shaddoll mirror match can be a big tossup – it often comes down to player skill.” Cesar Alvarado Ramos ~ Guadalajara, Mexico
“I’m playing Qliphorts, so my hardest match-up is the mirror match. Shaddolls are problematic as well. Nekroz, Burning Abyss, and ‘tellarknights, I feel those are under control. Nekroz is my easiest match-up.” Juan Carlos Coronel ~ Guadalajara, Mexico – Mexican National Champion
“I’m running Qliphorts. I find I have trouble against Burning Abyss because the deck is so versatile. I have a bit of trouble against Shaddolls as well. But my Deck has a very strong match-up against Nekroz and ‘tellarknights, and performs well in the mirror match.” Saul Torres Juarez ~ Estado de Mexico
“My Deck is just a lot of my favorite cards! My favorite match-up is whatever’s easy!” Juan Pablo Francisco Amezcua Reyes ~ Guadalajara Jalisco Mexico – Age 8
“I decided to play Nekroz. Qliphort is a troublesome Deck, but I feel confident against Burning Abyss, Shaddolls, and ‘tellarknights. I feel good about the mirror match as well.” Cesar Eduardo Medina Garcia ~ Estado de Mexico
“I find I have a pretty even match with Burning Abyss, and I feel confident against Nekroz, Shaddolls, and ‘tellarknights. I’m playing Infernoids. I have trouble with Qliphorts, but I feel alright against the other three.” Sergio Duarte Ceniceros ~ Durango, Durango Mexico
“I built my Volcanic Deck to have good match-ups overall, but I’m teching Magic Cylinder in particular, largely to surprise Qliphorts. Because I’m playing Traptrix Myrmeleo and Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare I have some extra tools against Nekroz.” Gerardo Sotomayor Meza ~ Morelia Michoacan, Mexico
“I’m playing Nekroz, because it’s the best Deck. Match-up wise, it can only really lose if Qliphorts open with three different types of floodgates.” Jose Lagunes ~ Vera Cruz, Mexico – Reigning Central American Champion
A confident spread of players! Almost everyone had a good idea of where their Deck fell amongst the top strategies, and many took special measures to compensate for their weakest match-ups. Others made concessions, setting aside match-ups they believed to be less important so they could have more tech cards for match-ups they expected to face more frequently. Both are valid decisions, and deciding between one measure and the other can often make the difference between a Champion and a runner-up.
Several of our interviewees are still undefeated, so be sure to check out the Round by Round standings to see how Day 1 works out for our QQ Duelists!