Having so many huge events so close together has allowed us to closely watch the trends shaping the Dueling landscape. From YCS Seattle and YCS Atlanta in the last few weeks, we’ve watched as Duelists adopt cards and adapt to others. Here are some of the trends we’re seeing in the Ultimate Duelist Series Winter Invitational.

Baobaboon

We mentioned Baobaboon as a card to expect from the new Raging Tempest Special Edition, and it’s proven to be a great card in this event. It fixes your hand and Summons more Baobaboons, what’s not to like? It’s also very difficult to stop – even if you banish it or negate its Summon, it will still be able to Special Summon more copies as long as it is destroyed. It makes for a strong answer to Zoodiac Drident, since Drident’s effect would only bring out more Baobaboons.

Denko Sekka

Possibly in response to the Paleozoic victory in YCS Atlanta, Denko Sekka is seeing a surge of popularity this weekend. It does much more than help in the Paleozoic matchup of course – if you go second, you can use Denko Sekka to safely play into a full back row against any strategy. Denko Sekka seems to be a card that always rises and falls in popularity. Duelists will prepare for it, so its usage will fall, causing Duelists to stop bringing answers for it, making it a strong choice again. We’ll have to wait and see if Denko Sekka remains a good choice by the time YCS Denver happens in three weeks.

The Huge Revolution is Over

We were seeing a fair amount of Starlight Road recently, but now that has been replaced by The Huge Revolution is Over. While getting a free Stardust Dragon with Starlight Road is great, the advantages of The Huge Revolution is Over make it very worth using. It has two main points: it banishes, and it’s a Counter Trap.

For example, if you’re facing down Infernoid Onuncu, Starlight Road is no good. Onuncu will negate Road, and even if it had to Tribute itself it will be in the Graveyard for your other Infernoid cards. Replace Road with The Huge Revolution is Over, and now Onuncu is negated and banished. The Huge Revolution is Over is also great against Interrupted Kaiju Slumber, banishing it to keep its Graveyard effect out of play. We’re seeing a lot of mass destruction cards like Torrential Tribute, Mirror Force, and the usual cards like Raigeki and Twin Twisters, so The Huge Revolution is Over negates all of those cards effectively as well.

Lunalight Black Sheep

We started to see the Lunalight Black Sheep combo gain ground at YCS Atlanta, but it’s everywhere here. You play out your usual Zoodiac combo, but search Black Sheep with Zoodiac Broadbull, instead of the usual Zoodiac Whiptail. Black Sheep will search out Fusion Substitute, and you continue your Zoodiac combo until you also have Daigusto Emeral. Then you fuse Broadbull and Emeral into Elder Entity Norden which brings back Zoodiac Ratpier. Use Norden and Ratpier to Xyz Summon another Broadbull. From there you Special Summon another Ratpier, and upgrade Broadbull into Drident for a second Ratpier. You play yet another Emeral and draw another card while recycling your Ratpiers and other Emeral. You end up with a Drident and an Emeral like the usual combo, but you’ve drawn an extra card with the second Emeral, and you can use Fusion Substitute in the Graveyard to draw yet another card.

Manticore of Darkness

In times long past, Manticore was used in Exodia Decks – you’d have two copies of Manticore cycle each other infinitely, and draw your whole Deck with Card of Safe Return. Now, it’s being used for a similar reason, but the complete reverse. If you can send a Manticore to the Graveyard while you’ve got a second Manticore in your hand or on the field, you can instantly win when your opponent uses Maxx “C”! Just have the Manticores keep Special Summoning each other, forcing your opponent to draw all their cards. Any Deck playing Zoodiac Broadbull can search out Manticore, making the combo easy to have at the ready.

Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries

In a format where so many Duelists are using Zoodiac cards (even outside of dedicated Zoodiac Decks), this card is a no brainer. Simply banish all your opponent’s copies of Zoodiac Drident or Zoodiac Broadbull, leaving their best combos cut short. If you’ve got the space in your Extra Deck, you can even run single copies of cards you don’t actually play like Toadally Awesome or Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, to give an edge in other matchups.

D.D. Crow

Duelists are looking for any way to handle foes using That Grass Looks Greener, with their multitude of Graveyard effects. D.D. Crow is a simple answer, but can be extremely effective when used well. Since it’s played from the hand like Maxx “C”, it can be held until the perfect moment. Crow is one of the few ways to easily and permanently deal with Fairy Tail – Snow and Mezuki, banishing Snow or the Zombie after they’ve already paid the cost for its effect. Of course, it’s also nice for banishing Zoodiac Ratpier.