Curious about what the top ranked competitors are playing to get an edge here at YCS Philadelphia? Here are some big tech cards being used this weekend; cards that can fit into a variety of Decks, to get important advantages in some of the format’s biggest match-ups.

Droll & Lock Bird’s been one of the breakout stars of the format so far, and a top pick when it comes to in-hand interactions this weekend. It’s really good when it hits the table, shutting down Decks like Superheavy Samurai, Purrely, and Kashtira consistently. But the sheer match-up coverage – the range of Decks it works against – gives it a ton of value for just 3 slots in your Deck. The fact that it’s so useful against so many different Decks is why we’re seeing players this weekend taking it out of their Side Deck, and just Main Decking it full on. As competitive metagames shift in the coming weeks and certain Decks fall out of favor, we may see that high match-up utility decline. In that case Droll & Lock Bird will become more of a Side Deck pick again. But here at YCS Philly, nobody who’s Main Decking it is second-guessing their decision.

PSY-Framegear Gamma has been a longtime favorite for top YCS competitors, and for good reason. There are a small handful of cards that let you counter your opponent’s answers to your plays, Droll & Lock Bird being another standout, and PSY-Framegear Gamma’s firmly held its place as the best of the best. Thanks to Maze of Memoriesit’s effectively become a 1-card Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon into Baronne De Fleur, so playing into it can be more costly than ever. This card might not see much play under the next Forbidden & Limited List, where it’ll be Limited, but here in Philadelphia it’s a tournament-shaping card.

Efficient monster removal is at a premium in current competition, and Kurikara Divincarnate is a prime example. Most Kashtira Duelists try and Summon Kashtira Shangri-Ira alongside their Kashtira Arise-Heart, using them together to apply massive pressure to the opponent. If they activate those monsters’ powerful effects, you can Summon Kurikara by Tributing any monster that activated an effect that turn. On top of that, Kurikara gains 1500 ATK for each monster Tributed. You can also Summon back any monster from your opponent’s Graveyard with Kurikara’s End Phase effect. It’s a flexible removal option, it’s a hugely punishing card when it goes off, and it’s been a huge equalizer this weekend.

Duelists are using a ton of different monster effects from the hand to slow down combo Decks like Superheavy Samurai, Kashtira, and the cuddly horror that is Purrely. But thanks to that shift, many Duelists are using Triple Tactics Talent to great success, taking an otherwise unfavorable situation and turning it on its head. You can see Talents in action in numerous Feature Matches so far this weekend, the Duelists who have them at the ready are taking the tournament by storm. Since Talents has 3 different effects it offers a ton of flexibility, and that’s why it’s so popular.

Triple Tactics Thrust has been another massive card this weekend, with Duelists using a variety of strategies to get maximum value punishing their opponent’s in-hand monster effects. Released in Photon Hypernova, Triple Tactics Thrust can search any Normal Spell or Trap Card, or set it to the field. The applications are endless: we’ve seen Duelists use it to grab cards like Lightning Storm, Triple Tactics Talent, and Purrelyeap?! all weekend long. It’s a great card to have in your arsenal when you’re expecting to deal with a ton of Chained, interactive effects.

Superheavy Samurai’s an incredibly powerful Deck, only limited by the restriction of not being able to have Spell/Trap Cards in the Graveyard. Thankfully, one of the best counters to Purrely – a difficult and tedious match up – is a Monster Card! Spell Canceller stops all the “Memory” Spell Cards Purrely relies on, which means your opponent can’t make plays in their Draw Phase, leaving them vulnerable to Droll & Lock Bird, Effect Veiler, and other negation tricks. It’s a fantastic turn 1 option against Kashtira, too, stopping powerful cards like Kashtiratheosis and Pressured Planet Wraitsoth. It gives Superheavy Samurai an accessible means to counter Dark Ruler No More as well, which isn’t as popular as it’s been on some previous weekends, but can definitely steal games.

The field is wide open right now, here on Day 2, and we’ve seen evidence that with so many different strategies at the top tables, flexible tech cards are the place to be. It’s also worth noting that these cards aren’t being used individually. Duelists are combining cards like these and layering their interactions to have as many options as possible. There are plenty of other interesting cards in the Feature Matches, so don’t miss the action today!