Here are some more tech trends that we’re seeing on the tournament floor, here in Day 2 at TEAM YCS Las Vegas!

Bystial Monsters

A common theme that we’ve seen with Side Decks is the use of several Bystial monsters – Bystial Magnamhut, Bystial Druiswurm, Bystial Saronir, and Bystial Baldrake. These cards may not be too strong in the Snake-Eyes mirror match, but they can be sided in against the Voiceless Voice strategy! The Bystial monsters have a common effect, allowing you to banish a LIGHT or DARK monster in your opponent’s Graveyard to Special Summon them, and it becomes a Quick Effect if your opponent controls a monster. These cards can really give Voiceless Voice players a hard time, since they can banish Saffira, Dragon Queen of the Voiceless Voice before it can be banished to conduct a Ritual Summon. Lo, the Prayers of the Voiceless Voice is another important card, and it’s able to Special Summon itself back to the field from the Graveyard if a LIGHT Warrior or LIGHT Dragon Ritual Monster is Special Summoned to your field; banishing Lo can prevent the player from cycling resources and generating card advantage. 

Many players are choosing to use three to five Bystial monsters in their Side Decks, hoping to see one in their opening hand to cut off Voiceless Voice players early. Early interruptions when you’re going second have been useful, with cards like Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Infinite Impermanence, and Nibiru the Primal Being being everywhere, so having access to more disruptions is welcome. It’s also interesting to see that despite the popularity of the Snake-Eye strategy, players are still wary of the Voiceless Voice deck, as well! 

Spell/Trap Removal

We’re also seeing some interesting forms of Spell/Trap removal making their way into players’ Side Decks! Twin Twisters is a Quick-Play Spell Card that lets you destroy two Spell/Trap Cards on the field by discarding a card, while Typhoon is a Trap Card that can destroy a single face-up Spell/Trap Card on the field, but can be activated from your hand right away if your opponent controls two or more Spell/Trap Cards! Both of these cards are useful since they’re Spell Speed 2 and can be activated in response to your opponent’s effects. Against Snake-Eye decks, these cards allow you to destroy monsters placed into the Spell/Trap Zone as Continuous Spell Cards by Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye or Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon, and you can respond to the effect of Flamberge Dragon attempting to Special Summon them. They can also hit cards like Barrier of the Voiceless Voice and Radiance of the Voiceless Voice, making it much easier to interact with the Voiceless Voice monsters. 

It’s also able to get rid of pesky floodgates that would stop you from activating or summoning certain cards, such as Anti-Spell Fragrance and Summon Limit. Both of these cards are popular Side Deck choices, intending to make it difficult for your opponent to play. While cards like Lightning Storm and Harpie’s Feather Duster are still useful cards, Anti-Spell Fragrance forces you to wait until your next turn before you can activate them, and that might be too late! Tech cards like Typhoon and Twin Twisters allow you to deal with the problem immediately, opening the game back up and allowing you to play more freely. 

Triple Tactics Talent

Cards that perform multiple functions are always useful, and perhaps nothing demonstrates this better than Triple Tactics Talent! There are tons of cards that players will use to try and disrupt their opponents, including generic cards like Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Nibiru the Primal Being, and Droll & Lock Bird, as well as more archetype specific cards like Fire King High Avatar Kirin, Fire King Avatar Arvata, and Skull Guardian, Protector of the Voiceless Voice. If your opponent uses any of these cards, you’ll usually be able to use one of Talents’ devastating effects! 

Of course, drawing two cards is always welcome. But Talents’ other two effects are arguably even more impactful in the current format. On one hand, you can take a look at your opponent’s hand, and force your opponent to shuffle cards like Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring or Nibiru the Primal Being back into the Deck; even if your opponent has multiple possible disruptions, you’d now have a better idea of what you need to play around! On the other hand, taking control of a monster that your opponent controls can shut off certain cards. It might just be enough to prevent your opponent from using Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames or Fire King High Avatar Kirin, which would make it easier for you to push through the board to win the game. You can also use the monster as Link Material for a Link Summon, allowing you to get the monster off of the field without having to destroy it, which would prevent effects like Sacred Fire King Garunix from triggering!

These are just a few of the tech cards that have helped players make Day 2 here at TEAM YCS Las Vegas!