While alot of Duelists are familiar with the new cards in Starstrike Blast that support older Decks like Scraps, Quickdraw, and Gravekeepers, the all-new “Karakuri” monster family remains a mystery to many. With a bunch of great effects, and some sweet Spell Cards at their disposal, Karakuri Decks can be built in several different ways.
Duelist Dylan Buff is running a Karakuri Deck that packs Black Salvo and Cyber Valley, centered on a killer combo that’s only possible in Karakuri strategies, one that can end the Duel in a single turn. By combining strong Karakuri monsters with Salvo standbys like Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, Buff’s strategy could take alot of competitors by surprise here this weekend. This is what his Deck looks like: Read more…
Starstrike Blast has been tournament-legal for less than a week, and lots of Duelists are already trying to see which cards will be the most useful in their Decks. Many old Decks, including Quickdraw, Spellcasters, Gravekeepers, and Scraps, got a huge boost thanks to some of the themed cards in Starstrike Blast. Other cards in Starstrike Blast fit into a bunch of different Decks. Take a look at some of the most popular Starstrike Blast cards that Duelists are using here this weekend. Read more…
Brooks Melacon is currently 4-1 with his innovative Quickdraw Deck. His opponent, James Daniel, is running Macro Monarchs, with the brand-new Different Dimension Ground from Starstrike Blast in his Side Deck. Daniel’s Dimensional Fissure and Macrocosmos may make this a tough Match for Melacon, who relies on his Graveyard and counts on monster effects that trigger there. Read more…
Derrick Brewer is our second Karakuri Duelist to get a Feature Match in today’s main event. Brewer is running a Machina variant, with Machina Fortress, Gearframe, and Peacekeeper. Like Dylan Buff before him, he’s aiming to take advantage of the Black Salvo + Machine Duplication combo, unleashing triple Burei. But he’s also got several more ways to win, thanks to his suite of Machina cards. His opponent, James Hames is piloting Blackwings, which could mean trouble for some of Brewer’s combos. Read more…
Four rounds have passed and the undefeated Decks at the Top 12 tables are looking as diverse as ever! Take a look at who’s sitting at the top tables as we head into Round 5, and what Decks they used to get there. Read more…
Gravekeepers, Scraps, Lightsworn, Quickdraw, Plants, and many more Decks gained a boost from Starstrike Blast – we’ve seen the new Booster Set’s impact right here today, on the tournament floor! But with so many Decks getting added support, and the field wide open, we just had to ask: “Which Deck do YOU think gained the most from Starstrike Blast?” Read more…
One of the oldest Decks getting new support from Starstrike Blast are the Gravekeepers. There’s just 1 new Gravekeeper monster in Starstrike, but it’s a powerful pick. Gravekeeper’s Recruiter makes the Gravekeeper Deck stronger than it’s ever been before, by making it faster, more consistent, and by makes its older cards easier to play.
Since Recruiter can search Gravekeeper’s Commandant from your Deck, it’s suddenly much easier to find and activate Necrovalley. You’ll get the Recruiter’s effect when you Tribute it, so Caius the Shadow Monarch, Gravekeeper’s Chief, and Gravekeeper’s Visionary are suddenly far easier to play. And since Recruiter fills your Graveyard while getting you another Gravekeeper, it’s easy to load up 2 Gravekeepers so you can get them back with the Spell Card Gravekeeper’s Stele. Zackery Thomas Charles Biscardi is one of many Duelists playing Gravekeepers here this weekend: here’s what his Deck looks like… Read more…
QQ stands for Quick Questions! Starstrike Blast was just released last Tuesday, and it’s already making its impact on the tournament scene. Duelists all over the tournament floor have adjusted their Decks with new cards that will give them an edge in the tournament. I surveyed a bunch of this weekend’s competitors to find out which cards from Starstrike Blast they’re using in the YCS. Check out their responses! Read more…
Sean Montague is the reigning U.S. National Champion and currently undefeated in with his Plant Synchro Deck. His opponent, Stanley Gasque, is running a unique Deck combining Frog Monarchs with the Destiny Hero engine. His ability to Tune Fishborg Blaster with Treeborn Frog to Synchro Summon Formula Synchron and draw through his Deck, or even Tune Formula Synchron with Destiny Hero – Malicious to make a Level 8 Synchro Monster, may be a deciding factor in this Match. Read more…
By this point, we’ve analyzed every single Deck list from YCS Philadelphia, and counted how many copies of each card were played. As trends rise and fall, once-popular cards lose favor and are replaced by others. But those cards aren’t these cards! The following cards keep getting more popular over time, so you should definitely take them into account when you consider your plays. Read more…
