TOP 5 OCG 10th Season Meta-Failed Decks and/or Archetypes until Flame of Destruction

by Kevin Yohanes
Last Update: 3 February 2018 23:19:09
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Reminder: this article were made based on the writer’s experience, and the numbers of the lists weren’t ranked by any parameters.

As you all already know that since the OCG 10th season started (Post Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, specifically: Code of the Duelist), there are so many decks that were predicted to be a Meta for the new Master Rule. But it seems that these decks were not that good after being tested in the actual play. Many players were hoping so much for these decks, but unfortunately, these decks weren’t able to fulfill their expectation. But here it’s the TOP 5 Meta-Failed Archetype:

1. STAR GRAIL - from COTD

Starring the story of 3 siblings that has been chosen by The Star Relic – Star Grail, it has a truly magnificent hype before its release.

It’s true that this Archetype is the first Link Compatible deck, and works well by injecting some engine such as The Agent of Creation - Venus and Kaiju. It even could do you an infinite amount of summons in your own turn and probably will troll the opponent whose throw the “Maxx-C”, and also build an impenetrable wall of EXTRA LINKED field. The problem is it’s often to had bad starting hand. When the combo piece weren’t all in your starting hand, it makes you think really hard how to make a unpierced extra link. And also this archetype weren’t that good enough when they got to go second, and when at the some point it is being disrupted by hand traps. In the actual gameplay, it’s not that strong to beat the current meta : True Dracos and Pendulum Magician (Pendulum Evolution). When your opponnent throws a Maxx ‘C’ but you weren’t able to complete the impenetrable defense combo, then it’s most likely be the end for you.

2. METAPHYS - from CIBR

Banish everything is really something. It even often frightens your opponnent when you were able to summon Masked Hero – Dark Law or even activate massive banisher cards such as Macro Cosmos and Dimensional Fissure. This is the concept that were offered to you by Metaphys archetype, banish everything. This Archetype is a continuation Archetype from Metaphys Horus Dragon and Metaphys Armed Dragon (though I’m sure they don’t have mutual playstyle with the current Metaphys), consists of 6 Monsters and 3 Supports. This Anti-Meta concepted deck were expected to break the meta and joins the fams. 

Unfortunately, it weren’t that beautiful in the actual gameplay. This deck were focused on getting as many of your Metaphys monsters banished so it can activates its effect during the next standby phase. Players often including some of the instant banisher cards such as Necroface by banish it using Gold Sarcophagus, but it results in the gameplay that were too gambling and based on luck. At first people think that it is good to have a deck that could allows you to have 3 Macro Cosmos and/or 3 Dimensional Fissure in your deck, but it often result in having a bad starting hand with no monsters or monster that isn’t actually helping. It actually has 3 good Support Cards: 1. Metaphys Factor, a Field Spell Card that makes you unhesitant when your Metaphys monster effect activates because your opponnent cannot respond it. 2. Asymmetaphys, a Continuous Spell that allows you to banish Metaphys Monster from your hand and draw a card, and it also affects your opponent monster when Metaphys monster(s) were banished. 3. Metaphys Dimension, it allows you to banish 1 card your opponnent controls when Metaphys monster(s) in your possession were banished. With those support card, this archetype supposed to be good, but it would be problematic when those Spell/Trap Cards were banished.

Its main monster, Metaphys Ragnarok, is a level 4 effect monster that allows you to Banish the top 3 cards of your deck when it is normal or special summoned and when it inflicts battle damage to your opponent, you can special summon 1 Metaphys monster from your Main Deck. Mainly, you can normal summon Ragnarok, have some of your Metaphys monsters banished from top of the deck and you can activate their effect during the next standby phase. But it is often ended up in a result when the cards that were banished weren’t the one you hope to be banished, and even worse, your support cards were banished. Now imagine when you were able to Normal Summon Ragnarok, but you have your opponent negates its effect by Effect Veiler. Then it would be just Normal Summon, set some, end turn. Well, at least you still have a monster. Just imagine what will happen if Ragnarok isn’t in your starting hand. You weren’t able to summon anything that turn. Just set some, and end turn hoping your opponent doesn’t OTK you. Summary, this archetype is a slow setup archetype. And isn’t suitable to be in the competitive play.

But, I think this archetype is suitable for you who isn’t salted enough by your periodical Gacha in game. Sure, play this.

3. COUNTER FAIRY - from SR05

Counter Fairy isn’t actually a new archetype, but by the release of SR05 known as Structure Deck R: Surge of Divine Light, this deck finally recieved some support. It even reprinted some cards that is needed to make the deck. SR05 gives you some monsters to help you get through the Bountiful Artemis easily and even gain ATK each time a Counter Trap were activated, a Spell to prevent your set card from being destroyed as well as grave recycler and give 300 ATK to all face-up Fairy-type Monsters, and also a Counter Trap Card that lets you negate your opponent card effect and summon the brand new Parshath.

It is expected to breaks the current meta that were dominated by True Draco and Pendulum Magician. But, no. It would be beautiful when you could say ‘NO’ to your opponent easily, but it is useless when you unable to executes your opponnent as fast as possible. There are some reasons why this deck were unable to catch up to the current meta, and here it is:

1. By the new Master Rule you have your Pendulum Zone moved in to your Left Most and Right Most Spell/Trap Card Zone. You can’t fully manage to make the combo using Guiding Ariadne so you don’t have to pay for LP nor Discard to pay the cost of a Counter Trap Cards when your ability to set Counter Trap Cards were shrinked. Even worse, if you want to play the new Continuous Spell Card Sanctuary of Parshath, then it would shrinked even more.
2. Mostly you played by only 6-8 Monsters and the remaining were Trap Card and it would be awful when you were unable to catch the first-hand-Bountiful Artemis.
3. You realised that most of the time you don’t have the Counter Trap Card that lets you negate some certain movement of your opponent. Like, when your opponent Normal Summon Denko Sekka you don’t have Forceback or Solemn Judgement to save your set cards. It sucks.

But in some local games in Japan, there’s a player who makes use of some card in this Structure Deck and manage to topping by injecting some Star Seraph engine and Inspect Boarder from EXFO, but yeah. Only one time, and it even gone afterward. But I’m not sure that I want to call them a Counter Fairy or Counter Machine since tha main protagonist were Inspect Boarder.

4. MAGIBULLET - from DBSW

With the ability to activate its Spell/Trap Cards form your hand during either player turn, Magibullet also known as Magical Musketeer sure is quite have some noise and expectation that this deck would become the new meta. This is the first deck that lets you take advantage of column placement and card activation if it is active in the same column of the Magibullet monsters, along with Weathery that also known as Weather Painter. By Caspar you can search your Magibullet Spell/Trap Card to your hand and activate it again to disrupt your opponent’s play. But reality is cruel.

Magibullet users often result in condition where they don’t have a monster to be summoned in the first hand. And this is the first deck that taught us that any cards effect that requires some certain condition about card’s placement, have its effect unable to resolve when it is moved to another place, including leave the field. This deck requires much drawer so it has ammunition to keep banging opponent during their turn without even have to set your Trap Card first. This deck relies very much on their Monsters, so they can keep on surprising their opponent by destroying, or even negating opponent card effect.

Damn, they even have a Counter Trap Card that can be activated from the hand. Yeah, but that’s all they have. Its monsters were mostly low ATK, and very relies on the Magibullet Spell/Trap Card to destroy or reduce the opponent Monster’s stats. It even loses to Phantasm Spiral deck. The only reason why they were expected to be meta is only because this archetype allows you to activate spell/trap during either player turn from your hand directly.

5. ELEMENTSABER - from FLOD

Elemental Lord sure is a catchy archetype. Especialy when Grandsoil granted an errata. Sure. It would be better if you able to summon them regardless of whatever Monster Attribute that are in your graveyard. Sure, this is what Elementsaber archetype tries to give to you. You can change your monster attribute in the graveyard so you can fulfil the Attribute requirement to summon Elemental Lords. You can imagine what if you can summon Moulinglacia and let you disrupt your opponent hand in your first turn, and summon Willard so Elemental Lord and Elementsaber monsters you control grant some resist ability depend on whatever atribute it is used to Special Summon him so you don’t have to worry to skip your next Battle Phase right? No.

In actual play, skipping battle phase really is something unbeneficial. This deck were expected to be played beatdownly, but it is useless when you have to skip your next Battle Phase. Actually the Field Spell is quite good, but it even makes you lose your battle phase more if you want to search. The most comprehensive play that this deck could manage is to be fused with Chaos (Monsters the can be special summon by banishin 1 Light and 1 Dark Monster from the Grave). But nowadays there are so many grave negator such as Abyss Dweller, and even True King V.F.D the Beast. By skipping your next Battle Phase, you have given your opponent a chance to break your defense wall by any means necessary. And then they will say “Why not? As long as we have Lapa Uila to negates opponent Spell/Trap, why must worry?”. Again, no.

In actual play, swarming using this deck is a tough one, moreover, in the first turn you can only manage to summon 2 to 3 Monsters, which is a disaster if you can’t manage to have Willard in your hand. Similar to Magibullet, this Archetype takes a quite lot slots for drawers. And even worse, this deck is very reliable to its Field Spell Temple of the Elemental Lords.

At first I have envisioned to play this Archetype in a 60 deck and using That Grass Looks Greener, to dump most of my Elementsaber, but it seems dangerous after knowing that this deck is so reliable to its Field Spell. So, no.

Okay guys, and that’s all the 5 decks and/or archetype that expected to be meta but failed. All of them only based on the writer’s experience, if you have any other deck you think more suitable to be included on the list make sure to leave a comment and the reason why you think it should be on the list. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it, see you on the next article.

Ryuuji Gakudo, from Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Yogyakarta.

*All of the image were copied from yugioh.wikia.com, except for the stargrail from ygorganization.org

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