This week I turned to the dark side. Or perhaps that should be the light side, as I set aside Reborn Tengu and Debris Dragon to seize the raw power of Agents. I’d been working on the deck for some time, and having finally got a hold of the Heralds of Orange Light I felt it was time to test the deck before the weekend’s big local tournament. With a turnout of 20+ players, five rounds make for a challenging trial run!
Round 1 - Lightsworn - 1-1-1
The first game swung back and forth, but I seized the win through relatively solid play, bolstering my confidence in the deck and myself. That confidence was torn apart in the following game when I horribly misplay my use of Honest in response to Honest. Instead of thinking and running through the required timing steps, I eagerly just drop Honest onto the table. As a result, my Kristya still dies, jumps to the top of my deck and locks me out of responses next turn. Epic fail isn’t even a strong enough description. The match results in a draw, which surprises me as it is the first time I’ve seen a draw enforced in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and it leaves me fairly disheartened. The one thing I am determined to do tonight as a result, is play the game better!
Round 2 - Macro Burn - 2-0
An obvious pairing with a player with a single loss leads to a very unexpected deck. The use of Macro Cosmos and similar banishing effects slows my deck to a crawl, but building up a critical mass in order to sweep and explode, seizing control of the board in one fell swoop seems to be my route to victory.
Round 3 - Macro Cosmos - 2-0
Defeating an opponent maindecking graveyard hate left me a little bit more confident in my ability to play the game well when focused. What I didn’t expect was yet another banishing deck! Patience yet again led to answers, allowing me to grind my way through each game, and thankfully getting some unexpected use of Leviair in returning his Cyber Valley to give me the advantage to turn the game around. Caius proves to be a spectacular answer to Kristya right now, but thankfully the brutal speed at which Master Hyperion allows you to react makes Monarchy little more than a speed bump.
Round 4 - Lightsworn 2-1
Though seemingly a match with plays carried out at blinding speed, the sheer force of will behind each set of actions resulted in the lead being passed back and forth as fast as priority was passed between players! The true highlight of the match was when Mist Wurm was selected as a preferable target to Trishula, utterly destroying my field presence in a way the dragon never could. In time I managed to push through for enough damage to win on life points, and though doing so always makes me feel a step away from an actual win, it does leave me feeling far more confident and comfortable with my deck.
Round 5 - Agents - 2-1
As the first time playing both the mirror match and one of the most skilled players in the local group, nervous doesn’t quite describe my state of mind when I shuffled up. With an unshakable grin masking my fear, and my focus bouncing around the room in the least useful manner, the match begins. My opponent handily seizes first blood when I gamble in negating his Venus’ summoning with Solemn Judgment, only to be beaten down when he casts Monster Reborn. This punishing play serves as a wake up call to the competitive player deep within. Gears start to turn, my focus narrows and the desire to win rises to the surface. I play carefully throughout both of the following games, making misplays but adapting and learning from my mistakes swiftly. Careful calculation and fortunate draws allow me to win the following games, surpassing my own expectations for sure.
Conclusion - 4-0-1, 1st
This night I felt as though I had truly earned my victory, Having played against several strong players and a mixed field of top tier decks and anti-meta hate, I eagerly look forward to the competition to follow on the weekend.
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