It was something many of us felt this year at Seattle’s Sakura Con; it was lacking the magic and charm of previous years. We’ll take a look at the problems, and how they can be addressed. Even you can make a difference, we’ll also talk about ways to make events fun for those around you.

In the past year or more, we have not seen many truly great series. The anime industry is rehashing a lot of genres, and running low on original ideas. Not only that, but studios have dropped the ball on many manga adaptations. Shows we were excited for have been a let down, while the underdogs slipped under the radar. How many of us watched the previews for A-Channel, Denpa, Blood-C, No.6, Deadman Wonderland (due to lack of S2), Persona 4, Fractale, and Hidan no Aria expecting more than what we ended up with? Either there was a lack of consistent story, the jokes fell flat, or they suffered disappointing endings. Not only that, but we had to face an onslaught of moeblobs (which is what we call excessively cute slice of life series.)

Proof of this was evident this year. There was an abundance of Adventure Time, MLP: FIM, and Homestuck cosplayers. Wait a minute. Two western cartoons and a web comic? I thought we were suppose to be celebrating anime here. Western animation is slowly taking back the reigns and producing some of the most popular cartoons since the 90s’ and early 20th century. Not only are we seeing headway in cartoons, but live action series as well. Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Dexter, Doctor Who, Spartacus, Breaking Bad and so many more are topping the charts and building a huge fan base. A lot of that has to do with excellent writing and production. Anime will have to take a leaf from their books and step it up if they want to continue to be popular in the west.

The staff was on edge and space was not used wisely… speaking with people who attended the con, as well as our own experience, we were faced with a lot of threats without good reason. Asking a simple question, or unknowingly being in the wrong place could land you with an ear full about how you can and will be kicked out, or have your badge revoked. As I have never worked or volunteered for Sakura Con, I cannot explain why this happens. All I can do is plead that those in charge really evaluate who they are letting enforce the rules, and work on better ways to approach people. If you had a bad experience with a staff member, speak up, send an email explaining what happened.

Another thing we noticed, is that the space was used awkwardly. Artist’s alley had been moved in with the expo hall, which probably meant they had more people walking by, but it was confusing to try and figure out where the official booths started, and the artists ended. If you didn’t want to spend a lot of money you may have avoided this area completely. The area upstairs formerly used as the artist’s alley was now a big empty space with 1/4th of it dedicated to rhythm games. We saw a lot of big empty spaces, and some areas where everything was squished together. This gave the illusion that the con felt empty except for the expo hall. While being able to buy unique items at a convention is a perk, it shouldn’t be the bulk of the entertainment. We don’t spend $50 on a pass just so we can spend $200 on merchandise and $75 for three days of parking. Not only that, but finding figures or hand made items isn’t as hard as it use to be now that we have sites like ebay, amazon and etsy.

Now that we’ve talked about things we can’t really control, let’s talk about the ones we can.

First and foremost, anime conventions are by fans, for fans. This isn’t PAX, the entertainment and swag isn’t going to be provided for you. So what can you do to make a better experience for yourself and everyone else? The good news is there are a lot of things! So let’s break it down.

As a cosplayer…

Cosplay is suppose to be a fun way to bring life to a convention. It’s not very fun when it turns in to a huge popularity contest to see who can pull off the best outfit, or has the best body. While these things can make a more convincing outfit, it shouldn’t be the only element to dressing up.

1. Get in to character. As far as everyone else is concerned, you are who you’re dressed up as. If you enter a competition or panel, think about how your character would react if they were in that situation and act accordingly. We saw a cosplayer from the series Naruto do this during the foam sword battle. He fought using a mix of capoeria and his own style which was really fun to watch, and flowed quite well with his character. The audience really cheered him on!

2. We’re a community, and we should support each other. Not bring each other down. If you see someone and you like their outfit, say something! Compliment them or give them a high five. Ask if you can hug someone if that’s your forte. Hugs are fun, but not everyone wants one.

3. Don’t let it get you down if someone cosplays the same thing as you and you feel like they do it better. The way you portray your character and the personality you give it will speak volumes. Talk to them and ask how they made it or what materials they used if you sew your own outfits. We all start somewhere!

As a panelist…

People sometimes forget that panels are often run by normal attendees. If you’ve never run one, maybe it’s time to start! Think about your strengths. Are you really good at art? Can you color with copic markers? Do you know how to make a great web comic? Do you know how to sew? Do you know how to coordinate lolita outfits? Do you know a lot about a series? Do you really love visual novels? There are just about a million and one things you could talk about.

1. Supply materials. There’s a lack of free stuff at conventions and it’s kind of disappointing. Even providing simple things such as buttons or stickers would help draw people in to panels. If you’re doing an art based panel, provide some cheap newsprint sketchbooks and some pencils. It wouldn’t be very expensive and it would allow people to practice what they are learning. If you’re doing a panel about Japanese food, bring some candies for people to try. If you’re doing a panel about lolita, bring cut out pictures of jewelry and clothing so people can attach them to a board and make their own coordination ideas. The possibilities are endless and it will help keep your audience entertained. Having a bunch of hyped up people sit in a room and listen to someone talk can be difficult. You may have a very short time to grab someone’s attention, and if you can do it visually, that’s going to be your best bet.

2. Think about what you would like to learn, and what would be fun for others. I always see a lot of “101″ panels. This is alright, but a lot of people who go to conventions already know about these things or can research them on their own. Consider ways you can talk about your subject that will make it interesting for everyone, no matter what their skill level is. Otherwise you may appeal to only a select group of people. Looking through YouTube we found a great set of panels that talked about anime directors and their styles of animation. How one director may have a sketchy style full of motion where another had a very technical approach. This was supplemented by video examples of each. On a base level, they’re simply talking about different animes and what the best scenes look like, but they did it in a way that would be interesting.

3. Talk about what you know. If you make a web comic, don’t just show people how to do it, or show off your work. Talk about your experiences, take questions, leave room for your audience to drive you in a direction, ask them what they want to know. If they are too shy to speak up, have a variety of things to go over. Always encourage participation.

4. Sometimes you don’t have to teach. It’s totally okay to devote a good chunk of time letting people do what they like as long as it’s related to your panel and you do have something you can provide. For example, I helped run a panel that ran 3hrs over how long we thought it would go because we put a visual novel on for people to experience and they got so in to it they actually finished the whole thing. Another great example was a photoshop tutorial that took place in a room full of art supplies and tables. We spent a lot of time just asking the instructor to show us how to do effects, line work, and coloring. It was really enjoyable.

 As staff…

You’re the one who calls the shots, your attitude effects everyone. How you act toward other people will come off as a representation on the views of the convention, even if you have nothing to do with that.

1. You don’t have to be angry. It’s inevitable that you’ll have to reprimand someone for something. However, you don’t have to get angry, use threats, be mean, or swear. Always approach people with an adult attitude. Your example means everything. If it’s okay for you to act out, that makes it okay for everyone else to do it as well.

2. Find ways to help bring people together. Keeping an agitated line occupied with beach balls to bop around, handing out something, or getting the group to sing a song is way better than shouting and making everyone unhappy or more prone to lash out.

3. Listen to people. Sometimes all someone needs to hear is “I’m sorry that happened to you, I totally get that.”

4. Keep in mind people may not be trying to cause trouble on purpose. For many people, they don’t know the rules of the con as well as they should. There are still a lot of first timers too. Start off with a very friendly reminder that does not point any fingers. If you have to get more serious and issue another warning it can be helpful to diffuse people’s frustration by saying things like “I totally agree with you, it’s a dumb rule! Unfortunately I didn’t make the rules, I just have to make sure people follow them. If you want to write a complaint you can go to x” This will likely keep them from starting an argument with you since they feel like you’re relating to them, and they probably won’t make the effort to actually file a complaint because they have more interesting things to do.

As a merchant…

1. Don’t be money hungry, we’re all hurting for money. The economy just isn’t as good as it was before, and here in Seattle that’s something we overlook a lot. That doesn’t mean you have to lower all your prices but if you generally sell things that are fairly expensive you may want to consider providing small, inexpensive things as well. Someone may be more likely to spend $5 on a small thing, than drop $50 on a print.

2. Display is everything. I saw so many booths that didn’t list prices for their items. The booth was crowded, the booth owner engaged in conversation, and I couldn’t get a look at anything because it was far away. It was easier to pass up an interesting item than try to snag someone’s attention and ask about it. I know this is to help prevent theft, but display cases can go a long way.

3. Be helpful but not too helpful. People can tell when you’re trying to convince them to buy something. It turns a lot of people off. Making yourself available in case someone has questions, observing body language, and being friendly but not overbearing will be pleasant for your customer. Some people are super indecisive and will just want to stare for a long time (like me.) There’s a little Asian lady who makes cat hats and we just love her. She’s always smiling and happy, she doesn’t try to convince us to buy anything but will inform us when we seem to have a question. I think at this point we may just buy her items because she’s so fun to be around. She even remembered us from last year!

So there you have it!  I hope this helps give some people great ideas for not only anime conventions but gaming conventions as well. We are a community, we are strong, smart, and talented. Let’s work at showing the world what we can do!

Glow-Up Bulb

Spore

Interesting choice of ban-worthy cards, but it is no secret that the Plant Synchro decks were heavily played in both OCG and TCG formats. With the push of XYZ monsters in the game, and Konami really wanting players to gear their decks towards the black bordered monsters, it makes sense to take out the most popular synchro-based deck that is available. Does this kill synchro decks flat out? Not by a long shot. Some are actually still viable in play, and as we break the list down further, we see the potential  return of one of those decks! Plants have been a plague in the metagame for quite some time now, and it seemed that no matter what Konami did, the deck remained broken and overpowered. Now it’s gone entirely and duelists will have to resort to other decks now.

Trishula: Dragon of the Ice Barrier

So long. We won't miss you.

One of the most powerful Synchro monsters is gone! I guess players will go back to playing Mist Wurm, who is the more balanced option of the 9 star level Synchros. It’s a safe bet that by ridding the game of powerful Synchro monsters, players may gravitate towards the XYZ monsters instead. Time will tell if this was a smart move.

Trap Dustshoot

I don’t believe this was a ban-worthy card and disagree a thousand percent with this particular card’s ban. I guess Konami doesn’t like free information given to players without cost, which makes no sense to me in a game where you can summon whatever you want for free. However, gaining the information this card does for little to no cost sometimes outright won duelists a game in clutch, so I can see why they banned it.

T. G. Striker

Essentially, Konami thinks Synchro summoning is bad and wants you to play more XYZ monsters. So they restrict what is essentially a Cyber Dragon tuner in a deck that relies on Synchro summoning. Not to mention he was a great tuner in the Agent deck that summoned a mix of Synchros and XYZ monsters, but Konami insists that Synchros are bad. You now want to play XYZ monsters.

The Agent of Mystery – Earth

I would assume this affects the OCG greatly as many players played Agents over there as stated before, and this guy is essentially a free search for the theme. This restriction makes sense in keeping the power creep of a deck type down and balanced.

Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner

Sexy time!

Lightsworn players kind of died over time, but it’s still a popular theme! Enter Lumina, a card with some punch. Plus with her recursion effect, you can play XYZs in Lightsworn now! HUZZAH! It also means the deck becomes a little more playable and competitive as well. Will we see this deck return to the tournament scene in a field full of XYZ spam decks? Only time will tell.

Marshmallon

I truly don’t know about this one and have no comment about it at all. I would guess Burn deck players gain a little extra ammunition with this guy.

Reborn Tengu

A lot of controversy has surrounded this card going to the semi-limit pool but let’s face it; he is incredibly broken and in the many Synchro based decks out there, was a Synchro plus a fresh Reborn Tengu on the field in one play. He needed to be curbed in power and being put to two is where it should have been for the longest.

Emergency Teleport

This is brought back to this class because Konami knows players will still want to Synchro Summon, but it also conveniently leads to XYZ plays as well. I believe Plant players will turn towards Teleport/Synchro builds with Destiny Draw and Destiny Hero – Malicious still being in the game. However having the ability to add a card like Psychic Commander to the already powerful Wind-Up deck does worry me a little bit.

Level Limit Area-B

No comment.

Torrential Tribute

This is something huge, as Torrential Tribute is a powerful board sweeper and we now have access to two of them. Will players play two copies of this going forward? I believe so as it is now the strongest out to the spamming of XYZ monsters to the field.

Ultimate Offering

The combos this card allowed for XYZs were flat out broken, and as much as Konami wants to push XYZs, they don’t want to do it in the form of OTKs. When this was at three I didn’t understand why players did not use it in the popular Inzektor deck.

Call of the Haunted

It was put to two six months ago and really had no impact on the game at all, so it makes sense to un-restrict a card nobody really cares about.

Now on to the nitty gritty!

Is this a fair and balanced list?

The answer is both yes and no. I say no because it does nothing to solve the problems and broken power of the top tier decks like Inzektors, Wind-Ups and Dino-Rabbit spamming XYZs like no tomorrow, but does everything to limit players playing the broken Synchro based decks that have plagued the game since their inception. I do like that if players want to stick with Synchros, they’ll have to turn to the decks that have themed Synchros, namely Six Samurai, Blackwings and Psychics..

The Destiny Hero engine is alive and well again now that it is partnered with two copies of Emergency Teleport, and I can definitely see players turning to Destiny Hero Chaos and Synchro decks to name a few.

What would I have done differently?

It’s no secret that the main trio of XYZ decks are incredibly broken. For Inzektors, I would have at least limited Dragonfly to one copy as she is the main power card that can abuse Hornet the most. For Wind-Ups, Hunter and Shark need to go to Limited as they are responsible for the hand loop the deck is known for, but can be countered by Maxx “C” if you own them. Rescue Rabbit needs to go to Limited too, as the dinosaur XYZ monsters are just too powerful for this game. I get that in the OCG metagame they have removed the “priority” power from the players and monsters that can abuse their effects, but until we get similar treatment, the XYZ dinos are simply too powerful to exist in this format.

Cute. But deadly.

I also believe Royal Oppression needs to come off the Banned List, especially since we do have three copies of Mystical Space Typhoon in the game and it is essentially no longer the threat it once was.

Why am I still banned?

I miss the feeling of seeing the occasional banned card come off the list, and think its near time that a card like Tsukuyomi return. Empty Jar isn’t that threatening and with Book of Moon at one per deck, I don’t think her impact would be that bad for this format.

Have something to add? Disagree? Be sure to leave your comments and thoughts below, and we’ll see you next time in the Domain!

Beside the usual show, the GeekFist crew created and celebrated their very own holiday called Troll-Mas. The idea was to give other members of the crew something related to their interests but totally unexpected. OmegaZed took on the challenge by delivering Ninjago figures to the crew, but Krismas countered with Redakai, trolling with it not once but twice in the same episode! Needless to be said, the special events will continue and Troll-imania has been born! Details on that will be coming soon.

So for your listening pleasure ladies and gentlemen and mutants, here is the download link for the full episode! Click it and be sure to like us on our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter!

The episode is available here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/geekfist/Geekfist_2011_Award_Show.mp3
We’ll post a full listing of the awards given out soon!

In light of keeping the series fresh through it’s countless number of sequels and reboots, Spike holds a number of unique treats that would put a smile on the face of the most devoted fans of the series. Opening theme song “Cha La (Head Cha La)”, from the original Japanese anime, was chosen for the opening sequence of the game and if that wasn’t cool enough, is accompanied by probably the best opening animation sequences ever done in the series featuring modern style visuals fans have been clamoring for since the announcement of Dragon Ball Z: Kai. Your treated to battles scenes of some familiar face such as Goku, Vejita, Krillin, Trunks, Gotenks as they do battle with iconic villains Freiza, Kid Buu, Omega Shenron and even movie character Hirudegarn makes an appearance. The most noticeable aspect of this cinematic is the first time introduction of characters “Saiyan Hero” & “Saiyan Elite” from Dragon Ball Heroes, a Japanese only arcade game.

A main storyline is also included in addition to Hero mode, here you will play through the normal story of DBZ and spans into the GT saga as well this time around. The newest and best feature here are the epic boss battles to be had along the way, in style of Naruo Ninja Storm 2, players are treated to large scale battles against the staple villains and movie villains in a variety of speedy chase sequences, button mashing power struggles and QuickTime events that takes the feel of Toriyama’s world closer to home like never before. This is easily the best part about the game as a whole, it’s fresh, new and very well executed.

Sadly this is where the good news ends for U. Tenkaichi. The new battle system incorporated can barely be considered anything battle-esque, the fun of combo’s and melee have been heavily toned down in favor of a 50/50, or rock paper scissors, system that cuts any combo off after 4 consecutive melee button presses for a 2 option guessing game that gives the opponent a chance to break away. This system, all the well very cool in cinematic, will run tired since it is done every single time a string of attacks are made. There are only 2 options, strings these attacks into the guessing system, or use a heavy attack which auto breaks any guard only so you can go back to using the first option yet again. There are so many breaks in the action in favor of cinematic, after a while it doesn’t feel like your really doing anything when only one button press will determine the next 12 or so hits.

This is where the game falls short of actually being true to the spirit of Dragon Ball. Too much of a heavy focus on cinematic has cut the actual hands on fighting experience to a minimum, make this game more of a movie than something that’s playable. All super attacks are auto aimed, leaving no real sense of accomplishment outside of guessing correct for the landing, or out mashing your opponent if they choose the intercept with an attack of their own. The roster also suffers from a major chunk of serious holes that can be noticed by even novice fans. The saga reaches up to GT, yet are missing major key playable characters from the era such as Pan, Kid Goku, Super 17, Bebi, Bebi Vejita and both SSJ4 forms of Goku and Vejita. What’s so confusing is the inclusion of SSJ4 Gojita and Omega Shenron being recognized and playable. The list from the Z arc and those missing is massive so I won’t even bother with the details to avoid further tears.

Visuals: 9 Absolutely amazing job done by Spike. Everything about this game is simply visually stunning and vibrant. Never before has a Dragon Ball game come so close to life until now.

Sound: 8 All the original Japanese and even DBZ Kai voice actors have assisted in keeping their roles alive. The soundtrack is the best to date and the ability to select different arcs of music during VS play is a plus. Melee clashes and Ki blasts sound crisp and appropriate where needed.

Gameplay: 5 The fighting was left out of this “fighter” in exchange for a more cinematic experience, making it difficult to appreciate the story in-between the larger battles. The lack of balance makes the appeal of the game short lived and straight robotic in longer sessions. The mechanics leave online play almost completely non-responsive when it comes to reversals, which wouldn’t be a problem if they weren’t forced on you so much.

Replay: 5 Once your done, there is very little chance you’ll want to revisit anything outside of the boss battles.

Some serious potential has been shown here by Spike. Not exactly the worst way to leave an impression, but due to lack of actual fighting when that’s what Dragon Ball is truly about, it remains that much further from being anywhere near the best.

Rating: 6.5

As you’re reading this far, you’re probably wondering what we thought of the convention as a whole. For your listening pleasure, we compiled the full interview set into one glorious download with a nifty little edition at the end. With our last bit of energy, we sat down and had a roundtable discussion about our feelings and opinions of the convention. The full episode of our New York Comic Con/ Anime Festival coverage is now ready for your listening pleasure, so sit back, get some popcorn and drink ready and listen to, in its entirety our epic two plus hour Special Edition Episode of GeekFist Radio.

That episode can be listened to and downloaded here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/geekfist/Geekfist_New_York_Comic-con.mp3

We’re not done there fans, as we’ll be returning to our regular podcasting schedule with a Post Comic Con wrap up, a look at what GeekFist thinks of Batman: Arkham City plus a surprise advance insight to Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and we finally weigh in on our thoughts of the many comic book related events that are coming to a close like Fear Itself, Spider-Island and we review DC’s New 52! We’ve recharged our batteries and are now back to full rhythm. All that in the next episode which will be up in just a few days!

GeekFist Radio, we’re in there!

It’s a scary time for any duelist as one never knows if the deck they currently play may be unplayable. It’s never fun to know a deck you have fine-tuned and built up to a certain level is knocked back down to nearly nothing. Unfortunately balance is the name of the game when it comes to these restrictions and bans, and it also helps to promote new themes and new cards.

With that being said, TCG players have had a lot to look at and decide, and with the recent YCS Toronto under the new format’s belt, trends will definitely emerge. Firstly, let’s take a look at what September 1st brought to the game.

BANNED:

Fishborg Blaster

Mind Master

Both of these cards led to really fast and potentially deadly one-turn kills. While the decks they were played in (Fish and Psychics respectively) didn’t see a whole lot of competitive play, Konami knows one-turn kill decks can cripple any card game and took a necessary step in banning two major causes of two really deadly One Turn Kill decks.

Giant Trunade

This one caused me to ruffle my eyebrows a bit as I didn’t see why this had to get banned. After some thought, and the return of a card that we’ll discuss further down, Giant Trunade didn’t punish players enough. It was easy to play around Giant Trunade, especially the person who played the card itself. It’s ban means fewer instances where people will set a monster or summon a powerful monster and sit behind powerful magic and traps. That is no longer the case, as we’ll soon see further down the list.

Royal Oppression

This is the only ban I disagree with. Royal Oppression kept a lot of decks in check and gave some skill to the format. It’s ban, and the return of one of the most feared cards in the game and the new unrestricted of another boss monster lead me to question this move and wonder just what was Konami thinking when they decided to ban this card. It offers nothing to any deck-type and the only reason I see it banned is that nearly every deck can play it. Whether or not that was a bad thing for the game remains to be seen, and I see this card returning come March 1st.

RESTRICTED TO ONE:

Formula Synchron

Legendary Six Samurai Shi-En

T. G. Hyper Librarian

All these Synchro Monsters created a ton of advantage when summoned. Legendary Six Samurai could be created and summoned on a Six Samurai player’s first turn and the control he brought from that turn on was outright annoying. Hyper Librarian and Formula Synchron created a too-easy to pull off draw combo that definitely needed to be curbed. All around these were smart decisions and I completely agree with these. They will still see play as they are fantastic and decently powered synchro monsters, but they are no longer abusable.

Black Luster Soldier ~ Envoy of the Beginning

The biggest, baddest boss monster ever printed (yes I do find him worse than Chaos Emperor Dragon) is now back! In the OCG there was a change in how monsters can pull off their effects when summoned so that ruling makes this monster keep his power in check. We have yet to determine if the TCG will follow that ruling, and during YCS Toronto that ruling was nowhere to be found. We’re in for a very long six months of this guy being slammed onto the field to end games. Whole articles alone could be written about the power of this card, so it’ll be interesting to see exactly what his return to the game will do in future events. I can’t say whether I disagree or agree with his return, but it did bring a smile to my face as he returns to a game where so much has changed and other boss monsters exist, that it’s akin to Old Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4.

Debris Dragon

Lonefire Blossom

These two cards were key parts to the Plant Synchro engine and were completely abused and overused to the point that most tournaments saw nothing but Plant Synchro decks being played. These restrictions curb the power of the deck alongside the restrictions we mentioned earlier regarding Hyper Librarian and Formula Synchron, so the deck is still playable but is nowhere near as powerful as it once was. Of course with the fact that a Plant deck won in YCS Toronto recently, one never knows.

Heavy Storm

Wow.

Simply wow. One of the most devastating spell cards printed makes a return to punish a backrow heavy format that we have had for the past year if not more. This card alone makes players hold onto cards in fear of losing them all, so we’ll definitely see a shift in what was a trap card heavy format into a more monster orientated one.

Pot of Avarice

A necessary restriction as it created too much advantage given the decktypes the game has geared itself towards. It also curbed the immense power the Plant Synchro deck had, so another good call from Konami.

Primal Seed

Nobody really used this card when it was originally printed, and I don’t think anyone will use it now but it is a pretty decent card with an abusable effect if played in the right deck.

Shien’s Smoke Signal

The Six Samurai specific Reinforcement of the Army made it all too easy for their themed Synchro to be summoned on the first turn that this card needed to go to one copy per deck.

LIMITED TO TWO:

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier

With Fishborg Blaster banned, the One Turn Kill Dewloren deck isn’t a threat anymore, so back to two he goes. He’s still abusable, but I’ll leave that to Fish and Water deck duelists to figure that one out.

Necro Gardna

I don’t even know why this card is back at two considering a unrestricted of a particular card and. I don’t like too many stall cards in any format, but this card and another one made very little sense to me.

Summoner Monk

Purely done to promote Xyz summons, so it’ll remain to be seen if this card will see abuse in decks. In the TCG I definitely see it being abused given some of our American exclusive cards like Reborn Tengu and Rose Warrior Of Revenge for starters.

Tragoedia

Another card unrestricted from one copy to two to help promote the Xyz theme. Whatever Konami, whatever.

Destiny Draw

Really now? Do we need more draw power? I guess nobody played the Hero deck enough that this card needed to come back to two copies per deck. We’ll definitely see Absolute Zero decks take off now that their best draw card is back at a decent playable amount per deck.

Swords of Revealing Light

Hooray for more stall? Not so says Konami as they smartly unrestricted a destruction card that makes playing two copies of this card a dumb move.

Call of the Haunted

With Giant Trunade gone and Heavy Storm back and Mystical Space Typhoon unrestricted to three copies per deck, Call of the Haunted at two per deck seems like an experiment more than anything. It’ll be interesting to see what decks can actually take advantage of this card at two.

Mind Crush

Hoo-boy am I going to love this card at two. Even moreso when the upcoming Dark World Structure deck comes out!

NO LONGER RESTRICTED:

Judgment Dragon

I’m not even going to comment on this being allowed at three per deck. That’s how bad it is. However not a peep was heard from the fabled Lightsworn deck during YCS Toronto, and that is either a sign of the times, or the fact that people just didn’t play the deck.

Spirit Reaper

More stall! Yay!

Megamorph

Nobody used this card, but it gives the Morphtronic deck a much needed boost of support. Morphtronics also work pretty well with Xyz monsters as well!

Mystical Space Typhoon

A format with three of these, a Heavy Storm and the return of Black Luster Soldier ~ Envoy of the Beginning? I’m getting flashbacks from when the Invasion of Chaos booster set was released!

Overload Fusion

It’ll be nice to see if anyone makes the Overload Cyber Dragon Fusion based deck. It probably won’t happen as it’s not that good in competitive play.

Gravity Bind

With Xyz being unaffected by this card, unrestricting it means players will have to Xyz summon as an option to get around it.

Icarus Attack

As a Blackwing player, you cannot imagine the smile that is on my face with this card.

There you have it. The first YCS under these ban and restrictions has come and gone and people realize now what they may have to deal with during local tournaments, regionals and the next YCS which will be in Ohio.

Tune in next week, where I’ll update an old favorite and have some cool announcements for the Dueling Domain!

Fancy having your own design featured at New York Comic Con?

Of course you do, so you need to get your concentration hat on and read these words:

Your task is to create your very own, highly original, comic book character. Superhero or villain. Splendidly powerful, embarrassingly weak, or just quite good at chess. Give them skills you’ve always wanted or defects you’ve always dreaded. Give them a snappy name and stick them on a t-shirt.

What would your character wear? What’s their calling card, weaponry or gadgetry? What’s their story? What are they fighting for or against? It’s up to you to answer these questions.

We’ll then whip the winning design into a limited edition, official RedBubble/NYCC 2011 t-shirt to be featured, praised, discussed and given to hundreds of adoring comic fans in New York this October.

Monsters: 15

[2x] Dragunity Aklys

[2x] Dragunity Arma Mystletainn

[3x] Dragunity Dux

[3x] Dragunity Legionnaire

[3x] Dragunity Phalanx

[2x] Effect Veiler

Spells: 16

[1x] Book of Moon

[2x] Cards of Consonance

[1x] Dark Hole

[3x] Dragon Ravine

[1x] Giant Trunade

[1x] Monster Reborn

[2x] Mystical Space Typhoon

[2x] Pot of Avarice

[3x] Terraforming

Traps: 10

[2x] Bottomless Trap Hole

[2x] Dimensional Prison

[2x] Icarus Attack

[1x] Mirror Force

[1x] Solemn Judgment

[2x] Solemn Warning

The Dragunity Legion structure deck introduced the Dragon Ravine field spell card and it is perhaps one of the most powerful thematic field spells to be printed in a long time. It searches out whatever Dragunity you may need to add to your hand, or it lets you mill either Phalanx or Aklys to be comboed with Dux or Legionnaire making for many fantastic plays. The Dragunity deck loves opening hands that involve a Terraforming or Dragon Ravine, Dragunity Phalanx and Dragunity Dux in hand. Dux plus Phalanx leads into Dragunity Knight Vajrayana which in turn leads into either Stardust Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, Scrap Dragon or any other powerful 8 star synchro monsters. The Legionnaire-Aklys combo turns one monster into an Icarus Attack on legs, let alone if you have Icarus Attack set you can potentially wipe out four of your opponent’s cards for just two of yours. The vast destruction plays this deck can amass are numerous and plentiful.

Speak Softly and Carry A Big Sword

I’m certain a surprising card that some of you may see is the inclusion of Mystletainn. I prefer using it over other Dragunity monsters simply because in my opinion, so many people are playing Effect Veiler (as am I in this deck) and Mystletainn is a good answer to that card. For example, lets say that you summon Dragunity Dux and activate its effect upon summoning and your opponent activates Effect Veiler. Suddenly you’re stuck with a Dux sitting alone and vulnerable. Mystletainn fixes all that, letting you send your Dux to the graveyard to special summon Mystletainn and still let you get your preferred 8 star Synchro on the field.

Search The Earth. Win.

In the spell department we’ve maxed out on 3 copies of Dragon Ravine and Terraforming respectively. The field spell is the deck’s most important tool allowing you to set up your big Synchro plays on a consistent basis. Cards of Consonance is a great card to draw into the deck, and Pot of Avarice lets you recycle your spent Dux and Legionnaire and even Vajrayana (remember that Synchro monsters return to the Extra Deck when bounced from the field or when Pot of Avarice is used to bring them back) for future use and lets you shuffle your deck and give you brand new cards.

Greed Is Good

The trap lineup always seems to be a big debate for Dragunity players. Some would rather play Icarus Attack and others prefer Trap Stun. Icarus Attack is in my opinion too good not to run and when combined with Legionnaire as mentioned above, it is a devastating play that may just swing the game in your favor when playing. Solemn Warning is approaching a huge trade and sale value and some players may utilize Seven Tools of the Bandit instead as an alternative option.

Blow Stuff Up

I’ve left out the  Side Deck and Extra Deck purposely as these are the areas that differ from player to player. Right now the best I can tell you is try what works against your expected local meta-game and experiment with a lot of practice and adaptation. 3 copies of Dragunity Knight Vajrayana are definitely considered a staple portion of the Extra Deck as well as Trident Dragion for its One-Turn Kill opportunity. Experiment and find what works best for you if you are looking to play Dragunity in the near future.

Until next time, keep dueling and keep having fun!