Litmus Test for September 1st

Everybody is excited for the upcoming changes to the ban list.  I remain skeptical, not because it's a bad list, but because I've seen modified decks like HERO still OTK with reckless abandon.

For me, the litmus test on whether or not this will be a good format is if everybody is able to stop playing three Effect Veiler in every deck they run.  For most decks, splashing Effect Veiler is the only way to keep from getting OTK'd by some summoning loop garbage that floods your opponent's field with monsters.

I am curious to see what some of our local players come up with, however.  My store is holding a box tourney on Saturday, so not only is there a new ban list, but Return of the Duelist comes out on Tuesday with it's insane amount of rarity shifts.  I hope somebody buys, like, 15 boxes and comes with a Geargia deck (since Geargiant X got shifted to secret... thanks Konami!).

I'm testing a few decks and playing around with some concepts I've seen floating around the internet.  Trying to solidify something before a regional on Sept. 15th, but I've got three more weeks to decide...

Nurse Reficule, I Have a Burning Sensation

Ok, it's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog.  It's just sort of hard to have the dedication to write every few days about this game, especially when I only get to play/judge once a week for the most part.  However, I wanted to slap down a few words about a deck I'm testing.  I've been a big fan of synchro style decks since they were released and with the release of Lavals in Hidden Arsenal, I'm given a archetype that can synchro summon monsters with impunity.

Until we get the TCG version of Sweltering Heat Transmission Field in HA7, here's the deck list that I'm playing with:


3 Flamvell Firedog
1 Flamvell Magician
3 Laval Miller
3 Laval Magma Cannoneer
3 Laval Cannon
1 Laval Forest Sprite
3 Laval Volcano Handmaiden
2 Laval Lakeside Lady
2 Boost Warrior

3 Rekindling
3 Gold Sarcophagus
1 Heavy Storm
1 Foolish Burial
1 Mind Control
1 Monster Reborn
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 One for One

2 Dustflame Blast
2 Torrential Tribute
1 Return from the Different Dimension
1 Solemn Judgment

1 Formula Synchron
1 Armory Arm
1 TG Hyper Librarian
1 Lavalval Dragon
1 AoJ Catastor
2 Lavalval Dragun
1 Laval Stennon
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Scrap Dragon
1 Red Dragon Archfiend
1 Red Nova Dragon
1 Shooting Star Dragon
1 Shooting Quasar Dragon

If you haven't played Lavals, you dump your tuners along with a Cannoneer or two into the graveyard, then Rekindling them for massive herp derp finishing with Red Nova Dragon or Shooting Quasar Dragon.  And despite what naysayers will tell you, the deck can win without Rekindling.

Laval Miller is the slower creature version of Transmission Field.  It's a level 3 monster and when it's destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard it sends two more Lavals from your deck to the graveyard.  Send a Cannoneer and a Handmaiden.  Send a Handmaiden.  Send a Handmaiden.  Send a Lakeside Lady.  And now your graveyard is set up for your future plays.

If your opponent has a backrow set, you can banish Lakeside Lady and another Laval to destroy it.  If they have a lot of cards on their side of the fiend, you can use Dustflame Blast to wipe and then follow up with Return from the Different Dimension or a Laval Cannon.

The other card that you may have to lean on if you can't get Miller to work is Lavalval Dragun (Konami, Y U NO SPELL 'DRAGOON'?).  It's a level six synchro with a sturdy 2500 ATK that requires a tuner and a Fire non-tuner.  Once per turn you can add a Laval from your deck to your hand and then send a Laval from your hand to the graveyard.

So you can go about this a few ways.  Especially if the format does slow down, Firedog into Forest Sprite gets you Dragun.  Gold Sarc for Forest Sprite and then summon Laval Cannon and special Forest Sprite will also get you Dragun.  You can then add a Handmaiden to your hand (or a Cannon if you already have a Handmaiden in hand) and then toss Handmaiden to your graveyard.

The side deck will contain things like MSTs, Royal Decrees, Effect Veiler and Swift Scarecrows depending on how the new format shapes up.

I went 2-1 with the deck yesterday.

I beat Karakuri 2-1, winning game 1 with Scrap Dragon and Laval Stennon on the field.  Lost game two to a massive swarm of Karakuri.  Won game 3 with a Red Nova Dragon that clocked in at 6000 ATK.

Lost to HERO 2-1.  Game 1 and 3 he opened Future Fusion for Zephyros and a HERO and wound up Ninja'ing me to death.  Game 2 I won because he walked into a Dustflame Blast that wiped his field and I followed up with a Cannon-fueled Laval Stennon and whittled away his lifepoints.

Beat Dragons 2-0.  Quasar on turn 3 in game one and on turn 2 in game two.  Lavalval Dragon played the role of Brionac in game two, bouncing both of his monsters before I attacked for 8000 with Quasar.

Is this deck the best without Transmission Field (or, for that matter, Lavaval Chain)?  Nope, but there IS something to build on here.