[October 2019 — Season 45] Meta Debriefing

New Archetypes:

Gravekeepers:

• Uses Necrovalley to stun archetypes that needs to use the graveyard for play
• Uses Gravekeeper’s Spy to accelerate into swarming more gravekeepers
• Tries to summon Supernaturalist to win game

Aleister Neos

• Uses Neos Fusion, Keeper of Dragon Magic, and Aleister to set up board for a fusion
• Invocation fusion usually leads to Cocytus

Cards to Look Out For: Cards seeing more use. Try to negate these.

• Invocation: can use targets from the graveyard as well. It’s usual target, Cocytus, can attack in defense position (but it will still only have 1900 points to attack with not 2900).
• Flip-frog: definitely seeing more play in Subterror and some Neos decks. Requires a removal to not activate its effect (its effect counts itself thus 1 card gets sent back)
• Keeper of Dragon Magic
• Aleister the Invoker
• Magicalized Fusion
• Gravekeeper’s Spy

For most of the climb I used Darklords as I had been using them as my main deck in this past KC Cup. In trying to get better with the archetype, I noticed one main thing: Cosmic Cyclone does not make for a good enough tech card to cover Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror. Cosmic Cyclone doesn’t provide adequate coverage against current backrow options and feels clunky in a deck that may already tip you to 1000 LP.

Darklord are still a strong archetype at this point. I didn’t see many Fortune Ladies in my run — just a steady mix of Parshaths, Aleister Neoses, and other Darklords. I used a budget Amano Stun for a bit and it proved effective. However, I didn’t go all the way with the deck because it was obviously a more gimmicky anti-meta option. Moreover, relying on three Amano’s as was too much of a risk even if it grants quick 3–4 win streaks.

Overall, the meta or top decks:

1. Still favors fusions such as Supernaturalist and Cocytus
2. Cares little for synchros or ritual fusions (with a hard exception on Fortune Lady Every)
3. Still favors swarm mechanics such as Morningstar’s effect
4. Still favors negates such as Revenge of Parshath, The Sanctified Darklord, and Necrovalley
5. Runs at least one major battle trap such as Drowning Mirror Force or Wall of Disruption — also provides great coverage all the way to brick hands.

Happy Dueling. I am starting a new job. So, if this article gets enough reads and likes (say 100, for starters), I’ll start putting up videos on how to counter the best combos in the meta as well as how to answer the cards that go into them.

Good luck,

IIINC

Aleister the Invoker of Madness artwork