Lightsworn: Spore version

Whenever you see a card that comes with an effect that can only be used once in a duel, it is probably a card effect that can be very broken if left unchecked. The latest card from The Shinning Darkness, Spore is a plant tuner card that has a somewhat similar effect to Copy Plant but it works from the graveyard.

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Spore

I got the idea to use the card in Lightsworns from the 2nd place deck by a player, Jess:

http://sg-ygo.userboard.net/rick-shop-ngee-soon-cc-tournament-thread-f21/mar-6th-tournament-khatib-cc-mar-banlist-completed-t2788.htm#44888

His deck is a mix of Zombies, Lightsworns and Spore. I think any card that has effects activated from graveyard should deserve testing with Lightsworns. Notice the art of Spore, it looks like it is glowing in light...

Monsters (24)

2 Judgement Dragon

2 Honest

1 Necro Gardna

1 Plaguespreader Zombie

1 Lumina

1 Ehren

2 Lyla

2 Garoth

2 Ryko

2 Wulf

2 Jain

2 Celestia

2 Aurkus

2 Spore

Spells (10)

1 Charge of the Light Brigade

1 Foolish Burial

1 Reinforcement of the Army

1 One for One

1 Heavy Storm

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Brain Control

3 Solar Recharge

Traps (6)

1 Mirror Force

1 Torrential Tribute

2 Threatening Roar/Bottomless Traphole

2 Beckoning Light

The deck is mainly modified from the previous Lightsworn deck I posted. Notable additions include One for One and Brain Control as well as Spore. The Threatening Roars are for Infernities. The threat is real. You should find Brain Control to be more consistent with 3 tuners in the deck now. Spore takes the place of the 2 'departed' Necro Gardnas and provide additional synchro abilities to Lightsworns. In this deck, Spore has the possibility of synchro-ing 4-8 stars when summoned onto the field and when there is 2 in the graveyard, it becomes a Plaguespreader Zombies without requiring a card from your hand.

There was once a time where Plaguespreader was unlimited and I think Lightsworn players use 3. Spore acts almost like another 2 Plaguespreaders now. I like this version name too because it looks and sounds like it is made in Singapore!

More of GB and Lightsworns for the next format

2 more decks from SJC Los Angeles: http://www.konami.com/yugioh/blog/?p=1527

See Huang Yeem GB

Unaffected by March Banlist and the 2 Fissure can be replaced with Smashing Ground. This is more OCG-like in my opinion, with the low monster count and 3 G. Proving Grounds. He also didn't attempt to replace the 2 Solemns.

Julian Wong Zombie/Lightsworn

Some of the choices are already close to the March Banlist. The 2 Charges can be replaced with 1 Foolish Burial and 1 Reinforcement of the Army (ROTA). The rest of the cards that require replacement: 1 Mezuki, 1 Burial from a D.D. , 1 Chaos Sorcerer and 1 Necro Gardna. This may be the way to go for both Zombies and Lightsworns next format. TCGPlayer.com has a good article on this hybrid, written by Kevin Cavanagh: http://yugioh.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=2393

Interestingly, both players above had a feature match in SJC Los Angeles: http://www.konami.com/yugioh/blog/?p=1475

Zombies for the next format

Modified from Adam Corn's Diva Zombies from SJC Los Angeles:

http://www.konami.com/yugioh/blog/?p=1527

Monsters (19)

1 Mezuki
2 Goblin Zombie
2 Mystic Tomato
2 Caius the Shadow Monarch
1 Sangan
1 Zombie Master
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Spirit Reaper
2 Deep Sea Diva
1 Tragoedia
2 Pyramid Turtle
1 Plaguespreader Zombie
1 Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind

Spells (13)

1 Allure of Darkness
1 Mind Control
1 Brain Control
3 Book of Moon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space
Typhoon
1 Enemy Controller
1 My Body As A Shield
2 Book of Life
1 Burial from a Different Dimension

Traps (8)

2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Mirror Force
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Dust Tornado
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Phoenix Wing Wind Blast

Adam Corn's deck already uses 1 Burial from a Different Dimension. Not much changes is required for the new format. I think unlike the previous time where Mezuki to 1 resulted in very few zombie decks used in tournaments, this format should be slow enough for Zombies to remain competing.

Official March 2010 Banlist

Limited

- Mind Crush

- Lumina

- Necro Gardna

- Necroface

- Mezuki

- Tragoedia

- Chaos Sorcerer

- Charge of the Light Brigade

- Allure of Darkness

- D-Draw

- Burial from a Different Dimension

- Magical Explosion

- Foolish Burial

Semi-Limited

- Cyber Dragon

- Dandylion

- Treeborn Frog

- Honest

- Demise, King of Armageddon

- United We Stand

- Black Whirlwind

- Skill Drain

- Royal Oppression

- Royal Decree

Unrestricted

- Mask of Darkness

- Smashing Ground

Source: http://shriek.twoday.net/stories/6192267/

Oh well, the previous list I posted was only a few cards off. Judgement Dragon and Solar Recharge remains for Lightsworns. I think the Lumina and Necro Gardna hit is still too much for Lightsworns.

On another note, Dandylion to 2 will help to sell the new TCG Absolute Powerforce Special Edition.

Additional thoughts: Dimensional Eatos not only loses a Skill Drain, but also 2 competitive decks that depended on the graveyard heavily: Lightsworns and Zombies. Blackwings and GB (Gladiator Beasts) are hardly affected by being RFG. (Removed from game) GB can in fact use Guardian Eatos and Dimensional Fissure as well.

March Banlist 2010 - This looks like it!

Shriek.twoday.net usually posts it on 18 February for the Yugioh March Banlist. It comes out on the newest issue of V-Jump on 20 February but according to posts mentioned on the Pojo Boards, subscribers receive it around this few days.

There are many threads on banlist which are not real but I was looking out for post linking to Japanese blogs, as they will most likely provide the latest information. There was one Pojo thread that was deleted but fortunately I had the link to the blog in my history:

http://hikari0302.seesaa.net/article/141247177.html

No list here but a picture of the V-Jump along with details of the number of cards banned, limited, semi-limited or unrestricted. This was posted on 16 February midnight.

Right now (around 3pm), there is a latest post with a link to another blog which contains a list this time:

http://www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php?t=808361 (I don't know if this will get taken down)

Blog post with Banlist: http://blog.livedoor.jp/mitsu713/archives/51636991.html

The number of cards match the numbers given in the first blog and blogged at 2:57PM. I think this looks like the list!

For those who are trying to translate, putting the words on those translating tools may return weird names that make it hard to guess the actual card. I suggest putting each word on google and checking the images returned or the searched link from yugioh-wiki.net/index.php which is usually the first few links. If you have the OCG card, you could check for the wording directly to be sure.

For your convenience (In the same order as it appears in that blog):

Limited

- Judgement Dragon

- Lumina

- Necro Gardna

- Necroface

- Mezuki

- Tragoedia

- Chaos Sorcerer

- Charge of the Light Brigade

- Allure of Darkness

- D-Draw

- Burial from a Different Dimension

- Magical Explosion

Semi-Limited

- Cyber Dragon

- Dandylion

- Treeborn Frog

- Honest

- Demise, King of Armageddon

- Solar Recharge

- Black Whirlwind

- Skill Drain

- Royal Oppression

- Royal Decree

Unrestricted

- Mask of Darkness

- Smashing Ground

I've been trying out Lightsworns with the previous list I posted below and I already found Lightsworns weakened. This list adds Lumina and Necro Gardna to the restriction and I am not sure if Lightsworns can be competitive now. Twilight versions loses 2 Tragoedia and 1 Chaos Sorcerer.

Blackwings lose an Allure and a Black Whirlwind but will gain more support in the upcoming Shinning Darkness set including Blackwing Treasure. Royal Oppressions are usually run in 2 so that semi-limitation does not affect much.

Gladiator Beasts do not gain much from this list: no semi-limited Bestiari or semi-limited Solemn Judgement. Smashing Ground is now at 3 but I think they will more likely be run at 2.

Zombies lose their 2nd Mezuki and I think the remaining card in the limited list is Burial from a Different Dimension. The previous format, Mezuki was at 1 and there were not much zombie decks around.

Dimensional Eatos deck lose a Skill Drain, Rituals deck gain another Demise (I think this is to support all the ritual cards released nowadays), Absolute Zero decks lose 2 D-Draws?, Monarch and Junk and Debris decks gain one more Treeborn Frog, a Cyber Dragon, a Dandylion.

That sums up most of the current meta's decks. Let's wait a few more days and we'll see the list from shriek soon.

UPDATE: The first blog above has been updated with a new post with the same list! The missing card is Burial from a Different Dimension.

http://hikari0302.seesaa.net/article/141328101.html

The card names here are even more accurate as the full name is given for each card. Googling their images give the card right away.

"Leaked" March 2010 Banlist

Not too long ago, there was a Pojo.com Yu-Gi-Oh! Forum posting on a supposed "leaked" March 2010 banlist, that was quickly taken down. Fortunately, google has a cache version of the forum posting:

http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:BP1q79LV9pAJ:www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php%3Fp%3D16644074+pojo+latest+rumoured+march&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=sg

I did not expect the banning of Brain Control. It is hardly ever used in Gladiator Beasts, Dimensional Eatos and Lightsworns so those 3 deck archetypes will not be affected much. Every other decks most probably main one.

Brionic will be most definitely be limited in the TCG banlist. However, I think limiting Black Whirlwind will affect Blackwings badly so I think semi-limiting will be more suitable. Chaos Sorcerer's limiting is possible. I don't know about Beckoning Light to 1 but it can be a powerful game-ender if enough cards are milled, so maybe that's the reason. Burial from a Different Dimension's limiting will be to cripple Vayu Turbo and Zombies, although Adam Corn's Diva Zombies only used one copy in the recent SJC Los Angeles. Magician of Faith to one will be an interesting card for Lightsworns to use. I think Gyzarus to 1 will not affect GBs much as they can tag Gyzarus out to tag back again for its effect later.

Semi-limiting Bestiari will make GBs more competitive again although the limiting of Solemn Judgement has weaken the deck severely. Charge of the Light Brigade to 2 will slow down Lightsworns. Cyber Dragon and Emergency Teleport to 2 is quite broken, I do not think it will come true. Book of Moon is a very useful card but I think there isn't much of a difference between using 2 and 3.

Un-restricting Snipe Hunter might be to help sell the upcoming Infernities cards. It is also good for Zombies. Lonefire Blossoms to 3 may be possible as Plants are not competitive yet.

Those were the "leaked" banlist cards. I really like to see Bestiari put to 2 but let's wait and see when the real list is revealed next month.