As an authority on Yu-Gi-Oh people often ask me what they should put in their side deck. My answer is always the same: "A side deck must do three things: it must address the weaknesses of your deck, it must address the strengths of your deck, and it must address the Meta in which you play.". Often this is all the advice I am able to give because I am busy with one thing or another. Since I have finished my freshman year I have decided to spend what little free time I have scheduled for myself writing several articles, including this one, on side decks.
Addressing the Meta:
Let me begin by explaining the side deck and how it must adapt to the Meta. The side deck is, in most cases, an extension of the main deck in the sense that it contains cards that would be main-decked if certain cards were used more often by other people. If 90% of people in your Meta ran burn decks you would likely have a Trap of Board Eraser or Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment in your deck. If 15% of the people in your Meta ran burn decks you would likely have those cards in your side deck. If no one runs burn in your Meta you would use that space in your side deck to address other decks in your Meta.
Most of the cards in your deck are in there because of the Meta you play in. Do you think Mirror Force would be in your deck if no one used a deck that attacks? Do you think Enemy Controller or Ring of Destruction would be in your deck if no one played monsters face up? Do you think Nobleman of Crossout would be in your deck if no one played monsters face down? The best duelists know this, they know there is no "best deck", that a deck is never done and that a deck, and its side deck, must adapt to the Meta and sets that come out.
On April first the spell card Change of Heart was banned. Magician of Faith, Apprentice Magician, and the Hand of Nephthys flooded the Meta along with cards to counter them. People took their second Nobleman of Crossout out of their side deck and into their main deck. Mystic Swordsman LV2 flooded side decks and some main decks. People stopped using Creature Swap because more people were using Scapegoat. Enemy Controller replaced Book of Moon for some. Metamorphosis became a powerful card (again) to counter some of cards that give a player the hand advantage. Finally, chaos decks became a viable option again with the return of Graceful Charity along with some added cards since the first ban list such as Monster Reincarnation and Night Assailant. I hope this example illustrates my point.
Addressing the weaknesses of a deck:
Knowing the weaknesses of a deck is rarely something a duelist knows right away. Only the best duelists can throw together a deck, recognize it's weaknesses by looking at it, and construct a side deck. Most duelists make a deck and spend weeks testing and tweaking it. By doing this, a duelist is then able to recognize what cards/decks their deck has difficulty with and can then construct a side deck accordingly.
What are the weaknesses of your deck? Does your deck have difficulty dealing with the versatility of a warrior deck? Does your deck lack spell/trap destruction for stall decks? Can your deck effectively deal with an Exodia deck? How well can your deck cope with trample monsters? Is there one card that stops you in your tracks? These are all examples of questions you must ask yourself when constructing your side deck.
Most decks only run X amount of magic and trap destruction because when facing most opponents in your Meta to run more spell/trap destruction than you have in your deck would do more harm than good. As a judge, most decks I see in the top 8 of a regional event contain 3/4 spell/trap destruction cards; Mystical Space Typhoon, Heavy Storm, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and sometimes one Dust Tornado. Most Stall decks run two Gravity Binds, two Level Limit Area Type-Bs, and three Messengers of Peace minimum; how will you deal with a deck that runs 7 continuous stall cards while you only run 4 spell/trap Destruction cards?
Few decks do not need some sort of additional spell/trap destruction in their side decks (decks with weak monsters that are not affected by stall cards). Most people side deck some sort of spell/trap destruction because it is good for side decking against multiple types of decks such as Exodia, burn, or any kind of deck that revolves around a field spell card. Aside from side decking some sort of spell/trap destruction the rest of your side deck can be anything that helps counter a card or deck you have difficulty with.
Earlier I said that MOST side decks are an extension of the main deck, you may be wondering why I used the word "most". Well, some side decks are a supplement to their main deck counterpart. What does it mean when a side deck is a supplement to its main deck? Well, I mean that for some decks the best way to deal with the weaknesses of a deck is not to try to counter with specific cards but to instead use your side deck to turn your main deck into a completely different deck which does not have the weaknesses of your main deck. One example that comes to mind is a Last Turn deck that has no way of dealing with the monster cards Elephant Statue of Disaster and Night Assailant. For some, the best way to counter this issue is to use the side deck to make their main deck an Exodia deck.
I have a deck that I have been working on for approximately eight months now. It is an OTK that loads up my opponent's hand with a lot of cards using Cyber Jar over and over again. I win by ending my turn and activating three Secret Barrels in my opponent's draw phase for the win. This deck has issues with trample monsters, Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment, and burn decks with cards like Ceasefire & Wave-Motion Cannon. To deal with the burn decks I have a Heavy Storm, Mystical Space Typhoon, and two Dust Tornados side decked. For everything else I turn my deck from a Cyber Jar OTK into a mill (deck-out) deck. I do this because my deck already has many of the elements of a mill deck and a mill deck does not have the weaknesses a Cyber Jar OTK deck has.
Addressing the Strengths of a deck:
This brings me to my next point. The reason I can turn my main deck into a mill deck is because the main deck already has many of the elements of a mill deck; this is a perfect example of using your side deck to address the strengths of your main deck. To deal with the constant barrage of face down monsters currently in the Meta some people side deck Mystic Swordsman LV2 while others side deck Metamorphosis or Ceasefire; why? Good duelists are keenly aware of their decks strengths and weaknesses and know what will and will not work in their main deck. A deck that can protect a 900 attack monster from death and has a Book of Moon or two would do well to have a Mystic Swordsman LV2 in their side deck while a deck that has a wide variety of monster levels can benefit from Metamorphosis. A deck that has neither of these or has trample (doing damage as quickly as possible) will benefit from Ceasefire. This is addressing the strengths of your deck.
Earlier I mentioned that spell/trap destruction is necessary in almost every side deck. I'm going to list the different options available and what kind of side deck they would do well in:
Swarm of Locusts: Does well in insect decks and decks that can protect a weak monster with cards like Swords of Revealing Light, a lot of Bottomless Trap Holes/Sakuretsu Armors, or a deck with stall cards like Messenger of Peace.
Chiron the Mage: Does well in beast decks, a deck with a lot of spell cards, and beatdown decks.
Mobius the Frost Monarch: A deck that doesn't deal well with Lava Golem, a deck that can handle a high volume of tributing, beatdown decks.
Dust Tornado: This one works best against decks that can't deal with cards that can be chained to all the other spell/trap destruction cards. A deck that dislikes cards like Ceasefire, Secret Barrel, etc. would do well to have a few Dust Tornados in the side deck because Dust Tornado can be activated in the opponent's end phase before the disliked card can be activated. Dust Tornado also works well against decks with field magic cards. Why? Because when your opponent's 2000 att Abyss Soldier or Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier attacks your Airknight Parshath you can activate Dust Tornado on your opponent's field magic card to power down the attacking monster so that the attacking monster will die instead of your Airknight Parshath.
Now do you see how a side deck must address the strengths of a main deck? When putting a card in your side deck you must ask yourself if it will work in your main deck. For example, if you want to put Phoenix Wing Wind Blast in your side deck to deal with Phoenix or V-Lord you need to ask yourself if your deck can handle the discard cost; if it can't, then Mirror Wall might be a better option. My warrior deck has a Mataza the Zapper, two Marauding Captains, and a Mystic Swordsman LV2 in the side deck because those monsters can get under most stall cards. They happen to be searchable by Reinforcement of the Army and The Warrior Returning Alive so they fit well into the main deck when faced with a stall deck.
Here is a list of some of the most popular side deck cards people are currently using:
King Tiger Wanghu
Kinetic Soldier
Mobius the Frost Monarch
Ceasefire
Chiron the Mage
Divine Wrath
Swarm of Locusts
Dust Tornado
Hallowed Life Barrier
Mirror Wall
Mystic Swordsman LV2
Metamorphosis
Royal Decree
Elephant Statue of Disaster
There isn't much more I can do to help you build a side deck because every deck is different and has different needs. This article couldn't possibly address every deck's needs. This article is intended as a guide to help you, the duelist, decide what to use in your side deck. If anyone wishes for further help feel free to contact me via this post or public contact info. However, before contacting me I would like to remind the reader that the person who makes a deck know it best; everyone has a different playing style and duels differently. My assistance in constructing a side deck would most likely be less valuable then your own opinions on constructing your side deck.
Addressing the Meta:
Let me begin by explaining the side deck and how it must adapt to the Meta. The side deck is, in most cases, an extension of the main deck in the sense that it contains cards that would be main-decked if certain cards were used more often by other people. If 90% of people in your Meta ran burn decks you would likely have a Trap of Board Eraser or Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment in your deck. If 15% of the people in your Meta ran burn decks you would likely have those cards in your side deck. If no one runs burn in your Meta you would use that space in your side deck to address other decks in your Meta.
Most of the cards in your deck are in there because of the Meta you play in. Do you think Mirror Force would be in your deck if no one used a deck that attacks? Do you think Enemy Controller or Ring of Destruction would be in your deck if no one played monsters face up? Do you think Nobleman of Crossout would be in your deck if no one played monsters face down? The best duelists know this, they know there is no "best deck", that a deck is never done and that a deck, and its side deck, must adapt to the Meta and sets that come out.
On April first the spell card Change of Heart was banned. Magician of Faith, Apprentice Magician, and the Hand of Nephthys flooded the Meta along with cards to counter them. People took their second Nobleman of Crossout out of their side deck and into their main deck. Mystic Swordsman LV2 flooded side decks and some main decks. People stopped using Creature Swap because more people were using Scapegoat. Enemy Controller replaced Book of Moon for some. Metamorphosis became a powerful card (again) to counter some of cards that give a player the hand advantage. Finally, chaos decks became a viable option again with the return of Graceful Charity along with some added cards since the first ban list such as Monster Reincarnation and Night Assailant. I hope this example illustrates my point.
Addressing the weaknesses of a deck:
Knowing the weaknesses of a deck is rarely something a duelist knows right away. Only the best duelists can throw together a deck, recognize it's weaknesses by looking at it, and construct a side deck. Most duelists make a deck and spend weeks testing and tweaking it. By doing this, a duelist is then able to recognize what cards/decks their deck has difficulty with and can then construct a side deck accordingly.
What are the weaknesses of your deck? Does your deck have difficulty dealing with the versatility of a warrior deck? Does your deck lack spell/trap destruction for stall decks? Can your deck effectively deal with an Exodia deck? How well can your deck cope with trample monsters? Is there one card that stops you in your tracks? These are all examples of questions you must ask yourself when constructing your side deck.
Most decks only run X amount of magic and trap destruction because when facing most opponents in your Meta to run more spell/trap destruction than you have in your deck would do more harm than good. As a judge, most decks I see in the top 8 of a regional event contain 3/4 spell/trap destruction cards; Mystical Space Typhoon, Heavy Storm, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and sometimes one Dust Tornado. Most Stall decks run two Gravity Binds, two Level Limit Area Type-Bs, and three Messengers of Peace minimum; how will you deal with a deck that runs 7 continuous stall cards while you only run 4 spell/trap Destruction cards?
Few decks do not need some sort of additional spell/trap destruction in their side decks (decks with weak monsters that are not affected by stall cards). Most people side deck some sort of spell/trap destruction because it is good for side decking against multiple types of decks such as Exodia, burn, or any kind of deck that revolves around a field spell card. Aside from side decking some sort of spell/trap destruction the rest of your side deck can be anything that helps counter a card or deck you have difficulty with.
Earlier I said that MOST side decks are an extension of the main deck, you may be wondering why I used the word "most". Well, some side decks are a supplement to their main deck counterpart. What does it mean when a side deck is a supplement to its main deck? Well, I mean that for some decks the best way to deal with the weaknesses of a deck is not to try to counter with specific cards but to instead use your side deck to turn your main deck into a completely different deck which does not have the weaknesses of your main deck. One example that comes to mind is a Last Turn deck that has no way of dealing with the monster cards Elephant Statue of Disaster and Night Assailant. For some, the best way to counter this issue is to use the side deck to make their main deck an Exodia deck.
I have a deck that I have been working on for approximately eight months now. It is an OTK that loads up my opponent's hand with a lot of cards using Cyber Jar over and over again. I win by ending my turn and activating three Secret Barrels in my opponent's draw phase for the win. This deck has issues with trample monsters, Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment, and burn decks with cards like Ceasefire & Wave-Motion Cannon. To deal with the burn decks I have a Heavy Storm, Mystical Space Typhoon, and two Dust Tornados side decked. For everything else I turn my deck from a Cyber Jar OTK into a mill (deck-out) deck. I do this because my deck already has many of the elements of a mill deck and a mill deck does not have the weaknesses a Cyber Jar OTK deck has.
Addressing the Strengths of a deck:
This brings me to my next point. The reason I can turn my main deck into a mill deck is because the main deck already has many of the elements of a mill deck; this is a perfect example of using your side deck to address the strengths of your main deck. To deal with the constant barrage of face down monsters currently in the Meta some people side deck Mystic Swordsman LV2 while others side deck Metamorphosis or Ceasefire; why? Good duelists are keenly aware of their decks strengths and weaknesses and know what will and will not work in their main deck. A deck that can protect a 900 attack monster from death and has a Book of Moon or two would do well to have a Mystic Swordsman LV2 in their side deck while a deck that has a wide variety of monster levels can benefit from Metamorphosis. A deck that has neither of these or has trample (doing damage as quickly as possible) will benefit from Ceasefire. This is addressing the strengths of your deck.
Earlier I mentioned that spell/trap destruction is necessary in almost every side deck. I'm going to list the different options available and what kind of side deck they would do well in:
Swarm of Locusts: Does well in insect decks and decks that can protect a weak monster with cards like Swords of Revealing Light, a lot of Bottomless Trap Holes/Sakuretsu Armors, or a deck with stall cards like Messenger of Peace.
Chiron the Mage: Does well in beast decks, a deck with a lot of spell cards, and beatdown decks.
Mobius the Frost Monarch: A deck that doesn't deal well with Lava Golem, a deck that can handle a high volume of tributing, beatdown decks.
Dust Tornado: This one works best against decks that can't deal with cards that can be chained to all the other spell/trap destruction cards. A deck that dislikes cards like Ceasefire, Secret Barrel, etc. would do well to have a few Dust Tornados in the side deck because Dust Tornado can be activated in the opponent's end phase before the disliked card can be activated. Dust Tornado also works well against decks with field magic cards. Why? Because when your opponent's 2000 att Abyss Soldier or Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier attacks your Airknight Parshath you can activate Dust Tornado on your opponent's field magic card to power down the attacking monster so that the attacking monster will die instead of your Airknight Parshath.
Now do you see how a side deck must address the strengths of a main deck? When putting a card in your side deck you must ask yourself if it will work in your main deck. For example, if you want to put Phoenix Wing Wind Blast in your side deck to deal with Phoenix or V-Lord you need to ask yourself if your deck can handle the discard cost; if it can't, then Mirror Wall might be a better option. My warrior deck has a Mataza the Zapper, two Marauding Captains, and a Mystic Swordsman LV2 in the side deck because those monsters can get under most stall cards. They happen to be searchable by Reinforcement of the Army and The Warrior Returning Alive so they fit well into the main deck when faced with a stall deck.
Here is a list of some of the most popular side deck cards people are currently using:
King Tiger Wanghu
Kinetic Soldier
Mobius the Frost Monarch
Ceasefire
Chiron the Mage
Divine Wrath
Swarm of Locusts
Dust Tornado
Hallowed Life Barrier
Mirror Wall
Mystic Swordsman LV2
Metamorphosis
Royal Decree
Elephant Statue of Disaster
There isn't much more I can do to help you build a side deck because every deck is different and has different needs. This article couldn't possibly address every deck's needs. This article is intended as a guide to help you, the duelist, decide what to use in your side deck. If anyone wishes for further help feel free to contact me via this post or public contact info. However, before contacting me I would like to remind the reader that the person who makes a deck know it best; everyone has a different playing style and duels differently. My assistance in constructing a side deck would most likely be less valuable then your own opinions on constructing your side deck.
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