September, that familiar time of the year where we see the Post-World Championship Forbidden & Limited Lists, and when Duelists worldwide wager on the "Most Viable Deck" for the new format.
Three cards got whacked with the Ban Stick this time around, "Dark Magician of Chaos", "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" and "Premature Burial".
"Dark Magician of Chaos'" trip to the Forbidden List is easy to explain, it's fairly splashable (as far as Tribute Monsters go), and it has a very powerful and potentially game-shattering effect. "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" is what made the Destiny Draw Engine so viable; It was used and abused by both players, especially with "Monster Reborn" becoming Limited back in March, a limitation that provided ample opportunity for abuse. "Premature Burial", meanwhile, is a little more difficult to understand; "Monster Reborn" was predicted by many, including myself I have to say, to go right back to Forbidden in September.
The pattern on previous lists has always been fairly linear, March would see the unbanning of a powerful card (See "Dark Hole", "Ring of Destruction", and "Change of Heart" as previous examples), with it's re-banning in the subsequent September List for that year. "Monster Reborn" appears to have turned this idea squarely on its head, it has now stayed on past its expected six-month shelf-life, and we now have to consider its potential as a long-term factor on gameplay, mostly due to the card's extreme flexibility and unpredictability.
"Breaker the Magical Warrior's" move back to Limited has been welcomed and shunned in equal measure, while you'll find the consensus on "Cyber Dragon" is pretty even: Too little, far too late. "Cyber Dragon's" main era of dominance has long since gone, and a Limitation will only provide a short sting to Duelists, who will eventually find a replacement. That said, "Cyber Dragon" can be a powerful tool for Summoning the new Synchro Monsters.
The limitation of "Monster Gate" and "Reasoning" will be scorned by Six Samurai Duelists, who relied on their power to mill through their Deck to get more than one Samurai out at a time. Meanwhile, Semi-Limiting "Dark Armed Dragon" and "Judgment Dragon" felt more like a knee-jerk reaction, especially for "Dark Armed Dragon", seeing as several components to the Dark Armed Dragon Deck were either banned or limited previously. Lightsworn Decks will typically cope with only 2 "Judgment Dragons".
"Phantom of Chaos" and "Rescue Cat" have been used to powerful effect in dedicated decks in the OCG, as has "Summon Priest", an OCG-only addition to the Semi-Limited List. "Card of Safe Return" can give a huge boost to Swarm Decks that revive from the Graveyard, while "Chain Strike" and "Magical Stone Excavation" have been moved from Limited to Semi-Limited, owing to Duelists not really using them to full effect, a similar story with once-abused cards such as "Abyss Soldier" and "Marauding Captain".
While "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" is now banned, "Destiny Draw" users got a small reprieve: "Destiny Hero - Malicious" went to three, allowing the effect to be used to its fullest. The era of "Light and Darkness Dragon" has swiftly passed, hence its de-limitation, whilst "Mage Power", "Reinforcement of the Army" and "Royal Decree" are no longer as dangerous or overpowering as they once were. "Allure of Darkness" goes back to three, seemingly to give "Dark Armed Dragon" users a slight reprieve from a full-scale setback.
So, here's to the 2008-2009 format, a list that potentially asks more questions that it answers.
I look forward to seeing what Deck takes the most advantage of this list.
Three cards got whacked with the Ban Stick this time around, "Dark Magician of Chaos", "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" and "Premature Burial".
"Dark Magician of Chaos'" trip to the Forbidden List is easy to explain, it's fairly splashable (as far as Tribute Monsters go), and it has a very powerful and potentially game-shattering effect. "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" is what made the Destiny Draw Engine so viable; It was used and abused by both players, especially with "Monster Reborn" becoming Limited back in March, a limitation that provided ample opportunity for abuse. "Premature Burial", meanwhile, is a little more difficult to understand; "Monster Reborn" was predicted by many, including myself I have to say, to go right back to Forbidden in September.
The pattern on previous lists has always been fairly linear, March would see the unbanning of a powerful card (See "Dark Hole", "Ring of Destruction", and "Change of Heart" as previous examples), with it's re-banning in the subsequent September List for that year. "Monster Reborn" appears to have turned this idea squarely on its head, it has now stayed on past its expected six-month shelf-life, and we now have to consider its potential as a long-term factor on gameplay, mostly due to the card's extreme flexibility and unpredictability.
"Breaker the Magical Warrior's" move back to Limited has been welcomed and shunned in equal measure, while you'll find the consensus on "Cyber Dragon" is pretty even: Too little, far too late. "Cyber Dragon's" main era of dominance has long since gone, and a Limitation will only provide a short sting to Duelists, who will eventually find a replacement. That said, "Cyber Dragon" can be a powerful tool for Summoning the new Synchro Monsters.
The limitation of "Monster Gate" and "Reasoning" will be scorned by Six Samurai Duelists, who relied on their power to mill through their Deck to get more than one Samurai out at a time. Meanwhile, Semi-Limiting "Dark Armed Dragon" and "Judgment Dragon" felt more like a knee-jerk reaction, especially for "Dark Armed Dragon", seeing as several components to the Dark Armed Dragon Deck were either banned or limited previously. Lightsworn Decks will typically cope with only 2 "Judgment Dragons".
"Phantom of Chaos" and "Rescue Cat" have been used to powerful effect in dedicated decks in the OCG, as has "Summon Priest", an OCG-only addition to the Semi-Limited List. "Card of Safe Return" can give a huge boost to Swarm Decks that revive from the Graveyard, while "Chain Strike" and "Magical Stone Excavation" have been moved from Limited to Semi-Limited, owing to Duelists not really using them to full effect, a similar story with once-abused cards such as "Abyss Soldier" and "Marauding Captain".
While "Destiny Hero - Disk Commander" is now banned, "Destiny Draw" users got a small reprieve: "Destiny Hero - Malicious" went to three, allowing the effect to be used to its fullest. The era of "Light and Darkness Dragon" has swiftly passed, hence its de-limitation, whilst "Mage Power", "Reinforcement of the Army" and "Royal Decree" are no longer as dangerous or overpowering as they once were. "Allure of Darkness" goes back to three, seemingly to give "Dark Armed Dragon" users a slight reprieve from a full-scale setback.
So, here's to the 2008-2009 format, a list that potentially asks more questions that it answers.
I look forward to seeing what Deck takes the most advantage of this list.
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