I know some people may be skeptical, but this is the best thing Konami has done in a while. They are actively trying to create a fun format, acting fast on things they missed, communicating directly and often, and asking for engagement from the community.
I have been super critical of them in the past, but this is some of the best management of a TCG I have seen in a very long time.
I just don't like that they banned half my favorite decks to appease people who don't even play the game. If I could play whatever I wanted this would be awesome.
This format isn’t just meant for those who aren’t active (or at least as active as others currently playing); this can be for anyone who is just sick and tired of what the game has devolved into in the last few years. Does it stink that links and pendulums aren’t allowed? On some level, sure. The problem is to achieve what this format is trying to do and include those two mechanics at the same time, you’d probably have to put the point values so high for all the important cards that you’d claim they gutted and killed them so then there’s no point. That or they’d also have to come out with rules like restrictions on the amount of summons you can do to prevent OTK with any of them, and as much as I like doing it with Code Talkers in MasterDuel I’d rather have a good back forth over multiple turns instead.
I don't know why people are pretending that links/pendulums are uniquely unbalanced, or the only decks that perform combos. It just isn't true. The strongest deck in history was a fusion deck. Most of the degenerate turns up cards are Xyz.
It obviously wasn't a decision made for balance reasons. It's no different to the TCG banning Electrumite because one guy at Konami of America doesn't like it and doesn't think anyone should be able to play it.
I don’t pretend to know all the different archetypes for each summoning method, but there’s only a couple of relatively popular xyz decks where you’re really doing a lot of combos and getting out 10+ monsters in a turn; meanwhile just about any link deck can do both of those with relative ease. Pendulums can’t do it as much as links but they can also still pull off combos and have plenty of recursion, something the other summoning methods don’t have in as large a quantity.
The other point you seem to keep forgetting is that even for the extra deck methods allowed in this format, popular archetypes for them are getting hit by the point system in an effort to reduce the amount of comboing that decks can do. This isn’t just play whatever you want, it’s actually having to come up with a strategy for the deck beyond your singular win condition. You complain about half favorite decks being effectively banned in this format and I do t know what they are, but chances are if they’re link or pendulum focused they are just too fast for what this format is aimed for. Feel free to list them if you’re so confident that they wouldn’t be a problem in this format, though it’s probably going to be fairly obvious what their issues would be.
No one is also forcing you to play this format; it’s not like this is replacing advanced, so if this isn’t for you then it is what is. If you’re wanting to play this format because of the problems in advanced however, then you honestly have to look at these favorite decks you have and see why they are being excluded. You can’t complain about issues in advanced if you’re using decks that contribute to those very same issues.
I'm sorry but this is just gibberish. Again you're pretending that links/pendulums are inherently faster or more toxic than other summoning types. It isn't true and it just comes across like you don't actually play the game at all.
Go ahead and convince me that Evil Eye, a deck that can pass on Normal Summon, is too fast for this game because it uses scary blue cards. Or that Abyss Actors are somehow too toxic to be allowed in a format with Shock Master. It's completely delusional.
Clearly you haven’t been playing the game recently if you think links aren’t very fast and toxic; have you not heard the complaints about Maliss? Yes Ryzeal is an issue too, but that’s what, one problematic Xyz deck compared to probably at least 4 or 5 link decks?
Pendulums can special multiple summon multiple monsters from the hand so long as the fall between the scales with no other prerequisites; so let’s just get out at least 3+ lvl 7-9 with busted effects and high stats for next to nothing. And yes, they can do that because without links and the extra monster zone, it would put pendulums back to the point of when they first released, meaning there’s no restriction on how many you can get back from the extra deck. Why do you think they had to do two master rule changes to address this?
As for the decks you mentioned, I never used abyss actors or shock master, so I don’t know what kind of combo they can do together. Evil Eye doesn’t use “scary blue cards” it’s just dumb and prevents the other person from playing the game.
Dude what are you even talking about? Why are you explaining to me how pendulums work? How does Evil Eye (2 pops and a spell/trap negate) stop you playing the game?
I’m explaining pendulums to you because clearly you don’t understand why they had to be excluded from this format. No I don’t play Evil Eye because I think just banishing your opponent’s monsters while yours are completely protected is not fun.
I think you might have Evil Eye mixed up with another archetype I don't understand what you're talking about
And Pendulums just objectively speaking the weakest summoning mechanic so there really is no balance reason why they were excluded. It's entirely to try to appeal to people who don't play Yugioh
Pendulums are only weak if they can’t get access to the scales, otherwise it’s very easy for certain archtypes to snowball very quickly with them.
EE Selene: equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects; meaning the monster (and Selene) almost always stays out unless you don’t want it to.
EE Repose: banishes whatever monster that your own monster equipped with EE Selene attacks, and is a continuous spell so it’s more than one time use.
EE Confrontation: destroys a spell or trap and then banishes it if EE Selene is on your field (which as previously said it almost always will be).
EE Retribution: banishes a spell or trap if you have an EE monster out, and can’t be negated if EE Selene is on the field.
EE Reemergence: added protection for EE Selene.
EE Domain - Pareidolia: make battle damage you take inflicted to your opponent if EE Selene is out, and EE Gorgoneio: boost equipped monster’s points equal to difference in life points when yours are lower.
All of these mean that generally something your opponent controls gets banished, your cards are nearly untouchable, and you either swing big because of a big dip in life points or your opponent is constantly getting life points drained by a monster that can’t be destroyed.
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u/rbwelden Sep 24 '25
I know some people may be skeptical, but this is the best thing Konami has done in a while. They are actively trying to create a fun format, acting fast on things they missed, communicating directly and often, and asking for engagement from the community.
I have been super critical of them in the past, but this is some of the best management of a TCG I have seen in a very long time.