Quick Article #3: Side Decking Against the FTK

Now, I had originally intended to compose a full essay detailing, in great depth, the art of Side Decking with specific regards to the Traditional Format; such a discussion was to include an extensive commentary on individual cards and their efficacy in certain match-ups, based on the three most common threats to be encountered, followed then by techniques for constructing the Traditional Format Side Deck and ways in which one should go about accomplishing proper utilization of the finished product during a given tournament. It was no doubt to be epic in length, and enormous in aspect of knowledge. However, I have shelved the project, doing so for reasons that are three-fold: firstly, such a venture is simply incongruous with the purpose of this blog, which has been, is still, and always will be, to organise my thoughts so that a final treatise can be composed – and, furthermore, I should like to confine myself to the subject of Main Decks in any instance, by far the more interesting topic; secondly, the subject of proper Side Deck usage has been discussed many a time, and in such a fine way, so as to render anything I could add to the literature, if indeed anything at all, void; and, thirdly (and finally), such a topic is, as I have indeed seen from the work that I began, of such a mammoth size that I should be writing for some time to come, and that devoting so much time and effort to something that I deem unnecessary (for the aforementioned reasons) would be pointless.

Having said that, however, I in no way wish to stray from my theorist’s duty as the world’s only authority on Traditional Format Yu-Gi-Oh! – after all, this is a blog, no matter what the centrally intended purpose may be, and people do read it. Ergo, I have still deemed it essential that I should cover the subject of Side Decking in the Modern Traditional Format, at least to some degree. Taking into consideration that which I have already stated, I shall here confine myself to the much smaller, much more manageable act of listing those potential and plausible counters to the First-Turn-Knockout deck. I shall refrain from entering into any detailed discussion of why a certain card is a pertinent Side Deck choice against specific decks, instead continuing with my previous statements and simply providing a catalogue of cards able to counter this style of deck. While I had previously mentioned that there exists three threats within the Traditional Format (the other two being the One-Turn-Knockout deck and the Anti-Meta deck), it is no doubt the First-Turn-Knockout that poses the greatest risk in a large, professional tournament landscape, and is thus the of the most interest to readers.

First-Turn-Knockout Counters:

Droll and Lock Bird
Neko Mane King
Herald of Green Light
Herald of Purple Light
Herald of Orange Light
Hanewata
D.D. Crow
Effect Veiler
Elephant Statue of Disaster
Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

These above listed cards constitute the ten best possible options when constructing a Side Deck in the Traditional Format, providing answers to the most consistently powerful First-Turn-Knockout decks available. Of course, though, it must be remembered that any Side Deck will always be contained within a vacuum of bias, with specific regard to the Main Deck it is to be couple with, in addition to not only the preferences of the individual constructing said decks but also to the environment which he or she intendeds to play in. Just as in the architecture of a Main Deck, the Side Deck (and, indeed, the Extra Deck for that matter) must be considered comprehensively, and built accordingly.