OCG 2015.01 Metagame (1 Jan – 31 Mar 2015)

The new Limit Regulation brought down the power level of Nekroz, allowing Shaddoll to rise again.

Compiled from a total of 366 top-placing decks from 39 competitive tournaments held in Japan, here is the final metagame breakdown of the OCG 2015.01 format.

• 89 Nekroz (56 Nekroz, 31 Deskbot Nekroz, 1 Atlantean Nekroz, 1 Herald Nekroz)
• 84 Shaddoll (687 Shaddoll, 16 Artifact Shaddoll )
• 55 Qliphort
• 37 Atlantean (26 Atlantean, 10 Atlantean Mermail, 1 Artifact Atlantean)
• 28 HERO
• 15 Evilswarm
• 13 Tellarknight
• 8 Train
• 6 Dragon Ruler
• 4 Dragon Ruler Hieratic
• 4 Volcanic (3 Volcanic, 1 Artifact Volcanic)
• 4 Yosenju
• 3 Infernoid
• 3 Yang Zing
• 2 Ritual Beast
• 2 Bujin
• 2 Infernity
• 2 Prophecy
• 1 Artifact Chronomaly
• 1 Blackwing
• 1 Chain Burn
• 1 Cyber Dragon
• 1 Six Samurai

The limitation of Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Senju of the Thousand Hands saw Nekroz fill in with Mathematician. Mathematician could send Djinn Releaser of Rituals from deck to the graveyard to use it as Ritual Material later, or send Jet Synchron from deck to graveyard and then Special Summon it back to Synchro Summon Herald of the Arc Light. Peropero Cerperus is also another option to send to the graveyard as a form of removal.

Deskbot Nekroz is another build that is popular. Normal Summoning Deskbot 003 would trigger its effect to Special Summon Deskbot 001 from deck, then both could be used to Synchro Summon Herald of the Arc Light.

OCG 2015.01 → OCG 2015.04 Limit Regulation changes:

• Nekroz of Brionac 3 → 1
• Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands 1 → 2
• Senju of the Thousand Hands 1 → 3
• Mathematician 3 → 1
• Nekroz Cycle 3 → 1

Nekroz took another hit in having Nekroz of Brionac and Nekroz Cycle going to limited, but surprisingly Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Senju of the Thousand Hands came back, putting Nekroz in a strong position for the new format.

The slowing down of the metagame allowed Shaddoll to run slower value cards such as Kuribandit that could generate massive advantage by sending cards from deck to graveyard but during the End Phase.

Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier is an interest tech for the format. Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier could destroy a WATER monster then add another copy of itself to hand, making it useful against both Nekroz and Atlantean.

OCG 2015.01 → OCG 2015.04 Limit Regulation changes:

• El Shaddoll Construct 1 → 0
• El Shaddoll Winda 1 → 3
• El Shaddoll Fusion 3 → 1
• Mathematician 3 → 1
• Kuribandit 3 → 1

El Shaddoll Construct going to forbidden essentially puts the nail in the coffin for Shaddoll, and El Shaddoll Fusion, Mathematician, Kuribandit going to limited ensures that.

Qliphort ran 3 Lose 1 Turn in the Main Deck, a new card from Crossover Souls that negate the effects of monsters on the turn they are Special Summoned. It has an additional effect of changing monsters Special Summoned in Attack Position to Defense Position, adding another layer of control for Qliphort.

With 3 Skill Drain, 3 Lose 1 Turn and 1 Re-qliate, Qliphort could easily lockout the opponent with their floodgates.

Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit is another new card from Crossover Souls that could destroy a card on the field if it activates its effect. It is specifically effective against Pendulum cards such as Qliphort Scout. When Qliphort Scout activate it Pendulum Effect, chaining with Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit would destroying it, causing the Pendulum Effect to not resolve.

OCG 2015.01 → OCG 2015.04 Limit Regulation changes:

• Qliphort Scout 3 → 2
• Saqlifice 3 → 1

Qliphort Scout going to semi-limited and Saqlifice going to limited lowers Qliphort’s consistency and their staying power.

Atlantean gained a new powerful support card from Crossover Souls in the form of Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince, enabling many brand new combos (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince. The new combos are also more focused on just the Atlantean monsters, allowing Atlantean to cut down on Mermail monsters to just Mermail Abyssmegalo.

Also of note is the Dragon Rulers are finally forbidden, putting an end to their run. This came as a surprise considering that their mediocre performance in the OCG 2015.01 format, but they could easily become relevant again when strong Dragon cards are released in the future, and thus holds a constraint on the design of Dragon cards as long as they are allowed to roam.

OCG 2015.01 → OCG 2015.04 Limit Regulation changes:

• Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders 1 → 0
• Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls 1 → 0
• Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos 1 → 0
• Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms 1 → 0
• Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles 0 → 3
• Stream, Dragon Ruler of Droplets 0 → 3
• Burner, Dragon Ruler of Sparks 0 → 3
• Lightning, Dragon Ruler of Drafts 0 → 3