OCG 2022.07 Metagame (1 Jul – 31 Sep 2022)

Following their dominance from the previous format, Tearlaments and Spright continues to ravage the OCG 2022.07 format with further support from Darkwing Blast.

Compiled from a total of 665 top-placing decks from 118 competitive tournaments held in Japan, China Mainland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam, here is the final metagame breakdown of the OCG 2022.07 format.

• 285 Tearlaments (255 Ishizu Tearlaments, 11 Grass Ishizu Tearlaments, 5 Grass Shaddoll Ishizu Tearlaments, 4 Tearlaments, 2 Grass Branded Bystial Ishizu Tearlaments, 2 Shaddoll Tearlaments, 1 Branded Tearlaments, 1 Grass Branded Bystial Tearlaments, 1 Grass Eldlich Ishizu Tearlaments, 1 Grass Invoked Ishizu Tearlaments, 1 Grass Lightsworn Ishizu Tearlaments, 1 Grass Phantom Knights Ishizu Tearlaments)
• 144 Spright (135 Spright, 5 Melffy Spright, 2 Adventurer Cyberse Spright, 1 Cyberse Spright, 1 Kashtira Spright)
• 27 Exosister
• 24 Bystial (10 Branded Bystial, 4 Dragonmaid Branded Bystial, 3 Tearlaments Branded Bystial, 1 Adventurer Branded Bystial, 1 Branded Despia Bystial, 1 Chaos Thunder Dragon Bystial, 1 Dragonmaid Bystial, 1 Grass Tearlaments Branded Bystial, 1 Spright Bystial, 1 Thunder Dragon Branded Bystial)
• 20 Floowandereeze
• 16 Adamancipator (8 Adamancipator, 3 Vernusylph Adamancipator, 2 Grass Adamancipator, 1 Grass Ishizu Vernusylph Adamancipator, 1 Ishizu Adamancipator, 1 Spright Adamancipator)
• 14 Dragon Link (11 Bystial Dragon Link, 3 Grass Bystial Dragon Link)
• 11 Grass Tearlaments Thunder Dragon P.U.N.K. Bystial
• 8 Tri-Brigade (7 Spright Tri-Brigade, 1 Tri-Brigade)
• 8 Virtual World (3 Virtual World, 3 Adventurer Virtual World, 1 Kashtira Virtual World, 1 Swordsoul Virtual World)
• 6 Naturia (5 Ishizu Naturia, 1 Vernusylph Naturia)
• 6 Rikka (5 Sunavalon Rikka, 1 Ishizu Rikka)
• 6 Runick (3 Runick, 3 Spright Runick)
• 6 Chaos Bystial Thunder Dragon
• 5 Despia (2 Grass Branded Bystial Despia, 2 Grass Tearlaments Branded Bystial Despia, 1 Branded Bystial Despia)
• 5 Eldlich (3 Eldlich, 1 Grass Zombie Eldlich, 1 Ishizu Eldlich)
• 5 Magician
• 5 Swordsoul (4 Tenyi Swordsoul, 1 Swordsoul)
• 5 Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc
• 4 Dinosaur (2 Dinosaur, 2 True King Dinosaur)
• 4 Luna (2 Kaiju Luna, 2 Luna)
• 3 Danger Dark World
• 3 Kashtira
• 3 Madolche (2 Madolche, 1 Ishizu Tearlaments Madolche)
• 3 Necroface (2 Ishizu Tearlaments Necroface, 1 Ishizu Necroface)
• 2 Altergeist (1 Altergeist, 1 Spright Altergeist)
• 2 Dracoslayer (1 Dracoslayer, 1 Odd-Eyes Performapal Dracoslayer)
• 2 Endymion
• 2 Grass Infernoid
• 2 Labrynth
• 2 Mathmech @Ignister
• 2 Sky Striker
• 1 Blackwing
• 1 Branded Bystial Dragonmaid
• 1 Bystial Salamangreat
• 1 Crystal Beast
• 1 Da Eiza
• 1 Drytron
• 1 D/D
• 1 Grass Branded Predaplant Tearlaments Therion
• 1 Grass Tearlaments Shaddoll
• 1 HERO
• 1 Kashtira P.U.N.K.
• 1 Kashtira Speedroid
• 1 Machina Infinitrack
• 1 Mathmech
• 1 Marincess
• 1 Megalith
• 1 Orcust
• 1 P.U.N.K. Junk Doppel
• 1 Purrely
• 1 Spellbook Dracoslayer Endymion Zefra
• 1 Spright Nephthys FTK
• 1 Spright Tri-Brigade Melffy
• 1 SPYRAL
• 1 Umi
• 1 Vernusylph Magnet Warrior

Ishizu Tearlaments opened strong into the OCG 2022.07 format, and was further strengthened by Darkwing Blast. Tearlaments Rulkallos could negate a card or effect that Special Summons a monster(s), giving Tearlaments a strong threat to end on. Tearlaments Scream could send cards from deck to the graveyard when a monster is summoned and you control a Tearlaments monsters, and also when sent to the graveyard Tearlaments Scream could to add a Tearlaments Trap from deck to hand.

The other impactful additional that Darkwing Blast brought along were the Bystial monsters. They provided a way to disrupt Tearlaments by banishing them from the graveyard when Special Summoning themselves. Bystial Magnamhut could also add a Dragon monster from deck to hand during the end phase, which could be another Bystial monster.

The dominance of Tearlaments in the metagame saw Tearlaments adjusting its build for the mirror match. Agido the Ancient Sentinel were reduced in the Main Deck, and would be sided out in the mirror match. A couple of Bystial monsters were ran in the Main Deck, with additional copies in the Side Deck.

OCG 2022.07 → OCG 2022.10 Limit Regulation changes:

• Agido the Ancient Sentinel 3 → 1
• Keldo the Sacred Protector 3 → 1
• Herald of Orange Light 3 → 1
• Tearlaments Havnis 3 → 2
• Primeval Planet Perlereino 3 → 1

A slight consistency hit to the Ishizu and Tearlaments cards, but Tearlaments remain a strong contender for the OCG 2022.10 format.

With Toadally Awesome forbidden, Spright switched over to running Union Carrier to equip Dragon Buster Destruction Sword and lock the opponent out of their Extra Deck.

Spright Sprind is a new addition from Darkwing Blast. It allowed Spright to send Nimble Angler from deck to the graveyard, triggering its effect to Special Summon 2 Nimble Beaver from deck, a quick way to amass Level 2 monsters on the field.

Besides the Bystial monsters that are now a common tech against Tearlaments, Kashtira Fenrir was another generic good card from Darkwing Blast. It could banish an opponent’s card face-down, providing a way to remove Tearlaments monsters without triggering their graveyard effects.

Towards the end of the format, Number 2: Ninja Shadow Mosquito was picked up in the Extra Deck as an option to win the game by its burn effect.

OCG 2022.07 → OCG 2022.10 Limit Regulation changes:

• Union Carrier 3 → 0
• Swap Frog 3 → 1
• Spright Jet 3 → 1
• Spright Starter 3 → 1

The heavy hits to Spright made it fall off the competitive scene as a deck itself, but Spright continues to see play as a package within another theme.

The OCG 2022.07 format is largely dominated by Tearlaments and then followed by Spright. This trend was reflected in the major tournaments held within this period where Ishizu Tearlaments won almost every tournament, except for one which was won by Spright.

Exosister, Bystial and Floowandereeze teched heavily against Tearlaments, but even then they struggled to put out results. With Dimension Shifter semi-limited, it is going to be even harder to go up against Tearlaments.