OCG 2023.10 Metagame Report #7, #8

by Akira · 1 December 2023

Welcome to Week #7, #8 of the OCG 2023.10 format.

This report will tabulate 251 top-performing decks from 44 tournaments that were held in Japan, China Mainland, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam during 11 – 23 November 2023.

Metagame Breakdown

48 Rescue-ACE (41 Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Rescue-ACE, 7 Sinful Spoils Rescue-ACE)
45 Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Fire King
18 Labrynth (9 Unchained Labrynth, 8 Labrynth, 1 Dogmatika Unchained Labrynth)
16 Snake-Eye (15 Snake-Eye, 1 Infernoid Snake-Eye)
15 Voiceless Voice (14 Voiceless Voice, 1 Dogmatika Voiceless Voice)
13 Branded (10 Branded, 3 Grass Branded)
10 Purrely
10 Salamangreat
8 Horus Naturia
8 Supreme King Magician
5 Runick
4 Horus Chimera
3 Adamancipator (2 Grass Superheavy Samurai Vernusylph Adamancipator, 1 Vernusylph Adamancipator)
3 Centur-Ion (1 Dogmatika Centur-Ion, 1 Horus Centur-Ion, 1 Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Centur-Ion)
3 Orcust (2 Horus Orcust, 1 Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Orcust)
3 Rikka (2 Sunavalon Rikka, 1 Naturia Rikka)
3 Spright Tri-Brigade
3 Unchained (1 Unchained, 1 Dark World Unchained, 1 Yubel Unchained)
2 Bystial Dragon Link
2 Grass Raidraptor
2 Horus Red Dragon Archfiend
2 Infernoble Knights (1 Mikanko Infernoble Knights, 1 Sinful Spoils Infernoble Knight)
2 Peformapal
2 Sky Striker
2 Thunder Dragon (1 Thunder Dragon, 1 Horus Thunder Dragon)
2 Vanquish Soul (1 Vanquish Soul, 1 Sinful Spoils Vanquish Soul)
1 Centur-Ion Labrynth Plunder Patroll
1 Dinosaur
1 Dogmatika Horus
1 Exosister
1 Floowandereeze
1 Grass Infernoid
1 Grass Superheavy Samurai Sinful Spoils Adventurer Synchron
1 Grass Tearlaments Shaddoll Branded
1 HERO
1 Horus Blackwing
1 Horus Tearlaments
1 Mannadium
1 Mathmech @Ignister
1 Sinful Spoils SPYRAL
1 Supreme King Endymion
1 Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc
1 Vaylantz

Rescue-ACE

The changes in ‘hand trap’ choices in the Main and Side Deck are evidence of the shifting metagame.

Most players have dropped Effect Veiler and Infinite Impermanence. Rescue-ACE has the combination of S:P Little Knight and Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames to play around them, while Voiceless Voice has Sauravis, the Ancient and Ascended and Barrier of the Voiceless Voice to stop targeting effects.

Nibiru, the Primal Being and Droll & Lock Bird becomes the tech choice of the current metagame for being able to disrupt Rescue-ACE and Fire King from making big plays.

Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion is also another popular tech choice. Big Welcome Labrynth Special Summons a monster from deck or graveyard, while Saffira, Dragon Queen of the Voiceless Voice, Pre-Preparation of Rites and Nadir Servant adds a card from deck or graveyard, and thus they could be negated by Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion.

Guangmai (光脉) finished 3 – 4th in “CCT Yangzhou 2023” which had 470 participants.

Fire King

Salamangreat Raging Phoenix and Worldsea Dragon Zealantis are played in the Extra Deck to perform an One-Turn-Kill (OTK), just from a single Snake-Eye Ash while the opponent has at least 1 monster on their field.

Normal Summon Snake-Eye Ash, and activate its effect to add Snake-Eyes Poplar from deck to hand. Special Summon Snake-Eyes Poplar from hand, and activate its effect to add Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye from deck to hand. Link Summon Linkuriboh using Snake-Eyes Poplar, then Snake-Eyes Poplar effect would place itself in the Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell. Activate Snake-Eye Ash effect, send itself and Snake-Eyes Poplar to the graveyard as cost, to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon from deck.

Use Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon and Linkuriboh to Link Summon S:P Little Knight, then Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon effect Special Summons Snake-Eye Ash and Snake-Eyes Poplar from the graveyard. Use S:P Little Knight and Snake-Eye Ash to Link Summon Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames. Activate Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames effect, Special Summon Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon from graveyard. Use Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames and Snake-Eyes Poplar to Link Summon Salamangreat Raging Phoenix, then use Salamangreat Raging Phoenix to Link Summon Worldsea Dragon Zealantis.

Activate Worldsea Dragon Zealantis effect, banish all monsters on the field and Special Summon them back to the field. As a monster(s) is Special Summoned to the opponent’s field, Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames graveyard effect could be activated by destroying your Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon and the opponent’s monster, and Special Summon itself to the Main Monster Zone beside Worldsea Dragon Zealantis. Then as a face-up FIRE monster(s) you control is destroyed by card effect, Salamangreat Raging Phoenix graveyard effect could be activated to Special Summon itself from the graveyard and gains 3000 ATK.

The final board would be Worldsea Dragon Zealantis, Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames and Salamangreat Raging Phoenix. 2500 + 2700 + (2800 + 3000) = 11000.

This combo is able to board clear too. Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon effect could place 1 monster face-up in Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell, and then during the Battle Phase, Worldsea Dragon Zealantis effect could destroy 2 cards.

Soul Release in the Side Deck is a new tech for the Fire King mirror match. Banishing the opponent’s Sacred Fire King Garunix, Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames and Amphibious Swarmship Amblowhale from the graveyard would deny their disruptions.

Shanguang (闪珖) went 12-1 and finished 1st in “CCT Yangzhou 2023” which had 470 participants.

Labrynth

Similar to the Soul Release tech, Keldo the Sacred Protector and Mudora the Sword Oracle are for the Fire King match-up. Being Quick Effect also allows them to be activated before the Standby Phase to shuffle Legendary Fire King Ponix and Fire King Avatar Barong into the deck to deny their effects.

3 Rescue-ACE Impulse and 1 Rescue-ACE Fire Attacker in the Side Deck functions similarly to Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay for digging into ‘hand traps’, but also double up as discard avenue for Keldo the Sacred Protector, Mudora the Sword Oracle, The Black Goat Laughs or Transaction Rollback so their graveyard effect could be activated.

Tsujigiri (辻斬り) went 7-1 and finished 1st in “18th Droplet Cup” which had 40 participants.

Snake-Eye

The addition of Snake-Eyes Poplar and Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames has greatly powered up Snake-Eye, and they have respectable showings in the current metagame. A single Snake-Eye Ash could turn into Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames and Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon, making for a very explosive turn.

Jet Synchron could be Special Summoned by Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye and functions as additional Link material. Then after being banished, Jet Synchron could be Special Summoned by Snake-Eye Oak effect, allowing Jet Synchron to be reused every turn.

Kim Min-Chul finished 1st in “Duel’Spark with 1923CS” which had 37 participants.

Voiceless Voice

Voiceless Voice is a new Ritual deck that has a produce some decent results on its debut.

Lo, the Prayers of the Voiceless Voice is used to place Barrier of the Voiceless Voice from the deck to Spell & Trap Zone, then Barrier of the Voiceless Voice effect is used to add Saffira, Dragon Queen of the Voiceless Voice from deck to hand. Saffira, Dragon Queen of the Voiceless Voice is then discarded to activate its effect to send Prayers of the Voiceless Voice from deck to graveyard, and add Skull Guardian, Protector of the Voiceless Voice from deck to hand. Saffira, Dragon Queen of the Voiceless Voice graveyard is then activated by banishing itself to Ritual Summon Skull Guardian, Protector of the Voiceless Voice by tributing Lo, the Prayers of the Voiceless Voice. Skull Guardian, Protector of the Voiceless Voice effect would add Sauravis, Dragon Sage of the Voiceless Voice from deck to hand, then Lo, the Prayers of the Voiceless Voice effect would Special Summon itself from graveyard. Sauravis, Dragon Sage of the Voiceless Voice could Special Summon itself from hand, and during the opponent’s turn, its effect could be used to Special Summon Sauravis, the Ancient and Ascended from deck.

Voiceless Voice has a very linear strategy, but could be difficult to handle for those unprepared. Barrier of the Voiceless Voice makes your LIGHT monsters become untargetable by the opponent while you control Lo, the Prayers of the Voiceless Voice and a LIGHT Ritual Monster, while Skull Guardian, Protector of the Voiceless Voice could negate a card or effect activation, and Sauravis, the Ancient and Ascended could negate a Special Summon.

Murakami (むらかみ) went 6-1 (excluding 1 bye) and finished 1st in “26th Lotus Cup 3v3 Team Tournament” which had 27 teams (81 participants).

Conclusion

The impact of Phantom Nightmare has become more prominent in Week #5 and #6. The top 5 decks are Rescue-ACE, Fire King and Snake-Eye which have been empowered by Snake-Eyes Poplar and Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames, Labrynth has a new Trap card The Black Goat Laughs, and Voiceless Voice is a new theme from Phantom Nightmare.

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