OCG 2024.01 Metagame Report #1

Welcome to Week #1 of the OCG 2024.01 format.

This report tabulates 148 top-performing decks from 29 tournaments that were held in Japan, China Mainland, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam during 1 – 10 January 2024.

Update: Revised with additional data from “10th Tulio CS in Taiwan”.

• Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Stories Sky Striker Ace Arc Volume 3 promotional card: Combination Maneuver – Engage Zero

• 49 Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Fire King
• 13 Snake-Eye
• 13 Voiceless Voice
• 10 Branded (9 Grass Branded, 1 Branded)
• 8 Floowandereeze
• 7 Labrynth (6 Labrynth, 1 Unchained Labrynth)
• 6 Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Rescue-ACE
• 4 Runick (3 Runick, 1 Chimera Runick)
• 3 Infernoid (1 Grass Horus Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Infernoid, 1 Grass Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye Infernoid, 1 Grass Sinful Spoils Sky Striker Infernoid)
• 2 Exosister
• 2 Purrely
• 2 Ritual Beast
• 2 Salamangreat
• 2 Sinful Spoils Mikanko Infernoble Knight
• 2 Spright Tri-Brigade
• 2 Vanquish Soul
• 2 Vernusylph Adamancipator
• 1 Dinosaur
• 1 Drytron
• 1 Evil Eye
• 1 Grass Dragon Link
• 1 Horus
• 1 Horus Centur-Ion
• 1 Horus Chimera
• 1 Horus Naturia
• 1 Horus SPYRAL
• 1 Horus Superheavy Samurai
• 1 Horus Therion
• 1 Ice Barrier
• 1 Mikanko
• 1 Salamangreat Mathmech
• 1 Superheavy Samurai Dracoslayer
• 1 Supreme King Magician
• 1 Supreme King Odd-Eyes Performapal
• 1 Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc
• 1 Vaylantz

The old school Fire King combo uses Fire King High Avatar Kirin effect to destroy Artifact Scythe and trigger its effect. However, Soul Release banishing Fire King High Avatar Garunix and Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames from the graveyard would effectively shutdown ways to trigger Fire King High Avatar Kirin effect.

The new combo uses Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon effect instead to setup Artifact Scythe. After Artifact Dagda effect has set Artifact Scythe on the field, Artifact Scythe is then sent to the graveyard to Special Summon Diabellstar the Black Witch, or destroyed with Fire King High Avatar Kirin effect. Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon effect can now place Artifact Scythe from the graveyard to Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell. During the opponent’s turn, Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon effect would Special Summon Artifact Scythe from Spell & Trap Zone.

However, both old school and new school combos are vulnerable to Cosmic Cyclone banishing Artifact Scythe, and thus preventing its Special Summon.

Heiyi Jianshi (黑衣剑士) finished 1st in “Hecheng Yangguang Card Store 3rd Anniversary Store Celebration Tournament” which had 101 participants.

There is a new trend of Snake-Eye running Jet Synchron in the Main Deck now, but to actually use it as a Tuner Monster to Synchro Summon Borreload Savage Dragon and Baronne de Fleur.

Jet Synchron and Diabellstar the Black Witch would be used to Synchro Summon Borreload Savage Dragon, whose effect would equip Linkuriboh from the graveyard, giving it 1 Borrel Counter that could be used to negate a card or effect activation.

Snake-Eye Oak effect would Special Summon Jet Synchron from the graveyard, before using its other effect to send itself and Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon from the Spell & Trap Zone to the graveyard, to Special Summon another Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon from deck. Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon graveyard effect would Special Summon Snake-Eye Ash and Snake-Eyes Poplar from graveyard. Jet Synchron and Snake-Eye Ash are then used to Synchro Summon Formula Synchron whose effect would draw 1 card. Then Formula Synchron and Snake-Eyes Poplar are used to Link Summon I:P Masquerena. Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon effect would then place Formula Synchron from graveyard to Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell.

During the opponent’s turn, Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon effect would Special Summon Formula Synchron from Spell & Trap Zone. Formula Synchron effect would be activated, using itself and Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon to Synchro Summon Baronne de Fleur. Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon graveyard effect would bring back Snake-Eye Ash and Snake-Eyes Poplar, and their effects would add a Level 1 FIRE monster and 1 “Snake-Eye” Spell/Trap from deck to hand. Finally, I:P Masquerena effect would use itself, Snake-Eye Ash and Snake-Eyes Poplar to Link Summon Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess.

This Snake-Eye Synchro build ends with Borreload Savage Dragon, Baronne de Fleur and Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess as their opening board, and is starting to trend in the competitive scene. Among the 13 Snake-Eye decks that topped this week, 7 are running Jet Synchron in the Main Deck and Borreload Savage Dragon, Baronne de Fleur in the Extra Deck.

Chan Zi En went 6-1 and finished 4th in “Black Luster Soldier (Normal Monster) Tournament Malaysia II” which had 204 participants.

Most decks are currently running 10 to 14 ‘hand traps’ in the Main Deck, a reflection of how the current metagame is heavily skewed towards Combo decks, with Fire King and Snake-Eyes in the forefront.

Effect Veiler has been making a return to the Main Deck in addition to Infinite Impermanence. Their main purpose would be to negate Snake-Eye Ash, stopping the effect to add 1 FIRE monster from deck to hand, and more importantly to also prevent the other effect to Special Summon another Snake-Eye monster from deck. Cutting access to Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon is much more important, which is why the third Effect Veiler is ran over the third Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring in the Main Deck.

Droll & Lock Bird has been relegated to the Side Deck since Fire King and Snake-Eye could still play through to a certain extend as long as they could bring out Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon to increase their monster count. The resurgence of Floowandereeze gives reason to keep Droll & Lock Bird, but it might be dead in hand if Floowandereeze opens with Dimension Shifter or Dimensional Fissure.

Nyochio (にょちお) went 7-1 and finished 1st in “25th Tulio CS @ Nabe Individual Tournament” which had 32 participants.

AG explained on his tweet (@2SeeYouAG) of why he chose to keep Shaddoll Beast in the Main Deck and El Shaddoll Apkallone in the Extra Deck, instead of the Side Deck, despite only running Naelshaddoll Ariel and Shaddoll Fusion in the Side Deck.

With only Aluber the Jester of Despia fetching Branded Fusion as the opener, the standard combo would end with Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon, The Bystial Lubellion on field, and Albion the Branded Dragon in the graveyard.

One play he could make here would be to activate The Bystial Lubellion effect and place Branded Lost in the Spell & Trap Zone. Then activate Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon effect, sending Titaniklad the Ash Dragon from Extra Deck to graveyard as cost, and banishing The Bystial Lubellion. During the End Phase, Titaniklad the Ash Dragon effect would Special Summon Guiding Quem, the Virtuous from deck, whose effect would send Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous from deck to graveyard. Albion the Branded Dragon effect would add Branded in High Spirits from deck to hand, and Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous effect would added itself from graveyard to hand. Activate Branded in High Spirits, reveal Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous from hand and send Granguignol the Dusk Dragon from Extra Deck to graveyard, then discard Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous to add Tri-Brigade Mercourier from deck to hand. Guiding Quem, the Virtuous effect would Special Summon Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous from graveyard.

During the opponent’s Main Phase, activate Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous effect by using itself and Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon to Fusion Summon Granguignol the Dusk Dragon. Guiding Quem, the Virtuous effect would Special Summon Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon from the graveyard, Granguignol the Dusk Dragon effect would send El Shaddoll Apkallone from Extra Deck to graveyard, Branded Lost effect would add Fallen of Albaz from deck to hand. Then El Shaddoll Apkallone graveyard effect would add Shaddoll Beast from deck to hand, and discard Fallen of Albaz.

Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon effect can be activated by sending Rindbrumm the Striking Dragon from Extra Deck to the graveyard, to banish an opponent’s monster. With Fallen of Albaz in the graveyard, Rindbrumm the Striking Dragon graveyard effect could used as disruption by Special Summoning Fallen of Albaz and use its effect to Fusion Summon with an opponent’s monster.

AG went 6-1 and finished 2nd in “HSCS 3v3 Team Tournament” which had 22 teams (66 participants).

As Floowandereeze and the Magnificent Map has returned to unlimited in the recent OCG 2024.01 Limit Regulation, Floowandereeze has migrated back to the competitive scene.

2 Dimension Shifter and 3 Dimensional Fissure in the Main Deck are teched against Fire King and Snake-Eye, and simultaneously also protect your Floowandereeze monsters from Effect Veiler and Droll & Lock Bird. The activation cost of Effect Veiler and Droll & Lock Bird is to send themselves to the graveyard, but while Dimension Shifter or Dimensional Fissure effect is applying, cards sent to the graveyard would be banished instead. Since they cannot be sent to the graveyard, they cannot be activated.

3 Harpie’s Feather Storm in the Side Deck is also another finishing blow against Fire King and Snake-Eye.

Floowandereeze’s playstyle of Normal Summoning also plays around Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames graveyard effect, which could only be triggered when a monster is Special Summoned to the opponent’s field.

Paru (ぱる) went 6-1 and finished 1st in “1st Miracle Chain Cup (3v3 Team Tournament)” which had 12 teams (36 participants).

The Fire King onslaught continues as it takes another dominating lead, with 3 times as many tops as the Snake-Eye in the second spot.

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• 2024-01-08 | 25th Taiyo CS
• 2024-01-07 | 2nd Nagoya GCS
• 2024-01-07 | 2023 Annual Lotus Festival Team Tournament (1st: A, B, C | 2nd: A, B, C | 3rd: A, B, C | 4th: A, B, C)
• 2024-01-07 | 1st Colorful Cup × Saiya CS Collaboration Project CS
• 2024-01-07 | 25th Tulio CS @ Nabe Individual Tournament
• 2024-01-07 | 16th Fukui CS 3v3 Team Tournament
• 2024-01-07 | 1st Miracle Chain Cup (3v3 Team Tournament) (1st: A, B, C | 2nd: A, B, C)
• 2024-01-07 | Black Luster Soldier (Normal Monster) Tournament Malaysia II
• 2024-01-07 | Xiamen Yu-Gi-Oh! 2023 Annual Tournament
• 2024-01-07 | 10th Tulio CS in Taiwan
• 2024-01-07 | HSCS 3v3 Team Tournament
• 2024-01-07 | 4th Vera CS 2v2 Team Tournament
• 2024-01-07 | Hội Quán ASEAN X SHQ YGO Tour #1
• 2024-01-06 | 20th Droplet Cup
• 2024-01-06 | Hecheng Yangguang Card Store 3rd Anniversary Store Celebration Tournament
• 2024-01-06 | Lord of Dragon Card Shop Ranking Tournament
• 2024-01-06 | Huoguoyang Card Store Ranking Tournament
• 2024-01-06 | Top Deck Vis Tournament
• 2024-01-06 | HSCS Individual Tournament (1st | 2nd | 3 – 4th: A, B)
• 2024-01-06 | Delight CS
• 2024-01-03 | 36th Hagetaka CS
• 2024-01-03 | 18th Oguibento CS 2v2 Team Tournament
• 2024-01-03 | 163rd Next Play Cup
• 2024-01-03 | 15th Tulio CS @ Nabe 2v2 Team Tournament
• 2024-01-01 | Top Deck Vis New Year’s Day Yu-Gi-Oh! 2023 King of Chongqing Tournament
• 2024-01-01 | Dragon of Galaxy Ranking Tournament
• 2024-01-01 | 1923CS Individual Tournament