OCG 2025.01 Metagame Report #4

by · 30 January 2025

Welcome to Week #4 of the OCG 2025.01 format.

This report tabulates 111 top-performing decks from 24 tournaments that were held in Japan, China Mainland, Singapore and South Korea during 25 – 30 January 2025.

To better gauge the impact of the new booster set on the metagame, tournaments that did not allowed Alliance Insight such as “ICD 2025 Surabaya” were excluded from this tabulation.

New Product Release

  • Alliance Insight

Metagame Breakdown

  • 30 Maliss (24 Maliss, 5 Grass Maliss, 1 Grass Horus Bystial Maliss)
  • 21 Ryzeal
  • 8 Blue-Eyes (6 Primite Blue-Eyes, 1 Bystial Primite Blue-Eyes, 1 Buster Blader Primite Blue-Eyes)
  • 8 Orcust
  • 5 Crystron (4 Crystron, 1 Fiendsmith Crystron)
  • 5 White Forest (4 Azamina White Forest, 1 Fiendsmith Azamina White Forest)
  • 4 Gem-Knight (3 Gem-Knight, 1 Fiendsmith Gem-Knight)
  • 4 Memento (2 Memento, 2 Fiendsmith Memento)
  • 3 Grass Branded
  • 3 Tenpai Dragon
  • 2 Atlantean
  • 2 Evil★Twin (1 Fiendsmith Evil★Twin, 1 Unchained Fiendsmith Evil★Twin)
  • 2 Mathmech @Ignister
  • 2 P.U.N.K. (1 Azamina P.U.N.K., 1 Fiendsmith P.U.N.K.)
  • 1 Ancient Gear
  • 1 Argostars
  • 1 Dogmatika Regenesis
  • 1 Fiendsmith Azamina Chimera
  • 1 Fiendsmith White Forest Azamina Snake-Eye
  • 1 Fiendsmith Unchained
  • 1 Grass Tearlaments Shaddoll Branded
  • 1 Labrynth
  • 1 Nekroz Magistus
  • 1 Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc
  • 1 Vaylantz
  • 1 Voiceless Voice

Maliss

Maliss has received several new support cards from Alliance Insight. Maliss <P> March Hare, Maliss in the Mirror are direct in-theme support, and Backup @Ignister, Wizard @Ignister, Accode Talker @Ignister are generic Cyberse support.

Maliss <P> March Hare is a great addition to Maliss. Maliss <P> March Hare ① effect could Special Summons itself from hand by banishing another Maliss card from hand or graveyard. This gives Maliss an in-theme effect to banish their own Maliss monster from the graveyard that also puts a body on the field, similar to similar to the Bystial monsters. Maliss <P> March Hare ② effect could add a banished Maliss monster to hand when Maliss <P> March Hare is banished, and it could be used to add itself to hand, allowing Maliss <P> March Hare to be indirectly searchable by effects that banish from deck such as Maliss <P> Dormouse or Maliss in Underground.

Maliss in the Mirror is new Maliss Spell card. Maliss in the Mirror ① effect could banish a Maliss monster from your hand or field to negate the effect of a monster that the opponent controls. This is an option to add to hand with Maliss <Q> Red Ransom ① effect when hit by the opponent’s Artifact Lancea. The true strength of Maliss in the Mirror lies in the ② effect. When Maliss in the Mirror is banished, it could banish a Maliss card from the graveyard to add a Maliss card of the same type from deck. Previously Maliss in Underground would banish Maliss <Q> Red Ransom from the graveyard directly, but now Maliss in Underground could banish Maliss in the Mirror from deck, which in turn would banish Maliss <Q> Red Ransom from graveyard to add a Maliss monster from deck to hand. Maliss <Q> Red Ransom ③ effect would Special Summon itself from banishment, then banish Maliss <P> Chessy Cat from deck. Maliss <P> Chessy Cat ③ effect would Special Summon itself from banishment, then its ① effect can be activated to banish the Maliss monster from hand to draw 2 cards.

Backup @Ignister, Wizard @Ignister and Accode Talker @Ignister are new @Ignister support cards, but their effects functions with DARK Cyberse monsters which allow them to synergize with Maliss. Both Backup @Ignister and Wizard @Ignister ① effect Special Summons themselves from hand when you control a Cyberse monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, allowing them to be extenders that works even while under the effect of Artifact Lancea. Backup @Ignister ② effect adds 1 DARK Cyberse monster from deck to hand, which could be a Maliss monster or Wizard @Ignister. Backup @Ignister being a Cyberse Tuner monster also allows it to be added to hand with Cyberse Wicckid ③ effect. Wizard @Ignister ① effect Special Summons itself from hand and a DARK Cyberse monster from graveyard to field, which could be Maliss monster.

Accode Talker @Ignister is another option for the end board. Accode Talker @Ignister ① Special Summons as many Cyberse monsters with 2300 ATK from your graveyard, which would be the Maliss Link Monsters. Accode Talker @Ignister ② effect tributes a Link Monster to negate the activation of a card or effect and banish that card. However, the addition of Accode Talker @Ignister to Maliss deck is still in contention. Because Accode Talker @Ignister ① effect Special Summons as many Cyberse monsters with 2300 ATK from your graveyard, it could limit your sequencing as Accode Talker @Ignister ② effect has to be activated first to tribute Maliss <Q> White Binder so that Maliss <C> GWC-06 could Special Summon it later. To keep Maliss <Q> White Binder in the graveyard, some players would play Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess in the Left Extra Monster Zone, then Link Summon Accode Talker @Ignister in the 1st Main Monster Zone (left-most). This would block most of Accode Talker @Ignister Link Arrows except for the one pointing to the right, which means only Maliss <Q> Red Ransom would be Special Summoned by the ① effect. This allows Maliss <C> GWC-06 to be activated during the opponent’s Draw Phase to Special Summon Maliss <Q> White Binder, while still having Accode Talker @Ignister as protection against the opponent’s Called by the Grave on Maliss <Q> White Binder.

Xiaofeng @ Frieren (小风@芙莉莲) went 7-2 and finished 2nd in “Lord of Dragon Card Shop Ranking Tournament” which had 50 participants.

Ryzeal

Star Ryzeal is a new Ryzeal support card from Alliance Insight. When Star Ryzeal is Special Summoned, its ② effect could set a Ryzeal Spell/Trap from deck. This is a great boost to Ryzeal as it provides an additional way to fetch Ryzeal Cross. As mentioned in the previous tournament report (OCG 2025.01 Metagame Report #3), Ryzeal relies heavily on having Ryzeal Cross to shuffle back Ext Ryzeal for the following turn.

Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry is played over Number 104: Masquerade in the Extra Deck as it is a LIGHT Fairy and could be used with Metaltronus to negate the opponent’s Artifact Scythe.

Kodai went 7-1 and finished 1st in “23rd Wayo CS in Kawasaki (3v3 Team Tournament) which had 44 teams (132 participants).

Conclusion

Alliance Insight has quite an impact on the metagame. The themes from Deck Build Pack: Crossover Breakers received a new wave of support cards, and that pushed Maliss and Ryzeal to the top of the format.

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References

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8 Responses

  1. A B says:
    30 January 2025 at 7:53 am

    who knew giving the 3rd and 4th best decks new cards would propel them back up to the place they were last time

    Reply
  2. Suited says:
    30 January 2025 at 11:07 am

    Sakitama cannot be special summoned so why suggest it as a Metaltronus when its clearly in there with Aratama for a rank 4 engine that doesn’t use the normal summon?

    Reply
  3. Kevin Tewart says:
    30 January 2025 at 11:11 am

    Dragon Flopper sisters… what went wrong?

    Reply
  4. Fahri says:
    30 January 2025 at 1:34 pm

    finding djinn buster in ocg is paaaaaiiinnn, konami pls reprint

    Reply
  5. Yoko Arc says:
    30 January 2025 at 10:22 pm

    Hey Akira,
    can you please include the relative link sources to the low represented decks, like Nekroz Magistus. Please
    Great Thanks for everything.

    Reply
  6. CoCoA says:
    31 January 2025 at 1:48 am

    is Splash Mage too strong?

    Reply

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