OCG 2025.04 Metagame Report #3

by · 25 April 2025

Welcome to Week #3 of the OCG 2025.04 format.

This report tabulates 146 top-performing decks from 23 tournaments that were held in Japan, China Mainland, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam during 19 – 20 April 2025.

Metagame Breakdown

  • 35 Yummy (31 Yummy, 3 Fiendsmith Yummy, 1 Millennium Yummy)
  • 32 Dragontail (12 Dragontail, 6 Magistus Dragontail, 5 Primite Dragontail, 3 K9 Dragontail, 3 Regenesis Dragontail, 2 Fiendsmith K9 Dragontail, 1 Branded Dragontail)
  • 27 Maliss
  • 14 K9
  • 12 K9 Crystron
  • 6 Primite Blue-Eyes
  • 5 White Forest (4 White Forest, 1 Regenesis White Forest)
  • 2 Orcust
  • 2 Tenpai Dragon
  • 1 Atlantean
  • 1 Dogmatika Regenesis
  • 1 Fire King
  • 1 Gem-Knight
  • 1 Mathmech @Ignister
  • 1 Memento
  • 1 Mikanko
  • 1 Ragnaraika Aroma Sunavalon Rikka
  • 1 Ryu-Ge
  • 1 Ryzeal
  • 1 Shark

Yummy

As board breakers become the standard answer against Yummy, Appointer of the Red Lotus becomes a strong counter tech to pick off the opponent’s board breaker before they could play it in their Main Phase. Dinowrestler Pankratops, Dark Ruler No More, Raigeki, Evenly Matched could all be picked off by Appointer of the Red Lotus.

Super Polymerization could be chained to the activation of Appointer of the Red Lotus, but it needs a discard for the activation cost. In this case, Appointer of the Red Lotus could pick off a starter card instead, making it difficult for the opponent to make their play with just 3 cards left in hand.

Galloping Horse Treading on Flying Snow (踏马飞雪) went 10-2 and finished 1 – 3rd in “China Mainland WCQ 2025 Wuhan” which had 420 participants.

Dragontail

Metagame Layers can be observed from the development of Dragontail builds.

At Layer 0, Dragontail builds are running King of the Swamp and Polymerization as supplement. King of the Swamp package opens up access to powerful Fusion Monsters such as Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon or Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon, and its effect could also fetch Polymerization when needed, playing a dual role of a Fusion Material and a Fusion Summon effect.

At Layer 1, opponents are now teching Retaliating “C” against Dragontail.

At Layer 2, to play around the opponent’s Retaliating “C”, Dragontail builds are now cutting Polymerization. Monsters that provides an effect to perform a Fusion Summon such as Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous or Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver are played instead as they do not trigger the opponent’s Retaliating “C”.

The Primite package and Magistus package are also ways to play around the opponent’s Retaliating “C”. The Magistus package could bring out an early Borreload Savage Dragon or Zoroa, the Magistus Victorious Verethragna before activating the Dragontail Spells.

A combo opening with Spoon, the Seal of Magistus and 1 Monster Card is as follow:

  1. Spoon, the Seal of Magistus ① effect, discard itself as cost, add Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame from deck to hand.
  2. Normal Summon Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame.
  3. Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame ① effect, equip Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden from Extra Deck to it.
  4. Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame ② effect, Special Summon Spoon, the Seal of Magistus from the graveyard.
  5. Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame + Spoon, the Seal of Magistus → Borreload Savage Dragon.
  6. Borreload Savage Dragon ① effect, equip Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden from graveyard to it, place 1 Borrel Counter on it.
  7. Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden ② effect, add Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus from deck to hand.
  8. Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus ① effect, Special Summon itself from hand.
  9. Spoon, the Seal of Magistus ② effect, banish itself from graveyard as cost, equip Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame from graveyard to Borreload Savage Dragon.
  10. Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden (in Spell & Trap Zone) + Zoroa, the Magistus of Flame (in Spell & Trap Zone) → Snake-Eyes Doomed Dragon.
  11. Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus → Spirit with Eyes of Blue.
  12. Spirit with Eyes of Blue + Snake-Eyes Doomed Dragon → Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres.

During opponent’s turn,

  1. Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres ① effect, tribute itself as cost, return 1 face-up card on the field to hand.
  2. Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres ② effect, Special Summon Dragontail Mulr from deck.
  3. Dragontail Mulr ① effect, Dragontail Mulr (on field) + Monster Card (in hand) → Dragontail Altharion.
  4. Chain 2: Dragontail Mulr ② effect, Set Rahu Dragontail from deck to Spell & Trap Zone, then negate the effects of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls.
  5. Chain 1: Dragontail Altharion ① effect, return Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus from graveyard to hand.
  6. Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus ① effect, Special Summon itself from hand.
  7. Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus ② effect, Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus + Dragontail Altharion → Zoroa, the Magistus Victorious Verethragna.

The above combo is for if you opened with no Dragontail cards. If you have Dragontail Lucias you could Normal Summon it instead, and use Spoon, the Seal of Magistus as an extender by adding Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus from deck to hand. Crowley, the Gifted of Magistus would Special Summon itself from hand, and then use itself and Dragontail Lucias to Fusion Summon Aiwass, the Magistus Spell Spirit.

A weakness of the Magistus package is that it plays poorly into Maxx “C” and Mulcharmy Fuwaross.

Shutou Dawang (熟透大王) went 8-1-2 and finished 7 – 12th in “China Mainland WCQ 2025 Wuhan” which had 420 participants.

Maliss

Spell Card “Monster Reborn” is a great extender for Maliss as it could be played while under the opponent’s Artifact Lancea.

Spell Card “Monster Reborn” could also be a disruption. When the opponent activates K9 – #ØØ Lupus ① effect, Spell Card “Monster Reborn” could be chained to it, to Special Summon the opponent’s K9 – #ØØ Lupus and thus prevent the opponent from making an Xyz Summon on your turn.

In the Maliss mirror match, if the opponent used Artifact Lancea on your turn, Spell Card “Monster Reborn” could be used to Special Summon the opponent’s Artifact Lancea. The monster Special Summoned by Spell Card “Monster Reborn” cannot activate its effect for the rest of this turn, but it can activate its effect on the next turn, giving the opponent a taste of their own Artifact Lancea.

Kasugano Sora (春日野穹) went 8-2 and finished 13 – 24th in “China Mainland WCQ 2025 Wuhan” which had 420 participants.

K9

Imperial Princess Quinquery in the Extra Deck provides K9 with a way to play through the opponent’s Droll & Lock Bird.

A possible scenario opening with K9 – #66a Jokull and a Level 5 Monster is as follow:

  1. K9 – #66a Jokull ② effect, Special Summon itself and the Level 5 Monster Card from hand.
  2. K9 – #66a Jokull ③ effect, add K9 – #17 Izuna from deck to hand.
  3. Opponent’s Droll & Lock Bird ① effect, for the rest of this turn, cards cannot be added from either player’s Main Deck to the hand.
  4. Normal Summon K9 – #17 Izuna.
  5. K9 – #17 Izuna ③ effect, send K9 – #ØØ Lupus from deck to graveyard.
  6. K9 – #66a Jokull + Level 5 Monster Card → Imperial Princess Quinquery.
  7. Imperial Princess Quinquery ① effect, detach 1 Xyz Material (K9 – #66a Jokull) as cost, Special Summon K9 – #66a Jokull from graveyard to your field.
  8. K9 – #ØØ Lupus ① effect, Special Summon itself from graveyard.
  9. K9 – #17 Izuna + K9 – #66a Jokull + K9 – #ØØ Lupus → Number 67: Pair-a-Dice Smasher.
  10. Number 67: Pair-a-Dice Smasher ① effect, detach 2 Xyz Materials (K9 – #17 Izuna and K9 – #66a Jokull) as cost, each player rolls a six-sided die twice. The player with the higher total cannot activate monster effects or declare an attack, until the end of the next turn.

Keeping K9 – #ØØ Lupus as Xyz Material under Number 67: Pair-a-Dice Smasher makes it untargetable by opponent’s card effects, and also enables Number 67: Pair-a-Dice Smasher ② effect to treat one of dice roll results as 7.

Nuttapol Kitsatit finished 2nd in “Thai Festival Series Songkran 2025” which had 156 participants.

Conclusion

The biggest tournament in Taiwan “Spring Duel Festival 2025” is back with 1200 participants. Watch the live-steam on KonamiAsia YouTube channel: Yu-Gi-Oh! Spring Duel Festival 2025 遊戲王春季決鬥慶典2025.

Asia WCQ 2025 Regional Qualifier kicks off with Indonesia.

Duelist’s Advance is not allowed in both of these tournaments.

  • 2025-04-26  | Spring Duel Festival 2025
  • 2025-04-26/27 | Asia WCQ 2025 Indonesia

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References

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