Every 6 months, the internet rumor mills are in full swing regarding the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/CCG Advanced Format legal lists. Now that the list is official, let's take a look at what we can expect from the new Forbidden and Limited Lists.
Here are the confirmed new changes to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Format Forbidden and Limited Lists:
The Forbidden List (not allowed in decks and side decks):
- Monsters:
- Substitoad
- Rescue Cat
Spells:
- Heavy Storm
- Brain Control
The Limited List (one copy of each card total between decks and side decks):
Spells:
- Monster Reborn
- Dark Hole
- Black Whirlwind
- Infernity Launcher
Traps:
- Royal Oppression
So what does these changes mean for the format? In the last article, Kidzworld learned about the top decks in the previous format from the eyes of one of the top players on the Shounen Jump Championships circuit. Most of the time, the list has a drastic impact on these top decks. This list is no exception.
The Forbidden List
Substitoad
Substitoad
Frog FTK decks will become a thing of the past without the use of this card. Substitoad is one of the components to the FTK combo, as it allowed special summoning from the deck. It also helped buy time for a slow starting Frog deck to set up a one turn finish.
Rescue Cat
Many had speculated that Rescue Cat was going to hit the previous list. With the advent of X-Saber decks, Rescue finally has a reason to go from the Limited List to the Forbidden List. Between both Gladiator Beast and X-Saber Archetypes, expect to see a small drop in both of these decks. Gladiator Beasts no longer have the speed to summon 2 copies of Samnite, or the special summon the Gladiator Beast of their choice (Samnite and Test Tiger from Rescue Cat, then using Test Tiger's special ability). Expect a much smaller drop in X-Saber builds though, as X-Saber can still play relatively well without it. The deck will also lose speed, but the control elements of the X-Saber deck will work fine without Rescue Cat.
Heavy Storm & Brain Control
Many of the top players have been complaining about getting "sacked" for ages. Brain Control and Heavy Storm have been two cards that have set up a player's chance to win the game since they first appeared in their debut sets. Heavy Storm established an instant advantage in cards, using 1 to eliminate more than 1 card: a disadvantage on the receiving end that is difficult to come back from. There are very few answers for Brain Control to stop the player using it from winning the game either. Both of these cards were long overdue for the Forbidden List.
The Limited List
Royal Oppression
Royal Oppression
Look for a small drop in the success of the Blackwing Archetype. The archetype's strength relied heavily on being able to control your opponent's ability to special summon monsters. 2 copies of Royal Oppression was the key to stopping Synchro Summons, as the increased chance of having one of these cards means it's easier to control the game. With Royal Oppression now limited, expect Blackwing decks to have a much more difficult time dealing with special summoning as they mathematically will have a harder time to get the card into play. My personal opinion, however, is that it's appearance on the Limited List is mostly to control anti-meta decks from being too powerful with the loss of Heavy Storm.
Black Whirlwind
Similarly to Royal Oppression, the Blackwing Archetype loses another one of it's key features: the ability to be faster than other decks through searching. Many players would have expected this though, as many of the "search" style cards have become Limited in the past. With only 1 copy of Black Whirlwind, Blackwing players will find their decks significantly slower. Black Whirlwind's ability to add Blackwing monsters to a player's hand created many opportunities to special summon multiple monsters, and multiple copies of Black Whirlwind stacked effects as well.
Infernity Launcher
As it's name suggests, adding Infernity Launcher to the Limited List has absolutely destroyed the Infernity Archetype. Without Launcher, the deck has lost it's one turn win ability. Limiting this one card will cause a significant drop in the success of the Infernity decks.
Monster Reborn & Dark Hole
Returning to the game for the first time in a long time are Monster Reborn & Dark Hole, both of which were first placed on the Forbidden List specifically because of combinations with other cards. With the remained of those cards now remaining on the Forbidden List, expect every competitive deck to have both Dark Hole and Monster Reborn in their builds. Dark Hole can easily clear the field of monsters to set up the victory, whereas Monster Reborn can bring back a powerful monster to regain a lost advantage in any game or win the game with significant attack power.
The changes to the Advanced Format Forbidden and Limited lists are sure to shake up the format as we know it, as well as give rise to many new strategies and new deck types. Next time, Kidzworld will look at the changes to the Advanced Format's Semi-Limited and Unlimited Lists!
Anthony Ngo TCG Writer
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