nice video josh. just wanted to push back at 17:09 - i’ve been playing branded for about ten years now and i can honestly say i doesn’t lose to ash. maybe the branded players at your local aren’t very good but i’m able to make mirrorjade puppet brigrand apollousa through ash belle droll with 100% consistency
A friend of mine plays Branded constantly and he always preaches how Branded Fusion doesn't even matter and he is right, he just uses it to bait Ash and that's it. If it goes through, it's amazing though of course, just unnecessary.
man the chat in this is so rough. an interesting discussion and analysis is taking place and they're like "wtf are we talking about" or "how does this connect to yugioh" or "I hate yugioh discussions" like...maybe listening to the actual analysis and conversation being had instead of chatting will teach you something?? 💀
mbt is dogwater at the game and soley relies on regurgitating information from his friends and community with total confidence, even when the shit he says is completely false
@@monoshima6424 youre the kind of people were talking about. Hows about actually listening to the conversation and tried to add to it instead of " I hate this guy. Hes cringe so he must be wrong and dumb".
I like the dichotomy between Josh and his Twitch chat. Josh is just so patient and analyzes meticously every resource he can so that he can get exponentially at the game he loves and then there is Twitch Chat... what can I say that can't already garnered from the word dichotomy.
That's why I love Josh's stream and videos so much. He's very understanding and patient and goes in depth with his discussion calmly. You rarely get that serenity both on and offline
Nothing can top him reciting the lullaby of obedience incident at the YCS though. He was playing snake-eye in a 3v3 and his opponent lullaby'd him for his ash, and he was like " *gasp* snake-eye ash!?" where his opponent clarified "no no, ash _blossom_ ". Joseph's teammates were about to explain to him the combo they'll use with his ash, but he said "Don't worry, I got this. I don't have any ash blossom in my deck." and his opponent's teammates just looked at him like he was a little nuts. Technically he was playing ash, but he sided it out for that game 2.
There's always those moments where it could've been super effective. Hindsight is 2020. Usually you won't have the ash in those moments anyway. Also, I made a new version of a deck I was playing and forgot to put ash in there. I did perfectly fine without her and when I noticed I was like wth. No wonder I never drew one in a week😂
@@258thHiGuy why not? Worst case you just find out that the supposed truths that you're challenging, are actually just true. And you continue on with your life.
I think vanquish soul is a really good example of what he's talking about, because fundamentally, if you want the most value out of non-engine in that deck, you want to cover the main 3 attributes (fire, earth, and dark) so a hand trap like nib or droll might garner a second thought because they arent those attributes.
as a Vanquish Soul enjoyer, Nib isn't in the list very often entirely because of Fenrir being the deck's #1 crutch, though Droll isn't around entirely because of the attribute issue
There was one time back in halq don format with triple crossout designator where I removed maxx "c" because all the halq decks were running a shit ton of counters and it actually improved my win rate.
1:49 more like don't get too attached to what you think are great ideas and mitigate tunnel vision, it can be hard to let go of a bad idea or admit it's bad lol
I think something worth considering is how an abundance of main deck non-engine has resulted in a fair few games devolving into setting a CBTG and Imperm with Ash in hand because you just didn’t draw any starters. Low impact hand traps suddenly become massively high impact when your opponent absolutely needs the Diabelstar to resolve for them to actually play the game.
Game of Thrones is not really what "murder your darlings" is about. It's not about killing your characters as part of the story, it's about eliminating them before the story is even published. The gist is that you should remove useless characters and events from your writing as much as possible, even if you really like them on a personal level. If they serve no purpose to the story, they should not be there.
While you're correct in your explanation, I don't think Josh meant to say that GoT fits the concept. Pretty sure he meant it as a joke because important characters die all the time in GoT
Yes and no. It can refer to both. The concept is about being willing to look past your own emotional connection to elements of your work to do what's best for the work as a whole. This can be cutting things from a story before it's published, but it can also be willing to remove or change things in an ongoing story even if you really like them. Sort of the opposite of plot armor, instead of always conveniently making your favorite character survive or win in any situation just because you want them to, being willing to consider outcomes where they don't win or even killing them off, if it's better for the story.
@@phiefer3 it does not refer to both, it just means to remove elements that the writer is attached to but which do not serve the story. The appropriateness of plot armour depends on genre.
Alternatively, this could also mean to repeatedly revise your characters until they serve a greater purpose. You'd still be killing their previous iteration. Either way: its a very difficult process, especially if you're emotionally attached to a character you've written. An immediate example that comes to mind is Conker from Conker's Bad Fur Day. He basically started as a kid friendly mascot character similar to Banjo from Banjo & Kazooie.
@@w4t894thwl3rThe quote wasn't made with Yugioh deck construction in mind either, doesn't mean that it's not an applicable concept. At its core, the quote is about not allowing personal opinion, attachment, or preconceptions cloud your objective reasoning about the inclusion of something. Whether this takes the form of cutting something out entirely, redesigning it until it does serve a purpose, or keeping it around for as long as it makes sense to and then eliminating it once it's purpose is over, they all ways of applying this concept.
Ash blossom is a good card to have in the main deck, because you don't normally know what you will be playing. Games 2 and 3 you immediately take it out for cards for that specific match-up. This format though, you know most of your matches are gonna be Snake-eyes in one way or another, so you should prepare mostly for that
True, but Ash Blossom is good this format. You want to see multiple hand traps, and Ash Blossom is great when combined with other hand traps. If you only have 1 hand trap going second into Snake Eye, you're most likely not stopping them regardless (unless it's Dimension Shifter). And when you're going first, backing up your end board with Ash Blossom is very nice
i’ve been wanting to cut some hand traps because the one for one trades on interactions aren’t as good anymore. hell, we are getting to a point where Nibiru is less and less impactful.
It depends on your deck and what decks are in the format tbh. Nibiru feels good in Unchained for example. Ideally your non-engine inclusions should serve a greater purpose in your own strategy as well, similar to Pak running Forbidden Droplet in Fire King last format (because Ponix is a free sack since it just returns to your hand). Thats not always feasible, but its nice if you're able to.
Non-engine always fluctuates with how strong it is. Nib has been mandatory in some old formats and useless in others. Same goes with things like Droplet, DRNM, Evenly, etc. You absolutely needed DRNM in SHS format, whereas in tier 0 Ishizu Tear format you’d get laughed at for bringing it. Hell Soul Release is seeing play nowadays because it turns off Fire Kings and that card is beyond ancient. It’s not that Nib isn’t a good card, it just isn’t good against the current best deck. It was fantastic in Kashtira format since it forced a 50:50 of playing into Nib and ending on Shang+Ariseheart+Fenrir or playing around Nib and making a 3 mat Ariseheart that lost to any sort of removal like Book, Raigeki, Lightning Storm, or even garbage like Fissure and Smashing Ground if you felt like playing that.
This topic had me thinking about when I started playing MD and the sheer difference in game knowledge. Right now I am thinking about the critical mass of handtraps vs boardbreakers vs engine benefits within a given format When I first started my plan vs VW, drytron, tri was "I hope I win coin toss"
One of my favorite things to fit into my decks is unexpected extra deck options facilitated by hand traps being normal summoned usually Ash but sometimes Veiler. Even in RDA I like using Skull Meister strictly because it's a fiend and that's important to the decks synergy.
Seeing the "pure" builds of Snake-Eyes basically be a disgusting mess of hand traps(and in MD this is exacerbated by Maxx "C" allowing you to draw into those even more readily) made me start evaluating how necessary those things are and if they're worth dropping in MD if I choose to focus on side engines and/or board breakers. And the answer I found was "yes". No "C", no Ash, just Droplet and the Sinful Spoils package is enough with whatever side engines I choose to mess around with on ladder. For going second builds I don't like hand traps too much as it is because my strategy there is usually to punish overextending, and even Nibiru isn't good enough at doing that right now, otherwise I'd still be playing it probably. It's better to just steal an Apollousa or stuff it in their backrow than be left with a useless rock in hand that triggered a TTT proc that cost me a starter. And for "going first"(where you still need to run SOME ways to stop an opponent from getting in your way if you lose the coin flip), I'm finding certain Spell/Trap options better at being turn neutral than the monster focused hand traps(or TTT bait as they're starting to feel like during the opponent's turn). And Silvera just feels loads better to work with than Infinite Impermanence at the moment whenever I'm on the Sinful Spoils package, using one copy of it as a discard outlet to set the other safely is also pretty hilarious.
I feel like deck loyalists/OTPs already approach deckbuilding with this mindset, as we're used to analyzing every individual card and how it slots into that strategy specifically; as such you tend to look at cards differently at a Macro/Micro level, and usually you have to do that every single format as the requirements for tech slots and what they need to deliver shift frequently.
Here's why you play ash in runick: if they ash your fountain you normal summon ash, link ash and hugin into Hiita, use hiita to steal their ash to make princess, use princess to reborn a fire to make whale.
One thing about Maxx C is that even though it gets negated 60% of the time, that's a negate that would be used on engine otherwise. And when it resolves, I win the duel. So regardless of what happens, it's a net positive.
This remind me when i look at Upstart Goblin for the first time after I know the game, it sounds good, it is really good, but at the end of the day you don't play it anyway
While the Analogy isn't perfect this is a very important topic for getting better at games or anything in general. You have to turn off the autopilot that answers the "easy" questions for you. Its easy to put 40 good cards in a deck but its hard to put the right 40 good cards in your deck. Sometimes you got to cut an extra line in favor of handtraps, sometimes you gotta cut handtraps and play going 2nd staples. Often the right choice will feel unintuitive and run counter to your comfort playstyle.
When I played fur hire runick I had about 6ish spots and I played hand traps, 2 ofs. The idea was that I would be drawing hella, I would simplify game state with runick and then swing for game when 1 or 2 hand traps were enough to crate the opening. I didn’t want the same hand trap in the hand.
My deck is far removed from being competitive, but I like the fact that I use ash blossom in it for nearly every aspect of the card. It being a tuner lets me get into synchros as an option if I'm in a position where I need a backup tuner. It being zombie type gives me a banish resource for my deck when it's in grave. At that point, the card is suitably multipurpose in my deck, so I make use of it.
A little unrelated but it's funny how he mentioned Runick Generaider playing 3 non engine only as i play like or 9 lmao. Then again i only play locals so i guess there's a different format so to speak.
Last time I played Ash blossom, I normal summoned her in attack mode and went to battle phase, then I attacked into a high attack beatstick and during the damage step I activated T A.I. Strike and won the duel from the resulting interactions burn effect
I have been advising ppl to do that a lot. And in a recent tourment in my locals I kinda lose to a Ash because I presumed the guy as someone decent wouldnt play it (he was playing SWS, with my own experience with the deck, generally plays a fair ammount of handtraps, but also plays more than 40), so when he said the ammount of handtraps after the match because I asked out of curiosity of why he was playing Ash I said it maked sense, since he playing 12 handtraps in a 40 card deck. I wouldnt consider Ash in 12, but I agree that 12 is the bare minimum where it makes sense.
Tl;dr: there are ton of factors in deck building outside of what is currently the meta Another thing to consider is also the environment in which you play. Like in my locals we have 1 guy who consistantly plays meta and 15 others that have pet decks or play low tier. Ash is pretty good there as many of the decks i fight ash and nib are extremely strong because the necessity of tutoring and how infrequently they get a negate on 5th summon and even then they have ways to still extent because our meta allows it.
As much as I love Yugioh discussions and these videos, it would impact more if the format wasn’t “pay $1200 or don’t play”. It’s hard for me to take anything from this when I can’t even play at all.
to be fair, this has quite nothing to do with the format itself, the discussion is directed towards general thought process and biases that can hinder your deckbuilding, regardless of the format, and the parts that focus on the current format serve as examples to/applications of that more general discussion
I don't want to play the best deck in the meta because I can't stand mirror matches. From a competitive viewpoint, I've got a lifetime of evaluation of my performance in mirror matches across various games and genres, my mentality as a competitive gamer is better suited for asymmetric matchups, both from a skill/decisionmaking perspective as well as better resistance to psychological elements like going on tilt/general frustration.
This has been a gameplan I have tried experimenting with. I used to hate Ash and Maxx C due to it seemingly always being in my opponents hand during my turn. There have been so many times where I play either casual or meta decks and sometimes I do open hands where I would much rather not see Maxx or Ash. Sometimes I wished I had more board breakers or equalizers or even just a simple stun! Every time I show a list to someone they immediately point out a single ash or Maxx c and criticize that I need to put the up to 3 even if I'm running 2 called by and a Crossout. I think some people aren't seeing that those cards are good but not as good when people know how to play around them or are always prepared for them. Now there are times I wish ash and Maxx would be an extender or a different sort of interaction that will catch others off guard. Sometimes it is better to sit on a return to hand eff rather than an ash or a pop rather than a Maxx C. With how people build now to counter Maxx C and playthrough Ash it is a lot better to try different cards because Ash and Maxx C are feeling like "win more" cards rather than "you gotta play them."
I haven't seriously played yugioh in like 3 1/2 years, and I have no idea what runicks even do, but I used to run a madolche deck, I still have it, where I did run ash blossom, but not just because "good card go brrrr" but it had multiple uses. The deck has a weirdly difficult way of getting monsters into the graveyard for effects, like hootcake for example, but hand-traps were a fast and easy way of solving that problem. Cards shouldn't necessarily be run just because they're "good and everyone else uses them, so I should too" especially if they interrupt the flow of the deck.
The whole thing about maxx c in MD, I can relate very well. Decks like tearlament rn are in a weird spot and running the roach honestly doesn’t make too much sense. Sure it might full stop your opp turn, but if it resolves and they take the challenge even a little bit, it could potentially hamper your strategy since you as a tear player want to mill and don’t want to see certain cards in hand. Also milling two maxx c of kit’s 5 is just pain. At best it’s banish fodder for snow.
I only play Ash because it was the only Hand Trap I was able to afford for a long time... Inb4 "budget options" buyouts tend to happen more frequently on cheaper cards, at least from where I am.
This is just like my Ra Sphere Mode. I have screwed so many people with that card yet it is on "Dirt-Tier" every analysis. Because i play the card differently, instead of instantly using it, I do all my Special summons first, and after the opponent has long started interacting with me, THEN, i sphere mode them
Im by no means a competitive player. But when i make a deck, ash and nib are the 1st hand trapa that come to mind when building a deck fron scratch. Im sure im not the onky one. So i stopped play ash years ago because of this. I only play ash now if it has synergy with the deck
Ash is always the first hand trap I question once I start struggling with what non-engine to put in just because generically good often means generically mediocre. The general argument for Ash is 'it always does something' but that isn't always the case; there are decks, such as SHS, in which a singular Ash lets them still end on the exact same endboard, meaning the card did, in fact, nothing.
It's really funny how this popped up as I was condsidering if I cut Ash or drop it to one for Crossout. It feels like Ash is such a double edge sword right now. Her effect is good, but using Ash gives your opponent the out so long as they stick two bodies. When in doubt, make Hiita.
To be fair, outside of Shifter, opening 1 hand trap right now is just putting your opponent on having an extender. And if you open Ash with another hand trap, you're looking good a lot of the time
9:43 The more generically useful a card is, the more this evaluation becomes a comparison to alternatives that might suit your particular deck or strategy better.
Talking about things from another field A youtuber I follow who covers a different game entirely (warframe) recently started a series called "But why though?" where he talks about popular meta choices in *that* game, and breaks down ***why*** people use them. Because it doesn't help you if you only know that "CORROSIVE PROJECTION IS THE BEST AURA" but then when they *nerf* that card after 3 years you suddenly don't know whats good anymore. So it's important to understand ***why*** things are good. Not just that they are.
Unfortunately the theory of “ you gotta play it” is good theory in master duel because unless you play a stun deck or lab deck you’re gonna get killed by Maxx c.
I have this with plunder everyone else would normally play imperm over veiler but I play veiler over imperm because if I draw imperm off blackbeard or bluebeard on your turn I can't use it but can use veiler
Max c should b played as an interuption bait so u eat up something of your opp so u have higher chance of your engine resolving ash gets eatin and called by secures me not having to worry bout max c on my turn..... if it resolves great thsts just a hige win fot the turn
Josh if you are a playing a deck that can go first or second but only consistently had room for 6 handtraps against the current meta what would you play? (Also can't play d shifter)
I had the same thought about Maxx "C" in MD, it's not always resolving because people are playing outs to it and you can be punished by getting hand ripped via TTTalents (so, probably no starters, 2 less cards in hand and your opp knows about your hand), so I often thought that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, I should't play it and instead play other staples (as I would have 4 extra slots) but never had the push to not play it, sometimes cutting it to 2 to play other things (despite it being "wrong", I HATE to draw Maxx "C" out of another one, and it happened a lot more that I would like to admit, and this is another reason I don't want to play it, because when it does resolves and my opps ignores it, I draw like trash).
All I’m saying bro is that while ash on brafusion is huge, if they have 4 other gas cards in hand it doesn’t even matter. Branded chimera actually uses brafu as ash bait to insulate chimera stuff. Obviously if branded has brafu and 4 hand traps they’re gonna pass turn if you ash them, but when people play 60 card lore pile with a million ways to fusion summon, ash can sometimes do nothing by itself.
It's still matter because Ash job is not like Maxx C or Droll It simply reduce the ceiling of your opponent play. It's only a problem in current format because of Hiita.
16:16 Can relate... I stop playing Maxx"C", n replace it with Triple Tactics or Evenly cz almost 70% my Maxx"C" didnt resolved cz negated by ash/ crossout/ called by/ gamma/ even droll after draw 1, etc...
If your deck dies to a single ash, it’s not good enough to be played these days. But because of that, playing ash doesn’t make sense if it’s such a low impact card against a bunch of decks that are only slightly hurt from it. Imagine if you saw an engine card instead or a board breaker that helps you. I think after fire decks get merked on the bankist, hand traps will instantly be useless again like they were before the fire decks.
I'm someone who mostly plays MTG and has started dipping his toes into Edison but still enjoys watching YGO content because I like the personalities of a lot of the creators and enjoy limited and dear lord that experience really hasn't beaten MBT's (half joking) allegation that Yugioh players are some of the dumbest mfers alive.
I might just be talking crazy but the Fire format feels like its slowing the game down from what it felt like before. Like having such a handtrap heavy meta made me think, actual traps are being played more and more than I really remember recently. Magic Deflector, Summon Limit, Anti-Spell, D.D. Ground, Judgment, Imperm, Black Goat, and Evenly. The game is so easily able to go into such a grind that hand traps arent having as big of an impact as they would in past formats.
No wonder yugioh has a new players problem. Old player seems allergic to theory crafting outside the established norm which new player tend to bring when starting yugioh.
"Kill your darlings" is extremely relevant to ygo because most players have pet cards or pet decks that they play that either aren't good, are bricks, or don't do much. Essentially if you just want to win, just play cards that do things, not because you're attached to them.
I know I've been taking Ash Blossom out of my decks as of late, purely because of how much it benefits fire decks. If they want to go into Promethian Princess, they have to use all of their own materials.
I play rogue and experimental decks and almost never have included ash blossom in my builds because she hardly ever serves the point of my strats. Ash blossom overrated and stale
