[guruofunk]

Hey, everyone, Slifer.13 here...I've seen a lot of Decks around different sites in my days playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG; some of them were good, some were bad, and honestly, some were horrendous. So, bearing that in mind, I felt the need to post a couple guidelines for those looking to make a good Deck to use.


1. Follow your Format.

I think by now we're all aware of what the Forbidden/Limited List is, aren't we? Good, moving on. There technically is only 1 List, but given that there are 2 Formats you can build a Deck by -- Traditional and Advanced -- there are some things to keep in mind.

First of all, when you're going by the Advanced Format, not every card will be allowed, making some Decktypes or combos obselete. Sorry, but this does, in fact, mean that nowadays, you can no longer pull off Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End + Sangan + Yata Garasu = win. Why is this? Yata has long since been put on the Forbidden List, and so has Chaos Emperor Dragon.

Second, Traditional Format uses the same Forbidden/Limited List as Advanced, with one key exception -- any card that was Forbidden in Advanced Format becomes Limited in Traditional. This means you can pull off that Chaos Emperor Dragon combo, but good luck finding many Traditional Format tournaments. For this reason, Traditional Format Decks are more to be built for fun, while Advanced Format Decks are for the serious competitor.


2. Foundation, Foundation, Foundation.

Every Deck must have something to build off of, something to center around. This is why before anything else, you decide what kind of Deck you want to have. There really are a multitude of types to choose from.

You could have it based on one Monster-Type (Spellcaster, Dragon, Zombie, etc.), an Attribute (FIRE, WATER, DARK, LIGHT, EARTH, or WIND), a specific monster or monster group (Dark Magician, Harpie Lady, Vehicroids, Elemental Heros, Destiny Heros, etc.), or even a type of effect (S/T removal, remove-from-play, search, Flip Effects, etc.).

That's just the tip of the iceberg, too, because there really are so many things to base a Deck on.


3. Create your Deck.

This is the most important part of the entire process of Deckbuilding -- the actual building of the Deck you'll be using, hopefully long-term.

Now, over the years, Kazuki Takahashi's original creation has grown into an expensive Trading Card Game, and there are literally thousands of cards you could choose from -- some better or worse than others. Individual cards in the Deck could make or break the rest of it, so it's important that you know what's going in your Deck.

There's 3 questions you have to ask yourself when considering any card:

* How well does this card fit into my Deck's theme?
* Does it speed up or slow down my Deck's playability?
* Is there something similar or better I can use instead?

Frankly, those 3 questions could help anyone assemble a Deck, because you have to take every possible outcome of a card being played into consideration. However, if you feel that the card will work well in your Deck and it won't cause any major issues, then I say "go for it." Really, in the end, it's up to the duelist what's in his or her Deck.

There are other things to consider, such as if you're even allowed to have this card in the Deck, if you can have more than 1 and if so, if that would be overkill, etc., etc., but the above 3 questions are perhaps the most important, because before you can decide how many of a card you'll have, you have decide whether it'll be in your Deck at all.

Also, it's important to have your Deck fit your individual style of playing the game, meaning netdecking is not such a good idea. For those who don't know, netdecking basically means looking at someone else's Deck, seeing that it works, and then running off with the idea and making a Deck that's nearly the exact same, card-for-card.

Netdecking usually doesn't work because the Deck copied works for the original Deckbuilder because he or she built it to their own particular style. Using a Deck that puts you out of your dueling element will get you pretty much nowhere. My point: avoid netdecking when possible, be unique.


4. Create a Side Deck, if necessary.

In addition to the Deck of 40 cards minimum that you are required to have for a Duel, you may also have a Side Deck of 15 cards -- no more, no less. The Side Deck acts like a pit crew between individual Duels, allowing you to swap cards from it with those from your Main Deck. Of course, when swapping cards between the Main and Side Decks, the Side Deck must still have exactly 15 cards when you're done exchanging. Just remember to keep that in mind, and also know that a Side Deck is completely optional.


5. Playtest your Deck.

Now that you've created your Deck and you're sure that it has everything you'd need, it's time to get out there and playtest your Deck. This is to see how your new Deck will hold up in the real world against other duelists.

"But what if I lose? Does that mean my new Deck isn't good enough?"

Of course not. If your Deck doesn't hold up, that simply means you might have to replace a card or two, or perhaps you're still just getting used to your new Deck and don't know all the different combos you can use with it. This is why it's important to playtest often enough where you can get used to the structure of your new Deck and know what needs to be added or taken out. It's all part of the creation process, my friends.


Well, I sincerely hope that you've read this article and gained some valuable knowledge. Good luck, and remember, a Deck is the physical manifestation of the duelist who uses it.

[Kaalia]

This works very well for the people who have no idea what they're doing when they build a deck. Too many people are falling into that category nowadays

[breakerboy]

Nicely written. Good for new people with no clue waht there doing.

[cheater]

Nice. This is one of the better how-to-build-a-deck articles. I've seen a few that are vague and really just tell you what to do, and not leave it open for you to decide. I think we all need to stress that netdecking and CCs are what stop this game from being fun. Good article.

[Everybody]

cool advice you got there

[Dark Venom]

very nice article, helped me out

[ss3warrior]

Very Nice Article. Helps me a little too, even though I'm great at building. It should help anybody who is new to the game. Very Nice!

[amt5133]

I would change one thing. ALWAYS build a side deck, but only after tweaking the main so that you have a good idea of your deck's weakness, thereby giving you an idea of what to watch for and plan ahead for, which is what the side deck is for.

[[banned idiot]kai1604]

Ilike the article, but what about sidedecks?

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

Man, haven't checked the article in a while...thanks for feedback, everyone, I'll give responses accordingly...

This works very well for the people who have no idea what they're doing when they build a deck. Too many people are falling into that category nowadays[/b]

Thank you very much. That's pretty much what I aimed to do -- educate the novice masses.

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

Nicely written. Good for new people with no clue waht there doing.[/b]

Thank you.

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

Nice. This is one of the better how-to-build-a-deck articles. I've seen a few that are vague and really just tell you what to do, and not leave it open for you to decide. I think we all need to stress that netdecking and CCs are what stop this game from being fun. Good article.[/b]

Very true, cookie-cutting and netdecking have been the thorn in this game's arse for a long time. I'm glad to know my article's good.

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

cool advice you got there[/b]

Thanks, I do my best.

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

very nice article, helped me out [/b]

Glad to know I helped you out.

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

Very Nice Article. Helps me a little too, even though I'm great at building. It should help anybody who is new to the game. Very Nice![/b]

Thanks very much.

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

I would change one thing. ALWAYS build a side deck, but only after tweaking the main so that you have a good idea of your deck's weakness, thereby giving you an idea of what to watch for and plan ahead for, which is what the side deck is for.[/b]

This is true, and I'm not saying that no one should build a Side Deck, but I want the readers to keep in mind that while a Side Deck is always a good idea to build, it's not legally required to duel. However, I would always recommend Side Decks for beginners or those new to Deckbuilding.

[CyberDestroyer]

I should print this and give it to all the people that try to build a good deck but they mess it up. Hey Super Trooper we should give this to Rush!!

[Starforce]

where would I go if I needed help MAJOR time building a Deck?

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

I should print this and give it to all the people that try to build a good deck but they mess it up. Hey Super Trooper we should give this to Rush!![/b]

Glad to know I helped you out.

[Hazel Eyes White Daniel]

where would I go if I needed help MAJOR time building a Deck?[/b]

Well, I figured this would always be a good foundation to start from. Of course, the Deck has to be unique to the player that builds it, so to each his own, I suppose.