"Left Wing VS. Right Wing"
(Duelist Ascention: Article #2)
-Brian Sloan
In the game of Yu-Gi-Oh!, there are several types of players that can be categorized, much like politicians. In the olden days of the metagame, such play styles were either non-existent or went unnoticed by players of most calibers. The game has since evolved, and with it, the players have as well.
Have you ever thought back to when everyone and their grandma was using cards like Raigeki, Harpie's Feather Duster, Imperial Order, etc.? Ever miss them? You probably don't. The old Traditional Format meta was so stale and boring. With nearly every single player using a carbon-copy of the latest tournament winner's deck, it was much too hard to truly enjoy the game of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Today, however, is not so much the case. Having experienced three ban lists since October 2004, we now have a thriving community of deck builders and players that make the metagame much more interesting and enjoyable. With that said, we can get to the point.
As I previously mentioned there is a spectrum in Yu-Gi-Oh! that contains all forms of playing style that can be compared to the political spectrum of liberal to conservative, the two most basic ends of the spectrum.
Liberal (left-wing):
This is the type of player that tends to over-extend the playing field. Often done as a show of power or intimidation, this player lays out his/her entire hand at times, hoping to trick opponents into thinking too much, or to lure them into a trap that could bring about the end of the game. Unfortunately, this over-extension often leads to this player's downfall as his/her opponent may be able to ruin the player's plans with 1 to 3 cards. With the player nearly top-decking, he/she is almost destined for defeat.
Conservative (right-wing):
This is the type of player that plays only one or two cards per turn in order to maintain hand advantage over the opponent. With plenty of cards at hand, the player seems to keep his/her cool and have an answer ready, only not on the field. The downside to this strategy involves field presence. Through keeping so many cards in his/her hand, the player falls victim to opponents that quickly swarm the field. With little defensive options, the player will most often lose in this situation.
In politics, there is also what is referred to as "middle of the road". Politically speaking, it is at times a very akward position to have, but in Yu-Gi-Oh!, it's the best "road" to take. Being able to discern when it is best to flood the field with monsters versus holding back and saving what you have for later is an invaluable asset that all great players should possess. The idea is, rather than nestling into either end of the spectrum, to find a place between the downfalls of either end.
Liberal/1....2....3....4....5....6....7....8....9....10/Conservative
According to the chart, the target area to shoot for to attain a good balance is between 3.5 and 6.5 (..4....5....6..). Unfortunately, there is no real way to calculate a player's placement in the spectrum through any formulas. It's up to each individual player to figure out where they are and where they want/need to be. A simple, and rather rough, way to locate position is to figure how, out of ten or so situations, you would play out your hand.
Example: Out of ten situations, I choose to extend myself 3 times, and to keep my hand 7 times. For a rough estimate of my spectrum placement, I would probably take the difference of the two (4), then add/subtract from the end of the spectrum where I had the larger number, which in my case was Conservative. This gives me a placement of roughly 6.
Example: Out of ten situations, I choose to extend myself 6 times, and to keep my hand 4 times. Now I take the difference of 2, and add up from 1 (Liberal). My placement is roughly 3.
In the case of 5 and 5, your placement would automatically be 5; ignore the add/subtract aspect.
Once you've found your placement, make any necessary adjustments you need to find your projected goal of 3.5 to 6.5, then adapt it to the metagame in which you will be playing in. What exactly is the point of this? Not only will you know your own playing style that much better, but you'll be able to gauge your opponent's as well. In a tournament setting, you will be able to know how to counter the opponent's every move and how to take full advantage of every mistake they possibly make.
Go ahead; try it out. Let me know if this information is helpful or concurrent with what you already know.
-Brian Sloan
(Duelist Ascention: Article #2)
-Brian Sloan
In the game of Yu-Gi-Oh!, there are several types of players that can be categorized, much like politicians. In the olden days of the metagame, such play styles were either non-existent or went unnoticed by players of most calibers. The game has since evolved, and with it, the players have as well.
Have you ever thought back to when everyone and their grandma was using cards like Raigeki, Harpie's Feather Duster, Imperial Order, etc.? Ever miss them? You probably don't. The old Traditional Format meta was so stale and boring. With nearly every single player using a carbon-copy of the latest tournament winner's deck, it was much too hard to truly enjoy the game of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Today, however, is not so much the case. Having experienced three ban lists since October 2004, we now have a thriving community of deck builders and players that make the metagame much more interesting and enjoyable. With that said, we can get to the point.
As I previously mentioned there is a spectrum in Yu-Gi-Oh! that contains all forms of playing style that can be compared to the political spectrum of liberal to conservative, the two most basic ends of the spectrum.
Liberal (left-wing):
This is the type of player that tends to over-extend the playing field. Often done as a show of power or intimidation, this player lays out his/her entire hand at times, hoping to trick opponents into thinking too much, or to lure them into a trap that could bring about the end of the game. Unfortunately, this over-extension often leads to this player's downfall as his/her opponent may be able to ruin the player's plans with 1 to 3 cards. With the player nearly top-decking, he/she is almost destined for defeat.
Conservative (right-wing):
This is the type of player that plays only one or two cards per turn in order to maintain hand advantage over the opponent. With plenty of cards at hand, the player seems to keep his/her cool and have an answer ready, only not on the field. The downside to this strategy involves field presence. Through keeping so many cards in his/her hand, the player falls victim to opponents that quickly swarm the field. With little defensive options, the player will most often lose in this situation.
In politics, there is also what is referred to as "middle of the road". Politically speaking, it is at times a very akward position to have, but in Yu-Gi-Oh!, it's the best "road" to take. Being able to discern when it is best to flood the field with monsters versus holding back and saving what you have for later is an invaluable asset that all great players should possess. The idea is, rather than nestling into either end of the spectrum, to find a place between the downfalls of either end.
Liberal/1....2....3....4....5....6....7....8....9....10/Conservative
According to the chart, the target area to shoot for to attain a good balance is between 3.5 and 6.5 (..4....5....6..). Unfortunately, there is no real way to calculate a player's placement in the spectrum through any formulas. It's up to each individual player to figure out where they are and where they want/need to be. A simple, and rather rough, way to locate position is to figure how, out of ten or so situations, you would play out your hand.
Example: Out of ten situations, I choose to extend myself 3 times, and to keep my hand 7 times. For a rough estimate of my spectrum placement, I would probably take the difference of the two (4), then add/subtract from the end of the spectrum where I had the larger number, which in my case was Conservative. This gives me a placement of roughly 6.
Example: Out of ten situations, I choose to extend myself 6 times, and to keep my hand 4 times. Now I take the difference of 2, and add up from 1 (Liberal). My placement is roughly 3.
In the case of 5 and 5, your placement would automatically be 5; ignore the add/subtract aspect.
Once you've found your placement, make any necessary adjustments you need to find your projected goal of 3.5 to 6.5, then adapt it to the metagame in which you will be playing in. What exactly is the point of this? Not only will you know your own playing style that much better, but you'll be able to gauge your opponent's as well. In a tournament setting, you will be able to know how to counter the opponent's every move and how to take full advantage of every mistake they possibly make.
Go ahead; try it out. Let me know if this information is helpful or concurrent with what you already know.
-Brian Sloan
