As new Yugioh players begin to get a better feel for the game they start making better decks, they learn all the rules and at least most of important rulings. They become capable of winning consistently against most of the weaker players and can be competitive against players of their level. It is typically about at this time that these players start to get a feel for who are the top players lurking around in the shadows. The player at this point decides he/she is probably good enough to give those players a run for their money, but when it comes time to challenge them, even though the player's deck may be built just as well, and even though the player knows all the basic rules and strategies, he/she still ends up losing most of his/her matches against the best of the best. Maybe not all, but most. Why is this? Is the player simply unlucky, or is there something that these top players have that this player still doesn't have. Today, I will be discussing the 3 things I find to be most important when it comes to winning a duel.
#3. It's like he knows everything I know!
The biggest mistake that you can make when you challenge a strong player is to bring a good deck that hasn't been modified in any way. This is called a "cookie cutter" deck, and there is a good reason for why this puts you at an immediate disadvantage. All of the best players know at least 90% of the cards and strategies in all or most of the strongest decks in the meta. If you've ever set a card and had your opponent predict exactly what it was, you probably know what I'm talking about. Therefore, this 1st section is dedicated to how you can keep a pro duelist on his/her toes.
A. Don't use a cookie cutter deck. When making a deck, you can start from a cookie cutter deck if you want, but after that modify it. Add some surprises. Change at least 10-20% of it (4-8 cards). That will insure that after your 1st move your opponent does not know every card in your deck.
B. Utilize your side deck! Along with siding in cards to defend against decks that devastate your deck-type, also consider siding in cards that can make slight changes to your strategy so that after duel #1 your opponent can be expecting 1 thing while you are ready with something different.
C. Pay attention to articles and decks posted by good players. Get a feel for what the top decks are, and you yourself need to start memorizing the strategies and specific cards utilized in those decks so that YOU can start analyzing your opponent's hand and field based on how your opponent is playing.
#2. OMG, he totally got me!
The golden rule of Yugioh playing is that if you think your opponent may be leading you into a trap, make up a backup plan and then set off the trap. While this doesn't mean being wildly aggressive to a fault, it does mean that just because your opponent sets a card in his/her back row, it is not necessarily going to be Mirror Force or Torrential Tribute. This section is dedicated to the art of the bluff!
A. The best way to detect a bluff is to play the numbers game. Hopefully, you know what deck-type your opponent is playing. Next, be sure to check your opponent's grave. See what cards cannot be on the field, and which ones are not likely to be on the field. If he has 2 copies of Bottomless Trap Hole in his graveyard and he still has 20 cards left in his deck, it is probably safe to assume that you can summon that Snipe Hunter without setting off another Bottomless Trap Hole.
B. Who has the card advantage? If you have the card advantage, then it should be safe most of the time to walk into a trap since simplifying the position while you have an advantage is typically a good thing. It gives the opponent less options to defend with. If your opponent has the card advantage, things become more complicated. Now you have to decide whether it is safe to play defensively or if you need to at least attempt an attack. If your opponent is going to beat you whether you attack or don't, then attack. If you think you can hold off your opponent until you have more cards to work with, then you may not want to call the bluff and rather back off and play like the opponent has something that could devastate you.
C. You also need to bluff! In the words of Daniel Negreanu (professional poker player), "Bluffing isn't a science, it's an art." A bluff doesn't mean much if you have no cards on the field, top deck a card, spend 2 minutes thinking about it, and then set it. Any good player is going to realize that had that card been something truly useful you would have played it in 2 seconds. However, when you flip summon Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter and don't get him off the field by the end of your turn, your opponent is going to assume that you have at least 1 copy of Honest in your hand. The point here that I'm trying to make is that if you never bluff, your opponent is always going to know exactly what is on your field. If you can confuse your opponent into not attacking or into attacking at just the right time you can win the duel.
To round out this section, I'm going to refer you to what I consider 1 of the best plays of the April 26 SJC Anaheim. Here is a link to it:
http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/events/sjc/Fmatch_T16.html
What you want to look for is a move by Jeff Jones (who eventually went on to win the entire tournament) Here's is a short quote from the coverage the shows how you make a truly professional bluff:
"Jones drew “Reinforcement of the Army” – only one minute remained in the round, and Jones was in the lead. He activated Reinforcement, searched “Destiny Hero - Defender” from his Deck, shuffled his hand, and Set Stratos! Not the play he had telegraphed to Holloway when he searched Defender."
#3. Okay, that's all well and good, but I just don't know half that stuff yet!
This last section is gonna be short, real short. You now have down all of the theory, but there's still 1 final thing missing. Good old fashioned experience. Just like when testing your deck out, you have to gain experience playing against these good duelists. This doesn't just mean playing some friendly duels with random decks. This means playing matches against them seriously, and competing in tournaments. Playing good players and learning from how they conduct themselves during a duel is the best way to gain the experience necessary to make that final level up.
So just to make a short recap of what we've learned today.
1. Know your opponent's deck and make sure your opponent doesn't know your's.
2. Understand when to call your opponent's bluff and make good bluffs of your own.
3. Get some friggin' experience. XD
Enjoy your duels everyone. =D
#3. It's like he knows everything I know!
The biggest mistake that you can make when you challenge a strong player is to bring a good deck that hasn't been modified in any way. This is called a "cookie cutter" deck, and there is a good reason for why this puts you at an immediate disadvantage. All of the best players know at least 90% of the cards and strategies in all or most of the strongest decks in the meta. If you've ever set a card and had your opponent predict exactly what it was, you probably know what I'm talking about. Therefore, this 1st section is dedicated to how you can keep a pro duelist on his/her toes.
A. Don't use a cookie cutter deck. When making a deck, you can start from a cookie cutter deck if you want, but after that modify it. Add some surprises. Change at least 10-20% of it (4-8 cards). That will insure that after your 1st move your opponent does not know every card in your deck.
B. Utilize your side deck! Along with siding in cards to defend against decks that devastate your deck-type, also consider siding in cards that can make slight changes to your strategy so that after duel #1 your opponent can be expecting 1 thing while you are ready with something different.
C. Pay attention to articles and decks posted by good players. Get a feel for what the top decks are, and you yourself need to start memorizing the strategies and specific cards utilized in those decks so that YOU can start analyzing your opponent's hand and field based on how your opponent is playing.
#2. OMG, he totally got me!
The golden rule of Yugioh playing is that if you think your opponent may be leading you into a trap, make up a backup plan and then set off the trap. While this doesn't mean being wildly aggressive to a fault, it does mean that just because your opponent sets a card in his/her back row, it is not necessarily going to be Mirror Force or Torrential Tribute. This section is dedicated to the art of the bluff!
A. The best way to detect a bluff is to play the numbers game. Hopefully, you know what deck-type your opponent is playing. Next, be sure to check your opponent's grave. See what cards cannot be on the field, and which ones are not likely to be on the field. If he has 2 copies of Bottomless Trap Hole in his graveyard and he still has 20 cards left in his deck, it is probably safe to assume that you can summon that Snipe Hunter without setting off another Bottomless Trap Hole.
B. Who has the card advantage? If you have the card advantage, then it should be safe most of the time to walk into a trap since simplifying the position while you have an advantage is typically a good thing. It gives the opponent less options to defend with. If your opponent has the card advantage, things become more complicated. Now you have to decide whether it is safe to play defensively or if you need to at least attempt an attack. If your opponent is going to beat you whether you attack or don't, then attack. If you think you can hold off your opponent until you have more cards to work with, then you may not want to call the bluff and rather back off and play like the opponent has something that could devastate you.
C. You also need to bluff! In the words of Daniel Negreanu (professional poker player), "Bluffing isn't a science, it's an art." A bluff doesn't mean much if you have no cards on the field, top deck a card, spend 2 minutes thinking about it, and then set it. Any good player is going to realize that had that card been something truly useful you would have played it in 2 seconds. However, when you flip summon Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter and don't get him off the field by the end of your turn, your opponent is going to assume that you have at least 1 copy of Honest in your hand. The point here that I'm trying to make is that if you never bluff, your opponent is always going to know exactly what is on your field. If you can confuse your opponent into not attacking or into attacking at just the right time you can win the duel.
To round out this section, I'm going to refer you to what I consider 1 of the best plays of the April 26 SJC Anaheim. Here is a link to it:
http://www.yugioh-card.com/en/events/sjc/Fmatch_T16.html
What you want to look for is a move by Jeff Jones (who eventually went on to win the entire tournament) Here's is a short quote from the coverage the shows how you make a truly professional bluff:
"Jones drew “Reinforcement of the Army” – only one minute remained in the round, and Jones was in the lead. He activated Reinforcement, searched “Destiny Hero - Defender” from his Deck, shuffled his hand, and Set Stratos! Not the play he had telegraphed to Holloway when he searched Defender."
#3. Okay, that's all well and good, but I just don't know half that stuff yet!
This last section is gonna be short, real short. You now have down all of the theory, but there's still 1 final thing missing. Good old fashioned experience. Just like when testing your deck out, you have to gain experience playing against these good duelists. This doesn't just mean playing some friendly duels with random decks. This means playing matches against them seriously, and competing in tournaments. Playing good players and learning from how they conduct themselves during a duel is the best way to gain the experience necessary to make that final level up.
So just to make a short recap of what we've learned today.
1. Know your opponent's deck and make sure your opponent doesn't know your's.
2. Understand when to call your opponent's bluff and make good bluffs of your own.
3. Get some friggin' experience. XD
Enjoy your duels everyone. =D
