Intro
"Goat Control" refers to the most successful and possibly the best deck of the April 2005 format. It is possible that other decks such as DMoC launch, Ben Kai, and Empty Jar were stronger, or that current knowledge of Giant Trunade and Trap Dustshoot may have changed the format - however, it is generally accepted that those decks could not last eight or more rounds against Goat Control in an SJC. Instead of using combo decks, most of the best players relied on their skills and personal tech to achieve consistent success.
Goat Control's card pool includes The Lost Millenium and the 2005 tins (Blade Knight and Exarion Universe, notably), but excludes Cybernetic Revolution. Although CRV was legal during the last 6-8 weeks of the format, Cyber Dragon drastically and negatively changed the format. Normal summons were a key resource in Goat Control, and Cyber Dragon effectively allowed the user to perform two normal summons. Additionally, 2100 attack dominated the field, specifically Airknight Parshath, Exarion Universe, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and many of the other format's interesting card choices. Cyber Dragon was also one of the best Light monsters printed at the time, which narrowed down individual choices (end rant).
The best aspect of Goat Control was the fact that games almost never ended before four turns, and commonly lasted over ten turns. Over the course of these long, drawn out games, players were forced to make multiple decisions - and simply put, the more decisions a game involves, the more room for error there is. A misplay on turn three can come back and haunt you ten turns later. Because games lasted so long, it gave players the chance to draw "come back" cards such as Pot of Greed, but also, it allowed time for players to draw their unique tech choices. Although many lists use the same 35+ cards, one card differences can change everything. Players could chose to promote more controlling or aggressive end games. They could also "identify" with their region - certain regions of the world were known for being more aggressive than others. Many players grew close to their individual choices, such as Big Shield Gardna, Mystic Swordsman LV2, Ceasefire, and Greenkappa.
Basic Theory
Matches of Goat Control last long periods of time for two reasons: first, special summoning was not common, nor was it safe - and second, players respected power cards such as Snatch Steal and Mirror Force. Special summoning was rare in Yugioh, and only occured in cards like BLS, Chaos Sorceror, Gigantes, Call of the Haunted, and Premature Burial. Chaos Sorceror was rarely used, because Light and Dark counts in Goat Control were often stressed. Gigantes was only used in budget Earth decks.
Many times, it is possible to end games with BLS + Ring of Destruction, or Premature Burial. There are ways to put more damage on the board. However, if the opponent has a reponse, such as Scapegoat, the aggressive player is then subjected to the opponent's own power cards. Over extending, and not being able to kill an opponent, is the easiest way to lose at Goat Control. Because games cannot end quickly, matches of Goat Control are often attrition wars:
1. Card advantage is everything. The more cards you have, the more options you have. You typically want to make the most impactful play, with the least cards possible. This forces the opponent to answer in some way, or they will gradually lose the game. What begins as 1000 damage from a Sangan is a precursor to when a player must use a power card out of desperation.
2. On the surface, Goat Control may seem to be all about one for one advantages, waiting until one player "blinks / misplays" or runs out of cards. Under the surface, Goat Control is about making the correct one for one exchanges (Exarion Universe may trade with DD Assailant, but it is really worth it? Is that a good use of my trampler?). After trading five cards with an opponent, the more skilled player may end up with a plus one. With that one extra option, that player can start making less risky plays, and force an opponent into a corner that they cannot get out of (or, force them to overextend before it is safe to).
3. There are certain times when it is too risky to add any additional cards to the board, for fear of Heavy Storm or Torrential Tribute. At those times, it can be appropriate to "draw go" until both players have six cards in hand. The player who is would have to discard first, without Sinister Serpent, is forced to take action. Losing a card becomes mandatory. So they must set or play a card, and play into their opponent's full hand. Heavy Storm + Tribe Infecting Virus are particularly good to make aggressive pushes through this scenario - but again, that is such a big commitment that the aggressor must end the game on that turn, or have a very controlling board state backed by cards like Jinzo, Balter, TER, and / or Book of Moon.
Simply put, patience and well timed aggression.
One over looked part of Goat Control is how to use life points as a resource, particularly in games where multiple Pot of Greeds or Delinquent Duos are involved. When attrition wars cannot be won, a player may decide it is time to go for the most destructive and damaging plays possible. Cards like Snatch Steal, Ring of Destruction, and BLS are notorious for stealing games. Incrimental damage from Delinquent Duo, Premature Burial, re-uses from Magician of Faith, Dark Balter / Ryu Senshi, and the threat of both players' Ring of Destructions are all very relevant factors. It is the role of the player with the most card advantage to play safely and securely - their life must remain as high as possible, yet their field must remain conservative enough to not get blown out by Heavy Storm. They must also be able to assess the risks and rewards of trying to end the game before their opponent draws their outs, such as BLS. This cat-and-mouse game is part of what makes Goat Control so exciting.
Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, and Delinquent Duo are considered the "trinity" of card advantage. I personally view these cards as healthy for Goat Control - they give one player a distinct advantage over the other, a "gift", given at any random time. Such free card advantage can change the course of a game - a player can draw Graceful Charity into Pot of Greed, and suddenly find themselves no longer the underdog in the match. Reversal of roles, and the ability to assign the roles, is another skilled part of Goat Control (Who's The Beatdown?). Many cards such as Book of Moon and Metamorphosis have different implications throughout the game. Using Book of Moon aggressively, when the player is clearly supposed to be the control player, can lead to a wasted resource and a loss of potential tempo.
After the trinity, other cards that can cause swings in card advantage include Mirror Force, Torrential Tribute, and Heavy Storm. These cards do not explictly say "+1", because the opposing player must play into them first. But through mind games and pressure, a player may be forced into playing into something like Torrential Tribute, because the alternative of not summoning a monster is worse. Because of the "invisible law" of using Torrential as a +1, some players may also force their opponents to use Torrential pre-emptively, and proceed to play BLS / Premature / Call of the Haunted (or set up later plays without fear of Torrential). A player must also be able to recognize when trading away Mirror Force, Torrential Tribute, or Heavy Storm for a one-for-one is appropriate. For example, if my opponent summons a monster and I use Torrential, they may be tempted to make an aggressive push without fear of Torrential. But if I can stop that push with something like Scapegoat or Book of Moon, then I just forced my opponent to play their best cards - to which, I can respond with my own.
In a similar category as Mirror Force, etc, are power cards such as Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, Snatch Steal, and Ring of Destruction. Each of these cards has the unique ability to change board states, set up larger plays, and inflict significant amounts of damage. These card are not often used in the early game, and if they are, they typically do not have much impact. But regardless of that, some cards must be used over time in attrition wars. As games go on longer and more cards are played, you can assess situations like, "My opponent has 15 cards left in their deck, with Airknight Parshath in grave. They have not used either Call of the Haunted or Premature Burial. I am at 3500 life. Setting Scapegoat will not necessarily protect me - I need a better play". Mystical Space Typhoon, Book of Moon, and Dust Tornado are all exceptionally good in breaking up these scenarios. A player who wastes their MST or Book of Moons will find themselves losing in the late game very often.
Aside from trinity and power cards are the support cards - none of them are particularly flashy, but in the hands of a skilled player, these cards can generate incrimental advantage. Examples include Metamorphosis, Scapegoat, Book of Moon, and most monsters, such as Spirit Reaper, Magician of Faith, Tsukuyomi, and Asura Priest. None of these cards can end the game alone, so they are played one by one to build up tempo, advantage, and damage. In proper contexts, these cards can become more powerful than trinity or power cards. It is up to each player to create game states where that statement can become true. To a skilled Goat Control player, every card has the chance to "become" Pot of Greed. Whether it is through bluffs, reads, or setting up board states, the art of extracting advantage in any situation is one of the most difficult and beautiful aspects of Goat Control.
Because Goat Control is played almost entirely online, and there is no real life competitive scene for it, Goat Control lost one of it's most important aspects - tech choices based on region. As I stated previously, many Goat Control lists share the same 35+ cards, and the last few slots are saved for "player preference" or appropriate techs based on the meta. Whether it was Texas, New York, Flordia, Southern or Northern California, each region had their own view on how Goat Control should be played. Traveling out of state to other tournaments often caused a "culture shock". Traveling players could sweep tournaments with unheard of tech and play styles, and likewise, discover that their ideas were outdated, predicted, or simply not as effective. These regional differences led to many different forms of Goat Control. Players were constantly looking for new Light and Dark monsters to use without hurting their ability to play BLS. This led to popular choices such as Gravekeeper Spy, Blade Knight, and Newdoria, but also more obscure choices, such as Greenkapa and Roulette Barrel. Although this level of competition does not exist any more, many of these tech choices were "lost in time", waiting to be rediscovered. The future of Goat Control may lie deeper than just what is posted in the Metagame.
(I take no credit for this article as it wasn't wrote by me. I found it on a old page of Google.)
"Goat Control" refers to the most successful and possibly the best deck of the April 2005 format. It is possible that other decks such as DMoC launch, Ben Kai, and Empty Jar were stronger, or that current knowledge of Giant Trunade and Trap Dustshoot may have changed the format - however, it is generally accepted that those decks could not last eight or more rounds against Goat Control in an SJC. Instead of using combo decks, most of the best players relied on their skills and personal tech to achieve consistent success.
Goat Control's card pool includes The Lost Millenium and the 2005 tins (Blade Knight and Exarion Universe, notably), but excludes Cybernetic Revolution. Although CRV was legal during the last 6-8 weeks of the format, Cyber Dragon drastically and negatively changed the format. Normal summons were a key resource in Goat Control, and Cyber Dragon effectively allowed the user to perform two normal summons. Additionally, 2100 attack dominated the field, specifically Airknight Parshath, Exarion Universe, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and many of the other format's interesting card choices. Cyber Dragon was also one of the best Light monsters printed at the time, which narrowed down individual choices (end rant).
The best aspect of Goat Control was the fact that games almost never ended before four turns, and commonly lasted over ten turns. Over the course of these long, drawn out games, players were forced to make multiple decisions - and simply put, the more decisions a game involves, the more room for error there is. A misplay on turn three can come back and haunt you ten turns later. Because games lasted so long, it gave players the chance to draw "come back" cards such as Pot of Greed, but also, it allowed time for players to draw their unique tech choices. Although many lists use the same 35+ cards, one card differences can change everything. Players could chose to promote more controlling or aggressive end games. They could also "identify" with their region - certain regions of the world were known for being more aggressive than others. Many players grew close to their individual choices, such as Big Shield Gardna, Mystic Swordsman LV2, Ceasefire, and Greenkappa.
Basic Theory
Matches of Goat Control last long periods of time for two reasons: first, special summoning was not common, nor was it safe - and second, players respected power cards such as Snatch Steal and Mirror Force. Special summoning was rare in Yugioh, and only occured in cards like BLS, Chaos Sorceror, Gigantes, Call of the Haunted, and Premature Burial. Chaos Sorceror was rarely used, because Light and Dark counts in Goat Control were often stressed. Gigantes was only used in budget Earth decks.
Many times, it is possible to end games with BLS + Ring of Destruction, or Premature Burial. There are ways to put more damage on the board. However, if the opponent has a reponse, such as Scapegoat, the aggressive player is then subjected to the opponent's own power cards. Over extending, and not being able to kill an opponent, is the easiest way to lose at Goat Control. Because games cannot end quickly, matches of Goat Control are often attrition wars:
1. Card advantage is everything. The more cards you have, the more options you have. You typically want to make the most impactful play, with the least cards possible. This forces the opponent to answer in some way, or they will gradually lose the game. What begins as 1000 damage from a Sangan is a precursor to when a player must use a power card out of desperation.
2. On the surface, Goat Control may seem to be all about one for one advantages, waiting until one player "blinks / misplays" or runs out of cards. Under the surface, Goat Control is about making the correct one for one exchanges (Exarion Universe may trade with DD Assailant, but it is really worth it? Is that a good use of my trampler?). After trading five cards with an opponent, the more skilled player may end up with a plus one. With that one extra option, that player can start making less risky plays, and force an opponent into a corner that they cannot get out of (or, force them to overextend before it is safe to).
3. There are certain times when it is too risky to add any additional cards to the board, for fear of Heavy Storm or Torrential Tribute. At those times, it can be appropriate to "draw go" until both players have six cards in hand. The player who is would have to discard first, without Sinister Serpent, is forced to take action. Losing a card becomes mandatory. So they must set or play a card, and play into their opponent's full hand. Heavy Storm + Tribe Infecting Virus are particularly good to make aggressive pushes through this scenario - but again, that is such a big commitment that the aggressor must end the game on that turn, or have a very controlling board state backed by cards like Jinzo, Balter, TER, and / or Book of Moon.
Simply put, patience and well timed aggression.
One over looked part of Goat Control is how to use life points as a resource, particularly in games where multiple Pot of Greeds or Delinquent Duos are involved. When attrition wars cannot be won, a player may decide it is time to go for the most destructive and damaging plays possible. Cards like Snatch Steal, Ring of Destruction, and BLS are notorious for stealing games. Incrimental damage from Delinquent Duo, Premature Burial, re-uses from Magician of Faith, Dark Balter / Ryu Senshi, and the threat of both players' Ring of Destructions are all very relevant factors. It is the role of the player with the most card advantage to play safely and securely - their life must remain as high as possible, yet their field must remain conservative enough to not get blown out by Heavy Storm. They must also be able to assess the risks and rewards of trying to end the game before their opponent draws their outs, such as BLS. This cat-and-mouse game is part of what makes Goat Control so exciting.
Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, and Delinquent Duo are considered the "trinity" of card advantage. I personally view these cards as healthy for Goat Control - they give one player a distinct advantage over the other, a "gift", given at any random time. Such free card advantage can change the course of a game - a player can draw Graceful Charity into Pot of Greed, and suddenly find themselves no longer the underdog in the match. Reversal of roles, and the ability to assign the roles, is another skilled part of Goat Control (Who's The Beatdown?). Many cards such as Book of Moon and Metamorphosis have different implications throughout the game. Using Book of Moon aggressively, when the player is clearly supposed to be the control player, can lead to a wasted resource and a loss of potential tempo.
After the trinity, other cards that can cause swings in card advantage include Mirror Force, Torrential Tribute, and Heavy Storm. These cards do not explictly say "+1", because the opposing player must play into them first. But through mind games and pressure, a player may be forced into playing into something like Torrential Tribute, because the alternative of not summoning a monster is worse. Because of the "invisible law" of using Torrential as a +1, some players may also force their opponents to use Torrential pre-emptively, and proceed to play BLS / Premature / Call of the Haunted (or set up later plays without fear of Torrential). A player must also be able to recognize when trading away Mirror Force, Torrential Tribute, or Heavy Storm for a one-for-one is appropriate. For example, if my opponent summons a monster and I use Torrential, they may be tempted to make an aggressive push without fear of Torrential. But if I can stop that push with something like Scapegoat or Book of Moon, then I just forced my opponent to play their best cards - to which, I can respond with my own.
In a similar category as Mirror Force, etc, are power cards such as Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, Snatch Steal, and Ring of Destruction. Each of these cards has the unique ability to change board states, set up larger plays, and inflict significant amounts of damage. These card are not often used in the early game, and if they are, they typically do not have much impact. But regardless of that, some cards must be used over time in attrition wars. As games go on longer and more cards are played, you can assess situations like, "My opponent has 15 cards left in their deck, with Airknight Parshath in grave. They have not used either Call of the Haunted or Premature Burial. I am at 3500 life. Setting Scapegoat will not necessarily protect me - I need a better play". Mystical Space Typhoon, Book of Moon, and Dust Tornado are all exceptionally good in breaking up these scenarios. A player who wastes their MST or Book of Moons will find themselves losing in the late game very often.
Aside from trinity and power cards are the support cards - none of them are particularly flashy, but in the hands of a skilled player, these cards can generate incrimental advantage. Examples include Metamorphosis, Scapegoat, Book of Moon, and most monsters, such as Spirit Reaper, Magician of Faith, Tsukuyomi, and Asura Priest. None of these cards can end the game alone, so they are played one by one to build up tempo, advantage, and damage. In proper contexts, these cards can become more powerful than trinity or power cards. It is up to each player to create game states where that statement can become true. To a skilled Goat Control player, every card has the chance to "become" Pot of Greed. Whether it is through bluffs, reads, or setting up board states, the art of extracting advantage in any situation is one of the most difficult and beautiful aspects of Goat Control.
Because Goat Control is played almost entirely online, and there is no real life competitive scene for it, Goat Control lost one of it's most important aspects - tech choices based on region. As I stated previously, many Goat Control lists share the same 35+ cards, and the last few slots are saved for "player preference" or appropriate techs based on the meta. Whether it was Texas, New York, Flordia, Southern or Northern California, each region had their own view on how Goat Control should be played. Traveling out of state to other tournaments often caused a "culture shock". Traveling players could sweep tournaments with unheard of tech and play styles, and likewise, discover that their ideas were outdated, predicted, or simply not as effective. These regional differences led to many different forms of Goat Control. Players were constantly looking for new Light and Dark monsters to use without hurting their ability to play BLS. This led to popular choices such as Gravekeeper Spy, Blade Knight, and Newdoria, but also more obscure choices, such as Greenkapa and Roulette Barrel. Although this level of competition does not exist any more, many of these tech choices were "lost in time", waiting to be rediscovered. The future of Goat Control may lie deeper than just what is posted in the Metagame.
(I take no credit for this article as it wasn't wrote by me. I found it on a old page of Google.)
