Effect Veiler vs D.D. Crow

Generally, both of these cards are what people would call, "Side Deck staples."

They both have good "drop-hand" effects that disrupt common plays. They are also both Level 1 Monsters, meaning that they could be used for Synchro Summons or just Set as a defense.

While Effect Veiler can stop almost everything that D.D. Crow can stop, D.D. Crow stops the things that it stops better, if that makes any sense. Basically, D.D. Crow gets rid of the problem, while Effect Veiler just stops it, generally.

D.D. Crow removes Monsters from the Graveyard, so your opponent can't just get them later with another effect. It also hits stuff like Treeborn Frog, Fishborg Blaster, and Pot of Avarice, which Effect Veiler does nothing against.

On the other hand, Effect Veiler stops effects that don't use the Graveyard, like Machina Gearframe, Monarchs, and Gladiator Beast Gyzarus. Unfortunately, Effect Veiler only works during your opponent's Main Phase on their face-up Monsters (Book of Moon can stop it, basically).

There are other aspects of these cards that are often ignored. Effect Veiler is a Light Tuner and gives access to Ancient Sacred Wyvern, in addition to all generic Synchro Monsters. D.D. Crow is a Dark non-Tuner Winged Beast. It can be used for Icarus Attack, which is fairly common.

D.D. Crow can also be helpful in decks with too many Tuners. There usually aren't decks like that, but Scraps and X-Sabers can fall under that category. It would often help those decks more to have a non-Tuner rather than another Tuner.

However, the most important things to consider are the match-ups your deck is weak against.

Against Machina Gadgets, Gladiator Beasts, and Gravekeeper's, Effect Veiler is almost always the better option. D.D. Crow can work on some of the cards that those decks play, but it's more situational. This is the same case for Perfect Herald, for those OCG players that have to deal with the new Lost Sanctuary Structure Deck.

With X-Sabers, Frog Monarchs, and (Quickdraw) Plants, Effect Veiler and D.D. Crow can be equally useful. There are some situations where Effect Veiler is better (XX-Saber Boggart Knight, Monarchs, Ryko), and there are some situations where D.D. Crow is better (XX-Saber Faultroll, Treeborn Frog, Pot of Avarice, Glow-Up Bulb, Spore).

Against those decks, though, D.D. Crow is better than Effect Veiler when they use some sort of effect that involves the Graveyard. While Effect Veiler stops Debris Dragon, D.D. Crow removes the Dandylion from play. That's HUGE in that match-up, since (Quickdraw) Plants rely on Dandylion.

So, the ultimate deciding factor is whether or not you can give up the increased utility of Effect Veiler to play a more effective counter to Graveyard-dependent decks. Basically, if your match-ups against Machina Gadgets and Gravekeeper's are good, then you should be playing D.D. Crow over Effect Veiler, unless you want/need the Tuner for Synchro Summons. Either way, you're generally not going to summon Effect Veiler when it can protect you from the hand.

Regionals Report 12/11/10

I went to Regionals again with Scrap Anti-Stun. If only this format wasn't so weird, then I could actually play something a little more creative.

So, I met up with Yugilo, Yusei JB, and some of their friends before the tournament started. I pulled another Ultimate Rare Glow-Up Bulb from the entry packs, and I promptly traded it (and some other stuff) for two Super Rare Royal Decrees (and some other stuff). I decided to replace the two Seven Tools of the Bandit (one in the Main Deck and the other in the Side Deck) with the two Royal Decrees. They worked out quite well.

Round 1: vs Newbie E-Heroes - OO

-I felt bad for the little kid and my tiebreakers...

Round 2: vs Debris Plants - XX

-In the first game, he milled Dandylion and Glow-Up Bulb with Card Trooper, and drew into two of his Debris Dragons. In the second game, he started with Dandylion in hand, and drew into all of his Debris Dragons. The only reason I was able to live in the second game was because he kept misplaying while I had Zombie World out. He tried to do Plant stuff, like use Lonefire Blossom's or Spore's effects.

Round 3: vs Frog Monarchs - XOX

-I lost the first game because he kept drawing Caius and such. I won the second game because of Zombie World. I lost the third game in time, as I couldn't get through his drop-hand battle protection cards (Battle Fader, Gorz, Tragoedia).

Round 4: vs Perfect Herald - OO

-He didn't get Herald of Perfection out even once. He could have gotten it out in the second duel if I hadn't had Naturia Beast on the field...

Round 5: vs Infernities - OO

-I just rushed him in the first duel with Scrap Dragons. In the second duel, he thought he had game, but he didn't, and misplayed.

Round 6: vs Debris Plants - XOO

-He OTK'd me in the first game with Dandylion, Debris Dragon, and Spore shenanigans. I pushed through a mess load of damage in the second game with Rai-Oh and Scrap Beast over two turns, using Compulsory Evacuation Device to bounce his Set Monster. He didn't draw well at all in the third game, and I rushed him with Scraps and such.

Round 7: vs Blackwings - OO

-This guy wasn't exactly very good, so it wasn't hard to win.

Round 8: vs Stun - OXO

-This duel was another example of how knowing rulings can win you games. I resolved Forbidden Chalice on his Stardust Dragon, and he tried to negate my Mystical Space Typhoon. The floor judge ruled it incorrectly, so I appealed to the head judge, who ruled correctly that Stardust Dragon's effect would still be negated. He was in control, but losing his Stardust Dragon lost him the first duel. Royal Decree was also very helpful in locking down his back row.

Round 9: vs Blackwings - OXO

-I rushed him with Scrap Golem in game one, so it was practically impossible for him to come back. He OTK'd me in the second duel with the help of Dark Armed Dragon and Vayu. I forced the third duel into a top-decking contest and won.

Round 10: vs Lightsworn - OO

-This guy was really cool, so we were joking around throughout the match. I was in control for all of the first duel, having multiple outs to his Judgment Dragons. He thought that he was in a good position with a Judgment Dragon on the field (his only card) and four cards left in deck (with one being the second Judgment Dragon). I had Cyber Dragon and Scrap Chimera in hand, and drew into Solemn Judgment. So yeah, I won the first duel fairly decisively. Expecting me to have Forbidden Chalice, he threw his Judgment Dragon down early in the second duel, only to lose it to Bottomless Trap Hole. So I beat him down with Rai-Oh from there.

In the end, I went X-2, which is fairly decent, getting 23rd place, which is also decent. I won four packs, one of which had another Formula Synchron. So that was nice.

I did a lot of trading during the event, contrary to what I expected to be doing. I traded away quite a few cards I didn't need, while getting stuff like Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragons and R-Genex for new decks. I still need some more cards for those two decks, but I should be able to make a Kinka-byo deck.

So yeah, it was a pretty fun Regional.

Regionals Tomorrow, Again

Once again, I shall be going to Regionals. It's quite nice to be able to go to a Regional almost every month.

I was considering skipping this one so that I would be able to go to the Event Extravaganza or whatever next month, but it doesn't seem all that great. It's like what went on at the World Championships, except you have to pay to play in the events.

So, I ultimately decided to go to Regionals tomorrow. I decided to test out both Dust Tornado and Compulsory Evacuation Device. Dust Tornado in the Main Deck, and Compulsory as a Side Deck choice. Compulsory would be best against decks like (Quickdraw) Plants, X-Sabers, or even Gladiator Beasts. It's also more versatile than Effect Veiler, which has been failing me recently.

Dust Tornado is an obvious choice, with Gravekeeper's and such running around. I also hate how Seven Tools of the Bandit doesn't hit Book of Moon, so I'm going to see how Dust Tornado works. If it does well, I might just end up maining two and siding the third, which is what I used to do with Seven Tools.

There's also the fact that Hidden Arsenal 3 is now legal in the TCG, meaning that this Regional could be full of people trying to abuse Gungnir or Dragunities. Neither is worth it at the moment, so I'm not worried too much. There is the dilemma of whether or not I should find room for Naturia Barkion in my Extra Deck or not. I don't think that it's worth it, but Red Dragon Archfiend might not be worthy of his spot anymore. I'll probably end up trying Barkion out, in one way or another.

I think that's it. I've kind of given up on the Kinka-byo deck for now. I'll come back to it later, most likely. With Gungnir out, I'll probably be working with Aki on a TCG-legal Zero Debris deck for him to play at locals. There's also the Koa'ki Meiru deck I hope to make eventually.

Oh, I almost forgot about the Genex. I'll be trying to trade for the Hidden Arsenal 3 Super Rare R-Genex Monsters and Recycled Genex. The main ones would be R-Genex Turbo and R-Genex Oracle. And I might also pick up some Worm Yagans. So yeah.