Dominating YCS Vancouver: A Deep Dive into the Justice Hunters TCG Metagame

Fresh off a Top 4 finish at the Montreal Regional Qualifiers, I'm here to break down the current TCG metagame and arm you with the knowledge to conquer YCS Vancouver. The format has shifted, and understanding the dominant strategies is crucial for success. Let's dive into the key decks, tech choices, and overall YCS Vancouver strategy.

The Rise of the Justice Hunters Deck: Yummy, Dracotail, and Vanquish Soul K9

While Maliss and Ryzeal decks are still present, the Justice Hunters deck variants have taken over the metagame. Yummy, Dracotail deck, and Vanquish Soul K9 are all incredibly popular, with Yummy and K9 variants often seen at the top tables. Dracotail can still steal games with OTKs or El Shaddoll Winda, so don't underestimate it. It's important to note that Vanquish Soul K9 is primarily used as an engine, supporting decks like Vanquish Soul, Crystrons, and even Memento.

Speaking of Memento, this deck is experiencing a resurgence thanks to the K9 cards. It's currently a rogue or borderline meta contender. Blue-Eyes, Orcusts, Fiendsmith, and Mitsurugi variants are also floating around, adding to the format's diversity.

Board Breakers Yugioh: The Key to Victory Against Yummy and Vanquish Soul K9

Given the prevalence of Vanquish Soul K9 and Yummy yugioh deck, non-targeting removal is incredibly valuable. We're talking about high-impact board breakers yugioh that can eliminate multiple interruptions. Vanquish Soul's ability to protect their monsters with Vanquish Soul Caesar Valius or Vanquish Soul Heavy Borger in hand makes targeted effects less effective. Furthermore, Vanquish Soul, Start! and Vanquish Soul Snow Devil provide destruction protection. Yummy's Synchros can return to the Extra Deck, dodging destruction and allowing for repeated summons.

Cards like Book of Eclipse yugioh, Forbidden Droplet guide, and Dark Ruler No More are gaining popularity. Forbidden Droplet guide and Book of Eclipse both offer unique advantages in dealing with multiple Yummy or Vanquish Soul monsters, limiting the opponent's responses. Be mindful of the costs associated with Forbidden Droplet, especially against Herald of the Arc Light. Book of Eclipse is cheaper but vulnerable to Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring and the new Dominus Purge. Consider similar effects like Swords of Concealing Light or Forbidden Chalice. Forbidden Chalice can be a surprisingly effective disruptor.

Super Polymerization targets is another trending card. Yummy decks, being primarily Light Beasts, are easily fused into Garura, Wings of Resonant Life. The new Secreterion Dragon is a strong counter to Dracotail and even Blue-Eyes, provided you can target both a Spellcaster and Dragon. However, Dracotail can answer Secreterion Dragon with Dracotail Pan or Dracotail Mululu. You can use Super Polymerization on Dracotail's Earth monsters Izuna and Lupis to summon Mudragon of the Swamp before they make an Xyz. Evenly Matched yugioh is risky due to Artifact Lancea and its similarity to Dark Ruler No More, potentially giving your opponent another turn. However, the lack of omni-negates in Vanquish Soul K9 and Dracotail (Dracotail Flame only negates Spells) makes it potentially devastating. Don't forget the usual suspects: Harpie's Feather Duster, Lightning Storm, Triple Tactics Talent, and Triple Tactics Thrust.

The Hand Traps Yugioh Conundrum in the Justice Hunters Era

The age-old question: hand traps yugioh versus board breakers. The answer is usually a mix, but this format might resemble the Kashtira Arise-Heart era. Mulcharmy deck cards are valuable because combo decks summon multiple monsters from the hand or Extra Deck. Mulcharmy Purulia and Mulcharmy Fuwalos are popular for their draw power and ability to disrupt plays. Mulcharmy Meowls is decent against Yummy and Maliss, but Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay is better due to its targeting negation. The draw power of Mulcharmys is vital to mitigate hand looping combos from Ryzeal and Mermail Atlantean decks. However, the Justice Hunter cards are changing the landscape.

Enter K9-17 Izuna and K9-00 Lupis, a Rank 5 hand trap package. They summon themselves when your opponent uses a monster effect, punishing plays like Mulcharmy activations. Instead of setting a Trap with Triple Tactics Thrust, you get a powerful Rank 5. You can make K9-17 "Ripper" and use K9-66b Lantern, A Case for K9, and/or K9-66a Jokul for Level 5 bodies. Remember that Jokul and Lanturn cannot make Light Rank 5's if you summon them with their effects. The most impactful use of K9 Izuna Lupis combo is in decks with Level 5 monsters, such as Vanquish Soul, Crystron, and Memento deck guide. Imagine summoning Mementotlan Tatsunootoshigo, Crystron Sulfador, or Vanquish Soul Hollie Sue and baiting an Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Then, use Izuna's ability to summon itself, dumping Lupis into the graveyard. Lupis summons itself, and you can turn all three Level 5s into Number 67 Pair-a-Dice Smasher!

Number 67 Pair-a-Dice Smasher is akin to True King of All Calamities, with a high win rate due to its untargetability from K9-00 Lupis. It's often a fourth summon, avoiding Nibiru, the Primal Being, and is unaffected by Effect Veiler or Infinite Impermanence. Using a Mulcharmy Purulia or Fuwalos on your opponent's turn can lead to them summoning Pair-a-Dice Smasher, locking you out of monster effects and attacks. A hilarious Artifact Durendal combo exists: if your opponent uses Fuwalos, they draw on Durendal's summon, allowing you to chain Droll & Lock Bird to prevent drawing and searching, forcing both players to shuffle their hands into their decks. This combo is unlikely in Vanquish Soul K9 due to its reliance on hand advantage, but it's viable in Crystron or Memento. The K9 Izuna Lupis combo may be a key factor at the top tables of YCS Vancouver.

Floodgates: Distracting from the Hand Trap Problem

Dimensional Barrier yugioh is a common Side Deck choice, crippling all three Justice Hunter decks. Vanquish Soul K9 is less affected, but limiting Xyz options weakens their removal capabilities. It's also useful against Ryzeal. If you're playing Yummy, Gravity Collapse yugioh is an excellent first-turn card. It counters Dinowrestler Pankratops while preventing further summons. If Yummy's constant summoning annoys you, Ally of Justice Quarantine is a solid counter. Force out YummySurprise with backrow hate, then Normal Summon Ally of Justice Quarantine to shut down all Yummy summoning effects. Soundproofed yugioh is like Heat Wave for Synchros and harder for Yummy to interact with. Gravekeeper's Inscription has potential, preventing graveyard effects for Dracotail, Mitsurugi, and Fiendsmith, banishing for Maliss, and Special Summons for Yummy.

YCS Vancouver Strategy: Crossover Breakers vs. Justice Hunters Cards

YCS Vancouver will likely pit last year's Crossover Breakers yugioh against the new meta of Justice Hunters cards. The shift away from Ryzeal and Maliss is either due to power creep or vulnerability to Droll & Lock Bird and Artifact Lancea. The key question is whether to play hand traps to slow down combo decks or embrace the K9 cards and the Droll-Durendal combo. The choice mirrors the Kashtira Arise-Heart dilemma: board breakers to counter Arise-Heart or hand traps to disrupt Kashtira Shangri-Ira and Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker. My personal goal involves earning a giant card and securing a copy of the prize card Anotherverse Stratios. Whether I focus on the main event or the Public Events Playoffs remains to be seen. I encourage you to revisit my articles on YCS Niagara and the NAWCQ as you prepare for YCS Vancouver.

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