When the format change went into effect for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG , a lot of duelists were surprised by the impact it had on how everyone plays the game.
The new Link monsters became essential to dueling, but that wasn’t the only thing fans discovered The entire field changed to make way for Link monsters and to change where Pendulum Monsters (the big addition to the TCG before Link Monsters) would be.
“Link monsters are interesting because when they were introduced they were introduced at the same time as the rules update,” Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Marketing Specialist Robert Boyajian told Player.One. “So [Konami] changed where the Pendulum zones were and we added extra monster zones so the game organically slowed down.”
According to Boyajian, certain decks that didn’t rely on the extra deck became more popular following the rule change. And it would be only a matter of time before the decks that dominated the meta before the format change would adapt. Duelists realized they would need to use Link Monsters in their decks because of how those monsters’ effects can keep summoning from the extra deck.
“For example, in Circuit Break they have the new Spyral monsters and in Japan Spyral monsters are by far the most popular place to be,” Boyajian said. “So we expect that when Circuit Break hits that we’ll see a lot more Spyral Monster decks.”
Circuit Break is ready to invade the TCG starting Oct. 19 and will come with the aforementioned Spyral Monsters as well as the powerful Link Monster (and cover card) Borreload Dragon.
“Anything looking to special summon a lot from the extra deck before. Synchro summon archetypes would want to use Link Monsters, Spyral wants to use links monsters,” Boyajian said. “What makes Link Monsters a little better than other extra deck monsters is that they are so easy to use. All it takes is a certain number of monsters. There’s no level requirements, you don’t need fusion spells.”
One deck type that has benefited from the Link Monsters are decks that use Pendulum Monsters. It may be odd to say that, considering the format change brought an initial decline in those types of decks, but Boyajian said they are making a comeback in a big way.
“Our last major tournament, the Ultimate Duel Series Invitational in Florida, Pendulums won! So Pendulums are on the rise again,” Boyajian said. “There are some forbidden/restricted list changes that brought a couple of pendulum cards back. But with that forbidden list other things got hit that were a little more impressive so that brought a lot of things up and many feel that Pendulums are the best strategy to be playing.”
There is a lot more coming to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG that supports Pendulums, Links and a lot more. Let us know your best decks and strategies in the comments section below.
