Top Player Council Thoughts
The recent banlist announcement is the first big change we've received in a while, attempting to shake up the Fur Hire-dominated meta. This Tier List update reflects the Top Player Council's thoughts on a post-banlist meta.
Tier 1
Fur Hires have remained in Tier 1 despite the limits placed on Loading... and Loading... . Aside from immediately going to more Loading... and Loading... , the deck must also shift to accommodate the loss of Loading... . Fur Hires can either make modest changes, exchanging Enemy Controller for other generic backrow and keeping Beatdown or moving to The Tie that Binds , or they can shift more drastically in line with a heavier focus on Wiz. Previously, Fur Hire decks had Wiz as a wall and Dyna as the offensive push. With more emphasis on Wiz, one option is use Loading... (SSA) as a way to give Wiz its own offensive presence and improve the Amazoness match-up drastically. With 3x Wiz and 3x Loading... it's easy to get a turn 1 Wiz, after which the deck plays as a standard defensive Fur Hire deck until drawing SSA and going to town.
Amazoness has been promoted to Tier 1. The loss of Loading... is one of the lightest nerfs Konami has ever issued, especially given the recent rise of Loading... . Amazoness decks can no longer endlessly float Baby Tiger out of the grave as a banish for Loading... , and while this does make it easier for decks like Spellbooks to grind through Amazoness resources, the deck overall still functions just as well as before. However, with Fur Hires now also using strong continuous trap effects, Loading... is likely to see even more play and continue to be a thorn in Amazoness' side.
Spellbooks have also been promoted to Tier 1 and are yet again untouched by the banlist. They continue to be very flexible and oppressive, especially when opening with the ideal Loading... + Loading... combo. Being able to accommodate Cosmic Cyclone in Switcheroo builds has become even more valuable with both other Tier 1 decks now using heavier backrow.
TPC Comments:
AndyTsang: In terms of power over the course of a full duel, I don't think any of these decks are that much further ahead of the Tier 2 decks. But what Spellbooks and Fur Hire in particular boast over all other decks is a turn 1 combo that is near auto-win; Silent Magician + Fate and Wiz + SSA can win games entirely on their own.
ShinySopheon: Fur Hire still seems very powerful, and it's too soon to demote it without enough data. Spellbooks still clap Fur Hire, as well as pretty much everything else. Amazoness losing Baby Tiger was very relevant to the Spellbook match-up.
Tier 2
Vampires have been promoted to Tier 2. Sustained tournament success along with continual improvements to the deck have given Vampires a leg up over the Tier 3 decks. The speed and consistency of this deck are extremely high and can work with any number of skills/tech options; everything from Beatdown to Sealed Tombs (and even to 22-card Balance ) has been used by top Vampire decks. The best mix of Loading... , Loading... , Loading... , and Loading... also has yet to be determined, with every player having their own favorite combination.
TPC Comment:
ShinySopheon: Vampires have proven their power in multiple tournaments, and will probably only continue to get better as people figure out what the best skill/build is. That being said, the versatility of Vampire builds can also be seen as a boon.