Welcome to Week #2 of the OCG 2020.01 format.

This report will cover 96 top-performing decks from 15 tournaments that were held in Japan and China during 11 – 13 January 2020.

Update: Added “Purgatrio Cup”.

New Product Release

Eternity Code

Metagame Breakdown

23 Orcust (15 Orcust, 8 Dragoon Orcust)

8 Sky Striker (7 Sky Striker, 1 Dragoon Sky Striker)

7 Altergeist (6 Altergeist, 1 Dragoon Altergeist)

6 Subterror (5 Dragoon Subterror, 1 Subterror)

5 Danger Dark World

5 Mythical Beast Endymion

5 SPYRAL (4 SPYRAL, 1 Dragoon SPYRAL)

5 Thunder Dragon

4 Dragoon (3 Releaser Dragoon, 1 Dragoon)

4 Dragoon Invoked

3 Dragon Link

3 Invoked Shaddoll

2 Cyber Dragon

2 Releaser Dragoon Dinosaur

2 Salamangreat

1 Dragoon Burning Abyss

1 Dragonmaid

1 Gizmek Orochi Zeroboros

1 Grass Lair Infernoid

1 Madolche

1 Magician

1 Magical Musket

1 Mekk-Knight

1 Mekk-Knight Crusadia

1 Orcust Trickstar

1 Tenyi

1 Zefra

Orcust

Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight is a new card from Eternity Code that greatly improved Orcust. Its ① effect sends an “Orcust” or “World Legacy” card to the graveyard, fulfilling a similar role as Armageddon Knight and Scrap Recycler, but having Orcust in its name allows it to synergise with the other Orcust cards. Its ② effect Special Summons a “World Legacy Token” when it is the only monster on your field, making it a 1-card Galatea, the Orcust Automaton.

On Sunday, Wasa (わさ) went 8-1 and finished 2nd in “8th Amagasa CS Individual Battle” which had 60 participants. On Monday, he went 5-1 and finished 5 – 8th in “10th Okayama Orbis Cup Team Battle” (Team 3v3). This brings his overall record to an 13-2.

He cut 2 Mathematician and 1 Scrap Recycler for 3 Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight.

However some players have chosen to cut 3 Scrap Recycler instead, and keeping the 2 Mathematician. Although Mathematician might seem restrictive in being only able to send Level 4 or lower monster, it could still reach Gizmek Orochi, the Serpentron Sky Slasher or World Legacy – “World Wand” in a roundabout manner. Mathematician could first send Orcust Harp Horror which in turn could Special Summon Orcust Knightmare. After using Orcust Knightmare as Link Material, its graveyard effect could then send Gizmek Orochi or World Wand to the graveyard. In this way, if the opening play was disrupted by Effect Veiler or Infinite Impermanence, then Mathematician could still draw 1 card when it is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard by the opponent later.

Scrap Recycler and Mathematician each have their pros and cons and we will have to see how the metagame develops before a conclusive decision could be made on which is better.

Sky Striker

Sharurun (しゃるるん) went 6-0-2 and finished 1 – 2nd in “10th Okayama Orbis Cup Team Battle” (Team 3v3).

He ran 1 Accesscode Talker in the Extra Deck, a new powerful Link-4 monster from Eternity Code.

Accesscode Talker banishes 1 Link Monster from your field or graveyard to destroy 1 card the opponent monsters, and this effect could be activated repeatedly as long as a different Attribute is banished each time. This works really well in a Sky Striker deck as Sky Striker Link Monsters consists of many different Attributes.

He ran 1 Selene, the Sacred Empress of Magic to allow Crystron Halqifibrax Link climb into Accesscode Talker. After Special Summon Effect Veiler with Halqifibrax’s effect, both monsters could be used to Link Summon Selene. Selene’s effect would then Special Summon Effect Veiler from the graveyard, and both monsters could be used to Link Summon Accesscode Talker.

Accesscode Talker would gain 3000 ATK from targeting Selene on Link Summon. Halqifibrax (WATER) and Selene (LIGHT) would also allow Accesscode Talker to activate at least twice to destroy 2 cards.

Altergeist

The semi-limitation of Altergeist Meluseek made opening with Altergeist Multifaker much harder, but using a combination of Altergeist Pookuery and Linkross gave Altergeist another method to get Multifaker.

Normal Summoning Altergeist Marionetter and then using its effect to set Altergeist Manifestation would typically marks the end of the turn. However with Altergeist Pookuery ① effect, Marionetter and Pookuery could be used to Link Summon Altergeist Hexstia. On the Link Summoning of Hexstia, Altergeist Pookuery ② effect would return itself from the graveyard to hand.

Then by using Altergeist Hexstia to Link Summon Linkross, that would trigger both monsters’ effects.

Chain 1: Altergeist Hexstia ③ effect

Chain 2: Linkross ① effect

Arranging the Chain Block this way prevents Altergeist Hexstia ③ effect from being negated by Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Resolving the Chain, Linkross effect would Special Summon 2 “Link Tokens”, and Altergeist Hexstia effect would add Altergeist Multifaker to hand.

During the opponent’s turn, Altergeist Manifestation could be activated to Special Summon Altergeist Hexstia. Upon resolution of Altergeist Manifestation, Altergeist Multifaker could then Special Summoned from hand.

Thro World (スローワ) went 7-1 and finished 1st in “3rd Tokiwa Cup (Individual Battle)” which had 46 participants.

He ran 3 Altergeist Pookuery in the Main Deck to maximise his chances of opening with it, and 2 Linkross in the Extra Deck as a hedge against being banished by Pot of Extravagance.

Dragoon

Akkun (あっくん) went 6-1 (including 1 bye) and finished 1st in “34th Hakata Cup Team Battle” (Team 3v3).

As Kaiju and Super Polymerization are popular cards to answer Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, Akkun ran a small Releaser package in his deck to deny his opponent from Special Summoning.

Normal Summoning Tour Guide From the Underworld and then using its effect to Special Summon Sangan would enable to Link Summoning of Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss. Sangan‘s effect would add Crusadia Arboria to hand, which could then be Special Summoned to a Zone that Cherubini is pointing to. Cherubini ③ effect is then activated by sending Djinn Releaser of Rituals to graveyard as cost to increase its own ATK.

Following that, Cherubini is used to Link Summon Linkross, and 2 “Link Tokens” is Special Summoned. Crusadia Arboria and 1 “Link Token” is then used to Synchro Summon Herald of the Arc Light. Using Linkross and Herald of the Arc Light to Link Summon Predaplant Verte Anaconda would send Arc Light to the graveyard, and trigger its ③ effect to add Nekroz of Clausolas from deck to hand.

Nekroz of Clausolas is then discarded for its own effect to add Nekroz Cycle to hand. Nekroz Cycle is activated, banishing Djinn Releaser of Rituals for the Ritual Summon of Nekroz of Clausolas. Finally Predaplant Verte Anaconda ② effect is activated to copy Red-Eyes Fusion and Fusion Summon Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon.

As Nekroz of Clausolas is Ritual Summoned using Djinn Releaser of Rituals, the opponent cannot perform any Special Summon, and that would deny them from using Kaiju or Super Polymerization to clear Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon.

While Dark Ruler No More would be able to negate both Nekroz of Clausolas and Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, but Djinn Releaser of Rituals‘ effect would still apply and the opponent is still unable to perform any Special Summon until Clausolas is no longer on the field.

The only answer to this board would be The Winged Dragon of Ra – Sphere Mode which Akkun is running 1 copy in the Side Deck prepared for the mirror match.

Conclusion

Eternity Code has an immediate impact on the competitive scene. Orcust was already a strong contender, and the addition of Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight made it a cut above the rest.

Other than Orcust, Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight is also a great boost to Mekk-Knight. It could be a 1-card Mekk-Knight of the Morning Star or Lib the World Keymaster. Also by Special Summoning the “World Legacy Token” in the opponent’s 2nd or 4th Main Monster Zone, and then Link Summoning your monster in the Extra Monster Zone of the same column, that would create 2 cards in the same column and allowing Mekk-Knights to be Special Summoned.

Accesscode Talker is a pretty good generic Link-4 monster with an ability to destroy multiple opponent’s cards. Being able to be Link Summoned by Link climbing using Crystron Halqifibrax and Selene, the Sacred Empress of Magic makes it possible for many decks to adopt this strategy.

Linkross makes Synchro Summoning more accessible. It could use Crystron Halqifibrax as Link Material, and then provide 2 “Link Tokens” to be used as Synchro Material with the Tuner Monster Special Summoned by Crystron Halqifibrax.

This is only the first week of Eternity Code‘s release and there could still be more potential of new cards yet to be discovered.

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