So often you hear – “Abuse the baby dinos (Petiteranodon and Babycerasaurus)”. You know the why – They are not a Once-Per-Turn package and they have good effects. But what about the WHEN, HOW and what to do when things go south?

Welcome to the next installment in our [What You Should Know] article. Just like what we did with True Draco, we will discuss more of the ‘hidden’ aspects of the Dinosaur deck. Our discussion will be revolving around popular OCG builds such as True King Dinosaur and True King Dinosaur with an added Yang Zing element.

Petiteranodon vs Babycerasaurus

Petiteranodon functions as a Babycerasaurus which tutor out Level 4 or higher Dinosaur monster when destroyed. However, it is considered inferior to Babycerasaurus as True King Dinosaurs focuses on lower leveled Dinosaurs. Petiteranodon hence functions as your ‘4th to 6th’ copy of Babycerasaurus. It also explains why some players prefer playing Petiteranodon at one to two copies. Most importantly, since Petiteranodon can only summon out Level 4 and higher monsters when destroyed, you shoulder prioritize summoning Souleating Oviraptor using Petiteranodon. Babycerasaurus is better off used to summon Level 1-3 Dinosaur monsters, such as other copies of Babycerasaurus, Petiteranodon and Jurrac Aeolo.

While not a “What you should know” or “What you may not know”, something hilarious my friends came up with to remember who summons which is by referring to the artwork -Petiranodon wears the eggshell as a helmet, signalling “above” while Babycerasaurus wears it as a diaper, indicating “below”.

Survival’s End

While not the best option now, Survival’s End is worth keeping a lookout for, since it can special summon Dinosaurs directly from the deck. Furthermore, being capable of destroying Normal monsters on the field gives the deck the edge when it battles against other decks such as Metalfoes and maybe Blue-Eyes. With Tokens being announced to be usable for Link Summon, cards like Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow and Scapegoat will become more popular. Survival’s End is there to punish your opponent for running those cards.

Playmaker

Playmaker may be the username of new protoganist Yusaku, but the true playmaker of the Dino deck is Souleating Oviraptor.

Souleating Oviraptor is very versatile. It can fetch you Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju when you need an out to a threat, or just simply fetch Petiranodon or Babycerasaurus for Dragonic Diagram purposes.

Souleating Oviraptor is the single advantage-generating card that can snowball into your victory and is your go-to card when searching with Fossil Dig. Even having it on the field is sometimes too dangerous. Let’s not forget that Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, used on Souleating Oviraptor, can be rendered useless by Miscellaneousaurus. Level 4s are crucial for Xyz Summons or Synchro Summons in this deck. Hence, it will not be uncommon to witness plays in the OCG where the opponent negates Fossil Dig with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring with little to no hesitation.

The destruction of baby dinosaurs is so easily achieved via the True King/Draco archetype that some forget Souleating Oviraptor can accomplish this feat too. Don’t forget that you can always destroy an existing Petiranodon/Babycerasaurus to revive another copy from the graveyard.

The Debate on the Negate

There has been debate on which card to negate with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Some argue that negating Fossil Dig right off the bat prevents Souleating Oviraptor from being added, and by extension, prevents it from being on the field. The argument for this is that even on its own, Souleating Oviraptor is a threat on the field. But by doing so, you run the risk of being negated by PSY-Framegear Gamma. This not only wastes your Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring but allows the opponent to bring an additional Level 8 Synchro monster onto the field to add to your worries.

By negating Souleating Oviraptor’s search, PSY-Framegear Gamma cannot activate. However, if your opponent already has a Miscellaneousaurus in hand, they will still get to resolve the search and even end up in the ‘Denglong Play’.

Main takeaway – Negating Fossil Dig with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring might not be such a bad idea. Decide on your own which set of risks are you willing to bear.

Dogoran

I recall Tribute Summoning my Gamecial, the Sea Turtle Kaiju onto my own field, alongside Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King, for an assured victory when I was piloting True Draco. Sure enough, the two copies of Kaiju monsters in my opponent’s hand couldn’t answer Master Peace. Players use Kaiju to summon over the opponent’s board so many times that it is easy to forget Kaiju are your own monsters, which can be special summoned out through other means, or tribute summoned.

Miscellanousarus and Petiteranodon have the ability to summon Mad Flame Kaiju Dogoran onto your side of the field. The 3000ATK can be used to finish off your opponent and even get over an unboosted and baited Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King. Most importantly, having a Kaiju on your field prevents your opponent from Special Summoning theirs over. Hence, whenever you find yourself in a position where you can summon out another Dinosaur monster off Petiteranodon, don’t hesitate to choose Dogoran. Placing Dogoran beside True King of All Calmities is both menancing and annoying.

An interesting point to note is the choice of Santa Claws over Kaiju monsters for Zoodiac decks in the OCG previously. Having lost Zoodiac Drident to April’s Forbidden and Limited list, the deck’s most assured method of monster removal falls onto any Zoodiac Xyz monster with Zoodiac Whiptail as an Xyz Material. Santa Claws, being summoned in defense position allows the player to retain its Zoodiac monster when it attacks into Santa Claws. This would not work with the Kaiju monsters, which are obligated to be summoned in Attack Position.

Given this phenomenom, the strategy to summon your own Kaiju monster first is less effective.

Miscellaneousaurus

The second playmaker of your deck. Miscellaneousaurus is what makes everything possible. Its graveyard effect is what shines the most, and it is easily yarded with its own first effect.

An early activation even protects Dinosaurs from counter traps such as Solemn Strike.

Just note that there are some drawbacks to this card:

It protects your monsters from activated effects, meaning it won’t be able to prevent Skill Drain from affecting your field monsters. For this reason, Skill Drain is a common Side Deck choice for True Draco decks in the OCG. It protects your monsters for the duration of the Main Phase, making the deck vulnerable to battle traps such as Mirror Force or traps that have a wide activation window like Compulsory Evacuation Device. This weakness, no doubt, have been noticed by many players since Dino’s debut.

Its wide range of summonable targets is what makes this card dangerous. It can simply banish itself to special summon a Level 1 (Jurrac Aeolo) or with three other Dinosaur monsters, tutor out a 4000ATK lethal beater in the form of Tyranno Infinity. Furthermore, it is common to spawn out Babysaurous and Petiranodon for them to be destroyed by other means, generating more advantage.

Infinity and Beyond

Unfortunately, since the deck focuses on banishing cards to facilitate its plays, it falls victim to cards such as Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Imperial Iron Wall and Artifact Lancea. Some opponents took the opposite route, aiming to cripple the deck’s graveyard resources with cards such as Macro Cosmos and Dimensional Fissure. Thankfully, TCG worries are lesser since they are Limited under the TCG regulation.

Nevertheless, OCG players have the habit of playing a single copy of Tyranno Infinity to punish opponents running these floodgates. It might be a nice idea to keep in mind and maybe dedicate one slot in your Side Deck for Tyranno Infinity.

Skull Meister

Skull Meister is usually used to negate the effects of Petiteranodon or Babycerasaurus. It may be a -1 but the advantage that these tiny creatures can generate makes it worth the exchange. Skull Meister can easily put an end to a Dragonic Diagram + Baby Dino combo, massively changing the possible outcome of the opening field. Skull Meister is another reason why Dino players love PSY-Framegear Gamma. If you ever want to bait a Skull Meister from your opponent when you have PSY-Frame Gamma in your hand, be sure to leave your field empty.

Who should you fear?

While True King of All Calamities is scary and all, it is the Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King of this article, whereby I am going to insist that it isn’t the scariest threat that you can’t handle. For starters, True King of All Calamities can only use its lockdown effect twice since it will only have two Xyz Materials. Some argue that once is terrifying enough, but like Master Peace, True King of All Calamities doesn’t generate advantage on its own. I personally feel that it stalls, and is a ‘distractor’, to lure your opponent’s already-limited resources to getting it away from the board. Just don’t expect True King of All Calamities to stick around for too long.

Also, you probably heard this before, but never call DIVINE, as tempting and fun it would be yell “DIVINE”. Declaring relevant Attributes stops effects from activating in the Hand and Graveyard too. For the second turn after True King of All Calamities is summoned, I like to call “FIRE” or “LIGHT” to prevent Hand Traps from stopping my combo plays. If you have True King monsters in hand, then go ahead and call “FIRE” or “EARTH” if your opponent has face-up monsters.

I feel that True King of All Calamities is a two-turn usage weapon, so players please do manage your expectations as to what True King of All Calamities can do. Once again, like Master Peace, don’t bet it all on this Rank 9 monster. While it stops your opponent from making plays, it seldoms outright wins you them game.

In my opinion, the ‘scary’ aspects of a Dino deck, be it a Yang Zing or True King variant, remains to be the following:

Petiranodon/Babycerasaurus

Miscellaneousaurus

Souleating Oviraptor

For starters, almost everything starts with Souleating Oviraptor. And the baby dinos are used to special summon Souleating Oviraptor when there is a need to. Otherwise, Souleating Oviraptor does the opposite and searches for them to be destroyed. And Miscellaneousaurus brings its own set of problems with its protection + tutoring.

We all witness how dangerous cards are when they generate advantage single-handedly. (Cough cough Zoodiac Ratpier)

I say this carefully, and please hold your breath in case you find it insulting, but I feel Denglong, First of the Yang Zing is the scariest Extra Deck monster, and not True King of All Calamities.

Yang Zing – the “Denglong Play”

Yugioh Open Tournament Hong Kong (YOTHK) was the first major tournament in the OCG under the new Master Rule which implements the Extra Monster Zone and the Link mechanics. The final match was a battle between two variants of True King Dinosaurs. This all happened back on the weekend of 15th April. You can check it out here if you missed it. Given the success of the Yang Zing engine, I thought it might be a good idea to dedicate a section to these pioneer Wyrm monsters.

The victorious party won with a variant of Yang Zing. Yang Zing has a small engine of 4 cards, and ironically, four cards you do not wish to draw into. It is risky, as you may end up with poorer hands and might kill the engine when the right cards aren’t in the right places. However, as results have proven, players are rewarded with risks.

The standard play:

Normal/Special summon Souleating Oviraptor Add Miscellaneousaurus from deck to hand using Souleating Oviraptor’s effect. Activate Miscellaneousaurus from hand, dicarding it. Then activate its graveyard effect, banishing itself to special summon the Level 1 Jurrac Aeola from deck. Souleating Oviraptor + Jurrac Aeola to Synchro Summon Denglong, First of the Yang Zing. Add Nine Pillars of Yang Zing from the deck upon Denglong, First of the Yang Zing’s summon. Opt to send Chiwen, Light of the Yang Zing from the deck to the graveyard. Denglong, First of the Yang Zing’s level is now Level 1.

With Chiwen, Light of the Yang Zing in the graveyard, it can be revived when Denglong, First of the Yang Zing gets destroyed by Nine Pillars of the Yang Zing the following turn.

Denglong, First of the Yang Zing can then special summon Bi’an, Earth of the Yang Zing. With the Level 3 Bi’an, Earth of the Yang Zing and the Level 1 Tuner Chiwen, Light of the Yang Zing, using the Yang Zing iconic ‘Accel Synchro’, you can Synchro Summon out Herald of the Arc Light, another obstacle for your opponent to overcome.

Bi’an, Earth of the Yang Zing even protects Herald of the Arc Light from being destroyed by battle. This adds another layer of challenge to removing Herlad of the Arc Light. Opponents who are not aware of Denglong, First of the Yang Zing’s ability to extend into Herald of the Arc Light will be caught off-guard. Similarly, players who neglected Bi’an, Earth of the Yang Zing’s protection would have wasted a Battle Phase attempting to destroy Herald of the Arc Light by battle.

This one card play is achieved by Souleating Oviraptor alone, which is why I consider it to be the heart of the deck. Alternatively, with another Level 4, Suanni, Fire of the Yang Zing can be brought out for a Level 9 Synchro Summon involving Mist Wurm or Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. The Level 3 Bi’an, Earth of the Yang Zing is played for the ability to Synchro Summon out Herald of the Arc Light and, as we will explore later, Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing.

Herald of the Arc Light

More of a friendly reminder tagged along into this article than insisting it is something readers aren’t aware of – Herald of the Arc Light banishes!

Any monster sent from the hand or Main Deck to the Graveyard is banished instead.

This first part of Herald of the Arc Light’s effect is one that I see many players neglect too often, until it is too late. One player at my locals used That Grass Looks Greener hoping to bait Herald’s negation. And to his surprise, his opponent passed and happily watched as his Infernoid monsters got banished instead of entering the graveyard.

On this note, Herald of the Arc Light is a great monster to challenge your opponent in a mirror match, as they would not be able to successfully resolve their Dragonic Diagram + Baby Dino combo. While tempting, I would not suggest leaving Chiwen and Bi’an on the field and chain a Synchro Summon when your opponent activates Dragonic Diagram. You may want to surprise them with Herald of Arc Light and rob them by forcing them to banish a card, but simply the knowledge of Herald of Arc Light’s banishing effect renders this strategy useless. Experienced opponents would not foolishly allow you the option to do that, and would definitely not shy away from the chance to use their cards unhindered by Herald of Arc Light’s negation.

Concluding, Herald of the Arc Light’s banishing effect is the cherry on top of the icing. Its niche lies in its negation effect. Therefore, I strongly suggest immediately Synchro Summoning once Chiwen and Bi’an lands on the field.

Return to the Frontlines

While the standard follow-up play involes Herald of the Arc Light, Return to the Frontlines, a recent Trap Card brings it to the next level by introducing Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing and Trishula, possibly bringing them out on your opponent’s turn. This idea was first made popular in Japan by 2015 and 2016 World Champion Hiyama Shunsuke “ひやま”.

Reviving Denglong after it is destroyed by Nine Pillars of Yang Zing, Synchro Tuner Denglong can be used to summon Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing together with Bi’an, Earth of the Yang Zing. This would allow you to shuffle up to two cards back to your opponent’s deck during their turn.

Upon Denglong’s revival, you can also either add a second Nine Pillars of the Yang Zing or a Yang Zing Path.

Return to the Frontlines also helps to better fulfill the “another Level 4” part of the equation, and hence better your chances of bringing out your Level 9 Synchros with Chiwen. Of course, it depends on the situation and for you to make the right call. Return to the Frontline adds more options to Synchro Summoning while enabling more plays during your turn too. I guess now would be an appropriate time to suggest that Denglong, First of the Yang Zing can mill Wyrm-type monsters to gain its Level, not Yang Zing monster. This means that it can mill a True King monster for it to be Level 9, and be used as an Xyz Material for Rank 9.

Chaofeng Lockdown

Another member of the Yang Zing family I would like to feature is Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing.

I feel that Chaofeng is usually neglected during a typical deck building process, but is worth more than meets the eye. Here is the first part of its effect:

While this Synchro Summoned card is on the field, your opponent cannot activate effects of monsters with the same original Attribute(s) as the “Yang Zing” monster(s) used for the Synchro Summon of this card.

Chaofeng is a Level 9 Synchro Monster, and while it may sound hard to believe, Return to the Frontlines actually makes it easier to summon Chaofeng. But the key to summoning out Phantom of the Yang Zing is not a simple math equation but also using the right resources. The optimal method would be to use Level 5 Denglong + Level 4 Suanni, Fire of the Yang Zing to bring it out. This way, you summon Chaofeng with a LIGHT and FIRE Attribute, two coincidental attributes which popular Hand Traps are under – Effect Veiler, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.

Of course, when summoned this way, it will also make your opponent incapable of making plays involving FIRE and LIGHT Attribute monsters’ effects.

Crippling your opponent

Of course, Trishula and Mist Wurm are Level 9, the magic number for Xyz Summoning True King of All Calmities the following turn. Hence, it would be wise to plan ahead and make sure to not only summon them, but protect them for them to last until your turn comes, where you can Xyz Summon using it.

Boy is this deck sadistic~ First, Denglong + Nine Pillars, followed up by Trishula and then True King of All Calmities the following turn? Even Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir is scary enough.

By now you may have noticed that plenty of the deck’s gimmicks and strategy surround – what I like to call – resource manipulation.

With annoying monsters like Denglong backed with a Nine Pillars of Yang Zing and later a Herald of Arc Light, you will not be able to completely lockdown your opponent or stop them from playing Yu-Gi-Oh altogether. But it will definitely cost them plenty of resources and bait to escape the lockdown. All the while, before and after, you as the Dino player will be farming and gaining advantage, be it Hand, Field or Lifepoint advantage. In a sense, it is similar to a True Draco mirror match, where you compete for resource-farming. The only additional element is that when True King Yang Zing Dinosaur decks are involved there is an element of dragging your opponent down, depleting their resources, as you race for resources on your own.

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir is favoured more than True King of All Calamities in the early stages of the duel, as a follow-up to Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier’s summon, to take another card away from your opponent. Hence, the PSY-Frame engine is even more popular in Dino decks more than True Draco decks. It protects you from other Hand Traps and takes away another card from your opponent with the use of PSY-Framelord Omega. Accomplishing both PSY-Frame and Trishula + Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir plays will get you four cards away from your opponent.

That, is the wrath of the Dinos.

Lost World

Recent archetypes have had decent field spells and Lost World is no exception. In a feature match of YOTHK here, witness how devastating misplays can be when Lost World’s effects are neglected or forgotten about.

Lost World allows you to protect your Dinosaurs from destruction effects, which were quite common in the OCG for a while, and thus some players Side Deck it. Apart from Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King, we had Kozmo and the Artifact engine for a while before they faded out of the competitive landscape. Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring is to be blamed for that but that is besides the point. In the TCG, Zoodiac Drident remains.

The prevention of targeting always appreciated, even though as a Field Card it may be overshawdowed by Dragonic Diagram. It interferes with plenty of cards, such as Zoodiac Drident, (even Zoodiac Whiptail and Zoodiac Tigermortar), Fairy Tail – Snow and so much more.

Lost World offers protection, and allows you to destroy and send cards to your graveyard from your deck at the same time, anything from a Babycerasaurus to Miscellaneousaurus.

Unfortunately, with the introduction of the New Master Rule, the effectiveness of Lost World may be undermined as one can always use it for Link Summoning. Then again, it would require them to at least play Link Spider. However, Lost World prevents your opponent from targeting but it does not affect the player. Souleating Oviraptor’s effect can destroy another Dinosaur-type monster on the field, not just your own. This is a cruicial point to note in a Mirror Match and also allows you to play around with the opponent’s Jurrac Token.

Lost World’s effect to destroy a Dinosaur monster from your Hand/Deck is optional. So with Souleating Oviraptor, you can really decide the fate of the Token monster.

Lastly, Lost World’s effect takes place as long as your opponent controls a token, so it does at least limit your opponent’s ability to play token-spawning cards.

Fossil Dig

There may be times where you should go for a Miscellaneousaurus search rather than Souleating Oviraptor. With a well-stacked graveyard, Miscellaneousaurus can summon out Souleating Oviraptor use its effect to search out Jurrac Aeolo. Normal Summon your Level 1 tuner and you are good to go on summoning Denglong.

This alternate route is more than just a fancy way to summon Denglong, First of the Yang Zing. Contrary to summoning Souleating Oviraptor first, you use Miscellaneousaurus’ protection ability earlier, hence preventing your Souleating Oviraptor from sucuumbing to death threats like Bottomless Trap Hole, Torrential Tribute or even Solemn Strike. And if your opponent forgets about that, then he/she would have wasted a card. This play does require you to have three other dinosaurs in your graveyard for Miscellaneousaurus to banish, so it isn’t exactly a first-turn-able play. But nevertheless, it is something worth noting (in my opinion).

Maxx “C”

Maxx “C” is at one in the TCG now, making it even more important for you to know and decide when is the most optimal time to use it. In my opinion, you should never use it on Miscellaneousaurus’ effect to summon out an Oviraptor, since it will likely be a one for one, which net you no pluses. Your opponent can easily search for another Souleating Oviraptor to attempt the big play again on the next turn.

Against a Dinosaur deck, Maxx “C” is best used to not discourage plays in the form of a preemptive activation or a one-for-one trade. Instead, Maxx “C” should be used with the aim to at least get two draws out from it and force your opponent to pay you for their special summons.

There are a few common points of time to effectively use Maxx “C”:

When Souleating Oviraptor uses it on a baby dino to revive another, that will give you two draws, since both Petiteranodon and Babycerasaurus are mandatory effects.

Similarly, when True King monsters’ effects are activated, it is likely the destroyed targets are meant to be Petiteranodon/Babycerasaurus. Using Maxx “C” in response to True Kings would either force them to choose less beneficial targets to destroy, or they special summon off Petiteranodon/Babycerasaurus and you get more draws.

Another less optimal, but still acceptable moment, to drop Maxx “C” would be during Miscellaneousaurus’ summon of Jurac Aeolo while Souleating Oviraptor is on the field. You get a draw off Miscellaneousaurus, and another if they decide to Synchro Summon. They will probably do so, but in an unlikely event that they do not, without Denglong on the field, the threat is minimized. In a sense, you gain maximum utility off Maxx “C”.

Lastly, Denglong’s destruction will likely spawn the summon of two monsters – First Chiwen, and secondly another Wyrm monster from the deck. That would be a good time to drop Maxx “C” too. It will stress your opponent’s future Synchro Summon on that turn.

Recovery

We all know how combo-happy Dragonic Diagram works with baby dinos. But what happens if Diagram gets hit by a Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit or Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. While annoying, it is not neccesarily the end of your jurrasic world.

Here, in Asian Championship 2017 Round 1, John Kevin Alcantara from Philippines going up against the 2013 World Champion, Huang Shin-En, from Taiwan. After suffering a negation from Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, John went on to use Monster Reborn on his opponent’s Level 3 tuner and Synchro Summoned Denglong, First of the Yang Zing along with a Normal Summoned Babycerasaurus.

Yes I am aware that Monster Reborn is Forbidden under TCG’s Limit Regulation. No I would not advise playing Wiseman’s Chalice.

However, if it is any indication or proof, I hope that players can keep in mind alternate methods to summon Denglong. This Level 5 Synchro Tuner has no specific requirements for Synchro Materials. So by all means go ahead with Effect Veiler + Souleating Oviraptor if you have to. I personally tech in Emergency Teleport (Limited at 1 in the OCG) in my Dino deck and was able to replicate this ‘back-up plan’ to a certain degree.

Denglong has probably justified its utility with the different plays it can create. Therefore, I feel that it is worth the extra mile to push for its summon.

True King

Having Petiteranodon and Babycerasaurus in your hand along with True King monsters is fun and games. It is easy – destroy the Dinosaurs and spawn the True King. But what if your baby dinosaurs decide to go missing?

The next best option would be to destroy a True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher and True King Lithosagym, the Disaster to summon out another copy of either one (E.g. Agnimazud, the Vanisher #2). Agnimazud, the Vanisher adds Lithosagym, the Disaster back to hand, and Lithosagym, the Disaster in turn special summons Agnimazud, the Vanisher to the field.

This way, you will have True King monsters on the field – in this example, two Agnimazud, the Vanisher – for either Xyz Summoning or just attacking. With Lithosagym, the Disaster added back to hand, you can summon out True King of All Calamities with you two Agnimazud, the Vanishers. Assuming your opponent has monsters for you to destroy, declare “Earth” and summon out your Lithosagym, the Disaster and take three Extra Deck monsters from your opponent.

Takeaway – without the baby dinos, it is still possible to rob your opponent of their Extra Deck monsters. Also, three True King monsters in hand is still a playable hand as long as you have one of each at least.

OCG

Even though the True King monsters were spared, it will now be harder for a player to open with Dragonic Diagram with the limitation of Dragonic Diagram and semi-limitation of Terraforming.

Some players have adapted by expanding on the Yang Zing engine. By playing two Jurrac Aeolo, you get to summon Denglong more times in a duel to establish board control. The aim remains the same – negate more, cripple your opponent as you push for game + resource-farming. But with more board control, you buy more turns to make your plays.

Lost World is also currently being experimented as the next best thing to consistently trigger the spawning effects of baby dinos. Another option is to maximise copies of your True King monsters (previously Agnimazud was played at 1-2, while only Lithosagym was max out at three).

Conclusion

Dinosaurs are extinct in our modern world but that is definitely not true in Yu-Gi-Oh.

The TCG should abuse the fact that Link Summoning has yet to take effect. It is thus easier, to spam Extra Deck monsters onto the field. Cards such as Instant Fusion can extend plays and fortify your field set up, making it harder for your opponent to break your board.

Dino may be a combo-based deck but never shy away from the challenge. The beauty of a combo-orientated deck is that you can try out the combos on your own, seeing it what you can achieve with different opening hands. During playtesting, analyse afterwards – “Was that the best play?” or “What if (A) got interupted by (Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit/Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring)?”. Your most common problem will probably be a “Why didn’t I think of that?” situation, which indicates that you might not be as familiar with the deck as you should be.

Dinos are a complicated deck. Unlike True Dracos, there isn’t a hard and fast way to go about it. There isn’t a Hey, rush out mini True Draco and slam Master Peace at the right time in this article. The initial combos may be standard, but what to negate, when to negate, what to do after is the real question. Practice helps you know your deck and how each card interacts with another in unique and common situations. No amount of articles can accomplish that.

With that, I shall end my article. With the latest OCG Limit Regulation, I believe Yang Zing Dino will flourish in the new metagame. I will keep a lookout for them and report any new and interesting findings in the (hopefully possible) next intsallment of the [What You Should Know] series. Until then…