Disclaimer from Jadehex , TPC Manager

This is the LAST Tier List for this iteration of the Top Player Council. April 2020 marks the beginning of Season 11 and a new Top Player Council, I would personally like to thank this iteration of TPC for their comments, they’ve been a big help in writing these articles every week - Cheers!

Tier 1

TPC Comments

Chris.

The rise of Thunder Dragons (thanks to ) and the popularity rising popularity of Shiranui has given Blue-Eyes trouble, as they have a very hard time getting over and they have to preemptively tag out if they dont want to risk getting blown out by Levianeer. They are still performing well enough to get multiple decks in Top Cut, however, a decline in their performance is expected. The deck can play nicely around backrow and spam the field with big monsters. is a nice option for the deck from the new Selection Box which can help in the Shiranui matchup and the mirror.

EmAyy

With the addition of , Thunder Dragons have gained some added power. The core engine of most Thunder Dragon builds lets you summon Levianeer easily. The standard into with play was already strong, but now theres the threat of dropping a Levianeer right after or sometimes even before. Also being able to trigger Thunder Dragon monster effects when banished to summon Levianeer nets you so much advantage.

MedzR

Blue-Eyes have gained another option for there trap lineup in . This card significantly helps Blue-Eyes with its Shiranui matchup as it gives them a reliable way to deal with . The secondary effect of Karma Cut banishing cards from the graveyard with the same name as the banished monster also comes up. For example, banishing an could disrupt an Elementsaber’s play, by removing its graveyard targets in the right gamestate.

Negative1

The addition of is what really pushes Thunder Dragons to Tier 1. Their consistency at setting up their graveyard for Levianeer and the value they get off of even summoning him is unmatched, as you go positive in card advantage from both the Levianeer effect and the Thunder Dragon banish effects. It parallels in it’s ability to break board and I believe it will be a major factor in the KC Cup.

Tier 2

TPC Comments

Chris.

Last week 20-card Shiranui with either or performed really well, and they have the potential to become Tier 1 next week if they keep this up. is a card that can help them set up their grave for Synchro plays without relying on the opponent to send their monsters to the grave. The decline in Dark Magician, a bad matchup, along with the extinction of Ritual Beasts make their overall matchups really good.

Tier 3

TPC Comments

Chris.

Masked HEROs are purely an OTK deck similar to Blackwings.They are consistent in doing that and can play around backrow much easier than Blackwings thanks to , and being able to fuse with face-down monsters. Their biggest weakness is going first as well as the grind game, along with little represantation thanks to the expensive Stratos being needed at 3.

EmAyy

Dark Magician has dropped down to Tier 3, as the deck hasn’t been too popular lately in tournaments. Some of the top decks can easily overwhelm Dark Magician, but it’s still a decent choice to play with a few tech choice adjustments. is really strong against and going first with + is always a strong play.

Getting and , when combined with , has made heroes into a consistent OTK deck. Being able to search Faris usually ends with into OTK. They are similar to Blackwings but can play through backrow a bit better. One big issue with the deck is that it doesn’t have a very strong play going first.

MedzR

Dark Magician has found itself with a very unfavourable matchup against the new variant of Thunder Dragon with . The usual combo of + usually isn’t enough to stop Thunder Dragons from clearing your board, as you have to contend with their easy access to synchros that can pop your cards and the potential follow up into Levianeer. With Thunder Dragon shooting up in usage, Dark Magician has been demoted to Tier 3 whilst it struggles to cope.

Off the Tier List

TPC Comments

Autumn Leaf

The Top Player Council has always been divided on the placement of Cyber Dragons on the Tier List, but the rise of Thunder Dragons to Tier 1 status will undoubtedly hurt the performance of Cyber Dragons going forward. Additionally, more and more players are now inclined to play over heavy backrow. Thus Cyber Dragons have finally finally been demoted after remaining on the Tier List for weeks.

Herbel

Lunalight was a very popular deck after its release, and it saw a lot of competitive play and success. The fact that they had easy access to , made them a solid pick against Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes. However, the shift of the meta doesn’t favour them. The rise of Shiranui and Thunder Dragon means they got two hard matchups, as both of these decks have easy access to non-targeting destruction in the form of , , , and to deal with your Fusion Monsters. Lunalight is still a decent deck for the ladder climb, but the bad matchup agaisnt every Tier 1 and Tier 2 deck aside from Blue-Eyes means they are removed from the Tier List.

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