Much of the player base of Duel Links carries nostalgia for the first three entries of Yu-Gi-Oh anime. Logically, the next Duel Links in-game world after 5Ds would have been Zexal, but they added Dark Side of Dimensions world instead. Players didn't mind, as they share more of a connection to the movie characters. Zexal will be in the game eventually, but is the player base ready for it now? Is the metagame ready for XYZ Monsters?
Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal's Legacy
Duel Links is primarily targeted towards those who have nostalgia for the Yu-Gi-Oh anime. The first three entries, Duel Monsters, GX, and 5Ds, all evoke nostalgia in the west. Most casual observers have not watched anything past that. Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal is a a black sheep among western viewers. In my experience it is much harder to find someone who has seen Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal instead of say, 5Ds or GX. Zexal has a childlike appearance compared to 5Ds, and as 5Ds was so popular in the west.
But the player base is not solely made of a western audience. Commercials for Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal in Japan are much more common. There’s potential for some satisfaction among fans. I personally have watched all six anime. I often discuss the more recent Yu-Gi-Oh anime entries with fellow western watchers. I am excited for the possibilities a Zexal world would bring Duel Links. It’s unfair to say that there would be zero excitement in the west. If there’s potential for excitement from the fans, what’s holding Zexal back from inclusion? The addition of XYZ monsters may be too generic for Duel Links’ meta, but is that really true?
XYZ Monsters and the Duel Links Metagame
XYZ monsters are one of the more generic forms of summoning in modern Yu-Gi-Oh. It requires two monsters with the same level, face-up on your field. You stack them on top of each other, or “Overlay” them, and summon an XYZ monster. Early XYZ monsters needed to detach these XYZ materials and send them to the graveyard to activate their effects, giving them a limited amount of activations. Modern day XYZ still sometimes follow this rule, but it’s not a sure thing.
Something worth noting is that Duel Links has power crept far faster than the real life card game. We already have decks like Lunalight, snatching easy one turn kills. When the first Yu-Gi-Oh pack to include XYZ monsters, Generation Force, came out, the game’s metagame was slower than that of current Duel Links. The cover card for the pack was Leviathan dragon, which served the purpose of turning two level 3 monsters into a 2500 attack beater. I can confidently say that this card would see little to no competitive play in Duel Links if it were released.
That’s not to say that XYZ wouldn’t have the potential to shake up the Duel Links meta. Cards such as Castel the Skyblaster Musketeer, and Number 101: Silent Honor ARK are great in decks capable of summoning rank fours. Duel Links is currently lacking in generic spot removal, and these cards would certainly provide that.
There are many generic XYZ cards that would be bad in Duel Links, such as Leviathan Dragon. Alternatively, many XYZ cards that would be a bit too good, like Castel. But many generic XYZ would fit fine with the current level of power creep, such as Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon, and Diamond Dire Wolf. Generic XYZ can easily be added, if added carefully.
The Problems with Adding XYZ Monsters
There are two major problems with adding XYZ: Explosive XYZ archetypes, and the Duel Links banlist. First, let’s look at XYZ archetypes.
XYZ archetypes are not necessarily dangerous to the game’s longevity and implemented without trouble. But with the ease of summoning that comes with XYZ, comes a gateway for many aggressive tactics. Wind-ups could remove the opponent’s entire hand on the first turn with an exploitable loop. Duel Links has seen its fair share of first turn kill decks, and the Wind-Up loop isn’t possible with three monster zones. But with how easy XYZ are to summon, the Duel Links developers would have to be mindful of game balance with each XYZ monster and archetype they add.
In the same vein, Duel Links’ ban list system may pose a problem to adding XYZ to the game. Imagine if Castel's generic removal is so useful that he’s used in every deck. Duel Links developers see that Castel’s generic removal may pose a threat to the release of other cards later down the line, so they decide to limit him. Traditionally, limiting is a death sentence in Duel Links, but it does very little to cards found in the extra deck. In the case of a limited Castel, all that would happen is decks that greatly benefit from him would stop running limited cards, and run him instead. An overly generic, insanely useful XYZ monster could be the first forbidden card on the Duel Links ban list due to the nature of XYZ cards.
Conclusion
A Zexal world is possible in Duel Links and could do well, but I don’t think it will. The Dark Side of Dimensions world is thus far vastly underused, with many more characters to introduce. Adding a new world right now would not make sense. Nevertheless, a Zexal world could succeed, as the show does have its fans.
The addition of XYZ monsters to Duel Links could potentially not affect the metagame at all. However, releasing powerful generic XYZ monsters in Duel Links would be a costly mistake. This would possibly serve to cause the first Duel Links ban. The Duel Links developers would need to put much thought into what cards to put into the card pool. As it is right now, the Duel Links meta is faster than that of the early Zexal era. It could potentially withstand the generic explosive power of XYZ.
