The start of a brand new year demands a fresh start of the metagame. For my fellow Asians out there, the new list will take place on January 2022. To you American readers, you can consider this as a more involved perspective towards the OCG metagame. Maxx "C" fully included, of course.
This article will briefly ponder the various regulations that the list has thrown on the OCG for the upcoming three months. I will do my best to deduce the understanding of certain considerations with the current metagame in mind.
As a final disclaimer, this is about the OCG January 2022 Ban List. Several banned TCG cards like SPYRAL Master Plan and Vanity's Emptiness are free here. And some cards that “have not been imported” like Majesty Hyperion and Rites of Aramesia exist in this metagame.
January 1st, 2022 Regulations List
FORBIDDEN
- Fusion Destiny (Previously at 3)
LIMITED
- The Phantom Knights of Torn Scales (Previously at 3)
- Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu (Previously at 3)
- Crossout Designator (Previously at 2)
SEMI LIMITED
- Altergeist Multifaker (Previously at 1)
- Aquamancer of the Sanctuary (Previously at 3)
- Rites of Aramesia (Previously at 3)
- Swordsoul Emergence (Previously at 3)
- Metaverse (Previously at 1)
UNLIMITED
- Performapal Skullcrobat Joker (Previously at 2)
- Souleating Oviraptor (Previously at 2)
- Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (Previously at 2)
- Scapegoat (Previously at 2)
Understanding the Current OCG Metagame
This picture was created with the 29 November – 5 December Metagame in mind. It is not an exact accurate representation of the current OCG Meta.
Phantom Knights packed together with Destroy Phoenix Enforcer and Brave Token set is undeniably the strongest deck in the metagame right now. Easily alternating between three successful archetypes, the pilot is able to establish at least two major disruptions at worst. This variant of Phantom Knights has evolved to include Artifact Scythe's Extra Deck lock and possibly even Rhongomyniad in their arsenal of techs. With the strength of multiple unfair archetypes, this deck has constantly dominated the scene for quite a while now.
Following closely behind is the Branded. The newly released Structure Deck: Albaz Strike has introduced Branded Fusion, a simple card similar to Fusion Destiny for many decks to suddenly adopt a fusion strategy. Despia is a common pairing with the deck.
Brave Tenyi is a spin on Phantom Knights, fully utilizing the synergy between the Brave Token and Tenyis to perform typical Auroradon shenanigans. This deck relies heavily on the presence of cards that are currently banned in the TCG, such as O-Lion and Denglong. America, please do not worry about this deck making it to your shores!
Lastly, Eldlich variants and Floowandereeze exist as passive Stun to counteract these tempo-centric decks from dominating. Notably, Eldlich variants either include the Brave + DPE engine, or resort to floodgates now.
So with these context given, I will ponder on the impact over the new three months of next year. Alternatively, you may choose to read up more on the OCG Metagame through this link here.
Forbidden List 🚫
At least once, we expect an old card to be banned on every list. The current metagame offers up plenty of suspects, but this one will top your expectations...
Fusion Destiny
Fusion Destiny is the most used card in any deck possible right now. This spell is reminiscent of Red-Eyes Fusion, both being able to spit out a deadly fusion monster for seemingly no cost or heavy restrictions. In this case, Fusion Destiny will be used to summon Destiny HERO - Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer.
Even then, the materials used for Enforcer are extremely useful cards on their own! The most common materials are Destiny HERO - Dasher and Destiny HERO - Celestial. Dasher can grant a free Special Summon, generating positive advantage. Should Enforcer choose to revive Dasher, it is able to bump its attack to a stunning 3100 ATK, strong enough to knock over anything else. Celestial wields an excellent draw effect, letting players gain 2 additional cards with no major drawbacks. The other combination is Destiny HERO - Malicious and Destiny HERO - Denier. As Malicious is semi-limited in the OCG, Denier is able to cycle banished Maliciouses back to the deck, allowing for additional summons. This engine is used in decks that will appreciate additional bodies over raw card advantage.
Fusion Destiny is also a "Fusion" card, which means Predaplant Verte Anaconda can copy it. This also means by extension that any deck able to make Anaconda is able to summon Enforcer.
Fusion Destiny is a card that outputs a ridiculous monster, generates raw advantage, and is too easy for any deck to include. Of course, it could be argued that Enforcer itself is the main issue, or Anaconda should be at fault for encouraging other decks to participate in this tomfoolery. But the undeniable fact is that this specific engine had to be hit. With Fusion Destiny at 0, this engine will no longer see universal play.
However, HERO decks did in fact rely heavily on this card prior. Even if HEROs are not especially a domineering force in the metagame, this hit will definitely hurt them very badly. And personally, I would say, shame on you for sitting on Dark Law!
You may read up more on the usage of the Destiny Hero package in this article here.
Limited List ☝️
You've seen them too many times, now only once!
The Phantom Knights of Torn Scale
As previously mentioned, Phantom Knights are currently the strongest deck right now. They can facilitate the process of developing nasty boards by providing constant bodies to develop multiple strong monsters. Torn Scale is the leader of this engine, serving as both a play starter and extender for the deck.
Even if the current combos require only one Torn Scale, the limitation on this list will greatly hinder the consistency of Phantom Knights in general, along with the DPE and Brave Token hits. This is a good thing! Especially when Phantom Knights have shown to be the most flexible engine in the OCG right now.
Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu
If Phantom Knights are the best deck by a large margin, then Prank-Kids are the most consistent deck in the OCG. With the introduction of Meow-Meow-Mu, Prank-Kids readily changed from a Fusion-centric deck into a Link deck. Every Prank-Kid monster drawn can be made into Meow-Meow-Mu, which will start the balling just from any one Prank-Kid. These rascals are able to generate constant advantage through Link or Fusion Summoning, ending on Battle Butler with the ability to wipe boards twice. Prank-Kids are also adopting the Brave Token engine, giving the deck one more layer of disruption.
The hit on Meow-Meow-Mu will not hinder this deck's initial starting plays, but will most definitely affect lines of play thereafter. Personally, I do not think this hit is strong enough, as these kids need not rely on a second Meow-Meow-Mu to conclude games. However, this is a good sign that Konami OCG is recognizing the power level of Prank-Kids, and hopefully takes this deck out of commission soon. Too many pranks have been played, enough is enough!
Crossout Designator
Funnily enough, the TCG has completely shunned on this card, since their variety of tech cards far exceeds the scope of Crossout Designator. Regardless, this card remains a core component for any special summoning decks to deal with potential disruption.
Although unwarranted, this card receives an additional blow from two copies to one on this list. Why? I am stunned on this decision. My opinion on this hit mirrors the same thoughts I had last list. Aside from consistency issues, this will prevent the "Crossout on Crossout" issues from rising again. Nevertheless, decks will have one less counter to Maxx "C" now.
Semi-Limited List ✌️
It's at two, not making up our minds is cool! OCG continues leaving card status in limbo every quarter.
🤮 Altergeist Multifaker 🤮
Ew.
Just ew.
No way anybody looked at Multifaker and thought, "Yeah, I miss the format where I flipped a dozen of purple cards and everybody despised me." Altergeist is THE deck to make everyone hate you. We even had an article talking about it! My bias aside, Altergeist has been outpaced by the current metagame, so it might be safe to push it back to 3 like the TCG's list. Fortunately, OCG likes to do things slowly, so the three Multifaker format will not arrive so quickly. This is a bad omen for many, while the few Altergeist stans celebrate boisterously in front. Please stop considering this archetype, and let us move on.
Aquamancer of the Sanctuary and Rites of Aramesia
These two are the bread and butter of the Brave Token engine. Simply accessing either one of these, you can immediately develop two bodies, one interruption, and so much more. Rites of Aramesia grants the player so much advantage, the setback of not using a normal summoned monster's effect is often irrelevant. This article here explains more about the engine.
Decks like Brave PK, Brave Wyrm and Brave Prank-Kids have been granted additional protection and disruption for sacrificing almost nothing but unimportant deck slots. This engine can most certainly make its way into other similar decks, like Dinosaur or even Synchrons.
There is no denying this archetype's strength, even with its relative newness. Semi-Limiting this engine may force players to lower their chances of seeing the engine. However, this will not discourage players from continued usage.
Swordsoul Emergence
Swordsoul is one of the more popular archetypes from Burst of Destiny. However, they are currently overshadowed by the raw power of Phantom Knights. They may not be especially oppressive right now, but can easily steal tops. Alongside this is Brave Wyrm, which makes use of Emergence to add Archnemesis Protos to hand. Emergence is a necessary consistency card that encourages the toxic usage of Protos, and this semi-limit may be a tiny attempt to curb that.
Metaverse
Limited alongside with Mystic Mine in the past, this card's single status was mainly to prevent Trap Trick from setting it directly. Now that Metaverse's strongest target is no longer on the field, there is no point to keeping it limited. Maybe this card could tutor Necrovalley or Secret Village of the Spellcasters at specific timings, but nothing will ever compare to the unreasonable Mystic Mine.
Unlimited 🖐
Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
Did you know the Skullcrobat part of this card is a portmanteau on ドクロ (dokuro) meaning skull and アクロバット (akurobatto) meaning acrobat? I most certainly did not think it was related to a specific Pokemon in anyway. Regardless, I have said my piece in the previous article. Pendulums may see additional support in the upcoming main deck Dimension Force, so expect great things from that!
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
I have also stated my piece about this card in the past two articles. Other than Red-Eyes enthusiasts, I and others have absolutely nothing to say about this card, except that now it's at three! Fly free my draconic friend. All it took was one crippling nerf for it to finally enjoy the company again.
Scapegoat 🐐
This might be where I shout out a specific internet personality, except I have never won anything from his lucky draws. Regardless, this card earned its spot on the restriction list during the Link format. People were quick to realize that the format was slower. Useless tokens are useful material for strong Link monsters. Scapegoat being 4 tokens meant you could make a Link 4 in one go. Otherwise, in a slowed and simplified format, Scapegoat could tank attacks and possibly retain bodies for more Link summons next turn. As the format has sped up again, these four lambs are no longer as useful as it was before. This card may see a possible resurgence if the format slows again, but that time has yet to come for now.
What do I think of this List? 🤔
Many are displeased about the survival of Anaconda. Others complain that Drytron is still at full power. Eldlich continues reigning as the most annoying deck in the format. Protos is also a prime candidate for arguments, now that Emergence has allowed it to appear consistently on board. And America's greatest fear, Maxx "C" is still at three. Although this format is full of obvious flaws, I believe this list is not that terrible.
Honestly, after having weathered Calamities and hyper-combo meta, this tempo-centric metagame feels a lot more balanced. Except Phantom Knights can literally produce anything, and Brave Token invalidates and punishes weaker decks. Many decks are now seeking to utilize either Enforcer, Brave Token, or hopefully both. Though oppressive, I believe this is playable. Branded Fusion will replace Destiny Fusion, with a restrictive Fusion Summoning Only requirement.
The start of the new year promises plenty of surprises, hopefully to the metagame. As the Dogmatika lore is beginning to conclude, many high power cards will definitely appear to rejuvenate the metagame. Konami OCG has acknowledged problematic card design, notably Enforcer and Brave Token. Over time, I believe things should pretty much settle down eventually.
My Thoughts and Conclusion 💁
I am glad I started writing these articles. I have dutifully noted that the first 9 months we were dealing with Calamities, then the last 3 with Anaconda. Seems that there is always something to complain about? I would be without this job if there wasn't! Konami OCG has dealt a sudden blow to HEROs today and other reigning archetypes. So far, the only sets announced for the future are Dimension Force and History Archive Collection. This metagame will continue to settle for a while, and I am fine with that.
This is my personal hypothesis of the ban list, and I hope you readers will understand the minds behind Konami OCG as well.
Let me know what you readers think of this ban list!
