The TCG Meta Snapshot is a project by some of the writers at YGOPRODeck that aims to encapsulate the state of the meta for a given 1-2 week period.
The TCG Meta Snapshot also aims to rank decks in a somewhat looser tier system. The tiers that we will use are as follows:
Tier 1: Highly Competitive Meta Decks. 10% or more of tops, as ranked by Pojo. This will roughly correspond to Pojo’s Tier 1, with some overlap into Pojo’s Tier 2.
Tier 2: Semi-Competitive Meta Decks. Less than 10% of tops, as ranked by Pojo. Corresponds to the rest of Pojo’s Tier 2, Pojo’s Tier 3, and Rogue.
Tier 3: Semi-Competitive non-Meta/Rogue decks. 1-2 tops. Specifically includes decks that only top small events or get lower rankings at medium events. Can also include decks that can potentially top but have not yet in a given format.
Tier 4: Casually Competitive non-Meta decks. Decks that can compete at the local level, but cannot top an event.
Archetype Explanation
Floowandereeze is a straightforward and consistent strategy that revolves around Tribute summoning powerful Winged-Beast monsters into the fray. Examples include Apex Avian, Raiza the Mega Monarch, and of course Floowandereeze & Empen. It easily makes use of multiple Normal Summons on both turns to overwhelm the opponent!
All of the smaller birds provide both utility and resources while bridging the gap to get to your boss monsters. If you want a more in-depth overview, feel free to check out this article from therarely!
Tier Ranking
As we reach the eventual end of the format, people have been getting wind of Floowandeereze performing nicely in the competitive scene. With 4 YCS tops in its belt and some good regional results overall, the deck is solidly a Rogue contender. It has varying matchups against the top decks and is even immune to some of their lockout tools. El Shaddoll Winda, Protos and Artifact Scythe become non-issues as the deck doesn't Special Summon.
When BACH arrives, this strategy gets a new boon in the form of their new Quick-Play spell which boosts the power level of the deck to new heights. This gives players something to look forward in the mean time, akin to the calm before the storm.
Special thanks to OzoneTCG and the r/Yugioh Discord for assisting in this Snapshot.
Decklists
Cezar Coscia gave Floowandeereze its highest placing yet, a Top 8 at the SA/LATAM YCS! This build has fairly standard ratios (aside from 1 Stri) with a nice balance of going second cards to boot. The sided Dogmatika package brings up a lot of interest. Let's go over some of the general things to know for now!
3 Robina and 3 Eglen are used as they are the most important of the small birds, while 2 Stri and 1 Toccan round out the ratios. Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds can be searched off Robina and has some flexibility on when you want to board it. It can either be summoned on your turn with Empen's extra NS, or on their turn after your board gets negated. A good majority of decks in the format can struggle to deal with the dual floodgate assault, making it an effective choice.
Magnificent Map and Dreaming Town allow you to play on your opponent's turn, giving the deck a lot of powerful disruptive options. Map acts as a strong extender should your initial plays get stopped. You want to use Town's GY effect on their turn as you drop down your secondary threat, usually Mega Raiza or Apex Avian. The former is key in outing threats and even recycling your own cards, while the latter can secure victory with its negation. Town's mass UCT-like effect can shut down most of the opponent's plays down if timed correctly. After it gets banished, Toccan can retrieve on the next turn to repeat the process in more drawn-out games. Unexplored Winds is another nice 1-of and rounds off the Spell/Trap lineup nicely.
Dimension Shifter is undoubtedly one of the strongest generics that Floowandeereze has access to! The lingering floodgate not only cripples most decks of the format, it also protects the Deck against certain hand traps like Effect Veiler or Droll & Lock Bird. Most if not all successful versions of the deck run it at 3 copies in the Main. Some opt to side it, but having access to it game 1 gives you higher odds of seeing the card.
Book of Moon is another generic card that provides a lot to the table. Its regular use revolves being a flexible tool that's helpful both going first to stop threats, or going second to force them face-down. However, Floowandeereze gets extra mileage out of them, helping play vs Imperm and Veiler.
Lastly, the deck is rounded out by consistency boosters in the form of Terraforming, Pot of Duality/Prosperity/Extravagance, and so on. All of these play a good part in making sure you can get to your starters in a reasonable manner.
Andrea V got Top 32 at the EU YCS with Floowandeereze, which is a decent feat all things considered. Their list has a lot of funky techs and choices to look over.
Among the ones that stand out for us, Crossout Designator is a powerful tool that helps in making sure your combos resolve. The deck is quite powerful but if Eglen gets stopped that can spell trouble. Mystic Mine is a flex option that helps edge out in some games, since the deck runs Terraforming it works well enough as a 1-of.
7 Pots is definitely unusual, but there could be some merit in seeing one within most hands. Their list accomodates Crossout ratios to good effect. Feather Storm can pay off and shut down the opponent's turn, making it an option in the Side.
Last but not the least, their Extra Deck is full of goodies as well. You rarely ever go into the ED, but some of them can be teched for occasional use. Ancient Gear Howitzer is a surprise option that lets you punish Dogmatika Maximus! Andrea possibly clutched out some matches with the uncontested 1000 burn from the peculiar Fusion monster. Promenade Thrush could out troublesome backrow before laddering into Downerd and AA-Zeus.
It's interesting to see how the various regions built their lists differently. NA did not have any Floowandeereze make it into the top cut of the YCS, but they do have several remote regional tops with the flock.
Tech Choices
Aside from Crossout and friends, here are some other funky techs the topping Floowandeereze lists have been using.
Some lists have been finding success with 2 Empen. The second one helps in accessing the Spell/Trap lineup more, such as getting the Continuous Spell for followup and OTKs. It also means Eglen search being stopped isn't as bad.
A couple of people have also been trying out Snowl, drawing some parallels to Ultimate Conductor Tyranno. It does often compete with Apex Avian for a slot which makes it awkward at times.
The sided Dogmatika package gives the deck an extra layer of disruption and followup with Ecclesia searching Dogmatika Punishment. The deck can run a multitude of useful targets, and even make use of Shuraig's GY to get a search! Not only that, Nadir Servant is an incredible card that can help push through both getting hand trapped and when staring down boards.
In the floodgate department, both Dimensional Fissure and Harpie's Feather Storm are seeing a fair amount of play. Fissure is quite painful for most decks to deal with, while Feather Storm is a turn-ender and a plan B option if you get interrupted early on in your combos.
Matchups
Tenyi Swordsoul
Tenyi Swordsoul is admittedly a matchup not in your favor. Going second it's difficult to play through Chixiao paired with other disrupts, and going first you can expect to get bombarded by a lot of hand traps. Vishuda is a terrifying sight to see, forcing you to use your cards early with its bounce effect. Incredible Ecclesia and Heavenly Dragon Circle complicate things for the Floowandeereze player.
However, Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds can just as easily snuff them out too, putting them in a difficult spot if they don't open Imperm or Chalice. Mega Raiza pull its weight here if timed correctly, able to deny Synchro access. In openers where they NS a Swordsoul monster, the Field Spell can go a long way, while Dreaming Town can help snuff out Longyuan trying to force a Baronne onto the field.
Book of Moon will serve you well here regardless if you win or lose the die roll. Definitely keep it in mind!
Tri-Brigade Lyrilusc
Tri LL is a lot more manageable compared to Swordsoul, as you don't mind some of their interactions that much. Ensemblue isn't an issue, while DDL and F0 aren't the worst to stare down either. Enemy Apex or Apollousa can prove to be troublesome though.
Going first your usual board performs well, as you can deny Zeus attempts with Dreaming Town and Raiza. It'll likely be a battle of generics, as you try to avoid getting blown out by cards like Cosmic Cyclone or Forbidden Droplet. Its worth noting that the deck runs less hand traps compared to most and in G1 their board will likely not be as specialized to beat Floowandereeze, giving you a decent chance overall.
Enforcer Invoked Dogmatika
This is matchup you want to see, as you're quite favored vs Invoked! Not only does Barrier and Empen shut down most of their plays, they're also hard pressed to deal with cards like Dimensional Shifter! Aleister cannot go into Raidjin either, as there would be no WIND monster in your GY to banish.
At most the scariest threat to fight would be Mechaba, and even then it can be handled by cards such as Book of Moon or having enough extenders. The Shaddoll engine is entirely blanked and Maximus becomes quite a gamble.
Enforcer can be a threat if your plays get interrupted but generally speaking you're more than well equipped to deal with this deck.
Conclusion
All in all, Floowandeereze is an adequate Rogue choice that's about to get even better once Battle of Chaos drops! In its current iteration, the deck has somewhat made a name for itself. As the format ends, this strategy remains safe from the imminent banlist that's about to hit, making it an enticing option to pick up. Mega Raiza's cost does make building it troublesome, but an eventual reprint is on its way.
The metagame is going to have a massive shakeup once Grand Creators become legal too, so it'll be interesting to see how it evolves and if the birds are able to adapt.
Keep calm and Normal summon Robina, Ladies and Gentlemen! Until next time!
