{"id":15919,"date":"2016-06-15T14:52:33","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T14:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ygorganization.com\/?p=15919"},"modified":"2016-06-15T14:54:48","modified_gmt":"2016-06-15T14:54:48","slug":"tokens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ygorganization.com\/staging\/?p=15919","title":{"rendered":"Casual Deck Strategy: Token Back the Spotlight!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to a new CDS article and this time we will be discussing a mechanic-centric deck, rather than just one archetype. Tokens\u00a0have existed from the beginning of time for Yu-Gi-Oh, although they have not seen too much competitive play outside of the rogue\u00a0Scapegoat <\/strong>or\u00a0Dandylion<\/strong>. Could that all change with the impending arrival of three new Token generators?<\/p>\n

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Introduction to a Token-based Strategy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before we begin, let’s go over a couple key facts about Tokens.\u00a0Tokens are gray cards that can only be found as additional promotional cards or in various products, but you can improvise if needed with basic playing cards. Gameplay-wise, they are only summoned to the field through other card effects, most of them have 0 ATK and 0 DEF, they are treated as Normal Monsters, they cannot be used as Xyz Material, and most of them have the additional clause that they cannot be tributed. While that sounds like a lot of restrictions that\u00a0can seem to make Tokens utterly useless outside of stalling, there is actually a lot of potential, especially when it comes to Fusion and Synchro Summoning. The best characteristic of Tokens is that there are quite a few cards that mass summon Tokens to your field, and Synchro Summoning always goes best when you have free resources to use for said summons.<\/p>\n

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Let’s introduce you to the best Token generators for your Deck.\u00a0The first category include\u00a0the Token generators such as\u00a0Scapegoat<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/strong>Fires of Doomsday.\u00a0<\/strong>These generators prevent you from summoning other monsters that turn, so it is always best to activate them during the End Phase of your opponent’s turn, giving you Tokens to work with when your turn rolls around. The second category includes the Token generators with benefits, such as\u00a0Blackwing – Gofu the Ghostly Shadow\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Super Hippo Carnival.\u00a0<\/strong>With these generators, not only do you get Tokens, but you also get another monster to work with. In the case of Gofu, that gets a\u00a0Level 5 Tuner happily Special Summoned from the hand, and for Super Carnival that gets a Level 3 non-Tuner. The last category I will be discussing is the consistent generators such as\u00a0Void Expansion\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Black Garden.\u00a0<\/strong>These generators summon only one Token at a time, but they remain on the field turn after turn to slowly grant more tokens for your forces.<\/p>\n

Once you have generated Tokens, let’s talk about options. For one, you could always bring out a Tuner and Synchro with the tokens. If you are truly courageous, you could even build a deck relying on Tokens as your main attackers through\u00a0Token Stampede.\u00a0<\/strong>But there is also a ton of more productive\u00a0actions\u00a0you can take\u00a0with Token monsters. The first is Fusion Summoning, specifically with the help of\u00a0Fusion Substitute.\u00a0<\/strong>While the go-to Fusion Monster is clearly\u00a0First of the Dragons,\u00a0<\/strong>since all Token monsters are Normal Monsters, you can also lean upon\u00a0Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon\u00a0<\/strong>if you have Zombie-type Tokens (created by\u00a0Scapeghost<\/strong>). Both of these are great options,\"\" the one requires Spell or Trap based removal, while the other acts as another Token generator. But what happens if you summon Tokens that prevent you from accessing your Extra Deck? Again, let’s talk options. My favorite is actually a card from way back in\u00a0Phantom Darkness,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Cyber Valley.\u00a0<\/strong>While this card is more memorable for it’s stalling potential through it’s first effect, in a Token deck, the second effect is actually more valuable. Because yes, you can target a Token and you will still draw. The reason for this interaction is based on the fact that banishing a card does not send it to any particular location, so it does not matter if the Token just vanishes, because it was still banished. The second option is to just eat your opponent’s field with\u00a0Token Sundae,\u00a0<\/strong>watching your opponent’s entire defensive backrow or strong boss monsters get blown away by the non-targeting mass removal option. Sundae is especially powerful against the\u00a0Ultimaya Tzolkin<\/strong>\u00a0and Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>opening that has become extremely popular, or even against the forces of the Kozmo pilots.<\/p>\n

As you can see, this is a combo-intensive strategy; however, the theory-oh behind the deck is exceptionally sound. In terms of pure card advantage, cards like\u00a0Scapegoat, Scapeghost,\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Super Hippo Carnival\u00a0<\/strong>are all +3’s or +4’s. Comparatively, that is an equal net plus in card advantage to a Card Destruction<\/strong> discarding four\u00a0Dark World monsters. The difference with Tokens is that you need to use them with other cards to make the card advantage stick \u2013 you need to Fusion Summon or Synchro Summon to turn the 0 ATK Tokens into a field-dominating threat. In regards to the card economy of the deck, every single Token generator that is commonly ran in this sort of strategy\u00a0breaks even or provides a gain in card advantage, even if negated. That alone should speak to the power of the deck, and the potential for\u00a0taking a losing duel and turning it around with the resolution of Super Hippo Carnival\u00a0<\/b>into Token Sundae<\/strong> for a +3, swinging the momentum into your favor. Now that we’ve covered the strength and focus of the strategy with wide strokes, let’s start honing in on the key cards of the strategy.<\/p>\n

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Key Cards:<\/strong><\/p>\n