Well, folks, it's been a while, but, after a long and excruciating wait, Konami has finally given us a an update to the banlist for... Master Duel?! Oh, our bad, it seems TCG players will have to wait a while longer. The OCG had its own update a few days ago.
This is quite a surprising development, seeing as MD received a list update at the end of August, while the TCG hasn't seen one since May. Does this mean we'll get a monthly update from now on? Only time will tell, but we're hoping that is the case, as that would keep the meta varied and healthy. In the meantime, let's look at the changes, which will go into effect starting September 30th.
Refunds
As with previous banlists, players will get an extra 20 CP when dismantling the affected cards, up to the number of copies that were removed from play. For example, if you have 3 copies of a card and it becomes Limited, only the first 2 cards you dismantle will count towards the bonus CP.
You can also craft these cards and hope you get a foil upgrade so you get some extra CP out of that, but that really only makes sense for Forbidden cards.
Forbidden Cards
Only one hit, but it's a big one. Crystron Halqifibrax is one of the most powerful tools that Synchro decks have even as a 1-of, and it's the reason for a lot of innocent Tuners getting banned. Its removal from the game is a pretty big deal, and will change how the meta is played significantly.
Limited Cards
Again, a single card got hit, Water Enchantress of the Temple. This is technically the second time this card gets hit, as it was pre-emptively semi-limited when it was introduced in the game. Making it Limited will further reduce the consistency of decks using the Adventurer engine.
There is another card that is now Semi-Limited, but it's not in the notes for some reason. Spellbook of Judgment was previously banned, but is now coming back to the game as part of a Structure Deck (stay tuned). However, the card will be unobtainable from packs of any kind and will not be craftable. Also, unlike the rest of the cards on this list, this change is already into effect in the game and the card is already marked as Limited.
Semi-limited Cards
This is where the most changes happened. We have 12 cards that were affected:
- Rivalry of Warlords
- Gozen Match
- Raigeki
- Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
- Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity
- ABC-Dragon Buster
- Trickstar Light Stage
- Red Reboot
- Dinowrestler Pankratops
- SPYRAL Quik-Fix
- Double Iris Magician
- Orcust Harp Horror
Only Rivalry of the Warlords and Gozen Match go from 3 copies to 2, everything else goes from 1 to 2.
Unlimited Cards
Lastly, The Beginning of the End and Harmonizing Magician are both Unlimited, after being Semi-Limited. Neither card was an outlier in terms of power, so it's a welcome change.
What do you think of this unexpected banlist? Any of these changes you want implemented in the TCG? Let us know in the comments below!
Comments
Oh, I am so glad. It was always so annoying to use a handtrap on an opponents choke point just for them to throw out Halqi and still end up on some negates.