Kore de Turn End.

Post #370 - This is goodbye.

Hello to all who care enough to read this.
My name is *Censored* , but most people online call me Rauzes or Rau. I am "Japanese" by passport, but as the blog titles suggests, my appearance is far from it.

Life always has its twists and turns, some you can see coming, and others completely unexpected.

Yes, it was very hard to see for the many people I met with recently, but the words to describe my recent life are "Raging Shitstorm."(I'd prefer to not share any details, thanks.)

Yes, this, like everything, will come to pass, like all things, but with things like this, with sacrifice.

Unfortunately, one of the things I must give up is this blog(We'll come back to the reasons later).

Thus, this will be the last blog entry, and the end of "The Gaijin Duelist".



Precisely one year ago(Even the time), I started this blog, with a blog entry titled Ore No Turn! DRAW!(Its my turn! DRAW!) , to mark off the start of something new, a new turn, and thus, this blog entry is titled appropriately, Kore de Turn End.(This is turn end.)

One year ago, what was going through my mind? What made me start a blog?(The never before heard story!)

To be honest, judging from my facebook entry at that time, it was probably "Man I dont wanna study for exams, its a pain."

But, it was also inspiration from others to spread my ideas and knowledge to an audience willing to listen.

I know a LOT of the new bloggers were inspired by myself(and PJ) to start Yugioh blogs themselves, but what about myself?

Who influenced Rauzes to start a Yugioh blog?

First, there were the other bloggers.

Before I started, I was already following PJ and Bahamut84(+DSummon) 's blogs, and I found it quite nice how they wrote what they wanted and how popular they became, just saying what they had to say, and I aspired to be as famous as them in the Yugioh world.

Its kinda weird how I've become almost as renown around the world as them, one year later.

To be honest, I didnt read anyone else's blogs.

Then there were the other players around the world.

When I started the blog, I had been playing Yugioh for approximately a year(well, and two weeks, since I TECHNICALLY started on Boxing Day 2007), and I was next to a nobody on the Pojo forums(and even more nameless on the Japanese sites).

Being fluent in Japanese and English allowed me to draw upon all sorts of sites for playing tips, comboes, and ideas, and being able to spread it.

Being more or less nameless, you can kinda know what kind of response I got from Pojo.

I was trying to tell people about Hopeless Dragon at the time, when I got the PM from someone who was willing to listen, DM.

While I dont really remember how I responded, I believe it was something along the lines of "How about I make a blog, and you read about it there?", to which the response was more or less "k."

Looking back, I dont think I ever made that Hopeless Dragon post...

Also, there was Firebot88. I knew him online from before I started Yugioh, and he was one of the reasons I started playing in general(Of course, getting a Structure deck for Christmas more or less forced me to play), and helped me transition into building more competitive decks.

But, before the blog, all my random ideas and comboes that I usually post here, I more or less poured onto him.

Yes, thats ALL the random comboes that go through my head, with cards nobody else has heard of, all onto ONE person, and demanding feedback.(Junk and Debris was one of them, but so was "Exodios + Wulf + Wicked Gods")

Then, slightly more than one year ago, he suggested making a blog, so more people could hear of these weird comboes. And so I did.

And yeah. I guess that kinda wraps it up for the people who influenced the starting of this blog.

I've had the opportunity to see other people rise to fame, during my time, one of them being a friendly guy and popular Yugituber, Neuxcharge.

Since starting, I've also become well known in Pojo, for many reasons.

I posted a lot of decks in Pojo OCG section, and offered quite a lot of fixes and such, leading me to become quite well known there, and I also was a part of the Frustrations thread for quite a while.

Which also lead to the success of the blog.

Another reason for my success was how I always shared an idea or two, and at times, full length articles and decklists(with playguide!) every day.(A very Japanese blogger thing to do, for some reason)


Unfortunately, another reason why I'm quitting blogging is how that this daily update has, at times, become more of a chore than a hobby, something I felt obliged to do rather than want to do.

This lead to me not really thinking of ideas for the blog as openly as I wanted to, at times, and limiting my scope.

This, and other random factors that dont come to mind and the big one thats on my mind right now are the reason I'm quitting blogging as Rauzes.



But you think I'll just end without posting up ONE LAST NEW DECK?

Of course not. Who do you think I am?

I've been bringing the Yugioh Community new and innovative ideas and decklists for a year, and the last day is no exception.

Today, I give the world the latest and most used of my decks, Skill Drain Zero.

While most people guard their main decklists with secrecy, since its the deck most important to them, its quite something to share your main deck.



Skill Drain Zero ~ Ver. PinaColada ~

Monsters/モンスター/17
3 Honest/オネスト
3 Elemental Hero Neos Alius/Ｅ・ＨＥＲＯ　アナザー・ネオス
2 Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Boundary/氷結界の番人　ブリズド
2 Elemental Hero Ocean/Ｅ・ＨＥＲＯ　オーシアン
1 Elemental Hero Captain Gold/Ｅ・ＨＥＲＯ　キャップテン・ゴールド
1 Cyber Dragon/サイバー・ドラゴン
1 Elemental Hero Stratos/Ｅ・ＨＥＲＯ　エアーマン
1 Treeborn Frog/黄泉ガエル
1 Skreech/スクリーチ
1 Dragon Ice/ドラゴン・アイス
1 Elemental Hero Prisma/Ｅ・ＨＥＲＯ　プリズマー

Spells/魔法/17
3 Miracle Fusion/ミラクル・フューション
2 Gemini Spark/デュアル・スパーク
2 E - Emergency Call/Ｅーエマージェンシーコール
2 Gold Sarcophagus / 封印の黄金室
2 Prohibition/禁止令
1 Skyscraper / 摩天楼―スカイ・スクレイパー
1 Future Fusion / 未来融合―フューチャー・フュージョン
1 Mystical Space Typhoon / サイクロン
1 Heavy Storm / 大嵐
1 Paralell World Fusion/平行世界融合
1 Reinforcement of the Army/増援

Traps/罠/6
2 Hero Blast/ヒーロー・ブラスト
2 Skill Drain/スキル・ドレイン
1 Call of the Haunted/リビングデッドの呼び声
1 Mirror Force/聖なるバリアーミラーフォースー

Side/サイド/15
3 Deep Sea Diva/深海のディーヴァ
1 Sea Archer/シー・アーチャー
1 Elemental Hero Voltic/Ｅ・ＨＥＲＯ　ボルテック
1 Parallel World Fusion/平行世界融合
1 Brain Control/洗脳ーブレインコントロール―
1 Prohibition/禁止令
1 Fissure/地割れ
1 Inter dimension Matter Transporter /亜空間物質転送装置
2 Bottomless Trap Hole /奈落の落とし穴
1 Skill Drain / スキル・ドレイン
2 Threatening Roar/威嚇する咆哮

Skill Drain Zero has been my main for quite a while, and probally will be in the future, being the deck I enjoy the most.



Well, what does the future hold?

Just because I quit blogging doesnt mean I'm quitting Yugioh, nor does it mean that other people are quitting blogging, either.

There are many Yugioh blogs out there.

Take a look at the sidebar. Most of those are Yugioh blogs, and all of them are worth reading.

Take some time, and hear what others have to say.

First off, some of those blogs should already be on your reading list.

PJ's blog should already be on your "Why am I not reading this yet" list.

Anyhows, there are many blogs out there, some new, others old, but all have something to say, and you ought to lend your ears to them.

The backlogs for this blog also have quite a lot of tips and comboes and information. If you have the time, go back and read some backlogs and entries that were posted before you started reading. There ARE 390 other blog posts, each with a lesson.

If you couldnt solve some of the duel puzzles, try them again. I always try to teach people new ways of using a card(or in some cases, MANY cards), so it would be nice to see people solve them for themselves.

All the decklists were constructed upon concepts. Some better than others, yes, but all of them workable if you update them to the new format. Maybe one of these will appeal to you, who knows?

So, take some time, and read some old entries. You might be suprised as to what you find. I know I am sometimes.

Also, just because I've quit blogging doesnt mean I'm going to stop building decks and discussing the game, just that I'm cutting back significantly and it wont be all here.

My MSN/EMail wont be dissapearing suddenly for quite a while, so you can contact me there(its in the sidebar. Scroll UP.

Ill still be on Pojo(mainly OCG deck discussion), and Duelist Groundz, as well as on Xenophase, so you can still see me around. Ill be posting my new decks mainly on Pojo, and be in-game in Xenophase.(Join us), so if you see me around say hi.



So, thanks for visiting the blog, and following it, and I hope you all learned a few lessons or built a few of these decks I posted.

Thanks for listening to the "random Yu-Gi-Oh thoughts and toughts of my daily life"

Thanks for being a follower of "The Gaijin Duelist".



Well, theres not much else to say.

This post is a WHOLE lot longer than the first post.

I dont know how much longer I'm going to be continuing playing Yugioh, nor posting on forums.

I dont know how many people will still remember who I am or about this blog in a few months.

And I dont know if I will ever get to meet any of you people in the future.


But what I do know is that I'll still be thinking of new ideas and concepts for as long as I play, and Ill be spreading these ideas to what ears hear them.

And who knows? Maybe one day I'll take up a new name and start blogging again...
It'll be quite interesting competing with my own legacy...


Until then, I guess I'll return to being "That Gaijin" at locals again.

Xenophase.net

Hello everyone.

Today, I would like to introduce all of you to a gaming community online, Xenophase.

Xenophase is a rather lively community, where people from all sorts of backgrounds come together and discuss all sorts of topics, from society and politics to just good old gaming.

There are many people who join, in fact, just for the discussion, and as such, the discussions get interesting, and at times, intense.

Most importantly, Xenophase also hosts their own Rangarok Online server(meaning its free, unlike the official servers), another reason why several people join.

Being more than just a Ragnarok server, its a community, and a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

Of course, its hard to start a new game all alone right? Thats why I'm inviting all of you to join, so your not alone, and you can start with a few friends, and make new ones.

The server is incredibly newbie-friendly, so dont be afraid to ask for help.

You'll find everything you need at www.xenophase.net

I look forwards to meeting you in-game and on the forums!


Some notes:

Being a giant file, like all other Ragnarok Online installers, I reccomend a download manager like FlashGet(google it)

Registration needs confirmation from the GMs to finish, to prevent mass account making, etc etc. After confirming your email, it takes less than a day for the account to be activated.

Christmas Giveaway Results

Yeah I was lazy to post these up the previous few days.

Before we go drawing, some stats!



Number of Applicants: 53!

Number of blatant multi applying attempts: 2(Different People Applying about 3 times each)

Number of People who cared enough to include a short message with their application: 31!


Because some people are so heartless and didnt get into the spirit of giving and include a nice message, should I roll the number that corresponds with their application on the first try, that roll will be ignored and I will roll again.

Yes this is done completely on whim but too bad.


So, lets roll!

The determination of the winner will be through Random.org, a random number generator.



And the winner is:


NUMBER THIRTEEN!!!


Corresponding application:

Nekuza


Congratulations on your winning of the deck. Use it wisely!

Please send me an email confirming you reading this, and I will reply with some details you need to send me so I can send you the cards.


Thank you everyone else for participating! and Thanks for always reading this blog

Soft Cheating, and how to prevent it. Part 2.

Duel!

Both players draw their 5 cards, and your opponent draws one to begin the game.

She summons Armageddon Knight, uses its effect to send Cross Porter to the graveyard, and uses the Porter's effect to search out Neo Spacian Black Panther, shuffles, and passes you the deck to cut.

You take a random half off the top and pass back the deck. She follows with Allure, feeding the panther to it.

Turn End. You draw.

After some rather amazing comboes, you manage to summon 1 Gigaplant, and drop a Copy plant to your graveyard. You revive gigaplant, activate supervis, Synchro into Powertool, and Priority is eaten by Supervis, which wants to revive your gigaplant.

Knowing your last card in your hand is United We Stand, its clear that if your powertool can call out a Mark of the Rose, you have game. (2300 Powertool + 1400 Armageddon Knight + 2400 Gigaplant + 2400 United We Stand Buff).

But theres a problem. Expecting the Dimensional Eatos matchup, as well as deckspace, you put two, so it wont be a 100% search.

So, taking the chance, you trigger powertool, choosing Double tool C&D, and two mark of the Rose. 2/3 Chance of OTK, 100% chance the opponent will be under pressure next turn, right?

You take the 3 cards out of your deck, and your opponent takes them and shuffles the three face down. She then hands you one card out of the stack, and puts the remaining two back in your deck.

Pretty standard procedure, right? Only she just passed you Double Tool C&D, and she knows it.

She then cuts your deck. The same way you did to her deck.

You just attack, without using your remaining hand cards, reducing her LP by 3300.

Then, she drops Gorz on your Powertool's direct attack. Your OTK wouldnt have worked anyhows.

Perfectly fine situation right? Completely due to bad luck.

Wrong.

You may not have noticed it, but your opponent has "soft cheated" you not once or twice, but THREE times in this short span, all three times using almost the same concept.


What concept?

The fact that super rare, Ultra rare, and Common cards all have different physical properties.

Foil cards are harder and tend to bend over time(not much or slowly depending on how much you take care of them). Without sleeves, they also slide more than commons.

Both these properties are used to "search packs", to find the foil cards in packs without the use of scaling.

What most people dont know is that these same properties can be used to search out foils and non foils within the deck and in the hand(or in the example, what is being chosen for Powertool).

Most of the time, foil cards are better than the non foil ones(Starlight Road sure beats Watapon, right?), but there are exceptions(DAD).

Additionally, if one has seen what hand cards you have(through either side shuffle cheating or Trap Dustshoot), one can pinpoint with a higher chance what card they want to destroy with removal cards or hand discard cards such as Spirit Reaper.

So, one time was when she gave you the double tool.

What about the other two?

Both times was when you cut the deck, and she cut yours.

When she cut yours, she used a lesser version of this trick to ensure the top card of your deck would be a common.

By feeling quickly what cards were foil, she could ensure, using the cut, the next few cards would not be foil.

The other time was your screwup, which let her top Gorz with allure.

When people search or burial something with cards like Foolish or Armageddon Knight, it is possible to quickly swap card positions while looking like reviewing what card to send.

Which is supposedly, in theory, useless, because of the cut and shuffle. Right?

Well, sorta.

As mentioned before, a good shufller can place one or a few cards where they want them to be with each shuffle, the hindu shuffle requiring the most practice and skill.

But thats before the cut, so most of the stacking goes out the window.

Unless you can predict the cut.

Statistics say that almost all cuts are made almost at the center of the deck, or at least more towards the center than to the ends.

By taking advantage of this, and putting Gorz near the middle, she can effectively have a high chance of you cutting along the middle, and thus letting her draw into it.(Not that Junk and debris NEEDS to draw anything in particular. Its just nice to hold Gorz.)


How do I prevent this?

Foil feeling with a few cards is hard to avoid. The only real way is to either have almost all cards foil, or to have an equal number. Having a low number only lets this feeling happen easier.

Also, if cards are available in different rarities, such as mark of rose, it might help to have one super rare and one common (DT).

For "Power cards" such as torrential and Mirror Force, it might be nice to use one as foil and the other common, since this lets you draw into these power cards even if you are being stacked.

Other options include taking ridiculously good care of your cards, which has zero practicality, since its easy to feel through the flattening of cards, or to use many layers of sleeves(I can personally feel through 5 layers of sleeves(on my Devilguy Beat deck, for example)), so you can see how easy this is to do.

As for the cut psychology abuse, its easy to simply cut a few off the top, or all but one card on the bottom, from time to time.


Thats all for today. Not much compared to yesterday but I also have less time to waste :p

"Soft Cheating", and preventing it. Part 1.

Hello everyone.

Today, I bring to you a guide to "soft cheating", and more importantly, how to avoid it.

So, what IS soft cheating?

"Soft Cheating" isnt quite cheating, but it does give you a considerable advantage.

Things to keep in mind is that while soft cheating is not illegal, but instead taking advantage of the rules, it CANNOT be relied on 100% of the time, and there are ways to prevent all of them.

There are all sorts of ways you can use this to your advantage, and there are a consdierable number of ways you can do it

Indeed, there are many more ways to cheat that will not be reviewed, because they dont come to mind.

Lets get started shall we?

Soft Cheating can start even before the duel starts.

Yes, the dice roll. You CAN CHEAT DURING THE DICE ROLL.

First, the obvious: Let your opponnent roll first, then roll your own six sided die with 7 through 12.

Wait.

What? You can do that?

Yep. Read the rulebook.

"Six sided die" is specified. 1 through 6 is NOT.

Other ways you can use this to the advantage is with Snipe Hunter.

This, of course, will probally get you kicked out of the tournament, so lets try other ideas.

There is a technique to roll the die in a certain way, such that it has a set number of revolutiopns in a certain direction, and thus land on the number you want.

However, this does take practice with your size of die, and wont work when the opponent supplies the dice.

Also, the composition of the die will also make a difference. I wont go into the scientific study that proves this, but keep this in mind. Clear plastic die and resin die and wooden die all roll differently.

To solve this problem, have two different sized dies(you should keep a few anyhows. they work awesomely as tokens in need. Also Reasoning says hi.), each with different composition. Clear die have a statistically higher chance of rolling LESS ones(again, science), so use them if you have them,

There is yet another way to cheat during this point, "flicking".

Flicking is a technique where one draws up the die, and spins it horizontally, without giving it any spin vertically. What this results in is the die landing on the face which was face up when you flicked it, preferablly 4 or 5(as long as its higher).

Whats to be noted is that if the die has rounded edges, and smaller, the increasingly difficult it becomes to land it well.(This is why many people rolled off three to four times with me)

So: Bring small, rounded dice. Use them. World of Warcraft TCG dice are incredibly easy to "flick", so roll your own die if your opponent hands you one of these.

Also: Some playmats increase the bounce of the die, making it increasingly hard to "flick" the die.

Okey, so you rolled off, and either won or lost.

Next, both players reveal side count and extra count, then shuffle.

Keep in mind the number of side cards, and make sure it doesnt go into a box between games(well come back to this later).

During shuffling, there is some soft cheating yet again.

Did a card slip? YOU pick it up and hand it back to the opponent. Did you see what it is?

This way, it makes people thing you are just a nice guy(unless youre an ass in real life, in which you should NOT be doing this, since it draws suspicion), while letting you cheat.

To prevent this, dont let cards slip. If they do, dont let the opponent touch them.

It might not be much for some people, but catching one card gives you considerable information advantage, and thus, more or less EXACTLY whats in their deck and side deck.

Gemini Spark slipped? Its Dimension Eatos.

Any Lightsworn monster(sans Ryko)? its Lightsworn.

Darius slipped? Its GBs. Prepare to side in trap stuns.

You get where Im going. Most of the time, one card can give off a lot of information. But then again, this is hard to pull off at times, since cards like Mirror Force tell you NOTHING of the opponents deck.

Note that Trap Dustshoot gives you exactly the same advantage.

It is also due to this that it is important to know the general decklist of popular decks.

During the duel, this can be used to confirm what cards are in the opponents deck, even more information advantage.

How people shuffle is another way you can cheat, or stop them from doing so.

Despite popular beleif, shuffling is NOT a randomization of cards, like in games, but instead a systematic changing of order of cards.

Lets look at the three more popular and most used ways of shuffling: Hindu shuffle, Table shuffle, and Side shuffle.

Hindu shuffle is one of the more popular ways to shuffle, being the fastest and easiest.

The player takes a "random" number of cards in a clump from the middle of the deck, and places it on top of the deck, so the previous top becomes the middle, and the bottom remains the same.

This is done several times over and over, sometimes placing on the bottom, or taking the bottom, so the bottom becomes "randomized" as well.

Where is cheating in here: Note that individual cards are not moved around, but instead clumps of cards, in "groups". Thus, each card is not moved, but instead groups of cards. A skilled shuffler can shuffle so that he opens with a certain number of cards he wants. Thats why we cut.

Another thing to take note of is that Hindu shuffling allows for what I like to call "soft stacking".

Soft stacking is a technique originally in Magic the Gathering, such to ensure you dont open with no lands, or all lands.

What is done is the player, before the game starts, stacks his/her deck so there is an equal a distribution of card types(and in higher levels/more intense stacking, comboes and monster levels), throughout his or her deck, so that each hand will have a good number of monsters, traps, and spells.

During my Singapore trip I taught a few people how to do this.

Thus, when the deck is shuffled, there are some anomalies, but in the end, there will be an equal distribution of card types throughout the deck, regardless of how you hindu shuffled. However, which traps and which spells and which monster will be together cannot be determined.

Even after the cut, this will almost be 100% retained, such that it doesnt matter how they cut, you will still open with good distribution, and thus less horribad hands.

It takes a master to stack this way and still get exactly what you want.

Thus, this is considered the least "cheating" of the three shuffle types.

Then again, if you use this type of stacking, you should already know that is THE most unreliable stacking, more of a protective measure than getting what you want.


In table shuffling, there are literally countless way to stack, regardless of how the opponent cuts.

Because table shuffling is a series of systematic distribution of cards, even more than any other type of shuffling, it is what allows classic stacking, bringing exactly what you want, where you want it.

So, table shuffling is beyond "soft cheating", and possibly actual cheating. The way to try to prevent this is to cut when you can.


Side shuffling is when the player takes half of the deck, and puts the decks together sideways, such that the deck is shuffled in a similar way as bridging in normal poker.

Of course, it looks much cooler than that always.

But, if you really notice, the top card before the shuffle once becomes the second card, and the second from the top becomes the fourth, and so on.

A good mathematician or a good program can give you an order of the cards and the number of perfect side shuffles to give you the desired opening hands.

So, again, soft cheating is possible here as well.

It should be noted that side shuffling is much more used to cheat during the cut than during shuffling.


As we have shown, all three shuffling ways have techniques to stack what they want where they want, to an extent.

However, the game gives us a cut, such to prevent this.

After every time you shuffle(after doing things such as mystic tomato or foolish burial included), the opponent is entitled to cut your deck.

Note that the tournament rulebook does not say "shuffle", but "cut". If they start hindu shuffling or side shuffling, it is possible they can cheat.

The "only" legal cut there is is to take a stack off the top, and place it to the side, and the remaining cards to be placed on top. Once or twice is the most commonly accepted. Once with three stacks is also accepted.

While most people dont really bitch if the opponent shuffles, cheaters do use this to their advantage.

If you side shuffle, it is easy to catch a few, if not all, of the opponents cards, while appearing as just side shuffling(this is done by shuffling at an angle).

When hindu shuffling, the information advantage is attained by looking at the card right above the stack you took out, before it falls onto the bottom stack, and the bottom card of the stack you pulled, before you put it on top.

So?

Information advantage is one of THE most powerful advantages you can have. By knowing what comboes a card can pull off, and other cards with synergy that are included, ones deck composition can be determined by almost three cards.

This is knowing Murmillo can destroy only face up monsters, that Judgment Dragoon pays 1000LP and not 2000LP, but also that most Lightsworn decks have a certain composition, and run three honest.

Also, your "hidden tech".

If the opponent sees your deck before the game, your hidden tech isnt hidden anymore, almost destroying its purpose and the element of surprise.

Also important with side shuffling the opponents deck is that you can effectively see what the opponent will draw into, and what their hand is, without the use of Trap Dustshoot.

So? Always only take a single deck cut, and dont even pick up your opponents deck.

If your opponent starts side shuffling, tell them that your sleeves are a bit damaged and youd like them intact for the rest of the tournament.

If they start hindu shuffling, finish your cut and roll a few dice, roll your eyes, drum your fingers and make them feel uncomforatable. Tell them the tournament rules(only cut), then bulldozer over them during the game.


All of this is possible cheating, even before the duel begins!

All possible, but also all preventable.

Join us again tomorrow as we review cheating and soft cheating, and ways to prevent such things from happening.

Spawn Aligator

Spawn Alligator + Viper Reborn


Fun times.

Clarification

Silk and Milk refers to ALL MONSTERS

Brown Silk and Chocolate Milk refers to ALL DARK ALL MONSTERS


Difference.

Happy New Year!

What it says on the title.

And if you are reading this, you shouldnt be.

Why are you reading Yugioh Blogs on New Years day?