Making the Cut #1 - Part 1

Hello ladies.

Look at your battle pack deck
Now back to your deck
Now back to me.
Sadly, your deck isnt me,

but you stopped randomly putting cards together and switched to listening and practicing, it could be a bit like me.

So everyone, welcome to our first issue of "Making the Cut".

During this blog post, you will follow me through as I go from 10 un-opened battle packs, my thoughts on each individual pack, the pulls, and the construction of the sealed deck from the pool.

While I know my pulls wont be the same as yours, I will describe each individual cut from the pool to build the deck, so you can use similar thought processes in building your deck.

Additionally, instead of building a 40 card deck, I will be building a 30 card deck, THEN making another 5 cuts, down to 25 cards, to help illustrate the thoughts that go into cutting a card from the deck a bit more, as well as showing what cards would swap out in the side.


For those who just want to skip to the deck Construction, Click Here To JUMP!
Thats part 2, deck construction.
Part 1 is our pulls and preliminary deck construction, just throwing in whats good for a draft deck.

So, on we go!

Before we start, keep an eye on how I lay out my cards to take a good overlook at my deck.
I lay out all the slot 1s together, the slot 2s, slot 3s, slot 4s, and starfoils.
Because each of the slots does a different thing, this lets us take a good look at the focus of powerful cards for each slot, which cards has the most really nice cards, and which slots shouldnt be bothered with really.


Pack 1:
Burden of the mighty
Grave squirmer
Voltic kong
Ducker mobile cannon
Vortex trooper

Burden of the Mighty, I am quite a big fan of. It is an instant combat advantage. Combat is a big part in sealed, and you want to be using high attack monsters to shut out their offensive.
With this out, one high defense monster beats everything. Seriously.

Grave Squirmer.
a removal card. It again is a high pick, taking out some high power and troublesome monsters that you might come up against, as well as destroying some backrow thats giving you problems. Skill drain, Burden of Mighty, anything else continuous.
When I see this card I really want to open a Creature swap.

Voltic Kong
1800 beater. Mill isnt relevant.

DUCKER mobile cannon
This card is useful if you dont have enough level 4s, as it gives the level 4s recursion.
Also, quite the card if you have a good amount of defensive cards, and Rank 3 exceeds.

Vortex Trooper
A similar card to Grave Squirmer, I wasnt expecting to get both in one pack.
This card can help you cycle through some cards if you summon it, or you can set it for a draw when its destroyed.
The on summon ability is really great if: You have a good rank 3 and level 3 lineup, or you have creature swap.

IN: Grave Squirmer, Burden of the Mighty.

Pack 2
Gachigachi Gantetsu
Shadow Spell
Zombyra the Dark
Night Assailant
Offerings to the Doomed

Gachigachi:
Oh god so powerful... If you can summon it. Being an Exceed, its an instant IN for the deck.

Shadow Spell
This card is really great. It chains down an opponents monster for you to kill the next turn, as well as reducing their damage output.
However, you want to destroy the opponents monster as soon as possible, so keep in mind using this on your own turn, just to kill something.
Theres nothing sadder than Shadow spell-ing something, then it being tribuited for a DMOC.
If they have already normal summoned, its a good time to use this.

Zombyra the Dark.
2100 Attack. Kills every other high beater. Then becomes a 1900 high beater.
Cards I really want to see with this card: Skill Drain, Interdimensional Matter Transporter(reset Zombyra), etc.

Night Assailant.
Oh yay more kill monsters when attacked!
Doubles as retieval for flip effects, but I'm not sure if theres many discard outlets in the deck.
Oh, and it isnt limited in sealed, so if I pull more discard effects like Raigeki Break, and a second Night Assailant, wow, he becomes a Killer Snake.
Cards I want to see with him: Cybernetic Magician.

Offerings to the Doomed.
Quickplay. Kills stuff.
I think this is an instant IN, as its 2 cards sacrificed to kill something. You want to be targeting stuff that comes out with 2 tributes or an exceed.
Battle pack isnt as much about card advantage as it is about board advantage, and I think this is a good example.

IN:
Gachigachi, Shadow Spell, Zombyra, Offerings to the Doomed.

Pack 3:
Pot of Greed
Ante
Skileld White Magician
Giant Soldier Of Stone
Goblindbergh

Pot of Greed
Oh god instant in. Not broken, necessarily, but pretty damn powerful.

Ante Match
I want to be using this with cards like Gorz and Tragoedia, to knock out not only their cards and deal damage but to outright make them slow play or have to play around trago and Gorz, severely limiting their options.
Cards I want to see:
Gorz, Trago, Level 8s.

Skilled White Magician.
Not that sold on it, until I can pull a Buster Blader

Giant Soldier of Stone
2k defense, a potential in, but Ill wait on Rank 3s before going for them.

Goblindbergh
If I get a N39 Hope, Instant in. Any card that make Hope easy to make is great IF you have a hope.

IN: Pot of Greed

Pack 4
Numbers 17 leviathan dragon
Spell Shield Type 8
Card Trooper
Gagaga Magician
Skill Successor

Leviathan Dragon.
Instant in, but I mentioned something about Rank 3s with Giant Soldier of Stone, Ducker, and Night Assailant right? Those have a high chance of coming into the deck thanks to this.
 How awesome would it be if I pulled Tour Guides? I already have some level 3 fiends (Night Assailant)

Spell Shield Type 8
Counter spells. Protect your monsters. Pretty good.

Card Trooper
More than killing something and getting killed back, Id like to use him to kill a 1900 and get a free card, but he mills ONE TENTH of your deck in one shot. Remember that. Unless we get a Monster Reborn, that is a BAD thing.

Gagaga Magician.
Not sold, as I only have 2 Exceeds so far, and no good level 2s for Gachigachi. If I get more variety of exceeds, he becomes viable.
Especially a Tyrus/Adreus.

Skill Successor
You cant ask for much more than this powerhouse in sealed.
TWO combat tricks in one card? Instant in.

Pack 5
Call of the Haunted
Miracles Wake
Gene Warped Warwolf
Tangrisnir of the Nordic Beasts
Mystical Space Typhoon

Hoh wow! Look at those 2 first cards!
TWO revival cards at once! Both in!
Call of the Haunted makes reviving big high level monsters much easier, while Miracles Wake makes great work for cards that force the opponent to trade, like 1900 attackers.
Miracles Wake is especially great with Card Trooper. Crash into something with 1900, get killed next turn, draw one, at the end of the turn revive him, next turn mill 3 to crash into the 1900, draw more.

Gene Warped Warwolf
2000 Attack.
Instant in.

Goat guy
He spawns 2 tokens, which can be tributed for a tribute summon.
With him around I want to be pulling high level monsters like White Nights Dragon, etc.
As I dont have too many of them around, I'm not sold on running him quite yet.

Mystical Space Typhoon
Because we're not the only ones with spells and traps. In.

So, lets review after 5 packs.



Heres what we pulled, and our "IN" pile so far is:
MST, Warwolf, Miracles Wake, Call of the Haunted, Skill Successor, Card Trooper, Spell Shield, Pot of Greed, Offerings to the Doomed, Zombyra the Dark, Shadow Spell, Grave Squirmer, Burden of the Mighty.
Extra deck: Gachigachi, Leviathan Dragon.



Next 5 packs!

Pack 6
Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
Damage Gate
Ambitious Gofer
Level Eater
Level Eater

Gorz: Instant Win. I mean IN.
This guy... This guy... is everything wrong with the sealed format.
THAT BEING SAID, we are already running burden of the mighty, shadow spell, both of which will stay in the backrow(and shadow spell, without a reason, potentially if they exceed with the target), so not necessarily 100% the best thing to have around

Damage Gate
Not exactly sold on this card.
IF you take damage, you can special summon something... with less attack power from the graveyard. Im not sold on this, but there ARE cards that make this a potential pick.
Namely: Cards that tribute themselves for effects, or cards with "on destroyed" triggers.
Exiled Force, Grave Squirmer.
With this, my 1st pack's vortex trooper is looking more and more viable.

Ambitious Gofer
2400 ATK, potentially outright kills 2 monsters for no reason. I see nothing wrong. In.

2 Level Eaters
As of now, because I dont have... a bajillion Monarchs, no...
Kinda sucks to open 2 of these guys at once @.@

Pack 7
Grenosaurus
Forbidden Lance
Cyber Dragon
Noisy Gnat
Night Assailant

Grenosaurus is an Exceed. Since I already have Leviathan Dragon... No biggie.

Forbidden Lance.
AWWW YEAH
In sealed play, the Forbidden series of cards are just so powerful. As BOTH a combat trick and a protection card, youre looking at a real player in sealed.

Cyber Dragon
I have no qualms about this card. Its just good.

Noisy Gnat
One of the "useless cards" in the set. Kinda weird to see this here, and it is eating up a slot...
That being said, it might have uses to fix up exceeds. Considering I have 3 so far...

Night Assailant
Woo a second copy
I mentioned infinite loop/Hyper powered Killer Snake right?
Thats right. 2 Night Assailants = Infinite hand cost.
I REALLY want to open a Cybernetic Magician now.

8
Skill Drain
Shield Crush
Chiron the Mage
Hyper Hammerhead
Pot of Duality

POWER in a pack man.
Pot of Duality, Skill Drain?
TWO "Bomb" cards at once.
Skill Drain, thought isnt a straight IN pick.
We have yet to decide what cards we WILL be using, and our 1900/2000 power lineup isnt as big as we would like.
However, we DO have: Gorz, Zombyra, Genetic Warwolf, so drain is a possiblity.

Shield Crush is great fun. removes those pesky flip effects.

Chiron the Mage I think is great. Turns any spell into a MST, which can blow up contiuous cards like Metal Reflect Slime, etc. The 1800 isnt too bad either.
Just dont hit Fiendish Chain!

Hyper Hammerhead.
I would prefer a penguin soldier, but this suffices. opening with this guy gives you a good card to set.

9
Ring of Destruction
Half or Nothing
Jurrac Protops
Big Shield Gardna
Fortress Warrior

Ring of Destruction: Free chain destruction, free burn, banned for a very good reason.
In.

Half or Nothing.
Not exactly sold on the card. It doesnt stop an attack unless you have a half decent monster out, so not an isntant in

Jurrac Protops
Err... 1800 in a 1 on 1 battle? Not too great. We're looking for 1900 beaters. Those rule.

Big Shield Gardna
Big. Fat. Defense.
Instant in. I think hes one of the best cards in the whole sealed format, even. The 2700 defense is great for stopping things. They either have to go for a tribute monster, use removal, or have 2 or more monsters to attack, taking some life damage.
Did I mention Shadow Spell?
They attack with one, take damage, turns Big Shield to attack. Activate Shadow Spell on the other guy, and run him over next turn!

Fortress Warrior
I would take him as one of my best picks, for his combat resilience, and with Gachigachi, we have a damn good reason for keeping him on the field, but the lack of other level 2s really makes him less viable...
Seriously. the other level 2 is Noisy Gnat. Not happening.

Final PACK!
Tiras Keeper of Genesis
Exiled Force
Insect Knight
Level Warrior
Gem Knight Pearl

Tyrus!
Oh wow! One of THE best cards in the set... only also one of the hardest to get out.
My chances of getting this guy out are Cyber Dragon and Level Stealer plays... Not quite sold on playing him, unfortunately.

Insect Knight is a great beater.

Gemknight Pearl... Id like a Hope more, but whatever. a rank 4 exceed is a rank 4.

Level Warrior is an intersting one. Similar to Goblindburgh, it gets me my Rank 4 Pearl, but at the same time gives me more level 3s to play around with. It is a high maybe.

Finally, exiled force.
I believe 2 of my recursion traps work with him so far: Damage Gate and Call of the Haunted.
Just by himself, pretty good.
With those 2? Really good.
In.

So, to finish up, These were our second 5 packs cards



And Our cards overview.
Once again, take a look by yourself to the distribution of the better cards in each slot, and see which slots have cards to build around and 2 card combos.

Of these, we preliminarily picked:

14
Gorz
Cyber Dragon
Ambitious Gofer
Insect Kight
Gene Warped Warwolf
Zombyra the Dark
Card Trooper
Big Shield Gardna
Chiron the Mage
Grave Squirmer
Hyper Hammerhead
Exile Force
2 Night Assailant

7
Pot of Greed
Pot of Duality (Winning with 2 pots lol)
Mystical Space Typhoon
Burden of the Mighty
Offerings to teh Doomed
Forbidden Lance
Shield Crush

6
Skill Successor
Shadow Spell
Ring of Destruction
Spell Shield Type 8
Call of the Haunted
Miracles Wake

5 Exceeds
Gachigachi
Grenosaurus
Leviathan Dragon
Gemknight Pearl
Tyrus


Thats it for preliminary picks

Join us in part 2, right below this, for the rest of the deck building!