How Would I Fix the Meta? #1 (06/23/13)

Originally I meant this to be an update to a previous post, but now I feel like this could be a recurring segment here on the blog. The title should explain it all - these are banlist discussions wherein I'll tell you guys how I would personally "fix" the meta by slowing down the most powerful and popular decks. As always I must warn those of you who are more liberal on issues concerning the list not to read what I have to say, lest you suffer cognitive dissonance. Anyways, let's begin the inaugural post:

Decks Targeted:

1. Dragon Rulers
2. Prophecy
3. Evilswarm
4. Mermails

Actions Taken:

Banned:
Spellbook of Judgment
Spellbook of Secrets
The Grand Spellbook Tower

Limited:
Burner, Dragon Ruler of Sparks
Stream, Dragon Ruler of Droplets
Lightning, Dragon Ruler of Drafts
Reactan(t), Dragon Ruler of Pebbles
Gold Sarcophagus
Sacred Sword of Seven Stars
Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack
Number 11: Big Eye

High Priestess of Prophecy
Spellbook of Wisdom

Evilswarm Ophion
Infestation Pandemic
Rescue Rabbit

Atlantean Dragoons
Mermail Abysslinde
Mermail Abyssteus

Rationale:
I covered a lot of these cards in the post that I mentioned earlier, so this time I'll only cover the changes since last time.

To me, it seems that the point of the Dragon Rulers is to help out decks that focus on attributes. They only become exceptionally broken when combined as one deck, and you can't deny that a lot of the glue holding them together is their younger forms. This is why there was such initial outrage at them being revealed in Tachyon Galaxy. I think that limiting each younger form, in addition to all of the other limitations I'd pursue, will massively slow the deck down.

Rescue Rabbit is a long time coming, and I don't want it to be swept under the rug due to the warping of the meta from the current incumbent decks. 1-card Xyz Summons are just powerful, especially when people continue designing decks to capitalize off the summon by choosing monsters that restrict play choices and backrow lineups to make it even worse. Evilswarm are still a rather underwhelming deck, but they can be pretty imposing if they draw well enough and gather enough backrow. Generally I try my best to discourage these types of decks, as they are typically less fun for both players.

Afterword 

In other areas, I do still believe that Prophecy needs such huge cuts. Their cards are not only simply too strong, but World of Prophecy is still on the horizon and the deck must be weakened now before World makes it unstoppable. Make no mistake, World of Prophecy will still enhance the deck and it will not become unplayable by any means, but the changes I've made are what constitute fairness to me.

Mermails, similar to Resue Rabbit, should not be overlooked due to the fact that they are simply not the strongest deck. If it weren't for Evilswarm, we'd probably see them quite a bit more. While I don't expect Evilswarm to ever really "go away," I do expect it to see a decrease in play when Dragon Rulers and Prophecy are (supposedly going to be) taken care of in September. Of course, the next meta could still shape up in a way that includes Fusion, Ritual or Synchro Summoning, and that's a big part of why I felt it was necessary to tone Evilswarm down.

Anyways, I hope you guys who are like-minded on these issues enjoyed this post. Related to the banlists, I am still working on my email to Konami about Dark World. Til next time.