Hey, all! Today I'd like to go ahead and list my predictions for the upcoming banlist. As with last time, they'll be very generic and non-specific since nobody can really predict each of weird ass Konami's actions. Also, I must mention that this post is not meant to cover the majority of the likely wide variety of cards that will be released from the list to some extent - those are extremely hard to predict. So that being said, let's get started!
1. DRAGON RULERS WILL BE HIT.
The elephant in the room. Nobody is exactly sure how Konami will hit Dragons, but we know for sure that they WILL be hit. Many believe that their hit will be a hard one, since none of the decks that are coming out or becoming relevant later this year can really compete with them. But my sole prediction is that the deck WILL be touched.
2. PROPHECY WILL BE HIT.
The other big deck of the format, it's also unclear as to how Konami will hit Prophecy. But like with Dragons, I think it's a guaranteed bet that they will be hit in some way. If anything, I think that their status as less powerful compared to Dragons coupled with the recent release of Crazy Box and the JOTL Deluxe Edition box designs will mark them as less of a priority in Konami's eyes.
3. MERMAILS WILL BE HIT.
A lot of people aren't sure about the fate of Mermails right now. On one hand, it's an extremely powerful deck with tons of different search methods and powerful OTKs, only bolstered by the release of Tidal. Everyone remembers how much power Mermails had from November 2012 until about the end of April 2013, and it's only worse for the rest of us now that Tidal exists.
But on the other hand, the deck hasn't done much on the competitive circuit since Evilswarm, Dragon Rulers and Prophecy were released. Nevertheless, I think Konami is smart enough to understand that solely hitting the newer decks and completely ignoring everything else would be a stupid idea, so I do believe that Mermails will be hit.
4. FIRE FORMATION - TENKI (and Fire Fists in general) WON'T BE HIT.
It's a real shame that Fire Fists make Tenki such a broken card, because if it weren't for that, it would be an amazing addition to the game for the sheer number of decks that it makes more playable. (Of course, if it weren't for Fire Fists there might not have been a Beast-Warrior search card in the first place, but whatever.)
We're on the edge of a gigantic explosion of Fire Fist playability with the upcoming releases of Rooster and Wolfbark, but do you think Konami cares? Spoiler: HELL. NO. In fact, this news only serves to encourage the opposite course of action, which would be to NOT touch the decks. Touching Tenki now is perceived to have a diminishing effect on excitement for the upcoming Judgment of the Light, since four decks supported by that set all benefit greatly from it (3-Axis, 4-Axis, Bujin and Fire Kings). So in my opinion, the chances of Konami opting for the fair choice instead of the profitable choice is obviously very slim. But next format... watch out!
5. STAPLE CARDS MIGHT CHANGE AROUND A BIT.
This is something that we have to take note of going into every new list, because it's one of the few predictable moves that Konami will regularly make. That being said, it's impossible to tell exactly WHAT changes will be made, but don't be surprised if they are.
6. A BANNED CARD MIGHT COME BACK.
Similar to our last point, this is something Konami does on many lists regardless of the current competitive climate. There are plenty of banned cards that would probably have very little impact on modern Yugioh, so it's impossible to tell which will come back, if any. But if we know anything for sure, it's that these cards need to be released a lot faster than once per list!
One last thing, dealing with Evilswarm. This deck is truly a wild card in terms of the banlist - I have absolutely no idea what to predict for it. On one hand, it's an anti-meta type deck that isn't really responsible for any crazy plays, but on the other, it's amazing the sheer number of decks and strategies that become unable to function due to the existence of Evilswarm Ophion. That being said, I don't think they'll necessarily ban Ophion no matter how good it'd be for the game, but I wouldn't be that surprised if Evilswarm took some sort of hit, likely on cards like Rescue Rabbit or Evilswarm Kerykeion.
That's about all for now guys. Thanks for reading, and I'll be back after the list drops with commentary on how my predictions turned out. Later!
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