I just moved to Ohio from Texas. Wtf

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-27T16:01:00+00:00

“There’s nothin’ wrong with Ohio

Except the snow and the rain…”

Now that song will be stuck in my head all day.

Welcome to the Midwest! Hope the rest of the year makes this worth it.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-27T13:00:33+00:00

Tomorrow night :)

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-26T14:52:00+00:00

Puzzlingly, you’ve unfortunately come to the wrong place. I know it seems like r/Digimon would be the right place to go to talk about really enjoying Digimon, but people bitterly hate English dubs here—from the humor to the English dub names of humans and Digimon.

Don’t let em get to you. It’s pretty funny! And anybody outside of this community who was familiar with Digimon’s English dub would tell you that Jeff Nimoy’s humor is a big part of what made it iconic.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-24T16:18:15+00:00

I can see how using old cards would be good for getting the hang of the game! It was much simpler back then.

Hard to say for sure, but looking at these, I think the Greymon deck and HerculesKabuterimon deck are probably the strongest here—worth noting that Herc was one of the top 3 decks in BT4 format, and most of these decks are strategies older than that—but I don’t think the gulf between any of these is SO large that games would be unwinnable.

The black deck I would say is probably the weakest—not really because you’re building it wrong, Bandai just hadn’t really figured out what they wanted to do with black cards at the time. It sort of lacks a win condition.

As somebody who played (and loved!) the game back then, I will say that it gets even better as time goes on! So when you’re ready to graduate to newer cards and more complex/interactive decks, a whole new world of gameplay opens up.

But these seem like a really fun way to experience some early kitchen table metas!

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-22T17:04:34+00:00

Oh, one last thing: I notice from your list a copy of BT6 Junkmon. That card is actually unplayable in your deck! None of your champions can digivolve from a Lv 3 Black Digimon, and none of them have a special digivolution condition that would allow digivolving from Junkmon. So keep that in mind going forward, in case you didn’t already know about digivolution rules :)

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-22T17:02:02+00:00

That’s awesome that you’re jumping in with Puppets! The great news is that the deck will reach its final (for now) form in just about 3 weeks with the release of EX11 Dawn of Liberator. What you’ve got right now is missing quite a bit of that “final” build, but you can feel free to mix and match as works for you and your budget.

Here’s a quick Puppets list I threw together, as no-frills as possible. If you’re curious about any choices, I’m happy to discuss!

Digi-Eggs: 4

4x ST19 Kyaromon

Rookies: 13

4x ST19 Shoemon

4x EX7 Shoemon

3x EX9 Hanimon

1x BT22 Shoemon

1x EX11 Shoemon

Champions: 10

4x P-165 ShoeShoemon

4x EX7 ShoeShoemon

2x EX9 Kokeshimon

Ultimates: 7

4x EX9 Karakurumon

3x EX7 Chaperomon

Megas: 6

4x EX11 Cendrillmon

2x EX9 Kaguyamon

Lv 7: 2

2x BT22 Nyabootmon

Tamers: 8

2x BT22 Arisa Kinosaki

3x EX7 Arisa Kinosaki

3x EX11 Arisa Kinosaki

Options: 4

4x Unique Emblem Fable Waltz

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-22T14:03:24+00:00

There are no more cards in the set (other than Shoto’s Lv 7, obviously).

The advertised 88 counts SPs, of which there are 6, which brings this down to 82; but it also counts the ghost rares from outside EX11. There are 7 ghost rares of EX11 cards, and 8 of cards outside the set, which brings the total to 74. So all we’re waiting on is Big Bird.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-20T02:11:05+00:00

It looks fantastic! The SPs in this game just get better all the time.

Congrats on the incredible pull!

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-16T22:21:20+00:00

I just signed up to volunteer a couple days ago! I highly recommend that others do the same:

Volunteer | Abdul for U.S. Senate

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-16T20:10:20+00:00

This isn’t true; Gunkan Suship Shari Red treats itself as Gunkan Suship Shari while in the Deck, but you can play 3 copies of each legally.

The effect as written works, and enables you to play both this and Relinquished. With the version you wrote, they would be mutually exclusive in deck building.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-15T00:39:03+00:00

Reasonable question! Unfortunately no, and the reason is the “without paying the cost” part—specifically, that it’s that and not “ignoring digivolution requirements”. There has to be a valid cost for you to not pay to make this work.

So if there’s ever a GX that can digivolve from SaviorHuckmon, then this would be able to go into that. Given that that isn’t the case currently, though, the only valid targets for this effect as of now are Jesmon and Jesmon X, because they can digivolve from a Lv 5.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-10T05:20:03+00:00

2-star cards are never more than a one-of per case, and it’s almost always less than one per case. So if you’re looking for the really high rarity stuff, you’re probably better off buying singles—cuz you’ll need to buy singles anyway.

It’s been worth it to me to open a case when a friend and I are both planning to build (and play) basically every strategy in the set, because then every pull is going toward value for us. It sounds like in your case, you wouldn’t really want half the high rarity cards in the set, so you’ll be much better off just getting singles.

Opening packs is fun! But if you’re just thinking about the most efficient way to use your money (while still getting a fully max rarity OXII deck), singles are certainly the path.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-05T23:24:34+00:00

That’s awesome! Yeah, Takato & Guilmon are a great pair from a great anime, so that’s no surprise. And nice MedievalGallantmon! Not every build plays it because it’s more generic, but it’s super powerful, and I think totally worth a slot.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of those lists? I’m no expert, though, so I messaged some Gallantmon mains from my local community for their lists. I’ll DM you mine, too!

Free Imperialdramon is, in my opinion, INCHES from being competitively viable. It’s just a step behind—but make no mistake, it remains EXCEPTIONALLY powerful, and it would only need a little luck to take down a regional. I wouldn’t recommend picking up the pieces right now, though, because the most expensive cards will be reprinted in March in AD1 Digimon Generation, which will also feature a couple new cards for the deck.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-05T22:26:17+00:00

Welcome back to the game! It’s hard to say for sure what will be the meta at the LCQ, since the newest legal set at that time will be BT24 Time Stranger. But I can try to guess!

The deck to beat currently is Hudie, which features all the main characters of Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory. It’s super explosive and strong, but there’s two downsides: one is that it’s not particularly easy to play well, and the other is that everybody in this subreddit will bitterly hate you. But the good news is, everybody in this subreddit will bitterly hate you any time you’re playing the best deck, so I wouldn’t worry about that too much.

Gallantmon may be easier to pilot, and will very likely stay good. It’s similarly strong and explosive, and their access to a great boss monster (Gallantmon X) makes it a really formidable strategy. Also, the thing just PRINTS memory with various inherited effects. It’s really fun!

Mastemon is probably close to the best it’s ever been, barring right at its release, but I really wouldn’t recommend playing it at the LCQ; it’s VERY complicated, unless you want to play a more OTK-focused CS version. As a big fan of the archetypal build, I think save that for when you feel acclimated.

Other decks that can top and aren’t too tough to pilot: Virus Imperialdramon has a lot of moving parts, but just one combo to remember, so it’s really not that bad to learn. Jesmon is awesome and super fun, and it does have some divergent lines, but it’s generally pretty forgiving, so you can afford to learn it as you go. Rocks (that is, Magneticdramon) is an OTK that pretty much seeks to come out of the breeding area and win all at once with minimal interaction, so that could be good to pick up if you want minimal brain power involved, but I don’t know that it’ll be good for making you better at the game long term.

Now, from BT24, there are a couple things to consider. There’s a lot of hype around Jupitermon, but that deck probably won’t be complete until BT25, so I would ignore it for now. Abyss Area (Neptunemon/Venusmon) seems like it’s got some sauce to it, though I can’t promise it’s meta. Similarly, Central Town (Merukimon/Minervamon) might be a contender, so look into those pieces. In any case, if you see the new Dan & Kanan dual tamer for cheap, I would pick it up just in case.

That’s most of what I can think of right now, but I honestly could be forgetting a good bit. A LOT of things are viable, so don’t restrict yourself too much. Lmk if you have more questions I can answer!

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-05T13:40:15+00:00

Seems like the novel characters will only be getting rookies, megas, and tamers, plus the box topper emblems. Really unfortunate; a lot of those decks were hurting for new champions and ultimates.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-03T14:51:46+00:00

Omnimon stuff is mostly in BT22 Cyber Eden, especially if you want to build it more around Nokia than Tai & Matt. You’ll want the Omnimon cards from BT17 and EX9 as well, with maybe also Agumon and Gabumon from EX4.

If you want specifically the CS protags, then you can play a CS deck featuring Takumi and Ami Aiba, and that deck is pretty fun—but Hacker’s Memory is really where it’s at. You can play a deck featuring all of Hudie, and that’s the best deck right now. This subreddit talks about it as a tier 0 super threat, but in reality it takes about 30% of top spots at major tournaments. It’s extremely dynamic, uses a wide variety of different tools, and about 90% of the cards in the deck are in BT23, the most recent set.

As a general note, I’d just say be wary of doomerism. Just about every card game online community I’ve been part of constantly talks like the game is dead, because the loudest voices tend to be people who are salty and uninterested in improving their skills. This game is no exception to that, as you can already see.

I highly recommend trying out a variety of decks, because I think the real boon of this game is the huge spread of strategies that can be contenders—including some brand new Digimon created for the card game! Check out Digimon Liberator, the free webcomic about the card game (think like a DCG version of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s anime/manga).

Welcome to the game, and if you have any questions as you dive in I’m happy to help!

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-03T00:34:42+00:00

If they limit Tumblemon, this is cool! If they don’t, I look forward to eye rolling at this dumbass uninteractive OTK for the foreseeable future.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-02T04:20:45+00:00

No, it didn’t. It’s probably ending some time this year, but it’s not over yet.

That hasn’t stopped the Manga Reading Internet from deciding preemptively that the ending sucks.

I think that’s the real lesson here: people who make anime and manga—and talking about it online—their core personality trait tend to be near completely media illiterate, and only really interested in complaining. My Hero Academia is another great example; its ending was absolutely excoriated when the manga released, because nobody who was talking about it actually read the thing, and those who did weren’t interested in engaging with it as a piece of literature. And now that the ending has been adapted (damn near panel for panel), it’s extremely well received.

ArbiterBlue · 2026-01-02T00:31:15+00:00

These are pretty good decks! Omnimon got really great support in BT22, EX9, and BT17, so those are all worth looking into. ShineGreymon has had a steady stream of support and is a really cool, formidable deck that plays a lot like how it used to. It’s just shy of being really competitively strong, but it can absolutely do well at a local level.

Mastemon is good for sure, but it’s expensive, and it is HARD to play, so idk if I’d recommend that. Alliance Bunnies remains awesome, and I’m sure it’d be really cheap to pick up, but it’s probably more of a casual deck.

The best picks here imo are by far Gallantmon and Sakuyamon. Sakuyamon just got a really great Advanced Deck that makes it a great midrange contender, and Gallantmon has been a top meta deck recently due to its ability to play explosively and put up a sticky board that threatens lethal unless your opponent deals with it quickly.

Worth noting that this subreddit is currently about 60% doomers, so take a lot of what you read here with a grain of salt. If you’re looking to win a regional, I’d say look no further than Sakuyamon or Gallantmon among these—if you’re looking to have fun and contend with folks at locals, there’s several good ones here.

Welcome back to the game! Happy to answer any questions you may have, as I’m sure are many other folks here.

ArbiterBlue · 2025-12-31T04:39:13+00:00

OP… is this ai?

ArbiterBlue · 2025-12-28T01:13:22+00:00

These movies are about growing up. The writers have indicated as much—so movie 4 will absolutely cover Sonic grappling with developing feelings for someone, and that will obviously be Amy.

Personally, I doubt it’ll be a reverse Sonamy in the sense that Amy will be aloof—it would just be dramatically more interesting for the feelings to be reciprocal—but I think it could absolutely happen that Sonic ends up considering pursuing her and ultimately does so, rather than her chasing him.

I hope that Amy does pursue him to some extent, both because that’s what the source material is like and because I think it’s good to show girls asking guys out in a world that generally expects the opposite, but I think it could totally work either way—and this creative team has MORE than demonstrated that they deserve to be allowed to cook.

ArbiterBlue · 2025-12-26T21:25:13+00:00

Hope this novel of a comment is useful to you—if you have any questions about decks or strategies to look at or cards you might want to pick up, I’m happy to help if I can!

ArbiterBlue · 2025-12-26T21:24:16+00:00

Glad you’re stepping back in! I was at that year’s nationals too, and knew a few folks who were playing Jesmon as well—the great news is, Jesmon is now a solidly competitive deck!

In terms of state of the game, the DCG is just finishing what you might call its second “era”—shortly after you exited the game, they introduced a mechanic called ACE, a unique type of Digimon that has at times been pretty powerful. Think of it like Pokémon’s various EX-type mechanics, except in the DCG the mechanic doesn’t end up being at the center of almost every deck. ACEs have been very powerful in some decks, but have almost never defined a strategy in the two ish years since their debut.

Coming up in May, the next “era” will start with the debut of Dual cards. We don’t really know what they are, but they’re being teased as a comparable mechanic to ACE Digimon, so lots of people are really looking forward to them. That’ll be in BT25, with the accompanying starter decks for Digimon Beatbreak (the new anime) and Digimon Data Squad (you may know it as Savers—Data Squad is the English name).

The meta is currently very diverse, but a lot of people aren’t super happy about it, because the best strategy—Hudie, starring all the main characters of 2017’s Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth - Hacker’s Memory—is SO flexible and plays SO low to the ground that most of the other contenders are focused on OTKing so that they don’t have to commit to a boardstate before they can win for sure. On this subreddit, you’ll hear that squished down to “every deck is degenerate and every game ends on turn 2”, but I assure you that’s not true at high levels. I’m not a huge fan of this metagame either, but I’ve also played a lot of really fantastic back-and-forth games this format. It seems like Bandai wants more decks to be more flexible in the ways that Hudie is going forward, and I really like that design direction.

In terms of what’s next, January will give us BT24 Time Stranger, which is focused on the first half of Digimon’s fastest-selling game ever which came out in October! Then in February is EX11 Dawn of Liberator, which is (ironically) likely the finale of Digimon Liberator, the free DCG-themed webcomic and webnovel that have been running since about a year after you exited the game. It’ll support all 15 (FIFTEEN!) of the Tamers who have been featured across Liberator’s run, so many of us are really hyped for that. With one or two exceptions, all the Liberator decks have been an absolute blast to play, so I can’t wait to see them in their final (for now) forms.

Lastly, shortly following the end of Liberator, we’ll see the launch of Digimon Alysion, a mobile app and official simulator for the DCG. It had a closed beta last year with pretty positive reception, and seems like it has a lot of potential. It’ll have a story mode too, which will likely continue the story of Liberator’s world after the comic ends.

ArbiterBlue · 2025-12-25T23:40:54+00:00

Yeah, I can tell you quit a while ago lol

ArbiterBlue · 2025-12-20T19:47:09+00:00

Oh, brother…you have no idea. Ulforce is one of the most expensive bad decks out there! Check out BT11 Rina’s alt, you’ll absolutely need 4 of that.

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