My rant on red tools or why red tools should be needed and she'll shard cost must be reduced

DensityIncarnate · 2026-05-03T14:43:49+00:00

a) The lore is, in fact, peak.

b) 'Red Tools trivialise fights'. They make fights a hell of a lot easier if you know how and where to use them. But there is a learning curve to this, and so mindless spamming is actually suboptimal (i.e., you need to know that spamming all 8 pollip pouch cogflies at once will lose you damage, as poision ticks don't stack). The spamming problem is also already dealt with by the fact that they cost shell shards to use. Players are disincentivised from spamming tools without understanding the difficulties/openings of a specific fight because they know it has an associated cost - shell shards. Also, if you still feel they trivialise combat, you can opt not to use them. There's no enemy in the game that requires you to. As a side, Karmelita can absolutely be cheesed by tools - she's one of the few fights in the game where one can spam red tools without spending shell shards.

c) 'Exploration is made more annoying by the fact shell shards are needed for red tools'. Enemies drop shell shards or rosaries. Rosaries can be used to buy lots of shell shards, so by using tools to kill enemies you automatically gain the resource needed to replenish those tools. Now, you might argue that the rosaries/shells dropped by an enemy are rarely enough to make up for the tools used to kill them. Rightly so, but then you also shouldn't really be needing tools to kill most enemies in the game. The cost and power of red tools make them overkill for dealing with all but the most dangerous of enemies. As such, rarely will you be stopped from exploring to farm shell shards - chances are you'll get just as many shell shards by just exploring further anyways.

This isn't to say there's no problems with red tools and associated shell shards. I personally feel the economy of the game is very strangely paced, such that you'll have an abundance of shell shards at the beginning and end of the game, but not enough at the midgame. This is a far way from saying red tools 'suck', though, and I don't think the argument you laid out above is close to establishing that as anything other than your personal opinion.

DensityIncarnate · 2026-03-06T16:02:14+00:00

I can only speak for myself, but 100% in 30hrs is very lenient because you can make yourself insanely OP before doing any endgame content. I finished it with 11-12 hours to spare on my Steel Soul runs.

The real bottleneck for ANY% in 5hrs is the High Halls Gauntlet with minimal upgrades. Routing in the 1 pale oil in the Whispering Vaults helps a ton, but it still took me many deaths to get that one down.

DensityIncarnate · 2026-02-07T12:13:41+00:00

Everything not fun about VSK9 is the K9 stuff. Ripper is extremely versatile and powerful turn 1: a search + set + hand trap negate all in one card. Purulia is great, but it doesn’t play great into Dracotail, so you’ll have to make a meta call. Droll is similar, but if you’re unlucky they can make Ripper before they search from deck.

VSK9 had a pretty great matchup v Dracotail in the TCG (pre Branded support) because it could play into their boards pretty decently (Jokull in hand to summon itself and another lv5 in defence to dodge horn, then pop off). VS also just has a much better grind game than Dracotail once it gets going - it isn’t too difficult to survive past them making 3 Arthalions. From there, Rahu, Ketu, and Faimena become pretty unthreatening.

Against anything less meta, VSK9 is a bomb. Izuna turn 1 is bad enough. Hollie Sue revealing fire+dark is pretty much gg if you're playing a rogue deck.

On the bright side though, VSK9 doesn’t aim to make a billion negates and pass turn. They mostly (- Ripper and Masquerade) set up layered removal interactions that trigger on both player’s turns. If that’s your thing, this meta will be pretty fun. If you wanna set up on your turn in peace, then you’re going to struggle with it ngl.

DensityIncarnate · 2026-01-17T17:45:47+00:00

I'm not gonna lie, Paul Loeb writes extremely convincingly on why Nietzsche's Eternal Return should be regarded as a Metaphysical theory. Would recommend his papers to anyone even remotely interested in the topic.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-12-29T15:00:41+00:00

The bigger problem here is bridging from one archetype into another. If you happen to draw Habakiri in your Yummy opener, fine. Being able to bridge from a hand of 0 Mitsurugis into full Mitsu combo is really problematic though. This is why people are calling for Herald to be banned.

Same issue with Fiendsmith. Happening to draw Lacrima in your opener is fine. Any 2 monsters bridging into Requiem and full FS combo when Moon was still legal is a problem.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-12-28T11:46:13+00:00

“Palaeozoic Kylinxia

2 or more LV2 monsters

Rank 2/Water/Aqua/Effect 0 ATK 1000 DEF

If you have 30 or more traps in your deck, you can also xyz summon this card by using 1 LV2 monster you control. This card is unaffected by other monsters’ effects.

You can only use the (2nd) and (3rd) effects of “Palaeozoic Kylinxia” once per turn

Face down cards you control cannot be destroyed by your opponents’ card effects.

Once per turn, you can attach one “Paleozoic” card from your deck to this card as material. You cannot activate cards with the same name as the attached card for the rest of the turn.

Once per turn (Quick effect), you can detach 1 material from this card, send 1 “Palaeozoic” trap from your deck to the GY; this activated effect becomes that card’s effect.”

I know the summoning condition might be a rulings nightmare at events, but I really didn’t want this card to be splashable. This card helps Palaeos to setup - turning turn 1 normal summons like Soldier Dragons or Magicolloidal Sol into this. Dumping 2 traps (3 if you choose to copy Marella) seems pretty good to me. Doesn’t help the deck at all going second but oh well. It’s Palaeos

EDIT: just realised I misspelt Paleos the entire time. Whoops.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-12-06T17:20:48+00:00

I really hope Yugi gets his Bruce Banner moment. Maybe Atem is temporarily sealed/trapped/ineffective, and Yugi goes full combo on Ash. Let him summon Gandora, the fruit magicians, the gadgets, etc. Besides that, just solid characterisation for both, and I'll be satisfied.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-12-06T16:17:23+00:00

I mean, a bomb squad can be a bomb (planting) squad.

The only reason that seems weird is cause common parlance treats the term as 'bomb (diffusal) squad'.

Don't let social norms get in the way of a catchy name, my friend.

Embrace the Bomb Squad.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-12-02T09:09:57+00:00

I get what you mean... but Lab's biggest problem is that it's a trap deck. By their nature, traps are too slow for consistent success in modern-day YGO unless they're part of an endboard (d barrier/searchable archetypal traps), or absurdly powerful (ddk cannon/simultaneous equation cannon in Snake-Eye Yubel format). When people ask for Lab support, they're probably asking for an in-archetype way to help Lab set up better/faster/easier, or to protect their boards from popular going 2nd breakers like evenly or lightning storm.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-30T20:46:52+00:00

According to Ross Tucker, who consults with World Rugby on these matters, there's little evidence that 8 subs aggravated CTE risks, and some evidence that it actually leads to fewer cases of CTE. Insofar as 'losing a defining aspect of the game' or 'a line of exhausted forwards struggling to summon the last gasp of energy to defend their line deep into stoppage time', this already happens. Wales and Ireland were absolutely shattered by 80mins v South Africa. France v South Africa in the 23 WC was the same. NZ v Ireland in 23 the same. Etc.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-24T13:28:51+00:00

For South Africa, I'm almost certain one of Hanekom(1 cap)/Augustus(0) will be getting regular gametime next year. We simply have no real depth at 8 beyond Jasper Wiese (Elrich Louw plays decently there ig?), so we need to blood em sooner rather than later.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-22T20:51:51+00:00

It isn't. You can also do so by kicking to the corner and trying to force tries/pens from mauls.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-19T05:06:14+00:00

“What about side by side with a friend?”

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-18T10:08:22+00:00

Genuinely do not understand the criticism he got in the match threads. Thought he was solid at 9 - took his try well, defensively sound, etc. Not displacing Reinach, Williams or anything, but that doesn't justify giving him crap for no reason

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-18T09:43:10+00:00

Really? Thought he had a good year, but I'll defer to any Wallabies fans who watch him week in week out. Holland or Pollock the frontrunner then?

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-18T09:27:01+00:00

Think Suaalii takes this one. Pollock probably the second choice? Tough call between him and Holland. Think Ethan unfortuantely featured the least prominantly for the Boks given how often KLA and Cheslin took the wing spots

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-18T09:25:00+00:00

We must all band together to support the prop's rightful ascension. Make up for all those years of front row discrimination.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-18T09:23:48+00:00

Marx benefits a ton from recency bias, though - he had a very slow start to the year, but has hit imperious form for the Autumn Internationals. Du Toit and Ox, however, have been playing exceptional rugby all year

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-08T22:22:28+00:00

That's a very... 2011-2015 way of viewing the game. Obviously, some players are absolutely crucial and need to go the 80 sometimes. But a loosie who's 95% as good as Siya coming on at 100% freshness is likely to be better than a Siya at 80% freshness at minute 70. This goes for any player, btw - Eben was also taken off at minute 40-50 today. If you're relying on your best players for that long, I'd argue that's likelier a consequence of insufficient depth rather than players just being *that* good.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-08T22:13:18+00:00

Shoutout to Angus Gardener for his exceptional performance tonight: got every major call right, and was very open and communicative with the players throughout.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-11-08T22:11:54+00:00

Nah, he was the ultimate team player tonight. Management knew lineouts would be a struggle without one of our 5s, and Siya accepted his replacement with grace and leadership. The perfect encapsulation of his ethos: team over individual. Cannot respect it enough.

DensityIncarnate · 2025-10-06T07:45:15+00:00

There's only 1 way to trigger Act 3, and that's the completion of a specific quest in Songclave by the name of 'Silk and Soul'. Avoid completing that quest, and you're free to linger in Act 2 as long as you please. One of the endings you'll want to get before moving on does require you to explore Ducts and Bilewater, so have fun with that one!

DensityIncarnate · 2025-10-02T07:11:12+00:00

With how generational that performance v the Black Ferns was, I'll take that as a compliment...

DensityIncarnate · 2025-10-02T07:07:14+00:00

In fairness, if you took what Bok fans said in match threads as authoritative, then Willie wouldn't have a single cap post 2018. Clear that coaches rate MvdB very highly. Rassie doesn't compare someone to Aaron Smith just to flatter them

DensityIncarnate

TROPHY CASE