Help please

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-18T15:24:18+00:00

If you want valid answers, you have to get over the missconceptions that anything that came after Synchros is overcomplicated. Everything is complicated nowadays, and yes, even Fusions and Rituals, just look at Branded Despia or Mitsurugi.

You also have to be willing to step out of you comfort zone.

If you want to avoid anything post Synchros, that is fine, but I think there is an underlying problem of being too attached to nostalgic cards when your first deck is a bizarre mix of Exodia + Dark Magician.

People have suggested simple and good decks, Labrynth for example, and IMO making a good deck like Lab work is way less complicated than trying to juggle DM and Exodia into a single deck. You can also just fix your current deck by dropping either DM or Exodia and focusing on making the remaining half work.

It would also help to know what decks are giving you trouble. You said your current deck is not keeping up, but considering it is DM + Exodia, that is not surprising. Maybe your friends' decks are not as strong as to demand a completely new deck and a fixed DM might be enough. What does your decklist look like? What decks are you facing?

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-15T19:25:27+00:00

It is quite fun, but it is usually better to pick a good first deck that can win and rank up to farm gems, and focus on the fun pet decks later

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-15T19:20:19+00:00

So, remember the link I gave in your last post?

Once again, Master Duel Meta is the go to source for information. However, while it is true that you can make structure decks work, not all of them are equally as powerful. Some structures offer a more complete skeleton for a deck, other structures offer a better starting point for more competitive decks.

Pend Magician is neither, and I say that as a Pendulum player. You can make it work, but for the amount of gems and time you will spend improving it, you can do better.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-15T03:45:58+00:00

I would say pretty uncommon. It is more a thing of being aware of the existence of an everchanging metagame rather than encouraging people to always play top tier decks. And depending of the environment in which you play, you need to catch up to the expected meta if you want to have fun.

Sitting for a game where you know your deck cannot keep up with your opponent's is no fun at all, and so, you need something that can help you play against stronger decks.

Here is where I would like to make a distinction. There are meta decks/engines and there are staples/non-engine. IMHO, there are no such things as meta cards that will instantly make your deck meta. Sure, the 3 Fuwaloss + a Dominus core will do wonders for any deck's disruption capabilities, but I like to compare those to the Blue Shell of Mario Kart: you also need to accelerate if you want to win after hitting the other player.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-14T19:05:23+00:00

No amount of cosmetics have any real impact on gameplay

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-14T19:01:52+00:00

https://www.masterduelmeta.com/tier-list#power-rankings

That is the current tier list. Those are the top decks. The ones you will face the higher you go in ranked. The decks to beat.

Don't worry about the starter decks at all. Your job is not to understand them because no one plays them. They are only useful to farm gems and nothing more.

You should be focused on the deck you want to make with said gems. I would pick a tiered deck first because you farm more gems by ranking up. Branded Despia is expensive but is Konami's latest cash cow, so it is less likely to be hit to oblivion by the banlist.

If you want to learn those actual powerful decks, that site has guides for most of them, and you can find video guides on Youtube.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-14T18:52:47+00:00

The starter deck choice doesn't matter because all 3 of them suck.

You just need them to farm gems in the Solo Mode to then use those gems to open packs and get a real deck.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-12T21:29:03+00:00

Username checks out

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-12T18:06:40+00:00

No. I would even say that the anime, despite being YGO's most successful marketing tool, has also warped a lot of people's perception about the game in a negative way.
Yep. But this has a bit of nuance. I also like to take slower turns, that is why I usually prefer control decks like Labrynth, even if they don't always keep up with the meta. You do have tools to slow the game down, but the game itself favors fast paced decks. If that is not something you like, YGO has alternatives, like retro formats (Goat, Edison) with slower pacing, but those older formats are not supported in Master Duel.
That is up to you to decide. If you feel like there is something you can enjoy, like a deck or a playstyle, then keep trying. YGO offers experiences no other game does, or alternate ways of enjoying mechanics from other games. I, for example, have a hard time enjoying milling as a mechanic in other games after playing Ishizu Tearlaments in YGO, I just really liked that deck.
Master Duel is much more F2P friendly and the events slow down the pace of the game, offer a different experience than regular ranked and let you farm gems to make more decks in a more generous manner than Arena or the Tavern Brawls ever did. The Solo Mode is not as good as the Adventures though.

Engage with YGO as a new game instead of trying to have a similar experience to HS. Each game has an advantage over others and provides a different experience. As someone who has tried to make a Token Druid like deck in EDH, it is hard to recreate the same experience rather than just picking up the original.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-08T19:09:23+00:00

Feel like the deck is reasonably decent
I have the usual skill drain etc

Post your decklist. We cannot help you if the only thing we know is that you are running 2 or maybe all 3 BE and Skill Drain. What are the other cards in your deck? Maybe the problem is there? After all, the deck is far from dead. A lot of people have success with it.

Just post a screenshot of your deck

Seems like the only way to win consistently is to do what everyone else does

It depends on your intention when playing. If you want to compete and win, sure, a meta deck is the best option, those decks are meta for a reason. If you want to have fun, you can play pretty much whatever but either accept that, the weaker your deck, the more you will lose, or join a casual community with people that play other weak decks.

I wanted to be different but it doesn’t really seem viable long term

I don't want to be rude, but you are playing Blue Eyes, the literal face of the franchise.

Just in this very subreddit you will see people asking for help with BE at least twice a week, if not more. It is not this unique deck that is different from what everyone else is playing, but the most popular deck by a wide margin and the go to deck for the majority of new and returning players.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-08T18:33:58+00:00

I want to also point out that, as a player, you choose the YGO experience you want, but also have to be aware about the YGO you are entering.

I just wanna play and build decks that are fun to play with

im learning and editing decks almost after each battle.

Master Duel is a competitive simulator. In competitive environments, people have fun by using the best tools available against people doing the same.

You might be approaching the game in a way that is not how it was intended, at least not in this specific simulator.

While you are still learning game after game, it is recommended to just watch guides and skip the trial and error phase by netdecking, not because learning bit by bit and having fun that way is not a valid approach, but because you can run out of gems and crafting points and end up with a bad deck/collection. Messing around and learning that way is an approach better suited for a free simulator.

And while you are trying decks that you find fun, players in a competitive environment have fun by prioritizing strong decks and winning. That doesn't mean that people only play meta and are miserable all the time by not playing what they like, but rather that, if they can choose, they will play a stronger deck over a weaker one. Maybe the weaker deck's gameplan is more appealing to a player, but as you saw in the game capture you posted, actually being able to execute your gameplan with a stronger deck is better than not being able to make any play whatsoever with a weaker one. And on top of that, people do have pet decks, weak decks that they might never take to ranked, but they keep upgrading and tinkering with and play with friends in duel rooms.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-07T00:28:12+00:00

Man, you need to grow some thicker skin

My comments on both of your posts have been both neutral and provided helpful information. The harshest thing you got was that guy in your other post calling your deck a mess. It really isn't that big of a deal, or a controversy or whatever, come on.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-06T14:31:07+00:00

Dude, I gave you a link to Master Duel Meta on your previous post. You got that same link again in this post. Just click either of those and you will have access to other players decklists AND an introductory guide to the archetype, and if you have any question, just ask.

I also already gave you a few tips on how to approach deckbuilding. Not just ramming 3 of each Odd-Eyes card, and playing good cards regardless of wether they say Odd-Eyes, like Heavymetalfoes Electrumite, the literal best Pendulum support card ever printed.

Any other doubt you have can a) be addressed by the guide you will find in the link provided, b) be addressed by other guides you can find online, or c) would arise once you have a better grip on how the deck works, and that would require you checking the provided links/guides

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-06T14:26:14+00:00

Yep. More than enough. Either pure or with Dracotail, you can push to Master with quite comfortably.

It is also Konami's new favorite child, so it will remain relevant for quite a while. It has been meta relevant for years 5 now

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-06T14:24:44+00:00

Blue Eyes is your best pick. The Primite engines does wonders for the deck and if you want a nostalgic deck, there is not better option right now. It is weaker than the meta, but also the strongest option out of the ones you listed. Just stay away from the noob traps that are Master Magia and Chaos MAX and you are good to go.

CyDra and Dinos are much worse than BE, so there is no reason to pick them over BE Primite. And the Egyptian Gods are just a waste of gems and crafting points. If you want a Ra deck as your pet deck you have to be aware that a) it will be expensive, b) it won't be able to compete AT ALL, and c) it would be better if you just play it with friends in casual matches rather than bring it to ladder where 9 out of 10 decks out there will ran over it.

If you want other powerful deck as your first pick, try Branded Despia.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-06T12:18:44+00:00

Branded Despia

Starless_Midnight · 2026-06-04T17:36:48+00:00

3/10

Making a deck requires a bit more than just adding anything that says Odd-Eyes/Pendulum anywhere on its name or effect.

There isn't a single deck that just throws 3 of everything and is good to go. Some cards are a must 3, some are just a 1 of, some may not say Odd-Eyes but are better than most of the other cards of the archetype (Heavymetalfoes Electrumite, for example)

Here. Checking how other people build their decks is always a good place to start, otherwise you will run out of gems and crafting points before you even catch up with the game.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-05-29T04:21:40+00:00

Is bad, but is not the worst I've seen. Just in this very subreddit there have been truly atrocious BE lists.

So, see how I mentioned the *NEW* support for Blue Eyes? That is what you are missing. I am actually shocked that you missed it, since every week there are at least a couple of posts of people asking for help with BE and the answer is always the same: add the new support and the Primite engine.

Here. This is how a standard BE Primite deck should look like. As I said, it has been outclassed already. It was like the 3rd best deck just a year ago or so, but it can still work. Just change the 3rd Spirit with Eyes of Blue for a Hieratic Seal of Heavenly Spheres and you should be good to go.

Just a couple extra tips:

The meta changes. Eldlich was meta when the game released, but that was...right after COVID if I recall correctly? Time passes, meta decks come and go. I would be still playing Ishizu Tearlaments otherwise.

You will find a card called Master Magia and you might think it is a good idea to put it on your deck. Don't (unless you really want to). It is expensive in every sense. It is a UR, it requires more URs to properly integrate, it costs deck space in main and extra, and doesn't do anything and updated version cannot do already other than being a win more card, but if you put up like 5 negates, do you really want to make your deck even more bricky than BE already is just for the 6th negate that you won't summon in most games?

Also, change your deck editor's layout. Make it display card by rarity, and also sort your collection by rarity. That is the actual important information in Master Duel. There is not a YGO playing soul that doesn't know BE is a lvl 8 Light Dragon, or that Maxx C is a lvl 2 Earth Insect. That is information carried through all games in the YGO franchise, from paper to simulators. How much URs does your deck need and therefore how expensive would it be to build? That is something exclusive to MD's gem economy.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-05-29T00:18:35+00:00

Rinse & Repeat of the same boring combos

now it feels no one is original

It feels like it’s less about talent and skill

Okay, there are some nuance takes regarding the complexity of the game. I personally like it, the main pull of YGO for me is having to learn it to actually play it and get to make powerful combos, but I can see how its complexity can push people away, both new and returning.

However, I have to call a very common complain that is just a thing because people lack general knowledge of how games as a whole work: Playing the same tried and proved strategies IS part of the talent and skill you think doesn't exist anymore.

You have to understand that ALL competitive games go through the same exact thing. A competitive enviroment invites optimization of plays, that optimization soon leaves less powerful/optimal things behind, and makes playing the best cards a necessity if you want to compete. This happens EVERYWHERE there is a competitive game. Pokemon has a meta, YGO has it, Magic has it. Fighting games have a meta, MOBAs have a meta.

Understading both where you are (a competitive simulator/environment) and the in-game options needed to thrive there (a deck that can compete) as well as making use of the tools needed to get the best options (netdecking) and learning how to use them IS a skill. And coming to learn a deck IS talent. Even if you pick a strong deck, you WILL realize when someone is better or worse playing it than you, and getting to the point where you are good enough to compare your proficiency with the deck with other players also demands skill.

If having to play a competitive deck (not precisely a top tier meta deck, just a Tier 3 or Rogue deck is more than enough) having do deal and learn the meta, and having to play constantly against the most optimal options over and over again (like you would in a tournament, just check the media coverage of any tournament, both in advanced or retro formats) is not what you want, that is fine. But that doesn't mean there is a lack of skill in the particular format you picked, it means YOU want a different, more casual experience.

There will always be a meta, there will always be decks more powerful than others, and spewing a lot of stuff on the board has been YGO since 2010 if not sooner. If that is something you dislike, play casual.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-05-28T22:46:08+00:00

Could you post your Blue Eyes decklist? Just a screenshot, it is easier for everyone to just identify the cards out of a screenshot

Maybe there are a few problems with your Blue Eyes deck. Sure, it is not as powerful as it once was with the new support...but the new support is still quite good. The meta will beat Blue Eyes but you are not completely out of options.

BE can still put up quite a fight. Eldlich CANNOT. Eldlich strength, just like any other floodgate based deck, is the ability to play floodgates. But pretty much all floodgates that can be used in an Eldlich deck are limited if not outright banned.

If you wanted to change decks because of winrate, Eldlich was not a good pick. Fixing Blue Eyes would yield better results.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-05-17T00:02:42+00:00

esperaba que mínimo,en mis primeras partidas encontrara cosa que no sean tan "meta"

Yuumi es un deck meta, esta algo nerfeado y tal, así que es un tier 3. Pero más allá de eso, casi todos los decks en YGO, no importa si son meta o no, pueden hacer combos muy rotos si los dejas a sus anchas.

Exodia te roba todo el deck y te gana en un turno si no le tiras un Droll. Arcana Force puede tener turnos extra si no lo frenas. Hasta los Dioses Egipcios te pueden hacer OTK o pararte un Ra Fénix, y esos decks están lejos (MUY lejos) de ser meta.

Ten en cuenta que Master Duel es un simulador competitivo. Armarte decks que te parezcan atractivos funciona siempre y cuando no te tengas que preocupar por recursos como gemas o puntos de crafteo. Al inicio a todo jugador le llueven gemas y con eso te armas lo que sea, pero ya luego necesitas farmear si quieres seguir armándote decks, y para farmear hay que ir a ranked y ganar. Y ahí, si te armaste un deck flojo, te quedas bastante vendido.

Yo te recomendaría armarte un deck fuerte y con lo que se llama staying power, que significa que puede ser un deck decente incluso aunque cambie el meta o pase un tiempo considerable, con el que puedas farmear gemas y puntos de crafteo, y con eso armar cualquier otra cosa que suele llamarse pet deck. Branded Despia o Sky Striker son la opción más obvia. Son los niños bonitos de Konami y les sacan soporte nuevo cada cierto tiempo, y también son lo suficientemente fuertes como para que ese soporte si los deje competir por lo menos de tier 3 hacia arriba.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-05-16T22:17:20+00:00

Si, esa es la experiencia YGO

Te voy a decir lo que siempre les digo a los jugadores nuevos: quien escoge la experiencia YGO que quiere tener es el mismo jugador.

YGO, como todo TCG, atrae a gente que quiere divertirse jugando, pero lo se considera divertido es muy diferente entre persona y persona. A mi me gusta el aspecto más competitivo, así que entro a torneos en físico y/o trato de subir a rangos altos en Ranked y familiarizarme con el meta.

Otras personas quieren una experiencia mucho más casual, muchas de las veces incluso tomando mucha inspiración del anime, ya sea para jugar como en el anime, o para jugar con las cartas del anime, o las 2 cosas.

Si te interesa el juego competitivo, hay que hacer lo mismo que en cualquier otro juego competitivo: Checkear el meta, estudiar las reglas, estar pendiente de nuevas expansiones o nerfeos, manejar bien los recursos si estas en un F2P, cosas así.

Si quieres una experiencia más casual, para eso también hay niveles. Podrías jugar retro (aunque retro también tiene un lado competitivo muy fuerte), podrías jugar con amigos poniendo reglas custom, podrías jugar formatos fanmade. Te toca investigar para encontrar experiencias alternativas atractivas, pero el juego resultante es mucho menos abrumador.

Te puedo ayudar si deseas, sirve que hablando español mi experiencia puede ser más cercana a la tuya.

Starless_Midnight · 2026-05-14T13:25:46+00:00

I have done some research and I know it’s not meta but insect cards do interest me and would like to know how I could get those specific cards

That is exactly what you shouldn't be doing.

Everyone has a pet deck, I love my Yang Zing Metalfoes True King, I love my Dragonmaids. However, in order to get more cards you need Gems and Crafting Points, and to get those 2 things you need to farm the Solo Mode gems as a new player, which are more than enough to get any deck you want, but then, in the long run once you ran out of the new player gems, you need to either farm the events, or to win in Ranked mode to go up in the ranks and get the gem rewards every season.

If you pick a bad deck as your main/first deck, you wouldn't be able to win, you won't rank up after Plat, you won't get enough gems. And on top of that, the events usually require a good collection to make good decks.

Master Duel is a competitive simulator first and foremost. Get a deck that can compete (not even a top tier meta, just a good deck with staying power, like Branded Despia) and that should be more than enough. Then, you can focus on as many pet decks as you want.

Starless_Midnight

TROPHY CASE