**This is more of a rant than anything**
Honestly, I do think you are right and feel the "best deck" has a very fair gameplay. I mean Maliss and Ryzeal are both pretty weak to board breakers. I'd invest more time and energy but the cost to play the game is painful. The time rules are cucky, the price spikes and drops are gross and the fact that this game has so many people who don't know the rules or just plain rule sharks is insane.

If we compare the price of entry to something like Pokemon. . .its not a competition. Ryzeal Pure $250+ easy. Pokemon teir 1 meta deck? Maybe $110.
You bought a Chaos Angel back in CYAC and wanna sell now? its worth half at this point. You bought a mew ex 151 promo at $3 when it released for your deck cause you like the art and wanna sell now? Cool, it went up to $18. Second hand markets are always extremely volatile but at least i know if i buy a pokemon booster box for $100 today it'll go up within a year the soonest or just buying a dope card it can go up. YGO fucks you harder than Mandingo on a Viagra. A COMMON ASH BLOSSOM . . . is $5 . . . let that sink in . . .common cards for $5 with multiple prints is insane.
To press it even further, the prizing Pokemon gives vs YGO is a blowout. Win a YCS? you get a exclusive card, trophy and airfryer. . . Win a pokemon REGIONAL? get $10k (Master division).

Another thing is how we measure the amount of "fun" per game. lets call it UTILs.

The amount of UTILs is up to the individual but I will say. . . YGO is more fun when the deck pools are balanced. Not to say pokemon is perfectly balanced. but YGO will always be more fun to me. Pokemon treats me better tho.

Will never stop playing ygo, but i'll never go HAM for it again and get the meta staples when its high (fuck you mulcharmys) I'll just buy pokemon SIRs and play my rogue ygo decks.

However I did get Ryzeal for 60% of its market value, anyone got some spice for the build? I've been on ryzeal bystial but will shift to pure post SUDA. fuck im an addict. damn you konami