Notes & Combos

TL;DR:

• do not play Drytron right now.
• Minimum main combo: Ruler, Mirage, Linkuriboh; Natasha, Diviner in hand. Often, you have Sauravis in hand, too.
• Alpha Tribute Benten > Alpha Tribute Zeta.

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This season was fun and infuriating at the same time. I do not recommend you to play Drytron rn, because the variance you experience is rough

What is the plan?

Make Ruler and protect him. Helmet time! The meta does not run many outs: 1-2 engine pieces and Imperm. Mirage/Linkuriboh and Sauravis combat those. Opponents lose, if they cannot contest that Ruler with a Bystial. Even if Tear has Sulliek, you are in a solid position.

If possible, use Benten as tribute fodder for Drys, not the other Drys, because of Bystials. Keep the Drytrons safe. If they do not "C" you, you can often keep playing past a Bystial.

I stripped a lot of versatility compared to my usual decks, but what does it do if you cannot play in the first place thanks to shufflers/Bystials? The Ruler gameplan also helps play conservatively under C.

What about the main matchups?

• Spright: going first you are fine, but they got Bystials and in-engine cards that out Ruler, so grab the helmet. Going 2nd: Terrible matchup if you only open engine, unfavourable if you see TTT only, great if you see DRNM/Droplet.
• Branded: Rough due to Bystials and the follow-up. Zeus is bad. OTKing is often not possible, so you have to find a way to stifle their next turn enough with a combination of Ruler, Apollousa, their stolen monsters.
• Tear: Branded Tear is your best Tear matchup, because you can deal with their boards the best. Hope they do not brick on Bystials or get to shufflers. You lost in that case. You are not beating their ideal outcome either. Otherwise, you got an okay shot.
• D-Link: all about the Bystials again. They see enough of them? You likely lose. They don't? You clap them. Their boards are quite dealable if you get your Drytron names going.

The climb was exceptionally swingy with regard to streaks, while I changed my deck gradually:

• I was 1 win away from M1 while on an 8-game win streak twice this season. The first time I did that, I played some Megaliths, the 2nd time I won 17 out of 18 games and 8 in a row at the end. In the first case, I fell back to M4, the second time I fell to M3 and barely avoided M4.
• Third time's the charm. So, I had such a streak right before M1 again and finally got to M1 then.