Notes & Combos

I played 41 games from Master 5 to Master 1 using a Vanquish Soul K9 deck. Here's the breakdown for this run:

• Overall Win Rate: 70.73% (29 Wins - 12 Losses)
• Win Rate Going 1st: 76.19% (16 Wins - 5 Losses)
• Win Rate Going 2nd: 65.00% (13 Wins - 7 Losses)
• Average Game Length: 2.27 Turns

This climb was grittier than my experience with a similar build in Season 50; however, I think the deck still performs very well on the ladder. I was hand-trapped more frequently, and opponents played much better into my half-boards this season, which might explain the dip in win rate compared to last season. Going second was also a struggle, but I was able to clutch out wins using Bystials and Dimension Shifter on more than one occasion.

Droll & Lock Bird was probably the most frequent hand trap my opponents used to stop my plays dead when I didn't open any K9 cards. Making 'Ripper' as soon as possible before drawing became a staple play whenever the line was available. I saw moderate Purulia usage from Dracotail opponents, although I don't think the card is very effective in the current meta. Most of my losses occurred when going first against Dracotail decks that hit me with a Mulcharmy or Droll.

After the Duelist Cup and on the eve of a possible ban list update, I'm anticipating a huge shake-up to the meta. I don't expect this deck to be affected because the Strike of Justice selection pack is still in the shop, but other decks like Dracotail and Mitsurugi seem like fair game for hits.