WS WGP is one of the largest official tournaments for Weiss Schwarz, supported by Bushiroad directly. Players from each region flock to attend and show off their skills. Initially an in-person exclusive event with several regional tournaments followed by a national invite competition.
How did you feel about the tourney?
The tournament was run very smoothly. The games went in accordance with time; the sportsmanship between players was pleasant. The games were entertaining with a wide cast of decks to face off against. The event as a whole was great, and it felt like I was just having a set of games with my local community.
Why did you choose to play your series/deck?
I played the series Shakugan No Shana mixed with support from the Dengeki Bunko series. I chose this series because Shakugan no Shana was one of the first anime I had ever watched, and while I don’t think the series is awfully powerful, its niche of anti-damage makes the deck stand firmly against the top decks in the meta-game.
What do you think the greatest strengths in your deck were?
The greatest strength of the deck is the anti damage effect from 1/1 Yuuji. The card turns off the potential of most of my opponents from ending the game while I’m at 2/4 or 2/5. The card forces my opponents to play and sculpt their hands differently, finding cards like level downs and bouncers which reduces the amount of resources my opponents have to close out the game. When a deck doesn’t have these options, my opponent is left to deal vanilla damage, minimizing the chances of me dying and granting me a chance to survive that one extra turn before sending out my own finisher to close out the game.
What do you think are weaknesses that the deck does not cover very well?
The deck really hopes to combo every turn. The early game choice combo provides much needed early game mill; however, the selectivity of the deck is severely lacking which is barely fixed by level two. When the deck does not recur early game combo for more than two turns in a row, hand and stock dwindle very quickly due to the expensive mid game early play healers in combination with the heavy late game costs of the finisher.
What did you think about your deck’s performance overall?
The deck’s performance was very steady, to say the least. Weiss has a lot of variance, and whenever I happened to draw the choice combo every turn, the deck felt very consistent. Furthermore, the early game mill speed is faster than some of the top decks in format. Although, much of this is under the assumption that you draw the choice climax every turn.
What was your favourite card in the deck?
My favourite card in the deck is the 1/1 anti-burn Yuuji. His ability stops me from losing in the late game and forces my opponent to figure out ways to out him.
What are some potential changes you would consider making to the deck?
I would potentially change the early combo of the deck. If the meta tends to go for faster games, I am considering running the door combo that can gain extra soul. The door combo will give additional pressure to my opponents while I sit back with my 1/1 anti-burn.
Is there any memorable moment that occurred during the tourney?
The most memorable moment of the tournament was found during my semi-final round. My opponent and I had quite the unfortunate games. Both of us couldn’t draw our early combos and were essentially vanilla swinging for the early game. When we reached level two, my deck showed its ability to make a comeback when I drew my choice climax. I suddenly went from four hand to a full hand after that turn while also gaining stock to heal down and laying Yuuji on the field. From there, we both had good trades in damage towards the tail end of the game. However, I think that single turn with the choice combo was ultimately what brought me my victory.
What is your favourite part of this series?
Melon Bread.
How do you feel about the current Japanese sets?
I have only ever played with Overlord and Shana for my Japanese sets, and as for Japanese meta as a whole, I don’t pay too much attention to it. I’m aware that series are stronger in Japanese, but nothing seems too overbearing currently.
Any shout-outs?
Shout-outs to Yuiko for teaching me the deck and lending it to me to practice with. He also helped theorize some of the cards within the list. Shout-outs to Luna as well for the incredibly fun game at semi-finals. Finally shout-outs to K-OS Collectibles for hosting the event and organizing a fun play environment with great service and products
Final words?
Just draw the climax you need when you need it.
You can use the following link to check out A.J. Caridad’s decklist:
https://decklog-en.bushiroad.com/ja/view/3JQZ8