should I Bought [Ruler's Mask] or [Refined Blade]?
"He Bought? Doomp eet." - The Still Alive Bogandoffs
Let's be honest, most of us in Master Duel are not playing with an unlimited budget. Gems are scarce, so you want to put your gems to places where it matters the most.
So how do we know if we should roll for a new pack, or any pack for the matter?
With the release of the "Great Resoot" update, there are two excellent packs released; [Ruler's Mask] and [Refined Blade]. I thought I would outline my thoughts on whether one should roll for a pack or not. If not, what legacy Secret Pack should I be rolling for?
Roll for Who You Like
"Lady Ninguang said, roll for who you like." - Ganyu, secretary to the Qixing
I have a personal philosophy called FUNMAXXing, where I want to do the things that let me have the most fun. Essentially the idea is to roll for what I like. I mostly like waifus, so that takes precedence over most things.
(If I were rolling strictly for waifu art, I would roll low on Ruler's Mask for a single copy of Iris Swordsoul and take the Dogmatika secret pack if you like Ecclesia. I don't like cyberpunk japanese twins mostly because of the males, so Refined Blade is a minus on the waifu side. But I don't like syncro, so if you do like Syncro, P.U.N.K makes up a small package...)
The new packs are a departure from the norm because despite the lack of waifus, I really like the idea of Despia, getting CLOWNED, and Enoshima Junko. Since both packs will get me to a Despia deck, and I have about 10k gems to spend, where should I spend it all on?
Just because you are rolling for who you like doesn't mean that you just spend gems blindly.
There are two things to consider: longevity and strength. I would like to play my waifu decks for some time, at least until I get another 10k gems to roll another waifu pack. The key to longevity is if you like the playstyle of the deck.
For me, my very first deck was Dragonmaids, I just like maids very much, and after looking up a few videos of Dragonmaids, the idea that before every battle the weak little dragonmaid suddenly turned into a gigantic dragon made me laugh a lot. Also, it is really easy to pick up, so as a beginner I kept playing it for a long time.
I also would like the deck to at least hold out against Villain decks for a bit. Some amount of strength is needed. The best thing is if the deck can be paired with handtraps I already.
Going back to Dragonmaids, Dragonmaids do have a big omni-negate in Sheou, and there are multiple extenders. Sometimes Sheou is really oppressive, and sometimes she just gets SENT on by a giant turtle, but otherwise it has short turns, and is nice, strong and brutal.
You almost will never hear about Dragonmaids in meta reports because most decks can shart out 2-3 negates instead of a single one, but I still love me some maids who can occasionally dab on Drytron with a crucial negate. (FUCK! DRYTRON!)
(A little bird told me that Dragonmaids might get a structure deck in the future, so that will save me some UR points a few months down the line...)
"You know what would be clownish? The Albaz structure deck releasing 8 months later rendering this whole discussion moot."
Roll for Who You Meta
"Lady Ningguang said, roll for the meta." - Yangu, Yraterces to the Gnixiq
On the other side of the equation, if you want to roll for strength, you want to roll for meta.
There's nothing wrong with rolling for meta, except that you might not have the largest selection of decks to play. Here's a spoiler: Drytron, Prank-Kids, Swordsoul Tenyi, Despia Branded, Phantom Knights, Eldlich, Tri-Brigade (lol), Flowandereeze. If you are rolling strictly for meta, these are the only decks you should consider.
Going forward, I am buying packs on the assumption that I am going to play Branded Despia in the future.
CONSIDERATION 1: URs
If I roll for a pack, the URs are the first thing I consider. To help me out, I rated the URs on a 5-1 scale, with the criteria below.
5 O - Proven meta, will be used in meta decks, in multiples, mostly 3, sometimes 2
4 O - Proven meta, will be used, but mostly at 2 or 1
3 O - Proven meta, but is not used all the time, mostly at 1, sometimes 2
2 O - Unproven meta or niche use. Has some use in very weird decks
1 O - Unproven meta, has not seen play at all
On the UR side, [Refined Blade] opens up Swordsoul, P.U.N.K, Despia.
On the UR side, [Ruler's Mask] opens up Starving Venon, Branded, Magikey.
Refined Blade: Branded Despia
UR-wise, [Refined Blade] is a clear meta winner. but you might need to open some packs from [Ruler's Mask] too.
If you are rolling either pack, you are really rolling for Despia, and by extension the meta deck Branded Despia.
Since most Despia decks run [Despian Quaritis] at 1, I am not so anxious about getting it here. I can go for [Ruler's Mask] and get a chance to get it too. Crucially, I need two copies of [Masquarade the Blazing Dragon]. This one might be hard.
DPE
We will be entering the month of DPE, so getting one copy of it is important.
Refined Blade: P.U.N.K
I am not too anxious about playing P.U.N.K., if I ever get around to a good syncro deck, I'll consider it. Do they even use the Syncro Boss anyway?
Refined Blade: Swordsoul
Regarding the two Swordsoul URs, you will need a copy or two of them eventually, but are really rolling for your three Mo Ye instead.
Ruler's Mask: Branded Despia
You are really rolling for [Titaniklad the Ash Dragon] and [Albion the Branded Dragon], with 1 for the former, and 2 for the latter.
Ruler's Mask: The other archetypes
Are really bad. It feels like Konami tried to anticipate P.U.N.K and the fusion event, but since those two decks have not proven themselves in the meta, it is really bad if you hit any of those URs.
Conclusion on the UR Side
The key cards I am looking for are two copies of [Masquarade the Blazing Dragon], DPE. If I get any of the Swordsoul cards, especially 3 Mo Ye, I can build a Swordsoul deck, but I am not really holding my breath.
If I get them early, I can roll [Ruler's Mask] while finishing the SRs for Branded Despia.
CONSIDERATION 2: SRs
SRs make up the bulk of a deck. They are usually needed at 3 and sometimes 2. If you are rolling in bulk, you will eventually get most SRs you need and have the points to craft them anyway. They are a secondary consideration only if you are low on SR points.
5 O - Proven meta, will be used in meta decks, in multiples, mostly 3, sometimes 2
4 O - Proven meta, will be used, but mostly at 2 or 1
3 O - Proven meta, but is not used all the time, mostly at 1, sometimes 2
2 O - Unproven meta or niche use. Has some use in very weird decks
1 O - Unproven meta, has not seen play at all
Notes on Branded Despia
Because there is high crossover on the SR side, rolling either pack will finish the key SRs for Branded Despia.
I definitely want Aluber at 3, and maybe Fallen of Albaz.
I am writing this with knowledge that Albaz Strike releases with Mirrorjade, Lubellion and Branded Fusion, which will almost certainly be URs in a future full power Despia Branded Deck.
So if I am to play a Master Duel version of Despia Branded, I might want a set of [Branded in White]? This is extremely unproven as MD will be entering unknown waters.
SRs should be a minor and secondary concern for Branded Despia players.
Last Word
If you are planning on playing Despia, these two packs will be a good investment. [Refined Blade] is especially good for building Swordsoul for cheap, metafags rejoice!
Additionally, you might want to pick up [Super-Polymerization] from the Transfigured Heroes secret pack. If nothing else, it will go nicely into Despia decks and my own Dragonmaid deck. (or any fusion heavy deck for that matter)
Written 220510
