Overview
In case you missed it, this week's Meta Championship Series was the first large-scale tournament with the new balance update announcement and the Antinomic Theory Box. In the MCS we had a dominant performance from Water Xyz, taking over a quarter of the spots in both Swiss and Top 32. Water Xyz's domininance could be no more exemplified than in the Finals, where ThreeD took out grucius' Fire Kings in what could be the quickest MCS Finals we have ever seen. If you want to learn more about ThreeD you can check out his TPC Profile here
Interview with ThreeD
How do does it feel to the Meta Championship Series?
I still can't really comprehend it to be honest. I've played quite a few Meta Championship Series' so far with both good and bad results, but it was always a personal goal to win an MCS. I was a bit inactive last year due to studying and work and I sadly couldn't really play that many DLM events, but now I have more time. Even though the meta is not that great overall, it feels amazing winning with a deck I enjoy playing.
How did the day go for you? Any notable matchups?
My first round match was against Shiranui, so yeah that was probably my hardest matchup and I've managed to win against it. I also faced Yosenju and Gouki in swiss rounds which is kinda insane for an MCS, but I won against them even though they were super hard. I only lost to two mirrors all throughout Swiss which kinda shows that Water Xyz is the best deck right now, at least in Side Deck format. In my Top Cut I just drew insane hands and just won very quickly, which was obviously super sacky like in the finals.
How do you feel about this New Box, post-banlist Meta, why did you go with Water Xyz?
I've hit KoG with T.G. and honestly it's a super fun deck but I'm not really sure if it's good enough to compete with the other meta decks. It has a hard time playing through disruption going second and you don't really have that many defensive options unless you're playing with Flight Control and more backrow, (which could be the better version, but it probably needs more time to figure it out, I guess). Loading... was a big one, and feels really good in this meta to make opponent's Loading... s dead or get rid of common Side Deck cards. I also played the Fish Control deck in some tourneys like the Freekly and barely didn't top. It's not a bad deck against the meta but has a hard time against rogue decks. I haven't really tested Rikkas yet, so I can't really say anything about them, just heard that they are probably not that great right now unless we get more support.
The banlist was obviously a boost to Water Xyz since Desperado was a hard matchup even though it was winnable. Like I mentioned earlier, I just think in a Side Deck format Water Xyz is the best deck right now. It can side really well against other decks while other decks can't side reliably against it in my opinion.
Would you like to explain any of your Deck choices? Would you make any changes?
Many people aren't playing Loading... in Water Xyz but I think having 1 is just pretty good. It doesn't use up your Skill which makes a potential Loading... Top Deck even better, and if you can get it back with Loading... , you can use it again. It makes your grind game a little bit better, even though there usually isnt much of a grind game, which is kinda sad and makes it super sacky. My Side Deck worked really well aside from the one Loading... . I wasn't really sure about that last spot so I just wanted to have something against Onomat but I didn't face any. I might replace it with something else going forward, depends on how the meta evolves.
Anything else you'd like to say about your Tournament Experience
I've played many tournaments in my Duel Links career so far, but the MCS always feels special, playing against the best players around the world, and I'm always hyped about participating. This MCS was a lot of fun (I guess winning is always fun lmaoooo pal) but I had some good matches in Swiss and playing in the Finals against grucius was super hype, even though it was very sacky and not that exciting to watch, I guess.
Lastly, Do you have any shout-outs you'd like to make?
I'd like to thank my teammates from De-Fusion, my CH and Utopia pals, and everyone else on DLM or anywhere else rooting for me! I had a great time with my pals OHiMi1337, Drizzels, Lorenzo Roma, RaW, HeyHeyCraig and others in VC during MCS rooting for each other which makes it always more fun participating. Also thanks to DLM for providing great events and a nice community!
Also: WATER BEST DECK BABY LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!
Last but not least, a special thanks to Victor Li and Victory Gaming for always pushing me to my limits and making me a better player and person! lmaoooo pal!
Winning Decklist:
That's all we got for this DLM Champion spotlight! What kind of questions should we be asking in the future? Comment down below!