A Word From , TPC Manager
Hello all, in light of the recent balance update, we're going to be posting a TPC reaction to the Balance Changes and how the current Tier List is affected
This is kind of a disappointing banlist. Shaddoll is the only deck that got hit hard and the other changes are just nothing. Also, the unlimits aren't really going to change the meta.
...At least Loading... FTK's are gone for good.
Tier 1
TPC Comments
Shaddoll got hit quite a bit. If you want to go for the Loading... Revive Loading... combo, it means you no longer have access to Loading... , making the deck a bit less grindy, since you will no longer be able to revive mosnters that easily. The deck is still really strong, since Loading... still creates "draw the out" gameplay, and that hasn't been nerfed.
The banlist hits to various Flip Monsters are also because of Shaddoll. Losing these floodgates make some matchups like Ancient Gear less insta-win going first. Also, the Loading... hit is irrelevent since most lists didn't utilize a Limit 3.
Shaddoll loses access to the floodgate Flip Monsters, Loading... , Limit 3 Cards, and two copies of Loading... (the big one).
You can no longer do the usual Shaddoll combos without losing your one copy of Incarnation, which affects the grind game severely (while also making it tough to play around Loading... and other techs). Loading... can be a way to recover Incarnation but it's not compensating for the two lost copies. As long as other decks remain unaffected by balance changes, I could personally see Shaddoll losing its spot as the top deck.
The Loading... hit does functionally nothing. It cuts off Limit 3's but they weren't running them anyway (it seems like a way for Konami to push the Loading... build even more). The hit to Loading... , however, is huge. It means that you only get 1 activation of Incarnation's GY effect per duel, which is a huge hit to their Turn 1 combo, practically removing 1 interruption from every board on top of worsening their grind-game. I struggle to imagine how Shaddoll will remain the best deck after these hits (but I won't say it's impossible).
Shaddolls were hit really hard: losing two copies of Loading... will affect a lot of their Turn 1's (since they lose solid Loading... access), so they will need to find a new one to keep playing against the other decks (Utopia will become more annoying to Shaddoll). The Loading... hit is a little unnecessary since most players didn't play any Limit 3's (but it's a way of stopping them from running techs like Loading... and Loading... . Also, you can't use Loading... any more (which hurts since it has the power to end the game on its own). I think Shaddoll can still do well but it really needs to find a new Turn 1 set-up.