Tier 1
TPC Comments
Branded Despia should be a strong contender for the top spots in the KCC. With the meta being more diverse, players are less likely to run dedicated counters like Loading... or Loading... since those cards aren't particularly strong against other decks. Another major advantage of this deck is that it’s one of the few strategies that should be slightly favored into Traptrix. Going second into Loading... can be difficult, but with the right hand, a skilled pilot can still have a chance to win those games.
Tier 2
TPC Comments
Beetrooper is very hard to play and most people are not very familiar with it, which is a huge advantage if you play it. The ability to search Kaijus can help a lot to break boards, especially against Branded and Tachyon. In the last few weeks, people started playing fewer techs, sometimes even full engine, as it helps to extend through hand traps that are more popular than board breakers now. If you manage to end on Loading... and some disruptions through hand traps, it's usually game over, as most decks don't have an engine out to that at the moment. One of the newest additions is Loading... that you can equip to Loading... with Loading... to get a 5k direct attack. Loading... is the main issue for this deck at the moment, but the same players are always getting good results with this deck, which means it definitely works; it just needs a lot of practice because the combos are very long and the timer is usually hard to manage.
While it usually doesn’t get the same representation as the other top decks, Beetrooper is actually on the same power level as them and is even favored against Branded and Tachyon. Although it’s cheap to build, it’s a very premium deck when it comes to skill expression, suited for high-level, analytical players. It has the best extension ability in the meta, with multiple lines and options to choose from. It can do it all from combo, grind, and even cheesy OTKs, while having access to the best built-in engine tools from hand traps, floodgates, counter traps, Kaijus, towers, and more. That said, it can be very stressful to pilot and requires more energy and thinking compared to other decks right now. So, respect to anyone willing to grind with it in a three-day KC environment.
Tachyon gets demoted to Tier 2 because it's not really on the same level as the other two best decks. Your game plan going 2nd usually consists of throwing hand traps at your opponent, hoping they pass on a weak board that you can OTK. It works because of the crazy amount of techs that you can play here, which sometimes makes you open even 2-3 with a starter. The main problem of this deck is that Traptrix is a really bad matchup, much worse than the bad matchup of the other two decks in Tier 1, which is still usually winnable by winning the coin flip. Also, this deck struggles against Loading... and Loading... (the two most popular techs in the format) more than the others, as there's almost no way to prevent them from hitting Loading... . You can still make a good board through Loading... with enough extenders, but you're going to lose a lot of resources anyway. The deck is still probably the best counter to Branded we have, and it's very strong against other low-tier and rogue decks mainly because of the amount of techs and hand traps that it is capable of playing. So, unless the KCC is literally full of Traptrix, this deck is still a good option.
In its current form, I don’t think Tachyon is a deck that can win the KCC. It’s still strong, but it has some clear weaknesses, particularly going second and its vulnerability to cards like Kaijus, Loading... , and Loading... . If your hand traps fail to significantly weaken your opponent’s board, you often can't break it. This issue becomes even more relevant when looking at decks like Traptrix, which can effectively exploit that weakness. With Traptrix expected to be popular during the second stage, this isn't something Tachyon players can ignore. Because of that, I don’t believe the deck will perform that well unless players find a way to address these problems.