Announcement from , TPC Manager
This is the first TIer List for this season's Top Player Council! Give them a warm welcome in the comments!
Tier 1
In my opinion, the only thing keeping Branded from Tier 0 status iss the fact that some decks produce unbeatable Turn 1 boards that Branded doesn't have the tech space for (Branded does handily beat these decks if they go first however). The realistic ways to deal with Branded going second is with Loading... , Loading... and Loading... (although Loading... plays around Crow). Other handtraps don't work and board-breakers cannot deal with everything Branded puts forward. Some Branded lists have also started playing Loading... and ending on Loading... and Loading... Turn 1 for a generic pop to beat annoying cards like Loading... . Loading... and Loading... are being ran as non-monster answers to Loading... , however I don't think any deck can deal with what's left with the remaining four cards. Beetrooper might be the best option against Branded, but they still need a strong hand with at least one tech going second.
On release, I saw claims of "Branded Tier 0", but I feel that Tier 1 is where I'd be comfortable with tiering it. I think Branded is a strong Tier 1 but it comes with many weaknesses. Loading... , Loading... , Loading... , Loading... , and similar techs are currently seeing play as a the current best ways to counter Branded. Also, it has some poor matchups against Exosister and Beetrooper, leaving it some holes in the metagame. It's yet to be seen if builds will be able to adapt to its weaknesses in the upcoming weeks.
Having Branded as the sole Tier 1 deck was an expected result, especially considering we now have the option to summon Loading... from a one-card-combo. It accomplishes it in one of two ways:
- Normal Loading... into Loading... into Loading... (sending Loading... and Loading... ) to then Fusion Summon Dtragoon with Loading... .
- By using Loading... instead of Dark Magician for the Fusion Summon of Loading... which then goes into Lubellion for Dragon while still maintaining the opportunity to send Albion for the Loading... search. (However it should be noted in this scenario Hex-Sealed can't be fused from Banishment nor can the Dragoon use its pop effects [as no Normal Monsters were used]).
Summoning Dragoon with Masquerade and a set Branded in Red lets you negate with Dragoon, Fuse with it and Loading... to make Loading... and then revive Dragoon and use it again.
Loading... and Dragoon are both formidable end-board pieces. Dragoon is more resource-intensive than Mirrorjade but it will prove valuable in some matchups.
Tier 2
Beetrooper is in a great spot right now, boasting a great Branded Despia matchup. Loading... can banish a Loading... target (denying a Loading... float), Loading... often makes plays awkward, the searchable Kaijus are immediate outs for Loading... , and Loading... is a an easy-to-make towers that allows you to survive. With Loading... usage dropping this deck can only rise in representation, especially when its positive Branded matchup becomes more evident.
Beetrooper is one of the few decks that actually looks decent against Branded Despia. The deck can search Loading... , which can shut off some of Despia's interactions, and even if it gets dealt with, it usually weakens their board. Loading... is also difficult for Despia to play into if they don’t have a tech to stop it.
Going second, Beetrooper can search a Kaiju to out Loading... , or Loading... if the opponent summoned their monsters in Defense Position. If Masquerade is in the Extra Monster Zone and the Main Monster Zones are filled (so you can’t Kaiju it), you can also attempt to negate it with Loading... . Beetrooper Raid giving an extra 3000 LP also helps when playing into Masquerade. If you can’t deal with Despia’s interruptions, summoning Loading... is another option, since Despia usually doesn’t have an out to it (unless they run Loading... , which isn’t common), allowing it to buy you a turn,
Despite all these tools, it can still be difficult to break a Despia board going second without a tech card, but overall Beetrooper remains one of the better answers to the deck.