Post-Banlist Tier List Update
Tier 1
TPC Comments
As expected after the latest banlist, Melodious rise to Tier 1 as they are without a doubt the best deck in the format. With their worst match-up becoming weaker and all the other common match-ups being either favoured or a 50/50, Melodius come out on top at Tier 1.
Melodious is by far the biggest winner post-banlist. Harpies existence was meta-warping in many more ways than most players realize. Because of Harpies' Hunting Ground + Loading... every deck basically couldn’t play real defensive backrow. Cards like Loading... and Loading... were completely out of the question and cards like Loading... were only valuable enough to play if it provided utility to your decks strategy, as it was lackluster as strictly a defensive option. Harpies gatekept how Melodious built their decks, and now that they aren’t as dominant as they once were, Melodious can explore more favorable tech choices that are more in-line with it’s play style. Most recently, Melodious has been adopting a more defensive tech style of choice opting more for disruptive backrow such as Loading... and Loading... and less Loading... . This allows for stronger matchups against Yosenju and decks that either rely on OTKing or Extra Deck monsters to remove Loading... (Loading... in Destiny HEROs, for instance). As the upcoming meta establishes itself we will see optimal tech choices shift in both this deck and other decks trying to beat this deck, because as it stands now, the only true counter to Melodious is Ritual Beasts.
Tier 2
TPC Comments
The semi-limit to Loading... definitely has had an impact to Harpie's position in the meta. We have seen a shift to decks with 26 to 30 cards that are now relying on abusing the graveyard effects of Loading... and Loading... in tandem with powerful discard Traps. The result is a higher ceiling but less consistency and more fragility against disruption.
With Loading... being hit to Two, the deck has suffered a rough hit, not being able to dodge backrow anymore, but they still have Harpies' Hunting Ground which puts other players in the uncomfortable position of being forced to use their backrow. They still have their searchable Draw 2 so the deck will still be a good option in Side Deck format, as they can still draw into techs such as Loading... , Loading... and Loading... . Expect to see Harpies still be popular this format as it also counters Melodious fairly well.
Harpies move down to Tier 2, diverging deckbuilding trends mean it hasn't solidified exactly what it's going to be post-banlist. Some have remained close to the old build, with compact list where they simply accept that they now only have 4 Loading... s and replace the others with techs. Others have went for the older larger builds, using multiple Loading... s and Loading... s in combination with Discard Traps to gain advantage and grind out games. This deck has an even-higher ceiling than pre-banlist Harpies, but is nowhere near the consistency of the old smaller builds. The deck remains a strong annoyance for backrow-centric strategies with Harpies' Hunting Ground , and this alone is likely to keep it in the meta for the time being. Whether it will fly back up to Tier 1 is yet to be seen, though the deck seems to still be meta relevant at the moment and will very likely see play.