Not much has changed in this week. A small but noticeable meta shift is a slight reduction in popularity of Loading... , as most Orcust builds being played right now still set up something through it, while also some other decks that are either untouched or marginally irritated by it are rising (such as Cronomaly and Onomats). This makes Lancea-focused decks like D/D/D a bit weaker, and gives more room to breathe to decks caught in the crossfire of the main deck turbo Lanceas decks, like Phantom Knights. Instead, the likes of Loading... and even Loading... are seeing more play, as they're seen as all around more reliable "life savers". These micro-fluctuations regarding certain polarizing techs will probably be a thing we'll need to get used to as long as Orcust remains the undisputed best deck.
Tier 1
TPC Comments
The biggest change Id say for Orcust is that people seem to be convinced its Tier 0 - based on the representation and performances.. in competitions like Team Wars, people nonchalantly play a pair of double Orcust (sometimes even the same version) and they send Orcust into the mirror match as they see it as the best "counter" for the deck. That said, it's obvious that Orcust has all the characteristics of being a Tier 0 deck, but since its still new, the council has decided to go with the sensible option and leave it at the Tier 1 for now.
List-wise, as expected, people started to move away from versions like Gandora or Crystal Beasts as they either have issues with consistency, frailty or a combination of both... in the end it seems that the pure version with Loading... and a lot of techs (built for the mirror) is the way to go - as it's consistent, going first you have a great advantage (if the opponent doesn't have Loading... , but then you could just have your own), and the frailties of other versions are gone.. the meta seems very uninspiring and hopefully we get a change soon so it doesnt look this bland and uncreative.
Despite Orcust's high representation there is a feeling of variety thanks to the existence of different versions: Loading... vs Loading... pure versions and hybrids using Gandora, Crystal Beasts or Onomat engines (among others(.
I believe the Mermaid build could be the superior version at the moment thanks to its higher consistency and ability to set up Loading... + backrow after getting Loading... 'd turn one.
The Orcust engine is an opportunity for players to get creative and keep cooking more builds or choose the ideal techs to win the mirror. And I, for one, welcome our new Dark Machine meta overlords.
The introduction of the Orcust engine can be seen as a turning point in Duel Links, as there are several decks abusing the engine waffling between pure and hybrid versions or Loading... or Loading... builds.
As a result, we see techs like Loading... , Loading... , Loading... rising as the techs to use in order to adapt. In addition, some Orcust builds are adapting themselves, running Loading... to better combat non-Link decks (namely Chronomaly).
Tier 2
TPC Comments
TPC have firmly agreed that D/D/D is the next-best deck behind the various Orcust builds. This make sense as the deck has a lot of things going for it, between its fairly-reliable setup post-banlist, random ability to search Loading... , and ability to go first and second with relative ease. I would imagine the deck would not appreciate an uptick in backrow removal like Loading... as hitting the Contract after it's activated its effect can prove devastating in most scenarios.