Tier 1
TPC Comments
Dantekk
Karakuri's ability to go +3 off its basic two-card combo going first, and the ability to main deck backrow hate like Loading... and Loading... due to its small core, makes it by far the best deck of the meta, with no clear Top Tier counter as well. We saw multiple clans this week with 3-5 Karakuri in their main lineup performing well, signs of how powerful the deck is. Loading... is a huge problem for the deck, but the ability to use Loading... without limiting your plays as well as Loading... are very efficient ways to deal with it.
Negative1
Karakuri remains Tier 1 as it has one of the strongest advantage states in the game. Karakuri going first needs very little to set up 2 Synchros, an extra body, and an additional draw: something no other deck can do reliably. Access to searchable negation in the form of Loading... and Loading... mean that the deck has answers for any matchup, making it difficult for other decks to compete when they have to hard draw their equivalents. Going second into interruptions can be an issue, but the advantages of going first are so potent that the disadvantages of going second are acceptable drawbacks.
Tier 2
TPC Comments
Dantekk
Combo Shiranui is still a very good deck, but it is nowhere near the power level of Karakuri. Loading... is a hell of a card, doing everything for the deck. In addition, Loading... increases the deck's consistency and fuels the graveyard. However, the absence of backrow makes the deck fragile to OTK decks like Blackwings and HEROs, as opposed to Karakuri which has a good matchup against both OTK and Control decks. For these reasons, the deck has been demoted.
The control version of Shiranui is nothing new, having 10-11 spots for staple cards make the deck super versatile and easier to build as the meta becomes more clear. While there are annoying Side Deck options for this deck Loading... and Loading... , tournament results indicate that despite their existence, Control Shiranui is able to perform at a high level.
Prince K
Control Shiranui is currently the most consistent deck in the metagame. Since most decks need multiple monsters and monster effects for their strategy, the Trap-heavy Shiranui variant has an easy time disrupting opponent's plays. In addition to this upside, the deck's main strength comes from its ability to spam powerful Synchro monsters from the Graveyard. Being able to use the graveyard for additional plays consistently while running heavy protection for their monsters and blowout cards like Loading... with no drawback, make this deck tough to play through for every deck. In terms of weaknesses, Loading... and Loading... come to mind. Both of these cards are mainly seen as Side Deck options, giving the Shiranui player the game one advantage in BO3. While Necrovalley is tough to deal with and shuts down your graveyard plays, the deck has outs in form of Loading... or the occasional Loading... . D.D. Crow is currently not heavily played, but can become more of a problem for the deck if popularity of the card rises. However, due to the small core, Control Shiranui can easily adapt to the shifts of the metagame and is therefore expected to continue seeing success.
trapdexter
Control Shiranui's promotion is an indication of the direction the meta is currently going. Having access to a large number of Traps allows for this deck to deal with Karakuri builds easily. Control Shiranui can completely decimate boards with the use of Loading... while gaining advantage by sending their resources to the Graveyard. This deck almost always has followup and its consistency is the highest in the format. The struggle between which Shiranui variant is on top will continue to depend on matchups and how the meta continues to change. If Karakuri remains the most popular option this deck will usurp Combo Shiranui.