Disclaimer from Jadehex, TPC Manager
This Tier List is being made after a huge balance update and the launch of a new world introducing a whole new summoning mechanic. As such, this Tier List is mostly born from internal testing and the speculation involved with a formative and volatile metagame. Expect the Tier List to become more defined as results come in throughout the coming weeks.
It is also be the last Tier List for this iteration of the Top Player Council. October 2020 marks the beginning of Season 13 and a new Top Player Council, I would personally like to thank this iteration of TPC for their comments, they've been a big help in writing these articles every week - Cheers!
Tier 1
Herbel
With the recent banlist, Loading... got limited to 2, which means the deck can no longer run oppressive cards like Loading... or Loading... . Overall, the hit doesn't really affect the Karakuri core, since most lists used Ninishi at 2 anyway. Restart , however went trough an important change, forving you to have at least 7 Spells and 7 Traps in you deck to activate the Skill.
The calculations say that the new Restart still gives you the best consistency, but you need to fit 7 Spells and 7 Traps, meaning you have to go over 20 cards.
The addition of more Traps and removal of Hey, Trunade! has changed Karakuri's playstyle. The deck is so much weaker to Turn 2 disruption on Turn 2, but you can have a way better Turn 1 with the additional backrow you play.
Karakuris might've taken a hit, but the rival decks have taken much bigger hits. The Invoked decks are basically gone, Witchcrafter lost Loading... and their power plays are more limited. Blackwings lost Loading... , which was by far the most annoying card for Karakuri going second.
Overall, we expect Karakuri to define the meta for now, with most decks trying to counter them. Loading... is going to be a staple in every Side Deck for upcoming events
Tier 2
TPC Comments
Chris.
Blackwings lost Loading... in the most recent banlist, but it's not a big deal, as its engine is untouched. A Loading... is still able to beat most of the meta and you still have access to Loading... . The only thing it changed is that instead of Close you can play more backrow hate and against other decks you can replace that with Loading... / Loading... . I expect Blackwings to still be Top Tier until they hit the core engine of the deck.
Jadehex
With the new Forbidden/Limited list, Blackwings have lost access to Loading... , which severely reduced their Turn 1 power. However, their OTK-ability is as explosive as ever, as the Level Reduction and See You Later! variants were essentially untouched. We will have to monitor how Blackwings (and by extension, other aggressive decks like HEROs and Dragunities) perform in this new meta, but it seems to be in a decent position.
trapdexter
The backrow-heavy variant of Shiranui is one of the decks that did not get hit by the banlist at all, and is a deck we expect to put up some decent results. The strength of Shiranui has always been its versatility, and with the meta still settling, Shira will have a chance to fight through most matchups. The one thing holding this deck back is the addition of Loading... , a card that allows players to easily banish Loading... . Other than that, this deck is in a decent position.
Jadehex
Witchcrafters saw Loading... get banned, Loading... and Loading... get Limited to 2, and a substantial nerf to Show of Nightmares , but are still looking to be a strong competitor this upcoming meta. Loading... is still an oppressive monster for a lot of decks to face, and they still have incredibly easy access to her, but their top end power plays have become much weaker. The most recent builds have generally opted to running 1 Charge 1 Holiday and have leaned more into the Loading... build. As for Skills, both Draw Loan (which was first ran in the KCC) and Spell Specialist have been dabbled with for consistent access to early Spells, but there's a reasonable chance even the nerfed Show of Nightmares might still see play.