Hey everyone, this is The_SynchroGuy, and I’m here to give out my thoughts on the July 1st, 2021 TCG banlist. This list is very, very interesting. Some of these hits were to be expected, or at the very least wished by the community, and some of the stuff we got back is also going to be very interesting to see as we move forward. Since this list is taking effect on July 1st, that means there’s only a week and a half left to enjoy the current format. Also, if you’re curious to see how this format is going to look, be sure to catch the Remote Duel YCS that’s going to take place from July 10th to July 11th.
Anyway, this list, as stated in the title, will only be affecting the TCG, which is everywhere but Asia. If you do not live in the TCG, then this list will not affect you in any way! (If you want to check out the newest OCG banlist, click here.) Alright, enough delay, let’s go over the list!
Remember: Forbidden = 0 copies; Limited = 1 copy; Semi-Limited = up to 2 copies; Unlimited/No Longer On the List = up to 3 copies.
Forbidden:
Guardragon Elpy
Wow. They finally did it. I guess Konami has had enough of Dragon Link. Elpy has been this powerful Link-1 monster for quite some time now. It has given Dragon decks quite some power. But he was best known for being used in the popular Dragon Link deck that could fetch out practically any Dragon monster from the deck. Stuff like Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Chamber Dragonmaid, etc. Now it looks like Konami wants to knock this deck down a peg or two in order to make way for the new stuff that’s to come.
Many people have been pleading to Konami to ban this card for so long. Well, you guys finally got what you wanted. And now he’ll be catching up with his old friend, Agaripain. While this will hurt the Dragon Link deck, it won’t be enough to thoroughly kill it. Even without Elpy, I’m sure Dragon Link players have been coming up with strategies to use in the case Elpy gets banned. Now we wait and see if those strategies will be enough to keep the deck meta relevant.
Zoodiac Drident
Oh, wow. I guess this was a unanimous decision from Konami, altogether. Drident has once again gotten the ban hammer. This is due to the fact that the archetype was getting some popularityagain, thanks to the Zoodiac Tri-Brigade deck. However, the deck has only started to get some meta recognition since the release of Lightning Overdrive, so it was a bit surprising to see them hit this card straight away.
When I made my post about the July 1st, 2021 OCG banlist, I didn’t think they were going to hit Drident this soon. I thought they would’ve let Drident be and let the deck dominate for a bit. I guess they do not want Zoodiac Tri-Brigade to take over the TCG like it has been doing in the OCG. Of course, this does not mean that Zoodiac Tri-Brigade is dead.
The deck’s main goal is simply to summon out some powerful Link Monsters, search out the “Tri-Brigade Revolt” trap card, and then disrupt the opponent’s plays until the next turn. While Drident was helpful in doing that, she wasn’t a super important piece. Not to mention, with the Zoodiac engine, they can still go into AA-ZEUS, so yeah, the deck will still play a part of the meta for the time being. (I don’t know how to feel about those that wanted to play pure Zoo though, but don’t worry, everyone. Drident came back once, and she’ll come back again someday.)
Limited:
Miscellaneousaurus
And back down to 1 he goes. Dinosaurs has been a really good deck these past couple of months. It has made a bunch of appearances in the top cut here and there, and even won some events. Now though, it seems Konami wants to hinder this deck a bit. Either to make way for the new stuff that’s to come, or to keep this deck in check now that it recently got a powerful support card in the form of Scrap Raptor. (Probably both.)
Still though, Dinosaur is still gonna be a good deck in the upcoming new format. The deck has monsters like: Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, Animadorned Archosaur, Lost World, Dolkka & Laggia, and so on. Hitting Miscellaneousaurus is just lowering the deck’s defenses a bit so it can be hit with the opponent’s hand traps and stuff like that. Even so, Dinosaur is still going to be a good deck to go with for the new format, in my opinion.
Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
Pendulum players are either screaming or crying with joy in their hearts. Skullcrobat Joker was banned back in 2018 in order to knock off Pendulum Magician from the top of the meta ladder. Now though, it looks like Konami is letting him slowly come off the list. This will be kind of nice for Pendulum decks since they haven’t done a whole lot for quite some time. This change, though, won’t be enough to make Pendulum decks busted again, but it’s nice to see Konami give some love to Pendulum decks. (This is probably to help sell Pendulum cards/decks when new stuff for them gets released, but it’s still nice to see.)
Striker Dragon
Wow. Okay, I did not expect this kind of hit towards Dragon Link, but I guess it makes sense. Striker Dragon has been Dragon Link’s best starter card since the beginning. Just using any Level 4 or lower Dragon monster in order to summon it, and searching out Boot Sector Launch on top of that, is just so good.
However, what got him put on the list was because of how players were running 3 copies of this guy. You would use one copy to start out the play, then use another for its second effect to get back Rokket Recharger and trigger its effect to get back a DARK monster from the GY. And sometimes be used as an extra arrow to help trigger the effects of the Guardragons. But yeah, you can see just how great of a card Striker Dragon was at more than 1 copy.
Now though, Dragon Link players will need to think of something else. Again, the deck is not dead though. Striker Dragon is still going to be played. There shouldn’t be a reason not to play it. Also, I’m sure those Dragon Link players have a plan already in mind (or at least will come up with one). That deck still has some powerful Dragons they can use.
Salamangreat Miragestallio
Oh? Will Salamangreat start to rise up again? Miragestallio was banned back at the beginning of 2020 as part of the signal that the Eternal format, aka TOSS format, was over. This card was good for the fact it could grab any Salamangreat monster from the deck, and could bounce a card once it was used as material for a Link Summon. I guess after a year and a half of being banned, Konami wants to restore some of Salamangreat’s old power.
Don’t get too cocky though. This doesn’t mean Salamangreat is going to be meta again (or maybe it will), but getting this card back will be a great benefit to the deck. Can’t wait to see how this deck will do now that it has its trusty steed back.
Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage!
What is this?! Is this rise of the Eternal format once again? No, wait, Harp Horror and Colossus are still banned. (I’m sorry, but it was right there.) Just like with Miragestallio, Engage was banned to signal the end of the Eternal format. But now it’s back, and holy cow this is such a good card for the Sky Striker deck. Seriously, read this card if you haven’t already. It’s almost the definition of the term “+1”.
While it may be a 1 copy right now, Sky Striker can still search this card out and add it back to their hand thanks to cards like Kagari and Hayate. While Sky Strikers have been chilling since this card was banned, I would keep my eyes on it. The deck still managed to win an online event back in 2020, after Engage got banned. Who knows what’s going to happen now that they have Engage back.
Semi-Limited:
Double Iris Magician
This card was moved up to 2 in order to give some power back to Pendulum Magician. That deck hasn’t done anything with this card at 1, so moving it up to 2 will probably be the same result. Although, Skullcrobat Joker is back at 1 now, so maybe that could change? We’ll have to wait and see.
Unlimited:
Symbol of Heritage
Interesting. For those of you that don’t know, this card was limited for many years (since 2015). It was limited because it was part of an FTK deck. (One that involved [Lonefire Blossom?] from what I could gather.) It wasn’t breaking the meta or anything back in 2015. All I know is that it was an annoying card that was causing problems and was hit to cease those problems. Now though, Konami doesn’t seem to think it will be causing any more problems here in the TCG and have decided to let it come off the list. Only time will tell if this card will remain peaceful or not.
Thoughts
I thought this was a pretty nice banlist. It sucks that Dragon Links got hit a bit hard on this list (I’m a bit biased towards Dragons, if you could not tell). But, I still think the deck will continue to be a good deck, no doubt. It’s just a matter of whether the deck will still be meta or not after this list goes into effect. That might be a tough one to answer considering how we have some other decks that might soon start to rise up. And of course, there are still some powerful decks that did not get touched on this list.
Dinosaurs also got hit, but I don’t see that deck going anywhere anytime soon right now. I still feel sad that Drident had to get hit again this soon. I know Zoodiac players are going to be really sad (especially since Zoodiac Barrage is still at 1). But like I said, Zoodiac Tri-Brigade will still be a good deck to run. And Zoodiac players can still go into stuff like AA-ZEUS. It’s no Drident, sadly, but it’s better than nothing.
It’s cool that both Salmangreat and Sky Striker got some power back. Again, I don’t think Salamangreat will shake up the meta much, but Sky Stiker might. Could be wrong though. And it’s nice to see Pendulums get a little bit more love right now. Hopefully Konami will be treading carefully with Pendulums though. Even though it may seem like Pendulums were a mistake, they’re here to stay, and right now, it’s Konami’s job to find the right balance where they can be a great deck and not cause too much of ruckus.
Overall, I like this list since it’s bringing some interesting changes to the game, and may possibly create a new format. It’s going to be interesting to see how this format will look as we move forward. Hope you will like what it’s going to look like, because we’re not getting our next list until October.
Anyway, those are all my thoughts. Let me know in the comments what you thought of this list! Did you love it? Hate it? Did Konami do a good job? Or did they miss something on this list that should’ve been on it? I would love to hear your thoughts!
I’ll see you guys in the next one! Hope you have/had an awesome day today!