Recent reviews by Matropik

I don't usually make reviews for games. But since I play this game basically everyday, I should put my honest thoughts into it. This is my experiences with the game as a non-competitive player who played it when it was launched and now reached Diamond V. I will also not criticize Yu-Gi-Oh! itself as a game, only what Master Duel offers that is different.

Master Duel as a game is quite interesting in my eyes. It has what I would expect from a Yu-Gi-Oh! game built to replicate the actual game with online battles with a ranking system and expendable currency to purchase packs of cards. The gacha-esque system here is to be expected, they are trading cards after all, it's the original loot box system. To be fair, they are quite generous with how much they give out gems that it's pretty much free to play. However, the rates of getting cards that you actually want is still quite low, especially if staple cards such as Ash Blossom & Joyous Springs, Called by the Grave, Infinite Impermanence and others are only available through the Master Pack, the one that consists of every card in the game. And if you wanna buy gems, well good luck because they cost a fortune and they only give so little. I will say that the crafting system in the game is quite good. It doesn't take too much to build one deck if you can just recycle the URs and SRs that you don't need in order to craft the cards you are missing. There is a problem with this, though, as most cards that are URs and SRs are staples, which would significantly bump up the cost of creating any deck to counter the current meta. This brings me to my next point, which is that the balancing for Master Duel needs some work. I'm sorry to say, but Maxx "C" is not a good choice to keep on 3. From a lot of ways, Maxx "C" becomes the bane of many decks because special summoning is basically the core of 90% of Yu-Gi-Oh! decks at the moment. I did say that I will not criticize the game itself, but the ban list for the game is different from the TCG/OCG so I can say it (despite Maxx "C" being unbanned in OCG which is also bonkers). This creates the conundrum of deck costs. With Maxx "C" around, you wanna counter with Called by, Ash Blossom, or Crossout Designator (which means you have to run Maxx "C" as well) which are all UR cards as well. Deck building consists of 15 cards that are staples which just ruins the fun of the construction process with expensive cards that are just the best within the format.

Now, do I recommend new players to play Master Duel?
No, I don't think I do. It's not a game for the faint of heart and you will get frustrated by a lot of aspects of the gameplay. Not to mention that the meta is what it is right now which is very unfriendly towards newer players or people who are more familiar with the vanilla game.

So why do I still recommend Master Duel?
If you really want to learn about Yu-Gi-Oh! as a game and you are dedicated to strategy, deck building, and sheer luck, then I think this game really is for you. I understand that the card game isn't for everyone and that people will just want to summon Blue Eyes White Dragon and kill the opponent. I don't want to subject new players to Runick decks when they don't know what a Link Monster is. But if you are willing to learn from it, to just keep on persevering despite the challenges, it is incredibly satisfying. Nothing will ever beat that excitement of reaching Diamond V with Melffy Spright in a Tearlament meta.

In short, Master Duel has a lot of problems with deck building and emphasizes the need for staple cards due to problematic cards such as Maxx "C" being unlimited. It is unfriendly to newer players due to the meta and that it might give a sour taste in their mouth for the game and Master Duel itself. However, it is a good game for people willing to learn the game and wanting to "get serious" about playing Yu-Gi-Oh!