New Forbidden & Limited List Update!

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The latest Forbidden & Limited List Update took effect on December 16th, and it’s bringing some big changes to top-level Dueling! Check out these changes and their impacts on some of the most popular Decks!

Harpie Decks Take a Hit!

Harpie Decks have been dominant in PvP Dueling and official Konami tournaments for a while, but the new Forbidden & Limited List reduces their strength. The latest change adds Swallow’s Nest to the Limited 2 List, where it joins Elegant Egotist and Treacherous Trap Hole. Harpie Decks rely on multiplying the Harpies on their field using Elegant Egotist. Consequently, it’s critical for a Harpie Deck to use at least 1 copy of Elegant Egotist. While some Harpie Duelists used the allowed 2 copies of Elegant Egotist, others would forgo one copy to make room for a tech copy of Treacherous Trap Hole. Swallow’s Nest was also used in just about all Harpie Decks because it allowed a Duelist to press through additional damage during the Battle Phase by Summoning a new Harpie from the Deck with its effect, and could be Chained to an effect that targeted an on-field Harpie in order to replace it with one from the Deck. In addition, Swallow’s Nest gave a Duelist quick access to the variety of Level 4 monster effects that Harpie Decks offer, including the effects of Harpie Perfumer, Harpie Channeler, and Harpie Oracle. Unfortunately for Harpie Duelists, with Swallow’s Nest added to the Limited 2 List, it’ll be tougher to carefully choose which Limited 2 cards to include in their Decks.

Thunder Dragon Decks Lose Power!

The latest Forbidden & Limited List adds both Thunder Dragondark and Chaos Dragon Levianeer to the Limited 3 List, making it so that a total of only 3 copies of them can be used in a Deck. This significantly weakens Thunder Dragon Decks, since most Thunder Dragon Duelists used 3 of each of these cards in their Decks prior to the latest Forbidden & Limited List update.

Thunder Dragondark is a DARK monster that you can discard from your hand to grab another from your Deck. This makes it easier to Summon Chaos Dragon Levianeer, which can be Special Summoned by banishing 3 DARK and/or LIGHT monsters from your Graveyard. Plus, Thunder Dragondark has an effect that lets you add a Thunder Dragon card from your Deck to your hand when its banished, giving it additional synergy with Chaos Dragon Levianeer. The two cards worked extremely well together, making the addition of both Thunder Dragondark and Chaos Dragon Levianeer to the Limited 3 List a big loss for Thunder Dragon Decks. Nevertheless, Chaos Dragon Levianeer’s effect remains one of the most powerful effects in all of Duel Links, and the Thunder Dragon monsters remain some of the most effective monsters for getting DARK and LIGHT monsters into the Graveyard. That means we’re likely to see Duelists continue to use Thunder Dragon Decks with Chaos Dragon Levianeer, despite the new limitations.

Spellbook, Gagaga, and Koa’ki Meiru Decks Get Help!

Although Harpie and Thunder Dragon Decks were weakened by the latest Forbidden & Limited List, three Decks were strengthened. These Decks are Spellbook, Gagaga, and Koa’ki Meiru Decks.

Spellbook of Fate has been moved from the Limited 2 List to the Limited 3 List, and Spellbook of the Master has been added to the Limited 2 List. This change is an overall improvement for Spellbook Decks, because it allows Duelists to use the full 3 copies of Spellbook of Fate, which can banish an opponent’s card without targeting it. Although the addition of Spellbook of the Master to the Limited 2 List is a minor hindrance to the Deck, being able to use 3 copies of Spellbook of Fate more than makes up for it.

Gagaga Sister was previously on the Limited 2 List, and has now been removed from the Forbidden & Limited List entirely! This is a big gain for Gagaga Decks, since Gagaga Sister has the power to search for Gagaga Spell and Trap Cards from the Deck, and can modify the Levels of Gagaga monsters to facilitate Xyz Summons. Gagaga Sister’s effect helps to pull the Gagaga strategy together, so this change could make Gagaga Decks more relevant on the competitive scene.

The Iron Core of Koa’ki Meiru, which was previously on the Limited 2 List, has also been removed from the Forbidden & Limited List entirely. That means it can now be used alongside other Limited 2 cards, like Treacherous Trap Hole. This gives a boost to Koa’ki Meiru Decks, which haven’t been popular in years.

The latest Forbidden & Limited List update is certain to shake up competitive Dueling! Two of the top Decks were significantly weakened, while three Decks that used to be popular have been given some of their power back. Which Decks do you think will emerge on top under the latest Forbidden & Limited List?

[Skilled Blue Magician]

I haven't played in a year. I'm trying to make a deck with Raging Flame Sprite and Lava Golem as a rush burn but I need more cards to make it work better. Also out of curiosity, I made a fairy deck with the Parshath crew, Power Angel Valkyria, and Zeradias, and it actually did better than I expected it to in PvP. I almost forgot to add, I don't miss Spellbooks either, seeing opponents shuffle their deck all day is not nice.

[⛤ .taki ˚⊹]

it would be nice to see 3x "Koa'ki Meiru Maximus" again "Koa'ki Meiru" deck was so fun

[edgardrecord]

Thanks for nerfing the harpies, even if it's not very effective to stop being so competitive at least it reduces your player cup a bit

[Artuurs]

Hey, can you guys put Card of Demise in the next card box? Would realy like to have it in the game.

[Yelda26]

Originally posted by edgardrecord:

Thanks for nerfing the harpies, even if it's not very effective to stop being so competitive at least it reduces your player cup a bit

is it really tho? why do I feel like harpies still dominate, or is it just me with weak deck and bad luck hahaha.

[Tunnel Sharks Rule!!!]

Originally posted by Yelda26:

Originally posted by edgardrecord:

Thanks for nerfing the harpies, even if it's not very effective to stop being so competitive at least it reduces your player cup a bit

is it really tho? why do I feel like harpies still dominate, or is it just me with weak deck and bad luck hahaha.

Because they never got nerfed, just hit

[iiTzNicolas83]

ok