"I hate meta! they ruin the game!"

I look at that statement and I go "O.o?" It's a nonsensical statement. People who don't truly know what the term "meta" means use it to refer to the top tier decks in the format, or usually the top 32 YCS, Nationals, and Regional winning decks. That is incorrect and honestly one of the dumbest statements a player could make, but it's accepted and very common to misinterpret because SO MANY PEOPLE use it. When using the term "meta," it is just a shortened, easier way to refer to the "metagame.” "Metadecks" is not a term and is contradicting by nature. Let me tell you why.

First of all, I wish to give credit to Al-Bhed from World Dueling Academy for this article because his article inspired me to do one of my own and help spread this very informative message he wanted to get across. It also is where I found the MTG link.

Now what is the metagame? Even though this definition isn't exactly what we mean in Yugioh, it will give an idea of what we refer to when using the term:
"Metagaming is used to define any strategy, action or method used in a game that goes above a given set of rules or beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. You could also think of it as the game universe outside of the game itself. In short, it's the use of outside information or knowledge that is used inside the game to determine how a player plays, what a player plays, or why a player will or will not play the cards he has."

The definition isn't exactly spot on, but it gives a very broad and general idea of what the term means. On an old academy of mine I was introduced to this article on the metagame done for Magic The Gathering. It may not be the same card game, but the metagame is a definition used for any TCG and works the same throughout. The article gives a very good insight as to what it truly means to play meta so I suggest giving it a read: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/academy/19

"The metagame in yugioh would be the decks our opponents would use and the chances for them appearing, and again that is a very broad and wrong term in ways but we'll just use it here, for the more extensive understanding read the above linked article. It is based on the fact that our opponents are humans who will use a deck of cards as well, which deck of cards will probably be made for winning, so we would need to make sure it would not achieve its purpose using the additional information that they will attemp to win in a specific way, therefore we need to be predicting what they will use and define the metagame."

So defining the meta means to think, predict, and possibly manipulate your opponent's moves in a way. When we define the current meta, we should be thinking about Dino Rabbits, Inzektors, Chaos Dragons, and Wind-Ups at the least in the TCG. To use the metagame, we play certain cards in our decks to counteract those popular decks like Effect Veiler, Maxx "C", Fiendish Chain, Bottomless Trap Hole, etc. We also have a side deck that is the best example of someone using the metagame to their advantage. It defines the predictions we make about the current meta, and how and when we play those certain cards to stop our opponents is the way we manipulate their plays. If we can predict when our opponent is going to drop Lightpulsar Dragon or REDMD, then we can set up for a counter for those plays like XYZing into Steelswarm Roach that turn.

The meta isn't what defines a deck, it is the decks and how we use them that defines the meta. Now that we defined the function of the term "metagame," hopefully now you can see that the term "metadeck" is a contradiction; it's the opposite function of the term. The term you are looking for when referring to Yugioh is either "Overused decks" or "Top Tier decks."

Even though metadecks do not exist, Anti-meta decks do. "To explain, there are decks who base their entire strategy, or the majority of it, to countering other popular strategies, meaning they do heavy metagaming since instead of using a specific strategy they use a counter one according to the metagaming predictions. Those decks take information based on the "metagame" or "meta" and "anti" it, earning the name "anti-meta". It should be noted that an anti-meta deck can be part of the top tier as well, becoming part of the meta."

When someone says "I hate the meta!", it's like saying "I hate having to think!" because that's really what using the meta is. Without metagaming, you'd be going into a game of Yugioh blindly without any idea of what your opponent is using, nor caring, and trying to play out your deck like your sitting across from a parrot. It is almost essential to being a good yugioh player to be using the meta because without it, you'll always be recklessly playing cards without thinking about your opponent's responses to those cards. Not only that, you will most likely have no responses to what your opponent plays since you just imagined you'd be playing a game like solitare, huh?

Al-Bhed wrote:

Spoiler:

So you're playing Yugioh. Not only that, your opponent is playing Yugioh as well! Can you believe it?! They have a deck as well, with a balanced out card count that is meant to bring them to victory. They want to win just as bad as you do, so they're going to run cards that destroy your monsters, wipe out your backrow, and possibly OTK you, just like your awesome HERO spam fusion combo that's supposed to hit them for 11,000 damage. Well guess what? Your opponent Solemn Warning'd your Miracle Fusion! "I hate meta! so cheap!" you say, but why are you blaming them? Because they knew they were playing a 2-player game and they knew you were going to be playing monsters/cards that summon monsters? It isn't their fault that they were prepared and you weren't. That is what we call metagaming. It is the acceptance that the opponent wants to win just as badly as you do and will have a strategy to achieve it, and then with that knowledge allow you to get the "W" in the end even with your opponent countering you. If you play any type of control-based deck, you don't hate meta, it's actually your forte and main focus to win. So love the metagame because without it, strategy and player skill would have nothing to do with Yugioh. We might as well all be flipping coins for the win.

great article dude. but seriously u should stop defending the mindless sheep who flock to the last deck that won anything and abuse it at every stage of the game. u have some valid points and there are some that i agree with. but saying that complaining about the meta is complaining about not having to think? its more or less complaining about the people in the playerbase who want others to do the thinking for them EX: netdecking. i do not agree with your opinion but thats exactly that. its an opinion and i respect the fact that you have it and that you have voiced it. but the "meta game" is dictated by the cards that have proven to win the most games and take the less effort to do so.

I don't like the fact that people don't have any originality and I surely do not defend netdecking. I honestly hate it and wish people could at least in this point in the game look up the archetype and build their own deck. I mean, Konami has done its best to ruin the beauty in deck building strategy by making everything Archetype-based, so netdecking shouldn't even be happening anymore.

Unfortunatley people do it, and although I dislike it and I don't approve of it, what I'm trying to say is how can you blame them? Why make things harder than they have to be? If they can win 1st place and make the money they were after with a deck already came up with, why should they put the effort into making a new deck that might not get them in the top places? It's riskier, its more challenging, and to some people, the game isn't a game. It's a job, a business to them. Yugi-Tubers do YouTube videos to make money first and foremost and do it for the passion of the game secondly. Same goes for some of the professionals. There are a few exceptions, and although you may not like to admit it, but the guy who made the Chaos Dragon deck for the first time and won YCS was one of those exceptions. He proved Dragons still had a spot in the game, while no one else even bothered to try cuz hey were too caught up netdecking Rabbits and Inzektors.

Niko327 wrote:If they can win 1st place and make the money they were after with a deck already came up with, why should they put the effort into making a new deck that might not get them in the top places? It's riskier, its more challenging, and to some people, the game isn't a game.

If playing online YGO for free was earning money, no, I would not care if people netdecked. reason being, Yes, I want the money as bad as they do, so they'll play the decks that win.

But no. YGO=/= money when it's played online for free. People netdeck top-tier decks purely just to win. In an online, free, children's card game. This murders the fun and hangs it outside for everyone to behold.
(excluding people who are testing RL decks for YCS's and whatnot.)

I would not blame the people who play in the YCS, but Konami and the playerbase, more so the playerbase.
It's the player's fault, THEY'RE the ones who netdecked the winning deck. However, Konami is not left out of the blame, as they're supporting this top tier-based aspect of the game.

They have an excuse however, as they're a business. Not a great excuse, but an excuse. They have to make a profit or else they'll go out of business. Understandable. Sucks, but understandable.

great article tho, make me thinking again how meta define.

i liked the article and i understand what you're trying to say with it.

I remember back when i played Pokemon, people would watch the metagame, then build counter strategies to it. Pokemon was more fun in that aspect because you could run pretty much anything, and plan more strategies around things, but the basic concept of planning ahead is the same.

The Meta, is just the game itself. Sadly, that Meta is affected by those who play it, meaning how you react to the Game is based on what everyone else is doing.

But this also gives me a little more hope. If you can make a deck to run a certain way, and still allow for planning ahead, instead of just relying and praying that your strategy would overcome theirs first, it would make things... better. Hmm...

Don't necropost
Locked..Get on DN lol