Gadget History and hyped Variants
Gadget History and hyped Variants
In January of 2007, Red Gadget, Yellow Gadget and Green Gadget were all released in to the TCG. Many variants were hyped from the start, primarily ChimeraGadget, Oppression Gadget, and Fifth Gadget.
ChimeraGadget was a variant that took advantage of Gadgets' efficient ability to load it's controller with Machines for a Fusion summon of Chimeratech Overdragon. While a couple teched Overload Fusions were often used, this deck never really made it big.
Oppression Gadgets were also hyped considerably at first, taking advantage of the immense amount of special summoning that has always existed in the game. However, in the Monarch format that Gadgets were first released in, players could easily cope without special summoning, making Royal Oppression subpar. When Raiza the Storm Monarch was released, Royal Oppression became even more risky, until the late Perfect Circle Monarch format, when Oppression Gadgets returned.
Fifth Gadget was a deck that ran 45 cards, 9 being Gadgets, as to influence the deck to give it 1 Gadget in every opener – No more, no less. While this deck was probably the best variant at the time of the three non-standard Gadget builds, 9 Gadgets is just too many. 6 Gadgets is immensely more efficient.
When SJC Orlando 2007 rolled around, 25% of the decks that made the top cut were Gadgets, however they were more standard. They did run 9 Gadgets, but were slimmer than 45 cards. They did run Oppressions, but only in the side deck. They did run Overload Fusion, but only 1 or 2 teched in, not the major player in the deck. It became clear that a ton of 1 for 1 monster removal was the way to run Gadgets.
Gadgets continued to see play for a while, until a new build saw play at SJC Houston 2007. This deck was Gadget Monarchs, piloted into the Top 8 by Adam Corn. Monarchs were a very innovative way for Gadgets to simplify the game, and the 3 Brain Controls allowed at the time were an amazing way to gain advantage. As time went on, many Gadget players ridiculed Gadget Monarchs as inconsistent, or lacking synergy. Gadget Monarchs did get Second place at Ireland Nationals 2008, however the credibility of using that event as evidence is controversial. My opinion on the deck is that it's good in theory, but just too inconsistent.
Fifth Gadget continued to be the standard build for a while, until Joe Whitaker took Second at U.K. Nationals 2007 with Decree Gadgets, dubbing it "Whitaker Gadget". This innovation was incredibly fast, and had been what I had used until January 2008. (However, after the Troop Dupe format, I should have completely dropped the deck, as it was pretty bad in the Perfect Circle format.)
This revolutionary build of Gadgets also took top 16 at SJC Washington D.C. However, a more influential credential this deck has is that it won Candian Nationals 2007, piloted by Dexter Dalit. Dexter Dalit is currently the only player to win a noteworthy event with Gadgets.
Gadgets began to see less play in the Troop Doop format, with 3 Trap Dustshoot and 3 Mind Crush taking a devastating toll on the deck.
However, they were back at the beginning of the Perfect Circle format. One build made top 16 at the first and second Jumps of the format. This build looked a lot like the remains of the Machine Aggro deck which had influenced the previous format. This Gadget build ran cards such as Cyber Phoenix, a new innovation for Gadgets, which had proved very effective in the beginning.
A few Jumps went by without Gadgets topping. Many Gadget players began hyping Macro Gadgets. This combined many of the tactics of the Macro Cosmos builds at that time with Gadget decks, for an obscenely anti-meta build with advantage pouring out everywhere, and an immortal beatstick. This deck never topped any noteworthy events, but one of my friends went X-2 at SJC Orlando 2008 with Macro Gadgets.
SJC Costa Mesa 2007 began, and even though zero Gadget builds made the top 16, no Shonen Jump Championships influenced Gadgets quite like this one. Corey Defeo ran an incredibly innovative Gadget build at this event, running Shadow Imprisoning Mirrors, D.D. Crow, and other anti-meta cards. The deck profile that he scored with his deck changed the entire Theory behind Gadgets in general. Using anti-meta cards was an incredible source of simplification.
SJC Orlando 2008 came and went. This event was the peak for Gadgets. No other event had this many Gadget builds top. An astonishing 4 builds made the top 16. They all had influence from Defeo's Gadget build, and they all went further with the tech. Many of the builds ran Pulling the Rug, many ran Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, many ran Royal Oppression, and many ran Banisher of the Radiance. Matt Tuxford took his build all they way to top 4, currently the farthest a Gadget build has ever gone in an SJC. I've also played Matt Tuxford in the top 8 of a Regionals, once.
At the following Jump, ten Dark Armed Return builds topped. Ever since that Jump (SJC Houston 2008) there has never been a good format in Yugioh. All of the Gadget builds had to adapt, and Oppression Gadgets became accepted as the only way to run Gadgets.
After a decent showing at SJC Costa Mesa, Gadgets scrubbed every event until U.S. Nationals, where they had one top 16 showing. And then not for half a year.
I blame Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo for this enormous lack of success. Fossil Dyna became generally referred to as a staple, in 3's, in all Gadget builds. While the card has some use in Dark Armed-based formats, it's utter trash in the Gladiator Beast format that followed it. Fossil Dyna only works in theory, but when you actually run it, gets killed by a monster that was normal summoned. The use of this card in 3's is what hinders Gadgets from topping.
When Synchro Dark Armed became the format deck (As of SJC Tulsa 2008) Gadget builds had a new foe to tech. A few Gadget players (including myself) began running the old Radget build that had once seen some play. The point of this build is to thoroughly abuse Neo-Spacian Grand Mole or Creature Swap, which both dealt an intense toll to Synchros. Summon Rat, attack one Synchro, search Grand Mole, and permanently remove it.
Or, if they have two Synchros out, Swap them your Rat, take their Synchro, attack the Rat, search Mole, and attack their other Synchro.
Gadgets continued to decrease in play this format. That was, until Robbie Kohl had topped SJC Detroit with his build of Oppression Gadgets. And there rally couldn't have been any better time for this to happen.
Up until that point, all of the Gadget enthusiasts, myself included, prepared for SJC Chicago to revive Gadgets, since Jordan Nasser, that era's most succesful contributer to the Gadget community, would be attending. But this was not the only reason we looked forward to this SJC; Thunder King Rai-Oh was legal for tournament play.
Chicago came and went, and once again, no Gadget decks made the top sixteen. Not even Thunder King could save us. We became discouraged, and ran inferior versions, such as Tele-Gadgets, or stopped running Gadgets altogether.
SJC Atlanta approached, and none of us topped yet again, and we lost even more Gadget players. My Oppression Gadget build (and myself included) had been completely dominated on Day 1 of this Jump, causing me to switch to other anti-meta variants.
SJC Detroit was approaching, and Gadgets became accepted as a dead deck. All hope was gone. But when the top 16 was revealed, we saw the inclusion of Stun Gadget extraordinare, Robbie Kohl.
And once again, Gadgets became accepted as a competitive anti-meta deck. Tele-Gadget, Fissure gadget (a variant I had hyped) and other inferior forms dissapeared, and Mirror Wall revealed itself as the most recent innovation in Gadgets. Mirror Wall held several advantages over Shrink, including being able to double as Shrink and Threatening Roar.
The lack of Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo also allowed Gadget players to realize how inferior of a card choice the Dyna was.
Robbie Kohl also chose to use Soul Taker over Hammer Shot, although this is still a dbeated choice among Gadget players. Previously and afterwards to the top, Robbe Kohl was a valuable contributer to the Gadget community, and is the most succesful contributor in this current era. Updated December 30th, 2008.
Another deck that is getting hyped at this time is Tele-Gadgets. My advice on the deck? Don't run it. At least not yet.
The only two Synchros that would really have any synergy with Gadgets are Stardust Dragon or Thought Ruler Archfiend. Gadgets have no efficient, consistent way to summon either of those Synchros without losing at least 3 cards, and the remainder of the Synchros that Gadgets can summon have no synergy with the Gadgets.
The Gadget Theory
Gadgets are meant to gain advantage, and use other cards to simplify the game. Typically 1 for 1 cards.
Some examples of these are Smashing Ground, Shrink, Book of Moon, Enemy Controller, Exiled Force, D.D. Warrior, D.D. Warrior Lady, Fissure, Hammer Shot, Nobleman of Crossout, Mystical Space Typhoon, Solemn Judgment, Bottomless Trap Hole, Dimensional Prison, Soul Taker, Sakuretsu Armor, etc.
Almost half of a Gadget build should consist of destruction. However, a more creative way to simplify, and in many cases gain advantage, is to run the following tech cards.
Tech Cards
Pulling the Rug – This card was exceptionally good during the Monarch formats, and when gadget mirror matches were more common. Pulling the Rug is also a great way to handle Stratos, Breaker, and other commonly ran cards. This card was horrid during the Gladiator era, but saw some use again as Tele-DAD decks start running 1 of 2 Caius, a Breaker, a Stratos, and Armageddon, and 2-3 RotA. However, I do not suggest maindecking this card quite yet.
Kinetic Soldier – Like Pulling the Rug, it's also only been good in specific formats (Mainly ones where Samurai and DDT were common) but can be ran now, because of all of the warriors seen in a Tele-DAD deck. I would maindeck this before Pulling the Rug, but I don't suggest it yet. Definitely a side deck choice though. This is also one of the few cards that can counteract Stratos' imminent +1.
Banisher of the Radiance – Yet another tech card that's great in most formats, with the exception of the Gladiator Beast format. I have won several games against Tele-DAD when I've gone first, summoned this, and set one protection card, and did nothing else the whole duel. Shuts down Tele-DAD very well, is decent against Lightsworn, and definitely maindeck worthy right now.
Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer – This card was good, even during the Gladiator era. While Banisher and Kinetic were simply too weak, Kycoo could match or beat any card that Gladiator Beasts would summon on their first turn, when Test Tiger was not involved. Kycoo and Banisher were both deadly during the Zombie format and Perfect Circle formats, and are now deadly again. Kycoo, like Banisher, can completely shut down Tele-DAD, and both have effects that could prevent Stardust from returning. Kycoo is better however, because of its advantage against Lightsworn, and that it doesn't simply get ran over by Stratos. Banisher, while being pretty bad when you go second because their Malicious is already in the grave, is beaten by Kycoo, who loves to see that Malicious in the grave. Kycoo also will prevent DAD from activating it's effect, while Banisher cannot.
D.D.Crow – I can never figure this card out. It's a 1 for 1, it can completely screw up every deck that's ever ruled the format, but most of the Gadget builds that top barely use the Crow. For example, Zachary Lechtner, who top 16'ed U.S. Nationals, only ran 1 Crow, and sided none. Tuxford dedicated zero spots in his main or side deck for D.D. Crow. However, I suggest running 2-3 in the maindeck in almost all Gadget forms.
Gigantes – This tech piece is considerably underhyped. During the Gladiator era, I ran Non-Oppression Gadgets, teching 3 Gigantes, and it completely took advantage of Gladiator Beasts. During a DAD era, this card is terrible tech, but during Gladiator Beast format, I suggest running him over Oppressions. Using him, I won Seven locals in a row. (3 of those being Box tournaments, 2 being Xbox 360 tournaments, however my locals are pretty small, and are usually only around 20 people. Pure format decks, though.)
Dimensional Fissure –This is another card that's bad during Gladiator formats, but incredible tech during the Zombie format, PCM format, and Tele-DAD format. I highly suggest at least teching a few of these right now.
Thunderking Rai-Oh – This completely has Stratos covered. Stratos can't activate if I go first, or if Stratos is already out, I can kill him. Rai-Oh also can prevent deadly special summons that would otherwise cost you the game. Very strong monster, with two deadly effects. I suggest running him in 3's in all Gadget builds. What do you take out for him? Fossil Dyna.
Drillroid – This card used to be good when setting was common. But that just doesn't happen anymore… Drillroid was also a common choice in the past, because Gadgets often get screwed by set monsters. If we ever return to a good format, I suggest running a copy or two of Drillroid, but since we all know that will never happen, Drillroid is retired.
Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo – I believe I've already expressed my hate.
Creature Swap – This card is amazing in the Synchro format. They do all the work summoning a huge monster, and then I summon a Gadget that replaced itself, and I trade monsters. As long as they don't chain Teleport, I highly suggest running at least two of this card right now.
Dimensional Prison – Incredible Stardust tech. Also gets Sangan, which Gadgets usually have trouble getting around. Just beware Dark Armed, Caius, and Thought Ruler. I suggest 2-3 copies right now.
Compulsory Evacuation Device – I'm on the fence on this card. This card is amazing against Tele-DAD, but it fails terribly against anything else.
Why run Gadgets over other anti-meta based decks?
Anti-meta based decks, built fully to tech the top deck of the format, admittedly will be better against the top deck than Gadgets. However, put your anti-meta deck against other anti-meta decks, or against any Rogue deck, and it will instantly fail.
Gadgets are much more well-rounded. We'll typically always beat other anti-meta decks, and do well against the top deck at the same time.
Quote:
Statistics
40 cards:
0 Gadgets: 35.04%
1 Gadget: 43.49%
2 Gadgets: 18.12%
2+ Gadgets: 3.35%
41 Cards:
0 Gadgets: 36.09%
1 Gadget: 43.32%
2 Gadgets: 17.47%
2+ Gadgets: 3.12%
42 cards:
0 Gadgets: 37.13%
1 Gadget: 43.12%
2 Gadgets: 16.84%
2+ Gadgets: 2.91%
43 Cards:
0 Gadgets: 38.13%
1 Gadget: 42.90%
2 Gadgets: 16.25%
2+ Gadgets: 2.72%
44 Cards:
0 Gadgets: 39.11%
1 Gadget: 42.66%
2 Gadgets: 15.69%
2+ Gadgets: 2.54%
45 cards:
0 Gadgets: 40.06%
1 Gadget: 42.41%
2 Gadgets: 15.15%
2+ Gadgets: 2.38%
Furthermore, I'll be posting up the probabilities of drawing the cards that are run in doubles triplets that can be deemed as independently different of each other in the opening hand. In example, I would place Solemn Judgments and Royal Oppressions in different categories since their effects are different but would group together things like Soul Taker, Hammer Shot, Fissure and Smashing Ground under Monster Destruction. The probabilities that will be provided is the probability of drawing one or more in the opening hand.
40 card deck:
Doubles: 28.08%
Triples: 39.43%
41 card deck:
Doubles: 27.44%
Triples: 38.61%
42 card deck:
Doubles: 26.83%
Triples: 37.81%
43 card deck:
Doubles: 26.25%
Triples: 37.04%
44 card deck:
Doubles: 25.69%
Triples: 36.31%
45 card deck:
Doubles: 25.16%
Triples: 35.60%
You may be wondering 'What's the point of knowing this?'. Well, the reason for knowing this is to see how well your opening draws can be through the use of mathematics so you can tweak your deck around until you reach a certain probability where you believe that you are comfortable with. For the probabilities that I presented in the doubles and the triples, I have simplified it so that it doesn't include too many variables. Through this, you can predict an opening hand of generally up to three categories.
As an example...If I wanted to know what the probability of drawing at least one Solemn Judgment, one Royal Decree and one Gadget in a 42 card deck (in which I assume that I run three of each Solemn Judgment and Royal Decree), I would do... (I converted back into decimal for the sake of simplicity for the final result since when you convert from decimal to percentage, you factor in a 100 times factor.)
Pr(at least one Solemn Judgment) * Pr(at least one Royal Oppression) * Pr(one Gadget) =
.3781 * .3781 * .4312 = .0616 --> 6.16% chance of opening with that hand.
Some may think, 'Hey, but you run 3 Solemns and 3 Royal Oppressions, so there is an error in the probabilities for greater than one'. Yes, there is a slight error. However, drawing 3 of any card that you only play in triplets in a 40 card build starts off at .20% and goes down to .14% in a 45 card build. Very negligible probabilities. However, hitting two cards from three starts off at 5.16% in a 40 card build and goes down to 4.12% in a 45 card build.
In a scenario like this, you can calculate what your chances of drawing at least one Thunder King Rai-Oh, Solemn Judgment, and Royal Oppression (assuming you run 3 of each) in the opening hand in a 42 card deck.
.3781 * .3781 * .3781 = .05405 --> 5.41% chance of drawing a hand like this.
However, it does get trickier when you try something like...
Pr(2 Gadgets) * Pr(at least one Royal Oppression) * Pr(at least one Solemn Judgment) * Pr(at least one Thunder King Rai-Oh) in a 42 card deck for the opening hand.
Why is it a problem? Because the probabilities that I gave for triplets included drawing one to three copies. However, drawing three copies is negligible so it would be drawing up to two copies. So from that...it calculates up to 2+2+2+2 = 8 cards in the opening hand. This isn't viable. However, as I mentioned before, the probability for drawing two cards out of three starts off at 5.14% in a 40 card deck and only goes down from there. Knowing this, there is generally a 5% error margin for two of these variables in which would lead to a gross error margin of about 2.5%. Considering the probability is going to be pretty small in the first place, this doesn't massively change the probability.
In short, using the probabilities that I have provided will provide you with a darn close probability.
https://stattrek.com/Tables/Hypergeometric.aspx <-- All numbers were taken from this site. Incredibly useful tool if you want to see how well your opening hands can turn out to be.
I hope this has been of help and it has been my pleasure for serving the community. I hope my newbie status doesn't make you guys think any less of me.
Cheers.
Props to Robbie for this interesting article, great guy,