Hello everyone! Hopefully you are as excited to play with the newest Universus set, Yu Yu Hakusho: The Dark Tournament, as I am, and if you are just getting into the game, the new Standard format will be an awesome place to get started. In this list, I will be talking about some of the most impactful cards from the upcoming set, explaining their strengths and potential role in the new meta. If a strong card isn’t here, it is not because I think that card is weak. There are too many powerful cards to reasonably discuss, and the ones listed here stand out most to me in their respective roles. Now, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Honorable Mentions
Mop Strike
While only a few characters like Nezu and Botan can get the full use out of Mop Strike, the incredible numbers on this card make it a staple on symbol, and Order in particular benefits, with its strongest core cards leaving with rotation. Whether you need card advantage, an efficient block, disruption, or a way to string out late in the game, Mop Strike can fit the niche, and it will frequently be a building block in the Standard meta.
Botan’s Coaching
Another staple, Botan’s Coaching is one of the best new 0 difficulty foundations in the meta, offering card selection and synergy with Aerial Recon and other returning timeshifted reprints. Death and Void also will be happy to add another strong foundation to their arsenal, and even it is not the splashiest card, it is another one that will have a high playrate once Dark Tournament releases.
Jin
This character is hyped, and for good reason. The ever-present speed modification he provides is very powerful, and the cancel response can be a headache for decks with limited speed resets or pumps. Jin does, however, face strong competition on symbol, and he may not be the most competitive character on any of his symbols. This is by no means saying that he is weak, and while he is one of the best characters in this set, he may not have the same presence as the others higher on this list.
Master of Ice
Water already has a great suite of defensive tools, but it has always wanted for better block modifiers. Master of Ice gives a solid mid block that also replaces itself and clears, further boosting the power of decks that utilize Struggling with Studies to block long attacking strings. With Echo becoming much more widely distributed in The Dark Tournament, being able to make multiple blocks in a turn will be at a premium, and 3 to 4 copies of Master of Ice will ensure that decks on Water in particular will be up to task.
10. Crowd’s Darling
Into the Top 10 proper, Crowd’s Darling is an interesting fit into the new meta. With Chaos losing Electric Jolt and Indiscriminate Shock 1,300,000 Volts, it is in search of a proper offensive identity, and surprisingly the Weapon keyword looks like a great place to start. Deception Dagger and Himiko Toga’s support from Jet Burn immediately come to mind, but other new cards in Dark Tournament also fill out this package, with Shishiwakamuru’s attacks and another card on this list allowing for long strings and reasonable damage pump. Air and Water also can use this card well, since Rinku and Toya introduce Weapon packages on these symbols, respectively. After the Capture Evil Doers ban, other means of cheating progressive difficulty have become few and far between, and Crowd’s Darling is an excellent buildaround to give a shot.
9. Paying the Cost
In a similar vein to the previous card, Paying the Cost replaces another rotating staple, Brute Strength. While the control value, block modifier, and limit of giving 1 damage per attack leave something to be desired, trading your own health for one damage continues to be a phenomenal deal in the new Standard format. Enabling Hiei’s own kit, returning cards with Desperation, and Quick to Act, the cost of health quickly becomes an upside, and giving the damage bonus without a commit or flip helps play around opposing defense as well. Fire and Evil are particularly excited for this card because of both the aforementioned Quick to Act and the aggressive cards common to the symbols, and this card will be a critical piece for many a faster deck after Dark Tournament’s release.
8. Genkai
The Dark Tournament introduced several powerful characters, but only a few stand out as one of the best on their symbols, with Genkai being one of them. On All, Good, and Order, this character is incredible on the defensive side, and her abilities work well on both offense and defense, something that not many characters can claim. Her first Enhance ability gives her card advantage on attacks that deal damage, which notably still works with throws. This allows Genkai to repeatedly attack and find more fuel, or continue to check well and apply pressure. On defense, Genkai can soak hits to clear attacks of the top of the deck and enable blocks, both by improving her checks and putting more cards into hand to block or reduce damage with her other Enhance ability. She also can sculpt her hand in this way, presenting a threatening counterswing if poked a bit too overzealously. Broken Psyche, …So Manly, and Any Means Necessary make Good stand out, but Genkai’s Guidance is a potential pull toward All and Order. In any case, Genkai is the best control character from the upcoming set, and she is clearly Destined for Mainstream Success.
7. Armor of the Ape
It takes a lot for an attack to impact the game as much as a character or foundation, but Armor of the Ape is an exception to the rule, providing a repeatable Enhance ability from Momentum. Most cards with this ability are limited to a Once per Turn, but this one is not, representing a significant amount of damage mitigation. In Chaos, particularly with characters like Tamaki Amajiki and Kuro Momotaro that can put the card into Momentum without forcing a hit, Armor of the Ape can mitigate a substantial amount of damage with limited means to interact with it. Of course, all of this does not even address the second Enhance effect on the card, making it a bigger, faster, and stronger potential win condition as a supplement to its utility. As a final note, the Slam typeline has some utility on symbol, with Gentle Criminal and Mirio Togota’s kits serving as a reasonable place to look for support. All in all, in a set with Echo attacks abound and characters with go-wide gameplans, do not sleep on a seemingly innocuous attack like this one.
6. Keiko’s Aid
Having mentioned defensive tools on Good, Keiko’s Aid is another premier one, functionally providing Breaker 2 to your block on response. Unlike Breaker, however, the effect on Keiko's Aid floats through the attempt to play a foundation, lingering until the next attack and forcing the attacking player to take the difficulty penalty in earnest. On Life with Recovery Girl, a card like this is particularly obnoxious, but even for any character on symbol it provides a strong roadblock against aggressive strategies. There are interesting unflip synergies on Life, but even then, there is very little to say about this card, since the effect is so straightforward and powerful. Keiko’s Aid is going to be a meta force, and it needs no more introduction than the one given here.
5. The Dark Tournament Looms
Of course, the card bearing the namesake of the set is one of the best, and although this set is filled to the brim with card draw, The Dark Tournament Looms stands out as a premium source of advantage and selection. Choosing any card from momentum is generically powerful, and alongside drawing an additional card it can lead to long potential extensions. The low difficulty, high control, removal, and solid block modifier make this card an all around excellent inclusion, especially on Chaos, a symbol that is very interested in recurring its strongest, difficult to block attack.
4. Masho Concealment
Many of the unique foundations sporting a team name get their best value for their members, and Masho Concealment is no exception. Particularly for Jin, further reducing the speed of his opponent’s attacks while boosting his own damage is a perfect fit for his gameplan, making this card an incredible foundation without even accounting for the Response ability. That ability, however, is so strong that this card is one of the best in the set even without the Team Masho Enhance. Holding this response with threat of activation can completely stymie foundations with Flip, Remove, or Commit costs, and can force awkward order on the opposing side. On offense, a character like Mirio Togota can stifle Cooperation Offer or other specific answers to their mechanic. Unlike Incredible Display, this card also does not have a momentum cost, making the effect a constant threat with no prior setup. On 4 symbols, this card will feel omnipresent, and make games against it a fun challenge with heavy interaction.
3. Trace Eyes
Keyword soup is back on the menu, and the one Trace Eyes has going is a recipe for ending games quickly. Sporting a 4 difficulty, a low attack zone, and an Echo ability that can fire without momentum, this attack can apply massive pressure right away. With Pay the Cost available on the Evil symbol, and damage pump from characters such as Karasu on Evil or Wolfwood on Fire, Trace Eyes hits hard and often. The Tech and Ally keywords may also have some application as well for characters like Mei Hatsume or Fumikage Tokoyami (II), or other characters that want to tap into that support. Showing Off is a notable card that can get around progressive difficulty for Tech cards, and using that to chain Trace Eyes into Trace Eyes could be the bread and butter of Evil’s offense when stringing out and going wide. All in all, this attack is very, very pushed, and it embodies the aggressive strategies that benefit most from The Dark Tournament and rotation.
2. Elder Toguro
On the subject of Evil aggressive decks, the best character that enables them is Elder Toguro, and he is likely the best character in The Dark Tournament outright. The best aspect of any character is that their effects are consistently available, and alongside Relaxed Demeanor, Elder Toguro's Form ability can extend this upside to any attack in your deck. Whether Elder Toguro is using this effect to repeatedly play the strongest attack in the deck, or to find a tech piece to break through the opposing defense, the Form ability is one of the strongest ever printed on a character. On top of this, Elder Toguro can flip speed and damage akin to Hawks or "SPoOoOoOoKY!", but can do this for multiple attacks on each turn. While this comes with the cost of destroying a foundation on your rival’s turn, that cost can be turned into an advantage , allowing for play around Deadlock, triggering destroy responses, and other benefits of controlling your stage. With a 7 card hand size as well, this character is a menace, and only his low life total and limited access to 0 difficulty foundations are at all potential criticisms. Elder Toguro is one of the strongest options out there, and is very nearly the best addition to Standard from the set.
1. Walk the Dog
You may recall that earlier I said it was difficult for an attack to impact the game in the same way a foundation or character can. Well, Walk the Dog doesn’t just break this rule, it smashes it into thousands of little pieces beyond all repair, and it is by a wide margin the most powerful card in The Dark Tournament. While the printed 8 difficulty may seem intimidating, in practice this card is almost always being played on 4 difficulty. Big numbers? This card is a 6 low for 6, rendering cards like The Idun Box and The New #1 ineffective in slowing it down. Worried about more fuel? Walk the Dog can draw 1 card on the first play, and if you can string 2 together in a turn, the second will draw 2 more. Oh, and it has Stun 1 and Powerful 3 too, because why not? It also is both Ranged and a Weapon, and on its symbols it benefits from the Weapon package on Air and Chaos, allowing it to combo with Crowd’s Darling for devastating attacking turns. If your deck is on Air, Chaos, or Order, there is no doubt that it will have that Dog in it, and this is beyond a doubt the benchmark for attacks in this Standard year.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading, and if you think I missed any cards or that my takes are too hot for the kitchen, let me know down below. Keep an eye out for my Top 10 cards for Sealed and Draft play, and if you want to see me cover other games follow me on Twitter and check out my other articles here. Thanks again, and best of luck trying out the new format!
DankestDad