We will just have to drop the hyperbole and agree to disagree. It's a "shades of grey" kind of question anyway.

How much? Some, that's a fact.

Unfortuntely you are wrong.

Actually what threatens the game most isn't the complete breakdown in playtesting (hectic release schedules and large sets will do that) or the subsequent flood of erratas/rulechanges/bannings, but the massive and negative effect that their design decisions have on the game. EomE is the most lucid example: it has totally destroyed the conventionalaffiliated deck. Now decks consist of overpowered and unforeseen synergies - a situation EomE enables and one that requires even more rigorous playtesting since every character designed while this card exists can fit in any deck (unless you put loyalty on everything, which hasn't happened). They have painted themselves into a corner.

Of course if they ban the card (especially EomE) they will upset those who have spent time money and effort investing in a card that should never have had such importance attached to it. Making it a rare was a fatal error.

Whatever their rationale it should have been posted with the original notice and not proferred after the fact as a kneejerk reaction to try and explain where they went wrong.

Will they explain also what has happened to UDE Europe?

No explanation there (one of the region's biggest distributors is still in the dark regarding tournaments and prize support which they supply).

If you think UDE deserve to be defended because 'vs is a great game' then you are being very naive. Face the facts.

I can't say anything about Euope, since I'm not there, and I've seen far too many posts that "if you're not from Europe, you don't understand." So I can't and won't speak on that.

You missed part of my post. I'm not defending them with this choice until I read the article. As I said, I reserve my judgement on this situation until that time.

how can he be wrong? it was his experience, not yours.

if anyone's ruining the game, it's you the city.

if they are so many 'problems" with so cards, why dont they have a whole section in card development thinking will this be good or bad for the game...

They don't. The game is freaking thriving. This is just a moan competition in the middle of a damn fine summer afternoon.

Does anyone remember the high we were on with the Hellboy and PSP announcements? For now the buzzkillers have the stage, but they will pass quickly. Like bad gas.

I just looked through every post you've ever placed on these forums, The City. Why are you here? Seriously, I'm not trying to be condescending. But you have, quite literally, never posted anything but negativity directed at UDE, Vs, or other posters. Ever. You complain about everything, yet you've not once posted anything you like, any kind of fun you've had playing Vs, or even any deck or strategy ideas or contributions. Merely complaints. Yet you speak of a lack of constructive criticism. Well, I've yet to see any from you. Because saying that everything that UDE does is wrong, not playtested, stupid, idiotic, or however else you wish to phrase it, is not constructive criticism.

Additionally, Spideysean is absolutely correct when he asks how the hell Stu can be wrong. How? From his perspective, it was one of the most fun tournaments he has been to. He has been to quite a few, now. How can that observation be wrong? Are you saying he was mistaken when he physically observed a diverse metagame and had fun playing in it?

Like others, I will not comment on the UDE Europe issue, since I do not live in, nor do I visit Europe (not for a lack of desire, mind you ;) ). I will say that every market is different, and just because something is popular and making lots of $$$ in the US doesn't mean it will do so in Europe, and vice versa.

For entire "early" history of Vs, mono and dual-team decks were king, with a small number of rogue-ish exceptions. Now, they've fully brought a multi-team strategy to the fore, at the same time they've brought off-curve to the fore, making for some extremely efficient decks that happen to utilize both of these new areas of emphasis the players have access to. IMHO, they have done so a little too efficiently. This happens in every CCG, so it far from unfixable. I certainly don't think the sky is falling. However, in the next few sets, I really want to see some counterbalance with some curve and mono-team strengtheners (besides the inherent consistency that mono-team brings with it). Some powerful generic cards that give a curve deck some sort of combat edge over an off-curve deck, and some effects that reward team-attacking and exhausting to reinforce in significant ways would be nice to see, just for starters.

On the other hand, I see way more viable archetypes at this point of the game's life then there have ever been, so UDE must be doing something right. EoME has certainly helped, but so have a plethora of thoughtfully designed teams, as have other cards or effects that provide consistency and synergy. EoME is not the only strategy enabler to come out in recent sets.

Anomolies like JLoA are just that: Anomolies. Magic has had so many worse card interactions, massively large lists of errata, a huge banned/restricted list, and has survived it all, and, in fact, grown stronger because of all they've learned. They still screw up now and then (*cough* Affinity *cough*), but overall, they are getting much, much better. As with Vs, the sheer diversity of THAT game's current metagame shows that they are headed in the right direction.

EoME will not destabilize the game by being rare, either. Sorry, but to think that a power rare (even a generic one) kills a game is being quite naive. Did Umezawa's Jitte or Pithing Needle or the $$$ neo-dual-lands destroy Magic? Why, no! They have, in face, strengthened it. Every time a new set comes out, if it has little to no environment-defining rares, it sells worse. If it also has few tournament-worthy uncommons, it hardly sells at all. If all it has is a bunch of great commons, it does not boost sales at all. On the other hand, when a set has a good distribution of tourney-quality rares and uncommons, it sells well. This holds true for Vs as well as it does for Magic, at least from this retailer's perspective.

Yu-Gi-Oh!!!!!!



Seriously, nothing's worse than that.

And seriously, it still makes a bit of money sometimes.

Little kids+Cartoon=marketing geniuses.

Sad am I at the loss of A.R.B. but I am with Stu in saying that the game is absolutely the best it has been in some time. The sheer diversity at this weekend’s 10K is stunning. I also played at my local hobby league today and had a blast as no two players out of a very competitive crew were running the same thing. It was amazing.

While I do miss team based days, I also feel that cards like Enemy of my Enemy and to a lesser extent Image Inducer have open a new world of possibilities that we should all enjoy until we get a new betrayal...or golden rolls around and you can use the one you already have.

As far as the point of UDE listening, I am sure they do. To some extent they need to. However, I am sure that they are waist deep in developing the first Marvel set of 2007, knee deep in the first DC set and are testing Heralds and Legion. kairos10, that may be part of why you are correct, they can only do so much listening and our thoughts can’t really have an impact for two sets down the road. But I do agree with you, though from a different view point. Well played, gents.

Your kidding right? I seriously hope to god your kidding. Cuz if ur not, your a cynical little child who should kill urself before you get rejected for a home lone and blow up a building or something. EOME has not degraded the game in the least, if anything its allowed for ANY team to be teamed up and have a searcher. You wanna complain? Take your childish cynicism to the YGO boards and complain about the 20+ banned card list and limtied list and tell me about your woes of EMOE.

ARB may upset people, but obviously UDE CARES about its players and are gunna address the issue monday. try getting such a swift response in other card games.

No doubt. Most of the best cards are non-rare. Look at Roy Harper <> Arsenal (original), Nimrod, Dr. Light, Katma Tui, Gorilla Grod, etc.

If you're pissed about the $$$ of EomE, then you need to be pissed at companies like Shuffle and Cut that jack their prices through the roof. In all honesty, I don't blame them because I bet they get what they ask for too.

It's all about Supply and Demand. It can be ugly and beautiful at the same time, it just depends on what side of the ball you're on.

No one wants to see a card banned at all, and for some, ARB may have been their favorite card. I can understand being irritated.

But to give #### to UDE after they give us such a great game with great prize support....I don't understand it. What do you expect a card game to be? It's not like Jesus himself makes Vs. You have to take the bad with the good.

I'm not gonna sit here and say that people have no right to complain when something they spend hard-earned money on irritates them. Go ahead. But don't let that overshadow all the good UDE has done. By far, no other card game on the market is on par with Vs. in many aspects.

Maybe I'm just too forgiving. But when there are literally a million combinations of cards, it is inevitable that some degenerate combos will slip through. I take erratas and bannings as an integral part of a card game. We all wish it didn't happen, but it does. Either accept that, or reconsider how much you want to spend on something that can cause you to become so irate.