Yu-Gi-Oh's Possible New Additions to the Banned and Restricted List

There has been an outcry from the Yu-Gi-Oh community about the lack of skill involved in playing this game. With so much monster removal in the game at this point we find that more and more the factor of skill is being taken out of the equation and the luck factor is much more prominent. Too many cards have been produced that destroy creatures without any cost, and there has been talk about this regarding the banned and restricted list.

Many players have requested that many of the common removal cards we see in many decks be placed in moderation on the banned and restricted list. Talk has been thrown around about cards like Sakuretsu Armor and Smashing Ground being added to this list. A possible list has been made adding the following cards

Banned

Torrential Tribute
Mirror Force

Limited (1 per deck)

Saskuretsu Armor
Smashing Ground
Bottomless Trap Hole

Semi Limited (2 per deck)

Fissure
Trap Hole
Hammer Shot

These changes may seem small but would greatly affect the current format. Most decks if not all deck play with at least two or more copies of the cards listed above. Mirror Force has been banned in the past and with this one single card dominating the current meta talk of putting it back on the banned list is being seriously considered.

Many players in the pro circuit don't mind the way the current format is running, but none can deny the over abundance of removal cards in the game. Banning and restricting these cards will benefit most every player in the game. And if you notice the cards being considered for the list are cheap no thought tactic cards. If your opponent has a monster on the field and your holding a Fissure, it takes no though to play that card. On the flip side if your opponent has a single monster on the field and you have Offerings of the Doomed in your hand you have to ask yourself, is it worth skipping my next draw phase to play this card?

There will still be plenty of removal cards available, but each will have a cost. For instance, Tribute to the Doomed and Karma Cut all get rid of any monster you choose, but cost one card from your hand in order to play. So you can see how this would take a more strategic effort in order to use these cards effectively. Also not all the mindless removal cards are being taken out of the game, you can still play with a few copies of each.

If this comes to pass and the monster destruction cards are limited in the format then we will all see a rise in decks using more monsters that would have never seen the light of day before. Blue Eyes White Dragon Decks would probably see some play, and many deck types would be very competitive, like the Elemental Hero's and their counterparts the Destiny Hero's. Theme decks would emerge basing their playing style off that of characters in the show and the playing environment would be more diverse. You would never play the same deck twice.

Players can only hope and pray that this new ban list will come to pass, or at least portions of it. We may never see a complete band on the mindless monster destruction, but cards like Mirror Force and Torrential Tribute may be the first to go. Upperdeck needs to realize the problems at hand and take notes from the players in what needs to be done to diversify this game. We can only wait and see what happens when the new banned and restricted list comes out in the coming months.