The Undisputed Ultimate Duelist Series

Meta Report: Top 4

  • 2 Fire King
  • 1 Snake-Eye
  • 1 Branded Despia

Fire King

Jesse Kotton, the winner of the Undisputed Ultimate Duelist Series, presents a conservative decklist with a focus on flex spots.
With 19 flex spots in the main deck, Jesse’s strategy is finely tuned for the dynamics of the event, which despite having only 16 participants, boasts some of the strongest players in the current meta.
Notably, Jesse has opted to minimize the Diabellstar package to its essential components.
Instead, he incorporates versatile cards like Crossout Designator (which took the space of the third Fire King High Avatar Kirin), strategically anticipating matchups against Snake-Eye and hand-trap-based decks.

In the extra deck, Relinquished Anima stands out, proving effective against boards ending with Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess, and synergizing with Worldsea Dragon Zealantis to reposition the opponent’s monsters under the Extra Monster Zone.

The side deck features the Delta/Gamma Package, known for its effectiveness against Snake-Eye extenders consisting of spell cards like WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils and Bonfire, as well as One for One. Delta proves lethal in combination with other hand-traps, negating activations of cards such as Crossout Designator, Called by the Grave, and Triple Tactics Talent in response to his various hand-traps played in the main deck.
Another standout card in the side deck is Solemn Strike, which essentially plays the role of negating and destroying opponent’s monsters to prevent board presence and to counter a clap back against possible hand-traps in case the game turns into a hand-trap war.

Winner of Undisputed Ultimate Duelist Series piloted by Jesse Kotton:
(THE DECKLIST CONTAINS AN ERROR, HE IS PLAYING One for One OVER THE Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye IN THE MAINDECK)

Snake-Eye

Juan Sebastian Andrade’s list takes a different approach by blending board-breaking Quick Spell cards like Cosmic Cyclone, Enemy Controller, Forbidden Chalice, and Triple Tactics Talent into the mix.
These cards prove highly effective against the current endboards featuring cards like Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess, Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon, and I:P Masquerena.

This list opts to not play Infinite Impermanence in favor of Forbidden Chalice, which proves to be a stronger top deck, especially when going second. Many players tend not to summon I:P from the Spell/Trap zone before Main Phase 1, making Impermanence weaker in comparison.

In terms of the monster lineup, Magicians’ Souls serves primarily as an extender to be added in case Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy is destroyed by the effect of a card like Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flame or Fire King High Avatar Kirin.

The extra deck doesn’t feature any notable variations. However, in the side deck, we notice a very interesting card: Foolish Return. This card serves as a highly effective board breaker, capable of eliminating threats like Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flame, or Sacred Fire King Garunix. It’s particularly effective against Branded Despia to neutralize threats like Gimmick Puppet Nightmare.

Runner-Up of Undisputed Ultimate Duelist Series piloted by Juan Sebastian Andrade:

 

Fire King

Cameron Neal introduces a hand-trap based strategy that emphasizes consistency by maximizing the number of Diabellstar the Black Witch to 3 while streamlining the Fire King component, retaining only the 3 Fire King High Avatar Kirin.
A notable inclusion in the main deck is Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye, a card that plays a pivotal role in reducing deck redundancy and expanding strategic versatility.
Its presence offers many gameplay options, providing Cameron with added flexibility and adaptability in various situations. (To read about Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye click here)

Reached Top 4 at Undisputed Ultimate Duelist Series piloted by Cameron Neal:

Branded Despia

Andres David Torres, in contrast to other competitors, offers a counter-pick strategy.
In a meta dominated by Snake-Eyes, Branded proves to be adaptable and puts pressure thanks to Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon, which proves difficult to handle for the Fire Nation.

While the deck excels at breaking boards (with cards like Super Polymerization, Triple Tactics Thrust, Triple Tactics Talent, and Frightfur Patchwork), one of the key focuses of Snake-Eye is not just the endboard and different layers of interruption, but also the follow-up and to manage it, Gimmick Puppet Nightmare becomes a necessary inclusion, which requires minimal setup with Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous and Guiding Quem, the Virtuous.

The proposed list contains 50 main deck cards, with key points being 3x of Albion the Shrouded Dragon and Branded in High Spirits, which allow easy access to Branded Fusion or Puppet Lock.

For this tournament specifically, Andres made different meta-calls, one of which was expecting players not to main deck Droll & Lock Bird.
This influenced his decision to include the Patchwork package, which grants him easy access to an untargetable Guardian Chimera, capable of clearing boards and effectively pushing forward various boards.

While the extra deck doesn’t feature notable variations, one card stands out in the side deck: Mistaken Arrest. Mistaken Arrest proves to be a highly effective floodgate when going first against Snake-Eye, rendering the entire engine unusable and making cards like Snake-Eye Ash, Bonfire, and WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils etc. ineffective.
It serves basically as an improved Droll & Lock Bird when going first.

For further information on Andres David Torres’s decklist and specific card choices, you can click here to access the deck profile in English.

Reached Top 4 at Undisputed Ultimate Duelist Series piloted by Andres David Torres:

 

Conclusion

In addition to Jesse Kotton‘s victory, the event saw impressive performances from other skilled players who brought innovative strategies to the table.

Juan Sebastian Andrade introduced a versatile board-breaking approach, incorporating Quick Spell cards to disrupt opponents’ endboards effectively.
His strategic adaptations and resourceful deckbuilding propelled him to the runner-up position, showcasing his prowess in navigating the competitive landscape.

Cameron Neal opted for a hand-trap based strategy, emphasizing consistency and adaptability.
With a focus on maximizing the utility of Diabellstar the Black Witch and leveraging Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye, Neal demonstrated a keen understanding of the meta and secured a strong finish in the tournament.

Andres David Torres offered a counter-pick strategy with his Branded Despia deck, capitalizing on the meta dominance of Snake-Eyes.
His inclusion of Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon and Gimmick Puppet Nightmare provided unique solutions to common threats, earning him a place among the top contenders.

Witness the pinnacle of competitive dueling prowess. Don’t blink, or you might miss the next legendary play!

The Sources to each Event have been posted on our Website under “TCG Tournament Reports” Category.