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Nowadays, free-to-play doesn’t necessarily mean the game will always be so. In many cases, one has to pay money if they want to actually enjoy the game and have a real chance of victory against other players. Before it launched, it was assumed that Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel would be the same. Card games are practically tailor-made for the sorts of nickel and diming practices that’ve more or less come to define the “free-to-play” model. Yet, it hasn’t worked out that way. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (from now just Master Duel)has turned out to be very friendly to free players; so much so that it’s not only possible to make several high-tier decks at no cost, it’s actually kind of easy. It’s just a matter of using one’s resources carefully.
Getting Started and Making the First Deck
Master Duel starts players off with many opportunities to gain lots of free gems and cards. All one has to do to build a sizable starting pool of both is choose their preferred starter deck, complete the tutorial and run through a few of the solo gates. Building a strong initial deck is important too, as it’ll need to be strong if one is going to use it to earn more gems in ranked play. Ideally, that deck should also be relatively cheap to make so that one’s gems and craft points (CP) can be spent on other, more interesting decks later.
One such such is called “Monarchs.” It’s actually a rather powerful deck when played well, and most of its core cards can be obtained just by completing the “The Absolute Monarch” Chaos Gate. It may take new players some time to learn how to use it properly, but doing so is worth the effort since this deck has proven effective in just about every ranked and exhibition mode seen in the game thus far. It also happens to be rather fun to play with. Still, it probably won’t be long before one starts wanting to use something different. Now it might be tempting to throw just everything one has into building their ideal deck, but don’t do it. Without taking proper care, it’s possible to burn through all one’s resources and still have only a partially complete deck.
Cost-Effective Building
The one thing a Master Duel player should never do is buy Master Packs. These draw from the game’s entire card pool, making the chances of getting what one wants rather low. Instead, it’s better to plan the deck first, learn which Secret Packs all of the SR and UR cards come from and then buy those packs instead. To start, choose one Secret Pack to focus on and then craft justoneof its SR cards to unlock it. Doing this will drastically increase the chances of pulling important SRs and URs and help save CP for those cards that cannot be easily pulled from packs.
Don’t just buy packs until all of the needed SRs and URs are pulled either. Instead, buy one or two sets of ten packs and then check the deck’s progress. Carefully think about whether or not multiple copies of each card are truly needed, and consider whether other, already-obtained cards could be decent substitutes. If there are none, then look for lower rarity cards with weaker versions of the same effect. Honestly, decks don’t necessarily need to be 100 percent optimized in order to perform well.
Before continuing to buy packs, verify to check the secret packs again and see if a different one contains more of the required cards. Once most of the deck-specific cards have been obtained, it’s time to look at staples and generic use cards. It probably goes without saying that collecting staples is perhaps the most efficient use of resources since they can be used in practically any deck.
Still, it’s not necessarily a good idea to just go and make a bunch of them all at once. Instead, think carefully about which will best complement the deck. Does it need more draw power? Then something like Maxx C or Pot of Prosperity is a good choice. Does it need more ability to disrupt? Then cards such as Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Solemn Judgement or Infinite Impermanence will be good additions (especially since at least one copy can be obtained without crafting). Keeping the next deck in mind while crafting these will help save resources too.
The same goes for extra deck staples like Knightmare Phoenix, Linkuriboh or I:P Masquerena. They’re all useful in a lot of decks, but they might not be worth making if they don’t directly contribute to the deck’s main strategies. Basically, prioritize the cards that will be the most effective in the current deck. This should be enough to create a decent, workable deck without using up all of one’s resources. Besides, decks can always be built up later, and there’s always the chance of pulling more staples while building other ones.
Mixing and Matching
Another method of saving resources is building mixed decks instead of immediately jumping into entirely new archetypes. If one starts with an archetype they’ve already built out a bit, then it’ll take a many fewer gems and CPs to complete than a new deck otherwise would. Depending on the mix, one could start with anywhere from fifty to eighty percent of the deck already obtained. In this way, one can ease their way into new kinds of decks rather than having to start fresh. It also has the added benefit of freeing up resources for more staples should one desire them. It only takes two or three decks made this way to drastically expand one’s pool of cards and deck building options, all the while ensuring that gems and CPs remain available for valuable cards should the need arise.
Of course, there is still some chance involved when building decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. One is not guaranteed to pull all of the cards they want, and they also can’t count on pulling other SRs/URs to dismantle either. This is why it’s so important to use what onedoeshave to its maximum effect. With careful planning, reasonable spending, smart crafting and patience most of all, one can have a blast making all sorts of decks without ever spending a dime. Yeah it takes some work and more time, but that’s just the price of seeking a true free-to-play experience, isn’t it?
