its not about it being true or not, its just a thing to call other people that share your hobby/interest but want to feel superior to them, at least for many people. It mostly comes in a negative term when its directed at someone.
I get tired of these people who think Casual Players do not understand the game, just because they enjoy playing the game in a way that isnt super competitive doesnt mean they dont want to understand the new decks and cards and learn high level strategy. Gatekeeping the game and Discussion about it is one of the many reasons people don't want to play this game. The community needs to be more welcoming to players of all types.
I've been playing yugioh with my nephew lately and he's been getting really good at the game really fast. We started by playing with speed duel cards just to help him learn, then we progressed into more modern cards with some old decks I had, until we finally played with some optimized modern decks I have, and I gotta say, new yugioh just isn't fun. We played a bunch of duels and ending duels in turn 3 is just no fun, going second player just gets no chance to play. When we play with older decks it's always a multi turn back and forth Full of strategy and decision making.
Exactly and my personal enjoyment revolves around trying to get a high rank with a "lesser powered deck" that whatever the modern archetype is that will get easy wins with less effort. Does not mean I do not understand the modern decks as I have to study them to push my deck to a level that can rival them. At the end of the day too even though I have no problem playing modern Yu-Gi-Oh! I still prefer older formats even those between edision and goat that does not get its own recognition, because their style of slower paced formats is always fun and even a newbie can find instant enjoyment and a place in it.
And these hard-core competitors are the reason Rush Duel is not coming outside of Japan. They think any format that's not TCG is illegitimate. Speed Duel, Duel Links, Master Duel, Heart of the Underdog and even Time Wizard formats are all illegitimate, and don't deserve the attention or the play time. And that makes me mad bc I want to play Elemental HEROES in Rush Duel, and all I can do is wait for them to be added into Duel Links, if the game is still gonna be around by then.
@@andrewrowland1989 Ok but let's be honest here, Rush duel has to be kept its own thing. That's like not yugioh tbh; reminds me of when pokemon introduced dynamaxing. It even has the same name I think.
Like 95% don't I been playing since the beginning n play over 25 events and talk to both n most casuals don't they be wrong with ban list or how they try fix the game why most say to them shut up and the reason he make this because he one now and most ppl who watch this channel don't know he wasn't always one
I don’t know how anyone could think you are “just” a casual player because Team APS puts out casual-oriented or casual-friendly content. It’s what makes your channel actually entertaining and accessible. I’ve been “out of” the game since I went to college in 2006 and couldn’t find people to play with, but you and your friends are a big part of what’s been drawing me back in.
Here in the OCG, a lot of guys, (I mean A LOT) are casual players who only use pet decks, and they make majority of the locals. They make the chunk of the purchases and ironically, they are the ones Konami doesn't want to piss off lol.
If a game caters to the Cas group they will gain money but of they do that with the comp group they will lose so much more. Look at halo 5 that's a great example, I loved halo reach but it wasn't big on the mlg 5 however was, reach is remember and loved while 5...shouldn't exist. 5 has so many more problems but that's why it didn't last long for the rest
i watch this channel because i feel like you capture the essence of what makes yugioh enjoyable in the first place, which is primarily the characters, the style, the anime, etc. while also discussing important and very real issues with the game itself. yugioh is an amazing franchise in terms of aesthetics and flair, but the actual management of the game at a practical level leaves a lot to be desired. you manage to balance relevant discussion with genuine passion for the game, which comes across to me at least.
Seriously, I used to be very well versed in the meta back in day, but I still played rogue decks or lower because that's what was fun for me. I played casually but that didn't mean I was a casual dueler. Still got a top 32 finish in a 500+ man tournament once. Even though I was playing a rogue deck I still needed to understand all the top decks so I could beat them properly
I'm about a year into my tcg journey. Your channel was what inspired me to switch to tcg in person after learning the game from master duel. I attended UK nationals last week and I have my invite and am attending EUWCQ next month. I've become a competitive player in a short amount of time but your videos were the main reason I picked up real cards. The entry level content was important for introducing me to the tcg, but now I mainly appreciate the conversations had on this channel. There needs to be content on both ends of the spectrum so I say just keep doing what you're doing cos it worked for me.
Paul is not a casual player lol, he's casual friendly. I'm a casual old school player but i started with magic so seeing yugioh as it is now is a bit disheartening. I like back and fourth turns around 6-10 turn games.
It's difficult being a casual friendly person in a game that clearly believes casuals will never actually want to engage with the game past simply buying the cards.
@@MadDragonifyI haven't seen a competitive level of play in any game that lasts more than 5 or 6 turns without an actual hard limit on how many actions you take in a turn. Not resources, but hard limits. Like 1 summon at all or one card activation. Tons of top tier Magic the Gathering play usually ends in a decided game by turn 4 or 5. It may not be over, but a lock may be in place by a control player and the opponent has no access to any cards to free themselves
@@ShadowReaver573 even the most competitive decks of the 2002 to 2005 era couldnt close the game that fast. You could get lucky and top deck delinquent duo, but even then there is enough leniency to turn the game around. Seems like 15 to 20 turns.. An extremely good top deck game could end in like 5 turns but even then, it was too easy to disrupt the steam rolling player and string the game out more and turn it around.
This video definitely hits the nail on the head with the perception of casual players. I've been on and off with the community myself for a bit, only diving back into it full on right after the release of Genesis Impact when I got the Drytron core and ran with that deck in every locals I could and saw reasonable success with it until switching to Branded for a while. I'm definitely considering myself "casual" at this point because of all of the issues with product, powercreep, game balance and Konami's lack of communication, and I think the ideas coming from the casual community can really do some good for the overall game, especially since the casual base is the largest audience FOR Yu-Gi-Oh. You can play the game casually, but still know a lot about it and do research, and get into the nitty gritty of the game you love even if you don't top a YCS, or if you're playing Tier 3-4 decks, but that doesn't invalidate your knowledge or feelings of the game, and I think that divide, along with Konami's backwards process with how they themselves treat the game is leaving a bad taste in players' mouths right now. Just my own take on it, but I feel like we'd play the game the same way: casual when we want to be, and competitive when we need to be, and I think that should be the healthy balance. That and accessible cards and product, but that's a whole different can of worms I could write a whole essay about.
Here's something about me. I am a casual competitor. Oxymoronic as that statement is, it's true. I pay attention to the banlists, the new cards coming, understanding new and powerful strategies/decks, learning what strengths and weaknesses decks have, suffering on the Master Duel ladder trying to break out of Platinum (because I just can't seem to do it,) that kind of thing. But I'm also very much a kitchen table player, just throwing the banlist and census on competitive strats out the window and tossing what I think is a fun deck together to slug it out with one of my best friends who is also a player who shares my sentiments. Until people see that aspect of the game, there will be so many misconceptions about not only you, but every other yugituber out there, from TGSAnime to MBT. It is possible to pay attention to the competition side and be a casual about this game. In the end, despite the fact I get worked up about losing, I know it's just a children's game about shiny cardstock with ultimately meaningless numbers printed on the bottom. Yugioh is a competitive game by nature, but it's also meant to be enjoyed by little 6 year old Timmy on the playground with a deck he threw together in his pocket wrapped in a rubber band. It's a rough balance to achieve, and while there are misgivings and criticisms to be levied against Konami for their game's management, I overall think the game has that balance. It's just the fact the competitive players have more say in the health of the game, because they have the disposable income to throw money at the game they love, but then again they trash it every chance they get. The community around this game is both welcoming and ruthless.
How can anyone listen to your more serious vids for a few minutes and think you're CASUAL?! You clearly know what you're talking about and have meaningful comments to make about the state of the game. I didn't know you played regionals tho. That's real street cred. ✊🏽
The way I see it, people who try to pull the “you’re just a casual” cars are either new viewers or viewers who don’t know your history with the game. Your knowledge helped me back when I was actively playing and improved my play heaps when I was starting to play in events
Thank you so much Paul for making this video and sharing your insight. I have a similar background within the duel mosnster’s TCG: I grew up watching the anime, got all the starter and structure decks, played all the OG play Station games (Duelists of the Roses was so original and I had tons of hours invested in it!) but I also traveled everywhere with my game boy games. I got a duel disk when they first came out (still have it) and I STILL TO THIS DAY travel with my deck with me - because as a fan of the anime, and as an overall Nerd - I Like to be prepared in case the rare hunters or the shadow riders ever show up. 😅 My little sister and I were HUGE into the lore around this card game I taught her how to play and we played the video games together. And there was a really tangible bond that we developed over this game - whether we were playing casually, or heading over to our local park to duel with our duel disks - the game was fun, and ultimately isn’t that the purpose of “playing a game”? As I entered middle school the game got more competitive and forced me to really reexamine my deck and play style- I mean the nature of the game was competitive enough but then you hit the school yard and kids played for keeps! So It really helped my to balance how to play at a more competitive level and help me to really appreciate the freedom of a casual game. High school was the peak for me with GX and then 5D’s I knew Synchro Summoning was going to usher in a whole new era of OP power creep and I really wasn’t looking forward to it. So in 2009 I left Yu-Gi-Oh for Magic: the gathering (And honestly, I think it is the far superior game - with more ways to express myself through a deck and play on a competitive level and a casual level - with the same cards! But anyway, I recently (2024) got back into rewatching the anime, the abridged series (lol 😂), and playing Master duel and Duel links . . . And it just makes me sad. The game is so overpowered now with turn 2 wins and turn 1 lock downs - that is just not fun to play anymore. Plus link summons and XYZ summons have gotten stupid out of hand and contact fusions have taken the fun and challenge out of the fusion deck player. So it’s kinda toxic to play against other players as everyone on master duel seems to be playing the same 3 or 4 decks. And hand traps???!!!!!!???!???! Have completely ruined the game. It’s no longer what’s on the field that counts what cards are in play - now you have to worry about your opponent playing cards from their hand? What is this - Magic? No, for me if I’m looking for a duel monsters kick I will watch your videos (love the rare hunter series!) Or I will play duel links against the AI or Tag duel for the PSP but sadly the 4 paper decks I’ve kept since high school haven’t been shuffled in over a decade! It makes me sad, because I grew up with the game and I have a lot of golden tinged memories surrounding the show and my cards - I put my soul into those decks and I believe in the heart of the cards - but there is only so much a duelist can take when the opponent sitting across from them is special summoning 6 - 11 monsters during their turn and your 7 minutes into the game and I haven’t even gotten to draw a card yet. So thank you for sharing your love for the game and your own experience. Maybe I’ll see you in a battle city - if we ever get a city wide duel disk tournament! 😅
Returning back to the game and learning the landscape has been a challenge but I honestly still love the game. I like learning new things in general. So relearning how to play and compete in today’s climate, has been very rewarding to the time I be putting in reading, watching, and practicing decks in my spare time. I also find it extremely funny between the differences playing on Master duel, online, and in real life.
As someone who's been (silently) critical of this channel for how much of it feels negative (not just you, but most of Yugitube is this way), it's always been clear to me that it comes from a place of loving Yu-Gi-Oh at every level and wanting the best for it.
yeah. Pretty much all of the criticism coming from the big Yugitubers is just them yelling at the brick wall that is Konami, hoping that they can make some changes to help bring in more players so there's more competition, diversity in strategies, presentation, and events.
I started playing yugioh with a couple of friends when I was 9 or 10...getting a buster pack back then was a lot of illusion for a little boy, my deck was a compendium of cool cards with cool illustrations and the amazing and powerful cards from the tv show...I left the game when I was 15 and sold all my collection. 15 years later, two years ago from this day, some friends convinced me to play Yugioh again. I bought two copies of a dinosaur structure deck and I was really excited because my deck looked cool as hell with the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, a new card for me, and I absolutely loved it...a couple months later, my dinosaur deck is full with non dinosaur related cards, fairy-angel guys with blue hair and fox girls that are more important than any of my dinosaurs because they help me stop my opponent from playing a 10 to 15 minutes first turn resulting in a board that stops me from actually playing the game...and the card that let me survive and maybe win one or two duels, wish also cost me a big bunch of money just for one copy, got banned. My big bad cool dinosaurs became nothing against a deck of frikin frogs and disney mermaid princess. Then the new dinosaur support arrived and guess what? i don't even know where to begin. I built a Red Eyes deck, my favourite monster from the show...but immidiately learned that it was a "fun deck" , not even worth bringing to my friends if I don't combine those beautiful red eyed black dragons with something called "branded" or some "bystials"...and a bunch of cards unrelated with the archetype. All my friends turned into the competitive side of yugioh, the game I loved when I was a kid wasn't fun anymore... I have like 4 copies of each Egyptian God, my wildest child hood dream...and they are worthless. I left the game last year because I wasn't having fun. I still follow yugitubers, waiting for something that makes me dust off my decks...but nah. I play other TCG's and found more fun and a better community than the one I found in yugioh. Sad stuff, man.
I started watching Team APS for the wonderful and fun content. It captured what I love about Yu-Gi-Oh! Having fun with your friends. I also absolutely loved the Larry in the Hole series. If people come to this channel or Team APS for competitive content they are in a place I wouldn't really point to first. If you want to know how to have fun playing the game, I surely would point them Here/Team APS. On a side note, I would love to see You and the Guys do a video / series where you Teach someone, or come up with a better teaching duel than the two-player starter set. As for what kind of player I am, I attend locals and I play Master Duel almost every day, I rank climb, I do every event they put out. I love the game, but I also love playing fun matches with friends where we do a simulated draft, or a different format (edison, goat, highlander.)
I'm a casual competitive player. I still play to win so I try to be as competitive as possible. But I play every once in awhile which makes me a casual. So when people say to me "Oh you don't know what you're talking about cause you don't go to Regionals or Locals" I just laugh in their face because that argument is a fallacy. Lately I been seeing on the Master Duel Subreddit where people make dumb arguments against Stun decks, then I go and use that argument against their combo deck. Then people say that I'm wrong for that, yet they can't prove that I am wrong as combo decks are literally stun decks with extra steps.
Yeah, I hear you Paul. A lot of people think the same about me because I'm a budget casual player. The thing they don't understand is that I've been playing since this game was first released here in North America back in 2002. I even used to be a Judge for Upper Deck when they were in charge of Yu-Gi-Oh in North America. I used to be a huge part of the competitive scene and I didn't stop until 2011-2012. Thats the point that I started becoming more of a casual player because it felt better and more fun, and much cheaper. The casual experience is so much better than the competitive scene. I still go to locals sometimes to keep my skill level up cause playing the same people in your casual Playgroup gets stale sometimes and you have to challenge yourself.
It's like a 1 on 1 talk with you and I love it it's Ted talk but with Paul instead . You're just discussing with us about stuff that's on most of our minds and it's awesome
I got into YuGiOh the same as you in 2002 with starter deck YuGiOh Yugi and kaiba haha. Although I only got back into it about 3 years ago. Anyway you have one of the more fun channels. You guys aren’t rude, immature or know it alls. Keep doing what you’re doing 💯 I can’t stand master duel tho 😭 I’ve tried and tried but I have no fun. I’m more of a collector but I do keep up with the meta game
I agree with everything you said. I’m definitely a casual but like barely casual player. Really the expectation that people have getting into the game forget that exactly that it’s a GAME. I know a lot of people want to win too but I feel it’s more about the time you spend with friends and just getting to figure out how to break boards and get through stuff. Really appreciate that you opened up with this!! It makes me feel better about my yugioh experience! Definitely have jump back in it!
My friends and I picked it up again in high school around 2010/11. It was really fun at first until each game became us rules lawyering every card each turn and going through paragraphs of text on our strongest cards. I stopped when I realized how little fun the game got for me, which was a shame because I loved the anime and playing when it first released. Now I'm happy to see the videos you and the team put out to get updates on cards that have released over the years. I am curious about what modern meta duels look like and it would be cool to get more content that explains that. Either way, never doubted your credentials or that of the team. The way you guys pick up and play with random decks/cards and the obvious knowledge you have when discussing cards/decks is so impressive. Your move, duelist
One of the main reasons i follow Paul and his merry band of duelists is because they all have crazy insights especially Trell. However one thing that has been made clear from this video is that Paul clearly understands as much and tries to come at the issues facing Yugioh from a different angle. I think that is one of the reasons why i followed / subscribed to Team APS and this channel. Because the skits were hilarious and the topics on this channel are pretty engaging. I would say i definitely anime fan / casual however i will say i never really got out of my comfort zone to actually understand what KIND of player i am in this game. Master Duel love it or hate has given people a opportunity to try things and obviously everyone needs a deck that can win so they can get gems. I think it is good way of trying something and realizing i am more of a control type player as opposed to a swarm player or whatever. Not to say Master Duel is the only way you can figure this out more so it gives you enough things to try to see what you could potentially like. My favorite thing that Trell said was about if you play for Fun then do that however the opponents view on Fun might be doing something that you might view as not fun or something along those lines. Regardless thanks for the insight Paul and Pass turn :D
I love Paul! Fun drinking game. Take a drink every time Paul goes into his head voice where the pitch of his speech jumps real high then drops back down. LOL love you bro. This is the only Yu-Gi-Oh channel I follow and its because of you guys.
I think people are just mistaking your excitement and real passion about the game and anime for being casual. Many people just see YGO as just another thing to be overly competitive and tryhardy at not appreciating the heart and soul of it. To them the cards might as well have generic names and no pictures just an effect box and it wont change their experience.
@@spyro2002 it just sucks, I wish i had half the passion Paul has for YGO for anything honestly. It really brightens my day how he loves talking YGO and then people come around and say he doesnt know what hes talking about like brother please.
Paul and I went to the same locals for years, and he was always respected as a serious player. Don't sleep! oh, and Paul- I don't play anymore but I still keep up with your channel. Happy to see your growth and I hope all is well with you and the rest of the guys.
The hardest thing about modern Yugioh is how fast and punishing it is. You can’t make a mistake in any game or you might just lose the match. I remember losing a match because game 3 I chose to use Flamberge to summon IP instead of waiting for him to trigger my field spell. He chained cosmic and I ultimately ran outta steam. Another match I lost but looking back the correct play was really complex and involved holding imperm and playing into the ash blossom that I correctly read into even though it’s a mirror match and that meant leaving a more open board. But hindsight I feel like that would have won me that match. There’s a lot of situations like that where you must play perfect just to win games or give yourself a chance, when playing perfect isn’t always straightforward. I mention all this to say that I wish the overall ceiling of the meta game could be lowered enough to where if I can’t stop my opponent completely from comboing off, I won’t feel so far out of it. You don’t always draw 2-3 hand traps + engine, and opening one hand trap in today’s meta doesn’t often cut it anymore. Then you get into the frustration of not having enough space in some potential decks to maintain high consistency and enough hand traps to reasonably see two consistently enough.
I’m at the early awkward stage of finding what I like in master duel, played a lot of duel links a while ago and before that had a starter deck when the original series was on tv, it’s hard to know where to invest gems in master duel to not regret my choice and be stuck
I'm super casual. I started late last year, only playing master duel but enjoying it a lot. Got a traptrix deck in paper but I've never had a chance to use it since none of my friends play and as a woman I'm wary of playing in card shops. Doesn't help that the only one with yugioh tournaments is on the other side of the city.
I've been wanting to get back into Yu-Gi-Oh after a 20 year hiatus. I'd like to find someone like him to show me the ropes of how exactly the game is played these days.
I think the misconception is just that people don’t understand that a player can be both casual and competitive at times, and making casual YGO contents doesn’t mean the content creator themselves have zero idea about how the game works competitively. Also Paul, I’d like to suggest a topic for these “Paul talks” videos: “The negative attitude TCG players have towards OCG players”, because this is something I keep hearing about, people calling OCG players this and that because “oh obviously they are bad because they still play a format with 3 Maxx C”. I’d like to hear what you have to say on this.
I checked out of Yugioh around the pendulums I loved building decks and dueling at locals. I bailed but your team aps videos for years have been a pleasant experience I enjoy the content you and your team do. I always thought you all know your stuff. I may not play anymore but keep up the cool good work.
It would go exactly like any other duel you've seen between those decks. Long combos, short games, and without much talking or laughing because we'd be locked in.
Good job with the single take video, you are a good communicator and ought to keep it up as an ambassador for this game. If I didn't see you on Tolarian Community then check out your Team APS videos I would not have had my interest piqued in Yu-gi-oh in and I'd still be a condescending MTG chauvinist. Now I've slapped together 4 decks and show up at my LGS events, it would never have happened if I didn't come across your content.
I will admit that I would like to see some more competitive type videos from team aps rather than just the random idea duels we've been getting, I want to see sweaty plays more often
Just wanted to say that I respect you alot, Paul I got into Yugioh around 2014 and your videos and people in the team aps facebook group helped me alot
I'm primarily casual and build casual decks for myself. This is nice because when I play with friends, we use proxies or create our own formats. We also use the Dueling book to play if we can't afford a specific deck and want to play right now. The competitive scene is fun when you're online, but I mostly only go to an LGS to look for cards and not play. Another way I've been enjoying the franchise is by playing the older games. Eternal Duelist Soul on the GBA was a great way to relive some older formats and my version of Yugioh as a kid. Side note:* Buying manga and artbooks has also been an outlet. Enjoying the art in the books and just buying cards for the art is fun as well.
Low key fun video idea is take a low tier deck you have and add all the generic cards your heart wants vs one of your high tier decks but remove all cards that aren’t from the archetype itself. Would be fun to see since some meta decks really are more relaxed than people realize.
I may not play yugioh but I do LOVE tcgs (and even have made some in the past) but even tho I don't actively play this tcg I do love hearing about it and watching videos going over the game and so I appreciate what you're doing here and keep up the great content!
Very much agree with a lot of what you said and not one to go into the competitive scene as I am a more casual player. You always mention the decks that you currently play, what are some older decks that you still run?
I have a somewhat related unrelated question for anyone reading, including Paul: How would you enforce a "Pure deck" tournament? Because I know even for a pure deck you would use some non-archetype cards but how much is too much? I think it would be fun having pure deck tournaments but maybe it would be too hard/subjective to enforce
I agree with a lot of this video. I stopped playing once covid hit, I got back into it because of your channel. I found enjoyment in goat format with a couple of my friends. As a casual player it was hard to play the game for fun. So the fact that I was able to return to something that I have always enjoyed as a kid and growing up watching yugioh 5ds makes me really happy. So I would like to thank you for encouraging me to get back into the game and to give it a chance once more.
I watch your videos exactly because your opinions are well thought out, I’m kind of stuck in a weird liminal space for Yugioh: I want to play Yugioh but I don’t want to be too invested, especially because product can be expensive! I play a lot of Speed Duel, we have about 10-15 people show up every week and it feels a lot more INTERACTIVE than standard Yugioh. I like playing strong decks but my budget doesn’t allow it, recently I also discovered HAT and Edison format and they appeal to me and I feel I should try it. I feel like Yugioh caters a lot to its competitive audience and it struggles a bit to the people who like it casually or who want to get into it but are afraid. Speed Duel scratches this itch and it’s fun because you can teach new players. These older formats are fun too because they aren’t completely busted (at least not to today’s level). I crave for a Yugioh that is more strategic, slower, and not completely degenerate and can beat you in one turn. I miss setting a trap card. I’m tired of omni-negate boss monsters or cards that do everything on summon (pop a backrow, clear the board, etc.) I crave for more interaction and less “my card can do everything, gg” At the end of the day, I understand that the meta is something that I don’t have to keep up with but i do want to try decks especially older formats, and occasionally new decks. But I want to view Yugioh like you do, less as a product that we have to consume, but rather a game that has something for everyone Cheers 💙
I must say it hurt when i heard people were calling you a casual because i listened to your pre duel conversations, and one of them randomly popped into my head, reminding me, yeah. You're very much a competitive player
Getting newer players into the game has been my mission for the past few years. I used to be heavily competitive as well… but it’s not gonna be fun if we don’t have players!
I like learning all the new decks and seeing what they can do, and I like the different events MD keeps trying out as well. As a fun challenge, each of you could get a kettlebell and instead of taking damage you have to do a KB swing per 100LP points that otherwise would be taken. Playing different builds of Tempi dragons. If the amount of damage exceeds the number of swings a player can do without stopping they lose. Each person would have to have a different weight KB in relation to there own body weight. A fitness instructor might be required for safety, but overlooking that I think it would be a fun and entertaining challenge that could lead to real quick fitness gains. My friend group always found ways of avoiding this and as such I do 80 kb swings each time I lose in MD one tricking a deck that is far from meta.
I think something else that may have confused people is there had been some videos where some people were addressed as being more in the competitive scene and because that was addressed, the assumption is everyone else in the video is a casual player. Admittedly this confused me which is why I mentioned it. Of course that doesn't make it right to call you names though. Very interesting video, I feel I learnt a lot about you. I always thought you was more in the middle as you not only upload old school style duels but also skits and other videos that have competitive terms. When I started watching your videos, I always like the skits, back then I was a competitive player, however since link monsters I stopped playing and your old school duels really helped me get back into yugioh in a whole new way. I don't think it matters if you or anyone is a casual or competitive player, what I did know however is you are a yugioh fan that makes really good videos. Back when I first watched you and even up till now, you've made great videos and there has only been improvements. So thank you for the hours of entertainment and please continue to provide. You'll always be the best yugioh youtuber to me, I know I don't comment much, but i'm still enjoying the content.
From what iv observed meta players care more about winning then having fun. lets be honest, winning in just a few turns aint fun, i dont care what anyone says
It is fun though because you can open absolutely terrible and top deck the exact card to break a board and create a gamestate where you're forcing them to have to try rebuild what they lost whole being able to contest what they do and have follow-up because you punished them for going too much gas or not understanding what you could be playing
Casual vs hardcore that's just a frequency. Like I'll play Master Duel every now and then; I'll pay attention to what the meta cards are because those are what increase your odds of winning the most, and I learn my deck how to play it and as I play over time its strengths and weaknesses.
Hi Paul! Great video. I love how you have such an extensive history playing the game. I have a similar upbringing in Yugioh except I quit from 2012-2022ish. Would you agree though that there isn’t too much aps content for competitive players or do I miss these posts/videos?
I appreciate your content Paul and the dedication you have for the game. There was a period of time where it was “uh oh yugiboomer Paul is ranting again” but that was a tier 0 format and it was a few videos in a row one about hating hand traps and another about not letting your opponent play the game. And it was sort of negative for x amount of videos in a row and that turned me off from the channel I tiny bit. I obviously always come back because I enjoy the content and all but for awhile there I needed a break myself
Im a player that plays for fun and the creativity of deck building, Im testing adamancipator variants and am now testing adam spright, I find yugioh fun because its not too slow where it takes 3+ turns to get something noteworthy on board nor has games go 45 minutes plus for a match although there are the outliers
I love your hot takes man lol. They do come from a place of love for the game. We all know you have a huge passion for it. I'm surprised you're not burnt out yet. For the last question, I guess I'm casual. it started when my cousin gave me a starter deck Yugi deck and watching the anime. I had no sleeves and when I did get some from friends, they were all different colors and I used a rubber band since I was pretty poor. Later on, I kinda stole money from my mom to buy the old Endymion structure deck and combined it with dark magician. I only played at school since I had no transportation to go to locals and biking was a little far. Stopped when synchros came out and focused on college but I played on ygopro sometimes in class and focused on dark magician updates lol. Still kept up with the anime and manga, loved the magician girls from the movie and wanted to make them good. Now I have a full time job with a weird work schedule but I plan to make my magician girl deck a reality and go to locals for the first time now that I have money by the end of this year as a 32 year old guy. Duel links was fun, can't remember why I quit and played a lot of master duel but working as a nurse has been draining. Never got higher than diamond. Been trying to keep up with other tcgs like pokemon, one piece, digimon too but even though yugioh just hits different or maybe because the waifus keep me interested. :)
It because you Paul your channel of yugioh content got me back in yugioh I like your insight on the game and l like be casual yugioh card player for fun and I have couple starter decks i bought that you recommend one your videos and just still learning how to play and more your videos on how to play different decks which fit for me
I watch your content for the casual videos mostly, but I like the insightful takes as well. It seems like it's very difficult to really put a label on yugioh players because of the game's history in general though. I view myself mostly as a boomer, I played the game on the floor with cards out of a shoebox using sheets of paper and pennies as life point charts back in the day with whatever I got out of a few packs and a gamestop structure deck. I thought I was the smartest cookie around by using future fusion to dump blue eyes white dragon so I could then monster reborn it. Now I still don't quite see myself as a competitive player, I don't travel to regionals or YCSs or anything, but I play the game often and well at locals or in MD. Hell, I even help run online tournaments. And even though I fall for the boomer bait cards like gate guardian or genex, I like some modern decks and tend to switch it up a lot - most recently I've been having fun with sky striker and live twin spright. I feel like it's not unusual for people to have played this game both now and 15-20 years ago, and considering those are basically two different games entirely, you can have an internal switch to shift into those different gameplay styles. It's not that binary
One thing I think people forget is more casual content is usually more fun to watch as the decks vary a lot more or have more twists like tag duels (Still hoping for a remaster of the old psp games ) where as modern competitive Yugioh is the same few decks dominating usually . And as a more casual player and the state of Yugioh I’d prefer it if you were limited to only one special summon action a turn . I think it would make traps which summon more viable and make the game pace a bit better imo .
I'm a very casual fan of the game. Played only the video games strictly but I have bought a hundred cards or so only for collection. Duel links is the sweet spot for me, played it back when it first got released and didn't stick with it for long, now just got back to it mainly for nostalgia but also how intimidating master duel is for me.
I have had fun both being competitive, but I also enjoy being casual. As a personal preference, I lean to Rogue tiers because I really enjoy decks that feel strong but not unfair. Additionally, I enjoy the challenge of facing and beating meta decks with my tier 2 or 3 deck (even if it's not frequent). I feel like the game is fun, its unique and unlike other TCGs, it's pedal to the metal the whole time, which is a pace that I really enjoy. All of that said, I understand that it is a difficult game to learn. It sometimes feels expensive to keep up with and sometimes a deck will dominate a format for entirely too long and if it's not your cup of tea, it's really easy to feel suffocated. I've seen a lot of players leave for that reason. As a person who loves this game, I do my best at my locals to breathe life into it as best as I can. I try to organize "theme" nights (which are much like the events on Master Duel). These nights give players a chance to play different decks that what's "strong" right now, and for a lot of us, it gives us a chance to show off our pet decks. I honestly think Konami could benefit a lot from running with similar ideas. I think Edison and Goat and all are fun, but if those are the only alt formats you run, they will eventually lead to player burnout there as well. I really appreciate what you do by calling attention to both the good and bad in the game, Paul. As someone who also loves this game, it's nice to see someone who can stand back and look at it all objectively.
I became absolutely infatuated with the series when it was new and I was a wee little lad, but I never was able to really play the physical game at the time. I dealt with the playground rules dueling a few friends at the time, but that was never good enough for me. after having no interest in any aspect of the series for 16 years, I got back into the game at the top of 2022 when some of my current friends picked up Duel Links and later Master Duel. from there, I splurged on numerous cards, many of which were not meta at the time. now, I've built a few decks that I really like, and I have hundreds of hours in Master Duel, but I've never brought the RL decks to bear against anyone other than a few of my friends. I'm looking to change that soon by finally dropping in to my local card shop to play a few games...after I buy a Horus package and an S:P that is lol
A lot of people have a hard time believing that some players actually enjoy having fun with yugioh, and can sit between the lines; either playing alternate formats, or just crafting and having fun with friends, drafting, bulk decking or whatever. While still holding a great enjoyment or at least passion for the competitive scene.
I would say I'm different levels of competitive in different formats - I mostly play edison at locals and whenever there are bigger tournaments. I also play semi-competitively in master duel (sometimes I'll try to grind the ladder but most of the time just play to try different decks) as well as going to a couple tcg events with a budget deck. On the whole, I don't really like the tcg because of how combo intensive turns can be, and how products come out so often its hard to keep up
I know where your coming from lol because I'm a casual player myself but that doesn't mean I don't know what's going on the meta side or how the mechanics work ... I played competitive as well and I got pretty far but for me its fun knowing I could if I put more effort ... Playing decks that I think have some cool gimmicks and trying to make that as competitive as possible feels really rewarding... Yu-Gi-Oh is very complex but the key to being a good duelist is understanding the cards ruling, timing, and assembling a balanced deck wether it's meta or casual
The modern game is too fast for me, I'd love to see you share your awesome knowledge in a "how to start master duel in 2024" type video. I've had it installed for months but it's so daunting to start it
_Black-hearted evil!_
_Brave-hearted hero!_
_I am all, I am all I am!_ 🎶
I'm interested in Paul's relationship to Sonic 🤔
based Shadow the Hedgehog enjoyer. TERRIBLE game, amazing sound track 😂
The game is S-Tier. What are you on?
"Damn, not here!"
LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOO
Paul is the bridge between sweaty comboers and casual anime duelists. Paul, the last Deck Bender.
Every video is a little bit different with you Paul
“This video will be a little different today” says it every video
One day I'm gonna test this and literally just upload a duplicate video lmao
Dude that'd be hilarious 😂please actually do that.@apsamplifier
@@apsamplifier I would notice i posted this comment in the minute(s) of you uploading the vid
Don’t reveal the sacred arts, keep them secret 😎😜🧡
It's kinda wild to say "you're just a casual" to a dude who's life is basically built on yugioh at this point
If your not a meta sweat 24/7 your a poser.😂
Same thing I’m saying
its not about it being true or not, its just a thing to call other people that share your hobby/interest but want to feel superior to them, at least for many people. It mostly comes in a negative term when its directed at someone.
Right
I get tired of these people who think Casual Players do not understand the game, just because they enjoy playing the game in a way that isnt super competitive doesnt mean they dont want to understand the new decks and cards and learn high level strategy. Gatekeeping the game and Discussion about it is one of the many reasons people don't want to play this game. The community needs to be more welcoming to players of all types.
I've been playing yugioh with my nephew lately and he's been getting really good at the game really fast. We started by playing with speed duel cards just to help him learn, then we progressed into more modern cards with some old decks I had, until we finally played with some optimized modern decks I have, and I gotta say, new yugioh just isn't fun.
We played a bunch of duels and ending duels in turn 3 is just no fun, going second player just gets no chance to play.
When we play with older decks it's always a multi turn back and forth Full of strategy and decision making.
Exactly and my personal enjoyment revolves around trying to get a high rank with a "lesser powered deck" that whatever the modern archetype is that will get easy wins with less effort. Does not mean I do not understand the modern decks as I have to study them to push my deck to a level that can rival them. At the end of the day too even though I have no problem playing modern Yu-Gi-Oh! I still prefer older formats even those between edision and goat that does not get its own recognition, because their style of slower paced formats is always fun and even a newbie can find instant enjoyment and a place in it.
And these hard-core competitors are the reason Rush Duel is not coming outside of Japan. They think any format that's not TCG is illegitimate. Speed Duel, Duel Links, Master Duel, Heart of the Underdog and even Time Wizard formats are all illegitimate, and don't deserve the attention or the play time. And that makes me mad bc I want to play Elemental HEROES in Rush Duel, and all I can do is wait for them to be added into Duel Links, if the game is still gonna be around by then.
@@andrewrowland1989
Ok but let's be honest here, Rush duel has to be kept its own thing.
That's like not yugioh tbh; reminds me of when pokemon introduced dynamaxing. It even has the same name I think.
Like 95% don't I been playing since the beginning n play over 25 events and talk to both n most casuals don't they be wrong with ban list or how they try fix the game why most say to them shut up and the reason he make this because he one now and most ppl who watch this channel don't know he wasn't always one
Those “casual” videos are the main reason I subscribed, I like that they are fun, easy to follow and I love the comedy in those videos.
Moral of the video:
Put some respect on my name! If you got a problem, catch me on the ranked ladder!
-Paul
Based Paul
People forget, Paul carried Jesse Kotton's master Duel team a couple months back
Paul has always been that guy. Silent Assassin!
I don’t know how anyone could think you are “just” a casual player because Team APS puts out casual-oriented or casual-friendly content. It’s what makes your channel actually entertaining and accessible. I’ve been “out of” the game since I went to college in 2006 and couldn’t find people to play with, but you and your friends are a big part of what’s been drawing me back in.
Here in the OCG, a lot of guys, (I mean A LOT) are casual players who only use pet decks, and they make majority of the locals. They make the chunk of the purchases and ironically, they are the ones Konami doesn't want to piss off lol.
If a game caters to the Cas group they will gain money but of they do that with the comp group they will lose so much more.
Look at halo 5 that's a great example, I loved halo reach but it wasn't big on the mlg 5 however was, reach is remember and loved while 5...shouldn't exist.
5 has so many more problems but that's why it didn't last long for the rest
i watch this channel because i feel like you capture the essence of what makes yugioh enjoyable in the first place, which is primarily the characters, the style, the anime, etc. while also discussing important and very real issues with the game itself. yugioh is an amazing franchise in terms of aesthetics and flair, but the actual management of the game at a practical level leaves a lot to be desired. you manage to balance relevant discussion with genuine passion for the game, which comes across to me at least.
Y'all sleeping Paul knows how to play this game if he doesn't know how to do anything else. He lives and breathes this game. Literally.
Seriously, I used to be very well versed in the meta back in day, but I still played rogue decks or lower because that's what was fun for me. I played casually but that didn't mean I was a casual dueler. Still got a top 32 finish in a 500+ man tournament once. Even though I was playing a rogue deck I still needed to understand all the top decks so I could beat them properly
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Paul"
Yami Paul
Yami Caleb would sent him to death realm😂@@shangothunder1055
meanwhile an entire tub full of unused card sleeves sits behind you... yeah i literally cant call you casual.
Bruh I didn't notice till I saw this comment 😂
They probably get sent a ton of free stuff that just lays around
less a "Yugioh misconception," and more a "Team APS misconception"(Paul specifically)
you right, I decided to change the title lol
Random commenters: pssh Paul is just a filthy casual
Paul: *absolutely clapped the reigning YCS champ at the 2nd MD Invitational*
🤔🤔
If your not a meta sweat 24/7 your a poser.😂
We’ll do a Dzeef title today, a throwback:
Commenters Don’t Understand Paul
I'm about a year into my tcg journey. Your channel was what inspired me to switch to tcg in person after learning the game from master duel. I attended UK nationals last week and I have my invite and am attending EUWCQ next month. I've become a competitive player in a short amount of time but your videos were the main reason I picked up real cards. The entry level content was important for introducing me to the tcg, but now I mainly appreciate the conversations had on this channel. There needs to be content on both ends of the spectrum so I say just keep doing what you're doing cos it worked for me.
Paul is not a casual player lol, he's casual friendly.
I'm a casual old school player but i started with magic so seeing yugioh as it is now is a bit disheartening. I like back and fourth turns around 6-10 turn games.
It's difficult being a casual friendly person in a game that clearly believes casuals will never actually want to engage with the game past simply buying the cards.
You can’t really have 6-10 turn games in a game with no resource system
@@MadDragonifyI haven't seen a competitive level of play in any game that lasts more than 5 or 6 turns without an actual hard limit on how many actions you take in a turn. Not resources, but hard limits. Like 1 summon at all or one card activation. Tons of top tier Magic the Gathering play usually ends in a decided game by turn 4 or 5. It may not be over, but a lock may be in place by a control player and the opponent has no access to any cards to free themselves
@@ShadowReaver573 even the most competitive decks of the 2002 to 2005 era couldnt close the game that fast.
You could get lucky and top deck delinquent duo, but even then there is enough leniency to turn the game around.
Seems like 15 to 20 turns.. An extremely good top deck game could end in like 5 turns but even then, it was too easy to disrupt the steam rolling player and string the game out more and turn it around.
@@MadDragonify Yes you can. Cards not going plus and stats being balanced based this perfectly possible.
This video definitely hits the nail on the head with the perception of casual players.
I've been on and off with the community myself for a bit, only diving back into it full on right after the release of Genesis Impact when I got the Drytron core and ran with that deck in every locals I could and saw reasonable success with it until switching to Branded for a while. I'm definitely considering myself "casual" at this point because of all of the issues with product, powercreep, game balance and Konami's lack of communication, and I think the ideas coming from the casual community can really do some good for the overall game, especially since the casual base is the largest audience FOR Yu-Gi-Oh.
You can play the game casually, but still know a lot about it and do research, and get into the nitty gritty of the game you love even if you don't top a YCS, or if you're playing Tier 3-4 decks, but that doesn't invalidate your knowledge or feelings of the game, and I think that divide, along with Konami's backwards process with how they themselves treat the game is leaving a bad taste in players' mouths right now.
Just my own take on it, but I feel like we'd play the game the same way: casual when we want to be, and competitive when we need to be, and I think that should be the healthy balance. That and accessible cards and product, but that's a whole different can of worms I could write a whole essay about.
Here's something about me. I am a casual competitor. Oxymoronic as that statement is, it's true. I pay attention to the banlists, the new cards coming, understanding new and powerful strategies/decks, learning what strengths and weaknesses decks have, suffering on the Master Duel ladder trying to break out of Platinum (because I just can't seem to do it,) that kind of thing. But I'm also very much a kitchen table player, just throwing the banlist and census on competitive strats out the window and tossing what I think is a fun deck together to slug it out with one of my best friends who is also a player who shares my sentiments.
Until people see that aspect of the game, there will be so many misconceptions about not only you, but every other yugituber out there, from TGSAnime to MBT. It is possible to pay attention to the competition side and be a casual about this game. In the end, despite the fact I get worked up about losing, I know it's just a children's game about shiny cardstock with ultimately meaningless numbers printed on the bottom.
Yugioh is a competitive game by nature, but it's also meant to be enjoyed by little 6 year old Timmy on the playground with a deck he threw together in his pocket wrapped in a rubber band. It's a rough balance to achieve, and while there are misgivings and criticisms to be levied against Konami for their game's management, I overall think the game has that balance. It's just the fact the competitive players have more say in the health of the game, because they have the disposable income to throw money at the game they love, but then again they trash it every chance they get. The community around this game is both welcoming and ruthless.
How can anyone listen to your more serious vids for a few minutes and think you're CASUAL?! You clearly know what you're talking about and have meaningful comments to make about the state of the game. I didn't know you played regionals tho. That's real street cred. ✊🏽
The way I see it, people who try to pull the “you’re just a casual” cars are either new viewers or viewers who don’t know your history with the game. Your knowledge helped me back when I was actively playing and improved my play heaps when I was starting to play in events
Casual YGO is the job.
Competitive YGO is the hobby.
Thank you so much Paul for making this video and sharing your insight.
I have a similar background within the duel mosnster’s TCG:
I grew up watching the anime, got all the starter and structure decks, played all the OG play Station games (Duelists of the Roses was so original and I had tons of hours invested in it!) but I also traveled everywhere with my game boy games.
I got a duel disk when they first came out (still have it) and I STILL TO THIS DAY travel with my deck with me - because as a fan of the anime, and as an overall Nerd - I
Like to be prepared in case the rare hunters or the shadow riders ever show up.
😅
My little sister and I were HUGE into the lore around this card game I taught her how to play and we played the video games together. And there was a really tangible bond that we developed over this game - whether we were playing casually, or heading over to our local park to duel with our duel disks - the game was fun, and ultimately isn’t that the purpose of “playing a game”?
As I entered middle school the game got more competitive and forced me to really reexamine my deck and play style- I mean the nature of the game was competitive enough but then you hit the school yard and kids played for keeps!
So It really helped my to balance how to play at a more competitive level and help me to really appreciate the freedom of a casual game.
High school was the peak for me with GX and then 5D’s I knew Synchro Summoning was going to usher in a whole new era of OP power creep and I really wasn’t looking forward to it.
So in 2009 I left Yu-Gi-Oh for Magic: the gathering (And honestly, I think it is the far superior game - with more ways to express myself through a deck and play on a competitive level and a casual level - with the same cards!
But anyway, I recently (2024) got back into rewatching the anime, the abridged series (lol 😂), and playing Master duel and Duel links . . . And it just makes me sad.
The game is so overpowered now with turn 2 wins and turn 1 lock downs - that is just not fun to play anymore.
Plus link summons and XYZ summons have gotten stupid out of hand and contact fusions have taken the fun and challenge out of the fusion deck player.
So it’s kinda toxic to play against other players as everyone on master duel seems to be playing the same 3 or 4 decks.
And hand traps???!!!!!!???!???!
Have completely ruined the game.
It’s no longer what’s on the field that counts what cards are in play - now you have to worry about your opponent playing cards from their hand? What is this - Magic?
No, for me if I’m looking for a duel monsters kick I will watch your videos (love the rare hunter series!)
Or I will play duel links against the AI or Tag duel for the PSP but sadly the 4 paper decks I’ve kept since high school haven’t been shuffled in over a decade!
It makes me sad, because I grew up with the game and I have a lot of golden tinged memories surrounding the show and my cards - I put my soul into those decks and I believe in the heart of the cards - but there is only so much a duelist can take when the opponent sitting across from them is special summoning 6 - 11 monsters during their turn and your 7 minutes into the game and I haven’t even gotten to draw a card yet.
So thank you for sharing your love for the game and your own experience.
Maybe I’ll see you in a battle city - if we ever get a city wide duel disk tournament!
😅
So accustomed to Paul smiling in the thumbnails that the scowl was pretty jarring to see.
Yami Paul
@@shangothunder1055😂 love it
Paul is really reliable when it comes to dueling. There is a difference between the person you see on camera vs the person you are playing.
Returning back to the game and learning the landscape has been a challenge but I honestly still love the game. I like learning new things in general. So relearning how to play and compete in today’s climate, has been very rewarding to the time I be putting in reading, watching, and practicing decks in my spare time. I also find it extremely funny between the differences playing on Master duel, online, and in real life.
As someone who's been (silently) critical of this channel for how much of it feels negative (not just you, but most of Yugitube is this way), it's always been clear to me that it comes from a place of loving Yu-Gi-Oh at every level and wanting the best for it.
yeah. Pretty much all of the criticism coming from the big Yugitubers is just them yelling at the brick wall that is Konami, hoping that they can make some changes to help bring in more players so there's more competition, diversity in strategies, presentation, and events.
@falcoegl I don't get that. I get tired of the game. Doesn't like current metas. Doesn't like konami. Doesn't love the game AT ALL
Dang man, if you're a casual then what does that make the other 90% of fans? Clearly people haven't watched the channel very well.
I started playing yugioh with a couple of friends when I was 9 or 10...getting a buster pack back then was a lot of illusion for a little boy, my deck was a compendium of cool cards with cool illustrations and the amazing and powerful cards from the tv show...I left the game when I was 15 and sold all my collection. 15 years later, two years ago from this day, some friends convinced me to play Yugioh again. I bought two copies of a dinosaur structure deck and I was really excited because my deck looked cool as hell with the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, a new card for me, and I absolutely loved it...a couple months later, my dinosaur deck is full with non dinosaur related cards, fairy-angel guys with blue hair and fox girls that are more important than any of my dinosaurs because they help me stop my opponent from playing a 10 to 15 minutes first turn resulting in a board that stops me from actually playing the game...and the card that let me survive and maybe win one or two duels, wish also cost me a big bunch of money just for one copy, got banned. My big bad cool dinosaurs became nothing against a deck of frikin frogs and disney mermaid princess.
Then the new dinosaur support arrived and guess what? i don't even know where to begin.
I built a Red Eyes deck, my favourite monster from the show...but immidiately learned that it was a "fun deck" , not even worth bringing to my friends if I don't combine those beautiful red eyed black dragons with something called "branded" or some "bystials"...and a bunch of cards unrelated with the archetype.
All my friends turned into the competitive side of yugioh, the game I loved when I was a kid wasn't fun anymore... I have like 4 copies of each Egyptian God, my wildest child hood dream...and they are worthless.
I left the game last year because I wasn't having fun. I still follow yugitubers, waiting for something that makes me dust off my decks...but nah.
I play other TCG's and found more fun and a better community than the one I found in yugioh.
Sad stuff, man.
I started watching Team APS for the wonderful and fun content. It captured what I love about Yu-Gi-Oh! Having fun with your friends. I also absolutely loved the Larry in the Hole series. If people come to this channel or Team APS for competitive content they are in a place I wouldn't really point to first. If you want to know how to have fun playing the game, I surely would point them Here/Team APS. On a side note, I would love to see You and the Guys do a video / series where you Teach someone, or come up with a better teaching duel than the two-player starter set.
As for what kind of player I am, I attend locals and I play Master Duel almost every day, I rank climb, I do every event they put out. I love the game, but I also love playing fun matches with friends where we do a simulated draft, or a different format (edison, goat, highlander.)
I'm a casual competitive player.
I still play to win so I try to be as competitive as possible.
But I play every once in awhile which makes me a casual.
So when people say to me "Oh you don't know what you're talking about cause you don't go to Regionals or Locals" I just laugh in their face because that argument is a fallacy.
Lately I been seeing on the Master Duel Subreddit where people make dumb arguments against Stun decks, then I go and use that argument against their combo deck.
Then people say that I'm wrong for that, yet they can't prove that I am wrong as combo decks are literally stun decks with extra steps.
Yeah, I hear you Paul. A lot of people think the same about me because I'm a budget casual player. The thing they don't understand is that I've been playing since this game was first released here in North America back in 2002. I even used to be a Judge for Upper Deck when they were in charge of Yu-Gi-Oh in North America. I used to be a huge part of the competitive scene and I didn't stop until 2011-2012. Thats the point that I started becoming more of a casual player because it felt better and more fun, and much cheaper. The casual experience is so much better than the competitive scene. I still go to locals sometimes to keep my skill level up cause playing the same people in your casual Playgroup gets stale sometimes and you have to challenge yourself.
It's like a 1 on 1 talk with you and I love it it's Ted talk but with Paul instead . You're just discussing with us about stuff that's on most of our minds and it's awesome
I got into YuGiOh the same as you in 2002 with starter deck YuGiOh Yugi and kaiba haha. Although I only got back into it about 3 years ago. Anyway you have one of the more fun channels. You guys aren’t rude, immature or know it alls. Keep doing what you’re doing 💯 I can’t stand master duel tho 😭 I’ve tried and tried but I have no fun. I’m more of a collector but I do keep up with the meta game
I agree with everything you said. I’m definitely a casual but like barely casual player. Really the expectation that people have getting into the game forget that exactly that it’s a GAME. I know a lot of people want to win too but I feel it’s more about the time you spend with friends and just getting to figure out how to break boards and get through stuff. Really appreciate that you opened up with this!! It makes me feel better about my yugioh experience! Definitely have jump back in it!
My friends and I picked it up again in high school around 2010/11. It was really fun at first until each game became us rules lawyering every card each turn and going through paragraphs of text on our strongest cards. I stopped when I realized how little fun the game got for me, which was a shame because I loved the anime and playing when it first released. Now I'm happy to see the videos you and the team put out to get updates on cards that have released over the years. I am curious about what modern meta duels look like and it would be cool to get more content that explains that. Either way, never doubted your credentials or that of the team. The way you guys pick up and play with random decks/cards and the obvious knowledge you have when discussing cards/decks is so impressive. Your move, duelist
I could see how someone who only watches the main channel could thing that. For us who watch this channel and the pod we know how Paul gets haha
One of the main reasons i follow Paul and his merry band of duelists is because they all have crazy insights especially Trell. However one thing that has been made clear from this video is that Paul clearly understands as much and tries to come at the issues facing Yugioh from a different angle. I think that is one of the reasons why i followed / subscribed to Team APS and this channel. Because the skits were hilarious and the topics on this channel are pretty engaging. I would say i definitely anime fan / casual however i will say i never really got out of my comfort zone to actually understand what KIND of player i am in this game. Master Duel love it or hate has given people a opportunity to try things and obviously everyone needs a deck that can win so they can get gems. I think it is good way of trying something and realizing i am more of a control type player as opposed to a swarm player or whatever. Not to say Master Duel is the only way you can figure this out more so it gives you enough things to try to see what you could potentially like. My favorite thing that Trell said was about if you play for Fun then do that however the opponents view on Fun might be doing something that you might view as not fun or something along those lines. Regardless thanks for the insight Paul and Pass turn :D
8:11 where did ya get those? Need something that can hold all my decks
Thanks I've been showing friends your videos and this confirms that you're a reliable source
I love Paul! Fun drinking game. Take a drink every time Paul goes into his head voice where the pitch of his speech jumps real high then drops back down. LOL love you bro. This is the only Yu-Gi-Oh channel I follow and its because of you guys.
Great content! The Dungeon Dice Rules and play through video was great! Cant believe you got the OG packaging and all + extra! Great video!
This goes for probably the entire Team APS, but Paul specifically really has that vibe of - "I talk to EVERYBODY!" and he cares too.
I think people are just mistaking your excitement and real passion about the game and anime for being casual. Many people just see YGO as just another thing to be overly competitive and tryhardy at not appreciating the heart and soul of it. To them the cards might as well have generic names and no pictures just an effect box and it wont change their experience.
Yeah that's a problem I've had with gaming as a whole the past decade.
@@spyro2002 it just sucks, I wish i had half the passion Paul has for YGO for anything honestly. It really brightens my day how he loves talking YGO and then people come around and say he doesnt know what hes talking about like brother please.
@redcastlefan I hope you find your passion brother .. believe in you bro
Paul and I went to the same locals for years, and he was always respected as a serious player. Don't sleep!
oh, and Paul- I don't play anymore but I still keep up with your channel. Happy to see your growth and I hope all is well with you and the rest of the guys.
Something funny that people like to overlook is that paul is (by definition) a professional yugioh player so...
The hardest thing about modern Yugioh is how fast and punishing it is. You can’t make a mistake in any game or you might just lose the match. I remember losing a match because game 3 I chose to use Flamberge to summon IP instead of waiting for him to trigger my field spell. He chained cosmic and I ultimately ran outta steam. Another match I lost but looking back the correct play was really complex and involved holding imperm and playing into the ash blossom that I correctly read into even though it’s a mirror match and that meant leaving a more open board. But hindsight I feel like that would have won me that match. There’s a lot of situations like that where you must play perfect just to win games or give yourself a chance, when playing perfect isn’t always straightforward. I mention all this to say that I wish the overall ceiling of the meta game could be lowered enough to where if I can’t stop my opponent completely from comboing off, I won’t feel so far out of it. You don’t always draw 2-3 hand traps + engine, and opening one hand trap in today’s meta doesn’t often cut it anymore. Then you get into the frustration of not having enough space in some potential decks to maintain high consistency and enough hand traps to reasonably see two consistently enough.
I’m at the early awkward stage of finding what I like in master duel, played a lot of duel links a while ago and before that had a starter deck when the original series was on tv, it’s hard to know where to invest gems in master duel to not regret my choice and be stuck
I'm super casual. I started late last year, only playing master duel but enjoying it a lot. Got a traptrix deck in paper but I've never had a chance to use it since none of my friends play and as a woman I'm wary of playing in card shops. Doesn't help that the only one with yugioh tournaments is on the other side of the city.
I've been wanting to get back into Yu-Gi-Oh after a 20 year hiatus. I'd like to find someone like him to show me the ropes of how exactly the game is played these days.
I think the misconception is just that people don’t understand that a player can be both casual and competitive at times, and making casual YGO contents doesn’t mean the content creator themselves have zero idea about how the game works competitively.
Also Paul, I’d like to suggest a topic for these “Paul talks” videos: “The negative attitude TCG players have towards OCG players”, because this is something I keep hearing about, people calling OCG players this and that because “oh obviously they are bad because they still play a format with 3 Maxx C”. I’d like to hear what you have to say on this.
I actually love the casual videos they're made for me who doesn't really like watching highly competitive turn one winning
I checked out of Yugioh around the pendulums I loved building decks and dueling at locals. I bailed but your team aps videos for years have been a pleasant experience I enjoy the content you and your team do. I always thought you all know your stuff. I may not play anymore but keep up the cool good work.
Im curious to see a team APS duel between Yubel with Phantom and Snake Eyes and/or Tenpai
It would go exactly like any other duel you've seen between those decks. Long combos, short games, and without much talking or laughing because we'd be locked in.
When are you wearing the blue-eyes with no brim Paul ?
Missed a sick opportunity to plug your TCGplayer link at 3:30!
Good job with the single take video, you are a good communicator and ought to keep it up as an ambassador for this game. If I didn't see you on Tolarian Community then check out your Team APS videos I would not have had my interest piqued in Yu-gi-oh in and I'd still be a condescending MTG chauvinist. Now I've slapped together 4 decks and show up at my LGS events, it would never have happened if I didn't come across your content.
I will admit that I would like to see some more competitive type videos from team aps rather than just the random idea duels we've been getting, I want to see sweaty plays more often
Just wanted to say that I respect you alot, Paul
I got into Yugioh around 2014 and your videos and people in the team aps facebook group helped me alot
I'm primarily casual and build casual decks for myself. This is nice because when I play with friends, we use proxies or create our own formats. We also use the Dueling book to play if we can't afford a specific deck and want to play right now. The competitive scene is fun when you're online, but I mostly only go to an LGS to look for cards and not play.
Another way I've been enjoying the franchise is by playing the older games. Eternal Duelist Soul on the GBA was a great way to relive some older formats and my version of Yugioh as a kid. Side note:* Buying manga and artbooks has also been an outlet. Enjoying the art in the books and just buying cards for the art is fun as well.
Everytime I click your video and it's loading I say to myself, "Please be a long video, please be a long video!" Love your content! Keep it up! ❤
I never thought you didn't! As someone that is mostly casual but likes to dabble with some of the lower tier of the meta, I find your content great!
Low key fun video idea is take a low tier deck you have and add all the generic cards your heart wants vs one of your high tier decks but remove all cards that aren’t from the archetype itself. Would be fun to see since some meta decks really are more relaxed than people realize.
I may not play yugioh but I do LOVE tcgs (and even have made some in the past) but even tho I don't actively play this tcg I do love hearing about it and watching videos going over the game and so I appreciate what you're doing here and keep up the great content!
Very much agree with a lot of what you said and not one to go into the competitive scene as I am a more casual player. You always mention the decks that you currently play, what are some older decks that you still run?
I have a somewhat related unrelated question for anyone reading, including Paul:
How would you enforce a "Pure deck" tournament?
Because I know even for a pure deck you would use some non-archetype cards but how much is too much?
I think it would be fun having pure deck tournaments but maybe it would be too hard/subjective to enforce
I agree with a lot of this video. I stopped playing once covid hit, I got back into it because of your channel. I found enjoyment in goat format with a couple of my friends. As a casual player it was hard to play the game for fun. So the fact that I was able to return to something that I have always enjoyed as a kid and growing up watching yugioh 5ds makes me really happy. So I would like to thank you for encouraging me to get back into the game and to give it a chance once more.
I watch your videos exactly because your opinions are well thought out, I’m kind of stuck in a weird liminal space for Yugioh: I want to play Yugioh but I don’t want to be too invested, especially because product can be expensive! I play a lot of Speed Duel, we have about 10-15 people show up every week and it feels a lot more INTERACTIVE than standard Yugioh. I like playing strong decks but my budget doesn’t allow it, recently I also discovered HAT and Edison format and they appeal to me and I feel I should try it.
I feel like Yugioh caters a lot to its competitive audience and it struggles a bit to the people who like it casually or who want to get into it but are afraid. Speed Duel scratches this itch and it’s fun because you can teach new players. These older formats are fun too because they aren’t completely busted (at least not to today’s level). I crave for a Yugioh that is more strategic, slower, and not completely degenerate and can beat you in one turn. I miss setting a trap card. I’m tired of omni-negate boss monsters or cards that do everything on summon (pop a backrow, clear the board, etc.) I crave for more interaction and less “my card can do everything, gg”
At the end of the day, I understand that the meta is something that I don’t have to keep up with but i do want to try decks especially older formats, and occasionally new decks. But I want to view Yugioh like you do, less as a product that we have to consume, but rather a game that has something for everyone
Cheers 💙
I must say it hurt when i heard people were calling you a casual because i listened to your pre duel conversations, and one of them randomly popped into my head, reminding me, yeah. You're very much a competitive player
Getting newer players into the game has been my mission for the past few years. I used to be heavily competitive as well… but it’s not gonna be fun if we don’t have players!
I like learning all the new decks and seeing what they can do, and I like the different events MD keeps trying out as well.
As a fun challenge, each of you could get a kettlebell and instead of taking damage you have to do a KB swing per 100LP points that otherwise would be taken. Playing different builds of Tempi dragons. If the amount of damage exceeds the number of swings a player can do without stopping they lose. Each person would have to have a different weight KB in relation to there own body weight. A fitness instructor might be required for safety, but overlooking that I think it would be a fun and entertaining challenge that could lead to real quick fitness gains. My friend group always found ways of avoiding this and as such I do 80 kb swings each time I lose in MD one tricking a deck that is far from meta.
When you say you did your research that makes a lot of sense. Your mind for the game is very bright and fresh. Keep up the great work
Nah bro, I just wanted to see that Deck Box setup you had on the thumbnail xD sick. What size is that arkhive/omnihive?
I think something else that may have confused people is there had been some videos where some people were addressed as being more in the competitive scene and because that was addressed, the assumption is everyone else in the video is a casual player. Admittedly this confused me which is why I mentioned it. Of course that doesn't make it right to call you names though.
Very interesting video, I feel I learnt a lot about you. I always thought you was more in the middle as you not only upload old school style duels but also skits and other videos that have competitive terms.
When I started watching your videos, I always like the skits, back then I was a competitive player, however since link monsters I stopped playing and your old school duels really helped me get back into yugioh in a whole new way. I don't think it matters if you or anyone is a casual or competitive player, what I did know however is you are a yugioh fan that makes really good videos. Back when I first watched you and even up till now, you've made great videos and there has only been improvements. So thank you for the hours of entertainment and please continue to provide. You'll always be the best yugioh youtuber to me, I know I don't comment much, but i'm still enjoying the content.
From what iv observed meta players care more about winning then having fun. lets be honest, winning in just a few turns aint fun, i dont care what anyone says
It is fun though because you can open absolutely terrible and top deck the exact card to break a board and create a gamestate where you're forcing them to have to try rebuild what they lost whole being able to contest what they do and have follow-up because you punished them for going too much gas or not understanding what you could be playing
Casual vs hardcore that's just a frequency. Like I'll play Master Duel every now and then; I'll pay attention to what the meta cards are because those are what increase your odds of winning the most, and I learn my deck how to play it and as I play over time its strengths and weaknesses.
What happened to those hot sauce or spin the wheel duels?
My the way, where do you get/buy your Ultimate Guard gears? My local shop is always short on deckbox... 😭
Hi Paul!
Great video. I love how you have such an extensive history playing the game. I have a similar upbringing in Yugioh except I quit from 2012-2022ish.
Would you agree though that there isn’t too much aps content for competitive players or do I miss these posts/videos?
I appreciate your content Paul and the dedication you have for the game. There was a period of time where it was “uh oh yugiboomer Paul is ranting again” but that was a tier 0 format and it was a few videos in a row one about hating hand traps and another about not letting your opponent play the game. And it was sort of negative for x amount of videos in a row and that turned me off from the channel I tiny bit. I obviously always come back because I enjoy the content and all but for awhile there I needed a break myself
Im a player that plays for fun and the creativity of deck building, Im testing adamancipator variants and am now testing adam spright, I find yugioh fun because its not too slow where it takes 3+ turns to get something noteworthy on board nor has games go 45 minutes plus for a match although there are the outliers
I swear you open every video I watch with that line. What videos aren't different lol
I love your hot takes man lol. They do come from a place of love for the game. We all know you have a huge passion for it. I'm surprised you're not burnt out yet.
For the last question, I guess I'm casual. it started when my cousin gave me a starter deck Yugi deck and watching the anime. I had no sleeves and when I did get some from friends, they were all different colors and I used a rubber band since I was pretty poor. Later on, I kinda stole money from my mom to buy the old Endymion structure deck and combined it with dark magician. I only played at school since I had no transportation to go to locals and biking was a little far. Stopped when synchros came out and focused on college but I played on ygopro sometimes in class and focused on dark magician updates lol. Still kept up with the anime and manga, loved the magician girls from the movie and wanted to make them good. Now I have a full time job with a weird work schedule but I plan to make my magician girl deck a reality and go to locals for the first time now that I have money by the end of this year as a 32 year old guy. Duel links was fun, can't remember why I quit and played a lot of master duel but working as a nurse has been draining. Never got higher than diamond. Been trying to keep up with other tcgs like pokemon, one piece, digimon too but even though yugioh just hits different or maybe because the waifus keep me interested. :)
It because you Paul your channel of yugioh content got me back in yugioh I like your insight on the game and l like be casual yugioh card player for fun and I have couple starter decks i bought that you recommend one your videos and just still learning how to play and more your videos on how to play different decks which fit for me
I watch your content for the casual videos mostly, but I like the insightful takes as well. It seems like it's very difficult to really put a label on yugioh players because of the game's history in general though. I view myself mostly as a boomer, I played the game on the floor with cards out of a shoebox using sheets of paper and pennies as life point charts back in the day with whatever I got out of a few packs and a gamestop structure deck. I thought I was the smartest cookie around by using future fusion to dump blue eyes white dragon so I could then monster reborn it.
Now I still don't quite see myself as a competitive player, I don't travel to regionals or YCSs or anything, but I play the game often and well at locals or in MD. Hell, I even help run online tournaments. And even though I fall for the boomer bait cards like gate guardian or genex, I like some modern decks and tend to switch it up a lot - most recently I've been having fun with sky striker and live twin spright. I feel like it's not unusual for people to have played this game both now and 15-20 years ago, and considering those are basically two different games entirely, you can have an internal switch to shift into those different gameplay styles. It's not that binary
Alternative title for the video "Paul's Yu-Gi-Oh! resume"
One thing I think people forget is more casual content is usually more fun to watch as the decks vary a lot more or have more twists like tag duels (Still hoping for a remaster of the old psp games ) where as modern competitive Yugioh is the same few decks dominating usually . And as a more casual player and the state of Yugioh I’d prefer it if you were limited to only one special summon action a turn . I think it would make traps which summon more viable and make the game pace a bit better imo .
I'm a very casual fan of the game. Played only the video games strictly but I have bought a hundred cards or so only for collection. Duel links is the sweet spot for me, played it back when it first got released and didn't stick with it for long, now just got back to it mainly for nostalgia but also how intimidating master duel is for me.
I have had fun both being competitive, but I also enjoy being casual.
As a personal preference, I lean to Rogue tiers because I really enjoy decks that feel strong but not unfair. Additionally, I enjoy the challenge of facing and beating meta decks with my tier 2 or 3 deck (even if it's not frequent).
I feel like the game is fun, its unique and unlike other TCGs, it's pedal to the metal the whole time, which is a pace that I really enjoy.
All of that said, I understand that it is a difficult game to learn. It sometimes feels expensive to keep up with and sometimes a deck will dominate a format for entirely too long and if it's not your cup of tea, it's really easy to feel suffocated. I've seen a lot of players leave for that reason.
As a person who loves this game, I do my best at my locals to breathe life into it as best as I can. I try to organize "theme" nights (which are much like the events on Master Duel). These nights give players a chance to play different decks that what's "strong" right now, and for a lot of us, it gives us a chance to show off our pet decks.
I honestly think Konami could benefit a lot from running with similar ideas. I think Edison and Goat and all are fun, but if those are the only alt formats you run, they will eventually lead to player burnout there as well.
I really appreciate what you do by calling attention to both the good and bad in the game, Paul. As someone who also loves this game, it's nice to see someone who can stand back and look at it all objectively.
When you have 10 gallon rubbermaid containers full of card sleeves, your interest in YuGiOh is no longer "casual".
I want a modern yugioh where we use one copy of each card in our decks (except bewd) like an anime way to play the game deck building would be crazy
Your box of decks reminds me of my DUOV box full of sleeved decks, none of which are meta or rogue tier, but decks i like.
I became absolutely infatuated with the series when it was new and I was a wee little lad, but I never was able to really play the physical game at the time. I dealt with the playground rules dueling a few friends at the time, but that was never good enough for me. after having no interest in any aspect of the series for 16 years, I got back into the game at the top of 2022 when some of my current friends picked up Duel Links and later Master Duel. from there, I splurged on numerous cards, many of which were not meta at the time. now, I've built a few decks that I really like, and I have hundreds of hours in Master Duel, but I've never brought the RL decks to bear against anyone other than a few of my friends. I'm looking to change that soon by finally dropping in to my local card shop to play a few games...after I buy a Horus package and an S:P that is lol
A lot of people have a hard time believing that some players actually enjoy having fun with yugioh, and can sit between the lines; either playing alternate formats, or just crafting and having fun with friends, drafting, bulk decking or whatever. While still holding a great enjoyment or at least passion for the competitive scene.
Haven’t played this game in over 20 years but just love hearing ya talk about it and slowly understand. Going to try to play again on masterduel.
I would say I'm different levels of competitive in different formats - I mostly play edison at locals and whenever there are bigger tournaments. I also play semi-competitively in master duel (sometimes I'll try to grind the ladder but most of the time just play to try different decks) as well as going to a couple tcg events with a budget deck. On the whole, I don't really like the tcg because of how combo intensive turns can be, and how products come out so often its hard to keep up
I know where your coming from lol because I'm a casual player myself but that doesn't mean I don't know what's going on the meta side or how the mechanics work ... I played competitive as well and I got pretty far but for me its fun knowing I could if I put more effort ... Playing decks that I think have some cool gimmicks and trying to make that as competitive as possible feels really rewarding... Yu-Gi-Oh is very complex but the key to being a good duelist is understanding the cards ruling, timing, and assembling a balanced deck wether it's meta or casual
The modern game is too fast for me, I'd love to see you share your awesome knowledge in a "how to start master duel in 2024" type video. I've had it installed for months but it's so daunting to start it