After the release of the latest Forbidden & Limited Cards list, many Duelists seem to be writing off Blackwings as no longer a competitor. With two Book of Moon and two Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow eliminated from the Deck, as well as the loss of an Icarus Attack and (in many builds) a Solemn Warning, some people no longer see Blackwings as an option. It’s just not true though, and it’s very unfortunate to see so many Duelists taking that stance.

As someone who loves the Blackwing Deck to death, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the rumours of its demise is greatly exaggerated. All it takes is a little creativity, a little skill, and a little bit of logic. First off, Goyo Guardian isn’t allowed anymore, but Blackwings have the advantage of having access to not only Brionac, but their very own Level 6 Synchro,Blackwing Armed Wing. You can still have 3 copies of Blacking – Blizzard the Far North, so Level 5 and 6 Synchro Monsters are still really easy to Summon. And Blackwing Armed Wingis awfully good, especially when you need to punch Duel-winning damage through Fluff Tokens, Nordic Beast Tokens, and Set Darksouls.

You don’t even need to change the basic strategy of your Deck if you don’t want to, because you still have great cards like Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn, Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame, and Blackwing – Bora the Spear. You can add in more cards to help disrupt the Decks you’re expecting to play against most, like adding D.D. Crow to help against Monarch, Plant, and Fish Decks, or Maxx “C” to help you draw enough cards to survive a Six Samurai or X-Saber onslaught and fight back. If you want, you can even  take a different approach to Blackwings by using monsters like Dark Grepher and multiple copies of Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honor. No matter how you decide to you’re your Blackwing Deck,  you still have cards like Allure of Darkness, Pot of Duality, and Cards for Black Feathers to help you draw the cards you need, even the newly Limited and Semi-Limited cards!

With YCS Charlotte rapidly approaching, it will be interesting to see just how many Blackwing Decks make the cut to Day 2. While many Duelists have decided Blackwings are gone for good, I’m sure that they’re just getting started!