Instead of sweeping changes like when Heavy Storm became Forbidden, the March 1st Forbidden and Limited List brought us a lot of smaller changes with subtle impacts.  Duelists that capitalize on them are going to do really well in the coming weeks because  most of these trends are bigger than just a single Deck or strategy, and the rising importance of EffectVeiler is one of the biggest.

Since its release in Duelist Revolution six months ago, Effect Veiler has steadily seen more use.  Last format it was one of the few answers to Cold Wave, as well as a great counter to top cards like Debris Dragon and Gravekeeper’s Descendant.  Cold Wave is now Forbidden from the Advanced Format, but other changes have made Veiler more important than it’s ever been before.  Duelists who find the room for a Veiler or two in their Main Deck are going to have a big advantage over other competitors.  Why?  Because of how it affects many of the biggest, most popular cards and strategies in the new Advanced Format.

In previous tournaments, Brionac and other Synchro Monsters were restrained by Book of Moon and Solemn Warning; both could stop a Synchro Summon before it happened, and each was playable at 3 per Deck.  Many Duelists ran 3 Books and 3 Warnings, so Synchro Summonning was tough.  Now Book and Warning are Limited and Semi-Limited respectively: that means that barring Solemn Judgment, most Decks have half the number of cards to beat monsters like Brionac.  We’re going to see a lot more Synchro Summons as a result.

Brionac is still one of the toughest customers around, if not the toughest.  Clearing away defending monsters, Spells, and Traps alike, it often creates wins that would be impossible otherwise.  Its flexibility is devastating: it’s so good against so many cards, and it’s really difficult to stop.  But Effect Veiler is 1 of the few cards that can do that: when your opponent discards to activate Brionac’s ability, you can Chain Veiler’s effect to negate it.  That costs your opponent the card they discarded; their Synchro Materials; and robs them of victory.  It forces them to adapt their plan in mid-step, usually leaving them in a tough position that you can capitalize on.  Brionac has the potential to become a format-shaping force: that alone makesEffect Veiler worth running, but that’s not all Effect Veiler helps with. Here’s a look at how it works against some of the top Decks, too.

While Decks like Plant Synchro and Blackwings took a bit of a hit from the new Forbidden and Limited List, X-Sabers lost almost nothing.  The Deck that dominated Duels last summer is still in peak form, and with Book of Moon and Solemn Warning no longer playable in 3’s, X-Saber Duelists have a much easier time unleashing their signature Synchro Monster: XX-Saber Hyunlei.  They’re also faster at Synchro Summoning Brionac than perhaps any other Deck, and when they make a Synchro Summon, they often get a free card with XX-Saber Darksoul.  Combined with XX-Saber Boggart Knight’s effect which leads into XX-Saber Faultroll, X-Sabers have killer combos that all branch from monster effects.  Since Veiler negates them all, it’s huge for this matchup.

We saw the awesome power of the new Six Samurai Deck when it took a crushing victory at YCS Dallas in February!  Gateway of the Six was Limited as of March 1^st, but Samurai still have deadly speed and one of the best Synchro Monsters of all time: Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En.  We saw it over and over in the YCS: a Duelist would open with Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki; Summon it; and then use its effect to Special Summon Kagemusha of the Six Samurai.  From there they’d Synchro Summon Shi En, and use its effect to negate a Spell or Trap Card every turn.  With Goyo Guardian Forbidden, and Warning and Book of Moonrestricted, Samurai Duelists are going to try to make that play as often as possible.  EffectVeiler shuts it down: negate Kageki’s effect and the Samurai Duelist can’t Special Summon Kagemusha, leaving you free to attack the 200 ATK Kageki.

Gladiators are another Deck that lost nothing on March 1^st, actually benefitting quite a bit. Book of Moon used to be a popular answer to an attacking Gladiator Beast: it stops the Gladiator Duelist from attacking and tagging out to get great effects, and it stymies GladiatorBeast War Chariot (which needs a face-up Gladiator Beast in order to be activated).  With Book now Limited, we’re going to see more Gladiator Beast Decks in tournaments, and EffectVeiler remains a great answer.  When the Gladiator Beast Duelist tries to move into his Battle Phase you can pitch Veiler to negate the effect of an on-field Gladiator, stopping it from tagging out for the turn and discouraging attack. It’s also helpful if your Set cards are constrained by Trap Stun, and your opponent wants to capitalize with a Test Tiger/Secutor play.  You can even Chain it to Gladiator Beast Gyzarus‘ ability, protecting your cards and leaving Gyzarus stranded on the field.

Those are just three examples of Decks that Effect Veiler works well against, but it’s great against plenty more strategies like Monarchs, Scraps, and Nordics.  Each depends on a short list of monster effects to make their best moves, and Effect Veiler stops all of them.  On the flip side, some of the strategies that kept Duelists from playing Veiler in their Main Deck last format may lose some popularity.  Veiler was a rough draw against Blackwings, because it’s one of the few Decks that doesn’t need its Ignition and Trigger Effects to win.  But with several Blackwing cards now Limited or Semi-Limited, that matchup will be less of a concern: we’ll probably see fewer Blackwing Decks in tournaments.  Not only are there now more reasons to Main Deck Veiler, but there are also fewer reasons not to.

Effect Veiler is a huge card against some of the most powerful Decks in the new Advanced Format. If you weren’t able to pick any up from Duelist Revolution, definitely look for it in Duelist Pack – Yusei 3. Play it, and you’re going to have a big advantage against some of the best strategies over the coming weeks.  One of the keys to success in your Duels is to stay one step ahead of your competition, and the Duelists playing Effect Veiler are definitely going to have an edge!