Before we dive in, let's have a quick recap of what happened recently.
Initial ThoughtsThis list is considered the third list after Tearlaments was released in Power of the Elements. Tier decks, depending on how insane the combos can make, have at least 2 format shelf lives based on observation. Tearlaments survived the July and October lists bearing only subtle hits and still have gotten a boost in Photon Hypernova via Tearlaments Kashtira making it still a force to be reckoned with.
This list has proven that everything will come to an end eventually and we can see how the January 2023 OCG forbidden and limited list embodied another format reset not only hitting the strongest decks of the format but also the decks that could potentially shine in the absence of top tier decks.
Let's discuss the hits per category.
Newly Forbidden:
Tearlaments Kitkallos (3 → 0) -
Tearlaments Kitkallos is the go to fusion of
Tearlaments which generates insane consistency and card advantage. I have played
Tearlaments since Power of the Elements and I can attest how unfair the advantage it can bring to the table especially when it is paired with
Tearlaments Sulliek.
Its search effect also works even if it is just special summoned and it even has an effortless way to special summon a Tearlaments from your hand or Graveyard with no xenophobic conditions. They probably figured that limiting this card would still keep people playing the same deck format by format thus a forbidden status is necessary.
Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds (3 → 0) - The infamous Master Duel hit became a reality for OCG as the go-to honorary birb of Floowandereeze. Tri-Brigade and even Kashtira to an extent have abused this card to a certain level which explains why the list decided to conclude its flight.
With this card gone, Floowandereeze will now rely on Floowandereeze X Empen and interact with their normal summons together with the Raiza loop.
Floowandereeze X Robina can still search generic Winged-Beasts like D.D Crow (for Grave reliant decks) and Laughing Puffin (Against backrow and Runick) but not as satisfying as having a card that prevents a mechanic which is special summoning. This hit is similar to how Union Carrier became Forbidden in OCG as it enabled the buster lock which prevented Extra Deck summoning.
Newly Limited:
Ancient Fairy Dragon (Errata)
Ancient Fairy Dragon received an errata to ensure you won't be able to abuse multiples of it in the same turn as you won't be able to search the same field spell as the one you destroyed. I feel that it is still broken somehow but we'll see if it gets splashed again just like the old days
The most interesting part of the newly limited categories is of course, the newly limited hits.
Kashtira faced major consistency hits with cards such as Kashtira Fenrir, Kashtira Unicorn and even Prime Planet Paraisos all got hit.
Kashtira Fenrir is an expected hit considering how it became an engine in most decks which is pretty generic and strong on its own.
Kashtira Unicorn while unexpected than Fenrir, makes Kashtira super consistent as it's a one card combo starter.
Prime Planet Paraisos is a new card in PHHY which became limited right away due to it being also splashed as an engine in many decks like Kashtira Fenrir.
If you think Tearlaments Kitkallos is enough, Tearlaments Scheiren and Tearlaments Reinoheart both got limited as well. In a week of observation on decks where the January 2023 OCG list was applied, we can still see that Tearlaments together with Shaddoll is still a force to be reckoned with despite of Reinoheart and Scheiren both getting limited although reduced copies would surely result in lesser consistency for those one card combos.
Branded Fusion is now limited to also lessen the consistency of one card combo decks and we know that this can also be used in Tearlaments.
Bystial Magnahmut is also like Kashtira Fenrir as it is also used as an engine but mostly as a side. Blackwing Steam the Cloak is a great boost to the Blackwing strategy. Change of Heart becoming limited is also something interesting here as well as the return of Tellarknight Ptolemaeus which hinted the comeback of Tellarknight in CYAC.
Newly Semi-limited
Let's discuss the newly semi-limited cards or cards where you can now put 2 copies max.
Galatea, the Orcust Automaton - From limited back to semi-limited. This is a huge boost to Orcust to bring back their usual combo but is it enough to bring them back to tier 1 status? That's something we'll find out in the next few weeks.
Swap Frog - Swag Frog became limited due to how popular it was as an engine in the glory days of Sprights for two OCG formats since release. While I like the idea of having more banish targets for Ronintoadin, it is still not the same without our beloved Toadally Awesome. :(
Sky Striker Ace - Kagari - More Kagari means more ways to recycle your Sky Striker Spells! Now, you won't have to be scared of Diablosis and Unicorn sniping your lone Kagari.
Yata-garasu - With this fast-paced format where crazy things already happen in the main phase, a battle phase reliant card which once dominated OCG years back can return to two copies. Good but I doubt it'll shake the meta that much.
Rite of Aramesir - With the absence of Gryphon, this came back to 2 copies and maybe 3 in the future if the engine itself won't make much impact.
Foolish Burial Goods - Now down to 2 copies to weaken the consistency of Tearlaments using this as an engine to dump Tearlament Spell/Traps to search important Tearlament pieces. Two copies is still a decent number as most people run two anyway to prevent bricking.
Infernity Launcher - Back to two copies, it's a huge boost to the Infernity strategy but we'll see if this is enough for this deck to steal the spotlight.
Raigeki - Nooooooooo, my favorite main deck tech card! I guess they realized 3 copies tend to be quite annoying especially if your deck relies on field presence without any sort of protection.
Trickstar Lightstage - One of the reasons why this was hit is because of its tendency to become an engine. In one week or so observation, we already saw some Spright variants who are main decking this card together with Trickstar Lily Bell for an instant level 2 monster.
No longer on the list:
ABC - Dragon Buster - Finally, ABC's boss monster is back to 3 copies!
Double Iris Magician - You can now play 3 copies, finally! It's been a while.
Water Enchantress of the Temple - Very well deserve come back now that the real problem which is Wandering Gryphon Rider is now forbidden in OCG.
The Phantom Knight of Torn Scales - With Wandering Gryphon Rider forbidden, Phantom Knight combos are now more susceptible to hand traps which was shielded before by the Adventurer Token engine. We'll see if this come back and bring back PK to the scene once more.
Overall Feedback:
I would that that this is a pretty good banned list and it almost feels like a format reset. In the past week since the announcement, we have seen a major change in the topping lists and it indeed brought diversity in the meta.
Tearlaments is obviously not as consistent as before although it still lives in the hands of Ishizu and Shaddoll engine. Kashtira is now more fragile than ever losing 6 cards (2 field, 2 unicorn and 2 fenrir) in their usual line-up reducing the deck's overall consistency. Floowandereeze lost their trump card and now relies on Mega Raiza and their Spell/Traps.
It now boils down to which decks have the most consistency, fire power and versatility. Tri-Brigade variants such as Spright and Lyrical Lusc are seen topping tournaments post January 2023. Spright variants like Nimble and Gishki appeared as great contenders of the format. Stun strategies like Runick and Labrynth are popular choices recently. There's no doubt that this banned list opened opportunities for other decks to shine and it's a breath of fresh air.
Summary:
We still have at least 3 weeks until the newest main booster pack Cyberstorm Access (CYAC) releases. This set introduces Nemurelia which is deck with an interesting strategy and Manadome which is also a nice lore archetype that focuses on synchro summoning.
We are yet to see the Albaz lore cards and other generic support cards that will be released in this set and I'm excited to see if these unrevealed cards will redefine January format or the trial weeks we're seeing are already the glimpse of what the January 2023 format will look like. What do you think of the January 2023 OCG banned list? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Arcknight
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