Dear Konami, Please Don't Kill STRUCTURE DECK: CYBER STRIKE Before it Launches
Based on what I see on social media, Konami might be running into a problem. They’re losing a lot of faith from Yu-Gi-Oh! players. Duelists still enjoy the game, but with a lot of new products, there seems to be more and more complaining even from the more devout. The last couple of structure decks have not been very well received, especially when fans found out that for the TCG version of Structure Deck: Spirit Charmers Konami was removing the highly popular card Evenly Matched. Seemingly, this move was because Konami wanted to include Evenly Matched in Ghosts from the Past, but I don’t understand why we couldn’t get it in both. This leads me to my main point though.
In a recent reveal, fans learned that the OCG version of the upcoming Structure Deck: Cyber Strike would include two very powerful cards: Infinite Impermanence and Lightning Storm. When people saw this, the immediate reaction was to guess what would replace them when the structure deck came to the TCG. Common guesses are Solemn Judgment and either Lightning Vortex, Raigeki, or Harpie’s Feather Duster. The problem really is that they’re probably right. Infinite Impermanence was most recently reprinted in Maximum Gold back in November which means that people have had only 6 months since its last reprint. Meanwhile, Lightning Storm has been printed once so far and will probably not get a reprint until the 2021 Tin of Ancient Battles which releases roughly 2 months after the release of Cyber Strike.
I think the smarter move for Konami would be to keep the cards in Cyber Strike though. First, that would help many budget and casual players feel seen by the company which in turn builds up that faith I mentioned earlier. Then, when Konami does something that many players don’t like, those players can use this as a way to be like, “Konami’s not all bad. They sometimes have our backs.” Second, it makes more sense from an economic point of view to me. Infinite Impermanence is extremely popular and even with its most recent reprint in Maximum Gold is costing between $15-20 at least. Meanwhile, Lightning Storm is selling for over $100 each. If these cards are in Cyber Strike, fans will be going out in droves to buy multiple copies of a deck that many are already writing off because they don’t think it will be a competitively viable deck. Then, you can go ahead and reprint Lightning Storm in the 2021 Tin of Ancient Battles. Here’s the thing about Yu-Gi-Oh! players, they like shiny cards. If the Lightning Storm and Infinite Impermanence are Common, then players will still want shinier versions. Make Lightning Storm an Ultra or Prismatic Secret Rare and it’ll still be one of the reasons people by the tin.
Speaking of the tin, it’s already going to have plenty of chase cards; it doesn’t need Lightning Storm to sell. Based on the list of sets that will be included, I’m willing to bet Accesscode Talker, Forbidden Droplet, Triple Tactics Talent, all of the Dogmatika cards, and more will be available to get fans to chase after it.
Konami, please just let us have these two cards in Cyber Strike. It won’t hurt you and will actually lead to a lot of sales. Spirit Charmers hasn’t done super well. It’s often one of the few items still found in TCG areas of stores. These two cards will make sure that Cyber Strike doesn’t suffer the same fate. Budget players will thank you. Casual players will be glad to have these and maybe try more of the competitive scene.