THE DECKBUILDING FORMULA EVERY YUGIOH PLAYER SHOULD KNOW! Competitive Deckbuilding Guide + Tips

Have you ever wondered what separates the top players from the average duelist? Today, I'll be showing you one of those secrets - the deckbuilding formula that creates the most powerful deck in any format! Using lessons from Patrick Hoban's "Road of the King" I present a "deckbuilding 101" course. Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments below!
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Hey guys! Thanks for checking out my channel. I am a high school student with a passion for Yugioh, and I hope I can share my passion that I have for this game with all of you! I will be posting Yugioh content, with a focus on the competitive side of the game. So if you'd like to get better as a player, be sure to subscribe for multiple videos a week! Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to check out my channel and what I have to offer! :D
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Tags used (ignore): tcgsam, tcg sam, Tcg Sam, yugioh, Yugioh, Yu-gi-oh, yugioh deck, yugioh tips and tricks, yugioh strategies, yugioh deckbuilding guide, yugioh guide, road of the king, yugioh road of the king, yugioh patrick hoban, yugioh decks, yugioh guides, yugioh tips & tricks, yugioh how to build a deck, yugioh deckbuilding tips

[@tcgsam]

Did you find this video helpful? Do you want to learn even more about this topic? I just released an advanced version of this guide that builds on the concepts that you see in this video, which you can check out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2HUamOweMlpnac&ab_channel=tcgsam

[@ChadKing69]

W

[@YuGoTheSpeedSter]

As a heraldic beast player I really based my gameplay on this I use a 60 card deck with powerful rank 4 monsters and rank up magics that work on numbers like the seventh one and I only play numbers

[@TheDylls]

As a new player (coming from MTG), I haven't been able to find a video that has the rules for deck building like card limits and deck size

[@teamroninz3108]

As a deckbuilder for hire for 13 years who made the decks of many Bulgarian champions through the years This wasn't that much of new info but for sure the video tells SO MUCH I love it and it gives so much info for newer players Remember guys everything is about balance Focus on your starters and key cards MOSTLY Extenders play a 40-50% role in your plays My formula rn is Max-20 monsters 15 spells 5 traps Or you can convert the traps into draw engines The possibilities are endless... Y'all are gonna have a hard time at first but with creativity everyone can blossom Don't forget to add spice... just like cooking...if you don't add some spice cards then your opponent will be ready for you. Get this grey matter working

[@LulinskiCar]

kolko hand trapa da igraem v segashniq format, pls help ?

[@crunchyboi1730]

I am a returning player (from late synchros to early xyz) And this video helped me alot (I am a terrible deck builder) and I love to play with your decks . Waiting for your next deck.

[@tcgsam]

Appreciate the support, hope you found it useful

[@aleboss3109]

If bro misspelled deck it would be a lot different.

[@faust5398]

I haven’t played in over 16 years this game is so confusing now

[@______Daniel]

Omg THANK YOU for listing QUANTITIES. There are so many guides that say “something to do this” or “a few cards to do that, but not too many.” I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you saying “11-13 of THIS” or “2-3 of THESE” Huge difference for helpfulness

[@tcgsam]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@bairsensei7496]

Thank u for this as a returning player who quit when lightsworm was conquering the tcg scene this helped alot

[@hasansyrf]

This is the guide i've been looking for!! Thank you!!

[@DeadPixel_]

as a new player whos trying to learn this rly complicated game, this really helped

[@novaangelus]

Great video and helpful! Returning player from the GOAT format (didn't even know it was called that when I returned lol ) and all these new terms are a MUST to understand. Thanks!

[@childofreason6691]

Please make more videos like this. I find this information is hard to come by or it's explained in a confusing and complicated way. This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.

[@tcgsam]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@KT_FGC]

Great content. Keep up the fantastic work

[@ll-sallad]

It took me over 2 days to find this trying to "Meta" my deck and thank goodness i did. This really does help me search for the cards i need! Thx!

[@crimson90]

Beautiful guide. Returning player who can currently only play goat, but this really helped make sense of modern deck building.

[@King-zy9zu]

Eat your cereal

[@ellachino4799]

woah this video is really great, thanks!

[@UmbreonxUmbreon]

Watched this video then went on a 5 game winning streak in ranked im a lifetime sub now thank you sir

[@NACHOZMusic]

Oooh, I’m loving the Ruby My Dear remix in the background…

[@ideagenerator4518]

I want more of vidoes like this

[@pixelpkm]

Thanks , i always have problems making decks that are atleast kinda good , maybe just cause I don’t like meta , I play rogue decks lol

[@basuka93]

Hey thank you so much for summing this up in a short vid. However I have a little problem with this.. how can I find out how consistent my deck is when I need to do 2 card combos?

[@tcgsam]

There are calculators online that allow you to check how probable it is to open 2 cards at once, try stattrek.com/online-calculator/hypergeometric.aspx

[@baileydombroskie3046]

This vid was almost really good but it got me confused on some of the card groups. I previously understood wat starter and extenders were but as u got further into the vid it was getting harder for me to understand wat each category was so that I can identify which cards I may or may not play r from said category(s).

[@alisaverkuijl6537]

Nice, loving videos like this :)

[@tcgsam]

Thanks for your support!

[@alisaverkuijl6537]

@@tcgsam no worries thanks for all the vids! They are super informative, learning a lot.

[@deviltown13]

I'm a new player, kind of, the only Yu-Gi-Oh content I consumed for years was the original series and games. Not out of nostagia, I'm only 20 so I'm not an old-school elitist, just never got into anything after that. I knew of everything after the OG anime and remember zexal vaguely but I never got anything from it game wise. My boyfriend got me more into Yu-Gi-Oh by accident (he opened Master Duel while we were building my dnd character lol) and I became interested in learning more about the game. Oh my god the WHIPLASH I have gotten. I remember playing Dueliest Soul on GBA and always being like "Whoa I drew summoned skull! 2500 attack!" but suddenly that's been overshadowed for YEARS. It's a surreal and kind of funny feeling.

[@Zzrtx100]

top video 👏

[@Ninja_Koopa]

Been around since it first hit the shelves. It seems that the game has changed quite a bit since then. Lol. Thanks for the tips.

[@ChadKing69]

You’re the goat

[@GoodJujuGrant]

0:30 good man 👍🏼

[@DiverseStyle]

Amazing guide, there's only one thing I'm confused with: for Defense cards I can see why they're called that, but in the sense of "protects your engine cards," how does IDP or Ash protect my Aleister when my opponent disrupts its Normal Summon effect? Wouldn't Re-Raise Ceiling cards be considered more cards that protect my engine as they let them go off in the event of disruption? (Chalice, Crossout, etc.)

[@tcgsam]

Defense cards are more so there because they let you play with your engine cards in the first place, stopping your opponent from being able to play so your engine can shine (otherwise your engine may not be able to play against your opponents engine). You're right about re-raise ceiling

[@Jyxero]

So draw cards are a Joker for this scenario, isn't? In any case, I'm working from the ground up with a Shiranui deck (feat Doomking with Synthesis field) and this is a nice insight, as it turns out I still need to balance my starters, and specially my "Ceiling up" cards (For those pesky floodgates) Nice vid, hopefully this ages well

[@tcgsam]

Yup, hope it helped! Draw cards can be considered starters for the most part (i.e pot of desires/prosperity) because they get you to other starters

[@chrislabedzski9076]

So no burn cards, no life gains, no atk gain cards no stop attack cards ect ( I miss old days😔, ) just draw and search then swarm extra deck monsters to negate everything gg repeat,

[@tcgsam]

The game has changed a lot since then

[@chrislabedzski9076]

I Know, but isn't it boring playing the same way over and over , I won 2 tournaments with this negate everything stragety but I got bored very quickly, next time I be waiting until a variety comes back, I don't feel satisfied winning this way

[@ThatsCem]

@@chrislabedzski9076 i wish there was a version where you can only use cards up untill a certain year of release

[@TriggerTrooperTV]

@@chrislabedzski9076 play goat or Edison format you will enjoy it

[@HiroofDeath]

@@ThatsCem there is, konami recently allowed the so called "time wizard format" to be played at locals and side events. It basically allows you to play goat or edison format.

[@DarknessShado22]

You forgot the tcg links in the description

[@requiem9167]

I read the name as Tcgasm

[@AchillesRage501]

I'm a good duelist but I often brick or I get otkd because bad hand

[@savagecabbagedank3771]

The one problem I’m having when it comes to deck building is the vast quantity of cards in Yu Gi Oh. Unless you look for guides or deck profiles, it’s very difficult to build a deck as a new player with such limited knowledge. This definitely helps me know what to add to my deck. But even if I know what to add, I still have to look for them. And it sucks that I have to look at deck profiles instead of doing it all myself because I don’t have time to look at every card. I’ve kind of figured that to make something unique I first have to look at what works. Then I can tweak the decks as I like using the accumulated knowledge, at least that’s what I feel is best.

[@tcgsam]

You can definitely use deck profiles as a guideline on what staples are the best in the current meta, but at the moment with the card pool size you probably will have to take the time to look for those "hidden" tech cards

[@savagecabbagedank3771]

@@tcgsam I guess it all boils down to experience at the end of the day

[@ogbraindamage7589]

Bro I started today and my head hurts from trying to figure this out 🤬

[@tcgsam]

Come back to this video once you're more familiar with the basics, hopefully you can find it more useful then :)

[@Steph-sk3xb]

I struggle with managing how much cards to put in my deck. I use to like running 3 of everything at 40 cards to maximise odds of drawing what I need for my strategy but I found myself drawing doubles of things I didn’t quite need often and not play starting cards, blocking myself and losing the match. I think less is more but how do I over come the statistics while having a good chance of drawing what I need?

[@tcgsam]

Generally, youd want to play 3 of cards you always want to draw (even if you draw multiples). You can try cutting down cards that are searchable etc

[@acesw6124]

Decide what is it you want your cards to do and which cards already do what you want and cut unnecessary copies/cards with the same effect or consider a 2:1 ratio for cards which do the same bit slightly different example I have Infinite Impermanence 2x in my deck and 1x Broken Line Imperm as a Handtrap and if set as a column negate to continuous spells/traps and Broken as an omni negate for eiher the Extra zone monster zone or S/T zone drawback I have to set it Pro: Counter Trap and only 1 copy means I draw it more likely later

[@mikhailarcade3254]

For beginners perspective.. Xyz summoning is the easiest way to special summom a monster from extra deck. My little brothers prove that..

[@kingofgrim4761]

Link monsters

[@runeyugi]

How do cards like extravagance and duality affect these numbers. I assume since they offer more options you can run less of each category? But by how much.

[@tcgsam]

It depends on how many of starters, extenders etc you play. To keep it simple, you can treat cards like that as - 1 in your deck size (so 3 duality means you have 37 cards). This isnt exactly correct for the math but keeps it simple

[@ughvexx]

some would say engage fills multiroles

[@jt7596]

Would you be willing to rate peoples deck profiles as a series? Help people build decks better.

[@tcgsam]

Would consider it for the future :)

[@OJB437]

Man im trying to make mine but i just have too many random good cards and i aint trying to order cards online.

[@alh3328]

Since Eldlich is different from most decks what would be considered ‘starter cards’, ‘Extender cards’ or ‘Bomb’ cards for an Eldlich deck?

[@tcgsam]

Trap decks are a little bit different, but I would consider something like pot of extravagance, eldland, sanguine etc as starters and the traps as defense

[@alh3328]

@@tcgsam Thanks👍

[@sgt.stutterbox8127]

I keep getting confused about deck building. I mean I know the deck I am trying to build but making it more consistent and effective is a problem so far.

[@jonathandavis-po6js]

Anyone know ddd, I'm not an expert, using it kinda by accident as a flood

[@samdeoliveira6272]

Is there an updated version?

[@tcgsam]

Check the pinned comment! It's a more advanced version. Either way, these concepts still apply to modern deckbuilding in general, there are just some formats where exceptions need to be made

[@notmakingcontent]

So for me to make sure i got this right; Starter cards: Buster Whelp the Destruction Sword, Red Eyes Insight, Metaverse, Prologue of the Destruction Swordsman, Magician's Navigation. Extenders: Black Metal Dragon, Apprentice Illusion Magician, Master of Dark Illusions. Bombs: Destruction Sword Flash, Destruction Sword Memories, Red Eyes Fusion. Non Engine: Infinite Impermanence, Ash Blossom and Joyous Springs, Return of the Dragon Lords, Eternal Soul. Non Engine Re Raising: Secret Village of the Spellcasters, Dark Burning Attack, Thousand Knives. Engine Requirements: Dark Magician, Buster Blader, Red Eyes Black Dragon.

[@tcgsam]

That seems about right! The roles will also depend on what you're building your deck to do and how you play it, but overall this seems close to what I'd expect for your deck.

[@notmakingcontent]

@@tcgsam the deck is designed to give me Dragoon, Secret Village of the Spellcasters, and the Buster Lock

[@gr8dmoore17]

Explain this concept with a ritual deck please

[@tcgsam]

The concepts in this video would still apply to a ritual deck, the cards shown/discussed are just specific examples

[@gr8dmoore17]

@@tcgsam idk man cause a ritual deck would still require more setup dont you think which in return would throw the ratios off a bit

[@tiredgaming8961]

I got lucky with my Blue eyes deck.. I just threw some cards together and it's pretty good. Except for the fact I don't play 100% by YUGIOH rules. Me and my friend activate anything off of everything. Spell activated on trap. We have had times where i activate something and he uses some spell/trap destroying card, then I'll use de spell or remove trap. he'll activate to destroy that, I'll activate another de spell or remove trap. HE ACTIVATES ANOTHER DAMN CARD TO DESTROY IT!

[@flash2376]

Pulled a Dark Magician from the El Dorado set, is that a good pull? New to Yu Gi Oh.

[@tcgsam]

It's not bad but isn't necessarily one of the money cards

[@flash2376]

@@tcgsam What would be considered a good pull? Got a red looking dragon from it too. Kind of like a rose looking dragon. Still learning stuff.

[@Kyouma.]

Can some of those things be applied to retro formats like Goat?

[@tcgsam]

Im not too sure, but I assume not since the game was very much different back in the day

[@kaosssj4538]

so what would you say for a d/d deck

[@tcgsam]

I never played the deck, so I'm not 100% sure. But definitely max out on the cards that actually progress your plays forward alone or with very few conditions

[@johnserrette9842]

Etele too.stronk

[@roseknight384]

My starter card is UFO Turtle

[@miared4551]

Can blue eyes white dragon be used as a starter card ?

[@tcgsam]

When determining whether a card functions as a starter, you should ask your self does that card work to facilitate plays on its own? Or does it require other cards to work? Blue eyes would fall into the latter

[@acesw6124]

I use BE in my Dragonlink deck for Dragon Shrine to get an additional card out of my deck as deck thinning improves my chances and if I decide to bring it back either bc of Skill Drain or just needing a 3k beater.

[@vizekonigtossit3829]

My opponent: Draws 6 cards, banishes their Extra Deck, summons 3-5 monsters with 2100 ATK minimum, puts 3 negates, then finally steals my graveyard monsters and banishes my monsters. Me: Discards my monsters, sets useless trap cards, then surrenders. This helps a lot. However, as a new player, I don't know what's good and what isn't, nor what cards to add for any kind of deck archetype. Would you kindly make a video addressing more deckbuilding techniques? Thanks!

[@tcgsam]

I'd consider it in the future, but for now you can look up some deck profiles and see the general types of cards people are playing (i.e. handtraps? Draw cards? board breakers? etc) to have a better idea

[@vizekonigtossit3829]

@@tcgsam Thanks a lot!

[@crunchyboi1730]

And another question which one do u prefer Evenly matched or lightning storm?

[@tcgsam]

Depends on the format and what deck youre on but I think I prefer storm

[@calebnorris6960]

Evenly is broken this format but if ur deck plays Zeus it's redundant and if your opponent sides Lance in against you (like in VW) it's a huge risk. Before I bought a Zeus I sided 3 and it won me a ton of games

[@Pretendbreadboi]

Ya it’s hard cuz my deck building nolage out the gutter

[@jeremymore451]

Gotta love how VW just main zero bombs. All they want is more engine.

[@tcgsam]

Yeah, thats true since they need multiple engine cards to play

[@Blubberoxford]

Every engine card is a bomb turn 3 imo

[@tcgsam]

@@Blubberoxford This is true, they just snowball into more cards

[@godsasori]

you should make a formula how to not waste your life with a stupid coin toss game.

[@basebrolygoated2498]

Can someone add me on insta so I could get more help, I dont understand please